Bits and Bobs Progress

Posted on December 16, 2020 by atangledyarn84

My Bits and Bobs Blanket is now over half way done. My current “go to” evening is crochet on this blanket by the Christmas lights while I watch all the YouTube knitting vlogs. I have to make sure I stay caught up on The Corner of Craft, Chelsea Yarns and Stranded blogs. They are a sweet treat to cap off long days.

This blanket is working up nicely and I actually like how the colors look together. I am now at the point I need to work back through the color sequence: black, red, grey and then border the whole thing in tan. I want to get this done and washed so that I can mail it to my GG. She has already decided that she is not attending any Christmas gatherings so I want her to have a special treat under her tree.

Happy Crafting!!

Casting On: Bits and Bobs Blanket

Posted on December 14, 2020 by atangledyarn84

Next up on my blanket train is a blanket lot of bulky acrylic in vaguely Christmas-ish colors.

The black skein is a partial skein so I think I will split it equally in half and put between the red and purple. But I’m feeling good about this lineup. I think this is just enough yarn to make a nice car sized lap blanket for my grandmother.

I do have white on one side and grey on the other but I think it will make it quirky blanket. I plan on using my trusty 10mm or US N hook and just working my self taught kind of weird half double crochet. It goes quickly and really busts through my stash! I seem to have all the blanket mojo right now, lol.

Happy Crafting!!

Finding Peace

Posted on December 3, 2020 by atangledyarn84

I am not sure I have reached “peace” yet but I am sure making tracks on my Peace Blanket.

I have finished the first stripe of royal blue and forest green as they were both full skeins. I then made a skinny striped of black just for whimsy and now I’m adding a full skein of ruby red. I think I think I will add the rest of the black on the other side of the red followed then by another full skein of the forest green. I will still have three skeins of yarn left after completing that pattern.

I may swatch and play around to see what looks good and feels right. I am saving the skein of grey to add a very small border on the edge to give it a finished look.

Happy Crocheting!!

Cast On: Peace Blanket

Posted on December 1, 2020 by atangledyarn84

I needed a project to redeem myself from my less than stellar Marled Crochet Blanket (aka the boob blanket). So I pulled my next lot of bulky yarn from my stash and cast on another blanket. I decided to call this one my Peace Blanket because I’m going to try and craft some peace in to my life.

This blanket is going to be all the odds and ends of Knit Picks Biggo I have kicking around in my stash. Years ago I had knit several baby sweater and at least one baby blanket out of this yarn. I, like many crafters, had gone overboard with my first couple of knit picks orders so I have a blanket quantity still left.

I found a mix of colors that look okay to nice together. I think if this blanket turns out the size I think it will, that this blanket will be a Christmas gift for my grandma. This will be a washable and wooly lap blanket for her to have the car this winter. She is in her 80s and has to travel at least an hour for many of her doctors appointments. I think a little cozy blanket would be just perfect for her to comfortable and for her driver not to have a heat stroke with the heat on full blast, lol.

Planning My Next Blanket

Posted on November 11, 2020 by atangledyarn84

After my less than spectacular finish on my Marled Crochet Blanket I wanted to get right back on the horse and continue crocheting and stash busting. It has been soooo satisfying to empty bags of yarn and whole drawers of my stash really really quickly.

I pulled the seven skeins of full or almost full skeins of Knit Picks Biggo leftover from when I was making headband for craft fairs like six years ago. I like that it is all the same yarn content and the colors aren’t horrible together. Plus this yarn has a really soft hand and is easy care.

I laid them out on my guest bed and played with color progression ideas for a simple crocheted rectangle of a blanket. After a few attempts I think this is the winner. I don’t want to weave in a ton of ends, but I might use the grey and black as some sort of border treatment? And then the body would be all the jewel tones? I’m going to percolate on this project for a bit.

Happy Crocheting!!

A Rainbow Border

Posted on September 18, 2020 by atangledyarn84

I am still completely committed to my Crochet Rainbow blanket. I finished all the rainbow colors and then went ahead with adding white “book end” sections on either side.

I have roughly two skeins of the white yarn so now I’m working a border around the entire blanket. My edge crochet stitches could use some improvement and therefore my pickups are kind of dicey. But its good enough for me and I can’t wait to have this finished thing!

Rainbows are just making me so happy right now. Happy Friday and happy knitting!!

Obsessively Rainbow

Posted on September 16, 2020 by atangledyarn84

Sorry, not sorry! My Crochet Rainbow is hurtling along at light speed and I’m obsessed and super happy.

I am now into the teal ball of yarn with only dark blue and purple left to add to the main body of the blanket. Then I will take my off white yarn and do a crocheted border around the outside. Depending on the finished dimensions of the rainbow I made add more edge rows on the ends than I do the sides to make a decent rectangle.

Or I may say screw it, its 2020 and just crochet around and make whatever shape it turns out to be. It will probably depend on my mood, lol

Happy Crocheting!

Growing A Rainbow

Posted on September 14, 2020 by atangledyarn84

My current obsession is this amazing crocheted rainbow. It’s all I want to work on. Literally. I haven’t picked up my Radiate or any of my other knitting projects in days.

After factoring in dishes, bedtime and laundry I can crochet about one full ball of bulky yarn a night. I did have a bit of a false start with the yellow. I knit the whole section and realized I had lost an edge stitch or two and my blanket was veering inward. So I ripped back and I’m starting over.

I am learning a lot about better placement of my crochet hook. I made some mistakes in the pink section but I’m improving a whole lot in the red and yellow. It’s perfectly imperfect and I think a great metaphor for the dumpster fire that is 2020. It feels really good to have mojo about something again. My brain feels excited and engaged and I could use a little more of that.

What has gotten your motor running lately?

Knitting Poolside

Posted on July 16, 2020 by atangledyarn84

We are in the middle of a long heat wave in the Midwest right along side big increases in COVID cases. So my family and I are doing our best to find ways to have fun and stay safe at home. This week’s adventure had water balloons, lots of driveway swimming pool time and me knitting in the shade.

Modified version of Helen Stewart’s Habitation Throw

This photo was taken 10 minutes before I dropped a stitch and made a huge hole in my Rainbow Habitation Throw. I literally spent the next hour tinking back two and a half rows to fix my mistake because it just wouldn’t ladder back down and back up again correctly. So that means I’m still in my fourth color of twelve.

But the good thing about knitting garter stitch is that you can just knit and knit and eventually you look down and a blanket has popped out of nowhere!

P.S. I completely see the irony of knitting a lap blanket during a heat wave. I’m a special kind of crazy!

Happy Knitting!!

Sunlight and Knitting

Posted on July 10, 2020 by atangledyarn84

I took advantage of my parent’s deck to take some beauty shots of my Rainbow Fluff Habitation Throw. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the sunlight looked shining through the fabric.

This is a modified Habitation Throw by Helen Stewart. I’m omitting the eyelets and adding a fluffy alpaca stripe in between each color change. I’m just starting the fourth color of the gradient. I have 12 colors total so I’ll work the increasing section for the first six colors and then decrease for the last six.

This has been a nice lighweight knit to keep in my lap while it’s hot. It’s also soothing garter stitch with a little interest at the edges. So it is balm for my troubled mind and spirit. I haven even started weaving in my ends so I don’t leave them all to the end. You are welcome future Rachelle!