What do you enjoy listening to?

A lot of people crochet and knit while they watch TV.  I try to, but since I take my glasses off when I do handwork, and I need my glasses for TV viewing, I either end up doing a lot of frogging, or rewinding.  Actually, to be perfectly honest, I do a fair amount of both those things and it's often less than satisfying.

My happiest arrangement is to watch/listen to YouTube videos on my phone while my hands are busy with something else - especially if my brain doesn't need to be deeply concentrating on what my hands are engaged in.  The types of YouTube videos I watch rarely need me to pay close attention to a screen.  I also listen to Spotify sometimes, and more rarely, I listen to a recorded book while doing my handcrafts - rarely only because I have trouble concentrating on someone reading aloud.

Recently, I have rediscovered two of my favorite podcasts from the not-too-long-ago past now on Spotify (and other platforms).

I was pretty hooked on Darkhorse Podcast from its inception, but once COVID hit, and it soon became evident the news media were doing their best to keep us frightened and ignorant, I found Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying a breath of fresh air.  The insights, that come from their professional backgrounds as biology professors, who also have real world experience, were (and I'm sure still are) an exercise in thinking logically.  Never downplaying the seriousness of COVID, they pointed out many of the things that didn't make sense in how it was being handled.  For those of us who were nearly driven crazy by the blatant censorship of information during the most worrisome years of COVID, I found their podcasts to be a dose of sanity.  Instead of fear mongering, they applied their intellects to the situation, and while they certainly didn't always have answers, they had logical responses.  All that said, they are two very long-winded and heady individuals.  While I love that up to a point, even I can only take so much.  In time I watched them less and less, probably as COVID became less and less scary (thanks to their insight, if I'm honest), hence now I'm re-discovering them.  I see they've moved on from COVID, and appear to be applying their intellects to various topics that I imagine are interesting to a wide audience.  Not everyone will like everything, but there's probably something in their catalog of videos that will interest nearly everyone.

A few years ago a fellow blogger made mention of SmartHerNews, and when I checked her out I was truly impressed at the non-biased news reporting Jenna Lee does.  I don't know Jenna Lee's story well, but she says she left traditional news media (at the time, she was with Fox), so that she could cover the news from as unbiased a position as possible.  She was among the first people (even before mainstream media) who had contact with a journalist on the ground in Afghanistan right in the middle of the evacuation in 2021.  I have not been disappointed in her or her interviewees.  I only wish she produced more content.  I was just wondering where she was, and why I hadn't heard from her in a while, when an email today pointed me to her podcasts on Scoop and Spotify.  Jenna Lee is actually the inspiration for this post.

I look forward to getting my fill again of these podcasters while I crochet, knit and stitch.

And now, to finally share my latest finished crochet project.

You may remember seeing this some posts back:

It has turned into this:

This pattern is, no doubt, available free somewhere by another name, but I used The Bertie Blanket pattern, and I have to say it is a fun stitch to do.  I've made it differently in the past, and I can imagine a number of possibilities using this pattern with scrap yarn.   I don't remember if the border I made is the same as the pattern's, but in case you're curious, the final round of the border is the crab stitch - it's single crochet stitched backwards.  It always sounds impossible to do when I haven't done it in a while, but it's actually super easy, and makes for a nice, understated edge.

Soon, I'll have another blanket to show.  I just need a sunshiny day to get some good natural light inside to photograph with.

Enjoy your weekend!

Bethlehem stars and tiny baby hats...

Guess what.  No squares this week!   It wasn't my intention to give no attention to my Last Dance blanket, but when I saw these Bethlehem Stars posted to Ravelry early in the week I just had to make some.

The first one I made with Stylecraft Batik:

It turned out cute, but a bit floppy made with mostly 80% acrylic, 20% wool DK yarn.  A little spray starch just before steam-blocking helped, though.

Then, remembering that I was wanting to make a project for the December Red Heart Lovers CAL, I got the idea to use my Aunt Lydia, size 3 crochet thread.  Coats and Clark produces both Red Heart and Aunt Lydia's threads and somehow that makes Aunt Lydia products eligible for using for the Red Heart Lovers CALs.  So I guess maybe the CALs are actually sponsored by Coats and Clark.  I don't totally understand how all that works, I just participate because it's a great group of people.

