Caron Cakes Fever

I caught the Caron Cake's fever and this is what my Prayer Shawl looks like using the first cake of Butter Cream wth a simple V stitch pattern by V Noel.  I like the feel of the yarn and using a K hook to give the shawl more drape.

Michael's had a beautiful display of the yarns when I went in last Saturday and I hope they still have a good selection left when I go in tomorrow.  A single cake would make a nice length scarf and the bright colors would be perfect to add some pizzaz to your winter coat.  Christmas will be here before we know it.

The camera doesn't lie, I just spotted an mistake in my shawl, see if you can find it.

Count you blessing and your stitches,
BettyLou

The Williston

Vane's Choice yarn is not my first choice for Prayer Shawl as it is a heavy weight #4 yarn but when it was in the sale bin at Joanns for $1.89, I quickly forgot about that.  I use a lot of Vanna's Choice for hats but not for projects that need some drape.

When I tried to use a J or even K hook the stitch pattern was too tight and did not have that soft feel you want for a Prayer Shawl.  In a light bulb moment I remembered that last year I had purchased a 7mm hook from the Webb's catalogue.  A 7mm is a tad larger than a K 6.5mm and smaller than the L 8mm and perfect for the yarn and pattern I was using.

Over the past year I have made several of the Three Triangles Shawl but for this project I used the Williston Shawl by Cynthia Miller, very similar but with four triangles.  It turned out to be perfect for the yarn and hook size.  The Williston Shawl pattern is on the Ravelry web site, a wonderful place to find both free and paid patterns, information about yarn, and designers. If you haven't joined, take a look, I think you like both the web site and the Williston Shawl pattern.

Williston Shawl
Knitter's Pride 7mm hook - Web's Yarn Store
Vanna's Choice - 6 skeins

Until next time, crochet on

BettyLou

Pretty In Pink

                                  

                                 

The Three Triangles Shawl is a pattern I have made before and is great pattern for a Prayer Shawl as it is easy to keep on the shoulders and not too long in the back. It makes a nice shawl for someone confined to a wheelchair or to cover the shoulders while sitting in bed.

                                 

The only drawback is that it is a little boring since it is all done with double crochet.  This time I thought I would jazz it up a little by making three stripes in a variegated yarn.  I think it works.  The border came from a fellow Crocheters that I saw and Facebook, she used the border pattern from the Morning in the Meadow shawl.  I think it completes the shawl, thank you Jane O. for sharing your suggestion.

This would also work well with some color blocking as a great way to use up some of your stash.  A perfect shawl pattern for a new crocheter.

Three Triangles Shawl
Morning in the Meadow (border)
I Love This Yarn - Rosy Cheeks
Caron Jumbo - Rosewood
Hook - J
approx size  27"x 65"

Until next time, happy crocheting

BettyLou

Easy One Skein Crochet Homespun Scarf

Because I like to make scarves for the shelter and because Homespun yarn was on sale recently at Michael's for the ridiculously low price of $3.50,  I made these fast and easy scarves that use just one skein of Homespun.

This is really a Lion Brand Yarn shawl pattern that I narrowed to make it a scarf.  The scarf can be made in a few hours which is a real bonus when you need a quick gift.

As you can see, I couldn't buy just one skein of Homespun when it was on sale, so made a few more scarves.  These will all go to the shelter.  This is the way I did it, give it a try and maybe you'll be inspired to make scarves for a shelter near you.

ONE SKEIN HOMESPUN SCARF

1 skein Lion Brand Homespun yarn
M hook, (Susan Bates metal works best for me with Homespun)
Yarn needle to weave in ends

Loosely Chain 17
Row 1
Work hdc in third stitch from hook
Work hdc in each chain to end (15 hdc)
Chain 2, turn

Row 2
Work hdc in each hdc of previous row (15 hdc)
Chain 2, turn

Repeat Row 2 using all the skein or to desired length.  Count your stitches often to make sure you haven't skipped or added an extra stitch.
Weave ends in and your finished.

Until next time,

Modern Grace Design's Easy Cowl

The other night while searching through Pinterest for a new design for a cowl, I ran across Allison LoBianco's pattern for a simple cowl with just enough filet design to make it more interesting.  

The pattern called for one skein of Red Heart Soft which I happened to have a skein of Bleu Moyen (medium blue) in my stash left over from a shawl I made earlier in the year.  Perfect for this cowl as the Red Heart Soft has a slight sheen and works up with a nice drape.

Allison's patterns are under the name Modern Grace Design; this is a paid pattern and you can find pictures and how to order the pattern here.  

Also looks pretty snazzy with my new Marsala corduroy jacket.  Perfect for fall.

Happy Crocheting, till next time.

The Latest Shawl-Glacier Bay

I can't seem to get enough of the Wrapped in Warmth Shawl by Kathy Lashley, this is my fourth.  Made with Lion Brand Heartland in beautiful Glacier Bay.  Love it and it just may be my favorite, although I feel that way about all four.

Happy Crocheting!

BettyLou

Shawl Obcessed

I am completely obcessed with Kathy Lashley's Wrapped in Warmth Shawl pattern and have completed three and working on my fourth.  As the pattern is written it is a wonderful size as it does not have that deep v in the center back as many triangle shawls have.  Many shorter women complain with that the deep V makes it difficult to sit comfortably.  This pattern grows wider in width than in length, approx size 26" x 66".  A nice size to wrap up in.  Love it!

