Playing Hooky - a Crochet Scarf

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been quite a while since I've had a "ta dah!" moment with a crochet project!

The turn in the weather has fired my enthusiasm for some crochet, and as usual one project on the go is not enough.

So the cushions I mentioned in my last post have been abandoned for the moment in favour of the scarf I mentioned in same post.

As usual I threw myself into crocheting my chosen shape, a hexy, without much thought other than to produce as many of them as I could in as short a space of time, using yarn (DK) in my stash in the colours that took my fancy. (I used 2 shades of peachy-pink, an apple green, 2 shades of teal-coloured yarns (one flecked) and a darker green).

Oh how I regretted that lack of planning later when sat on the floor painstakingly joining the bloomin' things!

If only I had looked on Pinterest earlier, and seen the many, many, photos and lovely clear instructions for JOINING AS YOU GO.
Ironically I was looking for ideas on how to join the hexies other than using the slip stitching method, thinking I could maybe try something different, when I saw join as you go - talk about rubbing my face in it.........

Yep, I could have saved myself not only the trouble of crocheting the shapes together, which, although using the relatively quick and neat method of slip stitching, looks pretty naff when you have multiple coloured motifs. But I could also have had a scarf that looked as good on the back as the front. And try as carefully as I might, the even more laborious weaving in the ends (which I did as I went after joining a motif) has still resulted in the odd fluffy cut end being seen.

So the back of the scarf isn't exactly perfect. Better not seen.

Anyway. Lesson learnt for next time.

I am still pretty pleased with the cheerful result, although my family are more than a little sceptical and view my masterpiece as being somewhat "naff" rather than the fun, arty little bobble-trimmed scarf that I try to convince myself it to be after all my hard work. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

So after crocheting numerous little hexies, which soon stacked up pretty quickly, (about 10 mins a hexy) it started life like this - but then I decided I didn't like the apple green trim, so ripped it all out.

 

 

So then we had the plain, naked scarf again.

 

 

But it somehow looked unfinished

 

So I tried again adding an edge in a different colour this time.

For anyone wondering how I got this far with my scarf, I used a motif from Crochet Adorned by Linda Permann.

I made her Flower Hexagon using a 4mm hook........

and then added her Picot Flowers edging in teal to the finished scarf - after crocheting a row of single crochet all the way round the edge of the scarf, I went straight to row 2.(the pattern is for edging to attach)

So the final scarf has a flirty little fun bobble trim which goes all over the place (which was the sort of effect I was after to soften the shapes)

And here we have a few poor photos of me trying to take a picture wearing my "creation" in various different ways.....

over the shoulder.......

 

 why is it so hard to get a clear photo of oneself?????
over both shoulders.......

 

Clearer....worn hanging down

 

 

over the shoulders again ......

 

 

So there we have it.

A finished article for once - for me that's an achievement in itself!

What are you making at the moment?

Shades of Autumn

 

 

 

 

Pruning some overhanging branches of acer in the garden gave me some glorious autumn foliage to bring into the house. I'm loving the bright, fiery red colours, and mixed with some other dark foliage and honeysuckle berries it makes a lovely mix of autumn colour.

 

The hint of autumn in the air, despite the last few days of wonderful Indian summer weather, has had me reaching for my crochet hook and finding some autumn hued wools.

 

I have ideas for a hexy scarf to go with my new green raincoat......

 

and the colours on this velvet backed tapestry cushion from Ikea a few seasons ago have given me ideas for a few autumn coloured textured cushions for the sofa.

 

Four 8  inch squares of simple double crochet joined together.......

and I tried out bobble stitch for another cushion - again I will make four squares

The cooking apples have already been picked in the orchards nearby, and every walk we do now through the orchards and fields, instead of harvesting kilos of blackberries for the freezer, we are now picking up the few dropped apples left behind.

 

Lots of lovely apple cakes and puddings to come! I made a Tarte Tatin last week, and an apple cake the week before. Many of the apples I will cook and freeze ready for pies and crumbles.

Spending more time in the kitchen now that the weather is changing, I couldn't resist these two pretty Greengate tea towels from All Tea Towels - Al sends these off from Ireland as quick as a flash, free postage to the UK and they arrive the next day - perfect!

 

 

With the warm weather we've had these last few days, I got back into my shorts and back into the garden to tart it up a bit for the autumn. It had been looking very sad, dry and colourless the last few weeks of summer, and so I have put in a few autumn flowering plants - some lovely bright Asters, lots of pretty violas in lemons,  orange, pale blue and purple ( I have always preferred these smaller and more delicate flowers to pansies, they seem to go on and on forever) , some gorgeous pink chrysanthemums in pots, and some purple platycodons that I have never tried before.

 

Chrysanthemums
 

 

 

 

violas in hanging baskets

 

Platycodons - just love the clever way they open up like a box - they make me think of origami, or japanese omiyage

 

I found a bit of time the other day to do some sewing - a little bit of  machine quilting....

 

these hand sewn hexies will eventually be transformed into a bag! 

Really?? Oh yes they will........one day... I have bought the leather straps ready to finish.. just need to cut to shape, sew together, line it, and sew on the straps... just waiting to be in the mood to finish it!

Out on the terrace the geranuims are still flowering.........

and we have been busy painting the back windows and doors.......getting rid of the black paint that we are fed up with (here when we moved in) and replacing it with white windows and duck egg blue doors

still another coat to put on the French windows

having had the climbers removed from the back walls (they have left all sorts of little clingy bits where the plants clung to the wall as well as discolouration) these are now in dire need of paint too, and we shall replace the white with a pale cream.

this hollyhock is still going strong - photo taken this morning - a sign that summer is hanging in there just a little bit longer

Thanks for all the comments on my last post, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos numerous though they were. Enjoy this lovely weather whilst it lasts!