Unfortunately, the colors are limited in this size thread, but for some reason I was attracted to the red and brown. I decided to crochet one double-stranded.  Can you see the mistake I made?

I crocheted two rows of the red and tan color on only two points (the two points on the right side of the picture).  Starching, steaming and stretching helped, but it makes me a little nutty knowing I did that and didn't even take a good look at it until after I had woven in all the ends.

Then I wondered what the stars would look crocheted with just single a strand of each color:

Actually, I think might like them better. Though I'm not sure about the tan color.  It turns these a bit too...  I don't know...  rustic, maybe?  For my liking anyway.  They are a little smaller than the first one (they are between 4 1/2 and 5 inches from point to point).

By the way, all I did to "block" these was spray some starch on them, work the starch into the fabric and lay them to dry.  I steamed them for good measure, but I didn't need to pin them at all - and they dried just perfect.  Ready to hang.

Then I wondered what would happen if I added pink to the red and brown.  Remember, my choices are pretty limited here.

Hmmm...   I kind of like these colors together  Maybe a garland of these would be fun?

I'm honestly not sure what I'll do with these stars, but they are seriously addicting to make.  Something tells me I haven't made my last one yet.    As is, these would make nifty Christmas tree ornaments, or as I said, I think they'd make a fun garland.  I just don't have a place to put a garland of red and pink stars...

I would have kept making stars, but I remembered late in the week I was supposed to host a CAL in the Our Happy CAL Place on Ravelry this weekend.  The theme this week is Charity, so I set myself to making a baby hat.  This tiny Knot Hat measures only 10 1/2 inches in circumference:

But I ask you...  is there baby head anywhere that is that small?  I know I've lost all perspective on the sizes of baby heads, but I'm thinking this is surely too small - even for most preemies.  Also, the pattern said to slip stitch around the edge.  That was a huge mistake, but I didn't realize it until my ends were all woven in and snipped.  The edge of the hat is so very small and the slip stitch edge makes it not stretchy - at all.   I'm afraid if someone actually managed to get this on a baby's head, it might not ever come off.   

So I'm thinking this hat is a fail.  But before I try it again, let me ask...  is this top knot style even cute anymore?  If you never thought it was cute, spare me, but if you once thought it was, or if you think it still passes for a cutie-pie baby hat, I'd like to know before I summon up the gumption to make another, bigger one.  That long skinny tube that makes the topknot was actually the hardest part to crochet.   I love the idea of something on top and since embellishments on charity hats are discouraged, a little flair that's part of the "fabric" feels like a fun thing.

Since the hat above was a disappointment and took longer than I wanted to spend on a second one, I tried another pattern. I had had success with the Snowfall Slouchy this autumn, and I figured I could size it down for a newborn.    I kind of love how it turned out:

And I love how the snowflakes look like little hearts.

This hat is only about 11 inches around, but the ribbing stretches.  I love the top knot on the hat above, but this second hat was a more satisfying finish.  I'm not sure I'm really up to making more hats this year, but this pattern is definitely a keeper.

And that's all she wrote!

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

Squares and more squares...

This past week I finished the first four squares in the Last Dance Blanket:

And I came up with this color scheme and layout (using stash yarn):

The color representations aren't completely accurate (e.g. it's hard to convey "dusty" and "clear" in the colors that are those), but I think this graphic is a fair approximation of the colors I'm planning on using.  And I kind of like it so far.  Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind about any of the colors as I go.  I've already learned that two of the colors I have yet to crochet squares for are discontinued, so right out of the gate I'm adapting my plans.

If you'd like to join a current CAL for this blanket, we're working on it together in Our Happy CAL Group on Ravelry.  We just started the second week (second square) today and the CAL will go through the end of December.

