Choosing joining color

All pictures from my Pinterest Rag Rug Love board, find links to source there.

I am picking a joining color for my "Circle In Square Granny Blanket" project. About 130 circles are made and I'm now adding a square row of white to each one. 

My inspiration for this project were Scandinavian rag rugs. The kind that is made from old bed linen and odd fabric strips which often creates a light washed out color theme consisting of whites and beiges, blues, greys, pinks, pale greens and accents of deep red, black and maybe even some purple or aqua...

I want this blanket to be light and summery. I want it scrappy. I want it timeless with a fresh twist. All yarns used are from my acrylic and wool stash and most bright colors are left out on purpose. I don't want to much contrast...

So my initial thought for a joining color was White. But then I thought white was boring... It is fresh, but just a little bit too predictable, plain and boring for me... So why not Denim Blue as I love denim blue? I gave it a shot and really loved it, but I decided to continue to explore. I tried the Duck Egg Greenish Blue, the Warm Cream Beige. I even tried Light Grey and Pastel French Blue... I was pondering a pale pink for a while... but I'm not really a pink lady so that idea was quickly abandoned.

I have to admit, my heart beats for them all but the one I'm choosing is the Duck Egg Greenish Blue. And of course that happens to be a super expensive merino wool... Well oh well... I think it will do the pale pastels justice in the long run and a border of some kind is starting to evolve in my head as well. Even if the joining yarn will cost a bunch, the rest of this blanket are made up mainly from thrifted yarn - it all equals out in the end.

When choosing a joining color I find that it is good to try out some samples before really deciding on THE color to use. Even though you might have a clear idea in you head from the start that this blanket shall be joined with Denim Blue (in my case), you might actually find yourself not so sure after you've tried it out and have seen the results for real (in my case). So spend some time trying out different alternatives. Make a few blocks with different joining colors, pin them up on a wall somewhere and let them sit there for a few days. Just like picking paint color for a wall, you will soon feel which one is the right one. It will be well worth it in the end, even if it might be a bit time consuming.

This will be a summer project. I've decided to not have more than one. Less is more. Summer is for resting my mind. Easy living. So I'm gonna start my easy living right now and I'll see you around when the days are shorter. I'll show you my progress when I return. Have a lovely summer!

Kärlek
Annette

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Crochet trim for a dress

When sorting our clothes, I found a couple of forgotten tunics in a box. I don't really wear tunics anymore. But I really adore and love the folksy print on this particular one I found so what to do...??? I need to make it longer to turn in into a dress... An idea popped up in my head...

I dragged out my box of crochet trims and found the perfect one, a thrifted vintage crochet trim in white with a red edging. I always wondered what I would use it for...

I added a row of trebles to it to add some extra length as I thought it was slightly to narrow, and I then sew the trim on, with my sewing machine. Lucky me, the trim fit perfectly lengthwise and I could easily match the ends and sew them together with a zig zag and the old tunic is now a summer dress. Voila!

I am inspired to make more crochet trims for more dresses I have. The tricky part is to get the length of the trim just right, but somehow I will figure it out. Next time I'll make my own trim from scratch. I would love to figure out the pattern that was used for this one. If I manage to reproduce this pattern, I'll promise I'll share it with you. 

The magic a crochet trim can do to a dress. I know this will become my favorite dress this year!

Kärlek
Annette

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When the storm rolls in

It is magical, like a frosty edging seeing the sun frame those big storm clouds that are rolling in. I hear the thunder, I can see how everything is calming down. Calm before the storm and usually also calm following after. Let the rain come. Angry and hard. We sure need it.

Kärlek
Annette

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Vintage Crochet Hanger Tutorial

You will need: A wooden hanger, 2 different colors of light weight yarn, crochet hook, darning needle and a pair of scissors.

The kids just stepped in through the door from their last day of school and the sun is beating hard on our vegetable patch. It is summer and vacation can start. For real! It is a great feeling and although I won't be around much here this summer I have prepared the Vintage Crochet Hanger Tutorial for you as I promised. This is a perfect lazy vacation day project and like I said in my blog post before - this is the type of project the ticks every single joyful box for a crochet and yarn lover. So gather your stuff and make some. 

You will need:
• Yarn of light weight 3-4ply, sports weight or lighter (I have used Tilda yarn )
• Crochet hook recommended by the yarn (I used a hook 2,5 mm/ C in US)
• A pair of scissors
• Darning needle
• Wooden hanger approx 16,5 inches/42 cm long. Can be found in most department stores.

Abbreviations 
UK/US ch - chain UK/US  
dc/sc - double crochet UK/single crochet US
tr/dc - treble UK/double crochet US

PS To print this tutorial, drag and drop the Tutorial picture below, on to your desk top and then print it in full scale. 

Kärlek
Annette

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