Saturday, November 19, 2011

Crochet Projects

During the past year I haven't been totally doing nothing. At first I didn't want to do any extra projects because that would mean just that much more stuff to pack and move when the time came. But I was itching to do some crochet and it suddenly occurred to me that I could crochet some afghans and give them as gifts!

The first one I made was a simple basketweave stitch. I used a variegated yarn to add a little interest. I have a tendency to make the stitches larger than the pattern calls for so you can see on the completed blanket there is a color change where I had to buy extra yarn in order to make the blanket as big as I wanted. Once it's folded nicely on the sofa you don't really notice anyway.
Here you can see the basketweave pattern better. This stitch makes for a really heavy, thick, warm afghan. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)
The instructions called for a simple border you can see here.
The second afghan I made using the open/closed heart pattern. I had made this pattern once before as a baby blanket for my granddaughter. The difference this time was I added a couple of extra rows to make an adult sized afghan. This yarn was a no dye lot yarn so I didn't need to worry so much about matching color lots.

A closeup of the border.
The first blanket I gave to my sister in law for being such a good sister in law and taking care of the dogs and putting up with me while my husband was in the hospital. The second blanket I gave to our friends in Roseburg who frequently fed us and gave us a lot of moral support while we were still looking for a house in that area and also for just being great friends!

Yesterday I unpacked a box with a lot of my "crafts" stuff and I started getting the itch again. It'll have to wait until the rest of the boxes are unpacked and put away. *sigh*


2 comments:

Carol said...

Hi Tina,
Your afgans are beautiful. I especially like the heart one.
I'm glad you found a place. It looks like a good one for you. The view in your pictures looks lovely. The house is pretty too. I've missed reading about your animals. Will you be getting more animals once you get settled? I hope so. I've always enjoyed your animal stories & pictures. I miss living on a farm.
Good luck getting settled. I hope you will like your new place.
Carol

Anonymous said...

OMGoodness!!! Those are so beautiful!! They are craft faire worthy!!! Those are very lucky recipients too!
Now with your weather I can see you crocheting away in front of a nice fire, a little toddy, and your furry friends at your feet!!!
Patti