Tag Archives: Groovyghan

Oct1

Ze Groovyghan! Eet eez done!!

Posted on by
Standard
Ze Groovyghan! Eet eez done!!

I am so excited to announce that the Groovyghan, she is finished. Happy dance!

IMG_7687

I absolutely love it. Even though I was following a pattern I, like many others who have crocheted this beauty, made many customisations and ended up with a unique Finished Object.

The plain dot squares had appliques added, the 3D flowers were switched out for daisies, the vertical shell strip was replaced with a diagonal C2C strip, and the border! Oh, the border! I found a You Tube tutorial for a popcorn stitch border which I extended to include all 12 colours and I think it is my favourite part of the whole blanket.

That final popcorn round took two hours and twenty minutes! And the whole caboodle took me exactly a month from start to finish, with a lot of manic crocheting in between all my regular life commitments and a huge amount of weaving in of ends.

It was all worth it and now my bed is adorned with this colourful blanket. This is 1600 grams of yarn, approximately, and one day maybe I will make an even bigger version that covers my bed even better.

These are the best pics I could get because my hopes of taking it outside and getting some full daylight shots were scuppered by the rain.

Here’s a close-up of the border…

FullSizeRender (30)

Check out my previous post for a link to the pattern and my Ravelry project page for all relevant notes and links to the extra patterns I used and the You Tube tutorial for the border.

Sep25

Groovyghan: finally looking like a blanket

Posted on by
Standard

IMG_7675

I’m a little disappointed that the above photo doesn’t seem very in focus – it looked a lot better on my iPad! I have more below which were taken outside on my deck which hopefully will be sharper.

Anyway, my wrist (that I broke in February) is feeling a little sore after a few days of manic end-weaving and seaming. I was just so excited to see it come together. Of course I still have to add a border, which I have been mulling over in my head every night as I go to sleep. And then it will get a wash and dry cycle to relax the yarn and smooth the bumps.

I made quite a few adaptations to the original Groovyghan pattern, including changing out the 3D flowers for daisies, adding appliques to the dot squares and doing a C2C strip instead of a shell strip.

I used turquoise to join all the parts together, using a crochet hook to slipstitch back and forth to make a kind of zigzaggy flat join that I really like. There was a bit of fudging here and there, but it wouldn’t be crochet without some fudging, eh!

Later on today I plan to use my yarn winder to cake up the messy yarn skeins, and then I will think about the border. My plan so far is to start with a round of single crochet in turquoise and after that, well, I’m not sure.

I have to say that for weaving in hundreds of ends you really need a good podcast to listen to, and for that I have to thank Rachel (who is EllieBeth, a “planner who hooks” and designs stickers for planners) for distracting me and making the whole task more pleasant!

My Ravelry project page is here.

The Ravelry pattern page is here, where you can buy this pattern.

I’m using a 6.5mm hook and 12 colours of Red Heart with Love.

 

Sep23

Groovyghan: looking groovy!

Posted on by
Standard


What a difference a few weeks make! I started this CAL on September 1st with all these lovely skeins of yarn. I had extra of three of the colours from a previous purchase. Now look at them, so depleted! Still a fair amount of pink and turquoise but the rest are starting to look skinny. 

This is what they have been turned into. A daisy strip, a granny square strip, a dot/applique strip, a stripe strip and a C2C (corner to corner) strip. The latter is not quite done. I have to make sure it is the right length before making the last corner. I worked both days this weekend so the evenings were perfect for watching podcasts and weaving in ends. Hundreds of the darned things! (No pun intended.) I still have about 150 left on the stripe section. 

Tomorrow I should be able to finish the C2C section and start crocheting the strips together. And then…the border!

Sep14

Groovyghan: squares complete

Posted on by
Standard

Last time, I showed you my dot squares and granny squares for the Groovyghan CAL. I also showed you four oddball squares that I thought I’d be including in the final blanket.

Well, things have changed. My brain has been going through various options but once I bought the pattern for the Charity Daisy square and crocheted one up, I was in love with it and wanted to make more. When you make your first daisy, you find it is difficult to figure out. I ripped back more than once. However there is a link to a video (which I didn’t use) if you need it. But when you figure out the unusual construction and see the finished result, it really is gorgeous.

My Ravelry project page is here if you want a close-up of all my individual squares. My final choice of squares is the seven grannies, seven daisies, and the seven dot squares BUT with appliques attached to each one to make them more interesting. There is a marijuana leaf, a mushroom, a tree of life, a peace sign, a heart (from one of the discarded blocks), a vintage camper, and a rainbow.

image

 

IMG_7655IMG_7656

Now I can move on to making the stripe strip which will be a welcome change from squares.

 

Sep5

Groovyghan: great progress

Posted on by
Standard

imageimageimage

All of the home time has paid off. Yesterday I made all seven granny squares. I did all the round 1s first, then all the round 2s, and so on. I made sure that there were, for example, no round 5s the same colour. Each square is completely different.

Now that the dot blocks and grannies are done, I can focus on the remaining strip of seven blocks: the original pattern has flowers which are pretty but fiddly with their dimensional petals. And I have already experimented with these other squares.

