Change of plans!

I'm good at changing my mind. It's one of my (many) talents.
In this case, its for the blanket for Youngest Girl.
I was going to make her a sampler afghan in "candy" colours (with white), but changed my mind. I decided instead to go with Lucy (of Attic24)s Neat Ripple instead.
I have no photos atm, but I'll upload some later. (Don't judge me - I'm terribly disorganised about my blogging. I'm even more disorganised about photographing things... including my children!)


Oh, an ICYMI, we've expanded the menagerie. We're now at a cat, 3 dogs, 4 chickens, a rooster, several fish, 3 children and a husband.

Oldest Girl's blanket...

I've finally got myself motivated enough to a) pick a pattern and b) pick out colours for Oldest Girls blanket.
The pattern I'm going to use is the Mixed Stitch Stripey from Little Woollie. Oldest Girl loves blues, so I'm going to make a blanket in shades of blues, creams, greys, and maybe a random white (perhaps the bobbles?).
Basically, I'm going to make this

... look like this

(Photo courtesy of Little Woollie at http://littlewoollie.blogspot.com.au/ and tempyjo at http://gertieleigh.blogspot.co.uk/ )

Colours and designs...

So, I asked the other day for some colour inspirations...
This is Isabella's blanket with her quilt (doona/duvet) cover

And this is the blanket pattern I have 

Similar, yes?

So, the question is, what colours should I make the blanket in for Margaret? This is her quilt cover...

I was thinking red, pink, white, blue...

And then there's Katharine's quilt cover (which is still packed for now, but this is the matching pillow case)

I'm thinking light blue, royal blue, yellow and red... 

And that's where I'm at for now... 

Some input, please!

For those that don't know (and under which rock have you been living?), I crochet.
I recently bought Kim Werker's Crocheted Gifts since Isabella has a star blanket that was crocheted by a friend.
So, here's where you all come in... My design Pinterest board has colour swatches. Can you jump over there and please tell me which would be best for the princess (Margaret, age 5), which would be best for the Doctor Who obsessed child (Katharine, age 10), and which would be best for Ian and I (we have a green quilt cover and a blue and coffee quilt cover, so coordinating would be best).
Thanks, guys :)

Success!

After much trial and error, I finally turned the hexagons into a square.
I started with trying to convert an octagon to square pattern ...

Then I decided to make it up as I went along - a problem, since I have another 95 hexagons I need to replicate this on...

At least I have that first one I can count from and then copy.

Pattern will be forthcoming when I tweak it properly.

Time to square off...

So, the hexagon blanket plans have changed again...

I found a lovely and simple tutorial on changing an African flower into a square (which makes them much easier to join together) so I've taken it over to my hexagons. I'm working on the first one now, and to see how well it works - if it's successful, I'll post the link tonight and some images.

A brain storm!

Earlier today when I was sorting out boxes in the sunroom (which is easily as big as our loungeroom, just a different shape) I realised I have a crapload of off white yarn. I suddenly realised I can use the off white yarn and make another 96 hexagons - red, white, dark pink, white instead of red, pale pink, dark pink, pale pink - and then slipstitch them all together in green.
Tomorrow night, I start on the red circles.

A screeching halt...

I've been too tired, eyes too sore, and the knuckle at the base of my thumb have been too sore to do much crochet in the last few days.
Having said that, I probably have enough hexagons right now to stitch some together to see in practice exactly how many of them I will need. The big question is, which way do I want them? Half hexagon gaps at the top and bottom of the blanket (along the shortest side), or half hexagon gaps along the (longer) sides?

And now for some of my own art work...

First off all, I do need to show you the colours I'm using for the hexagon blanket.
It sounds a strange colour combo, but red, pale pink and medium pink do actually work well together.

See?

Next is the starter circles, all in red - I started with 48 of these and realised that I need many more, so I did another 48 last night.

I now have 96 hexagons in progress, and even if the blanket is then too big, it really is better it be too big than too small.

Second row is the baby pink - I think it looks better to have the pale colour between the two strong colours, don't you think?

Yes, I am aware they look kinda like boobs. That isn't intentional.

The third row is the dark pink - its a lovely contrast to the pale pink.

I have 48 of these little flowers made already. I now just need to do the other 48.

And the Fourth round is where it gets turned into an hexagon.

I'll be stitching them all together with a dark green - probably forest green - to make the blanket.

So, what do we all think?

2 blankets - WIPs

In a continuation from my last post, I'm doing well with the hexagons. I had 48 starter circles before I started doing the pale pink, now I have 48 starter circles in red with pale pink second rows, and have started on the medium pink third rows (I'm up to 20 of them now). I suspect I will need to do another at least 20 more, but I'll work it out when I get to sewing/crocheting them together. Miss M (aged 4) has claimed this blanket, and it should eventually look like the blanket that Lucy from Attic24 made, but all in pinks, so much like a flower garden.
For those to lazy to look, this is what a close up of Lucy's work looks like

And the second blanket is going to be in blues and yellow. Miss K has requested a blanket in African Flowers. The centre will be a golden yellow with the second row in pale blue, the single line in the golden yellow again, the next row in medium blue and the final row (joining row) in green - again to look like flowers.
Just so you can imagine it, here's an image 

So that's where I'm at for now - Photos of the hexagons and the progress will be posted soon - likely this weekend.

My pale blue and chocolate blanket - a WIP

My latest WIP is a blanket in pale blue and chocolate.

Obviously, they won't be just like this.

Also just as obvious is the fact there will be many more. They'll be joined with a pale brown (is "latte" too stereotyped a colour? :P ), and then a border will be made with all three colours - how that comes to look, I'm not quite sure right now.

Progress on the solid squares

I have 7 pale blue solid squares made, and I've run out of the pale blue yarn. They're 6 inch squares, and my bed is queen sized (The mattress is 60in by 80in), so I have a helluva way to go.
Someone want to do the maths for me on how many more squares I need to do?