I've decided to make my first crochet project a cushion cover and not a big blanket so I can get on to trying out other things. My initial plan was to crochet the squares together using this tutorial, but I really didn't like the look of it when I was finished. The squares looked all wonky and the white toned the whole thing down and the lovely (some might say rather insane) brightness was totally gone. Crochet Fail.
I'm pretty sure the wonkiness was something I'd done wrong (I think there's an extra treble in the intersections now that I look at it) and if I'd liked the effect of the white I would have gone back and tried to fix it - but I didn't so all the white was pulled out this morning and I've gone another way - more on that later!
Crochet came to the rescue yesterday though, when Hazel was given a birthday party invitation that had gone astray and the party was this afternoon after school! In the end she couldn't go because of prior commitments, but I thought a little present was in order anyways. I'd seen something a few days ago about crochet headbands with flowers and since I had several flowers hanging around after my experiments with putting them in squares I thought it would be an idea solution. Talk about a fast present! I googled for a pattern, came up with this great video, and half an hour later I had a headband. I stupidly didn't keep watching after I'd finished the band because she had this really neat way of attaching the flower, but mine was fine just stitched on. Hazel modelled it for me late in the afternoon. She was a bit put out about having to do it because she's not keen on headbands, but got into the spirit fairly quickly! And no, I don't know why she was in her pyjamas before dinner!
She's gorgeous !!!
ReplyDeleteBtw when you've joined your blocks go around the outside of them all - it helps
don't worry about the wonky parts - if you block it after you've finished that will disappear. Blocking will save it!
ReplyDeleteI love the colours!
ReplyDeleteI think the wonkyness is completely caused by the white zig zag affect. It's twisting each square because you have to work in the spaces round each square. The white has joined a space on one block to a triple on the next block when it should be joining space to space or triple to triple. Unfortunately joining the spaces to spaces etc doesn't look as nice as you end up with big gaps.
To fix this you could finish each square off with a solid coloured border then join them. That way you would have stitches to work with to keep it all straight.
Hope this makes sense. I love the squares and I would definitely think about pulling it back and fixing the wonkyness - as I am a bit of a neat freak (only with crafy things - not in my general life!) and the squares are so lovely.
Hope all that makes sense.
The headband is gorgeous! I love crochet as it's manageable and you can pick up and put down projects without ruining them as there's only one active stitch. I usually pull a large loop and thread some contrasting wool through so I can use the hook for another project.
By the way I came across your site a year or so ago and made a few of Hazel's bunnies. I love the pattern and my son loves his blue and white fleece rabbit! Thanks xxxx
Okay - I think she's getting cuter by the day! What great posing. Pyjamas before dinner you say; Mishi did that the other day with some that we decided Ari could hand down to her. First of all she tucked them neatly under her pillow for later on, then she changed her mind and wore them all afternoon.
ReplyDeleteLoving your crochet work. Can't wait to see it finished. I've not done any seam sewing with granny squares yet - maybe I'll finish a project one day.
yip i'd do a border of one or two rounds of one colour (as said) and then stitch together with THIS tutorial, it looks good front and back, is SUPER easy and REALLY fast AND you can fudge stitches if you get muddled and they don't show up! WIN!
ReplyDeletehttp://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/joining-granny-sqaures.html
it is the best ever, infact I don't go anywhere else to learn stuff i need to know for crochet, lucy is AMAZE!
also this for edging.. http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-b.html
if it was me i'd undo it and start again, you have lost that magic and its not so bad undoing...
Thanks for the links! By the time I'd put up this post I'd already ripped out all the white (it IS quite satisfying!) and sewn them up again. I used a whipstitch but I like that other method - next time! The finished effect is pretty much identical to mine, I'll have to see which is faster!
ReplyDelete--- Sent from my iPhone ---
Yes I will, I need to actually, to get it up to size for the cushion! I'm thinking about doing a pretty edging as well (have a look at the edging link Sarah posted in the comments above) and then attaching it to the cushion so there is a sort of a frill around the edges.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that would be the ideal solution to the problem - I'm a neat freak too and I just couldn't handle that wonkiness! In retrospect putting the white where I did in the squares wasn't ideal, but now I know for next time. I'm amazed how well the loops stay in the crochet even when the hook isn't there - I just assumed it would be like knitting and unravel given the least opportunity!
ReplyDeleteThat's so lovely to hear you made the bunny - Hazel has been asking for more of them but I just haven't gotten myself organised. I think I'd better though, because she plays with the original ones and they're really not standing up to it!
She's put on the pyjamas early a few times in the last week, she says it's to save time during bedtime routine but I think she just likes the novelty feeling of it!
ReplyDeleteI used whipstitch on the backs of the squares, but Sarah posted a link to a good tutorial above that has the same effect with crochet. It's just nice and simple.
Once you have the cushion sorted, its going to look sooo pretty! love the flowers and the colours together.... must get my hook out and add one to my girls bed! And the flowers definately come in handy... I also used one for a quick pressie... hairclips :)
ReplyDeleteI thought that too, but I tried pulling it in to shape and it just wasn't going to happen - I think I'd gone past the point of blockable wonkiness!
ReplyDeleteHairclips would have been good although that flower was a bit big! I should do up a few and stash them for emergencies :)
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