Project Page Appreciation: Nicholebreton's Wheel of Dreams Baby Blanket

It's the end of the month and time for another Project Page Appreciation post! Today I am sharing Nicholebreton's version of my Wheel of Dreams pattern. Here's what she had to say about it:

"I liked the colors that I thought were in the picture when I purchased the pattern but when I read it I discovered it was a blue/black-white/gold dress situation and only one of the colors was what I thought it was. I saw navy and white with tan trim and it turns out it was navy and light blue with silver/gray trim…go figure. I decided I liked my color scheme better because I had been looking for something nautical and this reminded me of ocean waves and sand. Pattern was easy to follow and the blanket turned out so cute. I finished the day before my nephew was born!"

She did such a lovely job, didn't she? Changing the colors of your item is a great way to make a pattern more personal. Great work, Nicholebreton! Can't wait to see which two patterns you choose as your prize.

Remember, if you'd like to be considered for Project Page Appreciation, simply upload a project page to Ravelry for any of my patterns. Who knows... you may win!

1976 Mon Tricot Knit and Crochet

My kind friend Caroline recently brought a neat piece of crochet history with her to my regular Sunday stitching group. It's a June 1976 issue of Knit and Crochet Magazine. She gave it to me to add to my collection.

It's awesome how what goes around comes back around again. The projects and illustrations in the magazine are so wonderfully 70s. Vintage crochet bikinis are featured in this magazine, yet crochet bikinis have come back in style now in 2016.

So cute! What other vintage crochet projects have you seen come back in style recently?

Hard Times and Lack of Crojo

I have been knitting a lot lately instead of crocheting. There are several reasons for this. The first is that I enjoy learning new things, and knitting is new to me. The second is that my current knitting project is a lot more portable than my current crochet projects. The final reason is...

Crochet for me is usually about design. I sometimes crochet from others' patterns, or maybe I'll freehand, but I usually crochet with the intent to create a pattern of my own. The creative process enthralls me, but it also takes a lot of energy. I haven't had a lot of energy or many creative thoughts since my brother passed away a few weeks ago. I basically lost my crojo, or 'crochet mojo.' So, I turned to knitting for a while, along with the comfort of following other people's patterns.

Today, I finally had a breakthrough. A few new design ideas came into my head and I started to get excited about them. I am hoping this means that I am slowly getting my crojo back.

What do you do when you've lost your crojo?

Another Round of Netflix Crochet Finds

I've been watching more Netflix... and spotting more crochet. There's some knitting this time, too!

Keira Knightley was dragging around a gorgeous crochet blanket through a lot a Seeking A Friend for the End of the World.

Louis CK was knitting on Louis.

There was a super cute crochet bag on Love, a Netflix original series.

I also found a bright granny square blanket on Love.

Value Village Crochet

I love going to thrift stores. There have been times when I have visited them out of necessity and also times when I went for entertainment and the thrill of a treasure hunt. Being a deeply sentimental person, I enjoy thinking about the history of the objects and the people who may have use them before me.

I recently stopped by Value Village on the hunt for some home goods (I just love those lightweight, vintage Correll plates). Of course, the moment I was in the door I was completely distracted by the crochet I saw everywhere. Do you have crochet radar? I seem to see crochet everywhere I go. Many of the pieces that I saw were quite nice, and I was a bit sad to see that their original owners didn't want them. Let's take a moment to appreciate the work that went into them.

Apple Store Doily Sighting

Recently, I had to visit the Apple store because the fan on my Macbook Pro was broken and making a terrifying sound. As I waited for my appointment to begin, I noticed that a woman sitting nearby had a crochet doily on the back of her shirt. She was very friendly and told me about her love of crochet doilies. She said that her shirt was a boutique find.

I thought that was a pretty creative use of a doily. I've also seen wedding dresses made out of vintage doilies sewn together. What unique doily presentations have you seen?

Sushi Baby Set Crochet Pattern

Those who follow me know that I like to imagine bold designs for babies. Babies are only small for a short time. Why not celebrate them (and deck them out in freakishly adorable crochet projects)? Today, I released my new and unusual pattern, the Sushi Baby Set. It is available on Ravelry and Craftsy. Yummy!

Knit Cabled Scarf

I finished knitting the cabled scarf that I was working on. A friend identified the mystery yarn as Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I'm generally happy with how it turned out. I made a few mistakes here and there since I'm still a new knitter. I remember making those same mistakes in crochet. I still make mistakes in crochet, but I have learned that fixing them in knitting is a bit harder. Overall, I personally think I still prefer crochet to knitting, but I am enjoying the challenge. I like to learn new things. Do you? A few people suggested that I block the scarf, but I think I like it tight and squishy.