tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48601978974565942032024-03-05T18:43:35.743-08:00HookedCrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-26383142960385385032017-01-14T15:58:00.001-08:002017-01-14T16:04:50.923-08:00Joining MandalasI have so many mandalas, it's ridiculous, and there isn't much I can do with them. So I've been trying to think of how to make them square. Then someone I follow in Instagram was making a beautiful blanket with hexagons (@dreamsofanne), and I thought it would be easier to turn circles into hexagons than into squares. So I thought about that off and on for a while, but I wanted rectangular edges which is hard with hexagons. I know this from quilting. Then two days ago I had to clear off the sofa in the sewing room where the mandalas are piled. I must have dreamed the solution because the next day I came up with this idea and it works. Make the mandalas into octagons and then pick up stitches on the diagonal edges and reduce at the corners each side by working 3 dc together.<br />
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The mandalas are all the simple mandala by Wink (link <a href="http://www.acreativebeing.com/patterns/mandala-en/" target="_blank">here</a>). To make the mandala into an octagon start at 4th dc of any 6 dc scallop (US terms). Over each set of three scallops work: * sc, 2 hdc, dc in sc between scallops, 2 hdc, 2 sc, <i>one</i> hdc, dc, then work 8 tr over next sc-scallop-sc, dc, hdc, sc. Repeat from *. Invisible join.<br />
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To make diamonds, work from large diamond to small, 5 rounds.<br />
For the first dc 3 together, you have to ch 3 for the first dc.<br />
For the center diamonds, the first 4 rounds should be joined with a sl st. Work in ends before starting the next round. I find invisible join to be too complicated here. I also vary the starting edge so that I'm not joining each round in the same corner.<br />
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(round 1) start in 5th of 8 trs on each octagon side: dc 3 together, dc 15, dc 3 together along 1, 2 or 4 sides depending on whether you're working the corner, side, or a diamond in the middle. End in 4th of 8 trs.<br />
(round 2) start in first dc together: dc 3 together, dc 11, dc 3 together on each side.<br />
(round 3) start in first dc together: dc 3 tog, dc 7, dc 3 tog on each side.<br />
(round 4) start in first dc together: dc 3 tog, dc 3, dc 3 tog on each side.<br />
(round 5) dc all remaining stitches together. if working the center diamond you will have to use two hooks, and when pulling the final loop through you will have to transfer the loop from one hook to the other. Be careful not to drop the loop on this step—it's hard to recover. Pull loop through and secure on the back.<br />
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My mandalas are two sizes because I used an "H" hook for the ones in the picture but an "I" hook for a few others. So my plan is to make a center, add a border to widen, and then add the larger mandalas to the sides. We shall see, this project is not my #1 priority and I don't have enough mandalas to finish a complete blanket.<br />
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I apologize for any ambiguity or errors in the instructions.<br />
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Whoops I forgot to mention, you have to join the octagons together. I used zipper stitch - sl st through back of loops of both sides together. I'm sure other methods would work too. I'm not done designing so I'm not sure if it makes sense to join into the first and last stitch of the diamonds so as to not leave a gap.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-29813490919038532542017-01-02T18:06:00.001-08:002017-01-02T18:06:23.375-08:00Scheepjes CALI finished this beautiful blanket in October and gave it to my mother-in-law, who absolutely loved it. I joined the Scheepjes CAL at the last minute and didn't know what I would do with the blanket. But my mother-in-law saw me working on it a couple of times and loved the squares, so I knew I would make it for her.<br />
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I tried to be true to the colors that were chosen by the designers, but because I started this project at the last minute, I didn't have time to get the Scheepjes yarn. So it was an improvisation. I learned so many new things by making this blanket. Most importantly I learned a new way to join blocks, which I've used to solve a problem with another project. Most of the different blocks were new to me and some were a real challenge, but it was definitely worth the effort!</div>
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<br />Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-1157810058293350942016-05-16T03:15:00.000-07:002016-05-16T03:15:02.500-07:00May Mandala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This month my Mandalas for Marinke were featured on crochetconcupscence.com. Immediately I wanted to make another one. So here it is! The variegated yarn is Nicole Stitch Studio from A.C. Moore. These are one-off yarns in a sale bin, and I always look them over when I'm getting my other yarn.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-47030043372041496732016-05-07T06:26:00.003-07:002016-05-07T06:32:45.357-07:00Today's WIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm calling this today's WIP for the simple reason that I have a good picture of it. I'm not working on this one today because I have two others that are online CALs (Crochet-A-Longs), and I want to keep up with them. One, I could do easily but two requires me to really focus. Plus my Mandalas for Marinke were just featured on crochetconcupiscence.com, and I started another mandala. Today I have to get more yarn. Well I am rambling now.<br />
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This blanket is going to be for my eldest. I am joining as I go, and what you see here is the top four rows. There will be either eight or nine rows so that it will fit nicely on a twin bed. The blocks are coming out wavy so I thought the join would flatten, but I am going to have to massively block the thing once it's done. Or not! I am not a fastidious blocker.<br />
<br />Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-32353801143985810852016-04-13T02:55:00.000-07:002016-04-13T02:55:04.985-07:00Thrift Shop Yarn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got this awesome yarn in a $2 bag at the <a href="http://goodasnewshop.org/" target="_blank">Good As New Shop</a> where I work on Wednesdays. Dark green, very pale green, and two gray green. And the grass is green too.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-76261966990539554912016-03-21T19:05:00.001-07:002016-03-21T19:05:49.145-07:00March WIPsThese are only a few of the WIPs that I have going on now. There are quilts in progress, knitting in progress, charity blankets, CALs, presents, etc. It is just insane, and one reason I'm not posting here more often.<br />
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This lovely arrangement represents the colors of a blanket that I'm making as a surprise for someone. I learned this method from Attic 24, on her blog. Before I would have added purple and pink, but that would have made the composition garish rather than colorful and just lovely. Now if only I had an extra 40 minutes every day, I could crochet one stripe a day and be done on time.<br />
