Worked: Block 7 of the Spot-Sampler rug

Here's my version of Block 7!

Easy to work, and it came out well. I did accidentally muck up a corner in the border (and looking at the square now, it may actually be two) but unless it starts to really annoy me, or proves an issue in sewing them together (it wont) I'll leave this block alone.

Block #7 of Spot-Sampler rug

Week 7: Block of the Week.

available from here:

Block of the Week #7

That is a shocking block to put up on the page. The photo of massively overexposed and they haven't laid the block out well at ALL. Obviously Spotlight is taking their little customer-team-building project *really* well. At least they're having someone in their team actually DOING the blocks now, and in different colours, which is nice. Here are some of the girls blocks from the Krista Rug: Block of the Week Group!!

Kim Stockton:

Janette Ebbers:

Rebekah Cartledge

Such a talented bunch :) 

repeat of Block #31

Here is a MUCH better photo of last night's block:

And I'm working on my colour correction...

;-)

Block #31: Diamond in the Square

From Eaton's 200...

#83 Diamond in the Square.

I saw one of the girls over on the Block of the Week group put up a great version of this, done in white, yellow/orange & red. Mine's not as good, but it's still done right. I'd like to take a better photo, on my normal background, to show up the longer stitches in the centre better.

This is some new yarn as well! 70% cotton 30% wool, from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I'm fortunate enough that I live close enough to Bendigo so I can go up to the factory store and have a good poke around at what they've got for sale. And BOY are their yarns absolutely FANTASTIC!!! And they sell them in MASSIVE balls of 200gms! Anyway I poked my head in their seconds rooms and picked up a couple of great 50gm balls of cotton mix (the yarn is all the same but some of the packets say "cotton" some say "70% wool 30% cotton" and some say "70% cotton 30% wool". It feels mostly like cotton, so I'm going with that :D It's a really nice sturdy 4ply, and this square is smaller than I'd usually do, worked in one of my NEW Addi hooks! It's a 3mm, which is one of the smallest I own. Very nice neat & tidy :)

Anyway, better photo tomorrow ;-)

Some book suggestions

Today it's some book suggestions :)

300 Classic Blocks for Crochet Projects by Linda P Schapper.  Someone on the Block of the Week group over on Facebook just grabbed this book off eBay. MMmmmm mmm!! Looks good!

200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets Throws Afghans by Jan Eaton. Of course, this my bible here on One Square At A Time, and it's the book I'm working my way through for the year :) I've been working squares from it since 2007 when I found it at the St Kilda Library, but this year, it's *every square*.

The Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques by Jan Eaton. This is on my wish list. I can't wait to read it and see all the different techniques that Jan lists and demonstrates.

I already linked to a Melody Griffiths book this week, but have another one :) Crocheted Afghans looks absolutely fantastic :)

my pinterest board

I've not got anything new today, but I have discovered Pinterest :)

Craftypins - Crochet

Is my pinterest crochet board. Oh, I so love this!

I love finding bright colours that people have used for their blankets - it makes me want to break away from the more pastel shades I'm always deciding on.

Simple Lacy Block (#30)

This is the instructions for the block that I posted the other day:

This block is from Melody Griffiths "201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects & Ideas". All copyright belongs to Ms Griffiths and I have no claim on these instructions.

(I got this book out of my local library, however it is available to buy too :D Book Depository !! I know it's on MY wishlist!)

* * *

SIMPLE LACE BLOCK


Instructions


Make 6 ch, ss in first ch to form a ring.

