The story of a Starry Night (part 1)

This is the story of a project that has been in and out of the WIP box for over 5 years!  It has been frogged and reworked more times than the designer cares to count.  It has been cussed at even more times than that.

Once upon a time, there was a Scheepjes Whirl called "Banana Cream Hi".  It arrived at a little yarn and craft shop called Rainbow Valley. This Whirl was clever, so when it found out that not only was the owner a designer but also that one of her favourite paintings was "The Starry Night", Banana Cream Hi shouted at her that he wanted to be a Starry Night as well, especially as he already looked so much like the painting.

The designer mulled this over and, after some time agreed. So the process was started. Then Banana Cream Hi said to his friend the "Custard" Whirlette, "Would you like to join in? You match me perfectly!". Of course, Custard agreed.

The stars were created from the middle of Banana Cream Hi and this worked really well.  The shading from the creamy banana colour to the brighter lemon created some variety in the stars. Then it was the turn of the swirls - which is where Custard came in. This did not go as planned. The whole project ended up in the F Bucket!!!!

In February 2022 the project gained a new purpose, and a deadline, as the designer wanted to wear it for her parents Diamond Wedding in August. Both Banana Cream Hi and Custard were replaced with scrap yarn.  They did not mind, they both knew that the repeated frogging was bad for them so they were to let the rif-raf take the fall! Eventually, the designer created the effect she was looking for.

The down side was that the relationship between Banana Cream Hi and Custard was not plain sailing.  Custard was too pale and did not bring the depth of colour that Starry Night required. Everything was just too insipid. The designer frogged again and made 7 full stars instead of 5.  This meant that the blue started coming through on the swirls. She still needed more blue.

With all of this going on, the designer did not get the finish and wear the shawl for her parents anniversary.

Discussions with her mother made her decide that Custard was just not up to the job, continuing with him would be a big mistake and spoil the whole effect.

The bottom of the painting was dark, not pale lavender which was Custards colour.

When she got home, the project went back into the bucket and there it stayed for quite some time!

Kindly, Unassuming Spirit — But You’ve Got to Go

I love celandines!  Their small, cheerful bright yellow flowers and heart-shaped leaves brighten up the garden in early spring.

The Lesser Celandine is a native British woodland plant that prefers shady or semi-shady areas.  It’s a spring ephemeral, meaning it pops up early in spring, flowers quickly, and then dies back completely by late spring or early summer. They have glossy, buttercup-like yellow flowers (typically 8–12 petals) that bloom close to the ground and leaves that are dark green, shiny, and often heart- or kidney-shaped. They are a symbol of early spring, rebirth, and renewal in poetry.  Wordsworth even wrote multiple poems about the "Kindly, unassuming spirit"!

Lesser celandines provide some early nectar and pollen for bees — particularly solitary bees and queen bumblebees just emerging from hibernation.

They flower very early (often February to April), which is prime time for hungry pollinators looking for a boost. Their bright yellow flowers are easily spotted and do produce nectar and pollen.

So why am I digging them all up? They are the botanical equivalent of that charming guest who overstays their welcome… shows up early, brightens everything with their sunny personality, and then takes over the whole house before quietly vanishing for the summer, leaving chaos in their wake.

They grow from tubers and produces small bulbils in leaf axils.  It reproduces both by seed and vegetatively through tubers and bulbils — making it hard to control once established.  In many parts of the U.S. and Canada, lesser celandine is considered a problematic invasive species because it forms dense mats that outcompete native spring wildflowers.

I know very well that I will never get them all and they will be back next year in full force. I have a lot of bulbs and perennials and have found that by clearing what I can find now gives the rest of the garden a chance to flourish.

I am not trying to conquer every inch, just giving the bulbs and perennials the breathing room they need to shine.

Business Branding

I have been very despondent lately with the way things are going in the shop. While I have greatly reduced my outgoings, my sales have also taken a hit. This morning I had a Business Branding planning meeting with Rob Morris. Over plenty of coffee, we discussed ways to raise my profile online. We also discussed various aspects of the business, which ones to concentrate on and which ones to put on the back burner.

One of the results of this meeting was that a pattern I was considering saving as a CAL, is now going to be published as soon as I finish it. This pattern is one of the many that has been sitting in a WIP folder on my computer for a long time. It is about time it saw the light of day. It is called Starry Night and is a tibute to one of my favourite paintings by one of my favourite artists, Vincent van Gogh.