Week 25: Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

Well, a bit surprisingly, it's the last week of the Krista "Spot Sampler" rug. Spotlight have combined block 25 with the joining instructions for the rug. Here's their block:

Here's the instrcutions.

I am so glad I decided to follow this crochet-along for the rug, even though I've stopped (yes) making up the squares. (When I realised I wasn't going to sew them together and actually make the rug, I decided to stop wasting the yarn, since I have "wasted" (ie, not doing anything with the work) so much of it already this year.) I have made NEW FRIENDS at the Krista Crochet Group and it's a joy being able to interact daily with other crochet fiends. (As well as all of you I reach out to every day!!) I've learned how to work new patterns in crochet and practiced new and unfamiliar stitches. Which is the entire point of a sampler rug!! :) 

This will be the last post for the Krista Rug. Thank you for following.

Krista Rug Week 24

So I went to the Craft Fair today, which I'll write about over the weekend, but for now, here is Block 24 of the Krista rug!!

Here's the link to the pattern!

Krista Spot-Sampler Blocks 22 & 23

WOW coming up to the end of the Krista Crochet-along rug!! I missed last week's square (week 22) because of the flu, so tonight I'm posting today's up with last weeks.

Week 22!

Instructions for week 22...
And the marvelous Kim's square:

And ... Week 23!

Instructions for Week 23

Here's the marvelous Kim's version:

Square by Kim Stockton

Week 21!!! Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

Holy... when did it become week 21 of this crochet-along???

Another week, another shocking photo ;-)

Here's Kim's from the Krista group...

Because Kim is awesome :)

Here's the link to the pattern!

Week 20 (!!) of the Krista Throw

Believe it or not, it's week 20 of the Krista throw.

O.O

(this is Kim's square from the Krista Group.)

Here's the pattern link.

I am behind on this rug, and have decided that even if I'm going to finish the squares (which I would still like to do, since they're doing their job and showing me different methods) I'm not interested in actually sewing it all together. This is OK!

Block 19 of Krista Rug

Wow, we're up to week 19 of the Krista Spot-Sampler rug.

Here's Spotlight's instructions.

I am behind in my weekly squares for this rug, and I have to admit I probably wont stitch it all together. There's no cohesiveness to it, and whilst I like a sampler quilt, I think in a crochet rug it wont work that well.

Completed: Week 16 Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

Here's my completed Week 16 square for the Krista Rug:

Boy, I really didn't think this one was going to lie flat. It was SO incredibly kinked up by the time I'd finished the internal X shape and working on the surrounding lace. BUT, but the 3rd or 4th round of lace, it finally started behaving.

PHEW!

Week 16 Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

Here's the block from Spotlight for week 16!

Not too bad this week. Of course, here's Kim's version!

Few more details apparent there ;-)

Here's the link to the pattern!

Week 15 Krista rug, all completed.

Here's my block of week 15 for the rug:

A quick square to work, and it came up like Kim's, all neat and tidy.

I have to say, I also discovered that the rear window sill in our flat has EXCELLENT light in mid afternoon, specifically when it's all cloudy! Look at that natural light. :D Was very happy to discover this. Of course, it doesn't help my current issue, which is trying to take a photo after I get home for work, which is when the light is simply dying very quickly these days as we get closer and closer to winter.

Here's the link to the square, in case you missed it ;)

Also, just to note, like last week's square, this one also fits my definition of a granny square!! Heehee :)

Week 15: Krista Spot-sampler Rug

Upto week 15 in the Krista crochet-along rug:

Spotlight's example...

Which missing an ENTIRE ROUND.

Kim's example...

She does these so fast. I'd only just dragged myself out of bed when Kim posted this. (In my own defense I'd been able to lie in on Friday morning and listen to the rain fall (for 9 HOURS) whilst my headache tablets kicked in, instead of having to get up and do anything, like go to work. So grateful for that.)

Anyway, as you can see, Kim's is finished (I think the poor girl at Spotlight had to quickly take a photo of the square before she'd actually finished it, to get it up on the Facebook page, at least that's the excuse I'm giving them), neat and tidy and has all the rounds that the pattern states.

Pattern available here.

Week 14 completed: Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

Here's week 14! Handily, it totally fits in with my granny square theme, so I'll chat a bit more about it tomorrow :D

Quite liked this one, and it was super easy to whip up. I am 2-3 squares behind now though, so I need to put in a bit of an effort this week!

Week 14: Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

Here's Block 14 from the sampler rug!

And this is Kim's version...

Spotlight's is upside down.

*steady look*

Here's the pattern!

Week 13: Spot-Sampler Krista Rug

Well here's block #13 for week 12 of the rug: we are halfway through!

