Tag: crochet blankets

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Creativity block

..Whew, I have been fighting a horrible case of creativity block, brain block, the blahs, no mojo…whatever you want to call it. It was a horrible dry spell in creativity. I have just not been able to sit and work on anything for any length of time. Hopscotching around on different projects, starting one just to stop four rows in and cut all the yarns. Finally, finally, from a chance remark of a friend I finally hit on something worth my time.

Creativity block

It is flowing and it looks great! I feel that contentment as each row of color is crocheted on. One row right after another with no second guessing or worries. I am thrilled. The truth is that this is the pillow pattern that is going out to all my email subscribers. It has just taken this long to get the right creative flow going. I can’t wait to show it to you and send it to my subscribers. I can’t wait. It is so exciting! I should have it done by tomorrow if all goes according to plan.  The pattern should go out on Wednesday. It is another simple pattern and I know you will love it.

It has been a busy past couple of weeks helping my Mom and just doing the living things that seem to take so much time. Mothering has been strange this week as the birds in our nest seem to be all preparing to leave the nest about the same time. It has kept me up and awake. I think last night’s’  12+ hours of sleep helped immensely. I am feeling much more like myself.

What have you been working on and how are your days going?

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S. If you sign up for the pattern it is a free gift to my subscribers. Otherwise I will have it for sale in the shops!

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Autumn blanket pattern

I have just finished writing the Autumn blanket pattern. It is now listed for sale on Etsy. It seemed to take ages to write the pattern but I kept finding more little details that I needed to add to the pattern.

Autumn Blanket Pattern

This is the Autumn blanket. The one that reminds me of Oklahoma in the winter. I love the colors in this blanket and the yarn is wonderfully soft.

Autumn Blanket Pattern

The pattern has step by step photo instructions.

Autumn Blanket Pattern

I have included the beautiful scalloped border in the pattern. You need to know several stitches to crochet this blanket; double crochet, half double crochet, single crochet and slip stitch. The  blanket is generously sized with none of the holes that granny square blankets have.  This is afghan makes a  wonderful gift for the special people in your life.

Autumn Blanket Pattern

 

Autumn Blanket Pattern

You can find this pattern on Etsy at ChocolateDogStudio. I will be adding it to craftsy as well.

It has been a busy week. My Mom is recovering nicely from her knee replacement surgery and hopes to get to her home soon.  It has been nice to spend so much time with her, I just wish she felt much better. She is walking all the time and the therapists are extremely happy with her recovery.

Our daughter is back and college and settled in for the final semester. Everyone else is doing well. There is a bit of remodeling going on in the kitchen. It should be finished fairly quickly and isn’t interfering with the cooking, much at all. I will be making Lemon meringue pies for my Father in law this week. We can’t wait to see him.

Talk to you later,

Karen

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Tips for the Ombre or Temperature blanket

The temperature blanket has had great interest since Repeat Crafter Me on Facebook posted a photo of my blanket. I have had numerous questions as people have needed a few pointers and or had general questions that needed to be answered. Here are a few Q and A’s on the Ombre, Temperature or granny Stripe blanket.

Question: How do I turn from row 2 to row 3 in the temperature blanket, ombre blanket or granny stripe blanket?

A:
I just do the one dc into the turning stitch. Then chain two and turn. I would then follow with two dc into the gap between the 1 dc and the next group of three dc.

Tips and Tricks to the Ombre or Temperature blanket

Here you are getting ready to turn to row three. You have just completed the last group of 3 dc.

Tips and Tricks to the Ombre or Temperature blanket

Do the dc in the top of the last stitch of the last group of 3 dc from the previous row.

Tips and Tricks to the Ombre or Temperature blanket

Chain two and turn. You are now ready for row three!

 

Question: Do the stripes run from side to side or from top to bottom?

A: The stripes run from top to bottom.

 

Question: How do I crochet the granny stripe border?

A: The long sides are simply the granny stripe as you would have crocheted the rest of the blanket.
In the corners
dc three times chain one dc three times in the same stitch.

