A Tale of Five Blankets: Chapter 11 & 12

Hey there,

I'm back today with a new episode of my Tale of Five Blankets.

Today I want to show you two blankets with a similar color palette.

For the first one (above) I've worked with Stylecraft Special DK in Storm Blue, Duck Egg, Grey, Stone, and Cream. The pattern is Dots'n'Dashes by Darla J. Fanton, that I had already used several times before. I've made this blanket for my shop, and since it sold pretty quickly, I thought I'd make another one with similar, "boyish" colors.

If you're a frequent visitor of my blog, you recognize this pattern (my favorite one) at once: it's the double-ended crochet baby blanket pattern which is available for free on Woman's Day.

On one side I've worked block stripes with the Stylecraft Special DK colors Storm Blue, Duck Egg, and Mocha. For the back side I picked Cream.

Although I usually work with bright rainbow colors, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the way these two blankets have turned out :)

Spoiler ahead: if you're a fan of colorful blankets, you shouldn't miss the next chapter... :)

See you then and have a great day,

A Tale of Five Blankets - Chapters 6-8

Hey there,

you're probably confused that the Tale of Five Blankets continues now, although we had already reached the last chapter with Chapter 5. But - just like in real life - sometimes the story continues, even when it seems that you've already written the final chapter, isn't that true?

So, enough with philosophy - meanwhile I've finished several more baby blankets, and instead of coming up with a new creative title every time, I just thought I'd continue this tale, so all my new baby blankets can be found under the same tag. And since I'm hyper-productive right now, I'm gonna show you three new blankets in one post today (with three more still waiting in line *gg*).

Let's start with my favorite one:

For this modern girlie-blanket I've used a great pattern that I had tried once before (click here). It's the Dot'n'Dashes pattern by Darla J. Fanton and it's available for free on Red Heart. The pattern is for three different colors, and since I had been quite pleased with the result of using four colors in my first blanket, I thought this time I'd go with five colors.

As usual, I was working with Stylecraft Special DK and used the following colors: Creme, Grey, Silver, Clematis, and Plum. I really do love this pattern, because it's so easy to do (actually a no-brainer that allows you to watch TV while the blanket is growing almost all by itself), but the result with the interesting structure is just amazing! Definitely under my personal Top 3 of my favorite blanket patterns!

Another favorite pattern - and you know that already if you're a regular reader of my blog - is the double ended crochet pattern (also by Darla J. Fanton) which I used for the next blanket:

The pattern actually creates a stunning two-sided effect, but in this blanket the effect is more subtle, because of the light colors I've worked with. (The effect is better when working with two high contrast colors).

For the front side I've worked with Calista Color by Schachenmayr, a beautiful color gradient yarn, and for the back side I've used white Rico Acryl Soft yarn.

And last but not least, I've made another traditional Granny Square blanket :)

As much a I like this pattern, it's also a sign that I had to frog another blanket, because that's what I usually do: if I have to frog another project that leaves me with bits and pieces, I end up using them for granny squares.

The yarn is Stylecraft again, and the colors are Silver, Cream, Clematis, Sherbet, Spring Green, and Apricot.

All these blankets are for sale now in my brand-new (german) Dawanda-Shop. Yes, that's right - I decided to tackle this adventure, with all the necessary inconveniences: registering an official business, filling out tax forms, setting up professional terms and conditions, getting a packaging license, and so on and so on. Since I'm just getting started, I'm only shipping to Germany right now.

And to make this post complete, let me also mention that I set up a new (german) Facebook-Page Babydecken made in k-town to accompany my shop and - mainly - to make my new business known in the area where I live. But any likes are welcome :) Of course my regular Facebook-Page that runs with this blog is still active, too!

I'll be back here soon with some more blankets, one of them with a free pattern for you! :)

A Tale of Five Blankets - Chapter 5

Welcome to the last (but not final) chapter of my Tale of Five Blankets!

As I've already mentioned in my last post, the last blanket in this series is one that I've made just a few weeks ago.

I've also mentioned earlier, that I've sold most of my yarn on Ebay a while ago. And while the auction was still on, I was shopping with John (yeah, he's still around, too *gg*) and my Mom at a big grocery store and saw this color gradient acrylic yarn and thought right away that this would be perfect for a baby blanket. My Mom liked it, too, but I told her that I definitely won't buy any more yarn, when I've just managed to finally get rid of most of my stash. But of course the yarn kept sitting and nagging in the back of my mind.

So, just a few days later I gave in, drove back to the grocery store, bought four balls with two different color gradients, and started this blanket right away. Four days later it was finished :)

I've used my favorite double-ended crochet pattern again, and the final size is 81 x 71cm. For the border, I've worked a round of sc's, followed by a round of 2dc's in every second sc, followed by a final round of a front-post dc / regular sc combination, that I had already used for the previous blanket in this series.

