Thursday 28 June 2012

Rosy Crochet Cushion

My rosy crochet cushion made to replace the previous, worn-out, ancient, patchwork cover is finished! 
I am so happy with her in all her rosy petal stripes!
Rosy cushion close-up!
Three-dimensional rosy petal-fest!
And although the pattern looks complicated, Attic 24 Lucy's instructions here are so clear that, as long as you keep count carefully, it's actually quite straightforward. Of course there were occasions when I didn't keep count quite so carefully and a certain amount of frogging had to be done. Especially as the rows got larger, frogging an entire row became increasingly exasperating. My cushion is a generous 45cm in diameter which meant that the outer rows were a whopping 195 stitches each. Fine if everything was on track but not so good if rectifying a miscount meant undoing a whole row. So on the outer rows I ended up marking every fifty completed stitches with stitch markers and checking as I went so that if anything went wrong I only had to undo the last fifty instead of nearly two hundred stitches. If you are arithmetically erratic, or, as in my case more like, arithmetically hopeless, I recommend this as a way of circumnavigating the counting-accurately-as-you-go hurdle on long rows of this kind where ending the row with the correct number of stitches does actually matter rather a lot!

Rosy's right side
Rosy's wrong side
I used a mixture of yarn, mostly Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk left over from making my "Summer Has Come From The Sunny Land" blanket* but also some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino left over from some projects last year.  As it required No Yarn Purchase At All, it was quite a thrifty make. As my son would say, "You keep telling yourself that, Mrs T!" 
*I haven't finished this blanket yet although I am now on to the final row of the edging. I justify the lack of finish to myself, by saying it's because summer does Not yet seem to have come from the sunny land so its moment has not arrived which is possibly a rather specious excuse! 
Anyway my rosy crochet cushion is now in residence on its destined dressing table / sewing table chair. Of course I can't actually sit on it because I don't want to squash the lovely three-dimensional petal effect but you can't have everything!

Rosy cushion in situ - but not for sitting on!
The sewing basket on the table in the pic was made for me for my birthday when I was a small girl by my mother exactly forty years ago. She made it completely from scratch, including weaving the basket. It's lovely that although the fabric, (which I love), has faded a little, it is still going strong and in constant use forty years on.



17 comments:

  1. Woo hoo! You did a beautiful job on your cushion! Your words are very encouraging, too! When I finish my Lucy Ripples, I may have to try the cushion.
    The basket your mother made is beautiful and such a testament of a mother's love and foresight.

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  2. wow!!!!!!!you did a great job on your cushion!!!i love the colors!!!!! this cushion is on my to-do list.beautiful basket..... lovely memories!!!
    wish you a beautiful day,
    love regina

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  3. I was going to ask what it felt like to sit upon -- now I know it is strictly for decoration :) Very beautiful, even on the wrong side. I see you get your crafty genes from your mother. That is a wonderful basket and lovely that it is still in use.

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  4. Not-to-be-sat-upon for sure! And was that a very oblique reference to a birthday I caught? In which case, Many Happy Returns!

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  5. What a beautiful, colourful cushion! It is a real tonic in these rather dull and cloudy English Summer days (thunder and lightning at the moment here). I love the idea of your mother making you the sewing basket and weaving it too. I still use a little red needle case, with blue felt pieces in which to store the needles, which was made for me by my granny when I was little. Every time I use it, it makes me smile. I am sure your sewing basket has the same effect for you. Isn't is lovely to have such wonderful things?
    Best wishes and congratulations on your gorgeous cushion.
    Ellie

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  6. Wow - it's lovely. Must have taken ages! Especially the last few rings!

    Well done!

    Kate xxx

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  7. Your rosy cushion looks lovely, you did a great job, it looks so cheery! Good idea to Mark each section, that's the sort of thing I wished I had done after I haven't!

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  8. The cushion is so lovely - the right side is just as pretty as the wrong side! I am so glad it's not just me who has cushions that aren't for sitting on, that made me giggle. You put a great deal of work into it so it would be a shame to squash it. And you used your existing stash, so very frugal, well done Mrs T!

    The sewing basket is gorgeous, that fabric is very pretty and also very fashionable again!

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  9. Snap!!! How funny - I've just completed the same cushion this week too.

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  10. I am in love with your basket and especially that it was handmade by your mother. How wonderful to have something like this for so many years. The fabric looks great.

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  11. Thanks for your lovely comments on my blooming flower cushion.
    I used good ole Stylecraft special DK for mine.

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  12. Hi Elizabeth! Your cushion looks gorgeous and fits beautifully on your chair ... even if it's not for sitting on!! lol xx

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  13. Hi your cushion is lush Elizabeth, what a lovely blog to find today!
    I tried the flower cushion and failed, I must be really bad at counting I reckon.I too have a wicker basket with a very bright vivid fabric on the top, although I don't use it as a working basket.
    I'm a new blogger and hope you can pop by some time soon.
    Hope the weekend has been good to you Heather xxx

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  14. Wow! It is amazing that your basket was made for you from scratch by your mom, including making of the basket! She must love you very much!
    I love the fabric of it, too! So pretty and feminine. I am so glad it has held up all this time.
    Good job on your cushion, too!

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  15. Can't believe I haven't commented on this yet! I thought I had. It's beautiful. I love everything about it. Fantastic! You are such a talented lady!

    Helen aka HF xx

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