Tunisian Crochet and a HUGE Tah Dah!!

I am so excited to let you all know what I've been up to lately...

It's been crazy busy with the holiday weekend and all but...I managed to squeeze in some time to try Tunisian Crochet and I have to say I absolutely LOVE it!!

It is so quick and easy and Kim Guzman's videos and her book, The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Tunisian Crochet is fantastic! I'm so confident now that I am going to make the Hoodie Sweater Vest that is on the cover right after I finish the scarf and hat shown below.

I am using Lion Brand's Wool-Ease white/multi color that has just enough sparkle to add a little pizzaz to my project. 

I am using just the Tunisian Knit Stitch, (TKS) that looks just like the Stockinette Knit Stitch. I cannot believe how easy this is! I haven't given up on learning to Knit just yet but for next few projects...it's gong to be Tunisian Crochet all the way!!



Now for the HUGE Tah Dah...

Most of you know my struggles with this ABC Baby Blanket but I managed to get it finished! I can't say its perfect but its done. I never want to see Navy Blue Yarn again! It was all worth it though when my daughter saw it and and laid Little Man down on it. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling all over so I'm happy I did it because it made her so happy!

That's all for now...I hope you all have a great week and...

Happy Crocheting!!

Crochet Baby ABC Blanket Almost Done!

I am so excited that my ABC Blanket is almost done and I'm loving it!! I am so glad I frogged the whole thing and started over. It looks so much better this time. It helps to use the same size hook throught the entire project! (Ha! Ha!) Just one more section and then bobbles all around and it will be finished!! What will I do next...?

Happy Crocheting!!

A New Crochet Baby Blanket (Its a challenge for me!)

A girl at work (that I didn't know crocheted), was making this darling baby blanket with Red Heart Love yarn in Navy of all the colors for a baby boy she was making a Navy colored baby blanket. But...it was so perfect for the pattern she was using I just had to copy her! I am using a different yarn but I'm using the same Navy color in I Love This Yarn Super Soft. Are you excited yet? Okay, I'll end the suspense and show you my picture...

What do you think? I'm half way through with it and I absolutely love it. You can tell my bobble rows aren't perfect but I'm getting better as I go, (Ha! Ha!). Of course I am making this for Killian so he is family and I think the crooked rows add character!When he grows up he will know it was handmade with love by his Grammy!

So, the crooked rows are only part of the challenges in this pattern. I consider myself an intermediate crocheter so the bobbles aren't a problem, most stitches I have mastered. This pattern is nothing but counting. Ugggh! I hate counting! With my ADHD it's really tough for me to focus on counting while watching TV, pinning stuff on Pinterest, and texting! So I never would have picked this pattern. It is done with a graph and little tiny squares that I have to count too. But when I saw my friend making this I thought the pattern was done with granny squares stitched together but nooooo, it is all one piece. I really like that about it. Not a lot of ends to work in.  I had to print the graph on a clear transparency and turn it over because I do the bobbles from the back side. I don't know if this is making any sense to you. Maybe I should do a tutorial on it!!?? Let me know if you are interested in a picture or video tutorial of the pattern. Maybe we could do a crochet-a-long!

The Pattern is copyright by Caron International. It is posted with permission at Crochet 'N' More.




The pattern is also on Ravelry.

Happy Crocheting!

New Baby Granny Ripple Afghan: Tah Dah!!

Baby Granny Ripple Afghan!

After my last post are you ready for some good news?

First I have to tell you all that reading your comments brought tears to my eyes. Maybe I should have posted about this sooner because I didn't expect this outpouring of support. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences, faith and support with me. I am very touched and will keep you in my prayers.

You might have guessed since I just made a New Baby Granny Ripple Afghan that my darling daughter Angela that just graduated with a Ph.D. in Pharmacy May-2013, moved an hour and a half away from me for a very good job; the mother to Emma, my first grand baby born almost 1-year ago, (August 24, 2012), is expecting again and the baby is due January, 6, 2014! Woo Hoo! I am so excited and I just love being a grandma! 

You can probably tell by the colors that we don't know yet if it will be a boy or a girl so I tried to go neutral, (maybe I am leaning a little towards a boy), notice all the blue in it? I put very little pink just in case but I think it would be fine if it is a girl.

