New Hat For Faith

Christine tried calling me last night but the phone was busy. I was talking to my sister Nancy (and boy, can we talk)!! So Christine sent a text to Hilly asking her to ask me if I could make Faith a Hat. Christine crochets too, but has never done anything in the round. That is why she didn't make it herself. She brought Faith and some yarn over and I whipped up a hat for Faith. It is a 2 strand hat, so it worked up in no time. Faith knows I always take pictures of my creations, so she modeled it for me. Here she is in her coat with her new matching hat.



She left smiling wearing her hat, then they came back in and she asked me in a timid voice if I could make her a scarf to match the hat!! So I made one last night. I need to try it on her to make sure it is the right length. Once I have a picture of her wearing it, I will post that picture too.

My 30th Round Ripple Afghan

Here is my 30th (yes, I have made 30) round ripple afghan.
I made this one using MicroSpun yarn. I used the colors Buttercup, Lime, Mango and Cherry Red, with my Susan Bates Bamboo Handle H Hook. I love how soft this came out, but it was very trying. This yarn splits like crazy, so you have to crochet slow with it. And since I am not a slow crocheter, I had to keep reminding myself to slow down. I don't know if I will ever use this yarn again. Will have to decide later on. If I do use it again, it will be to make a scarf since that doesn't take very long to make.

Squares For Charity

I have been busy this past week making squares for Charity. Sissie on Crochetville has picked Victory Junction Gang Camp as her charity project for 2009. Since I am a huge NASCAR fan, this charity is right up my alley. I don't have pictures of all of the squares I have completed, but thought I'd post the ones I have pictures of. They want bright cheery colors for the afghans and I believe these will fit right in to make cheerful afghans. These (and all the squares sent in) will be put together to make afghans for each camper to take home with them.

I will post more pictures when I get them taken.

My First (Of Many) Spiral Ghans

I thought I'd take a minute and post a picture of my latest creation. I have made a spiral afghan. I used Hobby Lobby's brand of yarn I Love This Yarn in Toasted Almond and Ivory with an I Hook. I had single skeins of each and had no idea what to do with it, so this is what I came up with. I am trying to use up my stash of ILTY since the quality of it has gone downhill (while the price keeps going up). Anything made with it will not leave this house. I refuse to give a gift with yarn that doesn't hold up.
This will probably end up a Kitty Ghan, since I have found Andy laying on it when I had put it down while working on it to go do something.

A Dishcloth Pattern I Tested

I had the pleasure of testing a new pattern for a member (Ldyjarhead) of the crochet forum Crochetville. She named it Gentle Ridges Dishcloth. It was very well written and is a very easy pattern. I love how it turned out. You can find the pattern HERE.
I used Sugar 'N Cream yarn in the color Violet Veil and used my Susan Bates Bamboo Handle H Hook. I will be making more of these!

Baby Round Ripples

I have completed 2 baby Round Ripples. These are my Ridged Round Ripples. I love how the ridges give them a little something extra.

This one is made with Peaches 'N Cream in Shaded Denim. It will be going to Florida. My sister will be giving this as a gift for a soon to be born Baby Boy.


This one was made with Peaches 'N Cream Spring Meadows and White. It will be going to a hospital's NICU. I hope it will bring joy to a little babies family while going through a rough time.

I have a few I haven't posted yet, and have one on the hook right now. I love making them, especially with the ridges.

2 New Shawls

A friend of mine was going on a cruise and wanted a shawl to take along. She crochets, but knew she wouldn't have enough time to make one. She wanted something in a neutral color that was lacy and not too thick. I had the perfect pattern for one, so I whipped up a Sweet Pea Shawl for her. I used Hobby Lobby's brand I Love This Yarn in white. Here she is modeling it:




When I got done with hers, I looked across the room and there was a skein of Peaches 'N Cream Shaded Denim just begging to be made into a shawl, so I made my first Sweet Pea Shawl in cotton. I love it and can't wait to make another one in cotton. Here it is:






I have more projects finished, just need to get pics taken first.

