Big Update on Everything

Gosh, I did let this slide a bit, but with good reason... I've had lot's of progress in my yarrny crafts!

First off, I finished my 2010 KAL afghan! The colour combination was great in my head, scary when I was putting it together, but overall, now that it's done, I think it works well.

I learned how to cable and make bobbles! Both were just as great as I'd hoped. I started cables with a 3.5mm bamboo dpn because I couldn't find my cabling needles, but it didn't work as well as I'd hoped because the bamboo can be a little rough, although a plus was the bamboo holding the stitch onto the needle. I did eventually find the cabling needles, and settled with the smalled 'J' shaped one. I never did get the hang of or enjoy doing cables without a cabling needle as the Bernat blog had suggested trying. I could just see the stitches getting smaller and smaller without being on a needle. 
For blocking, I actually decided to block them to the same templates I used for the first afghan, after measuring squares from each clue. The biggest problem was that the clue 3 squares were much wider than every other square, so even after blocking they were the largest. 
It all came together nicely though, especially with the use of little hair clips to hold squares together when seaming, so they are sewn evenly. It's very soft and comfortable, and smells delicious since it smells like the fabric softener from the hand towels I used in blocking!

I also finished up all of the squares for my crocheted star blanket. I ended up adding a border to the two smallest star squares, and added a stitch on either side of the pattern for the remaining few I had to crochet. The star squares started going quicker though, when I stopped trying to make dc stitches inside of the chain stitches, and just worked right into the chain space (which, if anything, made them look better, and was sooo much faster)! I've blocked them all, and started on the border just yesterday, even though I finished seaming last week. The reason I waited was because the border is made up of one round of sc in white, one round of dc in contrast A (my green), another round of sc in white, and then one round of dc in contrast B (my yellow). But I'd learned from the border I added to my two star squares that if you add too many stitches on the sides, where the stitches aren't definite, then it will flare; so I was a little worried I may get the same thing happening. Thanks to YouTube though, and this helpful video, I was able to figure it out. I did occasionally have spots of flare, but today I learned something new to help combat that as well. I learned how to do a sc decrease and a dc decrease! I'm very happy to know how to do them, and they worked out well in helping to reduce those few areas of wavy flare. The border really helps make the blanket and bring it all together. I can't wait for it all to be done! I'm taking a break from it now because crocheting hurts my right hand. I can't seem to hold the yarn well. Wrapping it around my pinkie finger doesn't let it flow well and it gets tight, but the way I do it now just hurts! :(

Vanity baskets

Anyways, I've also started and finished a few more crochet projects since I last wrote. 
I made a small crocheted teething biscuit for my step-sister, who's expecting. I learned how to slip stitch two flat crocheted items together in the making of it. I also crocheted some small vanity baskets for my bathroom. The biggest, squat one is for facial scrubs, the smallest is for Q-tips, and the tall one is for makeup, like eye-liner, mascara, and lip gloss. That third one I kind of improvised, and after a few attempts ended up with one round of dc followed by one round of tr for the bottom. 

Stars of David in the yarmulke

I also crocheted a yarmulke for my dad. I used a pattern from Ravelry that uses a star stitch to make a round of Stars of David around the outside of the yarmulke. My dad chose the colour of the crochet thread, Really Royal Bernat Handicrafter crochet thread. I also got a small 2.25mm crochet hook for the yarmulke. It took a lot of work and I had a somewhat hard time figuring out the star stitch at first, but once I figured it out, I enjoyed working it. My only problem with it is that you can't really work increases with the star stitches, so the yarmulke doesn't lie as flat as I'd hoped, and my dad may need to use a few bobby pins to keep it on. 

Still need to add a button

Finally, the most recent crochet project I've attempted is a cell phone case. I want one that will fit well over my iPhone while it's in the silicon case. I made one case from a Lily Sugar'n Cream pattern. But it's much too hard to get my phone in and out of with the case on. So I tried starting two more with bigger stitches and more stitches, but both still weren't thick enough! So I've temporarily shelved my idea, but I know what I'll do next. The pattern is reminiscent of granny squares, (which I've never attempted before, yay!), but instead of starting it right off with that, I'll start off with a slightly longer version of a 'one ply' teething biscuit like I made for my step-sister's baby, and then start the granny square sides from there. That should give the case enough thickness for the silicon-clad iPhone to easily slide into and out of. I really just want it to protect the screen from hazards in my purse and backpack while in transit. 



