Knitting & Crochet – Page 4

new afghan in progress

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Carol — 3 Comments ↓

Since it’s a new year I thought I’d start a new crochet project that I can work on a little bit every month (and not feel guilty when I set it aside!). It’s been a long time since I made an afghan (in fact my first real crochet project was a ripple afghan). The time has come to make another, but I didn’t want to go the ripple route again. I wanted something a little more challenging, so I browsed the patterns over at Ravelry. My jaw dropped when I saw this:

KTVSamplerC_medium2 — KTVSamplerC Crochet Sampler Afghan by Marianne Forresta

This was what I had to make: the KTVSamplerC Crochet Sampler Afghan! Conveniently, there are 12 squares — one to make each month. If I’m motivated and/or have the time, of course I plan to do more, but even if I can only manage one per month, I can be snuggled with this next New Year’s Eve.

I don’t enjoy working with the recommended Red Heart yarn, so I’m using Impeccable, which is a store brand at Michael’s Arts & Crafts. It feels just like Vanna’s Choice, but you get a little more yardage for the money. My intention is that this afghan is for Laura’s room, so I chose colors that work well with the lavender walls.

Last night while watching NCIS I started the first square. As you can tell it’s a checkerboard pattern and it is so easy and goes quite fast. Other squares are more complicated, and I’m looking forward to that, too. It’s always nice to expand upon your skills. Are you starting any new crafting projects this year?

crochet cuteness

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

I know, I know… again with the neglected blog. Tonight or tomorrow I’ll make a point to post about the boys’ first day of school. But I just have a couple minutes, so I thought I’d share a photo of a hat I finished up last night. I haven’t been doing much knitting or crochet lately, but over the weekend I help my cousin’s wife try to get the hang of it. I guess this inspired me to start a quick project. Olivia’s Butterfly Hat worked up easily and very quick. I used some mystery yarn I bought years ago and a size I hook. It could be a wee bit longer, but I didn’t feel like ripping it back. Sometimes you just need a little instant gratification.

quickie weekend crochet

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Carol — No Comments ↓

This is the quickest little crochet project! Friday night Drew and Jake were camping with the Cub Scouts, so I decided to whip up a little something for Laura to wear to her cousin’s Baptism. Her outfit was very summery, and just in case it was cool, I didn’t want her to be chilly. I had the pattern for Vickie Howell’s Clo Baby Poncho in my craft binder and thought it would be perfect. Instead of the suggested embellishment, I made a more traditional flower. I was really happy with the result. Here’s Lulu modeling it with her favorite guy:

(Don’t mind her expression. She had just woken up from a nap). I had to use yarn from my stash and the only thing that even vaguely fit the bill in terms of color (I really wanted it to be white, not cream but such is life) is some leftover Bernat Berella 4 I used for my ripple afghan. This resulted in a very heavy garment. Since it’s a little big on her (I made the size 12-24 months version), it should be perfect for the fall. I think it will look adorable with jean or cords and a turtleneck. I think the pattern would be very easy to modify to larger children’s sizes, or even adult sizes. And if you don’t join the chain it would be a very pretty shawl or capelet. I think I’ll make a variation at some point.

wip: connecticut river wrap

Posted on April 25, 2010 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

Is there anything better than shopping for yarn at Webs? Perhaps only shopping with a gift card! Yesterday my mom and I went to my favorite yarn store so I could burn up a gift card that had been sitting in my jewelry box since last Mother’s Day. I fell in love with this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Baby Suri & Silk that I found discounted in the back room. The colors are not my usual palette, but something about them called to me. Plus, the yarn is so super soft. I even caught my dad petting it 😉

While we were there, we saw a dress form “wearing” a white tank with a lacy shawlette over it. It looked so pretty and summery and my mom and I instantly knew that is what this yarn is destined for. I decided on the Autumn Splendor Wrap. I think I might make it just a little bit wider and put an edging on it for my shawl.

And are you wondering about the name? Well, I’m taking a page from my friend, The Garden Belle‘s book. She always comes up with these clever names for her projects. This name is inspired by both the colors of the yarn and the place where I bought it (where I grew up), in the beautiful Pioneer Valley. The Connecticut River runs through it and since you have to cross the Coolidge Bridge (which spans the Conn. River) to get to Webs from my parents’ house… ta-da! There you have it. I also happen to think that the blues and greens look like river and riverbed colors, and the orange looks like a summer sunset. I’m a couple rows into the wrap and so far, so good.

