Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the BIG things...

Saturday 24 May 2014

The Nordic Shawl


Ta-dah!!


My Nordic Shawl from the wonderful My Rose Valley is finished, and I am completely in LOVE with it ❤️
This post will be an overload of photos - I got a little carried away there, for a moment....

Here we go, the big Nordic Shawl show-off....:


All ends weaved in, and ready for blocking:


Blocking.... 

It just goes on and on and on....❤️❤️

I'm so happy with my colourscheme ❤️ I tried loads of different alternatives, but finally decided to stick to a warm pallette, and only 4 colours in the border, instead of 6 which the pattern suggests. This gives a more muted and calmer look to it, I think...

(I loved making this so much, so I'm already planning to make another one with a totally different look, and more vibrant colours. A girl  can never have too many shawls, right? )

Ta- dah! My lovely  Nordic Shawl is complete and ready ❤️

Laid out in all it's glory ❤️

Such a lovely border! I really love this pattern ❤️

A perfect match with my favourite Odd Molly dress❤️

Snuggly, warm and luxurious in 100% alpaca 

LOVE ❤️❤️

Facts: 

Yarn: Sandnes Alpakka ( 100% alpaca)
Hook size: 4,5 mm ( a little too big for the yarn, buy I wanted to get a nice and drapy shawl, so the tension had to be a little loose). 3.5 mm on the border.
Pattern: The Nordic Shawl from My Rose Valley. You can buy it here



                                              ❤️ Live - Laugh - Love ❤️







Sunday 18 May 2014

The Daisy Mandala pattern and tutorial


Finally! I have actually finished the pattern and tutorial for The Daisy Mandala!


This project turned out to be so much more timeconsuming than I imagined.
Even though I generally love plans and structure, when it comes to crochet, I'm more a work-it-out-as-you-go kind of girl...
I adjust things along the way, and have become a master of hiding my mistakes,  but when writing a pattern, you can't take the usual shortcuts.....
So, I actually had  to count the stiches, and make sure it all adds up in every round.....

I have counted, adjusted, counted and adjusted and counted again, and now I think (hope!!) I've got it right....

I have not had this pattern tested by anyone else but myself, so if you choose to have a go at it, please let me know if you find any mistakes, or something seems confusing or strange to you.
I apprecitate any feedback, good or bad, so please let me know what you think!

Oh, and if you do make this little Daisy mandala, I would LOVE to see the result!

So, here we go.....

The Daisy Mandala

Note: the pattern is written in US terminology. Below are the terms in both US and UK.

US terms

 

UK terms

sl st  slip stich sc single crochet
sc single crochet dc double crochet
hdc half doubel crochet htr half treble crochet
dc double crochet tr treble crochet
tr treble crochet dtr double treble crochet
dtr double treble crochet trip tr/trtr triple treble crochet
rev sc reverse single crochet rev dc reverse double crochet
yo  yarn over yoh yarn over hook


Abbreviations: 
ch: chain
hdc: half double crochet
sc: single crochet
sl st: slip stich
htr: half treble crochet
yo: yarn over
Repeat directions between * and * 

Yarnsuggestion: Drops Safran (or any yarn with approx. the same gauge)
Hook: 3,5mm   and 3mm
Number of colors: 7

The Daisy:

I use 2 threads of yarn and hook nr 3,5 to make the daisy in the middle. This makes it a bit “chunkier” and bigger, so it stands out more as a centrepoint of the mandala. If you use only 1 thread, you might have to adjust the a amount of stiches in each round from round 3 to make the mandala nice and neat.

Round 1:

With color 1 (2 threads), make a magic circle
Ch 2 (counts as a hdc). 11 hdc in the ring. Sl st in 3rd ch of beg. ch to join. Pull tailyarn had to close the ring.


Round 2: 

Switch to color 2 (2 threads), and start with a sl st between any hdc. Ch 3 (counts as a tr), (2-trpuff st, ch 2, 3-tr puff st) in first space, ch 2, (3-tr puff st, ch 2, 3-tr puff st, ch 2) in each space around. This will give you 12 3-tr puff st (petals) in total. Sl st in the back of first puff to join. Fasten off.



