Housewarming Present for Son

My younger son bought a house last year and moved in a couple weeks before Christmas. I am so proud of him buying his first house. He has a spare room now that he uses as a study to read his bible and have a bit of quiet. I thought that an afghan would fit the bill as a housewarming present. Here are a couple pictures of it.

Pattern for the squares is found here. I fell in love with the gray yarn. It is a Caron yarn and the color is dalmatian. I wanted to use gray colors because the curtains in his study are gray.

Thanks for visiting,

Sharon

How I Made the Afghan I Posted About Yesterday

Thought I would share with you the how-to for the afghan I wrote about yesterday.

I wanted to make an afghan for my special granddaughter to take to school with her after her high school graduation. I have had a “thing” for making things out of granny squares lately so that’s the type of afghan I wanted but with a bit of a twist by using 2 different square types--solid and traditional. You may have noticed from granny square patterns that not all squares are created equally. Some traditional grannies have 1 chain in the corner and no chains between the sets of 3 double crochets. Some start off with chains of varying lengths.  I wanted the same number of stitches on each side of both types of squares to make it easier to join them.

The Graduation Afghan--

Materials: All yarn is Red Heart and the name in parentheses is the “proper name” on the label

lBlack yarn (black) 2 skeins

lPink yarn (I lost the wrapper so not sure of color, think it said rosa) 2 skeins

lPurple yarn (medium purple) 2 skeins

lBlue yarn (turqua) 2 skeins

lMulticolor yarn (neon stripes) 5 skeins

lHooks--G to make squares and H to crochet them together

lScissors

lLarge needle

Using the chart below, crochet the appropriate number of squares. Patterns follow the chart.

	type	number
multicolor	solid	24
pink	traditional	18
blue	traditional	16
purple	traditional	12

Traditional Granny

Using G Hook, Ch 4, join with sl st to first ch to form ring.

RND 1:  Ch3 (this is first dc), 2 dc in ring. Ch 2, *3dc in ring, ch3. Repeat from * 2 times more. Ch2, slst in top of ch3. (You will have 4 sets of 3dc with 2 chains inbetween each set)

RND 2:  Sl st in the first 2 dc's and over to the ch2 space. Ch3, 2 dc in ch 2 sp, ch2, work 3 dc in same sp. Work the following 3 times (Ch1, work 3 dc, ch2, 3 dc in next ch 2 space) Ch1, join with slst to top of ch 3.

RND 3:  Sl st in the first 2 dc's and over to the ch2 space. Ch 3, 2 dc in ch 2 sp, ch 2, work 3 dc in same sp. Ch 1, work 3 dc in next ch 1 sp. Ch 1. Work the following 3 times (Work 3 dc, ch2, 3 dc in next ch 2 sp. Ch 1, work 3 dc in next ch 1 sp. Ch 1.) Join with sl st to top of ch 3.

finish off and weave in ends.

Solid Granny

With G Hook, chain 4, join with sl st to form a ring

round 1: working in the ring, ch 3, 2 dc in ring, ch2, *3 dc in ring ch 2* repeat 2 more times. (You will have 3 sets of 3dc separated by 2 chains)

round 2: ch 3, * dc in each dc to corner, ( 2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc) in corner repeat from * three times more, dc in each dc across to beg ch-3, join with sl st to top of beg ch-3 (Total of 7 dc per side including corner double crochets)

repeat round 2 until square reaches desired size (each side is 4 stitches larger than the previous side)

finish off and weave in ends

After making the number of squares required, use the following graphic as a guide on how to lay them out.

Joining:

Using the H hook and solid black yarn, single crochet the squares together using the layout below.

Shaded squares = purple

“P” squares = pink

“B” squares = blue

Plain squares = multicolored

Edging:

Round 1:  Using G hook, you will be crocheting with double crochets in each double crochet and chain 1 space. In corners, you will do (2dc, ch2, 2dc).

Round 2: Switch to the multicolor yarn. Using hdc, work as rnd 1.

Round 3: Same as round 2

Round 4: Change to black yarn, crochet as round 2.

Round 5: Change to blue yarn, crochet sc all around.

Finish off, weave in ends.

You’re done!

If you have any questions, please ask.

Sharon

Graduation Afghan

So proud of the granddaughter of my heart. She graduated high school. She is going away to school and I wanted to make her somethings special for her new home away from home.

An afghan seemed to fit the bill. She can can cuddle up in it and feel warm and have a virtual hug from Grandma Sharon.

Here's the pics--

That's all for now folks!

Sharon

More luggage

Monochrome Throw

I have become engrossed with making throws, afghans and lapghans out of squares. There are many varieties of squares and colors of yarn that possibilities are endless. Here I made a throw in a single color and used solid grannies and traditional grannies. I think it turned out lovely and a more sophisticated look than multicolor squares would make. There is no pattern, I just fiddled around and came up with this. I used larger hooks than I usually use for the lapghans I make.

I used a little over 2 Caron One Pound skeins of off white. This yarn is nice and soft and after washing it was very soft. I did use the wash cycle for delicates and dried on medium heat. I used softener in the wash and also used dryer sheets that were probably not necessary.

