Blue Christmas Poinsettia Snowflake

Late again. I found this pattern in Crochet World's Christmas Annual from 1985. It didn't turn out flat like the picture. When I pinned it to see what it would look like if I stiffened it, it still wasn't flat and it probably is acrylic, so it won't stretch. I like the look of curled edges but I don't know if they will stay.

I found a few more colours for my granny squares. Now I have to decide what size hook to use and how many rows for each square. A was nice and went and got the beige from the second store I had looked in. I hadn't planned on using it but that was before I found out how few colours were around.

Blue Christmas Mitten

I want to thank Chris for mentioning my contest on her blog.

March's Blue Christmas pattern isn't what I was planning to make for this month but I decided I wanted something smaller. I'm glad that I tried this mini mitten pattern out because I hadn't realized that crocheting back and forth into the back loop creates a rib – and it stretches! And I also like the look it creates when going in the round.

Blue Christmas Granny Square Tree

I'm a bit late doing February's blue Christmas decoration but it's done now. The Granny Christmas Tree Ornament wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I was intrigued at how it was done and wanted to try it. I might make it in green also. I'll have to do a little search on exactly what a granny square is. I wouldn't have said that these were granny squares, but what do I know?

The Hat Is Finished

The computer hasn't been home for a few days. I finished A's hat and he has been wearing it so I suppose that it is satisfactory! I think the top came out well.

I finished my crocheted luckypenny holder for the key chain challenge.It doesn't look too much like a four leaf clover, but close enough.

Watermelon Coaster

It's been so cold so we've been drinking hot drinks and A asked if we had any coasters so he could put his mug on his desk. We didn't have any so I thought that I'd make him one. I was going to make a heart shaped one for Valentine's day but, at 16, I didn't know if he'd like a heart hanging around his desk. OK another reason was because I had already crocheted a heart this month and 'been there, done that'. I saw a watermelon coaster that I liked and made one. I had to make my own pattern because the one that I tried didn't work with the acrylic (or whatever it is) yarn I was using, it just made ripples around the edge.

I'm hoping to finish A's hat today or tomorrow. I've not had fun with the decreases. I don't know how many times I've had to undo something. It was funny that Brenda Dayne of the Cast On podcast mentioned that Tracy Ullman hadn't learnt how to do 'SSK' decrease until she was 43 (I think that was the age) and I only heard about it last week when I started to do the decreases on this hat.

Blue Christmas Heart

Several years ago I bought some blue Christmas balls and a garland to go with them. I have been meaning to make some blue decorations so I can have a blue tree. When I asked my ex m-i-l if she had any red wool that I could use to finish the Xmas lap throw, she gave me a bag of different colours (including the red I used to finish the throw) there was also a ball of blue yarn. I have no idea what it is though. I'm going to try make a decoration a month so by next Christmas I'll have 11. I want to use the blue stocking my sister D made as one, so that will make 12.

I've been renewing a Finnish craft magazine called Novita from the library because I have wanted to crochet a heart that is in it. I finally crocheted it but I didn't like it so I frogged it and went searching for a new one. I made this country heart coaster for now. It's quite simple but sturdy. I made two changes. Instead of breaking off the yarn before starting the second lobe I just slip stitched down to the where it started and then I only did one row of edging. I'll have to stiffen it though because it really curls up.

What I made for Christmas

I still haven't finished A's Xmas presents but there's no hurry for the hat because it isn't cold enough for him to agree to wear one (sigh – teenagers). The other gift should be finished but someone is procrastinating (sigh – mothers).

I made this card holder for my sister D but I didn't want to post it until after she received it.






Instead of doing it in two pieces like the pattern I just did one and used the frill around to do up the sides.


I also made this minature Christmas stocking for her and this miniature snowflake by doing less rows for my mother.

Christmas At My Home: Day 7

I think I crocheted this in our old apartment, so that makes it over 13 years old. I used to put it on top of the tree but we use a star now.

Snowflakes On Their Way

Just as I had tied off the last knot after sewing the snowflakes to the piece of cardboard, I realized that I hadn't remembered to take a picture of all of the snowflakes once they were stiffened. So I took them all off and took a picture.

I had to soak the pins to soften the glue so that I could clean it off them.



The pins were needed so that I could finally wash and block the ”somebody else's UFO”. I wanted to wash it first because I don't know how old the squares were before I got them and they were in my cupboard a few years before I worked on them. The throw isn't much bigger than this – only one row missing on each side so it's only about 55 cm by 110 cm.

Finished the Snowflakes

I've wanted to knit myself a scarf out of cotton yarn for those days when I need something around my neck but with the sun shining it would be too sweaty for wool or acrylic. I liked the simple look of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's scarf and thought that I would make it from that. I don't know if it is the cotton yarn or the size of my needles but it doesn't look the same. So I've taken two other patterns from the internet and will try them.

