Rolling Ripples Afghan

Another altered project that I made using Leisure Arts's Our Best Baby Afghans. I liked the style of the waves in this one, but didn't feel like making a baby blanket. Instead I bumped up to a size N hook (10 mm) and used about 5 skeins of James C. Brett Marble Chunky #27. (Didn't these shades used to have names? I couldn't find any websites listing them by name.).

Happily, my finished product turned out only about a foot shy of covering our queen size bed. Despite being an acrylic I find the James C. Brett yarns are quite warm so this new afghan is perfect for adding to the bed on a chilly night.

Above: A close-up shot of the stitching so that you can see the pattern. Below: An accurate picture of what the colours look like in real life.

This was a fun pattern to stitch. Very simple once you get the hang of how many stitches go between the increases and decreases of the wave. The rows are an alteration of half-double crochet stitches and triple crochet stitches.

Rock-a-Bye Rainsong Afghan Not So Rainy!

I always find it funny when I read the names that pattern books have given to their blankets because I find by the time I stitch them they usually have nothing to do with their name. I tend to latch on to a pattern if I like the look of it, then immediately start planning what colours and what kind yarn I'd like to have it stitched in.

When I saw this "Rock-A-Bye Rainsong" baby blanket in Leisure Arts's Our Best Baby Blankets I figured it would be perfect to help me with my ongoing project to use up what seems to be an endless stash of Bernat Baby Coordinates.

(If you happen to see a copy of Our Best Baby Blankets somewhere I highly recommend looking through it. I'm finding it to be a great go-to book for afghans for both babies and grown-ups!)

Instead of using two shades of blue then white as the pattern suggested I used Baby Coordinates in Sherbet, Lemon and Soft Mauve, which I think gives the blanket a more spring-like look than a rainy look.

This is the first pattern I've crocheted in which I had to stitch down into the row below, but thankfully it's a very easy pattern to work, and in each row it's always quite obvious when you have to make those longer stitches into the lower row.

I think the middle picture showing the blanket in close-up gives you the truest idea of what the colours look like together, but I wanted to include this picture of the corner to give everyone a closer look at the edging.

And finally, a photo of the blanket from the book, showing it in its intended colours. I'm still not sure if it reminds me of rain, but it is a lovely design.

Simple V-Stitch Afghan

I had to put this one aside for a while because it was just too warm to be crocheting a wintery afghan. It's based on the Cottage Decor afghan in the July 2011 issue of Crochet! magazine, only I opted to use a variegated yarn rather than creating solid stripes with multiple balls of yarn.

The yarn is James C. Brett marble chunky in Jeweltone, which I was lucky enough to pick up at a buy 3, get the 4th ball free sale while visiting the awesome Crafts N' More store in Steveston, BC.

The blanket is a dream to work up, especially if you want something a little mindless that you can work on while focussing on something else. It's stitched with a size J (6 mm) hook and is essentially row after row of V-stitches. Then it's finished off with a fairly simple shell border on two opposing sides.

It's simple to stitch, but comes out looking quite fancy. I had fun making this and really love the shades of blue and purple in this Jeweltone yarn, although I don't think I really got a photo that shows them accurately. Hopefully you get the idea!

Bavarian Crochet in Baby Coordinates

While I was working on my first Bavarian crochet blanket I couldn't help thinking that it would look nice in Bernat's Baby Coordinates. The white blending filament that runs through all the colours can be a pain to work with, but it does create a nice continuity as you change colours. For this one I used Baby Coordinates in soft mauve, soft blue, soft turquoise, lemon custard and sherbert.

Every time I begin a new baby blanket it's always my intention that I'm just making it to use up the scraps I have left over from the last baby project. And of course, every time I run out of a colour or two midway through and end up buying more. So having finished this blanket, I now have nearly full skeins of three of the colours and will someday have to find a new pattern to "use them up." Oh well, it was fun to work on and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I crocheted with an I hook (5.5 mm), which seemed large enough to keep the white filament from snagging on the hook and gave the stitches a nice loose feel. Once thing I like about the Bavarian stitching is it's very easy to change the shape of your piece simply by changing the number of stitches in your first round. The other blanket was made as a square, while this one is a rectangle. The pattern book also includes instructions for converting it to a triangle, which would be better suited for a shawl than a blanket.