The border for my crocheted star blanket isn't the only project I'm currently working on though. I'm working on a pom-pom blanket for my mom right now. The balls are different dye lots because I got them discounted by more than 50%, but she doesn't mind at all, she's just excited to have it! It's my first time working with pom-pom yarn, in this case it's the Loops and Threads brand. I'm using 6mm circular needles for it, and you work one stitch between each pom-pom. The pattern from Ravelry is for a square blanket, but it's quite small, so I'm making it rectangular, following what someone else did. The only problem was when I got to the point of extending the length. The blanket is knit diagonally, so if I just started knitting back and forth, it would end up like... a rectangle with a triangle on each end. I just wanted a normal rectangle like the other person had, so I looked it up and eventually found out how to accomplish it! You just increase at the start of every other row, and decrease at the beginning of the other rows. It's so soft and squishy!

And then, the other day, I started my first knit shawl. I was at a wedding a few weeks ago, and was quite cold at the reception, when I noticed a woman with a shawl over her shoulders. I was quite jealous of the warmth, and said to myself 'Hey! I could make that!' So that's what I've started to do. 
I just needed to find a shawl pattern that could be made with thicker yarns. I'd always figured you needed a lace or fingering weight yarn for a shawl. I ended up with Summer Flies. I'm using Red Heart Soft Touch yarn in black, and a 5.5mm circular needle. I'm more than halfway through the pattern row-wise, and now up to more than 150 stitches. I like knitting it though, and I can't wait to have it finished! I'm sure it will need blocking, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it! 
In the hopes of possibly making more shawls, I've got some sparkly black yarn and other yarns in colours that would be nice as shawls... really I've been stocking up on all sorts of yarn, as Zellers is closing and the yarn is marked down! They're turning it into Target (which I love, but I know doesn't sell yarn in their American stores), and I'm going to miss Zellers's selection of yarn brands and varieties, which Wal-Mart pales in comparison against, and even gave Michael's a run for it's money! I even found some Bernat Sox yarn in camouflage (which I was 'meh' about at first, but the colours have grown on me since I've seen it in person), to hopefully knit my first pair of homemade socks with. 

Things I learned:

• how to knit cables
• how to knit bobbles
• how to crochet borders
• how to sc decrease
• how to dc decrease
• how to crochet the star stitch
• what it's like crocheting with thread and a very small hook
• (kind of) how to work stitches for granny squares
• how to slip stitch things together
• how to knit with pom-pom yarn
• how to knit a rectangle on the bias
• there are shawl patterns for thicker yarns

Lot's of Updates for Knitting and Crochet

This is somewhat of a continuation on from my last post. There’s an update about my maple leaf pattern, and also my dad’s gifts. And then a few other things.

Thinking about the rollerblade keychain and the cupcake, I was pondering how I could wrap them. I was also looking through my favourites on Ravelry, and came across the pattern for a little crocheted drawstring bag. I figured I could put the rollerblade in it and just give him the cupcake without any wrapping. So I grabbed some leftover Classic Navy yarn from my afghan and set to work. There was a lot of back loop only crocheting, and I misread the instructions for how often to leave a hole for the drawstring. I ended up with 16 holes when there should have been 12. Besides that though, it turned out perfectly, and bigger than I’d anticipated! I fit both the rollerblade and the cupcake inside. I figured that once he’d taken his things out from the bag, he could put his earbuds or other electronic cords in it. The draw string for the bag suggested using the double chain stitch to make it, rather than just a chain, and included instructions on how to do that, so I also learned the double chain stitch (a bit of a pain since chains can be a nuisance) for the string!

Before I go on to the next few projects to mention, I’ve done a lot of stash building since I’ve last updated. I got lots of varieties of Bernat Handicrafter; Creamsicle, Neptune, Over the Rainbow, Fruit Punch ombre, and white. The white was one of those large skeins... 710 yards. That should last for a while! There’s also some Bernat Supervalue in Lush (a lime-ish green) and Black, some clearance Bernat Softee Chunky in Grey Heather, and Patons Decor in Rich Country Blue. I also got the circular needles I needed (but unfortunately only in 5 mm, not 4.5 mm... no one carried that long of circulars with that small needle size!), as well as two sets of dpns (3.5 mm and 5 mm), and a pair of Clover bamboo 5.5 mm straight needles.

As I mentioned in my last post, I also went to Michael’s to get some red yarn, and was quite disappointed in the lack of variety. I ended up with some Patons Canadiana in Cardinal red. It’s a very vibrant red, and soft yarn too.