1st round 3 ch, 2 trtog (starting cluster) in ring, [3ch, 3trtog (cluster formed) in ring, 2ch, cluster, in ring] 3 times, 3ch, cluster in ring, 2ch, ss in 3rd ch.
2nd round Ss in 3ch sp, 3 ch, 2trtog in 3ch sp, [3ch, cluster in same sp, 1ch, 3tr in 2ch sp, 1ch, cluster in next 3ch sp] 3 times, 3ch, cluster in same sp, 1ch, 3tr in 2ch sp, 1ch, ss in 3rd ch.
3rd round Ss in 3ch sp, 3ch, 2trtog in 3ch sp, [3ch, cluster in same sp, 2ch, 1tr in 1ch sp, 1tr in each of next 3tr, 1tr in 1ch sp, 2ch, cluster in next 3ch sp] 3 times, 3ch, cluster in same sp, 2ch, 1tr in 1ch sp, 1tr in each of next 3tr, 1tr in 1ch sp, 2ch, ss in 3rd ch.
4th round Ss in ch sp, 3ch, 2trtog in 3ch sp, [3ch, cluster in sam space, 2ch, 1tr in 2ch sp, 1tr in each next 5tr, 1tr in 2ch sp, 2ch, cluster in next 3ch sp] 3 times, 3ch, cluster in same sp, 2ch, 1tr in 2ch sp, 1tr in each of next 5tr, 1tr in 2ch sp, 2ch, ss in 3rd ch.
Edging. 1st round
 Ss in 3ch sp, 3ch, 2trtog in 3ch sp, * 3ch, cluster in same sp, 2ch, 1tr in 2ch sp, 1ch, 1tr in next tr, 1ch, [miss 1tr, 1tr in next tr, 1ch] 3 times, 1tr in 2ch sp, 2ch, cluster in next 3ch sp, rep from * two more times, 3ch, cluster in same sp, 2ch, 1tr in 2ch sp, 1ch, 1tr in next tr, 1ch, [miss 1tr, 1tr in next tr, 1ch] 3 times, 1tr in 2ch sp, 2ch, ss in 3rd ch.
2nd round
Ss in 3ch sp, 3ch, 2trtog in 3ch sp, * 3ch, cluster in same sp, [2ch, cluster in next sp] 8 times ,rep from * two more times, 3ch, cluster in same sp, [2ch, cluster in next sp] 7 times, 2ch, ss in 3rd ch. Fasten off.

[NOTE: After the 2nd round of the edging, I went around the square again in a simple finishing border. 1dc in each tr/ch, 3dc in each corner. This gave the square a nice finish.]

This square can be substituted for Block 4 in the Spotlight Crochet-Along "Krista" rug if you'd like. It shows up the clusters in the X shape to better advantage, in my opinion.

For the girls at the Block of the Week: "Krista" Throw Group!

(2nd NOTE: I'll be putting up the picture design for this square tomorrow, when I can scan it in at work! )

Also, please consider buying this book!! It's available (at least) over at the Book Depository! Or getting it out at your local library :)

Block 6

Block 6!

I'm quite happy with this block. Stretching it out to imagine it when it's sewn into the others, and it evens out well, stretching the border out to be straight. Unfortunately I followed instructions and used the bigger 5mm hook instead of the 4.5mm hook, and the block is sitting slightly bigger than the other blocks, and that's not even when it's pulled into a more square shape. So, I'm going to redo it with the 4.5mm and see if that improves it. But, pretty happy with the first go this week.

And you know, look at it. It's pretty, symmetrical & lacey :) I like the interior pattern :)

Spot-Sampler Block #6

The picture of this week's block comes to us courtesy of someone actually working in Spotlight who worked up the block...

So, yeah, nice and evenly worked there...

Actually, it's how the block is turning out for everyone. I'm just not that impressed that it's wonky: and it's wonky because there's no real solid border worked. I feel like there should be an extra border worked on some of the blocks. Also, this square doesn't appear to be blocked, as most of mine aren't, and one it's joined to other squares it'll form up just fine.

Spot-Sampler Krista Rug: Block #6

And just to be clear, I don't believe that my worked block will actually be any straighter, squarer or more formed than this one. In fact, it might be MORE wonky!

Random block...#30!

Does this look familiar?

I found it in "201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects & Ideas" by Melody Griffiths. Looks a lot like the Spot-Sampler Krista rug Block 4....

See? This is my Block 4 from the other day (a much better photo).

It's got the same clusters-in-an-X pattern in the block, but the difference in the pink block is that there's a single treble crochet pattern in the centre, which then becomes clusters at the outside. The Spot-Sampler Block 4 is a three-treble block outside of the clusters in the X.

I think I like the pink block better ;-)

SO, that's Block 30# : Simple Lace Block! And NOT from Jan Eaton's!

Maybe I should label it differently...

Keep Calm & Crochet On...

I first spotted this over on CrochetTime (a crochet blog I just discovered today - awesome!) and then had to repin it over on my CraftyPins board @ Pinterest :

(available over on Etsy: PosterPop)

Spot-Sampler Block #4

(OK terrible photo, but let's just ignore that...)

