Cosmos flower cushion

I’m back to crafting more now that my winter break has begun. One of my winter goals is to create three original crochet patterns, each with different elements that help me practice making them polished. My first one is the Cosmos flower cushion. I just finished a prototype using a gradient yarn cake, and I’ve almost finished writing the pattern. It’s very simple, but has been a good learning experience.

I used a Lion Brand Mandala Sparkle yarn cake and a 4.00mm hook for this practice piece. The finished flower is about 12″ across. 

So far, it has been a great exercise. By this spring, I aim to finish two or three more complicated patterns that I will sell in a new digital shop. I have a ton of ideas, but before I get there, I have to start small.

Meanwhile, I’m still up for the Bloganuary challenge. The recent prompts haven’t interested me much, though, so for my next posts I’ll go rogue and find a few prompts that I fancy in the WP archives.

I’m also planning a couple of short trips within South Korea in the next five or six weeks – no trips abroad are on my agenda until at least this summer. My plan is to see more of the UNESCO world heritage in Korea, and the first stop will be the city of Andong, the capital of North Gyeongsang province.

Andong is famous for open-air heritage museums, and perhaps its most famous attraction is the Hahoe Folk Village (안동하회마을), whose architecture has been preserved from the Joseon Dynasty. I’m super excited to finally visit this amazing cultural center for the first time and share my adventure with you! The best part is I’ll be bringing my dog Bodhi with me.