Filed under: crochet, knitting | Tags: knitting, afghans, crochet, doilies, thread
Despite slicing my thumb open last Friday I have still been able to knit. Although I don’t need to wear the splint so much now, I still can’t bend it but it has proven more of a challenge to crocheting than to knitting, quite to my surprise. Of course, the fact that I’ve been working on butterfly wings in size 10 thread doesn’t help much.
This week I have plans to conquer this doily. I started it weeks ago with so much enthusiasm and plans for more in different colors. Now I will be happy just to finish this one. All these butterfly wings are not fun. At this point I still have eleven large wings and all twenty small wings left to complete and of course they all still need to be attached both to the bodies and to the doily. There is a certain monotony to a pattern in knitting and crocheting that can be quite relaxing and meditative. This is not that kind of monotony. This is like trudging through knee deep mud barefoot because your shoes and socks were sucked off moments after beginning the hike through the mangroves (recollections of a poorly planned school field trip - you can imagine how impressed the bus driver was on our return).
I have never made anything for my mother so I took the idea to her and she said she’d love an afghan and I found something that should prove quite a satisfying challenge. It will be my first knit blanket and I’m looking forward to starting but I really want to knock out at least this doily first because I just can’t stand having so many WIPs. I’ll post more on the intended afghan once this doily has been defeated.
A train of thought several nights back right at bed time had me up late starting this project instead of going to sleep. I can’t explain it. I was simply overcome with the desire to crochet bobbles. This pattern is so simple. That is why this kills me. Hours upon hours have gone into this and all I have to show for it is a couple of hours work. First it was my tension. It was pain to crochet and the results were not up to par with what I was seeing elsewhere and definitely not worth all the work. After sleeping on it I decided to try again from the beginning, consciously making every effort to loosen up and I decided to make it smaller. Since then it’s been enjoyable to work on and my bobbles actually bobble. I have not had to wrestle with any stitches and I’m caring about it rather than wanting to forget about it. That’s only half of it though. I seem to have forgotten how to count. We’re not even talking big numbers here. Eleven is the largest but my biggest problem appears to be counting to three. I think I’m concentrating and being careful and yet stitches will fall off, I’ll catch myself doing the wrong stitch or the right stitch wrong, or I’ll lose my tension, get my hand tangled in the yarn or even better, get my entire self tangled in the yarn (don’t ask, especially not how many times). I’ve had to frog and rework this thing so many times I could have been finished by now. I don’t know what my deal is as this is quite a recent thing. Am I not getting enough sleep? Too much stress? Whatever it is, this isn’t helping. I’m staying up working on it instead of getting to bed at a reasonable hour. If I try to go to bed, it’s incomplete existence haunts me and keeps me from sleep. If I can just get to the end of this first skein I will take a break; sleep a little. I’m not touching anything even slightly challenging until whatever my problem is has been taken care of.
Maybe this is simply a providential lesson in tolerance, patience and perseverance. Or possibly priorities (ie. sleep, not crochet).
I crocheted this blanket while pregnant with DS originally just to use up left over yarn from my first two crochet projects. It became a baby blanket mostly because the yarn I had happened to be blue and there wasn’t very much of it. I learned only recently that this pattern is called box stitch. It’s the pattern my mother taught me when I first learned to crochet and I never did finish that blanket I started way back then (which coincidently was also blue). For the border I went around it three times in single crochet and then added a block edging. I think it was made with Caron Simply Soft yarn and it’s about a yard square.
This is the Butterfly Doily currently in progress, awaiting it’s butterflies.
They were going to be multi-colored but the thread I bought looks hideous when crocheted into a butterfly so they’re going to be black butterflies which will suit my decor better anyway. However, if anyone can recommend a pretty, multi-colored size 10 thread or a place I might be able to find one, I would appreciate it for future projects. I’m also taking suggestions on what to do with a brightly multi-colored thread that looks awful when crocheted into a butterfly or a doily. Below is the thread and the butterfly parts made with it. I frogged the doily I attempted because it was scaring my husband.
Filet Butterfly Doily
Made with size 10 thread and a size 7 hook. The free pattern can be found here.
I’m not entirely sure why it turned out far more oval than circular. Any ideas or tips would be appreciated. Could it be that my stitches were too tight and therefore short?
During this project I learned the filet increase and decrease and the hardest part was trying to block an oblong shape. This is the first project I’ve had to do so much frogging and reworking but it was worth it for the lessons learned. 
It is now looking very pretty in DD’s bedroom.
Finished Thursday, 05-01-08.
Water Bottle Holder
Based on a free pattern from Luv 2 Crochet Designs, this made the perfect quick project to whip up in the wake of those afghans. It was made with the suggested Sugar ‘n Cream Cotton yarn in Hot Pink. This one was given to my step-sister-in-law to either use or re-gift and it’s actually quite handy so I think I’ll make another one in a different color for myself.
During this project I learned the double crochet decrease.
Finished Saturday, 04.26.08.
Light & Lacy Afghan
This pattern was from a Mainstays label. Actually, it might have been the label from the yarn I started the Diamond Trellis Afghan with now that I think of it because the label says it came from a skein of “Autumn Red”. Well, that solves a mystery. Anyway, the yarn used was Red Heart’s Super Saver’s 0313 Aran. The yarn was given to me and the pattern is one I’ve worked before but ended up using as a dog blanket which in the course of time was destroyed. The two afghans that I’ve completed this month are projects that I started just for the sake of crocheting and to use up yarn. I was originally intending to knit the red and cream into an afghan to match the throw pillows we were given at our wedding shower but it took me so long to get around to it that the dog ended up destroying those pillows anyway and they went in the trash. (Our dog isn’t destructive, she just likes to “nest”).
Finished Thursday, 04.24.08.
SB300-003 Diamond Trellis (Afghan)
The pattern is from the back of a Red Heart Super Saver No Dye Lot label which also happens to be the yarn I’m using to make it. It’s worsted weight in “0332 Ranch Red“. Or at least, most of it is. I started out with a different brand of No Dye Lot yarn and armed with a sample for color matching I sent DH out to get more one evening. I must have bought the original yarn from a different store and DH came home with what looked like a perfect match from Walmart. It’s close, but it’s not a match. This isn’t an heirloom though so after some contemplation (and already being an hour or so into the new yarn) I decided I didn’t care enough to undo it. Unless you were me or had a terribly sharp eye and were specifically inspecting it, you probably wouldn’t notice anyway.
Finished Saturday, 04.19.08.
