Craft Crop

Today was a fun day. Mom and I went to a Craft Crop fundraiser at the cancer center here in town. If you’ve ever been to a Scrap Crop, then you know the basic idea. Bring your stuff, grab a table, and get to work on your craft.

And if you are lucky, make some new friends and chat up a storm!

This was my workspace. Bet you didn’t guess that I was crocheting…well if you are a regular reader of my blog then you probably did guess!

And this was Mom’s workspace:

(this was before she really got going on her project and really spread out…)

I took my spiral granny and added a few more rounds but my solid granny squares were speaking to me today. They said to me, “Crochetbug’s blanket is inspiring. Play with US!”.

Each ‘square’ will have a solid granny as the center. But then where it goes from there is a surprise!

The pictures above are what I have done so far. The square with the triangles is still in progress of having the edges straightened out before it gets attached.

They had several raffles, auctions, and a decorate a bra contest. Here was my entry, titled “Catch the ‘pests’ early and keep your roses blooming”.

Paradise Rescue – Mint Neapolitan Ripple

The Mint Neapolitan Round Ripple is finished and delivered!

It is an 18 point round ripple using Red Heart Super Saver. I modified the 12 point pattern I’ve used in my other round ripples.

It ruffled a little bit but not too badly in my opinion. Final dimension was 42″ across at the valleys and 45″ at the points.

The blanket will be up for auction tonight at Paradise Animal Rescue‘s Warm Paws Gala. I’m not sure if it will be part of the silent auctions or the live auction, but I hope it helps bring in some much needed money for the Rescue.

Colorful Squares and Mint Neapolitan Round Ripple

Lets start 2012 off with a bang!

First up, progress on my Colorful Solid Granny squares that I actually started at the end of 2011.  I ended up taking apart the medium squares that I had assembled (thankfully only put together two medium squares) and have just these small squares. I’m using all Bernat Satin Solids so far, but I may end up using Red Heart Super Soft as the final border for each square, whipstitch, and blanket border depending on if I can find a good bright yellow in either yarn.

Here they are all stacked up:

Finished small squares:

 

Saltines and small squares still needing weaving:

I still have a LOT more squares to make. But doesn’t all that look nice and bright!

 

Friday night I was on Facebook and noticed that the rescue shelter, Paradise Animal Rescue, that we adopted our Pixie from was sharing information about their annual fundraiser.  It’s February 25th and they are doing silent and live auctions. And they are taking donations of items for the auctions. Well of course I had ideas start running through my head: What can I make to donate for the auction? Well, a blanket of course! (And I checked with one of the main volunteers/vice president of the shelter and he said that blankets were acceptable donations). But, can I get it done in time… if I do a round ripple I can! (depending on work of course).

So I started this late Friday night and put a little work into it last night. Mint Neapolitan Round Ripple:

It’s going a little slower than my other round ripples because I made some alterations to the 12 point round ripple pattern that I’ve been using and turned it into an 18 point round ripple, so I have to check after each round to make sure it’s not curling or ruffling bad.

 

Mint Neapolitan RR is made using Red Heart Super Saver in: Lt Raspberry, Frosty Green, Cafe, and Pink Camo.

Goals for 2012

Since I did a recap of 2011, it’s only fair (I think) to do a Goals for 2012 post as well.

For 2011, I crocheted 6 blankets that were for donation to a cancer center. Time got away from me though (my own fault) and I did not get them to the cancer center before 2011 ended, so they will be the first donation made in 2012.

 

Crochet Goals:

• This year’s goal is to aim for 10 donation blankets. Again, my work schedule will be the deciding factor as to if I get that many made, plus whether or not I have baby showers/wedding showers to make any for. And if I get any more custom orders for blankets, scarves, or whatever else crocheted.
• Another goal is to use up more of my yarn stash than I buy. Hard to do though, isn’t it? All those skeins of yarn in the stores, calling our names, saying please save me. And of course, sometimes you need a specific color to match what you have at home, and while you’re there looking you find those three orphan skeins looking for a home. It’s not right to leave them behind, is it?
• I also want to learn a few more patterns and stitches this year, even if I don’t do much with them other than practice swatches. You never know when that experience will come in handy down the road.
• While we’re on that subject, I think I want to set a goal of trying to create my own patterns as well. Why not, right? The worst that happens is that it doesn’t work out and I hide the attempts away in the cupboard!

