Crocheted Apron!

Hello Friends!  I had to give you a little update.  Were you here to read about my Crocheted Valance?  Do you remember that I was thinking it wasn't going to make such a good valance after all?

And right then and there I decided it might have to be an apron...

Surprise!!!  Of course it won't always be worn by the mantel...

(Photo taken by Young Man)

I love it actually!  It just turned out that the loose nature of the pattern and the weight of the yarn allowed too much light through as a valance.  Not that a valance is supposed to block light necessarily, but with so much light behind the valance it just didn't look right.  So now I have a new apron and it has been perfect for wiping my constantly wet hands with all this produce washing that's been going on here at the Hearth Room. 

Some notes:  I used Knit Picks Cotlin which is a great sturdy yarn and seems to just keep getting better with washing.

I used the Nordic Star square pattern.  I made three of them and stitched them together, then bordered all around them in single crochet.

Next, I added rows of granny stripes in different colors, (which were chosen to match Young Man's room, as per the plan...).

When it became obvious this was NOT going to be a valance, I made two long ties of granny stripes, I think 3 rows each.  Stitched them on and:  Ta-Da! 

I'm thinking about making some more retro, farm-girl types of aprons now.  Hey, this one is a curtain after all...  Lol.  Now let's see if I can make a real Apron!

Note to self:  I still need to make some curtains.

Have a blessed day!

xoxo



Crochet Valance In the Making

Hello friends!  I'm so glad you stopped by today. 

Do you remember I showed you a little peek of my new red and white crochet squares in the making?  Do you remember that I had forgotten exactly what my original plan was?

Well, that is why it's sooo nice to have a little Crochet Inspirational Journal! So when that flood of hooky ideas hits I can doodle and draw and jot down notes so I don't totally forget everything!  Thankfully, I did make a few notes about this crocheted valance I wanted to attempt for Young Man's room.  A while back I decided to try to make something for his room, buy if you remember, I was trying to make something that would be....  acceptable for a Guy's Room.... Even though it was of the hooky persuasion. 

And aren't cats funny?  As soon as they catch on that you need to open a book for something, for any reason, it becomes an invitation for them to be a part of it.  So I had only a few seconds to view my sketch before Axle arrived and plunked his plump self down onto my journal.  This phenomenon continues into our classroom on pretty much a daily basis here at the Hearth Room, too.  We actually refer to Ginger as our Home Edu-Cat.  She is also learning to read along with the children.  Axle on the other hand, I don't think is quite as ambitious.  He simply wants to be noticed.

Carrying on:  Here is a sample of my 3 three Nordic Star Squares put together to form the base of my valance.  This link takes you to Ravelry which is full of wonderful patterns and ideas. 

I went with this particular square (after much consideration and searching for the right pattern) as I felt that this star shape could be viewed as something along the lines of a target.  Ok.  There you go...  Is that too much of a stretch?  Lol.  I mean, it has to be Guy-ish!  Since Young Man is into Boy Scouts and archery and shooting target practice, it seemed to be the best thing I found called a Granny Square that I could simply misconstrue as Guy-ish. 

Looking at this picture now it seems fairly flower-ish.  Hmmm.  It would make a nifty apron for myself!  I will keep that idea open as I progress. 

I'm using Knit Picks Cotlin DK for this project as it is a blend of cotton and linen and is durable and washes well.  Although, it does let a lot of light in from behind, so more hanging and testing and deliberating lies ahead.

I slip stitched these squares together and started bordering them along the top and bottom with Granny Stripe.  I did a simple single crochet border along the sides.  I need to continue in this pattern to get it just a bit larger and see how it 'feels' hanging over the window.  Then I will know if I have an apron in the making or not!

Do you know what this is?  Or what it should be?

She does!

This is Ginger. She has apparently forgotten the discussion we had and the promises we made about our catnip. 

We will be chatting again real soon when she is done with her happy, catnip- induced rolling episode. 

In the mean time, I will go play with my valance/apron and plant some more catnip seeds and we'll see what comes of both.

Have a happy weekend!