Supernatural ~ Blanket

A little over a month ago, some time towards the end of July, beginning of August, I started thinking about making a blanket for our bed. I had been making some personalized baby blankets for friends following a pattern designed by someone else. I wanted to make something that was all mine.

I had in mind a patchwork quilt-type blanket out of granny squares and solid portions. While making up squares for my blanket, I kept seeing colors from a pair of booties I had made and decided I’d put my blanket aside and work on another to sell on Etsy. I wanted more than just the two colors of black and purple, though, so I went searching through my stash for a third color. I found a green that made for an interesting addition to the colors, mapped out a pattern and got started.

Many times while making this blanket, I questioned the combination of colors I chose. I’m pretty conservative, not one to put wild colors together. I know these probably don’t seem too wild, but for me, this combination was. But upon seeing the finished product, I was really happy with it.

I named this “Supernatural” because as I was making this, the colors reminded me of “The Hulk” and also “The Count” on Sesame Street. My mind was also drawn to comic books whenever I was making it, so, what better name than “Supernatural”?

On future blankets, I’m going to see about cross-stitching words and images on the solid shapes. I’m excited to see what else I can come up with.

Etsy Listing

Emily’s skirt

Because my daughter helped me out with my latest project, I promised to make one for her.

She was intrigued with the idea of me making the cowl/scarf/hood a skirt as well. She likes wearing skirts/wraps over her jeans so I wasn’t concerned about the openness of the pattern. As in the latest project, I used a stitch from 101 Afghan Stitches and Caron Spa.

I decided on stitch 88, which is a puff stitch. But because I was using an H hook with this yarn, the openness was more than what I had anticipated. But I liked working with the hook and liked how the stitch was coming out using the larger hook so I added a row of dc in between the puff stitch.

It’s coming out nicely, I think. I’m on my (hopefully) last skein of yarn for this project. It’s taking a bit more yarn than the lacy cowl. If I make another one of these in a larger size, I’ll have to use more yarn.

Lacy Cowl

I don’t know how long ago it was. A year, maybe two. I normally write my dreams down. Ok, so I don’t write them down as often as I should. At least I remember this one. I was in a building that sits between two financial institutions here in town. From the day they built this section, this building was empty. In my dream, however, it was a library. Interesting since it sits on the perimeter of the library parking lot. Anyway, I’m in this building and it’s a library. Small, but a library. I’m sitting at a table crocheting. Shocker, I know. I was making a cylinder shaped item. But I did not know what it was. When I woke up from the dream I decided to crochet it. And I did. I still did not know what it was.

While surfing Etsy I found it. It was not the same pattern or color, but there it was. A cowl. So I set out to make a second one to sell on Etsy. I’m keeping the first. I may not wear it, but it was something I literally dreamed up.

My daughter and I went over to Michael’s. I had been wanting an excuse to get my hands on some Caron Spa so I picked up a few skeins. My daughter picked out the color, Misty Taupe. She’s got a thing for silver and thought this color was very close. I told her since she helped me pick out the color, I’d make her one as well using the same color.

I searched through my book 101 Stitches for Afghans and decided on stitch #95 and an I hook.

I really loved working with this yarn. It’s so silky, soft, and light. I had wanted to make this a scarf/hood/cowl/skirt. This one was a bit too big for my daughter to wear as a skirt and since she was the model, I scrapped that idea for this particular project.

I was quite happy with the results and my daughter liked it enough for me to make her one in a different stitch.

Etsy listing

Sun and Sand Tote

I’m working up a tote bag made with yarn doilies crocheted around plastic rings. The pattern is found in Crochet Today! July/August 2009, page 40. It is designed by Mary Jane Hall.

Since I was unable to find plastic ring, my awesome husband took me to Home Depot. We picked up some Vinyl tubing and poly tubing and I made my own plastic rings.

I’m interested in seeing how this is going to turn out.

I’m using Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Sport in Kiwi and a G hook.

6/22/09 – I finished the tote today. I found the pattern simple enough with just enough work to keep me focused. It’s a perfect tote for my W.I.P.s. This is probably a pattern I won’t mind working up again. It measures approx. 14.5″ w x 9.5″ l (not including handles) x 6.5″ d at the bottom.

Sydney Victoria’s Australian Dream

I finally finished the blanket I made for my friends’ baby who is due the beginning of March.

Matt & Eileen went to Australian on their honeymoon. They loved it there and when they got pregnant and found out they were having a girl, they named her Sydney Victoria.

I already had a design in my head of a blanket I wanted to make for them. I would take the pattern from the Butterfly Garden afghan and then cross stitch her name in the center. I had also wanted to see if I could get a sketch of the Sydney Opera House in there.

I had some colors picked out in my head and those were confirmed when Eileen showed me a picture of the bedding they wanted to get for Sydney’s room. The opera house was confirmed when they told me that they had a view of the opera house everyday from their hotel room.

I used Caron Simply Soft in Raspberry and Off-White. I used Bernat Satin in a dark, forest green and white. I used a J Afghan hook to crochet the blanket.

I found a neat sketch of the Opera House that I graphed using knitpro.

The blanket was finally finished on Saturday, Jan 31 and I took it over to their house. They seemed very pleased with it and when we took it up to her room, we saw it was a great match to the paint.

The blanket measures 44″ x 57″.

Sydney Victoria’s Australian Dream

Sydney’s blanket is finished. Mostly. I have the ends to weave in and that’s it.

The tough part, or the part that will require some thought, is the charting out of the design I want on the blanket. I have a basic design that I’m 100% certain on. I would like to add a few other details and seeing as I have a little over a month until her arrival, I think I’ll work on that a bit. I’m hoping the cross-stitch portion won’t take me as long as the blanket portion took.

I’m loving this blanket. I can’t wait to post pictures. This is a blanket she’ll be able to hold on to all the way through adult, in my opinion.

Knit sweater to fix

A friend asked if I would be able to fix this sweater for a friend of hers, but, alas, I’m unable to do so.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Emily’s wristwarmers

Emily had been wanting me to make her a pair of wristwarmers that went up to her elbow. After several tries of different stitches, my brain was just not in the design mode. I went to Ravelry and searched and searched. I found an easy pattern that looked nice so I sat down to work them up today. I got the pattern from CreativeYarn and loved it. So does Emily.

I used a size H hook with Bernat Satin yarn in Mocha. They are 9″ x 13″. I only made minor changes to the pattern based on how long Emily wanted the sleeves to be and the measurement around her forearm.

I have one photo to show for now and will take more pictures tomorrow in the light.

Snowman/bunny hybrid

Had to come up with a quick gift for a little guy. We are going to his first birthday party on Saturday.

I was going to make up Kim Guzman’s chenille bunny out of caron simply soft. I got the head and body finished, however, the feet weren’t coming out right and I didn’t have the patience to figure out what I did wrong. So, I pulled out a snowman pattern from Hooked on Crochet, Dec 2007. So, I made the feet, arms and hat from the pattern, making up the scarf from my own made up pattern.

He’s 9″ tall and made from scraps from my stash, mostly Caron Simply Soft.

W.I.P.s

Well, I worked up a hat for Levi and one for Scott. I found some Forest Green Caron Simply Soft at Walmart that I picked up since I thought the color perfect for Levi who LOVES all things camouflage. I worked Levi’s up with Yarn Cat’s Barstow pattern with the green and black. Scott wanted his without the spaces that the cluster rows bring, so I simply made his in double crochet, alternating between black and green until it was the length he liked it.

This is Levi -