I have a pile of slippers that I've recently made. I have a trip planned back to my old home state of Illinois to visit and I plan on taking everyone I visit a pair of slippers. I know that I will probably miscalculate but I hope that I err on the side of making too many instead of too few. I will be showing you these slippers another day.

Wishing a nice weekend for all of you. Take care...

Hugs,

Sharon

Lapghan for Vets Home

Another lapghan from odds and ends of purplish yarn completed. I used solid granny squares of 6 rounds. I used 6 squares across by 6 squares tall for a total of 36. I edged it with 1 round of DC and finished it with a round of shells. I ended up with 2 extra stitches so I had to do a little "fudging" on the shell row. Here's the pictures.

Not much going on here. Last night I finished squares for yet another lapghan. It will take me a few days to assemble it.

 Take care my friends,

Sharon

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A Couple Baby Blankets...

One of my sons recently asked me if I would make a couple baby blankets so that he could give them to friends who were expecting babies. He did not know the gender of the anticipated bundles of joy. I decided to use gender neutral colors that were popular in my younger days--pastel green and yellow. I also decided to make the main color an off-white color (Aran by Red Heart). I think the blankets look "antiquey," Here's the pics--

For this blanket, I made 4 of the squaring the big circle squares, joined them and then treated them like a big square (guess that's what they became) and continued making rounds until it was the size I desired. The final round was done with a shell stitch,

For the 2nd baby blanket, I used the cuddle and coo pattern. I did not, however use the edging that the pattern called for but rather did 3 rounds of single crochet. I was having problems with the edges "rippling" so I just did a simple edging. This pattern, except for my incompetence with the edging, was very easy to make. I will probably try this one again and play around with different edgings.

It has become our routine, to head to Florida for winters. This year however, I am unable to travel. I'm not feeling "bad," but I have blood clots in both legs. No biggie, I have what is known as a vena cava filter that "catches" the clots and prevents them from traveling to organs such as lungs, heart or brain. I have had problems with my legs, especially left leg, swelling and feeling uncomfortable, no real pain. This was going on started in August when I was in the hospital with back pain. I had always thought that blood clots cause PAIN, not just achiness or discomfort. The point I want to make is that if you have any of these symptoms that you should seek medical attention. I was fortunate to have the filter put in as a precaution before I had a surgery. 

I hope y'all are warm and cozy. Have a great week.

Peace,

Sharon

Another Lapghan Finished

This is another lapghan for the donation stash. This is the one I was talking about yesterday. It is made partially out of leftover yarn and some new too. I used solid grannies to make this.

Hugs,

Sharon

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I've Fallen Behind!!!

I have fallen behind with my blogging. We had chores to do closing down the Florida place and back in Kentucky I've just been trying to catch up with things and  I've been so very tired. I know, sounds like excuses to me too. I apologize for not completing the A to Z Challenge. If I would have realized that I would fall so far behind, I could have written my posts ahead of time and had them scheduled to post on the appropriate day. One of these days I'll get with the program! Important news--Walmart has Peaches and Creme reduced to $1.50 so I have bought a small stash to add to my bigger stash.

I have been making granny squares  and working on assembling them into lapghans that I plan to donate to the veterans home that will be opening in our town in July (that's the latest rescheduled date). Here's a few pictures:

With the exception of yarn used to join, this is made of left overs.

Made of half scraps and half new. Joining is in progress.

Using a spool knitter to make cord. I plan to use an S hook to crochet a rug out of it. I've done this before and my little dog loves having a cozy spot to take a nap.

I have a 3rd lapghan in the works. It will have a wavy ripple design. I'm saving it to share with you later.

Take care, 

Sharon

Lapghan is Finished

At last, it is finished.  It is time to launder it and put it with the other lapghans that are designated for donation to the veterans' home when it opens.  The new project that I'm working on is a granny mandala that I hope to finish tonight.

Take care y'all and stay cool and dry...

Hugs,
Sharon

My Current Project

...is a lapghan made of granny squares. There is a story behind these squares. My mother-in-law had bought these squares at a thrift store and there was matching yarn included with them. I made a bunch of new squares to add to these sqares make an afghan and discovered that I had used the wrong size hook. I then made a bunch of black squares to coordinate with some of the squares and alternated black and multi-color squares.

The afghan I made in 2013--

I ended up with a bunch of odd squares that literally "didn't fit."  Fast forward to yesterday, and I started to use these squares to make a lapghan. This is one that I hope to donate to the veterans. What I do not like about these squares is that whoever started making them put a single crochet around each square and only left an inch of yarn that really doesn't weave in nicely.

Here's what I have so far--

That's all for now folks...

Sharon

Mostly Green Charity Lapghan Finished

Here's the latest lapghan that I'm hoping to donate to the veterans home when it opens here later this year or in the spring. Most of the yarns, with the exception of the "checkerboard squares," were from the batch of yarn my son and daughter-in-law picked up for me at a yard sale. I just played around with graph paper to make this arrangement of squares of 4 rounds, 6 rounds and 12 rounds.

