Over the rainbow...

I've been wondering what to do with all the "free" wool I've accumulated since taking up knitting again, and learning to crochet. The free wool is usually attached to knitting magazines, is usually in odd colours, and not particularly brilliant quality. I've been keeping them all together in a bag, hoping that one day I would find a use for them - but not really expecting to. I say "free" wool - it's not really free as the magazines cost a fortune, and it's not "wool" as such, it's acrylic.

The other thing I wanted to do was to make a Spring wreath. I saw some polystyrene rings at the Hobbycraft show last weekend - and I bought 2. Why I only bought 2 I will never know, because really I needed 4. I thought I'd do each season. i suppose I was being cautious in case I couldn't do it.

I have been inspired by Attic24 Blog - in fact much of my crocheting inspiration comes from here - the tutorials are very easy to follow with loads of pics. It has helped me enormously. Up until yesterday morning all I had was 2 crocheted daffodils (instruction from same blog).

Yesterday I decided it would be a brilliant idea to make the covering bit of the ring out of all the free wool, in a sort of rainbow effect. I absolutely loved making it and could barely bring myself to put it down to go to work. I couldn't wait to get home to carry on with it - I don't know what it was that made it so pleasing to create.

The plan was to have random thicknesses of bands of colour, but to continue the rainbow pattern, however this bit didn't quite go to plan because it grew quicker than expected and in no time at all it was big enough, so I had to miss out a few colours - but I didn't think it would matter as I intended to put flowers on that bit which would cover it up.

The reason this happened was because it didn't need to be as long as I initially thought, as it needed to be stretched round the ring. Now the sensible thing to have done would have been to measure it at this point for future reference so that I can plan better next time. Sadly though, I didn't think of that until it was too late.

I started sewing it in place very late last night.

Anyone who knows me well, will know that the one thing I despise more than anything is sewing in ends! There were at least a million of them! For some reason, it didn't really bother me last night. Maybe I was too tired to think too much about it, and I couldn't wait to see how it looked.

It certainly looked a lot neater than I was expecting! I'm not that neat when it comes to sewing up, especially at 3 am.

I think this is my favourite thing I've crocheted so far. If I hadn't been almost asleep I would have started making flowers then! As it was I sorted out the wool I intended to use for flowers etc. I wanted to add some pom-poms but have to admit to being a scruffy pom-pom maker, they usually end up looking like a child has made them - however, in Hobbycraft yesterday looking for Easter related things for my Easter branch, I chanced upon some ready made pom-poms in the kids section - and the colours were similar to the ones I'd used for the ring.

I couldn't wait to "dress" the ring - if only so that it stopped looking like something to relieve the pain of piles.

The  original intention was to completely cover it in flowers and leaves etc. but I loved the rainbow effect so much I decided it would be a shame to cover it up entirely, so I left the top bit empty.

Here it is hanging on the wall...

So far nothing is permanently attached, everything is pinned, so if i decide I don't like the position of something I can move it about. Presumably at some point I will have to sew it all in place - I'm sure that's going to be an annoying, fiddly job - so it will probably stay like this till I need the pins, which will probably be when I start to make the Summer wreath.

I am really excited about making the rest of the seasons. I am particularly looking forward to Autumn, and will be scouring the Internet for acorn patterns! Maybe red spotty toadstools, and some tiny pumpkins!