Crochet Challenge

I've picked my challenge. Drum roll please... "63 Easy-To-Crochet Pattern Stitches Combine To Make An Heirloom Afghan", designed by Darla Sims, Leisure Arts.

You may ask, "Why would easy to crochet be a challenge?"

The challenge for me is that I cannot stand to crochet squares then sew them together. Therefore, I am going to make this a join-as-you-go afghan.

Here is how the challenge is set up.

Beginning May 1 and for the following 63 weeks, I will crochet one square a week. One square should take me no more than a few hours and I will still have time to work on other projects like this vest.

Yarn for this project will come from my stash, which consists of a hodge podge of colors and yarn contents. There will be no color pattern for the border.

After the last round of each square, another round will be added and that square will be joined to the surrounding squares. I may need to block the square to keep the size of the squares consistent.

The first blog on the first square should be next Sunday.

Have a good week!

It Doesn't Fit!

Queen Anne’s Lace Blouse, designed by Monica Welle Brown,

Interweave Crochet, Summer 2008.

KnitPicks Stroll Cocoa and Buckskin

Why doesn’t it fit?

I’ll tell you why. It is not the fault of the magazine or the designer. My crochet is to gauge. The yarn is wonderful to work with. The fault is all mine. Me. I didn’t measure me before starting. How in the world did I manage to gain so much weight in so short a time? I’m sure it has nothing to do with my eat-fast-because-I don’t-have-time-to-cook-anything-healthy diet.

I have two options with this top. Option 1: Rip it out, wash the yarn, and make it over in a bigger size. Option 2: Lose fifteen pounds. Hmmm. I’ll think about Option 1 while I work on Option 2.

It time to stock up on items for the local arts and craft sale this summer. My sister-in-law gave me several balls of bedspread cotton. There isn’t enough of one color to make a doily; I’ll make coasters for the sale.

March Madness

It’s basketball time in the Hoosier State! I’ve been traveling and watching basketball this past weekend. Three and one-half hour bus ride to the school, two hour game sitting on a hard bleacher watching our girls lose, three and one-half hour bus ride back. I have serious rear end issues. Our season is not over yet! We still have the “Big Dance”.

The crochet blouse is on hold while I work on something for my Fiber Pal. We get challenges every month and this month the challenge is to make something that shows where we would most like to travel. This is going to be fun. I’m not giving out anything yet. Last month we were to send something that we like to our Fiber Pal. I made a crochet mug cozy and included a mug and tea bags. It turns out we both like tea because I got tea bags, too. She also sent me a washcloth she made and a ball of cotton/corn yarn. I’ve never seen yarn made from corn. It’s so soft.

Later this week I’m on Spring Break. I should get lots of crocheting done!

Under the Weather

I have had a bad cold all week. Finally, Saturday I decided to give in and spend the day on the sofa watching the Olympics.

One Superscarf is completed. I made this a basic garter stitch scarf, changing colors every six inches. Garter stitch is actually kind of fun even if boring. With my eyes watering and blowing my nose every other row, I could still knit without looking.

Next on this list is to crochet a top. I’m using neutral colors and I have no idea what I’ll wear with it.

Before starting on the “Challenge Project” I still have to vest to knit. Unlike Julie and Julia, I am not going to set a deadline. For me that would be too stressful. I still have Christmas presents to make, Superscarves, charity projects, and things for my booth this summer.

I'm Getting There!

One more Christmas gift is finished – eight more to go. There isn’t a picture posted because someone might see what they are getting.

The super scarf project has been started (see picture). I still have a top and a vest to finish before I start my challenge project.

The list of books to use for my challenge has been narrowed down to a book of purses and bags and a book of sweaters. Both will offer me a challenge with the various techniques and yarn suggestions.

I have the start of a bad cold today, so not much knitting will be done.

What To do?

This blog was originally started in order to write about my crochet and knit journey. It seems I’ve run into a dry spell—not that I’ve haven’t been making anything, but I have not really done anything worth writing about. It seems I need a project.

Last week I watched the movie “Julie & Julia”. Julie blogged about cooking her way through a cookbook. Maybe I need to crochet and knit my way through a pattern book. Which book? I have many choices on my bookshelf.

Afghans are out of the question, they take too long. The patterns need to be quick and offer new techniques. To make it more interesting, I could use the suggested yarn. That would get me to try different types of yarn.

There is plenty of time to decide. I have Christmas presents to make (13 total gift receivers, 3 down 10 to go); I have volunteered to make scarves for Super Bowl 2012 (have until November 2011 to get as many done as I can as they need 8000); there are things I need to make for a booth at an art fair this summer; and I have yarn for a couple of sweaters, I’d like to start this “journey” without UFOs.

If anyone is reading, I’m open for ideas.

Pretty Vest

Aleita Shell, designed by Bonne Marie Burns, Interweave Knits Spring 2008

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport, Serano

I love this pattern! The body is knitted in the round and the shoulders are the only seams. So easy and quick to make.

There aren’t many changes I would make.

1) I would take out the waist shaping. The shell looks alright on, but at my age I just don’t have a waist to shape a sweater to.

2) I would make it longer. My belly, which has been pregnant a few times, has a tendency to hang out with these short sweaters. Wearing something underneath helps, but I feel sloppy having my shirt tail out. That feeling I am sure is a result of upbringing.

3) I would use a different yarn. Knit Picks has always been my yarn of choice, but this time I was a little disappointed. They yarn had knots and splices all through it – all six skeins. I do love the color and I’m not giving up on Knit Picks; I will probably just not use Shine for a sweater.

My next project is a pair of socks. I tried an intricate lace and cable toe-up sock pattern that just didn’t work for me. The foot fit wonderfully so I went ahead and knit the heel and halfway up the leg. When I tried the sock on again, I couldn’t get it over my ankle. I’m sure I did something wrong as this is my second attempt at the toe-up socks. My first pair was also tight but wearable. Last night was spent frogging then casting on for traditional cuff-down socks. I’ll try toe-up again when I can find a class.

Go Colts!