More Granny Squares

I've been sorting through some of my yarn and unfinished yarn projects and came across these granny squares.  It looks like I've done 18 rounds, and on round 19 I used the same color of blue.  I don't know what I was thinking when I did these or what the plan was.

 I guess it's a good idea to put some sort of notes in the bag with your project along with the kind of yarn you are using and the size crochet hook (or knitting needle) and the pattern name or a copy of the pattern.  Usually when I stop one project and start another, I have good intentions of coming back to the one I just left.....but that doesn't always happen.



I could make more squares and join them, or I could make two giant granny afghans.  Here's a link to the other giant granny that I made along with my tutorial on how to make a granny square.

I know if I don't take the time to weave the ends on these two blocks before I go on, I'm going to be really sorry.

 

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Tunisian Crochet Afghan

This is my daughter's Tunisian Crochet afghan that is from the same pattern as the one I showed you in the previous post.  As you can see, she has figured out the increase and decrease at the corners.  I really like the colorway she has chosen, too.

 

This is mine so far.  As you can see by comparing the photos, I just don't quite have it yet!   We are both using a size K crochet hook.  This afghan is started by chaining 10, turning and then doing rows of Tunisian crochet.  We did our corners by using a video we found on you tube.  Once I get all 10 of those stitches on the K hook, those first 2 or 3 are really hard to do in Tunisian.   (I'm just using a regular crochet hook since it's only 10 stitches).

I keep looking at mine and am probably going to try those corner turns a couple more times.  If that doesn't work out I will move on to Plan B.



This is the yarn that we are using  I love the subtle color change.



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A Few New Projects

I've started a few new projects since I last posted.....

This is the flower petal pillow from Attic 24 blog.




I started a scarf pattern I found in an old magazine in some of my leftover Colts color yarn.

I saw this Tunisian crochet blanket on Pinterest and have been trying to figure out how to increase and decrease at the corners.

This is one of my old stand by patterns for making an afghan.  It is a double crochet done while you skip a chain in the row below.  Then when you turn and come back you do a double crochet in the skipped chain.  I'm using Homespun yarn that I bought at my local JoAnns store.  This throw will be on the back of my chair for our cat, Tiki and I to use on chilly evenings.  

Here is a closet look at the pattern.

 

Hope you are finding some time to stitch!

Thanks for stopping by.

Diagonal Striped Crocheted Pillow

I just finished crocheting this diagonal pillow using the colors that I used in my Cath Kidston granny square afghan.




I just love the stripes.  I found photos of several of these pillows on Pinterest and followed the link to this blog:   The 8th Gem .    She made her pillows using moss stitch.  I really like the look of half double crochets, so that's what I used.  Here's how it looks on our bed.  Think I need more?

The pillow is made by crocheting a chain that is the same length as the diagonal of your pillow form.  You turn and crochet (I did hdcs) back down the chain, add a stitch in the end, and crochet down the other side of the chain.  You keep going around that center chain, creating a tube that fits diagonally around your pillow. It's quick, easy, and I love the look.

She doesn't show how she closed her pillow, so I just made this up.  I stitched about 5 inches in from each corner and then slip stitched along the opening adding loops so that I could button the pillow around the form.  This way I can change to another pillow cover easily.

 

I should be working on UFOs, but I started and finished this pillow pretty quickly.

 I hope you take some time to take a few stitches each day.


Thanks for stopping by! 

Granny Square Love

Sorry.....I was tweaking some settings on my blog and accidentally took this post down.

This is one of the crochet books that I got for Christmas.  Granny Square Love by Sarah London is a great little book for granny square inspiration even if you already know how to make granny squares.




I love this photo with the little yarn balls in the bright colored plastic strainer!  

Look at this colorful market bag.  If I make this it will probably be used to carry a yarn or quilting project.

Christmas stockings.  I've thought about changing out our usual Christmas stockings.  We have the red velvet stockings with the white cuff, and our names are "written" on with glitter.

This pillow would be nice if you read in bed or if you have small children around.