Each pattern is worked 4 times, so at the end of each week we should have four squares completed, and at the end of 12 weeks (which will be the end of December), we should have 48 squares!   And then a couple of weeks in January will be dedicated to joining and crocheting the border.  Wish me well!  And come join me, if you like!

~~~~~

As if that wasn't enough of a project to start this past week, I was inspired to try a square from the Stardust Melodies Blanket by gifted crochet designer, Polly Plum.  And after I crocheted that square I was so impressed by the video tutorial and how perfect and nice the square turned out, I decided to consider making a small blanket of some of the squares in this collection.

The first square I tried is called Don't Fence Me In:

I followed Polly's video tutorial (which is available at the link above) and I must say she is thorough and her instructions are easy to follow.  I look forward to making more of her designs.

Note:  Polly has published an e-book that has many more patterns (and accompanying video tutorials) for a large Stardust Melodies blanket, so check it out if you think you might be interested and want more than the 12 free patterns Polly generously provides on her website

~~~~~

And finally, I decided to pull out a long-languishing project.  Okay, I know some of you have projects that have languished a lot longer than this one, but I hadn't worked on this Fairly Isleish sweater since trying to block out the seriously crooked center-front edges (that was in June, I think).

What used to look like this:

Now has a straight button band on one side and a button-hole band on the other side of the center-front:

And the beginning of a toddler-sized long sleeve:

I'm going to try to get this finished!  If not by the end of this week, then by the next.  There might be a little person out there who'd be warmed by this cute little sweater and it will soon be turning chilly here.

And that's it here in my little corner of the crochet world.  The coming week promises to be busy and if I think to take some pictures, I may have something new and interesting to show and tell about next week.

Hmmm...  aren't you curious now?!?  😉

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

Angel Wings Pinafore

Short and sweet would describe both my project and my post this week.  :)

Last week the Angel Wings Pinafore was a CAL (Crochet-A-Long) project in the Our Happy CAL Place.  I finished mine today - just in time for my weekly YOP post.

While the pattern was easy and it worked up super quick for a sweet pinafore, I have to be honest that I'm not real crazy about the yarn I chose.  It's an acrylic, and while I like using easy care acrylic for baby blankets and the one baby sweater I've made, I think something like this begs for a yarn that has...  I don't know... more substance? Cotton seems, to me, to be the obvious choice, but it would have to be an airy cotton so it wouldn't get too heavy.  Probably a cotton and synthetic blend would be best.  

I have some choices of cotton-blend yarn in my stash and I look forward to making this again - most likely in a larger size.  I think this would look adorable as young girl's pinafore top worn over a long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of jeans.  Or even just a summer top by itself over a pair of jeans or shorts.

The yarn I used is Lion Brand's Jamie (DK weight, or size 3).  It's an awfully splitty yarn and I personally don't care for it now that I've actually used it.  Since I have a bit left, I think it will work well enough in a blanket (mixed with other yarns), but this Jamie yarn did not score any points with me.  And I would not purchase it again.  Fortunately, I only bought 3 small skeins of it on clearance once upon a time.

This was probably a good project to give the yarn a go with, though.  I consider that I've made a quick and cute prototype, and now that I know how one of these pinafores is made I can adapt it to a larger size fairly easily I think.

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

All new things...

After finishing a large project and while waiting for two new CALs (Crochet-A-Longs) to begin in April, for the last couple of weeks I've tried to content myself with some simple, small crafts.

First I knit.  And then I knit.  And then I knit some more simple dishcloth patterns.   Here are two cloths made with a pattern called Boxes:

Finally I had knit so much that one of the joints on one of my fingers started to hurt.  I obviously had overdone it, so I gave knitting a break and looked for something else to satisfy my itch to create.   I had recently bought (what I thought was) a complete kit to embroider pillowcases, and I decided to get that out.  Well, imagine my surprise when I opened the package to find stamped pillowcases, but no embroidery floss.   I've since learned that this is pretty standard, so now I know...   and I'm just glad I only paid half price for the "kit" I picked out.   Fortunately, I had some embroidery floss in my crafts stash and I was able to approximate the colors that were suggested in the pattern.   So I got busy embroidering for the first time in years.

I know...  it's super simple - with only four stitches to complete the pattern (running stitch, loop stitch, french knot and satin stitch.  I'm transported back to my young girl days when I first learned to embroider - remembering these simple stitches that probably made up very simple designs. In fact, I probably once upon a time embroidered a simple design pretty much exactly like the one above. Simple seems about right, though. It's soothing and enjoyable.

