Finished Spring Afghan

Well, here it is another Saturday and the last one in March 2014.  Where does the time go?  Today I am being a surrogate bird mom for my neighbor's cockatiels and her giant macaw, Pierre.  They are noisy pets, the pop tarts (those are what we call the cockatiels) chirp and cheep as soon as I open the outside door.  Pierre is more subdued and waits until he gets into the kitchen on his chair before squawking quite loud and asking for a cracker.  He is very smart.  He doesn't miss flying around since he was hatched in captivity and never learned to fly.  His mom is his flock.  Nature is amazing.  But I digress, this is about the spring afghan completion.

If you have been reading my sporadic blog posts, you know that my goal from the beginning has been to empty my yarn closet.  I'm making progress ever so slowly but still it is emptying.  The latest afghan was a real stash buster.  It is made from 2,005 yards of white, 501 yards of colored cottons, and 338 yards of black trim.   And, it came out quite nicely.  It took some mixing and matching to get the squares to look as good as they could with different shades of aran and limited amounts of each of the colored cottons but all in all it is quite presentable.  I put it on my neighbor's guest bed as a surprise.  This is the neighbor who has the birds I'm mothering this weekend.  I know she'll like it because she saw it when she stopped by last week when the afghan was in its final stage....the squares were laid out on the floor in the final design but not yet put together.  See what you think.

Sunny Spread by Ellen K. Gormley

More for Charity

I'm making more items to donate to charity.  Now I just need to find a local charity who would like to have some warm and cuddly items.  In the meantime I'm just crocheting and stashing with other items.  I have 14 items available and am working on #15.  With fall here, I feel energized to crochet more.  Who knows maybe I'll even reduce the stash in my closet (eye roll).  Yesterday I did reduce the amount in the closet by moving some of the bags out to the floor so I could see the color of the yarn.  Does that count?  I didn't think so either.  Here are the recent items.  If you know of any charities near Bowie, Maryland, let me know.  Just send a note to lexecrochet@gmail.com

Finished 201st Afghan for HAP Charity

Now What?  I've finished the afghans for this marvelous charity and am at 'loose ends.'  Lots of yarn to use up but what to do with it?  I'll have to begin seeking another charity where I can put my crocheting skills to good works.  For now though I'll get these last nine to the coordinator so they can be washed and packaged for shipping.  It has been a rewarding project.  To think one person had an idea and managed to coordinate 1,500 volunteers across the United States resulting in over 10,200 afghans being given to our wounded warriors.  Indeed, one person with a good idea can make a big difference.  Now we just need to find other charities and make them known to people like me.

Here's a collage of the entire 201.  This picture of me shows me working on my first afghan, never expecting that I would put together 201.  

SUMMER ARRIVED AND IT IS HOT! HOT! HOT!

I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.  It has been hot and humid.  Of course, I've been in the cool house crocheting to finish afghan sets for the The Handmade Afghans to Thank Our Armed Force Project (HAP), which is ending this year.  As of last week, 10,187 afghans have been delivered to wounded soldiers.  The founder of the group had an idea that took off and is still going strong.  We're now in the home stretch but until the last afghan is mailed, we'll be working on finishing the sets.  Here's one of the latest afghans I put together.  Everyone is unique but some, like this one, are very pretty indeed.  I am just happy that I can put my hobby to such good use.  I'm already looking for another project to get involved in.

109 Afghans Put Together for HAP Charity

I can't believe it.  I've crocheted together 109 afghans for our wounded soldiers.  And, it's all because a very dedicated woman started an organization of volunteers to make 6x9 inch rectangles to go together and form an afghan.  Her organization has almost reached the 10,000 mark of giving these to soldiers in our military hospitals in the states as well as around the world.  Amazing!  You can learn more at her website:  HAP Afghans.  Here are just a few of the ones I've put together.  The first one shows me learning the technique. Amazing what can be accomplished by volunteers and a great idea. 

Fall is in the Air--And About Time!

Today is a lovely fall-like day.  I just finished crocheting together six afghans for the HAP charity project, delivered them to the coordinator, and picked up six more.  Can't have idle hands.  So far I've put together 69 afghans and am striving to finish 100 before the project ends in May 2013.  Because of the time spent on the afghans, I have no new pictures to post and not much new material either.  I promised myself that I would add a new blog post at least every month so today is the day.  Here is a picture of one of the afghans so you can see what I've been doing.  It is a worthwhile effort since the afghans go to our wounded service people.  So far, the project has delivered almost 9,000.

See All Afghans Donated

In The Round

Today is a rainy day but the trees are leafing out.  When I look across the valley behind our house, I can see the underbrush turning green and the tops of the trees beginning to show real leaves.  By next week all will be green and warm.  I will no longer be able to sit by the fire and crochet.  I'll still be able to crochet but will need another excuse.  I'm sure I'll find something to justify my laziness.  I just finished a Round Jacob's Ladder afghan designed by Maxine Gonser and am starting another shawl.  I've about decided that making shawls is much more fun and less trying than making sweaters and having to deal with sleeves that don't want to fit the opening.  But, never wanting to admit defeat I'm sure I'll try sweaters again.  In the meantime, here's the afghan.  Shaunti thinks it is a success.  Enjoy your weather wherever you live.

