Wednesday, 17 September 2014

My Sneaky Crochet Project - Discovered!

For a little while now I have been working on a little sneaky crochet project for myself.

I don't know if I ever mentioned it but almost exactly a year ago now I went on a trip with my local yarn shop (Knit Nottingham) to a new craft fair that had been arranged in Skipton. Last year was it's first show and it was so successful that it is running again this year. Unfortunately I can't make it this time around due to work commitments but it was a fantastic event.


Anyway, I got a little side-tracked there...a year ago when I went to Yarndale I bought this lovely 4-ply yarn. I found the picture!

It is hand died and was quite expensive so I know I certainly didn't want to knit socks with it (4-ply is what is used for sock knitting) but I had no ideas what to make. I have asked around a fair bit, spoken to my friends and looked on the internet for ideas but nothing really grabbed me. I even bought some dark blue 4-ply that would go with it nicely incase I found something to make with it that required a little extra than the one ball of this fancy stuff that I have.

I kept looking and looking and the only thing that anyone could really suggest was a scarf/shall type thing. I am not normally one to wear one of these triangular scarfs so I had been trying to avoid it. As most of you I'm sure have figured out by now, I really don't like all of these fancy stitches or decorative things so even if I were to give in then I certainly hadn't found a plain enough version for me to wear.
Until I found this.


I have seen pictures of these all over Facebook and other crafty sites - they seem to be all the rage at the minute. I think just about everyone who crochets must have made at least one with the amount that I have seen around and about.


Again I don't really like to go along with crowds or follow examples set by others but this did seem like the best option I had for what to do with my beautiful yarn.


I know I have a lot of projects on the go at the minute so I was slightly worried about starting another when I already have so much else on - I thought my hubby might have a little moan about me having so much stuff everywhere and that nothing was getting finished. So it has really been a secret project. I have made a conscious effort to try to only work on this at times when I am hanging around - so sat in the car waiting for him to finish work (or for me to start) - it is called a road trip scarf after all - or waiting for college to start when I am hidden away in the study at home waiting for my lectures etc. Any time really when I have a few minutes peace and quiet.


It is called the road trip scarf as it is designed to be done whilst sat in a car - I love the story behind it. Well it is slightly gruesome/sad to start with but the idea behind it is great from there. A lady was crocheting as a passenger in her car and the project she was working on required her to change yarns. As she was using her craft scissors and cutting the ball of yarn from her work there was a sudden movement with the car and she ended up cutting herself with the scissors. She therefore decided that this was far too dangerous a pass-time in the car but really didn't want to give up on this perfect crafty time. This is where the road trip scarf pattern came from. It can be made using one yarn (variegated is usually used to give a colour change without the need to cut the yarn) and is a really simple pattern so can be done relative easily once you get going, without a pattern.


I started this with my pretty yarn in the car one morning whilst waiting to start work. The first few rows are the tricky part as they are slightly fiddly with the size of the piece as it begins but after the 4th or 5th row the continuing pattern starts and all becomes clear. From here on it is plain sailing all the way and so obvious what is to be done that there is no need for a pattern. 


I do have to admit, I have been pretty good at keeping this as my little secret - it has been hidden in my handbag since I started it - but last night I left this out after I had been working on it before college and it has now been spotted by Adam. The good news is that he really likes it and wasn't at all upset that I had been working on this while I have other projects on the go.


I think I will enjoy the making of this almost more than the wearing of it once it is done but I do love the way that it is turning out and you never know, I might turn into a shawl-y sort of a person.


I have chosen to start my scarf in the pretty yarn from Yarndale but I will be including a little of the blue that I bought to go with it just to break up the colour a little bit.
It is growing fairly slowly as I have really only been working on it in these little snippets of time between other things but I love the way that it is starting to look.
I like the fact that it grows from the middle and as there is no real pattern to it, you can just keep going until you get fed up or run out of yarn. I am sure that there should be an edging on it once you have made it to the right size, but I'm sure that even this wouldn't be 100% essential. We will see how it looks when I get that far.

2 comments:

  1. Ohh that is such a gorgeous colour! Sometimes you do need these sneaky projects to keep your creative juice flowing :)

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    1. Thank you - I have been wondering what to do with it for ages and this just seems to show it off nicely. They are all very "me" colours that are in the yarn :-)

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