29 Apr 2017

Happiness In A Shawl Reveal

Ah! Happy happy happy!!!!
My gorgeous Happiness shawl is completed.
I LOVE IT!!! 💚💚💚
My favourite colour, my favourite yarn and a pattern by one of my favourite designers.
*contented sighs all round*
Let's do a quick recap before I show you the finished shawl....
The yarn is Cotton 8 by Scheepjes


I chose this stunning colour (723) 💚


And THIS beautiful shawl design by Bernadette Ambergen.
I wanted a shawl that was a decent size and it was to be used as a lightweight cover up on the chilly summer evenings.
Here it is.....


As you can see from the photo it's a great size!


And the lacy border gives it a bit of interest.


Cotton 8 is wonderful to work with. It's non splitty and just seems to work up like a dream. 


Blocking really brings the lacy design to life. The best thing about Cotton 8 is that the more you handle and wear it, the softer it gets! I've already got a smaller shawl made with it and it wears really well. I'm looking forward to wearing my Happiness shawl with pride!!!

Til next time x
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26 Apr 2017

Whirl Reveal

Hey!!!! I've got a reveal to share.....
Remember THIS POST where I talked about the new yarn from Scheepjes?
Well, as predicted, Whirl has got the yarn world in a spin!
Most stores can't keep it on their shelves!!!


Not surprising really when you see the colour combinations!


I was lucky enough to receive a sample to play with before the grand release date. 
Oh my....it did not disappoint!
It was a dream to work with 💜💜💜

If you remember, I decided to use THIS free pattern to whip up a wrap!



I think this is where I left it last time....


Finished but in need of a good blocking!


Check out the difference! Blocking really opened up the stitches and also gave it a heavenly drape. This is seriously gorgeous yarn!


The colours are a delight as are the colour changes! So sooooo gradual. 
Oh and not splitty at all!!!
I know there are other gradient yarns out there but my experience is of them being so splitty and not pleasant to use. Not Whirl....


I think I can definitely say that this yarn is now added to my favourites list!
Now I just need to try ALL of the flavours 😉

PS Rumour has it that THREE new flavours are about to be added!!!!

Til next time x

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23 Apr 2017

Tassel Scarf Free Pattern!

Here we go....no step by step for this one but I've added links to some great websites that should help you!
The amount of tassels you add is purely up to you!
Go wild or reign in your tassels 😂😂😂

For my project, I wanted a scarf that would be very warm and snuggly. Because of this I chose to work up the scarf using 2 strands of the yarn. This gave a denser and consequently VERY warm scarf. To achieve a scarf that is lighter you can work using only one strand but bear in mind that working only one strand will gave your scarf a more open weave. 


Ingredients

Hip Hop x 200g (8 balls)
Boogie x 25g
Disco x 25g
Charleston x 25g
Cha Cha x 25g
Merengue x 25g

4mm hook
Scissors
Darning Needle (to weave in ends)
Piece of sturdy cardboard/ruler to make tassels (mine was 1.5 inches high which made the same size tassels)

How To

Finished Measurements: Approx. 14 inches (35cm) wide x 75 inches (190cm) long after blocking and not including the tassels!

I have used THIS simple but VERY effective pattern for the scarf designed by the super talented Dedri Uys from Look At What I Made blog. 
I'm not going to write out the pattern in full as Dedri has wonderful step by step instructions on her blog!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE WRITTEN IN AMERICAN CROCHET TERMS!!!!!!

So, for your starting chain you will be using 2 strands of Alpaca Rhythm Hip Hop and chaining 60. 
Work 14 rows as per instructions and fasten off. Join in Cha Cha and work one row in that colour, fasten off. Join in Hip Hop and work another 14 rows. Fasten off and join in Merengue. Work one row and fasten off. 




So basically you are working 14 rows in the main colour and then one row in a contrasting colour.
The colour order is completely up yourself but I have used the following colour order:

Cha Cha, Merengue, Charleston, Boogie and then Disco



Continue with this for 150 rows. Work another 14 rows in Hip Hop and fasten off. Weave in your ends and block to the final size. Blocking opens up the pattern and really makes the stitch pattern sing. 

You are now ready to make some tassels!!!!


There are some easy to follow instructions on making tassels all over the internet!
THIS site condenses the process and makes it simple to understand. 
With your 1.5 inch board/ruler and still using 2 strands of yarn, wrap the yarn around 25 times. Cut the yarn. Using a darning needle threaded with 2 strands of yarn, thread the yarn underneath the wrapped yarn and secure at one side with a knot. Cut the ends. Secure by wrapping 2 strands of yarn about 1cm from top and tying off. Hide the ties inside the tassel. 

I went a bit mad with tassels for my scarf and made 36 in total!!! 
I tied them to my scarf using the long strands of yarn as shown in the photo above. One at each end of the stripes of colour and a further 8 tassels to each end of the scarf which were evenly spaced. The ends were woven into each tassel to make a neat finish. 


And there you have it! A finished tassel scarf!!!!


The length and width can easily be adjusted to suit your needs. 
I hope you like it 😊

Til next time x

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