Crocheted Doll Blanket

Who doesn't love a quick crochet or knit project that provides practically instant gratification? Here's a little project I worked on over this past week, in between my own school and associated studying and activities with the kids who were off from school for their April vacation. Keep reading and see what gave me instant gratification...


This cute and cozy little doll blanket is made with Red Heart Soft Baby Steps yarn in Baby Blue combined with Bernat Satin yarn in a variegated called Seagrass which is a combination of blues, greens, whites and a little touch of a grayish/silverish sort of color thrown in there too. It really reminds me of the colors of sea glass, so I think that's what it should be called instead of Seagrass! Next time Bernat contacts me for advice, I'll be sure to tell them!

Grace's Kit doll thinks this blanket is just the right size for her, or any of her other 18 inch doll friends! It measures 18.5 inches square. This blanket would also be perfect for a preemie, or for any baby who likes to haul a crocheted blanket everywhere they go!

If you're looking for a darling little doll blanket for some lucky little doll, or a tiny crocheted afghan for a lucky little baby, jump on over to my Etsy shop where you will find this one for sale.

For those of you who might be interested in my schooling escapades, I'm happy to report that I am holding up pretty well this semester with Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology 1, and with only three weeks left of the semester, my average for both classes is a respectable A! I am finding both classes very interesting and each new meeting brings even more fascination about the wonders of our bodies and how we work. I am, however, looking forward to passing in my last final of the semester on May 10 and having time to work on my ever growing list of creative projects I want to do before starting up again in September!

Happy Stitching!

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Happy Easter to you!

Not a stitch of knitting, crocheting or quilting done today but take a peek at what kept me and my children entertained for the better part of the afternoon...

It's our not-quite-annual Easter lamb cake, all decorated and ready to greet us on Easter morning! My two little helpers gave me lots of pointers about how to decorate this yummy dessert, and of course acted as taste testers for every new color of icing! They also had to check over lots of M&Ms to make sure only the best were used on the face of this cake! All the rest were summarily dispatched into their mouths!

I hope you all have a very happy and blessed Easter!

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Catherine Wheel Video Tutorial

Here's another crochet video for the video library here at Hooked On Needles. This one is for the Catherine Wheel Blanket pattern that you can find over at the Bernat website. If you haven't signed up at Bernat, you should! It's free and they have loads of wonderful knit and crochet patterns for free too! This is one of them! Click HERE to see the Catherine Wheel Blanket pattern, and while you are there, print one out for yourself if it looks like something you might like to make!

Keep reading to find out more about the Catherine Wheel Blanket and see a sample of the pattern and view the video...


Here are a few pictures of the sample I worked up so that I could show you how this pattern looks when it is made.


As you can see, it is mostly double crochet. If you need to brush up on your basic crochet stitches before beginning this project, check out my crochet videos HERE.

In case you are wondering why this pattern is called Catherine Wheel, it is for the same reason that those fireworks that spin around when you light them are called the same name, because St. Catherine of Alexandria was condemned to death by torture on a wheel in the year 307. Thankfully the Catherine Wheel made with this pattern is not an instrument of torture!

So here is the video, for which I must apologize in advance. It is nearly 39 minutes long, and not quite the quality I had hoped for. Because of its size, I had to save it in a lower resolution in order for blogger to upload it. I do hope you will view it anyway and allow me to get you started on this colorful and interesting crochet pattern!

NOTE: If this post was sent to you as an email, you need to click through to my website in order to view the video, or you can click HERE to get directly to the post on the website.

Happy Stitching!





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Spring is Here! Well...

This giveaway is now closed! Winners are Dawn and Kelsey! Thanks to all who participated!

Maybe on the calendar, but certainly not outside! We got another foot or more of snow yesterday, so whenever the sun shines today, it is so bright that I can hardly keep my eyes open even inside the house! I do have a little piece of spring in my kitchen windowsill though, so click through and take a look at this cheerfulness and get the details on my spring giveaway...