The yarn for the front side is Calista Color acrylic yarn by Schachenmayr, but either it's a brandnew yarn or completely outdated, because Google hasn't found a single (correct) entry to this! Thank god I've found it at the grocery store!

For the back I've used Stylecraft Special DK in cream, because it's the same quality and yarn-weight as Calista.

So that was it - the fifth chapter of my Tale of Five Blankets. But the whole story isn't told yet...

I'm so glad that I've found my way back to crochet and I'm really back in "the flow" right now. While I was posting these five blankets here, I've managed to

- finish three (!) more baby blankets

- make some cute little easter ornaments

- design a brand-new mandala pattern

- design another brand-new mandala with matching coasters

and

- (accidently) design a new square pattern.

So, there's a lot to look forward to. Just hope I don't lose my mojo again :)

Have a great Sunday,

A Tale of Five Blankets - Chapter 1

Hello, hello!

In my last post I've already showed you a glimpse of the five blankets I've got lying around here.

Today let's start with the pink one in the middle, shall we?

In fact, before my long blog break I had already showed you this blanket as a work in progress, but never the final result. Well, it' finished now :)

Once again, I've worked with my favorite double-ended crochet pattern, which is available for free on Woman's Day. It's made with Stylecraft Special DK acrylic yarn in the colors Candy Floss and Bright Pink. I still love the reversible effect this pattern creates, don't you? (Spoiler: this won't be the only blanket in this series made with this pattern...)

The blanket measures 85 x 75 cm, and has a simple *(sc, ch-1, sc), skip 1 stitch* pattern as a border. (I don't even know which kind of border the original pattern suggests, I always decide spontaneously when I get there *gg*)

I actually made this blanket for my Etsy-Shop but never got to put it up for sale. Truth is, I never really felt comfortable with my shop, because there were so many difficult things to consider, like international shipping conditions, taxes, general business terms and conditions - all that stuff frightened the hell out of me. So I basically had two options: consult a lawyer and get it right, or drop it completely. I then decided to drop the shop completely, because by then I had already lost interest. But - right now I feel like I want to give it a second chance and maybe start a shop on a german platform, we'll see.

Coming up next in the "Tale of Five Blankets"-series: another Granny Square Blanket...

The Crochet Comeback

Hey there!

I'm finally back with the one thing that this blog was supposed to be about: Crochet! And today I'm going to show you not one, not two, no - I'm going to show you three new WIPs I've got on my hooks!!

Let's start with something that I have already posted on Facebook last week:

I had a whole lot of "likes" for this projects, and I'm glad you all seem to like this pattern as much as I do. It's called "Dots and Dashes Crochet Throw" and it's available as a free download on Red Heart!

The original pattern is for three colors, but I'm using four colors of the fabulous Stylecraft Special DK: Cream, Saffron, Spring Green and Shrimp. Since I'm not planning to make a full-size throw but only a baby blanket, it should be finished pretty soon.

I had started this project with yarn that I already had in my stash, and of course it wasn't enough, so I had to re-order. While waiting, I already started the next blanket with my all-time favorite double-ended crochet pattern that I had already used for my own Magic Blanket and my Mom's Christmas Blanket:

The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK, too, and the colors are Candy Floss and Bright Pink. The reversible effect looks good with these colors, don't you think? I've got the pattern in my "Crochet Master Class" book, but as I had already mentioned the last time I used this pattern, there is a free version on Woman's Day. (But keep in mind, that you need a double-ended crochet hook for this technique!)

And since all good things come in threes, here's my third BIP (Blanket in Progress):

This is a pattern I've been dying to try for a long time! It's a vintage ripple pattern by Churchmouse Yarn and Teas and available for sale on Ravelry. Although I like the pattern a lot, I'm not completely satisfied with my color-choice here: the contrast between Cream and Pomegranate (also Stylecraft DK) looks great, but then I switched to lighter colors (Candy Floss and Sherbet), and I'm not happy with the contrast here at all! I might start this one all over again with different colors, we'll see!

So, now maybe you wonder, why I'm working on three blankets at the same time, but the answer is quite simple: I've finally decided to open my own Etsy-Shop sometime soon, and I need some highlights for the grand opening. Right now I can't tell when I'm going to open the shop, but first I need some more things to fill the shelves, right?

By the way: have you noticed the new design on my blog and Facebook-page? I feel like I needed a new start after several months of crochet abstinence, and a new look is always a good idea. So in case you might have worried that this blog is dead - it's definitely very much alive, and I hope you'll check back soon, to see what else I've got on my hooks... you didn't really think I'm only working on blankets, did you? ;)

My Mom's Christmas Blanket - finally finished!

