Winner of the Blanket for Jester's Project

Today Jester's IGP was fully funded! Thank you to Camille who stepped up and made such a generous contribution to close out the project. And thank you so much to everyone who supported Jester. He and his family now have hope for an improved lifestyle. Thank you all!!!!

Now to choose a winner of the handmade crochet blanket I made for Jester's Project!



I arranged this giveaway along the same lines as the one I did for Nyslin's Project. Every donation from $1-$5 was assigned a number. I came up with 113 numbers.

1-2 Dee
3-6 Efrain
7-8 Holly
9-10 Su
11-16 Kayara
17-26 Jim and Mack
27-31 Heather M
32-37 Steve
38-40 Robyn
41-44 Cherise
45-48 Tamara
49-52 Wilfredo
53-54 bsem130
55-64 Efrain
65-113 Camille

I plugged the numbers into the Random Number Generator and the winning number was chosen.



The winning number is #32 which belongs to Steve! Congratulations Steve! I will contact you and get your blanket to you ASAP.

I can't wait to hear from Jester when he receives the news of his IGP. He will "jump for surprise" (as he said in another letter). Jester waited two years before finding a sponsor and he has never failed to express how grateful he is to finally have that relationship with us. I'm really looking forward to sharing the updates and photos I receive of the progress of his project.

Winner of Blanket for Nyslin's Project

Okay here we go!

I sorted out all the donations that were made to Nyslin's project. After subtracting any donations made by my relatives - :) I assigned a number for each of the remaining $1-5 increments. I came up with 101 numbers. I entered the number range into the random number generator and ......

The winning number for the Crazy Colors Blanket for Nyslin's Project was:



#95! which belongs to Mike E.

Congratulations Mike E. I hope you will enjoy your new blanket!



Thank you to everyone who donated. I wish I had a million hands and a million skeins of yarn (my stash is big - but not that big!) to crochet blankets for each and every person who supported Nyslin's project - and my other kids as well.

Stay tuned though because I do have something to giveaway for Ana's project as well!!

Crazy Colors Blanket for Nyslin's Project

Aura's House update:

Ana's Project: $1548/2770 - we're over halfway there!!
Nyslin's Project: $414/550 - only $136 left to raise!!
Zoila's Project: $293/824
Joey's Project: $236/723
Lesly's Project: Completed!

The totals for my fund raising projects over at Aura's House continue to creep up. Slowly but surely we are getting there!

To add a boost to the fund raising process and to say Thank You! to the generous people who have donated, I am giving away this blanket:



I hand crocheted this blanket from cotton sock yarn. I love the happy colors!



This picture shows a good idea of the overall size of the blanket.



Do you know a child that would love a cozy blanket for their crib? The blanket is machine washable so it would be perfect as a snuggly blanket for a child. Or keep it for yourself to keep warm while watching TV this winter. :)

The close up photos are an accurate depiction of what the blanket actually looks like. The others are slightly washed out. (My photography leaves something to be desired. Sorry!)



The bright colors make me think of the famous traditional woven textiles and embroidery of Guatemala. So I will be giving this blanket away to anyone who has donated to Nyslin's Income Generating Project.

The giveaway will work the same as the one for the blanket I am giving away for Jester's Project. Every $5 donation to Nyslin's Project will be assigned a number. So if you donate $25 you will get 5 numbers. (I realize that some of the donations are smaller than $5. Any donation from $1 to $5 will also be assigned a number.) Donations that have already been made will count. When Nyslin's Project is completely funded I will have a random number generator choose the winning number. Then I will announce the winner and send them their new blanket!



Nyslin's Project is only $136 away from being fully funded! Let's see if we can get all the way to the $550 we need. I want to give away a blanket! :)

Good luck and thank you to everyone who has been so supportive!

One Finished Blanket

I've got some photos of a baby blanket I finished crocheting a few months ago and never got round to posting...mainly because Hubby took half of the photos of the wrong side of the blanket. Ooops!

Oh well...here it is anyway.

Edging, right side.



The border, wrong side.



The border, right side.



All folded up, wrong side.



