Sixth time is the charm?

I lost track of how many times I crocheted the border on this baby throw, just to rip it back and try again. Running out of yarn didn't help, either. In the end, I settled for two rounds in the lavender instead of three, but I left the last end to weave in at a later date, just in case I find or buy some more yarn. (Right now I am on a fiber diet.)

Pattern: F870 Shell Flower Baby Throw, by Plymouth Yarn Design Studio
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in lavender
Needle: I for initial chain, H for the rest
Modifications: see above and below

I had to start with a larger hook to meet the blanket dimensions - I guess I chain tight - but then switched to the H hook for the rest. The pattern was fine until it got to the instructions for the border. Once I started fiddling with the edge, the instructions *almost* made sense. Since the bottom edge already had a row of single crochet, I broke the yarn and started on the side following the bottom. For the vertical sides, I worked 3 sc into each shell row. For the top (and then the bottom), I worked 6 sc for each shell. Each corner had 3 sc. I could not get the hang of the suggested reverse sc to finish, so abandoned that idea.

At one point, I crocheted two rounds in white Modo Dea Washable Wool yarn. It's more of an Aran weight than worsted, also is not plied but braided? I later deemed it too heavy for the Cascade 220 Superwash, which seems a bit light for worsted.

So much anguish over a baby blanket! I did enjoy crocheting something for a change, although my shoulders did not find it much different than knitting. Something about the micro movements really irritates. As long as I can crochet and knit, though, I will continue to do so.

Hip hip HOORAY

This past week marked the one year anniversary of my hip replacement surgery. I think about my artificial hip everyday, not because it bothers me but because it doesn't. There's not too many things I want to do that I can't. I'm back to walking the dogs 2-3 miles most days, I can perform most of the PT exercises for my back, and I can even trim my toenails. It's a miracle.

My shoulders are another matter. The back exercises I can't do depend on having stable shoulders and mine are not. They both hurt but for different reasons. I keep exercising them as best I can, which both helps and hurts. Crochet and knitting have to be limited, weaving too. I hope to have them re-evaluated this winter, but don't want surgery until after next year's growing season. Meanwhile, I soldier on, with the help of aspirin and emu oil.

Crochet: The lavender baby blanket sat on the coffee table for a few days while I contemplated the white part of the border. It just looked wrong. So I ripped it out and resorted to having only two rounds of single crochet in the last of the lavender for the border. I didn't weave in the final end, just in case I find or buy more yarn I can use.
Knitting: No progress on the Lithuanian mittens, as I ran out of yarn... sort of. I've been deconstructing a sweater and using that yarn, but more needed to be steamed to get rid of the kinks. (BTW, steaming works a LOT better than soaking to recover used yarn.) I'm in the decrease part of the slouchy hat, but didn't pay attention to the excellent instructions and had to backtrack a bit. Moving forward there now.

My self-imposed quarantine ends Monday. It hasn't been too bad, not a lot different than regular Covid life other than not seeing my SO; we've kept in contact with texting and Duo. I did more of some things like reading, tried new things like listening to classical music via YT, etc. I held off on starting a new jigsaw puzzle - saving that for xmas, which will be just my SO and me, again. My kids and I usually have a major get-together in May, to celebrate their birthdays and Mother's Day. Hopefully, we will be able to do that in 2021.

Happy holidays and stay safe!

Oh, fudge

Occasionally I get on a baking kick and, if I'm lucky, I am able to give away most of what I bake so I don't eat it all by myself. I wasn't quite to lucky with a batch of Russian tea cakes (a.k.a. Mexican wedding cakes). My SO took some, but my granddaughter did not like them, my daughter is doing a round of Whole30, and my son-in-law doesn't care for sweets. Once I recovered from indulging in all that butter and sugar, I made a small batch of fudge. It is actually too rich for me, but I still can't resist. Hiding it in the refrigerator helps.

Crochet: I finally finished the lavender baby blanket. I used (now discontinued) Moda Dea Washable Wool for the border. Despite its description on Ravelry, it is not a plied yarn. It is also considered an Aran weight. I think it will be okay; separate post with more details to follow.
Knitting: Slogging onward and upward with the Lithuanian mittens. After deciphering the instructions for the decreases, I discovered I will not have to do anything creative to implement them. I'm enjoying the knitting of the 'Graham' slouchy hat - quick and easy. I'm past the ribbing and into the body.

Indiana is still living in Crazytown re Covid. My son-in-law tested positive this past week; his fever broke last night, so he is feeling better. He stopped by my house last Tuesday for a few minutes, started showing symptoms Thursday, so I am quarantining, just to be safe. Or rather, to keep others safe. Fortunately, there is nowhere I need to go - my calendar is wide open until the first week of January. Stay safe!

Puzzled

After months of itching to do a jigsaw puzzle, I broke one out a week ago Saturday. At first, I limited working on it to about an hour a day, but after a while that turned into many hours a day, especially the closer I got to having it finished and off the dining room table. It turned out to be more difficult that I expected - all that black! - but I persevered.

So that itch has been satisfied for a while.

Crochet: I'm still struggling with the border of the baby blanket. I ran out of yarn, fetched a toddler sweater I knit for my granddaughter, with the intention of deconstructing it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I decided to do the border in white/cream/natural, but the second yarn, while also superwash, is a little heavier than the main yarn. I am 95% sure I have some white Cascade 220 Superwash around here somewhere, but can't locate it. The vague border instructions in the pattern almost make sense, but there seems to be too few stitches in the border on the sides and too many on the top and bottom. It's just one thing after another.
Knit: I reached a decision point on the Lithuanian mittens. Somehow I ended up with an extra pattern repeat in the body. It's only three stitches, but results in an extra vertical ridge, which means that I have an odd number of vertical ridges, which means I will have to modify the pattern to take this into consideration when I start the decreases. Meanwhile, I received requests for more 'Graham' slouchy hats, in "neutral colors" (black or gray), so started one of those. The good news is I have new glasses and can now see the black stitches more easily.

And that's about all I have accomplished in the past week or so.

I read the NYTimes online. Each day they show the twelve states with the highest number of new Covid cases, per capita, from the day before (today Indiana was number four), and the highest average new Covid cases over the past week, per capita (Indiana is the hottest hot spot in the nation). It's crazy, almost as crazy as several of my neighbors who keep flying their Trump flags. Beam me up, Scotty!