Thursday Thoughts

Source: Pinterest

Another Baby Blanket in Progress

The WIP I want to show you today is a typical (although rare) case of "Pinned it - made it".

Isn't that one unique and lovely pattern? A while ago, I've already posted a picture on my Facebook page, and of course some of you wanted to know where I got the pattern from. Unfortunately there's only a picture tutorial on a russian site, but this pattern is so easy-peasy that you should be fine!

And you know what I like best about this pattern? Although there are what feels like zillion ends to weave in...

... in the end you just have to knot them together, and add some fringes! I'm not that far yet, but if you've checked out the photo tutorial I've mentioned above, you'll know what I mean - genious, isn't it?

I've tried to keep my color-choice similar to the original version, but I bet this pattern looks awesome in strong and bright colors, too! If you try it, please let me know, I'd love to see more variations of this beautiful pattern!

Wishing you all a perfect Sunday,

Thursday Thoughts

Source: Pinterest

The Good Ol' Granny Squares

Have you ever noticed that blogging about your favorite hobby pretty much resembles a Triathlon?

First, you have to do the actual thing (in our case: crochet something)

Second, you have to take the pictures and edit them (nobody wants to follow a blog, when somebody always just describes what they're crocheting, instead of showing it)

And third, you have to blog about it and share your creations with your readers.

Well, right now I have no problems with the first discipline: since I've got my crochet-mojo back I've been more productive then ever. Recently I've started a new project with the good ol' Granny Squares.

Actually, making another Granny Square blanket wasn't on top of my to-do-list (and not even somewhere near the Top 10), but it rather happened by coincidence: I was un-doing another baby blanket that I had started last winter. It had been almost finished back then, but it had started to curl on the edges, and this bothered me so much, that I just couldn't find the mood to finish it. It was a stripey kind of thing, so the strands of yarn weren't that long, and I had two options: throw it all away, or use the strands for small things, and so I made lots of  traditional 2-rounds Granny Squares.

I've made 121 squares in total, using six different colors. Then I started to join them with a continuous join-as-you-go method.

So, this was my Granny WIP. When I look over to my yarn-boxes, I also see

• a finished baby blanket
• two half-finished baby blankets
• two pair of potholder-dresses
• and several new Mandalas

"Where is the stuff?", I hear you say, "why don't you show us?" - and this brings me back to my starting point, and the second discipline of the Triathlon: the picture-taking. Somehow I'm seldom really satisfied with the quality of my pictures, that's why I always shy away from this. But I'll work on this, promise! (And I'm okay with the quality of today's pictures, I had great lighting conditions on the day I took them)

The last part of the Triathlon (the actual blogging) is easy again, and that's why we're here today :)

Let me know your thoughts on this: which part of the Blogging-Triathlon do you enjoy the most / the least?

Meet Angie from "Le Monde de Sucrette"

Welcome to another week of "meet in k-town"! My guest today is Angie from Le monde de Sucrette, a wonderful lady you all know and love, and so I'm more than happy, that she has accepted my invitation to write a guest post...

"Hello! It is a pleasure for me today to be a guest in K-town. I am Angie from Le monde de Sucrette. I am 35 years old, a stay at home mum with 3 children (Christina 8, Sarah 6 and Joe 1). I live in a little country called Lebanon. I am a crochet addict and I sew and paint too. I love soft music of the eighties and enjoy being alone in my craft room for hours. 

I learned to crochet while we were stucked in the shelters during the lebanese civil war. I was 11 years old then and my mother, in order to distract us and distract herself from all the viollence out there, teached us, my sister and I, how to crochet. I think that was the best gift she gave me after giving me life

Crocheting is like riding a bicycle... Once you learn you never forget... Even though I took my hook back after 16 years when my oldest daughter was born I still remember every stitch my mother taught me when I was just a little girl... And since 2005 I am totally hooked

 

 

August 2010: My blog www.lemondedesucrette.com came to life and since that moment my life really changed... I had an opportunity to share my passion with like minded people and that was a real treasure knowing that around the world people addicted like myself to a hook and some colorful yarn do exist 

 

Sharing patterns (all kind of: blankets, amigurumis, cushions, ponchos, shawls etc) and hooking along with wonderful ladies who lives in the other corner of the planet that was the best thing about blogging...  

 

The moment I appreciate the most is around 8 o'clock in the evening when the children are all 3 in bed and hubby and I are sitting quietly him reading and me hooking I feel like all the stress of the day just fly away...  

 

    

What I wish? I wish to live in a peaceful world and to grow old seeing my family happy wherever they are and whatever they are doing I wish for peace and love around the world... And I wish to be able to crochet till my last breathe hahaha  

 

Before ending this post I want to send a big big hug to all my followers because it is thanks to them each and every one that Le monde de Sucrette is still here in blogland. I love you all

 

 

And thank you Barbara for hosting me in your beautiful blog ... It was a real pleasure for me writing this post

You can also follow Le monde de Sucrette on Facebook here, on Pinterest here and on Instagram here


Sucrette (Angie)"    


Thank you Angie for this little glimpse into the colorful world of Sucrette, I really love the selection of pictures you've shared with us today! 

Have a beautiful Sunday everybody and a great start into the new week!

Thursday Thoughts

Meet Ana from "Lanas de Ana"

I've got another guest here in k-town today, it's Ana from Lanas de Ana. Although we had known each other's blogs before, we really got to know each other better during last year's "Beyond the Square"-Challenge. I'm glad that Ana has accepted my invitation for being a guest-blogger, and recently she has send me this beautiful post:

"Thank you, Barbara, for inviting me as a guest @ Made in K-Town.

