Updates Galore...

I have been a busy little beaver in my absence...so stats are...

83 complete. 283 to go.

13 behind schedule.

I have completed the baby blanket...

Almost finished, all joined just needing an edge

Close up of the edging

Oh yeah, and a mini pair of granny square slippers to match. Yes these ARE included in the tally count.

All finished and wrapped around the bundle of delicious that is
Master Thomas Nathan. Oh yeah, I made a matching hat too.

I have made a pair of slippers for my friend Sarah for her birthday. 

3D flowers on the toe, go me!

And a pair of slippers for my friend Autumn for her birthday.

Can you see a pattern here, friend of mine, birthday coming, slippers it is...lol. The hilarious bit is that they are on to me and are now requesting the colours they would like. 

I have also been working on some custom owls for a friend Fiona and her children, which has in turn resulted in more orders for more owls...  

And I have crocheted my first piece of real clothing EVER from a pattern. Slippers and beanies don't count...

A navy bolero for Stella. This was so easy and is so cute. There will be more of these coming. 

So all in all, while I'm behind on my granny square tally, I have been crafting up a storm. As well as working 4 days a week, being a mum and everything else I manage to cram into every day. I will catch up on those squares I promise. 

I have an excuse I promise...

...For my absence that is. 

47 complete. 319 to go. 

6 behind schedule. 

I have returned to work 3 days a week for term 1 this year, plus my regular Wednesday at ABA, means that I'm now working 4 days a week and on my day 'off' there is kinder, swimming and cramming in everything else that needs to be done during the week. 

Ive been so busy that I actually left the baby blanket at craft night one week and didn't realise I had even left it until I arrived the next week and saw it sitting there. doh!

I also has to find the time to make Stella's 3rd birthday party dress, which can I just say was freaking amazing. 

We also received news last week that my poppy has passed away on Valentine's day after 92 amazing years on this earth. While it's sad that I now have no living grandparents, I also know just how lucky I was to even have any at my age, and even luckier that during my childhood I had the most amazing relationships with them all. If you so desire, you can read more about my awesome grandparents here.

I hadn't been to my Nan's grave since her burial, for 2 reasons, I feel her near me every day and I just didn't feel like emotionally I was up to it. I mean I lay in bed the night before Stella's birthday and sobbed for one more special day she wasn't going to be here for. 

In an attempt to make the day easier for me and to honour all my nan taught me and the love of craft she instilled in me, I decided that I would take time off from squares to create a very special yarn bomb for her. I was planning to do a crochet vase and a flower for myself and each of the kids. However, while searching for vase patterns, I came across a picture of crochet African Violets. My nan always had pots of African Violets on her window sill, so it seemed like the perfect project for her. 

In my mind my nan and pop were being buried separately and I would be able to take a quiet moment, away from everyone at the funeral to find her grave and drop and photograph my yarn bomb. When we arrived at the cemetery, I discovered they were being buried together, so the dropping of the yarn bomb had quite an audience and the photography of said bomb may have made me appear a little nuts. But alas, it wasn't about other people, it was about me, and my nan and I know she would have found the entire thing rather hilarious. 

As for the blanket, all the squares are finished. I need to weave in ends on about 6 more then join them together, then join to the rest of the blanket and complete the final edging.

Blanket Update and a Little Yarn Bomb of my own

36 completed.  330 to go.

Here are some progress pics of the baby blanket.

Squares in progress

First round

Start of second round of squares going on.

I have made the cream centers for the remaining squares and will begin working on the next rounds of colour on each of those soon. 

Also this week, I did my first solo yarn bomb. We have been talking for AGES about where our craft group could drop a yarn bomb, and long ago it was decided that the seagull statues at Frankston foreshore were looking a bit chill and some hats and scarves might be nice. On Friday night at our fire twirling group, I sat myself down and made this to start... 

I had to add the chin strap to keep the hat on. I think scarves will be an easier, if more time consuming option next time.

I'm hoping to add more and more hats and scarves each time we are down there. As I don't twirl or drum, but love the atmosphere and getting to hang out with my village.

Another pair of slippers gifted plus blanket progress

28 completed. 338 to go.

Its nothing that exciting, but I did complete a second pair of Granny Square slippers for another friend Saree's birthday. They were much brighter than the last pair, and were very well received. I do however have something rather spesh in mind for the next pair of slippers I make. Oh yes, there will be more slippers my lovelies.

