Crochet Makeover

Hello all! Now that I've got my crochet enthusiasm back again I thought it's about time that I showed you the makeover which I gave one of our old stools a while ago.



We had an Ikea Oddvar stool which had been languishing in the corner of a bedroom, slightly broken and very neglected. It was a sorry sight indeed. Untreated pine, a bit grubby and with a broken stretcher (do you know, I didn't know what to call the horizontal piece of wood that goes between the legs, so I googled it - you learn something new every day, don't you?). Despite all of this I could see its potential, and gave it a good clean and repaired it with a couple of strategically-placed screws. After that I gave it a couple of coats of off-white paint. Already it was looking better.

I'd seen a few crochet-covered stools on the internet, particularly on Pinterest, and decided that I would have a go at making one myself. My favoured yarn was, as ever, cotton and I used lots of small balls of leftover yarn from my stash. I'm afraid to say that I could open a small yarn emporium with my stash so it didn't make much of a dent in it.
Using a size 4 crochet hook, I began by making the top piece which consisted of 16 granny squares. Each square was crocheted in four rows, each in a different colour in treble stitch. I then joined the granny squares by holding the right sides together and crocheting slip stitches. Looking at them now I have to say that my joining looks decidedly wonky in a couple of places, but I'm not too bothered by it - I don't think anyone apart from me notices.



I like my colour selection. At the time I thought I was choosing them randomly, but I realised afterwards that it's mainly reds, pinks, purples and yellows. I must've had a subconscious colour-scheme in mind.

Now it was time to make the sides. I crocheted a border of treble stitch all the way around without adding any extra ones on the corners. This meant that it grew downwards at a right angle to the top piece. 

I made three rows first in red, then pale blue, then lime green. My final row was in purple and I decreased it as I went. I can't remember now exactly how I did it, but my aim was to make the final row much tighter than the others so that the cover would stretch over the top of the stool.

Once I'd finished I fastened off and darned in all my ends, then stretched it over with my fingers crossed (not literally!). To my delight it was a perfect fit! The corners droop over very slightly, but otherwise I'm really happy with it. I guess you could also make a cover for a round stool in the same way, starting it off as a mandala and just letting it grow to the desired size before crocheting the sides. 

Our stool now sits in our living room next to the fireplace where it looks very cosy. The room is decorated in berry shades so the stool fits in nicely, I think. I have been known to get a bit tetchy when people put mugs of coffee or tea on it, though. I don't mind the odd book or magazine on it either, and sometimes I even let people sit on it. 

Before I go I just want to say a big 'thank you' for all your lovely comments on my posts. Reading them is such a pleasure and a thrill every time a new one arrives. They are so interesting, and I love to hear about the things you do and places you've been.

Well, we're heading towards the end of the week and the weekend is nearly here, so it's time to relax and unwind a bit - I'm off to crochet a some more of J's blanket. 

See you soon x