Checkout these great crochet books, movie and TV DVDs (some are so new they aren't published yet! pre-order them at amazon.com
Arriving in today's mail, one of the non-afghan pattern books I've recently won on eBay:
All pattern books are listed and pictured in the Pattern Books Index...take a peek if you're looking for something in particular (or just looking around!).
Tj and I went yarn shopping at Michaels Craft Store for lunch today... After touching almost every brand of yarn, she bought 3 2.5-ounce skeins of Caron Cozi in Marbled Taupe for the shawl I'm going to make her.
I've been on a roll since August 9 buying crochet patterns and yarn on eBay. I've racked up 88 auctions and have 14 more waiting to end. Since Sunday's spurt of 150 skeins of yarn, the Yarn Acquisition Syndrome has died a quiet death. Thank goodness.
The Pattern Acquisition Syndrome quieted down, but about two weeks ago I became more open to non-afghan patterns and recently seem to be stuck on cute animal stuff for kids. Me? Kid stuff? I tell myself it'll be great to have this pattern and that pattern for the grandkids...whenever my son or two stepsons have kids that is! In the meantime, when I feel the desire to create something non-afghan-like and cute, I can make turtle things (yup, found a third turtle pattern today!) and kitty things and panda things for myself - and to give away to children!
I want more crochet hours in the day!
I just joined the 63 Squares Crochet Along. I've used several patterns from this book for previous blanket projects, but I haven't (yet!) made a blanket with all 63 squares. Now's my chance!
Book: 63 Easy-To-Crochet Pattern Stitches Combine to Make an Heirloom Afghan - Leaflet 555 - Designs by Darla Sims - Copyright 1987 - Leisure Arts
Crafting for a Cause is a nicely organized page of links for organizations and charities accepting donations of hand-made goods.
A few days ago while surfing around the web checking out crochet-related sites, I found a reference to Freeform Crochet. "What?" I said to myself. I searched on Google and found What is Freeform at knotjustknitting.com. Wow! Cool! I'm attracted to color, shape, and texture, but some of the patterns I've seen are too wild for me! People make dolls, afghans, wall hangings, clothing, etc. I particularly like the capes and vests I saw under Designs by Our Members on the International Free Form Crochet Guild site.
Today's mail brought these patterns won on eBay:
The desire to stock up on yarn is strong, especially when it is offered at a good price and volume and is nicely taken care of! Yesterday, I won 5 eBay auctions for another 150 skeins of 3.5-ounce Red Heart Classic in a variety of solid and variegated colors. Including shipping, it cost less than $0.85 for each skein! Bill laughed!
Now the question is: Where will I store all this yarn?
And, will I ever use it all?
The first photo is Tommy's body and head top, feet, tail, and head gussets. The second is the first 3 of 18 pieces for his shell.
Size: 37 1/2 inches x 52 1/2 inches
Colors: Turquoise, Oranges, Red, White
Pattern: Hexagon Granny
Book: Scrap Bag Afghans - Leaflet 2494 - Designs by Carole Prior - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: September 2004
The second of two hexagon lap blankets I finished earlier this month using various brands of donated and leftover yarn. The hexagons for this blanket were also started during this month's heat wave. I ran out of turquoise yarn so Mom and I stopped by Michaels after lunch together one weekend and selected the creamy white for the last 4 hexagons, the connecting border (slip stitch every other stitch), and the border. This blanket is quite beautiful!
Size: 35 inches x 50 inches
Colors: Purples, Lime Green, Yellow, White
Pattern: Hexagon Granny
Book: Scrap Bag Afghans - Leaflet 2494 - Designs by Carole Prior - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts
Hook: H
Date: September 2004
One of two hexagon lap blankets I finished earlier this month. It uses donated and leftover yarn of various brands. The hexagons were completed earlier this month during the heat wave and were put together afterward. I was going to make the entire blanket using purples, lime green, and white - but I ran out of lime green! That's when I added yellow. With the hexagons strategically placed, the odd color combinations work well!
Here's the bottom of Tommy Turtle's body and head! I started it a few hours ago. It feels different (nice too!) to work on something other than a blanket pattern!
Instead of starting Tommy Friday night, we went out to dinner at La Imperial mexican restaurant in Hayward and then I settled in for the evening with the baby colors granny square blanket I had already started. I'm creating my own 4 designs for the blanket's squares. I'll publish the patterns in this blog later.
I laughed so hard tears ran down my cheeks! If you're a cat lover, you'll like this Lap Dance (Flash) movie.
