Back to the Ripple

I love to experiment. New patterns, new yarns, new techniques. It's exciting to see new ideas take form, isn't it?

But I find that after a particularly busy spurt, I crave the comfort of a few old patterns. Nothing fancy or ground breaking or out of the ordinary...just a common pattern with stitches I know well.

Which brings me back to a comfy ripple.

After creating so many little bunnies in such a short span of time, my fingers have been itching to tackle a bigger project. Big, cushy, blanket stitches as opposed to tight, tiny amigurumi ones.

And with a touch of luck, a custom order came in for just such a blanket.

So, there are about a million ripple/chevron patterns out there. Most free. But I've always had this love/hate thing going on with those patterns.  I either love one and can't find it's pattern (Let me tell you, I'm absolutely horrible at figuring out the pattern where there isn't one - my brain is simply not wired for pattern-speak!) or I find one that I sorta like, but isn't quite right.

I eventually found Tara Murray's 'Be Unique' Chevron Pattern and well, it's my favorite.  That and Lucy's Neat Ripple Pattern over at Attic24 (which is totally free, by the way, and has an amazing picture tutorial, if you need the extra help). I switch between the two...but lately, I've been drawn to Tara's.

With a few skeins of the prettiest lavender yarn EVER and white, I kicked back with my familiar pattern. And it was nice. It was also quick!

There's nothing more satisfying than a finished blanket. I love it :)

And one finished blanket inspired me to tackle another custom ripple. This time in bright, summer colors.  I love when someone asks me to make a blanket in colors I'm not normally inclined to put together...

It's coming along. I've had a busy few days with the littles. Doctor's appointments and a touch of hay fever...and a few sleepless nights, thanks to my littlest who seems to be nocturnal these days. So yeah, I've been slow.

But it is coming along...  And I'm savoring every familiar stitch.

Baking Bread on a Pretty Spring Day

You know how you go out shopping - it could be to a thrift store or the supermarket, whatever - and you have one particular thing that you need, but you end up leaving with everything BUT that one thing? Well, that's sorta the story of my life.

I needed old wooden hangers.

Which is how I ended up at the local antique shop, buying bread pans.

Makes sense, right?

I never did find any hangers, but I did stumble upon a little booth with some neat kitchen gadgets. And on the very bottom shelf, hidden in the corner, were these gems...

 Cute, right?

I'm a sucker for bread tins.

I'm also pretty darn fond of bread.

Have you ever made bread? I'll admit, I hadn't until recently.

I mean, I've made the dessert-for-breakfast kind. Banana nut, apple cinnamon, cinnamon swirl....yum. But I've never attempted legit bread. There's something about yeast and kneading and waiting hours for bread to rise that intimidates me.

But then I ran into THIS recipe. English Muffin Bread. OH.MY.GOSH.  Easy as can be and absolutely delish when toasted.  And the best part? Both of my picky kids AND my super picky husband love it.  It helps that it's way cheaper (and probably just a bit healthier) than store bought...

So, yeah. I make bread.  And I'm feeling pretty darn accomplished, too ;)

And yes, I'm still chipping away at this great big pile of custom orders... What's on my hook now? A giraffe! This is probably one of my favorite patterns EVER. I made up a few for gifts last year, and it's really nice to be able to whip one up now. In traditional colors, too, might I add.

Now, I'm not sure what's up with the lighting today, but I assure you, those little horns are a rich, coffee brown.  I've been told twice now that the picture makes them look gray-ish. Not the case!

I'm working with a gorgeous golden yellow, cream and that beautiful brown.  I think my last giraffe was purple with pastel spots, so this is definitely a change! I can't wait to see how he turns out...

WIP Wednesday: Busy Bees and Awkward Beginnings

Did you ever have a week where you're running around, busy as can be, but nothing actually gets done?  That's how this past week has been.

It started out productive enough. Remember that pink little blankie I was working on last week? I tackled the border and got it done and listed in the shop. I was pretty darn happy with it! The edging ruffles out a bit, and I think it works...

 

So, see? I was off and running! And then BOOM!, the chaos began. Oh, there were birthdays and doctor appointments and temper tantrums and last-minute trips out of town and a really messy house and...well, you get the picture, I'm sure.

And with all of that crazy stuff going on, nothing really got done.

Wait. That's not completely right. A few little things did get accomplished...

Like shopping! Because when your birthday hits and you can suddenly count the years of your life in decades (DECADES, people. Ugh.), it's appropriate to indulge. Don't you think?

I hit the local antique shop first.

And the craft store second.

Which is all sorts of awesome because I totally need cake and a new afghan for the couch, right? Right. And, speaking of new afghans, I started another little one.

(Just when you were beginning to think there would be no WIP in this WIP post. Psh.)

It's just like the pink ruffle, but yellow.  Nothing earth shattering and new, I'm afraid. But I love the color. It's all sorts of springtime, lemon chiffon, airy-as-can-be yellow goodness. It makes me want to throw open the windows and hear the birds sing. Yes, it's that good!

But I'm a bit reluctant to post a picture of it. You see, my new little blankie is suffering from a bout of 'new blanket awkward'. When a blanket is nearing completion, it generally has that pulled together, plush and pretty look to it. But starting out - only a few rows in - new blankets tend to look toothy and sparse.

 

See what I mean?

But like any proud mama, I see potential. And I'm going to keep plugging away.  Now that the craziness of the past week is (hopefully) settled behind me, I'm totally looking forward to kicking back and crocheting away.

And maybe sneaking in a nap.

WIP Wednesday: How Much Pink is Too Much Pink?

I have to say, of all the colors on the spectrum, I'm always drawn to pink.

Rose, bubblegum, pastel, hot pink - any pink is good pink!

So, it probably comes as no surprise that my latest WIP (work in progress) is...well, yeah, pink. (A real shocker there, right?)  'Antique Rose' to be exact. It's also soft and lovely.  And totally perfect with Valentine's Day just around the corner.

Like how I justify my pink obsession?

Anyway, all of these stitches will turn into a very girly baby blanket. Well, that's if I get on task and finish.  It's hard to avoid distraction...

What could possibly distract me? Um, the mountain of yarn I just so happen to have on hand.  I may have overindulged last time yarn was on sale. Oops!

But who was I to walk away from all of these pretty springtime colors? And let me repeat: Sale. All these goodies were on sale. How could I not buy them up?

Again with the justification. I'm getting pretty good at that ;)