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Hi, My name is Kate and this blog is all about my adventures of happy living. By that I mean crochet, chickens and cooking. Here's to the good life - and being a good wife! xxx

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Hooking Block (Plea for help!)

I feel very lost all of a sudden. The past few weeks has been a hurried flurry of lots of WIPs and ideas and Ta-Dahs! This morning I woke up with Hooking Block.

That's right, Hooking Block. Dreaded middle earth of yarn world. A state between the excitement of a Ta-Dah and the pathetic "I don't know what to do next" moan.

I do have my Vintage Vertical Stripe Blanket which is a mix between a chore and a joy (depending on the mood) but this is growing each week and I am happy with it being the project in the background that has no pressure to finish - just a faithful friend that one day, hopefully this year, will be in the Tad-Dah category like the rest of his friends.


I sat and worked out some maths this morning in honour of the blanket. I guess I wanted to know rates of growth and how much more I wanted to do on it.

N.B. Please excuse the following .... ***brain spurting out maths nausea**** WARNING!!!!

I started with 28 glorious balls of 100g yarns, so a total of 2800g.

I have now done 3 rows in each colours so that's a total of 84 rows. Each ball has about 75g left on it which means I have used up 700g out of the 2800g I began with.

So if I have used 700g and made a total of 84 rows, each row uses about 8.5g.

Am I mad???? I am getting somewhere ....

There is now 2100g left, so 2100g divided by 8.5g (1 row) means there is the capacity to do a further 247 rows with the yarn I have left.

At the moment the blanket is 186cm long (i.e. very long) and 70cm wide (84 rows remember), so each row I do adds another 8.33mm to the blanket.

So if I add another 247 rows onto it the total of the blanket, minus the dimensions of a beautiful border would be a whopping .......

186cm x 275cm.

Woooooooooaaaaaawwww ......

Actually I only need to make the blanket to reach about 200cm so I guess after all that crazy calculations I need to do 156 more rows that's five more rounds of colours, plus a border and that means.....

I'll have 28 lovely balls of 32g left in my stash. Imagine the possibilities .... flowers, granny squares, bunting ... then Christmas .... oh gosh!

Just one more thought - if I aim to do 1 row a day, then I could have it done by 27th of Dec, which could leave me with 3 days for a border in order to get it done for 1st Jan 2013.

Do you think I could do it? I'd really have to concentrate on getting it done, and be strict on doing a row a day, and if I didn't that would mean catching up. We will see. Maybe.

If you do want to know how to make one see here for a tutorial. You don't have to go mental like me and do a mahosssive one. I have seen some beautiful baby ones recently in soft colours with a nice simple boarder that look lovely in their push chairs.

*                *                *

Thank you for bearing with me ... new followers, I don't blame you if you fancy a little backtrack on that "follow me " button .... but if you want a piece of mind as to why you chose this crazy person to follow blogging, I am feeling under the weather, its very hot in Staffordshire at the moment, and if you still aren't convinced trawl through some older posts .... this is not normal - I assure you.

Now onto the centre of my writers, oops, I mean Hookers Block.

I have brought some new yarn. Beautiful, colourful, squeezable and delightful new yarn. Look at it, just sitting there, untouched.


Agggrrrrhhhhhh - what do I do with it???? Friends - please help!!!!!

Do I make a sample blanket and try lots of new squares which will be transportable for my holidays coming up.

Do I make a gift for someone - if so what!?

Do I make something for the home?

Do I make something to wear?


I simply do not know what to do. If you see anything do please let me know! I'm begging you!

From a lady gone crazy.

Kate

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

15 comments:

  1. Serious stuff - Hooker's block! If it's any consolation think everyone has times when for whatever reason the creative Muse goes to sleep or one doesn't feel like starting or pursuing a project. My advice is to relax and not worry about it - it will come back perhaps sooner and quicker than you expect and trying to force the issue when one just doesn't feel like it can be counterproductive. I've made nasty errors of judgement doing this sometimes! Enjoy the sunshine and other things and before you know it your blanket will be motoring again along with all sorts of other things into the bargain! This is my approach anyway and I find it works! I've got a couple of drowsing projects on the go at the moment but the time just isn''t right for getting on with them! It will be though... when I'm ready! Happy Tuesday Kate! E x

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  2. Mrs, you have Mathsitus! In my job I am meant to be a maths specialist (oh my aching sides...) and I don't have a clue what you're flipping on about!
    My advice to you would be this... if you're not enjoying it then stop doing it for a bit. When it's done, it's done, there's not time limit on it unless you're making it as a present for someone. Just go-eth with the flow-eth and when you fancy it you will pick it up again.
    As for the holiday project, do the sample squares. I did that last year by accident. I took the wool, the hooks and Jan Eatons book of 100 squares and by the time I came home I had the makings of a blanket. I did blog about it and if I could be bothered I would do a link to the post but it will be in about last September-ish somewhere! Also when you are relaxed and not under pressure doing more difficult things seems to come easy, it did for me anyway and I made squares I never dreamed I'd be able to attempt.
    So chill out, girlie and do what you fancy! And get well soon.
    xx

