Need a shawl? Ask Yuli! Free shawl pattern

This shawl was designed by Yuli Nilssen.  It is really beautiful, yes??!!

Her blog page is called Nurturing Fibres. This is also the link to her free pattern.  I have a few things to finish up first, but this looks like a wonder Spring Shawl I would actually wear! You??? Check it out!

DESIGN IDEA

I sent The Crochet Dude, Drew Embrosky, an idea on how to improve those lovely plastic stitch markers that look like little locks.  I'm think of a way to keep from losing your hook!!  Hopefully, he will read it and actually have it made. Otherwise, another suggestion down the tubes.

I don't have good luck with my designs or my new ideas. They seem to be taken and then used by the "takers" as their own.  For some reason I am thinking he will not do that. I don't want to patent anything again, and I'm not into manufacturing, but he has already improved on that. He would be able to do it easily.  My only desire is credit, and perhaps a few hundred stitch markers! LOL!

WE SHALL SEE!

SHAR'S AFGHAN

I have two rows joined.  As soon as I have the other three (four?) joined, I will post a photo.  The colors remind me of the plaid afghan I made for my younger brother. Will show you why later.

I may need some ideas on the rest of the bordering process.  I will post photos and see what you think!

Have a wonderful day!

Be still my heart……………….

Three days of SUNSHINE!!!!!

I can hardly believe it! I have been able to get outside and walk the dog around a lot (in the backyard).  It feels so wonderful to have time to sit on the deck with the sun shining in. Just in time, too! Now I don't have to commit hari-kari from being so glum with the lack of sun!

I have finished the second border on all the squares for Sharon.  Now I will work on joining them all and figure out which border (for sure) I want to use.

My BFF Bev is working on joining and bordering another afghan for Sharon. Can't wait to see what she comes up with as she is so dang talented!

Meanwhile I am making a scarf (surprise - what else would I do in my spare time? Clean house?????) in what I thought was Noro, but turned out to be a Bernat yarn called Mosaic, in the color Fantasy, which is 100% Acrylic.  Has a weird hand similar to the Noro I used before.  I hope it is better once washed and softened.  I'm doing 25 stitches across using the sc, ch1 pattern and on the next row I sc in the sc and ch1 above the ch1.  This yarn makes it look solid…using an I-hook.

Speaking of cleaning house, I have been (finally) putting away the Christmas decorations. The tree is now a St. Patrick's Day tree in green, silver, and gold. It's prettier than it shows here.

Tommy Socks is happy to see the sun, too.  He has been getting out a bit more in his catio.  Had to take him to the vet as he has an eye inflammation, but is all better now. you can see how one eye doesn't contract as much as the other. We think he may have had a stroke last year, but don't know.

My cousin Carol, who lives in Seattle, sent me five new jigsaw puzzles! I'm adding them to the 8 other ones I have yet to put together.  I'm sure I have more in storage in those big boxes in the garage.   These are my favorite kind….Eric Dowdle, of course, and Charles Wysocki, but also Jane Wooster Scott who is a new fav.  I like the Folk Art puzzles the very very best!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Afghan join

I have decided not to use the Flat Braid Join as it makes the join and border too holey.  I'm just doing a slip stitch in the BLO which makes a nice ridge. I bordered in VC Terracotta as about 50% of the squares had the color. The only other one that was more was the Kelly Green.  I think the squares look good, but it doesn't translate as well to the "big screen"!  Perhaps once it is all said and done.

How does that look? Below is a look at some of the squares bordered with the Terracotta. 

Once all the squares are joined I will do a nice thick border to make it larger, plus Shar is giving it to her granddaughter or great granddaughter, so will be able to make it more feminine with a nice border by Edie Eckman. She now has two books on the subject! One is Every Which Way Crochet Borders, and the older one is Around the Corner, Crochet Borders. She is the first designer that I know of who designed and graphed and published just how to do a full crochet border.  I know that lots of designer of baby blankets, etc., all have borders in their design, but have never seen one prior to Edie's that gives the crocheter the ability to figure out what border to put on their afghan to match their needs.  

This is the border I think I will use, but perhaps add to it before doing the fancy part so it is pretty wide.  Don't know the colors yet, but it will depend on what I have on hand.

I think I could even add one or two more rows of the design IF I have enough yarn.

