Everyday Cowls and more

Hello dear readers and friends :) I hope you are all having a lovely Friday, its my favourite day of the week, made even more fabulous by the fact that the schools went back this week so I've had some much needed peace and quiet!

I've squeezed in loads of crafting over the last couple of weeks. Remember I started those pink and grey cowls during my our holiday to Norn Irn (read about it here http://emeraldcottage.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/rain-rain-go-away.html) ..... well, I've finished them both. And worn them both already as its turned so much cooler here this week. Honestly I totally LOVE these cowls. I love them so much I will even post a picture of me wearing one .... sorry I am terrible at selfies and the cowl just looks all bunched up but its all you're getting for now  ....

The pattern, from Crochet Gifts issue 5, was easy-peasy - excellent TV watching or play-park-children-supervision or waiting-before-school crochet. The cowls are lovely and squidgy and just the right length to wear doubled around like a chunky scarf. I was a total cheapskate and used poundshop acrylic DK for them both, each one used four 50g balls and at 3-for-2 they cost £3 a cowl. Now I know its not all about price and aside from that really they are easily my favourite scarves I've made to date. I will definitely be making more of them, at that price you can't go wrong can you :)

Cross-stitch has put in an appearance too. I've not done any for ages, but took a wee notion last week so made a couple of mini samplers for cards (one's not finished yet) and I've started a large flower-fairy pictures. No photos of that but so far it looks like a splodge of random creams and greys. I'll show you more once it looks a bit less unimpressive :) If past experience is anything to go by, I'll be finishing it sometime around 2027.

One other project finally made its way off the to-do pile (huge) to the done pile (tiny). My friend's Mum, the lady who passed away a couple of years ago, and whose cross-stitch stash I rehomed, had made this beautiful rose latch-hook rug many years ago.  Here's the back of it, isn't it gorgeous .... I prefer the back to the front, I know its not the point but I like the neat flatness of it ....

She'd never managed to have it made into a finished "thing" but my friend really wanted to do something with it, so together we decided that a cushion would be best, and she asked me to make it for her. Aaargh pressure! To do justice to such a gorgeous piece of work which is irreplaceable and very cherished. I think that's why it took so long to get around to doing it, I was so worried about making a mess of it.

Anyway I finally bit the sewing-bullet last week and got it done. I wanted to make a cushion cover where the cushion was the size of the rug (about 18" square) but with a border around it, I think its sort of an Oxford pillowcase style ? Amazingly my often temperamental sewing machine behaved herself beautifully, bless her, and after a bit of thinking, and a surprisingly small amount of unpicking, I ended up with this .....

What do you think ? I'm very pleased. I hope my friend will be. And I'm sure her Mum would have loved it :)

Til next time,

Jillxxxxx