Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Granny and Grand-Baby

Thank you very much for your best wishes--both here, on Ravelry, and via email. We really appreciate it. Many of you want to know the flavor of our cupcake--we wont know until Cupcake arrives!



In the meantime, I am doing a little bit of crafting. This blanket was not the first project to be cast on, but it was the first to be finished. I think that is kinda cool--the first crochet technique I learned (I think I must have been six?) was the good old Granny Square. And I learned crocheting (and many other crafting addictions) from my mom. So this project is a thank you to my mom. Hence it is called "Oh Granny! It is a Grand-Baby Blanket!"



I am not good at making baby clothes in traditional baby colors. Not that I dislike baby colors. I am also not good at making baby clothes in "babyish" patterns. Again, I love the frills and fancies--I think for that I would invest in store bought things...I am too preoccupied making little baby-adult clothes.



Though I have tons of Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece in stash, this is the first time I have worked with it. I liked this yarn for this project for two reasons. One, the stitch definition is just amazing. Second, it is the perfect blend of wool and cotton for all-year blanket needs.



I also liked how the yarn worked with the pattern. I wanted a tighter (but very comfortable) gauge, so I used a 4mm hook. This defined the corners of the square, without really enhancing it. At the end, the project looks like a three dc in space blanket, and also as a granny square. Or at least that is how it looks to me...



But can you tell how there is a shade difference for about two rounds? All the yarn was from the same dye lot, and I have no idea how this happened. Well. If this was store bought (and not handmade), I would have got very annoyed and promptly returned it. But since it is handmade, it is all about character. It is.



Pattern: Grand Granny Square Afghan by Lion Brand Yarn
Yarn: Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece in Slate Charcoal
Hook: 4mm
Modifications: The last round was of single crochet, with three single crochets in the corners.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

And one cupcake in the oven.


What is the most frustrating thing about handmaking baby clothes? I never know if it is big enough, small enough, fitting enough... Grr. So I asked Suketu if we could just have our own model, and he thought it was a splendid idea.

So our cupcake arrives in the end of October. And you must know by now how much we love cupcakes.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Guilty as Hell.

Fine. I am back in the US. And I dont have any India pictures. Zilch. My brother took some for me, but he is currently holding them ransom.



Maybe we should talk about crafting then. Blogger friend and fellow crafter, Mazhalai, is having a baby (yeah!) boy and this is what I made for the little fellow.


Stashbusting is the new name of the game. I had 1.5 skeins from the Blue project, and this worked just fine for this baby kimono. I just made the sleeves shorter.


This is a super easy project and of course, it has got to be top down. (I think I am officially a top down snob.) I didnt have two identical buttons in my stash so I used what I had. Well, babies can carry off all kinds of fashion.


Pattern: Baby Kimono Wrap
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton, 1.5 skeins
Hook: 5mm
Size: 6 months
Modifications:
1. The yarn was too heavy for hdc, so I did the entire project in dc.
2. Worked the sleeves until I ran out of yarn.