Handmade Mother's Day

This year I decided to make Mother’s Day presents for my Mom and my Oma. In years past I have racked my brain on what to buy them for this occasion and admittedly it has been difficult, some gifts have been better than others. So I decided to go handmade this year. Since I am now working full time, my afternoon craft time has disappeared. I have mourned this loss considerably, but I have found that if I am intentional with my time after the girls are in bed, I can get loads of crafting done. 

So in the evenings, which thankfully stay lighter longer these days, I made these gifts. And it was wonderful.

This peg bag is for my Mom. She loves to do laundry and to hang it outside on the clothes line. At first I thought I was going a little overboard with the pretty fabric and the eyelet trim, but what the heck.  Why shouldn’t everyday useful objects be pretty? The pattern for the peg bag can be found here. 

These crochet coasters are for my Oma. Pretty, floral, crochet coasters for her to set her coffee cup on. The pattern for these can be found in this book.

I was excited to give these gifts, and my special ladies were happy to have them.

Crochet Bunting

I have so many works-in-progress at the moment and so many ideas and plans rattling around my creative mind tempting me to start yet another project. Which I guess is not a bad thing - I can only shudder when I think about how dull it would be if I had no more crafty ideas, nothing on my creative to-do list. Yes, best to have several projects on the go....

That all being said, I did manage to complete one project this past weekend: nothing huge, just some fun, whimsical crochet bunting to hang on the barn board in our living room.

I used my leftover yarn from the Garden Patch Granny Afghan and my Granny Cushion, though much fewer colors as my stash of these yarns is dwindling.

Cheerful and cozy, don't you think?

Once I hung the bunting, Steve commented to me that perhaps that we have enough crochet stuff in the living room using this yarn. He does have a point - between the blanket, the pillow, and now the bunting - there is a lot of these colors...but they are so pretty together. I did pack the remaining yarn (and there is not much) away in my yarn bin for another time....but that in no way means that I do not already have a few ideas of what to make next.

Granny Cushion Ta-Dah!

Good Morning. How was your weekend? Mine was fantastic partly because I finished my Granny Cushion on Saturday evening. And it turned out so beautiful.......I am quite proud of it really....it is exactly as I envisioned it in my creative mind when I began....I am so pleased with it.

As I mentioned before the pattern for the squares came from page 48 of this book. I made each square with a different color combination and tried to space out the colors so that the same ones were not right beside each other on the front of the cushion. Sixteen squares were made in total.

In this post I talked about my ideas for making the back of the cushion and left you with my plan to do a striped back. Well, I did do that but not without a few less than stellar attempts: a totally blue back that was just plain boring, and a back that was mainly blue with three evenly spaced yellow stripes that reminded me too much of a college sweater.

In the end I went with a totally random stripe pattern and I love it. It allowed me to include so many more colors and it matches the homespun nature of the granny front.

I crocheted the two sides of my pillow together - a simple round of single crochet around the edge while holding the two pieces together and making sure that the corners were lined up.

The pillow form I purchased was stark white and shone through the crochet when I put it inside my cover; this looked quite terrible and sort of ruined the look of the pillow. To solve this problem I purchased some broadcloth in almost the same color as the beige yarn that I used on the front of the cushion and made a simple envelope pillow cover which I slid over the pillow form before putting it into my finished cushion cover. The form is now nearly invisible when you are looking at the front of the pillow,

and blends so much better when you are looking at the back. An extra step, but well worth it as the finished product looks so much better.

I am quite smitten with my new pillow. I love how it looks in the living room and how it adds yet another homemade touch to my home. And it was quite enjoyable to work on this project during this last bit of winter....

Granny Cushion Update

Good Morning. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Around these parts we said good-bye to Daddy who headed to the UK for the week for work, the sun shone warmly enough that I can see a smidgen of grass around the edge of the yard (there is still about seven feet of snow in the middle of the yard, so I am not fooled into thinking spring will be here anytime soon) and we had two movie nights watching The Sound of Music - it was so fun to cuddle on the couch and watch this classic with my girls.  I am also happy to report that I am finally feeling better after the worst cold in my history.

This weekend also saw a bit of progress on the crochet front, specifically my crochet cushion which I first told you about here. I finished all the squares for the front a few weekends ago, while still in the throes of nose-blowing, and on Saturday I blocked the entire thing together.

I also worked on the backing of the cushion. At first I was going to make one large granny square, with each round a different color, but I was not happy with the shape my granny square was taking (it was turning out a little wonky rather than square, even though I started each round at a different corner) and I did not like how open it was and how much the underlying pillow form would shine through the spaces between the rounds.

So I scrapped that idea and decided to make a more solid backing - double crochets back and forth to form a very sturdy and dense fabric. I like this much better.

