The Kalevala CAL

20 Wednesday Sep 2017

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CAL, Crochet Along 2017, Crochet Blankets, Kalevala CAL

As mentioned 2 posts ago, I had joined in with the Kalevala CAL . Although I made my 1st square 2 weeks ago, progress on this CAL has been quite slow for me. They’re already out with their 8th Square and I’m still working on the 3rd 🙂

I found this to be a challenging project and the construction of the squares that I have worked on so far has been quite tricky. The first square was relatively easy, the second one was a little intricate and the 3rd one seems to be easy in the beginning but reading the later rounds have got me looking pretty closely at the pictures to figure out what needs to be done.

The Second Square – Bluebill’s Nest (when it was a WIP)

The First Square (Ilmatar), the Second Square (Blue Bill’s Nest) and the beginnings of the Third Square (Birth of the World)

And I’m using mercerized cotton for this project.. I’ve only ever used mercerized cotton for doilies and mandalas. So this is a first for me to use this yarn for a blanket. This might end up being a light-weight one, I suppose.

The pictures of the completed blankets on their blog looks really pretty too. And there’s one in greys with a splash of pink that reminded me of my Moogly CAL blanket last year 🙂

Are any of you doing this?

A bunch of Mandalas and Some New CALs

11 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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CAL, Crochet Mandalas, Mandalas

Phew! So glad to have gotten this over with! And I don’t think I’d like to see another mandala for a long, long time (Easier said than done, isn’t it??).

All 10 mandalas are now hooped and bagged up for my daughter to take to school tomorrow. She has a thematic assembly and these will be gifted to her teachers then.

Now I can peacefully get back to all the WIPs that’s been calling out to me! And I’ve also set my eyes on quite a few CALs that’s been takin’ over the Crochet Groups on FB and some being talked about . And they all seem to be SO VERY interesting!

Here are a few I’ve compiled that I’m dreadfully in love with and hoping to be able to join in:

The KALEVALA CAL

Took me a little while to notice the blanket in the below picture! 😉 And I did manage to complete the First Square (Imaltar). Will post it later.

2. Spirit of Life Wrap CAL (Yet to Begin)

3. Mayan CAL (Yet to Begin)

4. Amanzi Block Throw (Not entirely sure if this is a CAL, though)

4. Seize The Daisies CAL (Yet to Begin)

5. 12 Weeks of Christmas CAL (Yet to Begin)

Wouldn’t it be great if I could make them ALL!!!

Moogly CAL 2016 – The End

23 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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CAL, Crochet, Crochet Along, Crochet Blankets, Moogly CAL 2016

The Moogly CAL 2016 officially came to an end on the 24th of November when the final block was released. All that was left to do was to begin the joining process and add a border.

Mine is all done now and I’m so pleased with the way its turned out! I can’t believe I stuck to it and finished it before the year is up 🙂

I’ve used my favorite joining technique – The Flat Braid Join (considering that I’ve never tried any other method and only ever used this once before in my African Flower Square Baby Blanket, I’m really not sure how its a favorite. I mean, you decide on a favorite once you’ve tried a couple of things and then you choose one, isn’t it? Which I haven’t.) Maybe I just wanted to use something I was familiar with and get the whole thing completed as quickly as possible so I can move on.

For the border, I used the Treble Scallop Edging that I had listed in my post on Borders and Edgings that you can read here. I loved it! Dare I say, its a favorite 🙂 !

So now that one big project has been wrapped up, I can now focus on my Sophie and a bunch of other little things I’ve been really hoping to make.

My 11 year old has been getting a little creative as well with some random doodling and she made these –

I think the first one looks like a little gift paper and when I told her I’ll probably use it to gift-wrap something small, I was subjected to the death stare and some angry rants akin to “it will just be torn off and trashed! Is that REALLY what you want with my drawings???” . Made sense, I guess.

Next time I shall just keep my ideas to myself, ooh and aah over it and quietly sneak it off when its completely forgotten about. Nah! Easier said than done. I’m not sure if I’m evil enough to do that. Will see what I’m capable of if ever a desperate need arises 😀

So for now, it looks like its just going to be piled up and treasured with all the other things she’s drawn up in the past.

So that’s all for now, dear readers.

