The Ripple

Here is the yarn from my stash that I will be using for the ripple.

And Thursday evening I was quite naughty.

Yes I started on it.

I just did the chain row and two rows of the pattern to make sure it all fits and works out alright.

And it did!!!!

Looking good.

But I won't be working on it anymore now because I promised myself I'd finish the grey blanket first.

And I also plan to crochet some Christmas trees and stars to hang around the house for Christmas (in between that is).

Like these ones I tried out back in March when I started crocheting again and couldn't wait to try out.
Grandma Twinkle stars.

Grandma Tree.

Sewing it all together

In yesterdays post I said I would post a post with photos of my sewing together of the squares.
The light wasn't much better today to be able to take photos in the living room.
It's a rainy day here today and quite dark.
But these two photos are not too bad and you can see all the squares.


It's going to look great I think.

I took this one without looking standing on a little chair, it gives a better idea of what they look like.

I must say I'm pleased with this layout.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

I haven't been at home much over the past three days because I had to go to work.
So I had a lovely lazy Sunday afternoon today.
However while at work I did manage to get quite a few squares done.
I finished off all the granny square I need for my Grey Blanket
And knitted quite a few too.

So here is a photo of all of them so far.

I also joined some of them together.

Now you might remember from an earlier post that I had joined the first row together.

Well I took that apart again because of the fact that I had thought up a new layout.

At the back of the squares in these photos you can see that a few are joined.

Well I have now joined the first row and also seven squares of the second row (each row has ten squares).

The light wasn't good enough to take photos of the joined rows when I was finished, so I'll take a couple tomorrow.

I now have just 17 knitted squares to go!!!!!!!!!

Now I know

In my last post I revealed my plans to make a ripple blanket after I have finished my grey blanket.

Well earlier this afternoon I took a look at my stash of yarn and I now know what I am going to do.

I've been thinking about this ripple on and off for a while now.

I am always like this I must add, that is that I am working on one project and already thinking about the next.

But I love doing it, I just love to know what I'm doing or am going to do, and getting the plan clear in my head before I start.

Well this week I was tempted, and I mean really, really, really tempted.

To buy new yarn for the new ripple project.

However I have a number of cream colours and beige and light browny colours and also a light yellowy colour that is more like a cream colour, that I could use up for a ripple.

Well when I put all the colours together in a pile I thought, this is it!

That is what I also like to have as well, a click, a feel good about the whole thing moment.

And that is what I had.

So that is what I am going to doing with the ripple.

Now If you have been reading my blog posts for a while you might be thinking and the ripple you started on then? what happened to that?

(that is the photo above)

Well I stopped with it.

Simply because the yarn I was using wasn't a good yarn for a ripple.

It was a really cheap fluffy yarn (that is wonderfully soft I must say) that splits a lot when you're working with it.

Now don't get me wrong I am using this yarn up.

Four of the colours I am using for the grey blanket are this yarn.

Now if you use it in combination with other stronger yarns it's fine, but no good to be used for a whole blanket by itself.

So I have a plan and I love it !!!!

Now back to my grey blanket.

Some Weekend Inspiration

This week I have been looking at and letting myself be inspired by Ripples.
Because when I have finished my Grey Blanket I want to start making a ripple.
I found loads of inspiration on Flickr at the Ripple Along Group.
So I made this mosaic of some of the ones I like.
Do go visit because there is some amazing stuff over there.

Flickr Ripple Along Group
And this one and the one below are the ones I really love, both made by Mia.

Mia

So like I said I first have to finish off my Grey Blanket

But I have some news about the grey blanket.

I now have just 28 squares to go!!!!!!

It won't be long now.

But I still have to sew them all together and think about the edging.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!

Autumn

It is the first day of Autumn today.

I love the Autumn.

When the trees turn the most amazing colours and the nights start drawing in.

And it is a time for candles and an open fire in the evenings.

I'll go back to my knitting now, I've nearly finished the tweedy grey squares.

Another Grey Blanket Update

Here's another Grey Blanket Update

I've finished all the fluffy cream coloured squares.

And these grey ones. This is one of the two colours that I didn't make granny square with, so I knitted 16 of these.

I didn't make grannies with this and one of the cream colours (I'm using two cream colours) because they crocheted up either too big or too small. (Both this grey and that cream are the same make of yarn it's called Oslo).

And now I am working on this colour which I call the tweedy grey.

When I see the photo of this yarn and the one in the second photo they look a like.

But they're not, the other one is a lot softer and just a touch darker, and less tweedy than this one.

So far I have knitted two in this yarn and made one granny.

So I have 9 more knitted square to do in this yarn and 4 more grannies.

So it's all coming along nicely and is going pretty fast really.

And I have put a whole new layout plan together for when all the squares are finished.

Have a great Sunday!!!!!

