buttons | bear loves dove

Well, I come to post these two wee finished projects with sore hands after many hours of crochet followed by many more of unpicking. Well not exactly more hours of unpicking, as crochet ‘uncrochets’ very quickly. But it feels like that when you start unravelling large pieces of crochet! Ah such is the frustration of trying new stitches and patterns I guess.

When will I learn to unpick as soon as I realise I’m not happy with it? Rather than persevering as I try to convince myself it’s worth it, with just a tweak here and there. Best advice? Unpick as soon as you don’t like it, it more than likely will not get better…unless you are super clever and talented and maybe a little lucky.

So now, on to happier notes of previously finished projects …

Skinny Scarf
Green: 30% Alpaca, 70% Wool, Blue: 100% Cotton.

I found the body of scarf pattern here, thanks to A little slice of life blog. It’s a nice open lacey stitch that works well for a scarf that is not too bulky but still adds warmth. I added a simple contrasting scalloped edge.

I am a fan of blue and green together and I think these pastel shades blend beautifully.

Pastel Fans Cushion
100% Wool

Using a mixture of little blue buttons and lots of left over wool, this little cushion was whipped up in no time.

So now I’m off to crochet some already well crocheted yarn…into yet another incarnation… which will hopefully not require another unpicking session. And how about you? Have you been unpicking lately? Do tell. In the meantime happy crafting to you, and may your unpicking always be short!

Caramel Apple Blossom Scarf
50% Silk, 50% Wool, Knit & Crochet.

So I was feeling a little hungry when I named this scarf! The yarn colour is officially called linen – which is nice and all but I really felt like it was a yummy creamy caramel colour.

It’s deliciously silky soft and cuddly – just like the last scarf I made with this gorgeous yarn.

As I mentioned in the last post, this scarf is sporting some super cute buttons – all wooden. A couple of apple buttons (which I’m very partial too – see this post for evidence!), a couple of butterfly buttons picked up at the Mansfield Bush Market, and two very special leaf buttons. They are special because my dear daughter gifted them to me, bringing them back from Japan on her recent trip there. I really had to think hard about whether to use them – but the luxurious silky soft yarn is from Japan, so it felt right. Besides, it just didn’t look quite finished without them.

This yarn is so beautiful, even the tags are worth keeping for their sweet little inspirational quotes. Cute. Very Cute.

The unique bit about this scarf is the ‘Apple Blossom’ keeper. I designed it so you can tuck the other end of the scarf through this keeper to make sure it stays together…and in place. For those windy days when you feel like that next big gust will rip the scarf right off and take it whirling through the air. Tis not often this happens but felt like a nice way to add some pretty details to a scarf whilst also adding some practicality. (It’s a weird photo I know, tea canister tucked into the scarf!? What the? but I wanted to show you the keeper/loop bit and couldn’t think of another way.)