Mother's Day Flop

About a month ago I found a beautiful Ice yarn, Air Baby Alpaca. It's a mix of alpaca, extrafine merino wool, viscose, and polyamide, and it's so soft. It has been made into a chain, and since I've enjoyed working with other chained yarns, I decided to try it. Plus it came in a very pretty shell pink (pink with an undertone of peach) that would look really good on my mom. 

I wanted to make a shawlette for my mom - just a little something to go over her shoulders without being cumbersome or heavy. I found the Dawn in the Woods Shawl by Elaine Phillips (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dawn-in-the-woods-shawl) which was perfect because the length.can be adjusted. I was set!

While I was working on the last third of the shawlette I realized that it wasn't going to be symmetrical. This bothered my sense of design balance (possibly a little OCD?) but my real problem was that when I tried it on it really looked "old lady-ish". My mom's style is more like Olivia's in 'Scandal', not the Victorian lacy look, so I came to the realization this would be all wrong for her. I have come up with a Plan B, but this will have to be for her birthday because I ran out of time for Mother's Day! Amazingly (or maybe not), the shawl ended up looking MUCH better on the dress form - 

So instead of this shawlette, I decided to fall back on an old standby - pigs. My mom has a wonderful collection, mostly figurines, and told the family years ago to not give her any more pigs. I have chosen to completely ignore this directive. Hence, behold the sweet little piggy bookmark (pattern from Ashlea Konecny at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pig-bookmark) - 

                                                         

    

 I also found a very unique present at Faerie Magazine that I thought my mom would like - Flying Prayer/Wish Paper (https://www.faeriemag.com/products/flying-wish-paper-mini-wishing-kit-dandelion-prayer). You write your wish on the paper, roll it up, put it on the platform card, and light it on fire. At the last moment "your wish magically lifts off the platform and rises to the heavens!". How cool is that!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom - And to all of those wonderful mothers out there! We deserve it!

A Lacy Tribute to Mother's Day

As I'm sure with many of you, I've had Mother's Day on my mind. It's only a couple weeks away and I'm in the middle of making something for my mom (with luck it'll be done in time!). Of course, I can't show or discuss what I'm making because my Mom reads this blog and I wouldn't want to give away the surprise. So that will have to wait for later. (Hi, Mom!)

The following are a gathering of what I would consider wonderful Mother's Day presents - of the lacy variety, of course!

I love this bowl - it looks just like a crown! http://meninascrocheteirasemacao.blogspot.fr/2015/03/receitas-e-graficos-de-croche-endurecido.html (Many charts available at this site)

 

 

 

 

Every mom loves a heart box! http://crochetmuestras.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/ideas-y-modelos-para-hacer-cajas-crochet.html (Inspiration only, darn it!)

Elegant statement necklace/collar from http://www.silviagramani.com/search/label/Colar%20de%20P%C3%A9rolas (Patterns for purchase through designer's books)

Have a gorgeous doily already made? Frame it! http://crochet.postbit.com/photos/crochet-doilies/86620_1.html

Lovely tealight holder from http://www.soulouposeto.gr/2013/11/blog-post_5.html (No pattern but instruction on stiffening)

Who couldn't use a pretty purse like this? http://clubmasteric.ru/shemi-vasanie-kruchkom/sumki-kruchkom/1035-letnja-sumochka-kruchkom.html

Beautifully ethereal! http://meninascrocheteirasemacao.blogspot.fr/2015/03/receitas-e-graficos-de-croche-endurecido.html

Such a pretty candy dish - or for sparkly trinkets in the boudoir?  http://lanaecotone.blogspot.com/2010/05/scatolina-alluncinetto.html?spref=pi

You can find the pattern for the featured picture of 'Mother's Day Teacup' by Marjorie Jones at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mothers-day-teacup. Now it's back to present making for me....

The "Simple" Scarf

A little while ago I spotted a crescent-shaped scarf/shawl and fell in love; ever since I have been chomping at the bit to design one. This couldn't be all that difficult, could it? Little did I realize what I was getting myself into!

This adventure began at the beginning of March. I decided that I wanted to have a curved ridge to mimic the crescent shape and to give it a more modern look. Then, since I have also fallen in love with gradient color schemes, I chose to use Michael's Loops & Thread Woolike yarn in ivory, beige, and cool gray with just one row of charcoal to strongly define the edge. Seemed like a plan to me. Ha!

