Crochet Blanket for a New Niece

My sister is having a baby girl!  So being the good Aunt that I am, I just HAD to crochet a blanket for this new little bundle of joy!

As you know, I just started crocheting during the last week of December, 2011.  So, since I had NO IDEA how to read or follow a crochet pattern, I was forced to make one up....I think I might have a knack for designing my own creations, because this blanket turned out much cuter than many of the patterns that I looked at and attempted to decipher!

:) Rachael

 

 

Adventures in Crocheting - Part 3 - Handbag of Errors

Story continued from: Part 1 and Part 2

Bolstered by my relative success with the pattern free potholder, I started looking online for something simple that I could try making.  I found a little handbag with an online video tutorial.

Remember though that I had only purchased 1 small ball of yarn, but I started out following the tutorial and making this small bag.  I realized once I got the bottom completed that I was going to run out of yarn, so I put it away for the night and went back to Hobby Lobby for another ball of yarn the next day.  Of course, when I got to Hobby Lobby, they were out of that particular yarn...so I chose another color that I thought would compliment the turquoise (lucky me, I got to figure out how to change colors mid pattern).  I also, picked up another size crochet hook and 2 additional balls of yarn (for future projects).

Here is the final bag...it has a lot of errors.  Truthfully, I still hadn't realized how important counting is in the world of crochet.  So somehow, I managed to add enough extra stitches, that by the time I got to the point where I was ready to make the handles, I had an extra 13 stitches in my top row!  AAAGHHHH!

 Of course, I had no intention of going back and fixing the error, so I did my best to recalculate where I needed to begin and end my handles, and the length that they needed to be, given my extra stitches.  So no, this bag is not perfect...but it's nice enough that I can actually give it to one of my young nieces, without having to apologize for it.

To make up for my errors, I found a tutorial on how to make a simple rosette and I added it to the bag for a little extra detailing.

OH, I almost forgot!  I now KNOW what a single crochet is!

Here is the yarn info for anyone who is interested...

  Turquoise: I Love This Cotton (Hobby Lobby Brand), 100% Cotton, Color #/Name - #70 Turquoise

  Purple: I Love This Cotton (Hobby Lobby Brand), 100% Cotton, Color #/Name - 252 Purple

The Daily Pic - Muhly Grass

Question for you....do you take your camera with you when you go garage saleing?  You should...you never know when you'll spot something photo worthy.  For example, this past weekend, when I saw the most beautiful ornamental grass.  I bought a baking dish but I also got permission to take some pictures of their yard.  It's called Muhly Grass.  I had never seen or heard of it before, but I'm definitely a fan!

The Design of a Palm Tree - 2

Yesterday I posted six different takes on the photo I took of a palm tree last month.  Click here to see those photos.  Today I am posting a few more!  To me, these have an Andy Warhol, art deco feel.  I really like them, I think that they would make a cool set of notecards.  Enjoy!  And please leave a comment and let me know what you think and also, which is your favorite!  Thanks  :)  Rachael

In this first image, I have kept the integrity of the original photograph's colors.

The Daily Pic - Cycads

Here are a couple pictures of one of the many Cycad plants in my yard.  Enjoy :)

The Daily Pic - Mexican Petunia

Here are a few pictures I took of a Mexican Petunia.  I love this flower.  It's beautiful, it's strong, it's hardy and it's difficult to kill...but at the same time, it's delicate, it's blooms sometimes only lasting for 1 day.  Kind of like some people.  Resilient when necessary but still sensitive on the inside.

The Daily Pic - A Walk After the Rain

Here in Central Florida we have about one more month before the "rainy" season is over.  For some reason, the end of a shower or thunderstorm inevitably seems to draw me outside with my camera.  Here are a few pictures that were taken on such a day.

Peering through the leaves of a Bird of Paradise plant.

Raindrops on Orchids.  I love these flowers!

I feel so blessed to live in a place where they bloom year round!

A Maple tree, the leaves of which, are heavy with rain drops.

The delicate shoots of Coleus in bloom.

Reflection in a puddle.

On this particular afternoon, Roman joined me for my walk.

I love how the rain makes everything green again!

Sometimes life is hard...we should take a lesson from this little plant.

Thrive - whatever your circumstances...

even if you find yourself between a rock and a hard place

...or in this instance a brick.

And last, but certainly not least...my favorite picture from this particular day.  Raindrops on a fern.  Why do I like it so much?

I'm not sure, I just know that I do.