"Candace gets everything"

A new project is underway on the crochet hook -- Aran afghan throw - a free pattern courtesy of JoAnn fabrics.  It was in the running for my new project, along with Foolproof afghan and Bumpy Baby blanket.  I was leaning more towards the Bumpy Baby blanket, however when I asked Candace to help me pick out a yarn color, she couldn't decide.  In the end, she picked out three:  a dark brown, light brown (shown in picture), and a dark teal blue.  GORGEOUS colors!  So, due to the three colors, I thought the Aran pattern would work nicely switching out the colors.  And of course, Candace said..."Mom is making me a new blanket."

 

Ummmmm.........this picture taken just moments ago.  She "borrowed" the afghan from the couch last night to sleep with.  Stinker :D  As you can imagine, I'm one happy momma though.  

Today, the garden will be getting some much-needed attention.  But first, I'll spend some time with the Aran afghan before waking the house up.

Happy Friday everyone!

Slanted Shells - completed [Crochet]

Slanted Shells (51" x 64")

A new appreciation for crocheters was eminent!! My first finish is nothing fancy, but the time investment is jaw-dropping; roughly 50 hours (and 2640 yards of yarns) -- some 'simple' quilts I've made this size in the past can be completed in a small fraction of that time!  However, when a new obsession strikes, I guess time really becomes meaningless. 

I thought a LOT during this process about the crocheted afghan I sold at a garage sale all those years ago for $1.00, and am simply shaking my head.  The lady who purchased it did the best she could to get me to understand how meaningful that afghan should be, but .... the appreciation didn't exist.  And I would confidently say that afghan was queen size.  :\

So, I move forward in my new craft, excited about the possibilities!   During most of those 50 hours, I had YouTube crochet videos playing in the background.  Lordy, oh Lordy!  My break from quilting will continue;  I'm simply feeling burnt out and disinterested right now.  Please forgive me.  Quilting is still my first love, but crochet currently is a very close second. And I want to learn and play more :)

The details for Slanted Shells

Pattern/Design:  Slanted Shells

Yarn:  Caron Simply Soft : 6 x Bone (315 yd/ea) 3 x Woodland Heather (250 yd/ea).  (Found at 

Walmart for $2.97ea) = TOTAL: ~2640 yards

Time:  Roughly 50 hours

Size: 51" x 64"

Hook:  Size I/9;  5.5mm

Happy Day everyone :)

Slanted Shells - more progress

One thing about the heat that is hitting our area this week -- once the morning outside duties are completed, it's enjoyable to sit in the AC house with the fan blowing on me..... and crocheting :)

And actually, last night while sitting the hours away in front of some movies of the girls' choosing, it was relaxing and comforting to drape the afghan over my legs as I completed each line.  It has such a different feel than a quilt.  {{Quilts are still my first love!  {so far} }}

At any point now, I could bring this project to a close.  There are 7 skeins used so far (5 x 6oz/315yds & 2 x 5oz/250yds).  Candace gave it a test run and awarded it two thumbs up.  However, she did say "Mom, I think you should switch back to the green for a bit."   That silly girl... that's exactly what I was planning.

So.....hm.  Maybe 5 rows of green (matching the width of the small strip on the other end).  And then I predict going along the border with two border rows of the green, before completing it with 4 or 5 border rows of the bone color.  Yup, yup....that sounds like a good plan.

Hm!  Maybe this will be finished tonight.  

At this point......I have LOADS of new appreciation for crochet projects!  I haven't calculated my total time investment yet, but.....everyday, I bet I've been putting in an average of 8 hours.  Since Friday....6 days.......48 hours...  Sounds about right. :)

Happy Wednesday!  Hope you are all staying cool.

Slanted Shells - almost half way

Paul asked me today if I had a vision in my mind as to what the finished project looked like.

Ummmmmm....sorta.  I'm just kinda going with the flow.  I was thinking of doing some symmetry, but ... while driving to Walmart this morning to pick up some more yarn, I saw more 'bone' than 'woodland heather' in my latest vision.  So, I've switched back to bone and will crochet up oooodles of rows now towards the top.  

I have spent some hours in the garden and some time with our animals over the past couple of days.  The temperatures are starting to climb, as well as the humidity this week.  My garden has taken OFF this past week!  Holy moly!  But I have definitely also spent more than my share of time in my glider with my project.  More often than not, I have some sort of youtube crocheting video in the background;  it truly is amazing what you can learn with youtube;  it CAN be productive! :D

Happy Monday

Slow stitch Sunday - Slanted Shells

No surprise here that I plan to spend my 'slow-stitch-Sunday' with my Slanted Shells crochet project.  

