rectangle Granny Blanket

 I have been busy with my hook. I was able to finish a rectangle granny baby blanket in just a few days! I was super exited! It always takes me forever to complete an afghan project. I love the texture of the blanket, and the yarn I used was super soft. :)  I have already started another one. With the weather being much cooler I will be busy inside where it is nice and warm with my blanket projects!

My Progress so far!

I have been hard at work on my afghan. I am pretty darn determined to actually finish this one in a timely manner. I do also have a few holiday side projects going on as well. My mom just wrote her first pattern. I was so excited for her. I'm going to be helping her to get the pattern listed for sale. Once I have it set up I will include a link for everyone. I am going to be working on this 'ghan for the next few weeks, but I also want to work on a few side projects for the holidays. I just got in a nice big box of holiday yarn, and I am very excited to get it all worked up into holiday pretties for around the house!

Purple Hearts

Remember that bigger and better project? Well, here she is, kids. Man, this thing is so cool! I love that it looks like a normal ripple on one side and it has a million pretty purple hearts on the other. This isn't an easy pattern for me but it is so worth the effort. I had originally planned to give this away, but I might just have to keep it once it is done. I love it that much! Happy Crocheting!

Getting my Afghan on!

I've never been a 'ghan maker, but I have always wanted to be one. In the last 2 weeks I have been working on a couple. Nothing difficult just simple single crochet 'ghans that I can make while watching a movie. After make these I now realize that is like therapy! I love the way the yarn glides between my fingers. I can think about everything or nothing at all. AH! So refreshing! I was so excited that I had completed them I just had to post a picture! The large purple and white one is 40x54 and the smaller baby one is 25x26.5. The purple one is a half started one from when I first learned to crochet so it is kind of like a before and after afghan. Its kind of fun to look back on my little mistakes made in the beginning and see how far I have come.  After completing these 2 I have decided to take on a bigger and better project. I am going to make a Sweetheart Ripple. The Sweetheart Ripple can be found here. I love the look of it! After buying the pattern and figuring out the multiples it is written in I am going to make a toddler sized one! This weather is perfect for crochet. Its very rainy and dark out. Hope everyone else is having an amazing weekend too! 

3 day weekend! :)

I've been working a lot, and I have been too tired to crochet or craft. Crazy, right! I have a brilliant idea that I started working on last week. I wish I could sew better than I currently do. I used to take everything that needed to be sewn to my mom, but she now lives too far away! :( Its getting close to fall, not that the weather would have suggested this. Its been very hot and humid here. So hot that I'd rather sit inside with the shades drawn then have to step out into the suffocating heat! I'm not going to let it kill my holiday spirit. I have been browsing around for holiday crochet already. Its getting so close, and I need enough time to whip out a few things before time runs out. I still have and impossible number of hats to make before Christmas. I'm trying to make enough so that my donation to the charity I chose really counts. I know any thing helps but more is always better! I'm going to enjoy my 3 day weekend and make a few things! Happy hookn!

So you cant read, huh?

I don't ever mind making things for my family and friends, but I sometimes get bogged down with projects. No one ever wants a simple hat they always have to have some complex design that is going to take me weeks or even months to complete. Lets face is I don't have the time or the patients to make a blanket on a dead line no matter how simple the pattern is! I woke the other day to see that my Mom had sent me an email of a cool scarf she had seen. She even provided a link to the pattern. Hint much, Mom? lol I agreed to make it for her. I bought all the supplies yesterday and spent most of the day ciphering the most poorly written pattern I have ever paid for. I cannot get over how awful it is! The charts and written instructions are completely different from one another. I now have to figure out how to piece this whole thing together because I promised I would make her this scarf. I've been starting at the pattern all morning trying to figure out why it says to slip stitch when the picture of the product is clearly done in double crochet!!! I'll figure it out I always do.  SO, here I am angry at this pattern, and I get a text from my mom. Now my sister would like one too. Both my mother and sister know how to crochet, so I ask why she cant make one for her self. Simple answer, we cannot read a pattern. WHAT! Who cant read!?! I am going to break it down and explain how to read a pattern over this post. This is going to be a simple explanation of the basics.
 This is for you, Mom. :)

Pattern reading 101:

• Skill Level √

• Yarn type/weight √

• Basic Stitches√

• Chaining and how to count a Chain√

Skill Level:

Most patterns will tell you what level of skill you need to complete a project. Now skill level is tricky! There is no industry standard for level of skill. I always read through the list of stitches required to complete a project and decide if it is something I know already. If the main stitch is single crochet and it only has a few increases or decreases I would consider it to be Easy. It never hurts to challenge the mind, though. I do sometimes take on patterns I know will have me upset before I can complete them.