The last 2 snowflakes are finished and waiting to be stiffened. I forgot to take a picture of the seventh snowflake before blocking it. While I was pinning it I noticed a mistake on the second row. Too late to fix it now! I'm not surprised to find a mistake though. I struggled so much with it. The pattern is actually quite easy but I kept doing mistakes and mostly the same ones over and over. I couldn't understand it.

Snowflake number eight seems to have one more row in the picture than called for in the pattern. It was big enough without the extra row. I followed the pattern until the last row where I only chained 7 between instead of 10 and 10 where it called for 12.

Blocking Snowflakes

Snowflake #6 was suppose to have beads but as I don't have any, I didn't add any. It might be interesting to try sometime. I changed the outer points because, maybe because of the lack of beads, it just looked like a blob. I only did one b-picot.


I suddenly realized that I should start blocking the snowflakes so that when they are all crocheted they will be dry enough to send immediately. I used a blocking pattern that I found and now that I have rustproof pins I don't have to worry about rust marks. Last time I used a mixture of white glue and water and painted it on. I had read somewhere that you shouldn't use sugar because bugs, etc. might want to eat it and so I'll probably use glue again. When I blocked them last Christmas I put some cling wrap over the pattern but before starting this set I saw that someone had used wax paper and I'm trying that. I put the snowflakes face down so the glue goes on the back.

Aching Hands

I have to accept that I can't knit as much as I would like to. Too much pain in my hands. I've tried doing hand and wrist stretches before and after but it hasn't really helped. I've settled on only doing one sock row (64 stitches) every hour. I'll see if I'll need to do less.

So I have to come up with some sewing. I want to make fall aprons with material that I have. I found this piece in my stash. I don't really like the pattern but the colors are fallish enough.It is just a strip of material (26 cm x 300 cm), so I will have to fiddle with it.


The fifth snowflake is done. I used this pattern. I found at least one mistake. I should make a decision on how many snowflakes I'm going to make. I've printed out 3 more patterns, so I'll at least make them.

Look, See

Making a promise to one's self and putting it on one's blog is a great motivator (even though no one else reads it!) Not only did I do the heel but all of the gusset too. I couldn't continue until T was at work so that she could try it on and tell me if it was OK.


I also finished the edge on someone else's UFO. The first row should have had less chains on each loop (or whatever it is called) because it is so loose. They have kind of bent over to fit. Oh well. I started the third row and when I realized that it would be really floppy, I started over with less chain stitches here and there. At the 1/3 point I decided that I still didn't like how floppy it was, so I undid it. It is still not lying flat but I don't know how all of these yarns will wash. I'm going to have to learn how block because I've never done it before.

Snowflake number four is done. I found the pattern on someone's blog but it seems to be a Lion Brand Yarn pattern, so you have to register to get it. I changed the pattern again to a six point snowflake. It is quite small. I'm going to have to search for larger patterns or try a larger hook.

Another Snowflake

I'm on a course so I haven't been doing much. I'm so tired when I come home even though I'm just sitting. I think it is because I have to listen to Finnish all day and I'm not used to it.

I finished the next snowflake but I made some changes. I made it a 6 point flake because all of the other ones I have done are 6 points. I had trouble with the last row so I just changed it so it wouldn't look lopsided.

I Started A Craft Journal

I finished the main piece of the Isabeau purse. I didn't have much yarn left so I was planning to use some other yarn for the sides and the rest of the main yarn for the handle. I pulled out all of my yarn stashes and imagine to my surprise when I found a small ball of what looks like to be the same kind of yarn. I think that there will be enough to do the whole bag. When I tried to make a pattern to use for the lining, the newspaper just started to pull up. As it is basically a rectangle I will just draw it on the paper instead. I bought a piece of flowered material from a charity store to use as lining.

I finished the second snowflake. I found the picots annoying to do for some reason. The pattern for this snowflake is here. I should have used a bigger hook.

H's socks are on hold as I still haven't received the measurements I need. I saw H's s-i-l in the store and she reminded me that autumn is coming, so I said that I could start her socks and continue H's later. She already had bought the yarn. I started them with a bigger needle than the pattern called for but I will start again and use the men's size as it still looks too small.

I started a craft journal. This blog is for projects too, but the journal is more for needle sizes, number of stitches I finally decide to cast on, any changes I make in my sewing, etc. This is the page from the apron I'm making.

