Hurricane Ripple

Haven't posted to this blog in a LONG time. I call this blanket the Hurrican Blanket because I did almost all of it while evacuated to my parents house during Hurricane Ike.

At first I didn't really like this blanket all that much. I had a "vision" for it and it didn't really work out the way I had planned. I originally planned to put this on my couch, but one cold night I took it into my bedroom and discovered that I love the way it looks in there.



I didn't plan for it to go with the duvet and shams, it was just a happy coincedence. In fact while I was making the ripple I had totally forgotten that I even had that duvet set. We had recently moved and it was still in a box.

So it's finally starting to really grow on me.
YAY!

Thanks Dawn! and....

Susan/ZenKnit here.... Just want to thank Dawn for keeping us all together. Applause!!!

Hopefully my stepping in will be a seamless thing. Just like you all here, I LOVE ripples. So much so that I have another one to show you.

Today I finished another blanket for Project Little Lambs. This one is just like the blues and greens one I previously shared, that being, the pattern warm waves from the 200 Ripple Stitches book. Again, a chain of 120 to start.

At first I just started crocheting in colors that I thought looked nice together, but then decided to do a series of repeating patterns. I think it looks nice, so much so that it will be hard to part with this one. It has a lot of loving energy in it.

~ Peace
Susan/ZenKnit

Ripple in Greens and Blues

Used the pattern warm waves from 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns. More details on my blog, ZenKnit

~ Peace

My Latest Ripple

Here is a photo of the latest:



The colors aren't quite right in the photo. It is a very nice blend in person. Here is a blurry shot with a better view of the colors:



Ack! That still isn't quite right. It really is very nice looking in person. I wasn't really thrilled with it at first, and ended up tearing a good chunk out and re-working the width (it was toooooooo biiiiiiiggggggg) and changing up the order of the colors, because the variegated was just blending too much into the dark brown. The dark brown is called coffee, the lighter brown is cafe, the variegated is earth and sky, and the white is either aran or soft white. I don't have them right here so I am just guessing.

Three repeats out of a total of 6. I thought I could get away with 5 repeats, but I think it will be just a bit short. I don't know if I will have enough yarn. I calculated it thinking that the instructions were right, and they aren't. The stitches are right, but I am wondering if there was just a silly person doing the yardage because this is the 2nd time that the 2nd color of 2 patterns was off. Thankfully, the 2nd color is one of those "no dye lot" sort, and I think I can get it local vs. having to order it online. I still haven't ordered more yarn for the red, white, blue and tan afghan. I need to do that!

Tomorrow starts a pretty busy week; I may not get a lot of time to crochet. It is also my birthday on Friday and I have celebrations planned on Friday and Saturday. I will tell you more about that when I can.

Have a great week! I know I will.

Peace,
Susan (aka ZenKnit)

I'm finished with August

I'm finished with August. The afghan for August that is. And it is only the 6th! Whoo!

Here is Storm Clouds:



The pattern is Storm Clouds (#63) from 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns, by Jan Eaton. I used 3 colors of Red Heart Super Saver. Black, Grey Heather and a beige with brown, grey and black flecks called Aran Fleck. The black came in 7 oz skeins, the grey and fleck in 5 oz skeins. I used a full 2 skeins and about half of a 3rd skein for the grey and aran fleck, and only a bit of the 3rd skein of black. I think I might have been able to get by with only 2 skeins of the black had I not started over and then needed longer tails for connecting. Here is a better shot of the colors:



I did 12 repeats of the 3 colors, plus an extra 2 rows of black to kind of balance it out (it started with black). Used a size J hook and it worked out to be about 46 x 68.5 inches. I thought it would be about 51, but I guess it sucked up a bit. If I were to do this pattern again, I would have the ends have 2 bunches before the turn chain instead of the 3 as it directs in the instructions. Here is a detail shot of the edge and where I went wrong (in my mind).



But it is just one of those preference things, although it would have meant not having to buy 3 more skeins = cheaper, it would have been a bit more narrow. It is meant to be a one person afghan, so it works very well. Guinevere has already give it her 4 paw approval.

Onward to the next afghan. I will share the plans as soon as they are ready.