Left to right, in the order they were made

Armed with some red yarn finally, I went back to the maple leaf appliqué I’d made. I found that it’s quite different working with acrylic yarn rather than cotton, even if they are both the same size. My first red maple leaf’s pointy side parts looked too small, especially when compared to the new bottom parts I’d come up with. So I added a few extra rows. The leaf looked okay but not really like a maple leaf. Next I used my original pattern (plus remade bottom parts) with some of that new white cotton Handicrafter yarn. It turned out fine, with the pointy parts as they should be, but it really needed some red for Canada. So using the last flower coaster I made as inspiration, I took that red yarn and made a border with single crochets and some slip stitches. In hindsight, I should have done single crochet for the top pointy part (the biggest area that I used slip stitches instead for), but I’d wanted it to retain it’s shape the most. Finally, I made one more attempt with the red and my normal pattern. To make sure they points stayed sharp, I bordered it with the white cotton yarn (this time single crocheting the border on the top as well), and I must say I think it looks great! So great that I went back and put a white border on the first red leaf I made as well. I didn’t end up giving them to the family that came over though. We got them Canada shirts instead.

Left to right: Clue 2, Clue 3, Clue 4

More progress has been made on my 2010 KAL afghan. I’m now working on square 2/3 of clue 4! This clue finally had a new technique for me, Sl3. I think my Sl3’s are a bit too tight, and vary a bit across the squares, but it’s not bad. The front of these clue 4 squares looks neat, but the back looks really cool as well. When I was working on clue 3, the pattern said to do 3 repeats of the pattern and finish. I did just that, but when I got to the last stitch, I realised that my square was much too short, and this pattern wasn’t very stretchy height-wise! Comparing it to the previous pattern’s squares, I decided that a fourth pattern repeat would be necessary... but I’d already nearly finished the bind off row. Luckily, I hadn’t yet cut the yarn, and I figured out how to tink the bind off. Looking back, I should have really only done a half more of the pattern rather than a whole repeat, but I’m counting on my other ones being kind of stretchy...

These clue 4 squares go pretty fast, but it’s just a bit annoying to do the Sl3 all of the time. Hmm, I’d thought I was coming up to some cabling soon (can you tell I want to try it!?), but that’s not actually until clues 7 and 8! Clue 5 is lacy with ssk, yo and k2tog, and clue 6 is lacy as well with Sl1 thrown in as well... it’s got quite the complicated-looking instructions, although they’re nothing compared to the cabling instructions. Wow!

Plain yellow square

And if all of that wasn’t enough, I’ve actually been working on another blanket! This one is crocheted, but also worked in squares and then sewn together. I started it on June 22.

I’d been shopping with my mom at Zellers and found out that all of their Bernat baby yarns were on sale. The Bernat Baby Coordinates caught my eye with their soft colours and shiny threads, and it turned out that smaller skeins and larger of the same yarn were the same price! On the label of one of the smaller skeins I’d been holding, there was a pattern for a baby blanket with stars on it, and I love stars, so I checked out how many skeins you need for it. It said 2 MC, 1 A, 1B, with their suggested colours being white, yellow and blue. I replaced blue with Iced Mint, and used Lemon Custard for the yellow, and got the pattern online once I was home, since the larger skeins had different patterns on their labels.

White star square made with 5mm hook

I’m now hoping that the larger skeins will save me from needing to buy more yarn! The gauge for the blanket is 6” for a square, (is that 6”x6”? I suppose...).  Using my 4.25 mm hook, my square turned out like 7.25”x6”. So now my squares** rectangles are larger than called for, and therefore using more yarn. I’ve finished all 7 of the plain yellow squares, and I haven’t yet done any of the 8 plain green squares. I started the white star squares yesterday. There are 15 of those in all, and so far I’ve done two. But I had a bit of an unhappy surprised when the first star square was done... it was too small! I’m a little worried actually that my gauge has become smaller (i.e. closer to what is normal gauge) for crocheting... which would also mess up my green squares! For now though, I’m working on the assumption that the star is what makes those squares smaller, and made the second one with a 5 mm hook. It turned out to be perfectly in line with the yellow squares I’ve done, which do vary a slight bit in size, but nothing like so much variation as the squares of my first afghan had, and nothing that blocking can’t fix! And for the first star square that was pretty tiny, I added a border to make it a bit bigger, and figure I will just stick that square in a corner. ;)

The star squares are fun to do, but it’s hard to do the double crochets above where a hole for the star is, since it’s actually working into the chain, especially now with the 5 mm hook. I’ve ended up using one of my knitting needles to spear the spot in the chain I’m going to work though and stretch it out a bit for the hook so that it’s easier going.

Things I learned:

• how to Sl3
• how to tink the bind off row
• how to crochet in the back loop only
• how to do the double chain stitch (dch)
• that cotton and acrylic yarns can act very differently

Lots of Crochet!

