G's Star

This is my G's Xmas present.  He's seen it, he picked the pattern, he picked the colors.  This pattern was interesting to work with; some parts were written very strange-ly.  I had to rewrited a few parts.  The other strange part of this was the gauge.  I purchased the worsted weight as called for in the pattern and used the hook that was called for in the pattern...but, it turned out 15" smaller than the pattern said it would be...and it used less than half the amount of yarn called for.  Good thing I saved the receipt for the yarn !

I used Caron's Simply soft yarn.  First time I've used this yarn.  It was slippery and tended to split;  the shiny aspect of the  yarn was one reason I had avoided this yarn in the past, but I wanted something soft for the finished piece.

Lizard Ridge DONE !

Wow...finally finished this !  I had some apathy towards it in about the middle, and didn't work on if as much as I should have some days.  I actually doubled the size of the piece about a third way into it.  White turned into a main color instead of a contrast color.  I see crayons when I look at it (the black outlining the colors...).  I've come to the realization that I don't like making small throws...bigger is better.  I listed this on Etsy; it's the first time I've tried to sell anything I've made.  I have a suspicion that its overpriced, but I'm testing the waters.  On to the next project ! (I'm in the middle of a denim quilt already )

Riding on the back of a Lizard...Ridge

Now this is more like it.  After two previous attempts with this yarn, I've got a pattern that I like.  It is called the Lizard Ridge Pattern, published in Knitty, fall 2006.  I've had the pattern on my fave list for a few years but my last attempt with a short row pattern was unsuccessful, so it sat on the list un-attempted for quite a while.  I finally attempted it after the two previous disasters.   It is a pattern that you have to concentrate on while working on, and the short rows did cause a headache for the first few rows.  I didn't like the way the pattern was written and even after watching a video on YouTube, I was still confused.  SO.....being the self-reliant type of guy I am, I found a much better way to work short rows.  I don't seem to get much done each day, but it is coming along.   I also noticed that this looks like a knitted version of the Wavey Afghan I started first.  This is a good thing, because I liked that pattern.  So, I'm plugging along and will post a pic when I finish  (My brain is already  planning the next three or four projects ....)

feed the fish-ees

I thought this was cute...


Click to "FEED THE FISH"

Creating Frustration

So yesterday, I was working on my latest project, a wavey afghan, when I realized that I had under-calculated how much yarn was going to be needed to finish. I was using yarn from my stash, yarn that I had purchased at my fave store, Saver's, a few years ago for a couple of bucks. Since the yarn was old, I figured I wouldn't be able to find anymore. I was surprised when I found it was available at JOANN'S and was on sale. It appeared that the colors were not available but there were others that were close. Off we went today on errands, and stopped at JOANN'S. No yarn...only available online. :( No other brands even close to what I needed. Needed to go to plan B. Gen'o advised me to let it set for a few days, maybe a solution would present itself. I was all ready to frog the whole thing. So, I'm letting it sit....I have found a new pattern, very similar, and will prolly frog and make the original yarn more of a contrast color in the new pattern.

Couch Cover / Loveseat Cover

I made these two several years ago for my Mother-In-Law. They are knitted corner to corner in garter stitch. The couch cover is about nine feet x 6 feet. ( The loveseat is identical, only smaller.) About a year after I finished the couch cover, my Mother-in-law asked for one for her loveseat. Since she moved back to the Philippines in the spring, she gave them back to me. They are currently sitting in the storage unit, since they don't match my decor. I am thinking of frogging them, as they each have repaired spots on them, and I'm not allowed to buy any new yarn until I use up my stash.



They are made from Red Heart yarn. I think I used a 9mm circular needle.
(the close-up makes the lightest red look orange.)

Rainbow Afghan

I found this design while searching the Internet. Its made up of strips, and I modified the way the strips joined together. I literally had less than a foot of yarn left after making this afghan. In fact I had to modify the fringe due to limited amount of the color yarn. My Mother choose this one, from a group of five that I made for my sisters and her. I told her, "No, it doesn't come with a membership to PFLAG!"

Here is the original pattern that I modified : (they called it a Medallion Strip Afghan)

http://www.allcrafts.net/fjs.htm?url=www.patchworkcrochet.com/strips.htm

I don't know the yarn this was made of, since the yarn came from a throw that I frogged . It felt like an acrylic/cotton blend. I used a G Boye hook.

Tunisian Crochet Afghan

This was my first attempt at tunisian crochet. I found the method one day while surfing the internet. I marked it as a favorite and several weeks later I began work on it. It is a very simple stitch to learn. I used a tradional crochet hook, not an afghan hook. Each individual square is only about two inch square, so the smaller size of a traditional hook was not an issue. The finished piece is heavier than a traditional afghan made from the same yarn (considering that the stitch will create two layers, if you will). The simple color design and color combination presents a very impressive finished piece. The only thing that I don't like about it is the sides of the squares look jigsaw-puzzle-piece-ish, but I can live with it. This was one of a batch that I made in the fall/winter of 2009 for my Mother and sisters. The sister that I had in mind while making it, choose it.

Its made from Red Heart yarn and number H Boye needle.

Granny Squares

This is a modern take on a Granny Square Afghan. I had been wanting to make a granny square afghan for quite awhile (ROSEANNE, anyone?) Thing is, I like to modify or create my own designs; so I did some extensive research on-line for some different squares. After doing some tests squares, and searching my stash, I came up with a combination of color and design that I found pleasing. As I was making it, it grew larger and larger. This is one of five afghans I made in the fall and winter of 2009. I sent them to my Mother and let her and my sisters choose from them. I had an idea in my head who would choose what, and somehow, they choose the one I thought they would.

This is made from Red Heart and a size G Boye needle.

Ripple Knit

This is a ripple knit throw that I ended up giving to my sister. I wanted to make a ripple afghan, but wasn't looking to make the traditional crochet version. The waves are larger than the traditional ripple. I put markers on the needles where I wanted the increases and decreases to be. About halfway throught the process, I noticed holes in the finished piece where the stitch holders were.




This was made from Peaches and Creme cotton yarn and number 7 circular needle.

Pairie Star Quilt Afghan

I made this quilt afghan about a year ago. I gave it to my sister who loves antiques, old items and has decorated her whole home in that style. I finally got to see the afghan in its home this spring during a visit. I found the design on an internet search. I liked the idea of an afghan looking like a quilt (combining two of my interests). The assembly can be kind of tricky but BethinTx on YouTube has posted detailed videos of the whole creation and assembly.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWjt33r_gBA

It's made from Red Heart yarn

New Beginnging

This is a digital diary of my creative expressions. I like to crochet, knit, quilt, needlepoint. I've been doing these crafts for almost 35 years, being mostly self-taught. I come from a family of needleartists. My Grandma B****** loved to crochet and quilt. My Mother sews and dabbles in quilting. My sisters sew, paint, quilt, and scrapbook. I have neices that knit, sew, quilt and draw.