By Sunday afternoon, the front of my cushion had dried from blocking and I began to sew the squares together - this went much faster than I had first thought it would. Maybe I was still a bit put off by all the sewing together needed for my Garden Patch Granny Afghan.....for no good reason for this is much simpler.

And while we finished up The Sound of Music on Sunday night, I worked a little more on my backing....row after row of blue, though I may throw in a few other colored rows just for fun.

It feels really refreshing and engaging to have a larger project to work on again. And I am thinking of so many other cushion ideas so there may be a few more of those in my future.

Hope your weekend was well and that you got a little crafting done.

With My Leftover Granny Blanket Yarn....

The leftover yarn from my Garden Patch Granny Afghan has been sitting in this basket in the living room collecting dust for over six months.

I tried making a ripple blanket ...but that did not work out (why I can not figure out the ripple pattern is beyond me, I will have to try again some other time) so I have been searching around for the perfect project for this yarn, something to make for my house since I love the colors and they work so well with my decor.

Finally I was able to call off the search after I received this stunning book for Christmas and saw this gorgeous pillow. This was it, the perfect project, a Sunburst Motif Cushion.

I know I said after I finished my Garden Patch Granny Afghan that I was going to take a break from projects involving squares that need joining, since joining all the squares for the blanket nearly killed me, but making a pillow doesn't seem so bad. Yes I can do it, there will not be that many squares to join, and it will look lovely when it is all finished. Plus, I have always wanted to make a crochet cushion.

I have been working on this slowly over the last week, often derailed by fatigue and the need to work on my tired craft, but it is coming along.

I will need 16 squares in total for the front of the pillow, and have these five completed so far.

The center colors are just what I think looks good together from in the basket, and I am doing the outer round in Beige. I will be joining all the squares together in Beige as well. Not sure what I am going to do for the back of the cushion - more small squares, or one large square, I have not decided quite yet.

I am excited to see how this pillow looks on my sofa...especially how it mixes with the ones that are already there.

It feels really good to have a larger project on the go, something to really sink my hook into and get really excited/obsessed about. Something to bring me through the rest of winter.

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: It's Finished!

After almost a year and a half of having this project 'in the works'. After hours and hours of crocheting, blocking, and sewing squares together, my Garden Patch Granny Afghan is FINISHED!!!

I am so incredibly proud of this blanket. When I made the last stitch and laid my blanket out on the living room floor I had butterflies in my stomach and did a little jump for joy. What a sense of accomplishment I felt. This blanket is truly the greatest crochet project that I have ever done and I love love love it. I loved working on it and I love how it looks all finished.

There is something incredibly wonderful about completing a project of any size, but this blanket was such an adventure to work on, such a time investment, that declaring it finished was just amazing.

Are you ready to see it in all its granny glory?

It really is a sea of granny squares.

Absolutely beautiful! I love it!

Oh, and did you notice the border? I wanted something simple but substantial, to frame all the squares but not compete with or take away from them. I think I got what I was looking for with this border:

Wow. All done.

Like I suspected I would, I have plenty of yarn leftover and have been busy collecting patterns for projects to do with the remainders. The colors coordinate so well with each other and with my home that I am leaning heavily towards a few home decor items.

It feels strange to not have this huge project to work on, some next step to get to. But at the same time it is freeing to know that 'the big one' is done and that I can move on to some of the smaller projects waiting in the queue.

Pity I finished this blanket in the summer when it is way to hot to cuddle underneath it. Oh well, something to look forward to come the fall and winter. Until then, I have it folded on the footstool in the living room, and just looking at it makes me so incredibly happy.

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: I'm Almost Done!

Guess what? After threading my needle thousands of times and after countless hours spent sewing squares together, my Garden Patch Granny Afghan is completely assembled!

You would not believe how excited I was to lay it out on the living room floor and see it all together. I actually had butterflies in my stomach.

I know it has been a long time since I updated you on this project, but really there was not much exciting to say...I was just sewing and sewing square after square together.

But the moment the sewing was done and I was able to stand back and marvel at the sea of grannies covering my floor, made all the hours I spent crouched over with a needle in my hand worth it. I am so happy with how it looks. It is just beautiful and I love it.

I have now removed all the papers and tags that I used to keep track of what went where, and have begun working on the edging. I am keeping the edging quite simple, a necessity I think since the blanket itself is so very busy.

I'm almost done and I am so excited!

(To read all the posts about this project, click the Garden Patch Granny Afghan box on the sidebar)

Pink & White Blanket (for a sweet little girl)

I made this blanket for my youngest daughter Claire.

Did you know it is very hard to photograph a blanket when it is all laid out? Balancing on a stool with a camera held above my head trying to get a decent picture....not at all a simple feat.

I purchased the yarn used for this blanket a few summers ago at a huge sale. Both colors - the white and the pink/white twist - were factory mill ends stuffed into bags and priced at a mere $3.00 per bag.

