Sunday 24 July 2011

.....I know what your thinking..............

.....some of you, i just know..........are wondering.....'what has happened to the Japanese flower crochet thingy'...the long overdue unfinished crocheted shawl/scarf thingy that perplexed me with its identity and then had me crocheting like a woman possessed.......and then.........'nothing'............well...we have had a falling out...the shawl and I.....I have turned my back on it.........'and it', has shut itself in the downstairs cupboard............sounds harsh doesn't it.....but for the time being we have both decided that we needed some time out.........i shall explain.....
..................................................................................................................................................................

....This is what it looks like at the moment.........................


......its quite big isn't it.....and it looks kinda OK too......the trouble is...........

..............when i began this project i hadn't at the time decided what i was actually making.....i was just happily crocheting away at making these adorable flowers and not thinking about what i wanted to make...........but i should of done,.................because, as this thing got larger, and i decided to turn it into a shawl,....i didn't consider the yarn that i was using might be the wrong yarn...............you see......the yarn i have used is 50% acrylic and 50% wool, double knit..........sounds OK....but it has made it a very heavy piece of fabric and also a very stiff piece of fabric......so when you wrap it around your shoulders it sticks out like a bit of cardboard and doesn't hang lovely and loosely like i had imagined it would.
...........Also...because the yarn is not 100% natural wool you can't block it successfully............this i didn't know till i came to try it.................i did a test area...pinned it out ...sprayed it....left it for a good 24 hours....went back and checked it.........................aaand..............................no change..'AHHHHHHHHHHgh...................still curly edged....................i was a bit fed up by this point................i had hoped that i would be able to show you this wonderful cosie shawl all snugly and lovely..........but all i had was a large curly edged stiff piece of cardboard........................................so lessons have been learnt.............................always think before you start a project 'is the yarn appropriate for the job'.................

.............So...........for the time being my shawl and I are taking a break from each other and I shall continue to enjoy my small 'quick fixer' projects.....................for now anyway,............and speaking of which............

.........................way way back at the start of the year I showed a book that i had bought.......it was this one......................................

.....well.....i pulled this of the book shelf a few days ago, and I have been making one square an evening.........and do you know..............i am just loving just making one square from each design.......no big project in mind...............just nice simple one of'' squares...............don't know what i shall do with them when i have made a load...........but at this moment...................i don't really care.....................just thoroughly enjoying the simple creative process of    'just doing'..........

..........here's a few pictures from inside the book.........

......Its a great book.....and i highly recommend it...........
......now here's my squares.........so far......


.......i shall show you more as i make them.......
.....Also......i have decided to mix my yarns............i find as long as i stick to using 'double knit' yarn i get a more colourful range of designs in my crochet...........so in these squares i have used.....
Acrylic and wool mix
100% pure wool
Debbie bliss fez
Alpaca
and cashmere.
.....And they all crochet together beautifully.......i'm sure there are loads of you out there doing that already anyway, but for me....being a fairly new crocheter and not a great master of yarn, this has been quite a revalation.........i have always tended to stay with the one wool that i am used to and not experimenting enough with other textures......so this has opened up my choice of colour greatly.............so ...............if your like me and tend to play it safe................perhaps try adding something else to your crochet...................there is so much wonerful yarn out there, that i just want to use it all...........

Have a wonderfully peachy weekend.....Pixie xxx




6 comments:

  1. Lovely shawl!!keep enjoying making those squares!!You can turn them into a beautiful throw maybe!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Might not be great as a shawl but how about adding some more flowers and using it as a rug! Looks great on the floor and would be toasty on the toes too :-) I'm sure I've seen some spray on latex sort of stuff for the bottom of socks to stop them slipping, that might work to keep it in place too.....enough of me rambling, lol!

    Anyway, love the new squares :-) I've looked at that book and wondered if it would be a good one, looks like it would!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had exactly the same thought as Hippywitch- a rug would be lovely!
    Am really liking the colours in your squares, too.
    Xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your Japanese flower update! It looks amazing - maybe another bed cover?? I think we can all relate to you - where we start with great gusto and then go 'oops - now what?'. I really love your squares too - especially the grey/brown one in the front - that's a fab design. I have never blocked anything but was going to do it with my new blanket. It's acrylic though so might not have success. So thank you for the heads up! Have a wonderful week hon. Hope it's warmer over there than it is here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. it looks lovely! i go with the idea of rug or bed cover~or something pretty for the back of a sofa?
    i have never thought of mixing yarns before...i stick with what i know. maybe its time to spread those crochet wings and experiment?!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Morning hon! I would love to try and get another copy of Mollie Makes Issue 1 to send to you. It's just started to appear in a few more stores here but in very small numbers. I will grab one if I find one and if you want it - it's yours lovely lady. I think I have read all three issue about 5 times each so far! It is such a pretty magazine. Have a fab day! Oh and as for the hexagons, they are safely tucked away for now. I think it was the wool I was using - it just didn't do it for me. So I will try with another sort as soon as I finish this blanket. So yes - like you I'm going for the quicker projects for now!!!

    ReplyDelete