Sunday, March 28, 2010

It is amazing the difference a week makes.

Seriously folks, I am in such a better place today than I was a week ago. In all aspects of my life I feel like I am much more back on track now.

On the crochet front, things are going swimmingly. I got my sister's swap squares done and sent off. I picked out the yarn for the baby blanket I will start on next week (I am going to actually buy it later this week). I also have made marvelous progress on my step-sister's wedding blanket. I also just realized she's getting married two weeks from yesterday--whoa. I need to go put a wedding card on my shopping list. I should also probably figure out how I am going to mail this thing, eh?

Anyhoo, I am using the pattern Circles to Squares Afghan (available for free at Lionbrand.com). The pattern calls for 24 squares of varying sizes and makes a throw size blanket. I do want this to be a little bit larger than a throw though. So, I bought extra yarn and my first step was to use a larger hook than the pattern calls for (pattern uses a J, I went for a K). After getting all of the squares done, however, and piecing them together, it is still not quite big enough and I still have plenty of yarn leftover, so I am going to add a few more squares: 1 large, 3 medium, and 6 small. I got the large one done yesterday and am going to try to get the medium squares done today and the small tomorrow. If all goes well I should get this blanket finished by Wednesday or Thursday and be able to mail it on Friday. Yay!

Here's a photo of all of the different squares that make up the blanket:


I am really happy with how the colors are coming out.

Well, that's about it for me. This week my goals are to finish this blanket and start on the baby blanket. I may do a quick small project for my cousin as well.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I can't believe Easter is only a week away! Have a super one!

TTFN,
C

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Back at home, but not so much in the game.

Wow, I have been a complete and total bum all week. I did the laundry on Monday and finished up my last trip project, but that is it. Meant to clean the house up a bit, did I do it? Nope. Meant to get my sister's March squares done, did I? Nope. Sigh. I will blame at least part of it on the cold I managed to come down with on our last day in Tennessee. I finally started feeling better (at least to the point where I didn't need to take any medicine) by Thursday, but by then I had just pretty much run out of steam. And now of course, my husband has what I had, so I am trying to take care of him and not catch it again. Whee. Also, yesterday was the first day of spring and it snowed here. What's up with that???? Sigh. Anyhoo. I decided to go ahead and keep up the lazy momentum through today--but tomorrow I am hitting "reset" and will hopefully get back in the normal swing of things.

The trip, however, was a total blast, despite being a bit tiring. We had fun with my husband's grandparents and with my dad and stepmother. The kiddo got ridiculously spoiled, and was, in return, ridiculously well behaved for all of the driving portions of the trip. I was, flatly, amazed. Also, I did manage to get a decent bit of crochet done.

Here was the inspiration for the Gir beanie I wanted to make:


Someone on Etsy is selling this. As you can see, the ears, tongue, and nose are felt, and the "stitching" details and pupils are painted on. I thought that I could probably make the whole thing using crochet, and here's what I came up with:


I am actually pretty proud of it--except for the fact that I feel that the green I ended up using, while a lime green, was way too light a shade. Though it does look much lighter in the picture than in person. I also got some craft wire to stick in the ears so they will stand up straight--though I haven't added them to the hat yet. I used Lion Brand's microspun yarn for this project (in lime and black) and was really pleased with that selection. (The eyes and tongue are just some spare Red Heart sport I had in my stash.)

The other project I took with me was a Bearghan (the pattern is available on Chris Simon's blog). I got all of the pieces made on the trip and when I got home they just needed to be assembled and a border added.

The pattern is pretty well set up so you can use whatever squares you want for the legs/paws and the tummy. So for my blanket I used the Pinwheel square by Chris Simon:


I actually really liked how this square turned out. I think I will definitely be saving this one to use in a full blanket in the future. It's got a really fun texture (achieved using front post double crochets on the left half of each side), and I am finding more and more that I really love patterns with a texture to them.

For the stomach I used Chris Simon's Eternal Braid pattern:


I couldn't get a good photograph of this one, but it has a little texture as well, and is the perfect pattern for a tummy. I do think I will probably only use it again if I make another Bearghan though. I found it a little bit annoying to make.

And here's the finished blanket:


The pieces between the arms and legs are half granny squares and the head is a special asymmetrical square, both are given in the pattern. For the border I did two rows of single crochet around and then did a row of shell stitch. His muzzle came out crooked and his head's a little big, but I think it gives him character and overall I am really happy with how this project came out. I hope my friend's baby enjoys it as well. I used Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice Baby yarn for this in Chocolate Cake and Lamb.

I know I had previously stated that when I got back from my trip I was going to finish up Yoshi and then settle in on my knitting, but then I looked at the calendar. I am still planning to do those, but first I have two more blankets to make. My stepsister is getting married on April 10, and I bought the yarn for her wedding blanket this week, so once I get my sister's March squares done, that is the project I will dig in to. I am going to use the Circles to Squares Afghan pattern for that blanket (available for free on Lion Brand's website).

I also got an invitation to a baby shower for a friend who is due in May--her shower is April 11. So as soon as I finish my sister's blanket, I will begin work on that one. I will be attempting the Tulip Throw, a pattern I have had for a long time but haven't yet tried, for this one.

So that's where I am at. I hope you are all well and having much warmer spring weather than I am! Have a wonderful week!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Okay, maybe just a quick post.

I didn't think I'd get to post this week, but I ended up having some time tonight, so I thought I'd throw y'all a few quick updates.

Here's what Yoshi's looking like this week:


He's getting close to done. Only 11 more rows and the border!

Also, I got my February swap square from my sis this week:


I absolutely love this color combination! I can't wait to see how the other squares she has to send me all end up fitting together!

We hit the road for Tennessee tomorrow. I am taking my Gir hat and Bearghan to work on during the trip.

When we get back I will do my March swap squares first thing, then dive back into Yoshi. I am hoping to get him done by the end of the month, middle of April at the latest! I do have a wedding blanket to make for April (for my step-sister), so I also will be getting started on that soon.

To close up, I know I haven't mentioned anything about my knitting progress lately, but believe me that is still going on. I have just been knuckling down on Yoshi, so my plan is to dive into knitting and concentrate on that once I finish Yoshi and the wedding blanket.

So, that's it for me. I hope you all have a fantastic week!

C