My name is Ana, and I have a knit/crochet blog called “Lanas de Ana”, which in Spanish means: Ana’s Yarns.  I am from Guatemala, and I started my blog in Spanish (as Lanas & Hilos).  But later I decided to write it in English as well, to connect with more people.  I love that, through the blog, I have made “virtual friends” from all over the world…from England, Spain, Australia, Norway, Germany, Chile, the U.S., Holland, Israel, Argentina, India, France, Mexico, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Portugal, Canada, Puerto Rico, and more.  I find it so amazing that yarn can help connect so many people from different countries and cultures.  [Should we name “Yarn” an ambassador for world peace?]

In my blog, I share “my world of yarns”—the part of my life that revolves around crochet and knitting.  By sharing my projects and ideas, I hope to inspire others in the same way as I have found inspiration in many blogs and sites.  I love to share my personal patterns for free… as a way of paying forward all that I have learned from generous crafters. 

I know many of you prefer either to crochet or to knit…but I actually love both.  Sometimes, it seems I do more crocheting (which I find easier), but lately I have done more knitting than usual.  

This year I joined Linda (from Linda’s Crafty Corner) for the Stash BusterChallenge.  The objective is to encourage each other to use as much yarn stash as we can this year (especially those odd balls or bits and pieces of unused yarn sitting in boxes and drawers).  So far, 137 friends have joined us in the challenge, and many projects have been made, and displayed @ “Linda’s LinkParty”.  I personally have made blankets, scarves, hats, cushions, and more (check Stash BusterChallenge to see my projects).  We still have a few months left of the year, so we will be working on more stash-busting projects.  All are welcome to join.

Well, thanks again, Barbara, for inviting me as a guest to your wonderful blog.  You and your friends are cordially invited to visit my corner of the blog world @ Lanas de Ana.  See you there!

♥ Ana BC

from Guatemala with love..."

Thank you Ana for this amazing post, the beautiful pictures, and your thoughts about how our common hobby crochet can connect people from all over the world!

Have a happy Sunday everybody, wherever you are!

The Like List: All About Colors

The most exciting thing when starting a new project (especially a big one, like a blanket) is picking the colors. Some people just seem to have a natural talent for picking color-combos with a wow-effect, and others - like me - are a little bit anxious when it comes to the big color decision. Never mind if you're a natural talent, or a lost soul in the world of colors, the following links might help you to finally find the perfect color-combo, to encourage you to experiment with adventurous new colors you've never worked with before - or to simply teach you more about the physical backgrounds of color theory (if you're interested in that). Enjoy!

1. Color Theory 101: Selecting Yarn That Go Together on Freshstitches: this article is perfect for you if you just want a quick intro into the basics of color theory, explained from a knitter's/crocheter's point of view.

Source: freshstitches

2. Crochet School Lesson 18: Working With Color on Craftyminx: this article goes more into detail about color theory and explains the different color schemes, like monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split complimentary, triad and double complementary. The article also includes links to more color-related websites, articles and tools, and a video on how the color change is done in crochet.

Source: Craftyminx

3. All About Color on Crochet Cabana: This is the most comprehensive article I've found so far about color theory and its implication for working with yarn. It defines what color is, explains the different color-schemes, and also focuses on the emotions that different colors evoke or are associated with. And of course the article provides you with even more links, if you're still not satisfied with what you learned. I personally think that with this article I've learned all there is to know about colors and working with them in crochet.

4. The Random Stripe Generator on Biscuits and Jam: This is a tool that I've often stumbled over when reading the different articles about color - once you've made up your mind which colors you want to work with, you can use this tool to generate a random stripe pattern. Could be helpful if you want to start on a ripple or stripey blanket! As a test, I've picked white, light green, and two shades of pink, and this is the first suggestion I've got:

5. Blanket Journey on Attic24: If the other articles mentioned above are just too much dry theory for you, you'll probably love Lucy's post about how she personally chooses the colors for a blanket. And we all know that Lucy's a natural when it comes to color picking, right?

Source: Attic24

6. Design Seeds: This is not an article but a whole website about color palettes for any purpose. As crocheters we can use it for our yarn-projects, but this site is also helpful when you want to (re-)design your blog and look for the perfect color palette. When you hover with the mouse over the color squares, it gives you the hex-code of the according color, so you can use it when working with html or in an image processing software (like Gimp or Photoshop).

Source: Design Seeds

And as a bonus, here are my two favorite ways of finding the perfect color combo:

7. Rattle your yarn bag or box and see if a color combo strikes you. Honestly, that's how I've found the colors for my Dots and Dashes Throw! I've got my Stylecraft yarn in a transparent plastic box, and after some rummaging around, those four balls (cream, shrimp, spring green and saffron) were lying next to each other and I knew: yep, that's it!

8. Steal. Steal without restraint. I know, this sounds strange, because as creative people we all respect the patterns, original designs and pictures of our fellow bloggers. But when it comes to color, there is no copyright (I hope *gg*). I'm collecting crochet finds like crazy on my various Pinterest boards, and not all of the pins are about the pattern only, sometimes I just pin because the color-combo strikes me. Of course, if you're using exactly the same colors and the pattern, too, a thank-you back-link to the source of your inspiration would be nice and probably very much appreciated!

I hope you've found those links interesting and helpful, if you know more great websites about colors and especially color-combos in crochet, please let me know in the comments!

Have a great and colorful week-end,

Maybe you'd like to know, that...

• This is not a ranking. I present the items on the list in an order that seems reasonable to me.
• I'm NOT paid for mentioning any of the websites or products.
• When I'm using pictures, I always try to let the owner know that I'm doing so (if it's possible to find out the owner of a picture). If I unknowingly violate some rights, please let me know and I'll remove the according picture at once.