You can see through the window just how bright it is outside from all the snow, which makes the flowers in the windowsill look dark, but in fact they are so happy and yellow and cheerful, I can almost believe it really is spring!

And speaking of spring, I promised a little spring giveaway here at Hooked On Needles, so take a look at the little piece of spring I am going to give away to two lucky winners...

One of my little zippered accessory bags, made with a Sandy Gervais fabric line called Celebrate Spring, will go to one lucky winner. The reversible apron, made with another Sandy Gervais fabric line called Frolic, will go to another lucky winner.


Don't you just love these fabrics? The designs are just perfect for spring, I mean real spring, not this snowy mess we are in right now!


Frolic is one of my favorite lines designed by Sandy Gervais for Moda. The colors and designs are just so happy! And everyone needs a fresh springy apron for all that Easter baking, right?

If you would like to win one of these springy prizes, just comment on this post below, making sure that you leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win. One comment per person please, and only US residents are elligible due to the high cost of postage. This giveaway will stay open until Sunday evening, March 24 or until I close comments to do the drawing. I'd love for these prizes to arrive at their new homes in time for Easter!

Happy Stitching!

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Bloglovin for me! How about you?

I'm sure you've all heard by now that Google Reader is going away. I started reading about this on some of the many blogs I follow just last week and honestly I never knew there was any other way to follow lots of blogs! So I read a few posts about it and the comments from readers to see what other people were going to do to keep track of all the blogs they like to check in on every day. Bloglovin seemed to be getting the most votes, by my completely unofficial and unscientific poll. I checked it out, figuring it would be a total chore to move my list of 300+ blogs over to this new list-keeper-tracker-of thingy. Was I ever surprised when my new blog list showed up on bloglovin after just a couple of clicks! And that was it! I was able to very easily sort through my list and delete those blogs that are no longer active, which I was never able to figure out how to delete from the google list. Very quick and easy process! So if you are switching over to bloglovin or any other reader list, be sure to bring Hooked on Needles along with you. Even though I'm not as active as I was pre-college, I still post relevant content every now and then, and even a giveaway when the mood strikes or the occasion calls for a celebration.

I even added a handy little button near the top of my sidebar that you can click to start following me on Bloglovin!

Now that I mentioned a giveaway, I think it is well past time for one, don't you? I'll announce a nice little spring giveaway here very soon, so make sure you are still following me somehow. You won't want to miss it!



Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Homespun Blocks Afghan ~ Complete!

I was wrong! Last time I showed this afghan in progress with the strips all lined up and ready to be sewn together, the plan was to use up all the leftover yarn by crocheting a simple border with each color until they ran out. But once I got all the strips sewn together and laid this thick, cozy, warm crocheted afghan out on the floor, I realized it was actually a really good size, and it is h-e-a-v-y! So I made the executive decision to leave it as is, which is exactly the way the pattern instructed anyway!

So, here it is, my version of the crocheted Homespun Blocks afghan...


It is 9 blocks by 8 blocks with a finished measurement of approximately 59 inches by 56 inches.

It was made with eight different colors of Lion Brand Homespun yarn which is 98% acrylic and 2% polyester and easy care machine wash and dry.

I chose this color combination to be gender neutral and not too dark but not too light either.

This afghan is perfect for throwing over the back of your favorite chair or sofa and cuddling under on a cold winter night, with a cup of something hot and a good book of course!

It will be making an appearance over in my Etsy shop very soon, so if you think this is the perfect afghan for you or someone you love, zip me a quick email or look for it over in my shop. Of course, if you are local and I can deliver in person, email or convo me first so you won't have to pay shipping charges.

This afghan is so soft and cozy and the colors work so nicely in my house that I was very tempted to keep this one, but looking at the pile of handmade afghans in the corner of the family room convinced me that this one will have to find a new home!

In between trying to memorize the names and functions of the cranial nerves, and learning about all different kinds of bacteria, I have decided not to start a new project. Instead I will be working on finishing two old projects that have sat neglected for some time now, the triangle lace shawl which is a knitting project that I talked about HERE, and a crocheted spider web scarf which is my first project using cashmere yarn that is almost finished. I think the spider web scarf will be what I work on first since it is closest to being finished. I'll share pictures once it is finished.