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This is one of the CALs. (The other one hasn't started yet.)<span id="goog_1527969335"></span><span id="goog_1527969336"></span> It is by spincushions (A.K.A. Shelley Husband) and it's called the Fran Mystery Crochet-a-long. I bought this heavy cotton yarn from a company in Australia. The yarn was not cheap and neither was the shipping. But the outcome will be just awesome. Also going to be a surprise for someone.<br />
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Finally here is a sweater I'm making for my big kid Carter. I had given them a sweater of mine that they loved, but they had to give it back because they grew out of it. This kid of mine (21 years old) is very tall. I got this lovely Noro yarn discounted at WEBS, the yarn superstore. It's enough to make a very large sweater for a very tall person.<br />
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<br />Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-58589508943748401812016-02-07T17:35:00.002-08:002016-02-07T17:46:07.845-08:00Colorful Mandala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1071662903"></span><span id="goog_1071662904"></span>About three years ago I made this knitted blanket. I knitted it straight across from start to finish, carrying all the colors across the row and twisting strands when I changed colors. At some point I estimated how much yarn I would need for each color patch, and I cut all the lengths of yarn that I needed to finish.<br />
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I ended up with this basket of yarn ends, which decorated the short wall between the kitchen and living room.<br />
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I decided to crochet the bits of yarn into a mandala. These are the first five rounds.<br />
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The finished mandala had ten rounds plus the shells. Towards the end I added some yarn ends from other projects, that were a little bit larger. The outer shells are a single variegated yarn, not ends.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-62029642874921684142016-01-16T09:21:00.001-08:002016-01-16T15:03:08.992-08:00Golden Apples in Silver Filigree<span id="goog_539656214"></span><span id="goog_539656215"></span>"Like golden apples in silver filigree is a word aptly spoken." Proverbs 25:11. Maimonides said what this meant was the truth is the golden apple, but nobody will get it unless it is presented in a way that people can understand, which is the silver filigree.<br />
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Anyway I think golden apples are a better description of this mandala than barnacles, which was my first thought.<br />
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First of all, all my joins are invisible joins. I don't start with a slip stitch and I don't end with one. I start with no loop at all. I start the first stitch with nothing on the hook. Insert hook, YO and pull through foundation only, then one more ch for sc and 2 more ch for dc. Then after I complete the last stitch, I cut the yarn to about 6 inches, pull the loop on the hook out, thread the yarn onto a darning needle, wrap it around the top of the first stitch, and thread it back through where I pulled it out. If the round is sc then I just carry the yarn to the back, tie it to the start piece with an overhand knot (first half of a square knot), and weave the end in. Then I weave in the other end. Other ways are possible, but that's how this was made. In the case of dc, I have a tutorial <a href="http://crawfordsthing.blogspot.com/2015/09/how-i-join-double-crochet-loops.html" target="_blank">here</a> about how I make the invisible join. It's my own idiosyncratic method, so of course there are other ways to do it.<br />
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Yarns used: Vanna's choice linen, white, charcoal grey, silver grey, toffee, grey marble, and mustard, and a couple of scrap bits that I have no idea what they were originally.<br />
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Step 1. Make a mandala that ends with 72 stitches, and then make 12 shells around.<br />
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Directions for this mandala are:<br />
Round 1: Puce (a bit of yarn I've had forever) Start with magic loop, ch3, then 11 (dc, ch1), ending with invisible join around 3rd ch of ch3. Pull loop tight. 12 dc and 12 ch1 sp.<br />
Round 2: Gold (also yarn I've had forever, in fact the first yarn I ever bought for myself) 2 dc in each ch1 space. 24 dc.<br />
Round 3: (Linen) 1 hdc in each dc. LOOSELY. This stitch was not the best choice, because it was too tight, but if crocheted loosely, the next round will spread the stitches out and flatten them. 24 hdc<br />
Round 4: (White) 2 dc in each hdc (48 dc).<br />
Round 5: (Charcoal grey) 1 sc in each dc (48 sc).<br />
Round 6: (Silver grey) dc 2 tog, ch 2 around. (24 ch2 sp).<br />
Round 7: (Toffee) 3 dc in each sp. (72 dc).<br />
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An alternative is to make <a href="http://www.acreativebeing.com/patterns/mandala-en/" target="_blank">Wink's standard mandala</a> up to round 6. Round 6 ends with 72 stitches. Her directions also illustrate magic ring and another way to do an invisible join.<br />
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Then make the shells. I used grey marble. Because of the way I join, I start with half a shell. Pull a loop through, ch2, 2 dc. Then (skip 2 st, sc in next, skip 2 st, 6 dc in next) 11 times. skip 2 st, sc in next, skip 2 st, 3 dc in first st, end with invisible join.<br />
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Make the first small circle. (Mustard) Start with 12 dc in a magic ring, and pull tight. As described above, my first dc is 3 ch, then 11 dc, then invisible join.<br />
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(Charcoal Gray) 2 sc in each dc around; join. If you would like, repeat steps 1 and 2 11 more times, to make the insides of all 12 little circles.<br />
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(Linen) LOOSELY, or using a larger hook, make 1 sc in each sc around. Join.<br />
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Make second circle and join it to the first. Make rounds 1 and 2 as for first circle, then make just 2 sc of round 3. Pull the loop out slightly and remove the hook.<br />
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Insert the hook into any stitch of the first circle and pull it through. Tighten it only enough to take up the slack (remember this round needs to be loose on all the small circles).<br />
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Complete the sc in the next space of the second circle.<br />
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One more time, remove the loop from the hook and pull it through the next st on the first circle.<br />
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Complete the second join and continue with sc around LOOSELY. Join to the first sc.<br />
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Make third circle and join it to the second. There should be 11 stitches between the two joins on the outside of the loop of circles and 9 stitches between the two joins on the inside of the loop of circles. So the first loop of the joining stitch should be pulled through the second circle 10 stitches from the previous join, counting from the bottom of the loop of circles.
