One of Ten (Work in Progress!)

Here it is!
Row One of Ten of my first ever *queen sized* granny square blanket!

I really did try to find something different than the granny square. Really, I looked all over the interwebs. But nothing seemed as timelessly funky as the granny square. Everything was either too trendy or too lacy or too ruffly or too plain. I'm a granny square girl.

As you can see, I've limited the blanket to 3 colors, but to make it more interesting (visually and to crochet), I've completely mixed up the color repetitions of each square. Initially I'd tried to bring in oranges and yellows, but not only are they impossible to find in a good shade that worked every which way, it also made my blanket look way too specific to the room that it's intended for (my grey, white, orange, yellow and black bedroom).

I read that a queen sized blanket is 86" (inches) x 86". Each of these squares is 8.5", making my first row 85" deep. 9 more of these, plus a border (a nice sized border, hopefully) and we'll be good to go! Just in time for autumn, most likely, although this blanket is intended to be our summer blanket (duvets are just too much in the summer!).

I'm using regular ol' cotton yarn, and a 5.5mm hook (my usual blanket hook). 7 rounds per granny, joining as I go, on and on, yada yada. Isn't it pretty! Notice that wasn't really a question. ;)

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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The Circus Sweater (Finished!!)

I finished it!
The Circus Sweater!
Weeeeee!!!

I'm happy.

Some details....
The Circus Sweater's inspiration and general instructions can be found at Genuine MudPie's Blog .
I changed some of the details for my sweater a bit.
 -I used fingering weight yarn (Bamboo & Ewe via JoAnn Etc) and a 4mm hook
 -I tweaked the sweater to my own measurements (it ended up being a snugger fit than the original)
 -I crocheted in a Sedge Stitch (tutorial to come)
 -I didn't change my stitch for the stripes, but continued on with the sedge stitch.
You can check out my progress by following these links: Picked a Perfect One,  Work in Progress, Come Together.

Whew, I'm tired.
I still have a yoga mat bag to make.
I may (or may not) be making a bedspread.
But for today, I'm finished.
Finished is good.
(Is it Autumn yet?! I wanna wear my sweater!)

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Come Together Riiiight Now, Over Me (Work in Progress)

Thisclose to being done with my version of the Circus Sweater. (View my progress here and here).
I need to weave in ends,
block it,
then it will,
come together, right now, over me! Well, over my head. 'Cause it's a pullover. Anyway, something you should maybe know about me is I've had a case of Beatle Mania since my teen years and I show no signs of recovery. I can make a n y t h i n g a Beatle reference. Including, it seems, crocheted sweaters.
Moving on...

The downside of stripes is the ends to weave in. The upside of stripes is the stripes. Stripey goodness!

I haven't forgotten to write the sedge-stitch tutorial. I think that may be after the Finished! post for this project, and *that* post isn't far off. Not at all.

After working on this sweater I've decided that one of the nicest things in the world is fingering weight yarn on a 4mm hook. There's something so incredibly perfect about it. I've also decided that all my sweaters will be with fingering weight yarn when possible. Crochet works into thicker stitches than knitting does, so using a thin yarn really makes what you're making more garment-like, rather than blanket-like. Mhm.

Other musings: I must be the only person I know on this side of the equator making a wool sweater in the middle of June. Ah, well, I've always been colder than average.

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Knit Picks Order is IN! (Inspiration)

Check out what came in the box from my latest Knit Picks order...

How gorgeous, right? It's an interchangeable crochet hook. I attach that cable to it and I can crochet big ol' Tunisian crochet projects. Not that I had any in mind. But now it's an option.

Oh yes, future sweater material.

Isn't that beautiful?

Love love love.

Classic but not frumpy. What a great book! I'm definitely recommending Blueprint Crochet Sweaters to all interested in crocheting clothes.

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Any 10 Squares Bag (Finished! and a simple How-To)

I made this bag on a whim. All you need is 10 squares of the same shape. They can be any square pattern, but I used the Sunburst Granny for my first attempt because it's such a beautiful stitch. I think my squares measured 4.5" across. Tweaking the size of the square will tweak the size of the bag (so, uh, that was probably obvious information, but it's relevant to point out, nonetheless). Anyway, you can join as you go (as I did) or stitch them all together after.

10 Squares total

6 will lie flat; 4 will be folded

Hopefully my pictures make it easy to see how the bag was assembled. I have 3 flat squares on each side- 2 for the top corners, 1 for the center (3 x 2 = 6). For the other 4 squares, they are folded squares that give the bag its bag shape. They were a bit trickier to join, but I managed, as you see.

Oh, you haven't seen.
Well, you should.
Take a peek!

 Ooooh sah petty!

 I have a friend who is an amazing seamstress. She's going to make a liner for the bag. I don't know if it's necessary, but it will help it keep it's shape and stay useable for years.

 To finish, I hdc around.

For the handle, I joined the yarn to the top corner of the bag. I chained 60, slip stitched into the opposite corner (on the same side- that's important). I sc into the next stitch, skipped 2 stitches and worked 5dc in the 3rd stitch. *Skip 2 stitches, 1 sc in 3rd stitch, skip 2 stitches, 5dc in 3rd stitch * across. When I got to the end I slip stitched into the corner and fastened off.

This bag is destined for a charity sale, but I think I'll make another one using a solid color in an interesting motif. Sah-petty!

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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Another Summer, Another Sale (Charity)

I'm not quite finished prepping for my Summer Charity Sale, but it's all coming together, and that's a good, good thing. Here's a sneak peek of some of my items this year...

An assortment of hair clips.

 A mystery item (I really need to finish this and write the blogpost for it!).

 I ~heart~ sunflowers.

 This blue with this red. A favorite.

I hope you didn't miss the Sunflower Tutorial....? :)

 Produce bags in an assortment of colors (greens and blues).

Maaaaybe some doilies (who doesn't love a doily?!).  I'd need to remake it into something fresh and new. Maybe a simple little bowl shape from a doily? Trinket-basket like?

And, of course, earrings. Swoon!!

I have other stuff not shown here: another octopus (maybe I'll make a pair), wash rags (for the uber practical types out there), coffee cup cozies (they say 'Love', I'm quite happy with how they turned out- definitely need to get pictures of that!), and a few left overs from last winter's sale (Coffee House Cowls, doily art, etc).

 Oh look, another mascot.
This is Calcifer, a rescue kitty that we were just supposed to be fostering, until my 4 year and 2 year old fell in love with him. That only took a day and a half. So, I guess he's ours. I didn't see that coming, but it seems everyone else did. ;) Worst foster parents ever.

Less than a month until the sale! Sheesh, where did half the year go?

Better get to work on that mystery item. :)

Have a Lovely Day!

~Jess

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Circus Sweater (Work in Progress)

My 4-year-old son opened the door to the porch.
"Are you gonna crochet all day?"
....maybe. :)

Check out the progress I've made on my Circus Sweater!

We're not there yet, but we're on our way. LOTS of blocking needed, otherwise this is gonna be one snug sweater. Fortunately, my yarn is wool (and bamboo, but mostly wool) so it should ease up nicely. Blocking always strikes me as miraculous.

You can find the original Circus Sweater pattern here (via Genuine Mudpie). I've altered the original by using a sedge-stitch, which I'll be writing a tutorial for, oh, any day now. It'll be listed on the Right side of the screen when it's ready!

Happy Memorial Day!!

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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