Celestine

I finally finished the Celestine Crochet (a knit version is also available).  The pattern was a bit interesting to follow.  Each point is made from the bottom up.  With the first cone made, the second base is made by chaining a portion and then slip stitiching the rest on the adjacent points.  After the first few points, the general idea is easy to pick up. 

The yarn is a beautiful mixture of a brilliant blue and golden browns, hand dyed by Kayla of The Yarn Bearer.  The 100% wool content and fingering weight made it difficult for me to keep yarn tight.  The fibers felt more ‘sticky’ to me and even with a size C hook, I have little holes where the stuffing shows through. 

The hardest part of the Crochet Celestine was the stuffing.  This was my first project with stuffing since I was a kid.  I found out very quickly that just taking big clumps of polyfil and shoving them in the points made a really bumpy texture. 

The second time around I fluffed the stuffing by pulling and stretching it.  Much better!  Also, I found that the whole shape looked more symmetrical when the center part was stuffed well.  If I ever make this pattern again I would stuff it with a wiffle ball in the center to save on stuffing and make the whole thing lighter.  

Question is, what do I do with it?

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No two alike

I’ve never made crochet snowflakes before.  To be sure, crochet snowflakes are on my to do list, but they’ll have to wait for another year or so before I actually tackle them.  I have the hooks and a little white thread but all the blocking and such seems too involved.  These were dug out of the family ornament box.  We’ve got lots of snowflakes in that box but most of them are plastic or metal. 

I like this crochet one with the flower in center.  But shhh, it’s store bought.     

These two snowflakes below have survived a handful of Christmases and a move.  The stiffener has loosened a little but I think it gives them character.  If ever needed, a little starch and TLC will restore them to tip top shape. 

They were handmade a few years back by a family friend when my maternal grandfather died.  She made a bunch of snowflakes and gave them to each family member.  I’ll always be thankful for her sweet gesture. 

My uncle died a few days ago and it seems fitting that I was preparing to blog about them.  They are tokens of remembrance for a life that has passed. 

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