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One more time, remove the hook and pull the loop through the next st of the previous circle. Complete the sc and then sc around, joining to the start of the round. Repeat the previous step for circles 4 to 11.<br />
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Join the last circle to the previous circle. Then make 11 sc in the next 11 st, and remove the hook. Counting back from the first join along the inside, pull the loop through the 11th st. Complete the sc and pull the loop through the next st, sc to the first st of this round and join. Now the ring of circles is complete.<br />
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The next round will be worked on the inner mandala. The ring of circles will be attached by pulling loops through the inside scs of the ring of circles. However, it is more convenient to start the process by pulling a loop through one of the small circles first. Pull a loop through the second sc from the right on any small circle.<br />
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Make a dc in the fourth dc of any shell.<br />
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Remove the hook and pull a loop through the next st of the inner circle. sc in the next st of the inner mandala, 5 times. Remove the hook and pull a loop through the next st of the inner circle. dc in the next st, which should be the 3rd dc of the next shell. Remove the hook.<span id="goog_539656252"></span>
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Pull the loop through the second inner sc of the next circle. Make a dc, and repeat the previous step.
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Repeat the previous step 10 more times. Now the way I joined this round was as follows. I cut the yarn to 6 inches and pulled out the last loop. I threaded it onto a darning needle and carefully joined to the first stitch by replacing the original top stitch. I did this by threading the yarn around where the top stitch was and removing the top stitch afterwards, and then poking the two ends behind the mandala and weaving them in. Alternatively, a slip stitch judiciously placed would work, but I didn't do it that way, so I can't say how to do it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxJCZrc0DzxNNQUVWovjrKfmyZlHBC6V6ZXb7zPLt_nLZvpuUPLn2aoMD9wZXAqULb4jGZEPdHLMlSqrYEwqN-NHC5yBYXKUPiId6aRUcZPcyzV71_a_kuhyphenhyphenh_WuMHcHXUWlEaZZZchw/s1600/Golden+Apples+tutorial17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxJCZrc0DzxNNQUVWovjrKfmyZlHBC6V6ZXb7zPLt_nLZvpuUPLn2aoMD9wZXAqULb4jGZEPdHLMlSqrYEwqN-NHC5yBYXKUPiId6aRUcZPcyzV71_a_kuhyphenhyphenh_WuMHcHXUWlEaZZZchw/s200/Golden+Apples+tutorial17.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Finally, add a round in linen to the entire mandala. Start at the top of any small circle. Work 2 sc into every sc until 1 st before where it's joined to the next circle. Skip 1 st on this circle and skip 1 st after the join on the next circle. Then 2 sc in each sc, 9 times, always omitting one st on either side of where two circles are joined. Finish with an invisible join.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-46626019450231449132016-01-11T19:38:00.001-08:002016-01-11T19:39:55.812-08:00Afghan for the New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s2AqXSYszSBPgz3CeTRZ6mFl-79w204ve-I_tUgESDd1GxYnklZnqxaEFimU7gnw_uNTJtwb-xyEv-fqs8EAB-2cgGS3ZBPYA0gCiU0bBmIldn3-_1dmPQwJRamJUhOY_SIgJbpnWjE/s1600/Afghan+picture+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s2AqXSYszSBPgz3CeTRZ6mFl-79w204ve-I_tUgESDd1GxYnklZnqxaEFimU7gnw_uNTJtwb-xyEv-fqs8EAB-2cgGS3ZBPYA0gCiU0bBmIldn3-_1dmPQwJRamJUhOY_SIgJbpnWjE/s640/Afghan+picture+for+blog.jpg" width="505" /></a></div>
I finished the inside of this afghan last month (last year) using the continuous flat braid join from the tutorial on cypress textiles (<a href="http://cypresstextiles.net/2015/03/19/continuous-flat-braid-join-tutorial/" target="_blank">here</a>). I had to wait a few days into the new year for the border book (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Around-Corner-Crochet-Borders-Instructions/dp/1603425381" target="_blank">Around the Corner Crochet Borders</a> by Edie Eckman), but it was worth the wait. This border was exactly what I wanted, and I finished it today. I love this afghan and it's mine! I made it for myself. I'm sure more creations will ensue to give to family and friends, but for now I've made myself a very nice present.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-85584722815575278382015-12-21T18:32:00.000-08:002015-12-21T18:32:46.468-08:00Snowflakes and a Couple of WIPsIn past years we've made paper snowflakes, and I've saved them. I put some on the windows. Most of them were made by Peter (my husband).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TZhO-JUWm_Vgu4_8-5HjSUpibVHjRG3roBdSminsu5-ZuS9jbnE8paD9_6UCqdD_JgHyZ8VJyoF8dLqOz2_4tCnLnRvlK4HnfZZqGWt2ywjilc5fvSOFV8xbfxtszU2GkCB1SuiyCuE/s1600/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstVnbT5xGa7SYETdFJiNuPV7OGIlUAxWE1vUM-R3FBZx64W8pIrfMjUtrRYEJhlJX2GAlBx2SO5wIxAOEOfUbOIBw-QpM2r4YDSU6RqW4xEVmuAOZWyR7fvjzDFt4NaUNDScpIaJ1JlM/s200/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs1.jpg" width="200" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmm5S2RAbzrxbchDtjIvkyvZVVHxoz4kWuFBe2nRrLU91ObWLKmCDpY7fXLab1H6yzTJbDBGUilC26rAMEfJhaW4wBKu8eUuHIlKGZkVXnPsgeygKsbhMFvPT84v8EtQXkh1wR1fQ2Sc/s200/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs2.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TZhO-JUWm_Vgu4_8-5HjSUpibVHjRG3roBdSminsu5-ZuS9jbnE8paD9_6UCqdD_JgHyZ8VJyoF8dLqOz2_4tCnLnRvlK4HnfZZqGWt2ywjilc5fvSOFV8xbfxtszU2GkCB1SuiyCuE/s1600/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TZhO-JUWm_Vgu4_8-5HjSUpibVHjRG3roBdSminsu5-ZuS9jbnE8paD9_6UCqdD_JgHyZ8VJyoF8dLqOz2_4tCnLnRvlK4HnfZZqGWt2ywjilc5fvSOFV8xbfxtszU2GkCB1SuiyCuE/s200/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs4.jpg" width="200" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx1_4cIcChUwDDkW1SKjm-AUOIUKqDNV4YrtudUFSHdf6AB4HIKIkSA8ZbK0G6DbLYujHljFapVVJ_jJVs0FDI_Fjg_VZij0zRDdIZG776-w9AT9K4NEeB2lsy0I7BdpVfI4vsyqs9t4/s200/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7mBrHfBEgOttRJRfDcoXxYuXJ7-98DX3GtWdPENSIVD30vf0mxxtRX8S73GpZC_XhEtumzzZD5IQR1f41qQ7FgG7_9JutbWVWzuUK-vHwutZ8NCYhANLAlq_i_TzXi4SG2o1W3KJBkU/s1600/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7mBrHfBEgOttRJRfDcoXxYuXJ7-98DX3GtWdPENSIVD30vf0mxxtRX8S73GpZC_XhEtumzzZD5IQR1f41qQ7FgG7_9JutbWVWzuUK-vHwutZ8NCYhANLAlq_i_TzXi4SG2o1W3KJBkU/s400/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs5.jpg" width="363" /></a></div>
