Operation: Dream Catcher

"I need a dream catcher. But I need it to be a blanket. Can you do that?"

I love a wacky request. And I really REALLY love this particular wacky request.

You see, this adorably spunky little girl has been having nightmares. And yes, she has an actual dream catcher hanging above her bed...but the idea for this blanket was to give her something to wrap herself in when she felt insecure and scared. To lay over her bed to keep those bad dreams away, only allowing the good to filter through.  Which, of course, is a really fun concept for a little kid.

Why hadn't I thought of something like this earlier? 'Cause you know I have to make up one for each of my own kiddos...

But anyway, aside from looking like a dream catcher, there were other criteria. It had to be round, of course. And colorful. Lots of blues and purples, with pops of pink and orange. It also had to be cotton.

Could this work?

I guess I was lucky to simply have an amazing pattern to work with. Last summer, I was going through a massive search for unique blanket patterns and stumbled across the Anya pattern by Goodknits.  It's essentially a really big doily. But what I like best about it, is that it really lends itself to different situations.

Need a summer throw blanket for your home or cottage? Grab your favorite shade of cotton (or acrylic) yarn and boom! you're good to go.

Need a pretty baby blanket? Sport weight and a smaller hook!

Want a child sized blanket that's fun and funky? How about a different color for every round?

Which is exactly what I did for this blanket.

Now, to be fair, I've seen this done before - different colors for each row - so it's hardly groundbreaking on my part.  But it gives a really cool effect.  And while I was skeptical about using cotton yarn (I tend to use acrylic for blankets), I love the drape. I love the weight.

I only wish it took a better photo! (Says the girl who took about 9,000 pictures of this poor blankie!)

Now here's hoping that it does it's job. *fingers crossed*

Another Finished Project (!!!)

I have a climber.

He's two. He's pretty darn adorable. And I'm fairly sure he's at least half wild monkey.

Which is fun in an exhausting, I-just-spend-half-my-morning-pulling-him-down-from-high-surfaces kind of way.

But it's also incredibly frustrating.  Because nothing is safe. NOTHING.

Like my camera, for example.  No matter where I hide it, he finds the darn thing.  And once he finds it, he climbs whatever obstacle stands in his way to snatch it and throw it to the floor.

Poor camera. It now makes a strange fluttering noise when I turn it on.  *sigh*

But it works (for now), so here we go with another grand 'ta-daaaa!' moment.

A finished blanket!

Another project scratched off my never-ending WIP list.

Isn't it exciting?

Isn't it bright?!

It is. I have to say it. It's super bright. But also cheery and fun and if I'm being completely honest, I dragged my feet finishing those last few rows because I really loved working on this one. And boy, was it super duper cuddly soft.

Even Monkey Boy liked it! Isn't it funny...the things I make for my kids go completely unappreciated. Yet when it's for someone else, it's the best thing EVER. Silly kids!

On to the next project on my list...

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.

Keeping It Simple

I'm feeling a bit like Alice down the rabbit hole lately.

Maybe it's the change in weather. Or the Easter holiday. Or the crazy amount of orders I've been finishing lately - yes, actually finishing!

Whatever it is, I've been a little out of it and not quite myself.

So I'll cut my mindless chatter down a bit today and keep it simple.  Want to see a couple of the goodies that have been heading out to new homes??

And bunnies. I don't have any pictures of the bunnies that have gone out in the past week. Partly because I've shared so many pictures of them already...and partly because I was busy finishing up the latest orders.  A grand total of 15 bunnies made it to new homes last week...right in time for Easter. I hope everyone loved them! Because, honestly, I think that particular pattern is going into a brief retirement until next spring...

And finally, my current WIP.  It came in as a custom order, but I'm so disappointed that I didn't put this simple combination together and up in the shop before now. I just love it! A lavender and white ripple/chevron. Timeless, lovely and suuuuuuuper soft and squishy! Now to get it finished.

Thanks for stopping by!