One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket - Squares #9

I am on a mission to make one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed.  To catch up on the basics of the project read my intro post HERE.  To catch up on all the squares so far, click the Granny Squares tab at the top of the page.

Square #9

Colors: Candy Pink, Soft Grey, Soft Mint

Hook Size: H


Joining in on the crochet fun?  Set up your project page on Ravelry and use the tag GrannySquareADay

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket - Squares #6, 7, 8

I am on a mission to make one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed.  To catch up on the basics of the project read my intro post HERE.  To catch up on all the squares so far, click the Granny Squares tab at the top of the page.

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope everyone had an amazing weekend.  It was tech weekend for me for the production of The Miracle Work that I'm in (playing Annie Sullivan) so I was very busy.  And now we are into tech week, hurray!  Opening night is Friday and I couldn't be more excited.

Just because I wasn't blogging over the weekend doesn't mean I wasn't crafting.  So today I have three granny squares to share instead of just one.

Square #6:

This one came out pretty lopsided.  I'm guessing it's a combination of the way I blocked it and the fact that I accidentally skipped a cluster on the turquoise border.  I'm not worried about it since it will get straightened out once it's sewn into the blanket.

Colors: Soft Mint, Soft Grey, Dark Turquoise

Hook Size: H

Size: 7"x7"


Square #7:

Colors: Candy Pink, Soft Grey

Hook Size: H

Size: 6"x6"


Square #8:

Colors: Pink, Dark Turquoise, Soft Mint

Hook Size: H

Size: 6"x6"


This book has some really great granny square patterns.  I really enjoy watching them take shape and I love them once they're finished.


Joining in on the crochet fun?  Set up your project page on Ravelry and use the tag GrannySquareADay

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

Diamonds and Cables Cardigan

I recently started my journey into the pattern designing world.  And let me tell you - it's been a blast!  I have a few patterns available for sale in my Ravelry store and my Etsy shop.   I also just released my latest pattern a few days ago - Diamonds and Cables Cardigan.

This pattern was a lot of fun to design and knit.  But also very challenging to write into a pattern.  The pattern is available from sizes preemie-6yrs.

The cardigan is knit from the top down and incorporates a simple stitch pattern for the fronts with a japanese lace pattern for the back.  The cabled yoke is worked flat and then the stitches along the edge are picked up to work the rest of the cardigan from the top down.

There are two different charts in the pattern - one for the fronts and one for the back - as well as a few tables to indicate how to incorporate the charts into the pattern.

This is an advanced knitting pattern.  My 10 test knitters and I did our best to simplify the pattern as much as possible but it is definitely not a beginner level pattern.

Yarn
I designed this pattern using leftover yarn I had in my stash.  I used Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Zinnia.  Personally I think Knit Picks is a great brand.  It's good quality yarn at an affordable price.  Definitely something I recommend!  And it's a great option for those of us who don't live near a LYS (local yarn store) but don't always want the yarns available from Michael's, JoAnn's, or Hobby Lobby.

This particular yarn is categorized as a worsted weight.  However I could also see it working as a DK yarn.  So the options are open to knit in a DK or worsted weight.  Just make sure to get gauge!!  In this case: 21 sts x 29 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in stockinette stitch.

Depending on the yarn used - this cardigan can be used for any season.  Knit in a nice lightweight cotton and paired with a tank top underneath makes for a great summer accessory.  But knit in a wool yarn and paired with a long sleeved top could be used for those colder fall days.

Yardage
Knowing how many yards you will need is always important!  And I always recommend getting more yarn than you think you'll need because you never know.  If the idea of having a skein or two leftover keeps you up at night just keep the receipt.  You can always return or send yarn back if you haven't used any.

Preemie (Newborn, 3 mos, 6 mos, 12 mos, 18 mos, 2 yrs, 4 yrs, 6 yrs)

125 (165, 175, 210, 235, 260, 295, 335, 380) yds / 114 (150, 160, 192, 215, 238, 270, 306, 347)

You'll Also Need

4.5mm / US size 7 (circulars and DPNS)

4 stitch markers 

darning needle 

4 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6) buttons

Check the pattern out on Ravelry!  Browse the projects from others who have made the pattern and see what you think.

Free Granny Square Roundup - 1-5

Two posts in one day - hurray!  As promised I've created a round up of 5 free granny square patterns.

1. Lemony Lime Citrus Square by Donna Mason-Svara
     Finished Size: 12"
2. Peppermint Mocha Frappe by Donna Mason-Svara
     Finished Size: 12"
3. Granny Square #74 by Heather Gibbs
     Finished Size: 8"
4. Granny Square with a Flower by Jolanta Gustafsson
     Finished Size: 6"
5. Impossible Hexagon by Stramenda
     Finished Size 12"

All of these are lovely granny squares!  With the different square sizes you can make one blanket to incorporate them all or make a few different blankets with one size granny square each.  Endless possibilities!  You can also customized them and add or subtract rounds to get the size you want.

