Quite Contrary

Hello Ladies,

My last post was a bit of a down one.

But this makes up for it big time.

Last year I made a couple of Wraps, one for my bestest and longest

known friend and one for my Niece. I was so pleased with how easy they

were to make and how lovely they looked, I promised I would make one for

myself.

I found a pattern for one I liked a few weeks back called Quite Contrary,

at the blog Cherry Heart by the wonderfully talented Sandra Paul.

I chose a beautiful yarn called Sublime, which is baby

cashmere merino silk in the colour Little Linen.

So, armed with my pattern, yarn and hook, I began.

Sandra has made the pattern so easy to understand and follow.

Not at any time did I wonder if I was following the pattern properly.

The Wrap is made up of 3 different patterns and a border.

So we have Pretty Maids.

All in a row.

Silver Bells.

Cockle Shells

And Mary's Flowers

Each step is described in detail, so you can't go wrong.

My only problem I had was I didn't do a tension/gauge swatch.

I've never done one before and didn't think I needed to bother

this time. But....... I have discovered that whenever I crochet

something it always comes out smaller than the stated size.

I have never made garments apart from Scarfs and Wraps, but even motifs,

always come out quite a bit smaller than they're meant to.

So halfway through the Wrap I felt that it wasn't young to meet

Sandra's measurements and when I measured it came up a good few

inches shorter in length and width.

So I ripped it all apart, used a larger hook, I went for 5mm, made a longer

chain and put in a couple of extra rows on 2 of the patterns.

It has come out wonderfully. It drapes lovely, feels soft, and sits on your shoulders

beautifully.

My photos truly don't do it any justice.

And now I've just bought her latest one called the Ricicles Shawl.

So hopefully I'll be able to start that soon.

Have a good weekend

Sally xxx

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Crochet Mood Blanket

Hello Ladies,

Hope you'reall having a good week.

My Mood Blanket......well I think I've fallen out of love with it.

When the idea was first introduced back at the end of December, I was so

excited. I really wanted to take part in a years journey of a Blanket.

I myself am not very good with colour, I tend to wear a lot of black,

navy blue or grey. If I wear colour it can't be patterned

and more often than not it has to have black in it or I'll

wear it with something black.

When I made my first Blanket, it was white with multicoloured

flowers. Even half way through I began to have doubts, but I carried on and

finished it.

I have it on the bed in the small room and don't really like it at all.

I think I leave it there as I know all the work that went into it.

I tend to go towards muted colours or shades of one colour.

I look at all the beautiful multicoloured blankets out there,

on Pinterest, Ravelry and Blogland and there are loads

that I love the look of and get huge Blanket envy.

So when it came to the Mood Blanket, I was very excited,

I thought it was a fantastic idea and wanted to give

It a go. But even though I tried

I was not able to put random colours together.

If you can, picture me standing in front of all my yarn.

It's all out around me, all the lovely colours that I've

picked and bought

So today I'm happy, so I think yellow or something bright. Tomorrow

is a tired day, so maybe blue or pale grey. Okay so what grey will go

with the yellow, hmmm nothing, ok change the yellow, ooooh that pale

pink works nicely.

Can you see what I mean, I can't do the random.

I've even tried shutting my eyes and picking a colour, but

that doesn't work either.

So then I looked at all my yarns and decided on the pink and lilac

shades. Where this idea has come from I haven't a clue, I am the

least pink person out there. I've obviously seen something amazing

on Ravelry, Pinterest or Blogland and decided that's what I want.

But the more it's growing, the more I'm thinking, "no! no! no,"

I've tried to ignore it, but when I added last weeks blocks at the

weekend, I knew in my heart it was something I wouldn't enjoy

finishing or using.

What am I going to do with it?

I haven't a clue.

I saw this motif on Pinterest and thought this would be brilliant.

Most of it is uniformed colour, with just a small amount of

randomness in the centre. So I sat upstairs with all my yarn out

around me, making little circle centres

Yesssss, this is it, this is what I want.

I've made just over a 100. I sat and sewed the ends so they are

just perfect little circles.

Then I looked at them all in a pile, I looked

and looked some more and guess what? That green does not go

with that pink and that copper colour is not going to with

anything in the pile. So I'm back to square one.

Although when my youngest daughter Amie came for

dinner last night, she said it was a brilliant idea and

would love it for her bed

As far as the pink and lilac Blanket goes, I was going to

continue till it was 5 or 6 rows wide and perhaps just use it at the

bottom of the bed.

But I won't, I've fallen out of love with it and

I'm really not sure what to do with it.

If any of you of you ladies have any suggestions, it would be

greatly appreciated.

As for the Mood Blanket, I might need a rethink on that one.

I'm going to link up with Hazel this week over at Hazels Crochet,

so if you have time, go see what others are doing with

their Mood Blankets.

Take care everyone

Sally xxx

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