On the short ends. You crochet the three dc in the chain five space at the end of each row of colors.

Q:  I was wondering if you would be able to tell me the heights of the rows for the two blankets in the subject.

A. The dc rows are about 3/4 of an inch high. She, could of course use a shorter stitch like a sc or hdc stitch instead.

Q: How many different colors does this take?

A. It uses about 12 + colors of yarn. The exact number and a list of colors used are in the pattern.

Q:   What weight of wool do you recommended for the temperature blanket and how large of a skein?

A: The instructions tell what exactly brand of yarn and how much yarn you need to complete the afghan.From that starting point you can figure out how much yarn it will take.

Most afghans take on average 8 -10 skeins of  aran weight yarn. This one uses more colors so that increases the number of skeins you need. It is a DK yarn which is skinnier than aran wool or a yarn like Vanna’s choice from Lion Brand but a bit bigger around than baby yarn. It is a number 4 yarn and takes about a g-h hook

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I apologize for being late on posting this. I have been at the hospital this week with my Mom for a knee replacement. This is the first chance I have had to sit down and write. She is doing much better. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. I have so much to do today.

The weather is cooperating and making me want to stay in cozy and warm with a crochet hook or sewing machine. I need to do both and can’t wait to sit down and spend some creative time.

Tips and Tricks to the Ombre or Temperature blanket

I have started an email newsletter which will come out at the end of each month. Please sign up as the first free pattern will be a pillow to accompany your temperature blanket!

Thanks,

Karen

You can read about all the great craziness that happened with this pattern here:

http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2016/01/02/the-temperature-blanket/

 

You can read about the email newsletter here:

 

http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2016/01/03/email-newsletter/

 

 

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The Temperature Blanket

My etsy shop has been blowing up this week due to a little share about the Temperature blanket. I discovered this while I was on the phone with my Mom on New Years eve first thing in the morning. I receive the Etsy cha-ching on my phone when I sell something on Etsy. The phone cha-chingd three times in the space of one 20 minute conversation. That’s odd I thought. Well, it went on all day and then I started receiving requests to make a blanket that I had already sold. (I hardly ever go back and make the same blanket twice.) The blanket patterns kept selling all day long, and all day the next day. My views were off the charts. I have had 27,000 views in the last seven days. Yesterday my views were 12,323. I am blown away. It is a beautiful thing. I searched all through my analytics to figure out where the traffic was coming from with no luck. Finally, I questioned a customer and found where all the traffic was coming from. Here is the photo that was posted on Facebook

The Temperature Blanket

I quickly wrote the pattern for this blanket and posted it. It is doing quite well for pattern sales. I was wanting to sell more crochet patterns and less finished items. It fits better with my life goals and family needs right now. I have found a friend that will be glad to crochet this blanket for you. She is my Etsy friend Christie at Luvncrafts. I am going to stay out of the middle of those negotiations.

All because RepeatCrafterMe shared my blanket photo with the thermometer attached to it. It is such a lovely thing to happen.

The blanket above is not a thermometer blanket. It is just a blanket using the same lovely colors as are pictured in the thermometer. I really appreciate the shout out by Sarah. I know it will be a roller coaster ride that will end pretty soon but it sure is exciting right now.

Thank you Sarah. You have made my day and quite possibly my year.

Thank you to all the lovely people that are buying my blanket pattern. I hope you make a wonderful thermometer blanket that keeps you and your families warm.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

Here are the links to the two patterns that will work well for this blanket.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/168162461/50-off-blanket-hand-crochet-blanket

https://www.etsy.com/listing/262182198/50-off-crochet-blanket-pattern-ombre

 

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Being Boss

  • Sometimes being self motivated and your own boss is an issue. This week I am doing a good job of being boss. I feel the craft show looming down on me. I am so worried that I won’t have enough stock that I feel like I am working overtime. Taking time off to play or be social is truly hard for me, so I tend to work all the time. Then I face burn out.

If I look at my work as play then my attitude is much better. So, this week while playing. I finished up these colorful and fun hats. I love them.

