Tag Archives: crochet

Mar6

Days ???: Comforting Myself

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Three weeks ago today, my grandmother died.

She was in the hospital for 6 days before that, and I spent a lot of time there with her and the extended family. If you have ever spent that kind of time in a hospital, you know it has a lot of down time. My cousins, my aunt, my mom, my brother, various friends and extended family–we all spent a lot of time in conversation, sharing our memories of my grandma, but there was still plenty of time to fill. And really, one of the things I like about crocheting is that I can do many projects while chatting with others. On top of that, crocheting seemed the perfect activity for comforting myself as we watched my grandmother die, since it is something I shared with her.

I made excellent progress on two blankets, including one that I have since finished and donated to the high school Parents Club auction that was held this past weekend. Here is a picture of the auction goodies in place:

auction stuffAfter I took this picture I noticed some ends that needed to be worked in and took care of that, but I think they mostly look good. The border on the blanket is one row of single crochet and one row of crab stitch. I really liked the effect of the crab stitch–it gave a definitely finished look without adding too much bulk. The lot did not sell for a very high amount, I don’t think, but there were multiple bids, and there were many items to bid on, so I am just happy to have contributed.

I have many other things that I worked on in the past month or so–I did not stop trying to make something every day for the most part, although the days of the visitation and funeral were pretty much a bust–but I am not going back to document everything. Almost everything I made was a work in progress, not counting a few new recipes I tried out, so a lot of the projects will come up in future posts.  Also, this focus on making things every day has really clarified my process for me–I don’t really like to complete something in one day. It is possible that at some future time I could come up with a specific project that involves concentrated making in one sitting, but for a lot of things I prefer the perspective I get from at least one night’s sleep during the process, if not several days when I am working on something else in between. So, I don’t plan to stop making time every day for creativity, but at this point I am expecting lots and lots of in progress days, and that is okay with me. I think it is very important to love the process anyway.

Jan31

Day 20: A Monster of a Blanket

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I found the Vintage Vertical Stripe blanket pattern at Bella Dia back when I was still a new crocheter, nearly a year ago. I loved it, and I couldn’t wait to start it. I don’t think I had made a single blanket completely at that point, so that is my excuse for starting such an enormous blanket. I had no idea how big 250 stitches done with an I hook would be!

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See how this thing hangs a bit over the back and folds over a bit at the back of the seat? It is folded in half, too! It is giant!

I really don’t know what I will do with this, it is probably going to be too big for my bed. I will have to find someone with a king bed to give it to maybe. Or maybe I will just keep it for snuggling with the kids–they are always yanking the blankets off of me if we try to share on the couch.

At any rate, I really felt that adding 5 rows to this thing was an accomplishment–that is 1,250 stitches, enough to feel productive, even if they do go fairly quickly. I love the colors, and it is a great way to use up some of my stash, something I definitely need to do more.

Anyone else making a VVS?

Jan29

Day 5: Comforting a Friend

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My friend Natalie lost her mother-in-law recently. All jokes about in-laws aside, she was very close to her mother-in-law, and I knew she was very sad.

The day before this happened, I had been chatting with Natalie online, and she was looking over some of my projects here. She told me that she liked the spiral scarves, and she loved bright colors, especially pink. Right away I knew I would make her one in Watermelon Caron Simply Soft, because it just seemed like the perfect color for Natalie. I didn’t know when I would get around to it, though, with all the projects I already had going.

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When I heard about her loss the very next day, I dropped everything and started this scarf. I felt so bad for her, and there was not much else I could do–Natalie lives in California, and I am in Missouri, so I couldn’t stop by with a hug or a home-cooked meal. This scarf is my way of sending a hug when I cannot be there.

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Natalie tells me that I did a good job picking the colors, it is just the kind of thing she likes, which makes me happy.

This is one of my favorite part of making things–that I can give a little of myself to a friend in need. Or not in need, too, but especially when I think they need a little extra support.

Jan21

Days 15 and 17: Baby, It’s Cold Outside

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In the interest of being slightly less boring, I am summing up on projects and posting when they are totally done, even though they may span several days. So, finishing a panel on an afghan that has multiple panels may be a project for one day, but I am not necessarily posting those here each time, because it can be too repetitive. Instead, I’ll keep track of the days I work on it and post a big one when I am done. Or, I’ll post some of them when it is new, then wait until I am done to post the other days. Whatever I feel like on any given day, basically.

