Lyn has got me started on the next Bargello cushion panel and it's a very interesting design. I've played around with this photo to try and make sure the marked lines show up properly. The colours are deep red/plum, through to pale peach, with shades of saffron to contrast. I thought I was going to choose the colours myself but it was suggested red and gold would look good together. I said I'd seen a couple of nice shades of saffron whilst I was restocking, so chose them instead of gold. I also picked the 3 deepest red/plum and Lyn helped with the rest. There are ten colours in total and every row covers 5 threads. Each curved line will be the brightest shade of red and each row will stop when it meets a straight line. It'll make more sense when I've done a bit more. I've been trying to do some more of my crochet cardigan as well, so I haven't done very much as yet.
The cardigan is progressing nicely now. I unpicked the ugly fronts and re-did them with a much better scooped neckline. Then I tacked the shoulders together and decided the armhole was too deep. Two rows front and back were quickly ripped back then I stitched the shoulders together neatly. It was definitely too small round the bust, so I worked an inch of the bodice mesh pattern vertically along each front edge. Much better. Now I'm onto the lace "skirt" - worked from just below the bust downwards. I've adjusted the pattern slightly as there's not much give in the cotton yarn compared with wool but hopefully it will look better than the original.
You know, I read a comment by another blogger this week (I forget who, sorry) that describes the way I work exactly. She said something along the lines of "I don't see patterns as being instructions on how to make something - merely suggestions of what I could do". That's me to a T!! Take an idea from here, an idea from there, add a bit of me and mix it up!!
On Tuesday this week I had my first visit to Hampton Court Flower Show with a friend. OMG - it was HUGE!
There was just so much to see that we actually missed a lot of the show gardens - but to be honest, they looked better on the telly and there was someone there to explain what you were looking at. I did think it funny the way they added a soundtrack of people chattering in the background when they were quite clearly filming "out of hours" when there was virtually no one there! Most of the gardens you weren't allowed into anyway and some were quite strange and we didn't want to keep thumbing through the (£5!) show guide to find the blurb about each one.
And just how do you decide what to buy when faced with 500 traders??.... I bought just 4 plants - 2 heucheras, 1 lavender and this lovely South African Disa Orchid.
My friend also treated me to a selection of little cacti for my upcoming birthday. They are now sat in the window at work. And I managed to say hello with some of the traders I know from the Christmas Market which was really nice.
Do you want to see one or two photos?? I took over 200...
It was a long day. I left the house at 9.15am and got home at 9.30pm! But I was rewarded with this amazing sunset. Will I go again? I think so but I'll be better prepared for how to get the most out of the day.
