Two new squares, in spite of it all...

50

51

Recovery is really taking it's time with this surgery.  I keep telling myself...I asked for this, I asked for this. On the plus side, it hurts so much to eat that I can't help but lose weight, haha.

So.  The background for these squares is a blanket I made for my bed a couple of years ago.  Queen sized, and yeah, it did take a while.  I love it, though~  Not really enough contrast for the brown yarn I used in both of these.  Both are from "50 Fabulous Crochet Squares".

I did a little here, and a little there, and I like #51 more than 50.  I felt like I really had to force myself to keep going on these, if I'm going to make 365 before next February.  For some reason, crocheting keeps making me sleepy...but at least I have two new ones to show for all my recuperation time.

I just keep hoping that the next day will be the day that the pain dials back and I can get  back to normal1.  I saw the doc on Tuesday, and he said 5 more days, which  means that Sunday will be THE day.  One can only hope.

And off to bed I go.  Again.  

Back to the land of the upright

Poncho CAL 3-26-12

Day 48

Day 49

I've been away from the hooks for the last few days, because I had surgery to fix a couple of things in my nose and throat.  None of it was a really big deal, it just needed to be done while I still have medical insurance.

I did find time and energy to do a few more rows on the poncho :)




Yesterday I got back to my granny square challenge as well.  #48 is done with the same colors I've used with the poncho, and I have to say, I like this one, very much!













I also really like this more traditional pattern and it's rainbow coloring!

I'm back at it, hooray!

Tomorrow morning I head off to the ENT doctor and get the splint taken out of my nose (oh...yucky), and find out if it is normal for my throat to still hurt THIS much.

And now I've got to head back to bed, because it doesn't take long for me to start feeling yucky once I'm up.  I've increased my out of  bed time to 15 minutes instead of the five minutes it was yesterday.  

World Down Syndrome Day (and a crochet update, of course)

Day 46

Day 47

Elizabeth's poncho is coming along!  She is a very tall, slender girl, so I have a ways to go yet.  Have you ever noticed that when you are crocheting for a particular person, loving thoughts of them fill your mind the whole time you are working?  It's one of the best things about crochet .





<--This square, and #47 right after, were on facing pages in the Granny Square Book.  Made with the same H hook, and some of the same yarns, this one is 6".














<--And this one is 8".  Go figure!

 This may be all for a few days, as I am having surgery tomorrow.  Nothing worrisome, just repairing a broken nose.  Won't be fun, but is no worry, either.

My daughter Elena is coming to stay with me for a few days to help me.

I made two scarves for her that should have been in the mail a month ago.  But alas, I am who I am!  And she will be glad to have them here, where the temperature is still moping in the 40's (Farenheit).  When she takes them back to Brooklyn she may have to wait until next fall to use them.

The first scarf is made of Berroco Souffle yarn.  and the second, which is a ruffled scarf, is Lion Brand Homespun Edwardian.

Perhaps I can get her to a little modeling while she is here.


Today is World Down Syndrome Day!  28 years ago I was dropped into life with a baby girl who had such a major heart malformation (double outlet, right ventricle), that she was not expected to survive.  For two years we held our breath every day, not knowing if there was a tomorrow for her.  And at two years of age, she had her lifesaving repair, the first successful DORV repair in our part of the world, and since I've never found another older person with a repaired DORV, maybe even in the whole world.  And oh...btw, she has Down Syndrome.

So glad to have the best teacher I could ever have in my life!

Poncho CAL, Turn Double, Dose-e-doh!

Trivet

Elizabeth's poncho WIP

This trivet was originally intended to be an 'Isabella Square' from The Granny Square Book.  However, somewhere along the line I made an error that reduced the number of motifs.  At this stage, there should have been 16 points around, and somehow there are only 14.  The error happened in the fourth row, still not sure how it happened.  As it was, though, I had used a very heavy yarn (just to see how it worked up).  The insulation this yarn will provide makes it a very nice trivet!  Works for me!  I'll try this pattern again with a more suitable yarn, and see if I get a granny square this time.

I've begun a poncho for Sucrette's Granny Poncho Crochet-a-Long.  This one is for my granddaughter, Elizabeth, who requested blue and white.

I don't have any white yarn handy, but I do have cream.  I think I like it better than white, and hope that she does, too.

Yesterday this tutorial was posted on the Crochet_in_Common list on Yahoo.  One of the things that I have always been unhappy with in crochet is the need to chain 3 to move up to the next line of crochet.  It just doesn't look right and I have never liked it.  This tutorial shows an incredibly inventive way to make a double crochet when moving up instead of the chain 3.  I'm still working on mastering it, but I think it is absolutely brilliant!  I'll never chain 3 again.  Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!  

