Hearthside Crochet Along - Finished!

I finished this up on December 18, but didn’t get around to blocking it until yesterday.  It isn’t perfect (from a gauge  perspective), but I am very pleased with how it came out.  My gauge on the last two clues was just a smidge tight.  I did not pin anything.  I soaked it, squeezed out the water, and did the wrap it in a towel, roll it up and stand on it, and then just laid it out on the blocking mats, smoothing it into shape.

 Apparently I did not post about clue 11.

And here is a pre-blocking picture that show the colors better.

The colors used were all of the recommended colors in the warm colorway:

Leaves

Monarch

Red Flame

Caramel Popcorn

Huanchaco 

Toadstool

Furiends

Sumatran Tiger

Fudge

New York at Night

Autumn Lake

Time Traveler

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vaselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

 

Perseverance Knit Along - Finished!

I finished this up last Sunday.  I am pretty pleased with how it came out.  It is a hefty blanket, and my gauge is not perfect, but not bad, especially considering I only did a gauge swatch on the first pattern. The rest I just winged it, going up or down a needle size depending on what the pattern was and how it felt as I was knitting.  It did cause me to have to rip back a couple of times when I realized the knitting was too loose, but I didn’t mind that.  Jezebel has photo bombed to apply her seal of approval on the project.  I think if I were to knit this pattern again I would knit it at a tighter gauge.  It just feels a little too stretchy to me (an effect of the fact that the yarn is superwash, perhaps).  I never had any issues with running out of yarn on any of the sections.  I do like the design, and it was a fun project.

Colors used, in order of use (from bottom right corner to top left corner):

Unshaken

Nightlife

Caricia

Black Hole

Unwilling Hero

Blue Goldstone

Like Rain

In the Cabana

Fugue

Swept Away

Country Village

Captain

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm), US 7 (4.5 mm), US 8 (5.0 mm)

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 11 Done

Finished up clue 11 this morning.  Just one more to go.  I’m pretty pleased with how it has come out from a gauge perspective, especially as I have not knitted any gauge swatches.  I have changed my knitting needle size on some of the patterns, but I just winged it, adjusting based upon the stitch pattern.  I have never run out of yarn, either.  I have a nice bag of little balls of leftovers.  I will have to figure out something fun to do with them.  Maybe a matching pillow.  I used US 8 (5.0 mm) on this clue.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm), US 7 (4.5 mm), US 8 (5.0 mm)

 

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 10 Done

Clue 10 worked up quickly.  I wasn’t sure about the color when I received it - New York at Night - but I liked it when I worked it up.  It is a very dark green, almost green-black.  Clue 11 is already out and I have ordered the yarn for it.  I am very pleased with how this has worked up and the fact that it is laying flat with no blocking.  While I have been using Enduring Worsted for the knit blanket, I have been using Luster Worsted for the crochet blanket.  I really like how the Luster Worsted works up and how it feels.  My cat Jezebel also approves.  Although she didn’t photo bomb this time, she did curl up on a corner of the blanket while I was working on it.

I have been using the recommended colors:

Leaves

Monarch

Red Flame

Caramel Popcorn

Huanchaco

Toadstool

Friends

Sumatran Tiger

Fudge

New York at Night

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 10 Done

Clue 10 went quickly.  It is a fun stitch pattern that is easy.  I used a US 6 needle on this clue, just as I did on clue 3, which is the same stitch pattern.  Just two more clues to go!  I am using the recommended colors:

Unshaken

Nightlife

Caricia

Black Hole

Unwilling Hero

Blue Goldstone

Like Rain

In the Cabana

Fugue

Swept Away

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

 

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 9 Done

The clue 9 yarn for this one also arrived last week, in fact both skeins arrived on the same day, in separate little packages.  I worked the first row last night, but had to redo about half after I figured out how many stitches I needed on each side.  Once I had that row established the rest of the clue was pretty easy.

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

 

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 9 Done

My yarn for clue 9 arrived last week and I took advantage of a long weekend to get it knitted up.  I did stay with a US 7 needle for this clue, and that seems to be giving me a good gauge.  With this clue we are turning the corner and decreasing to the other point, so the rows are getting shorter, which is nice.  I’ve woven in most of the ends, but haven’t trimmed anything yet.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needle:  US 7 (4.5 mm)

Perseverance MKAL - Clue 8 Done

I also finished up Clue 8 of the Expression Fiber Arts Perseverance MKAL.  Clue 9 for both the MCAL and MKAL should be coming out this week.  As we have gone past the midpoint of the blanket we are now working the same patterns, in the reverse order.  Thus Clue 7 was the same as Clue 6 and this one is the same as Clue 5.  Luckily I had made a note of the needle sizes that I had used.  I’m guessing that with the next clue we wills start to decrease back down to a point.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm), US 7 (4.5 mm), US 8 (5.0 mm)

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 7 Done

When I picked this back up again to start on Clue 7 I discovered that I hadn’t actually completed Clue 6.  I had missed working a repeat, so I finished that up and took another picture of Clue 6.

I then started in on Clue 7, but made a mistake somewhere along the line and decided to rip back.  In the end I ripped all the way back to the start of the pattern in Clue 6.  I knit Clue 6 over again and Clue 7.  By the end I had the pattern pretty well memorized.  I used US 8 needles for all of the slipped stitch pattern.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needle:  US 8 (5.0 mm)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 8 Done

Last weekend I decided to try and get caught up on my Hearthside, as well as my Perseverance, blankets.  The last four clues have been easy.  Once I did the first row and verified that I had the correct number of stitches I didn’t have to check again, and by this clue I had the pattern memorized.  The only tricky thing was connecting to the bottom of clue 5, where we had to chain on new stitches.  I am pleased that the blanket is lying pretty flat at this point, and, as you can see, it meets with the approval of our cat, Jezebel.