This mandala is a WIP, a work in progress. The pattern is Mandy's Mega Mandala from RedAgape Style and Design. Unfortunately it is a pattern for a cushion, so it becomes convex at the edges. I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to make it flat without making it wavy. I think I'm near a solution, but it will have to be blocked. It is a lovely pattern as is clear from the picture, and it was just perfect for what I wanted to make - a rainbow mandala with many colors. Link to the pattern <a href="http://redagapeblog.com/2015/08/23/crochet-mandys-mega-mandala-cushion-pattern/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dOLuF743MjxMyJEt0_SaD2t18Jh53Q2T6Tt4pKjJ1MqIDPkjvfQvixVo-nYb95SoFcXqxl-eOlPYJo0jeGbsnh_Fc5YWzc-tkHmCDFIVZ1gcajnaj0ZXVgEZ6rmoH44HUYnz-uwCwlE/s1600/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dOLuF743MjxMyJEt0_SaD2t18Jh53Q2T6Tt4pKjJ1MqIDPkjvfQvixVo-nYb95SoFcXqxl-eOlPYJo0jeGbsnh_Fc5YWzc-tkHmCDFIVZ1gcajnaj0ZXVgEZ6rmoH44HUYnz-uwCwlE/s320/Snowflakes+%2526+WIPs6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The big news is that I've started to join my Circle of Friends Squares. I'm using the continuous flat braid join from babylovebrand at Cypress Textiles. Link to the tutorial <a href="http://cypresstextiles.net/2015/03/19/continuous-flat-braid-join-tutorial/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-51397754901636383092015-12-15T16:01:00.003-08:002015-12-15T16:01:29.084-08:00December Finishes IV - Crochet Hook CaseThis crochet hook case was an exercise from Hook to Heal by Kathryn Vercillo. The idea was to crochet something that I need. The act of making something so nice and also useful for myself was moving. Also it challenged my capabilities. I make lots of round things and lots of granny squares, but I didn't really know how to crochet a rectangle by turning the work at the edge. In fact, the cover is wrong in this respect, but the red border hides the edges.<br />
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Here's the cover in progress<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp85JQs40jMNnWYoBWawoMdo8i3E_6pFPHfJUgobHSyPtXG6UJulC7kTVuclI2_fhmaIaMYpYTinwuol_UFyYBdGLERLccG2lA46uUyWqCdKWhnCDX91tzYxkAgyw5Vgd-SY4gAQPUJQQ/s1600/crochet+hook+case1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp85JQs40jMNnWYoBWawoMdo8i3E_6pFPHfJUgobHSyPtXG6UJulC7kTVuclI2_fhmaIaMYpYTinwuol_UFyYBdGLERLccG2lA46uUyWqCdKWhnCDX91tzYxkAgyw5Vgd-SY4gAQPUJQQ/s320/crochet+hook+case1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The inside consists of a lining, which I did correctly (except it was too small and needed an extra border), and a pocket. I divided the pocket according to the pattern, and it turned out absolutely perfect. It was almost scary how well it turned out. Between the lining and the cover are two pieces of mat board to stiffen the case.<br />
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The final touch was a flower closure with a loop of chain stitch to hold it closed. Even though I have crocheted many complicated flowers, I was at a loss how to do this one. I looked at all kinds of directions on the internet and didn't find any that I liked. Finally I just did the best I could, and I think it turned out fantastically well. Definitely a growth experience in many ways.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-17935462973854397622015-12-15T15:53:00.002-08:002015-12-19T06:39:03.990-08:00December finishes III - Tie DyeThis Christmas my tie-dye aspirations were ambitious. Normally I only tie-dye towels for one set of nieces and nephews. But this year I am mailing them to the El Paso crowd and also making them for the Everett offspring. Then I also wanted to make some shirts for my sister, and when I went to fetch the dye supplies, I found a few things I had set aside to dye when I got around to it.<br />
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I found a couple of pillowcases that I had bought for my camping trip in September. I made sure to get white cotton so that I could tie-dye them later. The colors are the Dharma Trading Company Fall 2015 palette.<br />
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<span id="goog_700551409"></span><span id="goog_700551410"></span><span id="goog_700551411"></span><span id="goog_700551412"></span>These are a couple of shirts that used to be white. Left is mine and right is my husband's. I love these colors, also from the Fall 2015 selection.<br />
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<span id="goog_700551416"></span><span id="goog_700551417"></span>This is the shirt I made for my sister using the same colors. She better not be reading this and she better love it.<br />
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Here are six of the towels. I added the bright blue ("sky") and lime green.<br />
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Here's a composite picture of all the towels. I was worried at first because the wet dye was very dark. Also, the twelve towels were arranged on the table together and were hard to saturate. Normally my tie-dye doesn't have any white left in it, but there was no way I was going to get through all the towel fabric. I had soaked it in soda ash in the washing machine and then used the spin cycle to get the excess water out. This left the towels a little too dry. But in the end it worked out very well. I don't think these would have been as spectacular without the white.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-2816643260915476212015-12-15T15:43:00.000-08:002015-12-15T15:43:16.371-08:00December finishes II - Flower afghan and snowflakes<span id="goog_642348027"></span><span id="goog_642348028"></span>I only have one picture of these snowflakes, so I'm combining them with the second flower afghan that I made for my mom. They're from Martha Stewart. They're on our Christmas Tree.<br />
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A few posts back I wrote about the flower afghan that I made for my mom. She wanted another one, so I made her another one.<br />
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<span id="goog_642348025"></span><span id="goog_642348026"></span>This one has less vegetables in it. Actually it doesn't have any. The first afghan that I made had carrots (from the book), zucchini and summer squash (adaptation of poinsettia), and string beans (adaptation of dandelion fluff). This one has the actual poinsettia and dandelion fluff (down 4 over 5 and down 6 over 2). This one has all the berries and more fruits (lemon, orange, and watermelon).<br />
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Detail of the border showing briar rose, daisy and cherry blossom.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-87240021040909457522015-12-15T15:35:00.005-08:002015-12-15T15:35:58.675-08:00December finishes I - MandalasSo far this month I've finished a lot of projects that I started.<br />
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This thread mandala was almost finished in September, but the last round where it attaches to the steel ring was very hard. So at some point I decided to finish one point a day. About three weeks later, it was done.<br />
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I wish I could figure out how to arrange these in a square. Anyway, above is an experiment in asymmetry. The idea was to use up small amounts of yarn. My oldest kid really likes it, so it's for them. I love the colors, but I don't like the asymmetry.<br />
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Here, I started by using up small amounts of yarn, but I made sure the result was symmetric.<br />
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Forget using up small amounts of yarn. Above is planned from the beginning. It's good for Christmas.<br />
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Now this one is great. I planned it very well. It's on its way to El Paso as a gift for my little sister. I don't think she reads my blog, but she does look at my Instagram feed, and it's on there. But she doesn't know it's hers. I believe she likes these colors.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-56721762466705327562015-12-07T15:15:00.000-08:002015-12-07T15:18:28.329-08:00Circle of Friends Squares, Part VI have many irons in the fire right now, but I have finished the Circle of Friends Squares this week, and they're even blocked. But I am going to wait to join them until after I've finished making presents for my family.<br />
