Day two of the Ocean Waves scarf, and I'm over half done! I really enjoy how the skien is looking now

Because it's more flat than long, unlike traditional skeins, this has managed to stay standing even though most of its volume has been taken out. I imagine it will collapse soon, though. Only three colors left!

And here is what is done so far. I love how these colors go together. It looks so pretty. Again, this is mixed berry Caron Cake. I must say I'm kind of in love with this yarn. Not only do I love the colors and how it's put together but (I have to say it again) it's so soft! It's absolutely fantastic and I love it.

Hello my friends and welcome to the updated rug. It's coming along nicely, but I've run out of yarn ends to use on it right now (I'm not at home, I have plenty more there) and so that's all I will be using on it right now. I think it's one that I will work on it in the background (like super background) because I don't really know how large I want it to be. I'm really liking how the mix-matched colors are coming together, though!

There is some stuff that I've seen at Michaels that you can put on the back of these sorts of things to give it an actual rug backing, but I don't know if I'm going to want that. It might not get much bigger than it is already we'll see though.

So, next project is the Snow Princess Cowl and Wristlets. I'll be making it out of blue and white, rather than the pink that is shown on the picture there.

 

I think I'll have enough for one set out of it. I hope so, at least!

So today we see more on the cowl, and a cake! The cowl is taking more days than it really needs to, since I've only been putting in about half an hour a day on it, and trying to concentrate a little heavier on the candy hearts blanket. I'm pretty stoked about how they're both going, though. It shouldn't take much more than an hour, or less even, to finish the cowl. Blanket will take a little longer but I'm almost done the fourth panel! So that's exciting.

Anyway, pics of the cowl!

So this bamboo/yarn blend is super fantastic to work with. It's really soft, and doesn't have the 'itchy scragglies' that a lot of acrylic worsted weights (and even the alpaca) will have. It's a smooth yarn, but it doesn't have a sheen to it, which makes it feel much more toned down. It also makes it easy to work with. It's not super slippery, but it's not clingy either. Plus, sometimes I get a bit of a woodsy scent from it. Now that could just be my imagination, but I very much like it. Also, it's machine washable under 40C, but you can't use a machine dryer, iron, or bleach. So a little more delicate, but still awesome.

Now, the cake!

This is a blurry picture of a sour cream chocolate cake. I think I might have put in a bit too much batter for the spring form pan, but all the other cake pans were dirty (yes, I made a cake instead of washing dishes) and besides, hearts make me happy! The recipe is one I grew up with, and I'm not sure where it originally came from. It's super moist and deliciously yummy! I'll post a pic of it with icing tomorrow.

Much better update today than yesterday. First off, the candy hearts blanket update!

 

So that's the completed panel. I need to make 4 more for this to be done. I don't think I'm going to get it finished in February here. I really like how it looks though, and I solved the 'count drift' problem by realizing that I was counting it wrong and then paying more attention to what I was doing, and double counting if I lost count. It is taking quite a long time, though.

 

Now, I have an update on the shawl!

 

 

I am over half done on it now, but progress is a little slower than I would like for it, too. Fortunately it goes faster with every second row, so that's nice. I'm excited for what it will look like completed.

 

Finally, I'm going to move away from crochet to show off my very first attempt at cooking a cheesecake! Behold!

 

Doesn't it look... overdone?

 

 

Here is today's Log Cabin Dishcoth! Designed byMaggie Weldon of Maggie's Crochet
http://www.maggiescrochet.com/
http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/

So this project took me an hour and a half to complete. I think it turned out quite well, and I like the look that it presents. This is one that would be great to make a whole bunch of motifs out of for a larger blanket.

 

Just imagine a whole bunch of these in different colors making up an afghan. It would look very much like a quilt. I seem to be finding a lot of "in the future large projects" with this calendar. I like it, a lot, but it's just kind of funny to me. I didn't expect to have it work out this way.

 

Anyway, tomorrow's project is starting with the Alpaca yarn!

 

 

This is a shawl, an I think I'm going to end up using pretty much all 6 skeins of yarn for it. I'm super excited to see how it will turn out!

