Whirlwind

The race to the last day of school is on! Life has become a whirlwind, with performances, meetings, assemblies, parties, exams, sports days, picnics, new school visits...oh, and there are teacher gifts to sort, school uniforms for next term to buy, cookies to bake, nerves to calm...whirlwind!

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say blog posts may be fewer these next few weeks, and though I’m still reading all of your blogs, comments may not make it to the keyboard. Time is so precious, and my first priority is to be there for my girls as they prepare to leave pre-school and primary school.

Wow. They are both moving on to their next big stages of life! Friends have asked me if I’m sad that they are leaving their schools, but honestly, I am really *excited* for them! Of course I’ll miss my Little Flower being home much of the time, but she is so ready for primary school, anxious to read more and write more and explore life and learning. And my Bunny, how I’d love to hold her close and walk her to each class of secondary school, but she, too, is ready for a bigger challenge. She is quick to make friends, easygoing and friendly, and I can’t wait for the new adventures ahead for her.

But enough of my emotional ramblings, I have some crafting to share!

I think, possibly, that I’m finished with this heart. I’m not sure I want to embellish it more, so I’ll put it aside for a few days then return to it and see how I feel. Hmmm.

I added a few silk ribbon roses, using a variegated pastel ribbon, to complement the more textured ribbon that came in the hand-dyed skein from Stef Francis. I wanted a few lighter touches of colour, and the pastel blossoms dotted here and there achieves that.

Here are French knots, straight stitches to make the green leaves – the buds beneath use the lazy daisy stitch made with the ribbon, which gives a very different result than the same stitch done with embroidery floss.

This project was simply an experiment to see if I could use the various threads that made up the skein. Now I have more useful ideas...the rough linen would be perfect for a summertime picnic placemat set, and I already have the embroidery design in mind...

On the crochet front, I’m more than halfway through a summer wrap:

I am fascinated by this new crochet book – Rustic Modern Crochet – it is full of quirky, textured, interesting makes. I love it!

I was drawn to this wrap, and it gave me the excuse to buy some Rowan Savannah yarn, a gorgeous linen-y cotton wrapped in thin silk thread.

The long lines of the design are simply chains, so this project is working up quickly. I have half a mind to display it as a wall hanging, though, it is more like a textured artwork! I will write a little book review when I’ve finished this project.

And finally, (my my, she is going on and on and on today, isn’t she?) for those of you interested in my edible bouquets, I will share the book that got me started on my passion for herbs:

Jekka McVicar is the expert on herbs, what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing! I attended her herb workshop at RHS Wisley a few years ago, and I subsequently transformed the borders around our patio to herb gardens. She and her books are incredibly inspirational, whether you have a patio container or acres of land.

I use my herbs mostly for cooking, but some are grown for teas, scented sachets, mild medicinal use, and simply for the sheer beauty they give the garden. Soon I’ll do some posts featuring my favourite herbs and what I do with them!

Happy crafting!

Chrissie x

P.S. Thank you all so much for your very kind comments on my last post! The fabric I used is from Gutterman, it’s called Leaves Hill. It is a cotton with a teensy bit of stretch – I erred on the side of caution with my fabric choice rather than using a true jersey cotton for my first Coco top.