(This post was written on June 29)

I’m still working on my 2010 KAL afghan; I’ve finished the first clue, and I’m 2.5/3 squares done clue 2. However, my pace has been slowed by all of the crocheting projects I’ve done!

I tried a new coaster pattern. It’s really pretty, and most of these ones on Ravelry had white in the main petal part, which looks really nice, but I didn’t have any white. For that coaster, I learned how to do a front post double crochet (FPDC). It’s pretty easy to do, and it looks really neat. The single crochet border on the flower looks great too, and really makes the coaster pop!

The flowery not-leaf

With Canada Day coming up on Sunday, I looked on Ravelry and Google to try to find a free, small, easy maple leaf pattern, preferable crocheted. I found a few nice ones that cost money, and a few that were too big, and some that were too complicated for what I wanted (and knit). I was pretty surprised given all of the other things you can find patterns for. So I did two things: first, I tried making a little flower pattern I’d noticed that looked leaf-like on Ravelry because it was done in red and somewhat pointy- mine didn’t come out like that, even after I added a stem. Second, I tried making my own pattern! I wrote down how many I chained to start, but then I didn’t write down what I did for the bottom leaf part, and it wasn’t anything simple... it was pretty random actually. I wrote down the rest of what I did though. I’ll post the pattern once I figure out what I did for the bottom, hopefully tonight after I’ve bought some red yarn. The pattern is more complicated than it probably needs to be, and how one of the ends is weaved in is important. Three different pieces of yarn are used for it.

My own pattern for the maple leaf

What I was envisioning using the maple leaves for was attaching them to safety pins, and wearing them on shirts. I’ll definitely wear one, and I’m going to make my dad one. I’ve also got some family from the USA coming to visit this weekend, and I thought I could make some for the kids as Canadian souvenirs.

Next, thinking of my dad’s upcoming birthday, I’d already decided what to get him- er, I mean make him. I’d also picked up the supplies to make it too. But, hey, why not make a few more things. First there was the cupcake. I just picked a small cupcake pattern from Ravelry, of the many I’d favourited, and set to work on it. I learned how to crochet in the front loop only for that one. Once the icing and cake parts were done, I couldn’t wait to stuff it, even though I had no stuffing! So I grabbed some Kleenex, and then some more. It took 5 tissues in all, but I think it’s filled pretty well... seamed on the other hand... I don’t like how I seamed it, and it turned out a bit crooked, but it still stands, so that’s not so bad.

Then on June 29, I made my dad’s main present. Knowing he loves rollerblading, I tried to find a pattern for a rollerblade appliqué, but even worse than the maple leaf, there were none to be found! There were patterns for ice skates, but they all hinged on using something for the blade and working from there. I still used one of the patterns to try to make the rollerblade boot, which turned into my first attempt. That took place in May, when I was first learning how to crochet. Attempt 1 didn’t work out well, but attempt 2 was better. I saved it to work off of once I got the yarn. But once I got the yarn in the beginning of June, I felt I needed to get better at crochet. Finally, yesterday, I started again with attempt 3. It was okay, but not quite there yet. Attempt 4 made the grade! And I learned from the maple leaf, and wrote down how to make it this time. I mean, I did have to duplicate it myself once anyways. The keychain (which is what the final gift is), is double sided, with button-wheels sewn in between the two layers as wheels, and some white yarn as laces.

Once both appliqués were done, I sewed them together with the yarn, on all sides except the bottom. My mom helped with the button-wheels, and then I added the “laces”. I’d originally planned on putting the key ring right through the top corner of the boot itself, but that turned out harder than I thought, so I crocheted a chain for the key ring. I’m super happy with how it turned out, and I hope it holds up if he uses it. 

Things I learned:

• how to crochet in the front loop only
• how to do a front post double crochet (fpdc)
• how to make a stuffed project (kind of)
• how to make my own maple leaf and roller blade appliques

It's Done!?

My first finished afghan!

Yep, it's done! I finished the last border for the 2012 Bernat Mystery Afghan yesterday. 
It's very soft, and comfortable, and I'm sure it's quite warm too. I wrapped it around my shoulders long enough for a picture, but that was it in this >90°F weather!
Once the squares had all been put together, I was actually pretty happy with the colours. When I had the left and right borders on, I wasn't so sure about the border colour. But now with the top and bottom borders done as well, I think it fits in really well, and I'm quite pleased!
I have noticed that the "light" blocking I'd done on the left and right borders didn't really stick, but I think I'll prefer the somewhat creased/folding borders to flat ones if I'd really flattened them out to get rid of the crease. 
And somehow, on the last border I did in seed stitch, I managed to get one less stitch, and ended up with an even number. You can't tell, I just had to write down which rows had to start with a purl instead of a knit. 

