Granny Square Day 2: Watermelon Square

Yay! Second square for our 13 Days of Granny Squares! This one was very fun to do. Especially as I got to the white and green.

I used Lily’s Sugar n’ Cream cotton yarn for this and a 4.5 mm hook. But you can use whatever yarn and whatever hook size you see fit. If you’re not sure, I would recommend going with the suggested hook size on the wrapper that comes around your skein of yarn.

Now, keep in mind, this square is going to be larger than the previous squares. Lastly, I can’t recommend this enough – if you can, block your squares. 

(If you need help with any of the abbreviations used, refer to my Abbreviations in Crochet page! A new tab will open for your convenience.)

Here goes!

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Watermelon Square

 

Written using US terms.

Gauge: doesn’t matter for this.

Hook Size: Any

Need 4 yarns:

• Yarn A – Red
• Yarn B – Black
• Yarn C – White
• Yarn D – Green

[Ch 3= 1 dc]

Rnd 1: Using Yarn A, make a magic ring, ch 1, sc 8, sl st to join.

Rnd 2: Switch to Yarn B; ch 1, sc in same sp, (ch 2, sc in next st); rep 7 times to end, sl st to join.

Rnd 3: Switch to Yarn A, ch 3, in ch-2 sp, 2 dc in same sp, (ch 1, 3dc, ch1); rep to end of rnd, sl st to join.

Rnd 4: Sl st to ch-1 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, (ch 1, skip 1 st, 2 dc in next st, ch 1) to end of rnd, sl st to join.

Rnd 5: Switch to Yarn B, in ch-1 sp, ch 3, ch 1, sc in same sp, (ch2, sc in next ch-1 sp) rep 15 times, ch 2, join with sl st to first sc made.

Rnd 6: Switch to Yarn A, in ch-2 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, (ch 1, 3dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) rep to end of rnd, sl st to join.

Rnd 7: Switch to Yarn C, ch 1 in ch-1 sp, sc, (ch 3, sc, ch 3) rep to end of rnd, sl st to end of rnd to join.

Rnd 8: In ch-3 sp, ch 1, 4 sc in same sp, *(hdc, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp, (tr, ch2, tr) in next sc, (3dc, hdc) in next ch-3 sp, 4 sc in next ch-3 sp ** 4 sc in next ch-3 sp, rep from * twice more then from * to ** once more, join with sl st to join rnd.

Rnd 9: Switch to Yarn D, in ch-2 sp, ch 1 *(sc, hdc, sc in corner ch-2 sp), sc in each st to corner ch-2 sp; rep from * to end of rnd, sl st to join. FO and weave in ends.

For this particular square, you may want to block it; blocking the square will straighten it out. 

 

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Granny Square Day 1: Treble Granny

The treble granny square is very similar to the traditional granny square (Scroll to the bottom of the link for instructions), only the first 3 rounds are worked in tr instead of dc. I find its better to use different colored yarns to really make the stitches “pop!” but ultimately, it’s up to you.

Just a word of caution: If you plan on using different colored yarns- when I switched the yarn, I basically started at each corner space. If you prefer to do color changes right where the round is joined, it’s a good idea to sl st until you get to the corner sp then ch 3.

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Treble Granny Square

 

Gauge: doesn’t matter for this.

Hook Size: Any

Need 3 yarns:

• Yarn A
• Yarn B
• Yarn C

[Ch 4= 1 tr]

Ch 4 and join to make ring

Rnd 1: With color
A, ch 4, 2 tr, ch 3, 3 dc, *ch 3, 3 tr, ch 3; rep from * two more times.

Rnd 2: Switch to color B, ch 4 in
ch-3 sp, 2 tr, ch 3, 3 tr, in same sp, *ch 1, (3tr, ch 3, 3 tr), ch 1; rep from * two more times, sl t to top of ch 4 to join round.

Rnd 3: Switch to color C, ch 4 into ch-3 sp, 2 tr, ch 3, 3 tr, *ch 1, 3tr, ch 1, 3 tr, ch 1, (3 tr, ch 3, 3tr), ch 1; rep from  * to end of rnd, join with sl st to top of ch4.

Rnd 4: Switch to Color B, ch 1 in ch-3 sp, *(2sc, hdc, 2sc), sc in each st to corner sp; rep from * to end to end of rnd, sl st to first sc to join.

Rnd 5: Switch to Color C, rep rnd 4. FO and weave in ends.

For this particular square, you may want to block it; blocking the square will straighten it out. 

 

 

 

13 Days of Exciting Granny Squares!

The granny square is definitely one of my favorite things to make. With it you can create a variety of different items! However, granny squares can get a little boring. So I’m kicking off “13 Days of Exciting Granny Squares!” Each granny square presented will be a variation of the “classic” granny square, so stay tuned!

For those unfamiliar with a traditional granny square, below is a pattern for how I make them.

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Traditional Granny Square

Gauge: Doesn’t matter for this

Hook Size: Any/ whatever your yarn calls for

(Written with U.S. terms)

[Ch 3 worked in rounds = 1 dc ]

Ch 4 and join with sl st to form a ring

Rnd 1: Ch 3, 2dc in ring, ch2, * 3 dc into ring, ch 2 * rep from * twice, join with sl st into top of ch 3. (12 sts)

Rnd 2: Sl st to ch 2 sp, ch3, 2d in same sp,  ch 2, 3dc, *ch 1, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) into next sp; rep from * twice, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 3 to join.

