Blooming Lovely!

 This week I have been working on my own interpretation of Stella McCartney's Falabella Bag. Ever since I first saw this gorgeous crochet creation I have wanted one of my own. The price tag was of course rather hefty but I thought it looked like something I could easily crochet.
I had a close look at pictures of the original and am crocheting similar types of motif  to embellish it with.  The key to it seems to be loads and loads of bobbles.  Bobbles are a real pain to make but I am going to persevere.  The yarn is Twilleys No. 1 Cotton - another amazing charity shop bargain!  I have six hanks of it which gives a total of 960 metres.  Should be plenty.  The original bag has a pewter effect chain trim and straps which I also hope to use on mine. The bag will also be lined to help it hold it's shape and give it some strength. Maybe some inside pockets too.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Millie made these fab fairy cakes.  They taste every bit as good as they look. 

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Crescent Moon Revisited

 

 I loved my recent version of the gorgeous Japanese pattern "The Crescent Moon Shawl" so much that I started  another one in Rico Superba Poems sock yarn straight away.  It is a beautiful yarn, single ply with a kind of handspun feel to it.  The colourway I chose was called "Tropical".  It is always a pleasure to work with space dyed yarns and I managed to complete the whole project in a couple of days.
The finished shawl looks lovely - slightly less bulky than my first Crescent Moon and so colourful.

I love the way you can wear this shawl like a scarf or as a wrap.  It is a warm, versatile accessory and will get a lot of wear.  Looking at other versions of it on Ravelry has inspired me to start another one. This time I am using a very thin cotton/acrylic mix that I bought in a charity shop ages ago - because it was so cheap!  At last I have the perfect pattern for it.  Actually, it is a very large cone and I think there will be absolutely loads left.  The shawl will be thinner and more drapey.  So far it looks good made up in just about any yarn.


My next project is a crochet cap that I whipped up in an evening from a single ball of Patons Shadow Tweed. The pattern was from Noro World of Nature vol. 29.  I'm not sure the hat really suits me and am considering frogging it as I don't want to waste the yarn.