Crochet Blanket is Fini!

 

I love the way this gingham crochet blanket came out from Daisy Farm Crafts!

I added a round of each color for a border and I was happy with the way it came out.  

When I get to the end of the project, I start to get nervous because I want it to look amazing.

I'm pretty good at weaving in ends, but I'm always open to new things and I wanted to share this with you in case you didn't already know it.

When knitting in the round or when joining the last stitch in crochet you are joining to the first stitch in the round.  When you work in the round you are working in a spiral, this is why it can be hard to line up stripes and fancy patterns without a bit of chicanery.

see the gap between the first bound off
and the last bound off stitch?

In this photo you can see there is a space between the first and last stitch of the bind-off row.  (I talked in detail about joining in this blog post/video. )  A jog may be created that can cause an unsightly lump to form at your join.  This technique changes all that.  It only differs a bit from the old way that I used to join, but I find it is so much cleaner.

Cut a 6" tail for weaving.   I always use at least six inches for weaving to really secure the ends.

Thread a yarn needle with the end.

Find the first stitch of the bind-off round, insert your needle from the front to the back through both vees of that stitch.

this is the last bound off stitch, you can see the working yarn
originates from there

insert your needle, front to back through the back vee only,
of the last bound off stitch

Make sure that you have the loop the size you want and nothing is pulling and then weave in and secure your end.  

I adore this join!

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen 🤗

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Safe socially-distanced hugs  🤗
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Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.  
May you be safe.  
May your loved ones be safe.  
🙏
**************************
Sending love and light to everyone facing discrimination, hate, prejudice, inequality, or racism.
🙏🙏💖💖🙏🙏
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Vixenpath is a safe space.
If you are:
LGBTQ+
Black
Brown
Asian
Any race
Coming out
Anything.
I am a safe person and I will always hold space for you in love and light.

Ruinwen

😀

WIPS [Work(s) In Progress]

 I never really thought of myself as a content creator until a few years ago when my sister mentioned it.  I just had a blog and wrote about life, some "to ponders" and my knitting.  But after that conversation I realized, well, yes I am a content creator.

Being a content creator is a wonderful job and love it.  I treasure my blog and the friends I made along the way.  It is a snippet of moments in my life and I refer back to it for dates when important things happened because they are usually recorded in its pages.

Lately, I have been really pushing the creative narrative, commissioned content (which I can't show), and projects (I can't show either).  This leaves me little time for personal projects and it makes me a bit sad.  I see them on the shelf in their little bags and I feel a pang of regret that I have abandoned them.

I am grateful for my design projects, I really am.  I love creating something new or figuring out a new way to do something.  I have tried during the pandemic to shift my knitting section to more tutorials to help inspire people who are looking for something new or some tips or tricks.  I have a lot of fun with those posts especially since they challenge me a bit with design or in filming which I have been doing a bit more of lately.

For a while now I have been working on a weekly schedule with Creative Tuesday. On Instagram that was taken so I use Creatrix Tuesday.  On Tuesday I sit down with my designs, colors, nature, art, music, and any other inspiration and just listen to my authentic voice.  This has been working really well for me and I have a slew of new ideas and directions to work with. 

On Friday I schedule a CEO day.  On this day I work on the business and attend to stuff on Ravelry and focus on design calls and what I am going to focus on for the next week.  It has really helped me to pinpoint my direction for Vixenpath.

During my last Friday session, I also talked with my sister who is full of good ideas and I added them to my minutes.  One of the things we talked about is that I need to address not having any time for my personal projects.

She suggested a Circle Back Week that would entail just working on all those projects that I have been neglecting.  This way, they have a time dedicated just to them and I can ease off designing for a week just to let my brain reset.

So, the first week of every month I will be showing you my Circle Back projects.  I don't want to overwhelm myself, so I will only focus on four projects at a time.  Two of them are from weekly knit-a-longs so only two of them will be neglected projects so don't worry about me taking on too much here.  lol

the edges are so clever

The first one is Rosy Blooms, by Steven West.  Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts, Cherry Blossom.  Knit Picks, Stroll Glimmer Black (I think neither of these yarns exists anymore 😭) Expression Fiber Arts dyes in lots, and then they are gone, but she is always creating beautiful new themed stuff. 

I am knitting on this with a friend, though we took a little break on it to do some other things lately.

 stockinette next to the dropped stitches for contrast

The second is Clapotis, by Kate Gilbert.  Yarn:  Knitpicks, Chroma, Manzanita.  This color is not available but chroma has some lovely colorways.

I am knitting on this with a friend and we are almost to the decrease section.  Loving this yarn and pattern together!

love all this color!

