Winner!

The Random Number Generator has spoken: Kate, please email me with your email address, you've won the Simply Crochet ebook!

Merry Christmas Eve, all of you - may Santa bring you all the yarn you want!

Natalie Shrug

Pattern-writing for books is a funny beast. You pitch your idea, and when you're accepted your fingers and brain are a flurry of activity, and then you send off the fruits of your labor to be edited and published.



And then you wait and wait and forget that you even wrote a pattern and wait some more.



But then you get to see this!





My cute little pink shrug has finally come out to play, in Simply Crochet by Robyn Chachula!



Waaaaay back in July of 2010, Robyn approached me, asking for a pattern for a 1950s-inspired shrug. So I shot back a couple of sketches:



and we agreed that the more feminine cap-sleeves and scalloped edging would work best. So the yarn arrived and I got to work.



What, you don't call that work? :) Lucky me, most of the actual crocheting I did on this piece was during a road trip into Washington for a family reunion. I crocheted to keep my mind off of the treacherous drop outside my window on the way up to the viewing area on top of Mount Saint Helens, among other things.



And just like that, I was done!



It worked up pretty quickly, even for striking out in the dark with only a vague idea of what I wanted; and my favorite part is the scalloped edging.



If you like Natalie, or any of the other patterns you've seen in Simply Crochet, leave a comment on this post letting me know what YOU like to do with just one or two balls of yarn, and I'll choose a name at random next week to win a copy of the e-book! Good luck!

Baby Projects

I am all ready for my cousin's baby shower on Boxing Day! That's quite a feat, as I only started working on her gifts last weekend and I also had to bake four kinds of cookies and make jello salad and roast turkey breasts for sandwiches and host my brother-in-law for the week. (Not that he's high-maintenance, but we've gone out to eat a lot, heh.)

I decided to make:
The Joni Jumper and
Snuggly Socks from Robyn's Baby Blueprint Crochet
Pixie Hat by SweaterBabe
Double Strap Baby Booties by Sylvia Schuchardt



The jumper turned out really well! I used Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy in what I think is a discontinued color, so it has really nice drape. I used scraps for the bottom edging, and I did make a little motif as the pattern called for but I think it looks super cute without it too, so I left it off.



The socks took a second for me to figure out in the toe (my fingers kept getting in the way and I was distracted by movie-watching, hehe) but they're also adorable. They're in Serenity Sock in 108-10 (Amethyst - purple/grey). I might have to make another pair of these to throw in; they're so fast!



Hats look so boring when they're not on heads. Sorry about that. Yarn was from my stash.



And an old favorite! I made Sylvia's booties for Lydia back in the spring and I love the pattern. These are Heart and Sole, doubled so I could make gauge.

All right, bring on the baby! I'm ready!

Baby Blueprint Crochet!

I know that my last post was all about Robyn Chachula and her new book, but to celebrate the release of Baby Blueprint Crochet Robyn and I thought a blog tour stop at Loop-de-doo would be fun! So welcome to all Robyn's fans. :)



So, my cousin is having a baby in just a few weeks! Not only is it her first baby, but it's the first great-grandbaby in the family, so everyone is super excited. She's one of those mamas that has everything, which means that handmade gifts are in order! (Not that anyone would expect less of a crocheter, but anyway...)

I have a lot of other projects on my plate right now, but the great thing about baby stuff is that they take almost no time at all! So when I received Robyn's book in the mail on Friday, I decided my cousin should have Blueprint-Crochet-themed gifts for her baby shower, and I started making a mental list of all the projects I'm going to need to make.

First off, socks!


Being born in the winter months, baby Quinn is going to need her little toes to stay warm. The Snuggly Socks are just the thing. And tiny socks are always aww-inducing! And they're super quick to make too.

And then, of course:


I'm not sure if my cousin is planning on cloth diapering little Quinn, but either way, the Greenie Diaper Cover would be a great-looking accessory in the summertime, underneath a little dress...



...One like this, perhaps! I think the Joni Jumper is my favorite project in the book. One of the things I like best about it is that it can be used as a dress while Quinn is still an infant, and when she grows into a toddler she can still wear it as a tunic or vest! Any mama can appreciate being able to use clothes (especially handmade!) for more than one season.

There seem to be a lot of girl babies in my family and friends, but one of the things I love about this book is that there are also a ton of boy patterns to choose from!



It can be hard to find fashionable patterns for little boys, even with great tools like Ravelry, so if all the little ones in your life are of the masculine variety, you are in luck - there are lots of patterns for boys in Baby Blueprint Crochet, and also some unisex patterns that can be easily adaptable for the little guys.

If you have never followed one of Robyn's patterns, definitely pick the book up and give it a once-over. Like its for-grown-ups predecessor Blueprint Crochet, has a little something for every learning style. Those who most easily follow written instructions can take advantage of the clear text, and visual learners can enjoy the stitch and construction diagrams. (Robyn's background as an architectural engineer translates so well into these diagrams!) And if you get stuck on a particular construction detail, being able to switch back and forth between the text and diagrams can be super helpful.

