C'est Fini. . .

Well I finally said "frog it"* and tore out a bunch of the blanket. . . I just wish I could figure out where I go wrong sometimes. But I had done really a large amount so even frogging most of it I was able to fix from there and finish the blanket.

I think it came out okay. I'll have to get a photo of it. I will need to wash it first because, well, um. . . I have cats and a dog and had crocheted a lot of it outdoors. Hahaha. . . oh well the hair and dust will come out fine and then I can wrap it up and mail it off to my Mom as a suprise.

I am also starting a new project - a neighbor made the mistake of showing up with 6 skeins of yarn from her storage unit and I asked "Where's MINE?" So I got three skeins. It is that multicolored stuff - I really love that. I am starting a new lap blanket. I'll get a photo of that soon too.

I managed to go to bed pretty early last night and woke up too early because of it - sigh. . . so while I have sleeping angels I'm going to tackle some chores and then hopefully find sometime today to work on photos and the new blanket.

*Frogging a blanket is a term that I learned on Ravelry - it basically boils down to a more politically correct four letter term that begins with f. . .haha . . . and means to rip it out.

Blanket Madness

Okay so I've been out of touch and I know it. . . I'm sorry... Life just has so many ups & downs sometimes.

Lately I've recently picked up the blanket I started for my Mom. It is just a basic black crochet blanket. I had taken a break and screwed up somewhere from doing so... just as I thought I was ready to finish it I noticed that it ended on one side in a nice triangle fold on one half. ARGH. Where'd I drop stitches???

So now I am messing around going around sideways and adding stitches part of the way. You CAN tell that I did it. I am hoping to just even it up and then add some sort of trim so it blends a little better. Oh well it is the thought that counts. . .

Mom is doing okay - lot of pain lately. . . but so far seems to be doing well with beating the dreaded cancer.

Oh and Florida is pretty wet. . . we've been dealing with FAY. . . That tropical storm is obviously a woman... she seems to be taking her sweet time to make up her mind on things!!! I'm fortunate that so far our hurricane supplies are going to be just thrown into a box! It's great - she missed us first go round and seems to not be planning on hitting us second go round. We've had some PERFECT weather here but we had two to four rain storms (all light rains lasting only a few minutes - 2 to 3 to be exact).

I feel sorry for those who are dealing with her!

Socks!

Okay I've been messing around again. Last night I decided to try to start socks. I am using the In Your Shoes Ankle Socks pattern .

The pattern is in plain English which makes it so much easier for me to read. I have had a few minor issues.

First it mentions to SC up until 8 inches or 1/2 inch smaller than your foot width. I have tiny feet and measured across the top of my foot to get almost 4 inches. So I did it up to 3 1/2 inches and continued on. Once I realized that was the cuff I saw that it MIGHT fit my toddler. So RIP ... Then I went ahead and continued and measured around my cuff area every few rows and sure enough - 8 inches.

It gets a little confusing at this point. I had to stare, crochet, rip, stare, repeat several times before I understood what they meant about SC 18, chain 18, SC 36. But I finally realized that it meant to just leave 18 chain hanging and then reattach to the other side.

I now have a nice ribbed cuff, a gaping hole in the back, and a few rows to go down the foot.

Also I know this pattern calls for thin yarn. I am using leftover neon pink Red Heart type yarn. Yes I know that means the sock won't fit in my shoes. First - I would never be caught dead in neon pink. Second - I rarely wear shoes and wear out tons of socks. Third - I like to use cheap yarn on new projects to get an idea what I am doing before I worry about speciality yarn. Once I get the pattern down then it is different.

I don't have any photos yet. I worked up until 5 AM when I finally went to get some sleep. I'll probably take some photos later before I continue and then take more photos when it is done.

Granny Squares!

Okay I broke down tonight and attempted to do Granny Squares. Videos and two patterns later I realized I wasn't getting it. (Did I mention I don't really read patterns!).

So leave it to me to turn a goofed up work into something totally new. Introducing Granny's Sun.

Now I will share the pattern for you - BUT you cannot sell it. This is my screw up and if you want to do it you can.

Row 1 chain 5, slipstich.

Row 2 Chain 3, double chain three in the circle. Chain 3, double chain three in the circle. Chain 3, double chain three in the circle. Chain 3, double chain three in the circle. Slipstich.

Now it should look like the beginning of a granny square.

At this point chain three in the first loop, add a chain, chain three. Repeat all around. Say forget traditional crosses and do a sun! Hehee.

Okay seriously though that is basically how it is done. Maybe there is some site out there with a real professional pattern but that is how I did it.

Then I found this site: http://crochet101.blogspot.com/2007/03/starting-granny-square.html

And made this Granny Square.

Enjoy!!

Chemo Caps Galore

Okay so I've been pretty busy working on these chemo caps. I have found that it is feasible for me to do three caps in one evening.

My real issue is that I don't 'read' patterns. It got to be very frustrating because I know that my Grandma never read patterns and made beautiful things. I kept working on it and came up with two versions of caps.

The first cap is more of a bucket style chemo cap. I started using a Youtube video seen here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XXtcCBzknPg . I found that when you work with a smaller needle that you can still do it but you need to increase the number of rows in the circle. The other thing that I did was when it was time to start coming down from the circle instead of sticking the needle through the front or back hoop I stuck it through both. Does that even make sense?

The other style hat is even easier. Start by chaining. There is no right or wrong on this part. Chain until you get to the distance you want (I measure it around the forehead of the intended recipent). Then do a second row like you would a blanket. At this point you crochet down the two rows on one side, and then do a modified slip stitch. In other words stick the hook through the other end and put the yarn over and pull through both. Now go up to the next row and then you should be above the two rows which is now a circle.

From this point just keep going around in whatever stitch you prefer. I like to do two rows of double chain and then a row of triple. This makes for a nice ridge. Then measure again against the head of the intended victim (er, um recipent). If it comes to the top of their head you are halfway there. The next row you you skip every fourth. Next row do normal and then next row skip every fourth. (Are you still with me?). At this point you should be getting close. Just skip every 2-5 depending on your type of stitch and work your way closed. When I am on the last stitch I pull the yarn and hook into the hat. This way your knot is hidden. Play around with it - you'll get it.

First ever post

Well let me start with the introduction and get it out of the way. :)

I am a full-time stay at home mom. I have a relative who is battling cancer and to help with the stress I took up crocheting again. I cannot read a pattern - and seem to be rather inventive with stitches. BUT to me it is all about the journey and the finished product.

I recently made the jump from blankets to hats - all because I wanted to do chemo caps for my relative. This has been very helpful to me because as I get better and better I realized that this is my opportunity to make a difference. I do plan on making matching caps for my family as a sign of unity - as well as working on making more caps to donate to cancer facilities.

Dealing with cancer in a loved one is never easy. This is not my first loved one with cancer - but it is the closest to home so to speak. I know that finding coping mechanisms is never easy - but for me crochet has become a positive one. It is hard to really focus on being overwhelmed when you are counting stitches!

I am a member of the Ravelry community. If you knit or crochet then the place you want to be is on RAVELRY! www.Ravelry.com