Rainbow Blanket Tutorial

I just finished making this baby blanket for my cousin's new baby boy.  The rainbow colors just make me happy! I spent the week singing "Over the Rainbow" and craving skittles!  I liked making a strip rag quilt, as opposed to a rag quilt with squares, because you don't have to deal with the tricky intersections.  It comes together really quickly, with all straight seams.  Below are my directions for making a rainbow baby blanket.  You could, of course, make this with any fabrics.  Just keep in mind that only 1" of each strip will show, so avoid big patterns.

Strip rainbow rag quilt tutorial:

Supplies:

3/4 yard each of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple flannel

Rotary Mat, ruler, blade

Ragging Shears

Iron your fabric, but DO NOT PREWASH
Using your rotary cutter, trim selvedge, and then cut 2" strips from (removed) selvedge to selvedge.

After you are done you will have a rainbow of fabrics.  You should have 12, 2" strips of each color, approximately 41", depending on selvedge size removed.  This will make 6 rainbows.

Match up pairs of strips, wrong sides together.  Sew them together, with right sides of different colors touching.  (An example stack of 4 fabrics would be red right side down, red right side up, orange right side down, orange  right side up.)  Use a 1/2" seam allowance.  It is easy to do but hard to put into words!  Basically the top and bottom layer of your quilt will be exposed, and you are sewing the seams so they all face upward.

I did all the red/orange together, then yellow/green, and finally blue/purple.  Make sure to put the first color on top each time, for example yellow of yellow/green.  You will have some length discrepancies, depending on the fabric and selvedge, but this will put them all on one end of the quilt, and it will be easier to even up later.

Finished strip pairs.

Next, lay out the red/orange and yellow/greens, with both seams sticking straight up.

Pinch the orange and yellow together, making sure to keep the seam upward.  Pin and sew orange/yellow together.  Repeat with all six sets.  Next add the blue and purple.

One of six completed rainbows.  Now sew the rainbows to each other.

Almost done with the sewing part!  The bottom corner is what the bottom of the quilt looks like; nice and smooth.  The top shows the seams that will be clipped and ragged.

Use your rotary supplies to even up the quilt.  I had quite a lot of size differences between the different colors.  The green, in particular, was a lot shorter than the other five.

Give the scraps you cut off to your kid for a kitty tail.

Now you need to top stitch around the perimeter of your quilt, still using a 1/2" seam allowance.  I just held each seam down before I went over it to make a smooth surface.

Now clip, clip, clip!  It feels like you are almost done, but this is actually the most labor intensive part.  You could use scissors, but I HIGHLY recommend getting ragging shears.  They are extra sharp, and have a spring so they bounce back after each snip.

Snip about every 1/4 inch, close to the seam, but don't snip through it.  On each row first snip next to the perimeter seam on each end, so that you can fold it over flat to snip easier.

This is the top clipped, but not yet washed.

And the smooth back of the quilt.  (Note, the green really is the same size as the other colors, but it looks smaller on the front.  I think the yellow is just a bully color and pushes it over.)

Now toss it in the washer!  Since you didn't prewash, be sure to throw in a color catcher sheet. (They are sold near the dryer sheets at any store.)  This will catch any colors that bleed.  I usually put just a tiny bit of soap in, and wash it on warm.

After the wash, but before the dryer, take it outside and shake as much of the loose frays off as you can.  Then into the dryer.  Check it every 5 or 10 minutes, because the lint trap will keep filling up.  Repeat the wash and dry at least one more time.  It will keep fluffing up every wash, but the majority will happen in the first two washes.

My new scarf

I have made lots of scarves, hats, and blankets.  But I don't have any that I kept!  So when Jenny gave me some beautiful wool yarn for Christmas, I knew that it would be for a scarf for me.  No sharing.  :)  Jenny also gave me a new book, called Crochet Stitches: Visual Encyclopedia.  I used a stitch called "double crochet group" to make the scarf.

Directions:
Chain an odd number of stitches.  (I did 11, for a skinny scarf, using an H hook.)

Row 1: Dc in 5th ch from hook.  (The skipped chains count as dc.)  Dc in same ch.  *sk 1 ch, 2 dc in next ch; rep from * across to last 2 ch, sk 1 ch, dc in last ch, turn.

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc). 2 dc between next 2 dc group across, dc in top of turning chain, turn.

Repeat row 2 until desired length.

Blue Seas Throw

I made this afghan for my mom for Christmas.  The pattern came out of a book called 7 Day Afghans.  (As a side note, I really enjoy this book.  It was fun to read and get ideas.  I finished this throw, and have started another out of the book.  I can't say that they get done in 7 days, but they are all simple patterns to follow.)

Bulky Weight Yarn.  (I forgot to see the brand of yarn, but it came in these giant skeins, bigger than a football.  I used all of 5 and a little of the 6th.)

Size N Crochet Hook

Instructions:

Chain 122

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each remaining ch: 121 sc.  Ch 3 (counts as first dc of following row), turn.

Row 2: Dc in each sc, ch 3, turn.

Row 3: Dc in each dc, ch 3, turn.

Repeat row 3 until piece measures 34" long.  At end of last row ch 1, turn.

Last Row: Sc in each dc. Finish off.

FRINGE:
Work across each short side edge of afghan as follows: On right side of work, attach yarn at corner, sc in first sc row, *ch 10, sc over post of end dc on next row, ch 5, sc over post of next dc; rep from * across side edge, ending with sc in last sc row.  Finish off.