Here it is again <3

So, now that that one's done, I've picked back up my clue 1 squares for the 2009 KAL. As I'd posted before, the blue clue 1 square is done, I finished off the yellow one today, and I've started on the pink one. 
I'm excited that there aren't any more clues that have "knit the knits and purl the purls", as that can be a little annoying to figure out every other row. I'm not so excited that clues 2 and 3 only involve more knit and purl stitches. At least clue 4 adds in Sl3, which I haven't done before. 


I've got a bit of a shopping list to take care of for knitting supplies. I've got to get a 32" circular needle for the borders of this afghan, for which all 4 sides are pick up and knit (ughhh). They want a 4.5mm one, and I think I'd like a 5.5mm as well. And then there's 5.5mm needles for normal knitting, as I think with my gauge, that will be in the place of 5mm. The circular needles I think will be metal or plastic. I don't plan to use them too much, and I'm cheap! The straights will be Clover bamboo again though. And, I'd like some dpns (double pointed needles). I think they'd be good to learn about now, and there's a thread about knitting socks on the Bernat forums that I can use to learn, as well as a cute Ravelry pattern that says it's good for learning and practicing with the dpns. Hmm, maybe I should call my grandmother up and see if she's got any supplies I can borrow. If I buy the dpns, they'll probably be bamboo as well. I can just imagine how easily stitches would slip off of those!


On the crocheting front, I haven't made anything new, but I may make a cup cozy from a CAL on the Bernat forums. The only thing is it says to hold two strands of yarn at once, and not only have I never done that before, but I only have one ball of each yarn... not sure how that'd work!
The cat made my decision for me about that sun kissed flower coaster I made. I wasn't awake for it, but my mom told me about how hard the cat worked at getting that coaster this morning. It was between my mom's larger pink flower coaster below, and a large container of hand lotion on top. He worked it though, all the while sneaking sly glances at my mom, knowing he was doing something bad, and eventually got it out! She saved it, but we decided to give it to him, since he loves it so much... maybe the colours catch his eye! Now I just need to figure out where she put it for safe keeping!


Finally, I just remembered that I learned something new for use in knitting and crochet. It's how to use skeins of yarn without unraveling them and then rolling them into balls. In the past (years ago), I'd tried to pull yarn from the middle of a skein, but it ended up getting horribly knotted, which led to me drawing the conclusion that you weren't supposed to be able to use them like that. But in looking online I found videos and posts about doing just that! So when I went to roll my last ball of Bernat Waverly Aqua Frost for the top and bottom borders of my afghan, I stopped and tried to pull the yarn from the inside. It worked great! I just read that you have to pull the outer strand out as well or it will knot. I've done the same thing with 3 more skeins of yarn since. I did try for one other, the sun kissed Lily Sugar'n Cream actually, but for that one, I pulled all the yarn guts out of the middle, and still couldn't find the end. Eventually I stuffed it back into the skein and just used the yarn from the outside. I quite enjoy using the yarn from the inside now though, and I plan to do this for all future skeins of yarn I use... when it works! ;)


Things I learned:

• how to pull yarn from the center of skeins without specially unraveling and re-rolling it
• how awesome my new afghan is
• the sense of accomplishment from finishing my first big knitting project

New Crochet Skills

Sun Kissed small flower coaster

I decided to tackle a few new concepts in crochet yesterday, as well as some of my yet untouched new colours of cotton yarn. I tried a pretty flower coaster that used treble/triple crochet (tr) and half double crochet (hdc), both new to me. To figure out the stitches, I watched some YouTube videos from KnitWitch. It turned out very nicely, but much smaller than I was thinking. I used my Lily Sugar'n Cream Sun Kissed for it, and love the colours!


But since that coaster pattern, which I'd intended to use for myself in the living room, wouldn't be big enough for most of our glasses, I went on to knit another pattern I'd been looking at. It involves crocheting in a chain space (a little), but otherwise no new skills. For that one I used my Lily Sugar'n Cream Crown Jewels. I like the colours, but for the pattern, I think a less intense ombre would be more suited. 


I'd thought of giving the smaller flower coaster to Junior to play with, but I like the colours so much, I decided to leave it in the living room as a spare coaster. I'll make him one of his own though, since this morning he knocked the nail polish bottle I'd had on the coaster to deter him over, grabbed the little sun kissed coaster, and ran! Little bugger, but my mom got it back and gave him the toy I'd made for him. I think he's got it under the TV cabinet right now though. I'll go fetch it out for him....