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I took a few pictures to record their origin and otherwise keep track, though when I arrange them into a blanket, I don't plan on preserving the order in which I made them.<br />
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Here are squares 46 to 54. Top left is from a skirt I saw on a silly YouTube video. Next is my kid's teal leopard pajama pants with a blue and purple tie-dyed top, and after that one from a fuse bead creation. Second row: Summer garden colors, grand canyon colors, and last summer's tie-dyed shirt colors. The last row is all from tie-dyed shirts.<br />
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At this point I was done with random ideas, so I took the next eight from my unfinished granny square quilt.
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For the last square, I chose colors to represent the flowers that had been keeping me company all week.
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Here are the last nine squares (55 to 63), being blocked on a tie-dyed towel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkf_IKpyOqKW86bK_SA4YfWL0uqCtDXPrK1eewPkn3YnDOaXZYz4IAMJ-VZR7CcPCSjtQJhgNBszH6VD-H8tCSqToWWS9y5Y3wrN18pL-aqgxzIx1p5Us3Cscu-cdN6GV-jmTTLelpiw/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkf_IKpyOqKW86bK_SA4YfWL0uqCtDXPrK1eewPkn3YnDOaXZYz4IAMJ-VZR7CcPCSjtQJhgNBszH6VD-H8tCSqToWWS9y5Y3wrN18pL-aqgxzIx1p5Us3Cscu-cdN6GV-jmTTLelpiw/s400/flowers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Actually this is the original bouquet. The picture I showed next to square 63 is after I took out a few faded flowers.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-35081631297877006972015-12-01T18:39:00.000-08:002015-12-07T15:23:35.163-08:00Hook to Heal and the Rustic Lace Square<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHB2f0dBYr6GlUpvDc27UbkRrjCumoS4fqRu7UjXTMAaBE-eMfujjtEvwcDI9Fmd30o7vS9LPHjfkVL3ncc7a1wM9Xa0DarbVEfPsWBSYhieT3a_8dJftwpiyyCp1jBSFkcgBofk4i6Tc/s1600/last+circle+post1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHB2f0dBYr6GlUpvDc27UbkRrjCumoS4fqRu7UjXTMAaBE-eMfujjtEvwcDI9Fmd30o7vS9LPHjfkVL3ncc7a1wM9Xa0DarbVEfPsWBSYhieT3a_8dJftwpiyyCp1jBSFkcgBofk4i6Tc/s400/last+circle+post1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Kathryn Vercillo of crochetconcupiscence.com just published a book on personal creative growth, <a href="http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2015/11/big-news-my-new-book-hook-to-heal-is-ready/" target="_blank">Hook to Heal</a>. It consists of exercises and explanations for various categories of personal growth, such as mindfulness and letting go, along with recommendations about how to go about implementing a program of creative expansion.<br />
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The reason that I'm crocheting now is partly because Kathryn started a project to honor the memory of Wink, who died of depression, and to raise awareness about depression. While looking for flower patterns, I found her blog and a description of Wink and the Mandalas For Marinke project. My donations to the project are detailed in earlier blog posts. So I was predisposed to like this book, but I wanted to describe how it's working for me so that my praise won't be easily dismissed as flattery.<br />
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The first exercise in the "letting go" chapter is to make something with a wildly different hook and yarn size than the pattern requires, with the point being that the item is then, in a sense, useless. I want to make a v-stitch blanket, so I decided to apply the project to the v-stitch blanket and make one from cotton thread with a 1.5 mm steel hook. The start of the "blanket" is the colorful strip in the picture. Below the "blanket" is my rustic lace square project.<br />
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Above are my current thread projects. The rustic lace square motif is a popular design on Instagram, and I wanted to use my gray thread to make a small piece using the motif. The large incomplete panel in the center of the picture consists of six of the rustic lace squares joined together, and the centers of the other three are placed where they are supposed to end up, once they're finished. Unfortunately I didn't read the instructions correctly, and the wide quarter circles in the corners of the motif didn't meet properly. I decided that to redo the outer round of six little squares was not a big deal. So I frogged the outside rounds, which separated them at the same time, because I'm joining as I crochet the outer round.<br />
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Here are my squares, partially frogged. These squares have other problems that I didn't fix. I have two different sized hooks that both say 1.5 mm. One or two of these squares have centers that were made with the smaller hook, so they are slightly smaller overall. When I found out there were two different hooks, I put away the smaller one and reworked what I could, but I didn't rework the differently colored inside, and it made a difference.<br />
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However here are the final nine squares, joined and pinned to a pillow. I blocked them by spraying them with water and ironing them, and then letting them dry like this. Much of the unevenness disappeared. What remains is to add a border. This is where the creativity exercise and other things I read in the book really helped.<br />
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I had no instructions for making a border. I've been making my own borders for the granny square flowers, but this was more difficult. I had a picture of another rustic lace square project similar to mine that had a nice border, but it didn't make sense to me to imitate it, because it would have pulled the corner quarter-circles along the sides to the edge, and I wanted them to "float" the way they do on the inside.<br />
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So I used the strip of my v-stitch "blanket" as a kind of ruler to figure out how many stitches to put in the border. <i>Being able to think of myself as creative was incredibly helpful here.</i> I realize I don't call myself an artist. In my Instagram profile I say I am an art student and a "polycrafter." I often say, I'm not creative, I'm just good at following directions. One of the things Kathryn says early on in her book is that we must claim the title of artist. I have been turning this idea over in my mind for a few days, and it gave me the confidence I needed to design a border for this lovely set of rustic lace squares.<br />
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The picture above shows the first round of the border. In the lacy part of the border, I put two sc stitches in each loop and one in between loops and at the ends. I put one sc in each point where two corner points come together. I put a sc, ch 2, sc in the corner points at the outside corners. Between the lacy sections and the points, I made 12 chain stitches. I wasn't sure whether 12 was the right number, but the first round looked OK, and after I added the second round, I wasn't about to start over to make additional adjustments. I will be blocking the piece again and possibly starching it, so it doesn't matter that much if there is some give here and there.<br />