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Homespun Blocks Afghan ~ Strips Finished!

In between my school, the kids' school, activities, school vacation week, studying, and all the usual stuff of regular, everyday home life that we all do, I have finally finished crocheting the strips of my Homespun Blocks Afghan! It will be so nice to get this all sewn up and in one piece so I can crochet a nice border on it to use up all the leftover yarn.

Take a look at the current state of this afghan with all the ends hanging out...


Kind of messy, don't you think? My locking stitch markers will come in handy for holding the strips together at each block intersection so I will be sure to sew the blocks together evenly.

After I get all the strips sewn together, using the long ends I left as I added each new yarn color, I will just start crocheting around the outside edge, probably in single crochet, changing to a new color as each color runs out.

When I'm on the very last color, I don't think I will do any kind of border simply because this yarn is so good at hiding any kind of stitch detail in all its bumps and lumps! I think it would be wasted effort! So once the last color of yarn is finished, I will just pull in the tail and weave it in and the afghan will be complete.

This cozy crocheted afghan will be so very thick and fluffy and cushy and cozy, and a very generous size too, not one of those little lap blankets that don't even cover your feet! I am excited to get it finished and move on to my next project. What that is yet is not clear, but I'm leaning towards a knitting project of an article of clothing for myself, such as a sweater. I've been scouring the free patterns at Red Heart and Lion Brand and other yarn brand websites to see if anything jumps out at me, but so far I've struck out. Just as well, because I don't really have time to dedicate to a serious, thoughtful knitting project right now anyway.

So that's my quick update for now. Time for me to review for an Anatomy quiz on the brain tomorrow morning. Fascinating stuff! I hope you are doing fascinating things with your time too!

Happy Stitching!

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Fandango Zig Zag Quilt Top ~ Finally Finished!

Here is one more quilting post before I must immerse myself into my studies once again! This one is the Fandango Zig Zag Quilt top that I started working on at the end of last summer and had hoped to finish before beginning school, but didn't. Then I promised myself that I would finish it on my winter break, which I did, but only just! I guess 18 hours to spare isn't cutting it quite as closely as I could have, but at least I got it done and I love how it turned out. Now if I could only spend some time on the long arm machine, I could have five quilts ready to bind and go! But one thing at a time, right? So here's the newly finished quilt top...

Isn't that fun? It's no secret I'm in love with Moda pre-cuts and jelly rolls are so versatile. This quilt top required one jelly roll, some yardage of the solid background fabric and the nifty 60 degree triangle ruler I bought last summer and showed HERE.

This fabric, shown in the center of this picture, is what I chose for the backing which will also have some of the leftover triangles pieced into it, and the red stripe fabric which you can pick out a few pictures above will be the binding. I just love the reds that Kate Spain uses in her fabric lines, so I like to feature them in the backings and bindings if I can.

So now I must put all this aside for a while again and study for my first Microbiology quiz which will be on Tuesday. This class is so interesting and I just love the professor. We got to look at bacteria under the microscope today, which is just so amazing and next week we'll start making our own slides of cool stuff to look at! Anatomy & Physiology starts tomorrow and I am very much looking forward to that class too. So I'll pop in every now and then if I have something of note to share, but remember that all my posts, videos and information, as well as my Etsy shop are always available for you to read and refer to for help or ideas or gifts. And of course I do check my email frequently so if you have any questions, please feel free to write. I'll be back again in May!

Happy Stitching!

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Paper Embroidery Project ~ Finished!

Microbiology started today and I think this course will be another winner! So before I get too overwhelmed with studying, I wanted to show you the finished paper embroidery project that I started over the winter break. Keep reading for some pictures of the event all set up and ready for guests to arrive, and some close-ups of the finished favors...

First a few pictures of the 40 bookmarks I made as favors for each of our staff members who were invited to this luncheon...