LOOK MA!! After only 8 attempts... Seriously, I started this block EIGHT TIMES before I got it going. It kept curling up like a cup on me after two rounds. I was about to lose my mind. Not only that but my clusters (which you can see in the centre and extending out in an X) just didn't look clustery enough. So I increased them from a 3tr cluster to a 4tr cluster, and the corners in the centre round and the 1st round up from a 2-ch to a 3-ch, to give the block a bit more space to turn into a square, and not a round. 

So, 4 out of 5 done now : )

Block 5, Spot-Sampler

Ta da. 2nd attempt, better than the first. It's wonky, so it'll definitely need blocking. When I pull it into shape, it stops being skewif: indication that it requires blocking!

The pattern called for the bigger hook (5mm opposed to my normal 4.5mm) but I've worked with my 4.5mm hook to get the gauge right and added an extra border row. I must prefer it to the first effort:

Yep. 2nd effort, much better.

Still isn't showing the right colour of my yarn!!

The frustration...

That special frustration that's kept aside for knitters and crocheters...

When you start off a new square, and decide you think the pattern's slightly off, so you undo it and start it again. A little further along in the pattern this time, and you decide the pattern was right to start with, so you undo it again and start over. Then when you get a little further, and realise the problem with the square isn't the pattern but the way you're doing a certain stitch, which is wrong. So you take apart the square, again....

4th time lucky!!

Block 5 of Krista.

Yesterday I posted up the 5th Block for the Spot-Sampler rug 'Krista': this is what it's supposed to look like.






This is what mine, done exactly to the instructions, looks like.






Waaaayy too loose. The instructions have you doing the square in the size half up from the hook you've used for the first two squares. Here they are lined up in comparison.






Way bigger. Side by Side it's not much, but imagine trying to sew these together!

There's been enough errors in this project to make me want to re-write each square, and I'm not the only one who feels this way.

So. I'm in the middle of working the square again, but in my 4.5mm hook, instead of the 5mm hook this was worked in. Let's see how it worked out.

Spot-Sampler Krista Rug: Block 5!

Well, that title's a mouthful...

Here it is: Block 5! 20 to go....

Instructions for Block 5

Nice and lacy, with a steady granny centre. Looks good :)

In other news, I picked up the BEST looking book at the library today: "201 Crochet Motifs, Bocks, Projects & Ideas" by Melody Griffiths. Oh it looks GREAT!!!!

"Identity Crisis Blanket"

Wow, check out this blanket!!

Identity crisis blanket ta daaaaah

It's just beautiful!!

I made a blanket big enough to throw over a king sized bed, as one of my first projects. It taught me I'm terrible at finishing things: it took around 18 months to finish! (Hense, this blog...) But this blanket, it just makes me want to give it another go.

Sick

You know, if I'd just stayed home today from work, I wouldn't have had to go through the crap day I did, I would have ended up doing *some* crochet, and there'd be a crochet post today.

Sadly, it's just Miserable Day in the house of One Square, so I'll be back tomorrow with ... something ;-)

Oh flower why have you five petals...

Yesterday, I made a flower.




I really really like making three dimensional crochet patterns.




I'm thinking on day I'll be brave enough to try an Amigurumi! But not today.




Why not today? Well this cute little flower, is meant to have six petals. So why, oh gorgeous little flower, do you have only five???

It's the start of the Week 3 square for the Spotlight rug. Apparently it's caused quite a kerfuffle. Spotlight aren't putting up any helpful instructions, so it's up to the crocheter to figure out how the pattern goes. Which is fine for experienced hookers (haha, get your mind out of the gutter people!) but for those of us who don't have that much success in reading patterns and translating them immediately to how they're supposed to look, it's a challenge. This pattern, is a challenge. However, I love making flowers, so I was excited.

It took until round 3 for me to understand how it was supposed to start.

Round 1: make the chain loop to start.
Round 2: make 12 treble crochet stitches
Round 3: ch 2, htr, (dec2htr) 5 times, join with first stitch.

HA! Holy schamole, it's been so long since I've decreased a stitch, I had to go look it up. It's actually quite easy: you're turning two stitches into one, so for a row with 12 stitches in it, and you create two new ones at the start (with the ch 2, htr), it makes sense that you'd need to join together 2 htr into one to decrease down into around 6 stitches. BUT the pattern DOESN'T TELL YOU that's what you're trying to do.

