The Blooming Flower Cushion Ta-dah

Good morning friends.

It has been a terribly long time since I shared any crochet loveliness here so today I am very excited to show you one of my favorite makes ever - my Blooming Flower Cushion. Whenever I look at it I can not help but smile; the texture and colors make me so happy. I am quite in love with this new cushion of mine.

Making this cushion was a long time coming as I had it on my "To Make" list for years. I think it took me so long to get to making it because I thought it would be complicated, when in fact it was quite simple and straight forward. Isn't that the way it often is?

I worked on my cushion slowly during the winter and early spring, finishing it in April. It was a wonderfully portable project, perfect for working on at piano lessons and at the pool. And it certainly caught peoples' eyes while I was working on it in public as I got many comments and questions. Just as an aside, I love to crochet in public (I know some people shy away from this) and I love when I see others doing the same (though that rarely happens) and we can share a little smile as we each work on our crafts.

As for the yarn, I used the leftovers of Stylecraft Special Chunky from my Attic24 Weekend Bag. Even after making this cushion, I still have a considerable amount of yarn leftover and the wheels are turning as I consider what to make with it next. Awhile ago I listened to a podcast where it was discussed how constraints breed creativity and I do believe this to be true with respect to yarn: forbid yourself to purchase new yarn and only work from your stash and just watch your creativity flourish.

Just look at all the texture and color....I'm in blooming love.

 

Yarn: Stylecraft Special Chunky
Pattern: Attic24 Blooming Flower Cushion
Happiness Factor: off the scales, this cushion is guaranteed to make you smile 

The Vegetable Garden

Having a veggie garden is one of my most favorite things. This year we were much more organized and got the soil turned over and fertilized well before planting began. And the weather cooperated with warm days, lots of sun, and just the right amount of rain at the right time, making for an enjoyable planting weekend, and some noticeable growth on the plants already.

We have two raised beds where we plant our veggie garden. Having a few years under our belt has taught us what works and what doesn't, valuable knowledge we used in making our planting decisions.

In the first bed we have kale - curly, red, prizm - as well as kalettes which are new to us, and apparently a very trendy vegetable. (Look at us, on trend!) We also have beets - two different red varieties - and purple kohlrabi. It looks sparse now, but it will fill in.

The second bed is a little fuller. Perennial onions (from my Oma's garden) are doing well in the corner alongside the chives.

I also planted some additional herbs: rosemary, sage, basil, parsley. The rumex raspberry is another new addition this year and I am hoping to add it to salads.

Broccoli has been hit and miss for us over the years, but with six plants this year we are hoping for a decent harvest.

 

Here we have swiss chard, eggplant, and our raspberry bush (which survived the winter).

 

Peppermint and apple mint are planted in small pots and sit on the deck.

 

Things are growing quite well and I am much encouraged by the garden this year.