Slippers

I crocheted my first pair of slippers. Well, actually I made another single, ugly slipper, which didn't deserve to get a match. So I found a second pattern I liked better. The directions were honestly intimidating at first, but once I saw how it was coming together it seemed quite simple.  I did use the H hook, as recommended, and they turned out a little small on my feet (size 10), but they were for my mom, who has smaller feet.  I haven't heard a report, yet, if they fit well.

Here is the original pattern link at a site called "Around the Crochet Table."

And the directions in full:

Materials:
3 oz. Worsted Weight Yarn
Size H* crochet hook (for small adult/large child slippers)
 

Gauge:
7 dc = 2"; 2 dc rows = 1"
*To obtain a larger slipper, increase your hook size and gauge. 
For smaller slippers, use a size F crochet hook and sport-weight yarn.

Pattern Stitches:
2-tr cluster: keeping last loop of each stitch on hook, tr in next 2 sts; YO and pull through all 3 lps on hook.

3-tr cluster: keeping last loop of each stitch on hook, tr in next 3 sts; YO and pull through all 4 lps on hook.

Dc dec: keeping last loop of each stitch on hook, dc in next 2 sts; YO and pull through all 3 lps on hook.

Directions:

Slipper (make 2)

Ch 21; do not join in a ring.

Rnd 1: 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 10 ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next 7 ch, 7 dc in last ch; working in remaining lps from opposite side of beg ch, dc in next 7 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next 10 ch, 2 sc in last ch; join to first sc. (47 sts)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 11 sts, hdc in next 9 sts, 2 dc in next dc, 3 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, hdc in next 9 sts, sc in next 11 sts, 2 sc in next sc, sc in last sc; join to first sc. (53 sts)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 22 sts, hdc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, 3 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, hdc in next dc, sc in next 22 sts, 2 sc in next sc, sc in last sc; join to first sc. (59 sts)

Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 25 sts, 2 sc in next dc, sc in next dc, 3 sc in next dc, sc in next dc, 2 sc in next dc, sc in next 25 sts, 2 sc in next sc, sc in last sc; join to BLO (Back Loop Only) of first sc. (65 sts)

Rnd 5: Ch 1; working in BLO, sc in same st and in each sc around; join to both lps of first sc.

Rnd 6: Ch 2 (does not count as a st here and throughout), dc in same st as joining and in next 26 sc, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sc) twice, 3-tr cluster over next 3 sc, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sc) twice, dc in next 27 sc; skip beg ch-2, join to first dc. (59 sts)

Rnd 7: Ch 2, dc dec over same st as joining and next st, dc in next 22 sts, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sts) twice, 3-tr cluster over next 3 sts, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sts) twice, dc in next 22 sts, dc dec over last 2 sts; skip beg ch-2, join to first dc. (51 sts)

Rnd 8: Ch 2, dc dec over same st as joining and next st, dc in next 18 sts, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sts) twice, 3-tr cluster over next 3 sts, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sts) twice, dc in next 18 sts, dc dec over last 2 sts; skip beg ch-2, join to first dc. (43 sts)

Rnd 9: Ch 2, dc dec over same st as joining and next st, dc in next 14 sts, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sts) twice, 3-tr cluster over next 3 sts, (2-tr cluster over next 2 sts) twice, dc in next 14 sts, dc dec over last 2 sts; skip beg ch-2, join to first dc. (35 sts).

Rnd 10: Ch 2, dc in same st and in each st around; join with sl st to first dc.

 

Rnd 11: Ch 2, hdc in same st and in each st around; join with sl st to first hdc.

Finish off and weave in all ends.

Christmas Ornaments

I made the kids their Christmas ornaments this year. They were actually a kit from Oriental Trading Company. They were fun to emroider and put together. And even if the kids don't really appreciate them now, I'm sure they'll like looking back upon homemade ornaments, right? :)

Rainbow Crayons

I haven't posted anything on this site in a while, even though I've been crafting away!  After I made the snowflake doily I figured out how to make a few throw rugs.  Then I started in on Christmas gifts.  I'm making Christmas ornaments for my kids, plus a few other things that won't mention until the new year.

Today my kids plus two nephews recycled old crayons into new rainbow crayons.  Here are directions for how we did it.

This was a fun project for the kids to help with, plus they get new use out of their old crayons!

Collect all your broken crayons.
Peel off the paper.
Break them into smaller pieces, if needed.  They should be able to fit in the bottom of the muffin tin.
Arrange colors into cupcake papers, and place into an old muffin tin.
Bake at 250 until melted.  (I forgot to watch the clock, but I'm thinking it was about 20 minutes.)
Let cool completely, then pull off the paper.

The kids are watching the crayons melt, which according to Seth "stinks!" 

I tested a few out before the kids played with them.  They seem a little hard to start coloring, but then do fine, almost like there is a clear layer of wax that needs colored off first.

Stars and hats

I've been avoiding the yarn aisle when I shop recently, and instead have been trying to use up some scraps.  This kids are helpful in this endeavor, requesting hats and scarves.  Pictured are two hats for Zachary and Abigail.  I also made a similar one for Seth.  Plus two new scarves, one for me (finally) and one for Seth (which tends to live around Curious George's neck.)

Yesterday I pulled out the white and started a garland of snowflakes from THIS PATTERN on the Red Heart Yarn site.  I ended up connecting them all together to make a doily.   I started crocheting about two years ago, with the help of a few books, so the fact that more complicated instructions not only make sense to me, but can transfer from page to brain to a project is pretty cool to me!