wellway
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,203
Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Feb 27, 2020 19:38:07 GMT
Could I ask some advice? I picked up a crochet hook a few weeks ago. After a lot of practicing and ripping out, I made an simple scarf (single and double crochet) and it turned out really well. I didn't drop or add stitches, I was very proud of myself. My niece is due with her first baby in a few weeks and I decided to make a baby blanket thinking it would be simple. It was, I did the entire thing in moss sitch (boring). First off, I had NO IDEA that it would take 40 hours or more. OMG. I spent a LOT of time of it this past week and finished yesterday. After I finished it and blocked it I had hoped that the blocking might help. It did mildly, but you can tell that a novice made it. As it turns out my yarn tension increased slightly as I crocheted, so the bottom of the blanket is a bit wider than the middle and top. Apparently I also picked up and dropped a stitch here and there so the sides are slightly wavy in a couple of spots. I still need to crochet the border, but I don't expect it to improve much. So here's my question. Do I go ahead and send it to my niece, or do I chalk it up to lesson learned and just donate it and get her something else and keep working on my crochet skills? I am a perfectionist and I hate that it is not perfect. However there is so much time in this, and it was made with love. What would you do, and please be honest. Thanks in advance! When you do the first row of the border use a single stitch on the wide part and a double or half double where the blanket is narrower. Use the same colour as the main colour so the longer stitches just disappear, then continue with the main border you have planned. It was made with love, I would give it. If I received a handmade item I would so appreciate the effort and time spent making it. |
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Post by gillyp on Feb 27, 2020 19:49:20 GMT
MichyM could I give a gift I wasn’t happy with? No. Could I receive one, hand made for me, that the maker didn’t think was perfect? Absolutely! I would be delighted and probably love it more because of the effort gone into it. We are so hard on ourselves for what we see as imperfections but others don’t notice or if they do, they don’t care. Let your niece and baby enjoy it!
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Post by gar on Feb 27, 2020 21:00:42 GMT
No, no reply to the email JoP sent unfortunately 😕 |
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Montannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,486 
Location: Big Sky Country
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Post by Montannie on Feb 27, 2020 21:04:37 GMT
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Post by snoopy on Feb 27, 2020 21:21:29 GMT
MichyM I am a total perfectionist and I notice every single tiny mistake in anything I make, but I highly doubt that others see them. Could this be the case with you? Maybe put it away for a few days and bring it out later. Maybe it won’t look so bad to you after a few days of not looking at it. That usually helps me realize that the things I make aren’t quite as terrible as I initially thought. Unless your niece also crochets, she likely won’t see any of the mistakes and would really appreciate the hand made gift.
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Post by malibou on Feb 27, 2020 21:38:55 GMT
No, no reply to the email JoP sent unfortunately 😕 Damn Damn Damn. We were supposed to meet up at the end of Mar. I've been looking so forward to it. We didn't have everything nailed down when she left.😞 |
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Post by MichyM on Feb 27, 2020 21:50:34 GMT
Could I ask some advice? I picked up a crochet hook a few weeks ago. After a lot of practicing and ripping out, I made an simple scarf (single and double crochet) and it turned out really well. I didn't drop or add stitches, I was very proud of myself. My niece is due with her first baby in a few weeks and I decided to make a baby blanket thinking it would be simple. It was, I did the entire thing in moss sitch (boring). First off, I had NO IDEA that it would take 40 hours or more. OMG. I spent a LOT of time of it this past week and finished yesterday. After I finished it and blocked it I had hoped that the blocking might help. It did mildly, but you can tell that a novice made it. As it turns out my yarn tension increased slightly as I crocheted, so the bottom of the blanket is a bit wider than the middle and top. Apparently I also picked up and dropped a stitch here and there so the sides are slightly wavy in a couple of spots. I still need to crochet the border, but I don't expect it to improve much. So here's my question. Do I go ahead and send it to my niece, or do I chalk it up to lesson learned and just donate it and get her something else and keep working on my crochet skills? I am a perfectionist and I hate that it is not perfect. However there is so much time in this, and it was made with love. What would you do, and please be honest. Thanks in advance! When you do the first row of the border use a single stitch on the wide part and a double or half double where the blanket is narrower. Use the same colour as the main colour so the longer stitches just disappear, then continue with the main border you have planned. It was made with love, I would give it. If I received a handmade item I would so appreciate the effort and time spent making it. Thank you, I'll give that a go! |
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Post by gar on Feb 27, 2020 21:50:41 GMT
No, no reply to the email JoP sent unfortunately 😕 Damn Damn Damn. We were supposed to meet up at the end of Mar. I've been looking so forward to it. We didn't have everything nailed down when she left.😞 Oh no 😟 That’s such a shame but let’s hope she’ll feel like popping in again before too long. |
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Post by MichyM on Feb 27, 2020 21:51:59 GMT
MichyM could I give a gift I wasn’t happy with? No. Could I receive one, hand made for me, that the maker didn’t think was perfect? Absolutely! I would be delighted and probably love it more because of the effort gone into it. We are so hard on ourselves for what we see as imperfections but others don’t notice or if they do, they don’t care. Let your niece and baby enjoy it! LOL, that's exactly the dilemma. |
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Post by gillyp on Feb 27, 2020 22:25:16 GMT
No, no reply to the email JoP sent unfortunately 😕  |
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kellyr21
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,028
Location: California
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Post by kellyr21 on Feb 28, 2020 1:01:39 GMT
Happy Thursday! I have got to catch up with you all here! I visited with you all back in January and lost track of this thread.  I am working on a hat and it is moving slow but I am still working on it.