Crown Jewels larger flower coaster

Things I learned:

• how to half double crochet (hdc)
• how to triple/treble crochet (tr)
• how to crochet in a chain space

Last Clue, Number 7

Since I posted last, all of the squares have been blocked and seamed together, the left and right borders have been lightly blocked (they folded down the middle), and seamed onto the main blanket, and I picked up and knit along the bottom and knitted the first of six rows of seed stitch on the bottom.

My afghan all sewed up!

Knitting the right border was pretty good, and once I remembered the pattern, went pretty quickly. I had to repeat it 25 times to make it long enough. The left border was a little different, as it was the opposite of the right one, although it took me less time to remember the pattern. However, instead of k2tog for the lacy part, it used ssk so that the lacy pattern would slant in the opposite direction. That was new for me, but once I saw a YouTube video of it, I was fine. I did have to tink a row or two while knitting the left side though, because if I let my attention slip I might lapse back into the right side pattern. I did notice about 28 rows too late that I'd mixed up my seed stitch on one row somehow, although the lacy part of that row was fine. It's not really noticeable on the right side though, so I don't mind... not enough to have tinked those 28 rows!


Picking up and knitting was also a new concept for me. I watched some videos, and searched around the 'net, but I really couldn't find anything about picking up and knitting from either rib patterns like the shaker rib, or things knit on the bias... which is what I was picking up from. 189 stitches total, picked up along about 45" of blanket onto a 29" circular needle... hmm. That wasn't very fun, nor is knitting on that! But 29" is what they suggested, and that's the only one I have. So while I knit on it, it's very squished up, and the blanket makes a circle on the needle, pushed as close together as possible so I can have some room to work. The picking up and knit row and the first pattern row took me about 1.5 hours. We'll see how long the rest takes me, and then casting off in pattern, another new thing for me. Maybe I can have it all finished up today!

Blocked dishcloth

And a little update on one of my old dishcloths. I blocked it when my board and pins were freed up, using the same method I'd used for the squares of my afghan. It worked out wonderfully and is now square rather than diamond shaped! Take a look.


Things I learned:

• how to ssk (slip slip knit)
• how to pick up and knit
• how to knit a large project on circular needles

Working On Clue 5

I'm super happy to say I've finally figured out a method for blocking!
I pin out my squares on my foam blocks (only two squares at a time... not enough pins!), and then spray them both with some water from a spray bottle. Then, with the iron set on 7 (it's highest setting) and steam at it's highest, I steam the squares holding the iron about 1-2 inches above the fabric, patting them down when I switch back and forth between the two. Once I'm satisfied that they've been steamed enough, I cover each square with a dishcloth, pat it down, and leave it to dry for about 2 hours. This method has worked very well so far for the 6 squares that I've blocked, the only (slight) exception being the one clue 2 square I did. It's so stretchy that even though it did get larger, I'll have to stretch it a bit width-wise before sewing that part in the afghan. 

Layout 1

Layout 2

Speaking of sewing the afghan together, even though I've been happy with the blocking so far, I'm still a little afraid that the squares will all snap back to how they were over night. So while some of my squares were still blocking, I laid out two half afghans, took some pictures, and worked some Photoshop magic. 
At first I was leaning towards layout 1, but after I saw layout 2 in better lighting and both of my parents concurred that 2 was better, that's what I went with!


Once the layout was decided on, I was able to sew together the squares that I'd blocked, hopefully so that they will stay the proper size, just in case. ;)
I did run into one issue while seaming though. It was suggested in the clues that you leave 12" yarn tails to use for seaming, and I did, even though my squares are about .75" smaller than the expected size. And yet, when I was seaming, I ran out of yarn tail for seaming about halfway down the squares! Each seam uses one yarn tail from one end, and another yarn tail from the other end for seaming. Even given that unforseen difficulty, seaming has been going incredibly quickly! I hope to finish blocking on Thursday, and seaming hopefully that same day (I'll be seaming as the squares are blocked). Therefore I need to finish up the first square for my second afghan to free up my 5mm straight needles so I can knit the long borders for this afghan! I am so excited for it to be competed... the finish line is in sight! :D

Two 3/4 strips sewn together

Things I learned:

• seaming squares with the overcast stitch
• weaving in ends in knitting (especially in rib and garter stitches)
• a method of blocking that works for me!

Some More Crochet

Grandma's small coaster

This past weekend I made more coasters! Using new patterns too. My grandma got one for her bedroom and one for the living room, and my mom got one for work. I still have to make another for myself for our living room, which I plan to use a new pattern for; one that includes treble crochets and half double crochets, two techniques that are new to me. 