The pattern can be located here, thanks to Spotlight

Spotlight had this to say about how their blocks look misshapen:


"Thanks to you all for the feedback, in respone to some queries last week in regards to blocking of the squares, there are two reasons why we don't do it. 

It's important for those new to crochet to see the block often doesn’t turn out in a perfect square and as all blocks need to be the same size to make joining easier it is better to block them all at the end as some will need more work than others."

Which is fair enough, but it doesn't excuse the fact that some of the blocks that whoever is so kind to produce for the Facebook page, look shocking. They should at least be pulled into shape, not to mention the fact that they are photographed poorly, which makes them look worse. It is a national company that is being represented here: extra effort should be put into it. At least the effort is now being taken by someone to actually reproduce the blocks, so thank you to that person.

Week 12: Spot-sampler Krista rug

And here is the square from Week 12, as worked by Kim!

And here's the picture from Spotlight...

It's a nice colour and all, and it's great that someone at Spotlight is doing the squares for the project, but Kim's is laid out a wee bit better... and you know, you can *see* how the square should look. Neater edges too.

(I'm so mean.)

Here's the link!! Instructions for Week 12 (pdf)

Week 9 completed: Krista Spot-Sampler Rug

So, I completed this last week, and it is from two weeks ago now:

A nice simple lacy round-in-a-square block. Again, I looked at the marvellous Kim's instructions to complete this, since they're always right, unlike Spotlight's instructions. (Seriously, doesn't anyone at that corporation actually THINK about these things? Surely instead of simply finding squares and instructions on the internet, they'd have someone work it all up before hand? Hmph.)

Not too shabby. Could do with a bit of blocking.

I've suddenly had a crisis of thought about the size of hooks that I've been using for this project. I'm going to have to go back and check what I originally decided, and then measure all my blocks. It's not going to work if I can't actually sew them all together because they're all different sizes, eh.

Week 11 completed: Krista Spot-Sampler rug

And here is week 11 completed:

Firstly, when I looked at the square, I was all "OMG it's a FLOWER in a SQUARE" oh no!! As I pointed out yesterday, week 3's flower-in-the-centre was a bit of a disaster. I have a lovely broach now.

So, I approached this with a bit of apprehension. But, I followed Kim's adapted pattern, (*corrected* pattern) and look - a square! With a flower in it! I'd like to do it again, because I'm not terribly happy with how the petals are curling in the middle, but this might just be the type of yarn that's being used.

A little announcement as well: May is going to be Granny Square Month! There are so many variations on a theme of 3tr-1ch-3tr that I can't - indeed wont - fit them all in a week. So why not dedicate a whole month! May begins in all of 3 days, so get ready!!

Week 11: Spot-Sampler Krista Rug

Here is the Week 11 block as hooked up by Kim!

(available here)

I don't think any of us can sing Kim's praises enough: she gets the block done quickly and posts up the errors in the instructions for the group. (See? Kim's instructions: awesome.)

This one looks cute with the little curled flower leaves. But OMG it's a centre-flower pattern and the only other block I haven't done is week 3, which had the centre-flower patter. And we all remember what happened last time I tried this idea...

Block #10 completed: Spot-Sampler Rug

Here is my version of Block #10 in the Krista Spot-Sampler Rug:

So this week worried me A LOT. One might even say I freaked out a little when I saw the square. This is called "Basket Weave" and I have never attempted it before. I might have done front-post tr's or back-post tr's before, but never like this.

Front-Post Trebles? Huh? I can hear you say. I think it might actually take some explaining one week. Not tonight however.

I was real pleased with how easy this was once I saw the instructions. I just had to get my head around it, and then it was just like working a plain square, but paying a bit more attention.

In fact I liked it, and how the square turned out, so much, that I unravelled the 10ply Red Scarf of Doom and have started working it in Basket Weave. And I like it!

Week 10: Spot-Sampler rug

Week 10 already. How did that happen? I'm behind with last week's block (too much ended up going on last weekend obviously!) so this weekend will be about doing that block, doing another mysterious block I will be sharing in the next few days (yes, excitement!) and figuring out how to do THIS block...

Pattern Available Here.

Yeah. So. That's called "basket weave" and whilst I've admired it for a while, I've never attempted it because..

LOOK AT IT. HOW SCARY/FREAKY DOES THAT LOOK!?!??!

OK I might be a bit overwhelmed by the whole idea, but the girls over on the Krista Crochet Group assure me it's pretty easy and I'll get it in no time. It's all about back post & front post crochet.

Which I might have only done once before. A good few years ago.

Meep.

Week 9: Spot Sampler Rug

Up to Week 9 already!!

Here's the wonderful Kim from "Krista" Crochet Group block!

And here's the pattern :)

Block of the Week 9