All stacked up ready to be put together

Finished

Athena and Saree all slippered up.. hairy legs and all ;-P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also completed another square for the baby blanket, and I hate it so I'm not going to count it as it wont be used. But here is a pic for those playing along at home. It looks exactly how its supposed to according the the pattern, and with some blocking it would probably be better, but its just not what I want for the blanket. I have decided instead that I am going to just stick to the original pattern but playing with the colours a little. 

There's just something not quite right about it.

I have now completed 4 squares for the baby blanket and have spent this afternoon playing around with joining border. This is the kind of look I want for the blanket, obviously different colours, but granny squares bordered by thick solid colour and a fancy outer border. 

Image from here

Because my blanket isn't standard granny squares like in this pic, I feel like standard shell borders will look yuk with it, so I've been playing around with something a bit fancier. 

Stay tuned for blanket updates. Its going to take a while. 

Oh and today I made my first purchase from the book depositary. Crochet books of course. My very own copy of the 200 Granny Square book I've been working from as well as a book dedicated entirely to fancy crochet borders.

Baby Blanket Squares Begin

13 completed. 353 to go. 

I know I said I would post my second lot of squares, but, I forgot to actually take them with me last night to gift them, so they must stay under wraps until they have been given away.

But here is the first square of the neutral baby blanket I am creating. I'm not sure yet how many squares it will have in it, I should probably sit down and actually design it soon, but I'm so pleased with how this is working out already. I love the colours together and cant wait to add the pink or blue to the mix.

Its so perfect that I'm actually a little bit scared that the others wont be as beautiful. 

In other news, a friend Donna lent me a Woman's Day winning granny square book that she bought which has given me inspiration for another lot of squares designs to be made into a blanket. This who deal may not be as hard as first imagined.

First 12 Squares complete

12 completed. 354 to go. 

Now that my first 12 squares have been gifted away I am able to post pics for you here. 

I forgot to get a pic of all 12, but I assure you there were 12.

 The colours are much brighter than I could capture in a photo. Its actually a bright orange, violet purple, an amazing teal green and magenta pink. 

Close up of 1 slipper

Slippers Completed

There were gifted to a gorgeous friend of mine Athena for her 29th Birthday and from all signs she loved them. 

For anyone who is interested, they are oh so easy to make. They are simply 12 granny squares and you can find the instructions to make them (and work out the sizing) here at the Purl Bee. A tip however, make them a tad smaller than a tad bigger as they do stretch.

For the record my next batch of squares are completed, but again they are a gift, so once they are gifted, I shall post pics. Tomorrow at craft circle, I begin the baby blanket, seeing as the mumma to be approved the colours today when she visited.

Welcome

Welcome to my new challenge for the year... a granny square a day.

Basically the idea is that I will make a crochet granny square each day this year that will be turned into items to either keep or be gifted away. I have some things in mind already, including a couch blanket for myself, a baby blanket for a beautiful friend of mine, and some possible random yarn bombs in the hope of making someone smile. If you like the idea of yarn bombing, check out my friend Nessa's blog, she is planning a weekly yarn bomb and we are hoping to support each other in keeping on top of these challenges.

There are some guidelines I'm attaching to this project, and because its totally mine I'm entitled to change the rules whenever the hell I choose. But at the moment the following things are my loose 'rules' of the challenge;

• While a square a day is the plan, that doesn't mean that I can only do 1 square each day, nor does it mean that some days I wont even pick up a hook and make anything. As long as at the end of it all, there have been 366 squares made (and photographed) mission accomplished. 
• There are no rules about the size of the square. It might be huge, or tiny, or average, but they all count and they will all have a purpose.  
• If followers have wool that they would like to donate to go into one of my projects, I'm more than happy to oblige. 

 So today is the 11th January and I have 12 granny squares completed so far. They are going to be joined to create a birthday gift for a friend, so no pics until after they have been gifted. 

The next batch of squares may also be a gift for another friends birthday (depending on her reaction to the first gifting ;-P) then I plan to get started on the baby blanket for a friend who wont find out the gender of her baby, so I'm working neutrals with a plan of a dusky pink or cornflour blue border once baby Smyth is earthside.  

So feel free to join Nessa and I on creating more smiles in the world. Link us to your own crafty blogs and feel free to link back to ours. 

Aslo comment people, there is nothing more awesome than comments from your blog readers.