Thanks for stopping in and looking!

Hugs,

Sharon

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I'm Still Here...

I know I haven't posted lately but life has been a bit chaotic. We decided not to buy the Florida townhouse. I loved it but because it has a flat roof, the insurance was going to cost up to 150% more than a comparable home with a traditional roof. Since the plan is to ultimately move down there when I'm eligible for Social Security, we're just getting a manufactured home in a 55 and older community and taking what would have been a down payment for a townhouse and pay cash for a manufactured home. That way, we can save more money, and easily sell it or rent it when time comes to permanently move down there. When that time comes, we'll sell out here in Kentucky and buy a house down there. Hopefully by downsizing, we won't end up with a mortgage. We're headed for Florida sometime next month to do a quick move in and maybe paint some walls and that sort of thing. We had a home inspection done and it was in very good shape although needs a little tlc to make it pretty.

I have accomplished a few crochet projects and I have an afghan in the works. Here is an afghan that was supposed to be for a baby but I got a little carried away with the size.

No pattern, I just graphed it out on graph paper to use a variety of sizes of traditional granny squares.

Here are a few more dishcloths that I made from a pattern found in the Leisure Arts book Dishcloths (12 Designs).  This is pattern #8 by Barbara Clark. I picked this book up at WalMart and I think (not sure) that it is one of those Walmart exclusive things. 

I love this dishcloth pattern so much, that I am using it as the basis for the afghan I am making for our Florida place. Here's a little glimpse at it.

The green is a mills end that I picked up at Joanns in Tavares, Florida earlier this year. The red and white are Red Heart Super Saver. This afghan is a bit slow going because it is made completely of single crochets. Not sure how big it's going to be--all depends on how long the yarn lasts.

Take care everyone! Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Hugs,

Sharon

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Patterns (17 February 2014)

Granny squares make beautiful afghans and other crocheted items. There are many, many different types of squares. Here is one I found on the Internet for you.

The pattern is in symbols here. I'm not too good at reading the symbols but I'm learning.

Have a great week everyone!

Hugs,
Sharon

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Here's a Crochet-Along

Head on over to Carolyn Christmas Design's page for information on a crochet-along she is hosting. Participants will be making afghans out of squares--but not your usual granny squares. These squares are made in a variety of sizes and have circles and dots. Here is the page with all the patterns for the squares. At a later date I will be making this but right now I'm trying to finish up another afghan and I need to get some slippers made to take as gifts for a trip I'll be taking soon.

Take care everyone and I hope life is treating you good.

Hugs, Sharon




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Soft Green and Purple Baby Blanket.

Just finished this baby blanket today. The pattern I started with didn't work out. The center of the baby blanket was a granny stitch--meaning it looked similar to the pattern of stitches around the side of a granny square but it was made in rows and not rounds. The squares were supposed to go on the outside edges. My squares did not fit the sides of the center portion so I frogged the center and made a baby blanket out of basic granny squares. I think the colors give this blanket a special appeal. Okay, I've gabbed enough and here are some pictures. That's my Buster trying out the blanket. Now it's off to the washer with this one and time to tuck it away because the baby it's meant for isn't due for a few months.

Hugs,

Sharon

I'm Baaack!

Yep, I've been gone from here for much of the time lately. Need to catch up with my blog reading and all that. Today I'm sharing my latest finished object. Ta Dah--it's an afghan made of granny squares! I've been piddling around with this one for quite a while now. Sometimes I suffer from lack of motivation when it comes to working with squares although, granny square afghans are some of my favorites to have and see. This goes to a high school chum now living in Florida. I wanted to get it to her in time for her birthday but that's Tuesday and I don't think the post office is fast enough. Anyway, she's also been in the hospital lately too so I need to be sure and get to the post office first thing tomorrow. Afghan's in the wash now and tomorrow it's off to the post office.

Time to start my next project--a Spiderman Baby/Toddler 'Ghan.

Have a great week everyone.

Hugs, Sharon

I Did Something Dumb

Yes, I really did something dumb. I must have picked up a different sized hook when I was crocheting these squares because all 130 of them are done but I have 2 different sizes! I feel so stupid--grrrrrr!

Here's the big pile of 130 squares:

But notice the difference in size:

Time for a redesign of how I'm making this afghan. More on this fiasco later!

WIP Wednesday (03 April 2013)

I'm still cranking out granny squares for the afghan I'm making for a friend. It's rather boring to weave in soooo many ends and that makes me rather slow about making these. The end is coming closer though because I only have 1 round to do on the last 4 multicolored grannies! I've been weaving in the ends as I go along. Here's a large bag of squares that I've done so far whoo-whoo!

   

 I have most of the solid ones to do but I expect they'll be faster to make. Here's the layout I'm using for my squares:

 

I am really looking forward to sending this to my friend. She's a friend from high school and it was just a few years ago that we reconnected. She has some health issues and her sister and I wanted to do something nice for her--hence this afghan.

OK, I have nothing else. Take care everyone and have a great day.

Hugs,
Sharon

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