Fiber Monday: Shawling Behind...

In Which I Work Hard Despite Being Sleepy

I haven't found the 2.25mm hook yet. Sorry! I have, however been working on a few things!

A bad photo of a sewing pattern I'm working from

I found a really cool vest pattern that I want to make, but since it's a pain in the tuchus to get to a fabric store, and really, I cannot afford nice fabric right now. I have plenty of crochet thread, though, so I'll be making what amounts to a mockup from crochet.

Why?

Because I'm insane.

Another terrible photo

So it's a huge pattern.

There are several pieces to this pattern, though I won't be crocheting the lining, so that'll cut things down lol.

Rough cut sections of pattern

I still have to fully cut out the patterns (probably a tomorrow pattern), but first, let me tell you why this is going up so late.

I fell asleep around 4am this morning because I suck at sleeping. Unfortunately for me, the weather decided to be very rainy. And unfortunately, something somewhere couldn't handle a lil downpour at 6AM and the power went out with a sound like a bird hitting my window.

So suddenly, I was awake in an electricity-free home, wondering when the power would come back on, two hours of sleep under my belt, and trying to light the stove with a lighter (the wand kind, not a Bic) so I could have coffee. Thankfully the power eventually came back on, but I just wanted to sleep, so I finished my cup, took a shower, and then went back to bed.

Two hours late, my cat shoulder checked her way into my bedroom and woke me up by rustling around in some of the boxes in my room. She power-stared at me for a moment and I went to go grab another cup of coffee. After that I gave up on sleep and just began working on my shawl.

Magnificent Marge shawl, Part II

You may have noticed I've switched over to a dusty rose color. This is for a very simple reason: I ran out of the beige spool I was working from and the pink was the same weight lol.

Regardless, I plan to take this as far int Part II as I can, and then I should be able to switch over to a different beige thread.

But not for a while - this is only the first 5 rows of Part II

Hope you guys had decent days! Sorry I'm late lol.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Fiber Monday 303: Failure is Always An Option

In Which I Have Failed!

Yup, you read that right, I've botched it :)

But FC, you may be thinking, if you've botched it, then why do you seem so happy?

Ah, my friends, when you fail at one project, it opens the door to another.

My failed earwarmer

I was originally working from this pattern, but then the unfathomable happened: I ran out of yarn.

Normally, this would be a Very Big Problem, but since I was using leftover yarn to begin with, I decided that I'd fulfill one of my dreams this year. 2020 might just be the year of the Scrapghan!

What the heck is a Scrapghan?

So, you know how when you're working on projects, you'll occasionally have a few yards of leftover yarn? A Scrapghan is a blanket made from your leftovers. There are, of course, infinite versions of the Scrapghan, but I've come up with my own version of a Granny Square to do this with!

First, form a Magic Ring and chain 3, then yarn over, put it through the circle, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, put it through the circle, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull all the way through.
Basically, you're forming a starting 3dc cluster!

From your first cluster, chain 3, then make another 3dc cluster and chain 3 again.

two clusters with chains after each

Then make two 3dc clusters without chaining between them, then chain 3.

I know, it looks a little wonky, but trust me!

After that chain-3, you make a 3dc cluster, chain 3, make two 3dc clusters, and chain 3. Then you slip stitch into the top of the first cluster you made!

Pull your magic circle closed, and you have a strange little flower!
How cute!

Now that we have our center spoke, the pattern is pretty simple.

You slip stitch over to the next ch3 space, chain 3, then dc twice. Then you ch3, then dc 3 times in the same space! You've just formed a corner.

My new starting corner.

Now, once you have a corner, you're just going to yarn over and slip your hook between the clusters that are right next to each other. Dc three times, then move onto the next ch3 space to make another (dc 3, ch3, dc 3) in the space. Repeat this all the way around. I know that slipping between the closer petals can be a pain, but it's worth it!

You can see a rectangle forming!

Don't forget to slip-stitch into the top of your starting ch3 and slip stitch to the next ch3 so that it's easier to start your next round.

A handsomely completed round!

Now keep doing that until you start to run out of yarn again. Once you're down to about a foot of yarn left, it's probably a good idea to slip a stitch marker onto the last stitch you completed and set the rectangle aside until you have more scrap yarn.

Which will take a while for this yarn, because I had gotten to 50 rows
on the earwarmer before I was forced to admit defeat...

So there you have it - you can turn negatives into positives through the magic of switching gears. Yes, this means no earwarmer, but! Now I have a fallback project for when I'm between designs.

I'll try to figure out a better way to write out this pattern (and possibly chart it for those of you who operate better with charts), but for now, I hope this helps you start your own vaguely rectangular blanket :)

Go Enjoy Something,
FC