Extreme Knitting Redhead: crochet cushions

Friday, May 30, 2014

Prettification

Predictive text had a bit of a problem with that title!

A while back I wrote about titivating the gazebo which involved scraping and repainting/varnishing. I also decided that I'd do a bit of stencilling and make cushions from the yarn which was leftover from the crochet chain.

All done, at last.

Here's the second cushion, which is mine (the first one is here):

It's just a large granny square threaded with leftover crochet chain

By the time I'd reached the back I'd run out of every colour, except for a tiny bit of blue, and so had to buy some more pink and pale yellow yarn. For the back I made a central panel in a mosaic stitch and then edged it with trebles and double crochet. I joined the front and back together with the same green yarn, held double, that I'd used for Mike's cushion.

Close-up of the mosaic stitch

I thought the centre looked a bit boring and so I did a circle of surface crochet to cover the ends of the chains

That's better

With the cushions out of the way I can reveal the stencilling:

Stippling the extra large stencil I used in the music room

Peeling off the stencil to reveal the design is always an exciting moment

Close-up

Of course, each cushion had to be photographed with its stencil! It was a dull day so the colours aren't showing very well in these photos.

Mike's cushion

Mine

Both, together with a cloth!

But that wasn't the end of it.

I'd already decided I didn't want to use the stencil on all three sides so just did the 2 outside panels. Mike and I were discussing what I could do on the inside panel and then he had a lightbulb moment - my mosaic mirror.

It was the first thing I ever produced in mosaic and it's not my best effort so I was rather unsure until he held it up for me. I'd used a stylised tulip motif along with my usual hearts so it fits in nicely with the garden.

I like the way you see the garden reflected in the mirror

Side view

I took this before I cleaned the stencil as I thought it looked lovely against the black floor tiles in the Utility room

Next morning when I was filling the bird-seed feeders I glanced over at the gazebo. The sun was streaming across and it looked so lovely. I think the stencil has really enlivened it.

My mind's still mulling over what else, if anything, I need to add as I don't want it to look cluttered or fussy. I wondered about making some flowery bunting but Mike really didn't like that idea (men aren't as excited by that sort of thing are they!).

I also wanted to add a dangly candle chandelier from the central point inside as I've got lots of crystal beads that I could use, but it could get in the way as Mike's much taller than me. We tried hanging a few of the many different lanterns we use outside but they just didn't look right. You could argue that perhaps some small tea lights would look pretty along the open sections but they would get blown away and it would be boring to have to cart them out each time we wanted to sit in there in the evening.

Hmmmm, this needs more thought. I'm sure the solution will present itself eventually.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Leftovers

Having given the blankets to their new owners I still had some yarn left so I hooked these 2 squares to make into cushion covers for the chairs in the gazebo.

I had just enough yarn to make the front panels and then used bits and bobs I had in my stash to finish the backs (well, I've only completed the one for Mike's chair so far but mine will be done soon).

This is Mike's. It's just a simple wave stitch patten.

I crocheted the front and back together along 3 edges and then stuffed the cushion pad inside before finishing off. Easy-peasy.

On the reverse you can see how I kept running out of yarn from the changes in colours! I managed to find several shades of mauve in my stash of acrylic and ended up using 3 strands held together. It is rows of double crochet with the 3rd stitch of every 3rd row done as a long dc stitch down to the row below just for a bit of interest - rather like a lot of Lily Chin's patterns.

Here it is in-situ. Mike said it makes the chair really comfy and it certainly looks jolly.

This is the front of mine - it's just a big granny square through which I've woven the last remaining remnants of the chain. I thought it would be a nice reminder of the day. There are soooooo many ends to weave in as I was really down to the dregs of my yarn when I crocheted this.

Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.