Backtracking

I really felt like I needed to finish something today, so I set out this morning to finish my twin size stash-buster blanket.  I have been trying to clean out my stash of long discontinued Baby Clouds yarn and a large dc blanket seemed like a good way to do it.

I had mostly been working on the blanket when we watched TV or movies.  But, our TV routinely goes weeks without being turned on, so progress was pretty slow.  I need to finish it before it gets too warm out for me to want to crochet with a huge blanket on my lap.

I had 14 rows left to go.  I crocheted 2 rows and then decided to count how many stitches I had per row, because I had forgotten and I wanted to count down my remaining stitches.  I count 117.  There is no way I would ever start a blanket with 117 stitches unless the pattern specifically called for it.  I counted the starting row: 110 stitches.  Noooooo!

I spent the next few minutes counting stitches in different rows.  Apparently I increased by 1 somewhere in the first half, by another somewhere in the 3rd quarter, and by 5 in the last 7 rows.  5 of those row I did while watching a movie, and trying to keep tracking of the very mobile baby, in a pretty dark room.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Little A (3 1/2) loved helping me pull out 7 rows (770+ stitches.  Sob.)  I have since crocheted another 5, corrected, rows and am back to 110 stitches across.

So, a couple hours spent crocheting 2 rows, pulling out 7 rows, and crocheting 5 rows means I am right back where I started this morning.

Maybe I’ll get it done tomorrow.

Saturday

This past Saturday, the kids let us sleep in until almost 9:00*. It was as amazing as it sounds, until about an hour after we got up, when my husband went down to the basement.

While R (9) read in bed, and Miss C (1) played in her crib, the other three (ages 3, 5, and 7) apparently had a goldfish fight in the basement playroom. It involved two entire bags of goldfish crackers and culminated in them stomping the goldfish to crumbs all over the carpet, mixed in with toys.

2 1/2 days later, after getting them to clean up the toys, do a first run over the crumbs with a carpet sweeper, clean up the toys again, clean up the crumbs someone shook out of the carpet sweeper after they neglected to empty it, and clean up the toys again, I finally got down there with the vacuum to finish the job, only to discover that the last time I made them vacuum up a big mess someone had decided it would be a good idea to vacuum up a sock.

This evening I spent an hour taking apart the vacuum, unclogging the vacuum, putting the vacuum together, and vacuuming.

But, I got to sleep in until 9:00* on Saturday!

 

*After being up with Miss C several times during the night because she still doesn’t sleep well.

Crocheted Patchwork Baby Blanket Tutorial

I wanted to share a pattern to celebrate one year of blogging!

There’s probably some newfangled, made-up term like “blogiversary” which  I’m supposed to use, but I’m already too old for stuff like that.

Recently, I have been trying to fight off a stubborn cold and I have been taking every opportunity to rest.  Rather than taking on writing up a new pattern, I dusted off this already started patchwork blanket tutorial, added all the photos, and finished it just in time.

I feel like this has become my signature baby blanket.

Ugly Mittens

“Mom, those mittens could probably win first place in an ugly mitten contest!”

I’m not arguing with him, but I love these mittens for several reasons.

1. They helped me get over my fear of knitting mittens.  (I’m still scared of socks, sweaters, and intarsia knitting.)
2. They taught me how to knit two at a time in a magic loop.  Cool!
3. They used up most of an old skein of yarn which one of the kids begged me to buy (the same kid who made the comment above!)
4. Making them provided some welcome distraction for my spring cold which is threatening to become spring bronchitis.
5. They fit me perfectly
6. They are warm
7. The kids won’t take them.  Hah!

Crafty Wanderings

I have three animal “commissions” I should be working on.  Should be.  One of them, a pair of moose, has been sitting around for almost two months, waiting for me to feel like making it.  Thankfully, the recipient is willing to be patient.  I’m seriously going to try to get it done today.  It shouldn’t even take very long.

Here’s what I have been doing instead…

Baby Gifts: Winter & Spring 2017

I love making gifts for friends who are expecting babies.  I have made four so far this year.  Because they have all been given to the recipients, I can finally share photos!

Turtle

Giraffe Done Right

It took five days of crafting time, but she’s done.  And it was so worth it.  I knew she would be big, but… wow.  The table she is on in 30″ square.  She’s really big.  The kids love her.  They each want one of their own.