I came home from work last Tuesday determined to work on the blanket I am making for the high school Parents’ Club auction, but I got sidetracked. You see, it is really cold here. Really, really cold. And I can’t find the hat I crocheted for myself last year.

I liked to make something to solve this sort of problem before I started this Making Things project, and that has only gotten more true this month. So, I put aside the blanket and started my scoodie, based on this pattern:

 

I wanted something a little brighter, though, and I found a nice pretty blue in my stash:

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The yarn is Red Heart With Love in Ocean Blue, which is listed as a worsted weight, medium, 4, but it seems a bit bulkier. I am surprised at how much variation there is with a weight classification for yarns, but it nice to have some variety for various purposes.

This is  a fairly warm scoodie with the half double crochet stitches giving it some thickness, but if it is a very windy day, a hood on top of it would be helpful. I used a K hook, so the stitches are kind of loose and the wind gets in there. I may eventually make another one of these with a smaller hook and more rows. Overall, though, I am very happy with this one! I’ve been told it makes my eyes look bright blue, which is nice, too.

My favorite part of this, though, is how I had a need and I made something myself to fill that need. There are many things I love about crocheting, but making useful things is definitely high on the list. I feel so much less a consumer and more a producer. I am starting to understand how people start out just making a nice baby blanket and end up raising sheep to shear and make their own yarn–not that I think I will get that far, but I can definitely see the appeal of making more and more of your own materials.

This is also why I like having a stash of yarn available–I frequently go into my stash to make things. I like being able to make something to fill a need I have without having to wait until I can get to a store. I prefer to be inspired by what I have on hand as much as possible–not that I never go to the store with a project in mind to buy supplies for, but that I like to have the option of being more spontaneous.

For that matter, this applies to any art or craft supplies. I like to go buy things that appeal to me, then figure out how to put them together later. I think that working within limits inspires the greatest creativity in me. If I have too many choices, I get very overwhelmed. Working with what I have on hand forces me to view everything a little differently, making things work that I might not have considered.

Do you buy art supplies and yarn with a specific project in mind? Or do you like to have a wide variety on hand for whenever the mood strikes?

Jan16

Days 12 and 13: Making Progress

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This could probably have gone more quickly if I had kept better count. Then I wouldn’t have had to rip out two or three rows on Saturday night and start again, paying more attention to what I was doing. However, the center teal square of my Lancaster quilt is now done!

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Isn’t it pretty? It is some of the most elaborate stitching I have ever done, and I am proud of it! Next is a few rows of cherry red, then more teal to complete the center square, then 4 side panels, 4 corners and a border of 2 colors, so there is still a lot of work to go, but I am happy with it so far.

Jan13

Days 9, 10, 11: More of the Same

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Eventually I will make something that is neither food nor crochet, but for now I am still deep in the crochet projects. They take some time, and I do love them. Plus, crocheting is super relaxing, and it is one of the ways I buy TV time for myself. See, I only let myself watch TV if I am doing something productive, and crochet is one of the things I can easily do while watching a murder mystery or learning something on the History 2 channel.*

This past week was super busy with volunteer activities. I have that full-time job taking up my time every weekday, but this week I also had two committee meetings and one club meeting, plus many visits to local businesses begging for donations to the yearly auction held by the high school Parents’ Club. Also, I am making a blanket (for sure) and two scarves (hopefully) for the auction, and I need to get those done.

So, Wednesday and Friday were spent making another panel each day on the school colors blanket:

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Thursday was the busiest day, so that day I made another quick granny star, this time with a smaller yarn and hook:

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For reference, here are the two different sizes together:

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The green star was made with Red Heart Super Saver and an H hook, the pink was made with Caron Simply Soft and an F hook. I like them both, but I think the smaller one might be better as a Christmas tree ornament.

* Doesn’t that make me sound smart, saying that I am learning something? Sometimes I really do learn something on there, but I have to admit, sometimes I just watch so I can make fun of the alien conspiracy freaks. Man, those guys are funny!

Jan11

Day 8: 2 Granny Stars

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As I’ve said before, I am using this time early in the year to do a few smaller Christmas decoration projects. There is no gift-finishing pressure, so I have time to work on a few projects for my own house or tree. This project is a bit of personal decoration and gift-giving, though. I wanted to make some kind of Christmas ornament that I could put on some other kinds of homemade gifts, or that I could give out as a small gift to multiple family members, but I didn’t want to take the time away from my other other gifts in December.

Yesterday, I decided to try out a couple of patterns that I have on my Pinterest crochet board.
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I like them both. The one color star is a lot easier to take along with me, since I can take one skein of yarn and make a quick star anytime I have a short block of time available.

