Fifth Completed Community Project Blanket!

This is so awesome!

We now have 5 blankets ready for our November community project. I know of four more that may still come, but who knows, there might be more! 

I know that this one is a bit of a mish mash or colours, but sometimes you don't have a choice. I did the best I could with the colours and a budget. But it is bright and cheery, and kind of reminds me of the beach. The fun thing is that this is my first project using Velour Yarn! And I love working with it! It's so soft and fussy, and because it is a #6 yarn, it crochets up pretty quick. I am definitely going to use Velour on other projects.

That is the blanket folded (above), and here it is laid out on the floor.

Here it is again with my nearly 13 year old grand-daughter (3 more days) laying on it so that you can see the size of the blanket.

She almost did not want to get off of it because it was so soft and fuzzy.

For this blanket I actually started with the middle section. When I purchase this yarn there was still plenty left in this colour. However, buy the time it used up what I had bought and returned to get more, it was all gone! I went back for months checking to see if more would turn up, but sadly it was not to be, and I couldn't wait any longer. So, not having the blanket with with me, I remembered the bright colours and went to see what I could find. I thought the bright green would match the bright green in with the pink & blue yarn, but it turned out to be even brighter. I knew there wouldn't be enough of the bright green even with getting all the store had left in the colour, so the next thing to get was the bright with blues and greens.

Then when I got home I decided to add to both ends of what I had started to balance the colours and give it a wide stripe look. Whoever get's this blanket may not be thrilled with the colours, but the softness and weight for the winter, they will definitely love.

I think that we are all enjoying working on this project, so if you ever get a chance to volunteer crochet or knitting skills, or even just the yarn for others to use, I encourage you to participate in something like this. It's fun and fulfilling.

Happy crocheting!

Another Completed Community Project Blanket

 Welcome everyone!

Remember an earlier report on the progress of our blanket squares? Well I have finally finished putting squares together for one blanket. I used the brightly coloured squares for this blanket. I crocheted the squares together using the Zig Zag Slip Stitch.

I also crocheted the same border as I did with the previous blanket. I guess you can tell I like it a lot, plus, it's easy. It's the Camel Stitch Border and if you would like to know how to crochet it too, here is the link to the video I watched.   

So I guess you'd like to see how it turned out. Well here it is all folded up.

  Here you can see the border a bit better.

And, below you see the blanket unfolded on the floor.

And here is one of my granddaughters laying on it to give you a better idea as to the size of the blanket.

I am disappointed at how the squares all bubbled up. I was careful to join them loosely but I guess the squares where not square enough. One reason that I prefer crocheting an entire blanket. One day I'll get this square thing worked out.

However, we do have another warm blanket for our Community Blanket Squares Project completed!

I still like these squares. I like the fact that they are solid crochet. I had started a bunch of other squares for a second blanket like this one, using neutrals and shades of purple. Hopefully that one will come together better.

All the best in your knitting, crochet or sewing project!

More Community Blanket Progress

Welcome Back!

Yesterday you saw a knitted blanket made from squares by a friend of mine. Today I am showing you a blanket that I made for this project. This will be my 2nd completed blanket. I mentioned in a previous post that I was getting tired of making squares (almost enough for 2 blankets) and that I decided to take a break from that, and crochet an entire blanket. Well, it's done!

I was inspired by a through made on Daisy Craft Farms. I just used a regular #4 yarn, and changed the border.

So here we go. First, you will see it all folded up.

I just love this simple and easy pattern.

OK, next opened up entirely laying on the floor.

This time I did not have anyone around for them to lie on it, so that you could see the size. However, it does fit the top of a twin bed.

I love this border! There's only one problem, which I'll show in the next photo.

Above, you can see both sides of the border. The one on top is supposed to be the right side. My problem is that I like the other side just as much!

I'd be real interested on your thoughts about which side you like and why.

So, now I am on to making more squares and finishing those 2 blankets. I have other projects not related to the community blanket project on the go too.

Happy creating!

