In December I ended up taking a beginner knitting class AND a beginner crochet class at the SAME TIME! I didn't mean to, but one had a cancellation and I got into it early. I really enjoyed both classes so much.
I learned all kinds of fun little things in my crochet class:
The project for my crochet class was a baby blanket. I decided to make mine into a full size blanket for using on the couch. It took me a lot longer to finish it... just over a month! Here are some photos from during the process of working on it:
And here is the finished blanket which I am so proud of!
I just love it. It looks great in our living room and it's so warm and comfy... that is, when the cat lets me have it :-P
In my knitting class, our project was a hat. I was shocked that a beginner class project would be a hat - it seemed so complicated. Turned out to be the perfect thing though because I learned the basic stitches, how to use all the different types of needles, how to increase and decrease, how to pick up stitches, how to change colors, etc. A perfect way to learn a lot!
Here are some photos from working on it...
(Right at the beginning, when we were staying at the Stanley Hotel in December).
And here is my finished hat!
Two other girls in my class finished their hats by the end, so we took a couple photos :)
I'm also working on a crocheted ruffle scarf. It is a very simple pattern but it takes forever to finish it, and 3 skeins of yarn lol. It's sort of a background project for now, but I want to finish it soon and make a 2nd one so I can give them to my aunt and grandma, who both want one really bad :)
I have both purple and pink yarns for the scarves, but they both want purple and I am going to make the pink one for myself :) Should match my knitted hat above!
I have also started a couple of NEW projects! I'm currently in another hat class for knitting and I am learning entrelac.
This is what I have so far on the hat:
I've done quite a bit more now but I don't have a newer picture yet.
Entrelac is a really cool type of knitting... now that I know how to do this, there are tons of things I can make with it. I have this awesome book and there are at least 10 things in it I want to make:
I have two more classes left and hopefully I'll have another finished hat soon!
I am also working on a second blanket. It's not for a class or anything... I'm making it for my grandma. She doesn't have a throw blanket that matches her living room and she sits in there and reads or watches tv every night. It is hard to find things with peach and teal (her colors) these days... but I found a Homespun yarn that has both colors in it, as well as a purple blend to use for the border since purple is her favorite color... and it has hints of the peach and teal in it also.
The blanket is worked diagonally so right now it's a triangle shape and will eventually be a square. I just started the blanket last night, and I worked a little more on it at Starbucks today.
I also have an intermediate crochet class coming up in February. I'm looking forward to it! After that I have to stop taking classes for a while because it's expensive. I will have learned enough that I should be able to take off on my own for a while. I have a lot of projects I want to do already!
WHEW!!!!!! Sorry this is such a BIG blog post it's just been a really long time coming and I had a lot to catch up on! I'll be sure to update about my projects from now on. Also if you are a knitter or crocheter, you can find me on Ravelry as ScrapCrafty!
What a beautiful blanket and hat! I crochet but have never been able to get my head around knitting. No matter how many times I try. Teaching myself is not a good thing for me! Maybe I will see if I can find a class too!
ReplyDeleteI can't teach myself well either, so class was great for me. I definitely recommend it!!
ReplyDeleteWow - that's awesome!! Where'd you find the classes offered... at a community college? craft store?
ReplyDeleteYou are rockin with your new loves! That interlac looks sooooo fun! Will have to learn that someday :) Maybe after my photography class...
ReplyDeleteKrista - I am taking my classes through a local independent yarn shop. The big box stores like Joanns and Michaels do have classes but they are not very extensive. Yarn shops usually have the best classes but they are also pricey.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your blanket! What is the yarn and stitch you used to get such great stripes and textures?
ReplyDeletejae
Jae ~ Thank you! The yarn I used is Plymouth Encore. It is worsted weight and it is a wool/acrylic blend. I got it at my yarn shop, I don't think they carry it at big box stores so check yarn shops or look online. I used 3 colors - 2 solids and 1 variegated. The 2 solids are Rimouski (the light brown) and Cream. The variegated is called Sands, which has brown, rust, lavendar, cream colors in it. The stitches alternate single and double crochet. I can link you to where you can buy this exact blanket pattern, but you have to sign up on the Ravelry website. Signing up is free. Here's the link to the pattern:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cuddles-baby-blanket
It's a baby blanket but obviously I made mine much larger :)
Yeah, so as cute as that hat is, the wearer is pretty cute too. Congrats on your new skills and your fab weight loss!
ReplyDelete-KathyA
Clearly a labor of love. That blanket is awesome! And of course your kitties are going to love snuggling with you and your new blanket. That hat is SO cute and the purply-pink color is an amazing color on you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Christie! By the way, congrats on 100 lbs lost! How wonderful :)
ReplyDeletejae