Shells and Vines sweater

Today is kind of cold and dreary. Been inside all morning working on a baby shower afghan for a friend from church and realized it was time to post another pattern on here. Baby A has been kind of fussy this morning which has made it hard to get anything done but I just gave her to daddy which gives me a few minutes to post.
J, my son, had to have minor at home surgery this morning before school. Here is the background. 5 days after A was born, J decided to use our 10 inch chef knife that my hubby keeps extra sharp to remove the core from an apple rather than the small knife that he is allowed to use. In addition, he decided not to put the apple on the cutting board but to hold it in his hand while cutting. Needless to say this was not a good idea as he cut through the apple, through the nerve, tendon and artery of one finger and into the next finger. Hubby took him to the emergency room and a week later he had reconstructive surgery on the finger. This involved sewing a button onto his fingernail to provide an anchor point to attach the tendon to so that it would not contract. Then there were several weeks where he could not get the finger wet while his arm was in a splint to prevent him from moving the finger with physical therapy exercises every hour. Next we moved to no splint, could get finger wet but had to blow dry it, and physical therapy every 2 hours. Now we were at getting finger wet, blow drying it and physical therapy 3 times a day. Back to this morning. While massaging the scar to reduce the amount of scar tissue he told hubby he felt it "pop". Hubby investigated and realized that the finger had become infected. Per the surgeon's directions we removed the button and then had to clean and disinfect the finger. Poor guy doesn't have the button anymore to gross his school mates out with! Any ideas on what to do with the button? I can't just throw it away after all this. This injury, combined with the weak eye that requires him to wear an eye patch for 4 hours every day sure made him the talk of the town for a while. Of course if you saw this:



wouldn't you talk too?? So that is my day so far. I have to pick up K from school in a few hours to take her to get her second Gardasil shot. Hopefully hubby will decide to do dishes while I am gone. I HATE doing dishes! In the meantime, here is a pattern I designed last year for charity donations. If you choose to make it, please consider making one for charity as well. I make mine to donate to God's Tiny Angels ( http://www.godstinyangels.com/ ) Danette is a wonderful woman and does great things. This is not a registered 501C organization, but it is legitimate. Danette started the group many years ago and it has grown much bigger than I am sure she thought it would. She often pays for shipping costs, materials etc out of her own pocket to ensure that items get to where they need to be.




Shells and Vines Sweater
Pattern copyright 2007 by Ginny Blankenship
pattern updated 2014 (changes in bold)

Size 0 to 3 months

You will need:
4 oz Red Heart Baby sport Pompadour yarn or an equivelent yarn that will yield the correct gauge
Size G hook
6 small buttons

Gauge: 6 rows in hdc - 2 inches and 7 hdc = 2 inches

**BPDC is a back post double crochet
**FPDC is a front post double crochet
**Shell is 2 dc, chain 1, 2 dc all done in one stitch or space on the previous row
** hdc decrease = yarn over, insert hook in stitch and pull up a loop, yarn over and insert hook in next stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through all loops on hook

Ch 42
Row 1: hdc in 3rd chain from hook and next 5 chains. 3 hdc in next (corner made), had in next 6, 3 hdc in next, hdc in next 12, 3 hdc in next chain, hdc in next 6, 3 hdc in next chain, hdc in last 6 chains.

Row 2-5: ch 2, turn (ch 2 does NOT count as 1st hdc) 1 hdc in each stitch, putting 3 hdc in each corner.
r 2 = 7, 3 in corner,8, 3 in corner, 14, 3 in corner, 8, 3 in corner, 7 for a total of 56 stitches
r 3 = 8, 3 in corner, 10, 3 in corner, 16, 3 in corner, 10, 3 in corner, 8 for a total of 64 hdc
r 4 = 9, 3 in corner, 12, 3 in corner, 18, 3 in corner, 12, 3 in corner, 9 for a total of 72 hdc
r 5 = 10, 3 in corner, 14, 3 in corner, 20, 3 in corner, 14, 3 in corner, 10 for a total of 80 hdc

Row 6: chain 2, turn, hdc in first 12, ch 10, skip 16 stitches, hdc in next 24, chain 10, skip 16 stitches, hdc in last 12. ( 48 hdc and armholes made)

Row 7: chain 1, turn. Sc in each hdc and chain. (68 sc)

Row 8: ch 2, turn. dc in first, skip 3, * (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in next stitch (shell made) skip 4, repeat from * 12 times. Skip 2, dc in last stitch. (13 shells and 2 dc)