Some Weekend Inspiration

So it is Friday once again and time for my weekly, "Some Weekend Inspiration" Post.
In this post I talk about the wonderful stuff I have found online this week that has inspired me, and that will maybe inspire you over the weekend.
I am a great fan of simple so when I saw this first blanket I loved it.
It is just simple garter stitch squares but by turning them around like this and the use of the colours it makes a wonderful simple blanket, but the effect is lovely don't you think?

The thing is I found this lovely blanket on a site somewhere, and the person just said it wasn't their blanket, just a link they had found and didn't know where it came from anymore.
Well I wasn't going to have that was I. (LOL)
Because I always like to give credit where credit is due.
So I looked around online and yes I found where it came from.
It was made by Dani look here.
She made it back in 2008 and it is a Debbie Bliss pattern.
And she also made another one!!!

This one which she made in 2005 see here

I love both sets of colours she used.

It comes from Debbie Bliss's book, Baby knits for Beginners

This blanket as inspired me no end because it is so simple.

I have been busy with my own grey blanket this week and thanks to this blanket I have a great idea for the layout of my blanket now.

But more about that in later posts.

By the way do go over and look at Dani's blog she as made some wonderful stuff.

And yesterday evening I found this lovely blanket also in garter stitch.

I love this thing called the I-Cord edging.

I want to have a go at that.

There are wonderful photos of this blanket here

And a lovely photo of the whole thing on Flickr here

I also found two wonderful granny crochet projects too!

Here is the Granny Stripe Shrug pattern.

And the Granny Tissue Box Cover Tutorial.

I love them both!!!!

Have a great and inspiring weekend!!!!!

Something I've been meaning to mention

There is something I have been meaning to mention about my grey blanket.
Like I mentioned in earlier posts, I got the idea for my blanket from Mia.
This is her lovely blanket.


I love it, I love it!!!!!!

But Mia got the idea from this little lovely made by Liv.

Very lovely too don't you think?

That is what I love about all these wonderful blogs, they are so inspiring.

You can take someones idea and make it your way.

Now the question is what will mine look like?

I can't wait to see.

So I will go back to my knitting now.

My Grey Blanket an update

So at last an update on my grey blanket.
It is coming a long nicely, I got quite a bit done over the last few days.

All the white ones are done.

These are one of the two cream colours I am using, and so as you can see they are done.

This is one of the two colours I'm using that I am not making granny squares with.

One of the two light grey colours are done.

The blacks are done.

And now I am working on the other cream colour ones.

I call this yarn the fluffy cream colour.
When I started this blanket I made one of each colour of the knitted and the grannys just to see how the different yarns would knit and crochet up.

So I am over half way now.

I am really pleased with how this is coming along.

Some Weekend Inspiration

My "Some Weekend Inspiration" post this week is a knitting post.
I am enjoying the fact that I have started knitting again.
That is I am knitting and crocheting squares for my new grey blanket.

So I was looking at other knitting patterns this week, and I found this really wonderful pattern.
It is called the feather and fan stitch pattern, and it really is simple.
I am a great lover of simple.
But the thing about this wonderful pattern is that although it is simple the result is just amazing.
So I decided to look around online for examples of this lovely pattern.
And what better place to start than Flickr.
And because there were so many wonderful examples of the pattern on Flickr that really inspired me, I decided to make a mosaic of a few.

1. Breibeest. 2. bunnydozer 3. robinmj 4. TrinaBrielle 5. Spunkyarn 6. Lis

7. hadleyfierlinger 8. myfinn 9. Tickled Pink

This is a close up of the pattern that you can see here.

And here is the pattern

This pattern is divisible by 18.
This mean you can use any yarn and any size needles you like.
Determine the size you want and follow the needle recommendations on the yarn packaging.
Cast on any amount (as long as it is divisible by 18).

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: *Knit 2 together 3 times, Yarn-over Knit 1 6 times, Knit 2 together 3 times* repeat from * to * till end.

Row 4: Knit

Repeat these four rows until work measures the length you want.

It's so simple dont you think.

You can use this pattern to make scarfs, baby blankets, cushions and afghans.
And what about a dress and it's not just a knitted dress no it's a Vogue Knitted Dress!!!

I love this pattern!!!!
Have a great and inspiring weekend !!!

My Grey Blanket

My grey blanket is coming along nicely I must say.

The piles of squares are growing.

I love seeing these piles grow.

I am using ten colours altogether.

White, two creams, two shades of light grey, two shades of middle grey, two dark greys and black.

The way I have planned it is this.

160 squares altogther, that is 120 knitted and 40 grannys.

I am using all 10 colours for the knitted squares.

But just eight for the grannys.

The reason that I am only using eight of the ten colours for the grannys, is because two of the colours crocheted up to big.
I am doing a six round granny square and when I did that with those two colours (of the same make of yarn) they were to big.

And five rounds was to small, so I just decided to stick to the eight colours for the grannys.

It's easy anyway because it is just five of each of the eight colours.

So looking at the over all picture it is like this.

