Tuesday 4 June 2013

Can't believe I'm Crocheting!

Whilst visiting lots of lovely and inspiring blogs throughout the month of May I happened across some lovely crochet.  Now, although I can crochet, I've never found a project that I liked enough to venture beyond sample squares that practice the stitches.
That is until I visited Jo Avery's myBearpaw blog where she has been slowly working on this lovely blanket:
This photo and lovely blanket belong to Jo Avery
Isn't it amazing!  I am really drawn by the idea that they are flowers inside hexagons!  Jo used a vibrant set of colours in Alpaca and Merino wool.
So here is my first ever attempt at my own African Flower Hexagon:
I used a YouTube video to watch this step by step, some colour varying yarn that I already had in my cupboard and a size 4mm hook.  On this one I forgot to do the bottom left corner.
Then I decided to make another one with a slightly larger sized 4.5mm hook but I think it looses it's cuteness.
I imagined my own blanket in lots of muted and natural colours, so decided on 100% Eco-cotton from Debbie Bliss.  Here is my first flower inside a hexagon for my own blanket!  Yay!

Once the yarn arrived in the post, of course I couldn't stop at just trying out one:

Now I am loving the pale ones a lot, but in the future I think I'll only use the darker shades in smaller doses.
Also, I noticed that my flower centres look a lot like the spokes of a wheel.  So I googled a little more and found a photo step-by-step tutorial from Heidi Bear that suggests a different way of making the centres, so I've tried that and I much prefer this kind of centre:
So that is how I will do them from now on.  
I am having a bit of trouble joining the threads and then starting the next row.  I always seem to be too far forward, in front of the hole I'm next supposed to enter, so if you have any tips or can point out any tutorials you may have bookmarked, I'd be most appreciative! I shall google for a few more tips anyway, as it could be because I am left handed and am following right handed tutorials.

Lots to Learn!

Heidi Bear also has a tutorial on how to join up the hexagons as I go!!  ooooh - got to love a challenge!
Have you thought of copying being inspired by someone else lately?

8 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! I learned to crochet a few months ago, but it really intimidates me and I've stuck with knitting. Your flowers look so great and I can't wait to see what the final product looks like when you're finished!

    It seems like lately everyone's been having such inspiring creations! I've bookmarked so many so I can one day go back and attempt them all!

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  2. they look so cute, I'm stuck at the granny square stage of crochet, I really need to invest some time in you tube tutorials and try to improve my skills

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  3. You go Nessa! :D
    I love to crochet, it's the most calming and rewarding craft in my opinion. Hadn't done it in decades, than started end of last year again and I'm hooked. (pun intended) I was inspired by a German blog where a lovely woman crocheted a Queen Anne's Lace scarf, which I wanted to do so badly ... I haven't yet, as I haven't found the wool I want to do it with, but it got me started in a very good way.
    There are a few blogs that really inspire me and keep me going when things a tough, I just love it when people share their creations. Even when I don't copy their idea, it will set me off ... that I find amazing and I'm so thankful. Most of the time, these lovely people will never know of it. I hope life sends them some "good". ;)
    Granny square were really something I never wanted to try in my younger years (I'm mid30s now), but since I saw so many "cool" granny squares in blogs (not magazines or books) it made me re-evaluate the whole concept and now I'm secretly planning a granny square "throw" for me ... African Flower motifs are quite my thing, so thank you for posting, Nessa! :)
    Oh, and then there is ravelry, which is ... well ... are you on ravelry? ;) Enough said. I don't think I'll ever stop crocheting again and I want to improve my knitting just because seeing the unique creations by other creative minds.
    That's what is best about this whole "inspiration" in the "blogosphere" in my opinion - it's not competition, it is inspiration and setting fire to creative minds. Everybody wins!

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  4. These look so lovely Nessa! I am very pleased and proud that I inspired you to get going on this. Your motifs are slightly different to the pattern I use which actualy has 5 rounds. I have just done a full tutorial with photos for this pattern and how to join them (and how to make them in to a bag!) for Creative Bagmaking magazine, which is out now! http://www.myhobbystore.co.uk/product/162761/creative-bag-making

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  5. They are lovely. I have always loved that design.....but I really struggle with crochet. Getting to grips with it is one of my long-term aims. Juliex

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  6. Ooh lovely! They'll make such a nice blanket.

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  7. wow - beautiful! i am in awe of people who can crochet - i've never got to grips with it!

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  8. They are gorgeous, your blanket will be beautiful!

    Alison
    x

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