In The Pink

My very stylish 7 year old loves to accessorise so I took this as an opportunity to try out Red Heart Boutique Sassy Fabric in Pink Dot. It's a chiffon type scarf yarn with pre-punched holes and a pretty scalloped edge that knits or crochets up incredibly quickly, and one skein makes a good adult length scarf.

As it is my first love I began by following the online tutorial and crocheting the fabric but I found that although it gave a good rounded 'fox's brush' effect, it also looked a little sparse between the 5 stitch groups so I pulled it back (which was extremely easy) and knit instead. There is also an online tutorial for knitting but it is a simple 4 stitch garter pattern, this at first gave a flat scarf but as I handled it the scarf elongated and again produced a boa look. The only downside that I found with Sassy is that the tension is set by the pre-punched holes and not by the needle / hook size or crafter's tension, this means that the scarf will always lengthen and the stitches become slightly visible between the frills but maybe I am just being picky. The ends of the scarf also need to be stitched in as it is impossible to pull the fabric into a tight knot.

On the whole, would I use it again? DEFINITELY, in fact I am intending to use it to teach Ethel to knit. 

 

Tutorials on YouTube - The Crochet Crowd channel

Red Heart Boutique Sassy Fabric purchased at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00DV8YU2C

Here's One I Made Earlier

Some of my favourite crochet projects have been made as presents and I nearly always forget to photograph them. As I am doing a crochet presentation at the SWRI meeting this evening I asked Mum to send a photo of one of the first pieces that I made for her.

I had often heard Mum talk about a pansy dressing table set that Great Grandma Martha Jemima used to have so as a special surprise I ordered the pattern from France on Ebay & matched the colours to the original. It was one of my first ever crochet projects and was done on an extremely small hook with fine slippery thread, I think it took about 40 hours to finish but it was well worth the effort. The doily is in need of blocking but as she keeps it safely in a drawer, I haven't yet seen the point.

Let It Snow

After the storm force winds and torrential hail storms of the weekend, we now have another weather front on our doorsteps - SNOW!! Although bitterly cold, Unst is the most perfect winter wonderland, and I am delighted that her frozen coat suits her just as much as her summer frock.

Now on Facebook too

Great news!! Along The Beach Road now has it's own Facebook page where I will post alerts for new blog entries as well as links to sites and articles I like and 'as it happens' snippets from 'The Island Above All Others'. Please like and invite your friends to like it too and feel free to post pictures of your own ATBR inspired crafts (please keep it polite & positive).

www.facebook.com/alongthebeachroad

It's All Good Fun!

If you've been following the weather forecasts, or indeed even opening your front doors, you won't have been able to miss the 'severe weather pod' that we have been experiencing these last few days. I just love these stormy days, it's the one thing that makes me feel truly alive and is probably the reason I have twice chosen to live on remote wind torn islands but there is something else that I love about these places - power cuts!

It might seem a strange concept but for many years I have suspected that I have a hypersensitivity to electricity, not that it makes me particularly ill but I often feel niggly and my scalp tingles a lot. I have noticed that during power cuts these symptoms disappear and I feel a rare and complete calmness - odd isn't it? So last night when we lost power we cooked beans on a camping stove and I toasted bread in front of the fire and after getting the bairns to bed I snuggled down on the sofa, by candlelight and the glow from the stove and was totally chilled out.

 

If you would like to track our weather go to www.weatherhq.co.uk/weather-station/baltasound