Mom and Grandma's coasters

I started out with a different, small flower coaster for my grandmother's bedroom. It was the first time I've switched colours in crocheting. I didn't realize how small it was going to be, but luckily she uses only small glasses in her room. 
Next I used the same colours (Bernat Handicrafter Potpourri Ombre for the middle and Lion Cotton Orchid Solid for the petals) for a larger, different flower coaster for my mom's work. 
I liked that pattern so much that I used it again for my grandmother's second coaster, this time using Lily's Sugar'n Cream Mod Green for the middle and Bernat Handicrafter Meadow Ombre for the petals. 


When I gave my mom her coaster this morning, she put it on a table before she left for work... but it didn't stay there for long. I watched as our cat, Junior, jumped up, grabbed the coaster in his mouth, and ran off all proud before my mom caught him and took it back. I guess while I was gone this weekend he also stole my step dad's coaster to play with. 

Junior's new toy

Figuring he liked my crocheting so much, and knowing the wealth of patterns on Ravelry, I searched for crochet cat toy patterns and then fish and mouse applique patterns. Most of the cat toy patterns were for stuffed mice or other stuffed toys, but I don't have any stuffing. What I did find though, was a neat ruffle cat toy. I used some Lion Cotton Espresso yarn, and crocheted it up for him... it was an instant hit!

Junior and his new toy

I think I'll also make him one of the little flower coasters like the first one I'd made for my grandma, since he likes the big ones like that; even after I made his toy, he still stole my mom's living room coaster and ran off with it! Little bugger <3




Things I learned:

• how to change colours in crochet
• how to make a ruffled cat toy

Starting the 2009 KAL

After my discouraging foray into blocking, once I'd packed up and gone back into my bedroom, I had a decision to make. I could start knitting the left and right borders for my afghan, or I could start on the squares for the 2009 KAL afghan. 
You see, the yarn I'd ordered from Bernat finally came in last Thursday. There were the ten skeins of Bernat Satin for the 2009 KAL (sooo soft!), as well as two small skeins of Lily Sugar'n Cream, in Mod Green solid and Sun Kissed ombre. I also picked up a set of metal cabling needles at Zellers on Saturday in preparation for some of the squares in the 2009 afghan. 

Bernat Satin Yarn
(L to R: Lagoon, Banana, Maitai)

Since witnessing the small squares of my 2012 KAL afghan, I decided to be a good girl and make a gauge swatch. This afghan also calls for 5mm needles, so I started with my 6mm pair... and ended up with 16 stitches in 4 inches, rather than the 18 called for. After frogging that, I went back to the 5mm pair, and ended up with 20 stitches in 4 inches, gah! But, seeing as I lack a pair of 5.5mm needles, and didn't feel like spending the money on a pair of them right now, and doing yet another gauge swatch (which, on hindsight, would probably have been perfect looking at these numbers), I opted for a slightly smaller afghan made with 5mm needles. 


After frogging my second gauge swatch, I started working on clue 1 in my contrast A, Lagoon. I followed the pattern for the first row, and then came across "2nd and alt rows: K2. Knit all the knit sts and purl all purl sts as they appear to the last 2 sts. K2." I assumed this meant doing the same pattern in reverse; if the last 5 had been P3, K2, I would then K2, P3, etc. Thinking this, I completed up to row 4 and decided to double check that assumption... I was wrong. It was the opposite. So I frogged my work again, cast on the 44 stitches again, (which I hate!), and have just finished my first 20 rows of the square (it's a 20 row repeat). There is no exact spot to stop, only when it reaches 8" long, and end with a wrong side row. I think what I have done now is about 2", so 3 more repeats to go! 


Things I learned:

• what "knit all knit sts and purl all purl sts" means and how to do it
• how to make and measure a gauge swatch

Clues 4 and 5

Clue 4

Well, I finished up clue 3 in perfect timing last Thursday, and whipped off the four squares of clue 4 in three days, to finish all of my squares on Saturday! 
Clue 4 was nice to do; the first half was in my B contrast, Classic Navy, and done in the shaker rib stitch, but on the bias this time! The second half was in my A contrast, Aqua Frost (so pretty!), and done in the garter stitch, much like the whole of clue 1. 

Photoshop layouts

And, being the impatient person that I am, when I was done on Saturday, I spread the squares out on the dining room table, and tried a few layouts. I started with Bernat's suggested layout, which I didn't bother taking a picture of (I like symmetry!), and then went on to my favourite layout from the forums, which didn't thrill me in my colours at all, and then on to another forum one. I don't think I'll be using any of those I tried out on Saturday, as I've decided to try some layouts in Photoshop first. The top two are from the forums again, and the bottom two I made up on my own. My favourites are the top right and bottom left, but I'm definitely leaning towards the top right one (as is all of my family I've asked opinions of). 

