Gifts from Auntie B

My nephew is almost 2 1/2 years old and I just gave him his first blanket made by Auntie B. My niece was much older than that when I finally made her a blanket (in all fairness, I didn't know how to crochet or do anything all that crafty when she was born).  I chose some colors that I already had, which was helpful because my yarn stash is finally going down after my surge of buying everything that I liked.  I'm posting this "pattern" of sorts so that beginner crocheters can see how easy it is to do. No pattern is really necessary, but it's nice to have something to follow along with even if it is simple.  Here is what I came up with:

Supplies:

• Size Q 15.75mm Hook
• Two-three skeins each of
• Vanna's Choice Linen
• Vanna's Choice Seaspray Mist
• One skein RedHeart Supersaver Royal Blue
• Garment Label (if you prefer to add one - I just used my sewing machine, but you could hand sew it too)

Pattern:

1. Take one strand of each color yarn (three total) and treat it as if the three together are one strand. Chain the width or length that you prefer. I honestly don't know how many I chained, but the blanket was about 2 1/2 feet wide and 4 feet long.
2. When you reach your desired length, single crochet in the second chain from the hook and in each chain until you reach the end of the row. (It is important that you go to the second chain/stitch on every row so that you maintain the same number of stitches. If you don't, your blanket will end up being uneven instead of straight. I have done this so many times and unraveled so many projects because of it!).
3. Chain one, and turn. Single crochet in the second stitch from the hook and in each stitch until you reach the end of the row.
4. Repeat #3 until the blanket is the desired length.
5. If desired, add a border - I used a single crochet border by using three strands of one color. Please see photos below. I think the border finishes the blanket nicely and it made it a little bit bigger.

While in process

Pre-border

Finished product

With Garment Label

My first granny square

I am officially in love with the granny square. At first, I was a little intimidated by it. I started with a pattern that required a size N hook (massive!) and it just wasn't working out for me. So, I gave up on the idea of making something with granny squares for a while...

If you're an advanced crocheter, you are probably laughing at me. Granny squares are one of the most basic things! Agh. So this time I attempted with a smaller hook (K) and was able to get it to work. Once I got it going, I just kept going and going and found that it works up pretty quick. Quicker than the single crochet, double crochet and shell stitches that I have been doing! I opted to create a one square blanket, but I could have pieced together several squares to form one also.

Alas, I have conquered the granny square with this baby blanket that was modeled after my own blanket that was a gift from my stepmother, also to be known as my crochet teacher and inspiration! This blanket was also made for a friend of mine, and marks the second blanket that I have gifted. As you can see I have taken some time off from crocheting since my huge surge of interest earlier this year - I'm blaming it on the summer months being upon us. Baby showers are definitely motivating when it comes to crocheting though. Here's the final product:

The Spark

It's no wonder I have been "hooked" (pun intended) by crochet, the word itself is apparently French. No, I'm actually not French, well maybe a little, but mostly German...although, I did study French throughout high school and college and have always held a deep love for France, the French language and Paris. Back to the spark...

What truly sparked my interest, beyond my family's history with the craft of crocheting, was the hope to make something for a co-worker. This friend of mine is about to have a baby and I wanted to make something special for her and her new addition. I present to you, project number two:

The pattern came from a pattern book which can be bought at Joann Fabrics. The yarns that I chose were both Lion Brand, one being Pound of Love in Antique White and the other, Vanna's Choice Baby in Sweet Pea. The Pound of Love yarn is a bit thinner, stringier...and just altogether more difficult to work with. The pattern I used called for a G6 (4.00mm) hook, which was fine for the Vanna's Choice. I did however have to increase to an H8 (5.00mm) hook in order to keep the gauge with the Pound of Love.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. Of course, there are a few spots that I can see and point out where I made mistakes...but that's just the perfectionist in me.