Endless Stitches by Sarah

The saga continues... As you may know, in early May, I started a fairly large project. The goal was to take an old work in progress and turn it into something useful. You can find the whole story in The Great Blanket Remake Part 1 . The second part of this project was a little more in depth than the first. That is because this half of the project involved taking apart the blanket that was already seamed together. It might seem crazy, but it ended up going so much better than I expected. I lost very little yarn to cuts and was able to make lots of sections. I had grand plans of making a whole set of one row striped sections, and I started doing so. I made 5 of these sections. These sections look amazing, and I think they will be a great addition to the blanket. However, they were not nearly as easy to do as I had hoped. There were lots of ends to deal with, but more than that the yarn yardage didn't work out well. There were times I ran out of a color too early, there were times ...

The Great Blanket Remake Begins... I have put a temporary pause on the Section-A-Long to tackle another big project (and to start planning a wedding!). This project is technically 5+ years in the making, so it is about time for something to be done with it. I am transforming a partially made blanket into something complete and cohesive for donation, and I have decided to take you along for the journey. As you can see, the blanket comes in a variety of stages of completeness. I have a whole skein, a couple partial skeins, a huge pile of completed granny triangles, and a few rows of granny triangles sewn into a blanket. I am going to tackle this in pieces. The full skeins have been relocated to my fiance's apartment to work on when I am over there. (Oh, I do love calling him my fiance!) The variegated partial skein has already been turned into 2 and a half sections. Oh, I am using my last section-a-long pattern to make all of the sections for this blanket remake. Now for ...

Time to get scrappy Last week, I finished my first blanket donation project of the year. It is somewhere between a lap blanket and a small child blanket, and it has 22 different colors! I shared the in progress photo several weeks ago with the C2C moss stitch section, but here is the completed blanket. The blanket was inspired by the sections I made using the C2C moss stitch and my order of 44 little skeins of the DIYarn from Lionbrand. I knew I wanted to make a blanket with half of them, but didn't know how big of one I could make. That is why I chose the corner to corner option, fully expecting to only get a baby blanket out of it. The two sections from this week are made from almost all of my scraps from the blanket project. The stitch pattern is simple (half double crochet is all you need) but I wanted to share with you some tips on using up every last bit of scraps. Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for ...

A little more love in the world As the crazy times continue, it is nice to know that there is still love in the world. In honor of that, this week's blog post is gonna be love inspired. As some of you might know, I got engaged last weekend! (Which is why we ended up skipping a week of the section-a-long...) The proposal was amazingly week and definitely one to remember. We have been together for almost 4 years, and I am so happy to finally be starting this next chapter in our love story. Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom of that post! Learning new things (and a return to an old favorite) While home, I decided to give the Lemon Block pattern from Twinkie Chan a try. I haven't done much crochet colorwork, but I was excited to learn a new technique. Luckily I had the perfect scrap ya...

Stay Safe These are crazy times for sure. Making has been keeping my hands and mind busy through all of this, and I am so grateful to have the distraction that I know will also help people some day. Anyway, this week will be a short blog post. Silly me forgot to even take the close up photo of the stitch this week and both sections are already happily in Dallas. How about I throw in a cute cat picture instead? Shadow hanging out with my crocheted Christmas tree skirt last winter Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom of that post! My resource book I decided to browse my one stitch dictionary book that I own to find a new stitch for this week's section. I don't use the book often, but it is handy sometimes. It has an entire section devoted to lacy stitches, and while I am sure those are ...

What can 12 sections do... Here we are at week 12! I thought it would be a fun time to talk numbers with you. If you have made a single section each week of this section-a-long (counting this one) you will have made enough sections for a small baby blanket. Twelve sections can make a blanket that is 21" by 27" which is a pretty good car seat blanket. I have definitely seen people in the Makers group make this size in the past. If you have made 2 sections every week of the section-a-long, you are one section away from having a lap-sized blanket (35" by 45")! And if that is the case, maybe this week you can make that extra section to get you to the 25 mark. The other fun set of numbers comes in when I look at blog post views. If half of the views result in a section being made, together we have made enough sections for 28 full sized-adult blankets! I have no way of knowing how many views result in sections, but those are still pretty exciting numbers. We are still...

Making Progress As the world is in such a crazy place, I am finding my crochet to be an even bigger part of my life. I have finished 2 projects in the last week, and I have another one almost finished. It might even be finished by the time this post goes live. I have also ordered so many yarn goodies from indie dyers across the country as a way to support them during this trying time. I might even do a big haul post when everything gets in. I am still posting section designs I made while making Sweet Tooth Hotel sections. That campaign is over now, and we are waiting for the absolute final counts for the project. We know we made it over half way, and we know that we made enough for the installation. The installation itself has been postponed with all that is happening. Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom...

Special Spotlight This Week I have decided to do something special (and different) for this week, and every 10th week section. I am going to spotlight a designer and their stitch pattern! This came up when I wanted to do a section with the Dandelion Stitch from Bella's Custom Crochets, and I realized I wanted to give that person as much credit as possible. I think it is important to support people in this crafty business and this is one way I can do that without spending a dime. It is important to help each other, especially during this trying time... Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom of that post! How the spotlights will work For the spotlights, I will basically send you to the website where the stitch is described and let you get all of the pattern details from them. This was we can support ...

