I've been absent from my little space for rather a long time again haven't I?... I haven't been sitting idly by any means - you'll find me making and posting very regularly over on Instagram (link in sidebar) and it occurred to me yesterday that what I need is an app that will copy each IG post and pop it into blogger for me! Does such a thing exist do you think??... Please let me know if it does!!
So anyway, I reckoned it was time I popped in and said hi and spent more than just 2 minutes here! So I thought this was the ideal place to properly share my latest creation - The Romsey Wrap.
It's another scarf - they're just so quick to make aren't they - but once it was finished and I was thinking about a name, it occurred to me that actually, if I swapped the yarn for something finer and increased the number of stitches, it would also work as a lightweight shoulder wrap. Two for the price of one, that's my kind of pat*tern!!! And the name? Well, I made the first version with 2 balls of King Cole Riot DK in their colourway Beech, as I just can't get enough of the autumn colours this year, and I bought it in my favourite shop in Romsey. Hence the Romsey Wrap, in their honour. (It was nearly the Romsey Riot!...)
(By the way, haven't the autumn colours been simply AMAZING this year??? My only regret is that it has been so stupidly busy at work that I haven't been able to take my traditional autumn week off, to get out and enjoy all that colour. So I've had to make do with views out the car window on the way in, short lunchtime walks through the park and a quick visit to Hilliers last weekend. Not the same though...)
Anyway, like I say, I bought 2 balls of yarn to make a scarf and initially I had planed on making my Tail of Two Dragons knitted scarf but before I even got home with those 2 balls, I'd seen something else that was hand dyed and lovely and bought that too, so that will become the knitted scarf. One day... So that meant something else for the autumn colours and I decided to do something new.
The textured pat*tern is reminiscent of my Popcorn Dreams crochet scarf but it's long and straight, with a simple edging. And as already mentioned, you can easily switch up your yarn for a completely different look.
The pattern came together so incredibly quickly that it virtually made itself! Writing it up is taking a lot longer - I have made a start but it isn't finished yet. No where near finished actually... But that doesn't mean I can't share a photo or two to whet your appetite!
The main body of the scarf is just 33 stitches wide and has a simple 5 row pattern repeat. The edging is even simpler and if you work a few rows it looks like moss stitch. It certainly finished it off nicely - to be honest, when I finished the main body and put it on, I looked in the mirror and couldn't believe how ugly it was!! I really wished I hadn't wasted my time and effort -not to mention the cost of the yarn...
I was so disappointed, I very nearly used the leftovers to make a basic hat but decided there wasn't quite enough left for that and this yarn is a bugger to unpick if I couldn't finish it. So I decided to use the remaining yarn to work a simple border instead and boy oh boy, did that border bring the whole thing together and bring it to life!!! I really can't believe how much difference it made. I hated the initial scarf so much I didn't even take a photo of it pre-border. But now? Yes, now it really works! And I can't wait to make the big, wrap version!! I think maybe silver-grey, lace weight alpaca, on a big hook.
Apart from making more scarves, I also can't wait to make an autumn colour blanket too but I want to put lots of colours in it and I know it will take time to collect together all the colours I'll need. I've been trying to take lots of inspirational photos when I have managed to get out, as it's surprising just what does make up an English autumn. There's an awful lot of green for a start from all the leaves that haven't changed colour, as well as those that are evergreen. There's a lot of lemony/greeny yellows and pinky tones, apricots and oranges, every shade of gold and bronze you can think of, as well as all the burgundy and reds that normally spring to mind.
I've decided I want to try and go for an English Autumn, not a New England autumn, on the whole. There will be burgundy and reds but I might go for a colourwash arrangement and keep them in one area. What I do know, is that it probably won't be striped like the scarf! It definitely needs to have all the colours mixed together.
But that blanket is a looooooooong way off yet. I'll let it roll around gently in my head for quite some time yet before I even begin to collect yarn.
Would you like to see some of my inspiration to keep you (and me!) going until it materialises?? Yes, me too!! (These are not my best photos, just some of my recent snaps, with the first one being beech leaves.)
I've been trying to take lots of inspirational photos when I can and I'll put them all into an "autumn folder" to remind me of the colours I need to be using when the time comes.
Mind you, I've probably got thousands of autumn photos already to be honest!!
I'll try and remember to pop back and let you know when The Romsey Wrap Pat*tern is ready but please pop in to IG and say hi as I'm sure it will appear there first!!
And if you're wondering why I keep adding that * in the middle of a certain word, it's my vain attempt to keep the bots at bay. You know, those ones that trawl the internet just looking for pat*terns that they then take without asking and publi*sh for free on a website somewhere...
Lovely to pop in and chat with you, however briefly. Now it's back to writing up my very scrappy scarf notes!!
Take care, T xXx
