Hexagon Fun

I spent most of last week not crocheting. It was difficult. I couldn't decide what I wanted to make with the wool that I had. I was quite out of sorts that week, it really bothered me that I couldn't crochet as I didn't want to make something that wasn't right and waste the yarn that I had bought. I had originally meant to use this yarn (the milk protein cotton) to make a ripple/chevron. But when I tried out a few different patterns, it just didn't seem to work. I have concluded that for the ripple blanket I want to make, I need a thicker yarn or to use two strands at once. That idea was therefore shelved as I have no funds to start buying more yarn.

I needed a new project and I began a meandering search on blogs, flickr and pinterest, trying to muster up some inspiration. Then I saw an image of some hexagon patterned fabric and thought I could just make some small one colour hexagons and see how it looked.

I used this pattern, which I found searching Google for crochet hexagon pattern images. I think it works perfectly as a one colour hexagon and is a lovely size - about 2.5 inches wide.

These little guys are joined as you go and only take 8 minutes a piece to make. Just perfect for the odd bit of crochet here and there. The blanket has grown to over double the above size since taking these photos on Friday. A fair bit of crochet was done over the weekend in the sunshine, cup of tea to hand, kids playing in the garden. Bliss.

I bought three 50g balls of the chocolate brown yarn to tone down the brightness of the orange and pink. I think it's just about doing the job nicely. E has claimed this blanket already, draping it over her lap during the evening whilst watching a bit of tv. I'm not entirely sure how big this blanket will get and what kind of border it will have, but I am going to wing it and see what happens. I'm just enjoying making it, it feels right for the wool I am using so I'm quite happily going with the flow. So so nice to be crocheting again. I think it's safe to say I am well and truly addicted.

We have had the most gorgeous weather over the past few days so I have spent a great deal of time in the garden, pottering about, mainly pulling out weeds and ivy and tidying the place up a bit. Big plans for this year (many left over from last year, ahem), lots to sort out in order to make the garden more manageable. Will dedicate another post to this subject as I have quite a few photos. We've done so much to the garden but there's still plenty to do before it's looking more like our kind of space.

Gerard has been having the time of his life out in the sunshine. He has managed to scare off all the local cats so he finally has his garden all to himself. I've never seen a cat rolling around in dusty dirt like a lion before but that is top of Gerard's list of favourite things to do. He's also quite partial to hiding in the undergrowth for a little nap. :) Tearing around like a maniac and getting supremely over excited when one of us goes out into the garden is also a popular pastime. Sometimes I wonder whether he thinks he's a dog.  The tortoises are also enjoying the sunshine, their appetite has improved greatly as they are spending more time wandering around in their enclosure. So much to enjoy at this time of year, it's great to be able to get out in the garden again. Hope you are enjoying your outside space too. xx