Isabeau Purse

I haven't been following my rotation because I suddenly had the urge to knit a purse. I 'm not really a purse person but I want one or two. So I've been working on the Isabeau Purse. I'm using a thinner yarn than recommended so I added an extra pattern repeat and knit more rows than the pattern had. I hope I have enough yarn to do the main piece. I probably will have to use another color for the sides and strap. The red thread is just a life line because I had to undo so many rows, so many times. I changed the bottom from seed stitch to stockinette because I thought that it would knit up faster as I wouldn't have to keep undoing stitches. I've been doing so much K2 P2, I'm sure I'd start doing it instead of K1 P1.

I was crocheting R's second snowflake when I noticed that the yarn was a bit darker and felt different but I thought that it just this bit of the yarn. I had done a few of the longer points and then happened to turn the snowflake over and the reason revealed itself. Some of my hair was being crocheted along with the yarn! (You can see it left of the uncrocheted yarn.) I don't know why it wasn't obvious from the front side. I had almost finished undoing it before I thought to take a picture.

H's socks are almost of equal length, so I'll have to wait until I hear what the finally length should be before continuing.

New Projects

The day after I wrote about the felt keychains, I was given this keychain from Moscow. It was a funny coincidence but I still want to make my own.




I'm changing A's project again. He wants a cloak for his larping. We have bought and preshrunk the material. It's the dark stuff under the other material. My apron has about had it. I've been using it for 15 years or so. I went to the charity store today and bought the bits and pieces that are on top of the cloak material. I'm hoping to get 4 aprons out of them but because they have been cut into, I don't know how big they will be.

I've finally got the Xmas squares crocheted together. I'm so pleased. I've almost got the first snowflake done, but I found the pattern confusing and I'm not sure if I will undo it a bit. H's sock is coming along. I've been knitting it also while I'm on the computer.



M: R's crocheted snowflakes (find new patterns, crochet)
T: D's crochet completed!
Next week: apron (wash material, find pattern, draw and cut out pattern, cut out material, sew)
W: H's socks (knit them)
T: Home - A's pjs (find pattern, draw pattern, cut out, sew)
F: Personal (decide what to do about bay pouch, make cord, finish it)
S: A's project (decide on pattern, draw pattern, cut out, sew, wash)
S: Xmas square lapthrow (crochet strips together, find a border pattern, crochet border, sew in ends)

How Do They Do It?

I'm so envious when I read blogs where they show the 500 objects they have finished since yesterday's entry. I know that many knit, crochet, whatever while watching TV or reading. If I do some craft work at the same time I'm watching TV it can only be something that I don't need a pattern to follow. If I'm reading I want to concentrate on what I'm reading, why else read? Maybe if I was doing something repetitive like garter stitch or ribbing I might be able to read on the internet at the same time (so I wouldn't have to juggle the book too).

So that is why this lap throw isn't finished. I hadn't noticed that this little fellow doesn't have a crocheted corner (the upper left one), so I don't know what to do. I'll crochet all of the other squares together and weave in all of the ends before tackling with that problem. Then I'll crochet the strips together. Any suggestions of what kind of border I could do? The squares aren't the same size so it would need to take that into consideration.

HAPPY CANADA DAY

This is a little pouch I made in the spring. It was suppose to be for my phone but it's too big. The bottom is the correct size but I must have picked up too many stitches. I might undo it and make it smaller. I didn't have the same brand of yellow and it is noticable but if it is usually going to be in my bag, who will see?

After arranging the squares yesterday I decided that I would try to crochet 2 squares together a day, but I got carried away and did a whole row. Part was done after I got up in the evening because I couldn't get to sleep. I strung a row together to keep the colors in order (different reds) because I'm going on a short train ride tomorrow and I thought that I could work on it then.

It's Been a While

I can't believe how long it has been since I've done any crafts. I've been blogging on my other blog for 2 months now, so I have been doing some blogging. I had planned to have the knee-high socks done by now, but I haven't worked on them at all. And winter is fast approaching! Well, at the speed I'm going, it will be here before I've knitted the socks. I've only done this much and I will have to undo it all. At the moment I don't remember why but I think it was because I should use smaller needles.

I started to crochet the squares together but I didn't really know how I wanted to do it. Not liking sewing in ends, I had planned to try to crochet as many together as possible without tying a knot. But I just gave up and it has been sitting waiting for me to continue. I saw a similar way to crochet squares together but it is just one square at a time and then 2 strips together so it will have lots of ends. But maybe I should just do it that way to get it done!

The square with the white in the middle is suppose to be a corner, as I only have four of them. As it has been so long since I was working on it I don't understand how it will be a corner when I've crocheted them together like this.



I am going to arrange them the way I want them because there are only 4 with white in the middle and some of the reds are different. Then I will string the long rows together so that they will stay in order (they have been knocked around a few times). I can crochet sets of 2 and then continue from there.

I have gone through this pile of magazines and will try to give them away. If I can't then I will put them in the paper recycling.