Sunday, October 12, 2014

Variations on the En Fleur Cowl for Crochet! Magazine



The En Fleur Cowl is my latest cowl design, and it is also the first time I have designed a project for Crochet! magazine! The bold floral motif inspired this cowl, and in addition to designing the magazine version, I wanted to find more ways to use/ alter the motif pattern.

First, I decided to try making the motifs in 2 colors with a lazy daisy embroidery embellishment in the center. It gives it quite a different look:



Then, I decided to try crocheting the motifs in pearl cotton thread to create a statement necklace:


You can find instructions for how to alter the pattern in the magazine to make this necklace, on my blog.

The stylists for the Crochet! magazine photo shoot came up with the idea to wear the cowl as a headband. I love the versatility of that. you could easily wear it as a cowl or a headband on the same day, depending on the weather or your mood!


These are just a few ways you can have fun with a simple motif pattern- whether you change the colors, yarn, or the way you wear it, you can get a lot of mileage out of a pattern!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

New Crochet Mobius Cowl Scarf: Scalloped Star Stitch Rib

Cowl crochet fever is back again

A larger Starlooper Mobius Cowl warms the shoulders
A larger Starlooper Mobius Cowl warms the shoulders. 
(The contrasting stripes were experiments that I decided
to leave in and see how they'd drape different ways.)


Starlooper Crochet Star Stitch Scarf with fewer rows makes a nice overlapping neckwarmer
Fewer rows of this Starlooper: a
neckwarmer that overlaps in the front.
When I added a mobius twist to the Starlooper loop scarf, it multiplied the fun ways it drapes around the neck and shoulders. I created a whole "menu" of NINE looks or wearing options.

I love how this cobalt blue merino wool yarn photographed! The star stitches are lovely no matter what but this soft Z-twisted merino yarn adds to the texture. 


Two more photos: the first shows the same Starlooper star stitch pattern in a color-shading yarn.
Starlooper Crochet Star Stitch Mobius Cowl in a long striping color shading yarn
Starlooper star stitch pattern in a color-shading
yarn by Marks & Kattens.

  This last photo shows a strand of two different colors held together.
Starlooper Crochet Star Stitch Mobius Cowl with two strands of yarn held together
Starlooper star stitch pattern crocheted double-stranded.