A Crocheted Zigzag Wall Hanging

Sometimes I can plod away on various crafty projects for weeks at a time, head down, disciplined and motivated. But then at other times an idea becomes so lodged in my brain, so tempting and exciting, that I drop everything else to make it, and enjoy every second.

I teased you on Friday with a glimpse of a new crochet project. It did look an awful lot like a scarf, that is true, but I have made a wall hanging. I have been really inspired by many woven wall hangings I've seen all over the place lately, and loved that slightly, wintry, nordic feel of them - the wood, the woolly lines, the tassels - and wanted very much to make one. Not possessing a loom I thought I'd crochet mine instead, and I'm so happy I did. I love the colours, the fringe, even the twig that it hangs from. Angus collected that twig from a recent woodland walk, and I found it in my coat pocket the other day. 

It's hard to gauge scale from these photos but, including twig and tassels, it's 19 cm wide and 29 cm tall. It cost me nothing to make as I used yarn I already had. I used a mixture of Rico Essentials and Annell cotton yarn with a 3 mm hook. This gives a very tight stitch which is actually quite hard work to crochet, but I like the woven, dense look of it. The pattern is adapted from one I've used a few times now, the Zali ZigZag Blanket Pattern from the blog Meet Me At Mikes.

*****

How to:

I made a length of crocheted fabric around 21 cm long by 13 cm wide. I chose zigzags but I think that irregular stripes would work just as well. Before blocking, the crochet looked like this, very bumpy.

But after blocking it's very much flatter, as you can see.

To make the hanging part, I folded over small a small section of the top (which neatly hid the slightly messy first couple of rows) to create a flap, which I stitched in place.

I made it wide enough for my twig, but you could use a piece of wooden dowel. Anything that keeps it straight and rigid would work. 

To hang it, I opted to use some more of the pink yarn. I wrapped it around either end of the twig to secure, then using a needle I threaded the end back on itself under the yarn and snipped the end off. 

I decided to finish it with a fringe of little tassels. I love the way they add length and a slightly alpine, retro look. You don't need to be able to crochet to make tassels, but you do need a crochet hook. I used the same cotton yarn I used in the wall hanging and I've put together a little tutorial for you below.

First, push the crochet hook up into the stitch. Have your tassel looped in half with the loop end by the hook ready to go.

Using your other hand to hold the looped threads steady, catch them on to the tip of the crochet hook.

 Gently pull the hook and yarn threads through the stitch.

 Then draw the long ends of the yarn through the loop...

...and tighten.

And that's all there is to it! Don't worry about the length of your tassels while you work, as you can trim them all to the desired length once you've finished. 

I hope you like it. I'll be back on Wednesday with a lovely giveaway for you.