For this latest WIW shawl I am using Lion Brand Heartland in Glacier Bay, a lovely heathered blue.  Can't wait to try some of the other Lion Brand Heartland colors, did you notice that each color is named after a national park?

Happy crocheting!

Wrapped in Warmth #1 and #2

Several weeks ago Kathy Lashley at Elk Studio Crochet hosted a five week crochet-a-long using her popular Wrapped in Warmth shawl.  I had purchased the pattern some time ago and had purchased the yarn, but due to my procrastination and my ever growing "to list," I never started. 

Wrapped in Warmth shawl #1 went quickly using Lion Brand Heartland in Grand Canyon, so of course I had to make #2 with Heartland Acadia.  This is sure to be a pattern that I use again and again.  

Of all the Prayer Shawls I have made. this is the only one I have wanted to keep for myself.  Now which one should I keep, decisions, decisions, I love them both.

Happy Crocheting

BettyLou






P.S.  I really need to get a mannequin to photograph my shawls and scarves, these pictures are terrible

My September Finish

It was one of those months that I seemed to start several projects, then rip them apart and start something else, so consequently my only completetion in September is this Prayer Shawl.

Using the basic Corner 2 Corner pattern, I made a rectangular shawl that finished to 22" x 62" rather than a square.  With a couple of skeins of Red Heart With Love hiding in my stash I decided to put them to use.  The color is beautiful but the shawl itself is quite heavy and in the future will probably use this yarn just for hats and scarves.

With October here I need to stay busy and finish up a few more scarves and hats before I give them to my friends Jane and Joe to take to the shelter in November.

Keep calm and crochet on,

On The Hook

I have never been a fan of Red Heart yarns but recently have worked with several of their Boutique yarns and was impressed that they were easy to work with, unique and not like their Super Saver worsted.  The Boutique line of yarns are wonderful for one of a kind scarves, cowls, and wraps.

But recently I picked up a skein of Red Heart With Love for a charity scarf I was going to make for the shelter.  I was impressed with the softness, although it does have that certain acrylic feature that is hard to describe in words.

Loving the color, Peacock, I bought four skeins to make a Prayer Shawl and I must admit I like it-----a lot.  Yes, it is heavier than most knitting worsted but will be cozy for the colder days and nights ahead.  Using the simple C2C pattern,  I am crocheting the shawl into a rectangle.

Remember, yarn is cheaper than therapy,

P.S. Today I'll take this with me to work on while I sit with hubby in the hospital.

Two From One

Yesterday while grocery shopping in WalMart, I wandered back to the yarn department and a skein of Red Heart With Love just fell into my cart.  I couldn't resist this jewel tone Peacock, the color is amazing.  I wasn't familiar with this yarn but with 370 yards per skein and only $3.59 each, I couldn't resist.  It is actually quite soft and nice to work with.

So last night I whipped up the Julia Cowl, a simple eleven row piece with an easy to remember repeat pattern.  You can find the pattern Here from Crafty Begonia.  This is definitely a pattern that I will use again for gifts and charity.

With half a skein  left over, this morning I decided to start another of my favorite patterns by Marie Anne St James this basic unisex scarf. You can find the pattern Here. 

Two scarves from one skein-----what a deal.

Remember, yarn is cheaper than therapy,

        Betty Lou

Look What Came in the Mail

It's always a treat when the mailman delivers a box of my favorite knitting worsted yarn, Deborah Norville's Everyday yarn.  It is so soft, no splits, and so far no knots.  I love this yarn for making Prayer Shawls, scarves, and hats.

Joann carries a few of the basic colors but recently they had it on sale for $2.99 a skein with free shipping so it was time for me to stock up.  This is enough yarn for four Prayer Shawls and will certainly keep my hook busy for a while.

Remember yarn is cheaper than therapy,

                                          Betty Lou

A Little Sparkle

A  little sparkle always brightens my day and this Hobby Lobby yarn has a gold thread wrapped around the ivory yarn.  Hopefully this Prayer Shawl will brighten someone else's day.

Crocheted using that basic stitch pattern that was on the old Jamie yarn label. The yarn has been discontinued but this is how I remember the pattern.  It has been a "go to" pattern for me for baby blankets, scarves, and shawls.  For this shawl I chain 64 and used approx. 1100 yards of knitting worsted for a shawl 20" x 60."

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby Blanket (from the old Jamie Yarn label as I remember it.)

Chain 100
Row1 Starting in 4th ch from hook work (1dc, ch2, 1 sc) in same st. *skip 2ch (2dc, ch2,1sc) in next stitch* repeat from *to* across end (2dc, ch2, 1sc)in last ch. Chain 2 turn

Row2 work(1dc,ch2,1sc) in first ch-sp *work(2dc, ch2 1sc) in next ch-sp* repeat from *to* across Ch2 turn

Repeat row 2
When finished, I attach the yarn to the beginning chain and work the pattern across the end to give a nice finished scallop edge to match the other end.

Sometimes I vary the pattern by doing a chain three before the turn and then 2 dc, ch2, 1 sc.  This gives a scalloped edge.

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember, yarn is cheaper than therapy.

Betty Lou