Blanket completed!
Posted By Liz on August 25, 2010
So, in essence the blanket is finished – bar sewing a few ends in. Frustratingly sewing ends is more complex with this stitch but, it will give me something to do I guess.
Crochet-Crazy (the blog)...
Here are the crochet ravings of me, the projects I do, and items related to the site. I apologise Im not a great blogger, I have good intentions but get easily side tracked, especially by my crochet hook.
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| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
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| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
Thought of the day.. I crochet not knit, so?
Posted By Liz on August 20, 2010
As a child I was taught to knit, hated it. Hated it with a lot of passion too. It would take me months to knit the back of a childs sweater, even a simple one, so by the time I got to the end of that, I had run out of interest in making the whole, doing the front and 2 sleeves and sewing it together, so in the end, my mother had to finish each and every one. (I think I managed 1 whole 1 when i was a kid, it was pastel and slightly fluffy and I loved it but it took about a year to make)
So, as an adult I learnt to crochet, I love it, with all my heart. I could crochet my life away. Now, sure there are similarities of knitting and crochet, but, they are also very distinctly different.
Now, crochetting is french, knitting is as old as old and be.
Now, grouping the 2 together like amazon and so many places do. But that’s a bit like telling all christians they are the same, sure they have many similarities, but they aren’t the same. Even items that look similar at the end, act differently because they were made differently. Yes, its possible to like both, but, just as some people are cat people and others dogs, all are pet lovers, but its a subsection of them. so..
PLEASE stop grouping knitting with crochet, I love crochet. I couldn’t care less for knitting, I dont want to be spammed about knitting by amazon, and all the crochet things I’ve joined – if I wanted knitting. I would have asked for it.
Thank you.
Oh NUTS!
Posted By Liz on August 19, 2010
So, the new blankets going OK, its now 19”x34” (its 34” wide) and you know what?
IM STUPID!
I checked I had plenty of wool when I started but what I was too stupid to notice was that the baby pink I picked up turns out to be the 1 and only 3/4 ball of extra pale baby pink I have. The rest are all a stronger shade – or different batch. So. Now Ive basically run out of the original ball, Im stuck. Im going to have to work both top and bottom to keep it even and have the paler stripes in the middle, otherwise it would look terrible. As it is, Im annoyed. Very annoyed. 19” is just not big enough to pass off.I am, infinitely stupid.
How disapointing.
New Blanket
Posted By Liz on August 15, 2010
I started a new blanket, the tiny squares are around 1.5cm each. Its a nice and easy stitch to work with – but I actually am not sure who im going to give this to once Im done.
There is someone I would like to give it to, but, I fear that it would cause horrendous issues.
Pattern crazy!
Posted By Liz on July 31, 2010
So, I enjoy making patterns of things, and its dawned on me that there maybe people out there who would like to make some of my patterns. So, I had a thought.
If I make some patterns, I feel I should charge for them, I don’t tend to charge for anything else I do, so, as long as its a small amount, I don’t expect to be the next Bill Gates from it, in fact I just want a little to ease the cost of my crochet habit.
Would you guys be interested? I would probably put patterns on something like etsy or ebay, my biggest fear is that despite minimal costs I fear people would steal, now, I know most people who do what we do are good people, but, why am I worried? I used to make some software for free, you know what? People used to claim it as their work, people used to get abusive to me about how it was a “rip off” err, its free how can it be a rip off when there were no ads, no hidden bits, it simply did what it said it did. So, I feel a little vulnerable in this area that something I work hard on would be stolen by 1 or 2 bad people and I would feel bad.
So, now I’ve publically aired my thoughts on it. I’m still determined to do it, I just wanted it kinda said.
Granny Squares update with pic
Posted By Liz on July 31, 2010
So, I finally sewed the squares together, having completed enough for the current round. I believe I have a minimum of 2 more rounds to go before I can argue it could be finished. To be honest I am sick of this blanket, I don’t dislike granny squares to make, its the sewing them together. All the ends, the photo doesn’t do the ends justice.
