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

My holiday project - a Japanese flower scarf

Today I wanted to write a proper tadah-post, presenting my holiday project I planned to finish yesterday. I wanted to block it over night and take some beautiful pictures in the garden. 

'Aber hier, wie überhaupt, kommt es anders, als man glaubt'

(Things always end up differently than you think).

This is a quote by Wilhelm Busch, a German poet and humorist and it just describes what happened to me yesterday. 

While I was happily hooking the last flowers for my scarf I recognised that my amount of yarn was decreasing faster than I thought. When I reached the second last flower I had to face the fact that I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish this scarf. What a disappointment! So here are just a few photos of my scarf missing two flowers, without all ends sewn in and all wobbly-bobbly because it is not blocked yet.

But I want to write this post nevertheless because it will take a little time until I have finally finished this scarf. I have to order the yarn via internet, there is no yarn shop nearby that sells Drops yarn.

  

This scarf is really beautiful, I love the yarn and the pattern equally. I really cannot wait to finish it. But I have to wait patiently until the parcel will arrive. I have already ordered the yarn this morning and I have chosen some other yarn as well, of course. It really makes no sense to order just three balls of yarn and pay the postage for a full parcel, doesn't it? That's why I had to buy some other yarn, as well. 

When I have finished my wonderful Japanese flower scarf, I will write about it a second time. Hopefully soon! 

See you then.

Viola 

A little piece of happiness...

has come to live with me! Have you seen all the Nordic Shawls (pattern by Anette) that are displayed on so many crochet blogs? As soon as I had seen all these beauties I knew one day I would try this beautiful pattern. 

Well, I am a true shawl person. Considered by many an old ladies garment or something you only set eyes on in some old Jane Austen films, I just see cosiness, warmth and femininity. And it is a very functional garment, as well. I often take a shawl with me when leaving the house. You can use it as a pillow in the car, you can sit on it on the beach, you can put it around your head when a strong wind is suddenly blowing. And it is a good cover for children when they start freezing (after having an ice cream, for example). 

I was reaaally excited when I bought the yarn for this shawl. I have a soft spot for the Drops Cotton Merino yarn and it was no question for me that this yarn would be the right one for the pattern. The colour choice was quickly made, I love the beige shade of that yarn, especially combined with different shades of blue and green.

 It was not all easy going though. The time I spent ripping the colour block all back, I could have made two Nordic Shawls. But it was all my own fault I have to admit, for I couldn't make up my mind on the colour block. In my first try I used too much green, my second try was much too dark (too much marine).

 But I am glad I unpicked it two times because now I am really happy with the colours and how it turned out. 

Earnestly...

 I do LOVE it!!!!

 

  I do wear this shawl as often as I can. It really looks good with jeans and a white tunic. It is too warm to wear it these days but in the evenings I am very happy to get it on my shoulders again.

I am really in love with this piece of crochet happiness and I can only say thanks a lot to Anette for such a nice pattern! 

Last but not least I want to say a warm welcome to all new followers. I am so happy that you like my little blog and the things I create. I really love to read your comments and as soon as the weather is getting worse again, I will have a look at all your blogs, as well. 

I hope you have a nice weekend with lots of sun and fun!

Viola

 

Glorious September

September is such a beautiful month. Everybody seems to be greedy for the last rays of sunshine, staying outside, getting together, not willing to let autumn begin. This weekend has been full of outside activities, a children's birthday party with pony riding my daughter was invited to and a football camp my son took part in. On saturday my husband and I were invited to a garden party and we stayed there until late in the night, savouring a grand campfire, good food and interesting chats with friends. I even went there barefooted, without a jacket just with my lovely green shawl protecting me against the clammy chill past midnight. 

The weather here is very changeable these days. When I took our dog for a walk, the sky looked spectacular. When you turned your head eastward there's been blue sky with fluffy white clouds, but when you turned your head westward bulky dark clouds made you want running home immediately. 

And the acorns are really, really heavy this year and there are a lot, really a lot. A German country lore says: 'If there are many acorns in September, there will be plenty of snow in December.' Let's wait and see...
 
