Time to catch up

New POLL - don't forget to vote ----->

I really think it's time to change the poll here. Out of 15 whole votes - afghans win! YAY! Those are my favorite too.

I had forgotten how long it takes to make a good sized ghan with an I hook. The last 'I don't know how many' have been made with Homespun or 2 strands and an N hook. I had also forgotten that the gorgeous detail is so worth the effort!

This ghan that I'm working on for my SIL is almost finished. I've been working on 15 - 15 inch squares. I have the last rnd to do on the last 3 sqs and then I can whipstitch them onto the rest of it. Yes, I'm putting it together as I go. I guess it's time to start thinking about the border rounds.

Don't forget to vote in the new poll!

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Flower Burst Square 15"

Who can believe I'm actually making a ghan with squares?!?
The Queen of 'I HATE whipstitching!!!'

This is Chris Simon's 12 inch Flower Burst Square with my own take on the colors and a few extra rows. (That's the cheating part!)

A dear friend at the 'Ville was recently diagnosed with cancer and a bunch of us decided to help create a comfortghan. I never make squares so I had no idea how many beautiful patterns there were out there!

A 4x6' ghan would need 24 - 12 inch squares.
With 15 inch squares I only need 15 !!!
The ghan is only off by 3 inches on each side!

There is a correction needed in:
Round 9 - (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in each corner, and
Round 10 will have one (dc, ch1, skip 1) less.

I also changed the very beginning just a little bit - I worked Round 2 with the wrong side facing and did bpsc, ch1 around.

To add the extra inches I added:
Round 11 - attach yarn in corner ch2 sp
R12 - slst into corner, [(3dc, ch2, 3dc) in corner, *3dc in next st, skip 2,* repeat *to* across row] repeat [to] on all 4 sides, slst to join.
R13 - dc in each st, (2dc, ch2, 2dc in each corner)
R14 - (dc, ch1, skip 1) across row, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in each corner
R15 - dc in each st, (2dc, ch2, 2dc in each corner)

RH Sage, Hunter Green and Soft White
and an I hook.

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Happy V Day

Happy Valentine's Day

to everyone!

YAY!!! My Ravelry invite!!!!!

No wonder everyone's been talking about Ravelry! It's awesome! somehow (and I have no idea how it happened lol) I lost 2 hours last night just looking around!

Today is Amber's birthday so I don't have as much time as I'd like to hang out and check it out. I have some last minute shopping and cake baking to do instead.

Check out
Ravelry

Check out me on Ravelry
RoseRedICD

Someone in South Wales already already has
my username, so I'm going with

RoseRed, Inspired Crochet Design

My newest favorite website is

Mypicot.com

The site is great - the pics are wonderful
the free patterns are incredible
the library and education pages are awesome!

I hear there's going to be more great things coming from them. You guys have to check it out.


http://www.mypicot.com/


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Pineapple Spoon Rest

Materials
#10 thread of choice for Bookmark
#5 or #7 steel hook
~ or ~
Sugar & Cream Crochet Cotton of choice for Spoon Rest -
Size E hook

Gauge -
Spoon Rest - 11 1/2 inches
Bookmark - 6 1/2 inches without tassle

Special Stitches
Shell (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in ch2 sp
Side Shell - sl st into ch2 sp, (ch3, dc, ch2, 2dc) in ch2 sp
4dc cl w/ picot- ch2, holding last loop on hook to create cluster: dc in ch2sp, 2dc in next ch2sp, draw thru all 4 loops, ch3Picot - ch3, sl st into top of cluster.


Instructions
ch5, sl st to form loop
Rnd 1 - ch3 counts as 1st dc now and throughout. (2dc, ch2) 4times, (2dc, ch4), (2dc, ch2) twice
or - (2dc, ch2) 7times - without hanging loop
sl st into top of ch3

Row 2 - side shell, ch2, shell in shell
Row 3 - side shell, ch1, dc in ch2sp, ch1, shell in shell
Row 4 - 12 or as many rows as needed for length - side shell, ch1, dc in next dc, ch1, shell in shell
Row 13 - side shell, (dc, ch6, dc) in next dc, shell in shell
Row 14 - side shell, ch1, 8dc in ch6 sp, ch1, shell in shell
Row 15 - side shell, ch1, (dc, ch1) in the next 8dc's, shell in shell
Row 16 - side shell, ch1, sc in ch1 sp, (ch3, sc in ch1sp) 6times, ch1, shell in shell [6 ch3 sp's]
Row 17 - side shell, ch2, sc in ch1 sp, (ch3, sc in ch1sp) across, ch1, shell in shell [5 ch3sps]
Row 18 - Repeat Row 17 [4 ch3sp's]
Row 19 - Repeat Row 17 [3 ch3sp's]
Row 20 - Repeat Row 17 [2 ch3sp's]
Row 21 - Repeat Row 17 [1 ch3sp]
Row 22 - side shell, ch2, sc in ch3 sp, ch2, shell in shell
Row 23 - side shell, shell in shell
Row 24 - sl st into ch2sp, 4dc cl w/ picot

Tie off. Weave in ends. Block.

Bookmark Tassle - cut 9 strands 9 inches long. Fold in half and pull thru for tassle.

what I'm up to now

It seems like forever since I've posted. I missed you all!

As you can see below I did make the tree and an angel. They both fit in an 8inch square frame. I'll post pics once I get them framed. Mom's bday is coming quick so it'll be soon.

I'm on a whole new designing roll here. I want to make kitchen stuff. Hotpads - especially for my baking pans! round ones for my casserole dishes - one's for under my saucepans...

Custom sizes for my cookware that I don't want to put directly on my table. The coolest thing is 'custom sizes' is still pretty much the same size for all the different brands. If you guys have anything in a specific size that you'd like to see jsut let me know.
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I guess I should say something about my extended absence.
My step mom died from cancer December 17. Now my Dad lives almost 200 miles away and my husband works weekends. I've been going crazy and wracking up miles on the car driving my daughter back and forth - she had to be here for school and with me on weekends cuz she's 11 and too young to be home alone all day. Basically, my Dad needed me and I was there. Quite honestly - I don't want to talk about it.

I'm just doing my best to try to get back into the swing of things and I have a new focus for my designs.