It has to have 2 more rounds, it looks too much like a rather prominently known German associated logo.
Granny Squares – update
Posted By Liz on July 24, 2010
So, working on the next round of granny squares for my swirl. You know what? I flippin hate granny squares. I am so not enjoying this.Whats worse is I know deep down I should have made the squares smaller which almost certainly would have meant I would have hated it even more.
I need to do 10 more white ones, and 4 blue.
I cant believe this is what people associate with crochet – that and doilies of course. I have some ideas for my next blanket, I recently bought 4 more books, 2 on borders, 2 on quick blankets, sadly like so many things in short they rely on wool thats only available state side, which means we cant get it here in the UK unless someone puts it on ebay and then charges you extortionate rates to get it to you. Over here, we dont tend to have many yarns that are big enough and nice enough to use massive hooks with, mostly here while we have chunky stuff, its not hugely common, and anything that is of that size tends to be stupidly fluffy which is very hard to crochet with, so, mostly I end up with double knitting – which is “thin” by US standards, even with tunisian an I hooks about right to work with.. let alone the M+ that the patterns talk of, it would look more like some form of disaster.
So, thankfully once this blankets complete, I dont intend to do any more granny squares.
Granny Square pics
Posted By Liz on July 17, 2010
So here is a picture of the original granny square bit I made before I realised I would run out of blue
Its about the size of a cushion – see I should have realised the size issue then shouldnt I?
Heres the new squares Ive done laid out on the floor, as you can see its already of a reasonable size, I need 10 more whites to finish this “round” of squares in the swirl.
Of course I havent sewn them together yet, why? Well. I could, I believe the strength of finish comes in a continuous sew in strips so I could make strips and sew new bits on either end for the rows/columns which ever you choose to make, and then add the new rows/columns.. but, it will come, but it is going to be big.. isnt it? I think even 18 could be way too big, my calculations must be wrong. thats only 6×6 squares and its already a couple of feet wide.
Progress on the granny swirl (and more stuff)
Posted By Liz on July 17, 2010
I’ve run into a stupid problem. Something which is entirely my own fault. I am incredibly stupid.
What is it you ask?
Its going to be the size of a football pitch at this rate. Each individual square I am making is around 4” square. Which at quick calculations at an 18 mini squares is 72”. OK, thats 6 ft ish right? which is about right, err, 38 mini squares would be 12ft6”+ thats WAYYYYY too big. My pattern as you can see from before, Previous post that its 38×38.. oops.
I think if I made the squares half the size they are now, of course then there would be a humungous amount of joins which tend to be harder to the touch and of course a gazillion ends, and and and. (thats 1444 squares after all if I had stuck to the 38×38 size) just think of all those ends. <shudder>
So, Having made quite a few squares, Im more than reluctant to start again for the 3rd time (given first time I started then realised I didnt have enough of the colour to do the rest.
I have been inspired by someone I know Crafty People that I should follow my heart a little and try and sell the ones I make and dont know exactly what to do. So, looking forward I have a cunning plan to work out some nice baby blankets and simple so quickish to do beadspread things, cushion covers etc.
One thing I am of course still tempted to do is make me some fillet curtain hangings for this room as the sunshines in and everyone can see in too.
Going Granny
Posted By Liz on July 13, 2010
While I didnt do granny squares in the past, I have taken the plunge and heres the general design.
Now, its not exactly going to win me craft person of the year awards, but, its going to be a mid to dark blue for the spiral and white and actually I think its going to turn out OK. I’ve possibly allowed in the pattern for it to be bigger than I need, so, what I will do is work out in rounds until its about right. Im not sewing them together yet, why? Well if I do more blue squares than I need it could look odd. Which if this makes any sense as you go round the square from the previous round is invaded by the diagonals of the next round.
Initially I had done the 5 in the middle but then noticed I didnt have any more blue of the same colour – so have restarted. Sigh.
