pictures,pictures,everyone

Here is the second item I'm crocheting. It's to help me learn to keep my edges even. There is a few spaces along the edge where I could have gone one more space and kept it uniform. For the most part it's even. This is a simple shell stitch. Currently it's at 4.5 inches width by 1.5 feet in lenth. Size 00 crochet hook used.

On this I was thinking of adding a bit of tatted edging to it when it gets large enough. I'm using a pattern that I hope will compliment the shell stitch.

 And finally we have the mistakes on the Welcome Home blanket. By not skipping 2 spaces but 1 I managed to get it to curve. There's no way this will lay flat, so as tired as I am of saying this....time to rip that entire section out and start over.

My search on the bamboo thread had come to an end. I found it in 7 different colors online. The only negative is that they are asking for 4 times the going price for one ball. Now I say ridiculous because even the plan white which is sold for about $3/ball is at the same price as these colored ones. I'm just going to dye my own thread. It'll run me roughly $10 for the dye plus time, still way cheaper than buying it from the suppliers.

On the blanket vein...I made a huge mistake. After doing the second 'ribbon round', I miscounted the stitches. Instead of skipping 2 spaces I only did 1. So now there's five entire rows I have to undo and restart. I'm disappointed and bit frustrated with myself. I really want to get this pattern finished quickly but I keep hitting roadblocks. I'm setting it aside for a couple of weeks, just to get my head on straight. I did move on to another simple pattern. A shell pattern I'm just making up into a square. It's only purpose is to teach myself how to continue without adding or subtracting. In other words, paying attention. It's also being made with the size 10 bamboo thread because I have 5 balls of it, and I'm using a size 00 crochet hook. It works out better with the crochet thread than the smaller one I'm using for the blanket. Also, because the thread isn't being stitched so tight, it feels softer. Like when I first fingered the bamboo thread on it's ball.

Row 17

I haven't worked on this much the past week. I've been feeling under the weather and haven't had energy for much. I have gotten to the 1/4 mark of Row 17. The next turn will be the base of the 'ribbon' row, or the gap section there in the picture. I did manage to get a new ruler and the length measures 32.5 inches long or 2 feet 8.5 inches. I should have kept going until I hit 3 feet even. In any case, it is definately long enough for a baby to use. Here's a close up of the stitch work:

The stitches like I may have mentioned before are very small and tight. One Double Crochet is 1/3 of an inch thick and 1/2 inch high.

Row 15

Here we are at the 1/3 mark of row 15.

See that gap section there? It represensts one whole section. In the end, there's to be 8 of these. I was considering going until I doubled that count as well. Since I did double the length I should also double the width. I suppose it will have to wait until I did the 8 first.

White

Here we have the do-over entirely in Aunt Lydia's size 10 white bamboo thread. I stopped on row 12 because my behind is sore from sitting down. This time I did double the starting chain so instead of 209 stitches it has 418, it measures roughly 2.5 feet in length. I say roughly because I have no measuring tape to give an accurate size right now. The hook being used is size 10/1.30 MM so the stitches are pretty small and tight. I do plan on unraveling the other one with green and salvage the white bamboo thread into this one. One thing about the thread I didn't care for is that halfway through one skein there was a knot tied. Like the machine had ran out of thread before the skein was fully rolled and they just tied another lead to it until it reached 300 yards. Since I'm new to the world of this particular type of thread, I don't know if it's common to find yarn/thread like this.

Restarting

I've come to the desicion to restart the Welcome Home blanket. I'm planning on just using up the three and a half skeins of bamboo 10 thread I have. This coming Tuesday I head back to pick up more thread, since I did recieve a call more will be available. Some of those skeins are going to the dye pot. Assuming that ten skeins will be available, I will do half in green and three in a verigated shades from dark purple/burgandy to light purple, no white.

For the sizing of the blanket I'm just going to double up on the starter chain. The length of it seems to be long enough to last the baby a few months rather than a couple of weeks of use. I've just gotten to the point where I begin the second row, which is an eyelet row for the ribbons that must be added in after all the crochet has been done.

Setbacks are bound to happen

The pattern has set itself in my mind now. I can now go pretty quickly from row to row. Stretching it out I encountered a problem. The blanket is not going to be long enough. You see this pattern is worked by length not width. Since there is to be scallops at the end points I can’t see just ‘adding’ on to it. I have no choice, I have to start over. That’s a lot of hours wasted here. But lesson learned, always do a gauge before actually starting the project. I think if I would’ve done in twice the required length, it would have came out long enough for the baby. It just kind of chafes.
One thing I have a mind set to get is a thread leader. It looks like a ring but you run the thread over it so it doesn’t actually cut into your skin. I remember reading about it somewhere, so I have to do a internet search to find the actual name of this tool. It’s some kind of thread guide and I believe it was meant for knitters. My poor fingers have grooves in them from the thread pressure. Again, it’s not a need per se, rather it’s a tool to make my life a little easier. I can still crochet without it, but not for too long before the pain starts up.
　

