1.19

Back again with more updates.  I am crocheting like crazy at the moment.  I have a few ongoing projects plus things in between.  Let's get on with it shall we... 

First up my temperature blanket.  I'm not sure what everyone else has done on this as far as a temperature reading, but I check the temp 3 times daily.  Mostly around the same times.  Basically morning, afternoon and when I walk the dogs.  I have been using the temp when I walk the dogs for my color choices.  I've kept track of these temps and found that I would have had far less color variations if just using the days high.  I guess as the weather changes and warms up (as it does in So Cal) I will be pretty bored of orange and red, so I shall just enjoy my blues for the time being.

Day 4

My other ongoing project is my Eater of Yarns blanket.  As it grow, my stash shrinks.  Since I have such a large stash this is a very good thing.  Plus I'm using up all those single skeins that I have no idea where they came from and also using up partial skeins.  It's making for a very fun blanket that Katlyn is already trying to claim as her own.

It's growing

So while waiting for the timer to go off I sat to have a quick read.  Stella decided to make herself at home on my back and Katlyn was quite amused by this.

Animals are weird!

Both blankets in one photo.  The Eater of Yarns is huge and very hard to get all in a photo, same really for the Temperature but I since I'm just updating the daily rows right now, it's easy enough.

Day 9

So another project I started and finished in a day. Kid needed a sweater, I looked online and found a simple enough sweater and took his measurements and set off.  All was fine until the putting it together.  since the collar is a bit smaller (so I thought) There was a tricky bit to getting it to fit together properly.  Finally get it done and put on Kid and alas...I messed up! 

dog sweater parts

I made the chest piece too big.  I measured him at 6 inches and for some reason I made the piece 9 inches!  Ugh!  So I am going to have to figure something out for him, he's less then amused with my skills!

Kid in his new sweater

Added the yarn samples to my color chart just for visual effects really, I only have 9 colors plus white if the temp ever gets below 25 degrees (hahaha) 

Day 11 with color chart

Just a photo to show the progress of Eater of Yarns

Jan 13th

My bag of temperature yarn, it's a very tight fit at the moment.

Day 14

I decided my Grandson needs more geeky hats, so a Pokeball hat was in order along with a Ninja Turtle set. 

Pokeball

Ninja Turtle

I started a new cowl with my lovely Malabrigo yarn.  It's going to be a triple wrap cowl and I am very excited to get to wearing this!

Saturday coffee and crochet

Brooke likes to facetime me, usually daily (I am a lucky Grandma!)  We chat about everything and I crochet and she colors or watches tv, basically we just hangout.. Saturday Alysha and Christopher went to a wedding expo and Alysha got a tiara for being the bride which of course Brooke later commandeered so I was able to get pictures of my girl in a tiara. 

Brooke in a tiara

Here's a shot of all 3 projects I worked on over the weekend.  This was Sunday evening.

weekend wrap up

Monday my boss let me go home a few hours early, so I played with yarn.  I wound loose skeins into cakes and tried hard to get a decent shot of the eater of yarns blanket, but holy hell it's huge!  Like too big for my bed huge, I spread out a white sheet to show it off better, but between the overcast day outside and Katlyn's puppy, who would not stay off my bed....this is the best I got for now.  I guess the stripes are going to be running vertical instead of horizontal on the bed.  Oopsy.   

Harley wanted to be in the picture

Ok that about wraps everything up.  I will end with another temperature blanket photo and sign off for now with day 18.

Day 18

Listening to: Cure by Metallica

....photos and more!

Here we are the 2nd week of January and I haven't posted since September!  Oh dear....I will do a quick picture update from the last couple of months!

Things I've completed, still working on or newly started!

He likes to hang out with me

Pumpkin hat

Santa c2c

Katlyn got a new puppy, she was found tied up in an alley with no water with the temperature outside above 90.  She was approximately 3 months old according to the vet, malnourished and had to take medication for some aliment that I can't remember, but she is now a bouncy, healthy, near 6 month old puppy who is slowly destroying my house! 

New puppy

Now on with the new boy in the family who is seriously the sweetest baby ever!  Born September 20th 

New Grandson!

My Son the shark

He's so tiny!

Candy Corn Hat

Boob Beanie

Katlyn turned 21

2 Grandkids now!

the growing blanket

Me & Brooke

Lunch at the mall

recycled silk yarn - Darn Good Yarn

Snowman c2c

a quick headband

He came down for a visit!

family photos

oh this face!

turkey hat

he likes it

Christmas gifts

all done

another gift

slippers - literally finished on Christmas!

I think all the photos above have explanations enough for a quick update. 

Now on to current projects!

I started this blanket on December 30th, with the idea that I could use up some of my yarn.  I have so much and it just sits in plastic tubs in the closet, so I figured I could use up some of it and make a new blanket at the same time with no pressure of Christmas or any other holiday to finish it up.  So I make a very long starting chain, I think it was 196 chains with 2 strands held together and an M hook (9.00mm) It's going to be huge!  Here's what I'm doing, hdc in each ch/st across with a 2ch turn at the end of each row.  I do 2 rows and then switch out 1 of the colors and have that on repeat until I get it a length I like.  The first picture is the start of the first row, which I do my hdc's in the back of the starting chain.  It's is a pain, but I do like that it doesn't look like the starting row.  The picture below it you can see how the blanket has advanced in just a couple of days. 

first row is always the hardest

On January 1st I started a temperature blanket.  1 row daily with the color depending on the outside temperature, usually I go with what the temperature is when I walk the dogs in the late afternoon.  Maybe next year I'll do another with the temp at noon.  It's Southern California, I'm not sure how much of variety I will be getting once it warms up a bit.

day 2

That's it for now, I've been taking daily pictures of the temperature blanket and lots of pictures of the Eater of Yarn blanket.  I want to spread it out on the bed for a large shot but my bed has a dark duvet cover and since the damn puppy ate my quilt that was light colored and I used for many photo shoots....sigh.  I'll figure something out!

