Sunday, January 22, 2017

Here and there in crochet...

What crocheting I accomplished this week was on the quick and easy side, or simply making a little progress on my Moroccan Tile Afghan:
I really enjoy the color changes in this blanket and the challenge to come up with all the color combinations I will need.  I just measured this week and found that each section is 6 inches long.  I want a blanket approaching 72 inches by the time I finished, so I've just recently realized I need twelve color combinations.  Yowza. It was not easy picking out and coordinating that many combinations.  We'll see as it grows how successful I am at all my choices and placement of those color combinations.  :)

This blanket is my late-night, I-can't-sleep-so-I-might-as-well-crochet project so it's kind of slow going, but one day it will be finished...

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And there were some fun Starfish Dishcloths (try this link if that one doesn't work) that I didn't want to stop making:



But stop I did so I could whip up this quick little Knotted Headband  for a Crochet-a-long in Our Happy CAL Place on Ravelry:
It's a super easy headband that can be made with scrap yarn.  

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And this past week I began teaching another friend to crochet.   It's taking longer than I thought it might, but she is determined.  So I am too.  After struggling with tension and holding onto everything, it occurred to me that some extra bulky yarn and a larger hook might be easier.  I dug some out of my stash and it was amazing to see how much easier those were for her.  I'm thinking if she can get the coordination of all the moving parts and the tension down, she can easily transition to a smaller hook and yarn later.

But we only got as far as mastering (I thought) single crochet stitches on Friday so I sent her home to practice.  This morning at church she admitted she hadn't been practicing (like it was a confession - ;^),  She told me when she pulled it back out she'd lost her confidence that she knew what to do.   She's funny.  And a dear lady. She remains determined, though, so hopefully this week we'll get together and practice single crochets some more.  Maybe we'll even get to double crochets the second time around.  :)

To see what other YOPPERS are up to, visit our group on Ravelry.





20 comments:

  1. lovely FOs! like the colours! calming ones! I am sure your friend can and will learn! :) Have a peaceful evening!

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  2. I like the colours in the afghan so far - rich and bright tones.
    The starfish cloths are adorable. I can see why you'd find them addictive :)

    As for learning to crochet, it's like anything else... two steps forward, one step back. As long as you're both having fun!

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    1. I will remind my friend of this. And myself with knitting. And yes! I think we both are enjoying the time spent together and the experience of teaching/learning something new. Even I am learning as I watch her.

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  3. Love the color combos on tye Morracan tiles. Can only imagi e how hard it is to pick color combos. Your crochet student needs a self confidence shot. Hopefully my student will be able to grasp the concept quickly as I only have 3 weeks to teach as many stitches as I can.

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    1. Have fun teaching your student! I love being able to pass along my love of crochet in this way.

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  4. Okay, now you've got me going down another rabbit hole...I want to make all these items in those exact colors especially the star washcloth in the mint green with the coordinating plain washcloth...what a lovely gift that would make with a bar of handmade soap? Great gift item too is the headband....I wish my sons wore them....lol! Great post as always!

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    1. Thanks, Sam. In my opinion, what looks better than the white trim on these starfish cloths is a tannish color - probably because it mimics better the colors of water and sand. I bought some Lily's Sugan n' Cream in the color, Jute, just to make some more. I don't know what the corresponding color is in ILTC, but I plan to get some to see how it looks.

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  5. You are a master hooker! The mosaic tile blanket is coming along wonderfully. I can imagine the thought that had to go into color coordination. Your starfish dishcloths are in terrific colors! I hooked that for a swap partner last year; I had difficulty with the second round and fudged it a bit. Did you have issues? I dunno; maybe because I'm not a consistent crocheter? I love your headband. I have a brown one that's all pilled and getting old. I want to make another as I love Stephanie's design but I will make it wider and maybe use bulkier yarn.
    And yes, when you alternate two skeins, you carry up one particular side. When you knit in the round, I read you can just alternate every round b/c since they're the "same color," you don't have to worry about jogs so I'll be doing that after I join.

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    1. Stephanie, it seemed like the very first round started out a little confusingly, but I took a deep breath and followed the instructions exactly as written and it turned out just fine. When I ended it, I thought it was overall, very easy. I don't remember fudging at all. That said, many people wrote in their project notes that they changed the pattern. I don't get that. It came out so well, the changes seemed to me to complicate it. Maybe they got stuck on the first round, too, and decided to do something that made more sense to them. I don't know. I just know I plan to make some more. If I uncover a problem when I do them again, I'll be sure to share that.

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  6. Beautiful blanket! I love those dishcloths too and bookmarked them, for all that time I don't have you know...

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  7. Beautiful eye-candy. It's going to be a great blanket I'm sure, and will be liked by all who see it and use it.
    Those washcloth/dishcloths are fun.

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  8. Your blanket is amazing! It is rewarding teaching someone a craft that we love - I am sure she will get there one stitch at a time, right?

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  9. Hi Becki - Paying you a return visit from my blog (Magpies Mumblings) - Sorry I can't reply directly to you because you're set to 'no reply'. Anyway....you asked if you could follow my blog via email....if you scroll w-a-y down to the very bottom on my blog, there's a spot to sign up using your email addy. Hopefully it works for you! Now I'm here, I plan to return for further visits!
    Cheers
    MA

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  10. hi! wanted to say a big *thank you* for your recent comment on my blog (12th day of Christmas), that was a real blessing for me to read, thank you! Keep writing here, I will check back... :)

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  11. Oh how beautiful, I love the afghan and good on you teaching your friend.

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  12. Your crochet project are always absolutely amazing! So lovely! Headband is such a great accessory for the mid-season when it is still chilly, but too warm already for a hat. Thank you for spreading the crochet love!

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  13. I love your Starfish. I am learning to Crochet. My work colleague showed me how to make a Granny Square. It is quite a challenge but so relaxing to do

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  14. Love your projects and absolutely love the starfish dishcloth however when I click on the link it is no longer available :( Do you happen to have the written pattern that you could share?

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    1. I'm not sure why the pattern became unavailable at the link I had above (for the Starfish Dishcloths), but I found a link to a PDF of the pattern. I've put that link in the post, but here it is, too: https://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LC2272.pdf. Thank you for letting me know about the problem.

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