I ran across this article about "Temperature Blankets" in Better Homes & Gardens Online Magazine. You crochet according to the weekly or daily weather. Use diffrent colors for different temps. Then, at the end of the year, you have got a special blanket.
Have you heard of it??? So neat!!!
Here is the link. Link Here
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Post by JoP on Feb 28, 2020 8:28:33 GMT
I’ve heard from Lainey, she’s ok, just taking a break from social media for a while.
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wellway
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,203
Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Feb 28, 2020 9:09:53 GMT
Happy Thursday! I have got to catch up with you all here! I visited with you all back in January and lost track of this thread. I am working on a hat and it is moving slow but I am still working on it.
I ran across this article about "Temperature Blankets" in Better Homes & Gardens Online Magazine. You crochet according to the weekly or daily weather. Use diffrent colors for different temps. Then, at the end of the year, you have got a special blanket.
Have you heard of it??? So neat!!!
Here is the link. Link Here
A couple of ladies here have made temperature blankets, adapted to the temps in their part of the world. If you want to start one but a blanket seems too big you could make a scarf instead. Some people have picked a past year that was special to them and used the daily temp to create a unique piece. I have also heard of sky scarves, you choose blues, greys, white etc and use a colour to match the sky at 8am in the morning. |
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Post by jennyap on Feb 28, 2020 9:24:59 GMT
I’ve heard from Lainey, she’s ok, just taking a break from social media for a while. That's a relief |
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Post by gillyp on Feb 28, 2020 9:58:20 GMT
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Post by jeremysgirl on Feb 28, 2020 14:00:18 GMT
Happy Thursday! I have got to catch up with you all here! I visited with you all back in January and lost track of this thread. I am working on a hat and it is moving slow but I am still working on it.
I ran across this article about "Temperature Blankets" in Better Homes & Gardens Online Magazine. You crochet according to the weekly or daily weather. Use diffrent colors for different temps. Then, at the end of the year, you have got a special blanket.
Have you heard of it??? So neat!!!
Here is the link. Link Here
I made a temperature blanket several years ago. Trust me, half a year, is plenty big enough. My blanket was nearly queen sized and I just went from January 1-June 30. |
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Julie W
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,209
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Post by Julie W on Feb 28, 2020 17:34:46 GMT
I love the idea of a temperature scarf! May have to do that. I finished the two rectangles which will make DD14's poncho. I just have to piece them together with a mattress stitch. I am still working on a hurdle stitch blanket in my fiestaware colors. That is my "watch TV" project so probably won't be done for a month or more. I just finished knitting this Dummy Clap Shawl. I dropped all the stitches and there is a row that is "stuck." So the ladder doesn't go all the way down. Ugh. I'll have to work at it with something. I'll post when that is done and it is blocked. Speaking of giving gifts you know are imperfect. I had intended this as a silent auction item for DD's circus school gala. We will have to see if I think it's good enough for that. Finally, I am in the Jimmy Beans Wool shawl club, where they send you a bit of yarn and a portion of the pattern each month. I just received the second mailing, and I'll hope to work on that this weekend.  |
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flute4peace
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,757
Jul 3, 2014 14:38:35 GMT
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Post by flute4peace on Feb 28, 2020 19:12:56 GMT
I’ve heard from Lainey, she’s ok, just taking a break from social media for a while. Thank you so much, I've been obsessively checking for an update. Please give her my love and tell her that she is missed, but we understand and support that she needs to do what is best for her. We'll welcome her with open arms if/when she's ready to come back. |
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Post by malibou on Feb 28, 2020 20:10:46 GMT
I’ve heard from Lainey, she’s ok, just taking a break from social media for a while. Thank you. I totally get needing a break. |
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kellyr21
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,028
Location: California
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Post by kellyr21 on Feb 28, 2020 23:16:18 GMT
I made a temperature blanket several years ago. Trust me, half a year, is plenty big enough. My blanket was nearly queen sized and I just went from January 1-June 30 LOL! Yeah, 6 months seems like a large enough blanket I guess depending on how much you do each month. Such a fun idea, though. |
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kellyr21
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,028
Location: California
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Post by kellyr21 on Feb 28, 2020 23:18:38 GMT
Happy Thursday! I have got to catch up with you all here! I visited with you all back in January and lost track of this thread. I am working on a hat and it is moving slow but I am still working on it.
I ran across this article about "Temperature Blankets" in Better Homes & Gardens Online Magazine. You crochet according to the weekly or daily weather. Use diffrent colors for different temps. Then, at the end of the year, you have got a special blanket.
Have you heard of it??? So neat!!!
Here is the link. Link Here
A couple of ladies here have made temperature blankets, adapted to the temps in their part of the world. If you want to start one but a blanket seems too big you could make a scarf instead. Some people have picked a past year that was special to them and used the daily temp to create a unique piece. I have also heard of sky scarves, you choose blues, greys, white etc and use a colour to match the sky at 8am in the morning. Thanks for sharing this! I am a newbie to the crocheting world and all this sounds so creative and interesting to me. |
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I am working on a hat and it is moving slow but I am still working on it.