Anyway, this was the first time I've tried a "Granny Ripple" and I love it. The pattern is from Michaels and Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn.

I used a different yarn for my project...

My yarn is Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel. I really love this yarn. It is so soft and works up so nice. It has a slight sheen to it and I love the pastel colors, perfect for baby...

So here is all the stats:

Crochet Hook Size-G

Cascade Yarns-Pima Tencel (Discontinued-I was able to purchase on clearance from Jimmy Beans Wool about a year ago):

Content:

50% Pima Cotton/50% Tencel

Care:

Hand Wash

Weight/Yardage:

50g/89yd

Gauge:

5 sts = 1" on US 7

Knitting Weight:

Worsted

Update 8/16/2013: I forgot to add this to my
2013 stash-busting challenge!

Happy Crocheting!

Crochet Granny Patches Blanket: Added Another Row

It's coming along...

You, dear friends,  are going to get sick of seeing this one. I added another long row and a short row across the bottom, (or top) :) 

I added it because when I would fold it in half, it wasn't on the seam so it would have to be folded in the middle of the square. I don't know about you but that would just drive me crazy! Half the fun of making these blankets/throws/afghans, whatever you want to call them, is because I love folding them. They look so pretty all folded and stacked neatly on a shelf. Of course I love spreading them out on the bed too. I think it is safe to say I just LOVE making blankets!!

All the loose ends you see in this picture are already woven in the back so it is nice and neat for me when I start another row!

Now this is my Triple Thread Baby Blanket. This is so fun to make and the longer it gets the more I love it. I just run out of the Bernat Satin Flamingo so fast. Obviously because it is a worsted weight and the other two threads are sport weight, the yardage is much smaller on the worsted weight and I am using a large hook. so, I have used one and a half Satin skeins and am ready for another and I am still on the first skeins of the Sport weight.

Long story short, I had to stop working on it until I go to Hobby Lobby or order more from Joann's. There goes my stash-busting efforts on this one.

It's coming along...

You, dear friends,  are going to get sick of seeing this one. I added another long row and a short row across the bottom, (or top) :) 

I added it because when I would fold it in half, it wasn't on the seam so it would have to be folded in the middle of the square. I don't know about you but that would just drive me crazy! Half the fun of making these blankets/throws/afghans, whatever you want to call them, is because I love folding them. They look so pretty all folded and stacked neatly on a shelf. Of course I love spreading them out on the bed too. I think it is safe to say I just LOVE making blankets!!

All the loose ends you see in this picture are already woven in the back so it is nice and neat for me when I start another row!

Now this is my Triple Thread Baby Blanket. This is so fun to make and the longer it gets the more I love it. I just run out of the Bernat Satin Flamingo so fast. Obviously because it is a worsted weight and the other two threads are sport weight, the yardage is much smaller on the worsted weight and I am using a large hook. so, I have used one and a half Satin skeins and am ready for another and I am still on the first skeins of the Sport weight.

Long story short, I had to stop working on it until I go to Hobby Lobby or order more from Joann's. There goes my stash-busting efforts on this one.

So that's all for this week. I hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Crocheting!

Crochet Granny Patches Update, A Ruffle Scarf, and more...

Granny Patches Blanket Update...

It's been almost two weeks since my last update and I have added two more rows to keep up with my "One a Day" challenge and worked in all of those ends! This is also one of my Scrap-Buster Blankets. I think I'm loving it! 

I can only work on granny patches for so long and I grow weary, especially with those ends so...

I make an occasional Romantic Ruffle Scarf with Red Heart Sashay yarn!  This is the third one I've made and they work up so quick it makes for an easy project between rows on my blanket.

 This is my sweet little Sonny dog, he is an English Cocker Spaniel and is 10 years old.  He is my faithful and loyal friend.

This one is another fun and quick project I just started! My Triple Thread Baby blanket. It is so soft and thick. I'm just using a double crochet in the back loops of every row and it makes a nice ridges.  I am waiting for the Pink Yarn from Bernat to arrive and then I can finish this one off with a nice Border. Not sure what pattern I will use but I still have time to figure that out. This one is a HUGE Scrap-Buster using three strand of baby yarn.