When your parents reach a certain age it becomes more difficult to find gift items for their special occasions. I don’t really like to give money, but sometimes that is what works best. If I can, lately I will try to make something unique for them like I did last year for mother’s day and my dad’s birthday. Since I had already done the machine embroidery thing I decided that this year for Mother’s Day I would use my new hooking (crochet) skills to create something special for my mom.
I’ve been following a few crocheters blogs and one of them, Teresa Kasner, made a beautiful shawl that looked like one I might be able to tackle. The pattern is available on Ravelry for a small fee so you couldn’t see the pattern before purchasing it. I like to see a pattern before I download it (many are free) so I can see if I think it is one I could manage. This one had a fairly low difficulty rating so I took the plunge and purchased the “Ruby” pattern by Anastasia Roberts.
I decided to use the same yarn that Teresa used in her shawl so I took a trip to Joann’s to see what they had. The yarn is a sock weight from Deborah Norville called Serenity Garden. As soon as I saw the hibiscus color I knew that was the one for mom. Red is the most popular color she wears. I also liked this yarn because it is soft, made of Dralon Microfiber and is fairly light weight.
I wanted to make sure the shawl was big enough so she could really wrap herself in it. The pattern starts at the top edge and you keep adding rows that get bigger and bigger. The nice thing is you can make as many sets of those rows as you need for the desired size.
The shawl finishes off with a more lace like pattern.
This section was a bit challenging and I also determined that the pattern wasn’t written correctly on one of the rows, but I was able to make an adjustment that worked perfectly.
I blocked the shawl on our spare queen sized bed and you can see that one side is as long as the bed is wide. I probably could have done without a few of those rows, but I wasn’t sure how large the lace border would turn out. I figured that more was better in this case.
The day I gave my mom the shawl she of course was wearing an outfit that the shawl worked perfectly with. I think you can tell that not only was she surprised, but very happy with the finished product.
Oh Cindy! It’s beautiful – and I love the name of the pattern!!
-Ruby
Mom says that is just arooooooootiful!!!
Oh my goodness Cindy, it is absolutely stunning! I love the colour and the pattern and the lacy border is just gorgeous. What a wonderful hand made present, your mum’s face says it all.
Lynne x
It’s beautiful. No wonder she loved it! Made with love, too.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
It’s just beautiful and your mom looks lovely in it! What a wonderful gift!
Love ya lots♥
Mitch and Molly
That is a great gift, from the heart! Your mom definitely loves it!
That is beautiful.
Blessings,
Goose
Cindy this is without a DOUBT the prettiest shawl I have ever seen. I love Deborah Norville’s yarns. From one cricketer to another…after sering this work of art…you my friend are an expert crocheter! Red is my favorite color too
Hugs
Ce ilia
Good grief look at the auto correct typos…lol from one cricketer..please pardon them as south correct has a mind of its own
Cecilia
Beautiful!
Aww, what a fantastic gift! I’ll bet your mom is still smiling about it! I love that shade of red!
That shawl is very beautiful. I find one of the hardest things about shawls is the increase/decrease of rows. But yours turned out beautifully. I once made a very dressy white one in a very soft silky yarn. My two daughters have used it many times when they have gone to proms, formal affairs, weddings, etc. The best part is how well it has held up for over 20 years.
That is so FEMININE !!!
Wow! Wow! Wow! That is AH-mazing! Me and my mom can never get over the Most Beautiful things you make.
Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie
Very pretty!
Nola
Oh, that is just LOVELY!!! What nice work you do! You can tell by the smile on your Moms face that she is just over the moon abouts it!!
Kisses,
Ruby
That is indeed a lovely shawl. Your mom obviously likes it, too 🙂
Yoow Mom is bootiful and the shawl is pawfect. Makes us happy to see
Smoochie kisses
Asta
It’s absolutely beautiful!!! Love colors and the design!
just gorgeous! Yes, I did do the bead crochet on my blog today… good eye!
Cindy, this is lovely… beyond lovely. I cannot even find the adjectives I want to use… and her face is beautiful… you definitely made the right choice!!! Just gorgeous!
Shelle, Milo, Dixie and Newby,
http://simpaticodreams.blogspot.com/