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  3. Oh Kate, I know how you feel! I blame the Internet! My trouble is I see so so many gorgeous project out there on other blogs, ravelry etc and I want to make them all and then I can decide what to choose. Your blanket is gorgeous but a big project so how about going for a smaller project that will work up quickly? But I also like the sampler blanket suggestion too :) I find the blog tangled happy has loads of wonderful projects!
    Victoria xx

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  4. I'm giggling reading your today post! You are such a maths genius when calculating those complex numbers!! The more I read, the more I just cannot figure out where they are coming from! It's quite messy to me! haha :)
    Your srippy blanket is gorgeous! It's really big now, but I believe you will get it done sooner than planned. Good luck! :)
    Love your new yarns! What brand is it? The colors look so sweet, like a candy! But what to do with them, well, I'm having the same question with my new yarns too! Hope you find something happy to go with those beauties soon!
    Hugs, LS

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  5. Hi Kate, thank you for checking out my blog, I've become a follower on yours as well, it's lovely. I am a member of a fun group on Ravelry, it's the Block A Month Crochet Along 2012 group (BAMCAL2012), there is no reason you couldn't join in late or just use any square patterns to make a sampler blanket, I'm thrilled with mine and I've learnt a lot of techniques. I'm a bit behind at the moment but we won't mention that...
    I ordered a lovely set of Tunisian Crochet Hooks from Amazon but I don't have a really large one, I think the biggest of mine is about 8mm. If we were to do a swap what would you like to swap for? It sounds like fun.
    Oh, and I've just thought, the Sunshine Spread I am making at the moment would look great in those colours. I considered doing a mixture of outside colours but settled on the turquoise, I think a mix would look just as nice if you don't want to buy more of one colour.

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  6. God - what a lot of calculations .. if I tried that my head would really hurt ... your blanket is loooveellyyy ... but if you feel it has become a chore I would leave it for a while ... it's OK to move on to something else until you get your creative mojo back ... I love your new yarn, spookily similiar to some colours I bought today and I think some smaller granny squares to take on holiday would be a good way to go - maybe make a cushion ... that's my plan for my holiday ... Bee x

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  7. I would love to do a swap but I wonder if we could leave it until after the summer holidays? It's just such a busy time in our house at the moment and if I'm going to make something I would like to wait until my wrists are totally better.

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  8. Hi dear!!!
    What beautiful and suggestive colors!!!
    I don't know what you must do with them, because as like you me too stay a little lost with all this great ideias on the net... :)
    But... what do you think about a scarf? Cardigans or somethilg like this?

    Hugs for you and see you soon!

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  9. Hi, thanks for visiting my blog! I wish my granny had taught me to crochet, I would love to learn but I have 2 left feet so it's not really happening! I live in hope! Ada :)

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  10. Egads! All that math. I don't usually think about a project, just go for it. Your vintage stripe is coming along beautifully. But boy oh boy, is it gonna be big. I love the look of it, and have thought about doing one, but I think all the color changes and tail weaving would drive me mad, so I am sticking with nice and simple right now. If you are planning to travel soon, I think you definitely need a project that is portable. I never, ever leave home without hook, yarn and a little bag of cross-stitch supplies to keep me happy and productive. Wishing you all the best! Tammy

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  11. Hi Kate, I just found yr blog n live yr projects. I understand yr feelings Bcz I do that sometimes... But then I always decide in the end for the more relaxed approach ... I sometimes am working on 5 projects at a time .. Abandon one once in a while and obsess on another once in a while ... When I feel I cannot keep going I just need a bit of inspiration... Then I go on an "journey" checking other wonderful blogs ( like I found yrs today :)) and I feel all inspired and renewed :) hope you find just the perfect project for yr gorgeous yarn:)

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  12. I would concentrate on the blanket you're already making, the vs, and not hurry to make a decision about the new colours. You'll find something perfect when you do. It might be a waste to start something on a whim.

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  13. Oh comment c`est jolie jador!!! :O) Moi aussie j`adore knitting!!! :O) Et votre blog aussie j`adore il est toujour jolie et interisent!!! :O) Et mentenaint je suis votre nouvaux folowers!! :O)
    Have a nice day!!! :O)
    xxx Maria xxx

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  14. Love the colorful blanket you making right now and your new yarns as well :o) I think you finish it soon, if you've made such a great job already, sweet Kate! Just don't know what you could make with this beautiful yarn...sorry. I could seat and just looking at it for hours :o) You know my small purse I was making for a few MOUNTHS! So you must be proud of your self! For me you are just a speeder XD
    happy weekend
    Love
    Natasha

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  15. Hello, Kate!
    I do love how far you've gotten along on your blanket. It looks lovely!
    As for the new yarn, and the mix of colors you've chosen...
    I see several things immediately, depending upon how much of each color you have.
    1. a warm hat
    2. scarf or shawl
    3. fingerless gloves
    4. stuffed toy, like a lovely elephant, teddy or bunny with that grey and then colors in it however you like. Or a ball.
    5. purse, but I would line it with fabric that has the colors in it in tiny little things, like flowers or dots.
    I would make sure that, whatever you choose to do, you used the turquoise and hot pink with the grey. Soooo lovely a mixture.
    Of course, all of this is my thinking and not yours. I get so stuck when it is me but see stuff right away for someone else.
    You are great!

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Thank you so much for your comments! I always read them and will be sure to check out your blog. Kate x