H is for Handmade

2015: A year in yarn

There wasn't too much happening in the crochet/knitting department last year.

I only completed one yarn project in 2015 and it was from the very start of the year. Lately, I have had limited thumb movement and it hurts when I move or even touch them. So using my hooks and needles has kind of been put on hold.

I did manage to crochet a couple of squares for my Tiny Squares blanket but the only completed project was my Anna ripple. I finished it in January and then took a year to weave in the ends. Out of all my ripples, this one is my favorite. All the different colors are so very pretty. My Mom has deemed it the most beautiful of blankets.

: :  Anna {ripple}  : :

Pattern:  Neat Ripple Pattern by Attic24

Yarn:  Knit Picks Brava Worsted

Hook:  5.5 mm (I) 

Finished Size:  51 x 51 inches

Ravelry Page

August 28, 2015

I crocheted a few squares. I pretty much think I remember the pattern now. I made so many tiny squares that my arms and hands are in pain. Growing older is not a good thing when your hobby involves using your hands. Especially when the hands, well my hands, seem to be the first thing that is starting to go.

 August Break 2015: Day 28

August 19, 2015

Leftovers

August Break 2015: Day 19

August 7, 2015

I pulled out an old crochet project that I haven't worked on since the beginning of 2014 and now I cannot remember all the important pattern details. I can't remember what patterned I modified and I didn't make a note of any of it on the project's Ravelry page either. I mean, isn't that what Ravelry is for? 

2014: A year in yarn

I worked on many yarny projects this year but in the end I only managed to complete one. Well kind of. I still have the ends to weave in, but since the fun part was completed in 2014, I considered this project finished.

: : DETAILS : :

Pattern: Neat Ripple Pattern from Attic24
Yarn: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Asphalt Heather, Cobblestone Heather, Dove Heather & Persimmon
Hook (needle) size: 5.5 mm (I)
My Ravelry link: Spooky {ripple} 

Work on the next ripple has begun

I'm so happy that I get to finally use "girl" colors. All my other ripple blankets have been boy blankets. I had fun choosing colors for this blanket. I'm using Brava worsted and the colors are much brighter than I expected. I love it!


I am using a total of 12 different colors in my Anna ripple. First round of color is complete. Just repeating the pattern now.


My social life is pretty much consumed by this blanket at the moment.

Will I finish this blanket in time for Christmas?

The Spookiness is growing

I am about half-way finished with my current ripple blanket. I really need to pick up the pace though because I have a second blanket that I need to make before Christmas.

This is my 5th ripple. I guess I am a bit addicted to them. I have used the same Attic24 pattern for all of my ripple blankets. I really do like this pattern. Not only does it look good but it is very easy to memorize.

One good thing about using the same pattern over and over is that I pretty much know exactly how much yarn I will need and how long it should take me to complete a blanket. However, that doesn't really mean much when it comes to my procrastination issues.

Spoooooky ripple

My new ripple is looking a bit Halloweeny. The dark grey is a little blacker than I had expected. 

The start of a new ripple

I've started crocheting a new ripple blanket. 

Christmas will soon be here, only a few weeks to go if you stop and think about it, and I have 2 blankets to crochet this year.

Three or so years ago I started making one ripple blanket each year to give to one of my nephews/nieces. One of my brothers has 5 kids and so far I have made blankets for 3 of them. This is the year I get to make blankets for his youngest, the twins. I am actually pretty excited that I get to actually make a "girly" blanket this year.



 
I LOVED using Knit Picks Brava on my last ripple blanket. I wanted to use it again but had read online that the yarn now comes from China instead of Turkey. The majority of the reviews were not kind. I decided to just go ahead and order the Brava. So far, it's been okay. I did get some skeins from Turkey and I can definitely see (and feel) the difference. I much prefer the original yarn (from Turkey). But I have to say that even though the new yarn (from China) is much much thinner and kind of shiny, it still feels soft once I have crocheted it.

Have you tried Knit Picks Brava? What do you think of it? 

