A New Ripple

Hello,
 It is Wednesday already. Whew! School starts next week and I am ready. I think it has been a long hot summer. The weather has finally cooled off a bit and that is such a relief. It was way too hot this summer for my comfort.
 I am back to feeling like myself again, sore throat is gone and eyes are good. Yay! I have been crocheting like mad. I finished an afghan on Monday night. I love this blanket. I am going to make one just like it for my niece for Christmas. The only difference will be the size. This is a sofa throw and I will make her one that is a bit bigger. Probably twice the size. It only took 7 hours to make. I actually timed it because the pattern said it could be made in a weekend. It can. Here it is.

The yarn is super bulky and I used a P hook. The hook is huge. I followed the pattern up to the last row. There wasn't enough blue to put the last blue stripe in so I filled in the ripples with purple and edged it in blue.  The yarn and pattern are from Lion Brand Yarn. Two evenings watching television and it was done. I will use this yarn again. I hope everyone finishes out the week in a happy way. I will talk to everyone soon. :)

Tuesday's Tallies August 14, 2012

 

Hello,
 Today I woke up without a sore throat and my eyes look and feel normal. Yay! I can finally finish the last few things that need to done to consider ourselves completely moved in. For the last week and a half I would get home from work and pass out on the couch.
 Time for Tuesday's Tallies. I finished a lot of squares this week. Twenty-six. I have been sewing the ends before each join and then going back and sewing the cream colored ends in at the end of each row. Here it is so far.

Just an idea of how big this blanket is going to be. I need 360 squares and I have 87 done. It will go on our queen size bed. I am making this with the One-A-Day group on Ravelry and Carol at Gingerbread Girl hosts a link party every week to see everyone's progress. Go check out all the cool things people are making.
 I have another Ta Dah for tomorrow. I will talk to everyone then. Have a wonderful Tuesday. :)

A Little Present Ta Dah and a Pattern

Hello,
 How is everyone today? Did you watch the Olympic's Closing Ceremony last night. I LoVed it. I thought the whole thing was awesome, from the Opening Ceremonies to the Closing. I really enjoyed last night's show though. From Eric Idle to the Spice Girls, I loved it. I think it showed how creative and funny the British are. Here's to the United Kingdom. You did a great job!
 I am feeling better, finally. When I went to work today some of the other teachers were starting to get it. I feel bad for them. My throat still hurts and today was day 11. I hope it doesn't last that long for anyone else.
 Today was the last day for another one of our college girls. They go back to class next week and all of our older kids at the daycare go back to elementary school next week too. Which means Autumn starts first grade on Tuesday. Yikes! Seems like she was a baby just yesterday.
 I made a small gift for the girl who finished up today. It was just a little bag that I filled with candy. I made one of these in June also. Here it is.

I lined it, put a zipper in and filled it with Hershey Kisses. I hope she likes it.

Erin is a hard worker, she never complained, she went to any room she was assigned to. She was ready and willing to come to work within 15 minutes of being called. You can't ask for more than that. Have a great year Erin, we will miss you.
 I also have been promising the pattern for Rachel's Bag. I meant to post it last week but I was feeling so rotten that I didn't spend much time on the computer. Here it is.

This is a slouchy, hobo type bag. I couldn't find a pattern for exactly what I wanted so this is what I came up with.
I used worsted wt. cotton and a 4mm hook.

Ch 4, join.
R-1: ch 3, dc 11 in ring. Join with slip stitch. Turn. (12 sts.)
R-2: ch 3, dc in same stitch, then 2 dc in each stitch around. Join with slip stitch. Turn. (24 sts.)
R-4: ch 3, 2 dc in next stitch, *dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc* around. Join with slip stitch. Turn. (36 sts.)
R-5: ch 3, dc in next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch. *dc in next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch. Join with slip stitch. Turn. (48 sts.)
R-5 through R-11, continue in this manner adding increases each row. At the end of Row 11 you should have 132 sts.
R-12-22: Dc around. (132 sts, each row). Remember to turn at end of each row.
R-23: ch 3, dc in next 41 sts, dc 2 together, * dc in next 42 sts, dc 2 together* 2 times. Join with slip st. Turn. (129 sts.)
R-24: ch 3, dc in next 40 sts, dc 2 together, * dc in next 41 sts, dc 2 together* 2 times. Join with slip st. Turn. (126 sts)
R-25-28. Continue in this manner, with three decreases in each row. At the end of row 28 you should have 114 sts.
Handles.
R-29: ch 3, dc 2 together, dc in next 14 sts. Dc 2 together, dc in next st. Turn. ( 18 sts.)
R-30: ch 3, dc 2 together, dc in next  13 sts. Dc 2 together, dc in next st. Turn. (17 sts.)
R-31-37. Continue with pattern until you get to 10 sts. across.
At this point I continued until I got the strap until it was long as I wanted it ( the next side will be the same length and joined.
To make the other side leave 37 stitches between handles and repeat on the other side. Then join the tops of the straps together with a whip stitch.
To finish I single crocheted around the outside and inside of the handles and bag. And that is all. If this is confusing let me know. I read every comment and would be happy to answer any questions. The flowers are from Crochet With Raymond and I just sewed them on when I finished. Happy stitching. Talk to everyone tomorrow. :)

YOP Ta Dah and Update August 12, 2012

 

Hello,
 I hope everyone is doing well. The last week and a half has been rough around here. My eyes are finally on the mend, but my throat is extremely sore. I have been to four doctors in the last week and had to go to the hospital to get checked out. They tell me conjunctivitis goes hand in hand with a sore throat and ears. First I have ever heard of that. Thank you for all of your kind comments and tips. The one thing that has made me feel the best is the chamomile tea with honey that my good friend Karisma suggested. I have probably had about a gallon of it in the last two days. Enough about my ailments.
 I finally finished one of my YOP projects. Yay! The Sidewalk Shawl is done. Yippee!! Here it is.

After I finished it last night I found one missed stitch. I went back and fixed it but I wonder if anyone can spot it. Here it is before I fixed it.

To me it is really obvious, no one else has been able to find it. Fellow yarnies might see it. I am glad I fixed it, even though it was a pain in the butt. It would have bothered me every time I wore it. This shawl is easy to make and fast.  Now that I am done with this I am going to finish the Japanese Flower Scarf this week.
 I have started a present though. This is really neat yarn to work with. This is only 8 rows.

I did this in about half an hour. The pattern says you can make it in a weekend and you can. The hook is a P size and the yarn is a 6 (super bulky) Homespun Thick and Quick. It is very soft and I am actually following a pattern for this blanket. I hardly ever do that. This is small, like a throw. You could easily double the pattern to make one for a bed though. I might have to do that for some of the other gifts I am making.
 That is one project off my list. I have another Ta Dah for tomorrow and I will post the bag pattern tomorrow. Being online isn't bothering my eyes anymore.
 If it is still Sunday in your part of the world, I hope the rest of your weekend is as nice as mine is turning out to be. If it is already Monday, well, I hope you have a good week. Talk to everyone soon. :)