One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket - Square #5

I am on a mission to make one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed.  To catch up on the basics of the project read my intro post HERE.  To catch up on all the squares so far, click the Granny Squares tab at the top of the page.

Square #5:

Colors: Pink, Soft Grey, Candy Pink

Hook Size: H

Size: 5" x 5"


Joining in on the crochet fun?  Set up your project page on Ravelry and use the tag GrannySquareADay

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket - Square #4

I am on a mission to make one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed.  To catch up on the basics of the project read my intro post HERE.

Square #4:

I love the way this square turned out!

Colors: Dark Turquoise, Soft Grey, Candy Pink

Hook Size: H

Size: 6" x 6"


Joining in on the crochet fun?  Set up your project page on Ravelry and use the tag GrannySquareADay

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket - Square #3

I am on a mission to make one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed.  To catch up on the basics of the project read my intro post HERE.

So this one isn't even technically a square.  It's a triangle.  But it's number 3 in the book.  And here it is:

Colors: Candy Pink, Soft Mint, Dark Turquoise, Soft Grey

Hook Size: H

Joining in on the crochet fun?  Set up your project page on Ravelry and use the tag GrannySquareADay

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

Suggested Quilt/Blanket Measurements

Since starting my "One Granny Square a Day to a Finished Blanket" series I've made a lot of discoveries.  My original thought of how many squares I would need has changed.  And I've decided to change the size of my blanket.  Now I am aiming for 84"x90".  This latest change inspired me to create two different charts: one for suggested quilt sizes and one for suggested blanket sizes.

I'm an avid crafter and sometimes it is difficult to figure out how big of a blanket I should be making.  So I sat down in front of my computer and generated two charts to help take the guessing game out of it!

And I'm offering the chart to you for free!  Who doesn't love a freebie?  You can grab your chart here.

One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket - Square #2

I am on a mission to make one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed.  To catch up on the basics of the project read my previous post HERE.

I've made another square!  But now I've realized I need to re-think my plan.  And re-name this challenge!  This square turned out bigger than 8".  After blocking this square is now about 9".  I still plan to put them all together in a blanket but 110 might not be the magic number.  Since I won't know how many I'll need till I'm much closer to the finish line I've decided to name this series "One Square a Day to a Finished Blanket"

So here is square #2

Colors: Soft Grey, Candy Pink, and Soft Mint

Hook Size: H

Joining in on the crochet fun?  Set up your project page on Ravelry and use the tag GrannySquareADay

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

One Square a Day To a Finished Blanket - Square #1

I am on a mission to make 110 granny squares in 110 days one granny square a day to create a blanket to cover my full size bed (80"x88").  To catch up on the basics of the project read my previous post HERE.

Square #1 is complete!

I love the way it turned out.  I played around with the color changes and I'm very happy with it.  I used a size H crochet hook and three colors from Loops & Threads Snuggly Baby: dark turquoise, pink, and soft grey.  The squared turned out to be 8" after blocking - perfect!  I'd say we're off to a great start.

Anyone else joining in the fun?

To keep track of my progress visit my project page on Ravelry.

One Square a Day To a Finished Blanket - Intro

After a long absence from this blog - I am back!  And with one heck of a challenge.  I have decided that I want to crochet myself a blanket for my bed.  Definitely a big undertaking.  So I have decided to crochet a ton of granny squares and then attach them all.  Small, manageable granny squares will help keep me on task!

My assumption is my squares will be approximately 8"x8".  So to cover my full sized bed I will be going with 10 squares wide by 11 squares long (80"x88").  Meaning I've got 110 squares to make! 

**After making some squares I've discovered not all of my squares will be 8"x8".  So I'm unsure how many squares I will actually need.  But the plan is still make an 80"x88" blanket for my bed.

 Oh boy...  What have I gotten myself into?

First off was to find inspiration for a color palette.  Google was my best friend for this step.  I searched "color palette with blue pink gray" since I knew I wanted to try and incorporate those colors.  I found such a wide variety that I loved - it was so hard to choose.  But in the end this is the picture I settled on for inspiration:

So then it was off to Michael's to pick out my yarn!  I could have gone with yarn in my stash but I knew I didn't have enough of the right colors from my chosen color scheme.

And while I was there I came across this book:

For anyone who wants to crochet along with me, the book is available for purchase on Amazon.  I believe it's $1 more at Michael's but with my handy-dandy 50% off coupon it was cheaper :)  Hurray for coupons!

And then I picked out my yarn.  I decided to go with acrylic since it's durable and washable.  So I settled on Loops & Threads Snuggly Baby since they had the right colors.  And here they are:

The colors are not 100% true in the picture.  Starting from left to right:
Pink, Candy Pink, Dark Turquoise, Soft Mint, Soft Grey

I will be starting on Monday!  The plan is to work my way through the 99 squares from my newly purchased book, and then find 11 free granny patterns to add to the mix.

Want to participate but don't want to go buy the book?  I'll be included a round up of free granny square patterns each Friday.

So who's in??  You could even join on a smaller scale.  Do a granny square a day for a month and assemble an adorable baby blanket.