Friday, July 26, 2019

Family Time Graphghan


In celebration of Parents Day, July 28, 2019, I am giving away this free graphghan pattern.  The design is 200 x 200, written for single crochet.

Family Time by Grandma Duck Designs

If you save or download this design, please leave a comment!  Thanks!

Happy Crafting
๐Ÿงก Grandma Duck ๐Ÿงก

This pattern is for personal use only. It cannot be sold, redistributed, or edited in any way.



Shifting Sands Dishcloth


It's hard to believe that there is only one month left of summer!  July was spent designing and starting my collection of hats to donate in my community.  Expect to see several new designs over the next few weeks.  There are a dishcloth, a hat, and a blanket nearly set to be released.  I'm excited to share what I've been working on.

One of the things that I struggle with when crocheting is borders.  I find it hard to figure out the correct placement on the sides for the stitches.  To help combat this, I wanted to design a dishcloth that had a built-in border.

Lately, I've been enamored with the crunch stitch.  It has such a fabulous texture.  I first used the crunch stitch when playing around with ideas for my second set of baby washcloths, Tub Time Trio, Set 2.  So, I decided to create a dishcloth with a crunch stitch center and a border.

Since the crunch stitch is alternating half double crochet and slip stitches, I estimated that it would be about the same height as a single crochet.  It worked!  The result is very close to what I was picturing in my head.  I love it when an idea comes together on the first try!

A great big thank you to my friend Heather for the fun name for this dishcloth!


Supplies:
Cotton yarn
Hook size H
Scissors
Yarn needle

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
st = stitch
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
hdc = half double crochet
hk = hook

Note: ch 1 is a turning chain and does not count as a stitch.

Pattern: 
Ch 27
Row 1: sc in 2nd st from hk, sc across (26 stitches)
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc in each st across (26 stitches)
Row 3: ch 1, turn, sc in first two stitches [hdc in next, sl st in next] repeat until only two stitches remain, sc in last 2 st (26 stitches)
Rows 4-24: repeat row 3
Rows 25-26: repeat row 2

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Happy Crafting
๐Ÿงก Grandma Duck ๐Ÿงก

This pattern is for personal use only. It cannot be sold, redistributed, or edited in any way.



Friday, July 12, 2019

Nacci the Owl




I am a little bit of a math nerd.  OK, to be more truthful, I'm a huge math nerd.  One of my favorite things about crafting is the mathematics behind it.  I've designed spreadsheets with formulas to track my progress on projects.  I dig into data with gusto.   I sometimes design a quilt project on paper, calculate all of the fabric needed, the number of blocks just so I can play with the numbers.  Weird, huh?

You are probably wondering how this cute little owl got his name.  Well, one of my favorite mathematical sequences is the Fibonacci Sequence.  It is found over and over in nature: pineapples, pine cones, flowers, plants, sea creatures and much more!   It's also behind the Golden Ratio.  Little Nacci is named after that famous sequence.

This graph is 195 X 175 stitches and designed for single crochet.  If you download a copy, please leave me a comment!  I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Click here to download Nacci the Owl

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Happy Stitching!
๐Ÿ’— Grandma Duck ๐Ÿ’—

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Quick and Thick Baby Blanket

What is soft, squishy and warm?  This blanket!  It would be perfect to cuddle a winter baby, for use with a car seat or on the floor for "tummy-time."

The variegated yarn was a gift from my mom.  Thanks Mom!  I just happened to have one skein of the cream color in my stash.  It was perfect for finishing the blanket.  I love it when the project comes together.

  This took me three days to make, crocheting sporadically.   (It was hot here and this blanket is warm.  I had to take  frequent breaks.) Blankets sure are quick when using bulky yarn!

I've been on a baby blanket kick recently so expect to see more baby blanket patterns soon.  I have another design in the works and have made several using other people's designs.  I just need to weave in ends and photograph the blankets.

Finished size: 31" x 34"

Supplies:
Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn: Little Petunias 6 - 3.5 ounce skeins
Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn: Vanilla 1 - 3.5 ounce skein
Crochet Hook Size N 10 mm
Yarn Needle
Stitch Marker

Stitches and Abbreviations:
Chain = ch
Double Crochet = dc
Single Crochet = sc
Stitch = st
Slip Stitch = sl st
Hook = hk

Pattern:
  • Chain 60
  • Row 1: sc in the second ch from hk and in each chain across
  • Row 2: sc & dc in the first st, skip one st (sc & dc in the next st, skip one st) repeat across, sc in last st, ch 1, turn
  • Repeat row 2 until desired size.
Border:
  • Round 1: Join border color in any sc on the top edge.  ch 1, sc in same stitch, mark first sc with a stitch marker. sc in each st around blanket, placing 3 sc in each corner.  On the sides, place on sc in the side of each sc, and two sc in the side of each dc.  sl st to join.  Remove stitch marker
  • Round 2: ch 2, hdc in same stitch, mark the first hdc with a stitch marker, hdc in each st around blanket, placing a hdc, ch 1, hdc in each corner.  sl st to join.  
Note:  To increase or decrease the size of this blanket, start with an even number of chains.

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Happy Stitching!
๐Ÿ’— Grandma Duck ๐Ÿ’—