365 Days Handmade

Making life a better place, one day at a time

Monthly Archives: March 2016


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Week 12/52: The Granny Stripe Blanket, Finished

3.26.2016a

I started crocheting this blanket in January, I think.  I purchased the yarn online from Wool Warehouse; it was the Attic 24 Original Stylecraft Special DK yarn pack.

3.26.2016b

The thing about following a pattern that’s already laid out for me is that I don’t have to think.  I can just sit with my hook and yarn, zone out, and fall into the rhythm of crochet, which can go by very quickly.  This is a particularly soothing activity when I’ve spent all day in prison being a psychologist and need to unwind.

3.26.2016d

One thing I did differently from the pattern, though, was the border.  I substituted a scalloped edging instead.

3.26.2016e

Overall, I think it turned out well.  Crocheting this particular style of blanket was such an enjoyable and satisfying project that I’m already planning to make another one.

3.26.2016c

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Socks (Because I Can’t Think of Any Original Titles for This Blog Post)

I forgot how much I enjoyed knitting socks.  I’d been spending the last couple of months engrossed with my crocheted afghans, and then I got a request from my beloved cousin J for another pair of socks.  She was genuinely fond of the previous pairs I’d made for her, so I was more than happy to cast on and start knitting.

Here is the progress on J’s socks:

3.13.2016b

The yarn is a hand-dyed merino wool that I had purchased off Etsy.  It was the only skein of yarn that I’d ever purchased off Etsy, but once I started knitting that first sock, I thought, Damn, this is pretty cool hand-dyed yarn that an independent U.S. seller spent some time making.  I have got to buy more hand-dyed sock yarn and support the small businesses.

I went online and found two more skeins that I liked.  I ordered them and just a few days later, they arrived.  I wound them into yarn cakes and in the process, my fingers just itched to start knitting with the new yarn.  So I started this one:

3.13.2016

I am trying to keep myself from starting a third sock with the other skein of yarn (it’s a wool-cashmere blend!), but I may not be able to resist.


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Week 10/52: New ‘do

I was going to share photos of this week’s sock progress (one finished sock and two new ones on the needles!), but I spent five hours at the hair salon this afternoon, and then Sean and I had An Event to attend, and by the time we got home this evening, it was too late to take any good sock photos for the blog.

I did, however, take Before and After photos of my hair, so I figure I’ll share those, instead.

The big deal about today’s ‘do is that I’d spent the last two years growing out my hair and keeping my natural haircolor.  My original plan was to cut off 12 inches and donate it to Locks of Love.  As my hair got longer, though, I realized that I really didn’t want to part with it.  Also, I was informed by friends on social media that Locks of Love charges for the wigs that they make out of donated hair.  That’s when I definitely decided not to cut my hair and to go ahead and chemically treat it.

So I went from this, this morning:

3.12.2016a

to this, this afternoon:

3.12.2016b

And tomorrow I’ll share photos of my socks, I promise.


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Week 9/52: First Sock of 2016

Last year, I was all about knitting socks.  I don’t even know how many pairs I completed (but they’re all tagged under Socks if you have any interest in checking them out).

This weekend, Sean and I are making a short trip up north to visit with some family, which means several hours in the car on the 101.  I wanted to bring a project with me to pass the time, but any one of my WIP crocheted afghans would be too unwieldy in the passenger seat.  This is where sock knitting becomes an especially useful hobby.

With about 8 hours of driving ahead of us, this sock should be done by Monday.

3.5.2016