This and That

I really don't update often. Sorry. I can never seem to remember. I did finish my sister's ripple afghan. I finished on Saturday the 12th. Just in time for her birthday on Sunday. I was so happy I finished it. I can officially say that her ripple afghan was the first biggest project I've ever completed. A baby blanket doesn't count as big. Other than the ripple afghans and a baby blanket, I only ever knit/crochet hats and dishrags with a few toys and other small projects thrown in here and there.

I have my eyes set on making myself a hat and mitten set with owls on them. I've never made a hat and mitten set before. I did make a small hat and mitten ornament set. It was cute. I found a couple patterns that might work. I just have to find the right yarn. Sometimes trying to figure out the gauge so I won't knit all wrong makes me not want to knit anything at all. It can be really irritating! That happened with the owl mittens I found. The pattern says the size fits most adult female hands. Well while I was searching through projects on ravelry a lot of people said the pattern knits up really small. Even people with small hands were saying it turns out small.

I can tell the weather is changing. That's good. I want a snowy Winter, but we don't ever really have a Winter here in North Carolina. It gets cold, but it's bearable cold. I want unbearable cold! I know I'm crazy, but I like the cold. The cold also makes me want to knit. I don't work on stuff in the Summer. It's way too hot.

I may start a pair of socks today. I may try two at a time on circular needles.

I will try to remember to blog, but I really keep forgetting.

The Baby Burp Cloths and Receiving Blankets

So back in July my cousin had her second baby. A little girl. I made her a flannel burp cloth with a crochet edging to take to the hospital with her. She says she got tons of compliments on it. So cool! It has a shell edging on it.

It took me a month and a half to finish the receiving blanket and mail it. It had actually been done since some time in August. It took me forever to mail it. Sorry for the crappy pictures. I can't decide if it's me or the camera. Probably me. It has a more involved edging than shell edging. It's the puffy lace edging. It took me a few tries to get the pattern right, but once I did, it went smoothly.

So last month my Aunt had her first baby. It was a boy. I made him a burp cloth and receiving blanket as well. I was very happy with the way these turned out.

The edging is just a simple shell edging called gentle waves edging. It was easy and fast. I didn't want to get too fancy because he's a boy. I didn't want it to look girly.

I think the next time I make some of these, I will use just solid color DMC thread and the gentle waves edging. The flannel was an ordeal. You can't find good feeling flannel. It's all cheap feeling now. The flannel I had for the girl's burp cloth and receiving blanket was stuff I got a few years ago. It was so soft. The boy's flannel I had to go buy and it doesn't feel as good as her's. They were both washed with fabric softener before I cut them out and you can still tell a difference.

I also made some simple single crochet wash cloths out of cotton tots for them both. Those pictures are really bad. So I'm not even going to post them.

The Ripple Afghans

Back in January I, spur of the moment, decided I would make a ripple afghan for myself. I prefer cotton over any other fiber. So I went to A.C. Moore to see what they had and boy was I lucky. They had big 14 oz skeins of Bernat Baby Cotton. I bought 6 skeins of the baby cotton. I got light pink, blue, hot green, yellow, purple and white. About a month ago I went back and they had a baby green and I got it. I had been using a Peaches N Creme baby green. Turns out they are basically the same color. I used 50% off coupons for it all. I rarely buy anything without a 50% or 40% off coupon. That's how I am. I also used a bright orange, Sunburst, in Peaches N Creme. With Sugar N Cream I had been using Robin's Egg Blue, Soft Violet and Tea Rose.

I've had to stop that far into it, about 40 inches. My sister decided she wanted one. It started out as a graduation present for her. That didn't work out. Then it was going to have to be done by the 4th of July. That didn't work out either. Then it was going to be a moving into the dorm present. That's right, that didn't work out either. So finally it is most definitely going to be a birthday present. Her birthday is Sunday, Sept 13. I am over 40 inches into it. She wanted it around 56 inches or something. I have been working like crazy on her's. This picture was taken quite a few colors back.

I don't know when I will get around to finishing mine. That's okay though.