Under Color Crochet

  I love it when I get free yarn! 😎 A colleague texted me one evening, asking if I would like some yarn that she didn't want anymore. Well, obviously, of course, definitely, yes. If it's one thing I really, really need, it's more yarn. 😁 The next day at work, she gave me two new skeins, plus a box of odds'n'ends. I was absolutely delighted! The colors are not something I would normally buy for myself, but once I had it all for free, I knew immediately what I wanted to do. Experiments with granny squares. 🤩 I wanted to see how this color scheme worked up, as a simple dc granny square. These earthy colors, with rust and smokey blue, are gorgeous together! And they don't exactly work out properly in the rows of a granny square, but it doesn't matter. Still looks beautiful, and I actually kind of like how the pattern of changing colors gets muddled up at every turn. It's a lovely muddle. 😁 The other experiment I've been wanting to try is taking the s...

    The Plan! 🤩 Make a baby blanket, that the Dean of Extended Studies will like. 😎  It has to be soft and sweet, for a baby. But it can't be too baby'ish. 😁 And it has to be ready in time for the baby shower. 🎉 I worked on it pretty much every evening for about a month, never rushed, but always focused on getting it done. I enjoyed every colorful minute of this labor of love project.  I absolutely loved making this baby shower gift. 😍 A giant granny square, with a double ruffle around the whole edge = perfect baby blanket. Six skeins of yarn for the granny square, and another two skeins of white for the double ruffle. Wow! Big blankie. Big, big, baby blankie. 😎    Here's a video of my boss and her husband, opening the gift:  Baby Shower Potluck Party, opening gifts I started with white in the center, and kept going around with the colors, eight times. Six times eight is forty-eight, yes! Forty-eight rounds! This baby is a beast. 😍 My fave thi...

  These sixteen granny squares came out of one skein of specialty yarn that has automatic color changes. I have a love-hate relationship with this Yarnspirations All-In-One Granny Square yarn. The love is because it is a gorgeous, earthy, cocoa and cream color scheme. (And ooo-laa-laa, I do have a long term love affair going on with earth tones: Caramel Mocha , Sand Sparkle,   Comfy Cozy .) Plus, there's more love for this all-in-one yarn, because it looks and feels excellent, sturdy but also smooth and soft. But, oh dear, then there is the hate because, well, I shouldn't say hate. There is too much hate in this world. I will not say I hate this yarn. But I will say that I have as much dislike for it as I have love, because it is so frustrating to make it actually work as all-in-one. So, that is a weird and warped relationship, that just makes me feel grouchy. So, Grouchy Granny it is.  Below is a picture of why I feel the dislike. This yarn is supposed to move along with...

Happy New Year! My goal is to be more colorful. 🤩 So, my New Year's resolution starts right here, right now. Plus, I plan on celebrating ruffle'y fun and fringe'y festiveness all year long. 😎 Also, my other goal is to create more crochet items, with more colorful ruffles, and bigger bundles of fun fringe. 😁 So, these two gorgeous gals are kicking it off perfectly, with their blues'y blue'ness. I love how they both turned out, so different, yet paired so well. There is a lot going on here, with three different yarns, so let's unpack it. 🎁 On the left (above) is a simple mesh pattern with fringe on the ends, and on the right is a simple dc repeating, with ruffles on the edges and ends. The seven basic steps are explained  here , and this is nuthin' new, nuthin' fancy. It's the same old easy'peasy rectangular pattern I love doing, and it's not even really a pattern. It's just fun and simple, to go back and forth across the rows, and watc...

These cuties are all wrapped up like a Christmas present! They are just little ruffles, gently twisted - wound up to be twirlie-whirlies. And, when I say, "just ruffles," I don't actually mean JUST ruffles. 😁 I mean they are just too cute, and way too much ruffle'y fun. Like a little Christmas toy for crochet geeks. 😎 Twisted super tight, and then folded into a circle, these little twirly toys turn into wreaths! How cute is that?! 😍 This is the perfect way to use up yarn leftovers and scrappy bits of random colors. Twisted together like this, anything goes, and everything works.  Peachy, pink, and orange? Yes, please!  Ruffles look so magical in any color, they're perfect for holiday decorations. Even in non-traditional colors, these twirly toys just feel like cute Christmas curls. This video (below) shows a three toned ruffle, with a peach-colored base of starting chain and one row of dc, then the ruffle in pink (I did three and four stitches of trc into each ...

  A labor of love. I tried and tried, and tried again (and again, twice) to make this work. In two locations, three different geometries. A love-hate relationship. I had to give up. Let it go. I cannot make a Christmas tree out of my yarn. But I can keep dreaming. 😂 The good news is, I have a fantastic "yarn pile tree skirt scarf thing" here, and some day I may figure out how to actually use it as a yarn tree skirt. 😋 Christmas Tree Skirt I have a long love affair going with Christmas fun! 😍 And it's only December 1st right now, stay tuned. I'll soon be adding to this colorful list: Candy Cane Ruffle Centerpieces Wintergreen Winter Mint Blue Christmas Candy Snow Snow Day