Inspired by picking embroidery back up, when I was in Jo-Ann's last week with a handful of 50% off coupons I looked through their pillowcase "kits" and chose a more involved pattern to try next.  And then when I was in the embroidery floss aisle I happened to notice that they sold packages of plain pillowcases.  Two to a set.   At half the price of the "kits".  Wow!  Using my 50% off coupons and stamping a picture on the pillowcases myself I could create my own "kit" for significantly less than buying discounted pre-stamped pillowcases.  I felt so clever.  I know... if I was really clever I would just draw a design on a pillowcase to embroider, but I'm not that clever -- yet.   Anyway... for now I am enjoying this.  And getting back to embroidery has been on my YOP list for the last two years.  Yay me!

And then yesterday being April 1st, I was able to begin crocheting along with some folks on Our Happy CAL group on Ravelry.  We are each crocheting our own Round Jacob's Ladder Baby Blanket.

When I first started creating these weird large chain spaces, I didn't know what to think:

I mean, I knew that the blanket was crocheted with all these chain spaces and somehow later something was to be done with those spaces to create the "ladder" design, but I just couldn't quite imagine how this worked.   It felt like a lot of "going on faith" to just continue on, so I went back to the CAL group on Ravelry to see what anyone else had to say.

One of the other participants in the CAL said she was able to "braid up" the loops as she went and that gave me confidence to give it a try.  Following the instructions at the end of the pattern, I braided up the rows I had completed thus far:

One, by one, each loop is pulled through the loop below it...

Until they're all braided up.

Is that cool or what?!?!  I love this.  And it's very easy to do.  Now I can crochet on, confident that in the end all the crazy big chain spaces will work together to make a pretty blanket with "ladders" radiating out like spokes on a wheel to create the intended design.   What fun it will be to watch this blanket grow.

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

Loopy Love Baby Sweater

No Mandala Madness picture this week.  I'm nearly done with Part 12, but as the sun began to set on Friday evening, I knew I wasn't going to manage to get it done in time to get a picture to post today. And knew we'd be up and out too early to snap a picture in the morning light (hubs is working the computer at church and I'm running the sound board this morning).

And with it being Father's Day today and our kids coming over for a grill-out after church, I knew I wouldn't be working on it today before I wanted to post, so tune in next week!  I think it will be the grand finale.  :)

But I do have pictures!  :)  This week I crocheted a cute little Loopy Love Sweater as a baby shower gift for a young friend who's having her first baby this August.  It went over well yesterday - so well, people started clapping when they found out I made it.  And I wanted to melt into the floor.   Yes I have some wonderfully encouraging, if embarrassing friends.   This and a sweet blanket her grandmother crocheted were the only hand-made gifts she received yesterday (that I recall).  How different from the last baby shower I attended where the mother-to-be received no less than 5 hand-made baby blankets (the 5th being mine - another embarrassing moment, but for completely different reasons).

I don't know what size this really is (nor have any idea how big or small the new baby will be), but I'm confident it's not newborn size and expect it will be used in the autumn, or possibly even winter - so the dark rich colors will be more fitting than they seem here in June.

I wish you could reach through the screen and feel this yarn.  It's soooo soft.  And it machine washes and dries really nicely.  Two big pluses for a new mommy.

This was a super easy pattern.  Only made a little difficult by the varying spin of the colorful Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn.   The unevenness of the yarn made it difficult to always get straight edges, but I'm choosing to see it as making the sweater look more unique.  Authentically handcrafted. It looks a little "boho" to me, so I bought a little pair of baby yoga pant "jeans" to gift with it.  :)

By the way...  that curling bottom corner blocked out nicely with a little steam (and stayed out after washing and drying) - what a relief.

