Timeless Blue and White afghan

Completed this afghan last week.  I have to say this is one of my very favorites.  The pattern was simple but not to boring when you have to make 63 squares.  I have always loved the old Blue and White china and this beauty picks up all that old feeling.  :-)

I used "I Love This Yarn" so it has a wonderful soft hand to it.  The pattern was from Leisure Arts Presents "Afghans for All Seasons"  published in 1993.  I hear that there are more volumes but this one doesn't have any notation of a volume number so it maybe the first they did.

This is a view of the afghan flat out on my work table.

Close up of the corner details



I made this afghan for my church craft group.  We have a Craft Fair every year to sell the crafts we make over the year.  I don't know if this will be the raffle item or a silent auction item.  If it is the raffle item I may have to buy some tickets to see if I can win this one back... lol

New Year Project

Well it's a new year and one of my resolutions is to blog more consistently.  I have some pictures of my end of year projects but will put them in another post.  This post will be about the afghan I am making for the Craft Fair this year.  It is called "Timeless Blue and White" from the Leisure Arts book, Afghans for All Seasons.

This is a copy of the picture in the book 

I haven't totally finished it yet but I thought I would give you some pictures of the in progress squares.

The First Colorway (17 squares)

 

 

This is how the centers for the next 46 squares looked before sizing and hiding tails.

The centers after sizing and hiding tails.

 
 
 

The second colorway thru Row 4.

 

 

 

Second Colorway (18 squares)

 

 

 

First square of the Third Colorway, 27 more to go  :-).



 

So that is where I am at, at the moment.  Can't wait to get to the assembling stage, all the squares will be crocheted together not sewn. 

 

Be back soon with more progress  :-) 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving 2011

This year was a quite time for my husband and I, we were on our own for the holiday so we decided to go out for dinner instead of making all the fixings for just ourselves.  Though I will be making a pumpkin pie later, fall just isn't right without some pie... :-)

Since I wasn't cooking and was thankful that some resturants were open (but then sad that the employees had to work), I decided to make a gift for our server.  There was a post in my "Blazing Hooks" group on Facebook for a turkey coaster that was cute so I followed the bunny trail here.  I made these up in no time.

What looks like yellowy-green on this one is the same yellow on the second one. 

I set the turkeys up on the table while we were eating, joking with our server that we wanted to have some turkey on the table.  It was kind of cute how many of the other employees found reasons to wander past our table during the meal (we were not in the main part of the resturant).  I gave the brown outlined one to our server at the end of the meal.  She seemed to like it. :-)



I used a "G" hook and worsted weight yarn, they came out 9" w x 7 1/2" h. I also just used Tacky glue to put on the face, which wont hold up to washing... oops.


I only found one error in the instructions, Row 4 of the Tail should read: 

Row 4 – New color: start at the ch1 space of previous row, ch3, 6dc in same space, *7dc in next ch1 space, repeat * until you reach to the end. fo.

Mine only have 6dc in each shell, I think the 7dc looks nicer.  I didn't find this error until I was joining the face to the back... lol. 

I also changed the joining to be slip stitch with the yarn to the back, instead of single crochet as instructed.  The spaces are the gaps between the shells of each row.

Directions:
sc between shells, ch 1, sl st in space 1,
ch 1, sl st in space 2,
ch 1, sl st in space 3,
ch 1, sl st in space 4,
ch 1, sl st 2 in skipped stitches,
sl st in space 4, ch 1,
sl st in space 3, ch 1,
sl st in space 2, ch 1,
sl st in space 1, ch 1,
sl st over edge, ch 1, sc 7 ; repeat for each feather, sl st join to beg sc, FO. Weave in tail.

Craft Fair 2011

A Gathering of Angels

The fair went off without a hitch well, at least not any major ones... :-)  As always it seems like the boxes explode when they are unpacked.  I am amazed every year to see how much is displayed.  I know where the boxes are stored and this much stuff shouldn't come out of so few boxes... lol.

This was the Raffle Afghan - "Scandinavian Snowflake Throw" from Red Heart.  I used Super Saver for the White and some Donated yarn for the red.  Unfortunately for me the red was not really a worsted weight yarn and I should have gone up a hook for the red part.  Blocking helped, but it doesn't look as lacy as it could have.



Oh, and I had one upset husband when I told him all but one of the Pear Bread was going to the Fair.  Then our daughter and grandson finished that loaf off with him only having one slice... lol.  I will take pitty on him and make some more after Thanksgiving.

