May 2005 Archives

Size: 8 inches tall x 8 inches long x 6 inches wide (each)
Colors: Paddy Green, Light Avocado, Brown, Yellow, Off White, Black (Red Heart)
Pattern: Ted and Tina Turtle by Sheila Leslie
Book: Annie's Crochet Newsletter, July-August 1985
Hook: G
Date: May 2005

In April, I took the pattern and some yarn to work so I would have a project to do during Friday lunch hours when the hook and needle arts group meets. However, since the pattern requires keeping track of the number and types of stitches and the pieces are done "in the round", it was difficult to keep track with the distractions of other people in the group. So, I brought what I had done so far (only one shell and one belly) home two weeks ago. I didn't have a chance to pick up the project until Saturday, but I got Ted Turtle done and almost finished Tina Turtle. Today I finished Tina's hat, eyes, and smile, and anchored her head and Ted's backward a bit more.

They're really cute! So easy to do too! For now, they're both sitting on my desk at the college next to the window.

Size: 34 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Light Coral, Woodsy (variegated) (Red Heart)
Pattern: Innovative (with major modifications)
Book: Variegated Visions by Anne Halliday - Leaflet 3106 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: May 2005

Because it's getting warmer and having a whole blanket on my lap makes me too hot, I made two panels and crocheted them together. Both sides have triangles of the same size in the same places, but each side has uniquely-patterned triangles.

Size: 34 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Coffee, Woodsy (variegated) (Red Heart)
Pattern: Demur (with modifications)
Book: Variegated Visions by Anne Halliday - Leaflet 3106 - Copyright 1999 - Leisure Arts
Hook: I
Date: May 2005

Size: 35 inches x 51 inches
Colors: Coffee, Woodsy (variegated), Light Coral (Red Heart)
Pattern: Autumn Spice
Book: Afghans for All Seasons (book 1) - ISBN 0-942237-23-4 - Copyright 1993 - Leisure Arts, Inc. and Oxmoor House
Hook: J
Date: May 2005

I'm on a roll now! Whew! 4 in 4 weeks! Patterns in a solid color or with multi-row stripes are much faster to crochet than multicolored squares or motifs! But, summer is coming soon and that brings weather than it just too darned hot for me to have a large project on my lap so squares and motifs it will soon be!

Size: 31 inches x 44 inches
Colors: Orange, Light Yellow (Red Heart Classic)
Pattern: Wavy Shells by Melissa Leapman (with modifications)
Book: All-American Crochet Afghans - ISBN 1-882138-77-5 - Copyright 2001 - House of White Birches
Hook: H
Date: May 2005

After two blankets with blue, brown, cream, and white, I needed a color change, so I moved along to this orange sherbert and vanilla ice cream combination! The original Wavy Shells pattern uses white and a peacock blue. The border is my own (it duplicates the wavy shell pattern in the blanket's body). A fast fast and easy pattern!

Size: 37 inches x 65 inches
Colors: Dark Federal Blue, Off White, Dark Brown, White (Caron Sayelle)
Pattern: A Little Bit of Chocolate by Diana Lynn Sippel (with modifications)
Book: Great Big Crochet Afghan Book - Book #1329 - Copyright 2003 - American School of Needlecraft
Hook: H
Date: April 2005

Inspired by the motif pattern in the original A Little Bit of Chocolate and the color palette (brown, tan, beige), I used a bunch of Caron Sayelle in blue, off white, brown, and white to make this lap blanket to add to my 2005 blanket donations.

The blanket is a little too long for a lapghan, but it would have been off-balance if I hadn't added the last row on the top (or bottom). The original pattern has the motifs whip stitched together, but I chose to use the "sc, ch 1, sk 1, sc" pattern to join the columns and the rows. And, since I didn't have enough white to crochet all columns together, I used the off white for the center so I could use the rest of the white for the border. The border is also one of my modifications to the pattern.