I followed this pattern which is the same one I used to make a blanket for my nephew a little over a year ago. I really do enjoy this pattern, there is something incredibly soothing about the repeating stitches back and forth across the rows.

One thing I did change a bit from the original pattern was the edging. I found a coordinating solid pink in my yarn stash and then did one row of single crochet in white, pink, and then white around the blanket. I finished off with a picot edge in solid pink. I am very happy with how the edging turned out. The solid colors really frame the blanket and the picot edging makes it look a little more fancy.

Now this blanket is in the room of this girl where is gets lots of love, giggles, and cuddles.

She is the sweetest and most adorable little girl.

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: Glad to Be Back at It

This is how my afghan project looked for the last two, maybe three months.

Nothing got done and it sat in the corner of my bedroom in this basket. The reason: I got distracted, in a good way, by other smaller projects - a tote bag, a witch, and some hearts. And then there was Christmas.

But within the last week or so, I have gotten back at it. All the crocheting of squares is done. I have seven rectangles sewn together, and two rectangles are blocked and waiting to be seamed.

There is still a lot of blocking and seaming to do, which is not my favorite at all, but the end is in site.

I have also been thinking about what type of edging to put on this blanket. The pattern calls for just two rounds of single crochet, but I don't think that will be substantial enough.  Hmm....something to think about as I sew squares together.

It feels good to be working on this project again. I am feeling quite determined to get it done, to resist the lure of starting something new, to finish up this colorful masterpiece and lay it across my sofa. I am glad to be back at it.

(To read all posts about this project, click the Garden Patch Granny Afghan box on the sidebar)

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: A Long Awaited Update

Oh dear, it was not my intent for so much time to have passed before I updated you on this big project of mine.  So sorry about that.

Here is where I am at:

I have been crocheting away quite vigorously on my squares.

Right now I have two of each rectangle completely crocheted and awaiting blocking and seaming.

I also have one of each of the five rectangles completely blocked and seamed together.  After I block a rectangle I label it with a piece of paper tied on with yarn so that I can keep track of which rectangle is which for when I seam the whole blanket together.

If you remember from the introduction to this project I have four of each of the five rectangles to make.  With one of each rectangle already completely blocked and seamed, and two of each rectangle crocheted and awaiting blocking and seaming, this means that I have only one more rectangle to crochet and a whole lot of blocking to do.  Excellent progress!

Here are the five rectangles that are blocked and seamed together.

Rectangle A

Rectangle B

Rectangle C

Rectangle D

Rectangle E

As I move along and block more rectangles, the blocking process does become a little easier.  One thing I have found is that the rectangles with many small squares (rectangles A and E) are definitely more difficult to block than those that have more medium and large squares.

Even though blocking is becoming easier, I would still choose to crochet. Crocheting is definitely the more fun part of making this blanket.

And I am happy to say that, as I vowed, I am putting my ends in right away which has made my life a lot easier.

And now a little bit about the yarn I am using - Vanna's Choice.  It is lovely yarn.  Great to work with and very soft; it is going to make a lovely blanket. And the colors are just gorgeous.  I do think  that I am going to have a lot of yarn leftover though.  I am working on my last rectangles now and have just started my second ball of each color.  But this does not bother me really, because the wheels are already turning as to what project I could make with what may remain.

I am really getting excited about my progress on this blanket.  It is coming together so nicely and I hope to have it done by Christmas which I think is a realistic goal.

How lovely it would be to curl up under my Garden Patch Granny Afghan and sip hot chocolate while the snow falls outside and the Christmas lights twinkle.

With that image in mind, I am off to crochet.

Back sooner this time with an update....

(To read all posts about this project, click the Garden Patch Granny Afghan box on the sidebar)

My Colorful Granny Square Bag

I just finished this bag.

Isn't it lovely? And colorful?  And bright?

I love it!

The pattern is from Lion Brand (Kitchen Cotton Hexagon Market Bag). 

Instead of Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, I used Bernat Handicrafter Cotton (which I have an insane amount of).  

And I used the following colors:

• Color A: Hot Pink 
• Color B: Hot Green
• Color C: Purple Power
• Color D: Orange Chill
• Color E: Hot Blue

I wanted a bright, cheerful bag for summer.....and that is exactly what I got.
   

When I am at the Farmer's Market this summer you will see me coming from a mile away with my colorful granny square bag.

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: Ends In, Seaming Started

I love granny squares!

Obvious by the fact that I am making this blanket.

But like anything, there are disadvantages, and without a doubt one of the major drawbacks to granny squares are all the ends that you are left with as a result of all the color changes.

Each time I start a granny square project, I vow to weave in the ends as I go, hoping to avoid the daunting task of having hundreds of ends left dangling and needing to be put in when the project is complete.

Did I do this with this project?

No. I did not.

