March WIPs and FOs

March 29, 2015March 27, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 6 Comments

March is almost gone so I thought it might be a good time to give you an update on what I am working on at the moment and what I plan to start soon as well. First, my Lopi shawl is finished and I love it so much! This pattern is the Warm Winter Shawl by Patrick Hassel-Zein and it is not the best pattern out there, not many explanations and I never understood what the designer did for the edging so just did my own thing, but if you are comfortable with tunisian crochet you can figure it out quickly from the pictures.

The best part about this shawl is that I am wearing it! I wear it at home mostly but have also ventured out with it so I am really excited 🙂 You may be wondering what happened after my blocking panic which I shared a few posts ago… well, it did smell horribly of conditioner once it dried so I had to ventilate it for a few days to make it go away but it is fine now. It is not extremely soft, but still wearable around the neck for me even though I mostly wear it as a shawl around my shoulders. It should also soften with use and washing so it can only get better now 🙂

After the EYF I started working on the Alyssium cardigan by Joanne Scrace, which I actually tried on at the Crochet Project stall, very exciting! It is coming along nicely and so far the pattern has been very easy to follow, I am using the exact same yarn as the sample which is Eden Cottage Yarns Pendle 4ply, a lovely hand dyed merino yarn in the colour Dusk. This cardigan fits so nicely with my new aspiration of a handmade wardrobe, I am sure that once finished it will get loads of use, can’t wait to wear it.

At the EYF I mostly bought yarn for garments that I have had my eye on for a long time, so hopefully I will slowly start building a collection of handmade clothes and accessories that I love to wear. Wouldn’t that be awesome? I am even considering to take some sewing classes to broaden my skills to create my own clothes (and project bags!) but I am not sure if it would be very wise considering the little time I have available at the moment. I will let you know what happens…

Finally, I have been experimenting with tunisian crochet in the round, this is my first attempt at this technique and of course I couldn’t just do something simple… I had to do a stitch pattern that changes colour not only for the forward pass but also for the return pass. It is not bad, but I am not sure I could make a pattern for this since even though it is simple, it is very difficult to explain in a written form. I can of course just make it for myself but I feel like if I design something I should be sharing it, not sure where this comes from but it is how I feel.

I am struggling with that a lot lately, since I can’t just post a pattern for you guys and hope you will figure it out, that is not how I like to do things. I want to make sure that you can follow it and that you can easily refer to a good tutorial (mine or someone else’s) if you get stuck.

I am having that problem with my Moroccan bag pattern at the moment since I feel like I should explain how tapestry crochet works and do a tutorial for the bag but that will delay the pattern quite a lot and it takes such a long time to shoot pictures for tutorials. This perfectionism with my patterns is what is making me design less and less since I just can’t find the time anymore, but we will see, maybe I just need to post less patterns and dedicate the time I need to get them the way I like it, no matter how long it takes me to finally get the instructions here. Do you mind waiting? I would really like your opinion on this so let me know what you think.

Those are my current projects, I will be adding one this week since Laura from Made in Oxford and I will be working on the Freyja shawl together, I am very excited to have a crochet partner for a pattern like this, I have a feeling I might get stuck on a few things but I am sure the finished product will be worth all the effort and having company will make it all much more enjoyable. I am still deciding on yarn so will share that with you once I make up my mind (so many choices!).

Hope you are having a great weekend, looking forward to a short week and some extra hooking time during Easter 🙂 Take care!

Sol

FREE Pattern: Cobbled Street Cowl

March 22, 2015March 27, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 9 Comments

*Ravelry link

It took forever for me to finally sit down and write this pattern but it is finally here. I haven’t really been designing much lately, in a bit of a dry spell at the moment. Have many ideas but haven’t been able to bring myself to start any of them. It takes quite a while for me to get to a finished object for my designs and I think I needed a break so have been enjoying crocheting other people’s designs for a bit. I have a couple that I should start since the yarn is waiting there for me, but I am definitely taking things a bit slower when it comes to designing.

I love this cowl so much, it is one of my favourites along with my Uva shawl. As I mentioned in my ta-dah post this cowl is inspired on the beautiful cobbled streets in Edinburgh. It is a very simple tunisian pattern, uses two stitches and I have created an easy chart for you guys to follow. I would even recommend this as a first pattern for those who are learning tunisian: it uses basic stitches, no increases or decreases and you only need one skein of yarn. How perfect is that?

