Back To Crochet

Over the summer, my crochet efforts have been focused on crochet dishcloths and flower scrubbies as described in this post. Although useful for using up Bernat Handicrafter Cotton yarn stash and accumulating a pile of hostess gifts, this sort of crochet is not particularly exciting or engaging. 

 

I took a mini break from dishcloths to crochet a bobble baby blanket in July. I must admit it was a welcome relief. You can read all about the creamsicle banana pop baby blanket here. I was happy to use up more of my stash and loved the finished look. 

Happily this blanket found a new home with my cousin's daughter who had a baby boy in August. It was so nice visiting this week, cuddling her adorable little boy and presenting them with this hand-made gift. Hand-made gifts are always appreciated as fewer people have the time or interest to learn to crochet. 

Once I finished the blanket I thought I might make a monkey in white and dark grey. I love making toys so I crocheted an ear and there it sat for almost 8 weeks while I carried on making dishcloths in between writing blog posts and generally enjoying my summer. 

I love writing and really enjoyed covering Motivation as a theme for August and starting September with a party reuniting friends from my Grade 8 Graduating Class of '77. 

Life at home over the past couple months has been wonderful overall yet I have not been able to settle on any interesting crochet projects. I wonder if it might have something to do with our son moving away to University? I wrote about that here. It was a change I was looking forward to and dreading all at once. I do miss him and would love to hear how he is doing but he is not good at keeping in touch. 

Yes, I know he is a teenage boy. Yes, I know it's not considered cool to keep Mom in the loop. And yes, I know it's totally normal and necessary to grow up and seek independence. It's hard but I am doing my best to be respectful and let him be. I hope he appreciates how difficult that is for me. And yes, that is a little dig as he mentioned he might read my posts while he is away from home.  

Anyway, now that he is settled at University and I've gotten used to the quiet and things are somewhat in order at home, I'm ready to get Back To Crochet. This week I made good progress on the monkey started 8 long weeks ago. I've completed both ears, the head, body, legs and one arm. I have to make an arm and a tail plus add the face before putting it all together. You can find the free pattern here if you would like to make one too.

I haven't decided if I might add shorts and a vest. I'll be sure to post a photo of the finished monkey along with instructions for clothes if I do.

I think I have a good selection of crochet toys for our grandchildren to choose from when they visit for Thanksgiving which is only three weeks away. I can hardly wait to see them all again. So far I have Bunny, Paddington Bear, Sweetie Bear (pink dress), Betty Bear (blue dress), Monica Mouse and Grey Monkey (to be done soon). It will be interesting to see which ones our grandchildren pick.

In anticipation of their visit, we are also painting the basement to make the guest suite super special. Once the painting is done, the carpets will be cleaned so it's suitable for crawling babies. We plan to move in a comfy couch and set up a play area outside their bedroom. 

Last year, we pitched a tent and decorated it with festive lights for our grandson. He had fun sleeping in a tent but I think the new decor will be even better and much safer for our little granddaughter. I'll be sure to share photos once we're done.

I'm so very happy to be Back To Crochet. Once the monkey is finished, I have plans to make a crib-size stripey ripple blanket incorporating this assortment of fine (#3) yarns. I love this mix of colours. 

When I read this post by Lucy at Attic24 covering her "Coast Ripple blanket :: ta-dah", I couldn't help but get excited about making one myself. Lucy has a talent for joyfully describing her life and projects. I love reading her posts and always feel happier after visiting her site. Lucy's work and colour choices are bright, beautiful and full of fun. You're in for a treat when you check out what's happening at Attic24.

Who knows, you just might be tempted to get Back To Crochet too. 

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Creamsicle Banana Pop Baby Blanket

I finished another crochet baby bobble blanket. It is one of my favourite free patterns called Ruffles and Dots Baby Blanket by blogger Maybe Matilda found here. I started two weeks ago as mentioned in this post and am happy to report all leftover Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn shown below got used up plus I did NOT have to buy more. YiPpEe Mission Accomplished!! 

I decided to finish the blanket in creamsicle once I ran out of pale yellow then I worked a row of bright orange single crochet around the outside which coordinated nicely with the frilly creamsicle border. As I was working the last row of the border, I wasn't sure if there would be enough yarn to complete the round. Check out that teeny tiny bit of leftover yarn in the photo. I couldn't have planned it any better. 

I love how the bobble bumps make a fun and tactile blanket for babies.

I even love the look of the blanket finished with 6 bobble rows in creamsicle. It was a necessary colour change to avoid buying more yarn as my intent was to use what I had on hand for this project. The bright cheery colours inspired me to name it "Creamsicle Banana Pop Baby Blanket". A delicious baby blanket for summer.

Our poodle loves posing on this baby blanket. It's a perfect fit for both poodles AND babies. 

I've included stats and instructions in case you might like to make one too. I promise you won't be disappointed if you do.

Stats/Instructions for this blanket:
34" x 34" outside edges
Yarn - Bernat Handicrafter Cotton (Worsted Weight)
Hook size - 5.0 mm
13 bobbles across
29 bobble rows (26 bobble rows of pale yellow + 6 bobble rows of creamsicle)
1 row of single crochet (sc) around outside with 3 sc in the corners (bright orange)
1 row of 2 double crochet (dc) per sc with 7 dc in the corners (creamsicle)
1 row of alternating 2 dc then 1 dc in each dc around with 5 dc in the corners (creamsicle)

Math for starting chain: 8 x # of bobbles in first row = 104 for 13 bobbles across
3 rows of sc before first bobble row, between bobble rows and after last bobble row
First and last bobble row: 3 sc before first bobble, 7 sc between bobbles and 3 sc after last bobble
Alternate bobble rows: 7 sc before first bobble, 7 sc between bobbles and 7 sc after last Note: only 12 bobbles on alternate bobble rows

I hope that all makes sense. Do comment if you have any questions or need clarification. I would be happy to help.

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