I'm having a bit of a problem with my index finger on my right hand. Too much crocheting I suppose, but it is also the one that has bad arthritis and is starting to get noticeably crooked.

TRASH DAY TODAY!

I talked to the contractor today about my driveway and fence.  The fellow who put it in kept talking me out of what I wanted.  If that happens to you, stop the man in his tracks and tell him to quit yapping! So far I have to had to re-do one other thing he changed on me, and now I am re-doing the fence.  It seems men like to do things they way THEY would like it, not the way you would like it.  It has been happening with every project.  Anyway, I am having the fence moved back 10 feet into my yard so the drive will have extra parking out front if needed but mainly so the garbage truck can pick up my trash at my home rather than my having to take it up the block to the main street, or put it on my neighbors pickup on the block over.  I'm excited I won't have to travel around with those heavy cans any longer!  My next door neighbor might be happy in a way as he will not have to take it out to the street any longer either! Well…his teenage son, that is!

LIGHTS, ACTION!

Another project I started is putting up string lights on the back deck to combat my depression…from the darkness during the winter, lots of clouds all the time, & little actual sun.  I will be putting in daylight LED lights so when it is finished the deck will look like it is covered in sun!  From inside it will look bright and cheery, and that should certainly help my attitude. If not, I may have to move again! I plan on adding some silk flowers that can be seen out the window which will add to the cheerful ambiance and overall brightness.

Have a great day!

Musings…..

When I first started doing Tunisian in earnest, I made a panel that was to be stretched and framed….but I never did get it set up.  

When using a Tunisian crochet stitch and a knit graph, you have to account for the different sizes of the two stitches.  I turned the graph sideways to make it come out right, so instead of my rows going left to right on this fabric, it is going up and down the long way.  Otherwise he would look off kilter…shorter and fatter.

I have searched for a conversion table for fabrics, but none really exists. There are videos that I didn't watch that might make the leap of faith and commit to a conversion scenario, but all in all you should just remember it is the GUAGE that counts. You have to figure the gauge for stitches across a row and the rows, too.

My DSD took the fabric to make into something…I wonder if she ever did! :o)

This is my personal pattern below.  I started out doing something and then instead of changing it up I just kept it up.  I'm sure there had to be a pattern long before I did this one as since I made it (about 2008 or 2009) several patterns have actually been written up.  It really makes a lovely statement when you don't use extra colors and let the stitches speak for themselves, all one color.  I don't remember who received it and what swap it was. It's just a simple puff stitch, ch2, puff stitch in the corners and increase two stitches each side, each row.

This is another square I made up in 2009.  I had another one where I put a dab of color in the corners and liked it so well that I did it again.  I wish I had written up all my designed squares, but never thought to it back then.  Especially if along the way I had to fudge with the counts! LOL! I think I will go ahead and write this one up, though.

Have a great evening!

Afghan Joining for a Dear Friend

I have a sweet friend named Sharon who has been having some health blows over the last couple of years, so I volunteered to put together an afghan for her.  I can't believe how many of the sides of the squares have different stitch counts….even from very experienced people.  Some of the sides have knots where the crafter ended the border….rather than doing an invisible join and weaving in the end.  It makes the square look like it has a chain one between the stitches, and adds bulk. Ugh.

So far I have finished most of the borders of each square she received in the swap. The photo is a bit dark.  The yarn is all Vanna's Choice and the border is in Pearl Mist. Two or three of the squares were already bordered in it, so I continued what she started.  Four more to go (I finished two after photo was taken). I probably won't border them any more even though I want the afghan to be larger.  I don't want any more ends to weave in than I already have, so I plan just to put on a very large border on the outer sides to increase the size.

Our mountain range with snow a couple of days ago.  It received another light dusting last night, but I think that is all for awhile. It was plenty cold this morning for sure, but no snow down here thank goodness!

One of my last photos of Maggie…sweet girl, and I miss her so much.  Brodie moped around for about a week, but now has started claiming the top dog job of protecting the property.  It had been Maggie's position and she was excellent! 

Took this, and several other photos, of a hat worn by a very young visitor to the Olympic games.  It is all in the Popcorn stitch, most likely made with a graph.  I'm saving the photos on the off chance that I actually might make one for my grandnieces!

Happy Hooking!