One quick tip, though I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir: make sure you make a gauge swatch! This is especially important for me when I'm working on photography samples for Robyn, because she crochets much more loosely than I do, and I almost always have to go up a couple of hook sizes before I can make gauge.



In short, if you are planning on expanding your family or if everyone around you seems to be getting pregnant, this is an invaluable tool in your baby-shower arsenal, for both adorable clothes and practical items every mama can appreciate! Congratulations to Robyn on another great book! And check back here in the coming weeks as I will post a bit more with the results of my projects for Quinn.

Production Crochet

I love writing my own patterns; even after designing for a few years I'm still half-surprised at how well some of the pieces turn out. But it's hard work, and my favorite way to take a break from designing is production crochet. I have a relationship with a few designers, though the one I have the most fun working for is Robyn Chachula. She is a design machine and I love being able to be a cog for her sometimes.

I had the good fortune to be able to crochet a couple of projects for the photography for her new book, Baby Blueprint Crochet, last year. It was great fun; baby projects are quick and end up looking adorable. Case in point:



I was able to borrow a set of Denise Interchangeable Crochet Hooks for this project from Robyn as well. Best sales pitch ever! I love Tunisian crochet, but wasn't ever super happy about having to buy so many of those extra-long hooks; plus they tended to hurt my arm from holding the entire project up on the hook for so long. So having a cable is great, and they take up way less room than my jar full of Tunisian hooks!

Baby Blueprint Crochet will be released in just a couple of weeks!

Sangria

Have you seen the Fall 2010 Interweave Crochet preview? If you did, you'll see my newest cardigan, Sangria!


Photo courtesy of Interweave

IW styled it a bit differently than my imagination - I see it over a cute little sundress with some waist definition to offset the drape of the oversized cardi. It's laceweight so it's got only a touch of warmth for days like today, when it started off hot but has ended in a threat of thunderstorms. I like to sit out on my patio when it starts to get a teensy bit nippy and this would be the perfect thing to throw around my shoulders.



The fronts are meant to overlap enough to be able to hold a shawl pin but hang nicely when the piece is open. The above photo was an in-progress shot for the tech editor but it shows how short sleeves would also be cute.

Buh-bye '09

From what I've been hearing on Facebook and Twitter, 2009 was not kind to most of my friends. Cory and I didn't dance through it either, but we made do and had some fun. Here are some highlights:


I made Cory some alpaca socks for Valentine's day. (No, he doesn't wear them without pants; yes, he wears them with Birks. What do you want, we live in Oregon!)


I copied an Anthropologie headband for my choir friend Elva.


I was invited to the birth of Oliver in March, and missed it by about 30 seconds! (His mama brought him forth about 15 minutes after arriving at the hospital!)


Our golden retriever Linus joined us on May Day, and then preceded to be adorable and grow like a weed.


We road-tripped up the coast to Astoria, and stopped at (among other places) the Goonies house.


While at the coast (and before, and after) I worked furiously on a Tunisian jacket for Inside Crochet magazine.


We went out for way more walks once we got Linus. This is Marys Peak, the tallest mountain in the coast range. (Later, we spent the 4th of July up there and enjoyed tiny silent fireworks from several cities in the valley.)


Also in July, I found a '70s-era Ashford Traditional spinning wheel, after having played with a local Raveler's wheel.


My pattern, originally (and jokingly) called the Mastitis Robe was released, in Kim Werker's Crocheted Gifts book. (I'd worked on the sample in October '08).


I also finished a stole that had languished, unfinished, for quite awhile.


In August I chopped my hair off.


Linus continued to charm. (We used this photo for our Christmas card!)


My two best friends and I enjoyed a 3-day camping trip in southern Oregon, where we lived in the water most of the time. (I hadn't been swimming in years; it felt so good!)


In late September I was a last-minute pinch-hitter for a friend's madrigal group who lost their soprano. (I was asked to come to the renaissance faire on Thursday, got there Friday afternoon, learned the music that night, and then performed all weekend in borrowed garb.) It was a blast.


I made Linus a big-boy bed.


After the faire, I spent tons of time researching historic costumes and then went over the mountains to Mom's house to sew, for two weekends in October. I was jumping the gun a little, as I hadn't been asked to come back to sing for the madrigal group permanently, but luckily they did invite me into the group in November.


Also in November, my military jacket was published.


I made vegan turkey for Thanksgiving. Mmmm.


I finished Twig in November! It'll be published in January.


The first week of December was not a good week. Our bike rack was stolen off the back of our car, the dog chewed through the wall of his kennel and into my dresser, and we hit a deer which ruined our Christmas plans of going to Disneyland. (We still have the tickets though; they're good for a year; so we'll try again soon!)


It wasn't such a bad year, despite all but losing my job and Cory not being able to find one in his field (he got his degree in December '08 but the recession is keeping people with no experience out of the workforce). We were able to spend a lot of time with family and friends, we enjoyed several weekend trips, and overall had a nice 2009. However, I'm ready for 2010 and I hope it treats all of us well! Happy new year, folks.

Happy Holidays!!