More Community Blanket Progress - Made by a Friend

In the last post about the Relief Society Community project of making blankets, I reported a great way to join up all the squares we are making to create the blankets. Since then a friend of mine dropped off her finished blanket. She gave me permission to post her blanket. My friend is a knitter, not a crocheter, and there's one lovely thing about knitting, it is softer.

Here is her blanket all neatly folded up.

Now, here is a blanket close-up so see here beautifully knitted squares.

I love how there is this hidden pattern of x's or squares, depending on you look at it. Here is is all laid out on the floor.

Such lovely bright colours. Here is the blanket again with another of my granddaughters laying on it so that you may see how large it is. I'm sure it will cover the top of a twin easily.

There will be one more person a littler warmer come this winter. Thank You Karen for contributing to our community project.

Check in tomorrow for some more!

Happy creating!

Blanket Project Progress

Good to have you here again!

Today I am giving you an update, or rather progress report, on how our blanket project is coming along.

Last update I posted a completed blanket from yarn scraps, and before that I was showing you how our squares where building up in number.

Now I am going to share with you that I have started to connect some of the squares together, just for a change of pace. I wanted to do something different than just slip stitch, or single crochet, or sew together, so I searched on YouTube to see what I could find. I was surprised to see all the many different ways you can join squares together! I chose the 'ZIGZAG SLIP STICH JOIN'. I think this will be a good one for these squares, and you get sit at the table, using the table, to make it easier. It's quite easy to do.

So without further words, here are some quick photos I took as I am working on joining the first squares.

As you can see, I am using black to join these bright colours. It will have a black border as well.

You will also note that the joining is done in a long strip first, with the cross joining coming last.

In this nest photo you can get a closer look at the ZigZag pattern.

So, if you are interested in viewing the video tutorial that I watched, I am including it here for you.

Now, onto one more share for you. Because we are making blankets for the needy, and homeless too, I have been trying to find ways to make the blankets thicker. I found a blanket pattern that was shared by Daisy Farm Crafts that I thought might work.

I started one in cream and ran out of yarn. So I decided it is a yarn I always see where I get my yarn from, and started on another colour, dark heather grey. It too is a yarn that is always available. When I ran out of that colour I decided it was time to go and some of these yarns so that I could finish them. I went to my source and could not believe what I saw! The shelves were nearly empty of yarn! I guess with Covid-19, everyone is at home crocheting!

So the following week I thought that they might have restocked. But, when I arrived, the shelves had a bit more in them, but still on the empty side, and the colours I needed were still not there. However, they did have an unusual colour that I thought would look nice in this pattern I was using, and there was enough of it there for an entire blanket, so I got that instead with hopes of finding my cream and grey yarn in a few more weeks. The colour I got is called Red Clay.

This is what I can show you.

This stitch makes the #4 yarn thickness much thicker for these blankets, and you do not have to use the velvet yarn as in the pattern provided at Daisy Farm Crafts.

Here is the video demo from Daisy Farm Crafts in case you are interested in trying out this pattern.

Once I have complete one each of these blankets, I will post them for you so that you can see what they look like finished.

In the mean time, happy crocheting!

Scrap Yarn Blanket Completed

Welcome back everyone!

In the last post I shared with you a project that I am in charge of, and one of the photos I shared was a blanket made using up all my leftover ends and balls of yarn from previous projects. Well I have finished that blanket!

You can see it above, all folded up, and close enough to notice that I used double the strands of yarn to make it a thicker blanket.

Here it is laid out on the floor.

And a close up...

Maybe I should have shot a closer photo so that you could see the stitches better. In this next photo, I have my 12 year old granddaughter lying on it so that you can see how large it is.

I think the bright colours will be liked by many people, and by anyone that will end up with it.

I've started 3 other full blankets, not of this type as I do not have enough scraps to create another blanket with, but each is a solid colour, and I will post them when I get them done.

Thank you for checking in to have a peek. Happy crocheting!