And it turns out, I decreased apparently one too many times. Or maybe I didn't. I'm not quite sure what went wrong, except that I didn't make six petals a turn: I only made five.

So. I'm going to attempt, at some point this week, so demonstrate how each step looks at the end of it. I'm going to need luck!

For those who gave up at this block, pick it back up. What you need to understand to get through Round 3, is that you're drawing the little circle up, to make a dome :)

I also worked it back to front, which I'm not sure is right either. See how my petals seem to bend outwards, like a normal flowers' petals would? I think they're supposed to turn inwards instead, like a flower just beginning to bloom, instead of in full bloom.

Size of Spot-Sampler squares

So yesterday I posted up my completed Square 2 of the Spot-Sampler "Krista" rug from the Spotlight Crochet-Along.




I mentioned how I had had difficulties with the pattern and that the end result square had the wrong amount of stitches along the sides.

However, it turned out to be the same size as the first square. In the picture above you can see the 2nd square: underneath it you can't see the 1st square. If the first square, with it's 28dc's along each side was bigger than the 2nd square with it's 25dc's along each side you'd see the difference.




Here you can see the squares half on top of each other, demonstrating that they're the same height..




And here they are next to each other: same size.

So, I'm happy with that.

Moving onto Week 3's square, which is more difficult. It has a raised flower in the centre. But more on that tomorrow!!

Krista Rug: Block 2 of the Spot-Sampler

Block 2 of the Spotlight crochet-along rug, two weeks late!!:




I liked this block. I think some of the people in the group had a hard time getting it to lie flat, but that's because you had a fretwork circle in the centre that you had to 'tame' into a square pattern.

I'm finding it hard taking a picture that shows the true colour of my yarn. Here it's a purpleish shade. The photo wanted to show it in a nice light blue. Which is pretty, but my yarn is lavender.... *grin*

I had a problem with the counting in this square. This is how the pattern turned out, but there are only 25 double crochet stitches along each side and the pattern states I should have 28. However, it has turned out the same size as the previous square. I'll show you the comparisons tomorrow.

Block #29: Fretwork

Wow, it's a miracle: a new block ;-)






From Eaton's, Block #197: Fretwork.

This is in Eaton's book in the section that shows 4 different colour combinations, so I'll be featuring this block again later in the year, or even the month.

When working this block, the stitches really didn't want to form the fretwork properly. It was very curled around itself and I had a hard time figuring out the corner stitches, making sure they were in the right place. Of course, I started this block on the plane back from Perth after around 5 hours sleep, so that might have had something to do with finding it hard to count!!

It's a nice block, but I'm not sure I'd use it in a rug. It's tightly woven around the edges but very loose inside. I think it might work well as a cushion cover, rather than a throw.

Block 4 of the Spot-Sampler Rug!!

Here is the week 4 block of the Spot-Sampler Rug!!

Block 4 of the Krista Throw Rug

This week looks much like week 1's square. At least one person on the Spotlight page couldn't see the difference, however it is there.

The centre first circle is made up of clusters, and the "X" pattern you can see quite vividly in this block is formed by clusters.

Clusters are fun to make, like popcorns are fun to make. In fact, I showed you a square that used clusters back in January: the Big Round square.

Addi Swing Hook 5.0mm

So, this is the Addi Swing Hook 5.0mm that I bought at Calico & Ivy in Mosman Park when I was over in Perth last week.






I'd been dying to get one, but they're at least $17.95, which is much more than a regular crochet hook. However my lovely Mum bought it for me as a birthday present, and would not let me go home without, despite the fact my birthday is actually in October!!






It is quite a weighty hook, but extremely well balanced. The curves over your hand and sits very comfortably.






But, I have to get used to it. I do not find it as easy to use as a normal Addi comfort hook as it doesn't roll in my hand like the comfort hook does.






But it should. It's ergonomically designed to sit properly in your hand. I'd love to see someone use one as it's meant to be used, and this should only take a search on youtube ;-)

An Add Swing hook ( pt1 )

This, is an Addi Swing hook, in size 5.0mm. It's colour coded like all Addi comfort hooks are, and so I can tell straight away it's the 5.0mm hook.

Tomorrow, a few more pictures and my thoughts on the hook.

Busy weekend!

