#TheYarnAdvent progress

I’ve spoken about the yarn advent calendar from last December here before, and slowly I’ve been working to create my half and half squares, adding in two neutral colours - two because I couldn’t choose between them. This as always going to be a colourful throw, and in my mind’s eye it was always going to be random.

Last week I reached a momentous point.

I have now completed four squares of each of the twenty four days, so that’s 96 squares, and a jumble of colours. And now I have a decision ahead of me.

But first blocking. And the first proper use of one of my Christmas presents.

The biggest decision

That comes next, and is all about the layout. Now remember that in my head this is a random creation, so why oh why, did my hands come up with this:

It’s not that I dislike it, but it’s not what I intended.

My second attempt was much better, and fulfilled my ‘random’ requirement.

I thought it probably needed some tweaking and set to work.

The organised side of my head came to the fore again, this time ensuring all of the triangles have their long edge facing the same direction.

And then because I couldn’t resist, and because I wanted to try it out - the neutrals were put together. On one side the blue/green and the other the grey/pink.

That’s not quite what I envisaged either.

Even though my hands keep trying to bring some order to the proceedings, it’s the completely random layout that makes my heart sing the most.

With bobbles on

I already know how I’ll finish this throw. Once I’ve settled on a final random layout, I’ll add a couple of rounds in the neutral colours. And then, my plan is to add a round of bobbles, or pompoms from the small lengths that remain. I’m sure though, that will bring my ordered head as many challenges.

Love this #92 Shell Art

It’s been a while since my last Love this post, and as I keep pausing over these images as I scroll through my photos I thought it was about time.

I was - and am - absolutely smitten with these when I saw them on our visit to Houghton Hall last October, and could have quite easily have left with both of them, had my bank balance permitted. They are exquisite, and much more superior to my childhood shell art which I’m sure involved polyfilla, an empty plastic golden syrup tub and shells collected from the beach. There might also have been shells which we’d bought from the Shell Shop in Lyme Regis, a memory that definitely takes me back!

Both of these are by Blott Kerr-Wilson, a sea shell artist - and clearly one way above any of my childhood efforts, and quite frankly above anything I’d attempt even now. Both were on display in the stables, and both are pricey, just shy of £3000 - but oh, so lovely.

Who’d have thought that mussel shells (above) and sea urchins and tusk shells (below) could be quite so beautiful?

I’m not even going to say one day, but I know I’m glad I saw them and have a photo - as that’s as close as I’m going to get to these beauties - admiration from afar!

A fascination with boxes

Along with notebooks, I’ve got a bit of a thing about boxes. And it’s not something I’m sorry about. I mean when the boxes are as pretty as these, why would I? If you’ve seen this one on my Instagram feed recently you’ll know it’s another Instagram purchase from a vintage seller there. This one had me worried a little as it was slow to arrive, but once it was here I was smitten.

It wasn’t my intended purchase. I saw a vintage sign that made me smile, and it was that that caught my eye. Scrolling through more photos I spotted the box, and it was sold. Literally. I had no idea of its size, but that didn’t matter.

As you can see it’s not large, but is a decent enough size - and the amount of work it contains is amazing. MOH predictably asked where it would go when it arrived, but knew that disputing its existence was futile.

Much like when we walked into a room full of decorative boxes on our short break in Norfolk last year. I thought I had a photo which I could add to this post, but it seems I was too much in awe to do that. But clearly the memory has stayed, and it’s clearly going to be somewhere we revisit, often. That time I left with a candlestick instead of a box, but that was a blip, I’m pretty sure there’s a box in my future.

Instead though I’m sharing one that I already have. I know it came to me via dad, but that’s all I know. The name - L Higginson - isn’t one we know, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t either. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a box beauty.

What I’d forgotten though was all the photos it holds. And consequently the memories.

Including one of my four cats (none of whom are still with me) enjoying dinner on a distinctly dodgy looking (temporary) carpet in the kitchen in my old house. The memory of walking on cat food barefoot isn’t a memory I needed to recall though.

The detail on the boxes, including this mother of pearl keyhole, that’s something I don’t think I’ll tire of.