Bavarian Crochet Baby Blanket

I discovered Jenny King's Learn to Do Bavarian Crochet while I was browsing through crochet books on Amazon and couldn't resist giving it a try. The book is relatively inexpensive, which is a good thing, because all you're really getting here is one pattern. Then you get explanations of how to shape that pattern as a square, triangle, or rectangle and numerous pictures showing what it would look like made up into various items. The book does contain full patterns for shawls and blankets, but after the initial starting shape is made the further instructions really aren't necessary since they are exactly the same for all projects.

The pattern itself is easy to follow and I really like the textured look that you get in the finished piece. The lighting in our living room has kind of skewed the colours a bit, but I made this Bavarian crochet baby blanket using Bernat's Softee Baby in mint, white and soft lilac. You do a lot of 'crocheting around the post' in this piece and it helps to create a thicker baby blanket than you would normally get with the light weight Softee.

For my first experiment I was actually planning on an adult sized afghan using Vanna's Choice, but I was working with a size J hook and I found it was just bunching up too much because it was so thick. It didn't look good. I've now picked up an N hook so I may give that experiment another try sometime.

Looking around online I've also seen the Bavarian crochet described as the "yarn eater" pattern and I would say that's a fairly accurate description. My baby blanket is approximately a 5 X 5 foot square and I believe it took about 3 balls of each colour to complete. On the plus side, it's a wonderful pattern if you want to use up a lot of leftover yarn. It's also wonderfully repetitive. You work in rounds from the centre, similar to a granny square, and just repeat the same two rounds over and over again. After the first couple of colours the process becomes pretty intuitive, making it a great project to work on while I was watching TV or focussed on other things. From the beginning I also worked in the loose yarn ends as I went so that I wouldn't have the tedious job of hiding them all at the end, one of my least favourite parts of multi-colour projects.

Below you can see what the back of the Bavarian Crochet looks like. I thought it was interesting that it comes out very similar to the some of the daisy chain patterns I've seen in other crochet stitch books.

Pretty in Pink Round Ripple Afghan

I'm going to keep this post short since long time readers are probably tired of seeing round ripple blankets at Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins. What can I say? They're quick to make and they always turn out beautifully.

This one is intended as a baby blanket. Not for anyone specific yet, just something I wanted to have on hand for a more traditional parent-to-be that likes the traditional pink for girls and blue for boys. I've made a couple of blue and green baby blankets in the past, but have never done a really pink one before. This was also my first time working with a super bulky yarn and I have mixed feelings about that. On the downside the yarn frayed a lot and was a bit pesky to work with. On the plus side, it only took me about a week to stitch up this approximately 4 ft. diameter blanket. Although I'm not much of a pink person, I do really like this colour and the softness of this acrylic.

This was made using a K size (6.5 mm hook) and Red Heart's Zoomy in Candy Pink. The round ripple is one of my favourite patterns and you can get it as a free download here, as well as from several other locations.

Lime Lace Afghan in Amethyst

One big project down, several more to go! I guess it's becoming a bit of an annual tradition to spend some birthday money on yarn to make an afghan for myself. This blanket is the Lime Lace pattern from Heirloom Afghans and it's this year's special treat for myself. Now maybe it's just me, but it seems like it may be a bad idea to name a blanket after the colour of yarn you used. After all, how many people are actually going to want to make it in that same colour?

While I wasn't a fan of the lime colour used in the book, I really liked the look of the pattern. I tend to make mostly solid blankets, so making something a bit more lacey and airy was a nice change of pace. I decided to start with the corner picture first, as it gives you a better idea of what the pattern looks like than the photos that show the whole blanket.

Unfortunately there wasn't really a good photo of the pattern's 5 round border in the book so I really had no idea how it would turn out until I was finished. Thankfully, I liked it's frilly look. Although if someone wanted to save time or yarn, I think the afghan would look good without it as well.