10 x 16 squares of each colour is 160 squares

So 16 knitted each of the two colours I'm not using for the grannys.

11 knitted each of the other colours.

And then five each of thoses same colours granny squares.

So I am really enjoying making this blanket, it's just great to be knitting again too!!!!!!!!

Some Weekend Inspiration

It's Friday again, doesn't time just fly!!!!!
And it is time for my weekly, "Some Weekend Inspiration" post once again.
This week my inspiration comes from a wonderful blog called "i Crochet."
It's a blog that you can visit and leave a link to your own blog.
And of course visit all the other peoples blogs via their links.
I had a great time on Wednesday evening looking around quite a few of the blogs on there.
And I was truely inspired by all these lovely people and their wonderful crochet projects.
This post could have been ten times as long if I were to post eveything I saw and loved.
So I have just three pictures of things I loved for you.
But there were many more believe me, go visit!!! i Crochet and see for yourself.

This little lovely is the Dottie Angel blanket made by Vivienne see it here.
Great stuff.
I love this tree of crochet hearts.

And I just love these and there's a pattern too here
Well that's it.

Have a great and inspiring weekend!!!!

My Grey Blanket

This afternoon I decided to join the first row of my squares on my grey blanket.
Just to see what it will look like.
My plan is to make it ten squares wide and sixteen long.
This isn't my own idea I got it from Mia's blanket because that is how she did it.
I don't know if it will end up the same size as Mia's one because of the yarn I am using, but I thought it would make a good size blanket.
I am using ten different colours altogether.
White, two creams, I call these the lights.
Two light greys and two middle colour greys, I call these the middles.
And three dark colours which I am calling the darks, they are two dark greys and black.
So I have to really think and make sure I get all ten colours in the row.
Now you might think that's easy, just take one of each, but there are the granny square as well as the knitted ones.
So I have to make sure I don't put the granny and the same coloured knitted one in a row.
I can play around with the colours and shades within the rows, just as long as I get one of each in them.
So this is it!! the first row not a bad size at all I must say.
And it will be wider because of the edging of course.


It's on our bed in this photo, yes it really is a nice size.

And look at the joins, well the sewing.
I took my time and did it neatly, using a running stitch.
Looking good don't you think.

And this is what it looks like with all the ends crocheted in, nice and neat!!!
So, I love it!!!!!! So far so good.
One down 15 to go.

Planning Ahead

We live in the north of Holland and I order all my yarn online here. (It's in Dutch)
The online shop also as a real shop in a place called Apeldoorn, which is over an hours drive (with the car) away from where we live.
Well it just so happens that we have family living in Apeldoorn.
However, whenever we visit it is on a Sunday or in the evening so I'd never gotten around to visiting the real shop.
That is until last Tuesday.
We were there in the afternoon, so I just had to pop into the shop and have a look round.
Now I must say it is the kind of shop that I could get lost in for hours.
But we were going to visit family so I didn't stay long.
However, I stayed long enough to stock up on some yarn for future Autumn/ Winter projects.
Jippy!!!! a new stash!!!!!

This little lot is going to be a new ripple blanket.
This time I bought a wool mix yarn.
It's just 20% wool, but it is so lovely and soft!!!! Lovely!!!!

And this thicker one is for a new knitting project I have planned with a cable, something I am longing to do and haven't done for years, and I mean like 20 years ago when I made one of my daughters a cable jumper.
So I am planning ahead.
Last winter we had quite a bit of snow and didn't go out much for about three weeks.
Well, if that happens again this year I'm ready for it.
Bring it on I'd say LOL!!!!!!!

P.S. Remember my rainbow blanket. Well I had ordered one of each of 30 colours to make it. But after playing around with the colours I decided not to use seven of the colours, they just didn't seem to fit with the other colours. Then it dawned on me that maybe the shop would take them back, because I hadn't opened them. One of the colours was a dark green which I decided to keep for Christmassy projects. And they did take them back!!! I was so pleased. What with that and the fact that I didn't have to pay for postage I was well pleased, it made my day.

My New Project

In my last post on Friday I hinted that I had already started on a new project.
And that it is yet another blanket, namely the wonderful grey blanket I saw over on Mia's blog and just fell in love with.
Well I already had a number of cream and grey colour yarns in my stash and a lot of black.
One colour I didn't have in my stash was white.
So I ordered the white and some more of the colours that I already had, just to make sure I'd have enough to finish the blanket.
This photo was taken the morning it arrived, I love it when the postman comes with a box like this

So I got the yarn sorted out in to bags

And yes it is a blanket made of knitted squares and granny squares.

I haven't knitted in a while but I'm really enjoying making these squares.

I finished yet another white one this morning and casted the stitches on for what will be the last white one I will need.
That paper there is my plan of action, to keep track of what I'm doing.

And this is what I've done so far.

I love the colours and the idea of a lovely warm winter blanket I can't wait to finish it now.