To see more pictures from the Craft Fair click here.

Rooster Potholder

I ran across this pattern on this site
http://spunwindfibers.blogspot.com/2008/03/free-rooster-potholder-pattern-from.html 
 
The pattern was very hard to read so I rewrote it.  Ping me or leave a comment if you note any errors.

Corrected Pattern

Materials:
Main Color 2.1 oz or 60 gr of Sugar ’n Cream.
Small amount of red for the Comb on the Head.
Small amount of yellow or orange for the Beak.
Crochet hook “G”.
Felt, pony beads, or googly eyes


Body: (make 2)
Using Main Color make a Magic Loop. (or ch 5, sl st to form a ring)
Row 1: Ch 3, make 17 dc in ring, sl st join. (18 sts)

Use Back Loops only for Row 2 – 6.
Row 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st in row, sl st join. (36 sts)
Row 3: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc 1, [2 dc, dc 1]; repeat [ ] around row, sl st join. (54 sts)
Row 4: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc 1, [2 dc, dc 2]; repeat [ ] around row, sl st join. (72 sts)
Row 5: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc 1, [2 dc, dc 3]; repeat [ ] around row, sl st join. (90 sts)
Row 6: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc 1, [2 dc, dc 4]; repeat [ ] around row, fasten off. (108 sts)

Make another one just like this one, don’t fasten off.
Place both pieces together with wrong sides together. Sl st or sc (using the Back loops of Face piece and of Back piece). Continue on with Tail.


Tail:
Row 1: * Ch 6, sk 1, sl st in next st, repeat from * 4 times more, ch 3, sk 1, dc. (6 ch spaces)
Row 2: Turn work around and sl st into ch space, * ch 6, sl st in next ch-6 space, repeat from * 3 times more, ch 3, dc in ch-6 space. (5 ch spaces)
Row 3: Turn, sl st into ch space, * ch 6, sl st in next ch-6 space, repeat from * 3 times more. (4 ch spaces)

Fasten off, weave in tails.



Head:
With Main Color make a Magic Loop. (or ch 5, sl st to form ring)
Row 1: Ch 4, make 17 tr in ring, sl st join. (18 sts) Fasten off.

Repeat head pattern for the other side of head but don’t fasten off.

• This is Point A: *ch 6, sl st in next st, repeat from * 7 times more. (8 – ch 6 loops)
• Pick up first piece, place wrong sides together. Turn work so first piece is facing, sl st to the first piece, (working on the first piece only) * ch 6, sl st in next st* repeat between * 7 times more. (8 – ch 6 loops)
• Sl st join to Point A, (there should be 18 unused stitches, 9 stitches on each piece of the Head) fasten off leaving a 12” tail to sew head to body.

Comb: (top feather thingy)
Sl st join red yarn in 3rd st from last fasten off, work on both pieces, *ch5, sc in Camel hump of 2nd and 3rd ch from hook, make 1 hdc in next ch, sk 1, sl st in next st, repeat from * 2 times more.

Fasten off.

Beak:
Sl st join yellow yarn in 1st st from Head fasten off, work on both pieces, ch 3, sc in Camel hump of 2nd ch from hook, sl st in next st, fasten off. Weave in Comb and Beak tails.


Fold body in half and sew head to opposite side of tail. Insert head down like a glove and sew at base of loops.

Glue circles of red felt in center of each head side for eyes. Or, embroider or sew on beads or googly eyes.



Original pattern can be found here:
http://spunwindfibers.blogspot.com/2008/03/free-rooster-potholder-pattern-from.html

36th Annual Craft Fair is coming!

Here is some of the bread I made for the Craft Fair.

Anyone that is in or around Austin is welcome to come.  Oh!  That reminds me that I need to get all the fixings for my Pear Bread.  Jean is making her Peanut Brittle so you better get there early to get some... it is REALLY good   :-)

Elanor's Table cover / Spread

Elanor was/is one of the founding members of my church's craft group (in our 34th year). Because of health reasons she has stopped crocheting, so this piece was not completed. Elanor had mentioned that she was making it for her son as a table cover, but I think she may have gotten carried away a bit.
The pattern was not in the box with the piece so we took off the last incomplete row, then just edged it out and it still measures 75" x 110".

Here are a couple of close ups of the edge detail.

It took my girlfriend and I two nights to weave in all the ends.  We hope to sell it at the Craft Fair as a twin or full size spread.