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Friday, September 23, 2011

Magic Blanket Ride: Chapter 4

I'm back today with news from the Magic Blanket Ride:



Actually there aren't lots of news, because after a break of several weeks I've just come back to it last week-end and didn't have much time for it because I had a busy week of highs and lows. (If you're not interested in my non-crochet life, just skip the next two paragraphs) :)

My lows were mainly work-related: I've been on emergency duty for the past seven days and had lots of calls and duties after work, even on Saturday and Sunday. I'm working in the warehouse of a medical company, and if there's an emergency outside business hours we have to ship the products (the life-saving ones) via taxi or train. This week I also had a call from an angry customer who started to insult the company and me, after he found out that I couldn't help him and that there was nobobdy else available in the evenings - after that call I was so excited and upset, that I accidently dropped the emergency cell phone into the cleaning bucket full of dirty water next to me - unfortunately thankfully the cell phone had no severe damage and still worked after all. :)

The positive highlight of my week (maybe even year): we have finally booked our "summer" vacation for November!! Together with two good friends, John and I will fly to Egypt for two weeks - the first week we'll be on a cruise on the Nile, visiting the pyramids and temples, and the second week we'll be relaxing in a hotel at the Read Sea, with temperatures of about 27 °C (~ 80 °F). JOY!!

But now back to the Magic Blanket Ride. I think I'm gonna show you more pictures of details, and save the full-size photos until it's finished - otherwise it's like reading a book and already knowing the end (and who likes THAT? *gg*). Maybe some of you would like to know more about double-ended crochet, so here are some step-by-step pictures:

Working from the right to the left, I'm picking up stitches with grey (just like working "unfinished" single crochet stitches):

At the end of the row, I turn the blanket, slide the loops to the other hook at the opposite end of the cable, and start working off the stitches - from the left to the right - with white:

When I've got only one loop left on my hook, I do NOT turn the blanket. I continue with white, picking up stitches again (just like step 1):

You already know what's coming: at the end of the row I turn, slide the stitches to the opposite end, and work them off with grey (just like step 2):

You see, it's actually just two rows I'm repeating over and over and over again. Here's a picture of the blanket when I've got all the stitches on my hooks:


And on the next one you see the same edge when the stitches are worked off:

Before this post gets even longer, here's the summary:

Intermediate Statistics:

Width: 150cm (~59 in) (nothing's changed)
Length: 104cm (~41 in)
Colored Stripes: 21
Yarn Usage (basic colors): 11 balls of grey + 8 balls of white
Days actually worked on the blanket: 33 (I took the whole month of August and most of September off)

I hope the next week I'll have more time for crocheting and blogging. Have a wonderful week-end everybody!







9 comments:

  1. Never tried double- ended crochet!!Looks interesting!!It is so good that after a stressful week at work, you have something to look forward to and dream about!!:)

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  2. So nice to find a new technique that I have never come across before.. it looks a bit like normal crochet combined with Tunisian crochet.. very interesting, and great end result! :)x

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  3. whew! girl, this looks so difficult and time consuming!!! you are a real trooper and it is definitely worth it because the blanket is coming along beautifully!

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  4. Your blanket is coming along beautifully and your tip to Egypt sounds wonderful and exotic. Looking forward to reading more about both! Have a great weekend.

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  5. Hallo Barbara! Tut mir sehr leid, daß du grad Ärger bei der Arbeit hast. Ich hoffe es klärt sich noch alles. Aber du kannst dich ja schon auf deinen Urlaub freuen, bin ganz neidisch!
    Dankeschön für deine tolle Häkel-Erklärung, jetzt kann ich mir das ganze viel besser vorstellen.
    Hab eine wunderschöne Woche! Barbina

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  6. Crikey! This looks so amazing.
    Can't wait for your ta daaaah!
    Xx

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  7. It looks great so far! I love the detail in your photos, too. (Dreamy sigh - wishing I had better photography skills!)

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