The husband and the dog and I are at my brother-in-law's house. The dog is asleep in his kennel, the boys are playing computer games, and I'm finishing up some last-minute Christmas gifts (last year I started my gifts on November 1st and this year I started the day before yesterday!) to Christmas music on iTunes. It's a sunny day here but cold - we seem to have brought the frost with us.


Our Christmas tree this year, taken last week.

Tomorrow we will visit grandparents and other family.

Have a peaceful holiday filled with warm fuzzies (of the yarn variety or of the emotional kind)!

Twig!

I thought I'd pop out from under my Production Crochet rock (I'm doing a couple of projects for Robyn Chachula) and let you take a peek at Twig!



Twig is a horizontal-ribbed cardigan with waist shaping and a vertical waist-ribbing that cinches the waist in a bit visually.



I was able to make the sample in my size, in Malabrigo Silky Merino (in the Redwood colorway) which works up beautifully and feels great as well! These photos don't do it justice; I took them in my bathroom of all places, since the heat lamp is nice and bright and I could only take photos in the evening. As a result, it's a little yellow. But you get the idea, anyway.



Look for it in the new issue of Tension Magazine, due out this month.

Drummer Girl

Long, long ago I began Tunisian-crocheting a military style jacket.

In the very beginning (last January) it was a heathered purple swatch.


I received yarn in the spring. I was surprised to see bright red yarn - my idea was of a nontraditional feminine military jacket, and the surprise color had me rethink my own vision. (There are good and bad things about being given a color for a project so that it will tie in with the scheme of the publication - I think of it as a happy challenge.)

And then Frankenstein was born. If you're not familiar at all with Tunisian crochet, here are the basics: the stitches are teeny-tiny, and do not stretch; they take up more yarn than traditional crochet, and they also take WAY more time. (They also slant a little, but we won't go there.) I had mentally scheduled myself for a "normal" sweater, which turned out to be only a fraction of the amount of time I really needed.

(And then to top it all off, I had to crochet the sleeves twice. But we won't go there either.)

We happened to take a trip to the coast towards the end of the project, and I was disappointed to miss out on the great view outside the car windows, as I was furiously crocheting. I was lucky enough to be working reduced hours from home at that point, and spent a great deal of time on the couch, also furiously crocheting.

And then, in the middle of June, I finished.


Somewhere along the line, the jacket kind of told me how it wanted to look, and I strayed from my sketch just a bit. I ended up adding button bands towards the end, which brought it a little closer to a band-jacket look, but not horrible. (And if it were heathered purple, it wouldn't look at all like a band jacket!)

Frankenstein wasn't finished with me, though. I sent it off across the pond, and a month later it came back to me, marked as undeliverable. But I fought back, and sent it again, and the nice people at Inside Crochet made it look pretty.



So now it's not Frankenstein anymore, and I'm happy that it turned out so well! I hope people try it - it's definitely the kind of pattern that will try your patience, but mostly just because of the time it takes to finish. I think it's worth the time, though (because most of the fun of crocheting your own clothing is the crocheting)!

Crocheted Gifts "Interview"

I wrote about my contribution to Crocheted Gifts a few weeks ago, and now you have a chance to chat with me and some of the other designers on Twitter! Kim Werker is hosting a Crocheted Books Live Twitter Event, under the hashtag #crochetedgifts; on August 25th at 1pm Pacific Time. If you don't follow me on Twitter, now is a good time to do it so I can help you remember to come participate! :) You can find me @megangranholm.

So far, the other participants are:
Julie Holetz, @skamama
Kristin Omdahl, @KristinOmdahl
Annie Modesitt, @modeknit
Christina Marie Potter, @ChristinMPotter
and Kim Werker, @kpwerker, is emceeing.

If you have questions or comments about the book, comment in Kim's blog (I linked to it above) so she can relay it during the event, or feel free to spend some time with us on Twitter. Hope to see you there!

Babymoon Robe!

Kim Werker's Crocheted Gifts book officially comes out on August 1st, but I hear there are already copies in bookstores! I just added my project to Ravelry and thought I'd share it with you here!



The Babymoon Robe is for new mamas. So many mamas get tons of baby things as gifts, which is great, but it's also nice to give a little something for mom. Crocheted in soft cotton, it's cozy and washable, and easily undone for the whole breastfeeding thing.



Speaking of breastfeeding, for the longest time I couldn't think of a good name for the project. I mean, now that it's named what it's named, I don't know why it wasn't immediately obvious. But for a long time the working name was Mastitis Robe. Which isn't very pretty but was humorous back when I was crocheting as fast as my little fingers could go, trying to finish the sample on time. Sheesh.



If you make this robe, be aware that it's a little bit heavy (not uncomfortably so) and may stretch. To that end, it might be a good idea to reinforce the shoulder stitching. The pattern calls for slip-stitch seaming; a whip stitch may not be strong enough.

The other projects in the book are really nice too. My favorites are Julie Holetz's Sisal Spiral Rug, Lisa Naskrent's Organic Indulgence Washcloths, and Katie Himmelberg's Sea Star Pendant. Take a look at it next time you're at the bookstore!