Monday Morning;..

Day 42

Day 43

Day 44

Day 45

Big Boy, or Bob, is Bernard now.  Ramona wanted so badly to name him Bernard (or Gandalf), that I acquiesced.  Personally, I'll probably call him Big Guy the way I do now...Bernard I will get used to over time.





Mr. Beautiful Blue Eyes!  He owes this eye color to that touch of Siamese, evidenced by a smidge of light cocoa on the top (you can just barely see the edge of it in the upper photo).  After two weeks with us, he is finally feeling better and is showing who he really is.  This kitty loves to romp and play!  What I took for really mellow and laid back turned out to be a very sick kittie.








Four more squares follow.














This is my favorite!

A very successful day, except for my pocketbook...

Day 39

Day 40

Day 41

Some days I make a square, and it's not everything I thought it would be.  Today, however, I think all three were very successfull!

Love the color combination in this one, which came from the Granny Square book.  The original pattern had two more rows, but I liked it when I got this far.  More would have been too much, in my opinion.







All three squares originated in the Granny Square book today.  I absolutely love the middle of this one!  And the colors went together nicely, too.

Needs blocking!  I have one of those graphed blocking squares on order, so I expect I'll be taking some great before and after photos.










This one is just lovely!  I'm going to be working up some of the lacier ones I've come across, getting ready for the poncho (or shawl) that I'm going to be making for my daughter Clara.  I rather like some of the filigree techniques.  I have some fantastic banana silk yarn on order for it from Himalaya, and since it is backordered for now, I have plenty of time to plan.

I was thinking of grousing about the 'cat and his teeth that should have been pulled before I got him but they weren't' routine...but I'm still to aggravated by the whole thing and not really knowing what direction I am going to go in.  Suffice it to say, Bernard Big is back from his dental surgery today.  Even the vet is unhappy about the treatment he got previously, and the non responsiveness of the organization.  But then again, I said I was leaving it, and I am.

What was lost is found + 2

Day 36

Day 37

Day 38

The plus 2 are first!  This block and the one following are titled 'Jeannine squares', and are from the 'Granny Square Book'.  The cross lines are achieved with front posts.  I really love this technique! 

This color combination isn't bad, either. 







I know many people stick to one type of yarn, for instance, Bernat Silk, or Vanna's Choice, but for all of these blocks I'm going for color combinations first, complimentary weights of yarn second, and brand/type, not at all.

Day 37 here is as follows:  Center, Caron, color peacock.  The turquoise row is Premier Yarns Dream.  Third row (counting from the center) is Premier Yarns Dream, mint green.  The variegated row is RedHeart.    If I had it to do over, I'd use another yarn instead of the peacock, and am currently looking for a similar color from a different company.  Nothing wrong with the Caron!  But it is wool (which I had forgotten), while the rest are blends.



You will always be able to tell which blocks come from the 200 blocks book.  She made all of her examples out of a sock type yarn, with a little bitty needle, so that she could back a lot of definition into her 6" blocks.  The problem there is that granny squares are usually made with some sort of worsted yarn.  If I follow the directions as written I end up with about a 9" square. 

Good thing I like big squares sometimes, cause I will never be buying up a whole selection of tiny yarns, however lovely those pieces might be.

Also, yon giant square is the one that the kittle stole yesterday.  Found it behind the could in the living room.  He's only been with me for a week and a half now, but I can tell that life with him will not be dull.  And he is smart!  If I'm crocheting and he makes a move toward my lap, I can tell him no and he'll wait until I am done working.  Really!  Smart, smart boy. 

5 squares - 1

Day 32

Day 33

Day 34

This block is called 'Tiny Textures' in "200 Crochet Blocks".  I'm not at all sure that I successfully duplicated the pattern in the book, but I like what I came up with.  I made a smaller block than the directions called for.  Again, I like it!  A nice tight weave that you could make clothing out of, and not need an undergarment in order to maintain dignity. 

Day 35

I knew this one would be tough, and once again, it needs blocking.  Before thinking ill of me on the blocking issue, keep in mind that I weave in every single yarn tail as soon as I am done with the block.

This is Triangle Stripes from "200 Blocks".

When doing a block straight across instead of around, I tend to start putting unnatural tension on the piece.  I'm aware that I do it, but I don't know how to stop. 

I'll do a big blocking job one of these days, once I've constructed that block on which to block.



<-- The center of this block came from "300 Classic Blocks for Crocket".  The rest was added by myself in order to get the size I was aiming for.










<---This is a log cabin technique that came from "300 Blocks".  I'm calling it "Confetti Betty".

