Seahorse - Finished!

I really didn’t have all that much left to do, just the frilly bits, but it took me over a year to finally do it.  When I left off working on it I had completed the body and one of the side fins.  A couple of weeks ago I dug it out and did the little frilly bits by the eyes.  I didn’t bother blocking those before I sewed them on because I liked the look of them a little curly. I did the side fins and blocked them, and then finally did the dorsal fin.  That took me two tries to get it the right length.  I used the Long Dorsal Fin Style 1, level 1 and level 2 (the small and medium spikes), working a single small spike at the beginning and end, and working the medium spikes the rest of the way.  I did a slight modification to the pattern by skipping the slip stitch into the top of the tallest stitch in the spike - I didn’t like the look and it was a bit of a pain to work.  When I sewed the side fins on I did sew up the sides a bit so they weren’t so floppy.  I did not block the dorsal fin before I attached it.

Pattern:  Seahorse by Megan Lapp

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  4.0 mm (G)

Seahorse - Head Done!

I also finished up the head last weekend, and attached it to the body.  Bruce doesn’t think it looks like a seahorse because it is not bright colors, and of course the head is definitely not very seahorse like, but I didn’t feel like working the one that was more seahorse like.  I have already completed one of the side fins.  I need to make all of the other little fiddly bits that will get sewed on and give this guy some more personality.

Pattern:  Seahorse by Megan Lapp

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  4.0 mm (G)

Seahorse - Body Done!

I started this project almost a year ago (January 27, 2023), and was making great progress until I got into the belly region and somehow confused myself and couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong, so I set it aside.  Yesterday I picked it back up, figured out where I was and continued without any issues, and now I can’t even remember what was confusing me.  I am now ready to work the head.  Then it will just be figuring out the other features and assembly.

Pattern:  Seahorse by Megan Lapp

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted in Time Traveler

Hook:  4 mm (G)

Seahorse - Loop On!

I took most of the day off from work yesterday and decided to start another Megan Lapp pattern.  This one is the Seahorse.  I had this skein of yarn and thought that the colors reminded me of abalone and that it would make a nice seahorse.  The start is definitely fiddly, working over only 4 stitches, but once I got it going it wasn’t too bad.  It does take a fair number of rounds before you have more than a smushed tube to work on, but now I’m getting into the body it is pretty easy.

Pattern:  Seahorse by Megan Lapp

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted in Time Traveler

Hook:  4 mm (G)

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)

 

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)

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)

 

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)

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)

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)

 

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)

Hearthside Crochet Along - Clue 1 Done!

I finally completed clue 1 on March 6.  It took me several tries and I did use the video that Chandi created.  It was very helpful.  The only really tricky part was the center motif.  The only other problem that I had was not counting consistently, or not paying close enough attention, and ending up with too many or too few stitches.  Fortunately ripping back in crochet is easy.

Colors:

Clue 1 - Leaves

Pattern:  Hearthside by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)