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The multi-colored star is pretty and more interesting.

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I made these with Christmas colors, but these patterns seem like a good way to use up small amounts of stash yarn, too, or to make something in a color that seems to fit a particular person or home decor. I foresee a lot more of these in my crafting future, and I hope to have a nice big stash for the holidays this year!

Jan10

Day 7: Starting a New Blanket

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I have a big problem with wanting to do new projects all the time. I see something cool, and I want to start it immediately. As a general rule, if I am obsessing too much over a project, I go ahead and start it, even if I already have many things in progress, because starting the project takes the edge off of that obsession.

During the months leading up to Christmas, though, I really tried to limit new projects that were not going to be Christmas gifts. I already had so many things going, and I really did want to finish a lot of things for the holiday. My resolve was tested when I got the Best Gifts of 2012 bonus issue of Crochet Today on my Nook, though. There are many great patterns in that issue, but what really caught my eye was this Lancaster Quilt:

I love everything about it, even the colors, which is rare for me. I see a lot of patterns that I like, but my first thought is usually “Of course, I’ll use different colors.” This one, though, I love the colors, too. I wanted to start it immediately, but I knew I wanted that pattern for myself, and that it would be time-consuming, so I delayed. This week, I could delay no longer–I had to at least start the blanket.

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What do you think? Don’t be distracted by the beautiful blanket behind my square. My grandmother made it for me years ago, and it is one of my favorite things ever. Okay, go ahead and be distracted by it, I obviously am, ;) .

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I love it already. Of course, now that I have gotten through the first 14 rows, I am going to be making progress much more slowly, I am sure, especially since I have many other projects in the works still, but I am glad to have this going.

How many projects do you have going at once?

Jan6

Day 4: One blanket panel

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I am switching things up a bit, labeling my posts by days, because I think it sounds more impressive that way. Not now, obviously, while I am posting Day 4, but eventually I will have many things piled up, and I will feel accomplished, ;) .

I decided a while back to make a blanket in school colors to donate to the big auction that my daughter’s high school Parents’ Club has each year, along with two scarves–one spiral scarf and one more manly striped scarf. I made 2 of the 9 panels for the blanket right away, but then I had to go back to Christmas projects.  It is time to seriously speed things up on this project if I want to have it done on time, though. For me, breaking this sort of thing down a bit is much less overwhelming, so I made one more panel on Friday.

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Please ignore the messy desk in the background. And the beads on the other end of the table. This whole making things adventure is not all that great for the state of my house–more stuff plus less time to organize.

As you can tell, my daughter’s school loves Halloween. I am hoping they can market the blanket and scarves for football games, although it doesn’t get that cold here early in the year. When I went to watch my daughter cheer for the freshman team this year, the fans were mostly in shorts. Still, our school and the one in the next suburb over play a Turkey Day game every year, and it is generally cold then, so a blanket and scarves in school colors would probably come in handy.

Jan3

Making Things: Christmas Decorations

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Warning: this is not my most successful project ever. I like it, but there are issues.

First, why I am making Christmas decorations in January: I was too busy in the last few months of the year making gifts to make any decorations. I am trying to do some quick and easy decorating projects now, because I can put decorations away until next December, but I can’t bring myself to store the perfect gift for someone for months on end. If you look at my post from yesterday, you’ll note I made a Christmas gift for my friend Andrea in August and promptly gave it to her. Yesterday, I finished my gift for my friend Billie and today I drove over to her house to give it to her, even though I will see her tomorrow at the office (I worked from home today). Look at how pretty it is:

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Now that I have demonstrated that I can do a successful project, it is time to move on to today’s project.

Despite my lack of time to actually make any decorations, I had all sorts of projects I wanted to do. I even started one in December, based on this pin. I painted a canvas green and picked out papers, snowflake stickers and ribbon. Today I assembled the project, and it sort of worked, but I had issues with the glue. I am not sure if the problem is the green canvas or the homemade Mod Podge, but as you can see, the glue residue is visible around the trees:

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I am not an experienced user of Mod Podge, so can anyone help me here? Should I have left the canvas white? It seemed like too much white. My homemade Mod Podge is just thinned down glue, is that the problem? Is there a better recipe, or should I just pay the money for the real stuff?

I do like the look of the canvas. I may hang it despite the glue residue. Or I may try to get the glue off some other way (a pencil eraser didn’t work). I want to make at least one more to give to my aunt for Christmas, I think, but I want it to look better before I do that.

Any suggestions?