The only shot I have of the whole thing. Unfortunately it shows the wrong side. :(



Oh well. At least I've illustrated that crochet does indeed have a wrong and a right side. Crochet's wrong side is a little less "wrong" than knitting's wrong side. But still, wrong is wrong. Right? :)

I've packed this up and sent it off to little Alison Nicol that I introduced on the blog a few days ago. It's just the right size to make a snuggly blankie for a two year old. I hope she likes it.

So, what have you been up to?

I've been crocheting squares.



Seriously.

Edges of Squares

So let's see...where were we? Oh yeah, squares.

Today I give you edges of squares. :)







Today I'm thinking about:
How ominous a helicopter overhead sounds,
What to do about Indy,
Starting a new (and expensive hobby),
Taking a sewing class,
Making Chinese bread in the steamer.

Oh - and I've lost 12 pounds so far. I think actually more but I won't really know until the good ole PMS passes. Drat that water weight! Violet's mama says I should reward myself for losing weight by doing something fun that I haven't gotten to do for a long time. Unfortunately that would be...eat. Eat really, really fattening Mexican food. At this point if I ate food that calorie and fat laden it would probably just make me sick. So I've got to come up with something else....

Stacks of Squares

Continuing with my showcase of squares, here are some photos of stacks of squares. I particularly like the first one.





I'm still enjoying this project but it is starting to reach the slightly overwhelming slog point. I'm starting to yearn for some knitting and thinking about sweaters and yummy wooly fall weather things. So I am working really hard on this crochet so I can finish before the magic wears off and I end up with a HUGE UFO pile.

Currently I've got the basis for at least three blankets, and right now I am doing some more crocheting of certain colors to "fill in" what I think the blankets need. I'm able to complete a whole sewn up four quarters patch in about a day and a half. I'd say I'm about 75% finished. That seems like a pretty good number - but when you are working on three blankets at once you realize there is still quite a ways to go. :(

At least I when I finish I will have three blankets completed "all at once". :)

More Sewn Up Patches

Here are a few more examples of what the patches turn out like once they are sewn up. The color is all washed out on these for some reason...and I also think that Hubby accidentally took pictures of the backside of all but the first patch so they look slightly weird...but you get the idea at least.



This one is going in the "crazy" colors blanket.



This one will either go with the "crazies" or the "normal", haven't decided yet.



This one goes in the big blanket.



I think this one will also go in the big blanket. I'm hoping for a king size on the finished blanket. I will likely be keeping that one! The other two blankets are for a charity project which I will tell more about later.

I used the other Flickr blog function for this post. It's better I think! Hubby described how to used it in the comments section of the previous "squares" related post. I also took every one's advice and cleaned up the sidebar. Don't worry Carrie, I kept the reading list. :)

ETA: Whew - I fixed the picture sizes so that they aren't ginormous! That was like the attack of the killer photos! I don't know folks, I may be too old to figure out this new fangled Flickr technology. :)

Square Target Patches Phase 2: The Close Ups

Square Target Patch
Originally uploaded by Stephanie@ontheneedles

This shows the medium sized patches.

Square Target Patches Phase 2: The Close Ups

Square Target Patch
Originally uploaded by Stephanie@ontheneedles

More close ups - just because I like them. :)

Square Target Patches Phase 2: The Closeups

Square Target Patch
Originally uploaded by Stephanie@ontheneedles

:)

This is a close up of the smallest squares as they look sewn together. They are only two rounds of crochet each.

(None of the patches are blocked. I doubt if I will bother to block them at all.)

Square Target Patches Phase 2

Square Target Patch
Originally uploaded by Stephanie@ontheneedles

Memba the crochet patches I have been working on? The ones that were all different sizes?

Here's an example of what they look like all sewn together into the large patch. This colorway is in my "crazy" colors blanket. :)

From this point, the large patches will be sewn together to form the final blanket. Except for an edging of course.

Still alot of work to do!

(I'm trying out the "blog this" function on Flickr. Hope it works.)

Hexagons? Help?

So I finished sewing up all of the patches for my Square Target Blanket. Yay!

Today I started laying them out to try to get a feel for what I have. After trying out many designs and not finding anything I liked I finally decided to sort the patches by color. I ended up with three piles - "crazy colors", "sort of crazy colors" and "normal colors". Not much of a system I know. :) So it looks to me like I've got the makings of one large blanket and two smaller blankets.

I think I can possibly finish the "crazy colors" blanket with just a bit more crochet with the skeins of yarn I already have.