Today is an update on the Candy Heart Blanket! It' being made from Bernat Softee Baby, 100% acrylic. The pattern is by Michelle Crean by Treasured Heirlooms Crochet
http://www.treasuredheirloomscrochet.com/

So this is made in 5 panels connected together. Right now I'm working my first panel. Here is it half done.

And then at this point the hearts switch so they're pointed the other direction.

I am having difficulty keeping stitches. I keep finding myself with too many or not enough, which makes the sides very bumpy right now. I don't know if the border will help fix that or I'll have to completely redo it in order for the panel to have nice smooth edges. We'll see. Hopefully my next panel will be better. Anyway, I am hoping to put in more time on this, since it's taking far longer than I would like. I'm hoping to get this panel finished and a good start on the next one by tomorrow. We'll see how successful I am, though!

Anybody out there have any advice how to make sure I'm keeping good with stitches? Even when I count I end up wrong... I get distracted...

It's been a bit of a weird day today, and I haven't done any crocheting. So, instead of an update on the candy hearts project, I'm going to show off yet another one of my awesome creations. This is one that I made for my niece when she was born. I got the pattern off the internet,

 

I did find the pattern for the granny squares off the internet, form here

http://www.stitchandunwind.com/mayapple-flower-crochet-granny-square/?utm_source=ppl-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hookedoncrochet20150708

 

The pattern shown is all white, but I just switched from the flower colour to green for the background at about round 9 I think. It's been a while since I made it. I think this has to be one of my favourite things that I've created. It was a lot of work but it turned out beautiful. And if you'd like of one these yourself but don't know how to crochet or don't have the time, just leave a comment below or contact me through facebook, and I'll get back to you!

 

Hope you are all doing well! Have a great night and keep smiling.

The second dishcloth made from the adapted pattern is done! It took just over four hours to complete, and here it is in various stages of completion.

You'll notice a pair of pliers in the top right corner of the second picture. That's because I had to use a needle with a bigger eye to weave in the ends, and it was difficult to get through using just my fingers at times. In the end though, I think it has a great end product. It ended up at 9.5 inches square. Quite lovely if I do say so myself!

Now, my next project is a crocheted heart. It can be used for a few things, so we'll see what I end up doing with it.

 

I'm making it out of this purple worsted weight, because again that's what I have. I don't imagine this one will be too complicated. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Today the secret January pattern is revealed!

But first, a little information. The pattern was created by Audra Brown from Stitches and Fluff
www.stitchesandfluff.com

This was what the pattern was for, a cute little monster. However because I don't really have much of a need for a little monster, I decided to make a little mascot for my beautiful sister's YouTube channel. So without further ado, here is the little Heather's Talents doll!

Isn't it cute? And a little creepy.... All in all I actually really like how it turned out. It took me four and a half hours to crochet it and the skirt and little hat. The HT stands for Heather's Talents. If you want to check out her YouTube channel where she does toy reviews, here's the link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXCWD0R9XdsnNkerdKAG8wg

So, tomorrow is the first day of February. And the first project I have is a baby cardigan.

As you can sorta see, it takes me to Feb. 7. So I have a week to complete this project, which I am very glad of since it's going to be a little more complicated than what I've done so far for this blog. I have made children's sweaters before, and I've struggled with them. I hope that I do better on this one! I'm not sure what yarn I'll be using yet. I have a couple of nice baby yarns that would look good with it, but I'll decide tomorrow. It'll be great though.

Which do you like better?

So I finished the first round of edging on the burpcloth, as seen here:

 

And I think I like it just the way it is. The blanket might need more because it's bigger, but I think that the larger edging for something so small is actually too overwhelming. What do you think?

 

Let me know what you think in the comment section below!

So today I decided that, instead of acting like a rational person and working on projects that have yet to be completed, I would go ahead and start a bit of the Jan 25 pattern and the January bonus pattern. However, I will be putting my own spin to it which will be end up with a very different result than what the pattern shows, so I am going to keep the whole thing a secret until the Grand Reveal. Super excited about that, and I hope I'll have it done by the end of the month to show off. Because I am a show off...