Rnd 3: Sl st to ch2 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3dc in same sp, *ch 1, 3 dc in next sp, ch 1, ( 3 dc in ch-2 space, ch 2, 3 dc), ch 1; rep from * three more times, 3 dc in next sp, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 3 to join.

Rnd 4: Sl st to ch 2 sp, ch3 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, *ch 1, 3 dc in next sp, ch 1, 3dc in next sp, ch 1, (3dc, ch 2, 3 dc), ch 1; rep from * thre more times, sl st to top of ch 3 to join rnd.

Rnd 5: sl st to ch-3 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next sp, * ch 1, 3dc in next sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next sp, ch 1, (3dc, ch 2, 3 dc), ch 1; rep from * three more times, l st to top of h 3 to join. FO and weave in ends.

Crazy About Baby!

FINALLY! It’s complete! There is nothing like the feeling of seeing a project fully finished, is there?! Toward the end I was working like mad woman to get it done! Well! Here is my completed blanket for my little boy! I’m very excited as this is OFFICIALLY his first baby blanket.

Below are the various pictures of the pieces as I worked. All the yarn used was Caron Simply Soft. Initially, I was going to sew in the letters to spell his name as well as a crochet car applique which would have all gone on the lower right hand corner. BUUUUT!!! All my color choices for the applique were terribly wrong and it all just blends in with the blanket colors. Either way, I like the simplicity of it now, and looking back, I think adding more stuff to it will be too much!

 

And lastly, behold my awesome kitty who thinks this blankie belongs to her! My fur baby has quite a bit of adjusting ahead of her in anticipation of the new baby! She loves keeping me company while I crochet (aka making it hard to do since she wants to lay on what I’m working on or attack the yarn!)

Happy Bobble Baby Blanket Part 2

I just couldn’t wait to share my progress on my fantastic little blankie! So, here it is!!!

Here is the length so far.

Up-close look at the little bobbles

I am having so much fun working on this! I absolutely love how the bobbles help to create textures and stripes along the width of the blanket.

I will surely be sad when it is all finished… But that may just be a while! I completely ran out of Berroco’s Comfort Multi Baby Yarn, so I can’t continue until I pick more up… And it’s looking like it will be more work to find than I anticipated.. None of my LYS seem to carry the Comfort brand, which means I will have to order online… Until I receive the shipment, it looks like I might just be starting another project to keep myself busy.

Black Friday – Colorful Pouch!!!

I made a very colorful Friday project for myself today. I absolutely love my new little clutch which I am going to use as a hook holder 🙂

I used Sugar n’ Cream yarn for this.  This yarn is a little rough but will hold up well against a lot of use… and it is also washable. This yarn is definitely good for more than creating dishcloths!

Inspir-motivation!?

I’ve had trouble deciding what exactly to post lately… Not so much for lack of ideas, but more so, lack of crochet-time! However, my little “block” vanished after buying a couple of baby afghan pattern books. Oh man… and I have to say… I was pretty excited to have soooooo many wonderful patterns to work on!

….Wrong! I absolutely hated all the patterns in the book! Don’t get me wrong, they look beautiful in photos, but really, not for me. I ended up frogging all of my work. I had even worked on one for two weeks before frogging it! I feel like it wasn’t just the patterns, but the yarn that was uninspiring…..

I took a trip out to Galena, IL last week and found this wonderful little Knit and Yarn shop… And gasp! Found the most wonderful, soft yarn to play with!  I purchased 6 skeins of Berroco Comfort Yarn – 4 in Robin’s Egg (9714) and 2 in Multi-Baby (9811). It is knitting worsted weight, but I find it wonderful for my project!

Take a peek at my work so far!

 

 

For this project, I used a series of single crochets, and double crochets. I did not use a pattern from any book, and decided to just start working double crochets and see where it took me! I ended up making these beautiful little bobbles across the blankie. I think it looks sweet and fun…. And most of all, perfect for a baby blanket!!!

 

 

Ironically, enough, it reminds me of the very first “afghan” I crocheted waaaaaaaaaaaaay back whhhheeeeeeeen. I made one huge granny square for my grandmother and it was in the same pastel blues, whites, pinks, greens, and yellows as Berroco’s Multi-Baby yarn. I thought it was the best blanket ever and it felt like I worked on it for eons! ….And well, the truth was that it was only big enough to cover my grandma’s feet!

 

 

Little Baker Girl

HAPPY FRIDAY, WORLD!

I am delighted to share my little baker doll! I based my doll off of the Baker Lily  pattern from Yarnspirations. However, I didn’t use their pattern for hair as I didn’t like the look of it. Instead,  made my own cowl and wove the strands of yarn into the cowl (think of weaving hair extensions). I also made the pig tails look “curly”. 🙂  [The pattern is FREE, so definitely go check it out. It’s great practice for anyone interested in amigurumi. It is also a good chance to see if you really like crocheting this kind of thing!]

It took me about 3 weeks to complete. My fingers were pretty sore from rows upon rows upon rows of tiny single crochets. My absolute favorite part was the hair and the dress.

Hope everyone enjoys! I also added a little apron, which isn’t in the photo. I purposely left the “face” blank; the doll is for my grandmother, and the plan is to have her sew buttons and make the little mouth so it can be something we both worked on. 🙂 That being said, I hope it gets to her soon!!!