new project: granny stripe

I know I have quite a few projects to work on right now, but for most of them I am out of yarn.  The realization just hit me that my lack of yarn money is probably the main contributor to my lull in crafting recently (although I’m sure my apathy has played it’s part).  Since I do not have any money for yarn right now, I decided to make something with what I’ve got.  I realized that I have quite a stash of Caron Simply Soft (not my favorite yarn, but cheap):

The colors are a bit off, but you get the idea.  So I thought I’d try my hand at something I’ve not done before: a granny stripe blanket, particularly the one made famous by Lucy of Attic24.  I know the pattern is simple, but that’s OK with me because it looks so good!  Since some of these colors are basically scraps, however, I decided to change colors whenever I run out of the working one instead of changing them at the ends of the rows, thinking that it would produce a rag-rug type effect and produce a bigger blanket in the end.

I have run into two problems so far, though.  The first is that my foundation chain was so long that, while my blanket will definitely cover a double bed and maybe a queen, I might run out of yarn before I get there, even though that box is full of skeins.  The whole point of this was to not have to go buy more yarn, but I’ve already worked on the blanket enough that I don’t want to rip it out and start over.  The second problem is that some bands of color are significantly wider than others, and while I thought this would add charm, so far it just looks bleh:

In any case I plan to continue, because who knows, it might turn out great after all, and I might have enough yarn!  We’ll just have to see.  Honestly I don’t care that much, I’m just glad to be hooking again after that long hiatus.  If it doesn’t turn out good, maybe by that time I’ll have money to buy some yarn that I really want for something even more exciting.

As always, thanks for stopping by!  I’m headed off to work on it and watch a movie.  (I’m caught up on homework, hurray!)

Kitty Ripple #2

My newest project is Kitty Ripple #2, and when finished it will go with #1 to PetSmart to line the kennels of the adoptable kitties.  Here’s my first couple of rows (I’m using the same pattern as last time).  I just wanted to show you the crazy yarn.  It’s totally something old-fashioned but I think it’s fun for kitties.

I say it’s fun for kitties and there’s already dog hair on it.  I’ll have to wash both kitty ripples before I take them in…

finished!

The Kitty Ripple #1 is complete!  Here it is:

Plenty big for a kitty kennel at PetSmart, even if folded in half.  I hope whichever kitty gets this blanket is happy!

Oh so colorful.  And there’s another one coming soon — I got another colorway of the same yarn to make Kitty Ripple #2!  Hopefully once I donate them they’ll go into the kennels right away and I can show you the kitties enjoying them.

back to the hook

Here’s the crochet stuff!  I started something new: a ripple blanket (pattern here)!  It’s not an ordinary ripple blanket though, it’s a little one, and I’m making it to donate to PetSmart!  I noticed on a visit there today that there were some crocheted and knitted little blankets in the kennels of the adoptable kitties, and I asked an associate if I could just bring some in, and he said yes!  I got some cheap, colorful, slightly grandma-looking yarn from Hobby Lobby and started Kitty Ripple #1:

While I was there, I saw some really cute scissors that I had to get, as well:

But as it turns out, they kinda suck at cutting things.  I had to snip a few times to get through my yarn.  They’re pretty to look at, I guess.

Well, I’m going to go work some more on the ripple.  Thanks for stopping by!

slow going during finals week

First off, thanks to everyone who responded to my last post about color palettes!  I was glad to hear from you all!

Secondly, I must tell you that I have not been very focused on crafting this past week, because it’s finals time!  While I don’t have any actual finals, my graduate classes have piled on the projects and papers, so I’ve been busy.

Even so, I’ve got some bits of progress to share with you.  Firstly, my blanket (pattern here) is coming along.  Like I said in a previous post, it is kind of tough on the hands, so I’ve been spacing it out.

It was hard to get a good shot of the whole thing laid out so I just folded it and hoped you could still see how it’s progressed.

 

And secondly, I’ve been working on this scarf for what seems like ages already.  It’s knitted, as you can see.

So that’s all I’ve got for now!  Hopefully I’ll see you soon with lots more progress!  I have a couple of weeks off of school before I start summer school, so I’ll hopefully have some time to craft to my hearts content.