Texture brings to mind all sorts of hard crochet stitches. Surface crochet can be easy or hard depending on your goals.
One of the easier ways to add surface crochet is to add single crochet or chains to an already crocheted or finished blanket, as I’ve done in the photo below. Notice how the blue lines pop out to add a dimension of texture to the background.
Here, finally, is Noelle’s Blanket pattern. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I finished this in the Challenge last month. What you don’t know is that I also finally finished writing the pattern. You can now make your own Noelle’s Blanket. Which is great! It is so much fun to see this blanket coming together as you make it.
You and I are eyewitnesses to the huge backlog of WIP’s and stash yarns. The enormous challenge sits right there, in front of us, taunting. The last remaining step as we get started is to create a “2017 Work Line-Up,” a step-by-step list of our work in the order of completion. As I said in an earlier post, I am working on the project which can be finished the quickest–this will give me some encouragement right from the start. It is also the biggest project, the one that I utterly dislike the most.
I’m not quite sure why, but it seems I usually crochet an afghan in neutral colors about the same time I start dreaming of autumn. The summers here get outrageously hot and spending time inside seems to be the best answer. This year, this neutral afghan is a palette cleanser for me; a change from all the bright, cheerful colors that I use most of the time. Â Almost like getting new back-to-school clothes or new notebooks and pencils, using a neutral palette helps me to reset and prepare myself for the rush that is autumn. This blanket will not be available as a pattern since it required too much tweaking to make it easy to follow, but it will be available in both the Etsy and Amazon shops on September 2nd. Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the different textures and the super soft yarns.
I am ready for autumn colors and fall leaves. All the craft stores have their fall decorations and plastic pumpkins out on their shelves already. Â I have been busy designing some new fingerless glove patterns for fall, and they will be available for free to subscribers and in the shop in the first weeks of September. They are super quick and easy to crochet. I promise you will love them.
It is back to school time here. Photos of students with cheerful faces eager to start a new school year have flooded my Facebook page.  We are also starting our new school year. It means getting back to a firm routine and trying to balance all of life + school +crochet. I usually struggle with starting a new schedule but this year seems to be different and easier. New ideas and patterns are flitting through my mind as I sit here supervising my daughter’s school work.
These granny squares are part of a new afghan– one of the new ideas I have in mind for this fall. There are new YouTube videos coming out soon, as well. I can’t wait to show you everything! The weather is finally cooling off here, and with it has come an overflow of creativity.
Talk to you later,
Karen
PS: What’s your favorite thing about autumn? Leave a comment and let me know!
Here is what I am doing now on my crochet projects and other projects. The flower blanket is zooming along and I am almost finished with it. Here is a more current photo of it. Â I just have the borders left on it now and it is enormous. It is a heavy blanket and will be wonderful this coming winter. The blanket already has a home as it is a custom order. It will feel good to start on other crochet projects, I have so many in mind.
I went to the business conference last weekend and it was wonderful. The goals setting advice and clarity I got for my business has been wonderful. 
I was able to meet Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom. I have been reading her blog for years and it was nice to meet her in person. Â She is as fun in person as she is online.
There has been a bunch of stirring around and re-organizing. I am excited that part of this area will be my new studio area. 
We have been having a huge cleaning session, getting rid of extra stuff, condensing boxes, and packing up our daughter’s college items until she gets her own place. This is the dirty truth about our makerspace. It sometimes becomes the catch all!
I also found some yarny messes that I have been organizing and clearing out.
It is Memorial day here and we spent time at the cemetery decorating Dad’s gravestone. He was a veteran and we are thankful for his and other’s service for our country.  Dad’s stone is the one in the foreground. 
If you or a loved one has served we thank you for your sacrifice for our freedoms.
The week was full and fun. It has been a busy week and even busier weekend. I am excited to finally get to work in the new studio area. I hope to get more organized with my pattern writing and crocheting.  My yarn is more organized. I have decided that I have too much yarn and need to get started crocheting so that more of it leaves my house! (Is it really possible to have too much yarn?) I have yarntopia and then three plastic tubs full along with baskets full in the living room. I also bought more this past week at a flea market, but it was sooo nice and such a lovely color!
Talk to you later,
Karen
Planning a crochet blanket can be difficult. How many skeins of yarn will you need? How big will it be? What colors should you use? Planning a crochet blanket can be difficult but there are 4 ways to plan a crochet blanket that will make it easier.
Drawing out your afghan can be helpful if you are creating an afghan with complex color changes or designs. Pull out those colored pencils and start sketching it out. Like a road map it will help keep you on track. You can refer to this sketch when you aren’t quite sure what to do next and it might keep you from having to frog (take it all out) as much. If you are creating a pixelated or tapestry design then you will follow the chart much as a cross stitcher does.
I use the math method when I am working on a Granny square blanket to see how many squares I will need to crochet to create a specific size blanket. It is simple to use and very helpful. Simply create a square, measure it. You can then figure out how many squares per length and width. Multiply length and width together and the answer will tell you how many squares you need.
This should read 10 x 12 which is 120 squares. They are 6″ squares. I need twelve squares for the length and ten squares to reach 60″ x 72″. This will create the perfect size for the afghan I needed to crochet.
Here is my sample method. I was playing with some new yarn and I wanted to see how it would look in stripes. People all over the crochet world use different types of sample colors to see how they will work in their blanket. Wooden clothes pins or pegs and little cardboard spools are used to hold colors. These work great as it helps you play with the colors until you get just the right color combinations.
