Colourful Crochet

Things have not gone to plan this week.  We have had a wet Half Term week.   It means cabin fever creeps in and the floors get muddy.  We have been quite happily housebound.  When we have popped out we have got soaked for our efforts.  Today it is sunny with blue sky.  The chickens are on the lawn as even they have been cooped up for a few days.
         'Every cloud has a silver lining' they say.  While I was tidying, ahem, well attempting to tidy but there are too many distractions.  I found the thimble, it was in the vicinity of the sewing box.   We like thimbles back in their rightful place.

I also found a whole pack of 'Rico Creative Cotton' that had fallen behind a cupboard and been long forgotten.  So the housework got forgotten too and I played with colourful yarn instead.  It was a nice, neat new pack but I forgot to photograph it.   I still have plenty left to play with.

   I have wanted to explore crochet mandalas and had a go at Crochet with Raymond's free pattern for the 'African Flower Mandala'.  I think my colour choices were adventurous to say the least.

I followed this tutorial from 'Beckycafe'  the other Mandala.  Mandalas are the perfect procrastination project.  They are quick, cheerful and if you use 100% cotton they make functional pot holders.  I think there is something kaleidoscopic about them, as I was unsure what effect the next round of colour and stitches were going to have.  ( I still have all the ends to sew in but shhh don't tell anyone).  If you search Google images for crochet Mandalas there are some amazing ones out there.  You can get lost for quite a while just looking.          
          The following collage should probably carry a health warning.  Due to the shocking colours, the mismatched stripes and the not very round Mandalas, it seems to be triggering motion sickness for myself if I stare at it for too long.  I don't recommend scrolling up and down.  The 'stripes' are washcloths, you can't beat a 100% cotton, crochet wash cloth in my humble opinion.

Wet holidays are not all bad.  I really should go, too much yarn and too little time and a laundry mountain to tackle.  XXX