Birthday Gift to Daughter - Large Harlequin Stitch Blanket

Hello Everyone!

Today I am sharing with you a big project that I have been working on and off since the end of March. It took about 10 weeks to complete (that's counting the days that I actually worked on it). I have made several other projects in between working on this one for my eldest daughter's birthday on the 22nd of this month.

And the project is a blanket! (larger than an afghan) How in the world does one photograph such a large project! The blanket measures 61" wide, and 82" long. Here are the photos.

Here the blanket is all folded up on the table.

I fell in love with this stitch when I saw it on Daisy Farm Crafts. This is definitely larger than a baby blanket however.

Being such a large project I did not block it. I do like how the border turned out.

1 row of SC all around the blanket with 3 SC in each corner, Then 5 rows of HDC with 3 in each corner. I completed the border with the contrasting yarn colour with a slip stitch around the first SC round, and a RSC around the edge.

Next you see the blanket folded in four.

Here the blanket is only folded in half and is almost long enough to be a table cloth (LOL).

Next you see the entire blanket on the floor. What do you think of the striped pattern I came up with?

Here you can see the Harlequin stitch pattern...

When taking the above photos, and seeing how large it was, I decided to see what it would look like on my daughter's queen size bed. I had thought it could be folded to rest at the foot of the bed and pulled up during the night if needed. However, when I put it on the bed and saw how much of the bed it covered, I was surprised.

The yarn used for this blanket, is again from the yarn I inherited from my Mom, and is 25% wool. So definitely a warm and heavy blanket. No wonder I was always getting much to warm while making it!

Happy crocheting everyone!

A Work In Progress & Unraveling

Hi Everyone!

Do you ever find that some projects you work on go along well without a hitch? Those are great projects! Then there are some with the odd little mistake that you catch soon enough and only have to unravel a few stitches. Those are good projects too.  Then there is the odd project that you find you are constantly unraveling to correct mistakes. Or, the projects where you do not catch the mistake until much, much later and have the frustration of having to unravel nearly the entire project? I have had some projects that I have had to nearly unravel the entire project to correct a mistake.

Some mistakes you can leave as it does not effect the project in any noticeable way, while others a single mistake can have the opposite effect. It does ruin the project, and you start to notice the pattern is askew or something doesn't line up right. Take one of my current projects; a baby blanket inspired by Hannah's Diamond Berry Stitch blanket.  I worked a whole diamond pattern section more than you see here, before noticing something was wrong. The thing is I was nearly done! I had only one more diamond section to go! (the blanket is actually more blue than it shows here)

Perhaps the problem is that I changed the pattern up a bit by creating a larger diamond pattern. When I laid out the blanket on a flat surface, I noticed that the blanket was getting narrower. My tension had not changed, so what was the problem? I counted the number of stitches and found that I had somehow dropped 8 stitches! Can you believe that? How did I not notice it before?

I reasoned that it was because I had stopped counting my stitches and was just going by how the berries were lining up. So, yup, I had to unravel nearly the entire blanket! I did a bit at a time and counted stitches. Slowly I got to where I needed to be with the correct amount of stitches.

Lesson learned? Don't be over confident and count a row of stitches every so often.

I look forward to getting back to this project and sharing the completed blanket with you, but for now I need to put it aside and finish a blanket I am making for my daughter's birthday in three weeks. I started it in March, but when all the babies in our church were being born, I put it aside to make baby blankets. Now I need to put them aside to complete what I started. This is where I left off on her blanket in June.

I am designing my own stripe pattern for this blanket. In the photo above, I am just a little past half way.

A closer look at the Harlequin stitches that were inspired from this Daisy Farm Crafts baby blanket.

It's a real big blanket! I wanted it to be large enough for my daughter and son-in-law to cuddle in together when they watch a movie, or to fit on their queen size bed. So will I get it done by October 22nd?

Thank you for joining me again today. And please, feel free to share some of you unraveling experiences, and what you learned from it, in a comment.

Happy crocheting!