The yarn used was James C. Brett's Marble Amethyst in DK weight. This is the only acrylic that my local yarn shop is willing to carry and it is quite beautiful. It's very soft and is rumored to become even softer the more you wash it. Time will tell if that turns out to be true. I found it does try to split a bit when you're crocheting with it, but I've worked with far, far worse. Considering it's rather reasonable price of approx $6 per skein, I can live with a little splitting. I've still got most of one skein (out of 10) left so you can probably expect an amethyst cthulhu or some other amigurumi to pop up here soon.

I've forgotten exactly when I started this one, but I'm going to guess it took me about 2 months of on and off crocheting. I do know the border alone took me 2 weeks, which was making me a little crazy (crazier?), particularly when I was uncertain how it was going to look in the end. Below you can see the finished blanket in its entirety. It measures about 4 X 6 feet, which is a substantial size. Doubled over it makes a pretty cozy lapghan. The whole piece is worked in rows back and forth, and then the border is worked in rounds along the outer edge.

Has anyone else made any patterns from Heirloom Afghans? I've had the book for a while now, but this is the first thing I've made from it. If you see this book in a local craft store take a moment to browse through it. There are a lot of patterns and many of them are very nice. Admittedly there are also a couple of truly ugly patterns in there too. What convinced me to buy it was the variety available in its patterns. Rather than just being filled with lacy patterns, or motif based afghans, the book has seven sections each devoted to different styles of blankets from bulky to airy. It gives you a nice selection all in one book.

Marble Granny Afghan

Would you believe this is my first granny square? I guess this is what they call jumping in with both feet. Thankfully the granny square is one of the easiest and most forgiving patterns around. I almost always crochet while watching TV and numerous times I forgot to make the chain 1 between the sets of double crochet. Aside from a little bit of puffiness in the middle, which won't show when someone is actually using the afghan, my mistakes are mostly hidden.

I'm absolutely adore this yarn, which is James C Brett - Marble Chunky in Autumn. I used three balls worth and a J hook to put this together. It's an acrylic yarn, but incredibly soft. I've been reassured that it becomes even softer each time you wash it.

I actually worked two balls of this into a shawl before finally admitting to myself that I would never wear said shawl. (I'm just not a shawl person.) With much help from the boyfriend, who is both wise and witty, I frogged that project and decided to make this instead. Simple, soft and cozy.

The James C Brett - Marble comes in lots of beautiful shades and is also available in a sport weight. I just picked up some in that size for a new afghan project. I've never spotted this stuff in a big chain craft store, but the Kertzer website's store locator has a pretty extensive list of local yarn stores where it can be found in Canada and the United States.

A non-flash, natural light close-up of the afghan so that you can see my stitching. I think the flash pictures are more true to the actual colouring of the blanket though.

Spiral Baby Blanket - With Free Pattern!

This baby blanket is wonderful if you're in the mood for some mindless crochet while watching TV or focussing on some other activity. One of my least favourite parts of crochet is adding new yarn to change colours and having to weave in the ends from the previous colour. With this pattern you don't have to finish off the old colour, you just leave it hanging there until you're ready to use it again. I've used solid colours here, but I also think this would look good if you used black with a variegated yarn.

I've been vague about the size of the blanket in the pattern so stitchers can just keep stitching until the piece is the length they want. And if you have some leftover yarn in the end, you could make two smaller versions of this and sew them together for a matching pillow.

I've tried my best to write the directions out clearly, but if anyone has any questions feel free to contact me either in the comments section or via the blog's email address. cthulhucrochet(@)gmail.com. As always, I love to see what people make with my patterns so if you take on this pattern feel free to leave a comment with a link to a jpeg so I can see your work.

