Just Ruffles

You know how it is when you go to a restaurant and order from the dessert menu first, just in case you won't have room for both main course and sweets? That's exactly the approach I took to this scarf.



 

I have been known to enjoy a ruffle or two embellishing my accessories. This time I bypassed a base structure and just built my ruffle on a row of single crochet. It's the last of my sea green handspun merino. 

Around and Around

After my experiments with the mobeius a few weeks ago, I've gone back to making a simple neck roll. This one would be a plain cylinder, if it wasn't for the fact that it's done in stocking stitch. 

Stocking stitch has strong tendency to roll in on itself. Sometimes that tendency is a real nuisance. In these neck rolls, though, it creates interest and makes a simple knit into something between a scarf and a necklace. I like that. I'm thinking about taking it further and embellishing the bottom edge with beads and bits. To do that I would need to use a different stitch at the beginning because the stocking stitch roll is unpredictable and not a stable base. But for now I've achieved my mission of simplicity and warmth. Except, as usual I have the ends to weave in. 

Zip Zing

I removed this zipper from a t-shirt yesterday. What was a zipper doing in a t-shirt? Well may you ask. Apparently it was there as an embellishment. I liked everything else about the garment when I tried it on. The shaping suits me. The colour is one of my favourites. There's a bold black print, nicely placed across the front. Add to that some interesting hem details in a tunic-length top and I thought I had a winner. All except for this zipper. It was securely stitched to the left shoulder. Please note the use of the past tense. Now I have a spare zipper in a colour I like: I've noticed a trend to zips as embelishments over the past few years. At first I thought of it as an anti-establishment statement: something tough and functional, unusually placed to make an impact. But when I saw zipper rosettes on sale at a craft show last year I figured the trend had come full-circle.

Anyway, the unpicking went smoothly. I was afraid of damaging the underlying fabric. That would have been another statement which I didn't want to make. And if I get the time, I might make myself a little bag to go with this outfit. Then the zip will have a purpose in life.