The yarn I used is Madelinetosh Merino Light, it is a lovely yarn to work with and it feels even nicer after blocking. I was left with a bit of yarn from my skein but I liked the length so stopped there, it measures 18cm wide for 86cm long before joining both ends. Gauge is not really important but in case you are interested each pattern repeat (Rows 1 to 24) measures 18cm x 11.5cm.

Cobbled Street Pattern

Materials:

4mm Tunisian crochet hook (30cm long)

Madelinetosh Merino Light 4ply: 1 skein in Tern

Needle to weave in ends.

Abbreviations

Ch – Chain

End st or “E” in chart– Last stitch on forward pass

Lp – Loop(s)

Sk – Skip

Sl st – Slip stitch

St – Stitch(es)

Tss or “|” in chart– Tunisian simple stitch

Tks or “V” in chart– Tunisian knit stitch

YO – Yarn over

Stitch Guide (Visit my tutorials page for photo tutorials)

Foundation forward pass: Insert hook on back bump of second ch from hook, YO and pull up a loop, *insert hook on back bump of next ch, YO and pull up a loop, repeat from * until last ch.

Return pass: YO and pull through 1 lp, *YO and pull through 2 lps, repeat from * until you have 1 lp on hook.

Tunisian Simple Stitch (Tss or | in chart): Skip first stitch, *insert hook from right to left under next front vertical bar, yarn over and draw up a loop; repeat from * across until last stitch, work last stitch normally. Work return pass.

Tunisian Knit Stitch (Tks or V in chart): Skip first stitch, *insert hook between front and back vertical bars of next stitch, yarn over and draw up a loop; repeat from * across until last stitch, work last stitch normally. Work return pass.

End St (E in chart): Last st of the forward pass is made into ch created by the return pass. Insert your hook under the vertical bar where you usually do it AND the strand behind it and pull up a loop.

Binding off: As with every row you start with one lp on your hook. For each stitch, insert hook as normal (depending on whether it is a Tss or Tks), YO and pull through both loops (through the st and the loop you had already). Continue until the last st.

Instructions

Ch 40. Work foundation forward pass (40st, each lp on the hook is a st). Work return pass.

Row 1 to 24: Follow chart for each row, reading it from right to left and from bottom to top. The chart indicates which stitches you must work in the forward pass. Work the return pass normally for each row.

Rows 25 to 192: Repeat Rows 1-24 seven times for a total of eight repeats. When you are in your last row work the binding off as you follow the pattern (see stitch guide). You can continue the pattern if you still have yarn to your desired length. Fasten off but don’t cut yarn.

Use mattress stitch to seam the two ends together. Weave in ends.

Sol

A sense of ease

March 8, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 5 Comments

Hello there everyone, how was your weekend? Mine was a bit more social than usual which is always a good thing and today has gone just like every other Sunday, in a flash! Sundays are one of the hardest days of the week for me, not sure why but I always get quite anxious and struggle a lot between wanting to do nothing and wanting to be very productive and use my time wisely. Do you struggle with that as well?

Maybe it is just me feeling bad for not having accomplished something each day, and I think it has gotten worse with time. Anyway, my two accomplishments of the day today have been to get back on my hypothetical yoga mat again (I don’t have one yet so just use the carpet in the living room) and writing this blog post. If you remember my goals for this year you will know that giving yoga a try was one of them and I had been doing quite good until a couple of weeks when I started to feel a bit bad and couldn’t find the strength to do yoga after work.

However, I have been feeling better this week so there were no more excuses. I am still working the complete beginners workout by Yoga with Adrienne, it lasts 20 minutes and it has a few challenging parts for me but not too difficult so that I end up feeling like I didn’t really do anything properly. I always feel great after this practice, not only because I feel more relaxed but also because I actually found the motivation to do it, getting on the mat is actually the hardest part.

The instructor is great and she talks a lot about finding this “sense of ease” in each pose instead of looking for perfection. This has stuck with me since it is actually a great way to see life in general and not only yoga. My latest project has really been about finding that ease, something comfortable to put your effort and love into. Remember my obsession? Well… the shawl is almost done! One week and I am on the last stripe and then all that needs to be done is the border and blocking.

This Icelandic Lopi yarn is like nothing I had ever worked with and like nothing I ever thought I would like to work with as well. As yarn enthusiasts I think we are always looking for that soft and bouncy skein, and this is nothing like that but not short of amazing either. It feels rustic but so incredibly close to the sheep to which it once belonged to. It is incredible warm and once it blocks it will get softer and nicer to the touch.