Here I layout the skeins to see how the colors work together. This is one of my preferred methods. They are usually set out on the couch to get an idea of how they will work in a blanket. There were so many skeins used that it is easier to see the progression of colors without putting the skeins on the floor.
These are my 4 most favorite ways to plan an afghan. Do you have a favorite afghan planning method. Do you plan your projects or do the spontaneously happen? My favorite afghan are scrap afghans or blankets that just happen! They seem to have more life in them than the meticulously planned, but I am very spontaneous about crochet. Not everyone is spontaneous so planning has its place as well. It does help you know that you have enough yarn for the project you have planned. If you know of another method, let me know. I am always looking for new ways to stay organized!
talk to you later,
Karen
Be brave and challenge your crocheting skills! Try something new, expand your horizons and jump out there into the crochet world. The worst thing that can happen is that you take it all out or get some help to finish a pattern!
Here are five ways to Challenge your crocheting!
We generally choose the same color pallet every time we create. It does make sense financially. That way we can use yarn we already have and actually be a bit more frugal with this passion of ours. My advice is to start small and add colors that are slightly different to the current pallet you use. Use brighter or more somber tones, add black or white as the background. Stretch your crochet a bit.
This isn’t my usual color choice. I prefer the bright crayon colors better, but this works great and was a stretch for me.
2. Use different yarns. If you normally use solid color yarns try some variegated yarns. Boucle yarns or soft pom pom yarns can challenge you while adding some interest to the same pattern you have used in the past. Using yarns that have a different feel will help you learn to tension your yarns better. Pick a small item to make not a huge 10 skein afghan out of expensive yarn. See if you really like working with the expensive new yarn first before you invest your yarn budget in some strange new yarn. 
These are little pumpkins crocheted out of a variety of yarns. I used variegated, eyelash and some soft fluffy yarn for these. It was a fairly quick project and gave me a taste of using them without a huge time or money commitment.
3.Try a slightly harder pattern.
If you feel ready then jump up in technical difficulty. Try new stitches in small projects like potholders or granny squares. These are quick to finish and will keep you from getting frustrated with the difficulty of working with the new. The good thing with granny squares is that eventually you have enough for a scarf, purse or afghan. 
This little bowl required a new technique for me. I was crocheting over a clothesline. It adds the rounded shape to the stitches. It was a small project but still a challenge.
4. Try a different hook size.
A great way to learn more about crochet is to work with a different sized hook. The different hooks really affect the stiffness of the crochet. Trying the same yarn with different sized hooks can really affect the finished look of your project. It will really solidify why pattern designers insist that you create a gauge sample first.
This is one of the few times I used a steel crochet hook and did some thread crochet. I am not that great at it but I liked the result.
This is the giant hook that I used to create the giant blanket. These are 7 inch sewing scissors so you can see how huge that hook really is. That crochet hook is bigger than a broom handle.
5. Giving yourself a deadline.
Setting a deadline will force you to finish what you start. If you decide to crochet a gift for friends or family, that deadline will keep you working at it when you are just ready to quit. The craft fair was a huge deadline for me as it forced me to work quickly to make as many things as I could. I wouldn’t suggest a craft show as a deadline if you are a beginner crocheter. I would pick making something for a Birthday or Christmas gift. Possibly choose to crochet some red white and blue bunting for Memorial day or the 4th of July. Then also pick a smaller project if you are new at crocheting under a time deadline. The purpose is to grow not beat yourself over the head with some huge project that is too challenging or difficult.
It is better not to pick all five of these challenges to do at one time. I am not saying you should crochet your wedding dress out of fine thread with a steel needle for your wedding in a month, when you have only crocheted potholders. Crocheting the edging on a handkerchief that you can carry would be more likely to be finished, and more than enough of a challenge if you are beginner! Change one aspect of your crocheting at a time. Change up your yarn weight, or hook size or the pattern you keep making; not everything at one time. Changing everything at once can make you frustrated. Struggling to hold the right tension, use the smaller or larger hook, deal with slippery yarn or thread, while reading a more complex pattern is a recipe for frustration and possibly failure.
How are you going to challenge your crochet skills? Let me know.
Talk to you later,
Karen
I have been working on two separate afghans and though there has been crochet happening here, it has taken a back seat to dealing with a very nasty migraine. This one has come and gone for several days now. I think it is a sinus headache and I will be heading to  the Dr. to find out for sure. However, I have also been working on several different projects this week while I am feeling under the weather. Crocheting is soothing and helps me relax.
Did I ever show you these circles?
Turns out that I have made 120 mistakes when crocheting them. They should be two tone. That is a ton of frogging that I get to do. I have started and this is what they should look like when finished and almost finished.
Since I have 120 flower squares to make I can afford to work in color families. I have also picked up this blanket again. I am writing the pattern for this one and it is turning out quite nice. I really love the colors and it is starting to flow. Â It looks more masculine to me so I am trying to make it larger than the normal.
It is just beautiful. This will also be a beginner afghan with a little twist to it.
Talk to you later,
Karen
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.
Here you are getting ready to turn to row three. You have just completed the last group of 3 dc.
Do the dc in the top of the last stitch of the last group of 3 dc from the previous row.
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:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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
****************************************************************
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.
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/
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/
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.
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