I added the sage green to the project last night; but didn't hold out as long as I had intentions for.  By 11:15PM, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was half way through the 2nd movie.  All three girls were already crashed, and I was pretty close to crashing myself.  Everything was turned off, quilts were thrown on top of each girl, and I was off to bed.

Head over to Kathy's to watch everyone else's Slow-Stitch-Sunday projects :)

Slanted Shells - 24 rows

This yarn is absolutely gorgeous!!!  It has such a soft golden sheen to it, and it's so smooth and soft to work with as compared to the worsted yarns I've worked with this past week.  Again, it's Caron Simply Soft - and this is 'bone.'  

I've been sitting.... and DUH, crocheting for the past couple of hours.  At one point, I wanted to have an idea how long each row takes, specially now that I've found a rhythm in my stitching.

Row 22 took 19:18.2 minutes and row 23 took 19:21.8 minutes.  Fairly consistent.  I should also add that I was in "work-mode."  It wasn't a leisure crochet pace -- rather, it was 'nose-to-the-grind-stone' pace.  

So far, the 24 rows measure about 13" wide.  So...some quick mental math...

If I want this afghan to be 6' (72") long.....

I will need about 133 total rows....................and LOTS more yarn.  LOL.  I am nearing the end of my 2nd skein;  I'll see if I can wrap it up tonight by finishing it off.  I just brewed a pot of coffee and I have the Lord of the Rings trilogy lined up next to the DVD player.  The Fellowship of the Ring has been playing for 2 hours already; one more hour left.  BOY, these movies are long!!!!!   Maybe......if I watch all of them tonight......I'll make some serious progress on this afghan!  Besides, Paul just started up his 4-day nightshift swing, so....there's no reason to rush off to bed :)  Tomorrow, EVERYONE can finally sleep in :)

Happy Saturday evening.

Lofty goal - Slanted Shells afghan

Candace is happily modeling another simple finish of mine from Thursday evening;  it was an excellent project for me to practice some more crochet and to learn a new combination of stitches: Cluster-V design.  She's claiming it for herself.  Works for me :)

Then, I contemplated.  And you-tubed.  Then contemplated and you-tubed some more.

And then yesterday, after dropping Cassie off at 8:00 to pick strawberries, the other two girls and I headed down to Walmart (25 mile trip).   I wanted a couple more crochet hooks.  I wanted some yarn.  Some nicer yarn than the worsted 4ply that I have sitting next to my glider.  

I had a vision and a goal and was on. a. misson.  

I want to make an afghan.  #1) to give me an idea of how special of a project I really did let go at the garage sale years ago.  #2) Besides, it's not like I have any lap quilts or blankets around my living room!! Geez!  I'm DEFINITELY in the need of an afghan!  

LOL. 8-)

By 10:00, I was back at home, putting a movie in to relax the morning away with the girls.  

And I started.

Later in the afternoon, Paul took the whole family on a 2 hour road-trip to visit a Dexter Cattle farm.  His vision for next year is for us to start up a little herd and he wanted us to see them...learn about them... and basically get a "feel" for what my opinion on the whole thing would be.

Psht... as if he hasn't already figured out:  I'm fine with just about any new venture lately, as long as it doesn't break the bank :D

Notice the yarn and crochet hook in Candace's hands??  She's becoming a MASTER at the chain-stitch! 

This really isn't a great picture.  It makes the animals look like any other picture of cattle.  However, what is unique to the Dexter breed -- they are SMALL.  Not tiny, but MUCH smaller than the typical cow.

Anyway... it was an enjoyable trip, because I crocheted the entire way down and back.  Almost 4 more hours of crocheting :)

So, one full skein has been used, and it's making progress.

The design that caught my interest (AND it seemed easy enough for this beginner):  Slanted Shells

 The time investment already....hm.  Roughly 10 hours. ??  There are 12.5 rows completed, and I'm definitely getting quicker with my stitching;  tighter too.

I'm not sure I want a two-color afghan yet.  Therefore, I'm going to continue with the bone color Caron Simply Soft for now.  Each skein:  6 oz (170 g); 315 yds (288m).  {{There are also three skeins of a sage green "Woodland Heather" in the picture with Candace.

Making this afghan will CERTAINLY take much more time (and yarn!) than my simple practice dishcloths and scarfs.  Wish me luck that it doesn't turn into a UFO once (if?) the honeymoon phase of crochet wears off :-]