one of a kind Archives - Grid and Bloom

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Karen Stewart

Scalloped blanket is finished

I have finally finished this beautiful afghan that I have named the scalloped blanket. I use this beautiful yarn that comes in so many different colors.

Aren’t they gorgeous? I decided to write the tutorial and share it with you but it is still in the process.

This close up of the different colors in the yarn makes it a beautiful addition to your home.

It is a truly wonderful blanket full of texture. The design Â and pattern are very simple and the yarn is easy to work with. I think this is a step up from a basic beginner blanket. I can’t wait to share the instructions with you.

The colors look different in different lights. Reds, blues and grays can be so hard to photograph. There is tan and browns in the blanket as well.

I was hoping to have this tutorial written by now. Things have been busy at home. Our oldest dear daughter graduated from college this past weekend. We had tons of work to do getting her things loaded up into the cars and then attending the lovely graduation ceremony. Celebrating this wonderful accomplishment was an honor. Then there was a super fast loading of her stuffÂ and the 5+ hour drive home in three different cars. It was a long drive but incredibly worth it. We are very proud of her. She worked incredibly hard and is now ready to start the next chapter in her life!

You can see why writing the crochet pattern just didn’t happen this past week.

talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Karen Stewart

Work in Progress this week 2/12/2016

There has been so much going on this week that I decided to show you my work in progress. The days seem to run together without slowing down. I have been working on so many different projects this week. I have been painting, framing, crocheting, pattern writing, cleaning, donating and trashing! It has been good but I am also tired tonight. Here are a few Â of the highlights.

I have been framing a couple of needlework projects. This one is a cross stitch I finished a couple of years ago. I love the curly frame on this one.

This fantastic needlework is my Aunt’s. She gave it to my mom, and Mom gave it to me. I love it. It is going to hang in my living room as it has all the colors I love in it.

I have been crocheting on tons of tiny circles for a new afghan. There isn’t much done yet and no beautiful photos of them for you to see.

I have also been crocheting on this afghan. It doesn’t look like much does it. This is what 120+ flower centers look like.

I have been writing a pattern for a scarf and it is about ready to go out in the world. It is a beauty and fairly easy for beginners.

This is part of it. It will stretch you a bit as the border is a bit more complicated than most beginner projects. This pattern will be released on Wednesday to both the craftsy shop and the Etsy shop.

FYI: I’m also an affiliate to various different craft shops and if you click to their shops from this page I get a small percentage. Â This is a new step for me and I am trying it on for size. It shouldn’t affect anything I say or do here but I believe in being upfront about such things.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Karen Stewart

Use Your Stash Challenge-2015 Numbers 8-13

It has been a really busy week, I have been working on the Use Your Stash Challenge-2015! I have gotten several projects done and I might even be out of the single digits.

#8 I have finished this scarf/shawl combo.#9 I made four of these for a friend. Since they used stash yarns I am counting them as one item.

#10 This crib springs recycle to wall storage. I know it looks half finished but it is ready to hang and painted bronze.

#11 I finished this baby blanket.Â #12 I also sewed up about 20 cup cozies but I am only counting them as one. I have tons to sew that are already cut out. I am going to call a group of 20 cup cozies as one item for the challenge. I will get them all sewn that way and I won’t have them sitting around as WIPS. Here they are at the half way point.

#13 I also sewed some child sized reversible superhero capes. These two are blue and silver. I have a ton more to sew and it is just a matter of time to sew and the willpower to see it through.

This is what is next on my list of things to do.

Â Baby bibs: 6 done, 2 in the photo and 1 in the mail and 3 others.

Â Baby blankets ready to iron and do the top stitching: 3 sewn and complete, 1 left

Â Finish quilting the striped quilt!
Â Put the binding on the stripe quilt
Â Cut out and sew Â more super hero capes
Â Sew cup cozies that take red thread
~~Â Deconstruct some jeans so they are ready for cutting.~~
~~Â Pack some orders~~
Clean the studio

I have some fun things planned this weekend and the weather is promising to be rainy. This is good, it will encourage me to get some serious sewing done. I have so much to do. I will need to get some more navy thread, but I can sew with other colors until I get a chance to pick some up.

This year the Use Your Stash Challenge seems to be more about finishing what I have started. I like it. It is encouraging me to actually complete some things that have been hanging around for ages. I hope I can keep up the momentum and my mojo for getting things done. Â I have some custom orders that are in different stages of waiting so I must get back to work.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Karen Stewart

10 Stash Busting Links to Read

I feel like I have a super slow start to the Use Your Stash Challenge – 2015. I needed some inspiration and I found these lovely links to challenge and encourage me to keep going. My stash just seems to keep growing and growing. I have completed some bit fabric and yarn busting projects but I need something for the little bits of yarn and little bits of fabric. This list is a great place to start when it comes to stash busting those little pieces of fabric and yarn.

1.A great stash busting article from Quilting daily!

2. This lovely blanket from Spincushions

10 Stash busting links — http://spincushions.com/ive-been-stash-busting/

3. Yarn Stash busting idea round up by Making it Home!

3. The cutest toddler sweater by Tricksy Knitter that I have ever seen!

4. A paper embellishments stash busting e-course from A Beautiful Mess Shop

5. Crazy Mom Quilts has some great fabric scrap busting ideas.

She has some great ideas so check out the rest of her blog. Here is another post full of wonderful scrap ideas. I really fell down the rabbit hole in her blog there are so many great ideas and I love her use of color!

6. This Groovy Gahn by JustbecauseIcan on Ravelry would be a great scrap blanket.

7. Â Then there is this beautiful woven fabric basket from MarshmallowsandPickles.

8. For the Knitters…I love this blanket. It is superb. The colors, the pattern, I just like everything about it! It is fromÂ https://cauchycomplete.wordpress.com.

9. Â For the Crocheters, there is this option! It is from Dream a little bigger.

10. A great stash busting quilt is the ticker tape quilt. There are so many options out there. I simply went to Pinterest and searched for ticker tape sewing and came up with so many different options. Here is a great ticker tape style doll quilt. This one is from Teaginnydesigns. She got the pattern from Amanda Jean Nyborg at crazymomquilts.

There 10 great stash busting projects to give you some inspiration for the Using Your Stash Challenge – 2015!

I am not sure what I am going to do right now. I have some blah projects to work on but they aren’t as beautiful as these stash projects. So, I am torn, should I start a new stash busting project or simply use the larger pieces of fabric for the more routine sewing.

Do you have any advice? I sure would love to hear it!

Do you have any stash busting projects or links to share with me? I would also love to see those!

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Karen Stewart

Pink is finished!! #3 in the Use Your Stash – 2015

I finished Pink (the crochet afghan) this weekend. I am so pleased with it. It looks so cuddly and warm. I found some lovely yarn at the shop. It was soft and washable. It is variegated with a long color change in the yarn. It was really similar to a Lion Brand wool yarn that I love to use. It is primarily pink and red and the colors called to me.

I started it in the Linen stitch but it turned out horribly stiff and thick. It looked lovely.Â I was also having some problems seeing where to put the stitches. I may need new glasses. I have named this blanket Pink but you can see the other beautiful colors in the yarn. I love working with variegated yarn. You never have to change or sew in many ends. It makes a nice change from Granny Squares that change color every row.

I love the bobbleÂ border. It adds a little whimsy to the whole blanket. I added a nice gray border on either edge of the bobbles. It adds some definition to the edges. Pink is a bit larger afghan than I normally crochet. It is 51 x 62 inches long. The stripes run lengthwise. I think it will make a great Valentine’s Day gift to someone special. It is available in the ChocolateDogStudio shop!

I am also adding this to the Use Your Stash Challenge – 2015! This is #3 for me to have finished this week. It is a huge project and I spent a bunch of time on it. I am really pleased with the finished product. I just knew that yarn would make a beautiful blanket.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Karen Stewart

My Use Your Stash Rules – 2015

Here it is the day the Use Your Stash Challenge officially starts. I have been thinking about the rules for this year. I have also talked them over with Hubs. I love his point of view. Here is what he said in a nutshell

This isn’t a contest
You can make this what you want and need
have fun
don’t stress about the rules
There are no Use Your Stash police checking to see if you follow the same rules as everyone else.

So here are my rules for the Use Your Stash Challenge. I hope that you come up with your own rules.

Works in Progress count because they are stash and they are sitting around half done and taking up space.
If I come up with a really cool idea but lack 1 essential element to finish it off perfectly. I will shop and buy that 1 thing. I will also document what I buy on the blog. Also if I get a custom order that needs supplies I will create that item.
While I will show all the items I create, the good, the bad and the ugly, I might not count them all towards the final number.
I will create 200 items this year for the challenge. I have about 50 items cut and awaiting sewing so it isn’t out of the question and these items do count toward the total.
I will try toÂ create 200 items 200 days.

I have stocked up on thread. I have found all my buttons. I have separated the scraps from the bigger pieces of fabric. I have signed up for a quilt class. Â I have ideas since I have searched far and wide via pinterest and google. Here is the pinterest board that I have been pining ideas on since last year. Â I also have a huge Crochet board and then also a sewing board. Â I will start the board for us to pin our completed items on when I get my first item completed, feel free to contact me to be added to the board.

Join me in a this De-stashing challenge and clean out your space. Find the freedom of finishing up your Works in Progress! set your creativity free with this challenge that will force you to think in totally different directions. Limits force us to think outside the box and encourage us to use what we have or as our Grandma’s said

“Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do without!”

Are we ready? Do you have tons of stash waiting the perfect project? Do you have a time frame in mind or an item list?

If you do then let’s get started!

talk to you after I get something created!

Karen

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Karen Stewart

4 Blocks a Week – Week 2

Here are my four blocks for this week.

This one desperately needs blocking.

Â Here we go with number three. I am using a different book for the squares this week. Leonie Morgan does a great job showing the different rows in different colors. I hope they look great in one shade of yarn.

This one also needs blocking. I will have to steam block them and see if they improve.

The week is proving to be a challenge in many ways. I keep skipping around on different projects and it seems like my progress on one any of them is slow. I have a Minion hat to get out in the mail and then two or three projects that I seem to be working on more seriously than the others. I hope to get them finished pretty quickly as well. Â I am also working on some organizing.I have been sorting through Christmas ornaments and decorations. It appears that we have a bunch that are old and not used. The cleaning and organizing progress in the studio has also slowed down as I am waiting on some parts for some shelving. The parts should come in the mail this week. Then I can get more work done. My studio is up under the eaves and I am putting up shelving so that I can stack my tubs on them. I think it will help me get to them more easily.

The quilting class that I am taking with friends is starting in March instead of this week. I am going to try to get the fabrics gathered together for that class this week. We are making a log cabin quilt and I hope to sew it entirely out of stash fabrics. I also start my Use My Stash Challenge next Monday. I have been thinking about different projects to start and WIPS that need to be finished up. These will all be part of the Use Your Stash Challenge. I am also thinking about my rules for the challenge.

Our daughter heads back to school this week and the rest of us will try to get into a schedule of sorts. I just feel really scattered in my thinking and that time to think is in extremely short supply.

Talk to you later,

karen

Posted on October 20, 2014 by admin

Giant Crochet Blanket

I call it a giant crochet blanket but not because the blanket itself is huge but the hook and yarn are. Here is my newest ta dah! I love this blanket! It is huge, soft and dramatically striped in cream and black. The stripes run lengthwise and make a beautiful dramatic statement. It is a bit like the Â huge gigantic knit blankets that are now all over the internet and Etsy. I have been dying to crochet a huge one as well. It is a work out as the yarn is heavy, the hook is huge and the bigger the blanket gets the heavier everything is.

Here is it in its beginnings. The giant hook lying next to my sewing shears.

Here is a photo to give you an idea of the scale of the crochet and the hook!

This blanket is crocheted out of acrylic yarn and not wool roving like so many of the giant blankets. It is crocheted and not knitted. This is the first wooden hook I have ever used and I am starting to like the feeling of it. The wood warms up in your hands. The thing I didn’t like is that it is thicker than a broom handle and felt clumsy in my hand. I chose a simple pattern since I wasn’t used to working with such large scale yarn or hook. Each stripe is about 1 skein of yarn. The yarn is super soft and not itchy since it is crocheted out of any acrylic. The yarn was a bit slippery and wanted to slip off the hook. Here is the blanket in all of its glory.

I love this giant crochet blanket! It was fun to crochet and I love trying something new. It will be for sale in the Etsy shop, soon. I am offering the ability to crochet this blanket in a variety of colors and sizes for a wonderful custom gift. It all depends on the availability of the yarn. I did have to pry this blanket out of the hands of my family as they thought it wonderful and soft.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Posted on October 17, 2014 by admin

I’m Hyper – Procrastinating This Morning.

Today: quite frankly I am procrastinating, I am hyper – procrastinating! I’m not even sure if that is a word. According to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary this is the definition of Hyper

Full Definition of HYPER

1Â :Â high-strung, excitable; also :Â highly excited

2Â :Â extremely active

and this is the definition of Procrastinating.

proÂ·crasÂ·tiÂ·nate

verb \prÉ™-Ëˆkras-tÉ™-ËŒnÄt, prÅ-\

: to be slow or late about doing something that should be done : to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy,

Ouch, that hurt! It is how I feel though. I am intentionally lazing around and resting. The weeks have been filled with RUN..Run… Do this and do that! I need down time, my body craves it like I used to crave quiet (when I had four little people in the house.) I have done some of the chores that were screaming for attention yesterday; laundry and some picking up. I have some unpacking to do and some dishes to do. I have yarn I bought yesterday that I can’t wait to get my hands on. I have a bunch of photography for the Etsy shops and then some Christmas gift creating to do.

I have tons of things that have to be done, some errands and so forth but I am being a procrastinator on purpose. I’m not thinking or planning or scheduling. I am not considering the clutter in my house. Well, yes I am but I am ignoring it willfully. I am doing something incredibly difficult for me to do; sitting. I know that I will have to jump up and go and do before long. Chores, errands, Â sewing, crochet and life calls, but for this little while I am going to sit and rest. I am adding white space or margin to my life. I have not had a chance to do this since our vacation in August, or at least it feels that long ago. Do you remember when I talked about margin? I have had two cups of coffee in bed and then some poking about on the internet with no specific purpose, a little thinking about this or that, and I ordered a music book for my daughter.

I have been taking stock of my life. Looking at what is truly important and while I haven’t reached any conclusions I do have some renewed purpose. I think I am back on track and headed several degrees into a better direction. You remember geometry class where you learned that a degree off of the right direction would put you miles away from your destination. Life is like that as well. So I am puttering into the right direction again. The photos are from our vacation this past summer. The last time I got to sit and just be. I am ready for a bit more of that time off.

Talk to you later,

Karen

Â Well, if you want to read what I wrote about Margin you can find it here:Â http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/2014/02/04/margin/

PS. It is now Friday and I wrote this on Thursday. I am still procrastinating. I guess rest is what I need to do right now in between life as wife, daughter, mom and chauffeur.

Posted on October 14, 2014 by admin

Crochet Ribbon Blanket

Here it is, the Crochet Ribbon blanket. It is a true scrap blanket. I started this blanket over a year ago. I just wasnâ€™t sure if it was turning out right or if I wanted even to make a ribbon blanket. So I put it on hold when it was just a long string of crochet. It sat there there glaring at me. Every time I reached into the yarn basket it was there taunting me. Reminding me that I had failed to finish it or frog it. Finally, in August I started to work on it in earnest. Here it is in all its glory!

This crochet ribbon blanket contains bits of yarn too short to save and too long to throw away. The colors rise and fall through the whole color spectrum, from bright yellow-golds, through red, pink, green, blue and variegated bits of yarn to small stripes of white and black. It is glorious and bright in all its lovely ribbon stripes. I did my best to repeat colors from the beginning to the end so that it doesnâ€™t get dull and boring at one end. The crochet ribbon blanket is available for purchase at the Chocolate Dog Studio shop on Etsy. It is beautiful and bright which makes it perfect for so many people. Use it at the end of the bed to add a bright touch of color. Throw it over the back of a couch or sofa to be handy on cold winter nights.

I have been helping a family member get their house ready for moving, so I have been in and out quickly the past several weeks. I hope to be here more in the future as today is the actual moving day. So, I must run as I get to let the movers into the new apartment and tell them where to put everything!

talk to you later,

Karen