Row 9: Chain 2, turn. Dc in first dc, shell in center of the shell on previous row, * dc in space between shells of previous row, shell in center of the next shell. Repeat from * 11 times. Dc in last dc. (13 shells and 14 dc)

Row 10: Ch 2, turn. Dc in first dc, shell in center of next shell * BPDC around the dc of previous row. Shell in center of next shell. Repeat from * 11 times. Dc in last dc. (13 shells, 12 BPDC and 2 dc)

Row 11: ch 2, turn. Dc in first dc, shell in center of next shell, * FPDC around post on previous row, shell in center of next shell. Repeat from * 11 times. Dc in last dc. (13 shells, 12 FPDC and 2 dc)

Repeat rows 10 and 11 alternately 4 times

Edging begins at the end of row 19
Ch 1, working up the front opening of the sweater work 35 evenly spaced sc to neck line. Ch 1 and turn to work down the front.
Sc in first 2 sc, ch 1, skip 1 stitch to create a button hole *sc in next 5, ch 1, skip 1. Repeat from * 4 times. Sc in last 2 stitches.
Ch 1 turn, sc in each sc and space placing 3 sc in last stitch.
Now you are working across the top of the button band and the neckline
Work 7 sc which should bring you to the first corner of the neckband. Work 2 sc in this corner, then sc in the next 6 stitches, 2 sc in the next, sc in each of the next 12 stitches, 2 sc in the corner, sc in the next 6 stitches, 2 sc in the next 5. Place 3 sc in the last stitch of the neckline.
Work 33 sc down the left side opening of the front. Place 3 sc in the last stitch at the bottom edge. Working along the bottom of the jacket, place a sc in each stitch and space. Fasten off when you reach the end of the bottom of the button band. Weave in ends and sew buttons on to match button holes.

Sleeves:

Join yarn at underarm with the neck edge closest to you.
Row 1: ch 2, hdc in same space, work 27 hdc evenly around armhole and join to first hdc. turn. (28 hdc)

Row 2-5: ch 2, hdc in same and each hdc around. Join to first hdc. turn

Row 6: ch 2, hdc in same stitch. Work hdc decrease, hdc in next 12, hdc decrease, hdc in remaining stitches. join to first hdc and turn. (26 hdc)

Row 7-9: ch 2, hdc in same stitch and each stitch around. join and turn. (26 hdc)

Row 10: ch 2, hdc in same stitch. Work hdc decrease, hdc in next 11, hdc decrease, hdc in remaining stitches. Join to first hdc and turn. (24 hdc)

Row 11-13: ch 2, hdc in same and each stitch around. Join and turn. (24 hdc)

Row 14: ch 2 hdc in first stitch, hdc decrease, hdc in next 10, hdc decrease, hdc in remaining stitches. Join to first hdc and turn. (22 hdc)

Row 15-18: ch 2, hdc in same stitch and each stitch around. Join and turn. (22 hdc)

Row 19: ch 1, sc in each stitch, join and fasten off. Weave in ends.

Repeat for second sleeve

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of theis pattern, but there may be errors. If you find one please let me know!


Shells & Vines Sweater and Hat by Ginny Blankenship is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

I will post the pattern for the hat next time. In the meantime, enjoy!

Freecycle

I was browsing my public emails (these are the emails that I get at the address I use for joining groups or signing up for things online. My personal emails go to a separate account) and came across an awesome offer on one of my Freecycle groups. What is Freecycle you ask? It is a national effort to reduce landfill waste by recycling items we no longer want that are still serviceable by offering them for free to others. Most cities or areas have a group in which people post offers and others pick them up. Visit http://www.freecycle.org/ to find out more.

Anyway, someone was offering a Precious Moments crib set. The email had come through the day before and I was sure someone had already claimed it but I shot off an email to her anyways. After all, I doubt I will get around to buying the material for, much less making, A's sunflower crib set like I want to until she outgrows the crib!! Besides, free is good. Lo and behold no one else had emailed her about it!! My mother is going to pick it up today on her way home from work and bring it to me at church on Sunday.

This prompted me to go through A's clothes and pull out the ones she has outgrown (I can't believe she is already outgrowing clothes!!) and offer them on Freecycle as well. Less than 1/2 an hour after I posted them I got 3 emails for them. I meet the woman who emailed first this afternoon to deliver them. She is giving them to her niece who will be a single mom blessed with a little girl that is due in March.

So not only will I get a crib set for free, but I get to feel great about helping out someone else with things I no longer need. It's amazing how God works to provide for his children!

