Tag Archives: crochet

knit night

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

So last night I actually made it to Common Threads, which is the monthly knit/crochet night at my local library. Since my mom was visiting, she came along and we had a great time! I haven’t been crocheting much lately because I’ve been busy working on bows. Let me tell you — it was so relaxing picking up the hook again! The other day I was looking at the beading supplies at the craft shop and thinking about incorporating some pretty beads into a scarf design. Maybe I’ll start on that soon.

In the meantime, I am still plugging away on my afghan. I have three squares done, which isn’t a lot, but I’m meeting my goal of one per month. So at least there’s that! I think I’m going to be working on some hats for a friend who is a photographer. She’s been doing a lot of baby photography lately and wants some fun props. That will be a nice change of pace. I just have to find the right patterns. I’ll be sure to post pictures when I’ve finished them up!

sampler afghan progress: january

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

afghan sampler squares - january progress

Last month I was really motivated to start this project and I completed the first two squares. Both were very quick and easy. The shell square is especially pretty, I think. The only thing that concerns me is that they are very clearly not the same size, even though I used the same type of yarn and the same hook. Since I’m not working on any other knitting or crochet projects, I really don’t think my tension was that different. I mean, I hooked them both up maybe just a couple days apart. Hopefully it will all work out in the end. I suppose if all else fails I can just work up a different square. We’ll see how the next one shapes up in terms of size.

Here’s a close-up of each of the patterns:

Square 1: Checkerboard

square 1: checkerboard

Square 2: Shells

square 2: shell

I loved working up the Shells square and I think it would make a great scarf! Hopefully I can stay on track for February.

new afghan in progress

Posted on by — 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 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.

crochet sampler afghan - progress 1

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?

2011 goals: personal

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

4.

These are all the silly, selfish little goals that I’d like to meet in 2011. The world won’t end if I give up on any of these, but they also are the most fun to think about.

  • Read more books. Unless you count cookbooks, I didn’t do a whole lot of reading last year. Yes, I read my monthly comic books, but I need to start reading more. I’m not going to set down a specific number. Instead, I plan to keep track of the books I’ve read here on the blog. Again — by writing it down, I’m holding myself accountable.
  • Give myself a weekly manicure. My hands and nails look horrible on a daily basis. Something has to be done about this embarrassing situation.
  • Use up the yarn stash. I have a lot of yarn. No, it’s not as much as a lot of knitters I know, but for me it’s quite a lot. So I’d like to use up the bits and pieces in a “stash-ghan” and finish up some other projects that I’ve printed out and stare at on a daily basis.
  • See old friends. Time passes really fast when you have kids. Before you know it, five or six years go by without seeing close friends. It’s such a shame and I hope I can make plans to make it right!

And so, those are the areas where I want to concentrate. If I end the year keeping up with just a few of them, I’ll be really happy!