I also bought a few balls of Classic Elite Cotton Bam Boo. I just love the feel of bamboo blends.

Lately I feel very inspired and only wish I had the time to complete projects for my Etsy shop (that I’d planned to launch back in October). I’ve designed business cards and post cards, all with a cute logo. But I have yet to find a reason to put them to use! Someday I’ll find the time. But until then, I’ll keep plugging away one project at a time.

easter greetings!

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

If you celebrate Easter, I hope you’re enjoying the holiday with your family! I thought I would share a few photos of the amigurumi bunny I made for my niece’s first Easter (since she can’t exactly have a chocolate bunny).

A couple months ago I purchased Super Cute Crochet by Nicki Trench. This was the first animal I made from the many adorable patterns in it. I probably should hook up a couple other examples from the book before I start giving my opinions on it, but… While I find that generally the instructions are good, there are a few things I feel are lacking. First: there are no instructions that describe how to sew the pieces together. I winged it and feel that I did an okay job, but I wonder if there is a better way? Also, specific to this pattern, there were no instructions detailing how to make a pom pom. Yes, I know this is something really basic and no I had no problem quickly finding a how-to online. However, if I’m going to shell out money for a book I like it to contain all the information I need to complete a project. That aside, the bunny was fun to make and I’ve promised the boys to move on to projects of their choosing (the alien, naturally). Here are a couple more photos of Em’s Easter Bunny:

See? She likes to read blogs, too. 🙂

dishcloth final tally

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Unfortunately, I was not able to get much crochet time in last week, though I did finish up the last dishcloth that was on my hook. It’s rather badly mishapen! See?

No matter, it will still do the job. My grand total was… eight dishcloths. Not great, but not too bad, either! I’ll probably keep some and set some aside for last-minute gifts. Thanks to Melissa for such a great idea! Now, I’m back to working on Laura’s Easter dress.

tiny baubles dishcloth pattern

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Carol — 11 Comments ↓

How does that song go? Tiny baubles… and some wine… make me happy… make me feel fine!

Oh, wait. It’s tiny bubbles? Hmm. Well, I like tiny bubbles in my wine almost as much as I like this dishcloth pattern. This is one of those “no brainer” patterns that you can work up while watching your favorite TV show and not worry about missing a minute.

This pattern makes a dishcloth that is thick and absorbent, and the baubles have good scrubbing power. I also like that the pattern appears on both sides of the cloth. I hope you enjoy it!

Tiny Baubles Dishcloth

Size: 8″ x 8″

Materials:

Main color (MC): 1 ball of worsted weight cotton (such as Sugar ‘n Cream)

Contrasting color (CC): small amount of worsted weight cotton

Size H crochet hook (5 mm.)

Stitches used:
Ch = chain
Sc = single crochet
DC = double crochet
HDC = half double crochet
Sl st = slip stitch

Body

With MC, Ch 26 (for a larger cloth, chain as many as you need, as long as it’s an even number)

Row 1: SC in 2^nd chain from hook and in each chain across — 25 stitches. Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: SC in 2nd chain from hook, *DC through back loop, SC*, repeat between the *s to the end of the row. Ch 1, turn
Rows 3-21: Repeat Row 2
Row 22: SC to end

Border

Beginning in a corner, join CC and Ch 2. Work 1 HDC in each stitch and row around, working 3 HDC in each corner. Join the last stitch and first stitch with a Sl st. (A picot border would look cute on this too.)

Break yarn and weave ends.

Feel free to use this pattern to make dishcloths to give, sell, or keep for yourself.
I only ask that you include the source (the pattern name and this URL) on the tag.
Please do not repost this pattern on a Web site or in print as your own. Thanks!

shiny happy washcloths

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Carol — 5 Comments ↓

Hi. My name is Carol and I have an addiction to dishcloth cotton yarn. There, I’ve said it. I’ve come clean. But tell me — how can you resist picking up one of the wonderfully yummy, colorful, and cheap skeins of Sugar ‘n Cream yarn? Perhaps you’re a stronger woman that I am. But when I saw that Melissa was suggesting a washcloth create-along, I was pleased as punch to have a nice selection of yarn to work with! Washcloths are my go-to project. They’re quick. They’re as easy or challenging as you want them to be. And they don’t require expensive yarn or lots of concentration (necessarily). And wouldn’t you know? I need to replenish my stack! So for the next two weeks I’ll be working up these babies as well as finishing up Colonnade.

