Rosslyn and Crochet Butterflies

Rosslyn variations.

I am making a Lap Blanket each for my twin granddaughters who have a birthday coming up.

It has been fun making them the same but different, and playing around with Helen Shrimpton’s excellent Rosslyn Pattern.

In order to make them rectangular instead of square I added a few rows and some butterflies at each end, before adding the edging.

Twig’s Lap Blanket

The first pattern for a butterfly border I found was this one by Debi Dearest

I left the antennae long until just before I was going to finish them off by snipping them and melting the ends next to the flame of a candle to seal them.

Debi’s method of making the bodies so that they do not move around can be found here

Then I found another pattern for Twiglet’s butterflies

Twiglet’s Lap blanket

 

Crochet Butterfly Stitch

 

To make the body and antennae I found that wrapping the yarn round twice on each side and then knotting the two ends together after the intial reef knot gave a slightly better finish, giving the butterfly a head and keeping the antennae in line rather than going off at odd angles.

The yellow one above is made as in the video and the pink body is made with my variation.

Next I seal the ends of the antennae by holding them near to a candle flame to melt them together so they don’t fray.

Washing and blocking these two blankets with all those butterflies and picots round the edge – as well as the roses took a whole day.

I still have some roses to sew on to Twiglet’s blanket before the blankets are ready for packing and posting.

Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK

Duck Egg, Cream, Storm, Raspberry, Buttermilk, Lincoln, Pale Rose, Soft Peach

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Creation

~

pets no more

children fill my days

playfully

~

The photograph is of my son holding his newborn twin daughters.

This week’s Photo Challenge prompt: CREATION

There are many wonders in all creation but the mystery, magic and miracle of birth sums it up for me.

Also entering Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku challenge. His prompt words are PET and PLAY.

For most of my life I have had dogs and cats as pets but the last one died just before moving house in 2005, life got busy, grandchildren came along. I sometimes miss the company of animals, but enjoy the freedom without them nowadays.

I have nicknamed this combo of the two challenges a Phaiku – have a go!

Please leave a link to your ‘Creation’ Photo or Phaiku in the comments.

Next weeks prompt is WRAP 

Also joining in with Cee’s Black and White Challenge: Made by Human Beings – couldn’t resist!

Now drum roll please!

Here is our new Photo Challenge List for 2017. It has been an absolute joy to compile the 2017 list with Cathy for your inspiration and delight.

Thanks go to Cathy, Rainbow Jane and Melissa for the 2016 list – it has been a great year – just 3 more weeks to go! I don’t think Cathy, Jane or I have missed a week – quite an achievement and so wonderful to have been doing this together. Melissa had so many other priorities to attend to but joined us when she could. It was Melissa who introduced me to the idea of the ‘Phaiku’.

Thanks also go to YOU for all your wonderful entries – it is always a delight to see the variety of the interpretations for each word. Long may it continue!

We’d LOVE you to join us in 2017.

Ta Dah!

A huge thank you to RainbowJ for the graphics.

Feel free to copy this list to keep to hand – I pop mine in my camera case.

A few changes to note for 2017:

1. The day for the start of the Challenge will be each Tuesday.
2. Please leave a link in the comments on this blog, Wild Daffodil, so that the entries are all together and we can visit each entry easily.
3. This list for 2017 has been compiled by Cathy and Sandra.
4. The name of the challenge has changed to ‘One-a-Week’.
5. If you feel inspired to create a haiku to go with the photo you can find prompt words on Ronovan Writes each Monday.
6. You don’t have to post every week, just join in when you like.
7. Choose current, recent or archive photos and posts to link to.
8. Have fun!

and as Cathy always says HAPPY SNAPPING! 😉

 

Routine

Bluedaisyz Photo Challenge: Routine

The photo is of me proudly holding my twin granddaughters back in 2012.

My daughter-in-law is the Routine Queen – thank goodness, because I don’t know how we would have survived those first few months without her brilliant regime!

Other Routine photos: Cathy’s and Jamie’s

 

Hope

*

 Watching and waiting 

In tension and not knowing 

Until at last, love

*

*

Hope springs eternal

As we wait for the babies

Patient pregnant pause

*

The first Haiku is for Ronovan’s Weekly Challenge. The two words he has given us this week are LOVE and LAST

I’m really enjoying this Haiku malarkey and this week I have tried to follow ‘the rules’ and create a Haiku in which:

a) the two sentences work in isolation:

‘Watching and waiting in tension and not knowing.’

‘In tension and not knowing, until at last, love.’

b) it links to nature or natural forces.

c) it is enigmatic enough to relate to different circumstances that anyone can identify with.

d) it follows the 5,7,5 syllable pattern.

How did I do?

The only thing I didn’t quite manage is:

e) each sentence being opposites – unless we can stretch this to ‘tension’ being kinda opposite to ‘love’

*

The photo is this week’s entry in Bluedaisyz Photo Challenge, subject: HOPE.

It is a picture I took of my daughter-in-law’s beautiful bump when she was expecting my last two grandchildren (twin girls). I had not noticed my son’s shadow until I uploaded the photo – what a happy accident!

Can you also see the fainter shadow of my d-i-l facing my son’s shadow too – I only noticed that when I was writing this post – even more wonderful – well, to me anyway!

Thank you to my son and daughter-in-law for letting me use the picture – fond memories of that wonderful time. And now we have those two beautiful girls!!

Other ‘HOPE‘ photos: Erika, it will make your mouth water; Jamie, a beady eye; Melissa, and on the day of the birth of a new princess, new hope of the life of fluffy little chicks – so cuuuuuuuute!

Next week’s photo challenge subject: SKY

Update: Ronovan does a review each week of all the Haiku entries – it must take him hours! I look forward to it each Sunday. He picks a serious Haiku ‘winner’ and a humorous one. This week the Humour Prize went to Vashti with her great take on the two words, which set off a whole dialogue on Love and Leftovers – brilliant!

And his serious choice is from Rachel, so true!