Much has happened last week but nevertheless I took a little time to continue with some lovely crochet.
I do love small granny squares. They are easily and quickly made and I could occupy myself with laying different combinations of squares hours and hours (if I had the time to). In the first half of this year (I can't remember anymore when exactly) I made a little scarf for myself, just because I wanted to try a small granny square pattern. 

I took a look into my yarn stock and chose some cotton yarn to start with. It's been Lang Quattro, a yarn I absolutely love because it's good to work with and you can get it in more than 30 different colours. I chose the colours pastel green, fuchsia and chianti. I love to wear the scarf. It is light and soft and adds a little extra to a conventional outfit.

And I did it, I finally dared to start a blanket! It took me ages to admit that I really wanted to do nothing else. And when the decision was made I couldn't decide what kind of blanket I wanted to crochet. I really loved this one and this one and I would have been be more than happy if I'd been able to finish a blanket like this.  But I told myself to start with something easy, something without joining and without thousands of ends to weave in. So I decided to use the pattern of gorgeous Lucy of attic24 'The ripple'. I ordered Stylecraft special DK yarn and started just before our summer holidays began. Now you'll be able to catch a glimpse of my first and much-loved blanket:

Excuse me! I just couldn't stop loading pictures - I've even taken much more! But now you know what my blanket is about. It is  a gorgeous pattern, absolutely soothing and comforting. Counting four, increasing two, counting four, decreasing two... Every time I work on my blanket it feels like a meditation. No matter what is spinning in my head - as soon as I start crocheting I calm down and start emptying my brains. Somehow it works like Dumbledore's Pensieve - have you all read Harry Potter? The Pensieve is an object that simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind and pours them into the basin. I wonder if my blanket will be full of my thoughts and memories as well when it's finished. Funny idea, isn't it?

 It's already late, nighty night everyone! Thank you for reading this never-ending post. 
Viola

Hooray, hooray, hooray!

My shawl is finally finished!

Here is my big and warm and cosy shawl I wanted to finish a long time ago! Well done, Miss Inconsistency! Every time I finish a project that has been lying around for some time, I'm a little bit proud of myself. Unfortunately I always start new projects before finishing one, so there are many, many projects lying in baskets, on shelves or just in a bag next to the sofa. I have to admit that I lost the overview. But after our holiday I told myself to work more aim-oriented (can you say so?), to finish at least one thing before I start with an new one. Maybe I should write a list.... But back to the shawl:

I started crocheting this shawl during the Easter holidays. We went to the Netherlands to spend a week at the North Sea. I wanted to take my crochet bag with me, of course but space is always a scarce good when we go on holiday by car. So I decided to start a one-colour-project. I had this green sock yarn in my wool cabinet and a pattern for a shawl I always wanted to try. It's the  South Bay Shawlette from Lionbrand.

The pattern recommends a hook size 9 (I) and I used a 3,5. So I started really, really slowly. The original shawlette should have had 30 rows but when I finished row 30 it looked like a shawl for a toddler. So I decided to continue until it fitted my size. 

But honestly, after some time I lost my interest in it because it just took so long to finish one row and I didn't really see a progress. But then again... This shawl kept staying in my creative mind, it somehow wanted to be finished.

The last weeks I put myself together to accomplish this long-lasting project. I crocheted 64 rows until I decided that this shawl had the right size for me. But then it looked a little bit 'boring', 'expressionless'? 

It needed a border! To choose one took me some time but then I found a romantic border I really liked. It's called "Mayflower border" but I can't say anymore where I found it. I copied it from a magazine I was reading when I was sitting at the doctors a long time ago. I put it in my pattern folder and forgot about it. It's simple but it gives a nice little extra to the shawl.

The longest side has a simple shell edging.

I love, love, love my new shawl. It is great for the weather we have to endure here in the Northern part of Germany at the moment. Rain and storm with temperatures at 13 degrees. 

And it perfectly fits my beloved pair of Brako boots I could wear every day. 'You looks a little old-fashioned', my daughter said with a smile. I guess it was meant as a compliment, what do you think?

Have a nice weekend, Viola