Ellie Grace's Babette

Another picture heavy post . . . be warned . . .LOLOL

1st, here are the "Welcome" Daffodils:

1st Day of Spring . . . 20 March 2011

2nd Day of Spring . . . 21 March 2012

Love the way it drapes when rumpled.

I can imagine someone wrapped up in it on a cold evening.

I was trying to get this evened out when I heard a voice behind me say, "Did you make that?"

It was my next-door-neighbor coming home from her 1/2 day working at the church. When I stepped back to look at it, it really looked good in the sun . . . too bad the limbs made black shadows on it :0{

Next try was folded on the hood of the car . . . still too much shade so I had to go to the front yard and do some straight on photos.

Now, for the FULL afghan pictures. Be warned . . . the edges looked SO WRINKLED in some pictures. Once I wash it, they will smooth out.

 What I did was wash it after I got the basic afghan done, I washed it and it softened up and smoothed out SO MUCH . . . so, when I finish the last two sides of this round . . . 30 - 32 squares per side, it will get washed again.

Then, two more rounds of these small squares and find a border I want to do, and it will be done . . . MUST be finished by the time we go home in June . . . best get busy crocheting on it, don't ya think?

Projects and Plants

I think I shall give you a project update first.

I have added three rounds of dc to the basic Babette Blanket.
Next, I'm planning on adding three rounds of 2-round solid Grannies.
I'll do the Grannies in the sequence red, orange, yellow, green, mauve, lavender.

Here is a close-up. The colors are so much more vibrant than they appear in the pictures. Probably should have gone with an "effects" pix for color instead of "sunny." Oh, well, you get the idea.

Another project on the hooks is this:

Can you guess what it is going to become? (No, not a laptop cover . . lolol)

Now, for the plants part of the post. We have Croci (or is it Crocus'? I can never remember.) blooming and daffodil's shooting up in the front yard.

Flower bed in front of the front porch.

Close up of the flowers pictured above.

Flower bed, or as I call it, "The Grave."
It is a small piece of yard between the driveway on the right
 and the sidewalk, on the left, that leads to the front steps.

It is so nice to see the bulbs coming up, but, this no spring is creating havoc for the local Maple Syrup "farmers." Without a freeze in the morning, the liquid won't run down the tree . . so they won't be able to harvest it, boil it down and make syrup. SO, don't be surprised if REAL Maple Syrup goes up in price.

Babette Update

Babette is finished, at least according to the pattern. Well, no border yet, but all the squares are pieced together.

She is in the wash, I want to get her softened up before I start the border around this section. Will post again when this border is done. Then, I'm adding a couple rows of 2 Round squares, I think . . . then another border. Will see, then,  if the size is closer to what I want.

It was SO weird, though. I ended up short . . I checked and double checked on part 10 and I still can't find out what I left off. SO, I added a final section of six 2 round squares. Oh well. As long as the Babette Police don't track me down I'll be safe.

If you are interested in more info, check out this link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/babette-blanket

Babette Update

I should have spent more time today working on finishing the next to last side of Elizabeth Grace's afghan. But, to be honest, I have been crocheting all day and just burnt out.

So, here we go photo 1, 2 and today's photo.



 

I know you are saying to yourself, "Self. why did she take the last picture sideways?
My answer is, "Duh, self. I didn't take it sideways . . . I rotated the pix so that the squares in picture 1 would be facing the same direction. Then people can see what I have actually completed."

When I finish this side, then I have to add the section that goes next to the right side of the photo. That will be the complete pattern. But, it will only be 40" x 43" (+/-). Now, to me, a 3' x 3' afghan isn't real big.

So, here's my plan:

1. Put an interesting edging on the afghan when I finish the last section.
2. edging will be about 1" in width
3. border the "border" in 3 or 4 rounds of 2-round grannies . . . I have made them solid in the pictures
4. put another border around the afghan and see how big it is now.
5. If I still need more size, probably some 4-round grannies . . . changing colors each round.

I can't wait to see what it finally ends up looking like.

Afghan Update #2

It has been an Ivory Snow day here in Western New York. When Gene was up at 6:00 AM, the ground was clear and not a snowflake in the air. Then, when I finally woke up enough to crawl out of bed, around 10:00 AM, we  had a beautiful covering of light fluffy Ivory Snow snow.

City trucks had already been around and cleaned the streets . 1st time all year there was snow left on the streets. I knew the ground /streets were finally frozen . . not warm enough to melt the snow, as it fell, this time.

The sun peaked out this afternoon, so I went out to take a picture of the baby blanket, with the snow as a background. It brings out the colors so much more than the hard wood floors inside.

Now, this evening, the snow flakes are falling again . . light and fluffy . . just like Mother Nature opened a box of Ivory Snow and is sprinkling it all over the area.


Now, onto the pictures. I want to keep a day to day update of what has progressed . . or, more exact, each time I post an update, I'll post the previous pictures. I know when I look at it, it seems that it hasn't grown much. But compared to the updated pix, I am impressed with myself :0}

Day 1

Day 2

You can see where Day one stopped and Day 2 started. While I was working on it, I thought the yellow was the dominant color, but now, it looks like blue is showing up.

