August Flowers Blanket

This is the little blanket I've been working on...

I'm calling it August Flowers.

The square is Grandma All Square from the Royal Sister's blog.  

I did six squares across by eight squares down.  

It's a nice size to go over your legs while you watch TV.  

I think I'll put it in our guest room though...

it will add a little vintage charm to the room.

I really enjoyed working on this.  

Flowers won't be in bloom much longer, but I'll have a colorful array in the spare room all winter long...

Hope you are having a great week...

Happy crocheting!

HDP

Vanna's Choice Contest Entry

My Shetland Tweed afghan is now complete!

And has been officially entered into the Vanna's Choice Contest.  

I started this in December and I listed the pattern and other details in earlier posts which can be found HERE and HERE.

I had a couple of stalls...

once when I ran out of yarn...

and the other,...

at the end of the project,...

weaving in row after row of ends.

But, all those ends are worth it...

in the...end.

I chose to do a braided border.  

I thought the curve of the braid softened the lines of the blanket

and pulled out the darker colors.

I'm going to tuck it away...

 and hope.

I want to keep it looking

"fresh off the hook."

Next project?

I don't know yet. 

But, I'm sure it won't be long

before I have hook and yarn in hand.  

:-)

Happy crocheting!

HDP

My Sister's Gift

Today I finished up my sister's gift...

The Fisherman's Basketweave as I like to call it.  The pattern is from Aran Afghans to Crochet by Bonnie Barker; it's a Leisure Arts booklet.  I used Wool-Ease in Fisherman for the gift.  I did leave off one of the repeat sections.  But, at 53 x 75 without the fringe, I think it's large enough to snuggle under while watching a movie or reading a book.  

Dear sis said she would really like one someday after I made the wedding one this past summer.  So, I bit the bullet and stitched away...

and away...

I'm so relieved happy to have it finished!  

:-)

A special gift for a special sister.  

"A sister is a forever friend."

 - Author Unknown - 

Merry Christmas

HDP

Log By Log

I built my log cabin...

AND IT'S FINALLY FINISHED!  

Some of you may remember, I started this blanket waaaay back in June as a vacation project.  Well, I'm not sure why, but it drug out month, after month, after loooong month.  I can't tell you how excited I was to finally start stitching the squares together and put a border around it.  

It's been a scorcher today in the 100's and my neighbors were probably wonder what I was doing lugging around a chair and heavy afghan in the heat.  

But, that's part of the fun, taking photos of the finished product.  Most of the afghans I make get a gentle washing and shipped off to someone, so it's nice to have the photos to look back on...

Details about this project can be found HERE.  I used Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn for my blanket.

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful three day weekend...

and...

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

HDP

The Fisherman Wedding Afghan Tale is Complete!

The Fisherman Tale is now complete!

I just finished up the fringe on The Fisherman Wedding Afghan this morning...

just in the nick of time...

the wedding is THIS weekend!  

I wasn't sure if I'd get it complete in time.  But I finally got down to business and started making progress. 

I did end up blocking it as the popcorn stitch really "pulled" even with a larger hook.  Thankfully, I used a wool blend (Wool-Ease) and it blocked just fine...

I really enjoyed the challenge of it.  

 

 It rained all day yesterday, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get any outdoor photos...

but thankfully, the sun came out today

and I was able to get in my "photo shoot".

I hope the bride and groom will enjoy their gift...

Whether they end up using it at the foot of their bed...

or to keep them warm as they watch a favorite movie and enjoy some shared popcorn...

As always best wishes to the happy couple and many blessings to them for a lifetime of happiness.

The End!

(But, another project is soon to follow!)

:-)

HDP 

Woo Hoo! I Finished It!

I finished up dear son's Vintage Horizontal Stripe this evening.  I was busy-busy, weaving in ends this weekend and working on the border. 

The little one's been asking me, "Is it done yet?, Do you have my blanket done yet?".  What's a mother to do, but set aside all other projects and wrap this up.   

It was a cold day today and last night the temperatures dipped down into the 20's.  But the sun was shining brightly this evening...

This pattern is made using double crochet stitches.....let me tell you, that's a lot of double crochets!  Whew!

I have it in the wash right now so that my little guy will be able to take it to bed with him.  He was so excited, "It's done!, It's done!".  

And, so am I, "It's done!".  

:-)

HDP

Little Update...

I wanted to give a little update on the Eugene Throw I've been working on...

With Christmas, and doing things with the family, I haven't had a whole lot of time to crochet...but, I'm grabbing a row here and there when I can...

It's been a lot of fun to watch the cables emerge from the yarn......to watch them join, intertwine and become individual lines again....it's a kind of dance......a rhythm of movement.....poetry of sorts...

