Do you remember my sofa? You know, the one that I decided to make new covers for… by crocheting them:
crochet cushion covers
Well, I’ve noticed a problem recently… crochet cushion covers aren’t feather-proof. Yes, yes, I know it sounds obvious, but it wasn’t something that I had thought would be an issue, because I assumed that the cushion inners would not leak feathers. How wrong I was. We have feathery dogs, feathery clothes, a feathery carpet… It was bad enough that the chickens were moulting, without the sofa joining in too!
Sam – devourer of zips
So, this weekend I decided to do something about it. The only things wrong with the original (feather-proof) plain covers were some fading and the fact that Sam had eaten the zips. Yes, that’s right, we have a dog that eats zip fasteners… you get used to always hanging your waterproof coat up, but it’s reasonably difficult to ensure that cushions are always out of reach of a determined pup. Anyway, on reflection, I decided that the old covers could be used as an extra layer under the new crochet ones. The fading wouldn’t matter and they wouldn’t need zips because they wouldn’t need to be removable.
My new weapon
The only thing I needed to make the job easier was a stitch-ripper so that I could take the zips out fairly quickly. An investment of £2 yielded one of these and I spent a couple of hours yesterday extracting the chewed zips. I only managed to stab myself once, and I didn’t draw much blood. The covers were washed overnight and are drying now… so I should soon have cushions that don’t moult!
Whilst I was in a mood for taking things apart yesterday, I also frogged the Portland wool neck-warmer. Now I need to decide on a nice simple, loose crochet stitch to use with this yarn. Any suggestions most welcome.
And now, as the rain and hail alternate outside, I’m going to settle down with a big mug of tea, some biscuits and my knitting and watch a dvd… what a glorious way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Ann Pole
/ November 21, 2015Yup, my mum & dads pillows used to leak feathers..
Kitty
/ November 21, 2015I’m with you on this one. I’m slowly getting my parents to get rid of theirs.
nanacathy2
/ November 21, 2015Hope you enjoyed your afternoon. I was knitting and watched War Horse.
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015Yes – first Spatterdash nearly finished and I had smiles and laughter with Steel Magnolias… Mr Snail is away, so I could be indulgent!
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015Gosh I just adore those crochet cushions – every time I see them my heart goes ‘bump’ 🙂 It must be love!! ❤ If you want a really quick and easy knit stitch for your scarf do the buttonhole stitch. [yo k2tog all the way and just k the next row. Tep.] It comes out really light and airy and very pretty, I made three neck warmers last winter this way. 🙂
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015The piece for the back of the sofa is taking a while – each row is so long!
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015One row a week and you will get there!
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015I was going to crochet, but maybe I should knit… not doing very well at making a decision about this!!
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015I’m crocheting a shrug at the moment wit a lovely open stitch in it – another two row pattern – do you want to see that one?
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015Yes please 🙂
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015It’s a hard copy pattern so I’ll write it out here in a moment
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015Thank you!
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015Make required chains and a row of trebles
Row 1: 2 ch *[1tr, 3ch, 1tr] in top of first tr, miss 2tr [2tr, 1ch, 2tr] in next tr. rep from * to second last tr, 1 tr in top of turning ch, turn.
Row 2: 2ch, *[2tr, 1ch, 2tr] in 3ch space, [1tr, 3ch, 1tr] in 1ch space. rep from * to last 3ch space, 1tr in top of turning ch, turn.
Row 3: 2ch *[1tr, 3ch, 1tr] in 1ch space, [2tr, 1ch, 2tr] in 3ch space. rep from * to last 1ch space, 1tr in top of turning ch, turn.
Pattern is rows 2 and 3 repeated until garment is long enough. For shrug initial chains are 56 – that could work for an infinity scarf and just make enough rows for it to be the thickness you want.
I love this pattern, it is pretty and grows really quickly – I made a shrug in three evenings 🙂
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015Or take a photo and e-mail it to me 🙂
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015I didn’t think of that 🙂
thecontentedcrafter
/ November 21, 2015‘Tep’ is correctly ‘Rep’ 🙂
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015🙂
katechiconi
/ November 21, 2015That is the most sheepish and guilty dog face I have seen in a long time… Do you think it’s some sort of dietary deficiency, or simple doggedness?
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 21, 2015She’s part terrier and part sheepdog, so we think it’s just naughtiness… The strange thing is that it’s only small pieces of metal that she chews (she likes press-studs too) but she never touches fabric or yarn or even larger metal objects like knitting needles. Possibly she is just bonkers 😉
katechiconi
/ November 21, 2015I think you have hit the nail on the head there…
Kitty
/ November 21, 2015With a face that makes you melt it’s a wonder she’s even capable of being so cheeky. Zips – that’s definitely a strange one. 😉
youngatfifty
/ November 22, 2015Crochet cushion covers I realised are not very friendly in more ways than one. They look beautiful when they are new but with use, the cushions do not maintain shape, I dont know why it is. First time heard of dogs eating zips 😉
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 22, 2015They are a bit saggy, but I think that the extra layer is going to solve that issue. She is the only dog I have ever met with such an obsession – it’s very strange.
davidprosser
/ November 22, 2015A great way to have spent an afternoon with our recent weather Jan.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx