I never said there wouldn't be reruns...

I've been thinking a lot about Tuesday's little star - wondering if it really would look better hanging around with a few friends - so today I gave it a couple.

And yeah, I think it does. In fact, I think this is going to be a pretty cute blankie, if I do say so myself.

I decided to use the colours randomly - to apply no specific pattern to the green, yellow, lavender and white stars. Partly because I have different amounts of each colour of yarn and won't be able to make the same number in every colour, and partly because it just feels right to do it that way.

I realize the universe has order, but not to a wide-eyed star-gazer standing in a darkened field on a quiet summer night.

So I'm going with what I see when I look up. A mass of chaotic beauty.

February 7, 2009



P.S. No reruns tomorrow. I promise.

Kind of cheating...

This is actually just the first few rows of what will become a much bigger square - right before it then becomes one side of a felted granny square purse (to match the other side I finished last night).

So, kind of not exactly a finished square, but it counts. I totally think it counts...

February 6, 2009



It must be nice to know what you're going to be when you group up.

Heaven

I've had two skeins of Lion Brand Microspun sitting in my stash for years. Just two. For some reason I think my sister gave them to me, possibly towards the end of my pregnancy - or maybe just after. The details are hazy (as are many things from that time, really).

Anyway, I've never known what to do with them, but have been quietly and very, very deeply loving them since the day they found their way into my life. Such beautiful, bright, and impossibly soft yarn!

Today while I was poking through my books and magazines looking for a square to make, I stumbled across a pattern for a scarf that caught my eye. Mostly because of the gorgeous, deeply saturated colours. The yarn.

Yeah, that's right, Microspun.

Cue heavenly chorus of angels...

I'm short a couple of balls and only have two colours instead of the required three, but I don't care. I started anyway, with this beautiful lime and grape square made from deliciously soft Microspun.

February 5, 2009



I wonder if it's at all possible to find the same dye lot...four years later.

Not just for wearing

Ooooh, the beloved sock monkey! (Yes, I know this looks a little like a sock bear - I swear I followed the pattern in Stich 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker faithfully. Just squint - you'll be fine).

My sister probably remembers this better than I do, but I have a fond (albeit vague) memory of making sock monkeys with my Grandma. Or, come to think of it, maybe I was just watching her make them. That's probably more likely if the memory is that hazy. I couldn't have been more than 5 or so and probably wouldn't have been entrusted with a needle and thread at such a tender age. Certainly not by my Grandmother who instilled a less than healthy fear of docks and toilet tanks in me.

Long story.

Anyway, every time I see a sock monkey, that warm-chocolate-chip-cookie-fresh-from-the-oven feeling washes over me and I smile.

I don't know if the same thing happens to you, but if so, enjoy!

February 4, 2009



Toilet tanks still scare me, by the way...

Twinkle, twinkle little star...

...how I wish you looked as much like a star as you did in the magazine where I found your pattern.

Because really, you kind of look like a flower. And a bit of a boring one, at that.

But, in the star's defense, it's supposed to be one of about 80 all strung together in a lacy, star-studded afghan. Joined to other stars by each of the six tips, the "petals" get a little more pointed looking, adding more starriness (star-osity?) to the overall shape and appearance of the motif.

Strength in numbers, as it were.

But one star all alone? Kind of dull.

Despite my criticisms, I'm thinking this might make a cute baby blanket; soft, puffy little stars in pastel shades like this one (which is butter yellow, but appears cream due to my inadequate photographic skills). I used Bernat Baby Coordinates (leftover from a baby blanket I made a year or so ago) which isn't what the pattern called for, but was what I had on hand.

And now I feel the urge to make more, more, MORE stars and see if my suspicion is correct - that this might actually make a heavenly baby gift.

February 3, 2009



Shine on.

I heart you

Today's square is one of four patterns meant to make up a cozy Valentine's day afghan (as seen in the Jan/Feb '08 Crochet Today! magazine. And no, I don't work for them; I'm just giving credit where it's due).

I didn't use the yarn they suggested - I just pulled some Bernat Satin from my stash - so I think my square is a little more "defined", if that makes sense. The lighter weight yarn makes it a little less bulky.

I also added the ribbon detail because I was irritated by the spaces created by the heart-making process (something that wouldn't likely be an issue if you were using the correct yarn, I'm thinking). Instead of remaining irritated, I thought I'd take advantage of the spaces by weaving a little bit of ribbon through to make a pretty little bow.

Tres Valentine-y, if I do say so myself.

February 2, 2009



I wish I had some cinnamon hearts to go with this square...

Grape Ape

Does anyone remember that Saturday morning cartoon from the late 70s, early 80s? It's fuzzy (I don't think it ran for very long) but it's wedged in my noggin somewhere between the Lemon Twist and legwarmers.

All I know for sure is that he was a huge purple ape. He might have had a hat on too, and a little vest maybe? I'm not sure. The 70s were ever so long ago.

Anyway, because this purple doily was meant to be a dainty coaster but ended up being so big it could easily accommodate a flowerpot, the cartoon gorilla popped into my head.

Clearly I used the wrong weight of crochet cotton. It's still pretty, I think, but it's awfully purple for a doily...

February 1, 2009



My apologies to the March/April '08 issue of Crochet Today! for bungling this delightful coaster project. I'll get the right crochet cotton next time I attempt this. I promise.