 

Crochet is my art....so please bear with me.....

:-)

All romantic notions aside, it is very stubborn to photograph.  

Or, it could be my color of yarn....

Maybe once the weather turns, and it's not so wet outside, I'll be able to get some better photos in a daylight setting.  

Until then, Joy in a little progress and enjoying a beautiful project.

HDP

Fireside Cheerful Complete

There is a chill in the air and the skies are overcast and gray......

But, no matter the temperature outside, the warmth and coziness of a blanket can always be close by.....

This is my Fireside Cheer or "Cheerful" as I like to call it.  The colors are bright and cheerful and favorites of the person for whom this was made.

The pattern is Fireside Cheer designed by Anne Halliday, one of my very favorite designers, and can be found in Afghans For All Seasons  page 106.

This particular blanket is headed to upstate NY to a lady that used to babysit my sister and me as infants.  I hope it will bring her lots of warmth and happiness through the cold north country winter.

This was a large project.  I'm happy to have completed it.  I just need to give it a wash on gentle with a little Woolite and get it packaged to ship to it's destination.

Joy in completion.

HDP

Fair Isle Update

Yesterday, I got to a point on my Fair Isle project to update the lady for whom I'm making the blanket.  I wanted to be sure she was happy with the direction I was going.....

Originally, we had decided on this pattern, but as I started to make it, I really wasn't happy with the way the design within the blanket was forming.  The yarn I'm using has a very definite stitch definition and the long double crochet "X" that you make was looking really "hokey".  I think that pattern would look good in a more "fuzzy" yarn or perhaps a sport weight.

So I headed to another fair isle style pattern that I've made before.  It's called Fireside Cheer (pictured below)...

This is a blanket pattern I'm very fond of and I think is quite pretty.  I made the above for myself several years ago. 

If you remember, the colors we chose for this project were turquoise, mauve/pink and an aran.  I started the blanket using the turquoise as the main color, as this is the recipients favorite color.  I'm using the aran and mauve as the accents.  

I sent her an e-mail last night to show her my progress.  I also wanted to see if she would like the aran as the master color instead of the blue.  I felt I was at a good point, and had enough time, to start over and do the pattern with the color switches.   She replied to my e-mail not to change a thing.  So, with that being said, I'm moving forward!

I hope this will be something the receiver will like and enjoy using.  This blanket will evolve as the additional bands are formed, the ends woven into the fabric, and a pretty border crocheted all around it.

Joy in a day full of crochet!  :-)

HDP

Tweed Stripe Finished!

I finished my Tweed Stripe Ripple blanket last night.  I waited to take pictures until today in order to take them outside and I'm so glad I did! 

It's a beautiful fall day with pretty blue skies.  

This afghan is made from a free Lion Brand pattern and can be found HERE.  

It's a simple pattern, and lets the yarn take center stage.  

I used Tweed Stripes, which is a newer yarn;I really like the earthy effect these colors make.  

I just need to give it a wash on gentle, package it up and get it off in the mail to the recipient.  Hopefully, they will enjoy using it, now that cooler weather is upon us. 

Joy in a completed project AND, a gloriously beautiful day!

HDP

Tweed Stripe Ripple Update...

Well, I'm happy to say that I'm finished with the body of the Tweed Stripe Ripple I've been working on.  I did however, run out of yarn.  So I'll need to hop on over to Wally World in the next day or two so I can purchase an additional skein and crochet the border.  Weaving in the ends will keep me occupied until I can get to the store.  I'll post a few pictures once the project is complete.  :-)

Joy in an "almost" complete project!

HDP

On the Horizon...

...a new project!

I had a nice lady contact me recently about making an afghan or blanket for her mother for Christmas.  After many e-mails about patterns and yarn colors, we have finalized a decision.  I'll be making this beautiful afghan pictured above.  The pattern is from Mosaic Magic Afghans Made Easy by Lily M. Chin; one of my favorite afghan designers I might add!   

The colors we chose are very feminine and pretty.  The mother's favorite color is turquoise and we decided to pair it with mauve, using aran, a soft white, as an accent color.  It's a winning combination and I hope both the giver and receiver will be thrilled with the blanket.

I always enjoy the planning stages of a project.  Getting out the calculator, figuring out how much yarn will be needed in each color, finding a good buy on the yarn, and looking for coupons.  It's all part of the fun.  In this case, I was excited to see that Michael's is having a Family and Friends Sale and has a coupon out for 20% off your entire purchase; good through today.  Yipee!

My current project is about two weeks from completion and then I hope to get started on this.  My goal is to have the fair isle completed by the end of November so I can ship it to the giver in plenty of time for Christmas.

Joy in the planning!

HDP