New Altar Cross Scarf & Baby Set

This past week, the pastor asked me to make another scarf for the small altar cross at the front of the church. He wants this one to be red for Pentecost.

I searched through my stash, and found a partial skein of vintage Brunswick Fairhaven fingering yarn I've had for several years. Very nice yarn - works perfectly for this project.



In other news.....(ha!), I'm still going with the Lime and Chocolate baby set. So far, I've finished about 4 squares, so I'm at the halfway point. :)

Tiny Scarf for Altar Cross at Church

A couple Saturdays ago, I was practicing organ music at church, for our Easter service the next morning. I noticed that the small cross on the altar did not have a white scarf for the celebration. So, I decided to knit one up that night.


Using one strand Aunt Lydia's Bamboo Crochet Thread and one strand Patons Lacette, I cast on 124 stitches, using a size 10 knitting needle. After knitting about 10 rows, it was done!

I think it looks nice on the little cross. :)

Crocheted Bath Set on Bernat Blog

Check out my hand-crocheted bathroom set on the Bernat Blog!
http://bernat.com/blog/



Next week, my Cabled Yoke Sweater will be published there. Keep checking back!

Still Planning Lime & Chocolate Baby Blanket

I started working on the baby blanket yesterday, and thought, "Hmm....I bet it would look nice to make squares and seam them together, with different designs on them."

I'll use the "brick" design for half of the squares, and do some garter stitch squares for the other half. Then, I'll add a crochet border around each square, seam them together, and add another crochet border around the whole thing. I think that will look nice. Plus, it will be easier to work on.

Here goes!

New Baby Project for Commission

This week, I had to get a lot of medical tests on my heart. (Had a weird thing happen last week. You can read about it on my health blog: http://sandyhealthlog.blogspot.com/2010/03/heart-trouble-at-hospital.html

Anyway, when I was at the check-out desk in the doctor's office, the lady heard me mention that I was a knitter. Her eyes popped up from her computer, and she said, "Could you make a blanket and hat for me to use as a gift for a baby boy?" Of course, I agreed. We worked out the details, and I told her that I would get started on it.

She wants it to be washable. And the colors of the nursery are lime and chocolate.

When I left the doctor's office, I stopped at AC Moore to see what they might have in those colors. I found it! And for a good price too. :)

Here's the lime. (Trust me, it looks more "lime-y" in real life.) It's Bernat Baby Sport in "Kiwi".


And here's the chocolate. Red Heart Designer Sport in Cocoa.


I've spent the last few hours searching for a good pattern. I think I'm leaning toward these:

Patons "Diamond Hat"


Bernat's "Woven Look Blanket"


I think those should work well for a baby boy.

A Whole Lotta Needlecrafting Goin' On!

I'm getting better now at doing simple crochet stitches. Nothing fancy, but that's okay.

Here's the green dishcloth I made for my Mom on St Patrick's Day:


When I finished it, she asked if she could have TWO, so I made another one with thicker yarn:


The first cloth was made with DK yarn (Plymouth Stone Cotton) and a size F hook. I used Bernat's free pattern called "Handicrafter Cotton Dishcloth for Beginners". I added a border all around, using one round of single crochet, and another round of half-double crochet. I like it!

The second cloth was made with worsted weight Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton and a size H hook. I made it the same way, to help make the cloths look like a set. I think my Mom likes them! :)

I posted photos of the cloths on my Facebook page, and some of my friends started asking if they could buy some from me. Then, the secretary at my church asked for one also. So, I grabbed a skein of Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed DK, with a size F hook, and quickly made one for her. She hugged me when I handed it to her this past Sunday! :)


I'm also making a bathroom rug, holding together two strands of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn. The colors of the yarn are Pilgrim Peach, and Country Blue.


To make that rug, I measured the size of the floor I'm wanting to cover. Then, I did a little swatch, to see how many stitches per inch I got. Then, I multiplied that number by the number of inches I wanted it to be. That told me how many chain stitches I would need to start off with. Now, I'm just doing single crochet every row until it's long enough. It's slow going, but I'm halfway there!

In the middle of these projects, I also knit two sections on an Oddball Blanket.


Last week, I decided to make some quick slippers for my Grandma. It's her 90th birthday! She loves the slippers I make for her, and calls them her "booties".


I made those slippers in one day, using the "Slipper Sock" pattern by Tropical Yarns. Instead of using two strands of worsted weight yarn, I used one strand of Bernat Softee Chunky. Worked perfectly!

Now, I'm making another pair for my son Josh, in red. Photos soon!