First here is a pattern for a woven plaid afghan that I think I would like to make one day. It's in my favorite colors too!
I know this is a little late to post here but you can use envelopes for other purposes than to hold a valentine, right? Crochet Spot has a nice little pattern, very simple, just make a single crochet square, fold and sew.
Someone asked me how to assemble 16 stitch double yoyos. Since I make them and send them off for others to assemble, I didn't feel qualified to answer, but I found this link at Donna's Crochet Designs which demonstrates assembly of yoyos using that same size yoyo.
I've been hearing about Noro yarns for a while now. Every now and then it comes up. I ran across this book available for purchase which focuses on this yarn. I liked some of the projects and thought others might like it too. I have not purchased the book myself ... yet. :-) I must get some of this yarn! It's so lovely.
Lion Brand mentioned the Oliso iron on their web site. This iron might be nice for blocking your fiber projects as it sits above the project when steaming. Amazon has several varieties and you can find it other places I'm sure.
I know this is CROCHET Cabana, but sometimes I will see a knitting project or information about knitting that I think might appeal to those of you who are ambi-crafty. :-) This article is about how knitting was used during war to give information to those who needed it. If you go past the "other articles you might be interested in" thing, there is more information which I missed in my first go round. One is the 365 day clock. An interesting idea that can be transferred to crochet as well. You make one stitch each half hour and complete one row per day. Since there are 24 hours in a day, that would be 48 stitches. If you are working for 365 days that is 365 rows. That's a pretty good size scarf. I would suggest using a DK or sport yarn to keep it manageable. Another thing that was mentioned in the article was the idea that yarn bombing in high crime areas might reduce crime in those areas by making it sort of user friendly. You see bright colored yarns and perhaps you are made a little bit happier? I would be interested in comparing the crime rate before and after the "bombing". It would be great if the word "bomb" could come to mean a yarn project rather than its current meaning.
I also found this post at Pennamite on crocheting in morse code. In the past I've crocheted using the Fibonacci numbers and that was fun. I'm thinking morse code would be even more fun, and challenging, as messages can be created using crochet.
If you missed any of the Red Heart's 12 weeks of Christmas you can find all the patterns on this page. I don't know how long they will keep the page up so if you're interested hop on over there and get them.
I know a lot of people crochet and knit for charity. I happened across this list of good yarns for chemo patients at the Firewalker Project. If the yarns are good for chemo patients they are likely good for many of your charity efforts. If you are making items for someone who has had brain surgery, they have special needs so do check with your coordinator or patient.
Speaking of charity projects, I have started making a few prayer cloths for a church in New Jersey to include with food pantry packages. These cloths have filet crosses in the center. It's hard to get a good picture of them. They asked for purple for the current season but will accept anything one can send. (I have trouble with dark colors due to vision problems) If this strikes you, holler out and I'll put you in touch with the appropriate person. They are looking for about 150 at this time. The ones below were made with Bernat Satin Plum Mist Heather. The pattern I used is at Crochet Cabana. There are other patterns for pocket prayer cloths online and you could also make up your own pattern. You may not want a cross or you may want an initial or a heart on yours.
The idea here is to pray for the recipient as you work. When the person touches or views the cloth, he or she will be reminded of God's infinite power, wisdom and love, and that they have been loved and prayed for by you. You can do this even if you do not know who will receive your cloth. Just pray for the recipient - God knows who will get it before you've even finished the prayer cloth. :-)
Remember that the cloth itself, the yarn, the crocheting are not endowed with any special power. Only God can answer prayer. In His infinite wisdom His answer may be yes, no, or wait. If there is healing, peace, or protection it is because God answers our prayers in the affirmative. It is important to realize that it is not the cloth itself that gives the comfort or healing, but the power of Almighty God.
In other crochet news, I finished the berry red shawl and a frosted green fleck one.
These were worked with the wheelchair wrap pattern which I love and is so simple to do. I was able to work 20 1/2 rows with one 7 ounce skein. Tip: I also count my stitches at rows 10, 20, and right before I start the filet row to be sure I didn't lose or gain any stitches. On the red I added a round of faux picot stitches - (sc, ch 2, sc, sk 2) which I think added to it. I tried a few other edgings but didn't find anything that particularly grabbed me.
Most of these took me no more than 3 days to complete since I only worked on it a few hours in the evening while watching TV. I think working steadily one might even be able to complete one in a shorter time. Don't be fooled though. The first rows go quickly as there are few stitches but each row increases the number of stitches so by the end you have quite a number there. :-)
That's all for today. You're probably thinking that certainly is enough! LOL Hope you found something useful.
Happy crocheting!
Sandie