In fact, last night I started and nearly completed a washcloth while watching a couple episodes of Weeds. (We’re getting Season 5 via Netflix). See?

This is the pattern I’m writing up for you. It’s easy and it’s probably out there somewhere already because basically it’s just a crochet stitch, but that’s okay. Here’s a closer peek:

The yellow is a wee bit bright, but it’s very cheerful too. I think paired up with some blue cloths it’ll look great in my newly-painted kitchen. No, it’s not painted yet, but within a month it will be. And I think I’ll be switching the color scheme of all my accessories from burgundy/gold/dark green to blue and yellow. I’m going for more of a French country feel. I have a few things that we bought on our honeymoon in Bordeaux and they’ll all blue and yellow so I’ll be taking those off the shelves. And a while back my mother-in-law gave me some blue glasses she no longer wanted. Those will be perfect along with my white dishes. Voila! Instant kitchen makeover!

rainy tuesday

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

It’s a dreary gray morning out there. It was raining a little when I was waiting for the bus with Jake, but at least the temperature was somewhat warm (all things considered). Today I need to go to the library to return some books and DVDs. I love our little library. They have a monthly fiber arts night that I really want to start attending. They have spinning too (as in spinning yarn, not the exercise, LOL!). I think that’s cool. Our library is super small and not exactly the hang-out place that the public library was in my hometown. A friend eventually became an assistant librarian there and would tell me some of things she overheard teenagers saying. I seem to remember her once telling me she heard a girl talking about simplex herpes. Gotta wonder what that was all about! I doubt that our librarians hear much of that, LOL.

So yeah, I need to head to the library and then the grocery store when Laura wakes up from her nap. I also want to reorganize her dresser today. She still wears a lot of 3-6 month clothes, but the 6-9 month clothes are beginning to fit her and not everything fits in just one drawer anymore. Oh, and I also want to set the bed with the new sheets and bedspread. It is super pretty! I will be sure to post a photo later today. I think I might have to crochet a couple coordinating throw pillows 😉

Speaking of crochet I am going to be posting a pattern for some washcloths that I’ve been making. The credit goes to my mom, actually, and I’m not sure if it’s a stitch or what, but it’s easy and pretty and I love, love, love it so I decided to share. I just want to make another cloth or two to make sure I’ve got it all right. It’s simple but I’ve never written down a pattern before. And last night I bought the last skein of wool I need for Colonnade, so I will be casting on for that today as well. Here’s a peek at the yarn I’m using:

I bought those two hanks of wool from Briar Rose Fibers at the first Sheep & Wool festival I attended three (four?) years ago! They’ve been waiting for a special project and I think this is it. The solid is just Patons Wool in the “mercury” colorway. I am really excited about this project! I think I’m going to work on the shawl for a few days and then go back to Laura’s dress. After a setback (no matter how minor) I like to do something else for a bit and then go back to the project.

Well, I should do something productive like wash the dishes or fold the laundry while Laura is still sleeping!

thinking spring with a new project

Posted on January 8, 2010 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Well, the mercury might be stuck in the 20s and low 30s, and the snow might seem never-ending, but believe it or not, spring is coming! Yes, it will be here. In fact, we’re already making Easter plans so I thought I might start an Easter dress for Laura. My friend Kate (The Garden Bell) wanted a sneak peek, and I did plan on sharing — I was just too tired yesterday to lug out the camera. Last spring I picked up an issue of “Crochet Today!” because I fell in love with this sweet little dress (it was on the cover):

I’m going to use Bernat Softee Baby yarn. The main color will be light purple and the contrasting color is white with specks of purple, blue, and yellow. I just hope the yarn won’t be too “sheddy.” It’s been sitting in my stash drawer and seems like it could already use a run with my sweater shaver. I do like the colors, though:

My only dilemma is the size. I’m not sure whether to make it six months or 12 months. In the past, when I’ve made hats or baby sweaters they tend to come out big. The same thing happened to my mom with a sweater she just made, so I’m leaning toward the six month size. I suppose if it came out really small I could just rip it back and start over. It’s early enough and the pattern doesn’t seem that complicated.

I just feel like I need something more interesting to work on. I still have to finish Drew’s hat, the poor guy. It’s taking forever because I think that crocheting and knitting hats is so boring. I know so many people who love making them but… for some reason I lose interest quickly. Maybe I’ll actually have a chance to start on this over the weekend. Let’s hope so!