While I as looking for more information about this yarn I came across a blogger who was talking about the little bits of vegetable matter that you can find in the yarn and how much she loved that she was actually holding a bit of Iceland in her hands brought to her by the sheep itself. That is a lovely way to put it.

Aside from my shawl there hasn’t been many more updates on the crochet front, my Doris Chan top is finished and in my closet where it will probably stay for a long time… but anyway, it was a nice project to work on. My Moroccan bag is close to being done and just in time for the Edinburgh Yarn Festival… can’t wait! Still working on my shopping list which is getting longer by the minute.

That is me for today, hope you all have a lovely week! I will be back soon with my Moroccan bag finished and of course my experience in my first ever yarn festival 🙂

Take care!

Sol

Obsessed

February 25, 2015February 24, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 9 Comments

I consider myself to be easily obsessed by a lot of things. My mum has always commented on this and according to her I have always been that way:, if I really liked something I suddenly got obsessed with it and liked only that specific thing until I got bored and found another one.

I can think of many examples of this, from books I can’t put down and therefore can’t sleep or eat until they are finished, to food I just can’t stop eating (jammy biscuits at the moment) and many things in between. Some last longer than others and I guess this crochet phase fits into that category, along with my “I can’t live without make-up phase” which lasted a couple of years.

Being obsessed with something is different than liking, or loving it. Obsession is when you can’t stop thinking about it, when the longing interferes with your life and basic needs. I have loved many crochet patterns for example, either by first sight or after working through them and just really enjoying the process.

Lately however I have found myself obsessed with a pattern I saw on Ravelry and can’t get it off my head! It is a tunisian shawl designed by Patrick Hassel-Zein using some beautifully rustic Icelandic wool. I saw it and I knew it was not love… this was once again an obsession.

I need to do this pattern. It’s not that I would like to, I just have to. I know myself by now and I know I won’t let it go until it happens. I have yarn for MANY patterns, including yarn for some designs I have in my head that I would really like to start sampling for but I know it will all probably be delayed a bit. From the moment I realised that the perfect yarn used in the pattern is stocked by one of my LYS I knew what was going to happen.

And I sense it will happen soon…

Sol

Healing

February 21, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 7 Comments

Hello everyone, I know I have been missing in action this week and have not posted much but I will not apologise this time because I really needed some time away. It all started last weekend with a headache that lasted for three days and continued on and off during the week, alongside with my stomach acting up and just feeling very tired. The cause of my headaches and stomach issues is 99% of the time due to anxiety and stress and I don’t think it was any differently this time, have been very busy at work with loads of deadlines and not a minute to take a breath so I guess it was bound to happen.

So I decided I needed a break from the blog and everything else that might get in the way of the healing process I knew I needed to start. No computer time at home unless I really wanted to check something out or reply to messages/comments, no pattern writing, early nights, yoga every day if I was feeling up for it and loads of happy crocheting without a deadline or worry.

I also went to the library and got some great yarn and crochet books to keep me relaxed and entertained. The book called “Knitting Yarns, Writers on Knitting” has been my go-to book before bedtime and has been a pleasure to get little knitting stories before bed, each one very different to the next but all sharing how knitting came into their lives and the significance of creating something with your hands. Ever since I started listening to Woolful I have been very intrigued about natural dyeing so got a few books on that as well. It is very interesting and would love to try it one day when I have a proper place to do it.

My crochet time has been divided between my Doris Chan top and my Moroccan tote. The top is coming along, maybe a bit smaller than I thought but I won’t really know how it will look until I finish and block it so we will see. I am working on both sleeves at the same time as recommended by the designer and it has been a great idea.

My Moroccan bag has been coming along as well, the crocheting is actually done! I LOVE the pattern and colours of this bag. I have to say it is a bit on the smaller side for a tote and this was intentional since I thought I was going to be so bored by the middle of this project but I do regret it now cause I would have liked to keep going. Not sure why I didn’t get bored of the same pattern the whole time but I really enjoyed crocheting it.

Yesterday I went to John Lewis and got some fabric to line it and I received my leather handles through the mail this week so all ready for the finishing (but oh so very important) details. I plan on cutting and pining today to start sewing on the train next week.

I have also been working on samples for my first ever tunisian crochet workshop! I am so excited to share this amazing technique at Ginger Twist Studio in March. The first workshop is fully booked but there is another date in May so if you are in the Edinburgh area and would like to learn tunisian crochet please visit Jess’s website for more details. I have been planning like crazy, I know you can’t plan every single minute for these things but can’t help it, I am working on samples and creating class handouts and I really can’t wait to share all my excitement.

