Monday, November 22, 2010

More Completed Squares

I've been putting off adding information about more Spreading Love squares because I've been trying to maximize my square making time. I figured I could just mention the progress here when I got around to it. But I find myself suddenly taking a break from square making. My right hand was complaining a bit earlier. I've been crocheting and if I dive right into that suddenly and intensely my right hand is always going to complain a bit. I already can't remember just what it was that was uncomfortable, so that's a good sign already. I know in the past I've related the difference when switching from knit to crochet to having to turn my right hand about a quarter turn more when crocheting to grab the yarn with the hook.

I crocheted a few blocks after finding the Sensational Sampler Afghan/Lapghan pattern. (Ran out of yarn in one block and was discouraged by my color choices in another, so this the only completed one from that source at this time.) Free download on Ravelry; sorry, I don't know where to find it elsewhere. I also seemed to remember that when making the colored part of my Hounds4Homes afghan granny squares I finished at least 4 squares in the same day. Knitting the recent squares seems to take me more than one day. The knit squares probably are a bit larger than those I remembered crocheting for the afghan. They might take less than 24 hours; it's hard to tell because I often finish things up in the early morning hours when it's the next calendar day already.  Above is square 6 from the sampler.  I finished it by continuing the pattern around all four sides, three rounds worth and varied the stitches in the middle round to try to get the final edge straight and the corners pointy.

And this is clearly too much typing.  I'm starting to feel that now, too.  So, bring on the promised photos!

Blue Chrysanthemum

At left is the most recently finished square.  I used the pattern Kata by Penny Davidson.  Thanks for the pattern, Penny! I really enjoyed crocheting this and briefly had the impulse to make many more squares later and create an entire afghan out of them.  I probably won't, but it says something very nice about the pattern and how well I think it turned out that I'd even momentarily consider doing that.

Pink Squares Braided

To the right is a square made from 4 mini granny squares that are joined with an easy flat braiding technique.  Priscilla Hewitt explains the technique in this photo tutorial. It took forever for the images to load the first time.  Otherwise, I had not trouble with the instructions or with easily following them.




Vroom, Vroom; Beep Beep!


I thought the tulip square was the one that I'd started a long post about and left in draft form. Nope, it was the Janus cars instead. And most of that was about finding and fixing a mistake. Also I explained how I reversed the direction of the second car. From there I go on to expound on the benefits of working illusion patterns in two opposite methods.  It got out of hand and was too long and was going to require an additional post explaining a detailed part of that.  So I just abandoned it temporarily to get back to the knitting.  I don't mind typing about knitting, but not at the expense of actually knitting.  Especially when the work is time sensitive. Here's the scarf pattern I was following for the car illusion.


Finally

Not more stars, but tulips!



Ta- Da!  I liked this pattern so much I started it a second time.  It is the Illusion Tulips pattern by MuseSusan at DeviantArt.  Well it's nearly that anyway; I think the designer will still recognize the finished product.  I took a few rows off the bottom of the chart and out of the middle where the stems attach to the blossoms AND only used the first 50 stitches from right to left. This was to make the image fit into a 12" square. In the second one I'm using the left most 50 stitches, so it shows the two left most tulips (out of three total). I'm using lighter and brighter colors in the second try.

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