What makes a great crochet project?
Today, I’m sharing my perspective on what I think makes a great crochet project. What makes some crocheted projects look like modern art and a coveted design, but others, well, just don’t have that kind of energy? I’m guessing it’s all in what you look for. And I understand that not all of you will agree with it. And that’s okay. We’re all graceful enough to respect each other’s perspectives. The story behind a great crochet project For me, I love some vintage. I’m not particularly a collector, but I love the stories behind the pieces. This brings to mind a granny square blanket I inherited that a friend of…
Feelings about gifting handmade
How many of us have gifted handmade items and wondered whether they were ever used or appreciated? It’s hard not to wonder, especially if you never see the item in a picture or anything. And I’ve read horror stories online about handmade items that were given only to find the item a few years later at a Goodwill store! Examples of my gifting handmade I’ve gifted to my mother-in-law who is a retired crafter, sewer, DIYer. Obviously she appreciated my gift. I’ve gifted to my mom, also a retired crafter, quilter, and DIYer. Also obviously appreciated my gift. And I’ve gifted items for donation assuming the recipient was in need…
What I LOVE about self-striping yarn
I love self striping yarn. I mean L.O.V.E it! There are such fun color combos out there, and I know I could manually create some of the effect of a self-striping yarn, but I’m reminded of the number of ends it would produce. Ugh. I’m not a fan of ends. Which is one of the reasons I AM a fan of self-striping yarn! Most of the self-striping yarn I’ve used is a 3-weight — think Lion Brand Mandala, LB Cupcake. I’ve also used Caron Big Cakes yarn in a 4-weight. I haven’t been terribly interested in the 5- and 6-weight self-stripin yarns. Yes, it’s fun to occasionally use these and…
Using craft organization in other areas of your life
Do you ever find yourself going down a rabbit hole for something you’ve recently been interested in? For a while, I was in a backpacking frame of mind. I would go down backpacking rabbit holes on Pinterest, Facebook, and other backpacker sites. I’d think about food, and pack weight, and other ways to carry our stuff, or other stuff to consider carrying. So what does organizing crafts have to do with crafting a joyful life? Well, today I’m going to layout how my craft organizing skills have helped me in other areas of my life, such as backpacking. Organizing versus Cleaning (they’re not the same thing!) I tend to be…
What I would NOT take with me
“She looked at her old life one more time, took a deep breath, and whispered, ‘I will never see you again’.” (Author Unknown) Wow. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to go back to your 20-year-old self and make different decisions? For those of us old enough to remember, it would be like the Choose Your Own Adventure books. Since we can’t do that, except in our dreams, what if we looked at where we’re at now. What things would we take with us to our future self? What things would we leave behind, and as the quote says, ‘never to see you again?’ There are…
Simple Double Crochet Blanket
Today’s project is a simple double crochet blanket. It doesn’t get much more basic than that. Do you ever need one of those projects that just doesn’t require much focus? Maybe you’ve just finished a complicated and challenging pattern and you just need a break from it. Today’s pattern will do just that. This blanket is great for a beginner crocheter, or even a veteran who wants a relaxing break. I don’t make this blanket often as I usually turn to the Lemon Peel stitch for my relaxing no-brainer. But today, I’m sharing two of the simple double crochet blankets I’ve made. Oops! Apparently I was in such a relaxed…
New Project Spotlight: Corner to Corner (C2C) Crochet Blanket
In today’s New Project Spotlight series we’re shining the light on the corner to corner (C2C) crochet blanket. The corner to corner (C2C) stitch is an interesting break from the straight up and down construction of typical blanket patterns. While this stitch can be used on more than just blanket patterns, that is where we used it. It works on the diagonal. You start at one corner and you progress on the diagonal until you reach a point where you then begin to decrease to the opposite corner. The first time I tried this stitch I had a little bit of the ‘all thumbs’ symptom. But once I understood the…
New Project Spotlight: Rumpled Ripple Crochet Blanket
In today’s New Project Spotlight we’re shining the light on the Rumpled Ripple crocheted blanket by KatieCooksAndCrafts.blogspot.com. This blanket uses my all-time FAVORITE stitch: the lemon peel (Cue the Snoopy dance!) and puts it into a ripple blanket design. So I’ve done the lemon peel (you can read about that here) and I’ve done a ripple pattern and this just marries the two of them together! What You’ll Need (or what I used for the Rumpled Ripple crochet blanket) 6 skeins Craft Smart Value Yarn (244 yards/skein; 100% acrylic; 4-weight) in the colorway Pinata Ombre Less than 1 skein EACH: Red – I Love This Yarn Royal Blue – Bernat…
New Project Spotlight: Crochet Trio Blanket
Today’s New Project Spotlight series shines the light on the crochet Trio blanket by Susan Carlson over at Felted Button. This pattern was intriguing to me. I wasn’t quite sure how to pick my yarns but like anything else, you usually just need to try something. So I did. I mixed three Lion Brand Mandala yarns in what I hoped would be complementary colors: Harpy, Liger, and Cupid. The pattern itself is fairly easy and once you get the hang of the repeats, it’s a no-need-to-watch-the-pattern type of pattern. What You’ll Need (or what I used) for the Crochet Trio Blanket 3 skeins Lion Brand Mandala (590 yards/skein; 3-weight; 100%…
New Project Spotlight: Millstone Stitch Crochet Blanket
In today’s New Project Spotlight we are shining the light on the Millstone stitch crochet blanket. I used the tutorial by Emma over at Potter and Bloom. She has both a video and written instructions. I used the written instructions which were plenty sufficient, so I don’t have any experience with her video instruction. If her video is anything like her written instructions, I’m sure it’s pretty awesome! This is a stitch that works up wonderfully with self-striping yarn or gradient yarn — you know me, fewer ends to tuck and a beauty of a finished project. When using self-striping yarn, this blanket creates a sense of curiosity in the…