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 7 Done

These last two clues have basically been the same, and pretty easy.  I have the yarn for clue 8, so will start that right away.  I’m pleased that it is starting to lay nice and flat.

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  H (5.0 mm)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 6 Done

I finished up Clue 6 on August 7, also just in time for a drawing.  Rather than go upstairs to take the photo I just put it down on the carpet in the living room, and our new cat, Jezebel, promptly photobombed.  She is our ghost ninja kitty.  When we brought her home she disappeared and we didn’t see her for a couple of days.  Turns out she was hanging out in the drop ceiling over my husband’s study in the basement.  We brought her home on a Wednesday, and she showed herself to me on Friday while I was downstairs exercising.  It took a while for her to come out of her shell, but I think she feels pretty comfortable now.  She is a talker.

I already have the yarn for clue 7

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  H (5.0 mm)

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 6 Done

I finished up Clue 6 back on July 29, but I’ve been busy working on a test knit.  I barely finished it up in time to enter the drawing.  I already have the yarn for clue 7, which is just more of the clue 6 pattern, so I suspect that the second half will be a mirror image of the first half.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm), US 7 (4.5 mm), US 8 (5 mm)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 5 Done!

When I received the yarn for clue 5 I caked it up right away and started working on it.  I finished it up last weekend.  It was very easy.  Clue 6 has already been released and I have ordered my yarn.

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 5 Done

I have actually had the yarn for this clue for almost a month, but I was focused on my Elora and wasn’t worried about working on this.  With my Elora finished I now feel a little bit at loose ends, so I pulled this out this weekend and worked clue 5.  When I was not quite half way through I decided to rip back as the gauge seemed a bit too loose and I was worried about running out of yarn.  No, I did not do a gauge swatch.  I haven’t done a gauge swatch since clue 1.  I’m just winging it and if I think it is going to be too loose I rip back.  Ripping back never bothers me, and this yarn is very well behaved.  I switched to US 7 needles at the start of this clue to work the transition rows, and then switched to US 6 for the lace section.  I switched back to US 7 for the last two rows.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm), US 7 (4.5 mm), US 8 (5.0 mm)

Perseverance Knit Along: Clue 4 Done

I received the yarn for clue 4 of both Perseverance and Hearthside at the same time, and immediately caked them up.  I did clue 4 of Hearthside first, it took me a little while to get around to working clue 4 of Perseverance, but I finally tackled it this past weekend.  Then it took me a couple of more days to take a photo.  This was a very easy pattern and it did not take me very long to work it.  I did not have to change my needle size for this one.  My clue 5 yarn will be delivered today and the clue is already set up in knitCompanion.

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted 

Needle:  US 8 (5.0 mm)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 4 Done!

My yarn for clue 4 arrived this past week so I immediately wound it and started work.  This one didn’t take me too long, but definitely took me longer than it should have.  First I came up short on the stitch count on one of the sides after the first row.  Turns out I had missed working a stitch on the last row for the previous clue.  Fortunately it was towards the end of the last row of that clue, so it was an easy fix.  Then I got the entire first round done and did not like the join of the first round when I came around to start the next round, so I ripped back and started over.  Then I got the first round finished again and discovered I had missed a chain one, right at the beginning, after the first two stitches.  So I ripped back again.  Sigh.  I do like the fact that ripping is so easy in crochet, because I tend to do a fair bit.  But now it is all done and I love it.  The Luster Worsted is very soft and it drapes beautifully.  Now I just have to wait for the next color and the next clue.

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 3 Done!

I finished clue 3 on April 9.  It was pretty easy after working clue 2.  The only tricky part was the joins, and that wasn’t too bad.  I was a little worried about my edges on clue 2 - wondering if they were too tight, but I stretched them and compared them to the center corner and they seemed pretty good.  I am really enjoying the crocheting, and I love the colors.

Colors:

Clue 1 - Leaves

Clue 2 - Monarch

Clue 3 - Red Flame

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

 

Perseverance Knit Along - Clue 3 Done!

I finished up Clue 3 on April 5.  I will confess that I did not work a gauge swatch.  I started out on the same needles that I had knit clues 1 and 2 on, but quickly realized that it would be too loose.  So I put in one of my afterthought lifelines and ripped back and started over with a needle two sizes smaller.  It worked perfectly.  It was a pretty straightforward knit, except for a couple of rows - the ones with the increases and decreases.  I put in markers at the end of each repeat as I worked the row across so I always knew where I was and it worked great.  I did screw up and did not work enough rows so I did the decrease row and came up short, but I just tinked back and did the extra rows and then everything was good.  I switched to a US 7 when I started the transition rows and ended the transition rows with a US 8.

Colors:

Clue 1 - Unshaken

Clue 2 - Nightlife

Clue 3 - Caricia

Pattern:  Perseverance by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Enduring Worsted

Needle:  US 8 (5.0 mm), US 6 (4.0 mm)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 2 Done!

Clue 2 was pretty straight forward compared to clue 1 and I finished it on March 14.  That is not to say I didn’t make mistakes and have to rip back, I did, but once I got the pattern it went pretty quickly.  Now I just have to wait for Clue 3.

Colors:

Clue 1 - Leaves

Clue 2 - Monarch

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)