And that is what I have been up to, posts may be less often next week as I get back to my blogging rhythm. I have patterns to write and tutorials to put together but first of all I need to feel well enough to do all those things so please bare with me, I am still here, still loving crochet and still wanting to share my patterns and projects with you lovely people.

Have a great weekend!

Sol

Train WIPs February

February 14, 2015February 9, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 10 Comments

I used to be a monogamous crocheter but at some point I found myself having 2 or 3 projects at the same time. Lately I have one project for home, usually something either big or a bit more complicated, and then a couple for my commute, which have to be easy to work and small enough to carry.

My home project at the moment is the Kolika top I mentioned in my last post, since it is a garment it requires my attention and the ability to try it on as I go, which would be a bit tricky to do while I commute (and even more weird than just crocheting on a train). For the train I have been working on two new designs: my moroccan tote and a pair of tunisian fingerless gloves with some leftover yarn from my Uva shawl.

I finished one mitt but I have to say the moroccan bag is getting all the spotlight lately, I just love how it is turning out. I have done quite a bit more since I took this picture, I am more than halfway through what will be a tote size bag. I will take some more pictures this weekend to show you how it is coming along.

I am browsing for some brown leather handles for it, very exciting 🙂

What is on your hook right now? Let me know in the comments, would love to hear what you guys are working on!

That is it for me today, I have to set some time aside to take pictures for another tunisian pattern, hope I get time to do that this weekend. I also want to tell you more about how those resolutions are coming along so expect another post on that soon. I am off now to do some yoga (told you the resolutions were doing well!), have a great weekend everyone!

Sol

Cobbled Street Cowl Ta-dah!

February 4, 2015February 2, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 5 Comments

Hello my dear readers! How did January treat you? This month went incredibly fast for me, despite the bad weather and short days. I did get quite a lot of crochet time with all the travelling that my work requires, many train rides to just relax, crochet and listen to podcasts.

I have realised that crocheting in trains is where I enjoy it the most, and thinking about this today I realised there is a very simple reason for this: there is nothing else I have to be doing. We all have busy lives and you probably struggle just like me to fit in some crochet time in the day. Even if we managed this there is always something in the back of our minds that is screaming for our attention like laundry to fold, plates to clean, or sometimes in my case even having to make myself some food. When I am on the train, there is nothing else that I could be doing. I couldn’t possible use that time to clean or cook, or anything else for that matter and I think that is why crocheting on the train is such a bliss, because it gets all my attention and it fills up a time that otherwise would be “wasted”. I always want to be productive, can’t help it, its the engineer in me.

By the way, I am obsessed with a few podcasts lately, specially Woolful and Knit British. They are quite different, Woolful is the podcast of Ashley, in each episode she shares interviews with people in the fibre industry and you get to hear their fibre journey which is always so inspiring. Knit British is the podcast of Louise, and here she shares her love of yarn produced, spun or dyed in the UK. Be sure to check them out if you are looking for a new podcast.

The reason for this post is that my cobbled street inspired cowl is finished! This cowl was, as many of my projects recently, a lovely train companion. It is worked in tunisian crochet using only two stitches, it was very easy to work and the yarn is lovely. It really does remind me of cobbled streets so I am very pleased with how this turned out. It uses only one skein so it is a great little project if you want to start with tunisian crochet.

The only problem I had with this project was that the yarn (Madelinetosh Merino Light 4ply) smelled a bit like vinegar when I bought it. It went away while I was crocheting with it but when I blocked it (just spraying some water) it came back and it smelled awful! Had to do an intense wet blocking to get the smell off but it is all good now.

I will post this pattern soon, need to do a chart for it so may take a bit. I am not a fan of opening Excel when I am not in the office but will do it for you guys 🙂

Hope all is good with you, I am working on a couple more tutorials and of course some more patterns. I will share my progress of that Moroccan-inspired bag soon 🙂

Have a great day!

Sol

Tunisian crochet vest: Lessons learned

January 31, 2015January 30, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 4 Comments

I have been trying to remember when I started this tunisian vest but can’t remember and I am too lazy today to look for the post, anyway it was a while ago! I worked this pattern alongside a Craftsy class about custom-fitting where you learn how to adapt this pattern to make sure it fits even if you don’t match any of the sizes provided.

