Red, green, and white!

The Khmer New Year came and went by so quickly with us hardly ever noticing it. My  husband and I opted not to go anywhere during the 5day-holiday. I'm glad we made that decision because it was really scorching hot in Phnom Penh, with temperature reaching 36C. Friends say it was even hotter in the provinces. On the third day though we were already feeling suffocated, after being cooped too  long inside the house. We decided to get some fresh air and drove around the city, which was devoid of people and vehicles at that time.  Just a few blocks from our house, Rob sensed something was wrong. He pulled the car over and checked - the car's hydraulic brakes were leaking. And so, for the rest of the holiday, Rob had to fix the broken parts leaving me to crochet in peace stopping only when he needed a hand.

I didn't let this hitch ruin my mood. When not helping Rob, I was sat on my comfy round rattan chair and made myself busy crocheting flowers and leaves. I was surprised at my speed when I counted the number of pieces I finished - 36 flowers in red, yellow, and blue, leaves and 3 round doilies. The roses and leaves are almost similar in size, about 2inches in height, while the doilies measure around 7inches in diameter.

With these separate pieces at hand, I would later on, when I have time, attach the flowers on the leaves one by one, and finally  stitch the flowers-and-leaves on the doilies. In normal circumstances, I should have used mercerized cotton yarns instead of acrylic yarns that are the only available yarn in Cambodia. But to my surprise, the finished items looked similar to those made from merc-cotton yarns but a teeny-bit harder. This is how the finished round doily will, more or less, look like:

Get the picture? I can't wait to finish this one soon and I'll definitely show it off here! So watch out for it :D