Much better...

So I sat down the other day and ripped out what I had done for both iterations of the baby blanket and then played around to find something new.  I think I have managed to stumble across something that will work for me.  

I am going to do a twist on the normal granny square, working it side to side from corner to corner rather than in the round.  So far I am pretty happy with it, so fingers crossed that this keeps up.

Now I am off to work on the blanket while sinking myself deep into the world of Jane Austen.  Good times.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Turns out the Jungle Fun blanket...not so much fun.

Okay, I know I missed my post this week, but there are reasons.  Let me 'splain...

I started my second baby blanket, based on the stitch from the Serene Shell I recently finished, a week ago this past Sunday (um, I think that was on Easter).  I got this far in one evening:

Then I went to work on it some more the next day, got one row added, and realized that I was kind of bored with the pattern and it probably was not going to work for an entire blanket.

Having four skeins of yarn to use, I grabbed another one and started doing a granny square type pattern instead to see how that looked, and this is what I got:

But I wasn't completely happy with this iteration either.  So I set them both aside for a day to give it some thought on where I would go from there....and got totally wrapped up in the book series I am reading (Wheel of Time) and haven't done any crochet since.  

Last night, however, my cat decided to intervene in my attempt to escape from my creative block:

So I find myself with no choice but to try again.  My goal for this weekend is to get a firm restart on this blanket, and if I am still not making any headway I think I may pick up a different project to work in the interim.

And that's where I'm at.

Hope you're all having a good one, and have a fantastic weekend!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a blessed and wonderful day.  

There's not too much to report over here.  I finished my baby's Accepted Blanket this week, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  The only real "issue" I have with it is that because I switched to single crochet for the color bands, it pulled in a little on the edges making the center puff up a bit.  But that will hopefully calm down in use and washing.  Other than that I think it's pretty awesome, and I have sealed my kiddo's fate as a nerd before she even has been born.  (Insert evil laugh here.)

Here's a shot of the finished object:

And a closer shot of the color bands:

For anyone that's interested here is how the pattern ended up turning out.  If you want to make your own Accepted blanket you can follow this or if you just want to make your own hexagon baby blanket, this works pretty well and you can play with the colors however.

1. Chain 3, join with slip stitch to make a ring.
2. Chain 3, 11 double crochet in ring, join with slip stitch to top of chain 3 (12 dc).
3. Chain 3, double crochet in same stitch. 2 double crochet in each stitch around, join with slip stitch to top of chain 3 (24 dc).
4. Chain 3, double crochet in same stitch. 1 double crochet in next stitch, 2 double crochet in next stitch (6 dc over 4 stitches), chain 2.* Repeat from * to ** around, using a double crochet instead of first chain 3, join with slip stitch to top of chain 3 (36 dc, 6 chain 2 spaces).
5. Rows 4-28: Chain 3, double crochet in each stitch around. Double crochet, chain 2, double crochet in each chain 2 space. Join with slip stitch to top of chain 3 (should increase by 12 dc each row).
6. Row 29: With Blue, chain 1, single crochet in each stitch around. Single crochet, chain 2, single crochet in each chain 2 space. Join with slip stitch to top of chain 3.
7. Row 30: Repeat row 29.
8. Repeat rows 29 and 30 in Green, Yellow, Red, White, Grey, and Brown (2 rows of single crochet for each color).
9. Finish off, weave in ends.

I used Vanna's Choice yarn and it took four skeins of white and about a third of a skein for each of the other colors, so ten skeins needed in all.  I used a size G hook.  

This week I plan to get my April swap square done and mailed off and also to start on my next baby blanket project.  There are two patterns I am considering for the second baby blanket, I just need to see which will work best for the yarn I've got, so details about that will be forthcomming.

Again, I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Until next time, 

C

April showers bring...squares!

Well, as promised, now that it's April, here are the March squares my sis and I did for our swap.  The pattern chosen by my sis for March was the "Dream Catcher" by Sherri Welch.  

Here is the square I made:

And here is the square my awesome sister made for me:

I fear her blanket is going to end up a much more simple one than mine, but hopefully the love that went into it will count for something.  Besides, the squares I am making are machine washable and dryable--where hers can't be put in the dryer, so...well...yeah.  It balances out?

Oh well, we're both going to end up with an awesome sister-made blanket at the end of this experiment and I for one think that's pretty sweet.

Our square for April was my pick this month and I chose the pattern "Windowpane" by Chris Simon.  I am still trying to plot out the colors for this one, so I haven't started it yet, but will hopefully have it done by week's end.  Oddly enough, I did figure out already which pattern I want to choose for June and exactly how I am going to make that square.  Heh, I even made myself a little pattern swatch so I don't forget.  Go figure.  

Other than that, I have started on my first baby blanket for my baby.  It's called the "Accepted Blanket" and for those nerds out there it is based on the dresses that the Accepted wear in the Wheel of Time.  For those that aren't familiar with the Wheel of Time (and if you liked The Lord of The Rings books, you might want to give this series a try, it is high fantasay and quite awesome, but lengthy.  There are 11 books out so far and it looks like three more to come), here's a quick glimpse at what it is going to look like:

The Accepted are students in the White Tower and there's a very circular theme to the whole series--so I had originally thought to make this blanket round but wasn't really sure I could do a whole blanket that way, so I decided to go with a hexagon to give it a round feel but make it easier in the working.  Once the main portion of the blanket (all white) is completed, I will do two rows of single crochet (the main body is all double crochet) for each color of the seven "Ajahs" in the series (the different groups in the Tower).  So...basically, white blanket with a border of seven different colored bands.  

That's all I've got for you folks today.  I hope you all have a wonderful week, take care.

J'ai fini!

Happy April y'all!

For some reason yesterday I just got totally inspired and completely finished up my sweater.  I have no idea what came over me...heck I even started my next project.  Now if only I could get that burst of energy when it comes to cleaning my house, right?

Anyway, sorry, I got distracted.  Some lady on The Price Is Right just won three grandfather clocks.  What does someone do with three grandfather clocks?  

Okay, back on track.  Here are some photos of the finished product, yay!

This one is just the sweater:

Here is a close-up shot of the edging.  It was just two rows of single crochet around all of the openings (armholes, neckhole, and bottom), but it looks really cool:

Here's a "model shot" for you:

It's a little blurry, so here's another that's a bit more clear, and closer in:

As you can see there is a little bit of stretching (mostly in the belly and bust area--which are larger than normal at the moment due to the baby)--but other than that it actually fits (or will in a few months, anyway).  I am so proud of me!  I had originally wanted this to be a summer top, but I actually think this might end up being a cute vest to wear over polos and button down tops.

Again, this was super easy to make, without looking super simplistic in design.  I totally recommend this for a first time sweater-maker in the crochet arena.  

The pattern was the "Serene Shell" pattern, available for free at Lion Brand's website.  I used the LB Collection Cotton Bamboo yarn in Snapdragon.  I really do like this yarn.  It is affordable and very easy to work with (as long as you pay attention to where your hook goes).  I will probably be using this yarn for future projects for sure.

Anyway, I just got excited that I finished already and wanted to share.  As it is now April (how did it get here so quickly???) I will post my March swap squares this weekend.  The pattern for our April squares is one of my favorites, Windowpane.  I will get that done today or tomorrow most likely.  

When I post this weekend I will also tell you more about my new project--a blanket for the baby.  It's kind of exciting for both my crochet and nerdy selves, so I am super jazzed about it.

Well, that's all I've got for now. 

Have a safe (and hopefully prank-free) April 1!

C