I worked today but managed to get all my ends woven in (100 total for seven grannies) and tomorrow I can start playing with other squares.

Sep3

Grooyghan: first blocks

Posted on by
Standard

The cold that I caught on the plane home last weekend started out pretty mild, but on Friday I was at work and had to have a box of tissues and a bottle of hand sanitiser right next to my cutting station. I did my best  not to spread my germs! But on Saturday I woke up feeling way more congested – my head ached, my nose was running to win a marathon, and I let my manager know that I would not be making it into work on Sunday.

Thankfully I had the Groovyghan Crochet-along to keep me busy at least part of  the time. I completed seven blocks in the last two days, which depending on your personal output may sound a lot or it may sound like a little. Compared to some of the others doing the CAL, it is slow! But it’s not a race, and the first part of the CAL runs for three weeks and has you make the first seven dot blocks.

To make it a little more interesting, I am alternating my dot blocks and going off-piste with some ideas from YarnUtopia’s You Tube channel. Nadia has an amazing resource – a playlist of 365 Granny Squares that she published videos for back in 2016. For full details of the squares I have made from her site, I shall refer you to my Ravelry project page.

Four dot blocks done.

Three alternative blocks done.

My dot blocks are coming out at 8.25″ square so with the alternative blocks I am having to add extra rounds to make up the size.

As long as the yarn lasts, it would be great to make this Groovyghan larger than the pattern suggests. If I could make it big enough to fit my bed, that would be perfect. We shall see…

Sep1

Let the Groovyghan commence!

Posted on by
Standard
Let the Groovyghan commence!

IMG_7601

Last post,  I showed you a bunch of stash yarn that I had gathered that I was thinking of using for the Groovyghan CAL. Well, I had some options – all the primaries and secondaries plus either browns, grey, or black. But in the end I went for Plan D which was to buy more yarn. I know, I am so bad! Hey, it came out of my birthday money.

The fabric store where I work is clearing out their Red Heart and Premier, and rebranding their own line, so I was able to get these skeins of Red Heart With Love at 65% off. The yarn was somewhat overpriced to begin with, but comparing what I paid to Herrschner’s catalogue (because I’ve not seen this yarn for sale locally) I paid a reasonable price.

The 12 skeins fit perfectly into this wooden box which will live next to my crocheting spot for a few months. As you can see, I have a bit extra of three of the colours from a previous purchase.

The colours are

Navy

Mallard (teal)

Blue Hawaii (turquoise)

Iced Aqua

Hot Pink

Bubblegum

Violet

Boysenberry

Lilac

Cornsilk

Mango

Jadeite

I think they will make a groovy afghan!

The CAL starts today so once this post is published I will be starting my first square.

A couple of other things to show you: I FINALLY finished my March sweater which was halted when I broke my wrist in February. All it needed was some end-weaving, a bit of single crocheting around the neckline and armholes, and a couple of buttons. I’m not really in love with it, but at least it is DONE!

IMG_7599

Crocheted with black Stylecraft Aran and a rainbow coloured Bernat Pop!

And another thing I finished this week was another chunky beanie out of the Sommer Wolle Venezia from Switzerland.

IMG_7600

Well, I can’t hang around here, I’m off to do some crochet!

Aug29

Holiday crochet

Posted on by
Standard

If you’re a knitter or crocheter, you’ll know how important it is to pack the right yarn and tools for your trip, making sure that there is no possibility that you will run out and be left with nothing for your itchy fingers to do while away.

Finding space for yarn in my CabinMax backpack is a priority, with more thought given to what to take than anything else!

What I took: Two cakes of Lion Brand Mandala, from which I had already crocheted some fingerless mitts. I took the mitts too, as I was expecting to need them. In the end, I didn’t.

One cake of Red Heart It’s a Wrap (a fingering weight yarn) with the Key Largo Lace Wrap pattern by Hannah at the Cozy Cottage Crochet podcast.

My Hello Kitty pencil tin with hooks in varying sizes between 2 and 6mm. Nail clippers for cutting yarn. Stitch markers. Ruler, pencil, notebook. Plastic darning needle.

From the LB Mandala, I crocheted a hat and cowl to match my  mitts.

I still had quite a bit left, which I have recaked on my yarn ball winder for another project.

My crocheting was garnering quite a bit of attention. We were holidaying with family who we don’t see very often, so they are not used to my “productive fidgeting” and with Tai Chi Man’s cousin and his wife being so generous with their time and the offerings of food I decided to crochet them both a hat. I had spotted some gorgeous yarn in the Co-op in St Moritz so I bought two different skeins (Sommer Wolle Carnevale and Venezia) plus I had to get an 8mm hook because it was bulky yarn. I started and ripped out about three times and in the end decided my usual hat recipe of starting at the crown and working down to the brim just wasn’t going to work. What I did was foundation hdc for 18″, join in the round, then work even, decrease for the crown, then work a round of sc around the brim for stability. Once I had the first one made, the second was easy. And I even made a third as my BIL rather liked the colours in the yarn.