Listening to:  Something by The Beatles

New Year

December was a busy hooking month!  Not just gifts either, I actually got a bit selfish and made things for myself.  Now there is a lot of pictures to showoff the silly things I whipped up, so away we go!

First up, a simple beanie that my mother requested for her rides in my sister's convertible, don't want to mess the hair when taking a trip to Vegas. 

basic beanie

Next up I decided I needed a new cowl.  Ok.... I actually really wanted to use some fancy yarn I had on hand.  I have a lot of miscellaneous fancy yarns but with most of it, I only have 1 hank which of course isn't really a lot of yardage generally.  Which leaves me the problem of what to do with these lovely yarns.  So driving home from work I was thinking about colors, something I do often...random color combos pop into my head I I go from there.  I had this hank of Noro Tanabata (middle in the photo) which had lovely oranges throughout so I thought it would look great with this super rich orange hank of Mulberry Merino by Plymouth Yarn Co.  Get home and pull them out...instant love.  what to do with them?  A simple cowl!  Just needed another color so I grabbed the Olive Green Lamb's Pride that was a giant mess of tangled yarn thanks to Stein and got to work...well first I have to untangled the green and then ball the hanks of the other 2 colors and then I got to pick up a hook!

just starting

The Noro had so many different color come out as I worked it up, a lot of pink and green along with the orange.

so bright and cheery

As you can see with the tree in the background, it's December....I did mention this was a look back post, right?

It's Christmas time!

Got it done and was able to wear it even though the sun was shining bright and I'm wearing short sleeves....Damn Southern California weather!

done

The nights were cold for awhile, hot chocolate was necessary! 

so tasty

Really the weather did get quite chilly for a couple of weeks and I made another cowl.  This time I did pink and gray.  I used Bernat Bamboo in Lotus, Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora in gray (or color 15524 as stated on the label) and Sensations Beautiful in Pink.  Made it a bit shorter and I like it!  The yarns are all super soft and the colors are sweet.

another one

So at this point in the month I really, really should have been working on Christmas gifts, but lately just don't feel as if anyone gives a rats behind for handmade gifts anymore, so I decided to just be crafty for myself.  I wanted a snowman....I made a snowman.  Wasn't hard, just took a bit of creativity and out popped a snowman!

snowman #1

Katlyn felt Snowman #1 needed a hat, another comment after posted his photo was he needed a nose....ok let's try again.  Started making Snowman #2 while preparing dinner, so his head took a break.

waiting for a body

This time I did a nose and a hat along with the scarf.

Snowman #3

He was better received, having all the added parts.  I still wanted more, I liked the idea of the different colored scarves for them so I did another with a blue scarf and this time a fabulous complimentary blue beanie.  He's the favorite.  

Snowman #3

Friends of mine are having a baby girl in February so I did up a chunky baby hat and added a large button.   I really need to get a blanket done for them!

baby hat

Just a Saturday morning photo from my pillow of Kid, he wants to go for a walk which requires me to be awake.

view from my pillow

Ok Christmas gifts up next.  First up black and gray beanie for Chandler, pink and gray beanie with a darker Gray flower for Annabelle, black and pink coffee cozy Shaunna and an olive and gray cozy for Kiana.  I got the girl Starbucks gift cards to go along with the cozies and Chandler a Playstation gift car to go along with his beanie.

Chandler's beanie

Annabelle's beanie

Shaunna's cozy

Kiana's cozy

Cookies were up next, I got everything bought and ready and worked hard on Christmas Eve!  Dozens of cookies baked and ready to be eaten.

the beginning

I also whipped up some last minute gifts for the adults.  Votive candle cozies.  4 sets done, I even added candles.  

candle cozies

Katlyn had to go into work at 10 am on Christmas, so we went to my Sister's early so the kids could do presents.  Facetiming with Brooke so we could share Christmas together and a knock at the door reveals my Christmas surprise....Brandon and his girlfriend!  Yay!  Did I mention I love Christmas!

Brandon in his Grandmother's sunglasses

We had a great 5 days with Brandon and Patryce.  I love hanging with my boy.  

Katlyn has been wanting a viking hat for a long time and since I was done with Christmas and in need for something on my hook, a viking hat it is!  

shy viking

We are now in January and haven't had the desire to make much on my long list of things, so I started small, with Groot from Guardians of The Galaxy.  Twinkiechan has the pattern on her blog and it's adorable and easy.

Groot head

I have this Japanese yarn from Motoko's stash but know nothing about it, so I decided to play with it and make up a bracelet.  I will have to get a completed picture.  The yarn is lovely, but even after a google search I still don't know anything about it!  

unknown Japanese yarn

So that about covers it for now,  I though I had a gray hair growth picture for the month, but not sure were it went to but I am still sticking with it!  Some days not sure why!

That's me out....

Listening to: Lightning Strikes by Aerosmith