Y is for Yellow

Since January, when I first started crocheting my mini granny squares blanket, I have been on the hunt for the perfect mustard yellow. A yellow that is not too yellow and not too bright. A yellow that is kind of vintagey and dull.

Do you know how hard it is to find a DK weight acrylic/acrylic wool blend yarn in a mustard yellow? Every time I found a yarn that would work, it ended up being discontinued.

I thought I had lucked out when the same brand of yarn that I am using for this project came out with a "gold" color. I ordered it and waited patiently for it to arrive from England. When I got my first look at the yarn, I knew deep down that it wouldn't work. I crocheted up a square and attached it to the others and I just didn't like it. It was not yellow enough.

The hunt continues...

This is NOT the mustard yellow I am looking for.

I am looking for something more like this.

              2013 A to Z post :: Y is for... Yesteryear 2011 A to Z post :: Y is for... xyz

G is for Granny

G is for Granny squares (and sometimes circles).

One of my current crochet projects is a year-long mini granny square blanket. By the end of the year, I hope to have enough squares completed to cover my bed or at least enough to cover myself.

I really do hope I finish my mini granny square blanket. My track record on personal crochet projects is not very good.

You see, a few years ago... 

Okay, I will just say it. Back in 2010 (that's 4 years ago people!) I started crocheting a granny circle blanket. I'm still working on it. Well, that is if you call sitting in a bag in the back of the closet, working on it. Then yeah...I'm working on it.

 2013 A to Z post :: G is for... Groan 2011 A to Z post :: G is for... Goals

Crochet Mood Blanket 2014

Back in December 2013, way before Christmas, I came across an Instagram photo asking if anyone wanted to join in on a crochet along.

I have been wanting to crochet a plain granny square blanket for awhile now and this sounded like the perfect opportunity to do so. Plus, it's kind of cool that it is another daily 365 project. I really seem to be drawn to those.

I really love the look of plain mini granny squares so I decided that that was what I was going to make. Since the squares are much smaller (only 3 rounds), I am pretty sure that I will have to crochet at least 2 granny squares a day in order to make a blanket big enough that will fit on top of my bed.

Since I am expecting this to be a large blanket I didn't want it to get too heavy. My grandmother once crocheted for us a king-sized bedspread with worsted weight yarn and it was so heavy that you could barely move when you were under it.

So, I decided to use a DK weight yarn. This gave me a great excuse to finally try Stylecraft yarn. The only bad thing about using Stylecraft is that it is not available in the United States. But thank goodness for the Internet, I was able to place my order online. Then came the wait.....Royal Mail (and Customs) sure are slow when it comes to shipping to the U.S. It took 15-17 days to get my orders. Normally, the wait probably wouldn't have been so bad, but I was impatient to start.

I was so excited when my first order of yarn got here. I really do like the Stylecraft and I am glad that I chose to use it. The colors are so pretty and the yarn is really soft. I was so happy when I finally got to start crocheting those squares.

But, since I am joining the squares as I go, I have had to put a hold on working on my blanket for the past few days. The main reason being that I was waiting for the remainder of my yarn to arrive and also due to me failing in my quest to find yarn in a muted, vintagey mustard yellow. Who knew finding an acrylic DK mustard yellow would be so hard?

But luckily the last 3 skeins of yarn arrived in the mail today, YAY! All that is left now is to find that mustard yellow. Any suggestions?

2013: A year in yarn

I worked on lots of yarny projects this past year, but only managed to complete two yarny projects in 2013. Yep. That's right. Only two.

My first completed project in 2013 was a knitting project. I finally finished knitting my first pair of socks. YAY! And to think it only took me 1.5 years to do it. I finished the first sock back in 2012 but since a pair of socks is not considered finished until there are two, these socks were not officially done until 2013.

: : DETAILS : :

Pattern: A Nice Ribbed Sock by Glenna C. 

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Jacquards in Aqua Jacquard

Needle size: US 2.5 - 3.0 mm

My Ravelry link: The sock attempt

My other yarny project for the year was another crochet ripple blanket. I guess I should just call it my annual ripple blanket, as I plan to continue to make these until I run out of nieces and nephews, and since that will not be happening any time soon, I see a lot of ripples in my future.

