Calypso Wrap

I recently whipped this up for a friend who is going through a rough time.  I had hoped the bright colors, reminiscent of the sunrise, might help brighten a dark time, and help her know that a new day is always on the horizon.  The pattern is the Calypso Shawl, and the yarn is Darn Good Yarn's Ombre Recycled Silk in Orange, Blue, and Purple.  The yarn is made from silk waste, that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Rainbow Reading Wrap

This was an attempt at writing my own pattern, and it had its successes and its failures.  I started by going for a basic rectangle wrap, with Lion Brand Heartland in the soft grey shade, until I had the desired length. 

I did some rows in double crochet and half double crochet, before switching to the linen stitch for the rainbow section.  For that I used mainly Caron Simply Soft, which while also a worsted weight, is a pinch thinner than the Heartland.  The difference in yarn thickness, coupled with the tighter linen stitch, resulted in the wrap losing some of its length. 

For the cloud border, I used Buttercream Luxe Craft, which is a smaller 'bulky' size. This added to effect of widening the grey outer edges, while the rainbow continued to pull in a bit.  I was able to block it to *nearly* rectangular, with blocking boards and an iron set to a low heat.

While I'm not entirely happy with the results, I am glad that I learned a few things, and know what I'd do differently next time.  And I'm hoping that the friend it is going to will enjoy it anyways, as she cuddles up in it to read.