Tulip Blanket - Donated to Project Linus

I decided to make this blanket because my mom had bought two full skeins of baby yarn at a garage sale for $0.50 and I couldn't find any other patterns that required only two skeins of yarn! I cut down a little on the ruffled edges to make sure I had enough yarn.

Overall, it turned out to be a very pretty blanket. I donated this blanket to Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org) in September 2011.

Candy Cane Throw - Donated to Project Linus

I call this afghan the Candy Cane Throw. Donated to Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org), this throw cost me $3.25 to make. I had bought five skeins of Red Heart Christmas yarn for $0.65 after Christmas and tried for months to decide what to make with it before I settled on using the Corner to Corner Throw pattern (see the post on July 25th 2011 for pattern address). I had no idea how big this blanket would turn out to be, so I just worked it until I had used up one skein each of the white and red yarns before decreasing it down!

I love the sparkle that comes from this yarn and at 36" by 36" it is the perfect size for a child to carry around.

Cotton Candy Baby Blankets - Donated to Project Linus

As always, I was on the lookout for good yarn deals and found a great one at Walmart. These Bernat Baby Boucle skeins were the larger size and regularly sold for $6.99; I bought six of them on sale for $0.75 each! Needless to say I was thrilled.

I decided to make a very simple striped blanket pattern out of them and was able to make six blankets in various color combinations for Project Linus. I love these blankets because they were relatively fast to make (11 - 13 hours each) and they are so soft you can't help but want to touch them. They look so much like cotton candy that I called them that the entire time I was making them.

You can find this blanket pattern at www.bernat.com. It is called the Baby Boucle - Hush - A - Bye Blanket.

As always, if you are interested in learning more about Project Linus, please visit their national website at www.projectlinus.org.

Crocheted Lamb Toy - Donated to Salvation Army

I made this lamb for the Ohio State Fair. The category was the "Help A Child Smile"category. It accepted all types of toys and pillow pets that were handmade. The lamb ended up taking best of show, which I was very surprised at considering that I thought he was quite ugly. (Apparently the judges had different tastes than I do!) The best part of the category was that all the items were donated to the Salvation Army to give to children in need. I sorely wish that they would bring this category back because I love to make toys!

This lamb was a kit I ordered from Mary Maxim's craft catalog.

Pink and White Baby Blanket - Donated to Project Linus

I love this blanket design! It has great texture and is so darn cute I can't hardly stand it. Made from a discountined yarn called "Sugar Babies" by Lily, this blanket measured about 24 inches by 30 inches.

I have made several of this design blanket because a few years back (when the Sugar Babies yarn was being discontinued) I bought a bunch of the yarn on sale. Since I tend to donate a lot of the projects I make, I'm always on the lookout for a good yarn deal and this was one I couldn't pass up! I have made three of these blankets in various colors so far, and probably have enough yarn to make two more.

You can still find this pattern in the membership section of the Sugar and Cream website: www.sugarncream.com

Stars and Strips Afghan

This afghan is another one I made from a free pattern leaflet. Called the "Stars and Stripes Afghan," the pattern is copyrighed 2001 by Caron yarn.

This afghan currently resides with my mother. It is also worth noting that this is one of the few afghans that I have made with fringe on the ends (I am NOT a fan of fringe!).

Corner to Corner Throw

This afghan was made for my husband. After the Log Cabin Throw didn't turn out big enough for him, I decided to give this project a try. I thought that the bold strips and americana colors would make for a manly afghan!

This afghan is the largest I have made to date. When put on our queen size bed, it actually drapes slightly over the sides. It is also extremely warm; we stopped using multiple comforters this winter in favor of a single thin comforter and this afghan.

The pattern for this afghan (in a slightly smaller size) can be found at: www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-corner-corner-throw