Nine Patch Baby Quilt--New Design I Made

It has been a while since I posted anything here. Life has been hectic lately.
The ladies over at Crochetville have gotten their hooks into me once again (pun intended). They have persuaded me to make a Saltine Afghan. What is a Saltine Afghan you ask??? It is basically a quilt that is crocheted instead of sewed. It is made out of small granny squares--the ones we use are 2 rounds of a granny square.
One of the ladies--Cara--has a site called The Happy Yellow House. You can visit her site HERE.
She has a lot of beautiful patterns for the quilts, but they were very intimidating to me since they were so big and I have never made anything with squares that had to be sewn together. So I decided to try my hand at designing my own. And this is what I came up with and made.
It is a Nine Patch Baby Quilt.





I had so much fun making it that I have designed a few more. I am almost half way done with my 2nd design.

I have more pictures to share, but don't have the time right now, so they will have to wait till another time.

Miss Tutti Frutti Round Ripple

I thought I'd post a picture of my latest creation. This is the last of the projects for the Crochet Games at Crochetville.
I made this baby RR for a NICU. I wanted it to have ridges to emphasize it a little more. It took lots of trial and error, but I finally hit on it. This is my new favorite pattern. It is a little tough on my hands and wrists, so I just take my time on the ridged rows.

Presenting...............Miss Tutti Frutti



Here is a side view to see the definition of the ridges a little better.

Some Of My Games Projects

I have completed my projects for the Crochet Games at Crochetville. I thought I'd post a few of them.

Here are the 2 scarves I made. The variegated one is made from Bernat Softee Chunky and the black speckled one is made from Icelandic Jewels. These 2 scarves, along with a few more that I am making, are going to a charity for abused women. I hope they bring comfort to someone in need.



Here is the 2 strand rug I made for Nancy. It will match the 2 that I made for her when I was done in Florida visiting her last month. This one will go in front of her couch. It was made from RHSS yarn.

Crochet Games At Crochetville

Over at Crochetville.org we are having The Crochet Games of Ancient Greece.
We all picked projects to challenge our crocheting.
I have picked a 2 strand rug for Nancy, a baby Round Ripple to go to a NICU, and 2 scarves that are going to women that have suffered abuse.
I will have pictures to post as my projects get farther along.
I may have them all completed way before the end of the games, and if I do, I will either make another Round Ripple or I will make more scarves. I may also make some squares to be used for comfortghans. It all will depend on how my neck and hands hold up!!!

Been A Long Time Since My Last Post

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted last. I have moved to a new apartment, been crocheting up a storm and been creating new things. I have made a Baby RR, purses, jewelry pouches and lots of dishcloths.

Here are a few of my latest creations:

Bumpy Textured Dishcloth-My First Pattern

I was searching for a pattern for a textured dishcloth and wasn't happy with what I was finding on the internet and in my pattern books. So I grabbed my trusty Susan Bates Bamboo Handle size K Hook, some Sugar 'N Cream cotton yarn and started experimenting. It took a little while, but I hit on something and worked it up. It has a nice texture to it and is good for getting off 'stuck on stuff'. Yes, I already tested it out. It is an easy pattern and works up pretty quickly. I have made 4 tonight in various sizes.



The picture on the left is how it is made. The picture on the right shows the texture and ridges.

I have never written out a pattern for any of my creations, but a few people on the 'Ville wanted it, so here it is. I hope you can understand it.

BUMPY TEXTURED DISHCLOTH

Any Cotton yarn and hook size of your choice. I used a K hook so it wouldn’t be such a tight weave.

Make a chain the length you desire (it will be the width).

Row 1: SC in second chain from the hook and each chain across. Chain 1, turn.

Row 2: SC the first 2 stitches together. *Insert hook into the last stitch of the sctog stitch, yo and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), insert hook into the next stitch, yo and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), pull hook through all 3 loops on hook. Repeat from * to the end of the row, sc in last stitch (there will be 2 stitches in the last sc). Chain 1, turn.

Repeat Row 2 until desired size is reached.

Last Row: sc in each stitch across.

If desired, you can put a sc border on all 4 sides, or any other border you choose. The sides are even with this pattern, so a border is not necessary unless that is your preference.

Created and Designed by

*Melanie Henderson*
Pattern may be copied for personal use, but is not to be sold!