The bummer is that I think I need to buy some more yarn in order to finish the larger blanket. :(

I felt discouraged so I put the patches aside and took a look at the hexagons. I crocheted the last one today.

This is what I've got.



Close up of some of the colors:



Here's my idea for now of the layout.



I'm not set on the order of the colors other than keeping the two dark blue stripes where they are.

Any comments are welcome because I'm not in love with this arrangement!

Scraps

Here's what's happenin with all the scraps leftover from my Square Target Blanket. I have crocheted them into one big continuous square.



I've woven in all the ends, except a few close to the edge. I don't consider this a finished project yet. I'd like to add more yarn to it (but it would have to be a cotton sock yarn. It's acceptable baby or lap blanket sized now - but I always want to go bigger. :) Also I need to crochet a border for it. I think I'm going with a simple single crochet edging in a solid color.



I have ordered five skeins of cotton sock yarn I saw on crazy discount sale. I don't know yet if I am going to make more patches for my blanket - I'll decide when I lay out what I have and see how it looks. So for now, until more scraps are generated, the Scrap Square est finis.

Patches, Patches, Patches

Sewing squares in the day time.



Sewing squares at night.



Patches...



Patches...



Patches...



:)

Catchin' Up With Y'all

Soooo - what's been up with you guys?

Actually, I already know the answer(s) to that question because I have been blog reading if not blog writing. I've got the end-of-the-kids-school-year-is-kickin-my-ass syndrome.

Since I last wrote, my daughter finished her school year and we hosted a pool party for her entire class. It was fun - especially because we didn't grill this year. We ordered pizzas instead. I got to catch up with the other moms and got a sunburn (as usual).

Then my daughter had her first ballet recital. Can you say "CUTEST THING EVER"? I only slept one hour the night before & woke up from that little bit of sleep after having nightmares about not being able to do a good enough bun. Ballerinas are SERIOUS about their buns. :) It's not that my daughter is demanding or anything - it's just that she is my baby and I wanted everything to be perfect for her. It was. She was beautiful. The most beautiful little thing in the whole world. Who needs sleep anyway?

My son will be out of school this week - with all the attendant pool parties, teachers gifts and general mayhem that comes along with the end of the school year.

Then - camp. Oy.

In crafty news...I only have one skein of yarn left to crochet up for my blanket! I've sewn about 1/3 of the bundles of various squares into larger patches. The sewing actually goes fairly fast. I can't wait until I start laying the patches out to see what kind of designs I can make. I'm thinking this will end up actually being two blankets - one in blues and earth tones and one in .... everything else. :) SO I may need to buy a bit more yarn. Won't know until I start laying things out.



In animal news...I think Scooter is going to be a yellow head. He looks like he has started loosing the feathers just above his nose/beak and the ones that are there have a distinct yellow undertone. It will be cool to see the new color grow in. I'll try to get lots of pictures.

And last but for sure not least - Children International did an interview with me & my family and will be including it in their newsletter! Email me if you would like to read it & I will send you a link.

Oh, and also - it is hot here. The kind of hot that we locals like to call hizzzzzot! I'm not going outside - possibly ever again.

Squizaires

Many, many squares to be laid out & sewn together. Sheep jammies required.

It's Official!

It's official....

Scooter is a boy!

Maybe that's why he likes to kiss and love me so much? Maybe he's a Momma's Boy. :)



So I guess we will keep the name. Which we probably would have done anyway since he answers to it already. :) He is such a great bird. So smart and fearless. I've got him learning to lay on his back for me. Aside from being just the cutest thing ever, I think it's also a good idea to handle a parrot every which way possible when they are young & impressionable so that you can avoid problems later.

Today's random cute photo - Scooter butt.



And in crafting news, I have started putting together my crochet squares. The little bundles were really starting to pile up! After I got past my first bit of "seaming confusion" (I always feel like I have forgotten how to sew things together. It takes me a bit to get the mojo back!) - everything is in high gear now. I'm actually enjoying putting the squares together to make the large patch. Probably because they are turning out exactly as I envisioned - which seems to be a rare thing sometimes! I haven't felt any project disappointment with this so far at all. It's alot like quilting in how I am putting all the little bits together to make one large patch. After I get all the large patches together I can lay them out & see what kind of designs I can make. Fun! Pictures soon I hope. :)

It's a Square World

I just can't stop the crochet - even though it gives me finger burn on my left forefinger that I use to guide the yarn and keep tension. Guess that means I crochet fast. It also means I crochet looking like a geek with a band aid on my finger as a shield. :)

Anyhoooo....