Peace!
Susan (aka ZenKnit)

Gentle Waves round afghan

I have been working on this round afghan for the last month. Along with 2 baby afghans I have finished. I have 2 colors left and 8 rows to do. Takes forever to do a row now. I really wish I would be done already. I found this pattern at Mik knits & crochets, Too! Thanks. It was a fun pattern to do. Didn't measure it but it is on a queen bed.

Finished first of 2 baby afghans

I finished the first of the 2 baby afghans I am working on. I started it a while back and got it out again. It is for my daughters friend whose baby is due in October.

Its scary, but its a ripple!

Ok, definitely NOT my first choice for colors OR yarn, but....you work with what you've got right? ;) In the meantime, I'll just burn my retinas looking at it :)

This crazy blanket started off with the idea of making a scarf for my husband for Christmas. He's a hawkeye fan, thus the black/white/gold. Tried knitting about 4 different patterns, frogged 4 different scarves, hating them all. Then decided to make it into granny squares, and make a blanket....hated those too. Just didn't look right.

So...balled it all up and stuck it back in the closet until finally one day thought "hmm...might as well use it as a practice ripple" since I still can't make up my mind on what yarn I want to use for my "real" ripple. So I decided to make it into a blanket for my son - who is 2 1/2 and thinks the colors are just fantastic ;)

Its about half done, and when I took the pictures yesterday it was *about* 32" long and 45" wide. Guesstimate ;) I'll have to actually sit down and measure soon.

So that's where I'm at for now! I'll post when its finished.

(red heart acrylic yarn, 5mm hook, softwaves pattern)

FO!!!!! Picture Heavy

Weeee!!!!I stayed up and finished my ripple last night. I started it April 7th and finished it before bed May 7th. It is draped on my queen size bed so it is pretty big.(excuse the bedside mess, that was where I was working last night and this morning just started taking pictures)


I only did 7repeats of the four color repeat instead of eight like I thought it would need. The finished size is about 50in by 65in.. I did end it in three rows of light green and then did a single crochet around the edge tucking all the ends in.


I then with a needle tucked a bit more in. So this is what I was left with.



I already have the yarn for my second. This windowsill is kinda our head board and this is what I look up and see while in bed. I love it. I think I'm gonna add a few more colors.




Here are a few more pictures. I love seeing every one's ripples and I can't wait to post about my second ripple:)

Five down, Four to go!

I just finished the last color of the fifth repeat (these pics were taken earlier in the day, it was so pretty today in Dallas).





My little sisters are spending the weekend with us, so I got my sis that is 11 to hold it so that I could get a total shot.


I'm still thinking I should do nine, but I will need to measure when it hits eight repeats. There is quite a bit of stretch and the heavier it gets the bigger it gets:) So will see.
I feel like I am getting crocheters elbow and wrist, I so don't want to poop out but it does make me realise why I switched to knitting more often than crochet. Anyways here are a few new pics, sorry to bore everyone with the same ripple just bigger...lol

Love seeing everyones ripple!

Progress is Slow

Getting started:

Making some progress (with flash, excuse the shine):I'd like the finished size of this 'ghan to be about twin bed sized. My intention is to have it folded at the end of my DS's bed... when he upgrades to a "big boy bed." Since he's only 8mo I have plenty of time. LOL I started using a super low tech "random color generator"... scraps of paper with the colors written on them.

I'm not sure about the colors... I feel like I need some pink or orange in there but not sure if that will make it look too girly. Thoughts?

Pattern: Based on this pattern

Yarn: Mostly Red Heart Soft and some other scraps of softer acrylic


Cross-blogged at my blog! : )

Newbie

Hello everyone, This is my first post. It is so great to see all of the ripples and to see them grow. So many pretty afghans. Here is my blanket on day 10.



I think I will need to do 9 repeats of the four colours. So I am almost a third of the way done. I am using Red Heart Super Saver, a size I hook and the Soft Ripple pattern and while I love the colours and how it is turning out I really not in love with the yarn. So what is a knitter/crocheter to do? Buy more yarn right? So I have almost enough now for a second ripple in Caron Simply Soft. I'm going to add a few colours to it every time I go to the craft store so that when I'm done with the one I'm working on, I'll be set for a second. Is there anything that I can do when it's done that will soften this yarn? I was thinking that I would try to use softener on it but I've never used this yarn before so I didn't know if it would work?
Anyway, here it is on our bed last week(of course it has grown since then:)

It matches better in person.
Can't wait to see more ripples. Am I the only person that checks this blog a billion times a day?