Yarncat has YAS, Yarn Acquisition Syndrome. She also has PAS, Pattern Acquisition Syndrome. I too suffer from these afflictions.
Yarncat offers tips for storing yarn.
The idea of a "virtual" granny square afghan is great! Lots of free granny square patterns in a variety of sizes are available at Digital Granny's Virtual Afghan website.
Update January 2008: Please note that I am not in charge of nor am I involved with this website. I do not know when it is coming back online.
I saw this online article Crochet goes public! in June and made a note of it elsewhere. Now, I'm making a note of it here for my future reference.
The idea is great! And the cupcake-shaped planter tops are (were) beautiful! (Hmmm, at least until it rained/snowed!)
If my interest in learning how to quilt ever comes back, this will be a handy place to know about:
New Pieces Quilt Store and Gallery in Berkeley, California (http://www.newpieces.com/). They offer classes, monthly clubs, and have a quilting service.
Knowing how much I love cats, someone at work sent me this photo which had been sent to her... My cats are grey-and-black tabbies just like this one, but they are too large and clumsy to get on top of clothes hung on hangers!
Now I know what a wimple is! It's a head covering - learn more at Dot's site where she's published her crocheted pattern So Simple Wimple.
I want to try this! It looks simple and elegant - just to my taste!
Dot offers other patterns she's created on her site as well.
Lone Star Yarns offers the ergonomic Clover Soft Touch Crochet Hooks in sizes for thread for $5.95 each in sizes:
0 1.75 mm / US 6 2 1.50 mm / US 8 4 1.25 mm / US 10 6 1.00 mm / US 12 8 0.90 mm / US 13 10 0.75 mm / US 14 12 0.66 mm / US 16
The blankets I make don't need thread crochet hooks, but some of the pattern books I've recently purchased do (bookmarks, etc.). Since I have problems with my wrists, I'll be looking into getting one...or two...of these. I did note that the Clover Needlecraft website only offers sizes C-J (2.5-6.0 mm), not 0-12 so I wonder where these crochet hooks come from...
[Update: March 8, 2007] Lone Star Yarns closed their website. I just found Clover Soft Touch Thread Crochet Hooks in Clover sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 (estimated US sizes 4, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14) (1.75 mm to .6mm) at Karp Styles.
[Update March 23, 2008] Maggie Weldon is now selling Clover Soft Touch Thread Crochet Hooks for $6.75 each in 8 sizes: 0 (1.75mm), 2 (1.50mm), 4 (1.25mm), 6 (1.00mm), 8 (0.90mm), 10 (0.75mm), 12 (0.60mm), and 14 (0.50mm).
It feels great to find homes for things I don't need!
A few weeks ago, I gave Mom two of my duplicate crochet pattern books. After seeing that she already had a copy of 63 "More" Pattern Stitches Combine to Make An Heirloom Afghan, I took that book back and gave her two additional duplicate books I had recently acquired: 63 Easy-To-Crochet Pattern Stitches Combine to Make an Heirloom Afghan and Winter Patterns (inspired by Traditional Norwegian Designs).
This week, I sent a box of miscellaneous yarn I don't have a need for to Donna of Yarn Tomato. Included in the box were the duplicate copies of 63 "More" Pattern Stitches Combine to Make An Heirloom Afghan, Luscious Scrap Afghans (On the Double), Classic Afghans to Knit and Crochet, and a Granny's Daughter pattern.
Arriving in today's mail from eBay auctions:
Also, from Laine, a Freecycle Network member:
And, yesterday evening I picked up from Mary, another Freecycle member:
I'm at work on a break...
I really just wanna go home, select a pattern and some of the yarn I've recently bought, and work on it. Thank goodness it's Friday so I can soon do just that tonight - and for the next two days!
The crocheted stuffed turtle toy pattern arrived in yesterday's mail. It just now occurred to me that I can stop working on the baby (or lap) blanket I started last night and do the turtle instead!!! I have lots and lots of green yarn - mostly grass green or Christmas green - but a stuffed turtle toy doesn't have to be turtle green!
Cool! One of the two turtle patterns is here!
Patterns arriving in today's mail:
I offered to crochet Tj a blanket for her living room, but she has a couple of blankets already. She asked if I would make her a shawl or poncho. I showed her Mom's All Shawls pattern book (published in 1976) when we went to coffee Tuesday. Tj picked one of the simpler designs which will suit her better than a frilly, girly pattern would!. So, now we need to go yarn shopping (she won't have to twist my arm!) and then I can start it!
