I have photos of three recently finished objects to share!
First, here are some photos of the finished "Rustic Shawl".
Pattern: "Isis" by Anastasia Roberts (not currently available)
Yarn: linen/cotton blend (reclaimed from a thrift store sweater)
I haven't blocked it and don't know that I intend to do so right away...
Honestly, I'm not even sure I'll ever wear it, but if I do, I think it looks fine as it is.
I added some rows to make it larger, and by the time I decided it was long enough, it didn't seem to need a fancy border/edging. I didn't really want it any longer. (And maybe I just wanted a fast edging, so I could scratch it off the list). I put simple 3-chain picots evenly spaced (every five stitches, I think) across the bottom of the shawl.
For the front/top edge, I ended up with three rows of single crochet. The pattern calls for two, I think, but I felt that one more wouldn't hurt, to even things out a bit more.
Though I'm not sure I'll wear it much, I'd recommend it to those who do wear shawls. It was an easy pattern with a nice result. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, it's not currently available, unless you added it to your Ravelry library before the designer took down the pattern. Maybe she'll put it back up sometime in the future...
Second FO-- Ruby Cardiff Cowl
Pattern: "Cardiff Cowl" by Lion Brand Yarn (free pattern)
Yarn: 100% merino wool (reclaimed from thrift store sweater)
I borrowed an idea from another Raveler's project page and made this an infinity cowl. I also widened it by 14 stitches. If I were to make it again, I think I might leave it the original size... I'm not sure. I haven't been able to give it much of a test drive, yet, because it's July. ;o) Fortunately, cowls "work" at almost any length/width, so I'm sure it'll be fine.
Oh! And another idea I borrowed was to turn the work, every round. Because it's crocheted in the round, technically I could've just crocheted around and around without ever needing to turn the work. However, the fact that it's an infinity loop would mean that the "wrong" side might end up showing, at times... To avoid that, you just turn and work in the opposite direction every time you get to the start of the round. Voilà! Reversible!
It's not easy to get a good photo of an infinity cowl without modeling it-- and maybe not even then. ;o)
I enjoyed crocheting this pattern, and the yarn is wonderfully squishy and soft-- should be very nice to wear.
The infinity aspect added to this project's interest. It's oddly amusing to start in one spot and go around both edges of the cowl before coming back to where you began. (Some of us are easily amused.)
The most recent FO is the Cozy Cottage Popcorn Pillow.
Pattern: Cozy Cottage Crochet Popcorn Pillow (free pattern)
Yarn: supposedly 100% cotton, but there's a certain slight acrylic sheen to it, so I wonder if its a mislabeled blend... (reclaimed from a thrift store sweater)
This one was... fine. Not the most exciting thing I've ever made, but a perfectly good pattern. You could jazz it up with some color changes, if solid colors are too boring.
Here's the back. I did follow the pattern, because it turned out to be a plain square. It's written so that the back and front match perfectly in stitch count. (As all pillow patterns should, imho.)
I think I may have overstuffed the pillow insert, but I like firm pillows, and it'll flatten somewhat with time and use.
That's it!
And so we come back to the eternal question: Now what?!
I have several more hibernating WIPs I could pick up again...
Three afghans... (But it's so hot! I don't want to have a heap of fabric on my lap until it cools again.)
A couple of doilies (including one that's barely even begun)...
A knitted scarf that has feet to go, yet...
A wreath I was going to cover in crochet flowers... (Only I've lost all interest in that and may mark it as "frogged", even though I won't bother frogging the flowers I've already made.)
Those miniature amigurumi cacti I was crocheting... (Meh.)
The "Granny's Step-Daughter" pillow project... (That one's more interesting, but I'd have to relearn/reverse engineer how I worked the first half, if I wanted the two sides to match. I've forgotten the precise details of the joining method!)
...And two other projects so boring that I'd forgotten all about them until Ravelry reminded me.
I'm not sure what the next project will be, but I'll probably try to keep working through the old UFOs. It feels good to scratch things off that list!
