granny blanket : pretty in pink

Happy Monday!

I've been spending the morning watching planner videos while folding laundry, but I'm putting both on pause so I can share this week's square with you.

WEEK FOURTEEN || Pretty in Pink

by April Moreland

This one hooked up pretty quickly, but I did need to pay attention to skipped stitches (she doesn't always specify).  Also, I did the last round in half-double crochet to get it to match the size of the rest of my squares.

on my hook : bunny

Here comes Peter Cottontail. . .

This week I'm hooking up a few little bunnies

to tuck into the boys' Easter baskets.

Even though they're growing up, they still humor me with deep appreciation for my creations.

 Pattern can be found at the Lion Brand website.  Sign up is free and there are oodles of crochet and knitting patterns.

granny blanket : starburst new millennium

The sun is shining brightly and despite freezing temps and winds, it feels like we are on the brink of spring (could just be my wishful thinking).  

Every week that passes, and every square I hook, we are getting one step closer to warmer weather and time outside and NO MORE SNOW.  I am so ready.

WEEK THIRTEEN || Starburst New Millennium

by Margaret MacInnis

 This one, like last week's, had another intricate center.  It is pretty, but lots of stitching and tacking down.  Not a square I would want to make an entire blanket out of.  This is why I enjoy making these mixed-square blankets: you get to try out lots of different techniques and stitches.  And if it's a challenging block, you only have to make one.  

granny blanket : waldo's puzzle

Well, what do you know it's Monday and I'm actually posting this week's square on time.  Let's get right to it, because I have to get a grocery store run in before the boys get home.

WEEK TWELVE || Waldo's Puzzle

by Chris Simon

I loved the center motif on this square, and thought it had a bit of a Celtic flair (in honor of St. Patty's Day this week).  I will admit, it was a challenge to get those rings to join in just the right way, and I ended up having to cut off my third ring because it wasn't quite facing the right way when I went to add on the fourth.  I cheated a bit (on the recommendation of my friend and crocheting partner) and crocheted the last two rings with out joining (i.e. ch19, 2dc in 4th ch from hook and each ch across (32 dc), and then joined the little curly strips the the other rings to match the picture.)  Stick with it--once you get this part done, the rest of the square is a breeze.  

granny blanket : wish upon a star

Well, it was bound to happen.  I fell behind in my blanket square posts.  This is why I will never be a paid blogger.  I fell under the weather early this week and missed posting my blanket square (partly because I spent Monday in bed crocheting the square and napping).  Then Monday turned into Tuesday and Wednesday (my work days), then Thursday (my day to catch up on everything I missed on Monday when I was sick).

So, Happy Monday on a Friday!  Gosh that sounds so good, right.  I {heart} Fridays!

Anyway, on with this past week's square.  And my sincere apologies to anyone who is hooking along with us.  At least you have the weekend to hook up your square and will still be ready on Monday for the next one.

WEEK ELEVEN || Wish Upon a Star

by Melinda Miller

This was a quick and easy square to hook up.  Melinda's patterns are always so easy to follow.  Happy Friday to you all!

crochet : sophie's universe

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a CAL (crochet-a-long) on Instagram.  It was so gorgeous (check it out here and you'll see what I mean), I knew I wanted to join in.  But I also had this Rainbow Ripple blanket in progress, and the 12" granny blanket for 2015, how could I possibly start another blanket project? 

So I made a little deal with myself: finish the ripple and start the new blanket.  

I finished it with just one added round of rose red, and justified the small size by deciding it would be the perfect lap blanket to keep warm at the ice rink.

And I began the gorgeous Sophie's Universe after a trip to the store for some new yarn, of course! {wink}

It was love at first sight.  Dedri does an amazing job of writing the pattern, including detailed instructions and photographs to help you along.

The design is amazingly detailed, and the pattern contains a genius combination of stitches.  Clusters and popcorns, and surface front-post stitches create gorgeous texture and dimension.

I look forward to picking up my crochet hook every chance I get to work on it.  

It's never too late to join in.  The crochet-a-long runs for 20 weeks, so even if you start now, you'll still have a gorgeous blanket finished before the end of the year. 

granny blanket : suggestion square

It was a whirl-wind of a weekend, and I barely squeezed in this week's square (finishing the last round and blocking this morning).

WEEK TEN || Suggestion Square

by Sharon Maher

This was a quick and easy square to hook up (just what I needed this weekend).  The least favorite part is all the ends that need weaving in at the end.  But I love the effect of all the color changes, so it's worth it.