I was crocheting my little heart out making square after square and had not weaved in a single end.

Yikes!

So I put the brakes on crocheting and committed to putting in the ends. Since this task is no where near as fun as crocheting squares and seeing the colors come together, I was not as eager to work on it and my overall progress on my blanket did slow considerably.

But after countless, painstaking hours of weaving in ends, I can say that I am caught up - all the ends are in on all the squares that I have crocheted.

And my snip jar is looking phenomenal with all the colorful snips I have added.

As I move forward, crocheting more squares, I am weaving in the ends as I go! (This is my solemn vow)

I have also made myself a blocking board and have begun blocking and then sewing the large, medium and small squares together into rectangles.

I did try sewing the squares together without blocking them but was not all that pleased with the results; some squares looked stretched while others were squashed together, and the few rectangles that I did sew together this way were not the same size.

Blocking the squares into their rectangular arrangements allows me to make sure that the individual squares are all the same size and that the overall rectangles are all the same size.  It also makes sewing the squares together much easier.

My mom is making the same blanket at the same time as me (a fun mother-daughter crochet along) and she helped me block my first rectangle.

This is the above rectangle (rectangle A) blocked and sewn together. With the ends in of course.

I have all the squares for a few more rectangles crocheted and ready to be blocked and sewn together.  I hope to show you those soon.

Right now, I am feeling like the more I accomplish on this afghan, the more there still is left to do...it is a little overwhelming.  Ever felt that way when working on a large project?

But at least I have all the parts underway - crocheting, ends in, seaming started.... I should be good from here on out.

Stay tuned for regular updates.

(For an introduction to this project visit The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: An Introduction)

The Garden Patch Granny Afghan: An Introduction

I have always wanted to make a blanket for the couch in my living room. For years (yes, years) I have searched for the perfect pattern, the perfect yarn, and the perfect colours.  And I did not have any luck....that is until just before Christmas when I found this pattern for the Garden Patch Granny Afghan by Lion Brand.  Check it out....it is gorgeous!

It was love at first sight - small, medium and large sized granny squares crocheted using beautiful yarn in incredible colours, and then joined together into a gorgeous afghan!!!!

Added bonus: the yarn (Vanna's Choice) was on sale during Boxing Week for $2.49 a ball (regular $5.99).  Excellent!

So I have started this project and I am so excited about it.  It is a big one, to say the least, so I thought I would introduce you to the project today and keep you posted as I move along.

The one alteration to the pattern that I made was to substitute the following colours:

• (133)Brick, for (105)Pink
• (134)Terracotta, for (142)Rose
• (135)Rust, for (143)Antique Rose

The colours that I chose to use are more orange/red than pink and will match my living room decor better.

First I set up my 'project basket':

These are all the colours used, but only half the yarn.  The other half of the yarn is in a tub in the basement - told you it was a big project!

I then crocheted a large square,

a few medium squares,

and a handful of small squares.

Now, as the pattern goes, a slew of large, medium, and small squares are crocheted in various colours, and colour combinations, and are then arranged into five different rectangles.  The squares in each rectangle are then sewn together, and then the rectangles themselves are sewn together into the finished afghan.  Make sense?  If not, check the pattern.

I have squares for one rectangle fully crocheted.  I still need to block them and sew them together, but here they are all laid out so you can see how they will fit together.

Absolutely beautiful!!!!!

I have realized that I will need to make myself a blocking board for working on this project so until I get that done I am going to keep crocheting and simply sort the squares I make into baggies labelled for each rectangle (A to E).

I am having a blast working on this blanket.  I love how the colours are coming together.

I'll keep you posted.....

Welcome Baby!

Every new baby deserves a new blanket....especially if that new baby is my nephew.

I finished this v-stitch baby throw for him in the nick of time.  (The little guy decided to come a few days early so Auntie had to get down to business).

   Here is a different view.

I used Bernat Softee Baby yarn in Baby Grey Marl (twisted grey and white) for the main part of the blanket and Flannel (solid grey) for the border.

I had planned to make the blanket in blue, but when I was out shopping for yarn I could not find any blues that looked right - I had seen the nursery fabric and without a sample on hand, I knew that matching the correct blue would be difficult.  When I spotted the grey, I knew it would be perfect.  I was actually a little surprised to see grey as a colour choice in baby yarn, but I love that it is a little non-traditional.

I followed Lion Brand Pattern Number: L0238B to make this blanket.  It is available for free on the Lion Brand website http://www.lionbrand.com/  The only alteration that I made to the pattern was to use three rows of single crochet for the border, rather than a picot edging.  I just thought that a single crochet trimming would look more boyish than a picot.

If you have never made a blanket using a v-stitch I would recommend giving it a try.  The results are just gorgeous, and it is so simple and quick to finish....though you may still have to hurry in the end if the baby your blanket is intended for comes sooner than expected.