wifeKnits

Finished: Grandma’s Doily

It’s finished and she loved it. More notes to come, but I have to run to work. I just wanted to get this posted. OK, so here’s the scoop. I finished it on 22nd. Mom helped me block it that night and it was ready the next morning. Which was perfect timing because we went to Grandma’s house that afternoon (23rd). She really loved it. It was the perfect gift because mom told me she had recently mentioned that it was really great that I was into the crafts. Of all her granddaughters, I was the only one who really took to it. My sister does a little cross-stitch, but that’s it and she has 6 granddaughters. She immediately found a place to put it, but is going to wait till all her Christmas decorations are put away. Everyone thought it turned out great and while we were at Grandma’s house, my DH noticed a lace crochet tablecloth she had on her dining room table. He said now I have to make something like it. Well, I have already picked out a pattern and crochet cotton to do a small tablecloth…one that fits those small round end tables.

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More Doily

The doily I’m working on has 22 rounds. I was about to start round 14 when I realized round 13 wasn’t correct. As I kept checking, I noticed I messed up pretty big. I ended up having to rip back to round 8! Yikes. Now I’ve successfully fixed rounds 8, 9 and 10 and am waiting for my afternoon break to start on round 11 once again. I think I’ve done this like 4 times already. Hopefully I’ll pay more attention to the pattern and what I’m doing so I don’t have to go through this again. After each round I count the stitches to make sure I have what the pattern says I should. So that I know up to that round everything is correct. So hmm, instead of working rounds 14, 15 and 16, I’m back at 11. Will this thing get finished before Christmas? That remains to be seen.

Last night I also worked on the neckwarmer. I’m doing a rib pattern that is pretty cool. The pattern stitch is a multiple of 6 and is worked over 24 rows. I did two pattern repeats last night. I had originally chosen a different stitch pattern, but didn’t like how it was coming out in that yarn, so I started over with the current stitch pattern. It’s really coming out nicely. I’m not sure how many more repeats I will need to do to complete the neckwarmer, so I don’t know if I’ll get finished tonight, but I will be working on it. Maybe I can get two more repeats done. I anticipate finishing it sometime this weekend.

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Grandma’s Doily

I’m working on that Doily that I mentioned a long time ago that I wanted to do. Instead of trying to swatch, I just jumped right in. I know…it might come out enormously larger or smaller than it is supposed to but I couldn’t wait. And I’m so glad I didn’t. I’m having the most fun working on it. Even though I had to do a round over because I totally missed something in the pattern, it really is the most fun project I’ve worked on in a while. I don’t know why…maybe the challenge of working with a hook so small (size 7 steel), maybe the process of seeing the design unfold as I work, maybe the idea that I’m making something like what my grandmother used to make. I don’t know…all I do know is that I’m having a great time. I’ll post a photo when it’s complete.

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Back is Done

I finished up the back of Blache (mom’s sweater) yesterday. I spent the whole weekend working on it, while DH was working. I think it turned out pretty cool. I like the cable pattern down the center. Now I must start the front, which is identical to the front. I hope I can finish it for her birthday on June 19. I also finished the right half of the front panel of Chamomile. I must join the yarn and work on the left side and that will be done in no time. After that, only the back panel left and that should go quick since it’s straight stockinette. I have a question…both Chamomile and Blanche require some edge work after it is seamed at the sides and shoulders. I know I’ll have to block in order to seam because of curling. So what kind of blocking should I use? Since I’ll be knitting with unblocked yarn onto a blocked sweater.

Oh and in other news, I have begun working on my Gingham and Ruffles afghan (crochet). It is done in 3 colors (light green, dark green and cream) and requires 315 squares to be crocheted then put together. Finally a ruffle is added all around the edge. It will be gorgeous and I’m excited about it. I’ve got 11 squares complete…only 304 to go! LOL! I’ve also started blocking the pieces for the first crochet afghan that I began way back when. I don’t have enough pins so I can only block 3 squares at a time. With 35 squares total, it’s taking a little while to get them all done, but I think once they are all blocked it will be much easier than I was expecting to sew them together.

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The Last Square/Blanche

I’m down to the last crocheted square for the homespun crochet afghan. I can’t wait to get it done, hopefully tonight, then maybe this weekend or next week I can start putting it together. This afghan has taken forever and I look forward to seeing the FO. Also, I plan to go the AC Moore tonight and get the needles I need for mom’s cable sweater (Blanche). Fortunately it’s a simple shell and the front and back are the same, but it will be my first project with cables. I’m excited to be starting it and want to get it done and to mom before summer is over so she has time to wear it. I mentioned that it is the same front and back and I’m not sure I like that. I love the cable design on the front, but I’m not sure I want that design on the back…I was expecting it to be plain stockinette for the back. Can anyone help me figure out how to alter it so that I can make the back stockinette instead of the cable pattern. The pattern is here: http://www.berroco.com/190/190_blanche.html.

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