Ravishing Round Ripple

Happy Monday everyone!  My hook has been on fire this past week.  I have finished the round ripple throw for my grandmother.  She had bought a kit from Mary Maxim and asked me if I would make it for her.  She has been knitting and crocheting since I can remember, but for the past year or so she has had some problems with her shoulders and it is preventing her from doing any repetitive motions.  I of course was happy to help her out, that's what being a happy hooker is all about after all!
I started this around the same time as my cousin's wavy blanky, I just kept switching between the two when I would get bored of such a big project.  The yarn that came with the kit is a self striping worsted weight called Serene.  It has the same characteristics as a bouclé, but it is much stronger.  I find that bouclé tends to have the consistency of cotton candy, well at least the brand that I'm familiar with.  The first few rounds were maddening, I was having trouble seeing the stitches.  I started to feel rather than look and that's when I really picked up speed.  It is absolutely beautiful, and sooooooo soft.  Like I said with my cousin's afghan, I have fallen in love and don't want to give it back lol.  The pattern is great and I really like the round look, so I know I will be making many more for gifts to cut down my ginormous yarn stash. 
Here she is,

The colours are a bit brighter than this picture shows.  It kind of reminds me of Neopolitan ice cream :o)
It feels so wonderful to finally be done these two afghans.  And of course I found a WIP in my closet to finish.  The chromium star afghan for my youngest daughter.  Good thing she's only 18 months, she doesn't mind how long it takes!  It should be done in a few weeks if I don't get bored of it!
Thanks for looking and until next time,
Happy Hooking!

Farewell Summer of the Beast

Happy September everyone!  I hope the summer was good to everybody.  I live in southern Ontario and it was a hot, humid sticky mess of a summer.  We had some pretty big storms, but I can't complain about that when the rest of the world is really feeling some nasty conditions.  My heart goes out to all in Pakistan and I hope they will get the help they need soon.  And in these last few days there have been earthquakes everywhere.  What is going on in this world?  The man upstairs is upset about something...
On to today's post blogworld.  I have FINALLY finished the wavy ripple afghan for my wonderful cousin!!  I call it the beast, and since I worked on it so much despite the heat it was the summer of the beast for me lol.  This afghan is by far the biggest project to date that I have finished.  I am so happy to be done with it.  But it is so hard to part with it.  I have fallen in love with it's warmth, and it's drape and it's hypnotizing pattern.  I will definitely be making another afghan of this size just for me and hubby to snuggle under!

In this picture, the afghan is folded in half.  When it is fully spread, it almost covers the top of my queen size bed.   Also, the colour isn't very accurate in this photo.  It is not black and white,  it is the most beautiful, rich purple colour.  I love it!  Both were Red Heart giant 16 oz skeins.  I used 2 of each colour and a size H hook.
The pattern is super easy to remember and is so soothing, at least I thought it was.  Crochet is great meditation for me! This wonderful pattern is available for free here Wavy Blanky  and if you are on ravelry it is also available here Ravelry Library Wavy Blanky

I changed colours every 2 rows.  I finished off the afghan with a scalloped edging on the top and bottom edges of the afghan.

The new owner of this beauty hasn't been able to use it yet since we live so far from each other.  She will hopefully be visiting for Thanksgiving (Canadian thanksgiving), so that's only a few weeks away.  Thank goodness for facebook, she's already been able to see the finished product and she really likes it.  But I can't wait to see her face when she can hold it for the first time, like a brand new baby, hahaha, well maybe that's a bit too much!
 Now with this behind me, I can finish the other afghan I've been working on, hopefully it doesn't take too much longer, I've got many holiday gifts to start stitching!!
Until next time, happy hooking!!

Happy Belated Birthday

Well, I think I'm enjoying the new look of my blog.  It's not as pretty as before, but it will do for now!  Blogger has made some really great changes and you can now easily change anything with the click of a button.  Before you had to fiddle with html codes and that was a nightmare since I don't speak that language!  But anyhoo, on to today's topic.  I just realized that my little blog has turned 1 on July 4!  Happy Birthday Blog!  I hope you followers out there enjoy my blog as much as I do.  I hope the next year brings some new and exciting news, projects and all around goodness.  Happy hooking!

Under Construction

So apparently my background isn't going to available anymore :o(  I'm not sure why.  I found at The Custest Blog on the Block.  They offered quite a few awesome designs, but I received a message telling me that it will no longer be available.  I tried visiting the website and it was unresponsive.  So hopefully my quest for a new design doesn't turn everything topsy turvy.  Wish me luck...

Checking In

Hello fellow crocheters, I'm just checking in!
I noticed that my last post was in April *eeeek* Sorry!
But life is busy with two little ones and all this warm weather keeps them going like Energizer Bunnies!  I'm still working on the two afghans (one giant ripple/wave, one medium round ripple) posted about earlier, they seem to be never-ending.  I remember why I love small projects so much!  Besides working on the afghans, my skills have been commissioned by some lovely family members and friends.  The request?  Dishcloths and towel toppers!  Aaaah, so wonderful to finish a project in one sitting!  I didn't take pics of most of them, I just finished them and they were out the door.  But I am making some for myself and I will post some pics when I have a chance.  I absolutely LOVE this dishcloth pattern using Tunisian crochet.  I am totally new to this technique and I was 'hooked' on it right away.  Sorry for the horrible pun, I couldn't resist hahaha! If you have never used this technique before, please don't be afraid to try it.  It is incredibly easy and the end result is fantastic.  Here is the link to the pattern, Tunisian Short Row Dishcloth.  There is no picture on this website unfortunately, but if you are a Ravelry member, here is the Ravelry link, Tunisian Short Row Dishcloth.
I really hope you try it out, it is so addictive.  The cloth itself when finished is very durable and great for scrubbing.  The towel topper pattern I am using is a cross between a Maggie Weldon pattern, Towel Topper and a LadynThread pattern, Towel Topper 2.  They work up quick and look great.  I am pumping these babies out like crazy, no wonder those afghans aren't getting finished *sigh*
Till next time, happy hooking, and have a great summer everyone!