Sunday, February 24, 2013

Twins!


They're not both for me.  I'm selfish, but really, I can only use so many shawls.

They're not identical twins, they're fraternal.  And isn't it weird to use the word fraternal, even when the twins involved are sisters, not brothers?  I digress.  The point is, these two shawls share a lot of DNA.  They're made by the same person (me), from the same pattern (the Elise shawl), and around the same time (February -OMG, I made them and blogged them in the same month!).

They were also made for sisters.  Specifically, for me and my sister.  Unsurprisingly, being my publicly acknowledged muse didn't really satisfy my sister.  And being a younger sister, she was not at all shy about frequently letting me know just how unhappy she was.  If you have a younger sister, and she's the baby of the family, you know what I mean.  And if you are a younger sister, you also know what I mean.  We older sisters know that you do it deliberately.

Her birthday is in the month of February, so I crocheted her a shawl as a birthday gift.  This pattern is awesome.  It works up quickly, it's free, you can make it with pretty much any kind of yarn, its free, and you can easily customize it by changing the edging, adjusting the size, adjusting the hook size, etc. etc.  And did I mention that its free?
If this chair were cold, it could throw on a shoulder shawl....
Her shawl was a lot of fun to make. I think that's why its easier for me to be generous with crocheted items, versus sewn items.  Crochet is like therapy for me, it calms me down; I enjoy the process.  And because I made a shawl, I didn't have to worry about how it would fit; my only concern was would she like it.  
A crab stitch edging seemed suitable.
No, I'm not saying that my sister is crabby.
As much as I enjoyed making it, I had no desire to keep it, because all of the decisions were made with her in mind - what color to use, what edging, and most importantly, what size.  Honestly, I don't enjoy wearing shoulder shawls.  They're a little fussy and they constantly demand attention, as they move with every move you make.  For my sister, however, it was perfect.  


or tie on a neck scarf.

So that the party with this pattern could continue, I crocheted a neck scarf for me.  Smaller yarn, smaller hook, and smaller size.


Beaded edging.  I love beads.  Did I mention that before?
Now her birthday has passed, and we're both happy.  Hmm, if we went out together, both wearing our shawls, I wonder if we'd pass for twins.




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Doctor Who?



My sister loves the Doctor Who television series.  She even signed up for Netflix just so she could watch it.

Last fall, she asked me to make her a Doctor Who scarf.  Because I don't watch Doctor Who, I had to google the term to find out what she was talking about.  If you've watched Doctor Who or if you've googled the term yourself, you will know that this scarf is not a Doctor Who scarf.  A Doctor Who scarf would take forever to knit.  And, as I am always reminding my sister, I don't knit; I crochet.  (And yes, I say it in the most obnoxious tone possible.)

Fast forward a few weeks, and I decided to make a scarf for me.  (Do I have to explain that I'm a selfish seamstress?)  I had a remnant of silk chiffon that I had bought because it was cheap and pretty.  I also had some green thread from a skirt I had previously made, and I had a serger that I was willing to experiment with.  All together, I had all the ingredients for a fabulous scarf.


Most of the work in this scarf was in setting up the serger for a rolled hem.  
If you've worked with silk chiffon, you know how difficult a fabric it is.  Part of its appeal is that it is light and airy, but that light airiness makes it slippery, and difficult to cut and sew.  So I decided to make it easy on myself, and make as few cuts and joins as possible.  I cut the remnant in half lengthwise.  The cut wasn't straight, but its a scarf.  Who would know if I didn't tell?  Then I french seamed one end to the other to make the piece extra long.  After all, if Doctor Who can wear a ridiculously long scarf, then I can too.

I have worn this scarf nearly everyday since I made it.  I love it.  Even though it is light and airy, its actually quite warm.  It makes a great indoor scarf, and, when its really cold, I layer it with other scarves and wear it outside.

Thanks, Sis, for the inspiration.  You didn't get me to watch Doctor Who with you, nor did you get a scarf out of this deal.  But everyone who reads my blog now knows that you're my muse.  That's thanks enough, isn't it?

And thank you blog readers, for reading this far.  Til next time,

SewOm