Altering a Pattern

Does anyone else do this? I bought that “Wrapped in Warmth” pattern from ELK Studio and I absolutely love it! In the short time since I’ve purchased the pattern, I have made 2 shawls with it.
I decided (kind of last minute) to make a shawl for a friend that was having surgery tomorrow and decided to use the pattern again. As I was making it, I thought that it might be quicker and use less yarn if I omitted the repeating 3 solid dc rows. It was! I also omitted the last 3 rows of edging, but still love the finished look. What do you think?
I used a 5.5mm hook and 2 1/2 skeins of “I Love This Yarn – COLORS” in Morningstar. I bet if I had used a solid color, I probably could have finished the shawl with only 2 skeins as they seem to be bigger, but I really liked this yarn…or rather I loved it!
What do you all think about my changes?

Wrapped in Warmth

I don’t often buy patterns, but when I saw this, I knew that it was one that I would use over and over. And I have! I am now making my 3rd shawl with this pattern and altering it a bit so that it will use less yarn. I will post pictures of that one soon (I hope). This was the first “Wrapped in Warmth” shawl by ELK Studio (found on ravelry) that I made. I used Isaac Mizrahi yarn and a 5mm hook.
These are pictures done by my  photographer friend. Just goes to show how important a good picture is to marketing your items! Thank you Christina from http://www.beeskneesphotographync.com for the wonderful photos! Please go check out her beautiful nature photography as well.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/239568980/golden-threads-crochet-bridal-shawl

“Finger Knitting” to a Granny Shawl

School started again this year for us here in North Carolina. We welcomed a new group of nervous and excited 1st graders 2 weeks ago. The school where I work is a nature based school and we integrate so much more into our days! One of the new skills that many children enjoy learning is “finger knitting” (which is actually just crocheting without a hook). It’s such wonderful fine motor work and the kids are so excited when they create necklaces and bracelets. My daughter is a 2nd grader at the school and has been enjoying this activity for a while now.
The other night, she asked to learn how to crochet with a hook! It probably wasn’t a great idea to start right before bedtime, but I managed to patiently teach her to do a few chain stitches with guidance. Before I knew it, she was stitching along on her own. Since Friday night she has chained several long strands and has fastened them to doors and chairs and across rooms. It’s like a limbo arena in our house right now, but for the love of crochet, I am allowing it 🙂

This strand goes from the stairs to the front door 🙂
As for me, I’m still creating as well. This was a custom order for one of our new students. I just love the colors!

I used I Love This Yarn in “Secrets” for the main body of this shawl and “Razzleberry Sparkle” for the trim.