Extra Note:

When I do my first row of sc, I like to go into the back bump of the chain. It gives the beginning edge a more finished look. Plus when you do the last row a sc row, the first row and last row matches. That way you don’t have to do an edging unless you want a more finished look. For my dishcloths, I don’t normally put an edging on mine, since it makes it easier to wring them out without one.

If you like this pattern and happen to make one, please let me know.. I'd love to see a picture of your creation.

My Scrapie Varie Wave Ripple Afghan

It is finally done!! Here it is.



This was my 'No Brainer' project. I would work on this when I wanted mindless crochet time. It was a way to use up my leftover variegated yarn, but that didn't happen. I have enough variegated yarn left to make a few more of these.

It is so long that I had to take this down to the clubhouse and use the table there to be able to get a good picture of it. I don't have enough empty floor space right now since we are in the process of packing up to move to a different apartment. Right now it is on display on the back of the couch, and it is almost as long as the couch. Yep, I like my ghans long!!

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Linda (crochetingfool on Crochetville) for sharing this wonderful pattern. You can find the pattern here.

Brittany's High Plains Round Ripple

This is the Round Ripple I made for Brittany, the Assistant Manager at my apartment complex. She has been so sweet to Hilly and I and has become a good friend. She recently moved and told me she was changing her color scheme, so when I found out what colors she was using, I went stash diving and found the perfect colors for her. I made this one bigger than the last one, so that it is more functional. The last one I made was smaller because she said they needed something to put on the back of the couch for decoration. I wanted them to be able to cover up with this one, and they can!

I love the picture of it folded in half on the railing. I am going to figure out how to make a round ripple into a shawl. It would be too thick and heavy to wear one like it is pictured, so I need to figure out how to make it thinner. Maybe in thread?? I'll have to think on it a while and do some experimenting to see what I can come up with.

As you can tell by all of the pictures in my posts, I love to make round ripples. This is number 22. I have also made 4 round ripple rugs, so all together that is 26. Oh, I have also made a few in thread, but I don't count them since they weren't real big.

Patio Pink Ripple In Cotton

Here is a side to side ripple that I did in cotton yarn. I used Sugar 'N Cream in the colors of Patio Pink and White. I did this one in the back loops to give it a little texture. In the picture it is folded in half over the railing of my balcony. I've been using this one quite a bit since I am still on bed rest, but at least I can get up a little more now. I have had plenty of time to crochet, and I am taking advantage of the time to make things for ME!!

This is the second afghan I've made in cotton. The first one was a Round Ripple and it is now in Florida. I liked the Round Ripple in cotton so much that I started one for me, but it has been put on the back burner so many times I am sure it is feeling very neglected. I will eventually get back to it. I will be keeping that one for myself. When I find good deals on cotton yarn, I take advantage of it. I will be making more afghans in cotton, especially ripples like this one. It is just so hard to decide what colors to use since there are so many pretty colors in cotton now.

Ryan's Zebra Round Ripple

My oldest Son Michael brought my Grandson Ryan over to see me Sunday. It has been quite a while since I have seen him. I have had a Round Ripple done for him and was waiting to see him so I could give it to him in person. I have made quilts for him but not anything crocheted. I was looking for the right pattern and the right yarn. He saw me working on a RR when I first started making them and he said how 'Cool' it was so that is when I knew I had to make him one.










Here he is sitting on his new Zebra Round Ripple. He really likes it and said it was just the right size for him. I didn't want to make it too big for him, and I told him when he outgrew this one I would make him a bigger one, and he could pick out the colors for it.

Bed Rest Project -- Part Two

Well, I'm still on bed rest. The numbness and pain in the leg is getting a little worse every day. So I lay here on the couch and crochet. This is my latest 2 strander afghan I've finished. I was gifted some yarn in the colors of Periwinkle and Ocean by a 'Fairy Godmother' from Crochetville. I wanted to make a ghan, but didn't have enough to make what I wanted to make and I couldn't find any more periwinkle. So I looked through my stash and found some Light Raspberry and this is what I came up with. Now every time I use it, I will think of the special person that sent me the yarn, even though I have no idea who the special person is. So if my Fairy Godmother reads this, Thank You so very much.