 Pattern found at Bev's Country Cottage

February Sunny and Bright

It has been a while since I was able to get on line.  Due to a computer failure, a complete reinstall of the operating system TWICE was required and totally used up my modem allowance so I was silenced for almost 3 weeks.  I would not have thought it would be so difficult to not be on the Internet....thank goodness I had a smartphone with it's own account and my trusty iPad.  At least I could check email even if I couldn't send pictures or post pictures to my favorite craft site, RAVELRY.  I'm now back.  So far the month of February has been beautiful.  Can't believe that we have had no snow and it looks like the President's Day storm has missed us.  We just may make it to spring with only a skiff of snow the entire winter.  As for me, I've been crocheting.  Finished two afghans for my greatniece and greatnephew.  I hope they will like them.  They are a surprise.  I met these nice kids when I visited my brother's family in October.  They are the children of his stepson, Greg and Greg's wife, Amy.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet Amy since she was out of town on business.  That will have to be my next visit.  Anyway, back to the afghans.  I found out their favorite colors and did the afghans in those colors.  I'll be mailing them this week so can't wait to see the look on their faces when they go to their grandparents (my brother and his wife) and there is a surprise box for them.  I'm enclosing a picture taken of us while I was visiting so they can put a face with the name.  Yarn is such a wonderful gift!

For Ashley

For Ashton

The crimson afghan is made using the pattern Jacob's Ladder.  It was such fun to see it take shape when I created the ladders.

HAP is What's Happening!

You might wonder what is HAP?  Well, it is an organization founded and managed by Deborah Starobin Armtrong to provide afghans to wounded soldiers.  She has signed up over 1,600 volunteers who crochet or knit 6x9 inch rectangles that are put together by volunteers into afghans.  Each afghan is made from 49 rectangles and then crocheted together.  So far, over 6,200 afghans have been sent to wounded soldiers at many different military hospitals.  Here is a sample of the work beginning with the rectangles, then the designed afghans pinned together into seven columns, and then the finished product.  I am just one of many volunteers participating in this marvelous activity.  So far I've put together 11 afghans and crocheted about 100 rectangles to be used in other afghans.  To see more, go to the web page Handmade Afghans to Thank Our Armed Forces Project (HAP)

The designed afghans come in bags of seven stacks numbered 1-7.  They are then crocheted together in order of 1st column to 7th column.

The is the almost finished afghan.  The outside edging is now being added.

Cable Rerun Afghan Finished

 Well, I finally finished this project.  It used 9 skeins of yarn over three separate purchases so the colors don't always match.  Not much I can do about it now and I'm hoping that the charity that receives it will appreciate the warmth and not be too critical of the color changes.  The textures turned out very nice but don't seem to pop like they did in the magazine picture.  Gray isn't exactly a bright color but Shaunti likes it.  She likes yarn but usually in its natural state where she can unroll it.  Once it is finished she loses interest.  Now I can return to my blue wrap and finish it in the next few days.  Spring is just around the corner so it is time for bright spring flowers and bright yarn.  I'm thinking bright yellow or spring green for the next project.  Stay tuned.

Don't Give Up Yet!

Leaves Fall, Raking is Optional!  HAPPY FALL TO ALL!!

I think that is my motto for crocheting...maybe for all things.  I was wandering (lurking) around the pages of my favorite yarn site, http://www.ravelry.com  and saw a pattern that I absolutely had to have.  It was an afghan pattern using lots and lots of textured stitches which would be lovely, be a real stash buster, and help me empty my yarn closet.  Well, I saw where it was published several years ago in a favorite crafts magazine so I set about trying to track it down.  The first place I tried was on the Internet but nothing could be found.  All mentions pointed back to the magazine so I went to their web site to see back editions but none were listed and no pictures were available.  All that was provided was a phone number.  This seemed very low tech to me but I called anyway.  A real person answered and said that they had no copies available but I should call back in a few weeks.  No offer to take my name, credit card, or to suggest any other source.  I was about to decide that I would just get a different pattern but something in me said to go back to the picture on ravelry and see if I could track it down.  I did and was able to get a copy.  At the same time I subscribed to the magazine to see if that would gain me access to the archives in case I found another old pattern...I was told there was no archive but that back copies could be ordered by calling this number.  Been there, done that.  So, I am now working on the pattern and still waiting to receive the first copy of my new subscription.  Maybe I am impatient but this little exercise seems to cry for electronic archives where past publications can be purchased electronically.  We are all willing to pay for our hobbies aren't we?  I know I am.