Yarn Type/Weight:

All patterns have a list of the yarn and yardage they used. Included is also the weight. You can substitute a yarn of similar likeness.

 Example: If the pattern says:

 Use 2 skein of Simply Soft in blue (315 yds) Medium/Worsted weight. 

 I know I can use any Worsted weight as long as I account for the yards needed. Always check your yardage! Another good idea is to always buy all the yarn needed to complete a project in advance. You don't want to run out of blue only to find out you cant find it anywhere!

Stitches:

Ch  Chain
ST stitch
SC single crochet
HDC half double crochet
DC double crochet
ST slip stitch
sc2tog single crochet 2 together (one decrease) May change for stitches ie dc or hdc
sc2 in one stitch (one increase) may change for stitches ie dc or hdc
(THIS IS ASSUMING YOU KNOW HOW TO COMPLETE EACH STITCH)

Chains:

Ok, now we are ready to crochet!  
Lets say the pattern reads:
1 skein Red Hart Super  Coral  (364 yrd) Medium/Worsted
Size I hook
Gauge is not important. ( on a side not I never worry about the Gauge unless I am making a sweater, gauge is just how many stitches are in x amount of inches. You can alter the gauge by changing hook size or tension on the yarn.)

Row1: CH22
We are going to Chain 22
Row2: HDC in the 2nd st from the hook, HDC in each st across (21 sts)
We are going to half double crochet in the second chain from our hook and then half double crochet all the way to the last stitch. 
Row3: CH1,turn,HDC across (21sts)
Row4-36: repeat Row3
Finish off and weave in all ends.

 

That is it... pretty simple. :)

Crochet from time's past and new projects

hats and afghan start

I've started on a few new things today. I am working on a new blanket, and I am also making hats for the homeless. I tried to rope my mom into helping me make hats with no luck. She said I live to far away for her to raid my yarn stash. :( I guess I am on my own. Its ok, I don't mind taking this project on my own. I am pretty excited that I can do something to help out. I will have to ship out my finished work to other states since it never gets cold here!
I had a co-worker as me to make her daughter a blanket. For those of you who know me, you know very well that I cannot seem to stick with a blanket. I have several blankets in the closet that are all 3/4 of the way done. I seem to be working this one up quickly so wish me luck. Maybe I will just work on it between things. I so desperately want to be an afghan maker!

My baby blanket

I was browsing though some forums today and someone mentioned a Mile a Minute blanket. The Mile a Minute is one of the reasons I crochet today. My Great Grandmother made me a blanket when I was a baby in this style. I grew up with a few of her afghans around the house. My mother always treasured them. They were the blankets that got kept away safe. You always saw them in the top of the closet but no one ever got to use them for fear that someone would hurt them. I'm sure my mom was wise in her actions, I after all was not a perfect child. Because my great grandmother loved to crochet, my mother took an interest in the craft. My mom can now whip up a baby blanket in an afternoon. I always envied my moms many crafting talents, and so I too now crochet. :)

3dc cluster for center

Frogging

I sometimes come up with amazingly brilliant ideas, or so I think they are. I can spend hours writing out a pattern that has been stuck in my head, drawing out a diagram on paper, and gathering all my needed supplies. It always works out the same way. I have a GREAT idea, and I can't perfectly translate it into crochet! I spend days reworking the same pattern, trying to wrestle out all the errors. 

I Crochet, I frog it, I Crochet, I frog it

 My Hunny thinks that I just need to have multiple projects going at once to take my mind off of one particularly frustrating project and work on another. I'm going to spend yet another day off reworking the same pattern, frogging it all, and reworking it again. :) I love crochet. Happy Wednesday!

chevy chevy chevrons!

So the other day I met this wonderfully sweet old lady that happened to know my family from church. I think she was the most beautiful person I have ever met. She is retired and spends all of her time crafting to raise money for various charities and organizations. Her and I got to talking and I told her that I absolutely LOVE to crochet. She was pretty amazed and excited to hear that the "younger generation" was keeping the craft alive. As she was getting ready to leave she asked me to help her carry some things to her car. She gave me a big hug and also a box of yarn. She explained that she has had it for quite some time and is running out of space. She really wanted me to have it so I could create something beautiful. I thanked her and drove home with a box of mystery loot. I was super excited. I love yuck vintage colors more than anything! Most of the box was jammed packed with colors from the 60's and 70's. Brands I have never heard of before. I wanted to create something with that vintage feel something I could love forever. I was flipping through some crochet books and came across a chevron patter. I made a few rows of it but I didn't really care for the updated and more modern pattern. So, I went back to the basics. I'm making a traditional chevron afghan just like grammy would. I'm putting that box of yarn to good use. I'm going to mix and match colors to my hearts content. I've only just begun, but I am very excited for the projects completion! What do you think?? 