I am using the following colors. The Dusty Rose is Vanna's Choice. The other 6 colors are Vanna's Choice Baby.
1. Cheery Cherry
2. Goldfish
3. Duckie
4. Sweet Pea
5. Aqua
6. Dusty Rose
7. Bluebell

I started the 1st square with color 1, and ended with color 6. Next square started with color 6, returned to color 1 and started back through the sequence.  Thus, I keep an order to the colors I am using. If I think I might end up with the same  color on the outside round as a square it will touch, I change the number of rounds for a color so they won't touch. Then, I make the 2 round squares a solid color. I just thought that would be a nice change every once in a while.

Now, I wonder how much I will get finished before I take tomorrow's pix . . hope the sun cooperates so I can take the picture outside.

Afghan, Mop Hat Jumper and Pacifier leash

I have had the pattern book with the jumper for several years. As a matter of fact, now it is out of print and I have seen it on Ebay for close to $20.00. So, I guess this means I have good taste in what I pick out, if a pattern that I bought for under $2.00 has appreciated THAT much.

So, on to the show of what I made. First, a Mop Hat. I have always thought these look so adrable on baby girls.  It is just so "ruffly" around the brim.

Then, we have the jumper. It reminded me of a clown's outfit  . . . that is, if it were made out of bright, primary colors. So, instead of making the front and back of the legs different colors, I made them the same . . . so now you are half "Pastel Pink" and half "Bubblegum." Also, I made you a pacifier leash.

And here is what they look like together.

Oh, I almost forgot, I've started on your baby blanket too. The pattern for it is called Babette. What do you think? Not much here yet, is there?

Mr Babette is Finished

It is 4:31 pm, Friday, March 5, 2010.

My 1st Babette Blanket is in the wash along with

a 2 toned blue Baby Cocoon,

(Picture to come with Miss Matthew as the model.)

the same blue colors in a Baby Toboggan hat,

(Miss Indy LOVED to model it.)

the baby sweater made out of Red Heart's Peruvian Print

and a sock hat to match the sweater.

It has been a busy time

since we received the invitation to the baby shower . .

but I am finished

21 hours before Gene and I have to be at our 1st Jack and Jill Baby Shower.

These were the final pictures I took of the blanket.
I know I got carried away.
The colors were so sharp

I couldn't help myself.

I have fallen in LOVE with the edging.

It was a PAIN IN THE ASS

trying to keep 6 colors from tangling,

so they tangled.

About every 5 or 6 clusters,

I would untangle the yarn,

do 5 or 6 more,

untangle,

etc.

etc.

etc.

FINALLY,

On the last side

I CONQUERED

the Tangle Monster.

PM me if you want to know how.

Aren't the clusters

GORGEOUS?

You can see

from the close ups

why I kept working with tangled yarn.

The end result

was amazing ! ! ! ! !

This picture reminds me of

the color of

sherbert.

Isn't

the March sun

a beautiful sight

after a long,

cold

winter?

Signed,

Baby Aiden's Momma LOVED the Blanket :0}

(5986)

Putting Babette Together

Here are the photos I took so I could document the progress of Miss Babette . . .

or should it be Mr. since it is for a boy?

The big square (12 rounds) is Step #1 . . . then the two 6 rounders come next.


Step # 3 . . .across the top:
the 4 - 4 rounders and 2 - 2 rounders get made and added.

Step #4 . . .Pictures on the left:
2 - 6 rounders with the set of 3 in the middle.

This is the back of the squares above . .
thought it would be neat to show how they go together.
I had fun joining them in different colors.



Step #5 . . . Shown at the top:
2 - 8 rounders with 4 - 4 rounders in between.




And the last picture.
Step #6 . . . Look at the top of the left side. This step has:
2 - four rounders,
1 - 6 rounder with 3 - 2 rounders on top,
1 - 8 rounder,
2 sets of 1 - 4 rounder with 2 - 2 rounders next to them

Step #7 . . . Across the bottom.
1 - 12 rounder,
2 - 6 rounders,
3 - 4 rounders,
2 - 6 rounders,
3 - 4 rounders.

Signed,

Sure Had to Look at the Pattern On This One

Just a Babette Baby Blanket

Have you ever heard of the Babette Blanket?

It is one of

THE
NEATEST
AFGHAN PATTERNS
EVER MADE ! ! ! ! ! ! !

(Did I shout that too loud?)

This is the complete blanket:

When I first saw it

I knew I wanted to make it.

But

for whom?

I knew I didn't want

to commit

to the whole blanket

just in case it drove me nuts.

Therefore,

I decided

to make it,

in a smaller version,

for Alicia and Jared's

soon to be born son.

I have a saying I like to use:

"From My Heart Through My Hands To You."

This is how I feel

when I get an invitation

to a wedding or baby shower.

I know how much I appreciate

looking at the baby items

that Mom kept

from Lee and I.

I always hope that

someday,

some adult will look back

at their baby items

and know that someone

liked them enough,

even thought the baby wasn't born yet,

to hand make something for them.

So,

I give you
my Baby Babette Blanket.

It still needs a border,

then washed,

dried,

and wrapped

but you get the jist . . . . .

Signed, One Busy Crocheter for a Saturday Baby Shower
(5864)