Nana's blanket part2

Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever finish. To my surprise, yesterday between the masses, Nana’s blanket became a completed project! I am beyond joyful. As I type, it is in the washing machine. A gorgeous, warm day waits to dry it in the breeze and I have an enormous smile on my face.

From Feb.27 to April 29, this has been my main WIP. It’s bittersweet; I’m sure to miss touching it every day.  Since adding the black outline, the afghan grew in size. I stop adding yo-yos and have 59 left. The blanket already fits a twin bed. It contains 580 circles (20x29). I can sew the left overs into a matching pillow. Thank you to all who have encouraged me to keep plugging away until I was done. This is truly my most rewarding project so far. I can’t wait to sleep with it tonight. 

Be sure to check out Nana's blanket part 1.

chainless foundation

Hello! Here’s a quick post to show you how I make a single crochet foundation row. Since I have learned how to make a chainless row, it has opened up a larger variety of patterns for me to try. If I see a pattern call for ch.100 and turn to single crochet in each stitch, I cringe. There is something about fighting with the loops that will turn me off of crocheting pretty quickly. That is not a problem anymore with the chainless foundation row. This only shows the single crochet foundation row, the one I use in my patterns the most. However, there is also a half-double, as well as a double crochet foundation. They are just as easy, too. Give it a try, you will be glad you did!

make a slip stitch as normal. chain 2.

insert hook into the first chain you made.
other directions always calls for using 2 loops here.  I've never been able to get mine looking good when I  use both loops, so I just use the bottom one.

yarn over and pull through, 2 loops on your hook.

This photo almost looks the same.
yarn over and pull through only ONE of the loops.
This creates the chain, the one you would have made on the first row.
can you see it in the photo?

yarn over and pull through both loops this time.
This creates the single crochet.
The white stitch marker is the bottom of the row, where we will  insert the hook back into.
the blue one shows the top of the row, our first single crochet created.

insert  the hook into the chain, where the white marker is.
yarn over and pull through 1 loop.
yarn and pull through both loops.

2 single crochet done.
just repeat until the desired length is reached.

8 single crochet done.
This technique is made vertically instead of horizontally.
at this point you can chain one and turn your work to crochet back across your row.

Embroidery Floss

scrubbie tutorial

This is not my own pattern. It is only a picture tutorial on how to crochet this pattern for a tawashi/dish scrubbie.

with an H hook and cotton yarn, Chain 21 

in the second chain from the hook, single crochet 2 times in the same stitch. this is an increase.

single crochet in each stitch across, stopping with the last 2 stitches unworked.

single crochet the last 2 stitches together. this is a decrease.

first row complete
ch 21, sc2x ss, sc across, sc2tog in last 2 stitches.

chain 1, turn. decrease over the next 2 sc.
in the previous row, this is the last decrease and one more sc together.

single crochet in each stitch across, leaving the last stitch unworked.

work 2 single crochet in the last stitch.

chain 1 and turn.

work 2 single crochet in the first stitch.

continue to sc in each stitch, decrease over the last 2 stitches.

I added stitch markers on the starting chain. You can see how its shape is slanted.
This is because of the decreases are only on one side and the increases on the opposite side.

after row 5.
Just keep repeating rows 1 and 2 for 22 rows total.

after row 10.
I switched one of the white stitch markers with a blue one.
now I can see on the blue side is the increases and the white side is the decreases.

during row 13, now the slanting is really taking shape.

finished with the crocheting.

the pattern calls to slip stitch the ends together; I whip stitched  mine.

after the ends are sewn together, it creates a tunnel.

with the same strand of yarn that it used to sew the sides together with, weave it in and out around the top of the tunnel. GENTLY pull to snug it tight. I say GENTLY because I have broken the yarn many times.

drop the threaded needle through to the other side.

turn over the scrubbie.
Using the same strand,  weave it in and out around the other side to close in the same way. 

the scrubbie should flatten as you scrunch the ends inward.

I make a few stitches through the scrubbie from side to side.

Add a chain loop to hang your scrubbie:
insert hook into a loop at the desired location for a loop.  yarn over and begin the chain.

Since I broke my yarn, my chain loop is too small to use and that is ok, I just wanted to be able to show you how, in case you want them on yours. 

This scrubbie looks different because I used both loops..
For the dish scrubbies, I prefer crocheting the entire pattern in the BACK LOOPS only. this creates  good cleaning ridges for scrubbing. I would not suggest the ridges for facial scrubbies and they can be 2 rows less than the tawashi pattern for a smaller size.