This was my second crochet garment ever, and even though it is not my favourite project I did learn A LOT about custom-fitting with it and I am definitely glad I took the class and finished it. I used the yarn called on the pattern, simply because gauge is so important when it comes to garments and I wanted to give myself the best chance to achieve the gauge in the pattern (which of course never happened but more on that later). The yarn was Cascade 220 Superwash, a very nice and snuggly yarn and I used two colours even though the pattern was only in one.

So… the most important question is: did it fit?

Oh yes it did! It actually did and just the way I wanted… except for the length. I could never get the right row gauge and I just kept on going with the pattern even though I knew it was much shorter, I just kept telling myself I would fix it when blocked but this wasn’t enough. I tried to make it longer by adding a few rows of ribbing with normal crochet, and I was fine with it until I showed it to my boyfriend and asked if he liked it, at which point he said: “Yes… but is it not supposed to be longer?”

Men. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.

I have worn this but mostly because I put so much work in it, not because I like how I look in it. It is a bit of a shame, but I still liked many things about this project that I would like to share:

1. It fits! I learned how to measure myself and how to adapt a pattern and that is such an important skill. This will give me so much more confidence to tackle the garment patterns still in my queue for this year.

2. I have been crocheting for many years and this was the first project in a long time which had to be ripped off and started again more than once, it was very frustrating. However, I still finished it! I am so proud of myself for sticking to it, even if the results weren’t perfect.

3. This project showed me the importance of making the right swatch. I mentioned this before in a previous post but one of the big issues with my initial swatch was that I was trying to get the right gauge by crocheting in a way that wasn’t natural to me, which of course led to a lot of problems when I actually started the project.

So people: when making your swatch you should crochet as you normally would and don’t do the entire swatch at once, pick it up again on a different day since our tension changes a lot depending on how we are feeling that day. Also block it to see how much the yarn will stretch, specially if its something you plan on washing at some point.

4. Another big thing I learned with this project was to not make things more complicated for myself for no real reason. I am not sure why but since I consider myself an experienced crocheter I am usually trying to make things harder for myself and adapt patterns to make them more challenging. Now, this could work on some projects but not when I am learning a whole new skill. For this pattern I decided to go with two colours instead of one, and even though it didn’t add much complexity it was rather unnecessary and the finishing with the two colours wasn’t as neat as it would’ve been with just one. It also made the ripping off a lot harder. Simpler is better sometimes!

Of course there were some things I wasn’t happy about with this pattern and I thought I should share those as well:

1. Stripes are not the most flattering thing. I know I should’ve known this but again, I was trying to complicate things for myself. One colour would’ve looked a lot better.

2. I am not crazy about the yarn used in this pattern, it is too heavy and bulky and it shows when you are wearing it, it adds quite a big layer because of that extra fabric that tunisian crochet creates in the back. If I were to do this again (not very likely but you never know) I would use something much lighter, probably a 4 ply and would make it more of a mid-season vest.

So a lot of learning so far in this new year, and I am sure there is loads more to come! Have a great day everyone.

Sol

Tunisian Crochet 101: Reverse Simple Stitch

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 6 Comments

*You can find the previous tutorials in this series on my Tutorials page.

I am back with another tunisian crochet tutorial, this time we will learn how to work the tunisian reverse simple stitch. The look of this stitch is very similar to a purl stitch in knitting and also to the tunisian purl stitch which I will teach you on a future tutorial. It creates a lot of texture in the fabric and it sits “higher” than other stitches which creates a nice effect such as in my latest chunky cowl where I used it to create colour stripes against a tunisian knit stitch background.

So, we will add this stitch to our tunisian sampler, which I have to say I am hating at the moment because cotton was probably not the best choice to demonstrate some stitches that look a lot better in something like wool and also because that yellow is not the nicest colour in the world… I almost started a new sample but I though I should keep the same one to avoid confusions but I do apologise if its not looking great, I am sure yours is looking a lot better!

This is how my (sad) sampler is looking at the moment, we left off with a colour change back to yellow and we have an undefined row ready to be worked.

To work this stitch we need to go back to understanding the anatomy of the undefined row. Remember we have front and back vertical bars and a horizontal chain going through them, as the picture shows.

For the tunisian reverse simple stitch (Trss) we need to work on those back vertical bars, which you can see better if you turn the wrong side of your work towards you.

Identify the back vertical bar for the second stitch.

With your hook on the back of the fabric and your yarn behind your hook: insert under back vertical bar from right to left. Yarn over and pull through.

