Bored

As much as I love the IRB RWC Ripple, Iam longing to do my other projects as well. It takes me a full day to add six rows to it. At the moment I need more variety in my crochet life.

My plan add one colour a day, be it a two row or a four row. Weave in the ends of the previous colour! Eliminating mass weave in at the end.

Do one colour of the AF blanket a day which has been neglected for a long time.

And cause I didn't have enough to do, I signed up for the Instangram Granny Square along! Which is to make five granny squares a week! They are already on week three, so I'm behind by fifteen!

Oh and just to make sure I'm not slacking! Frog at least two rows of Take My Time (it's too narrow)

WIP Wednesday - Week 10

It's Wednesday!  And this week in our house means short week!!  HOORAY.  No school tomorrow or Friday!!!

I won't keep you long, just check out the slow progress of the massive ripple.

Don't forget to pop over to Tami Ami's to check out the other amazing WIP's

Year of Projects - Week 10

Yes this is another IRB RWC Ripple Blanket update!

These photos were taken yesturday and it's been too hot today to even think about this mass if ripples on my lap, while I add more beautiful colours to it

I Can't Believe It

I mentioned yesturday that I will need extra wool for my RWC blanket, well read yesturday's blog. This morning I got an email from Deramores in the UK saying that they are have discounted all DK wool.  So I popped off to check not thinking that with our revolting exchange rate it would make any difference to my local LYS price.

I was so shocked to find out that even with shipping it is R200 cheaper!  That's right.  So I ordered it.  I couldn't believe it.  I said to the Bank Manager I am definitely going to make use of the special offers that overseas sites make on yarn from now on.  I always assumed that it would be more expensive.

This is me doing the happy dance that I saved R200!!!

RWC Blanket

This is a long story and excuse me if you get bored.

As you might remember I am making a blanket during the AWESOME Rugby World Cup.  Alright maybe not so AWESOME, both my countries England (birth country) and South Africa are out!

Each country has a colour and the plan was to make a square for each game and then sew them all up, well you get the picture.  But I didn't start out with that, hooked by the Neat Ripple pattern and the fact that there would be NO sewing up of squares I started this pattern

And all seemed well until I realised I was making so many mistakes and it was supposed to be a big blanket for a king sized bed and it wasn't growing at all quick enough.  I did alot more rows of this and eventually frogged it.  I know I was just as upset but I couldn't carry on.

Then I said to myself I'm going back to the squares, I can do them quickly and make them bigger.  So I grabbed my Harmony guide and chose this pattern

When I had finished all the squares, I announced to the Bank Manager, I seriously dislike this pattern.  I have since then gone back and read the pattern and wow another one I didn't read properly.  So with 80 squares made and sewn up and then I had gone around 5 times, I had a pile of ugly squares.  And mind you I am now running out of time, to get a king size blanket out.

Now I am lacking inspiration and to say the least it's seriously getting me down.  I am paging through the piles of magazines I have and see a square that looks super cute.

This square called for a 6mm hook but I didn't like the way it was so holey, so I went down, and then down again to a 4mm hook.  But in doing that the square turned out tiny.  I carried on and made a total of 24 in one day.  So quick and easy.  I layed them out on my bed and well they ran the length of the bed but didn't cover the width.  I worked it out that I would need nearly 240 squares for the size I want.  That was so not happening!

I am now totally overwhelmed with this blanket.  My Bank Manager and boys look at me and say make a pattern you know.  So I grab my 6mm hook and chain 353 and yes another Neat Ripple is born, but this one is oh so spectacular.  Firstly there are no mistakes, secondly the way the colours are working out using the games that have been played at the RWC is spectacular. 

I have done 4 rows for the winning country and 2 for the loosing country.  For the one and only draw that has taken place I will do 3 rows for each country. 

The only gripe I have is that it takes me around 20min to do one row!  I know insane right!  So I will not be finished this by the end of the RWC.

I have done more than the next picture shows however I have left this post too late and have no daylight.

Iam managing to do 6 rows a day, so one game.  But still not going to be finished by the 23rd.  You are going to see alot of this blanket because I have decided that until it's finished there will be no other projects being done!

I think I am going to have to make a LYS run as I have make so many other squares that the two balls of each colour I purchased is almost depleted and these rows being so long are chewing up the remaining meters I have.

One last thing, I have missed you all and am very happy to be blogging again.

FO Friday - Week 9

Red Bulter all finished!

IRB RWC starts today!



Green Nails for Springboks!

RWC Blanket Decision

Today I made myself decide what pattern I am going to do for my RWC blanket.  I armed myself with the two balls I got for swatching, the 4 patterns I had chosen, the correct hooks and needles and off I went to my friend for coffee.

Once I had finished pulling my hair out, trying to teach her how to do the granny stripe blanket, she is a real show and tell and not a follow written pattern type of gal.  Love her to pieces, but I really have to remind myself constantly to have patience.  It reminds me why I could never be a teacher. 

