This is an exciting day for me. I have finished a personal project that has been in my list for months. Finally, I was able to crochet it. I call this the Cranberry Field Shawlette, because the color reminds you of a cranberry harvest. A shawl, according to Wikipedia, is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, that is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular or oblong in shape. So what is a shawlette? It is simply a small shawl (as nouns with -ette suffix is a smaller version of something). My finished project may be called a shawlette, because it is smaller than the usual shawl size, but for my petite frame it is already a shawl. The yarn I used for this shawlette is Schoppel Wolle Zauberball in Cranberries from Germany. It is a sock/fingering weight yarn made of 75% virgin wool and 25% nylon. What I like about this wonderfully colored yarn is the long color repeat, and that the color changes are so subtle they seem to fade into each other. I was hesitant at first to use the yarn when I read the wool content. Being in the tropics, wool is not a practical fiber to use. It would be too hot. But I found that you can. Just use bigger hook sizes than the ones recommended. This would result to lightweight, airy, lacy garments that are more suitable for tropical weather. I hunted for the perfect pattern for this scrumptious yarn, found it on the Moogly blog. The pattern is called Sunset Shawlette. It used exactly one ball of Zauberball. While crocheting lacy projects, do not be bothered that it doesn't look as nice as you imagined it to be. What you do is when you're done, you block it. Blocking crochet pieces would open up the stitches and make it stand out. Here is good guide on how to do it. I made this shawlette for myself, but for the right price I am willing to part with it. :D Here is a closer look of the stitches used. Happy crocheting!! :)
I promised a reveal when I finish the shawl that I started here. It is a gift for a loved one. Here it is.. The shawl measures 33" from middle to the bottom tip and 61" across. The yarn I used is the Ice Angora Gold Batik in Grey White purchased from Gantsilyo Guru Selections. It made the shawl very warm when worn, perfect for cold weather. The pattern for this says shawlette, but I added several rows, enough to use up the two skeins I have of the yarn. The South Bay Shawlette pattern is available for free at the Lion Brand website. You have to sign up first though, to be able to see the pattern but it's worth it because Lion Brand has thousands of free patterns on their website. Detailed photo of the shawl.. I hope she likes it.
Whenever I am in the middle of a big project and I get tired and bored, I look for something else to do, something fast to do and colorful to get back my crochet mojo. And my favorite project during this time is coasters. They are easy to make, small enough for that instant gratification and the color variations are limited only by your imagination. They are functional too, and a great gift for Christmas. The latest ones I made are the Spiral Coasters from Made in K-town blog. Personally, I call them my Lollipop Coasters because they are yummy enough to eat, hehe. An in-between project is also a good opportunity for me to use and lessen the content of my scrap crochet thread box. At the time I was doing this, the box is full. Now it is only half full. Hurray!
I personally like using Monaco crochet threads for coasters. I just triple the strands to make them thicker. Branded cotton yarn in the Philippines is hard to come by and if there are any available, they tend to be expensive. There are local cotton yarns available but most of them are hand dyed and there's not much colors to choose from. I tend to go for bright colors. So for now, I am okay with just manipulating the thickness of the Monaco crochet thread to achieve my desired yarn weight. Monaco crochet threads are available in 85 scrumptious colors. December is coming. Gift-giving season. For this year I want to give away crochet items. I thought that that would make the gift more meaningful. Also, I like giving handmade items. So for more than a month now, I've been planning and making lists of projects that I will crochet for gifts. The most special of them all is the South Bay Shawlette... because this is for someone special. I won't reveal the name just yet, of course. :) Instead of the recommended yarn for the pattern, I used Ice Angora Gold Batik Yarn in Grey White and a 7/0 (4.0mm) hook. . The pattern has an easy-to-memorize two row repeat, making it perfect for adding more rows to make bigger versions of the shawlette. I intend to make mine a full shawl. I am more comfortable reading charts than written patterns, so the free pattern on Lion Brand website is just perfect. Just click on the chart image below and you will be redirected to the free pattern. I will post another blog when the shawl is finished. Happy crocheting!
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