From Crumpled Old Shoe-Box to a possible Heirloom?

So what do you do when a friend hands you a box and says, " Here you take this and do something with it, so that it doesn't go to waste." ( of course I am paraphrasing)

You reach out and this is plopped into your out stretched awaiting hand.

"I attempted to make this baby blanket for my grandson and never finished it, I just can't get the hang of it. Besides he's 8 yrs. old now and has a sister so I'll never finish this one much less be able to make two!" (paraphrasing)

So I accept the gift ( ya know I'll never turn down a box of yarn with patterns) and put it away seeing that she was finished and wanted nothing more to do with it.

My friend had mentioned this project before, but during those conversations she always expressed a desire to finish it. I had offered on multiple occasions to sit down with her and help figure out what was troubling her, but I was never taken up on the offer. We all lead such busy lives these days and she was no acceptation, I think she is even more busy than I am.

So the crumple wore out shoe-box full of goodies was put away, pushed back into the dark recess of the closet, and forgotten about.

UNTIL now!

I came across it the other day while looking for a different UFP (unfinished project) and had a great idea pop into my mind.

My friend's birthday was in a week, so what if I finished this baby blanket and gave it to her as a gift?

I wasn't sure if it was appropriate, so I talked it over with Mr.F. He seemed to think that it was a great idea and that he was sure that she would love to see it finished, much less be on the receiving end of such a thoughtful gift. He also thought it would make a great detail to share as it is passed on as an heirloom. Well I don't know about an heirloom, but his comments made me feel happy. And I decided to finish it.

Sooooo....... what do I have to work with in this poor little box?

1. I looked over the pattern......It's a very simple and basic.Check
2. Yarn was still clean and in good condition. Check
3. The hook she used was in the box. Check

So I gave it a go round. As I worked the pattern I decided that it would mean more if I left the original strips she made in the blanket. As you can see I crochet much tighter than she did so I had to go up a hook size to match the gauge.

This is it at 7 finished rows,( Sorry I should have spread it out for a better view).

I didn't think it would take so long to finish the strips and put it together  Along with life happening around me. And then it happened....... ya know, that moment when you pick up your work to get a peek at how it's coming along...... and you discover...... that you weren't paying attention on one of the strips and sewed it in upside down.(ERG) 

Then I start ripping knowing that I don't have the time to make such silly mistakes. I am cutting it so close to her birthday, only 2 days left to finish. So I start to panic and stay up late to add a couple more strips.

Finally it's finished and I think it turned out pretty well. I can tell the difference between her strips and mine but I'm hoping that now with the trim in place that she wont be able to. (Mr. F always tells me that if I didn't tell everyone or point out a mistake they would have never noticed. He is right, shhh did I say that, they never do. I am my biggest critic.)

What do you think? Will she be able to tell?  I'm so excited to give it to her, my only hope that she loves it and feels that it is worthy of the Heirloom status that Mr.F and I have placed on it.

I fear that I may have cause a dilemma in choosing to make this one baby blanket. I know that she has two grand-babies now, and would feel a little off about giving this gift to just one of them, but I have a few suggestions for her. 

1. I would love to make her another in matching pink or
2. She could save it and give it to the first great grand-baby
3. or...

What do you think? Maybe you have another suggestion you would like to share? Just leave me a comment if you would like to add to my list.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you stop in again.

Shannon

At 112th street

To market To market to Buy a ...........

Boy do we love the Farmers Market in this area. We are extremely lucky to have so many to choose from. My eldest daughter G has asked me to crochet her up a Market Bag. She just happened to have some yarn from a project that she no longer had an interest in making. She also just happened across the pattern that she want me to use. How convenient for her.  Just kidding ( I think)

The pattern that she choose is at  LION BRAND They have 9 patterns to choose from, this one is the 4 ball Market Bag. The yarn that G brought to me was 2 100% acrylic yarns in Loops and Threads - Impeccable in True Gray and Black. The pattern calls for a cotton so I made a few adjustment with the hook size and # of rows to make it look right. 

I think it turned out very well and quite sturdy. (It is holding two full 2 litter bottles of  tonic). G was pleased with it and has already requested a few more. She will be picking up some cotton in more cheery colors. (Thank You) But I do believe that she will have to wait in line, for I have already decided that I would like to sport around a couple of my own to the local Farmers Market.

So what do you think? What do you look for in a Market bag? Do you have a favorite pattern you would like to share? Until next time I'd like to say Thank You for stopping by.

Shannon

At 112th Street