Tapestry Crochet Reveal

Hey! I'm finally ready to reveal my little tapestry crochet teaser I showed in this post.

I've been wanting to try tapestry crochet for ages, but I was too intimidated for a long time.  It just looked so complicated and intricate, and though it sounded easy to do, I just couldn't believe it really would be.
Well guess what... it really is as easy to do as it sounds.

Tapestry crochet is crochet's version of fair isle knitting.  But like most things crochet, it's waaaaaaay easier to do than fair isle. And, as far as I'm concerned, way more fun, too.

So here's my little bag.  Kind of anti-climactic, I know, after making you wait for weeks and weeks to see it.  Well, I have no good excuse except that it didn't turn out quite the way I had planned, and then I couldn't decide how to finish it.  And then I realized that a couple of the yarns I was using were actually thinner than the others which made the gauge go all off and wonky.

You can really see the wonkiness in this picture.  That turquoise and gold colored yarn were both thinner than all the other yarns I used and so the bag sort of indents in that little area.  Nothing huge, but just enough to make me less excited to finish it.

And then of course as soon as I started to make it I realized that if I'd made it a little bit smaller it would have been a perfect Kindle case/carrier.  And then I realized that what I really, really want is a big bag with the same general pattern and maybe fewer colors.  So the enthusiasm factor just kept diminishing until the only thing that could motivate me to finish it was the fact that I'd promised all my loyal blog people that I would show you what it was.  So there you have it.

One thing I'm really glad about is that I finally tried a new technique.  I am such a weeny about trying new techniques.  Isn't that silly?  But I really love the tapestry thing, and I plan to do more of it soon.  So I guess this was more of a practice project.  

Check out this purse I saw in Macy's... 

Pretty wild that I saw this after I'd started on mine.  I think I like the bigger checker pattern and the muted colors of this one better than mine.  

Oh my goodness!

Today I received my potholders from the swap!

Aren't they just SO gorgeous! I love them all, each and every one.  My husband looked at them and said sardonically, "You're never going to actually use any of these are you?"  I promptly assured him that I would, but I left out the fact that it would probably be some time (a few days or weeks or maybe a month) before I do anything but just stare at them and sigh in bliss...

Just look at a close-up of these sweeties...

I mean have you ever seen anything more gorgeous!  And each and every one was beautifully, masterfully crocheted!

I can't believe that they're mine, ALL MINE!

Still here!

Yeah, I've been kind of lazy with the blogging these last couple of weeks, but I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing. (Okay, well, not the whole time.)  For the past few days I've actually been working furiously trying to get my potholders in for this 2011 Potholder Swap.

I honestly wasn't sure I would be able to make it.  I kept going back and forth about which pattern to choose and then I spent a few days trying to decide about whether it was worth all the trouble it would take me, then once I'd decided it was worth the trouble I spent a bit more time trying to decide whether I could actually pull it off or not now that I'd waited until the absolute last possible moment to even start. Ha!

So here's my little lovelies...
(The colors are a bit off here, they're not quite so glaring in real life.)


And here's the back side...


So now I just have to hope and pray that they get there on time, and that the fact that the postage lady absolutely refused to put any more postage on my return envelope than the $3.26 that she says is the absolute limit for first class mail doesn't somehow disqualify me for this swap, because now that I've worked on these suckers until my fingers literally bled, I'm really excited about seeing what comes back to me.  Some of the pictures that have been sent in to the Flickr and Ravelry groups are so stunning that I'm just drooling to get my hands on some of them.

I'm also somewhat obsessed with making some more potholders.
Once my fingers heal and come unclawed from the furious crochet fest.

Here's a close up picture of my favorite one.
Notice the fancy-schmancy tags that my husband helped me make.
(Okay well he didn't so much "help me" make them as much as he just went ahead and did the whole thing.)



PS-
Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my last post.  Ya'll are all so sweet!
I had to postpone that tapestry crochet project to get these potholders done, but I will reveal that one as soon as I can.

(To find out what yarns and patterns I used click on the picture which should take you to my flickr.)