Now you have a pretty little daisy, which will make the centrepoint of your mandala ❤️


Note: The rest of the mandala is made with hook size 3 mm and single thread.


Round 3

Switch to hook size 3 and color 3, start with a sl in any ch-2  space between the 3-tr puff st (petals). Ch 3 (counts as a dc).3 dc in same space. *ch 1. 4 dc in next ch-2 space* around.  Sl st in 3rd ch of beg ch to join. Fasten off.


Round 4: 

Switch to color 4, start with a sl st in any 1 ch space between the 4dc groups.  *ch 5, sc in next space* around. Sl st in the back of the first sc to join. Fasten off. 


Round 5: 

Switch to color 5, start with a sl st in any ch-5 loop, ch 3 (counts as a tr), 2-tr puff st in same loop, (ch 2, 3-tr puff st, ch2, 3-tr puff st) in every ch-5 loop around. Sl st in back of first puff st to join. Fasten off.


Round 6: 

Switch to color 4, start with sl st in any ch-2 space. *ch 3, sc in next ch-2 space* around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off.


Round 7:

Switch to color 6, start with sl st in any ch-3 loop. Ch 2 (counts as a hdc), 2 hdc in same loop. *ch1, 3 hdc in next ch-3 loop* around. Sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch to join. Fasten off.


Round 8: 

Switch to color 4, start with sl st in any ch-1 space  *Ch 4, sc in next ch1-space* around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off. 


 Round 9: 

Switch to color 7, start with sl st in any ch-4 loop, 1 sc in same loop.*9-dc shell in next ch-4 loop, 1 sc in next ch-4 loop* around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off.


 Round 10:

Switch to color 4, in any 9-dc shell, sl st in the back loop of the 5th dc in shell (see photo), ch 4 *1 hdc on both sides of next sc (sc in the ch-4 loop of the prev row) (see photo), ch4, sl st in the back of the 5th dc in the next 9-dc shell, ch 4* around. Sl st in back of first sl st to join. Fasten off. 

Round 11: 

Switch to color 5, start with sl st in any ch-4 loop after a hdc-2 group. Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), 6 hdc in same loop, 7 hdc in the next ch-4 loop * 2 hdc in the top stich of the 2 hdc group, 7 hdc in next ch-4 loop, 7hdc in the next ch-4 loop * around. Sl st in the 3rd ch of the starting chain to join. Fasten off. 


Round 12:

Switch to color 4, start with sl st in any top stich of a 2hdc group (se photo below. The needle points to the starting stich) 1 sc in same st. *ch 3.  sc in 4th hdc* around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off.

Round 13:

Switch to color 3, start with sl st in any ch-3 loop, ch 3 (counts as a tr), 4-tr puff st in same loop *ch 2, 5-tr puff st in next ch-3 loop) around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off. 

Round 14:

Switch to color 4, start with sl st in any ch-1 space *ch 3, sc in next ch-1 space* around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off. 


Round 15:

Switch to color 6, start with sl st in any ch-3 loop, *7-dc shell in next ch-3 loop, sc in next ch-3 loop* around. Sl st in back of first sc to join. Fasten off.

Ta-dah!!! 



                                  ❤️ Live - Love - Laugh ❤️



























Thursday 15 May 2014

Daisy Mandala parade...




I LOVE daisies, and those of you who follow me on Instagram, know that I lately have "suffered" from a Daisy Mandala hang-up...

There are so many beautiful mandalas out there in Blogland, and they seemed so much fun to make, so during our lovely Easter vacation I started to experiment with some patterns and colours, and finally made my first mandala!

I call this The Daisy Mandala, and I have worked for weeks now on a pattern and step-by-step tutorial, in case any of you would like to have a go at it.
I just have waaay too few hours in the day, so this project is dragging out, but I'm hoping it will be ready to be "published" very soon...

Anyway, here is a little mandala parade, with my attempts so far, and I promise I'll be back with the pattern!










                                            ❤️Live-Love-Laugh❤️









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