My Bed Rest Projects -- Part One

I have been on bed rest since March 5th and I am going a little bit bonkers. I have degenerative disc disease, and it has gotten much worse in the past year. I had excruciating pain in my right leg along with numbness and weakness, so I made a Doctor's appointment, It usually takes a week to get in to see my Orthopedist, but I was able to get in 2 days after I called. I was put on bed rest and was given pain pills and muscle relaxers. When that didn't work, my next option was to have an epidural, and since bed rest and medication wasn't working, I had the epidural. It did take most of the pain away, but I have more numbness in my leg than I did before, which makes walking difficult when you can't feel part of your leg. So when I walk, I have to either use crutches, one crutch or a cane. I don't get out much and when I do go out it is usually to the Doctor, the pharmacy or to the grocery, and I don't go anywhere alone. I have been mainly camped out on the couch, since I feel so lonely in the bedroom.

I have been able to crochet quite a bit and do some stash busting. Luckily I have a lot of yarn. I think I would have gone over the edge if it wasn't for my crocheting. I have made dishcloths, washcloths, a camera case and 4 afghans, with 2 more afghans in the works. I made a regular ripple, a round ripple, a big lapghan, and a 2 strander. I wasn't able to get a picture on the ripple yet. I have a ripple and a 2 strander in the works, along with other UFO ghans that have been sitting here for a long time, Maybe I will get to those soon, since it looks like bed rest will continue for a while longer.



Time to grab my hook, yarn and get hooking. I hope to have the 2 strander done soon, but I am not sure if I will have enough yarn to make it the size I want it to be. I will work on it until I am out of yarn, then see if I can find anymore of the colors(s) I need to finish it. I hope to have pictures of my latest projects soon.

My New Couch With MY Ripple Ghan On It

My couch was delivered this morning, and here it is!! They called me on Saturday and told me it would be delivered between 8:50 and 10:50 AM, and one of the delivery guys knocked on my door at 8:45. The couch was in it's place and the guys were on their way by 9:00. They had a little trouble getting it in here since it is a pretty good size couch and they had to tip it this way and that way to get it in the front door, dodge the railing on the stairs, then make the turn into the apartment. It is a good thing that this isn't a sleeper sofa, which is what I was originally going to get. Those suckers are heavy, and with all the different ways they had to turn it (angle it this way, angle it that way, tip it up on end, etc), they would have had a struggle. But it made it here safe and sound, and is so pretty and comfortable. It is so comfortable that when I laid down on it to watch TV, I fell asleep and took a 2 hour nap.

I love how good the ripple ghan looks on it. I think I made the right choice putting this one on the couch and not the other. The RR is now on the toy box turned coffee table.

I Made A Ripple Ghan For ME

I had some Choco Cherry left over from another project and decided it was time to make myself a ghan. I love making Round Ripples, but I needed a break, so I made a regular Ripple Ghan. I used this pattern. It is super easy and works up fast. I made a ripple for my Mom with this pattern and loved it. For this one, I used RHSS Choco Cherry, RHSS Fusion, RHSS Coffee, and ILTY Ivory. I am going to be making another one and when I make the next one, I am going to make it wider. This one will mainly be used for grabbing it and snuggling when I need a lighter ghan than the 2-strander I made. Now all I have to do is wait one more day for my couch to be delivered.

Citrus Fall - Another Round Ripple

Well, I did another one. Yep, made my 19th Round Ripple. I had some of the Citrus Variegated left over from another RR, so I decided to use it for another RR. I did this one in slightly different colors. I am trying to keep this one for myself since I think it will look great on the back of my new couch that is coming tomorrow. If it doesn't look good there, Hilly said to use it as a rug in front of the couch. But I have hit a snag in my plans.....Dusty saw it when he was home from college a few weeks ago and said he wanted it. When he stopped by Friday night, He asked me if it was done and if he could take it back to school with him. So I have to decide if I will keep it or let him have it. He already has 2 2-stranders and a RR. I have made 19 of these RR's and I STILL don't have one for myself. Decisions, decisions.



I am also making a RR for my supervisor's new baby. I don't want to post pictures until it is done.