Spiral Baby Blanket

Materials

• Worsted weight yarn in two contrasting colours – amount will vary depending on the size of your blanket. My sample was made using 3 skeins of Vanna's Choice Baby in Little Boy Blue (Colour A) and 2 skeins of Vanna's Choice White (Colour B).
• 1 crochet stitch marker or safety pin
• size I (5.50mm) crochet hook

Note: Throughout the blanket you will alternate between the two colours, stitching with Colour B into the previous row of Colour A until you run out of spaces to stitch in, the switching back to Colour A and stitching in the Colour B stitches you just made.

Using Colour A,

Chain 4, sl st in first chain to join. Working in spiral rounds

Rnd 1: 1 sc in same space as sl stitch, 1 sc in next stitch, 2 hdc in next stitch, 4 dc in next stitch, put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of this last stitch to hold it, and slip out the crochet hook.

Rnd 2: Using Colour B, (wrap a loop of Colour B around hook) sc in first sc of previous round, sc in next st, 2 hdc in next 2 stitches, 2 dc in each of next 3 stitches. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of this last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from rnd 1.

Rnd 3: Using Colour A, 1dc in Colur B stitch from previous round, *ch 1 dc in next stitch* repeat until you have 12 ch 1 spaces. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Rnd 4: Using Colur B, *2 dc in next stitch, ch 1 (right above ch 1 of previous rnd)* repeat until you run out of spaces to stitch in. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Rnd 5: Using Colour A, 1 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in dc before the chain space, ch 1* repeat until you run out of spaces to stitch in. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Rnd 6: Using Colur A, *dc in each space, 2 dc in the space before the chain, then ch 1* repeat until you run out of spaces to stitch in. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Continue stitching in rounds, repeating *1 dc in each space, 2 dc in the space before the chain, then ch 1*, and switching between colour A and B as necessary. Continue with this pattern until blanket reaches desired size, then follow the Finishing instructions.

Finishing

While in Colour A continue to work pattern until you are 3 stitches away from the last ch1-space in your round. In these last 3 stitches work 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, then sl st into the chain space and finish off Colour A. Pick up Colour B and work pattern as usual until you reach the last 3 stitches of the previous round. In these spaces work, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1sc and finish up with a sl st into the first stitch of Colour B from the round you just finished.

Border

Using Colour A sl st into any dc stitch on blanket, ch 1, sc crochet in each stitch around, then sl st back into first stitch to join.

Skip first 2 stitches *5 dc in next stitch, skip 1 stitch, sl st in next stitch, skip 1* repeat around edge, sl st into first stitch and finish off. Weave in ends.

Enjoy!

Mint Bubbles Baby Blanket

It started out with trying to use up some Bernat Softee and learn some new stitches that involved crocheting 'around the post'. Once I had practiced the stitches for a while and got the hang of the pattern I couldn't bear to leave it as a practice swatch. I kept stitching and kept buying more yarn to finish it off. Now, four additional balls of Mint Softee later I have a completed baby blanket and some left over Mint Softee, which is approximately the same amount that I had before I started this endeavor.

This must be one of the signs of yarn addiction, right? You start out with the best of intentions, to use up some of the yarn you've squirreled away, only to end up buying more yarn. Still, the blanket looks nice. Plus, I have enough yarn left to make a matching hat, and I promise I won't end up buying more yarn just to complete the hat (hopefully!).

This is the Dimensional Shells pattern from 7-Day Afghans by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. It's actually supposed to be made with a chunky weight yarn and a Size N (10.0 mm) hook, but I thought it would also look nice made with a baby weight yarn and Size G (4.25 mm) hook. Of course, that explains why this "7-Day" blanket took me about two months to complete. I know I've recommended it before, but I have to once again highly recommend this book. It has a wonderful selection of patterns, the instructions are fairly easy to follow and most of the afghans can be completed quite quickly (especially if you use the recommended materials).

Other projects I've made using 7-Day Afghans:

Shell Stitch Afghan

Pinwheel Baby Blanket

Pinwheel Complete!

Well, this was certainly more than the seven day project that the book promised. I'm not complaining though because I love the final product. It was a fun afghan to make and I really like the swirly candy-like effect of the pinwheel stripes.