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In this picture I've added two more rounds of sc in two different grays, and I'm making a v-stitch round in the silvery gray of the central flower motif of the rustic lace square. I would not have thought to do this, and I would not have been able to design the border at all, had I not started the v-stitch "blanket" exercise.<br />
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Finally, here's a picture of how I plan to finish the border. After I make the v-stitch round I will add three more rounds of sc in the reverse order of colors as the first three rounds. I thought at first that the border was a little overpowering, but I think that's only because I've been staring at the rustic lace squares for so long that they're not interesting anymore. That's not the case. It's a beautiful and complex pattern, and the border will do it justice. It's a bit time-consuming but if I work at it I can probably finish by the end of the week while still making time to move some other projects forward. (I've edited this post to show the finished piece at the beginning. The border turned out slightly wavy in spite of blocking, so if I ever make another one of these again, 12 chain stitches is a bit too much to connect the parts of the squares that are at the edge.)Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-59978028404846780512015-11-23T13:36:00.002-08:002015-11-23T13:38:43.519-08:00Circle of Friends Square, Part IV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistYyCM2F4Mwzb2IhfSnotyIIfb58ZI_WsdwMIHtL94oTXC7ZwjBL5rThkG8jIe7fJ13p1OoAQrzip7h0AX03a-GRb3GScdokKQLekLgBiXvqm2yDyeeAMBgboSII0n4CuFCMeWVDAR3I/s1600/IMG_2080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistYyCM2F4Mwzb2IhfSnotyIIfb58ZI_WsdwMIHtL94oTXC7ZwjBL5rThkG8jIe7fJ13p1OoAQrzip7h0AX03a-GRb3GScdokKQLekLgBiXvqm2yDyeeAMBgboSII0n4CuFCMeWVDAR3I/s400/IMG_2080.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I've made nine more of the Circle of Friends Squares. They were all inspired by blocks from my unfinished "granny squares" quilt. Here they are, next to the corresponding quilt blocks. The photo is a composite from the Layout app for Instagram.<br />
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Here's the ninth square, without its quilt block. I've already started working on the next series of nine squares, which will be based on an assortment of images and ideas.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-39793262974852626322015-11-16T19:07:00.001-08:002015-11-21T04:39:57.906-08:00Works in ProgressThese are otherwise known as WIPs. I have a few besides the Circle of Friends squares.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31bu-h7HbtpviRn3LjygYpkfOv4BhAUE7m_0_lYDg_XKYT6SLtodHuG4UjHbOou2UTjRd65UrkVP3IrpCy0_qC3EeO_n3sRM4QYAu2bPKIh-n7kguWtvOyXdgh_UMCceyL8po8oqrekk/s1600/WIPs4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31bu-h7HbtpviRn3LjygYpkfOv4BhAUE7m_0_lYDg_XKYT6SLtodHuG4UjHbOou2UTjRd65UrkVP3IrpCy0_qC3EeO_n3sRM4QYAu2bPKIh-n7kguWtvOyXdgh_UMCceyL8po8oqrekk/s320/WIPs4.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
The last round of this thread mandala is very difficult. I have to wrap most of the stitches around a steel ring. I've started doing one point per day, which will guarantee that the thing is done in a few more weeks.<br />
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Here's another thread project - I have just recently managed to advance the three remaining squares to the second round. The finished piece will be 3 x 3 of the squares, which are called "Rustic Lace Square." Then I'll put a border of some kind.<br />
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I've decided to make ornaments. This one is finished.<br />
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These aren't finished - they need the top part and a hanging loop.<br />
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Finally here is the big WIP - another Granny Square Flower afghan for my mom. I have been making one square a day for 25 days (when this picture was taken - there's another one now). 11 more days to go, and then a border.<br />
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Last time I made this, I didn't make the poinsettia block (pictured) the way it said in the book. I put a squash blossom in the middle and made the leaves and petals be yellow squash and zucchini.<br />
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Finally, this isn't a WIP (it's finished), but it is part of the reason I have so many WIPs. I wanted to make a mandala and a bulb that changed color, and I did.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-33565997765198380912015-11-09T08:52:00.000-08:002015-11-09T08:52:12.014-08:00Circle of Friends Square Part IIIToday I finished square number 36, so I thought I would take some group photos and also say something about the inspiration for the squares, in case I forget.<br />
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In the picture above, they all are together. Half of them have the black border that they'll need for the continuous join. I've actually done a trial run of the continuous join, and it will work. I'm still going for a 7 x 9 square blanket. I'm thinking of adding a colorful border based on the "winners" of color use in all the squares. My spreadsheet counts how many times a color appears in the squares. So far the winners are mustard (golden yellow), white, "bluebell" (light blue), and kelly green.<br />
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Squares 1 to 9. Top to bottom, left to right we have colors of the fall garden (white dots are the daisies), favorite colors, what I got by starting with brown (was going to be candy colors but morphed along the way), starting with magenta and using gray (because the gray in #3 was so cool), another one with gray and some of my new colors, bright fall colors inspired by the trees in Wellesley, not sure (probably trying to capture the elusive cheerful primary color scheme), new yarn (red, taupe, black and white), and a not-so-beautiful attempt to make a fruit salad (kiwi, strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, honeydew, raspberry and a pastry color on the outside).<br />
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Squares 10 to 18. Top was another try for candy colors, vegetable colors (carrots, beets, peas), yarns from my yellow and neutral box (plus lavender), inspired by a corduroy skirt on Instagram, not sure about this one but it's awesome (maybe just trying to use that peach in the middle), not sure about this one either (maybe something christmas colored), republic day in Turkey, Orla Kiely colors from my origami box, more fall garden colors.<br />
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Squares 19 to 27. An attempt at Christmas colors, the other origami box (from the pastel colored cups I saw at the Louisiana museum), probably one that I started with taupe and then just whatever came to mind. The next five are based on quilt blocks from my granny square quilt, and finally another fall color inspired square (from the morning walk down the driveway).<br />
