Younger Son's Afghan

I stayed up to 3:00AM for most of last week working on this in order to have it finished by the time we left to see him Friday morning. It was  a chore. I misread the gauge and therefore adjusted my hook size to what I thought the gauge said. After making the number of squares the pattern called for I realized it wasn't going to be the overall size stated in the pattern. Nope, I didn't start over. I just adapted and made more squares. It took less time I and I also thought that I liked the look the smaller squares had.

Another change I made to the pattern was using hexagons instead of circles. It was the mood I was in when I started the afghan maybe. Or that I normally don't crochet in the round with that effect because hats and such I want to be circles. I felt this gave me a chance to try something different. Caleb likes the look. In fact, he was more than pleased with the finished product.

I remembered that Mamaw would often embroider her name and the date on her quilts that she gave us. So, I also included a "crochet by" tag on the afghan. I'll add one the David's and each one I make for my family.

I don't have very good lighting to take pictures of this inside my house but since it's generally dark outside when I complete something, and I have to immediately take the picture so I won't forget, I post what I have.

Oldest Son's Afghan

My Mamaw was a quilter. She made each of is girls quilts. I always loved them but I feel I may have took them for granted even while treasuring them. After she passed away I realized that I was afraid to use them. I wouldn't get another from her and I wanted to preserve what I had. I got over that and my boys certainly didn't feel the same. I would find them using them all the time for whatever they wanted to.

Thinking of how much they meant to me and that I would like my children to have a small idea of how it felt to receive them, I briefly considered taking up quilting. It didn't take me long to realize that I didn't have the time to take up something new. And I followed that up with realizing I would find the time if I really had the inclination to learn.

That was not long before I told myself that I have a skill. I crochet. And that is a treasurable thing as well. So, I told each child, sister and mother that they should pick out a pattern they liked for an afghan and I'd make it for them. I had a reason for letting them pick the pattern.

It wasn't often Mamaw asked you to pick which pattern you wanted. That didn't matter to me. Part of the whole allure of those quilts we girls received was the material in them. You can look at one quilt and see so many memories. Each of had clothes made out of something in them. I could give that with my afghans so I wanted to make it a least somewhat speciall by letting them choose which they wanted.

I told them whoever picked theirs out first got it first. I lied. It wasn't intentional. But my oldest and his wife are living with us for a while. I thought it might add to the specialness for him to see me working on it and to see the progress. I feel the sister that got back with me first will understand.

I also feel she'll understand that I am now working on my other son's because I hope to have it finished when we go visit him next weekend and I'd like to take it to him. Mary you WILL be the next one.

So, here's the one for the oldest. The colors are off and I don't feel it looks as well as it does in person but I'm recording it for my family to see so it's the best I have now.

Reminder from my sister

I got this picture from my sister. I forgot I made this camisole for her.

Different Beach/Market Bag

I found, and purchased a pattern (with the rights to sell the finished product) of a bag that was more what my son had in mind. I have to admit that i like it as well and will me making some for my personal use.

Market/Beach Bags

My son is opening a store at a beach and is needing things to sell and he would rather have handmade items. He is working on some inventory and asked me to as well.

Here a couple of bags I've made and they would work well for either the market or the beach.

The all natural color is one that I hope to have in the mail today as a surprise for one of my sisters. The other is one that I've actually sold. I'm working on some for my son though.

Wallets

 I was searching for a pattern for a wallet a year or two ago. I just couldn't seem to find one. So, I set out on a quest to design one myself. It went through a few stages but here's a brief look at what the design is now.

Scarves for the Special Olympics Going in the Mail Today

My second set of scarves for the Special Olympics are going into the mail today. I sent some earlier to Georgia, the closest state to me participating and these go to Northern California. My sister has moved there.

Over-sized baby blanket

I had a co-worker request a blanket for her baby (probably not quite 6 months) that she would be able to use as old as five or six. To me that called for a blanket a bit bigger than normal baby blankets. She looked at patterns and found a few she liked certain things on. I tried to combine those elements in a blanket for her.

Two of the most important were the colors, softness and that it be a tight pattern....no "holes" she said.

I used Caron Simply soft (one of my favorite yarns). I chose to use HDC for the blanket. I find that stitch more visually appealing than the DC. As a hide sight, I believe it would have looked better as an offsetting shell pattern but I didn't give it the thought I should have I imagine. I heard what she wanted and envisioned something one way off the top of my head and that's what I stuck with. Shell patterns that I've worked with in the past have had what I felt she would consider holes. Since making this, I've revisited shells and I am even now making a scarf with a shell pattern that I feel would have been tight (not as tight) but more pretty.

Experience teaches me as I go along. Though I've crocheted for many years it is only within the last year that I have ventured to make my own patterns. I expect this may happen to me on more than one occasion. That I later think of how I could have improved something.

Anyway, here's the blanket.

Scarves

Pics of some scarves I've made.

This last is made out of silver cotton thread. Needed a silver accessory for an event.

Our Ponchos

I have three sisters. Often Mom, if she is traveling abroad, will get us each a gift alike but maybe a different color. I've come to treasure those gifts knowing my sisters and I, spread out across the country, can look at it and think of each other.

I made myself a poncho and first my mother wanted one, well, actually she got the one I had originally made for me, then it escalated into a total of seven matching ponchos in varying colors. One for Mom, one for each of my sisters, one for me and one for my two nieces.

Here's a picture of one of them.