...and a close-up...

...and another picture...

...and one more just because I love all the fresh and happy colors!

We set up tables in the gymnasium for dining and food service with fresh flowers, bright colored napkins, cheerful colored fabrics...

...and each place setting had one of the embroidered bookmarks to take home...

...and we used those partitions in the background to shrink the big gym space a little and decorated them with photos of flowers that were taken mostly by our PTO president who helped me with this event, and a few by me. The teachers will get to enjoy those pictures in the teacher's room or in their classrooms if they want them. The colored fabric squares are Kona solids that I picked up at Joann's and they have been washed and added to my fabric stash, like I needed six more yards of fabric in my stash, but I have no doubt they will be used eventually! And really, who doesn't love a nice selection of Kona solids to choose from when it comes time to pick a solid for a project?

So that is the end of my paper embroidery project. If you are interested in trying paper embroidery yourself, I can highly recommend Stitching Cards for a great source of patterns for all occasions and ideas on how to use them.

I have one more thing to show from my winter break, the one thing I had promised myself I would finish before classes started again. I put it off until yesterday and actually finished it, so I am very excited to be able to show it off finally. That will be next, and then it might be quiet on here for a while until my classes are over in May. But don't be too surprised if I pop in every now and then for a quick update on my Homespun Blocks Afghan or some other little odd project I decide to pick up!

Happy Stitching!

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Temperature Scarf Knit or Crochet Project idea from Bernat

Just a week ago our temperatures here were close to 60 degrees, quite warm for a January day in New England. Today we were close to single digits...brrrr! In the summer, we get up into the 90s and humid which is not at all comfortable. Have you ever thought about documenting a year of weather in a knitted or crocheted scarf or blanket? Check this out...

Don't you just love the color combinations you find on some weather maps? What in the world could this have to do with knitting and crocheting? Keep reading!

Bernat offers lots of great ideas for knitting and crocheting on their website. If you haven't signed up for their free patterns and ideas, I'd highly recommend it if only for the inspiration you can get from seeing what other people are doing! Just today they introduced their Temperature Scarf Crochet or Knit Along! The idea is to assign colors to temperature ranges and then knit or crochet a row or two each day in the color that goes with the appropriate temperature of each day for a whole year. This would be a great way to use up leftover or stash yarns, or a great excuse to try out some new yarns!

This project would also be a great way to showcase your favorite knit or crochet stitches in each section. If you need inspiration for some new stitches, check out my knit and crochet links for videos and patterns of lots of different stitches.

I'd love to know if you decide to jump in to this fun year-long project!

Happy Stitching!

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Knitted Leftover Poems Wool Scarf

Since I had almost a whole skein of lovely wool yarn leftover after making my "one-skein" collar that I showed the other day, I decided to use it up on a small knitted scarf. Here are some pictures of it...

I used a simple design of small garter stitch sections alternating with larger stockinette sections, which produces those bumpy rings every few inches.

This yarn is so warm and cozy, and the colors are just so rich and beautiful. I was very happy working with it and so pleased with the results of these two projects.

Can you say COZY?

The scarf measures only about 48 inches in length, very short for a scarf, so it would be good for someone who is smaller or shorter or doesn't like much bulk. It also naturally wants to curl up into a tube as a result of the stitches I used, so when it is flattened out, the width measures about four inches, but curled up into a tube it is only about one and a half inches wide. This scarf would also make a lovely accessory to wear on the outside of a coat since it is not very long.

This pretty wool scarf will be making an appearance over in my Etsy shop very soon for the ridiculous price of only $30, mainly because of its small size and the fact that I used leftover yarn from another project to make it! So it's a good deal for me and a good deal for whoever buys it! I love a win/win situation!

Today was a snow day here so my kids and I spent the day in front of that nice fire you see in the background of the scarf pictures. I crocheted on my Homespun Blocks afghan, they played and read and colored. A lovely day off for all of us! I hope you had a great day too!

Happy Stitching!

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