I'm loving the simpleness, the instantness, the sock yarnyness, the just plain squareyness of it all. So perfect for impatient obsessive compulsives. :)



I'm using a square pattern called "Square Target". Totally a traditional square, nothing new or fancy about it. Hopefully the way I am planning on putting them together will add some pizzazz to the finished blanket. (Wait, did I just use the word pizzazz? Ewwww...)



The yarn is every shade of Plymouth Sockotta I could lay my hands on.

This is the scrap square. I'm using all the leftovers and just making one big square - round and round and round. It's a great travel project. I just throw all the leftovers in a big baggie and go. I think it's much easier to crochet in a moving car than to knit.



Well - that's all for my crafty update.

Who else is super excited for the new season of Deadliest Catch? The best show ever for thrill seeking (from the safety of the couch of course) obsessive compulsives. I mean really. They set the pots. They launch the pots. They pull up the pots. They sort the crabs. Repeat to infinity. I love it. Plus there's always the chance of great bodily harm. (Which I totally hope never happens!! But still.)

PS - I am going gluten free - two weeks and counting! So, in the search for starchy snackiness I made some rice pudding. Why is it that the first bite of rice pudding is the best thing ever - but by the fifth bite it tastes so sweet you never ever want to eat it again? I think next time I'll try making it without any sugar. Would that taste any good?

The Madness!!

I have caught the bug - and this time it isn't the flu - thank goodness! Nope, this time it is crochet madness, specifically Berroco's new pattern Celestine Crochet. I took one look at that crazy dodecahedron and just HAD to make one.

Do patterns ever hit you that way? You see it and you drop everything to make one. I'm usually not that way. I think I have a slow burn as far as the knitting goes. I'm never the first one to hop on the bandwagon and crank out the latest popular pattern sweeping the internets. Nope, usually I am happy to go my own merry way knowing I'll get around to it sooner or later.

But these little crochet 3D stars....SOOOOOO addictive. I've made three so far and I'm working on my fourth! I have no plans for stopping there (although I may take a break when I finish this latest one.)

The first one I made out of some Lornas Laces Shepherd Worsted. I decided that it would be a good idea to check out the pattern first by making it in a larger gauge yarn. I'm glad I did because I discovered a significant error in the pattern as well as just realizing much easier ways to achieve the same results. This one will go to my nephew.

The second one I made using some purple Regia sock yarn that had been kicking around in the stash for a long time. I knew I would never use it for socks since it had a high cotton content and I don't like the way that feels in socks. But what I dislike about the yarn for socks is exactly what makes it perfect for amigurumi type crochet. For anything that will eventually be stuffed you want to crochet at a tight, firm gauge so there won't be any holes - yarn containing cotton crochets up just perfect for these dodecahedrons. The purple "star" will be for my daughter.



I set aside the first two I made while I waited for some jingle bells to arrive in the mail. (I like to add jingle bells to the toys I make - I think it just adds some fun for the kids who will eventually play with them.) But I didn't want to stop so I cast on for a third...



For the third dodecahedron I (as usual) decided to push the envelope a little and make it bigger. I started with a base chain of 55 stitches which ended up being a good number. It uses up nearly the whole skein of sock yarn and gives you a nice sized star - about 9 1/2 inches. It is the same size as the star I made out of the LL worsted starting with a chain of 35 as in the pattern. I used Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Cotton Fantasy and I LOVE how this one came out. It's definitely my favorite.



As soon as that one was finished I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to make an even bigger one?" It just so happened that I had two skeins of the last bit of cotton sock yarn in my stash - so on the hook it went with a base chain of 95 stitches. I'm using a beautiful Sockotta colorway. I can't wait to see how it turns out - and how much bigger I decide to make the next one. :)

The first three are finished and stuffed so FO pictures to follow soon....

As usual you can find more info and pictures on my Ravelry page.

PS - This is the first ever crafting I have ever done which impressed my son. Boys dig the dodecahedrons!