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Squares 28 to 36. Fall colors (from early morning waiting for the bus), bright rainbow, pastel rainbow, washed-out rainbow, dark rainbow, dawn colors, christmas colors again, fall colors from the living room window (birch, pine and oak), and finally another square from my quilt.<br /><br />
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<br />Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-77430342300012271842015-11-02T08:41:00.003-08:002015-11-29T04:56:03.629-08:00Circle of Friends Squares Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I posted about five Circle of Friends Squares I made. This week I have 25. That means I've made 20 this week. I want them to all be different, but it's getting hard to determine which colors I've already used when I've made so many. I want to make a blanket with 7 x 9 squares, so I need a bit less than twice as many more. I decided to make a spreadsheet to keep track.<br />
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Here's a screen shot of the spreadsheet. Each row is a color of yarn that I'm using for this project. Since I'm using mostly Vanna's Choice yarn by Lion Brand, I copied the color swatches they have on their web site to place in the first cell of the row. This was a chore, but it is doable. "Format Picture" in Excel has an option to resize the picture in a cell every time the cell is moved or resized. It was very hard to get this to work at first. The instructions I found on the internet said to select the cell, add the desired picture, resize the picture to be the same size as the cell, and then choose the option "Format->Picture->Properties->Move and size with cells" (I have Excel 2010 on a Mac). This didn't work every time. Eventually I figured out that the size had to be exact. So I formatted the cells to be .25 x 1 inch, and I resized the picture to be exactly this size using "Format->Picture->Size." I had to unlock the aspect ratio first. The picture functionality is still a bit flaky, but with some care I was able to make it work.<br />
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Each column represents one square. Round 1 is the center round and round 7 is the outer round. I put the round number in the row of the color that I used for that round. So each column should have the numbers 1-7 in 7 of the cells. Finally I used the "countif" function in Excel to count the number of times a color appeared in each round, and added a total of these for the number of squares on the right-hand side of the row. I can add columns as needed. For two of the squares, I had repeated a color. So I only put the first occurrence of that color in the square's column, and I added one to the appropriate "countif" cell on the right for the second occurence.<br />
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Right now I'm using this quilt top for inspiration, though I haven't exhausted all the other ideas I have for my squares. The pattern is the quilt version of "granny squares." Each square gives me a suggested combination of colors, and I'll go through the process here to illustrate how this works.<br />
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This block has a mustard colored center with pale yellow and beige on the outer squares. The four middle squares are a light brown batik with some additional colors in the dots. At first this doesn't look promising. How interesting could a brown and yellow square be? So I decided to give the dot colors a prominent role.<br />
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Here are the colors I've chosen. The yellow and cream will be rounds 1 and 7. The bobbles will be radiant lime green and bright aqua, and the hint of dark in the batik fabric will be represented by eggplant. The gold and brown colors will be the flat rounds 3 and 5. In this picture, the yarn for rounds 1 to 7 are from right to left, with round 1 being the yellow on the right.<br />
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According to the spreadsheet, these colors appear in the rounds I've chosen for them 1, 0, 2, 0, 1, 0 and 0 times in rounds 1 to 7. So if I stick with this arrangement I will have three squares with gold in round 3. I prefer this to the alternative with yellow in round 3 and gold in round 1, even though I've never used the gold yarn in round 1. So I'll stay with the arrangement I chose.<br />
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Here's the finished square. In the final version, I switched the aqua and eggplant bobbles.<br />
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<br />Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-21792125738752105472015-10-26T13:01:00.000-07:002015-10-26T13:07:22.682-07:00Circle of Friends Squares<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well I'm hooked again. I can't crochet these circle squares fast enough. I wanted to make something large using a square motif, so I browsed Google images with the keywords "square crochet motif." I came across some beautiful blankets that used a motif very much like the ones in the picture. What I saw was from a <a href="http://babylovebrand.net/2013/02/04/free-pattern-textured-circles/" target="_blank">free pattern</a> by Rachele at babylovebrands.net. It's based on another free pattern, the <a href="http://priscillascrochet.net/free%20patterns/Afghan%20Squares/Circle%20of%20Friends%20Square.pdf" target="_blank">Circle of Friends Square</a> by Priscilla Hewitt. I didn't want to use a double strand of worsted and a 10 mm crochet hook, so I used the original pattern and made two modifications. First, I used a different color for each round. The original pattern is for one color. However, using different colors made the last round of scs look too narrow, so I used hdcs for my last round. Then rather than making the corner 3 sc, I made the corner hdc, ch, hdc, ch, hdc. I'm thinking of joining with a flat chain join, but more on that later when it's time to assemble. It's so great to be using my H hook and worsted weight acrylic yarn again. I used it to make the first flower afghan and many of the mandalas. I've made things with other kinds of yarn since I started crocheting again this summer, but the acrylic worsted weight is my hands-down favorite.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-6818294561289080682015-10-19T14:03:00.001-07:002015-10-19T14:10:27.736-07:00Giant Mandala Finish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I finished the giant mandala cushion. Today I will explain the rest of the process of making it.<br />
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Here's a picture of how I sewed the back to the front (how I made the back is my previous blog post). The pin will match up with the peak of the red shell behind it. By measuring the peaks when I made the back, I was able to ensure that the front of the cushion was even and symmetric.<br />
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To make the stuffing, I used an old blanket that I was going to give to the cat shelter. There was nothing really wrong with the blanket except it had been mended a couple of times, and we got a new one. I procrastinated the trip to the cat shelter for a few years, which was lucky. I washed it at the laundromat and cut two large and two small circles.<br />