Being Boss

I sent my daughter in to yarntopolis (my yarn storage) to pick another color for the same style hat and she picked light blue. They are so much fun to crochet. The colors change all of the time and that makes it quick work. I have also been busy hand sewing the  tags on a bunch of the crocheted items.

Today, I am cleaning in the makerspace and getting the next round of sewing organized. I am waiting on some supplies but I will sew pot holders and coffee press cozies today. I also need to do cut capes out so I can get them sewn. All this planning is overwhelming but I am using my Kanban board as a reminder of what needs to be done, what is in process and what remains.

Talk to you later,

Karen

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Crochet Service Projects

Crochet Service projects are a great way to help others and it is the season to think of others. If you are unable to get out, you crochet or knit then there are many things you make to help others.

Here is my list, it isn’t everything that is out there in the crochet or knitting universe but it will get you started.

You can also check the Crochet Guild of America for their list of crochet for charity. http://www.crochet.org/

Crochet Service Projects

If these don’t have a chapter or donation center in your area, I am sure that there are local charities that will be glad for you to help. The local homeless shelters will be happy to accept scarves and hats for their donations. Women’s shelters will often accept donations of slippers, hats, and blankets. Local hospitals may accept premie hats, and blankets. You do need to be sure and contact them before you start. They may have rules on what they can accept or the type of yarns used. Our local women’s shelter will only accept donations of blankets if they have enough for everyone currently in the shelter. Be wise and make sure that they can actually use what you are wanting to create.

Crochet Service Projects

There are so many different ways that your stitching can warm and comfort others. Don’t get discouraged thinking that you can’t help others. Blankets and yarn items have been used for comfort for years. Keep up the good work!

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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The Sampler Blanket

I made time to block the sampler blanket this week. If you are following me on Instagram you will notice that I have also started putting a border around each square.  Here are some befores and afters of the blocking process. If you have never steam blocked acrylic yarns you really should try it. It does a great job of heat setting nice straight edges and giving the granny squares their final shape.

The sample blanket

 

They sure look all wadded and out of shape. I started blocking them on my ironing board a few at a time.

The sampler blanketThey started looking so much better. I don’t always block my granny squares but these desperately needed it. The sampler blanketI used a ton of pins and my steam iron. I was really careful not to touch the iron to the yarns as it would melt. the squares all turned out to be about five different sizes when I was finished blocking them. Which was a nice surprise. The sampler blanketThis was going to be one creamy sampler blanket with no other colors but I just couldn’t leave it alone. Here is one with the borders that I am putting on each square. It will be much easier if I end up with squares that are all about the same size.The Sampler Blanket

 

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

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July’s to do list

I am already writing July’s to do list. Yay, it is the first week of July and I am on a roll, actually I am on the couch resting my knee as it is not happy with me today.

I have hit a wall on being creative these days. I am tired and grumpy a lot of the time. I hate taking pain meds as they tend to drug me up. I have been up since early today and it has taken quite a bit of energy. I have spent  huge amounts of time on Pinterest yesterday and today but I am not inspired to do much. So this to do list may be shorter than normal.

Here is what I have been working on and what I hope to finish this month.

My organization to do list. We have accomplished more than is shown on this photo. It is a much shorter list now.

July's to do list

 

My sampler blanket

July's to do list

 

I hope to finish about twelve to 20 crochet hats. I want some to look like these but I also have some new designs running around in my mind.

I am also wanting to finish my quilt before I have surgery.  It is at this stage right now. July's to do list

I have quite a bit of quilting left but if I work hard on it a couple of mornings I might get it finished. I have several patterns that I want to write. There is this granny square blanket pattern that I want to write. That is a ton of work for the next two weeks in July. We are still in the middle of changing around our den to a maker space.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

 

 

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Sampler blanket / Makerspace

This week I have been working on the sampler blanket / makerspace. While cleaning up the yarn mess to create the makerspace, I came across these blocks I started from my Sampler blanket. I haven’t really forgotten them. There has just been a huge amount of other stuff that I have had to work on. I am blocking them today and I have to admit that they are beautiful!