The third one is a feather and fan blanket with some homeless Red Heart yarn in the colorway Favorite Stripe.  I am on my third skein out of five and I am loving the burst of color in this blanket.  I plan on using it for meditation and chakra work.

beautiful optical illusion as the colors blend

The final project for this Circle Back week has been this Gingham, crocheted blanket from Daisy Farm Crafts.  If you crochet, please check her out, she has some beautiful and innovative patterns with web and YouTube tutorials.  Yarn:  Carron Simply Soft, blue, white, and country blue.

I love this pattern, the whole idea of it, and how it looks as the yarns blends together.

So here is the hard part for me.  These projects will be my four Circle Back personal projects each month until one is completed.  Only then can I begin or work on finishing something new.   This is my transparent accountability promise to you all and especially to myself.  

You are more than welcome to join me in giving some attention to your personal projects.  I'd love to hear what you are working on!

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To all you Mothers of children, animals, or people you watch over, have a Blessed, Beautiful, and Happy Mother's Day!  🤗💖

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Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

**************************

Safe socially-distanced hugs  🤗

**************************

Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.  

May you be safe.  

May your loved ones be safe.  

🙏

**************************

Sending love and light to everyone facing discrimination, hate, prejudice, inequality, or racism.

🙏🙏💖💖🙏🙏

**************************

Vixenpath is a safe space.

If you are:

LGBTQ+

Black

Brown

Asian

Any race

Coming out

Anything.

I am a safe person and I will always hold space for you in love and light.

The Harvest of Spirit

"Everything in life can be nourishing. Everything can bless us, but we've got to be there for the blessing to occur. Being present with quality is a decision we are invited to make each day."

-- MacRina Wiederkehr

In my belief system now is the time to start harvesting those things we have been growing all year. And though no physical planting occurred, my spirit overflows. I am truly blessed with an awesome harvest. This lapghan is a testament to that.

Certainly, to a trained eye it is far from perfect, but things really never are. And what you see in the finished project never lets you truly grasp what lies within the strands of superwash wool.

I had received a thank you letter from an Assisted Living that we support and it had touched me. They always told you exactly what your money had gone to and ours had bought music for an Alzheimer patient who loved listening to the classics. That was when I thought about making a lapghan for them. It would at least give me something to do over the long weekend.

I was making squares when my DH saw them piling up and asked about a border…I told him what I was envisioning and the next I knew he was crocheting a border. My DH is amazing like that. He can read knitting patterns too.

My whole mood shifted. I had been wallowing a bit more then I should have because the pain and not sleeping...was not a good combo for me. After I devoured the Starbucks frap the caffeine kicked in and I was at least awake…but still in pain. As soon as I touched the pretty wool I felt better. I should clarify this to read that my soul felt better.

But when DH started working with me my entire spirit lit up. He is always there to uplift me…I am just so blessed. So we worked on this together and even with different gauges and all I think we did quite well. I also think the colors are striking; a reminder of how two different people can come together and make something beautiful together…a testament to that is our wonderful son. As always I really enjoyed working the picot border.

This lapghan took maybe…10 hours tops to make. It is a testament of love and commitment of two people working together for a common cause.

So this is my harvest. Skills I can use to make things for others or myself, love which is endless and boundless and the more you give the more you get and a palate of color, which my stash is pretty endless and boundless in itself. lol

Bright blessings,

Happy crafting,
Ruinwen
:)

Coming Up For Air

Sorry, it has been so long since my last post...life and all you know. :)

I crocheted this granny square blanket for mindless crafting. I like the way it came out. I mixed the glittery yarn in for a festive touch.

Here is a slip stitch baby blanket I am making. It called for two strands and it really hurts my hands. I tried a single strand version and it still looks as nice. So next time I won't use two strands. It is a fun pattern in which you carry the yarn in the back when you are on the front and in the front when you are on the back. This way the front stays all pretty.

The amazing John was having a sale and I scored some luscious Malabrigo. The pic does it no justice and you can't feel how soft it is either. But it is the most amazing merino I have ever touched and I just can't wait to find something worthy of its amazing texture.

And...of course, there are socks. I want 10 pair for the Fall Fest and here are 3 done and one on the needles. And I started them last week on Monday...so I feel that this is a possible goal.

Well, that's it. DH has to go back in for knee surgery 'cuz they missed something so keep him in your thoughts, please.

Happy crafting everyone,

Ruinwen
:)

Feeling a Bit Square

Everyone seems to be crocheting squares and I couldn't help myself. I was having vertigo pretty bad today so I could not knit. But these squares (this one is about 3'x3' right now) are easy for me to make up with my eyes closed. I can create them just by feel and it was nice to be able to do something today when the world just kept spinning on without me.