 

Non-crochet related goals include:

• Painting the kitchen, putting up a tin tile backsplash (saw it in a decorating book), changing out cabinet hardware. Basically trying to freshen up our kitchen that was decorated years ago by an 80 year old lady.
• Practicing more with canvas painting and wood painting. I think the wood items are more forgiving and turn out better, but the canvas is fun!
• Getting back into writing more – I have a story running around in my head and I need to write it down before it disappears to show up in someone else’s brain.
• Making my fabric butterflies and maybe dragonflies to hang on my Wife Cave walls.
• Experimenting more with cooking.

 

What are some of YOUR goals?

Scarves for Donation

I found out today that my work is collecting hats to donate this winter. I think they are also collecting scarves so I started a fast and easy two-strand scarf tonight. Using an N hook and Caron Simply Soft yarn in Grape and Watermelon:

I also have another scarf I had started for a co-worker awhile ago but had to stop and change to a different yarn because this didn’t quite meet his color request. Using an I hook and Deborah Norville yarn in (I forget the name…oops! But it’s a gray, black, red variegated). I am using the same pattern shown in this scarf:

Peppermint Ribbons and Yarn

Look at all that yarn. Isn’t it gorgeous? Doesn’t it make you want to pick up a hook and get to work? I know it does for me! I already have several blankets filling my mind using all my new yarn plus what yarn I have down in the Wife Cave already. JoAnn Fabrics had a GREAT sale online last week. With shipping added, the yarn per skein was still cheaper than the sale price IN store! How could I pass that up?? It is all Bernat Satin and Red Heart Soft (two of my current favorites) which work very well together, which opens up a lot more options.

 

Lovely gorgeous variegateds. All of these are variegated yarns that I didn’t even know they offered, as I’ve never seen them in any stores. I don’t know which one I like best! But they all intrigue me with the possibilities.

 

And what do variegateds need to help showcase their beautiful colors, but solids! I did not purchase as many solids, as those are more common in the stores and can be picked up as needed (plus I DO have a lot of solids already…). The tangerine there in the middle is calling my name. Hm, what shall I do with that bright color?

 

By now you may be asking, well what about the Peppermint Ribbons in your blog title? What’s that about?

I’m glad you asked!  I’d like to introduce to you… Peppermint Ribbons! My newest blanket project. I’m loving the way this looks, but it is more time consuming than the other blankets I’ve done lately.

This pattern is inspired by Attic24’s Ripple Ripple pattern. I did start out doing a ripple with just these two colors, but I wasn’t happy with how it was looking so I set that aside (because who knows, I might go back and work on that too someday) and started over.

Using only Red Heart Soft in Wine and White. First ‘ribbon’: 2 rows HDC in Wine, followed by 1 row SC in White, then 2 rows HDC in Wine. Next ‘ribbon’ is the opposite: 2 rows HDC in White, followed by 1 row SC in Wine, then 2 rows HDC in White.  Oh I’m also working in either front loop only or back loop only, depending on if I have the right side or wrong side facing me. I want to have the front loop showing for each row on the right side, as I think that adds an interesting element to the blanket.

This blanket is slated to be added to the donation pile, but it’s also calling my name fairly loudly. I may have to make another one, maybe in different colors, for myself.

Round Ripple #2 – Finished

I just finished working on round ripple #2!  Using the same round ripple pattern as my first round ripple and the yarn Bernat Satin, in the colors: Bordeaux, Fern, and Faded Glory Ombre.  Took roughly 5 evenings to finish this one.

This is Donation Blanket #6 – Strawberry Fields.

