So I have 2.5 nieces. Each has been getting a crocheted blankie, according to the whims of their aunt (me.) Niece #1 got a big granny rectangle, in nature-y colours. Niece #2’s, just finished, is a ripple blankie in bright BRIGHT stripes. And my sister-in-law is due in October, so I’m just getting started planning number 3.
Browsing ravelry.com is always an adventure, I always see awesome patterns. But there’s the problem. I am pretty terrible at following crochet patterns. (Even worse for knitting, but I prefer crochet anyway). So I’m going to attempt the Skipping Stones afghan, stealing the colour theme from user califlamingo, that’s the top photo right there. I’ve written out the pattern to include the colour changes, and how many stitches each round should be. And tonight I’ll stop at my LYS and pick up the necessary!
That’s neat! I’m doing a granny square swap with some friends. I took a 6-pointed star pattern and adapted it to 7 points. I should get a picture up on my Ravelry page.
Speaking of, there is still a Straight Dope group on Ravelry although it hasn’t had much traffic in a while, SDMB Yarnies. I’m TheFaerie there also.
That pattern would have been really useful three or four years ago, when I was trying to make a crocheted Twister board. I got as far as making about twenty circles in different colors, but couldn’t figure out how to square them off. Then I lost interest.
Last year I started in August and made about fifteen afghans in time for Christmas–mostly grannies in a join-as-you-go deal because I hate sewing things together afterwards. But I can’t really start working on blankets in the summer because it gets too damn hot once you get a sufficient amount done.
Right now I’ve got a star-ripple baby blanket sitting in my basket. Nobody’s having a baby anytime soon, it was just the easiest thing to do when I needed to feel useful while binge-watching 30 Rock on Netflix.
Well, I bought my yarn and wound it all last night. (Why the heck do American yarn stores insist on selling unwound skeins? It’s RIDICULOUS.) Then I got started, did the first 10 or so rounds of the first circle. So far it’s easy - why do crochet patterns have to make something simple, like increases, look so difficult? There’s also lots of colour changes; I only remembered part way through how to weave in the ends as you go, a useful technique for stripey work. And, coming up soon, the tricky part - squaring the circle. I’m kind of looking forward to it, in a dreading kind of way.
I’m getting ready to start Betty’s Tunisian Tee. I just have to swatch the tunisian purl stitch and I’m good to go. I have this cone of chocolate brown mercerized cotton. Getting kind of excited about the project!
Yay boo! I finished my first circle-square, the pattern, as usual, is much easier than I thought. But the process of changing stitches for the corners made me realize I’ve been working the whole time in double crochet, instead of half-double! So my stitches are too long, and the extra length in each round is what’s causing the rippling - the whole thing won’t lay flat. I can improve it a bit with blocking, probably, but I think I’m going to find another use for this lumpy square and start again using the correct stitch. I think the shorter stitches will also change the look a bit, the first rounds are very complicated. Sigh. Good thing it’s fun!
araminty, I am forever defaulting to the wrong stitch. If it’s supposed to be half-double, I go double. If it’s supposed to be single, I do half-double. I have an especially hard time with the latter. My muscle memory just reeeeeeally wants to yarn-over after every stitch.
There’s one I’m always meaning to do that I haven’t got around to yet and doesn’t require a pattern. It’s strips (not deep enough to be stripes exactly) of leftover yarn in bright colors. Because each color is separated with black, it ends up looking kind of like a stained glass window. And the border is in black. IIRC it’s like two rows black (probably hdc) two rows blue…two rows black, two rows red. Two black, two yellow etc.
That sounds nice, Becky. I almost bit the bullet and PAID MONEY for this pattern - if you search on ravelry there’s several ideas on the theme. I think traditional granny squares are outlined/joined in black, it’s such a nice look.
The Skipping Stones is going well, I’ve done 2.8 out of 8 squares now. I dislike whip-stitching squares together, so I’m wondering idly if I should join with hdc, something like this. Hmm, bit easier with grannies, as they have the nice big ch spaces to join through…
I don’t crochet, but I do knit, and the project I’m presently working on is the Chicago skyline in illusion knitting. Second pic down on the linked page.