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I sewed the small circles to the large ones first, then sewed the two large ones together along the wider seam allowance. That way I didn't have to sew four thick pieces together. I left a gap, turned it inside out and sewed the gap closed by hand.<br />
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It was easy to stuff because of the velcro closure. I had thought I would have to tack the blanket pieces together, but it lay nice and flat, so I left it as it was.<br />
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The picture below shows its thickness. <br />
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Another picture.<br />
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I love the middle. I sent it on its way to San Francisco for Kate Vercillo's Mandalas for Marinke project.<br />
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Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-80210210593606830052015-10-12T15:03:00.001-07:002015-10-12T15:12:29.266-07:00Big Mandala Back Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a giant mandala. Well not really all that big, 32 inches across, approximately. The problem is, what to do with it? It will be my last contribution to #MandalasForMarinke. I wanted to make it into a cushion. I decided to sew the mandala to a fabric back, and after lots of pondering, I chose to sew it to the back between the outer two rounds. That is, the red round will be sewn to the back and the outer magenta round will have nothing behind it. However, the edge of the red round is not circular, it is scalloped. So I had to make a scalloped back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOdMMagkyWJzC0vNzBSTdJBnraoIAi09QZEpHdrxQfIDq7SbLfesph4d77yiP9rmVMjHlme1zkeS2hZIaBQswobGgrLgnDYiemeipSj8RrskkHiMA7OdE_0fNwJ6UNnk6-WIODEsrPeE/s1600/Mandala+back1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOdMMagkyWJzC0vNzBSTdJBnraoIAi09QZEpHdrxQfIDq7SbLfesph4d77yiP9rmVMjHlme1zkeS2hZIaBQswobGgrLgnDYiemeipSj8RrskkHiMA7OdE_0fNwJ6UNnk6-WIODEsrPeE/s320/Mandala+back1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I made the scalloped back by sewing together two semicircles and turning them inside out. I would have to draw scallops on one of the semicircles. This was a math problem. There are 37 points on the mandala. So I looked up the formula for the length of the side of a 37 sided polygon. The formula was 2 * radius * sin(180/37). (2 * radius = 32 inches.) This was something like 2.71 inches. I understood that if I just measured that distance 37 times (or 18 1/2 times for one semicircle) starting from one end, the accumulated error would cause the scallops to be in the wrong place when I got to the other end. So I cut six pieces of card stock to the (approximately) correct side length, cut a scallop into the ends, and taped them together. That way I could make sure that the spacing was as even as possible without getting overly precise.<br />
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Here are the two pieces with right sides together. The scallops are marked on the print (a scrap that escaped being stuffed into a pouf). The marking can be seen best at the lower right edge. It was quick and easy to sew the semicircles together along the marked scallops.<br />
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Next I clipped corners and notched the seam the way your grandmother learned to do in high school.<br />
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Here is half of the back, turned inside out and pressed. The black satin will be the part of the back that shows. The inside, while not the ugliest print in the world, was a piece of fabric that someone gave me, which I was never going to use for anything. But I kept it anyway, which was wise.<br />
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I also kept 24 inches of black velcro just in case I ever had to do something like this. Just kidding, I kept it because I could not bring myself to get rid of 24 inches of black velcro. Smart move. I attached the black velcro to the raw edges of the sewn-together semicircles. Notice that one piece of velcro is on the inside (you can't see it in the picture) and the other piece is on the outside. This is the only way it could possibly work. Now this was a tricky step and I have not described it all that well. The reason is that nobody else is ever going to sew a back onto a giant mandala with 37 points. But just in case anyone wants to do something like this, I made sure that I had enough extra fabric at the straight edges of the semicircles to add the velcro. I sewed a piece of velcro to the straight side along one edge of the velcro and then turned it under and sewed it down along the other edge, such that the center of the circle was exactly at the middle of the velcro strips. That way when the velcro was fastened the shape would be a "perfect" circle.<br />
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Next I overlapped the semicircles and sewed them together at each end. I pinned the edges together carefully and sewed them together by stitching a rectangle.<br />
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This is where I stand today. I have about seven points sewed down. 30 more to go.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-14425345611193680312015-09-14T19:47:00.000-07:002015-09-14T19:47:09.794-07:00#ncieleafThese leaves are for a <a href="http://yarnbombersunited.weebly.com/get-involved.html" target="_blank">yarnbombing project in Australia</a>. (The thing in the middle is the beginning of a thread mandala.)<br />
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People from all over the world are sending these leaves to Australia in order to decorate a tree outside of the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern, Sydney, Australia.<br />
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After I mailed the leaves in the picture above to Australia, I found one that got away, hiding in the bottom of a plastic bin of yarn. So I put it together with some biological leaves, and it fit right in.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860197897456594203.post-27274742176056706902015-09-14T19:40:00.000-07:002015-09-14T19:40:12.342-07:00Rainbow MandalaThis might be the last mandala I make for the Mandalas for Marinke project. The deadline is approaching, and I have a trip coming up. I wanted to make a color wheel mandala, because the twelve rings make this a natural choice (3 primary colors + 3 secondary colors + 6 tertiary colors = 12 colors).<br />
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I didn't want to buy more yarn, so I had to make some adaptations. Instead of a saturated blue violet I used a pale bluish lavender in the center and the outside border, and instead of red-orange I used brick in round 9. I think this worked out very well because the interruption of the dark brick and light lavender add interest.<br />
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I previously made a giant mandala that I want to turn into a cushion, so I'm waiting until I do that to send in this one as well as the four from series 3. But I might go ahead and mail the five regular ones that I have left to send tomorrow.Crishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10005747539676155439noreply@blogger.com0