If you saw the first round ripple that I did, do you recognize anything else about this one besides being the same pattern?

The variegated yarn is the same yarn! With the first round ripple, I picked the lighter colors of the variegated to be my solids. With this one, I picked the darker colors of the variegated.

I can’t decide which one is my favorite. They both appeal to me in different ways.

I have yarn sitting in a tote next to me for the next blanket that’s on the list, the girly girl one for my co-worker’s daughter. But that one will have to wait until tomorrow.

A Change In Plans…

Donation Blanket #6 just wasn’t working for me. And I finally figured out what it was. It’s not the pattern, I like that. And it’s not the color combo, because I like that. The problem? They are winter colors, and I’m NOT ready for winter! It was depressing me to work on that blanket.

So, that meant a change in plans for Donation Blanket #6. The Bernat Satin heather colors are being put in a bin and set aside until a time when it is already winter (or even next summer when I need to ‘cool off’) and I’ve started a different Donation Blanket #6.

This will also be done in Bernat Satin, in the colors: Bordeaux, Fern, and Faded Glory Ombre (oh yes, Faded Glory has popped up again in another blanket!). Not sure what those colors look like? Well of course I won’t leave you hanging! Here ya go:

And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a glimpse at the blanket being made, would it?

A couple days ago I was at JoAnn Fabrics and they had some totes that I’ve been eyeballing finally on sale, 50% off.

I picked up 2 green and 4 pink (that’s all they had) and they fit perfectly on my 6ft tall bookshelf where I keep “most” of my yarn. I want to pick up more once they restock. My estimate is that I can fit 12 of these containers on the bookshelf and have room for yarn tucked between on each shelf as well (or WIPS). Another bonus to these totes… I can sort them by projects and when I want to switch projects, just swap out a tote!

The best part about the 50% off sale? I had a text coupon as well for 20% off my entire order, sale items included!!!

Other crochet news on my end:

I’ve been asked to make another scarf, this one in gray and black, for a co-worker.

Then another co-worker asked me if I could make a blanket for her 3 year old daughter (she said she’d pay, I just need to figure out a price). Her daughter is a ‘girly girl’, loves pinks and purples, flowers, butterflies. I’m thinking a round ripple with pinks and purples, then crocheted flowers and butterflies attached on the points and one in the center. What do you think?

Donation Blanket #6

Just a quick post to share the beginning of donation blanket #6. This is using Bernat Satin in gray mist heather, plum mist heather, and denim mist heather. Size I hook.

This one is going a bit slow for me. I like the pattern, and I like the colors, but something just doesn’t work for me. My husband likes the color combination and so I’m trying to continue working on it.

I also found some yarn in the Wife Cave for another blanket as well, which I think will look great as a round ripple.

My First Round Ripple

First of all, can you believe it… I’ve hit over 5,000 views on my blog! That’s something I didn’t expect when I started this up. Thank you to those of you who have stayed to continue reading my crafting journey, and welcome to any new readers.

Now on to the topic noted in the post title.  My first round ripple. I used the round ripple pattern found HERE. I think it’s by Lyn’s Designs, judging by the fine print at the bottom. Very easy pattern and a great one to use for a first time pattern.

(I’ll try to update the pictures here once I can take some pictures in the daytime for better lighting. Our lights in this house are almost all lamps, no overhead lights, and they all give off a yellow glow):

The blanket was started last weekend on Oct 8th, so it took one week to finish it with working and a few other things taking my time away from crocheting.  I used Bernat Satin in Flamingo, Silk, and Faded Glory Ombre and an I hook. The finished blanket is roughly 40″ from point to point and is Donation Blanket #5.

I’m normally not a fan of pink and white, but I think this is my favorite donation blanket that I’ve made yet.

I’d estimate about 1 1/2 skeins of each color were used in this lapghan.

I mentioned yesterday that I had picked up some more yarn (big surprise… lol). Some lovely autumn colors:

Now, do I start the ghan using the above yarn? Or do I start the one that I picked yarn up for last weekend, pictured below?