Not counting the couple of times I took this apart when I was trying to figure out the pattern, it took me about one day per stripe followed by another day to make the exterior border. So, let's call this a thirteen day afghan. I was worried the blanket would pucker up a bit with the three rows of border around the outside. Thankfully, it doesn't. I haven't taken exact measurements, but I'd say it's between 50 to 60 inches wide. Certainly bigger than your average baby blanket. Of course, it could easily just be folded in half over baby for extra warmth.

My version was made with Vanna's Choice in White and, appropriately enough, Mint. I was so excited when I read the label because all along I'd been planning for the blanket to look like one of those swirly mint candies you get in restaurants. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the version of the pattern I was using comes from 7-Day Afghans by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. There's also a version available in this leaflet from Bernat. Although that one is knit and has six stripes instead of twelve. The one in 7 Days is the only one I've run across that's crocheted.



A close up so you can see what the stitches look like. It's a simple sc 1, ch 1, sc 1 pattern which turns out looking pretty intricate. For those that are curious, I actually ended up keeping the white stripe from the practice version I was making in the previous pinhwheel post. I tore out the mustard colour that I wasn't happy with and replaced it with this one. I think it's a much better combination!

Settlers of Catan 'ghan! With Free Pattern

Was it the sheep that gave it away?

Congratulations to Katherine, Shoveling Ferret, Deeners and Kicki for correctly guessing the large collection of hexagons I was making were for a Settlers of Catan afghan.

This is an idea that's been spinning around in the back of my mind since last summer. It took me a while to work out a suitable hexagon motif. I originally made all the brick squares with a hexagon that had more airy space in it. After looking at them for a couple of months I decided I didn't like them. I pulled them apart and settled on this more tightly crocheted hexagon which makes me much happier. A permanent price reduction in Vanna's Choice yarn from $5.99 down to $3.99 also helped the project along.



At it's widest point the blanket is about 37 inches across making it a bit small for an afghan. Maybe more like a lapghan? It would be easy to make it bigger just by extending the hexagon motif a few more rounds though. I also think it would make an awesome baby gift for Catan-loving parents-to-be, but with the Vanna's Choice it's fairly heavy. Perhaps it could be made in a sport weight yarn for that purpose instead?

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to have some sort of sheep roaming around on the light green squares. It took me a while to figure out how I was going to do that. I totally adore these sheep buttons from the Button Drawer.


Unfortunately, these cute little guys are $2.45 a piece. Thriftyness won out and I picked up six pre-cut, painted wooden sheep from Micheal's for 39 cents each. Then I bought broach fasteners and glued them to the backs of the sheep. This way my little flock is both moveable and removeable when it comes time to wash the afghan.



I wasn't sure how I should lay out my Catan map. We normally play with the Cities and Knights expansion, but I didn't want to have the single hexagon sticking up at the top that represents the pirates. Instead, I just used the map suggested in the instruction book from the original game.



Finally, for those who have no idea what I'm talking about, check out Settlers of Catan. I learned to play a couple of years ago when my boyfriend's brother gave us a copy of the game. It's a lot of fun and very easy to learn. In some ways it's similar to Monopoly, except you don't have to spend time counting and giving away money. The real game doesn't come with plastic sheep, just cards with pictures of sheep on them, and yet it's still awesome.

Want the Pattern?

It's free, and it's right here! I love to see what others make with my patterns. If you complete a blanket, post a comment and give me a link to a picture of your finished version. If you have any questions about the pattern, post them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

Settlers of Catan Afghan Pattern

Materials

size I/9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook
stitch marker
yarn needle
1 skein of Vanna’s Choice yarn in White, Black, Brick, Mustard, Charcoal Grey, Mustard, Dusty Green and Olive
3 skeins of Vanna’s Choice yarn in Colonial Blue
wooden sheep and 3/4 inch broach fasteners or sheep buttons

Hexagon Motif

Use the following motif and refer to diagram and pictures above to create the required number of hexagons in each colour.