We call her couches the sleepy couches, there is something about them.  When you sit on them for awhile you get really sleepy.  When my phone alarm went off reminding me to fetch the boys, I realised I hadn't actually done a thing!  My bag was still all nicely packed.  But the catch up and visit was so worth it.

During swimming I was chatting so nicely to one of the lovely mums that I again didn't even make a start.

Home.  Now I have to do something!  Right!  I got out the 4 patterns and got my hook and started with the 2 crochet patterns.  I didn't like either one of them.  The hook sizes in the patterns were either too big and left holes, or too small and it was tiny.  So they both got ripped out.

Coffee break.    I get out my well now favourite crochet books.  The Harmony Guide.  And start paging through.  I find these four stitch patterns and what's app them to Shake Shake.

Shake Shake immediately replies that the waves and Chevron Stitch is definitely her favourite!  So I get out my hooks and start working up a swatch.  Now I know that I definitely need to use a size bigger hook for my chains but seriously for the swatches I didn't.

Yes they are both actually the same colour, but the top one was taken in daylight and the bottom much later.  The top one was done with a size 4mm hook and the bottom with a 5mm hook. Both look amazing to me.  The 4mm is a lot more dense so not sure if that is the way I wanna go.  Will have to decide.  But the pattern even if it's not squares still lends itself to two colours per day being worked which is my plan for this blanket.

I am happy and feel alot more relaxed now that I have made the decision on the pattern for the RWC blanket.

I have in all this not done one row on Take My Time today so tomorrow will have to do double the amount of rows.

Oh well, I had much needed chat and tea time today.

Goal Monday - Week 2

This is the second time I am typing this, blogger is not being nice to me at all.

I achieved my first ever public goal from last week.  I finished Ice Cream and I did the 26 rows of Take My Time.  I actually did 30 rows!!!

This week in order to get more done on Take My Time I am going to do 24 rows.  I know not as ambitious as last week but I have some more wips that need taking care of.

Ribby, is going to be frogged.  Pudding said he doesn't like it and would like a cardi.  Well he actually said "The one with buttons at the front".  That will have to wait as I have to start the RWC blanket on Friday.

This week I have to swatch the 4 squares I like and then let Granny Shake Shake choose the one she likes.  I know I said I would do that yesterday but the day ran away with me.

I want to finish Red Butler.  I have sewed the ribbon onto one side, and although it's not 100% flat it really finishes it off nicely. 

And Friday the IRB RWC starts so will the blanket and the One a Day challenge for me.

There you have it, my goals for this week.

What if any are your goals for the week?

RUGBY

Even thought the RWC only starts next weekend!!! Bring it on. 

There is plenty of Currie Cup Rugby today!   The Bulls are playing the Sharks at home.  Fortress Loftus is going to be rocking. 

We not going as Monster has organised a movie date for 14:40 and logistically it won't happen.  Anyway another time. 

Am plodding along with Take My Time and getting quiet lazy as I have reached my goal for the week. Now planning how many rows to forecast for next week.  I supposed I can pull my finger out and do some more on the Ribby which hasn't been touched since Tuesday. 

Ice Cream

I am at a crossroads, I am busy with Take My Time but also not really into to getting it done, I know it's because of the colours.  I have done 6 more rows of it this week.

The weather has been spectacular, I know that because I said that it will now get cold again!

I am also determined that one of my YOP blankets is going to be the granny stripe.  I also felt really bad about the Baby Bundle 2 Blanket being so little.  It's perfect for new borns and to have for the Snug 'n Safe but once the baby is over 3 months, it's going to be too small.  I did say I would make a bigger one.  I got out the Ice Cream colours I had left over and started a chain, to be honest I lost count as I was watching the BLUE BULLS beat the Leopards. 

I hoped and prayed that I did in multiples of 3, then to top it all off I was too lazy to go to the computer and read the pattern online, so I made it up.  Now the first row I remembered was single crochet (or double crochet in UK) then I think it was a group of 3 double crochet (treble crochet in UK) and then skip 2, and  so on and so on.  I am now pretty sure that's wrong, but I can fix it when I do the border as I have a lopsided first row of groups.  Anyway not to worry I think so far it looks STUNNING! 

I have a cunning plan, I have a few stitch patterns I would like to try out and am planning on making baby blankets with all of them first out of my left overs and then if I am happy turn them into big blankets.

The reason for all this experimentation and not committing to anything is that the RWC starts in 13 days I have my RWC blanket to start.  I am itching to knit however, so might make a pullover for Pudding while I'm waiting.  13 days is such a long time.

Baby Bundle 2 Blanket

So many FO's today but alas it's not Friday so no photos of them!  I will have a harder time waiting for Friday than you do.  Trust me, I can't buy presents until the day before, cause I can't keep them.

