Let it not be said that I do not know how to procrastinate

[wayfaringwordhack]

Over thirteen years ago, I started crocheting a baby blanket for my younger sister's first child.  So many years and 7 nieces and nephews later, I have still not finished the blanket.  The other day, I pulled out the granny squares I had already crocheted, probably around 60 and thought, "I don't want to make this blanket as per the pattern (Good thing, seeing as how I no longer have the pattern book...). That would mean too many granny squares."

So, I am determined to do something new and completely different and still incorporate some of the squares. Otherwise, I would throw everything out because the pastels of years gone by do not really suit me anymore anyhow.

I will finish, though! And I will post pictures. Hopefully, the finished blanket will warrant the effort. I'm going to try to make my own pattern, but having not touched a crochet hook in 13 yrs, I am far from having enough experience to think I can pull it off without any hitches.  Live crochet and learn.

in other news, I'm going to cut up a pair of jeans I was counting on tossing in the bin anyhow and make myself a pair of maternity pants.  I also have a tank-top that I made in Mayotte that needs a hem put on it. I had made it too large (this is me, always sewing without a pattern or making a mockup first), but now that I'm pregnant, it is perfect.

Lots to do now that I don't have a book occupying my mind...

Comments

[sunflower-sky.livejournal.com]

Today I picked up my needle after many many months of no crocheting, and crocheted a baby hat.

I decided that if Model B is a girl she needs a girly hat for after she is born. Covering her head with an old boy hat would be way lame.

Before Hallel was born I discovered tons of crochet patterns and decided that I would crochet baby clothes for all of my friends!...

...The only piece that actually made it to anyone was a cute hat. Even Hallel never benefited from my efforts. But! I made the most adorable baby booties! (That no one ever wore!)

~D

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Hehe. So far, I have no plans to make booties because someone told me of knitting a whole slew for her grandkids and the mom never uses them.

I'm going to keep my efforts modest, but I would love to knit something. I just learned to knit in April and made a few squares to practice. Haven't touched the needles since. However, I really, really, really would like for my baby to have this: http://www.phildar.fr/Tricoter-calin-037_CF::19550::100018.r.html Sadly, I can't do a direct link. You have to scroll down the page, and under the big photo spread, there is a red button that says "page precedent." Clicking it will take you to a page where a baby is wearing an adorable poncho with a scarf.

[sunflower-sky.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the booties are mostly for the cute factor. They can be useful with a winter baby, though--Hallel was born in May, so by the time he needed socks he was way too big for the ones I made (and I don't think they would have fit quite right...). I tended to go for easy, one-piece clothes, too, so he wore a lot of footed pajamas during the winter... never used the expensive sheepskin booties my MIL got us (and she got us two sizes).

The poncho=soooo cute!!!

I never learned to knit. I had considered it, because I think the clothes made with it are better quality, but by the time I was considering I was already a mom and realized that there would just be no time for such things. :P Part of why I stopped crocheting was that I don't enjoy it when it's monotonous and I have nothing to do at the same time, like listen to a class or something. That's why I pulled it out today--I wanted to listen to a podcast class about Tisha B'av (the fast we observe today mourning the destruction of the Temple).

~D

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I'm the same with crocheting. I used to do it while watching old Star Trek episodes. I like to have something else on to occupy my mind while I do it. :D

[cathemery.livejournal.com]

Are you looking for ideas?

Find complementary darker shades. Make strips of granny squares to go between the smaller squares.

Make your squares larger by adding rounds.

Sew/crochet the small squares into larger squares; make large squares the same size to go between those.

Make the center the size you want, then use the pale squares on the outside edges with strips or squares to fill in between them if necessary.

60 squares! That seems like a lot; they must be small.

Post photo eventually! :)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*nods* They are tiny, and I'm using baby fingering.

I was thinking of making a central piece of four squares, and then positioning the remaining squares (40 of them because using all the squares in this manner will make it too big for a baby) to form an X out to the four corners. I would then connect them all using rows of double stitches. Do you think this is doable? I haven't seen any patterns like this on the net, rather just ideas for using the squares as strips (rectangles or squares) and then using double or single stitches to complete the blanket.

[cathemery.livejournal.com]

oh, yeah. That sounds neat. Tricky to fasten at the edges where the dc around the center square meet the small squares, but neat.

You're going to have to attach to the squares across the top, and on one side you could slip stitch across and then dc back, and when you get to the other side, you could just dc across the top of the square.

You'd end up doing each side separately but I think it would work fine. You'd need to catch the bottom point of the square against the center

This is a squashed and simple idea of what I'm imagining, anyway, though you may be thinking of something else?


s s s s d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d s s s s
o o o o s s s s d d d d d d d d s s s s
o o o o o o o o c c c c c c c c (center sq, o is nothing)
o o o o o o o o c c c c c c c c
o o o o s s s s d d d d d d d d
s s s s d d d d d d d d d d d d

Anyway, it sound great. :)

[cathemery.livejournal.com]

oh, I forgot the o should be double crochet filling in the space, silly me.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Soooooo...are you saying that no writing = productivity??? :))

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

hehe. yeah, that is pretty much how I picture it, but with one square at a...hmm, let me try a diagram like yours:

S=square; d=rows of double stitches


SdddddddddddddddddddS
dSdddddddddddddddddSd
ddSdddddddddddddddSdd
dddSdddddddddddddSddd
ddddSdddddddddddSdddd
dddddSdddddddddSddddd
ddddddSdddddddSdddddd
dddddddSdddddSddddddd
ddddddddSdddSdddddddd
dddddddddSdSddddddddd
ddddddddddSSddddddddd
ddddddddddSSddddddddd
dddddddddSdSddddddddd
ddddddddSdddSdddddddd
dddddddSdddddSddddddd
ddddddSdddddddSdddddd etc.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

no, saying it = a different kind of productivity. Many is the time I have complained of my leanings toward a one-track mind. :-/

[cathemery.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I thought. I wanted to show the width issue of having to work across the top of each square, but I was too lazy to show the height as well! lol

Are they so small one row of DC will be enough to equal the height of a square?

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

No, I'll have to do four rows of dc to equal the height of a square, it it was hard to show with the letter diagram. :P