Speaking of spinning...my wheel has shipped and should be here soon! Yeah! :)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Crochet Car Baby Blanket is Fini

I started this at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and finished it today. I love this yarn it is Butterfly Mercerized Cotton / Kertzer Variegated. The rest of the info is in some Cyrillic language. The colors are so vibrant that they jump out at you.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Chock Full of Flowers Choker

Here is another design just approved by the LYS. It is a simple crocheted beaded choker with three flowers.

And...I made the pattern as I went so I actually am ahead of the game...

Anyway...I've been feeling awful about Ms. Ewe all day. I mean I can see her as I type and feel as if I left her down. I was at the shop today and one of the most talented people I know confessed to me hating the loop stitch so much she sewed in loops after knitting. Let's just say I feel tons better about hating that loop stitch now. Tomorrow when I work at the shop I'm going to bring Ms. Ewe and see if I can finish all the fleece. I want to get her done...really.

I have one more promised design to get done before I can return to fair, charity and maybe some knitting for me...

There's still a lot left to this month...maybe I can knock out a few goals too.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Diagonal Baby Blanket

Here is my diagonal baby blanket. It is crocheted starting at the edge and you increase two blocks each row and then decrease two blocks each row. It is 3' X 3' and made of Patons chunky, angora, and Zarone.

We are trying to get people interested at the LYS in making blankets for the new hospice center that opened up here in town. I am sending this blanket to the shop to show how nice this pattern crochets up. I actually really enjoyed making it too! I am making another one for Spring Fair.

Hope everyone is surviving the cold...and the week...

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

One Day at a Time

Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes to my parents. Dad goes into surgery tonight and is in good spirits. Mom had a rough day but is healing a little more each day. One day at a time.



Here is Mom's Lapghan completed. She likes these to cover her knees so I made this one special. It is sooo incredibly soft! The yarn is Acapulco and it is a merino blend from Italy. I would love to make me something out of this beautiful yarn!



Here is my sweater on dpns. See I just love using the ChiaoGoo needles. They are so smooth and easy to work with. I think I can finish the ribbing tonight and start on finishing the second sleeve. Then I may just cast on a sock...simply because I can!

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Crocheted Brown blanket

This is the only project I am crocheting right now. The really brown yarn is so fuzzy that my cat raised his hackles and thought it was another feline! When this is done it will fit a twin bed; I am 3/4 done!

It's Ready For a Night Out on the Town

Mom's crochet lapghan is finished and I think it looks great. The black yarn is Cascade 100% Peruvian Highland Wool and the component yarn has a black base with auburn filaments flecked with black ribbon.

Usually wool burns my fingers and apparently Shetland, Icelandic and Aran make me sneeze and have an allergy attack, but that is because they are not stripped of the lanolin I've found out.

At least for me, the processed yarns are a joy to work with. I loved this Peruvian Highland Wool it was so soft and slid so beautifully off the needle. The component yarn while beautiful became a terrible mess of tangles if I let it even touch itself...and forget frogging, tinking or any other activity! It is beautiful though and well worth all the bother! Mom is always worth it! :)

I'll let you know if she likes it or not.

Have a great day!

Ruinwen
:)

8/29/05 - Mom loves it! I am so happy! :)

Mom's Lapghan

Up close and personal this crochet lapghan is sleek and stylish. Just perfect for a night out or an early bird dinner.

Rainbow Blanket

Warning: The following entries are about crochet and have no knitting content what-so-ever. Thank you for your understanding. :)

A friend of mine gave me a family blanket to fix because it had "dropped a stitch". The thing that confused me was that she said it was a crochet blanket.  Crochet does not drop stitches.

On examination I found the drop stitches to be chain ladders in between double crochets. I had never seen this pattern before and after fixing my friend's blanket, I had to try to make one of my own.

The result is this weekend's entry. I have left one drop ladder so you could see what I was talking about before I finished it into a neat braid. Also, the original pattern had tied the braid at the end but that is why it unraveled. I chose to weave the last chain through the finished braid thus holding it for all time.

I really enjoyed this blanket and I think I will make another. It crochets up very fast because of all the chains.

Thank you again for your understanding. Hopefully, my next post will be on some knitting. :)

Drop Stitch

Here is a close up of the drop stitch on the crochet blanket.

Braid Stitch

This is a close up of the braid stitch on the crochet blanket.

Side-By-Side Stitches

This shows the dropped stitches side by side with the braid stitch in my crochet blanket.