Crochet Satisfaction and Busy Bees

Over the last week or so I have been getting such joy from working on my tribute blankets, block after block. It's very satisfying. Block 2 is completed and beginning block 4 which is a bit more complicated but worth every minute. I know that makes no sense but silly me started the project out of order.

Block 2 is the Star Stitch, which is still my favourite. Above is the bowl I use at the cottage to keep all my crochet needs and my reading glasses in one place.

I have blocked the first 2 sets of blocks and they look fantastic. I hope all the squares block this well.

I have never wet blocked anything before... until this project. It works!

 I love that I can stack them allowing airflow without taking up too much room. They were a curling mess but once blocked they come out so perfect it just tickles me pink. It also seems to make them softer which is a lovely treat.

I soaked the blocks in warm water for 15 minutes. Placed them one by one on an absorbent towel and rolled them up. Then I gently squeezed the towel to remove any access water. Once I completed this I pinned them to the foam mat using the measurement markings to confirm size.

I moved them into a corner where they would not get direct sunshine so as to not discolor the yarn and waited a week... and perfection.

On to block 3 and 4, a long way to go... I really have to stay focused to get this done by my made up due date. Yeah I am behind.

At the cottage we have these lovely overgrown hedges which provide us with plenty of privacy, flowers and bees. Bees are endangered now so it does me heart good to see them doing so well at our tiny cottage over the hedge.

Lilacs and honeysuckle of several varieties.

I thought there wouldn't be an issue but taking a picture of busy bees is really difficult :-)

Please share what you are working on with me. I'd love to see it. Let's inspire each other.

~ Arlene

My new favourite crochet stitch

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post as I have been away. Enjoying the cottage and getting plenty done.
I'm working on the Marinke Slump tribute blankets. One, while at home and one, while at the cottage. I am only 3 weeks in to this project and have come across my new favourite stitch! I thought I had seen them all but this one... oh I love it. It's easy and works up fast! I did 4-7" blocks in about 3 hours. I will be blocking these and taking pictures later this week.

This is a very dense stitch and it uses more yarn that expected but I think it will be a nice heavy blanket stitch and will be using it this fall, for sure! I picture lots of lovely colorful strips, greens and purples of varying values. Green is a personal fav. I can't help myself... anything green.

I will lean towards the darker shades of each color and getting excited just imaging the happy rows of my two fav colors interchanged within one blanket.

I began work on Week 3 while at the cottage and after 4, yes 4 attempts and rip-outs I have figured out what I was doing wrong.

Here is what the block should look like. It's a really nice block, if done right. Haha!

Oh my, mine was widening on the left. Only the left. Strangest thing but I figured it out. I was working the WS into the first chain and not skipping as I should. I mis-read the instructions and thought that's what I was supposed to do... I should have known better.

So Thursday evening I will have time to tackle this again and hopefully I will get it right. Wish me luck.

Time at the cottage is a nice break from city life and the busy streets, the noise and just the overall stress of everyday life. We become more relaxed and take things slower. Even the dog changes his schedule to suit. It's such a nice, quiet time.

I don't have an oven in the cottage, by choice, so I have become very creative with cooking on the BBQ. Below is a photo of our new and most delicious pizza to date.

Caramelized onions and BBQ chicken on homemade crust. So many sweet onions. Baked on pizza stone in BBQ for 20 minutes. Thermostat reads about 325° but I wonder how accurate that is.

Here is what was left... yum!

So that's all for today. Have a lovely week and I will be back with photos of the tribute blankets next week.

~ Arlene

A tribute to Marinke (Wink) Slump, and all the talented women who inspire me everyday

This post is a bit awkward as it is dedicated to women I have never met. Strangers. And yet they are a true inspiration to me every day. They give me something to strive for, to work towards.

As mentioned before, I just recently, 4 years or so, got very seriously into crochet and some days it's all I can think of. I can't get home fast enough and get to work on my latest project.

During the summer there is typically less time to crochet so I try not to plan too much but I have come up with a wonderful project for this summer to keep me busy both at home and at the cottage.

About a year ago I learned of Marinke Slump, A Creative Being, and the first item I came across was a blog post by her sister, made after her passing. I was stricken by this and felt deeply saddened. Intrigued by this lovely young lady and her blog, her love of crochet and color, I ordered her book, BoHo Crochet, and eagerly read through it looking for her crochet ideas and patterns.

As I read more about her I came across a tribute blanket which Marinke began before her passing and others finished afterwards. It was meant to be a CAL but she was unable to finish it before taking her own life after a battle with depression.

It's a pattern made up of a variety of 7" blocks which are eventually joined to make a colorful and breathtaking blanket. Each block is designed by a different designer, all with Marinke in mind.

Dance in the Rain and Dance in the Sea are the same CAL blanket pattern but in different colors. There is a third color scheme for this blanket pattern, in jewel tones, but these are the two that made my heart sing and I couldn't possibly decide between the two.

I pictured one on each of the beds at the cottage and imagined working on them simultaneously while at home and at the lake. What a great summer project and my Nod to a young lady who's life was cut too short, and to all the other designers who chose this was to pay tribute to her.

I choose to work with Styecraft special DK and had to do a little sleuthing to get the colors right. For Dance in the Rain it was easy as the color codes were suspiciously the same in Scheepjes and Stylecraft. I just had to work out which color to use for which week. Dance in the Sea took the use of my color selector card for Stylecraft and a fair bit of time and decisions.

Here are my colors for Dance in the Rain...

 And the colors for Dance in the Sea

So I ordered my yarn from Wool Warehouse and anxiously awaited it arrival. The ladies at work laughed at me when these two giant bags showed up two weeks later. "more yarn!" "another blanket?" "No, two," I say with a giant smile. Then I shared with them all the lovely colors and told them about Marinke and the tribute blankets I will be working on.

I dove right in with my favourite color, Parma Violet, but as I was working on my squares I noticed them curling up on the corners. This is when I started to read up on Blocking. So back to Amazon.ca to order my Blocking Mats. Luckily I had the pins in my stash of craft supplies so I was off to the races. Blocking this little beauties made all the difference. You can nudge them into place and it is set for life.

I have completed the four blocks for Week 7 for both blankets.

Photos to come over the summer as I work on these two blankets. But I will show them in order and share with you any issues I encounter as I go along. I am shooting for one block pattern a week (8 blocks) but I am already behind while I waited for my blocking mats to arrive and to see if blocking actually works.

I wonder if there is anyone else working on these lovely blankets at the same time.

Have a wonderful week and have fun with all your projects and make sure to get out and enjoy this lovely spring weather.

~ Arlene