Tulips in the Snow Blanket

I am so happy to share this today!  My second blanket finish of 2019.  This is the Flowers in a Row blanket pattern from Red Heart yarns.  For a while I was calling it my Tulips in a Row blanket, but as we have been buried in snow the entire five weeks I worked on it, it is now called Tulips in the Snow!

I started this on February 1, 2019 and completed it March 5, 2019.  I worked on it almost every day:  each section of tulip and dividing rows took about an hour to stitch.  So, 26 rows means 26 hours for the main body, and the border took between 5 and 6 hours to do.  The grand number of tulip flowers is 1,456!

Lots of open spaces makes for a lovely drape:  meaning this blanket has a nice snuggle factor.  The snuggle factor was tested many times during construction by my in house, Quality Control.

Thanks for visiting!
Xo, Jenn

February Things

February is only, at maximum, three days shorter than other months.  Why then, does it feel like two weeks shorter?  I guess I start the month with great enthusiasm:  I mean, January is over, so that's exciting.  I also love Valentine's Day so I  am full of plans for handmade cards and decorations.  I drew this little chalkboard, above, and my Welsh dresser got a pink and white make over.

There is that rush for Valentine's Day crafts, which for the life of me I can't seem to plan before February 1st.  So the first week and a half are spent madly stitching, and hoping I can get to the mailbox in time.  

I got my kids cards made:  they're teenagers now but I can't help myself:

I got my gifts made and mailed in time:  crocheted soapsavers ( these things are amazing!) and an owl for a Valentine birthday.

I use Red Heart Scrubby yarn for the soapsavers:  not the cotton kind, but the acrylic.  It dries faster and has a better "scratch".  Pattern:  https://jaydainstitches.com/workshop.php

I love this little guy!  I think I want my own.  The pattern is from here:  

https://www.hollyshobbiescrafts.com/single-post/2018/01/25/Owl-Will-Always-Love-You-Valentine-Caddy-Crochet-Pattern

I finished a few small cross stitch projects once all the gift stitching was done.

My January country house by Les Grilles de Maryse.  These used to be free on her website, but there is now a fee of 15 euros I think for the set of twelve. Still a good deal though, less than two dollars per chart.

I completed Feruary's design last year, so it was actually on display for the month.  I don't think I will stitch one per month;  they will get finished when I feel like it!

I have had this chart in my stash for years.  Every February I pull it out but this year I actually stitched it!

'Chocolate Covered Cherries' by Casey Buonagario.  I have a few more of her charts in my stash I would love to stitch this year.  Sadly she is no longer designing and her charts are out of print.

Another DMC Coloris stitch:  I used this thread because it reminded me of those satin lined, heart shaped, boxes of chocolates.  I should have used another fabric because the cream part of the floss blends in too well with the fabric.  I think this thread is fun for certain kinds of projects, but I don't really love the quick colour changes.

I also started another throw: Flowers in a Row with a colourway I saw on Pinterest.  I love that they look like tulips!  It has been great to work on during our exceptionally cold and icy month.

How perfect that they matched my Valentine's tulips!

As I mentioned it has been very cold and icy this month, so there was a lot of time for making.  I started at least five other things, organized my cross stitch magazine collection and built four Ikea pantries.  At times it felt like a lot of wheel spinning, but in hindsight I think I made the most of it.  I am happy to see the beginning of another month and *hopefully* the arrival of Spring.

Thanks for visiting!

My January Blues

 Hello!  I don't know about you, but I am super happy to see the beginning of February.  January and I are not the best of friends:  this year I tried really hard to fill those five and a half (!) weeks with stuff to do.  I think I did pretty well;  I did a lot of home puttering and organizing, and as you have seen, quite a lot of crafting.  In fact I did so much that the month did not seem as long as it usually does.  Win!

It's not new that I am trying again to work down my stash of yarn.  When I make The List of projects to complete I often get overwhelmed by too much choice.  As I didn't want to suffer January in a dither of indecision,  I gave myself a boundary:  I could crochet whatever I wanted as long as I used blue yarn.  Once that desicion was made, the list of projects became much smaller and I looked forward to picking some.

I started with this lovely shawl by Deanne Ramsay, the Three Springs Shawl.  I had purchased the most delicious yarn in September by Riverside Knits.  I guess I was enjoying myself a little too much as I hooked away:  my tension was very loose and the shawl was working up larger than it was supposed to.  I ended up leaving off quite a few of the lace repeats at the bottom, which meant I could not showcase the gorgeous teal yarn as much as I wanted.  I might have enough of it left over for a smaller scarf, so it will get used somewhere.

Next I wanted something quick:  this Ocean Breeze Scarf pattern by Oombawka Designs was just right.

I used the same Red Heart Super Saver Ombre (True Blue) as the pattern, and it turned out just right. I really love the gradual shade changes in the ombre yarns:  they make for very soothing, yet un-boring  stitching.  Instead of tassles at the end I made pompoms with my Clover Pompom Maker.  Have you tried those?  They are so much fun!

I didn't think the coldest month should go by without making some socks:

  I used this beautiful shade of Sundance Soleful Shades yarn to make mine.  These come up a few inches over the ankle:  I basically worked them until I came to the same shade I started with, so when I started the next sock they would match up.  I have never worked with this yarn before and I really like it.  It is very soft and the colourway is so pretty.

I was hoping to stitch up quite a bit more smaller projects, but my attention was caught by this:

I NEEDED to have a snowflake blanket in my life.  Actually it is more of a lap blanket, but that's all I need to have when Libby and I are sitting by the fire.
As you can see we have a lot of the real thing outside!

I used this potholder pattern to make the squares.  A continuous, flat braid join holds them together; and two simple rows of double crochet borders it all.  The white and royal blue yarns are Red Heart Supersaver, while the turquoise is Craftsmart from Michaels.

So those are my January Blues.  Definitely preferable to the other kind, and a great way to work through my stash but exercise a little bit of discipline at the same time.  I had thought about working with a single colour in February (hello pink!): I still have to decide.

Thanks for visiting!