Mosaics are easy? Tutorial

Rosie and I were trying to think up some fun project to do over the weekend. We often spend too much time playing video games or watching movies. It took us a while to come up with something, and we finally agreed on doing a mosaic.
 I figured it couldn't be that hard! Wrong!!
 I bought some awesome plates at my local thrift store and we got to hammering away.
 Smashing plates is both fun and easy. Our issue, inspiration. Everything you see online is made with perfectly cut tiles and created into amazingly complex designs. Lets face it I'm not artist!
After sitting for a few hours depressed over it all we came up with something great.
 The answer; don't expect to make something just let it become something!! :)

Tools needed

You will need some simple tools. Tiles or in our case some old plates found at good will($6). A hammer or two. Some tile nips(optional). Tile adhesive, fairly inexpensive and found at Home Depot ($10). Premixed grout also from Home Depot ($12). You will also need something to put a mosaic on. I had an old table laying around so that is what we used.

You definitely need a hunny to sand down the surface!!

 We took our plates out side and hammered the crap out of them. We used an old towel to wrap the plate in first to eliminate flying plate parts and it also made for an easy clean up. You just have to shake the towel in the trash and you're done! Since we used plates we had to sort out the broken bits. Its hard to grout around pieces that are raised, so we sorted out the flat pieces. The tile nips can be used to reshape any of the shards.
Since its blisteringly hot outside we set out a tarp in the living room and started piecing everything together. We used a pencil to shape a basic design and then we fit it all together like a puzzle. The goal, get the pieces to fit inside the lines without hanging over to leaving large gaps. 

Once we fit it all together we took off a few pieces at a time and scrapped on some tile glue. Its easy to rearrange things as you go and it isn't going to be perfect no matter how many times you re do it . The out come isn't too bad, but it also isn't the master piece I was wanting! Needless to say this project has been abandoned in the garage where it sits waiting to be completed. I say we did pretty well for our first attempt. Next time I'd chose a smaller surface since I have crafting ADD and all. :)

Its been a while

It has been a little while since we last posted. I guess sometimes you just get too caught up in life. I have a million worries to deal with at the moment. My family is moving back to CO, my job is stressful, my dad's health is shit bad, and I'm confused in the middle. I'm not sure if I have a permanent plan, at least not one I can share quite yet. In the mean time I'm trying to busy myself with a new project. I've picked my hook back up, and I've brushed up on my Tunisian Crochet. The plan is to work a simple yet awesome throw in various textured squares. :)

sigh

Sigh,, this happens every time. I watch some campy fantasy epic television show and the next thing I know I'm sitting on my stool staring into space feeling like something has gone terribly wrong. These show's all go the same way, the dweeby little hero is hoeing potatoes thinking about their dinner when the Kindly and very helpful wizard comes hobbling up to tell them that they are not actually a mindless peasant but the last child of a magical king who was smuggled into hiding with a nice farmer family and who's sacred destiny is to fight off the powerful and very evil dark lord who killed their good and just family. There is a small scuffle of a discussion as the dweeby hero denies the truth of this and foolishly insists on their peasanthood but after a bit where the kindly wizard shows them their true magical abilities and a birthmark on their left foot they troop off to the kind farmers who back the wizard up tearfully declaring that the dweeby hero will always be theirs in their hearts. Convinced at last the dweeby hero goes off with the wizard trains for a half an episode meets a dashing and mystery shrouded love interest and finally armed with their magic powers a sword of truth a potion from the wizard and the promise of forever from the aforementioned love interest they go to the dark fortress and face the evil lord where even though it's a tough fight and they might get a nasty cut on their arm or forehead they will survive and the scar makes them look that much better... all I want to know is where the Frick is MY sword of truth?! why is it that I am stuck proverbially hoeing potatoes forever just waiting for a kindly wizard to come and fix everything! I think this is one of my bigger problems that I feel this deep need for the epic and the ease of knowing what I'm supposed to do and having all the tools to do it. But real life isn't like that at all, the hero's aren't always perfect and ready for everything and the villains usually don't wear black just fake smiles to cover their darkness, and you can't wait around for a kindly wizard sometimes you just have to go out and get your own freaking sword of truth and find a story of your own to fit into!

