Crochet Pillowcase Edging

Surfing blogs is a dangerous activity. An activity that results in  spending more time getting distracted by, than actually creating the projects that they inspire! You also end up with a list of "want-to-do" projects a mile long, and as I am  an unorganised blog follower/ bookmarker, I know I have seen an idea somewhere and when I come to find it even more hours are pleasantly wasted getting distracted by even more "must make" ideas!

In this case though, I knew I had seen an idea and I knew where it was. I was in the middle of a three year epic, making a flowery crocheted throw which will be the topic of another "catch up" post soon.  The pattern for the throw I had bookmarked, but in doing so I also spied the lovely pillowcases Beata sells in her Etsy shop on her Rosehip blog. Trouble is you then want to make them yourself and not buy them!  I know wanting is bad, but making your wants makes it OK, doesn't it? Back then I didn't have the time, or know about Ravelry, the most amazing and by far the best knitting and crochet resource on the web. You can find any pattern in the yarn world on Rav!

So I did a Rav pattern search for crochet on "pillowcase edging" and there was a perfect pattern from Cassie at You Go Girl, and Cassie had kindly posted free tutorials. I bought one ball of Rowan Hand Knit cotton, at vast expense, in a gorgeous light olivey green (Celery) shade to coordinate with the IKEA Cath Kidston Rosali pillowcases I had, from buying the material for the Sweet 16 quilt in my first post. Even better, Cassie also acknowledges the inspiration for her design came from the Rosehip Blog, and that is how the love in the blog world goes round!

So I am contemplating edging some pillowcases for said "Sweet 16 (sic) daughter.  

The worst bit by far was straightening out the 15 x "width of pillowcase" length of yarn for blanket stitching, boy did it twizzle. Fifteen times the width, for goodness sake that breaks all the rules of "no longer than half an arm's length" we were taught!!!! It probably took me a couple of hours to do the blanket stitching around the edge as the foundation for the crochet edging, using doubled yarn, and although I thought it was too loose it turns out it should have been looser again as it did pucker when finished.

The crocheting was fine, a lovely straightforward tutorial from Cassie, but I should have searched out a 3.75mm hook as she advised, I was lazy and a 4mm was what I had to hand! I made this on a hot summer’s evening watching the Eurovision Final.

So here is the not very perfect first one, that blanket stitch has to be positively baggy!

Practice makes nearly perfect, the second attempt was much faster and easier, isn't that always the case? I am trying!! The Rowan 100% cotton yarn I used is a bit stiff, I think a softer one would be easier to work, perhaps a bamboo mix as advised.

Back at the end of May the weather was nice..... so I could mess about outside trying to take a decent photo.

...and a close up

This one is better, and many apologies if daisies and buttercups on the lawn offend you, I love them and they are one of the few things that grow for me.

Crochet Pillowcase Edging

The family were rather bemused by the uselessness of my creation but so what..... a touch of "just because you can" every now and then is good for the soul.

...and finally..... I "just" managed 2 pillowcases out of an 85m hank of yarn with 1m spare, so it may be better to go with a slightly bigger ball and/or a slightly lighter weight to be on the safe side if you're after a pair.

Here we go.....

This could be interesting, a blog for me, talking to myself, somewhere to store ideas and progress of makes and recipes and plans and thoughts. One day I may even come up with an idea and I could do a tutorial! Previously I have only blogged for work purposes and that takes away the fun and inspiration. I am not a writer, nor dreadfully interesting or talented, just a very ordinary person that likes to make things. I'd love to be arty, be able to draw and design, but mainly I like following patterns and recipes and perhaps adapting things a bit. The internet is such a wonderful resource of inspiring and talented designers.

I am a 46 yo happily married mum of three (K is 22, L 19 and S 16), I used to be a business owner for 8 years (a scrapbooking retail shop and online store  founded when S started school) the recession created a lot of problems but earning nothing and working silly hours is no way to live.  Fortunately I have now sold the business (in 2011) and have the time to create (badly) for myself.  The girls are all older so no worrying about pins lying around, school runs and they can even feed themselves if I "forget" about dinner.  We are lucky to live in a picturesque small town in glorious countryside near Stroud,  Gloucestershire.  There are changes afoot but that's what this blog is about, escaping the changes, and forgetting the tough bits of life.

I have always baked, sewn, knitted and crocheted, my mum, nanna and gran taught me, nothing exceptional just lovely one to one time you remember as a child.  I like to upcycle and try ever so hard to be shabby chic but far more shabby than chic.

I have encouraged my girls to make things too, and cook decent food (cake is decent food!) I love making things for them although sometimes the homespun look is not what they are after.  It's nice that now K has graduated she has started making curtains and furnishings for her first home, and L now has my refurbished sewing machine at uni, and makes presents and cards for friends, as I treated myself to a new one.

The little one, S, was 16 in May, and I made her a very quick quilt from a pattern in Kirstie Allsop's Craft book that L had given me for Christmas.  Mainly IKEA Cath Kidston style Rosali fabric with a shocking pink fleece backing.  The workmanship is atrocious (my old machine was not behaving itself pre service/repair)

So I will be playing catch up with a few makes in the last few months.....so here is the Sweet 16 quilt, yes the daughter in question loves that awful tacky programme on TV...and really doesn't "get" handmade but I think she was pleased I had made her a quilt, secretly.

Apologies if I regularly go off on a tangent, I love travel, food, walking the dog and France in particular. I can go on about what I want as it's my blog!  

Today's "moment" was finding some supermarket points for a supermarket I refuse to use anymore due to their underhand tactics in conning consumers and producers, and trading them in online for a Country Living magazine subscription........ a huge treat, it feels very naughty. Small pleasures and all that!