Yellow Baby Blanket & Bear & Other Stuff

Busy, lots of projects, ideas, genealogy research & knitting. And that pesky thing called a job. And Dad.  Everything I do takes up too much time. I wish for 5 more hours a day. Ah, if only. The Dangerfield Family research is winding down, happy to have so much data, photos & records put together...and wonderful wonderful having the family trees on Ancestry.com. Oh yes, renewed again. If I could stay up all night and not need sleep, perfect!   Max keeps a watchful eye on all I do

...and now finding more on the Stead Family, thanks to a researcher in England.  I've worked some more on the Galligan & Service Families - absolutely amazing what I have discovered about distant cousin Robert O Service in Topeka, Kansas- and so satisfying to identify people in the old photos I unearthed 10 years ago.  Connecting the dots as they say.  I'll do a blog page for Robert & his family later this month and just so pleased (pleased!) to find that the Topeka Library is interested in the old photos for their Topeka Room Collection. Very satisfying.

The Project Linus yellow Baby Bear Blanket is finished, all done & turned in. The bear in his matching yellow sweater posed for me and off they went to a Blanket Bee, last Saturday.  Max will miss washing the bear's feet.

I think it turned out nicely, the cotton is so so soft.

Simple, easy, reversible pattern for beginners. 

Here is the link to the free pattern:

Tofutsies Stringtown Baby Blanket

Here's what I used:

Needle:   US 7 - 4.5 mm

Yarn:   Bernat Cottontots Solid

How much:  4 skeins = 684.0 yards (625.4m)

Colorway:  Sunshine

Color family:  Yellow

Size:  25" x 30"

3 Bears Model Finished Sweaters

The yellow sweater/bear goes with the Project Linus Baby Blanket. Which I may eventually finish.

Had a time finding a white bear, to go with that gray & white sweater.

That yellow one.....

There's one in every crowd...

awhhhhh....

Projects & Yarn & Unfinished Projects

And never enough time, ever.  oh well. I managed to buy more yarn, of course :) always enough time for that! My favorite LYS has a stack of Sports Illustrated & comfortable chairs. Dad's happy to sit & read while I browse & buy. Perfect! I acquired 12 balls of Rowan Cotton Jeans in a lovely dark navy with little specks. No idea what it'll become, but enough for a top.

My desire for a thick, home-made hotpad prompted this little group:  Cotton Kitchen Set in Seed Stitch

I experimented with 4, 3 & 2 strands of various Pisgah kitchen cotton in natural, held together on either 8, 9 or 10 needles & all in seed stitch. 

The little scrubby in front was 2 strands on size 8 needles, then used a sewing needle & tulle/net to stitch over, for added scrubbiness.

The Sunshine Baby Blanket, still a WIP.  Slow going & boring, but...!!!  A reversible pattern, which I like in a blanket. The Bernat Cottontots is so soft. The pattern is from Project Linus, the Sideways Shell Baby Blanket - see pattern on sidebar.

My other project in progress is the Ribbed Knit Top.

First clothing project (for me) and the basic rib is getting boring. Pattern is free from Lion Brand, will add. Yarn is Arucania Cotton.

And lastly, this worthless &%#$@ Knit Prayer Shawl

It'll never be finished, as far as I'm concerned. I always find something else to do.  Maybe I will start praying?

Pattern is one of the free prayer shawls from Lion Brand patterns and using Homespun, which I don't like either - but was a request from a co-worker & so was the yarn. yuk.

Crochet Shell Blanket FINISHED!

Good Grief.  Wondered if I was EVER going to finish this monster.  A Project Linus Blanket Bee coming up (this Saturday!) lit a fire in my fingers!  I started 'way back in August - yes last year - great idea for a big child-sized blanket and though not a fan of acrylic, the colors pretty and the Red Heart certainly in my budget.  So it stayed in my WIP basket.

Hook: 5.0 mm (H)

Yarn:  Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Multis/Ombres

How much: 7 skeins = 945.0 yards (864.1m)

Colorway: Monet

Pattern:  Sideways Shell Baby Blanket from Project Linus

Old favorite pattern from Project Linus, very easy to learn, mindless to crochet while watching basketball with Dad.  I thought only 5 skeins would make a huge-enough blanket, but found that I had made it too long (152 ch).  So I acquired 2 more skeins, balancing the size. It's BIG blanket. 45"x70".

And I have YET to EVER crochet anything that is a right-on squared-size.  My initial chain always too tight. Whne the directions say "chain loosely" they mean LOOSELY. 

Oh well, it's pretty, soft, colorful & nice. And DONE.

And turned in on Saturday!  On to the next project.....