The 'Garden Vine Necklace'

I love a project I can have done and dusted in a weekend, don't you? That's the task I set myself this weekend. Armed with a few Swarovski crystals, a couple of silver charms and a small ball of Wensleydale yarn that I handspun (it was a practice piece but wasn't really enough to make anything significant with) I put together a plan.

I've loved those beautiful Sophie Digard necklaces for so long, but they are way out of my price range, especially for the amount of times I wear jewellery. And to be honest, as much as I like them, I prefer something a little more dainty and delicate. So, I got busy.

 

I threaded over 150 beads onto the yarn which was a fiddly job, then a silver charm on each end.

After an afternoon of crocheting I finally had my beautiful necklace finished. I quick soak in Eucalan and a block and it was complete (yes I even blocked this as it DOES make a difference, especially to those tiny crochet'd leaves and how the whole necklace drapes!)

Here it is on 'Lady May' (my model).

And a close up...

I'm very happy with the result! The beads and add a nice weight to the necklace which combined with the softness of the wool feels very luxurious. The charms at each end read 'inspire' and 'luck' and being silver they too add weight to keep the necklace firmly in place.

Yarn Oogling!

I don't know about other creative types, but for me there is a whole process to work through before work on a project even begins. After hours of trawling the internet and books for inspiration comes hours of picking colours, choosing materials and shopping! Once all this is complete, for crochet comes the stage I refer to as 'Yarn Oogling'. 

I like to pile my newly purchased balls up, spread them out, check them out in different lights, photograph them in all manor of patterns and situations. It's probably just a 'me' thing, but as silly as this seems, it helps me decide on how to proceed. 

Recently, I discovered some new yarn and purchased enough to make a small blanket, hopefully a baby blanket. After returning from the shop the yarn oogling began! 

I'm thinking of producing something along the lines of this vintage blanket. It looks like a pretty simple construction which I think this yarn will be perfect for. 

Source

Now comes the most difficult part of the process.....waiting! I still have a couple of projects I need to finish before work on this blanket can begin. I'll keep you updated with my progress!