I wish you all the Most Merriest X’mas and Fun-filled Holidays!!

Catching up!

13 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet, Family

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Tags

CAL, Crochet Along, Moogly CAL 2016

Hello, lovely people!

I hope you all have been well and enjoying life!

Its been an absolute eternity since my last post and I just thought I’d pop by and say hello.

Another month and we will soon be in a tizz over the X’mas festivities! I can already feel the joy bubbling up in my heart and I’m so looking forward to this beautiful season!

I’ve had a job change happening and I had been busy trying to wrap my mind around it. This is a first in my entire career while living in the same country. The first time I changed a job was when I left a country to move to this one 9 yrs ago! Trying to adjust to the changes and the new responsibilities is always quite a challenging task.

Which brings me again to why I’m so glad I took up crochet as a hobby! Cheers me up no end when I come home after a days work! Puts my mind at ease and I can always feel the tension ebb away.

And I’ve managed to catch up on a lot with my WIPs!

The Moogly CAL 2016 is in its final month and I think the last I posted about it was in June when I completed Block 12! My goodness! That really is a long time!

I have progressed pretty well with it and here are all the pictures of the rest of the blocks till Block 21 –

Block 13 – Southern Summertime Square

Block 14 – Wishing Well

Block 15 – Rising Sun

Block 16 – Joyful Afghan Square

Block 17 – Popcorn Lace

Block 18 – Lotus Flower Mandala

Block 19 – The Trail Square

Block 20 – Festival of Fall

Block 21 – Fans and Lace Square

Block 22 is a little tricky with some sewing involved and I think I will be using an alternate block instead. So that leaves just 2 more blocks this month and I’ll soon have a completed afghan to cozy in by December! Can’t wait!

My Sophie is still in its infancy. I have managed to complete only up to Part 7 and I had hoped to complete Part 8 before I post an update. Hope to get that sorted out before the year is up!

There was also a throw that I had been working on early in the year. And boy! Am I proud to say that its been done with and I’d even made a cushion cover to complement it! But that’s going to be for another post when I can really show it off 🙂

I did think of starting on some crocheted gifts for Christmas too, but decided I really did not want to take that road so late. I don’t think I can handle the stress of not completing them in time! So I’m gonna give it a miss this year. Sadly.

I bet you’re all done with your X’mas gifts, aren’t ya!

On the family front, my 2 year old quietly turned 3 earlier this month. We went for dinner to celebrate it. We even took him to a movie later that week 🙂 It was his first time to a theater and I laughed at the way he sat on his father’s lap, waiting solemnly for whatever it was that was going to take place. I forgot to click a picture, silly me! I always forget to take pictures of my children’s “first time” 😦 Once the lights dimmed and the movie started, he still maintained his silence. I kept glancing at him to see if he nodded off considering how late at night the show was. But he sat entranced the entire 3 hrs. Proved I needn’t worry about taking him to the movies next time 🙂

So that’s what’s been going on in my life so far!

Now to catch up on all your blogs..

Until next time..Take care, lovelies!

Block 12 – Moogly CAL 2016

25 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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CAL, Crochet Along, English Garden Square, Moogly CAL 2016

I’ve been so hooked on my Sophie that I’ve missed to see the latest Moogly CAL 2016 blocks.

2 days ago I logged on to Ravelry and realized that 2 new blocks had already made its introductions. So, immediately got to work on the 1st block of this month which was released on the 9th of June.

The 12th block of the series is called English Garden by Pattern Paradise.

And this is my completed block –

I enjoyed making this one. It was easy and its got some interesting stitches. This block turned out a row or 2 larger than all the other blocks.

I will now have to take stock of all the blocks made so far and start making notes on the total number of stitches on the last row so I can slowly start working on some adjustments.

I really can’t wait to see how this blanket is going to turn out in the end 🙂

Block 11 : Moogly CAL 2016

07 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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CAL, Crochet Along, Moogly CAL 2016, Squared Ripples

Block 11 of Moogly CAL 2016 was released on the 26th of May. I completed mine just yesterday. On my second attempt!!

The block is called Squared Ripples by KatiDCreations.

I liked the way her square turned out. Looked like an optical illusion. Mine just looks normal. Without the slightest hint of any illusion, whatsoever. And a little crooked too, to top it.