Welcome Home steps 2

 I will continue my slowly but surely tempo on this blanket. I'm now on row 10 of 80. I could probably make it to 25 or 30 before I run out of thread. As far as stocking up and dyeing the bamboo, well that project will have to wait for the availability to open up. Searching online for the bamboo thread only lead to sellers selling the same skein at different prices. Apparently Aunt Lydia is the only manufacturer that deals with 100% bamboo. Goodbye my hopes of bulk thread purchases.
Current Progress: Row 10 begun

Yes, I can keep working

I scored two more skeins of the size 10 bamboo thread, locally! Talking with the salesperson, I found out that they get regular shipments roughly every three weeks and the batch is usually twenty skeins. Roughly, sometimes they get more, sometimes less. I was told to go back tomorrow afternoon, and the recent shipment was only ten because of limitations on their truck. I asked that they be placed on hold for me and told them I would be in later in the afternoon to purchase them. So tomorrow I'll have 3000 yards of 100% bamboo thread to keep working on the blanket project. I was also showed two different hooks that would give me better results with my current work than what I've achieved so far. I may pick those up too. It all depends on how much I have left after replacing my mattresses.

Where's my calculator?

I spent a ridiculous amount of time today splicing some more of the green bamboo thread and getting that wound on thread holders. So I go back to working on the blanket only to realize I won't have enough of the white to finish this project. Since we were already making a trip to the store, I tagged along hoping to get some more size 10 bamboo. Only to find out that the one store I knew for a fact carried it, no longer carries it. *angry breaths* I made calls to other local stores and get the same response, it is no longer carried in store but I may find it online. Just last month you could find this in crazy amounts everywhere, now it's no where to be found. *sigh*

I have three options here:

1. Order it in a large batch quantity online and pay a high amount of shipping
2. Get a couple of skeins of the same Spa brand yarn  in white and splice that as well.
3. Start over with different thread

I'm not sure what I'm going to do so I'll set the blanket aside for a couple days and see which of the above options appeals to me the most.

Welcome Home Blanket

Here I added some of the split green bamboo thread. I like the way the colors are blending. The 3 plys look to be the same size as the 10 but when stitched, they come out a bit thicker. Then again the difference may have to do with the fact that the white is crochet thread while the green is crochet yarn. I'm thinking of dyeing some more 'thread' for future projects. The bamboo skein is pretty reasonably priced and I think I can probably buy it in bulk online somewhere. But let's not jump ahead of ourselves, let's finish what's in front of us first.

This is by Terry Kimbrough. I purchased the best of baby crochet book and this is one of my favorite patterns in it.

Relavent posts snagged from my other blogger

 I had them take me to JoAnn's Fabrics store and I picked up four skeins of the softest thread I thought to put my hands on. It's a bamboo/Microdenier Acrylic blend, the brand is called Spa. It did run a bit pricey, but since I have the intention of using my limited crochet skills to make  a simple blanket for the baby, I thought well why not? I also purchased the hook size it had posted on the package sleeve. I started on it yesterday in between boring runs from this store to that store, and I'm really suprised and happy on how fast this is coming along. I have two and a half feet of it started width wise

This is a comparison on the new thread versus the size 30 I had at home. I was practicing the 'shell' stitch and while I think it is cute, it's very time consuming to do. That small strip of white thread is only 5 inches long!


I found a full skein of size 10 bamboo thread and one that was mostly used up. I also found a booklet on baby blankets that I purchased back when I was first put on bedrest and stayed a few weeks with the in-laws. There was also a package of plastic crochet hooks. Those hooks turned out to be trash. They kept snagging on the thread and the yarn. Now the recommended hook on the bamboo is 7 or 1.5mm, and I only have 2 sizes to work with. The 10/1.3mm is the closest in sizing so I'm using that. Here is the result of that:

That holder with the green is a splice of the bamboo/acrylic. My son had hopelessly tangled up a skein of it. I guess he loves the feel of the yarn because he kept rubbing it up against his face and arms, like a cat. I took that mess and split the 6 plys into 3. Okay I only did a little bit, and it split pretty much on it's own. The only problem I had was little bits of fuzz that would accumulate from friction, that I kept having to cut off. I got the white bamboo from Walmart and I think I'm going to get some more. The skein says it's 300 yards and the pattern calls for a total of 1790 yards. I'll use what I have now and see how much more I have to get, especially since I'll be switching between the white and green. I can also use any left over thread in white to tat with.