Sampler blanket / Makerspace

I thought that they would be ok, but they were so wonky that I  needed to block them. I block on my ironing board and use my steam iron. I am sure to never touch the iron to the acrylic yarn. This sampler blanket is reminding me of doilies. I love the taupe carpet color behind these squares. It makes the sampler blanket look so clean and lacy.

Sampler blanket / MakerspaceBefore blocking….

After blocking they are a much more uniform size and the edges are straighter. This will make joining a much simpler job.

Sampler blanket / Makerspace

We are creating a makerspace. What is a makerspace you ask?  well, it is a space where you can make stuff. We have a spare room right now that was our den but as hubs needed a bigger workspace and I needed a brighter workspace, we are creating a makerspace. We both love creating but not the same things. This space will be an area where we can be together but working on different things. He is into electronics, engineering, gizmos, gadgets and 3-d printers. I am into sewing, yarn, painting and artsy craftsy stuff. So we are moving furniture around, sending some off with grown kids as they move on in their lives and getting rid of others. We no longer need a huge room for 8-10 people to watch movies or play video games. We do need a place where we can all gather and make cool stuff.  Our kids are rather techie/creative types, one a programmer, one a mechanical engineer, one a digital design artist (studying), and one into sewing,  So we really do need a space where they can all create!

It will contain:

  • a largish table for group work  or cutting
  • 4 chairs for the table
  • 3 -4 sewing work spaces
  • Storage for yarn, fabric and other soft stuff
  • Tool storage on wheels
  • 4 roller secretarial type chairs
  • Mats for the roller chairs
  • a cell phone docking station for all the phones
  • wifi access
  • several outlets
  • a 3-d printer
  •  a fire alarm/smoke alarm/co2 detector
  • lots of counter space
  • a couch or some comfy chairs for people to hang out in
  • good lighting
  • all with a industrial type- 50s era style (this is subject to change)

I think we can put together a reputable space without spending too much money.  We will use what we have until we are sure that working together in one room is actually going to work out! Here are some links to different maker spaces that I found.

http://spaces.makerspace.com/

https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7095.pdf

http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/a-librarians-guide-to-makerspaces/

 

We have also set some ground rules, of what can be done in the makerspace. One of the prime rules in our makerspace is no woodworking or spray painting. These both have the potential to damage the machinery in the room.

I will be updating soon with photos of the Sampler blanket / Makerspace.  I hope to include some photos of the creation of the makerspace as we ordered some chairs for the space. I am so excited to see how they look. We almost never buy new things. Our budget and family has prefered the upcycled, recycled, used furniture look. We haven’t bought new furniture in quite a while.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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4 crochet blocks a week: Week 7

Here is the next installment of 4 blocks a week. These 4 blocks a week are giving me fits as time seems to grow ever shorter. I seem to have more things to make than I have time to make them. I have so much to do and I have been incapacitated lately. Which means that I have been getting exactly nothing done.

4 crochet blocks a week

 

This was a fun square within a square pattern. I like the diamond shape in the middle.

4 crochet blocks a week

This on is a fun mitered square. It has no holes which would make it a good blanket square.

4 crochet blocks a week

This square reminds me of butterflies.

4 crochet blocks a week

Here is a compilation of all of the squares so you can see them all together.

I think this is all of them. I may have left a few of the easier ones off. I have bought a new book for a few new squares and I will get started with it this week for next weeks blocks.

I am also behind on the Use Your Stash Challenge. It has been hard to sew with a bad back. So, I babied my back the last two weeks and I think I am getting better. At least today I woke up feeling good! Yay, progress!!

Talk to you later,

Karen

You can find the previous weeks squares here:

Week 6

Week 5

Week 4

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1

 

 

 

 

I have been behind on posting these squares.  I hurt my back and it kept me off the computer.   I am also behind on the Use Your Stash Challenge. It has been hard to sew with a bad back. So, I babied my back the last two weeks and I think I am getting better. At least today I woke up feeling good! Yay, progress!!

Talk to you later,

Karen