Yes, more yarn arrived yesterday! 30 3.5-ounce skeins of Red Heart Classic:
Yesterday after work, I met Lauri at a mall in Pleasanton to pick up a bag of about 13 skeins of yarn! She is one of several people who responded to my request on the Freecycle Network (http://www.freecycle.org/) listserv for yarn. Others have mailed packages to me. And, I'm meeting Mary tonight in Walnut Creek to pick up yarn from her.
And, for those of us keeping track, there are 13 more skeins of yarn won on eBay to be delivered!
Another afghan pattern book that will be good for scrap yarn also arrived in today's mail:
7 8-ounce skeins of Caron Perfect Match arrived today:
I branched out a few days ago and couldn't resist an eBay auction of a pattern book of 12 hats 'n' things! I would consider making a few of these for myself! The book arrived over the weekend:
The patterns use red-white-blue yarn, but I can use whatever colors suit me. I think Beret With Waves and Sailor Bow Hat (without the bow!) (on the front cover), and the Doubly Different Hat (top middle on back page) are so cute!
I've also bid on and won other non-afghan patterns: tunics and tops, bookmarks, and two different turtle patterns (I'm a turtle nut!).
Hi, my name is Cheryl, and I'm a yarnaholic.
30 more 3.5-ounce skeins of yarn arrived today:
50 additional skeins (in 3.5 ounces, 8 ounces, and 16 ounces) are on their way...
Size: 38 inches x 46 1/2 inches
Colors: Painted Desert (multi), Greens, Claret, Rose, Brown, Blues
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: Early 2004
Completed sometime January, February, or May 2004.
Size: 35 inches x 52 1/2 inches
Colors: White, Pastels (scraps)
Pattern: Jazz - Design by Nancy Fuller
Book: Afghans of Every Stripe - Leaflet 75035 - Copyright 2002 - Leisure Arts
Date: Early 2004
Completed sometime January, February, or May 2004.
Size: 31 inches x 51 inches
Colors: White, Pastels (scraps)
Pattern: Colorful Granny (same as Granny's Daughter) - Design by Nancy Fuller
Book: Granny's Delight Afghans - Leaflet 75021 - Copyright 2000 - Leisure Arts
Date: Early 2004
Completed sometime January, February, or May 2004.
I thought I had made more blankets earlier this year for donation! While going through boxes and tubs of yarn in the craft room, I found a box with 3 lap blankets! They'll be posted with photos next!
I created this button for the Red Cross "Give Life" campaign (http://www.givelife.org/). Make an appointment, give blood, give life. Take a copy of the button for your website too!
I've donated blood regularly since December 2002 when I finally got off my duff after years of thinking about it. In July 2003, I learned I have CMV Negative blood which is given to babies, burn victims, AIDS patients, etc.
I ran out of the 3 dozen 12-inch bookkeeper tabs I had ordered for the taller pattern books. So about a week ago, I ordered 3 dozen more from Annie's Attic (called bookeeper tabs - without the second "k" - on that website) and they arrived yesterday. Guess what I'm doing this weekend?
Three boxes containing 90 skeins of yarn arrived yesterday!
And...I recently won 2 more eBay auctions for yarn...
And...I have bids out on 3 more...
And...I'll be getting some free yarn from Freecycle members...
I've been telling myself that the price is good...and it's fun...and I'm just stocking up for winter...and spring...and next summer...and next fall...and next winter...!
My husband may be planning an intervention.
There was an article in the weekend newspaper about the Freecycle Network (http://www.freecycle.org/) - a free recycling website. I joined a few of the local groups at Yahoo Groups to see if anyone was giving away yarn (they weren't), so I put out a request for free yarn for the lap blankets I make and donate - and I've gotten a few responses!
I joined my first webring over the weekend: Crochet Blogs! Cool.
Today, I bid on another pattern book, but won't know for a few more days whether I won the auction. It was an impulse thing...
Good news! My interest in browsing eBay for pattern books has waned (I've bought everything I wanted when I saw it!). And, my interest in buying yarn on eBay has become more selective since it dawned on me that the yarn deals aren't that great when shipping is included and I could buy exactly the colors and amounts I want at a store versus buying too much or not enough or paying for lots for shipping for eBay auctions.
More good news is that I didn't win the fourth auction of 30 skeins of yarn and that the 90 skeins I did were shipped yesterday and are due to arrive on Tuesday according to UPS. I have bid on a few yarn auctions that are reasonably priced including estimated shipping costs. If I don't win them, I'll use the money to buy yarn at a store instead!