So once those hats were done I took a break for a couple of days, then started the Key Largo Lace Wrap. This is a Ravelry download that is $4 US. I have completed a few pattern repeats but this yarn is skinny (1000 metres in a cake) so it will be a longer term project.

Current WIPs, then, are the Key Largo and the basic socks, both fingering weight projects. I have come a long way since the days of wanting to do all projects in aran or chunky yarn to get them done fast!

My focus from September 1st will be the Groovyghan CAL, being hosted in the Vanna’s Choice Fan Club Ravelry group. The designer is offering the pattern free to participants in the CAL. I acquired the pattern ages ago before it became a paid pattern. After work today, I pulled out all my medium weight yarn. After grouping it all by colour, this is what I put together. I took out white, cream and a very light tan. I took out the Red Heart With Love, because it’s quite a bit thicker than the rest. I could use black or grey as a neutral, but the browns seem to fit better.

IMG_7594

I don’t know, I may change my mind on some of those colours after I sleep on it. And sleep I must do. Still somewhat jetlagged, and fighting a cold. Last two nights, I’ve been in bed by 9. TTYL

 

Jul24

Beating the heat

Posted on by
Standard
IMG_7542

New haircut, hair colour, and specs

After my weekend, I still had two full days of time at home to enjoy. The downside to being at home is…no AC! However it is way cooler downstairs and that encourages me to go down to my craft room and actually get some sewing done.

Daytime maximums have been over 30, so both days I prepped a bunch of food in the morning when the kitchen was more bearable and then went downstairs in the afternoon. This is super-satisfying as I can then sew to my heart’s content, knowing that the work of dinner prep is behind me and I can focus on what I’m doing.

Yesterday I spent some time sorting through my knitting and crochet pattern folder. I found the pattern from the Groovyghan that I’ve made twice (this one and this one) and pulled it out, as I am thinking of making another. There is a CAL running in the Vanna’s Choice Fan Club group on Ravelry for the Groovyghan blanket and the designer, Tracy St John, has said that she will make the pattern free for a short time for members of the Crochet-Along. I must have downloaded and printed the pattern when it was free before as I don’t recall paying for it. If you go and visit that group, click on the Interest Thread that’s stickied at the top of the discussion threads. (I have only ever made one blanket with Vanna’s Choice – I joined the group only for this CAL and intend to use mostly stash yarn for it.)

After I’d dug out that pattern, I tidied up my yarn a bit and made sure that the Mandala was being shown off properly! And then I decided to cut out all the pieces for a sewn backpack for which I had a pattern from work, Butterick B6335. I used three coordinating fabrics. I made a large tote and a small drawstring bag from the cat fabric a while back (a quick search shows me that was January 2016) and this time I wanted to use all three fabrics together.

Monday afternoon, all the cutting was done, and today I went downstairs ready to start sewing but remembered I needed something to reinforce the base of the backpack, like plastic canvas. So I popped down to the nearest dollar store, but they had nothing, so I went over to Walmart, got my new glasses tightened up a bit, found some plastic canvas and also some Red Heart It’s a Wrap which was strangely drawn to my hand and begged to come home with me. There were only two colourways to choose from and I didn’t like the pinky-orangey one, so this one in shades of blue (called Documentary) was what I bought. I have seen this a lot online recently – it’s a fingering weight yarn with 1100 yards (about 1000 metres) in a cake. Wouldn’t that make an awesome vacation yarn! A whole kilometre of yarn to crochet or knit up. And it wouldn’t take up much space in your luggage.

And finally, the sewing could commence. There was a couple of fiddly bits, the most memorable being the sewing of the backpack straps into the bottom band without catching the lining. But I was pleased that sewing the oval base into the cylinder of the main bag went smoothly and I seem to have finally figured out how to do it properly (a big part of that being that I realised that when the instructions say to snip into the seam allowance to get around the curves you are to snip into the bottom of the cylinder, NOT the oval or circular base)! A big AHA moment there!!

And…TA DA!

IMG_7548FullSizeRender (25)

That black and white striped fabric made it easier to get my hems straight, as did the pattern on the pocket. There are four cakes of Mandala in there for photography purposes so it is very roomy – way bigger than I expected, actually, going by the photo on the pattern envelope.

And now that I have waffled on, it’s 11pm and time I went to bed. Work tomorrow. TTYL.

 

 

 

 

Oct19

Groovy blanket – FO

Posted on by
Standard

image

image

image

image

image

image

I’m happy to announce the coming out of my Groovy blanket. It’s been machine-washed and dried and is good to go.

Thanks to Season 10 of Bones on Netflix, the end-weaving was painless. All 500-plus of them.

The wave patterned border isn’t as smooth as I’d like, but at least the washing/drying has relaxed the tendency of the border to curl up.

I’m now looking at my other blanket, stalled halfway through. It’s my only WIP so I should probably get on with that, eh!

I hope that if you are a Canadian citizen you voted today. It’s after 7pm here in BC and I haven’t a clue whether any results have been released yet. No doubt I will hear the news sometime this evening and I’m hoping for a joyful dance rather than a disappointed shoulder slump!!! We shall see…