Design Your Own Blanket!

[Shandeh]

While going through some patterns, I came across a star afghan and remembered the one you made. If you can do that, you can complete anything!!!!!!! I am still impressed with it!!!!

Wow! You've been following Bernat for a while, haven't you? I made that star afghan back in 2009. I didn't think I would EVER finish it!

Shandeh with Star Afghan by Shandeh, on Flickr

[dcrozier]

While going through some patterns, I came across a star afghan and remembered the one you made. If you can do that, you can complete anything!!!!!!! I am still impressed with it!!!!

Wow! You've been following Bernat for a while, haven't you? I made that star afghan back in 2009. I didn't think I would EVER finish it!

I was really impressed with the afghan and even more impressed with your ingenious method of blocking it!!!

[Shandeh]

Ha! The wall was the only place that was big enough in my tiny house.

I can't use the wall for blocking now, because I repaired all the damage from teenage boys, and repainted it. The boys are men now, and have moved on into the world. I miss them, but not their careless teen years. It's just me in my little home now, and it is so peaceful and calm.

[dcrozier]

Ha! The wall was the only place that was big enough in my tiny house.

I can't use the wall for blocking now, because I repaired all the damage from teenage boys, and repainted it. The boys are men now, and have moved on into the world. I miss them, but not their careless teen years. It's just me in my little home now, and it is so peaceful and calm.

I dont' know what I will do if I make anything that needs blocking and is larger than the diningroom table! I totally understand about the painting since I still have one room to go from when our son moved out--have finished the rest of the house. We only have one child, but he would bring all his friends here--a definite plus since we knew where they were and what they were doing. But that does play havoc with paint and woodwork like the tops of door frames that they just have to grab!!!

When our son and his two dogs come to visit, we are always happy to see him and all of us, including our dog, are exhausted when he leaves.

On another note, I HAVE FINISHED SEAMING MY KING-SIZED OCTOGONS, SQUARES AND TRIANGLES!!!!!! Now I just have to tuck the 84 ends from the seaming and wait for cooler weather to do the border!! I have a granny square kid-sized ghan ready to seam and another in progress--always something!!!

[Shandeh]

You DO understand about sons, don't you? I tell you....I am SO GLAD those days are over in my house.

I can't imagine bringing in any of my sons with two dogs added to the mix! That HAD to be exhausting!

Congratulations on your king-sized accomplishment!

Here's a photo of one of the blankets I just finished. It was a group project I started on the Knitting Help Forum back in 2007. I cast on 300 stitches, knit for a couple inches, then left it on the needles, and mailed it to the next knitter. Each knitter added their section of knitting, then left it on the needles and mailed it to the next person...and so on...and so on...including 20 different knitters. After a couple years, the postage started getting ridiculous. So, I asked the last knitter to mail it back to me, so I could finish it up at home. I knit the last 12 inches of sections (beginning with the green section with purple flowers). Now, it's ready to go to charity!

Oddball Blanket #2 Complete by Shandeh, on Flickr

[Laina]

Do you have a link to the triangles. I tried to search and couldn't find them. Did you use, "half granny squares" in the search box? Not sure if I'll use them with this blanket or not, but I might.

Here's a picture of the African Motif I'm working on with the half motif.

But now after thinking about it I may do a different layout and might not need the half motif. I guess the way it turns out will be a surprise to me as well. hee hee!!!

Haven't blocked the motifs yet.

I LOVE these--they will certainly brighten any room!!!! I would be willing to bet that the triangles I used would fill in the spaces around the outside edges of your octogons. I found the pattern on Ravelry--Half Granny Squares.

[Laina]

I found out yesterday, it's my back and not my hip. Have to go to PT. She gave me some vicaden for the really bad days and I'm supposed to take Ibuprophen and Aleve on a regular basis. I will only take the vicaden if I can't sleep at night.

3" scars are really impressive! I'm happy to hear that the replacements are working for you.

The African Motif is also on Ravelry. I'm using my own color scheme, but the pattern is Heidi Bear's. It's a motif you can use for a purse, a pot holder, an afghan, whatever.

I'm sewing them together - I'm about half way through. Then will need to do the border. My friends b-day is today, so I need to get busy and finish it. I won't see her until next Friday and hope to have it finished by then.

How's yours coming along?

I had both hips done in 2003 (left in Jan. and right in Nov.) and I really waited much too long to have the first one done--needed a cane to walk and was in constant pain, couldn't sleep, etc. Having the replacement was the best thing I ever did for myself so I did not wait for the second to get that bad. Mine are ceramic and titanium--should last lots longer than metal and plastic ones and I am allowed to do anything except running sports--like there's a chance of that anyway. With both of them, I went into the hospital on Monday morning and was home for lunch on Wednesday, no physical therapy, just exercises at home, walked with half weight the day of surgery. I have 3 inch scars that you have to hunt to see--the miracles of modern medicine!!!!

I have both ends of my blanket rolled and am working on seaming the middle. My DH always asks how many more I have to do and I always tell him that I don't know because I refuse to count--too depressing--I just sew one section at a time and suddenly it is finished--surprise!!!!!

Good luck with your painting--like you, I want to do it myself. With a year, you have lots of time to convince DH that you can do it your way and plenty of time to choose just the perfect colors.

I am working on another OLD project with granny squares--will post a pic soon. Did you create your own pattern for your African motifs? I really love them. Keep stitching (and tucking)!!!!

[Laina]

What a clever idea!!!

It would be financially prohibitive today to mail it back and forth, but it would be a great idea for a knitting or crochet group.

It turned out beautiful and will be a one of a kind.

Your star afghan is so beautiful. I love seeing other peoples work and I appreciate all the time and effort and the display of love that's knitted or crocheted into each and every stitch. Well done!!!

Laina

You DO understand about sons, don't you? I tell you....I am SO GLAD those days are over in my house.

I can't imagine bringing in any of my sons with two dogs added to the mix! That HAD to be exhausting!

Congratulations on your king-sized accomplishment!

Here's a photo of one of the blankets I just finished. It was a group project I started on the Knitting Help Forum back in 2007. I cast on 300 stitches, knit for a couple inches, then left it on the needles, and mailed it to the next knitter. Each knitter added their section of knitting, then left it on the needles and mailed it to the next person...and so on...and so on...including 20 different knitters. After a couple years, the postage started getting ridiculous. So, I asked the last knitter to mail it back to me, so I could finish it up at home. I knit the last 12 inches of sections (beginning with the green section with purple flowers). Now, it's ready to go to charity!

Oddball Blanket #2 Complete by Shandeh, on Flickr

[Shandeh]

I found out yesterday, it's my back and not my hip. Have to go to PT. She gave me some vicaden for the really bad days and I'm supposed to take Ibuprophen and Aleve on a regular basis. I will only take the vicaden if I can't sleep at night.

I've had osteoarthritis in my left knee for over 10 years now. I take Aleve every day, and it really helps with the pain. Sometimes, I think that it's not helping, so I stop taking it. THEN, I KNOW that the Aleve has been helping, because the pain is unbearable when I don't take it.

Your star afghan is so beautiful. I love seeing other peoples work and I appreciate all the time and effort and the display of love that's knitted or crocheted into each and every stitch. Well done!!!

Thank you! That was my very first blanket, so I was intensely proud.

[dcrozier]

Do you have a link to the triangles. I tried to search and couldn't find them. Did you use, "half granny squares" in the search box? Not sure if I'll use them with this blanket or not, but I might.

Hi Laina,

Only have a couple of minutes for the computer but wanted to get this to you in case you need it:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library ... nny-square

Will post more later.