Friday 30 January 2015

The Unexpected Poncho

I was lucky enough to visit my mum and dad in Spain a couple of weeks ago. Of course I took my crochet 'WIP' ('work in progress') with me, but sadly could not get hold of the required 3.75mm hook that I needed for this particular WIP, for love nor money. So my lovely parents took pity on me and bought me a present of 6 skeins of this gorgeous stuff to satisfy my hooking needs during my visit :-)


It's from one of the Chinese bazaar-type 'todo' ('everything') shops that you seem to get everywhere in Spain- fascinating places that sell literally everything including yarn.

Off to Ravelry I went to search for something I could make. For some time now I've had a hankering to make a poncho. I think the last time I made/wore one was when I was about 8 or 9, back in the 70s.  I LOVE Ravelry for looking for patterns. You can search by yarn weight, project name, yardage, yarn fibre, anything you like. If you are a crocheter or knitter and don't know about Ravelry, stop what you're doing RIGHT now, go to the site immediately and register- you will not regret it.

When I found this pattern, the 'Summer Sunset Poncho', in colours remarkably similar to the yarn I had, with a spookily similar name ('Batik'), I knew that this had to be the one. The link takes you to a lovely Hungarian blog, 'AnnĂ¡s Kertje' ('Anna's Garden'). The pattern is a chart- which doesn't bother me at all, but for those who prefer written instructions, someone in one of the Ravelry projects (look for the blue poncho) has very helpfully written them out.

This was so enjoyable to make! All in V stitch (except the final shell round)- so you're crocheting into spaces and not stitches, you can whizz along at a rate of knots. And the lovely colour changing yarn- just gorgeous to work with! Didn't take long, this one. A week, maybe, on and off.

Here's the result- my 'unexpected poncho' in our garden back home.....went a bit mad with the camera (and that cat managed to do his usual photobombing thing again...)







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