 

These projects look like they would be pretty quick to do either for yourself or they would make great gifts. I think the granny square is my favorite crochet block, and I'm glad it is making a comeback all over the internet.

Here is the granny square afghan that I finished this fall.








  I hope you are finding some time to make a few stitches today.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Still Making Christmas Ornaments

I am still in Christmas mode and have been making  Christmas ornaments.  This little crochet stocking is pretty easy to make.  The pattern is over on Angie's (Sucrette) blog.  You can find the pattern, Little Christmas Socks, listed over on her side bar.   I think several of these would be cute all crocheted together in a chain.  This was my first try.  I think I need to move up a needle size on the next one.  The "lumpy row" by the heel is where I crocheted over my threads.  Next time I will take time to sew them in instead.  I also realized that I grabbed the wrong size crochet hook after I was finished.






Last year my daughter and I made these tiny Christmas stocking ornaments from a pattern that she adapted.  She drew up the fair aisle designs.  You can see how small these are compared to my Starbucks mug.



You've seen all of those neat red and white knit Christmas ornaments all over the internet.  This is my first attempt at knitting a Christmas ball.  I love these things, but it has been so long since I've knit anything on double point needles that it just felt awkward.  So I have to practice on this one for awhile.  I'm thinking that maybe I can come up with a pattern that is knit flat and then stitched up afterwards.  I know the time to work on Christmas things (at least for me) is right now while Christmas is still fresh on my mind.  Stay tuned.

 

If you have a pattern or a link for these knit Christmas balls, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Crochet Year In Review

Here is my crochet year in review with a little bit of knitting thrown in from time to time.

During the winter, I worked on two afghans plus a quilt for my new grandson, Daniel.  This is the finished wavy ripple afghan that I gave him.

This was an attempt at the afghan you see above.  After I crocheted awhile I saw it was going to be too long and narrow.  I tried adding a border but wasn't satisfied with it.  It is in a sack somewhere with more yarn to be repurposed next year or donated.




Two baby hats I knit for Daniel.



This is granny squares set with a granny ripple crochet.  This is as much as I've finished.



I made a few cotton dishcloths.  Here are just a couple of them.





I crocheted this granny square afghan as a gift for a friend's granddaughter.






This was a crochet along that started with two squares of fabric sewn together with a buttonhole stitch around the edge finished by crochet.  I just made the one square.



I get a lot of email about my Mitered Square Sock Blanket.  I started it awhile ago but once in awhile I pull it out and add a few squares.



I rewrote the tutorial to show how to join the squares and add squares on the sides.



This is my progress on it to date.



I buy fleece remnants at our local fabric shop, go around the edge with a skip stitch blade that I ordered on line, and crochet an edging on them.  After I've done a few, I donate them to our local chapter of Project Linus.




I found this photo taken this year and don't know what (or where) it is.  I don't know why there is the one plain gold row and the rest is granny stitch.





I had this photo posted on my blog for this past year, but I think that I finished most of this giant granny square afghan last year.

I might have made it larger and added this Ole Ole border from Sucrette's blog this year.

This is a pile of granny squares for my Cath Kidston granny square afghan.

Here it is finished.

I made a couple of African Flower blocks.  I'd like to make more of these in 2013.

This was a Babette Blanket that I started.  I just don't really like it, so it is a bag somewhere.

Knit entrelac scarf.  Two more skeins to go.

Here are my three attempts at the Mixed Stitch Afghan stitch along over at Little Woolie's blog.  I started this over three times and started a pillow, but there is one part of it that just won't lay flat.  So I started my own mixed stitch blanket over again......also in a bag somewhere.

Katrin over at Cattinka blog started me on Dragon's Tail scarves.  This is my first one.

I made this one as a Christmas gift for my daughter-in-law, and I have a third one on the needles.

In the fall I started this shell afghan.  

And I finished my granny stripe afghan.

I hope you have enjoyed my year in review yarn projects.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  It's been nice getting to know many of you this past year, and I appreciate your comments.  I hope you will visit again in 2013!

 Happy New Year to you!