Hygge

Can’t believe I have actually finished it! Moreover, I have finished it within the 14 weeks set for the CAL, even though we have been on holiday for a large part of it. When I started in the middle of February I was very excited about the CAL but also a bit scared as I hadn’t crocheted for ages and from the photographs it looked really difficult.

How wrong I was. The set up of the CAL really helped me to gain confidence in crocheting. While the first few weeks were slow going – finishing when the next week had already started. During the last weeks the dc’s were flying of my needle, and I had to wait for the next part to be published.

Once I had finished the actual crochet part the scary part is washing and blocking. I hand washed my shawl in tepid water in the bath with a little bit of Eucalan. I also used a colour catcher in case the colours bled. To block my shawl, I used the lace blocking mats and knit blockers by KnitPro. The knit blockers are really handy tools. They are wide so they can block larger pieces at a time compared to T-pins or fork pins. The shawl took about 48-hours to dry completely and I left it for a further 24-hours (without being pinned) to let it regain its shape.

I fancied a different lining fabric than the usual, and I thought a Liberty fabric would really stand out. I had brought samples of all of the Catona-colours and Stone Washed with me to London to colour match. One of the friendly assistants helped me choose from the hundreds of floral designs. I settled on Michelle Tana Lawn Cotton (Michelle grey) which colour matched beautifully.

I had cut a pannel from the fabric slightly larger than my shawl and washed and ironed it. Once my shawl had been left to rest for 24-hours after being blocking, I measured my it. I compared measurement with the fabric and pinned a seam accordingly.. I ironed the seam and I pinned the lining to the back of my shawl. I started sewing one of the long sides first, leaving on stitch unlined as a border. Next I sewed a short side, the other long side and finally the last short side, keep both the fabric and shawl flat and tight (but not to tight) all the time. Finally I sewed 7 vertical lines from long side to long side to secure the fabric. I attached the Scheepjes Hygge Button to the bottom right of the shawl as a nice finishing touch.

In the end my shawl measures about 33 cm by 155 cm, so my tension must have been a little bit tight. However, all the cross-stitches do look square and neat so I am extremely happy with the result. I ended up having 2,5 balls of Stone Washed left over, as well as the extra ball of colour A (264) Catona.

Have a look below at some more detailed pictures of my shawl.

It feels so unreal the CAL has actually finished. Feeling very hygge now. What will I do with my time? No, that is not really a question as there are still so many makes to do. My goldwork pheasant for one, and my RSN silk shading rose, more Ed’s animals, and, and, and………

There are just not enough needlecraft hours in a day!