I think I now have all scrap yarn crochet afghan books ever made! (Well, that's probably an exaggeration, but I have all I've seen!) This one arrived in today's mail:
A screen shot of today's new header design. It is my favorite granny square blanket pattern. I made it for my new double bed in August 1981.
The Bay Area is having a heat wave - has been having one since Friday last week! It's been very, very HOT.
I spent Friday night, Saturday late afternoon and evening, all day Sunday, and all day Monday in front of a fan. We slept with a fan on. I took the fan into my home office Monday morning while I posted photos and descriptions of 11 crocheted blanket projects - then returned the fan to the living room where I sit to crochet.
By Sunday evening, I had finished making all 50 hexagons and 8 half hexagons for the purples-white-lime green-yellow lap blanket. I hid all the yarn ends and whip-stitched 9 rows together, then ran out of steam at 9:15pm Monday night. It was just too hot to consider sewing the rows together. I kept thinking about all that yarn on my arms, against my body, across my lap and thighs... And decided that putting the rows together would just have to wait until it wasn't so HOT anymore. So, I put each row into its own plastic storage bag, labeled with its row number on a slip of paper.
Last night, I started another hexagon lap blanket using leftover yarn in red and baby green - more colors will be added as I run out of yarn. No one-piece blankets until it gets much cooler!!
The last package of the initial 53 eBay auctions arrived today:
Whatever possessed me to bid on 30 additional skeins???
Well...120 skeins of yarn (if I win these 30) will definitely keep me busy for the next year or so!
In a weak moment last night, I checked out the yarn auctions on eBay. I bid on one auction for 7 skeins in 7 different colors - and won it. Then, I found a few auctions I wanted to watch that were ending this morning...
I am now the winner of 90 more skeins of yarn! Yikes.
Red Heart Classic, 3.5 ounces each:
The cost is $80.98 plus shipping of about $28.00. So, including shipping, just about $1.20 per skein (vs. $1.49 plus tax in a store). Cool!
Finally! I've caught up with posting photos and descriptions of the 1 crocheted blanket finished in February and the 10 blankets completed from May through now!
Current project: A hexagon lap blanket using purples, white, lime green, and yellow.
Size: 30 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Oranges, Red, Brown
Pattern: Centers of two squares: Starflower Retreat - Design by Kathy Wesley; Remaining rows are my own pattern
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - Leaflet 1272 - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: September 2004
This blanket uses the remaining two squares leftover from the 12-square Starflower Retreat oranges-greens-red-black lap blanket. The two squares with an orange center circle and darker orange around it to form a square follow the pattern. I made up all other rows.
Size: 36 inches x 36 inches
Colors: Greens, Black, Oranges, White (scraps)
Pattern: Center: Starflower Retreat - Design by Kathy Wesley; Remaining rows are my own pattern
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - Leaflet 1272 - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: August 2004
This single granny square was created using one of the squares leftover from the 12-square Starflower Retreat oranges-greens-red-black lap blanket. The center circle and black square around it is from the pattern. I made up all other rows around it.
Size: 35 inches x 45 inches
Colors: Oranges, Greens, Red, Black
Pattern: Starflower Retreat - Design by Kathy Wesley (modified by me)
Book: The Ultimate Book of Scrap Afghans - Leaflet 1272 - Copyright 1999 - American School of Needlework
Date: August 2004
Over a year ago, a woman at work donated a lot of yarn in a range of orange colors. I made a shell-patterned blanket in two shades of orange a while back. There is still lots of this yarn left. So, I selected a pattern from one of the new pattern books I have and made 15 squares using yarn in oranges, greens, red and black. The color combination is quite bright! Neon even!
12 of the squares were used for this blanket. The remaining 3 squares were used in 2 additional blankets.
Size: 38 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Autumn (variegated) (Lion Branch wool mix)
Pattern: Feathery Lace - Design by Carole Tippett
Book: Ripples for Baby (Beginner's Guide) - Leaflet 75011 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Date: August 2004
In July, after making the last bunch of granny square and scrap blankets, I needed a break from having to hide so many yarn ends! It was time to switch to using a bunch of the same type and color of yarn. A woman at work donated 7 skeins of this yarn to me last year. I thought it would be just enough to do one lap blanket.
Wrong! Although the blanket could have been left as it was after 7 skeins, I felt it was too narrow. I put the blanket aside to think about it some more and began working on a different blanket.
In early August, Mom and I stopped by Michaels Craft Store after lunch one weekend and, lo-and-behold, I bought 2 more skeins of the same yarn. Wow!
So, I was able to make this blanket wider. It was finished in August.