Dusty's 2 Strander Ghan Finally Done

I have finally finished Dusty's 2 Strander Ghan. He has been waiting patiently for it since before Christmas. I told him it would have to wait until I had all of the Christmas presents done, then I would get busy and make it for him. Well, it took longer that I would have ever thought it would take. Hobby Lobby ran out of the Royal Blue I was using, so I had to wait for more. When I finally found more, it was only one skein and I needed 3. So I had to end up using RHSS Royal instead of the ILTY Royal. It is a little thicker since RHSS is not nearly as soft as ILTY. But since it is going to be in a dorm room and who knows what all he will do with it, I don't think it will make a difference to him. I will know tomorrow when he comes by. He hasn't seen it since it only came up to his waist, and that was last weekend. He has no idea it is done. He will be so surprised that it is done.

I Finally Made Myself A Ghan!!

After making so many Round Ripples, 2 Strand and 3 Strand Ghans for everyone else, I finally made myself one. Hilly doesn't normally let anyone use hers, but when she was on crutches she had me bring her 3 strander out into the living room so when she was lounging on the couch she could cover up with it. One day when she was at school, I was tired so I decided to take a nap and was too lazy to go to my bedroom, so I grabber her 3 strander and snuggled under it. It was so warm and cuddly I decided to make myself one.
Since I didn't have enough Caron SS to make one, I used RHSS and ILTY (Hobby Lobby's brand). I used Light Mint and Hunter Green (RHSS) and White (ILTY). I used my new size M Susan Bates Bamboo Handle Hook. It ended up being 45" wide and 75" long. I don't usually make myself anything in green, but I got it on sale real cheap and couldn't pass it up. I had no clue what I was going to make with it, and after thinking about it for a while, this is what I came up with.
It is done in simple DC. Nothing fancy, but it is so warm, soft and cuddly. I love it. I see another one in my future. I just have to decide what colors I want my next one!!

Another Use For Cotton Yarn--Crutch Pads

Hilly went skiing Sunday evening with the Youth Group at Church. They were just about done skiing when it happened. She fell and injured her knee. Her orthopedist was with them on the ski trip (she also babysits for him and his wife). He got her off of the slopes (gave her a piggy back ride), got her ski boot off (he told her the weight of the boot could do more damage) and checked her knee. He told her it looked like there was nothing broken. He told her to come in to see him on Monday if it was no better or was worse. She woke up Monday (after a rough night) and she was in a lot of pain, her knee was pretty swollen, she couldn't bend her knee and couldn't put any weight on it without a lot of pain. I called the Doctor and got her in to see him. He took X-Rays, then told us she needed an MRI. He is checking for torn ligaments. She keeps it elevated as much as possible, is putting ice on it, and is taking Motrin. She is in pain still, but is dealing with it all pretty well. We will have to figure out how she will get to and from the bus stop once she gets to go back to school. It looks like I will have to have my work schedule modified so I can either drive her to and from the bus stop, or drive her to and from school.

She noticed that the crutches are rubbing her a little bit, so she asked me to make her something to put a little more padding on them for her. I let her pick out some cotton yarn in the color she wanted, and this is what I made for her while we were watching Harry Potter. Hopefully they will do the trick for her. If not, I will make 2 more and make it thicker for her.

Rugs I've Finished

Well, it has been a while since I've posted. I've been busy making things, then I got sick and time just got away from me. But I thought I'd take a few minutes and post a couple of things I've finished. This is a Round Ripple Rug I finally finished for Hilly. I put this on hold so I could get all of the Christmas presents made, then decided to get it done. She knew it would eventually get done. I was going to make it a little bigger, but decided against that for 2 reasons.....1)-I was tired of working on it....being a 2 strand RR rug, I used a smaller hook and it was killing my hands and wrists, 2)-If I made it much bigger, it wouldn't fit in a washing machine. So this is the final size of it.




Here is a rug I made this week for the Living Room. I didn't have a particular size I wanted to make it, I just chained it the width I wanted it, then crocheted until it was the right length. I love the tweed look on this one. I love it so much, I have started another one, but am using a different color of variegated yarn. I am about 1/3 done with the new one, then I have a few more color combinations I want to try.