OddBall Baby Blankets

6 Knitters each on these Baby Blankets for the western group in RAV Oddball Baby Blankets. I love seeing the different stitches people use, and how they interpret the theme. Someone starts the ghan based on the theme and then it makes it way around with each person doing a section and mailing it on. I was the border patrol for both of these blankets. The blanket on the left is titled Pumpkin Patch and the one on the right is called Sweet Pea. I expected Sweet Pea to be lots of shades of green...my interpretation...however right from the start it seems everyone else thought of the flowers Sweat Pea's which are all different colors and thus the blanket begins to take shape.
Here's a close up of the 2 tone orange boarder. I did several rows of single crochet to try and give the blanket a bit of shape...even it up. As you can see in the first picture, there's quite an hour glass shape due to the differences in stitches and yarn used. Then with the darker orange did a simple scallop/shell. That darker orange to me is true orange.
Did some tugging to again even it out, and am hopeful when the blanket is laundered and blocked it will maintain the square shape. I also thought this blanket though appropriate for male or female looked a bit more boyish, and thus didn't want a real frilly border.
A close up Sweat Pea's boarder here. It's all in one color, made with single crochet, chains, triples, and V stitch. I like this boarder for adding a few inches to a smaller blanket. And with the name Sweat Pea, seems more girly to me. Plus the pastels so went with a more frilly boarder here. Considered doing a green border since it started and ended with green...and because green is the first color I thought of for Sweat Pea before seeing the blanket. But, since blue was the middle section on the blanket I choice that to pull it all together.
These blankets are done for charity. All given to hospitals around the country for babies and families in need.

Blue Granny Squares Project

I joined my first ever CAL awhile back. Blogged about here. Was initially grabbing whatever yarn was laying around and making squares different colors with no real plan of what to do with them, other then they would go into one of the many ghans I'm working on Bridge and Beyond as a result of Give a Square.

Then decided to make 2nd's of some of the squares from the CAL in blue, my nephew's wife is expecting next month and will need a baby blanket. So, above is the start. She's the one I made the Buckeye Baby Sweater Set for. I still need to post a finished picture....Hope I remembered to take a picture, must look through my files.

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all tomorrow.

Improving one stitch at a time

I keep trying, ever so slowly to improve my knitting skills. This is a close up of my portion of "Mossy Delights" Oddball Baby Blanket. The darker green, top of the photo is my section. I used a stitch called pique triangles. I like the stitch because it has lots of texture, and is completely 2 sided which is nice for a blanket. It's only a 4 row repeat which also nice...for me. Perhaps as I improve a bit more, I can expand on that.
Here's a picture of the whole blanket before I sent it on for boarder patrol so you can see how everyone does a strip, different stitches and colors (or in this case shades of the same color). The blankets each have a theme, a name and we're to do our bit based on our interpretation of that name/theme. The blankets are donated to babies in need at various hospitals around the country.

I think I'd like to do that stitch again, wouldn't it make an awesome scarf? Perhaps best knitted lengthwise vs widthwise? Would the pattern show up less is the scarf were done in the more traditional method of knitting it widthwise?

Lots of WIP (works in progress for my non crafting friends), but chipping away. Hope you're all staying warm. Sorry I've gotten behind in visiting your blogs, but hope to chip away at that today and tomorrow too.

**Adding this per hakucho's post, so you can see this blanket when it was finished. Here's Nancy Blog.

Becoming a Buckeye Baby

To be a Buckeye Baby one needs to be born in The Buckeye State, and have appropriate Buckeye Attire. Regulations can be altered at an older age when one chooses to become a Buckeye as long as appropriate clothing is worn. lol

Seriously folks my youngest nephew and wife are expecting and as my nephew is a HUGE Buckeye Fan, I thought I would forgo the traditional baby blue colors. Took this photo just after finishing the booties. As you can see the sweater needs to be sewn together, trimmed and the hats needs finished. Intended to post this a few days ago and didn't get that far. I did finish the hat last night, and the sweater is sewn, though trim edge and finish touches still remain. I need to finish this today; as the baby shower is tomorrow........yikes. It's doable though. I'll post a finished picture later.

Hope you're all staying warm and safe with all the lousy weather everyone's had.

I've been busy working on several afghans for Bridge and Beyond, a baby blanket for above baby later, finished a scarf for Bridge and Beyond, and need to do a border on an Oddball Baby Blanket, and have a ghan in the works for a friend. Whew.. Hooks, needles and yarn flying like crazy around here.

Five thousand three hundred stitches!

Nothing fancy for sure, basic beige in basic double crochet stitches. One pound of Caron and a I hook, chain 100 stitches get's your 53 rows, which is 5,300 stitches. Funny, I've never actually thought about how many stitches there was in something I made. Have you? This measures about 33.5 inches square and will be a center panel on a ghan. It's not as big as I would have hoped, but needed to see how big the one pounder would make. Long ago I started this ghan, had issues with it, then determine the original design I came up with wasn't going to work and had to frog it. Terrible how long this has been a wip. The stitches were so tight it really bothered my arthritis, carpal tunnel, and ulnar nerve...so I keep pushing it aside. Finally got tired of pushing it aside and put it in the basement even with my yarn stash. My friend asked me to make it, she doesn't like anything with holes....so smaller hook, makes it tighter etc.

I never intended to have it go this long and am rather embarrassed by it. After I put it in the basement, I didn't even think about it anymore. Believe my new design will allow me to make fewer squares which is the part that bothered me the most.

Here's the first go round that was completely frogged.

Just for Fun

Long long ago, in a planet far far away. Me on the left with my dirty sandal shoes. You know I still love plaids. Butterball in the middle, is my younger brother Mike. Isn't he adorable. My older brother Chuck looking quite handsome and right at the camera like you're suppose to. He was always a good kid, almost....always did what he was told. lol

Just for fun....thought I'd share.