Welcome To The Zoo🐨🦁🐴🐰🦃🦊

Lenox's zoo, that is🐨🦁🐴🐰🦃🦊

Hello lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡  A lovely welcome to you this Sunday evening♡ Well, it is here. =)

My woolly experiment is DONE!! An experiment?? Yes, this woolly blanket was definitely an experiment. Having never read, nor indeed understood a crochet pattern before it wasn't a certainty that this woolly crochet undertaking would be a triumph. Nor was it a given that there would be an acceptable outcome. This crochet woolly was definitely a trial and error pretty and I must say, a giant learning curve. 

Well, I'm here to say after many mistakes and missteps I'm doing a victory lap (around the garden......around the autumnal hydrangeas). =) All the critters in Lenox's zoo are resting happily atop the woolly blanket and ALL are happily playing together with all their friends. Each critter whispered to me which pal they wanted to be their play buddy and rest next to forevermore. One would be forgiven if one supposed that all the critters might be a little askance of Lenny Lion or perhaps to a lesser extent Faelynn Fox being a hop, skip and a jump away, but nope, in the land of make believe, all these critters are the very best of friends, boisterously rollicking and frolicking and getting up to all manner of hijinks all day long. They are a happy little zoo.

Meet Harvey Horse and Wilbur Worm. I must say Harvey is a handsome fellow and just between you and me, he's my favourite.

Lennox's blanket was crocheted in Patons Bluebell 5ply pure wool. It measures 85cm x 115cm; a perfect size for a crib. Perfect too, for a wee child to wrap themselves in, for a woolly hug. Each granny square is 15cms.  I followed the book, 3D Animal Granny Squares,  for some of the animals but after several attempts, some of my animals didn't resemble anything like the picture so I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole to see what other animals I could find. And I must say, I found a lot. Thank the Good Lord for YouTube tutorials! Another thing which I changed from the book is each animal is crocheted separately and then stitched onto the granny squares. Each animal has a lot of separate bits...eyes, snouts, beaks, ears etc which caused the back of each animal to be a messy eyesore. Sewing the finished animal to the grannies makes for a neat back with no fugly bits to be seen. My persnickety self is very happy about this.

Pete and I are off to Hobart next weekend to holiday with Lennox, my daughter and son-in-law. I cannot wait. I hope wee Lenox loves his woolly zoo. A woolly blanket where oodles of conservations and wild and playful imaginations will be enjoyed as he snuggles down under his woolly zoo. So, so many delightful conversations and stories of animal escapades and adventures within Lenox's zoo♡ Bye lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡ Thank you for visiting my little place♡

Until the next time......

Father Time Marches On♡

 

Hello lovely lovelies; lovely friends♡ Father Time has marched on to the month of March......and with  it, the season of Autumn. Is it my imagination but Father Time seems to move with a quickened step these days?? My weeks seem to pass by in a blink of an eye. 

Daylight hours are shorter and there's a change in the light; a softer glow. And of course, the garden is telling me that there's a whiff of a new season to happen upon the scene. Summer has gone. Actually it never really showed up. A handful of hot days, but really, not much to write home to mother about. 

This summer the flower season has not been a long one. Oh, there's been a profusion of flowers; just shorter than their usual cycle. I've noticed the hydrangeas particularly haven't shown off their coloured blooms for as long. They are already beginning to morph into their autumnal hues. The sweet pea vines are spent and have begun to shrivel into a brown and dry mess, and are now forming seeds where they will fall wherever they will, in readiness for the flowers that will sprout yet again next spring.  I must say the sweet peas were a vision splendid this year.

The dahlias are flowering. The cosmos, too.  But again, both took a long while to do so. I'm sure there will be early frosts so that will be the end of these blooms. The roses are past their best with just a few to pick each morning. It's just not been hot enough for them to flower vigorously.   Such are the seasons of life........and climate.

Now about those sweet critters I've been crocheting. This week they seem to have walked, sauntered, padded, hopped, crawled, ran, flew, crept.......swam onto the squares. Sixteen animals are smiling happily atop the squares. Three more animals have joined the zoo; a baaing sheep, a meowing cat and swimming fish. There are two more animals to crochet and then I can start crocheting the blanket together; that is after the remaining green grannies are finished. Ten green ones to go. Will the crocheting of granny squares ever end??!! =) Hopefully, by the end of this coming week. YES! That light at the end of the tunnel, where the din of animals can be heard, is glowing a little brighter.

I will continue to crochet the grannies this evening while watching TV....a 'Vera' rerun, perhaps. That is of course, the TV powers that be, don't usurp and commandeer every channel and feel the need to inform me of a minute by minute report of the diabolical madman's latest extraordinary and maleficent diversion!!

And on that note I'm going to disappear. =) But only for a week or so. I will return......but then..........who really knows. =) Bye lovely lovelies; lovely friends. Try to have a lovely day. Some meditative slow stitching...knitting...crocheting... perhaps?? Some tea?? Some cake?? Or maybe a little book readin'. Whatever it is that distracts you from the madding crowd, enjoy; and please, take care♡♡

Until the next time......

I spy with my little eye....

 Something beginning with......

Petunia Pig

Lacey Ladybird

Reggie Rabbit

Milly Mouse 

Kingston Koala 

Sammy Snail

Dudley Dog 

Faelynn Fox

Penelope Penguin

Piao Panda

Lenny Lion

Benny Bear

AND......because there has to, just has to  be a turkey on my American grandson's blanket......

Theodore Turkey 

And, oh my goodness, did he take a while to finish! I gave up on the instructions in the book and imagined another way to finish the feathers. He didn't come out too badly, not too badly at all....even if I do say so myself. =)

This week I completed more critters. Thirteen have joined the menagerie. Five more to go. All the fiddly bits......eyes, ears, snouts, beaks, feet, cheeks etc etc were finicky and time consuming and a bit of a pain to crochet and then sew. Thank goodness I decided to crochet the animals separate to the granny square as there would be a messy tangle of threads on the back of the blanket. All that will be seen on the back now is the outline stitching of each animal. More work of course, but for my persnickety eye, much neater and visually pleasing.

The book has an animal dancing on every granny square of the blanket. This blanket will not. There's only going to be an animal on every alternate square. An animal on every square is a little too busy for me. I know!! I'm that girl where more is never enough. Go figure!!

Throughout today (as it's Sunday) I have picked up my crochet hook and worked on more granny squares. There's quite a few to do still. Only four weeks in which the blanket has to be finished. I had better skedaddle!

Thank you for visiting my little place♡ It's a place where for a while yet I will be wrapped in a tangly, woolly mess. My little candle is shining♡ A fragrant candle with coconut and lime scents wafting around as I crochet♡ A beautiful aroma, creating a cosy ambience.......relaxing me; as I granny square away♡ Hoping your day, lovely lovelies; lovely friends, is a joyous one♡

Until the next time......