Completed Postage Stamp Baby Blankets

I wanted to share some photos of a couple of completed blankets. I finished them with a round of hdc (half double crochet). In the next round, I evenly spaced 3 dc (double crochet) -- 6 dc, ch1, 6 dc in each corner. I repeated the shell pattern around with various colors, then finished with another round of hdc. I was going for a fun, random, colorful way to tie everything together, while using leftovers as much as possible. 

It's interesting how a border and edging can change the look of a blanket. It's always helpful to see how different options look before you commit to one yourself. I hope these are helpful to you.

From the leftovers of my uncle's blanket:

I had so much fun with the little squares, that I did one with leftover blues, browns, and neutral colors:

The finished size came out to 34" x 40" (10 squares across by 14 squares down). Each individual square is about 3"x3". I just realized that's 140 squares in each blanket. It sounds like a lot, but when you're in the thick of it, it seems to sail by. The weaving in is a bit of a drag, but I think it's worth it for this waffle-y (new word) effect. 

On a side note, when I stacked them together, I thought they would make a really cute gift for twins. Anyway, I'll be listing these at my Etsy shop in the very near future. Happy Friday and bon weekend!

Special Christmas Gift

My uncle - who has always been a healthy and active person - has been struggling with a whole mess of health problems these past several years stemming from an infection he got after a surgery. His lungs have been deteriorating to the point he needed a lung transplant. Thankfully (after months of testing) he was approved and shortly thereafter received a new lung. 

On his 5 month anniversary of receiving the lung, he went on a 5 mile hike! I'm sure it hasn't been easy, but he makes it look that way. He's such a strong person, and I'm so happy he is finally feeling as good as he does.

For Christmas, I wanted to make him a blanket. Since I can't give him a big hug because of COVID-19, I'll let my blanket do the hugging :)

I had lots of blues and greens in my stash, and since he and my aunt are so outdoorsy, I went with those in a random granny square pattern. The colors reminded me of the sea, sky and nature in general. I just kept mixing the colors until I had enough squares (great stash buster too).  I think it came out quite nice.

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season. 2021 can't get here fast enough!

This was my chaos. It was controlled chaos, but I'm sure this would make some crazy :) Reusable shopping bags and laundry baskets make great holders while you are working on a project. My current work in progress is a baby blanket with the scraps. Stop back to see how that turns out.

Way overdue...

...on showing this blog a little attention. I can't believe how fast time flies. When I wander around the internet, I wonder how some people can post daily to the various social media platforms and still have time to come up with all of the beautiful and unique creations out there. I barely have time to brush my teeth and get the kids off of the bus.

I have been so busy with family, work and...blankets. First, the family. My son: Harry, had a diorama due this week for Science. He picked the North American Grasslands. I think he did a really nice job (OK, I helped a little, but that's the benefit of having a work-from-home, graphic designer mom.) I printed the photos he picked and handled the glue gun, and he typed the labels and did the cutting. Hope he gets a good grade. I'm posting this because I was helped and inspired by other Moms' photos!

Secondly, the blankets: A very nice woman named Kathleen has contacted me to help with some overflow blankets. I'm happy to work with her because she is so darn sweet. Just a really pleasant human being (we need more of her). Anyhoo, we did some pretty daisy throws, and then I worked on this one for her. I switched up the daisy by only doing a double crochet in the petals instead of the usual treble crochet. I like this petite daisy variation. The colors she chose were also some of my favorites, and together, I think it turned out to be a very pretty blanket -- if I do say so.

Hope this post finds you happy and healthy! 

Coming along

Here's a photo update of the pretty aqua blanket. It's oh so sunny!

As I mentioned in my first post, This one is going to be a coverlet for a double sized bed, so I have a little ways to go, but I just love these colors together. Again, I am using: Lion Brand Gold Fish and Sweet Pea, Red Heart's Cornmeal and a discontinued Robin's Egg, as well as Bernat Aqua. I'm using the join-as-you-go method to put them all together.

Back on my aqua kick.

I just love aquas, greens and blues, and I love to pair them with a clean white. A few weeks ago I started a yarn purge. I've been trying to slowly get rid of some yarns that I just don't see myself using anytime soon. In the process, I came across these beautiful colors that made my fingers itch to put together into some blankets. A few of them are vintage, like the bright greens. Those are both vintage wintuk yarns, so the downside is that I won't be able to reproduce these exactly the same. On the same token, the upside is I "won't be able to reproduce these exactly the same", so they are truly unique. I like things that are one-of-a-kind.

I finished the first granny rectangle, a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had the chance to post it to tillie tulip for sale. I was dragging my feet a bit, because I wanted to include a onesie with a little matching heart for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Why do hearts make things so cute?

I used Creme de la Creme cotton yarn in aqua jade for the center, and single crocheted the edge in aqua. You can find my heart pattern here. 

Long time no blog

I can't believe it's already been a month since my last post! Having a four and five year-old really add to the already hectic holidays. We had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope you and yours did too.

I was able to finish up quite a few jobs as well as sneak in a new baby blanket (and another cable hat). This one really makes me yearn for spring. Especially after last week's snowfall. I can't really complain; it's been so mild up until now.

I saw this little fellow outside my window this morning.

He doesn't seem to mind the cold at all. Until next time, stay warm!

EtsyMom Color Palette Challenge

I am on a team called EtsyMoms over at Etsy. They are having a challenge for anyone on the team to come up with a creation using one of the three color combinations below.

You must enter your product on October 8. I like all of these color palettes, however, I've decided to go with the first one - I really like the blue, chocolate and lime - and I think it would make a lovely granny blanket? I'll be sure to post my entry when I come up with something. What a fun idea!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

Little Boy Blue - Finished.

This one is going off to my cousin for little Adam, but I'm listing a custom order at my shop as well. I love this yarn. I wish they would add even more colors though.

Little boy blue - A work in progress

I'm also finishing up a blanket for a new little baby named Adam. I'm using Lion Brand's Baby's First for this one. I love this yarn. It's super soft, chunky - but not too chunky - and a cotton/acrylic blend. The colors are very sweet too. Here I'm using splish splash and bean stalk (even the names are cute).

I'm going to edge it in the two colors when I finally finish this up, so check back later...