I think it's one of those day's where you spend the entire day trying to remember everything your supposed to get done and so when it's time to do it you don't have any energy because you used it all remembering the stuff you had to do. Does that make any sense? no, of course it doesn't oh well :) anyhow it's been one of those chasing ones tail and expecting to get somewhere days and I feel rather defeated at how little i have accomplished with so much effort. I think I need to take up crossword and jigsaw puzzles and get some sort of cognitive development going that or finally get my Hoodie started, I think I'm going to have to give up on getting to the yarn store and bite the bullet and order online. Kara has this fabulous website to order yarn from and I think that's going to be the best bet. still not sure on color but thinking maybe if this one turns out nice i can just make bunches and have one in every color yay!! ~Rosie

Memorial Day

It's Memorial day already! Just the other day it was January! Well, I volunteered to work today, and I wish I hadn't. I have a few projects I'm working on that I'd like to complete. I seem to have a weird obsession with vintage crochet these days. I don't know what it is but I cannot seem to get enough! I want to make everything with granny squares or in oddly colored yarns picked up at garage sales. I have a blanket that my great grandmother made me, and I really want to sit down and work one up. Its a simple Mile-a-minute pattern made in baby pastels but its beautiful! I haven't been able to focus enough to sit down and just make one yet. I've settled with starting a cute little poncho made out of... Yep, granny squares. They are just so easy to whip up and sew together. The simplicity of them is quite wonderful. I love their versatility, each square can be drastically different or just the same. Maybe I'll mix it up a little in the future but for now I'm going to settle down with my hook and crank out some squares. :) ahh, happy hook'n!

Project Complete!

  It looks like I will once again be making the drive to my favorite place. The Yarn Store!!! I wish Rosie didn't work quite as often, I've wanted to go yarn shopping with her so that she can get started on her hoodie, and I always need more yarn to add to the closet. :)  After completing this project I'm going to need a stash to inspire me to create more!!

completed!

back of sweater

        I currently am working on about 4 different things. I don't enjoy long projects so I tend to make a lot of baby and toddler items. I am most excited about the cutest little sweater I just completed. Yes, I know its summer! I just couldn't help my self! I recently added a new book to my collection called Little Crochet. It has the most adorable patterns I have ever seen. I just couldn't wait to get something started. I chose a very soft and brightly dyed Merino wool. I wasn't sure about the bright colors mixed with a deep blue/green at first but now that its complete I kind of love it!  What do you think?

close up of stitch

Oh lord it's one of those days

~Hey there, Rosie here :)  so progress on my hoodie is slow due to my never ever having a day off when the yarn store is open, but i remain determined. Color choice has been more of an issue than anything but I think I'm going to go with a slate blueish gray. on a side note work has been brilliant (I own a little coffee shop and am there pretty much always) I had this delightful old crone ask for an Iced americano but not too strong because she doesn't like strong coffee and then when I handed it to her demanded that I put more espresso in because it was disgusting and wasn't nearly strong enough, so I smiled cursed her inside and threw two more shots in making a grand total of six I hope she doesn't sleep a wink tonight! seriously it makes me wish desperately for the walk in freezer I had at one of my waitressing jobs. whenever anything happened to piss you off or make the day bad we would go in and scream about it to the salad dressings till we felt better, there was a blue cheese that was a specifically good listener and I miss it terribly on days like this :) it seems like every needy frustrating and ignorant person has found their way to me today. must must must go to the grocery store I need chocolate, and I have this crazy yen for toast. strange

Rosie

Hello World!

We are super excited about our first blog post! Thank you for finding us and reading this despite the fact that if you found it this soon you are probably related to us or was searching bing for mineral deposits or sewing machines or cliche phrases from a time long past. Either way you should know that you have stumbled onto something beautiful and should feel profoundly thankful that you have! (forgive the ego I just believe things should be introduced as grandly as possible- Rosie) coming soon are genius thoughts, brilliant designs and intellectual insights into the world around us and that's all just on the first post!
We've gotten ahead of ourselves and have forgotten to introduce ourselves.
I'm Kara, I love crochet and I drink entirely too much coffee. I learned to crochet about 2 years ago, and I haven't put down my hook since. I come from a long chain of crocheters. (ha ha I made a joke) My mother learned from her grandmother, and I learned a basic chain stitch from my mother. She is left handed so everything looked upside down and backwards, I ended up teaching myself everything I now know. I'm not claiming to be any sort of pro, but I love every one of my creations and buying yarn makes my heart race. ~ And I am Rosie, I am a novice knitter (the lady who taught me said not to ever try pearling again) and an avid crocheter, I am left-handed and consider right handed crocheting to be a strange and confusing tangle. I am also a Barista and have taken the concept of caffeine addiction to staggering new heights, I have decided that this is the year of the Hoodie! I will over the next period be creating a crochet hoodie and will post pictures of my progress, Kara will be overseeing the effort and giving heaps of advise and direction while creating some rather phenomenal pieces of her own work! feel free to comment, advise or exclaim in excitement along the way as we bring a little of our creative wacky and caffeinated world your way!!