Friday, July 22, 2011

Happy Trails

The Knit and Crochet Show is next week in Minneapolis - hooray! I'm very excited about it even though I'm only going to be at the conference for a couple of days. I'm not half as prepared as I was last year but I'm ready for it.

There will also be a visit to Wisconsin where, in addition to crafting with my sister-in-law, I just might get to visit an alpaca farm! Isn't that awesome? I hope to also see the sites of Minneapolis including the gigantic Mall of America. A few days with extended family will also be wonderful.

So it'll be a crafty, family trip. If you're at the show and see my logo bag, please say hello. Otherwise, you'll hear from me next month. Or maybe if I have the opportunity, I'll have some updates on Twitter. Maybe even cute photos of alpacas!!!!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Completed Project: Tropical Colors Baby Blanket

When I make a baby blanket for a friend, I ask the mom- and dad-to-be if they have any particular colors or patterns in mind. Sometimes I get very specific details on what they like (i.e. purple, but not bright purple, more of a lightish blue-purple violet but not pastel) or don't like (i.e. no pink anything!). Some want to see pattern samples and others want to be surprised.

In the case of this baby blanket, I was given the following info - anything with blue and/or green - maybe even some orange. I was also told to let my creative juices fly! Or drip. Or whatever creative juices do.

So here's what I came up with...

Tropical Colors Baby Blanket 01
As always, details on Ravelry.

The pattern is Willow from the book "200 Crochet Blocks" using bright colored cotton yarn and a G hook.

My plan was for a 5 x 5 square blanket and I had made all 25 squares. But when I laid out the pieces, it was too big. I went with a 4 x 5 design which is still a little large but I liked the shape and size better than a 4 x 4. Plus I couldn't handle not using 10 squares I had already made.

I kept the border to a minimum as the blanket was already so big. It's one round of orange sc, one of green hdc and one of blue Hhdc. The final size was about 41" x 32".

Tropical Colors Baby Blanket 04

I literally finished weaving in the ends from the border about 30 minutes before leaving for the baby shower yesterday. I usually cut things close but this was a little stressful for me. The mom-to-be and grandmas and aunts liked the blanket (yay!) and I got to meet another Raveler who knitted the cutest little booties, hats and mittens.

There's a lull in babies now...I'm sure it won't last too long so I better get to work on my other pending projects.

Friday, July 1, 2011

A Rose By Any Other Name...

Thanks to a botantically-inclined friend, the identity of my mystery plant is
Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)
. A wonderfully cute name for a plant to show up in this fiber fanatic's container garden.

Not Lavender 3

But it's not a plant, it's not a flower, it's not a bush, herb, fern or vine.

It is just... a really big weed.

::sigh::

So two nights ago I proceeded to unearth it from the giant blue pot. I had to hack at the soil with a trowel to get it to come out in clumps. It was a damn healthy weed with roots that had spread through that entire pot so out went all the soil, too. I had no chance of saving the coconut lining of the other container, either, so the whole thing was put in the trash.

The mystery still remains how these plants showed up in my garden. Was it a bad seed packet - labeled lavender but full of weeds? Or was it the potting soil mix (moisture control by Miracle Grow)? It wasn't birds or seeds on the wind since these plants were all started inside.

Oh well - it doesn't matter. The weeds are gone now. I'll be transferring basil to the big blue container and I hope to grow a formidable basil tree in it.