This brings that back of the work towards the front, giving it that “purl look”. Keep on going with the rest of the stitches the same way, making sure your yarn is on the back of your hook and not at the front.

Work the last stitch normally (check this tutorial if you don’t know how to work the last stitch). Once you finish the forward pass you will get something like this.

Work the return pass normally, work as many rows as you need to get comfortable with the stitch.

And that is it people! Easy and nice stitch, I will post the tutorial for that cowl soon now that you know how to work it. Our sample is getting bigger, I think I have three more stitches to show you and then we will have learned more than enough to work any tunisian pattern you want to try or even create your own.

Stitch Guide

Foundation Row – Forward Pass: Chain number of stitches needed. Skip first chain, insert hook under back strand of next chain, yarn over and pull up a loop. Repeat until last chain.

Return Pass: Yarn over pull through one loop on hook, yarn over and pull through two loops on hook until you have one loop left on hook.

Last stitch of any forward pass: Insert hook under last vertical bar and strand behind it, yarn over and pull up a loop.

Tunisian Simple Stitch: Skip first st, insert hook from right to left under next front vertical bar, yarn over and pull up a loop. Continue this way until last stitch, work last stitch normally. Work return pass normally.

Tunisian Knit Stitch: Skip first st, insert hook between front and back vertical bars, yarn over and pull up a loop. Continue this way until last stitch, work last stitch normally. Work return pass normally.

Tunisian Reverse Simple Stitch: Skip first st, insert hook from right to left under back vertical bar, yarn over and pull up a loop. Work last stitch normally. Work return pass normally.

Until the next one!

Sol

WIPs

January 17, 2015January 20, 2015 ~ solrencoret ~ 2 Comments

I would like to thank the nice comments I got for my resolution’s post, I really appreciate the support! I have made some progress there and will share it in due time. Today I would like to share what is in my hook these days or my works in progress (WIPs).

I usually love most of my crochet projects but I am particularly happy with my WIPs this month since they all happen to be my own designs and have worked out great (so far).

The first is this cowl inspired on the beautiful cobbled streets you can find in Edinburgh. Even though I am always tripping or getting my shoe in between the stones I am in love with cobbled streets and this is my tribute! I am not sure if this will be a very short cowl or more like an infinity scarf, I will work on the pattern until I ran out of yarn and then decide.

I am using that lovely Madelinetosh yarn I shared with you recently and I think it gives the exact effect I was looking for: that change in colour but also a bit of shine which reminds me of cobbled streets after the rain (which of course happens very often in Scotland). Once it is finished I will post pictures of the finished sample and a picture of my inspiration as well. This has been my “train project” lately and it has been such a joy to work on, simple pattern in a beautiful yarn.

That gorgeous yarn bowl in the pictures is a present I received from my sister for Christmas. Isn’t the most beautiful thing ever? I love it! If you are interested in buying one of these beauties here is the Etsy shop where my sister bought it from, I had a little browse and wanted to buy everything to be honest. *I just found out that my sister actually asked the shop owner to make this baby seal yarn bowl specially for me! She has the design on other products but not yarn bowls, best sister ever 🙂

Also, I am working on a bag pattern, my first bag! It is very early on but so far it is turning out as planned. It uses tapestry crochet and is inspired on this picture I found on Pinterest.

No pictures of this WIP yet but will keep you updated as usual.

I am also working on a pattern for a workshop, I am so excited and scared at the same time when it comes to teaching, definitely more excitement than fear though so I think we are good! It will be a very simple pattern to learn how to crochet basic tunisian stitches and a couple of more advanced ones, it is blocking at the moment so almost finished.

Also on my blocking mat is… my tunisian vest! This vest… OMG, it really needs to get done. It is looking good, though I will probably have to add a bit of length to it with a few rows of ribbed crochet to make sure I actually wear it. Just some sewing and those few rows to add length and I’ll be done. Pictures coming soon!

Those are my WIPs at the moment, I will start swatching soon for a sweater by Doris Chan for a new Interweave class I purchased, and I bought the yarn for that Piped Petals pattern that I shared on my queue post so I will have to start that soon as well.

A lot of crochet in my life as usual but so happy with all my projects. The whole process from the inspiration for a pattern, to choosing the yarn and then making a sample is just so satisfying and it is definitely the kind of things that I try to fill my mind with when I start getting too worried or anxious. I just go to my happy place where I am just crocheting away, surrounded by beautiful yarn and with not a worry in the world.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

Sol

a crochet journey

Tales of my journey to a colourful and creative life

tunisian crochet