 

Gradient Color Bands

 

I am now on the third version of this scarf. (Amazingly, the yarn did hold up to all my frogging.) At first I tried to figure this out by myself and failed miserably. Then I found a free crescent pattern to give me some guidance, but after a few rows I didn't like the extreme "U" shape it was taking, so that was frogged. Then I tried my own version, but that turned out too straight. Finally I came up with what I have now, and I think it's going to be all right. Up to this point my designs have been very simple, so I just wasn't ready for one to give me such a fight!

There are still two problems, though. 1) It seems that when you start a crescent shaped scarf with a short neck row, you end up with a separately curved neckline from the body of the scarf (see photo below). This has happened to me three times now. I've seen a video where this was mentioned, but I also saw a photo of a full crescent shawl without this problem, so I'm not sure if it's just me or not. I am hoping that I can correct this with an inside edging of some sort. 2) I wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize that on some row ends I had three stitches and some I had four. The four makes a little bump-out that I don't want (see top of photo below). I can easily correct this in the written pattern, but I am hoping again that I can correct this with the inside edging of some sort.  (Insert deleted expletive of your choice here.)

Wonky neckline and end of row bumps

I have one or possibly two more sets of the three-color bands to go, and then to come up with my miracle edging. But I won't give up on the scarf/shawlette after this one is done, because I saw such wonderful designs while researching this project that I'll just have to keep on going!

P.S. - If anyone knows of a solution to the wonky neckline, PLEASE let me know. I will be forever in your debt.

A Wee Bit 'O Irish

I couldn't resist the allure of Irish Crochet Lace for this most wonderful of Irish holidays, St. Paddy's Day!

Paraphrased from Wikipedia, "Irish crochet" was originally developed in mid-nineteenth century Ireland as a method of imitating expensive Venetian point laces. Irish crochet lace is characterized by separately crocheted motifs, which were then assembled into a mesh background.

This lace is made with a very fine steel crochet hook and fine crochet cotton or linen thread. It begins with an outline of the pattern on a piece of cloth. Each motif is then crocheted separately, using cotton cord for volume and shaping. The finished motifs are then basted (sewn with a loose stitch for temporary tacking) onto a cloth in the shape of the pattern. The motifs are then joined using chains and picots. When all the motifs have been joined together forming one piece of lace the basting stitch is removed from the back cloth revealing the completed lace.

I've gathered the following examples of Irish lace from Pinterest, all coming from Russian sites. However, I did find a wonderful Facebook group called Irish Crochet Lab that is run by Larisa Chilton, who is an instructor and has developed an online course for those who want to learn Traditional and Modern Irish crochet lace. You can find Ms. Chilton's site at https://www.facebook.com/videotutorialsandpatterns/ . Enjoy!

     From http://2yanakara.blogspot.com

                   From postila.ru

From postila.ru, a type of Pinterest

www.facebook.com/Asia-Verten

https://www.livemaster.ru/item/17305403-odezhda-vintazhnyj-kaftan-suvenir


www.facebook.com/Asia-Verten


www.facebook.com/Asia-Verten

Oh, yes, just one more thing. Today is my brother-in-law's birthday - Happy Birthday, Craig!

Wedding Bells!

The Wedding Afghan

This is the afghan I have been working on for my nephew and his new wife. The wedding was last Saturday and everything was just perfect - the bride was stunning, the groom and his men were so handsome, the bridesmaids were gorgeous, the venue was beautiful, the food was delicious and the music selection was wonderful. I truly don't think I've ever been to such a perfectly planned and executed occasion, and really feel quite fortunate that I was invited and could participate in their special day. Congratulations, Tim and Chelsea!

But now back to the crocheting. I wanted to come up with an afghan for them that would be more contemporary looking than a traditional afghan; they just aren't the lacy shell types. Plus I wanted the afghan to "talk" to their wedding and the beginning of their life together.  So here is what I put together -

---Three panels of a diamond lattice pattern to represent their past, present  and future together. The diamond pattern also represents my wish for them to make it to their diamond (60th) wedding anniversary. I told them after that they're on their own.

---The two panels of a modified brick pattern (that's what I'm calling it and I'm sticking to it!) represents the foundation of their relationship they've already laid and the life that they'll be building together.

There is only one thing I wish I'd included - a cable stitch to represent the life line they may need to throw to one another at some point, because occasionally life can throw you a curve ball. But then again, I heard I have another nephew getting married this September. I believe I've just been given a chance to perfect this design!