Fiber Monday 220: Birthday Shennanigans!

I've hit the big 3-0 today! And I have some stuff to show you!

Remember how I mentioned I wanted to show you some of the other attempts I made on the shawl? Well here you go - the surviving failures:

Here's one shot to show you some scale - the finished product vs three other attempts!

Here's a brighter version.

As you can see, I had a very true red version in a woolen sock yarn that was constantly coming apart because the ball had been damaged, a fluffy silk/angora version that just... I didn't have enough yarn, a regular Red Heart Super Saver version in a pale sage that lacked enough yardage, and finally, nearly an entire pound of Lion Brand baby yarn in a pastel mint green. I'm literally wearing it right now, cozied up in my room, typing this out.

But wait! There's more!

I've started another shawl!

I had a helper today as I worked. Yes those are my Star Wars pajamas :P
And bear in mind how big that ball of lace-weight yarn is...

Ta-da! I've only been working on it for a couple of hours, total, and it's already getting some real length!

This is the Lost Souls Skull Shawl by Maryetta Roy, and while I'm making it on a much, much smaller scale than her pattern suggests (which will probably backfire on me, let's be real, here), it's going really well! The growth progression is pretty awesome to see, and I love the rhythm of the pattern. It just feels good to make. The transitions from chains to shells to double or single crochet are smooth and feel natural, and the looping motions really feel neat in my wrists.

If you're looking for a spoopy project for your Halloween costume, or (like me) you just think skulls are a neat motif, this is definitely something to test out for yourself! Also - it's got all kinds of how-to-parts! While this is listed as an "Intermediate" pattern, I think that if you've learned single crochet, double crochet, and chaining and you can count to 12, you'll be 100% fine. (Seriously, you really only need to be able to count to 12, most chains or stitch-counts don't go beyond 7 for each motif...) I mean, the hardest part for me to master back when I started crocheting was the Magic Circle, and there are a million YouTube tutorials for that!

Maybe don't start with the Lost Souls shawl, but once you've mastered your basics, give it a look :)

I think I'm going to go get dressed for my Birthday Movie (Detective Pikachu!) and clean myself up so I don't look like I just crawled out of bed.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC