It’s not often they get snow in the Atlanta area but I love this photo Chris sent me yesterday with all three of them wearing hats I knit!

I taught myself to knit and to crochet – it’s not hard if you find the right “beginner” book and YouTube videos help if you don’t understand something. They didn’t have all the videos when I taught myself but these days if I don’t understand something in a pattern or a stitch, I can usually find a video that lets me see a demonstration. Very helpful especially if you’re just starting out.

I try not to start new blankets before finishing the current one but I got through two balls of yarn and was waiting for a 3rd ball to finish up the Trellis Stripe blanket – it’s almost large enough but I decided I’d like a few more rows and a border so, Wednesday night after finishing the binding on the Whale Strippie, I started a new blanket. I’d mentioned when I finished the blue Blanket Stitch one, that it was bit bulky and that I wanted to try this stitch in a lighter weight yarn and I’m happy to say it’s going to be perfect in this yarn! Now I just have to hope that the two big skeins make a long enough blanket for the 150 chains I started with or I’ll end up in the same situation as the purple blanket and having to wait for yarn to finish it.

• Pattern – Blanket Stitch – found free on Ravelry
• Yarn – Lion Brand Ice Cream Big Scoop in the Lemon Meringue colorway
• Hook size – H
• Chained 150

Another hat for donation is finished.

• Pattern – Ribbed Knit Beanie – free pattern found here
• Yarn – Lion Brand Pound of Love
• Needles – size 10

I’m working on a hat but set it aside to start a new blanket today. This one is really easy using the self striping yarn and it’s really pretty in different colors too if you don’t mind weaving all the ends in … I love the free patterns on the Attic24 website but I’m lazy so I prefer the self striping yarn to weaving those all ends!

• Pattern – Trellis Stripe, free on Lucy’s Attic 24 website
• Yarn – Caron Big Cakes in the Grape Jelly colorway
• Hook size is (I)
• Starting chain – 132

The plan is to load a top on the longarm this evening (Keith is out of town again so I’ll work a bit tonight), maybe make a few blocks for the map quilt after loading the top and I’ll finish off my evening with more crochet!

• Pattern – Easy Ripple Afghan – found free on Ravelry
• Yarn – Caron Cotton Cakes – 2 balls
• Hook size – G
• Chained 130

• Pattern – Blanket Stitch Afghan, found free on Ravelry
• Yarn – Caron Simply Soft Brites – colorway Berry Blue – 4 skeins
• Hook size – I
• Chained 120

I like the texture this stitch creates and it was certainly easy to make but it’s a little bulky for me in a baby blanket. Next time I’ll try a sport weight (vs worsted) yarn and see if I like that better.

Chris and Rae are coming this weekend for the Gasparilla children’s parade so I pulled out all the baby and small child size afghans for him to take back and donate for me. I had planned to send him back with some quilts too but I didn’t get them washed so those will have to wait for the next visit.

Progress is being made on the tumblers, a top is loaded on the longarm and ready for quilting, and I finished the pink/brown ripple last night so I started a new blanket.

• Pattern – Blanket Stitch, found free on Ravelry. It looks kind of like a puff stitch to me but it’s super easy and has a lot of texture.
• Yarn – Caron Simply Soft Brites – colorway is Berry Blue. This yarn has been in the stash for a long time … I no longer remember what it was originally intended for.
• Hook size – I
• Chained 120

Another hat, for Chris if he wants it otherwise it will go in the donation pile.

• Pattern – Sandoval Hat – a free pattern from Ravelry
• Yarn – Paintbox Simply Aran – colorway is racing green
• Needle size – 9
  

I hope to sew the last seams on the light/dark HeartStrings top tonight!