It’s taken me years, but I finally finished my Granny Stripe blanket! I can’t even remember when I started making this thing; I’m sure it was more than five years ago before we moved into town. But it’s done now so who cares how long it took, especially when it’s so pretty! The colors work together very nicely.
The yarn came from Wool Warehouse. It’s a yarn pack that they put together with Lucy from Attic24 who designed the Granny Stripe blanket. I purchased two packs because I knew I wanted to make a blanket that was a lot larger than the throw size she made. It’s Stylecraft Special DK yarn, 100% acrylic. It’s a nice yarn and works up easily.
I deviated from the pattern in the border. Instead of using the colors or stitches Lucy used, I chose to use whichever colors of which I had the most leftover yarn. My first border round is a granny cluster round. The second round is a double crochet round. Next I did a half-double crochet round. I followed that with a round of single crochet. The final round is a crab stitch. I tried using the same final round as Lucy, but I didn’t like the way it looked on this size of a blanket. I also tried a scalloped edge, but it wanted to curl to the front. The crab stitch made a nice edge that laid flat and finished it off beautifully and simply.
Some other recent projects are a pair of market bags.
These are the Sakura Market Bag. I used Sugarwheel Cotton Mini in the Skip & Hop colorway for the blue, pink, and lime bag. The blue, tan, green, and gold bag is Sugarwheel Cotton in the Woodland Wisp color. These bags are easy to make, and they can carry a ton of groceries. Mine held four half gallon bottles of juice last time I went shopping. It’s great for carrying canned goods, too. I like that the handles are long enough to carry the bag on my shoulder to leave my hands free to carry other things or open the door.
I also finished these little baby shoes last night. They’re a gift for a friend’s first grandchild.
The pattern is Baby Converse by Suzanne Resaul. I used Red Heart Super Saver in white for the soles. The black trim is also Red Heart Super Saver. The camo is Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn Sport.
It’s cool enough now to start wearing my handknit socks. There are 25 pairs in my sock drawer. I don’t really like to wear them in the summer. I usually wear Crocs, and if I need to wear sneakers I choose cotton socks when it’s warm outside. There are so many beautiful sock yarns, I’d love to make more for myself, but how many pairs of socks does one woman need?
I made a pair for my brother and his wife for Christmas just so I would have an excuse to make more of them. I know they’ll enjoy a warm pair of socks when they’re out taking care of their chickens and goats this winter.
This pair is Yarn Bee Color Idyll. The cuffs, heels, and toes are Frosty Mint, and the legs and feet are Orange-Ology. The yarn was easy to knit. There isn’t a pattern for this pair; it’s just a basic vanilla sock.
This pair is made in Patons Kroy Sock yarn. I love this yarn for warm socks. There isn’t a pattern for this sock either. I cast on 76 stitches because he has big feet (size 14s). The cuff is a knit 1/purl 1 ribbing. The leg is a knit 3/purl 1 rib, and I continued the ribbing down the top of the foot while the sole is stockinette stitch. Since there are so many stitches in the round in order to make it over the heel, I thought the ribbing might keep the leg and foot portions from getting too baggy.
Have a good day, everyone! The library is about to close so it’s time for me to call it a night.