Anyway, not much of an update today. Just that and a preview of the next project. Oval basket, pictured here with the cotton yarn I'll be using to make it. In the first pic you can see a little of the start I've gotten on it in the corner.

I'm using the same Bernay handicraft yarn that I made the dishcloth out of, and I'm using a size 'G' hook.

 

I really love the color combinations of this yarn. And hopefully once I'm done this little basket, I'll still have enough left over to make more washcloths out of! We'll see about that, though... anyway, updates on the basket tomorrow! Have a great night everybody.

 

(PS, the alpaca yarn I bought should be here within the next eight days! I'm super excited about that and I can't wait to work with it)

January 22, and I'm well on my way on being completely caught up! Or rather, I am caught up as far as things go. I'm right around the halfway mark on this project, and I know I'll easily be able to finish it up in the 2 days that I have left. So here we go.

This is the Baby Doll Puff Shell Afghan, designed by Maggie Weldon at Maggie's Crochet
http://www.maggiescrochet.com/
http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/

I'm using the Baby Luv that I used with the granny waves blanket, 100% acrylic. And here is what I have so far.

This is a great pattern. I love the way it looks, and I definitely want to make a full-sized baby blanket with this stich pattern someday. It's quite simple, considering the effect that it creates. The pattern calls for a couple of rows of another color, but I decided to make the base white and then make the border blue.

Well, that's it for this project. But I've got a bunch of stuff on eBay for sale that you can find in the "For Sale" page over to the right. Check it out and let me know what you think.

January 19 - Infinity cowl completed!

Well, the cowl is completed. It's so nice! Cozy and warm. And so soft!! I love it. So it took me a total of four hours to complete from start to finish. And yesterday I forgot to say that the color is Dark Country Blu, no dye lot. I also made it from a medium weight yarn. So, for this pattern I added two extra rows just so that it would be a little wider. Final dimensions are approximately 52 inch circumference and 5.25 inch width. And here is Maggie to model it.

Maggie has the infinity cowl here, paired with a toque I made a few months ago from my own pattern. It's made of Caron Simply Soft, and the colour is Country Blue. It didn't take quite a full skein to make the cowl, and I am really pleased with how it has turned out. I've decided that I am going to try to sell it as a set. $20 for both of them, free shipping. Check out the 'For Sale' page to the right to learn more!

And yes, that is a Christmas tree in the back. Haven't taken it down yet.

Today's project, the Garden Bloom Dishcloth. Pattern is by Maggie Weldon of Maggie's Crochet
http://www.maggiescrochet.com/
http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/

So for this project I used Bernat Handicrafter Cotton, which is a 100% USA grown cotton. Made in Canada with imported fiber! And apparently the label is made from responsible sources. Whatever that means. Anyway, I used the variegated "Moondance", though I can't find the lot dye number.

It took a total of 51 minutes to make. Though it's described as a dishcloth, it could be used as a hotpad or even a thick doily. It's kind of silly to try to sell it on it's own, though, so I'll probably make up nine more or so and post them on Ebay as a pack, or look for craft fairs to get a table at. If you think you'd like a set, just leave a comment below and we can work something out!

Anyway, I really liked working with the cotton. It's got a sturdier texture to it and it was easier to work up. I was cursed with the Twisted Innards with the skein, though, and ended up pulling out a giant blob of tangled yarn that I had to sort out before I could begin. Although I have to admit, this happens to me quite often... I can't ever seem to find the little end in the middle of the skein. Does anybody have suggestions on a technique to do this?

 

Today's awesome update includes one mitt that is completely done, and the other with more than half of its ends woven! I did alter the pattern on the one mitt, just because it fits so snugly on my hand. It called for a longer 'sleeve' on it and an open thumb, but when I tried that it just looked overly bulky and wasn't very comfortable, so I've left off some of that to make it look more streamlined. Anyway, here's the pics!

I think they're coming along quite nicely. I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish them in the allotted time, but I think its a safe bet that I'll be able to get them all finished by tomorrow! I'm pretty excited about that. And then the set will be ready! Yay!