6 sc in a magic ring (pull ring tight or leave a small hole if desired), slip stitch into first stitch, ch 1.
Rnd 1: 2 sc in same space as sl st. 2 sc in each st around, sl st in top of first sc, ch 1. (12 sc)
Rnd 2: in same space as sl st: sc1, ch1, sc1. *sc 1 in next sc, (sc 1, ch1, sc1) in next sc. Rep from * to last sc. Sc 1 in last sc. Join with sl st to top of first sc.
Rnd 3: sl st into next ch-1 sp. Ch 1. (sc 1, ch1, sc1) in same sp as sl st. *sc 1 in each of next 3 sc. (sc 1, ch1, sc 1) in next ch-1 sp. Rep from * to last 3 sc. Join with sl st in top of first sc.
Rnd 4: ch1. Sc 1 in same sp as sl st. *Ch1. Miss next ch-1 sp. 1 sc in each of next 5 sc. Rep from * to last 4 sc. 1 sc in each of last 4 sc. Join with sl st in top of first sc.
Rnd 5: Sl st in next sc and ch-1 sp. Ch1. (sc 1, ch 1, sc 1) in same sp as sl st. *sc 1 in each of next 5 sc. (sc 1, ch 1, sc 1) in next ch-1 sp. Rep from * to last 5 sc. Join with sl st in top of first sc.
Rnd 6: Ch 1. Sc 1 in same sp as sl st. *Ch 1. Miss next ch-1 sp. Sc 1 in each of next 7 sc. Rep from * to last 6 sc. Sc 1 in each of last 6 sc. Join with sl st in top of first sc.
Rnd 7: Sl st in next sc and ch-1 sp. Ch 1. (sc 1, ch 1, sc 1) in same sp as sl st. *Sc 1 in each of next 7 sc. (Sc 1, ch 1, sc 1) in next ch-1 sp. Rep from * to last 6 sc. Sc 1 in each of last 7 sc. Join with sl st in top of first sc.
Rnd 8: Sl st in next ch-1 sp. Ch 1. (Sc 1, ch 1, sc 1) in same sp as sl st. *1 sc in each of next 9 sc. (sc 1, ch 1, sc 1) in next ch-1 space. Rep from * to last 8 sc. 1 sc in each of last 8 sc. Join with sl st in top of first sc. Finish off.

Note: For two colour hexagons begin the pattern with the centre colour and then for Rnd 2 work as follows:

Rnd 2: in same space as sl st: sc1, ch1, sc1. *sc 1 in next sc, (sc 1, ch1, sc1) in next sc. Rep from * to last sc. Sc 1 in last sc. Join outer colour with sl st to top of first sc.

Continue working rnds 3-8 in outer colour.

Assembly

Sew hexagon motifs together as shown in the map and photos above. My prefered method of joining is the Invisible Weave or Mattress stitch. It’s described really well on page 80 of Debbie Stoller’s The Happy Hooker or you can have glance at this tutorial if you’re interested, although I found the worded description here isn’t quite as clear.

After your hexagons are all sewn together weave in any loose ends. Then I did the following border on my piece:

Border



With Colonial Blue, join with a sl st in any inward corner point.
Rnd 1: Ch 2 and half-double crochet (hdc) in each sc around, placing 3 hdc in every outword corner point sc. Join in top of beginning ch-2 with black.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in each hdc around, placing 3 sc in middle hdc of each outward point, ending with a sl st in top of first sc. Finish off and weave in ends.

Sew sheep buttons on Dusty Green hexagons, or glue wooden sheep to 3/4 inch broach fasteners and attach to Dustry green hexagons as desired.

Enjoy!

Pinwheel Revisited

I decided to take another crack at the pinwheel pattern I was talking about a few days ago. Things are going much better this time. Since I managed to misinterpret the pattern twice, I figured I'd post a work-in-progress picture in case it helps out anyone else who happens to be struggling with this one. I haven't been able to find a free version of the pattern. The version I'm using comes from the book 7 Day Afghans and I recently noticed that Bernat has a larger version (the one I'm using is intended as a baby blanket) available in this new leaflet.

