Ripple Blanket-TaDAA!!!

In July of 2012, I picked out yarn for a huge ripple blanket.  I agonized over it.  I didn't want to pick out yarn for a blanket that I didn't love.  I had to figure out 'my style'.  Oh what the heck...I agonize over every blanket yarn purchase!  I'm known for it!!  People have actually called the yarn store to make sure I was NOT there so I wouldn't confuse them, or talk them into making a blanket!

I've made a few blankets, but none this big.
And none I love more.

And I'm not going to pretend I don't miss our Ripple Tuesday nights....because I do.  When you decide to make a blanket, you also make a financial commitment and a time commitment.

 For those of you that have been following my blog, you might remember Ripple Tuesday.  Our crochet group got together every Tuesday evening to work on our ripple blankets.  I remember the first night.  We were following a pattern posted by Lucy at Attic 24.  And my oh my, Groovy Girl and I had a small disagreement about the pattern instructions!!! 

As the blanket grew, so did the memories. 

 If you go back through my blog and do a search (area on upper left corner) you can search Ripple Blanket, Ripple Tuesday, Tuesday Ripple (I'm so consistent!) Ripple Monday...etc.   .

When you make a blanket, you sometimes remember where you were and what was going on while you were working on it.
When I started this blanket, I was living at our house in town.  We have since moved and sold that house.  Groovy Girl yarn store has moved too.

 You probably remember the saddest time of this blanket process was when our friend Kristi had a massive heart attack.  I sure do miss her.  I hear she is doing better, but we have only seen her once since her stroke.  She was not the same person. 

 Our crochet group doesn't get together anymore.  "K" and I do still meet to crochet.  And last week we had a blast, singing off key, to songs that we don't know the words to!  Seemed like old times.  When Groovy Girl was actually moving her store, our group got together at the local coffee shop to crochet.  We made this Alexandra Mackenzienz pillow.  (I would have more pictures to show but since my old computer - Roofus - broke down I lost some pics too)

 

There was the time Mom and Dad spent the day here on Mom's birthday, last May.  I was showing Mom how to ripple, so she has woven a memory into my blanket, while Dad fished (and drank a beer!)

  

There was the time I tried crocheting with my niece and my dog on my lap.  That didn't turn out so well.

 This little guy always wants on my lap when I'm crocheting.

 When my blanket became too big to carry with me and work on, I joined a ripple crochet-a-long on Mel's blog.

It motivated me to work on the blanket again.  The problem I had with this blanket, is how do you know when it's finished?  I decided when I ran out of yarn to ripple, I was done.  Well, I still have a couple of colors that I could add on,

 But I like it the way it is.  I do want to make a couple of pillows to go with it.  And I cannot find the original pillow case that we used to match the yarn, but I will.  It's around here somewhere!

 The only thing I had to do to finish it was  tie in a few loose ends.  I did most of them as I went.  

 

And a little trick I learned is if you have to chain a lot of chains...don't worry if you end up with too many.  Just go on with the blanket.  Untie the knot...

 and re-tie it and you are fine!

 Anyway, here you go!!!

TADAAAA!!!!!

I got the two pillows on the left at a craft show this past weekend, and the one on the right a couple of years ago, at the same booth, at the same craft show!

  

What do you think?  I am so happy it is finished!

Oh...and did I mention...last night,

 I slept like a baby!

Cindy Bee

Monday Ripple and a pillow by Alexandra Mackenzie

A couple of weeks ago I was painting some things with chalkboard paint.  I ended up painting this bucket.  I had no real reason for it, I just decided it would look better painted than not.  It was in bad shape.

 The other day while working on my ripple blanket, I decided I needed a place to store the yarn that I wasn't using yet.  I didn't like all of the bags on the floor, around the chair I sit in, when I crochet.

So I put a plastic bag in the bucket (I was afraid of rust or something getting on my yarn) and put the ripple blanket yarn in it.  I still have the yarn I'm actually using in a bag by the chair.  This is my excess, that I will need as my ripple blanket grows.

  And I like that it brightens up a corner of our room.

 So...the ripple....I added about eight rows.  The blanket is very wide.  I'm making it to fit our queen size bed.  And since I had to rip out a few rows, I didn't get as far as I hoped I would.  But I love the way this blue looks with this pink.