Well, I'm back in the land of work & living, and no longer over where the beach is beautiful and the weather is always stinking hot. It's already Autumn in Victoria but it's still the middle of baking hot Summer in Perth. Being a cold weather gal, guess where I'm happy to be :)

I seem to have missed a blog post over the weekend, which I tried so hard not to do. What did I miss? The week 3 block for the spo-sampler Krista rug! (It's all up there now - apologies for that!)

Meanwhile tomorrow's post is going to be looking at a purchase I made whilst in Perth: the Addi Swing Hook! A first response sort of thing, so it'll be interesting.

Also, I want to get back into posting a few squares a week. I have one just about ready to go, and I want to get back to working on more. I also want to catch up with the Spot-Sampler rug posts! I've got week 2's square ready to go, and I need to find week 3's, since I saw it but being on mini-break I failed to even download it!

The Skirt!

The Skirt That Ate My Saturday in it's full glory, with netting petticoat, for the Wedding I went to.

I was super pleased with it and felt a million bucks!

Cottesloe Beach

Ahhhh Cottsloe Beach...

Nothing like a bit of sand and surf between your toes.

If you haven't guessed, I'm on a mini-break back over to Western Australia this weekend, for a friend's wedding. I just couldn't resist going to the beach to have a bit of a dip in the ocean, even if it was just my toes!

Calico & Ivy

I went to a lovely little store today that I love, called Calico & Ivy. It's in Mosman Park in Perth, so I don't get to go that much. And it's very high end in regards to what it carries, specifically in regards to their yarn. They carry gorgeous yarn, but I think the cheapest I saw was $11.95/50g ball. And when you're making a rug that needs 25 balls... However, if you're making a lovely small thing for a gift, you'd get some lovely high quality materials there.

They also have a stunning range of quilting material, which I always salivate over. I don't quilt enough at all to justify buying anything, but *sigh I wish I did ;-) They do carry Liberty print bias binding though, which I do like getting, to finish off tops (specifically the Sorbetto from Collette Patterns).

They did have a (very) few Addi hooks though, including a swing hook...

But that's for tomorrow!

Spot-Sampler rug: week 3!

Here is block 3 for week 3 of the Krista Spot-Sampler rug!

I LOVE squares that have raised flowers in them! I have two squares to put forward as blocks on the blog, in my coming up pile, that have raised flowers in them.

Here is the link for the pdf!


Block of the week #3!

Traveling with crochet

We weren't allowed to fly with knitting needles, and therefore crochet hooks since most security people didn't know the difference (those writing the regulations & those enforcing them), for a good few years in the last 10 years. Pretty sad for those of us who enjoying flying and crafting. Still can't take our little embroidery scissors, and probably wont ever be able to again. I can't figure out what sort of danger a wooden blunt crochet hook would do, or thin bamboo knitting needles, that'd break as soon as try to stab someone.

Gosh, flying was endless for a while there, and is so different now. When I flew to the UK at the very beginning of 2002, and back again in the August of that year, I took a big, bulky laptop that must have weighed around 4-5kgs, been around an inch & a half thick, & had the battery life of a gnat. And a bagful of books, all into the cabin with me. I think I even had a box of cards. No knitting, no stitching. For a few years afterwards, I had fond conspiratorial thoughts of smuggling metal pins and needles in the inner fabric of a carry on. Now I bring on my iPad, which has the PDF's of my current projects and a bunch (& I mean LOTS) of books, and the entire series 1 of Game of Thrones, and my crochet hooks with some tightly wound yarn. No paper books (except my homework for tax class!), no laptop, no box of cards.

I started bringing my crochet hooks into the cabin a few years ago, specifically a few cheap bamboo ones, in case they had to be thrown out, and wouldn't necessarily been seen on an xray to frighten any easily spooked person. Now I bring my whole little bag. I keep forgetting to buy a little yarn/thread cutter, which is in an enclosed metal disc, can be hung around my neck, and is A-OK approved for bringing on planes. Nope, I still carry around my dental floss container, with it's sneaky little cutter, which takes an effort to cut through some yarn...

Bit too tired on tonight's flight to think about crocheting much. I managed the square that was put up last Friday for the Spot-Sampler, but the count for the border is somewhat off along the sides, even though the previous round's count it just right. I re-did the directions in a few spots as well, so it made a bit more sense to me than what was written. I'll either put up just the done square tomorrow and the redone instructions, or split it up over tomorrow & the weekend.