First, here are some photos of the finished "Rustic Shawl".
Pattern: "Isis" by Anastasia Roberts (not currently available)
Yarn: linen/cotton blend (reclaimed from a thrift store sweater)
I haven't blocked it and don't know that I intend to do so right away...
Honestly, I'm not even sure I'll ever wear it, but if I do, I think it looks fine as it is.
I added some rows to make it larger, and by the time I decided it was long enough, it didn't seem to need a fancy border/edging. I didn't really want it any longer. (And maybe I just wanted a fast edging, so I could scratch it off the list). I put simple 3-chain picots evenly spaced (every five stitches, I think) across the bottom of the shawl.
For the front/top edge, I ended up with three rows of single crochet. The pattern calls for two, I think, but I felt that one more wouldn't hurt, to even things out a bit more.
Though I'm not sure I'll wear it much, I'd recommend it to those who do wear shawls. It was an easy pattern with a nice result. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, it's not currently available, unless you added it to your Ravelry library before the designer took down the pattern. Maybe she'll put it back up sometime in the future...
- - - - - - -
Second FO-- Ruby Cardiff Cowl
Pattern: "Cardiff Cowl" by Lion Brand Yarn (free pattern)
Yarn: 100% merino wool (reclaimed from thrift store sweater)
I borrowed an idea from another Raveler's project page and made this an infinity cowl. I also widened it by 14 stitches. If I were to make it again, I think I might leave it the original size... I'm not sure. I haven't been able to give it much of a test drive, yet, because it's July. ;o) Fortunately, cowls "work" at almost any length/width, so I'm sure it'll be fine.
Oh! And another idea I borrowed was to turn the work, every round. Because it's crocheted in the round, technically I could've just crocheted around and around without ever needing to turn the work. However, the fact that it's an infinity loop would mean that the "wrong" side might end up showing, at times... To avoid that, you just turn and work in the opposite direction every time you get to the start of the round. Voilà! Reversible!
It's not easy to get a good photo of an infinity cowl without modeling it-- and maybe not even then. ;o)
I enjoyed crocheting this pattern, and the yarn is wonderfully squishy and soft-- should be very nice to wear.
The infinity aspect added to this project's interest. It's oddly amusing to start in one spot and go around both edges of the cowl before coming back to where you began. (Some of us are easily amused.)
- - - - - - -
The most recent FO is the Cozy Cottage Popcorn Pillow.
Pattern: Cozy Cottage Crochet Popcorn Pillow (free pattern)
Yarn: supposedly 100% cotton, but there's a certain slight acrylic sheen to it, so I wonder if its a mislabeled blend... (reclaimed from a thrift store sweater)
This one was... fine. Not the most exciting thing I've ever made, but a perfectly good pattern. You could jazz it up with some color changes, if solid colors are too boring.
Here's the back. I did follow the pattern, because it turned out to be a plain square. It's written so that the back and front match perfectly in stitch count. (As all pillow patterns should, imho.)
I think I may have overstuffed the pillow insert, but I like firm pillows, and it'll flatten somewhat with time and use.
- - - - - - -
That's it!
And so we come back to the eternal question: Now what?!
I have several more hibernating WIPs I could pick up again...
Three afghans... (But it's so hot! I don't want to have a heap of fabric on my lap until it cools again.)
A couple of doilies (including one that's barely even begun)...
A knitted scarf that has feet to go, yet...
A wreath I was going to cover in crochet flowers... (Only I've lost all interest in that and may mark it as "frogged", even though I won't bother frogging the flowers I've already made.)
Those miniature amigurumi cacti I was crocheting... (Meh.)
The "Granny's Step-Daughter" pillow project... (That one's more interesting, but I'd have to relearn/reverse engineer how I worked the first half, if I wanted the two sides to match. I've forgotten the precise details of the joining method!)
...And two other projects so boring that I'd forgotten all about them until Ravelry reminded me.
I'm not sure what the next project will be, but I'll probably try to keep working through the old UFOs. It feels good to scratch things off that list!