First layout

I'm getting ahead of myself though. Before the Photoshop fun, I went ahead and attempted blocking some of my squares... yikes.

Second layout

First, I blocked the four squares from clue 4. They were close to my goal size of 8.75"x8.75", so there wasn't too much stretching happening, and I made sure to pin the one curved corner into a more 90° angle. I pinned them out wrong-side up on the ironing board, set the iron to 5 (the lowest steam setting), and steamed them. I think they turned out pretty well; they were the proper size, the curved corner was now more squared, and they laid flatter. Next I decided to do one of my first clue 1 squares (a Classic Navy/Brick Brown one). These being my first squares, they were also my smallest squares (although the clue 2 ones are about the same width-wise). Working on just one, I painstakingly pinned it out. It was slow, annoying work, as I'd just discovered that ironing boards are mostly a sheet of metal- not very conducive to sticking pins in it, and I also had no masking tape to 'draw out' my size on the board. I had to keep measuring the darn thing to make sure I stretched it enough. And the stretching! Stretch it one way, it shrinks up the other! Finally though, it was pinned out and ready for steaming. I steamed it more than the previous four, and let it dry, which only took about 3-5 minutes. I unpinned it, measured it, and discovered I had a flat, square the same size as it have been before blocking. ARGGH!
After that discouraging episode, I packed up and went back to my room, deciding on three factors I needed to change. First, I had to get some of those kids foam mat blocks for the proper sticking of knitted square to flat surface. Second, I had to put some masking tape on the blocks as an indicator of where to pin said squares. And third, I should turn the iron to the hottest setting as well as possibly spray the squares with some distilled water before steaming. 
So yesterday, I found a set of four 24"x24" foam blocks for blocking on sale for $10 at Canadian Tire. Then my dad drew four squares on each block in pencil, measuring 8.75"x8.75", which I then put the masking tape on. 

Foam Blocking Mats

Tomorrow, the blocking will commence! I can only cross all of my fingers and hope that it works! D:


Things I learned:

• how to knit the shaker rib stitch on the bias
• that ironing boards are mostly a metal sheet below a thin fabric layer- not good for sticking pins into it
• Canadian Tire sells the foam blocks I need for blocking
• right-angle rulers rule
• blocking takes a long time, mostly in the setup stage

Crochet Update

My step dad's coaster

In addition to working on my knitted KAL afghan, I've also been practicing my crocheting skills! I did end up frogging that dishcloth I was working on, but I've completed a few projects to make up for it. 
I started with my step dad's requested coaster. The first pattern I tried used single crochets, and it ended up taking a long time and being too small- frogged that! I found a different pattern (here) that used double crochet stitches, and it worked out perfectly! I also learned how to make and use the magic adjustable ring, which is aesthetically pleasing (since you can adjust it to close the first hole), and very useful, as it's used in many circular crochet patterns. I found this video very helpful in explaining how the ring is made. 
My mom was my next coaster requester, but I really wanted to make her a flower-shaped coaster. I looked at a few different patterns, but my favourite involved treble crochet stitches, which I tried but have thus far failed at, so I favourited it on Ravelry to attempt again later, and moved back to the circular coasters. 

My coaster

I really meant to let her have the next one I made, but I put my glass of water on it on my desk, and it's stayed there since! (My poor desk is all bubbly and water-marked in the corner I put my drinks in).


Looking a the two coasters now, I can already see that my crocheting skills have improved! :) The second coaster is more uniform in it's tension, and more circular.


Anyways, my mom decided that she wanted her coaster made out of black yarn, so while I was at Jo-Ann's yesterday in the USA (we don't have that store in Canada), I looked for some black, cotton yarn. I didn't actually find any, but my mom picked out a clearance ball of yarn (the colour caught her eye). It was a ball of Lion Brand, Lion Cotton yarn in Orchid. 
With the new yarn in hand, I went onto Ravelry and found a flower-shaped coaster that starts out in much the same way as the two above, and whose petals don't involve anything more complex than double crochets (pattern can be found here). 
She really likes the coaster, and I've offered to make her one for work as well, but I think I'll try my hand at another pattern for it. I found two other flower coaster patterns that are within my skill set but that use two different colours of yarn. I figure I'll use some scrap potpourri ombre yarn for the middle, which is what the circular coasters are made out of, and then use the orchid yarn for the petals!

My mom's coaster

Things I learned:

• how to make and use the magic adjustable ring
• how to recognize double crochet stitches (to count how many are in one stitch)
• how to weave in the ends
• how to finish a circular crochet project without a slip stitch so that it lies flatter
• how to crochet a circular coaster
• how to crochet a flower-shaped coaster