Baby Blanket Gift

Dr. A loved the baby blanket I made for her granddaughter. I almost didn't give it. When I laid it out, it was a little crooked. I think I am my worst critic. I actually started a new baby blanket and brought it to Ohio to work on. Got 20 rows done there. But when I got home I realized, at the rate I work on things, it would be 2 weeks or more before I finished it. And I have Christmas things to work on.

So I looked at the original blanket again and decided that only a judge in a contest would find it's flaws.  Most people that I know personally wouldn't even know how to hold a crochet hook, let alone make a blanket. I have to stop being my own worst critic. This is why I haven't started an Etsy shop yet, despite joining. Nothing that I make, to me, is good enough to sell. 

But, like I said, the baby blanket was a hit. So now I have a half-finished one for a future baby, too! I put it away with notes about the hook, yarn and pattern. Something to work in next January!

Baby Blanket

I have finally (after about a year!) finished this baby blanket. Almost...I just have to weave in the ends. It is a gift for Dr. A's granddaughter. (BTW, I called her 'Riya" in a previous post, I think. Her name is actually "Diya.")  The repeat of the rows is like this: singles, singles, doubles, then a row of front post triple crochets. In the FPTC row, you do two stitches, then skip a stitch, do two more, and then you take the 6th stitch and pull it back to that skipped stitch. It makes a crossing pattern that is really pretty.
I noticed that on the back, the post rows made a kind of 'ridge.' So what I did with the next row (all singles) was to 'catch' half of each stitch before the FPTC row, pulling in the ridge. It flattens out the back, which I think will be more comfortable. I'm sure that doesn't make sense at all, since I don't have any idea how to write crochet instructions, but trust me, it works.
The border around the edge is very simple: in the first round, you just do all singles. Then you do a single, half and double in a stitch, skip two stitches and do another sc/hdc/dc all around. In the second round, you do a sc/hdc/dc in the 'spaces' between the stitches.
This would have been done for me to take to work today, but I got started on a HUGE organizing project. Our attic ladder/doorway is broken so you can't go up and down it too much. So I handed down about six boxes of Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff to my husband, as well as a box of sweaters. (It's already feeling like fall here--yay!)
I wasn't planning on sorting through it all but once I got started I just went with it. Managed to reduce six boxes down to four. Once I start to decorate, I can sort even further and decide on more things to either go to charity or decorate the office with. It's a big task but at least it's 90% done!

Come to think of it, most of my tasks seem to always be "90%" done, LOL!

Latest finish

Here is a quick project I finished recently. It is a baby sweater. It's supposed to be a size 12 months but I think it's more 9 or even 6 months. Whatever, it isn't for any particular baby. I just liked it. It is from an issue of "Crochet Today" magazine.

Using stitch markers made this go a lot faster. I don't know how I worked without them before. The repeat is 3 single crochet rows, plus two rows that make the 'eyelet.' I was having trouble remembering where I was until I got the markers. They come in 3 colors: blue, red and yellow. For me, since I learned the primary colors in this order, blue was row 1, red was 2 and yellow was 3. I just kept at it until I finished it. It also helped that I had the right yarn and hook right from the start. I have a few 'almost finished' projects for which I need to buy new yarn. My biggest one is a vest. I'm up the part where I have to make a border around it (with buttons) but there is enough finished to actually try it on, and I'm happy to say it fits.

Mother's Day was very nice and I wrote about mine in my "Family News" blog. Despite a toothache (I had a root canal done last week and am still hurting) I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope all my readers (few of you that there are) did, too!

Baby hat

I'd like to have a box of hats and scarves to donate to charity next winter. Here's a baby hat I made.

I've found that all these hats start by crocheting in the round to a certain diameter, and then crocheting evenly (in other words, not increasing) until the hat is done. Once you get that circle done, you can do just about anything with the rest of the hat. It's a good way to practice fancy stitches. I think this is a ripple stitch with a simple ruffle made with triple crochets.

I'm continuing to work on the socks but have to say I made a big dumb mistake last night. I started to make the heel and, as I usually do, kept trying to socks on after each round. I couldn't figure out why it was so tight over the top of my ankle.

Turns out I missed a whole section of the directions! Which means I had about half the stitches I should have had. I do have a reading comprehension problem, despite being a writer, so I have to check things off or mark where I want to start next time I look at instructions. I have so many marks on the instructions (this being my 3rd attempt) that my eyes just wandered.

Fortunately, I figured it out and now they're coming along nicely. I even bought more yarn for 2 more pairs of socks! I hope to get good enough at them to make them without having to read directions. It's the way I work best--hands on and practice, practice, practice.

Here is a baby hat I am almost finished with--just have to weave in some ends. It is part of a set featured in the August 2008 of "Crochet World."

I'm making the whole set. I have 2 rows done on the afghan, and most of the jacket done. There will also be booties for it.

I have to say that I find following directions for jackets difficult. The neckline of the one I made looks nothing like the picture. I hope that it will turn out 'wearable.'

Not that there are any babies due soon! But you know I like having some things 'ready to go.' This will fit a 3-6 month old. It is only taking 2 balls of yarn, which is nice!

The little hat is a quick project that could easily be finished in a sitting or two if you are ambitious.