SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS........

 .................... MAKES ME HAPPY! ( a beautiful John Denver track)

So, this was me this morning; in the garden, sleeves rolled up, radio on, coffee mug full, knitting out and on the go, kitchen doors open onto the garden. Perfect! Why does this seem so strange? Because this is England and it is still February! It was so peaceful, warm and sunny with just the sound of busy birds, it was hard to imagine what the weather was like at the same time last year. Very different! I was determined to make the most of it and sat outside until about 3.30p.m., when the sky began to cloud over a little. Warm sunshine makes such a difference, especially so early in the year. I'm very grateful.

You may be thinking that the yarn you can see has changed colour; well yes, it has! This was the colour last week....

 ..... but it just didn'e seem to be quite right (not that I'm terribly fussy, you'll understand!). I cast on several times this week, but my heart wasn't really in it and I made silly errors that were impossible to correct, meaning that I had to frog and cast on all 210 stitches again. Please, bear in mind that this was only the third yarn and colour choice that I had tried so far and not been happy with. Not to be beaten, I frogged again and cast on with a new colour that I am, at last, much happier with. It almost the exact colour of my jacket and will blend with my dress colours too. If I'm honest, I'm not really in love with the Rowan 'fine lace' yarn, but the colour is good and I seem to have wasted hours scouring the internet for the illusive perfect colour. I would have preferred a silk blend, but never mind. The 80% baby alpaca and 20% merino mix will produce a light, wafty covering; just perfect for the wedding evening.

It's a twenty-eight row pattern repeat, which is quite straight forward really, but I find it so irritating and time consuming having to spend ages trying to sort lace errors and even more so when using fine, fluffy yarns! So, a 'lifeline' was a must. I've put it in after the first pattern repeat and will move it up at the end of each subsequent repeat. 

I'm going to need to get my skates on if this is to be finished in time. The wedding is on April 6th, so just over a month to go. Not long!

I bought some rather lovely Posh Yarns 'Sylvia' 2ply this week too, from a Ravelry destash. Two skeins  of the most gorgeous 50% silk 50% merino mix, in colourway 'I Got Rhythm'.

Mr Snoops made the most of the  Spring weather to get on with with some planting. The tomatoes were re-potted and seemed to grow as I watch! They almost appear to breathe a sigh of relief when they get their own little home, rather than having to share. They're now taking up the end of the kitchen table! Also planted today were lettuces, now in the greenhouse and pointy peppers, now in the airing cupboard. Hmmm!

Oscar, as always, watched the 'potting' with great interest. He's never quite sure whether there is some kind of foody thing going on that might be shared with him. Sadly, not!

 The winter pansies, that have braved the elements for several months now, were also enjoying the warmth of the sun, turning their sweet little faces to it's tender rays. Hooray, Spring is on its way!

 Ahhhh, such a lovely Sunday. Come again soon Mr Sunshine! We love you!