I'm not loving these colours. I mostly just grabbed some scraps that were on hand, so this sample is made with Vanna's Choice in White and Mustard. I'm thinking that if I keep going with this one I'll use up some of my Vanna's Choice, alternating between a white strip and a coloured strip.

My first misinterpretation was thinking that the blanket was made working from the centre outward like a round ripple afghan. It's not. My second mistake was thinking that it's piece-work. That you have to crochet all the stripes individually and then stitch them together. It's not, and thank goodness because I hate piece work. What you actually do is start with the long white row that you see on the left hand side and work your way through the white section, tapering it off a bit every second row.

Eventually you get down to a very tiny white row that's only about three stitches. Then you join your next colour and work crochet stitches into the edge that you've been tapering off. This creates your first long row in your new colour and from there you repeat the process. Once all the stripes are done you just have to stitch your last piece to your first one to complete the circle and then thread some wool through the centre part and pull it tight. At least that's the theory. I'll have to get that far and actually try it to know for sure.

So now that things seem to be going right I'm enjoying this pattern. The crocheting is very simple; just a repeat of single crochet one, chain one, single crochet one. You just have to recheck the pattern to see where to end your rows. Another nice thing is that each row you work is smaller than the one before it (until you change colours) so it crochets up very quickly.

I'll post the completed version if/when I get it done. Until then, special thanks to Amy B. who found this picture of a completed crochet pinwheel on Ravelry for me.

Has Anyone Seen or Made This Blanket?

This is the Peppermint Candy Baby Afghan from the book, 7-Day Afghans by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. I've been Googling and Craftster searching, but I just can't seem to find any finished versions of this out there. I did find a couple of similar blankets that had been knit, either using a loom or knitting machine, but there don't seem to be any crochet versions out there. Which begs the question, why?

I think this is an adorable pattern and it would be very easy to change the colours depending on whether the little one was going to be a boy or girl. And of course there's the added appeal of the promise that this is only a seven day project. Perfect for when you need that nearly last minute gift idea...So I'm curious, has anyone out there made this blanket, or do you know someone who has, or have you perhaps run across any pictures of a crocheted version of it anywhere? If so, drop me a comment and let me know.

I did try starting one a few months back, but ended up frogging it because it was one of those days when nothing was working right. I had grabbed the only red wool I had on hand. It ended up being too thick so it was difficult to work with. Plus, my first piece kept coming out with the wrong number of stitches when I got to the end of the second or third row. I'm not sure if it was a typo in the book or my mistake. I have a feeling it was me, so I need to go back and try this one again when I'm feeling a bit more patient.

In my searching I did come across these tape measures, which certainly look like a miniature version of the blanket, don't they? These are available from Lantern Moon for $10.50 each.



Aside from "peppermint" I also tried using the word "pinwheel" when I was looking for samples of the blanket. As a result, I ran across this amazing creation from Crafster user craftydeb, which I am absolutely in awe of. I admire anyone who has the patience to sew that many pieces together because that's my least favourite part of crocheting. I also love this bright mix of colours. I've seen these pinwheels before in pastel colours and they've never really grabbed my attention the way this version does.





For anyone who is interested, here's a free version of the Pinwheel motif that was used to make this afghan. Now I have way too many blankets I want to make...but let me know if you run across any crocheted Peppermint Baby Blankets!

Guess the Project?

Just for fun I thought I'd put up the pieces of this project before its finished to see if anyone can guess what I'm making. My boyfriend, who is both wise and witty, was able to figure it out with a couple of clues. I say clues, he says obvious hints.

So what can I tell you about this project? It's going to be an afghan, it involves a lot of different coloured hexagons and those sheep are going to be attached to the light green hexagons. It's something geeky and to my knowledge (that is, after checking Craftster, Google images, and a few other crafty sites) it seems that no one else has thought of making this particular item yet.

Any guesses? Feel free to post them in the comments section or use the comments option to ask me more questions about the project if you want a few more hints. I've still got some hexagons to make. Then I need to sit down, sew all the pieces together and put a border around it. All in all, I'm hoping to be finished sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'll post the completed afghan and free pattern then. Until then, feel free to post your guesses.