Size: 37 inches x 46 inches
Colors: Blues and Greens
Pattern: Granny Square (I wrote down the pattern by studying the squares and posted it here.)
Book: (Unknown)
Date: June 2004
I gathered a bunch of leftover blue and green yarn together and made this lap blanket using the granny square pattern I've used for several other blankets (printed pattern lost or misplaced a long time ago).
Size: 41 inches x 41 inches
Colors: Mixed (scrap yarn)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: June 2004
This blanket is another single, large granny square. Again, colors were switched when the yarn ran out.
Size: 39 inches x 39 inches
Colors: Mixed (scrap yarn)
Pattern: Basic Granny Square
Book: None
Date: June 2004
This blanket is a single, large granny square. I switched colors when the yarn ran out which results in a totally random and vibrant color scheme.
Size: 37 inches x 54 inches
Colors: Blues, Greens, Whites, Creams, Beige, Brick Red
Pattern: Granny Stripes
Book: Scrap Happy Afghans - Leaflet 2750 - Designs by Judy Bolin - Copyright 1995 - Leisure Arts
Date: May 2004
Instead of switching colors as described in the Granny Stripes pattern, I elected to use a single color for each stripe, and to make the stripes vertical across the width.
Size: 38 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Mixed (scrap yarn)
Pattern: Double crocheted rows; picot border
Book: None
Date: May 2004
In May, I became driven to use as much scrap yarn as possible. I started with this simple and very colorful lap blanket, edged with black.
Size: 45 inches x 59 inches
Colors: Plum
Pattern: Rosy Comfort (the color used by the pattern is Rose) - Designer not indicated
Book: Afghans for All Seasons Book 3 - Leaflet 108217 - Copyright 2002 - Leisure Arts
Date: May 2004
This plum-colored lap blanket replaces Greg's white-and-aqua baby blanket that I used as a lap cover in the winter. Started in February, it was completed in May when I picked up crocheting again after a break for gardening and to heal my right wrist.
Cleo adopted this blanket right away! It rests over the back and seat of one side of the small couch in our living room - right next to where I sit when I'm crocheting. Cleo prefers to lay on it than on the material of the couch. That's her in the photo above taken this morning on one of the few blazing hot days we get in the Bay Area.
Size: 80 inches x 37 inches
Colors: Claret, Lace, Painted Desert (variegated)
Pattern: Twilight Tapestry - Design by Eleanor Albano Miles
Book: Great Big Crochet Afghan Book - 47 Afghans - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlework
Date: February 2004
To match the blanket I finished in December 2003 for the back of our big couch, I completed this blanket in February for the small couch in our living room. I used the same modifications: I continued to use a different puff stitch, extended the border by one row, used a different pattern for variegated sections of each panel (the original pattern has a lot of holes through which cat hair can sift), and made the blanket long enough to cover the back of the couch. It also uses Claret instead of dual greens (Dark Sage and Sage) like the larger blanket.
Saturday afternoon, when Bill and I came home from getting Mocha Frappaccinos at Starbucks, I saw a package on the front porch - it was the Clover Soft Touch Crochet Hooks I bought on eBay! So, I spent Saturday evening and pretty much all day yesterday crocheting with the H hook on the purples-white-lime green-yellow hexagon lap blanket I started last weekend.
I don't know how "ergonomic" the hooks are. Time will tell. They are lighter than aluminum crochet hooks, have a Wrights-style hook shape (I usually use Susan Bates crochet hooks), and are shorter than aluminum hooks. They are comfortable to hold. At first, it was noticeable that the hooks were shorter since I didn't feel the bottom of the hook on the pad of my hand. Overall, if they'll help resist the tendonitis in my writst, they're well worth the $29.95 I paid for the set of 8. (If you're interested in buying a set, search for "Clover crochet" on eBay.)
These are the sizes:
C 2.5 mm D 3.0 mm E 3.5 mm F 4.0 mm G 4.5 mm H 5.0 mm I 5.5 mm J 6.0 mm
[Update January 6, 2005] Read my opinion of and experience with these hooks.
Another pattern from an eBay auction arrived in today's mail:
2 packages arrived yesterday and 2 more today:
I'm still waiting for 2 patterns and the set of Clover crochet hooks to arrive.
My rate of buying and wanting/desiring has slowed down considerably (because I already won the pattern books I wanted!!). The last eBay auction I won was August 26.
Total auctions won: 53 (unchanged since August 26)
Currently watching: 5 auctions (some I'm just curious about and at least 1 I really want and 1 I'd like to have)
Currently bidding: 0 auctions
(Most links open new window.)
Recent Comments