The first time round, this was what my square looked like 😀 –

To think I never noticed something was wrong until I was smugly uploading this picture in the Ravelry group and saw everybody else’s looked different!! Was I glad I decided to admire all the other squares BEFORE I shared mine.

Back I went to re-read the pattern and realized I missed so many steps from Row 9 onward. Then when I started it the second time, the instructions seemed a little muddled to me because of all the repetitions in every row. I finally had to give up reading it because it was getting me totally annoyed and unnecessarily worked up.

So after a few minutes of gazing at the picture, my mind slowly registered where all the stitches were supposed to go.

This really is a unique square. And I’m still finding it strange that I didn’t notice the difference between our squares in the beginning. I’d like to blame the illusion-effect her square had on me. Made my brain fuzzy.

Block 10 – Moogly CAL 2016

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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CAL, Crochet Along, Moogly CAL 2016, Neverending Zinnia Square

Yay! I’ve caught up! All done with my Block 10 of the Moogly CAL 2016.

A pretty square called the Neverending Zinnia by Little Monkeys Crochet. I love the 3D flower part of it!

And here’s mine :

But I’m really behind with my additional squares for this project. Gotta check out my board today and plan all the extras I need to make.

Take care, you all!

Block 9 – Moogly CAL 2016

13 Friday May 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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Tags

CAL, Crochet Along, Moogly CAL 2016, Vanna's Square

After a refreshing bout of plain ol’ laziness, I’ve taken up my hook again and I’m now done with my Block 9 of the Moogly CAL. I was behind by 2 blocks and now that one is over, I thought I’d just post it here.

Vanna’s Square – a lacy-looking piece by Salena Baca Crochet – debuted on the 28th of April.

Here’s my completed version :

I think it looks really pretty and the clusters sort of look like little cup-cakes 🙂

Gotta get started on Block 10, but before that, I need to put in the finishing rounds for a sling bag I was working on. I’ve got about 3 more WIPs and I’m desperately hoping that I remain motivated enough to see it all through.

Have a great weekend, all!

Block 8 – Moogly CAL 16 & Some updates

20 Wednesday Apr 2016

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CAL, Crochet Along, Floral Dimension Square, May Flowers Granny Square, Moogly CAL 2016

My Block 8 is ready. It was ready 3 days ago, actually, but I was getting the additional block ready too.

Block 8 of the Moogly CAL is called May Flowers Granny Square by Sara Sach at Posh Pooch Designs.

A very light and lacy square, this one. A few other members of the group had raised some concerns about this being too thin among the heavier blocks we did so far. I guess we’ll just have to wait till the end to see how they all turn out.

Here’s mine :

The additional block is a really, really pretty square called the Floral Dimension Square by Laurie Dale. This was saved on my Crochet Squares Board on Pinterest and I had decided to include it in this CAL the moment I set eyes on it.

So here it is finally, with my color palette –

Now that the one little baby blankie I was working on is completed, blogged about and admired, I have begun work on a throw this time. And its a one-piece thing 🙂 More shall be revealed once I’m through with it, but here’s a teensy peek on how its shaping up –

Oh and before I forget, my Jade plant has flowered a bit and it looks like I am going to be seeing more blooms on it this season. Pretty, isn’t it??

Block 7 – Moogly CAL 2016

03 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by Bessie V in Crochet

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Tags

Berry Stitch, CAL, Crochet Along, Cross Stitch, Felicity Square, Moogly CAL 2016

I love, love, love Block 7 of Moogly CAL 2016.

Such an interesting and fun square. And I learned 2 new stitches with this – The Berry stitch and the Cross Stitch.

Pattern is called Felicity Square by Carolyn Christmas at Pink Mambo.

Here’s mine –

The Berry stitch is the one in Pink in the middle and the black around the edges. Hmm.. coincidence, because I’ve got a pinkberry and a blackberry row now 🙂

The Cross stitch is the White around the edges, below the black berry row.

I think its the prettiest one among the lot, so far.

I still haven’t checked out an alternate square. Didn’t get time because I am working on a baby blankie project that I will put up in another few days. I’m so proud of that one too and can’t wait to share what I’ve made 🙂