I had no idea how (relatively) easy it is to crochet a little sweater.  I'm looking forward to making more.  Crochet lends itself to making a pretty little "lacey" girly sweater, but I'm hoping to also find a little boy's sweater pattern that looks nice crocheted up.

~~~~

When I was trying to figure out how big to make my Loopy Love Sweater,  I pulled out some sweaters from my (now adult) boys' "baby boxes".  This little mint-green sweater is actually one my husband wore over 60 years ago, and each of my three boys wore it as infants:

I was sure I was told (once upon a time) that this is a sweater his grandmother made and thinking that she only crocheted, I thought for years that this was a crocheted sweater.   But as I looked at it again this week (with eyes that have been seeing a lot of crochet in recent years) I'm thinking it's actually knit.

I feel a little silly doubting my own eyes, but after originally thinking this was crocheted, I think I'm just having trouble accepting the truth.  Look close, knitting friends...   Is this knit?

Our Year of Projects year ends next week - I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by! Check out our group on Ravelry and consider yourself invited to join along as we begin a new year on July 3rd!

Conquering some WIPs...

This week saw two finishes - yay me!

My first finish was a linen stitch scarf I intended for Greg for Christmas.  It was all done except for a couple dozen (at least) ends that needed weaving in.  It helped that the day I committed to finishing it (last Sunday) an out-of-state friend called and I could mindlessly and painlessly get that job done while enjoying a long chat.   Greg wore it the next day (and every day since).

The bottom there is a little messy because I hadn't take a picture before Greg wore it all day on Monday.   So that messy bottom part is witness to some scarf love.  :^)


And then later in the week I finished the child-sized pink! Tides of Change blanket:

I love this thing!  It's bright and cheery, and I can just see a little girl snuggling under it enjoying the total unabashed girlie-ness of it.

Some other things have been worked on as well, but I'll save them for next time.  My other WIPs from last weekend will wait a little longer as I enjoy some new crochet infusions.  I've concluded some new projects will be good for my creative soul, and good for helping to tame the yarn stash I've amassed over the last year.

'Till next time... come visit the Year of Project thread on Ravelry to see what other Yoppers are up to.

Loving Round Ripples...

This past week saw the finish of the first Round Ripple Baby Blanket that I started a couple of weeks ago.  I went bold and bright for this one and, hopefully, someday a little one will enjoy the colors and snuggly warmth of this fun blanket.

With Thanksgiving preparations this past week I didn't manage to crochet much else, but we did have a nice little celebration with the extended family on Thursday.  We hosted and everyone pitched in for a scrumptious feast.   Mmmm-Mmmm

And now I'm focusing on finishing up some projects that have been lingering (a Linen Stitch Scarf and an Arrowhead Afghan).  And waiting in the wings (actually sorted into a box) is yarn that is stocked and ready to become a Kilim Throw.  The Kilim looks so fun to make, I'm telling myself the Arrowhead Afghan needs to be finished before starting another larger blanket.  Let's see if I can keep that resolve...

Close up of the detail on the Arrowhead Blanket

Come see what other Yoppers are working on this week in our Ravelry thread.  

Round Ripple Baby Blanket Finished!

I finished the latest Round Ripple Baby Blanket late last night - and good thing, too, as it was a gift for a baby shower this afternoon.

For anyone interested in making one of these, I strongly encourage checking out samples that Ravelry member, AFwifeCrochetNut, has come up.  Note:  AFwifeCrochetNut isn't the designer of the pattern, but rather she came up with the way to make a "ripple effect" in this blanket.  The link I provided takes you to one of these blankets she made, and in her project notes she gives instructions for how to lay out the pattern of rows so that they look like they're rippling outward from the center.  Don't be daunted if the written directions for this don't seem clear.  They weren't to me at first.  Read her explanation and study a close-up of the blanket and you'll see the pattern and her written instructions will begin to make sense once you work a sequence of rows that creates a ripple.  That's how it worked for me.  Now that I've finished this blanket I can say that how she created this cool effect is actually super simple. I don't even have to think about it now.

For the sake of transparency regarding my design process, I'm going to admit that this blanket was a bit of an experiment.  I started out with the colors Bright Green, Teal, 2 shades of Gray, and White.  Actually, I didn't start out with White, but I decided these colors needed the contrast of white to lighten up the whole thing and bring definition to the colors.  Okay, good enough...   I started somewhat daringly with that small circle of green in the center thinking I'd repeat it later in the blanket, but I found that following AFwifeCrochetNut's directions I would have a mammoth blanket if I ended up using the green and teal a second time in later rows.

