Blood, Sweat and Tears... Ta Dah!

At last!  I can reveal my latest blanket which has been a labour of love, hardship, frustration and unbelievable unpicking.  Yes, I have felt that I have shed blood, sweat and tears when completing this one.  While writing the words to this post, I look outside and the heavy clouds mock me.  Today of all days I need it to be sun shiny and tikety boo so that I can show you the work I have put into this project.

The Janie Crow Lily Pond Blanket was her CAL from last year, but when I saw it after finishing the Painted Roses Blanket from Cherry Heart, I thought it would be a good progression to learn new stitches and to push myself.  That I most certainly did!

Yes I was going to throw in the towel and just call it a WiP, but no, I continued, weaving my hook in and out of the different colours and hook sizes, and then it all started to come together.

So, I am writing this on a Sunday morning and then hopefully by the end of the day there will be some sun shiny shots for you to enjoy and appreciate the work that I have been doing for the last three months.

Hubby's reaction... "it looks like a pond".  Well done that man!

I'm going to miss making this blanket now that it has been completed as it has been something I can vent at.  But I need to have some calmness restored in my life, some nice easy lines, some nice easy squares, some nice comforting colours.  Well, I've already received this gorgeous box of woolly scrumptiousness after looking for my next project to get me through the summer months.  

Some of you know how much I love to walk in the rain and my love of the autumn and winter.  It's my happy time, and when I feel most alive.  The camera helps me capture those different moments that are more interesting than sun, sun and, oh yes, sun.  The water droplets captured on a rose, the dew on a spider's web, the reflection of a building from a puddle, the happy faces on children in welly boots being allowed to splash, the frost enveloping anything that it can hug.  Well, this project is going to be a happy one.

This is a CAL that has already started - Sheepjes CAL 2016.  The main one is Last Dance on the Beach, but I have gone for the comforting colours reflected in Dance in the Rain which just sings to my heart.  The CAL was designed by the late Marinke Slump (A Creative Being) who was designing this project when she sadly passed away.  Twelve of her online friends and bloggers completed the design and the CAL is in Marinke's memory and as a tribute to her work.  Please click on her link in this paragraph to understand why so many people are doing this in her memory.

It's only fitting that I am seeing this as a happy blanket and one that I am going to enjoy and think about the good things in life and what makes me who I am and what I want to achieve.

Right, post written, now where's that elusive sun??!!