Frost

I sit here with my newest little one, A, on my lap sleeping. I should be cleaning, putting away dishes, loading the washing machine or any of the many home chores that seem to multiply infintesimally in a home with six people. However, how can I stop looking down at her sleeping, peaceful face? You forget how wonderful they are at this age, before they learn to say "no", before you have to follow behind them picking up their discarded clothes, before life becomes hectic. Right now she sleeps, eats and needs a diaper change. The sight of mom makes her smile and everything is new to her. My little gift from God to remind me to slow down and enjoy the little things in life.

We had our first frost of the year last night. I love the pattern it makes on the windows of the van. I almost hated having to warm the van and watch the beautiful patterns dissappear to take H and J to school this morning. (I say almost because while beautiful, I like warmth also!) I can't believe that it is fall already! Which got me to thinking...

Christmas is only 63 days away!!! With money being especially tight this year that means it is past time to start crafting! I have decided to make snowflake ornaments to include with my Christmas cards this year. I think this will make them more personal, they are relatively quick and inexpensive to make, and they make a great gift for those people that you recieve a gift from but didn't buy a gift for. As an added bonus, they look like they took forever to non-crafters!!

I prefer the thread crochet versions and there are several patterns available for free on the web that are beautiful. I plan to make one a day, and today's snowflake will be an original design by who else? ME!!!

FROSTY the SNOWFLAKE


You will need:


steel crochet hook size 8


size 10 crochet thread


stiffening medium of your choice (starch, sugar, glue etc)





I use the magic circle to begin my snoflakes because I like a tight center. To do this you wrap the thread around one finger 3-4 times, then draw a loop up through the circle you have created. After your first round is completed, pull the tail string tight to close the circle. You can then weave this end into the design when it is completed. If you prefer, you can chain 2 and use the first single crochet as your center.

R1: 12 sc in circle (or first sc if not using the magic circle method), join to first sc

R2: ch 4(counts as first dc, ch 1), * dc in next st, ch 1 Repeat from * 10 times. Join to 3rd chain of the ch 4. (12 dc, 12 ch 1 spaces)

R3: slip stitch into first ch 1 space, ch 1, sc in same space, * ch 5, sc in next ch 1 space Repeat from * 11 times, ch 2, dc in first sc to join. 12 sc, 12 spaces

R4: ch 1, *(sc, ch 3, sc) all in same space, ch 3, dc in next ch 5 space, ch 3 Repeat from * 4 times. (sc, ch 3, sc) in next ch 5 space, ch 3, dc in next ch 5 space, ch 1, dc in beginning sc.

R5: ch 1, sc in same space, *ch 9, skip next ch 3 space, sc in each of next 2 ch 3 spaces(one on each side of dc of previous row). Repeat from * 4 times. Ch 9, skip next ch 3 space, sc in next ch 3 space, join to first sc. (6 ch 9 spaces)

R6: ch 1, *sc in space between the 2 sc of previous row, ch 4, work 2 trc, ch 2, 2 trc in ch 9 space of previous row, ch 4 Repeat from * 5 times. Join to first sc

R7: ch 1, *sc in sc of previous row, ch 5, sl st in sc, ch 5,{2 trc, (ch 5, sl st to first ch) 3 times, sl st to last trc, 2 trc} in next ch 2 space, ch 5 Repeat from * 5 times. Join to first sc. Fasten off and weave in ends

Stiffen using your desired medium and method

I have had a couple of people request that I write R7 in "plain english".  I know how frustrating it can be for a beginner to come across a pattern they want to try and get most of the way through it only to be stumped by pattern shorthand.  So here is R7 in plain english:

*single crochet in single crochet of previous row, chain 5, slip stitch in single crochet, chain 5
 After the ch 5 you will be working in the next chain 2 space.  ALL within this space you will work the following:

2 triple crochets, chain 5, slip stitch to the first of these chains to create a picot. chain 5, slip stitch to the first of this set of chains to create a second picot, chain 5 and slip stitch to the first of this set of chain 5 to create a third picot.  slip stitch to the second triple crochet that you made to secure this set of 3 picots in place.  Work 2 more triple crochets. 

This is what is within the {} on the pattern.  From this point, you will chain 5 and begin again at the “sc in sc of previous row” (where the * is)  5 more times.  This will give you a set of 3 picots at every point of the snowflake and a small picot at the midpoints.  

I hope that this helps you to finish your snowflakes.  Blessings!


This work by Ginny Blankenship is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.