Grand Banks - Both Blocks Done!

I finished both blocks yesterday, a record for me.  These are the August 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Blocks, Grand Banks by Margaret MacInnis in Verve in Storm Cloud and Silver Lining.  This finishes up the blocks in Verve.  I started the first set of blocks in Sushi Socks last night.

Pattern:  Grand Banks by Margaret MacInnis, August 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Block
Yarn:  Verve in Storm Cloud and Silver Lining
Hook:  2.75 mm

Here are shots of the individual blocks:

And here are all of the Verve blocks.  These last blocks are just a little smaller than the rest.  I will probably do a round of half-double crochet, I just haven't decided if I want to use the same color as the previous round, or go with the contrast.

Fare Thee Well - Both Blocks Done!

These are the June 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month - Fare Thee Well by Margaret MacInnis.  The yarn is Pashmi in Lemon and Lime.  I did add a couple of rounds to get them to block to 8 inches.  Now that I am using my gridded blocking board it is so easy to get them perfectly blocked.  I am not an extreme blocker - stretching yarn to within an inch of its life.  I stretch yarn sort of how you stretch a muscle - gently, but firmly, and don't ever try to make it do something it doesn't want to do.

Pattern: Fare Thee Well by Margaret MacInnis
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Pashmi
Hook: 2.75 mm

Beneath the Driven Snow - Both Blocks Done!

 And here are both blocks.

Pattern: Beneath the Driven Snow by Margaret MacInnis
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Pashmi
Hook: 2.75 mm

Beneath the Driven Snow - Block 1 Done

This is the January 2012 Block from The Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club.  The yarn is Pashmi, an 80/10/10 Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend in Turquoise and Bisque.   The block came out small so I added a couple of rounds.  I finished up the first block this morning and the second block this afternoon.   By happy coincidence the February block came yesterday and it is also Pashmi, I now have 3 sets done and 3 to go in my Pashmi collection.

Pattern: Beneath the Driven Snow by Margaret MacInnis
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Pashmi
Hook: 2.75 mm

Curmudgeon Blocks - Done!

I finished up the Curmudgeon blocks this weekend, which catches me up on all the blocks in Tinsel Toes that I have in my stash.   Now I have a stack of Tinsel Toes blocks waiting to be made into a throw.

Pattern:  Curmudgeon by Margaret MacInnis, The Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club - December 2012
Yarn: Tinsel Toes
Hook: 2.75 mm

Curmudgeon Blocks - 1 Block Done

This is the December 2012 block from The Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club.  The yarn is Tinsel Toes, their Merino/Tencel blend in Cranberry and Mistletoe.  I have no idea why it is called Curmudgeon, unless it is a comment on the holiday season.  Once I finish the second block I will have finished up all the Tinsel Toes blocks that I have and can work on the Pashmi blocks.

Pattern:  Curmudgeon by Margaret MacInnis, The Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club - December 2012
Yarn: Tinsel Toes
Hook: 2.75 mm

Field Day - 2 Blocks Done!

Finished the second block this morning, and wound the yarn for the next set of blocks that I am going to do.  These blocks are only 7 inches. I tend to crochet a little tighter with the Luxe.  I may just add another round or two to get them to match the other Luxe blocks.

Since Christmas I have been using my Fujitsu Stylistic for blogging instead of my Dell Mini because my Mini died.  Blogging has been a little different because my Stylistic does not have a keyboard, it is a tablet PC and uses a stylus. The handwriting recognition rocks, and my handwriting is getting better again after years of decline from disuse, but it has definitely had an impact on my blogging.  It isn't any harder, from a technical perspective, it is just that writing your thoughts down us opposed to typing them changes how you express them, for me at least.  For years I kept a journal, writing in it with a fountain pen.  I still have the pens, and bottles of ink in a variety of colors, and even some empty journals.  Writing this way on a computer is an interesting hybrid, the old fashioned long hand combined with modern editing capabilities.

Pattern:  Field Day by Margaret MacInnis, November 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Luxe in Honey Comb and Brown Bear
Hook: 2.75 mm

Field Day - 1 Block Done

It was another intense week at work and I didn't have much energy for knitting but I did manage to do some crochet.  This is the November 12, 2012 Crochet Block from The Unique Sheep.  I actually resisted working on this block because of all the color changes and some of the stitches looked tricky, but once I got started on it I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.  I finished this block on Wednesday but while I was admiring my work I was dismayed to discover I had made a mistake, and a pretty obvious one at that (see the picture below).

So I ripped back and fixed it.  I had to rip back four rounds and part of a fifth to get to the round that had the mistake, and after it was fixed it took me a little while to gather the energy to finish the block up again.   But is is done, and I have started the second block.

Pattern:  Field Day by Margaret MacInnis, November 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Luxe in Honey Comb and Brown Bear
Hook: 2.75 mm

Prairie Posey - Block 2 Done

Block 2 done and blocking.  This catches me up on the Luxe Crochet blocks, unless, of course, the August block that went out this past Monday uses Luxe yarn.  I'll go ahead and wind the yarn for the Tinsel Toes blocks that are next in my queue but I probably won't start them until after the August blocks arrive.  In the meantime I think I will work on the latest socks from the Knitterati Sock club.

Pattern:  Prairie Posey by Margaret MacInnis, The Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month Club, March 2012
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Luxe in Zinnia and Iris
Hook:  2.75 mm

Prairie Posey - Block 1 Done

This is the first of the 2012 blocks that I have made, and the first by a designer other than Melinda Miller.  I did find this block a little bit challenging.  I learned some new techniques, and I will admit that I did fudge things here and there, but overall I am very pleased with how it came out.  The nice thing about finishing this block is that it means I can add a picture to my Ravelry project page.  For some reason projects without pictures makes me sad.

Pattern:  Prairie Posey by Margaret MacInnis, March 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month
Yarn:  Luxe in Zinnia and Iris
Hook:  2..75 mm