A laptop sleeve

A while back I scratched the outside of my laptop after a weekend away. I thought i’d placed it carefully in my bag, but clearly not. I have a laptop bag, but when you’re taking more than a laptop then usually I pack around my clothes. Somehow though, things went wrong and I was a bit upset with myself. I’m the sort of person that likes things nice, and keeps them nice and in good condition so it was all a bit grrrr.

So when I saw someone share the idea of a crocheted laptop sleeve, I was sold. Full of enthusiasm I started straight away, crocheted two squares, and four triangles and there it stopped for quite a while. But finally, I’ve picked it up again, and finished it.

I used pale blue and mint cotton double knit, a strand of each for some extra padding and a 6.5mm hook. I chose a fairly dense square pattern, which is offset with the four corresponding triangle shapes forming the pattern. Of course I followed a pattern for the main pieces.

I’m not usually much of one for a pastel approach, but I love these colours together. In fact, I’ve just made myself giggle a little as I’m sitting here dressed in pastels too, very uncharacteristic of me. A pale pink top and pale blue shorts, in case you’re wondering - I’m not quite matching the laptop cover.

But when it came to putting it together I went a bit off-piste and free-form. Mainly because I needed it a little bigger, so once it was sewn together I added a few rows to extend each end. Thinking that in my more clumsy moments a laptop might slide straight through my sleeve, I decided to enclose one end. I thought it would be stronger if it was crocheted together, rather than sewn. And it worked, but I should have thought about that earlier on. Ideally the squares should be front and centre, rather than top, bottom and over (or under), if you see what I mean.

But you live and learn, and in any case I’m pretty sure unless I told you, you wouldn’t have known.

Now I need to make another one, and put that lesson into practice. I’ve threatened to make MOH one, but he keeps crinkling his nose up at me, so I’ll keep it as a threat for use when needed!

And despite what he thinks, I’m going to enjoy using this and will be proud to pull this out of my bag.

A growing pile of colourful crochet

It’s been a while since I’ve done a post about what’s on my hook, so here one is. And what’s on my hook is a bit of a misnomer really as I’m waiting for my next delivery from the mini-skein club. I’ve half-way through my six month subscription, which I took out to treat myself whilst lockdown was on, and to support a smaller business.

But it’s been addictive. And a little bit out of my comfort zone.

I was fine with the first month’s yellows, greens and turquoise - all colours I’m comfortable with. I had a bit of a wobble when the next box arrived with pale blue, but by the time I finished on a lilac that reminded me of parma violets, I was back on course. Then when the pinks, which turned out to look quite like raspberry ripple arrived, I was on the up again.

My original plan was to make a wrap, oblong shaped as I’m not a fan of the triangular shaped ones, and at times I wonder if it might be too colourful. Which is quite something coming from me, a self-confessed lover of colour. Another suggestion is a beach cover up, and I’m tempted, although beaches aren’t quite my natural habitat, and I wonder if I’d want to get it sandy.

Maybe it’ll turn into some other kind of multi-coloured wearable. I’ve thirteen completed squares so far, with the fourteenth already started. So the pile will grow for a few months yet, which means I’ve some time to finalise exactly what I’ll make. Which is probably a good thing!

But for now, I’m just enjoying the colours. And wondering where we’ll go next in the colour wheel.

Oh how I've missed the flower garden in Greenwich Park

My regular daily commute used to involve more than coming down the stairs and heading for the dining room table, it used to have quite a picturesque walk through Greenwich Park. And yes, I know I’m lucky. And while the park has been open, the flower garden had been shut.

It has reopened, and on our mammoth Thames Path walk I couldn’t resist a slight detour even though my feet were already aching. And being there just emphasised how much I’d missed my almost daily park visit, even though my glimpse of the flowers was often minimal.

The neatly manicured borders, with the plants flowering almost uniformly made me smile.

The bursts of colour.

And even, unusually, the more formal beds. Usually I’d be slightly more unkind and refer to these as ‘municipal’.

But really it’s the hydrangeas and the lace caps which line the path that once again had my attention.

And yes, why wouldn’t it?

It’s a plant I don’t have in my garden, and one I don’t have the space for. But it’s also going straight on my list for our next garden, whenever that comes along.

But then again the delicate lace caps, are also vying for a place in that fictional space. I’m going to need enough space for them both aren’t I? Though for now, I’ll be making do with those in Greenwich Park, and hoping that the flower garden manages to stay open.