Ann

Part two of the Spincushions CAL

Ann is  affable, nonchalant and neat.

All nine blocks made using a total of 147g of yarn compared to 160g used for PAM. 

Nice pattern to follow, i am getting more used to joining the round with a dc as opposed to a slip stitch :)

CrochetingAlong

So i decided to join the CAL designed and run by Shelley at Spincushions. I mean, it's called FRAN so how could i not!

The first block is called PAM, and here are my nine. Isn't she pretty!

There are some really lovely versions being made in multiple colours but i have decided to use my cream aran stash and do the whole thing in just one colour.

This time ;)

Moogly Block 8.1

I'm a little behind still but I am gradually getting there. My latest finish for the CAL is block #8.1 "Princess" by Melinda Miller

Sunny Spread - a little progress

This has been an ongoing project for over a year now. I pick it up every now and again and do a bit but i am getting bored with it now so i am trying to finish it. Actually, that's not true. I'm not bored with it. I just want to start something else!

I tried playing around with it....

But in the end i decided to stick with the pattern but not have holes in the corners.

The problem then was that when i started out i put 5 stitches into the corner then put it down for a while and when i picked it up again i had forgotten that and only put three in the corners... This has led to much frustration. Should i rip the squares out and redo them with five? Should i plow on and hope i can make it fit together?

Well, i plowed on and made them fit!

It's been a bit of a struggle but it's all of my own doing, the pattern itself is great!

I just need to decide what's next in the way of a border or more panels perhaps? It's hanging in the living room so i can ponder while i knit the Ice-Cream socks. 

Sock knitting is keeping me sane where crafting is concerned at the moment.

Too many long term projects and not enough instant gratification!!

Moogly Block #4.2

Slowly catching up. Veeeery slowly lol but i am getting there!

I've played with the colour placement again, and i also did the later rounds slightly differently to get a different look.

I kinda like it! :D

I also spent some time taking nicer pictures and playing with Aviary in Flickr although i now realise i forgot to add a frame :/

I took the pile of Moogly Blocks to knit group with me last time and spent a couple of hours sewing the ends in which was fun. I think i have three left that need tidying out of the ten blocks i have made and i now have 6 blocks to make in order to get up to date!!

Best get hooking!

Moogly Block #6.1

More V's Please by Melinda Miller
Really happy with how this block has come out. I feel like i am getting better with my colour placement on my first attempt now rather than making an ugly block and then getting it right!
Followed the instructions to round ten and then did two rounds of trebles instead of a round of half trebles.

Moogly Block #5.1

Moogly Block #5.1
a photo by franneyk on Flickr.

Lion's Mane by April Moreland
Really happy with the colour placement on this one! Nice simple to follow block, didn't have any trouble with it at all other than adding on extra rounds to get it up to size.

Moogly Block #4.1

This is installment 4 in the Moogly Blog CAL, the block is called Veronica's Rose
I made some adjustments to the final rounds to get it to the right size by repeating the eyelet round and adding another round of "ribbon" and i am really pleased with it, So pleased in fact, i have sewn my ends in LOL

Moogly CAL Block Two

So, the second block in the Moogly CAL was revealed last Thursday.
I was a bit late starting this block but i got both finished in plenty of time before the next one comes out :)



This one was a LOT easier to follow than the first and typically i prefer the colour placement of my second block to the first, you can see the flower buds much better in the second block :)

More Moogly CAL

So, after discovering that the US pattern was different to the UK version i decided to have another go and compare the two and work out what was different!

Here's my second attempt and i am much happier with it. If you're going to have a go at the square and you can "read" US terms crochet then i'd recommend doing that!

And the two blocks together for comparison, i much prefer the colour placement on my second block :)

I've got a pattern full of notes that i need to make sense of but once i have i will post it here and in the Ravelry group :)

Moogly Block #1

In an attempt to use up yet more stash i have decided to join a CAL which is being hosted by Moogly.
It will consist of 24 12" blocks, each of which will be revealed every other Thursday and run until November.
After a rummage through the stash i've decided to use some of the aran i got when Lisa closed the shop, Sirdar and Stylecraft in Blue Heather, Woodsmoke and Lavender and i'm using a 5,5mm hook. I'll use the same 3 colours throughout, adding in extra colours should i need them :)

It was quite hard but I persevered!

Some things to note:

The UK version of the pattern is missing some details that are in the US version and the photo tutorial

• It is recommended that you use a size larger hook for the surface crochet.
• On round 9 all stitches are worked through the Back Loop Only, not just the first stitch.
• On Round 10 it is recommended to "tack" the second round of surface crochet through the back post, as you do for Round 16.
•  There are also stitch count discrepancies between the photo tutorial/US instructions and the UK instructions which leads me to believe the instructions must be different.

I've decided to make a second block following the US instructions and see how it comes out in comparison

Going round in circles...

Going round in circles...
Originally uploaded by franneyk

I've been experimenting with my Sunny Spread circles again and i think i've nearly cracked it... Nearly but not quite!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on O2

Sunny Spread

The Sunny Spread has been my travel project for some time now and i've been using my bargain Aldi yarn to make the centre circles with the intention of finishing them off with the cream from the same range. I've used a ball of each colour and now i have a lovely pile of circles, i just can't decide what i want to do with them!

round and round and round

how to finish?

On the bottom right is the original design, which is very simple but i do love a granny square so i tried grannyfying it with cream... I was concerned there would be too much cream in between the circles if i were to leave it at that and after some pondering i thought it might look good with a round of the circle colour which then led on to me trying it with black instead of cream.

I haven't helped myself reach a decision yet. While i like the black it is a bugger to work with even in daylight. I have a couple of things to try yet, i am not beaten :D

Now that the 2011 Woolly Wormhead Mystery KAL hat is finished my evenings are free to play with circles. I was going to start the 2013 MKAL but i have decided to cheat and wait until i see Clue 2 knitted up because i have a feeling it's reverse stocking stitch again and i hate all that purling so i may postpone until i'm over knitting purling Rubbish Mojitos ;)

Bereft!

I have finally finished my Marble Ten-Stitch blanket and i am really sad! I loved knitting this even though it's taken over 3 years! It's been my travelling companion, my camping companion and my shopping delight :D
I'm not sure Lisa would agree, it had become something of an obsession to hunt out the Marble at knittingy shows and dither over colours but i loved the whole process. I needed an extra ball of the grey/white for the border and i still have a green square and a ball of purple/blue floating around somewhere but this blanket is done.

Oh yes, it does still need blocking a bit to get the wrinkles out but never mind that, isn't it pretty!!

Blue Blanket

This blanket was inspired by the Wendy Blanket pattern but with my own twist and was made for my friend to celebrate her 40th birthday. I used up a lot of stash in various shades of blue and it took about 6 weeks to make it. I had to have a crochet break after making this as it damn near broke my hand! I had an RSI injury for a few months and i still can't crochet intensively for very long. BUT it was worth it.

Stage One

Stage Two

Stage Three

Stage Four

FINISHED!!

Blocking

My favourite view *LOVE*