Using up what is left The original plan was to get 6 sections from each color I had picked out for my Sweet Tooth Hotel Sections, but because of small differences in the skeins, I had enough left of two colors to do another whole section. I had some left of the other two colors as well, and they will be coming back for a fun stripey pattern later this year! If you are reading this "live" remember that we have until March 18th to mail all sections for the Sweet Tooth campaign. We still have a LONG way to go to reach those lofty goals set at the beginning of the campaign so crochet away! Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom of that post! Using minimal amounts of yarn I pay a lot of attention to how much yarn each section takes to make. Partially because I enjoy details like that, and partia...

Updated Counts During the last Unboxing Live on the Warm Up America Facebook page, we got the most recent updates for the sections counts for the Sweet Tooth Hotel Campaign. AND they even opened my box of sections! Of course, by the time this blog post goes live the counts will almost be a week old, but we do still have a long way to go. Here are the numbers we were given last week: Red: 457 Teal: 315 Yellow: 332 Green: 408 For a total of 1412 sections! The goal is 10,000, and we are in the final 2 weeks. I plan on sending in some more as close to the deadline as I can. I also have 2 pattern tests happening right now, so we will have to see how many sections I can get done. Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom of that post! When life gives you lemons... The section today uses a very versatile...

Making Progress Last week, I shipped in my box of Sweet Tooth Sections! There ended up being 26 total that I have made for the section-a-long. There are still at least 2 weeks of patterns coming (after this one) made with this campaign in mind. I am hoping I can get another week or two done before I have to get the rest shipped in as well, so wish me luck. We didn't get an updated count last week, but the last numbers we did get were still pretty low considering how many sections they are hoping for with this campaign! I have hope though because I know so many of you are out there working hard on your sections!! Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed any of them, the other patterns are all linked at the bottom of that post! Back to some post stitches I love crocheting with post stitches. I love all the different textures that can be made with various combina...

Happy to be back I took the week off from blog posting last week to celebrate my birthday and play with all the puppies. For context, my boyfriend's parents had a litter of Wheaten Terriers just before New Year's Eve and we went to visit last weekend. Can I just say that playing with six 6-week old puppies is a pretty great way to celebrate turning 27! Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed it, check out the first , second , third , fourth , and fifth patterns already on the blog. The original post also has links to all the sections! I learned a new stitch for this one... Several weeks ago, I put a poll up on the WUA Makers group and asked which of my patterns they wanted to see first. Much to my surprise, someone added an option that I was not prepared for. And this option got the second most votes! Because of this, I went out and learned the trinity sti...

Making to give By this point, many of you know that I have a huge passion for making things to give to other people, whether those people are friends and family or to those in need. We are in Week #5 of the Section-A-Long I am hosting for Warm Up America (WUA). I decided to take a short break from section making when inspiration struck for a pattern idea for soap sacks. What are soap sacks you ask? They are basically wash cloths made in such a way that they become carriers for soap! They provide an all in one way to get clean and can be really fun. While they can be made and used by anyone, they have become a handmade item collected for those in need as well. The lovely people over at S.A.C.K (Supporting a Community with Kindness) have led an effort to get these soap sacks distributed all over the country. S.A.C.K recently partnered with WUA to collect even more and I must say the response from the WUA Makers group has been inspiring. So whether you are making to donate or to g...

How is it already week 5? I cannot believe we are already on week five of this section-a-long! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I have loved sharing all of these section patterns with you, so much so that I keep postponing that break I keep expecting to take. It has been too much fun to stop, so there is no break in sight! Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed it, check out the first , second , third , and fourth patterns already on the blog. The original post also has links to all the sections! Granny Stripes I am sure you have all seen granny squares, and many of you that are seasoned section makers have probably even seen granny rectangles. I have made my fair share of granny squares of multiple types, and I am working on a huge blanket for a friend that is actually made from granny hexagons. My problem is making these patterns really work ou...

And the winner is... I asked the wonderful people of the WUA Makers Group on Facebook which stitch I should do next, and the winner was the Herringbone Stitch ! Also this week, I only used the colors for the Sweet Tooth Hotel Campaign and I managed  to get one of each color made again. (I also have all fours colors done for next week already, and I feel so productive!) Look at how much the stack of sections as grown these last four weeks! Let's get to it! Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need, and if you missed it, check out the first , second , and third patterns already on the blog. Herringbone Stitch If you can do a double crochet stitch, you can do the Herringbone stitch. This new stitch just takes one simple switch in how you pull through the loops when compared to the standard double crochet. It is a great stitch for when you get tired of double crochet, or want to...

There is a new challenge! This week, Warm Up America announced a huge new challenge! They have put out a call for 10,000 sections that they need my mid-March! These sections will be a part of this year's installation at the Sweet Tooth Hotel . The piece is called Intangible and will be entirely made out of fiber. Even better, Warm Up America is going to get a portion of the ticket sales. As for the challenge, they are collecting red, yellow, green and teal sections to be a part of the installation. Personally, I am looking forward to knowing that my yarn creations are going to be a part of such an amazing event. For the next several weeks, my section patterns are going to be made out of red, green, yellow and teal. I am actually hoping to get every pattern done in each of the four colors. My Sweet Tooth section colors! Let's get to it! Make sure you have checked out the original section-a-long post , if you haven't already for the list of supplies you will need,...