Welcome to Week 5 of the Tropical Shores Blanket crochet-along which I’ve designed for King Cole. This week we’re revisiting fabulous palm trees as we make our final 5 squares! 🙂
I took this photo during our trip 20 years ago to French Polynesia… those beautiful lush palm trees standing tall along the tropical shores provided welcome shade. And looking up into the palms gave a different perspective too…
All the inspiration I needed for this final square design is there, the green feathery palm leaves fanning out, the coconuts high up in the tree and set against the bluest of skies and bluest of seas! One of our squares this week will become the centre of our blanket…
The free pattern is available over on the King Cole website here: https://www.kingcole.com/tropical-shores-crochet-along-blanket/
And here’s the YouTube tutorial from King Cole to accompany this week:
As always thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos over on Instagram and in the Facebook Groups – I absolutely love seeing all the amazing creativity out there… 😍
The first grid is from photos shared on Instagram, the second grid is from photos shared over in the Facebook Group ‘King Cole Craft Along’ and the third grid is from photos shared in my ‘Coastal Crochet’ Facebook Group. 🙂
So at the end of this week all our squares will be completed… and then next week it’s all about joining them together and ending with our tropical border!
Now it’s time to rewind 20 years, and here’s the next instalment from the diaries I kept when I visited the Pacific Island of Moorea in French Polynesia together with my husband in 2001… 🙂 I’ve kept these diaries completely original… no changing of words, no editing, just the words and photos from a 20 years younger me!! Enjoy…
Saturday 21st April, 2001
18.20
Today was a day of total relaxation. We had the ‘continental’ breakfast at the beach bar and took two instant photos – one of Steve and one of me to send back to our parents – from the jetty looking back to the beautiful beach. We then spent the morning on the beach and swimming in the sea. We had lunch on our veranda – more ‘Tuna Light Lunches’! After reading our magazines for a while we headed back into the inviting sea for another swim – the water is so shallow that sometimes we just lie back in it!
We came back to our bungalow for showers and then did our regular sunset walk out onto the Jetty! Not such beautiful colours today but we did see two sting rays very close. Sitting down at the end of the jetty I said I wished a ray would swim by. Not long after, these two enormous sting rays glided past, right underneath our feet! Beautiful! We also saw a big cruise ship sail past out at sea with its lights on. As we left the jetty it started to turn and go back the same way. It will be our last night tonight – also our last time at the restaurant which we are getting quite used to. Last night Steve asked if we could sit towards the back as they keep putting us on the same table! It will just make a change!
20.35
We’ve returned from our delicious last meal here – I’m just writing this entry as a tribute to the waitresses – they have all been so nice. The waitress on the way out tonight said “see you tomorrow” and when we said no, she showed real interest in where we were going – she ended by saying “Bye… Have a good trip!” I hope so!!
Extract from Steve’s diary: It was soon time for a swim and there seemed to be quite a few fishes in the sea with us today, but they soon swim away as you approach them. As usual the sea is very warm. Soon we were ready for lunch back on our veranda, yet more bananas! After some afternoon relaxation, we ventured back out for another swim. This time we spent quite a while just sitting at the water’s edge, which was as warm as sitting in a bath! After a shower, we walked out into the jetty to watch the sunset for the last time here, as tomorrow we have to check out and leave. Still, we’re going to go in style, as tonight we’re going to live it up at the best restaurant in town – our local!
Till next week… Happy Tropical Crocheting Everyone! 🙂
Love the diary entries again! I feel transported to somewhere warm and tropical – which is a lovely as I am currently sitting recuperating indoors after a major op. Right now I am still in PJs and surgical stockings but I have a good imagination, can feel the warmth of the sun and the lapping sea and in my ‘view’ there are gently swaying palms and of course the taste a lovely last exotic meal too! It just makes me remember some fantastic holidays I had in the past and look forward to in the future. Thank you for making me feel a little better today!
Enjoyed all the diary entries. How I am sure you have been transported back to that vacation like it was yesterday. Thanks for sharing your personal self as well as Steve’s entries.
You’re very welcome Mary… yes, it’s been very special to look back! 🥰💙💙
I love the Tropical Shores Blanket. (Well actually, I love all of your designs.) Do you plan to release the TSB pattern using US terms once the CAL is done?
Hi Nancy, no plans at present I’m afraid… 💙