inspiration - rike feurstein

images: rike feurstein

i first spotted one of german hat designer rike feurstein's knit pieces last month on camille tries to blog - check out this incredible blue-purple gradient cowl which nearly knocked the wind out of me when i saw it. i immediately began a hysterical quest to find out what on earth the fantastic stitch technique was so i could learn it as soon as possible and diy my own gradient cowl. i stumbled on this great tutorial via honestly wtf for the "no knit" scarf before discovering that the amazing stitch in question was developed and patented by rike herself. it's such a beautiful, mesmerizing stitch - i just get lost in the simplicity & chunkiness of the pattern and adore the playful use of color in her pieces like that one bright pink row in the middle of the light pink scarf... brilliant!

there has been speculation that the stitch might be based on the tunisian crochet stitch - a gorgeous type of crochet with a knit look that i've been intrigued with since taking the craft up. seeing as most of my projects this year were based on the single, double, and half-double crochet stitches (i.e. the most basic of stitches) i am in awe of the thought of inventing your own stitch - and such a gorgeous one as rike's at that. 

my crochet projects are starting to wind down a bit now that i'm really starting to delve into sewing. i've got a couple of completed pieces from last month that i'll be sharing with you this week and am now getting starting on my last project of the season - a pair of mary jane-type slippers. i might try to squeeze in one quick spring scarf based on the light pink / hot pink stripe one b/c i'm just so smitten but we'll see. there are a couple of projects i wasn't able to get to this year - a purse and a couple of blankets all involving granny squares, which i still have yet to learn. but, it's exciting to have some projects & new techniques to look forward to in the fall and i'm sure  by then i'll have even more projects added to the list.

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

crochet monday

i hope everyone had a great weekend and managed to stay cozy! 

we had a few winter flurries around here and i was so happy to have finished my cowl neck scarf & revised bow headband before the northern wind hit. the charcoal cowl pictured above is my first attempt at a yokoo-inspired chunky cowl. i used hooked & chained's "mammoth cowl" pattern and splurged on a luxurious merino wool yarn blend - 98% merino wool / 2% polyamide. i made a couple of small mistakes at the very beginning but the design of the cowl makes them impossible to see. it was fun learning a new stitch - back post double crochet - and making something that actually took a couple of weeks to complete. what a gratifying feeling!

overall, i'm pretty happy with how it turned out. i was hoping for a much larger, chunkier cowl but i love how incredibly warm and compact this one ended up. next time, i'll make sure to add some length & width to this scarf in addition to using a larger hook (maybe a "Q" or "S" instead of an "L".) the stitches are so darn tight in this cowl there's no room to breathe - i've realized i'm a bit of an uptight crocheter and need to loosen up and relax so my projects turn out the right size! i actively worked on loosening up my stitches with the revised headband, also pictured, and am happy to say things are turning out much nicer. 

you might remember my first bow headband - i used an easy-to-follow people webs tutorial but ended up with a smaller bow than i'd hoped for (probably due to my uptight crocheting again!) for my revised bow headband, i switched yarn type and color and went with bernat satin yarn (100% acrylic) in black & red for a really strong hello kitty effect! i also added five extra stitches to the bow to make it extra big. i wanted the headband to just blend into my hair so that the oversize bow was even more accentuated and over-the-top and hello-kitty-like. i'm super thrilled with how it came out - this winter is going to be so much fun!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

crochet friday

left image: people webs

after all the crochet talk on this blog, i finally get to show you pics of my first completed project - this adorable bow headband designed by lindsi of people webs. isn't it just the cutest? the pattern is super simple and absolutely perfect for a beginner like me. i think my bow turned out a bit smaller than it was supposed to but i love the way it looks puffed out - really reminds me of hello kitty's bow! 

i followed this tutorial and used the same yarn as recommended - caron simply soft - in a nice light gray. this is a great afternoon project and lindsi does a fantastic job of explaining every step and providing detailed photos. i love how soft the synthetic yarn is but it gave me a bit of trouble as my hook kept getting caught on the individual strands and separating the main strand. this doesn't seem to happen when i work with wool yarn - i'm starting to understand the pros and cons of each type of yarn blend but i've still got so much to learn.

i can't wait to make a few more of these headbands for myself in other colors. next time, i'll make sure to count the rows so my bow turns out nice and big. i might even add a few rows to one for a cute oversized look. staying warm in the winter was never so fun!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