angora

Almost immediately after publishing my post about what to DO with some pretty yarn I had on hand and was aching to try out, inspiration struck when I came across a pattern for a Tunisian crochet ripple scarf. It was less of a “Eureka” than a “DUH” moment. Of course I should be making a Tunisian ripple scarf. To recap, the yarn in question is a beautiful angora and acrylic blend, so it has some stiffness mixed with softness to it, but also has some wisp. It is a fingering weight blend (weight class 2) but I thought it would work up nicely, and to my delight, it has! It took me about ten rows or so to memorize the pattern completely and get comfortable with it, especially since I was still mastering the Tunisian Purl Stitch, and there is one purl stitch right in the center of each row. (If you’d like a great close-up tutorial, Stitch Diva Studios does a fantastic job of it.) It got easier and easier as I went along, though, and now I feel like I could purl all day long. One tip I have for anybody who wants to try their hand at this pattern is to make sure to loosely do the return pass for the first half of the scarf, and then tighten up as you finish. It will even it out better, as it has a tendency to curl on one side and look lopsided. I feel confident that some light blocking will also help stretch it out and get it more symmetrical looking. The recipient of my scarf still remains a secret but I know this person will love it! In the middle of making the scarf, as I am wont to do, I became impatient and wanted to whip out a project that I could quickly complete and give me that crowning sense of achievement. I decided on a Tunisian dishcloth in Tunisian Knit Stitch and it felt like it worked up so fast. In reality, it probably took me a couple of hours, but here is a shot of of the finished project, including single crochet border: Dishcloth_tunisian_zvc My husband and I were streaming some terrible movie (of my choosing) on Netflix and so it made this dishcloth go by all the faster, since I was focusing on it much more than the movie. I finished it off with a single crochet border and it sits in my sink as I write this.

Tunisian crochet has really turned out to be the “vacation from crochet” when I still want to create but don’t want to do single crochet in the round for hours on end, as in making amigurumi, or doing double crochet patterns, such as granny squares. I’m always in awe of how much there is to learn and do with this craft! Until next time, friends. Just keep hooking….just keep hooking….

Shot of the fully finished scarf

One of the reasons I get sucked into buying so much yarn is I fantasize about all the potential things I could make with the yarn I am drooling over (and end up purchasing).

Logic tends to lock itself in the bathroom and I end up convincing myself I’m going to make THE most beautiful ________ with the threads in my shopping cart.

Case in point: I bought three different sets of color-changing yarn from Bonita Patterns. Like, months ago. I bought two different skeins of each, thinking I could always buy more if I started a large project.

Those beautiful skeins have sat on my shelf just waiting to be used. Last week, I decided to pull one out so I could attempt to start making something as a gift. I researched and researched (until my researcher was sore) until I thought I had figured out exactly what I wanted to make with this stuff:

I started a pretty butterfly shawl but wasn’t really feeling it for this particular yarn. (I think the shawl pattern is gorgeous but I believe it would do better with a less fuzzy yarn and something a bit shinier.) Then I tried a wavy scarf pattern but despite my best efforts with it, self-doubt kept creeping in and I decided not to waste anymore yarn and scrap it.

This yarn is a blend of angora and acrylic. It has a nice stiffness to it, so it will hold its shape well, but also has some nice fuzz from the angora.

At this point, I have returned the yarn to its position on the shelf and I am still ruminating on what to DO with it. I have researched patterns from a yarn perspective, yardage perspective, ease of making, you name it. At this point, I’ll need to have an epiphany in a dream. I. Am. Completely. STUMPED. If there is such a thing as Crocheter’s Block, I have it.

If anyone out there has a suggestion or two, send ’em my way!

Back to my crochet lair where I continue with my owl project….