I have 14 more rows done. I have two more rows of red to do, and then I’ll do several rows of single crochet for the cuff where the name will go. I knew the embellishments were not included in this pattern, but I was disappointed to realize that the cuff wasn’t even included. In any case, I will figure it out. I should finish this by the end of the week and I am trying to decide whose I will make next.
Filed under 30 Days of Blog - 2015
I finished the last of my current custom orders this week. It’ is the same as the other afghan I did recently, but in a solid coral with variegated edging.
I love how this coral photographs. It comes out so pretty. Since it was a solid afghan I added a flower, again using the same stitch as the edging. But instead of a plastic button, I used a crocheted puff button so that there isn’t any concern about a choking hazard with a baby.
I have added this as an option to my Etsy listing which you can find here. I also still need to go back and finish writing the pattern for this so I can post it on Ravelry. I’ve had a few people ask for that.
Filed under 30 Days of Blog - 2015
I bet you can start to see the stocking in all this yarn now, can’t you?
It was a bit tricky to work the heel and come back and connect the next row with the jersey stitches.
Also, I had to relocate to a different table in the break room at lunch because someone got to the table I normally use two steps before me. Of course, it is the only grey table there and I really should have used a green table from the beginning, but I prefer the grey top for the background. Plus, that table is right next to the window and gave me good light for the pictures. But I guess really I should use one of the rest of the tables going forward since the chance of getting the one grey table every single day is pretty low.
On to the leg tomorrow!
The more I work on it, the more I love this pattern. I love the size and I love the signature stitch – the jersey stitch, which is basically two stitches, one crossed in front of the other. I love how they form columns that make the design resemble a giant knitted sock.
It was a little bit challenging learning the stitch at first, and I don’t recommend the pattern for beginners. But once you’ve got it mastered, the rows do go pretty quickly.
The candy-cane stripes on this first stocking are going to look very cute. I am cautiously optimistic that I can finish all 4 stockings by the end of the month.
My first impression of this pattern is that it is going to work up very quickly, but we’ll see. The pattern calls for holding to strands of yarn at the same time, or using bulky yarn with a size K hook. I am using two strands of yarn, and I took it a step further, using a size N or 9 mm hook.
I am making my daughter’s stocking first with red and white candy cane stripes. I was able to work up the toe section in about 15 minutes and am anxious to see how big these will turn out. I only had a few minutes to work on this today. Tomorrow I should have more time so hopefully I can get more done.
If you would like the pattern, it is for sale on Ravelry for $3.99 here.
Filed under 30 Days of Blog - 2015
It’s that time again! 30 days of blog posts in the month of June! This year I will be focusing on Christmas stockings! That’s right, it’s Christmas in June! I’ve been meaning to make stockings for my family for a while now and I have finally found a pattern that I like! So I will post daily updates with a goal of competing as many of the stockings as I can for the family by the end of the month.
Last year’s 30 Days of Blog was very good for me, even though I tanked on the last week. It got me back to crocheting regularly instead of just the occasional project. It also increased my traffic by quite a bit. If anyone is interested in joining us, let me know and I can invite you to the Facebook event. So here we go!
Filed under 30 Days of Blog - 2015
Well, I have been remiss and failed to keep up with the 30 days of blog since last Tuesday. I have totally bombed the final week of 30 Days of Blog. Every day just seemed to be too much for me this year so I’ll have to see if I can do better next year.
I do have to say, however, as a working mother of two, 19 posts in 30 days is pretty good, and I believe it is more than I have ever done in a month. I’ve gotten more crocheting done in the last month than I probably have in the last year. I certainly do need to make more time for myself to crochet. I can’t normally do it every day, but at least a few times a week should be possible. I think I’ve proven that to myself this month at least.
That’s one of those things about Motherhood that you just don’t understand until your there yourself – complete lack of time. It’s amazing how fast you can get things done that used to take you the whole evening once you got home from work, because you have so many other things that have to get done too. On the other hand, something that used to take you 5 minutes takes you an hour because you have to stop and put a binki back in the baby’s mouth every 30 seconds, and tell the toddler for the 50th time to stop drinking out of the dog’s water dish (pretending to be a dog herself.)
I have gotten behind in keeping up with the dishes, (including the darn baby bottles and pump parts) and the laundry in order to do my posts this month. There have been a few times I was pulling diaper liners out of the dryer to stuff so that I could put them on a kid. But the traffic on my site has increased dramatically and I think a short-term intense campaign has been worth it. Now I just have to find the balance I need to keep up with both. One or two posts a week should do the trick.
I had hoped to get caught up on the Granny Square Project and didn’t get that done. But I am a lot closer to being on track than I was at the beginning of the month. This green yarn will be May’s second square. It’s actually a skein from my Grandma Townsend’s old stash that my Dad had given to me and I had previously started another project with. I honestly don’t even remember what it was going to be – maybe a Prayer Shawl. But didn’t like where it was going so it ended up in a bag with my yarn stash. I frogged it this morning and now have this nice pile ready to start Square Ten.
Thanks so much to my friend for inviting me to join the insanity for this year’s 30 Days of Blog. It has been great for me. See you next year!
As previously mentioned I’ve had a redesign in the works this month and I’m very excited to unveil the new logo! We’ve got the logo updated on Etsy, Ravelry, Facebook and Twitter too! And now I can order my business cards.
Kristi over at Hang Ups in KC came up with an awesome logo for me, taking everything on my wish list into account.
You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram! They’ve got some really great designs of their own!
Filed under 30 Days of Blog - 2014
I’ve mentioned previously that I’d submitted the pattern for the afghan I made for Greyson’s Baby Blessing for publication. It was not accepted and I’ve been meaning to get the pattern uploaded to sell on Ravelry myself like I did for Persephone’s Ribbon and Pearls afghan. Somehow I just haven’t gotten that done and now I’m glad.
I got an email the other day from Crochet World calling for design submissions for their Spring 2015 Special issue “Blue Ribbon Crochet.”
The issue will “showcase a variety of award-worthy projects that reflect some of the most popular fairy-entry categories for crochet designs.”
The email said, “We want fabulous, prize-worthy designs that are exceptional in style but not difficult or intimidating to make.”
My design goes perfectly with what they’re looking for both with its simplicity and coincidentally with the blue ribbon. I’ve submitted the design and I’m anxious to find out if they’ll use it.
Filed under 30 Days of Blog - 2014, Afghans, Baby, Designs
May – Square Nine
If you haven’t noticed, I have been using yarn from my stash to make each of my squares and not buying any new. As a result, I’ve been using different yarn types together where I normally never would. The most common example of this has been using worsted weight Red Heart yarn with the lighter Caron Simply Soft. But this is more of a sampler piece, so that rule is temporarily suspended. Because the weights and textures are different, I often have to change the size of the crochet hook I’m using in order to maintain the same gauge after changing yarns.
May’s first square is another extremely simple Granny, however I found a lovely variegated cotton yarn in my stash that I used to make my family dish cloths for Christmas a few years back. The color just said “May” to me and the cotton texture will definitely stand out in the finished afghan.
Stitched In Love Crocheting 