Crochet V-Stitch Cowl

Namaste friends. It feels so good to be back on my blog after such a long time. Actually I am almost tongue-tied and had no idea how to begin. But then it is just like getting back with old friends isn't it, after the first few awkward moments you are chatting nineteen to the dozen! :)  :)

Every few weeks/months a new stitch or technique or pattern catches the fancy of everyone in crochet blogland and you see the FOs flying all over the place. For example some time back it was the corner to corner stitch, or the crocodile stitch, or broomstick lace, or the Virus shawl. One such stitch was the V-stitch and there were scarves, blankets and cowls galore on display. So I decided to have a go at it. 

The V-stitch looks best when used with multiple colours. The fabric produced is lacy yet quite snug.

The yarn I used is called Shining Star which is DK weight with a 4mm crochet hook.

The colours used are Aqua blue. Grey, Orange and White.

The cowl turned out really soft and luscious. Very very cosy.

The cowl has a circumference of 50 inches and a width of 19 inches. So it can be lowered across the shoulders like a shrug or pulled over the head to cuddle your face. Really sumptuous.

The V-stitch is very easy and the cowl grew fast. But I had a really tough time with the cowl. Why? Well, for a change I decided to go with a random colour pattern. But the fastidious Virgo in me was just not prepared for it :)) You see everything around me has to be symmetrical or balanced or proportionate, or else I get very uncomfortable. After each round I had to rack my brains regarding the next colour and I was very tempted to repeat a particular colour sequence. I think I finally did manage a "random" sequence! What do you think?

Phew! Random does not come easy to me.

I wish we had winters where such cowls could be used. But then on the other hand I am glad we don't, as I cannot tolerate really cold weather. As you can see in THIS post...LOL.

HERE is a lovely Video tutorial for the V stitch. I hope you try this stitch and have fun while at it.

This cowl is available in my ETSY shop. 

What crafty adventure are you up to? 

See you soon with some new crochet projects. Take care and keep crafting.

Crochet C2C scarf

Namaste friends. Thank you so much for you best wishes, lovely comments, emails and phone calls. It feels so good to know that I have friends who care so much, whether they are in the next city, neighbouring state or even across the seven seas. 

I did say in my last post that 2015 was just not my year. Well, a couple of days later my computer just wouldn't start and then followed a few frantic days of SOS calls to my brother and our local computer guy to get it up and running. Phew!! So used to my computer and the internet, my husband teases me that I just might go berserk without them. Thank God for crochet which keeps me sane and calm. Do you know I had actually packed a project in the bag I took to the hospital! But the dengue fever (see last post) really sapped our energy and the weakness/body pain was too much to even think about crocheting or even staying alive for that matter.  :)

Variegated hues

Have you ever fallen in love with a ball of variegated yarn at the store, only to come home and realise that it just does not suit any project? Or that the colour effect is not playing up the way you had imagined? It has happened to me a lot of times. I am sure you are wondering why I still keep buying. Well, variegated yarn has a charm, a romantic appeal all its own, which makes it hard to resist. And I have the balls to prove it....haha.

The pastel hues, the jewel tones or ombre shades are irresistible. Never mind that you end up crocheting and frogging till you get the exact effect you want :) After trying out a few patterns I decided to follow my friend Ashlesha and crochet a corner to corner scarf with this ball of variegated yarn that had gorgeous shades of denim, aubergine and forest green. A wonderful colour combination for a man's scarf....methinks.

The yarn brand is "Peacock" and is from Ludhiana. I have used a 4.50mm crochet hook. 

Corner to corner or C2C as it is popularly known is a really simple stitch. I would even call it a beginner level stitch. The fact that it works diagonally might seem confusing but you get the hang of it pretty soon. In the case of this particular yarn it produces these lovely diagonal bands of colour almost automatically. 

 I have now learned that for variegated yarns to give good results the colour changes have to be atleast a few feet apart. Any closer and the result is just a hotch potch of changing colours. So while this yarn produced these beautiful bands of denim, aubergine and forest green, an earlier project with variegated yarn - the C2C baby blanket shows how short colour changes just produce a mish-mash.

 But for the blanket I got the exact effect I wanted i.e. stripes of blue, white and mixed colours.

The scarf measures 65" by 7" and used up about 160 grams of yarn. I am quite happy with the way the colours have played out. I am thinking of trying some other pattern using this same yarn. What do you think? Do you like my C2C scarf?

If you want to try your hand at C2C HERE is a wonderful video by Mikey at The Crochet Crowd.

Have you made any projects using variegated yarn? 

Happy Navaratri to all my dear readers.  

Navaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated for nine nights (nava means nine and ratri means night), dedicated to the nine forms of Shakti the Mother Goddess. As with all other festivals in India, this festival too is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India, but always with great pomp and splendor involving a lot of color, lighting, music and dance. The tenth day is known as Vijayadashami or Dussehra which marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura as well the victory of Lord Ram over the Demon king Ravana.
Click the links in the above passage to know more about the festivals and the deities.

  

 See you soon.

PS: I was having some trouble with the fonts in this post so please bear with me. :)