 I don't have any color combination going on.  I do have a bit of a pattern, but the colors I pick randomly.  I started this blanket months ago, at Groovy Girl Yarn.  I just got it back out when I saw where Mel from One Crafty Mumma was having a ripple-a-long.  I decided to join in.  I was having a hard time getting the hang of it again, which is why I had to rip out some rows.  I think I'm good now though.   It's my stay at home, morning/evening project.  I can't really take it with me anymore as it's too big and heavy to lug around.  But it sure is nice and toasty warm when I'm working on it!

 Now, Groovy Girl Yarn hasn't been talked about in awhile because she is moving.  But I miss my crochet group, so I asked them if they wanted to do a crochet-a-long and make this pillow

 (this is Alexandra's pillow so far.  I love her colors.)

 with Alexandra Mackenzie, during GG's move.  Anyone can join in with Alexandra.  She is posting it on facebook and just doing a row or two a day.  Our crochet group is going to meet at Big Ben Coffee Shop (our local coffee shop) and work on this pattern.  Since I asked them to join me, I thought I'd better make one side of the pillow, just to check out the pattern.  I just finished row eight.

 (I'm using my small leftover ripple yarn.  I want my pillow to match my blanket)

And I'm glad I am working the pattern before meeting, because my first attempt was too tight.  I was using a 4.5 hook, on yarn that suggests a 5 hook, and it was too tight.   The sides were really curling up.

 I re-did it with a 5 then a 5.5, and liked the 5.5 the best.

 I realized this morning that I "met" Alexandra through Mel, on Mel's blog (which is on my sidebar) when she bought a "hottie" (hot water bottle cover) from Alexandra.  What a coincidence that they are both doing crochet-a-longs that I decided to join in on, at the same time.

Cindy Bee

PS - You can find Alexandra on facebook.  I tried to download a link and it didn't work, nor do I want to spend all morning messing on this computer.  Just look up Alexandra Mackenzie.  She sells some of the coolest crocheted stuff....hot water bottle covers, coffee mug thingys, cell phone cozies, and now egg cozies, just in time for Easter.

PPS - Now I'm on my way to Mel's blog to check out other ripple blankets.  It's fun to see all of the color combinations.

PPPS!- Check out Brenda's pillow (from Ladybug Dreams)

Ripple-a-long Monday

Remember Ripple Tuesdays?

Much has changed.

1) Kristi is recovering...

2) The yarn store has moved locations and isn't open yet...

3) Tuesday crochet now meets on Thursdays, but isn't meeting right now because of change #2.

4) We kind of stopped working on them because of Christmas projects and Winter Woolen Workshop projects.

 

 

So, when I saw a post on Facebook from Melissa,  Day to Day saying she was going to have a ripple-a-long, I decided to join in.  I really want to get this blanket done and it's the right motivation to get me going.

It's big and nice and snuggly right now so it keeps me warm while I ripple.  And it's so darn cold out right now.  Apparently we are in the direct path of another snow/ice storm.

So, on Friday evening, I got the blanket out and started working on it.  But the minute I got it out, my niece, who was spending the night, sat on my lap.  Then, in a jealous fit, Dixie sat on my lap.  So I was attempting to ripple around them.  Not a good idea.  I ripped that row out.  

Big difference between ripping and ripple-ing!

Then Sunday evening I got it back out.  Apparently,  Dixie thinks it's an open invitiation for him to jump on my lap.   And when he looks at me like this....I have a hard time resisting.  So I settled him in beside me, and got started....again.

He just likes to snuggle.

 Here it is so far. 

 It's quite an ambitious project for me.  I want it to fit our bed.

 It looks like it's about half way there, but it really isn't...I haven't pulled it down over the end of the bed.

 

So I need to get back at it folks.....

 

If I can keep him off of it long enough....sigh...

Cindy Bee

PS - Pop on over to Melissa's blog and check out some other ripple blankets. Join us!

Tuesday Ripple

Let me just say, I am going to get this table cleaned off today come hell or high water.  It's been driving me crazy since we moved.  OK - now on to ripple news....

First of all...Groovy Girl Yarn Shoppe had a drawing....and Kathy won. 

Jeeeesh, she is just now learning to crochet.

 This is her three mile long scarf!

 Kristi's ripple

 Granny Bee's ripple

 Groovy Girl's ripple

My ripple

 "K's" ripple

 My granny squares for my bag

Granny Bee's granny squares for her foot stool

And that is all the stuff we worked on last Tuesday.  We were serious crocheters!

Cindy Bee