Blankets

Winter is the best time for blanket making. There's nothing like having a lap full of wool and warmth while I'm crafting. But... I think I have a problem. I`m pretty sure I have at least 5 blankets on the go and another one that I`m planning for.

Some are old WIPs and some are actually getting worked on but slowly. Of the old WIPs, 2 have been on the needles for more than 3 years. I`ve made a goal to get the crochet hexi blanket finished this year and I know that the big crochet granny square blanket will also be completed this year if I stick to my sock making plan. The other`s though...



hexi blanket

I have a quilt top for my niece that's sewn but not quilted. It's my first quilt and I'm totally intimidated by the idea of quilting it. I have another quilt on my vision board. I thought I'd quilt this one as I go and I have a small section done. I really think this will be a beautiful low volume quilt but I'm not inspired to finish it yet. I'm not as savvy with my sewing machine as I'd like to be and I'm honestly a little scared of it.

I'm excited to be starting a new blanket soon. I'm just gathering ideas and supplies right now. My son has been in the same daycare since he was a small baby and now that phase is almost over for our family. I'd like to make something for his caregiver. She's been amazing all these years and I'm so grateful for all the love she's given my littlest.

I'm thinking of a crochet ripple blanket in grey, white, rider green and black. It should be potato chip crafting and hopefully that will be all I need to finish it. I have most of the yarn already. I know once I start it though I won't be making anything else so I'll finish up a few other projects first.

Maybe this is why I live where winter is so long... So I have so much time to work on all these blankets!

granny square blanket

The Rag Rug

This was such a fun project. I'm not sure why I put it down for so long but it took literally 20 minutes to finish it off on Friday.

I blogged about working on this rug last summer. It used up 2 twin sheet sheets, pillow cases too. The Superstar chose blue and orange for her room so I don't think this will work after all but it looks smashing in my laundry room!

I'd like to crochet a few more of these. Mr. Man has put in an order for his new room and I really should make one for the Superstar. These old wood floors can get pretty cold in the winter.

Granny Stripes Blanket

It took me ages to finish this crochet blanket but I finally did last week.

When I first learned to knit my in-laws gave me tubs of yarn. It was great stuff for making baby items and blankets, bright, fun, and washable. So I started making preemie hats for charity and crocheted a blanket for the Superstar. I still had tubs of the stuff... Really, it's a lot of acrylic!

Mr. Man asked why he didn't have a blanket for his bed... Poor little guy right? Of course I jumped into this blanket project right away. I took some (actually a lot) of inspiration from Raili's blog. She crochets these amazing creations and gives them away! I used the pattern from Lucy of Attic 24's blog because crochet and I don't really do well together.

She writes great easy to follow patterns with tutorials! Love those! This blanket ate lots of yarn and my one bin is empty, the other is half full. I think there may be another blanket worth of yarn in there. I still need a blanket for the spare room... and maybe one for the couch... 

Snowflakes

They're coming this weekend. Maybe as much as 10cms. In the meantime while I'm waiting...

I'm making handfuls of these cute crochet snowflakes. You can find a wonderful tutorial here. I'm using whatever white yarn I have in stash, these pictures are aran weight acrylic. I'm also using a much thinner alpaca and a smaller hook.

I have lots of plans for these, from present toppers, to candy cane holders, to a lovely garland for my staircase. I know I'm crazy and feel free to remind me when I'm complaining about the cold next week...

but...

Bring on Winter!

The Rug

I started a rag rug last week out of some old Barbie and Bratz bed sheets that don't fit the Superstar's new bed (and she's totally outgrown Barbie now anyway). I was pretty excited and this is what it looked like...

I was less than thrilled. I think my crochet hook was too small and I increased too much along the curves so it made this terrible wave. No matter how I pulled and tugged and I really pulled and tugged, this rug would not lie flat. So we went to the fair...

I bought a huge crochet hook in the city, frogged the whole thing and started again, using this you-tube video. Thank goodness for you-tube I tell you!

The second attempt is much better. I'm paying attention to my increases and the rug is turning out great! I love how fast it is to make. I'm not finished yet though, it needs more purple and maybe some more pink...

These are addictive and what a great way to use up old sheets or t-shirts! They also look great all over my old house! I'll be making more for sure. In fact Mr. Man asked for one for his room.

crochet mania!

I have been crocheting up a storm lately. Mostly in an attempt to finish this blanket...

I started on the Neat Ripple Blanket back in February. It fits a queen sized bed but will look best on a double (which is what I intended)...

I thought I'd use up all the girly colours of acrylic that my in-laws gave me a few years ago. It's true, what they say about crochet... it does eat up a lot of yarn. I still have a whole big bin left in the basement though.

I originally thought I was making this for the Superstar but Mr. Man is in love with it! I'd give it to him but I started another blanket last night with him in mind.

I'm crocheting another Lucy In The Attic pattern called Granny Stripes. I've chosen many shades of blues and greens, some cream and maybe the last of the black. I also threw in a bright red into the blanket bag. It looks something like this...

I'm pretty excited about it. I hope it doesn't take 6 months like the last one! It may be a post xmas gift!

Bet you think that's the end of my crochet party don't you? Nope. There's more...

I recently ordered a bunch of cotton from Knit Picks called Dishie. It's a new line of theirs and there are so many colours to choose from! I had a hard time picking just 10 (I know that seems like an obscene amount of dishcloth cotton). I could seriously put in an order for another 10... The yarn is soft and the colours are just fun...

I've been eyeballing this pattern for potholders for about a year now. I kept thinking crocheting a circle can't be hard and I'd really like something fun and cute to throw under a casserole dish and save my table... So I ordered all that Dishie to make some.

On a podcast I listen too called the Knitmore Girls they would call this potato chip knitting (bet you can't have just one). I think I may crank out a dozen or so before I get tired of them, maybe more...

Queue Review

here is a peek into my never ending queue...

I thought I'd share another afghan pattern. Seeing as I'm so taken with crochet lately and I'm loving how it uses up yarn and I have 2 kids... I've decided to crochet this pattern as soon as I'm finished the Ripple Blanket. I certainly have enough yarn in my stash for it!

photo by framboise

Another talented lady is crocheting this very blanket right now and I love how it's coming along! Check out Armida's blog, Fairytale Knits.

So what's in your queue?