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!

Still Crocheting Away!

Did you think that I stopped crocheting? No I haven't, as a matter of fact I have so much to share with you, I just never really had the time to post everything!

I still Have some Christmas 2019 projects to post, but decided to share with you some current things going on first before I play catch up.

First off, I wish to share with you that I have an assignment from the Relief Society (a women's organization of my church) to find community projects we can serve in and help others. Many of the women in our congregation either knit, quilt, or crochet. Some even do it all! Any way, in January of this year we decided to make blankets for the homeless, and for those in need with very low incomes.

We did not want people to feel overwhelmed at the idea of making and entire blanket, so we decided that no matter the area of expertise they have, they could work in squares that we could start assembling in September to drop off at the beginning of November. We made a goal of finishing at least 3 to 4 blankets.

Well, it looks like we are going to end up with many more blankets to give out, and some of the ladies decided they would rather make an entire blanket! I look forward to sharing with you the progress of our project with you. I will still post my personal projects as well.

For today I will show you three photos.

This is the first collection of squares made. You can see there are both crochet and knitted squares here.

More squares started arriving so I took another photo.

As you can see, the pile is growing! I think there enough to make nearly 3 blankets here!

Now I wish to share with you something that I thought I would try out. I have so much yarn left over form other projects. Any where from a couple of yards to an almost full ball of yarn. So I decided that I wanted to make a heavier blanket by using two strands of yarn at a time. When one colour ran out, I'd add another, intergrading all my yarns that way to make a nice thick, and hopefully colourful blanket.

So part way through I took a photo to share with you and get your opinion.

I'll share other photos of this blanket soon.

Thank you for stopping by!