So I got to thinking about the blanket that needs to accomany the clothing items I have made for baby (not mine) and I thought I would get out one of my amazing Harmony guides and see what grabs my fancy.  So I am in a ripple kinda mood and I found one called peephole ripple.  Its lacy and loose, which is perfect also calls for a multiple of 10 chains plus 2.

So I chained 102 with my size 6.00mm hook (as I chain quite tight) I changed to a size 5.00mm and started,  I have to admit I fudged the first row, I know can you believe it!!  The first row.  Anyway after redoing it, I started the second using the chart not the instructions, needless to say I fudged it again!  So after looking at the amazing photo and looking at the written instructions I nailed it!

What you can't see in my picture is the yarn I am using.  It is Stylecraft Wondersoft Baby DK in a white with lilac, dark blue and light blue fleck.  It's called Jack Horner.  I had it in my stash, but when I got it out I discovered that I have two balls in one dye lot and another in a different and the third one is more blue than white!  So I have done 10 rows of the peephole and will see how many I get out of one ball.  Iam hoping that I don't need the third one.

I did the 10 rows while watching the Springboks beat the All Blacks.  The boys are back in town.  Well done Springboks we as a nation are behind you 100% for the Rugby World Cup starting on the 9th of September.  Can't wait.

Quickie

HOORAY I finished the baby bundle blanket, but you will have to wait until FO Friday to have a picture.

The Springboks, and welcome back to the sexy, hunky, ripped bodies, I mean seasoned boks.  Even though they were finally beaten by the Wallabies.  The game was FANTASTIC.

I have had this odd feeling that I would have nothing to report tomorrow for YOP, so I am frantically knitting my Red Butler to get some decent progress made.

I actually started to resent the baby blanket I was making cause I would have rather been knitting my Red Butler.  I am loving it and can't wait for it to be finished.

What Happened?

Today I had planned to be stuck to the couch, crocheting the Take My Time and watching rugby.  Well that hardly happened.

Monster announced his retainer is very loose.  They put the fear of life into him, if anything is not right with it, he must come in and get it sorted.  So off we went to get that sorted.  The lady that does the retainers and any emergency Orthodontist work had the day off!!!!  We will be back on Monday.

Went to the chemist to get Pudding's medication to find out that they have lost the repeat script and haven't loaded it on the system and refused to give me the medication.  After throwing my shopping at the chemist and storming off shouting nasty comments.  I headed for the managers office, where by that stage I was shaking I was so fuming.  The chemist actually told me that he didn't care I had to pay for another script to be written!!!!

Phoned Dr Fullteron, who by the way is an angel in my eyes now, and she was just as annoyed as I was, but we both agreed that the medication is extremely important to Pudding, so I drove to another chemist, got the fax number and the star she is, she faxed a new script through for me.  Thank you Dr Fullerton, I am very happy you are in our lives.  After getting a slushie with Monster we headed back to chemist 2 and got Pudding's medication.

Now I needed retail therapy, badly.  Oh my one of the big bookshops is having a sale.  Even though there were no knitting or crocheting books, I managed to get two books for Pudding, five for Monster, one for the Bank Manager and two for my Old Man.  Brilliant.

Some other essential shopping was done, boring and then Monster begged me to head home.

Got home and quickly checked the score of the All Blacks against the Walabies and was delighted to see that the All Blacks had CREAMED Australia 30-14.  Now I am spoilt and I have two countries to support, England by birth and South Africa as I have lived here since I was 6.  I always support anyone playing against the All Blacks and Australia, however when they play each other it's the All Blacks all the way.

Made lunch, saturday hot dogs.  And settled down for more Rugby.

England beat Wales (HOORAY)
Scotland beat Ireland (HOORAY)
I know Canada is playing USA but can't find results anywhere, if someone knows please let me know the outcome.

In local Currie Cup
Sharks were beated by Griquas
Western Province were beated by the Cheetahs
Blue Bulls were beated by the Lions (BOOHOO)

I finished another repeat of the colours on the Take My Time and I have decided that I am going to one repeat a week, yes I know I have already done 2 this week, but from next week, it will only be 1 repeat, or else I will never get any knitting done, and my shoulder aches if I do too much crocheting.

Come back tomorrow for an update on my new YOP cast on.  I love the colour and the pattern is wicked!

Disappointment

It started with the Springboks getting a hiding from the All Blacks and just carried on.  Went to the plastic shop to get two more boxes for my new stash, got home via the LYS (again), packed it all in my new boxes, went to put them at the bottom of my cupboard to discover I have the smallest cupboard in the house!!!!!  They don't fit!

Then the Blue Bulls went down to Western Province in a blaze of total failure.  I haven't finished Tulip cause I have been sitting by the fire soaking it up.

All and all a dissappointing day.

BUT tomorrow is another day full of great expectations.