Just a quick fly by post. After a stressful day yesterday culminating in getting my rear end kicked in volleyball….I needed to cast something on!
I pulled out more Bernat Blanket from my stash and cast on Dad’s Lap Blanket. I’m aiming for a wider blanket than the one for Mom. I chained 80 stitches and I am having Mom measure hers to make sure this one is bigger. Because this crafter didn’t take copious notes 😊!
Happy crafting!
Winner winner chicken dinner! I snuck this blanket in under the #dcspigskinparty2015 deadline. This was my one and only project worth blitz points! Woot 😃
This is a crochet blanket in half double crochet. I have no clue how many stitches I chained. I didn’t keep copious notes. I know it’s 36 inches wide by 70 inches long. It fits comfortably across my lap and covers even my husbands long legs. I used five skeins of Bernat Blanket in the Sonoma color. It’s interesting to see how the yarn pooled in places. I guess that happens in all yarn craft!
This has been carefully washed and gifted to a happy mother.
A little niggle persisted in my brain. It bothered me for the last several days. I finally realized what it is…..I want to make me dad a coordinating blanket to match. I guess I’m not done making blankets!
I’m a complete looney tune. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been sneaking another crochet blanket along. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that my mom has hinted more than once that she wanted a chenille blanket. I purchased 5 skeins of the Bernat blanket in the Sonoma color (thanks to a 20% off Joanns coupon). This blanket is going to be huge! I’m carting it and the yarn around in a repurposed comforter bag.
The deal is that I can kill two birds with one stone with this project. I can get a present for my mother done and score some major points for the #dcspigskinparty2015! The yardage (1,056 yds) alone would be 73 points but since it’s over 1,000 yards I can earn an extra 500 points for a blitz project!
I have made more progress since these photos and I only have one skein of yarn left and I need to finish this by tomorrow night.
Wish me luck!
Another crochet blanket has hit the finished pile! The Baby Beinhoff Blanket is complete! 
I made this one bigger than my previous attempts. I used two skeins of Bernat Baby Blanket in the colorway Little Roses. It looks more like Neapolitan ice cream to me but I guess no one asked me to name it!
My stitch tension is fairly even and I am having to not stare as intently at the work as much as before. I’m able to read the stitches and feel where things should go. This little blanket is intended for a baby girl due this summer to an old coworker I miss very dearly. She lives 4 hours away and we don’t see much of each other. I guess I’ll just have to settle for swaddling her little princess in yarn!
Stayed tuned for another blanket I’ve been sneaking under the radar to finish strong with the #dcspigskinparty2015!
I have a several babies making their appearance this year in my circle of friends. And I’ve developed a reputation for gifting hand knits. Not that I don’t love knitting for wee ones but my limited craft time makes it hard to want to work on obligation knitting. But my newfound crochet skills have given me an easy out!
I have worked another crochet baby blanket in half double crochets in Bernat Baby Blanket in the color little roses. I used two skeins this time for a bigger blanket. I’m quite pleased and it’s getting easier to handle the hook. I think the variagated yarn really lends itself to hiding my another status as well! Not to mention I knocked this out in two evenings.
You can find my Rav notes here for yarn and project details.
Happy Knitting!
I talked on Monday about my first (test) crochet blanket and how I started the second one. Guess what it’s done!
I chained fewer stitches on this one to make a longer blanket than the first and then worked the same half double crochet stitch. I was able to keep my edges straighter and my tension is much more even. I kept working until I hit my totally length. But I still had a ton of yarn left so I added a single crochet border to even it out and use every bit of the yarn.
This was CRAZY fast I finished this one in a total of two sittings or roughly 5 hours. I definitely picked up steam from the first one. I don’t think I’m going to become a crazy crochet junkie but this is a nice skill to have to knock out a quick baby present. This blanket is going into the gift pile for a future tiny human.
I might be ready to start my mom’s blanket….maybe. The only caveat is that I think I’ll pick a variegated yarn that will cover a multitude of sins that is my beginning crochet, lol.
I finished my crochet baby blanket! I definitely had a few kinks in the process. I feel fairly clumsy with the hook still.
This is definitely a test piece! I had trouble controlling my tension and losing stitches at the end of my rows. Look how wonky this sides are! But I did get the hang of the half double crochet stitch and where to place my hook. This finished blanket turned out to be 21 inches by 27 inches so that’s not bad for baby sized. I’m still not ready to start a huge blanket and I had another single skein of this Bernat Baby blanket in my stash so I started a second one.
Upside is that this one is more even and the stiches are easier to see in the blue color. And boy howdy is this faster than knitting. I finished my white blanket in four sittings or roughly 8 hours! I don’t think I’ll end up being a huge crochet fiend but it is a great way to knock out a quick baby knit!
I never thought I would ever have the urge to crochet….and then this happened…
I have several LARGE skeins of Bernat baby blanket and my mom has been dropping hints hard core that she wants a lap blanket out of this. I tried to knit with this chenille yarn several times and HATED IT. The yarn is very grippy and sticks to itself. (My last project was here)
A couple fiber friends reccomended crochet. I experimented with double crochets and half double crochets. I settled on the half double crochet and an ergonomic size N hook. Mostly because my fingers found it comfortable and I could remember it. I chained a butt load of stitches then took off.
This will be a baby/receiving size blanket. I’m still working on hook placement, reading the stitches, and evening out my tension. This yarn is definitely easier to work with in crochet than in knitting. This peice is definitely a practice object. I don’t plan on giving it away as it’s terribly uneven. But I want to get better so I can do a nice blanket for my mom some day!
Happy Knitting…er, I mean Crochet!
I’ve written before that my mother is also a “crafter” and I come by this urge compulsion hereditarily. Now she primarily sews, cross stitches, quilts, and crotchets. I stay firmly in knitting with a bit of sewing thrown in. Possibly a bit of mother/daughter rebellion?
But I digress….upon her last visit my mother brought this little crocheted gem for Jellybean’s nursery.
This is a delightful toy made from a book she picked up at Joann’s Fabric. (I can’t remember what the title was.) But momma whipped this up in no time out of some Caron Simply soft acrylic. I have named her Betsy, fitting don’t you think? Now to find her a place to live in the nursery…
I have no doubt that this is the first of many toys and grandma surprises. Jellybean is going to up to his or her eyeballs in yarny goodness between the two of us!
Happy crafting!
That’s right….Jellybean’s blanket is all dry and ready for a border! I must admit I’m dreadfully slow with a crochet hook but based on progress so far I should be able to finish up in just a couple of dedicated crafting evenings.
I decided on a simple crochet border in the green color way. I’m chaining my way around to establish a foundation then I’ll add one or two rounds of single crochet. I don’t want to overwhelm the texture of the knitting and I need some green leftover for my bunting!
Happy Knitting!
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