A thousand leaves

Dear readers,

I am so very touched by the kind comments you have left me.  Each one has warmed my nervous blog novice heart.  Each one has put me in touch with bloggers who I have admired for a long while as well as others both new and inspiring.

Thank you.

I have received a couple of mails asking why I had chosen the name Millefeuilles for my musings so here is, hopefully, a simple explanation:

I have always had a soft spot for the delectable French pastry a millefeuille.  The combination of brittle layers of puff pastry together with the smooth crème patisserie and, best of all, the fondant white icing combed with chocolate stripes leaves me quite giddy with excitement.  The French chef, La Varenne, refers to the millefeuille in his cookbook Cuisinier françois which was published in 1651 and generally considered to be one of the first cookery manuals which addressed the noble and bourgeois classes. According to La Varenne this cake would have at least 729 layers of puff pastry.

I am an enthusiastic cake maker and devourer but that is not all.  Of course the literal translation of millefeuille is thousand-leaf and that is the real reason why I have chosen this name for my blog.  Leaves evoke my love of horticulture and the pages on which I have and will write about this passion, mainly in the form of articles and this blog, of course.

The downside is that this is a notoriously difficult word for English speakers to pronounce!

With this explanation in mind I thought I would show you my 'Cushion of the (Not Quite) Thousand Leaves' which was inspired by our apple tree in blossom this spring although the name does little to account for the large number of buttons and sequins added to this embroidery; I simply thought those were fun at the time.  This tree was my own design and if the truth be told it reveals the kind of detailed work I most enjoy.

Moving on...

I have a few projects in progress as usual.  A few weeks ago I discovered this BeAuTiFuL blog and when I saw this photo my heart skipped a beat.  Helen Philipps wrote 'I love the colour so much I had to have it.'  Yes, well, I knew what she meant.  So now I am the owner of these:

Well, I have seven balls not three (cough, cough)

And, oops, how did those get here?

These constitute part of my stash for my first granny square blanket project to be started after my first crochet lesson on 9th July

My work in progress using this yarn is Abi Taylor's Cardigan Rose (details on Ravelry) which is a delightful and versatile knit for my seventeen-month old Angélique.

You will find me sniffing the sprig of lavender to keep me calm while the above-mentioned toddler runs rings around me.  Oh, and please excuse the creased fabric!

Before rounding off I wonder if you could help me with something?  First, this yarn colour is 'Cilantro'.  Although this is a perfectly fetching name I would like to give a flower name to this cardigan for my daughter.  My first thought was of hellebores but as this is a light summer knit I would prefer a flower such as.... white or yellow foxgloves.  If you can think of a more suitable flower name for this colour I would be very grateful if you could let me know.  Second, I will need some buttons but I am not at all sure which colour would compliment hellebore or foxglove or whichever name you choose best.  Again all suggestions will be the most welcome.

Thank you so much.