I ran out of Swedish weaving work to do before I left Florida...by mistake I had taken down a monks cloth remnant instead of a full piece and decided to wait until I came home before starting another project. The above is what I did when I couldn't Swedish weave.
Jo is a Swedish weaver who also does other crafts and she taught a few of us how to make ruffled scarves. I'm not much of a knitter but these are so easy to make. You use 1 skein of Red Heart metallic Sashay (my favorite), cast on 5-8 stitches and it makes a scarf approximately 5+ feet long. You have to leave spaces between each stitch and that's what creates the ruffle. Instructions are on the skein wrapping.
This is a fun and fast craft to do inbetween Swedish weaving projects which can take months or, for some, years to complete. I've made quite a few of the scarves and given them to family and friends. Normally, I can't stand to wear a scarf but I will make just one for myself...a gorgeous turquoise one!
I started Jake's afghan last summer but moving out of a house into an apartment took up so much of my time that I've finally just finished it. Jake is my American grandson so I thought it fitting to use the white monk's cloth with red and blue yarn for the design. I used various border designs instead of one complete one. I'd seen the fringe done like this in someone else's afghan and thought it was a pretty way to incorporate the colors used in the body of the afghan.
I also chose to use the thicker and courser RedHeart yarn because I didn't want the finished product to look too feminine. My preferred yarn is the "Simply Soft" which I'll probably use exclusively from now on, though.
It's so satisfying to finish a product and send it off to it's new owner. I always think of the person it's for as I'm working on it so each stitch is filled with loving thoughts. Jake has said he's happy to be getting it and I'll never know if he's just being a polite 15 year old boy but I do hope he thinks of his Gramma when he sees it.
Since Donna started this magnificent afghan, I've been saying it is the happiest one I've ever seen. The colors are outstanding and I know I'll have to make one just like it in the near future.
When she first began, she checked out all the patterns and then decided to just use the colors shown in the pattern...you know how different colors are used to define each line? It was such a smart choice because the end result is the most beautiful Swedish weaving afghan I've ever seen.
Donna used every color in the fringe but said this took so long that she wouldn't do it again. I think the effect is terrific, though.
Since our first afghans, we've all evolved to using less lattice and smaller lattice, choosing instead to combine many different border designs that work well with the main pattern. Donna went a step further, using only a lot of different border designs with no main pattern. It gives the afghan a truly unique look. Just beautiful!!
I've been working on my grandson's afghan for what seems like ages and it's still not done. Faye and Donna are still working diligently on theirs, too, and Donna is very close to the finish line. I can't wait for her to finish so I can post a picture of it. It's drop dead gorgeous. Now, every one of them is gorgeous but Donna has chosen tons of vibrant colors for her yarn and it's the happiest afghan I've ever seen...I'm very jealous I didn't think to make one like it.
I'm always saying that it doesn't matter how long it takes you to complete your project and that's the truth. With every line finished, it just becomes prettier and a joy to behold. I usually have the recipient of the one I'm working on in mind so my thoughts often go to them while I work. In this way, every afghan I make is full of love.
Both Donna's and mine should be finished within a few weeks but Faye will have to continue working on hers for a while yet. I'll post pictures as soon as I can.
In the meantime, I hope all you Swedish weavers out there are having fun with your own projects and I'd love to post pictures of them if you're kind enough to send them to me.
This is Leslie's first project and it's just beautiful. She noted that our little Swedish weaving group is also a sort of therapy group for us and that's very true. There's no way you can be angry or sad when you're sitting among a group of women friends all involved in creating their craft. We praise each other, support each other, and help each other...if that isn't positive therapy for the soul, I don't know what is.
I just finished this afghan for my friend, Joann, and the colors show here as very different from what they really are. The monk's cloth is ecru and what looks like red is actually a salmon. The turquoise is about right.
I did a lattice but changed it a bit to make it different. It's so easy to do this with Swedish weaving, both with the lattice and with the basic pattern.
One thing that disappoints me is that I couldn't have had a longer fringe. I guess we often see things we could have or should have done but they all turn out lovely in the end no matter what we do. I'm sure Joann will love her new afghan when she sees it!
This is my latest afghan that I made for my grandson, Kyle. I used light blue monks cloth with mostly variegated blue yarn. For the small diamonds I used solid white and solid turquoise blue. I used Avery Hill's "Tilting Blocks" pattern although I improvised the filler diamonds which I think turned out very interesting.
