Japanese Flower Scarf: Ta-dah!

  Looking at the above picture I suddendly feel happy! I took this picture last summer, just a few days after our holiday in the Netherlands. I felt quite relaxed and I was looking forward finishing my Japanese Flower Scarf. There were just a few flowers missing because I had run out of yarn. I ordered it immediately but somehow, when the cough started again, I lost my interest in this wonderful scarf and it took me several weeks to finish it. But one days somwhere in the middle of autumn - I can't really remember anymore when - I added the last flower, weaved in the last ends and could block it.

Since then I have worn this scarf a lot, the texture is soft and delicate and it drapes wolderfully around the shoulders. The yarn is DROPS Belle, a mix of cotton, viscose and linen, it is perfect to wear directly on the skin.

 

 I used the folloowing colours: Moss green, light blue, jeans blue, dark jeans blue, cherry, old pink, dandelion, silver and off white. I can absolutely recommend this yarn. 

  I have LOVED working on this project, making these flowers is addictive once you have started. I already think of making a wooly scarf in bright bold colours and one in pastels or even natural colours - I just can't decide. It is such a lovely pattern and very suitable for carrying around!

I was working the colours totally at random and using the join-as-you-go method, so I had to pay very careful attention to the placement of them. But I managed quite well, what do you think?

The only thing that tempers my delight a little bit is that the flowers tend to look a little scrunched, with curl-up petals after some time. I have already blocked this scarf 3 times. But it is not that bad considering how beautiful this scarf is and how much delight I feel wearing it.

Enough talk now. 

HERE IT IS!

 

 

 This is me wearing the scarf. 

GEEZ! I really look tired! The last year truly drained me of strength. Next week we'll spend a week in my parents cottage in the Netherlands. Long walks at the beach, enough sleep and good food will hopefully do me some good. 

These cute Easter rabbits seem to like my scarf, as well.

Happy Easter! 

Viola

Back again....

...and almost feeling well again.

I am back here after an unintentional break of more than half a year. I am really sorry for this and I am stupendously happy to be back again. I missed you! But I really had a rough trot the last months. I was ill almost all the time.

COUGH - my mostly hated word at the moment. I coughed many, many months, days and nights, almost non-stop. And when it was getting worse I got high fever and a real bad cold. Nobody could find out what was wrong with me. One doctor thought that it was allergic asthma but he couldn't find out what the allergenic substance was. My GP finally asked me if my problem could be a psychosomatic one and if I would be willing to recieve a therapy. I almost agreed because I was truly worried that I would never get better again and there was a tinge of despondency and forlornness seeping into almost everything I did. It was so hard to keep going, my illness affected our daily life enormously.

But then J and I finally found out what the problem was. It was the new laser printer my husband used in his home office. I couldn't tolerate the toner powder of this printer. His office is on the first floor right next to our sleeping room and the toner powder just spread everywhere.

The first thing we did was to banish the printer from our house. Then we started to clean up. I washed all our clothes (oh my, have you ever washed everything you have at once???) but it was a good opportunity to weed out all that was old or no longer fitting. We cleaned everything, the shelves, the cupboards, the books, Cd's, we even moved the all furniture to clean behind them. I also washed all blankets, cushions and the plush toys of the children. Woohoo, long live the washing machine!

My bronchial tubes are still a little inflamed and sore and I easily feel tired and worn out but life is getting better from day to day! I keep on telling me that I just have to be a little more patient and then one day I will feel strong and cheerful and I will be my happy self again!

Enough about that. I have to show you lots of things. Working on my crochet projects has been one of the few things that really distracted me from my worn-out state during the last months. Crocheting is kind of a therapy when everything is going wrong, isn't it? At least for me it is.

First of all, I finished my 'Tiny-Granny-Blanket'. Do you remember it?

I had taken these fotos last summer and it was such a joy to work on this blanket. My daughter loved to play with the colours, she often adviced me which colour combination had to be the next one. When she sat next to me playing with the yarn and the squares we nattered about school and friends and the yarn colours and in the end she knew all the names of the Stylecraft colours I used. 

Here is my blanket in its full glory!

It is a large blanket consisting of 532 mini-grannies, the size  is 2,00 x 1,45 m. 

I used 35 different colours of Stylecraft Special DK.

 Pepples, our dog, is always watching what I'm doing.

 I really love the colourful jollity of this blanket and it is much thicker and warmer than my rainbow ripple blanket.

The border is simple, just 7 rows of granny stripes in plum and pale rose. The last row is a stitch I just learned, the crap stitch - and it is gorgeous! It gives such a neat and solid finish to a blanket. I am so happy that I found out about this stitch.

Here are my two crochet blankets.

They are real beauties and already well-used on the sofa. My son loves the ripple, my daughter the granny, it makes my heart sing in joy when I see my kiddies snuggling down in these blankets.

There is so much more that I want to show you but this is it for today. I have to decorate the house for spring and Easter, we just managed to put away the snowmen and snowflakes - no more snow for me, please. I hope that spring is coming soon, I long for the sun and some warmth. 

I'll be back soon (really soon) to show you more of my makes. Have a beautiful weekend!

Viola