I finished crocheting this blanket on Christmas Eve but to be honest I still have to weave in the ends. So technically, even though it may not REALLY be finished, I am going to say that it is.

For this ripple, I used KnitPicks Brava Worsted and I have to say that this is my favorite acrylic yarn so far. It is so soft and I really enjoyed working with it. I think it even makes my crochet look better. I had originally planned to crochet a border on this blanket but the ends of the rows ended up being perfect. I have never had such perfectly crocheted row ends on a blanket. Ever. There was no way I was going to cover those up.

: : DETAILS : :

Pattern: Neat Ripple Pattern from Attic24

Yarn: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Peacock, Cornflower, Dove Heather, Brindle

Hook size: US 5.50 mm (I)

My Ravelry link: ... {ripple}  

I look forward to being a lot more crafty in 2014. I have lots of new (and old) yarny projects already in the works.

Announcement

There are only 20 crochet days left until Christmas.

Hello November

Some days it seems like there are just not enough hours in the day. Actually, I don't think there are. It's dark when I leave work and there are just a few hours left in the day to do stuff. Any stuff. Like creative stuff. Or clean my house stuff.

It's pretty much my own fault. I get to work later than I used to and so I then have to stay later. I am so not a morning person. Even if I get up early I somehow still manage to get to work around the same time every day. Give or take an hour. Working late means I miss the sunset. I hate missing the sunset.

Today I arrived at work a little earlier and so I got to leave work a little earlier than usual and the sun still had already set. I guess I missed it by 15 minutes or so.

Yesterday, I learned that November is Art Every Day Month. Did you know that? This is a challenge started by Leah over at Creative Every Day. I like the idea of being creative every day. Being creative makes me happy.

Today's creative endeavor is my crochet ripple blanket. It is growing slowly. Very slowly. For some reason I keep messing up. 

The Christmas countdown

The countdown to Christmas has begun.

The yarn I ordered and have been waiting for arrived days before it's expected delivery date. Yay!

So, I was able to start crocheting this year's ripple blanket a day or two sooner than I had expected.

This is my first time using KnitPicks Brava Worsted. I love this yarn! It is so soft. I think I found my new go-to yarn to use for blankets. There are so many colors to choose from and the amount of yarn you get for the price is actually better than the local stores. At least the local stores around here. My only fear is running out of a color too close to my Christmas deadline and having to order it and wait.

I really like how all these colors look together. The colors are definitely more 'boy' than 'baby'. Now all that's left is to figure out what to name it.

It's that time again

It's that time of year. Time to be working on those yarny Christmas presents. But here it is the middle of October and I haven't even started.

I have always wanted to make my nephews and nieces something special just for them. I decided crochet blankets would be the best thing for me to make.

My Grandmother used to make us all Christmas presents and there is just something about that memory that has stuck with me. My brother still has the quilt she made for him from when he was a teenager. Listening to the way he still talks about it, all these years later, I think it is probably one of his prized possessions. So, I decided to start with his family.

But there are just so many of them! So, I decided to spread out the yarny love and choose only one child per year to make a gift for.

This year I am going to crochet a ripple blanket. I have crocheted a ripple blanket for the past two years and this year is not going to be any different. 

First, Nephew 1.0 got the Brownie {ripple}. 

Then, Nephew 2.0 got the Blueberry {ripple}.

And now, Nephew 3.0 will be getting a ripple blanket of his very own.

But this year I wanted something different and something softer than what is available at the local chain stores. Plus, it was a better value to order my yarn online. So I did. Let me tell you.... ordering yarn online is hard! I am worried that the colors I chose are more 'baby' than 'boy'. 

I am trying not too worry too much about the super late start. This is the first year that I don't have to worry about studying at the same time so I should have a lot more free time available to work on it.

Now if only that yarn would hurry up and get here!

So what do you think? Is this yarn more 'baby' or 'boy'?

V is for Varicolored

2011 A to Z post :: V is for... Verdigris

My 2013 A to Z posts

 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z