It was a last minute decision, but I ditched (make that, frogged) the second repeat of green after giving it a try.   Then I tried just a single row of green, but even that didn't make me happy.  In the end, I decided to just go with a that green center as the only touch of green in the whole thing.  And act like it was intentional all along.  :^)

And then, I don't know...  it kind of grew on me.  Truth be told, I think I'd like that green center better if it was a tad larger (like maybe just one more row).  Ah well...live and learn.  I have a feeling every one of these blankets I make will end up being an experiment, so I best get comfortable with that. 

In the end, it was very favorably received at the baby shower today.  That said, it was the fifth crocheted baby blanket opened, so I think I may come up with another gift idea for the next shower I attend.  I loved using baby blankets when I had babies, and I was happy to have several, so I don't know that multiple gifts of baby blankets is a bad thing.  But it is a little embarrassing to be the giver of the fifth, and final one opened.  lol

To see what other Year Of Projects participants are up to this week check out our thread on Ravelry.

Another Rounded Ripple Baby Blanket

I know, I know...I'm not finished with the baby blanket I started last week, but I decided I wanted to try another color scheme and am thinking this one will be for a gift for an upcoming baby shower.  It's one thing to be a little unsure of something I'm randomly making (as was the case of the blanket I showed on Sunday), but it's quite another thing to be questioning a gift for a specific someone.   So the following blanket is being made with more intention, but my color choice and placement is still a bit of an experiment.  I'll be finishing it with some rounds of white followed by green and teal.  I'm really hoping the finished effect is nice and has a bit of "style". 

Pictured is my non-rainbow version of the Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket

And autumn being my cozy mystery reading season, I'm almost finished with another one.  All Sales Final by Josie Belle is a fun and light read.  Maggie, a consignment shop owner and her fiancé, Sam Collins, find themselves with a haunted house they've just bought.  It's really not spooky, but kind of entertaining as they uncover some interesting secrets the house has been holding for many, many years.

Check out other yarnie goodness at Ginny Sheller's Yarn Along this week!

Rounded Ripple Baby Blanket

This past week I was inspired to try crocheting a rounded ripple baby blanket.  The pattern name is actually called Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket, but the most beautiful I've seen aren't rainbow-hued at all.  For my first one I opted to go bold and bright.  I didn't have to think too hard about color that way.  As long as the colors complimented each other in some way, I figured it would work.

I like how crisp the colors I'm using look together, but I confess...  I'm a little unsure over whether it's too much - maybe a little too bold for a baby blanket?  I'm thinking as I'm working on this that while I love colorful things, my eye is also very drawn to neutrals and more subtle color shifts.  Now that I know how easy this pattern is to do, I'm looking forward to trying to make a gradient one soon.

I do love the pastel rainbow ones for a newborn, and I've "favorited" so many various ones on Ravelry I could spend the rest of my days making these and never run out of new ideas for color and color-placement.   It is a rather addicting pattern.  Well written and very easy to do. 

Another project I finished this past week was this hat:

This is another well-written crochet pattern and very easy to do.  And interestingly...I found out (when I turned it inside out to weave in the yarn ends) the hat looks great on that side too.  I don't know if the pictures show it well, but on the outside the pattern makes rows of bobbles, but on the inside, it appears there are subtle ridges.  As long as the yarn ends are woven in carefully, this hat is totally reversible.  While it's the same color inside and out, it's still kind of cool to have two patterns that could work as the outside.  Below is a picture of the hat turned inside out, showing the ridges:

And I can't resist posting one last picture this year of my fuschia plant.  We've had such a wonderfully mild autumn so far I still have some blooms left.   I haven't even really protected this plant from the frosts we've had (maybe I pulled it close to the house a few times, but that was all), and it's just kept on blooming.  I don't know when cold weather will overtake it, but for now I'm still enjoying my pretty purple and red "dancing ladies".

Speaking of how nice the weather has been...   today it's in the mid-60's (in central Indiana) and I decided to trim up my potted mums to see if I can't coax some more blooms out of them in time for Thanksgiving. 

To see what other Year of Projects participants are working on this week, check out our thread on Ravelry.