Crafty Rantings

I'm Crafty. I Rant. These are Crafty Rantings!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

For Mother's Day

OK, I am going to BRAG. I know I can make nice washcloths and other things (and have) and that I can crochet almost anything. Knitting I have lots to learn. But crochet... now I have been doing that probably longer than knitting (I gave up knitting for several, long years but DID crochet those year - including teaching myself to make doilies!). I have made some beautiful afghans in the past. The Mary Jane slippers I made and the felted bags and bowls are all things I am especially proud of, and the Mary Jane slippers were crochet, not knit. But I honestly believe that this is, by far, the most beautiful thing I have ever made. And I made this for my mom for Mother's Day. And I am going to deliver it to her in person. I have my airline tickets and permission for the time off and Dad is taking me to the airport with Den picking me up in New Hampshire. I am surprising her. Boy will she be surprised! I wanted to go for her birthday in February when she turned 75 but didn't have the time or money. Now I do.

So first, here's a little background. First, the pattern was free. Now yarn snobs STOP reading and just skip to the picture and come back to read this after you've changed your mind. It was a pattern I found at http://www.redheart.com/ and I made an alteration. It called for size "J" hook but next time I am using a "K", maybe even an "L" which I do have, thanks to the Mary Jane's. It also called for, of course, Red Heart "super saver" worsted weight yarn - 3 skeins and I can't tell you how much yardage that is because I have no clue. Instead, I used Lion Brand Yarn's "pound of love" yarn in Antique White which isn't white and isn't cream but is soft (which was a big requirement). Yes, the skein was 16 ounces (454 grams) and had 1020 yards and IS 100% acrylic. And here's the fun part... I used up one whole skein and then probably about 1/4 of the second because I found that using the lighter yarn and the hook it stated - always a mistake with me because I crochet tightly and know I should go up a size - that I wanted it to be the same size as the picture and it wasn't going to be unless I added one more repeat to the pattern. It was a lot of work but it was SO worth it! Not only did it end up long enough but it is just gorgeous. It took me close to 3 weeks, I think, to make this and inbetween I made a lot of washcloths, too, but mostly every night after work when I'd sit down and watch an hour of news with Dad or watch in my room at night (or on the weekend), I worked on it. I guess you could say Bill O'Reilly helped motivate me. Every night I had an hour to listen and crochet.

The pattern is called "Be A Friend Shawl". Here are the pictures:




Now don't you agree this is a beautiful shawl? I am thinking I will take the pattern with me and start working on one for me when I'm visiting. Of course I don't usually get a lot done but I might if I take the yarn with me instead of buy it there. We'll see. But hopefully you can see the pattern up close. Definitely worth the extra repeat! I know Mom will love it. I love it and would only part with it for her.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Crochet Goddess

Of late I have been the crochet goddess. I am making a half dozen washcloths for my friend Kaylee in exchange for a pair of handmade socks. I can't wait!! So I decided I would crochet them. I have already made 3. Each one will be a different color. There will be 3 patterns, 2 in each pattern. So far I have sent her the following:


And so then after finishing these two, I decided on the next pattern and here it was...








So there they are. I like the self striping one. I have a lot of that yarn because I bought a big skein back when Michael's carried the big skeins (boy do I miss those!!). Anyway I will be making more things with that color scheme.

I have finished my mom's Mother's Day present and will devote an entire post to that with pictures. I need to have a few more pictures taken. I have to say that I truly LOVE it. I want to make another in that pattern but will need to use a hook 2 sizes bigger and different yarn (I used baby yarn for the softness). Anyway more on that in another post.

I am now working on a scarflet with a pattern my friend Vicky gave me. Let's see how that goes.