Sunday 26 March 2017

The Virus Shawl gets an outing

Remember the Virus Shawl? Finished, washed and blocked and just needed some good photos so I could put it on Folksy?
Well, today turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, so I trotted off to Hilliers for a bit of a walk and view the magnolias which are all in flower and looking their best (more of them another day - it will take me a while to sort through the hundreds of photos I took!!). As I was going out the door, it occurred to methat it might be the perfect opportunity for a photo shoot! The shawl folds up surprisingly small and fitted in my rucksack nicely - although it tried to escape when I stopped for lunch!


After finishing my picnic, I lay it this way and that on the bench in the sunshine - it was pretty windy though and kept blowing off! While I was arranging it a lady stopped to chat. She was also a crocheter and was wearing a gorgeous granny stripe cardigan and we had a lovely chat about crochet that I would never have expected to have at Hilliers!
(I realised afterwards that Sandra of Cherry Heart has been making that same cardigan recently - I hope it wasn't her and I didn't recognise her!! If it was, I do apologise...)

Anyway, here it is spread across the back of a bench in the Winter Garden.

Tina's Allsorts, The Virus Shawl

Then I tried it draped over the arm.

Tina's Allsorts, The Virus Shawl

Next I hung it on a bush!

Tina's Allsorts, The Virus Shawl

Then I found a handy piece of string stretched between two trees. Like you do.

Tina's Allsorts, The Virus Shawl

 I tried it hung on a branch with primroses underneath and heather in the background.

Tina's Allsorts, The Virus Shawl

Finally, I tried another branch. This one was a bit more public though - in the magnolia garden where everyone was headed today... I did get some strange looks! 

Tina's Allsorts, The Virus Shawl

Confident I had at least one usable shot, I headed home.  I decided to stop off in Romsey on my way for a quick bit of shopping and decided to show it to the lady in the shop where I bought the wool (King Cole Riot DK in Rainbow). She recognised the pattern straight off and was very envious that I'd made it and asked lots of questions about the pattern. We chatted about this and that, discovering that we read some of the same blogs even! 
I then told her I actually had it with me as I'd been taking photos so I could advertise the shawl for sale - and before I knew it she'd bought it!! I wasn't expecting that! 

Whilst I'm really pleased to have sold it - especially to someone so nice - I was rather hoping it might give me my first Folksy sale.... Maybe I'll make another - but not in that exact wool as I really didn't enjoy working with it, even thought it's supersoft when washed and an amazing colour.

But it won't be my next project. You know what the next new project will be - the Baby Blanket, made using James Brett Supreme soft & Gentle baby DK. Yes - the wool has arrived in the shop already!!!!
I have a couple of photos of it being unpacked at the shop but they're on my phone, so I'll pop back later with them and some shots of my colour choices.

Enjoy the sunshine again today!! T xXx



6 comments:

  1. What a coincidence, I have just discovered your blog and I also live in Hampshire and have just started a virus shawl using King Cole Riot. I love the way your shawl has turned out and I love your gorgeous photos of it and the way you used the lovely surroundings at Hilliers to show it off in its full glory. I haven't been very active on the blogging scene this year because of a very stressful time so far but hope to get back to it very soon.

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  2. Thank you for your kind words - and taking the time to leave a comment!
    I hope you enjoy making your shawl! Whilst I liked the pattern and the resulting shawl, I didn't like working with the wool very much - it would be interesting to hear what you think.
    I love it at Hilliers, so it did seem the perfect backdrop - I did get some looks though!
    I hope life gets better and you find time to blog again. I'll have to take a look!!
    Thanks again, Tina xx

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  3. Hello again Tina, I have used quite a lot of King Cole Riot recently. I made a scarf with it and put a photo on Facebook (not intending to sell) and I suddenly got ten people asking if I could make them one. However I had a few balls left over and decided to have a change from scarves hence the virus shawl. I am not sure it is something I will wear myself but I am hoping to do a couple of craft fairs in the Autumn to make a bit of pocket money once I retire from my job as a School Finance Manager in the Summer. I have been disappointed with the latest batch of Riot, lots of joins and it is so frustrating when the colour sequence does not match up, lots of wasted yarn! The first couple of batches I purchased seemed to be ok so perhaps I have just been unlucky. I am enjoying looking through your blog at your lovely work - I really must get back to mine but time seems to have got away from me just lately. I notice you have a Folksy shop and wondered how you find it - I am thinking perhaps I would open an Etsy shop but still contemplating at the moment. xx

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  4. Hi Jan,
    Can you send me a private email so I can reply please??
    Thanks! Tina

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