Granny Swirl

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Pinterest? I really do love it. Where else can I find so many new ideas and patterns and wish for more hours in the day to try them all?!

This is one such example. I found a pattern for a spiraling granny square, and I love granny squares which meant I had to try it. I dug through my yarn stash, found some colors I liked and got to work.

And MAN!! It was a pain in the backside!

Each color is worked continuously, there is no finishing at a corner and changing colors. That means, all five skeins of yarn had to be organized and kept straight throughout the process. That was a pain in and of itself.

I was wanting to try to make it big enough to cover at least a queen sized bed - and that didn't happen! I got kinda frustrated having to untangle yarn and fighting with the dogs to keep them out of the yarn.

It really didn't seem worth the hassle once I realized how quickly the spiral-swirly aspect of the pattern got lost.  The lower picture shows the center of the square and that is about the only place you can really see the swirl. That was a pretty big let down, and if it wasn't for my excitement to try something different, I probably would have realized that before even starting.

At any rate, I ended up with a new throw blanket and a lesson learned from the experience. Have I learned my lesson once and for all about not getting too excited about starting a new project? Especially one from Pinterest? Of course not!

The Orange Decor Challenge

 I am the first to say I'm not a big fan of orange. I like orange flavors and orange flowers, but when it comes to decor and clothing, it's really not for me. But I have to admit, when I was looking at wedding color schemes a while back, there was something about teal and orange that really struck me.
So I challenged myself.

I know I made the pink and orange blanket for a little girl a while back, I didn't mind that, but it wasn't for my home. I wanted to make something for myself, and the challenge was going to be incorporating orange. The teal and orange combination seemed perfect.

The decor of my family room has been moving slowly toward ocean tones - cool blues, greens and teals offset with warm browns and a hint of orange. Behind it all, I will (eventually) have neutral gray walls that would remind me of the fog covered shoreline of San Francisco.


What I was planning on being a throw blanket, a little splash of color for the family room, ended up being a blanket just about big enough for a twin sized bed! I'm ok with that though - it makes it easier to cuddle with someone else under it.

And as you can see, Mini, the Wonder Wiener, loves this blanket. She pretty much claimed it by curling up on it in my lap as I worked it up. However, once it was done, Molly was quick to claim it for herself. And they both give me "the look" when I tell them to get off of it!

Just Another Blanket...

Earlier this year, we had J's girlfriend and her daughter live with us for a little while. There was a turn of unfortunate events and she needed a place, so we opened our home. (Living together forced J and her to realize they weren't ready for anything serious and they have since broken up.)

Anyway, her daughter was about 2 at the time and every time I picked up my yarn and crochet hook, she asked what I was doing. When I told her I was making a blanket, her eyes would get huge and she'd ask, "You're making me a blankET!" (The emphasis on the last syllable was adorable!) And I'd always have to tell her no, it was for someone else. I finally asked if she really wanted one and what were her favorite colors. She lit up and told me pink and orange. Two weeks later, she had her blankie.

It turned out a little more "Dora the Explorer"-ish than I intended, but she was thrilled! Dora was her favorite cartoon and she cuddled this like crazy. It made me happy to make it and see her dragging it around with her.

I was able to get it done very quickly by using a simple twelve-square (three by four) pattern and alternating the pink and orange in each granny square. The white tied everything together and I added a simple faux-scallop border to finish it. Personally, I think the scallop finish makes it look a little more feminine.

I'm sure in time she will forget that I was the one who made, and me all together. But that is fine. She can use the blanket for many years to come and know that at some point, someone cared enough to make something just for her!

A UFO is spotted...

I will admit it - sometimes I jump two feet in to a project without really thinking about how much time it will actually take. Or whether or not I will want to finish it. That is the case with this scrap yarn blanket.

The idea was simple: use up a bunch of my very small balls of yarn by making yo-yos then connect them in to  a decent sized blanket to throw on the couch or scrunch up and let the dogs lay on. FOUR HUNDRED yo-yos later, I've gotten right around a quarter of them connected and I'm just sick of it.

It's not that it's difficult to do, it's just tedious and mind numbing. I'm sure I will get it done at some point, I just need to figure out a better way of attacking it so it won't seem so soul-draining.

Does anyone out there have a craft like this one? Something you are excited about until you get in to the middle of it? If so, let me know!

Keeping Toasty

It's definitely feeling like fall. Too cold for to leave windows and doors open all day but too warm to start a fire. In my house there are always tons of blankets around to help ward off a chill as we relax. I recently finished this lovely and simple throw for the couch. It's made of sixteen granny squares, with a variegated yarn in the center of each to pull all the colors together.

My hubby and I both love the outdoors, my favorite is the coast and water while he loves the mountains and local deserts. So our house is done in warms browns, blues and greens which help up think about the outdoors. This blanket will, I'm sure, be used quite a bit for my brother and his girlfriend to cuddle under during the cold months ahead!

A Fair Challenge

At the beginning of August, the community I live in held it's annual county fair. I will admit that I was surprised to see some interesting exhibits that I really did not expect to find. Beyond the carnival rides and food, the animal displays and largest vegetable or flower competitions, there was also a wide variety of home arts and crafts on display.

The quilting, jewelry, photography, knit and crochet displays were amazing. There is so much talent in this area that doesn't always get noticed. The sad thing is there weren't many entries in each of the home arts categories. So I decided to challenge myself.


I made the decision to enter next year's fair competitions in as many categories as I can. (The more I enter the better chance I have of winning! hehe) I am going to start with a crochet piece. I choose the lovely 1949 afghan pattern above as the first thing I will make. If I am satisfied with how it turns out, I may enter it. If not, I will make something else and go from there.

I have about 10 months to make as many items as I can and then decide on which should be entered. I will try to update everyone on my status about once a month, and I may even ask for your help in the making the final decisions.

Happy Crafting All!

Crochet For The Baby, Updated

There it is, the completed baby afghan that I first posted about last week. I love the way the colors play off each other and give the blanket a little more personality. It is just four granny squares, slipped stitched together with two rounds of accent border and finished with a round of single crochet. The only thing left for me to do is snip the stray tails and weave them in.

It took me about a week to complete this blanket. I'm not entirely sure who will be receiving this blanket yet, but I know it will be going to a loving home sooner or later!

Happy Crafting All!

Crochet For The Baby

No matter where you are or what time of year it is, it seems everyone knows someone who is expecting. My stepdaughter is expecting her second child in Sept. A co-worker of my husband's just found out they were expecting a little girl. There is always someone, and there is always a need for a gift.

I love to crochet baby blankets for the expecting couples because even though they will probably have a ton blankets of all types, on that was made by hand and with a lot of thought and consideration seems to mean more. Anyone can go and pick up a gift set, but to be able to give a that shows that much time put in to it really makes a statement. More often than not, the crocheted blanket turns into a child's favorite blankie and then a cherished keepsake.

The blanket pictured above is about half finished, but will be a total of four granny squares and a border in white, pink and green. The soft tones will work well in any little girl's nursery. If you don't know if the blanket will be for a boy or girl, or just want to make some to have for future gifts, yellow, green and white also make a great combination.

I'll post new pictures when the blanket is finished. Until then...

Happy Crafting All!