I'm not sure what I was thinking with this color combination, but I did want to see how this nameless but numbered (9813) Berroco Comfort variegated yarn would work up.  Berroco Comfort is a joy to work with and doesn't stretch and contort like some yarns do.

I consider it a technique learned, at the very least.

And, I had one more square finished last night, a lovely combination of turquoise blues from "200 Blocks".  This morning, it had completely vanished!  I have looked everywhere for it, even put new sheets on the bed in order to go through every single crevice that it could be hiding in, but alas, it is nowhere to be found.

Since Big Guy the new kittie does have a decided liking for small blanket like things, I'm sure that I know who took it.  He does like his own little blankets, and picks them up and moves them around the house.And I know that I'll run across it, one of these days.

Speaking of Big Guy, he is having difficulty with my rule of 'no cats in the lap' while I'm crocheting.  I think he stole that square in a fit of pique, just to get back at me.  I hope war has not just been declared...

The next edition, wherein I try to use every new yarn I have and fail...but I tried.

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Here are the last weeks worth.  I'm doing two per day, in an attempt to catch up as if I started doing these on January 1.

For the most part, I'm trying different colors together to see what happens.  I really love these greens!

They are all Bernat Satin.






And I love a good variegated, to add some interest here and there.  Here are those greens again!













about here, Blogger decided that all further photos must be turned sideways.  So far, I do not see a way to turn them back within blogger.  Not happy with this!  I can understand when this sort of thing happens with a photo that I have rotated within my photo program, but this stumps me.

And no, I haven't made myself a blocking board, so nothing is blocked as of yet.  I will get to that, promise.

I love this goldenrod color!









I've gotten quite a few browns as of late, as well,  This one is so nice and chocolatey.

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Day 29

Day 30

Day 31

A very cool red with red-orange.  There is another one coming with the same colors, only reversed.

Another thing that blogger just did:  it left about ten pages of white space between the blocks above and this red one.  Took about five minutes of back spacing to close the gap.  Heaven only knows what this is going to look like once it is posted.













I've been using "The Granny Square Book" by Margaret Hubert, and "200 Crochet Blocks" by Jan Eaton as source material for the blocks I have done so far.  This turquoise block is one of the only ones that appear in both books.

From the Library, I have "300 Classic Blocks for Crochet Projects", by Linda P. Schapper.









Oh I love this color combination!  That blue is called Peacock.


















Coffee, anyone?

Ok. Great.  Blogger is not allowing the cursor to descend down the page past coffee here to the left.  What the?















And now it does.  Go figure!  There is that goldenrod color again, with browns.  Love, love, love it!

















In spite of the weird angle, this block is square.  I know, blocking!


This will be one of four, with the grannies all on the inside, and the single crochet rows framing them.









Interesting color combination, and although I followed the directions, it obsitnately refuses to be a square.  Oh well.



















Three greens;  Fern, Light fern, and Forest green.  Nice.



















Pretty cool, but will try this color combination again in double  crochet instead of single.  Or not...













There is my peacock blue again.  I LOVE this color.























The reverse reds.



















Another 3-D flower.  I like these somewhat, but am just getting my skills up so that I can do something more free form.








And, I adopted a cat last monday.  I was so broken up after my Jerry kittie died a few years ago, that I swore I was not getting another one.

Then I spent a day with a friend's cats last week, and here we are.  Meet Bob (or Big Boy, as Purrfect Pals named him).  Or Bernard, as my daughter wants to call him.  Me, I just started calling him Bob without even thinking about it.

Purrfect Pals Is a great place to adopt a cat!  They come to you health tested, spayed or neutered, and with their shots.

Big Boy Bob is an absolute honey, and is settling in nicely.  This afternoon he goes to the vet, who will undoubtedly agree with me that he needs a diet.  He should probably weigh about 14 pounds, because he IS large, but weighs more like 17 pounds now.

Ding ding ding, time to head to the laundry room...

PS.  Have returned from the vet.  Turns out, when the rescue group had some of his back teeth removed, they tried to save a few.  These few are poking holes in his gums in his gums so the poor guy is miserable.  He needs more surgery.  I'm going to see if the rescue group is willing to help me pay for this!  Ouch!  And he IS on a diet.  The vet called it the "Fancy Feast Diet".  Each can is 100 calories, he will get two per day.  First, the soft food will be more manageable for him, and we will give away the dry food.  Second, it won't hurt him to eat it.

Maybe I should have gone for a younger cat instead of making a point of adopting a 'hard to adopt out' older cat.  It's too late now, he's settling in beautifully and really is just the sweetest little being.  He stays here.  But ouch, my pocketbook!