Tadaaahh! At last it's done, I've finished my Mom's Christmas Blanket! Are you ready for a whole lotta pictures?

The finished size of the blanket is approximately 1,40 x 1,75 m (55" x 69"). I had started this blanket in August - early enough you could say - to be prepared for all kinds of circumstances: running out of yarn, running out of mood, procrastinating when it comes to weaving in the loose ends, that kind of stuff we all go through ;)

Although I had tried to keep the blanket top-secret, I suspect that my Mom knows about it. Recently she came upstairs to visit us (we live in the same house), and I wasn't quick enough to hide my stuff completely. I guess she's seen it, and she didn't even ask what I was working on (what she ususally does), so I assume she knows it's something for her.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to giving her this present on Christmas Eve. It's been quite a tough year for her and the whole family: In July (when John and I were on vacation in the USA), my Mom was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to have surgery to remove the tumor. Everything went well, and right know she's undergoing a light chemotherapy to increase the chances that the cancer won't return. She's doing fine, and we all hope that when she's finished with her last treatment in January, that this is the end to it. John already announced, that he expects her to jump around like a young doe again in spring, so he can dance with her at our wedding :)

But now back to the blanket: above you can see a closeup of the border. I've used the Bobble-Shell Edging as seen on Lucy's Attic 24. I think a simple border still looks best on this kind of blanket.

Here you can see the blanket being spread out on my parents' couch, the place where it's supposed to belong, soon. I used the chance last week, when my Mom was at the hospital again. Oh, and on the picture below you can also see the backside of the blanket, which is mainly beige.

In case you've missed my previous post about this blanket: the double-ended crochet pattern I've used can be found on Woman's Day now, but remember: you need a double-ended hook for it!

And now that one blanket is down, I'm already dreaming of the next one... :) The only problem I've got: I have no clue which yarn or which colors I want to use. But it won't be another double-ended one, that's for sure.

So, what else can I tell you on this late November Sunday? Maybe you've visited The Crochet Boulevard recently and noticed that there was no Free Topic Friday, and no new poll either. Don't worry, I'm not lazy (at least not more than usual), I've got plans: it's December soon, and not long until Christmas now. So I thought we could have another Christmas/Winter Crochet Linkparty again, starting on Saturday and going on through the whole month of December! I'll be back next week-end with the party-invitation, and of course there'll be some more new Challenge motifs during the week.

See you then, and thanks for your visit in k-town today,

have a great week!

 

About a Blanket

Recently I've already shared a glimpse of the new blanket I'm working on, so let's talk about this new project some more. A few weeks ago, I heard my Mom talking to a friend about my crochet, saying how much she loved the Magic Blanket I've made last year. That reminded me that back then I had already thought about making a blanket like this for her for Christmas, and so I started right away (without her knowing, of course).

On August 4th, I grabbed my "Crochet on the Double" swivel hooks with connecting cable, some left-over yarn in my stash, and started the new double-ended crochet blanket with a width of 140 cm (55"). So far, I've made about 70 cm (28"), that means I've come a good way already, because I'm planning with a length of like 170 cm (67").

What bothered me a little, was the yarn: I had some balls of light blue, dark blue and beige in my stash, from a project I wanted to start but never did. It's the same acrylic yarn that I've used for my own Magic Blanket, the quality is similar to Bravo by Schachenmayr, but it's from the drugstore. I've soon discovered, that I needed more of the light blue and the beige, and so I went to the drugstore to buy some more - but (of course) I couldn't get exactly the same shade of what I already had. The color number is the same, but the serial number had changed, and so had the shade of the colors: both the blue and the beige are slightly darker than the ones I had started with.

I still had lots of the old yarn (but not enough to finish the whole blanket), so I've switched over to the new yarn (the darker one), working the middle part of the blanket with this one, and later I'll be returning to the old yarn (the lighter one) again. This way, the blanket will still look symmetrical and I can say that the color-shift was intended. On today's photos, in poor lighting conditions (or if you're a man, like John) you can't even tell the difference between the shades, so I think it'll be alright.

Now a few words about the pattern: again, I use the same double-ended crochet pattern I've used for my Magic Blanket. If you're a new reader, you can go back to my old posts and find out more about how this is done. I've found the pattern in "Crochet Master Class", but guess what? I've discovered that there's even a free online-version of this pattern on Woman's Day, so there's no need to buy the whole book, just because you like this pattern, isn't that great?

If you've been following the Magic Blanket Ride, you already now that the crazy part of this blanket is, that front- and backside look different from each other. I've used the two shades of blue, off-white, plus some shades of pink/purple for the one side, and the beige for the other side, and it looks good so far, I think.

I've already made some good progress (the pattern's quick and easy), so I think I can finish the blanket in a few weeks from now - hope you'll be back for the Grand Finale! :)

Lots of Love from K-town,