Another Welcome to Earth Blanket? Why, Yes!

Remember how Chibi’s baby is due fifteen minutes after mine?  Well, Nephew4 needs a Welcome to Earth Blanket just as badly as his cousins (and friends) do, but little old me has been getting rather bored with traditional baby colored things.

Light pink?  SNORE.

Pale, pale blue?  ICK.

Creamy, barely there yellow?  MEH.

Solution?  A big, bold Welcome to Earth Blanket in three awesome primary colors:

I used the same color orange as I did to make Hobbes, which I hear will be helping decorate the nursery over in Chibiland, so I’m *hoping* this awesome blankie will match Nephew4’s decor.

non-traditional tradition?

You may also notice that I went for the uber-traditional granny square (or in this case, granny rectangle) pattern to offset my non-trad color choices (plus, there’s only so much crazy stitching a gal can do).  Think it’ll work?  Think Chibi’s baby will want to snuggle in this blankie?

Since Chibi & I’s joint baby shower is eco-friendly (ie: no tree-killing wrapping paper), some yarny ribbon is the best it’s going to get.

heyyy... where did those Adoraboots come from? Ssshhh! Don't tell Chibi - she doesn't know she's getting them!

And, since said baby shower isn’t until the end of the month (the *very* last weekend I’m allowed to travel – no sense staying home until I have to), Chibi’s going to have to wait until then to see her gift in person.

Welcome to Earth, Nephew4!

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Granny What Now?

Did you know that there’s a difference between a Granny Triangle and a Granny Half-Square?

You did? Smarty Pants.  =)

For the rest of you, check this out:

 

Granny Half Square

Granny Half Squares are flat on the bottom and involve adding an extra dc into the first and last “granny group” of each row.  For a refresher course, check out my ridiculously awesome tutorial!

 

Granny Triangles, on the other hand, are worked without turning the piece, and have three distinct roundy edges (and yes, that’s the scientific term):

 

Granny Triangle

For an awesome Granny Triangle tutorial, check out Carina’s craft blog – she’s got pictures and everything!

Nina is extremely smart, as you may know, and was able to correctly identify the Granny Triangle on her first attempt!

 

Smartest. Kitten. Ever.

 

In case you were hoping for a kitten-less shot (though I can’t imagine why), here you go:

AND… in case you were hoping for a bit more humor in today’s post, I just want you all to know that WordPress recommended I tag Cloris Leachman, the United States, and Constellation Maps in this post.  Then, when I typed those three things, it updated my recommended tags to include Go Daddy and a related article about a Grannie attacking thug bikers (which I’ve included below).  WordPress ROCKS.

 

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• Grannie attacks thug bikers (hellforleathermagazine.com)

Free Pattern Friday: Granny 1/2 Square Bag

Remember that Half Granny Square Tutorial I did earlier this month?  Well, I ended up with this:

 

It's a sting ray!

Which, if you fold all three corners in towards the middle and whip stitch them, ends up looking like this:

 

OMG cute, right?

I added a little handle and a velcro closure (which I reinforced by embroidering that little extra bit of light green you see in the middle — velcro needs something to stick to!), and mailed this off to the second official recipient of my 2011 Handmade Pay It Forward Campaign (Want to get involved?  Use some form of electronic communication to contact me & I’ll tell you all the cool details).

Here are the official pattern directions:

1. Make a 1/2 granny square 15 rows big (look HERE for a refresher on how to accomplish this).

2. sc around the entire 1/2 square & FO.

3: Fold any two adjacent corners in toward each other until they are touching and whip stitch them together through the sc’s (The whip stitches are white on my bag).

4. Fold the last corner in & whip stitch it into place. TURN YOUR BAG INSIDE OUT, making the inside the outside. Or, if you like the way the stitches look, just leave the bag the way it is!

(side note: I just realized I was supposed to switch the laundry two hours ago.  Oops).

5. Where the three corners meet, embroider a little oval or rectangle-y bit to even out the top edge and give some support to your velcro, should you decide to add some.

6. Chain a chain about the size of the circumference of your wrist, FO, & sew to the side of the bag.  VOILA!  (did you say “voila”?  Seriously.  It’s ever so much more satisfying if you say “voila”).

 

the back of the bag, which is also totally cute. Maybe it should be the front... Hmm...

Aahhh! The cuteness! It hurts my eyes! It's TOO cute! It's just TOO CUTE!!!

 

Obviously you can make as many rows as you’d like – the bigger the 1/2 square, the bigger the bag.  This size (which I made with a G hook, btw), is the perfect size for make-up.  Or snacks.  Mmmm…snacks.  I love snacks…  })i({