Picture Updates!

Squares made by my daughter and students at Bowling Green State University. They yarn bombed the residence hall in December. Now those squares are being donated to Love-Squared.

More progress on circles! 

My daughter is a knitter!

Isn't this gorgeous?  She did a great job.

She is teaching me to knit.  Very challenging! (Ignore the dog hair!) 

Christmas stockings made by my Mom.  She has made 27 of these over the years - one for each of her children and grandchildren, and a few for nieces and nephews.  I can see how her skills have improved from the earlier stocking (made for me 48 years ago) when compared to the ones made for my girls.  They are all beautiful! 

Intricate patterns!  Lots of detail!

I'm still working on knitting.... switched to circular needle and find them much easier to use.  Shortly after taking this picture, I found a dropped stitch. Tried to repair it...ended up ripping out the whole thing and starting over.  Sigh. 

Bombs Away!

This is very exciting to me....

Lucas County Children's Services, our local agency responsible for protecting children from abuse and neglect, teamed up with local street artists - particularly an anonymous lady known as Streetspun Yarnbombing - to wrap our city in blue yarn to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention.  Streetspun spread the word via Facebook and other media, to get hooks and needles going.

People (like me) went crazy!  This was my first ever yarnbomb. What's particularly fun, is that "we" (I include myself as a citizen of Toledo) received gifts of blue yarnbombs from around the world.  Here are a few pictures of the bombing installation....

Why yes....that is my contribution of hearts on the upper half of the tree on the right! I feel like a celebrity, even though nobody knows I did it.

Now that I've had a taste of street art, I may never be the same.  I've already completed my next yarnbomb!

Yes.... I did take a bit of inspiration from the Mixed Stripe Blanket.  This picture isn't doing the colors justice.  It's really quite bright and cheery.

Here it is, wrapped around a tree. (Pay no attention to that little chicken in the background!)

But you know, that wasn't enough.  I've been dying for an excuse to try the Happy Flower Decoration from Attic24.  What better reason than decorations for a city that needs love and happy things so desperately?   This picture is a little fuzzy (but so is the yarn....lol).  Actually, we had a bit of wind that kept spinning the flower. It was hard to get a picture!

In a few months, when everything is green and gorgeous, these little creations of mine will be on display, along with the work of many other fiber artists.  I'm thrilled to have a small part in these projects.

Before I forget... the yarn is just worsted weight, some leftovers I had in a bin, waiting for a project.  I think they've been put to good use!

Bombing Progress

Yarn Bombs

I've been wanting to make a yarn bomb. Something about it is so appealing...not just making the city more colorful and cheerful with our crazy crocheted rainbows, but the sneaky part... the bombing.

In April, as part of child abuse awareness, our city will be bombed with blue yarn.  I'm in. When this granny gets to 20 inches, it will be big enough for the lamp post.  I'm close, but not quite there. My intention is to make 3 of these squares, to be attached vertically - and cover about 5 feet.  The lamp post is 10 feet tall.

Please ignore the imperfections in this square... I do realize the edge along the bottom of the heart started out one granny cluster short of the other sides. I fixed it in the first navy row.  Since this is for a bombing, and will eventually be thrown away, I'm letting it go. If it were for an afghan, I would have ripped it out and fixed it in the first square round.

The center heart was simple:

Begin with a basic granny square for round one - 3 double crochets on each side, 2 chains in the corners
Round 2 - make 7 double crochets on each side - 2 chains in the corners.  This means 2 DC in the corner, 1 in each of the 3 DC from round 1, 2 DC in the next corner, 2 chain, and repeat for the next row. Slip stitch to the first stitch to end.
Round 3 - make a triple crochet in the middle DC (4th DC from the hook), then make 6 DC in the same space, plus 1 more triple, slip stitch to the next corner, repeat on the next side - this makes the 2 "humps" of the heart.  And you're done!

My square is not precise, but basically I did a round of single crochet, with 3 sc in the stitches that became the top 2 corners, and 3 in the point of the heart.  Subsequent rounds are traditional granny clusters, every 3 stitches.  Corners have 2 chains in between. The mistake in this one - 5 granny clusters on each side, except the bottom edge, which only has 4. Next time, I'll count and make them even.  (I have to keep reminding myself - it's a bomb. It's okay that it isn't perfect.)

One important note - the two corners at the bottom have triple crochet, not double crochet. It helps even things out.

Time for me to get busy. I need to make some tea and cookies...Downton Abbey is on this evening, and I want to be ready!