Hey all,
I enjoyed chatting about our craftiness last week -y’all are some crafty folks. Love it! Since you asked to see it, and since I did manage to get caught up on my temperature blanket, I thought I’d go ahead and share the progress thus far. First up, here’s the color scheme I’m working from. (The beauty of this project is you can do whatever colors and gradients you feel like doing, so there’s lots of flexibility.)
So you can see that we go from cold to hot, because when I was buying yarn, I was feeling literal. My friends are not going quite as literal with their color schemes and I’m going to be very interested to see how theirs turn out.
The other thing you have to decide for yourself is the stitch you want to use.
Now, if you think it through, you’ll realize you’re going to have 365 rows (one a day, right?) And if you’ve crocheted before, you can probably gauge how big your stitches are going to be based on yarn weight and hook size etc. I’d been planning to do a basket weave pattern just for some textural interest. Then I realized that my double crochets are about 1/2″ tall. So that’d make the blanket 182″ long. That’s a long blanket (just over 15 feet!) So I realized I needed to do something that was a single crochet. Now you can basket weave with single crochet, but I didn’t like how it was looking, so I ripped it out after about six rows and started over with the moss stitch (also sometimes called the linen stitch.)
I’m really pleased with how it’s turning out! (That’s it over there on the right.)
I’ll share updates when I’m on Sunday Edition as we go through the year.
Today for the comments though, since we’re heading into our annual Birthday Bash (kicking off on Valentine’s Day as usual!), we’d love for you to comment with the country where you live. Some of y’all we know, but we keep a list of international commenters and we’d love to make sure you’re on it so we can include you in the international giveaway!
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Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, Roxanne Rustand talked about how it’s January 15th already!
On Tuesday, Carol Moncado talked about her word for the year and why she writes.
On Wednesday, Annalisa Daughety brought us A Recipe for Romance.
On Thursday, Ginger Solomon talked about what’s new and coming soon from her desk.
On Friday, Deb Kastner asked New Year’s Resolutions or Not?
On Saturday, Marion Ueckermann talked about something a little different.
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Elizabeth Maddrey
Tuesday: Autumn Macarthur
Wednesday: Heather Gray
Thursday: Lee Tobin McClain
Friday: Sally Bradley
Saturday: Krista Phillips
New Releases
January 2018
Finding Grace (Love’s Compass 6) by Melanie D Sniker
Marrying Mandy (Brides of Clearwater 1) by Melanie D. Snitker
A Heart Restored (Peacock Hill Romance 1) by Elizabeth Maddrey
The Inadvertent Princess (Crowns & Courtships 3) by Carol Moncado
A Recipe for Romance (Homegrown Love 2) (Arcadia Valley Romance 13) by Annalisa Daughety
February 2018
Wishes on Wildflowers (Urban Farm Fresh Romance 4) by Valerie Comer
A complete list of Inspy Romance books by our authors is always available on our BOOKS tab. Find our audiobooks and our permanently free e-books, as well as new releases, on our NEWStab.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
third time trying to post. the blanket looks good. I am an Australian who is sweltering in the heat. I would be using mostly burnt pumpkin and red. this coming week would be more red than burnt pumpkin as from Thursday will be over 100.
Hi Elizabeth, your rug is looking great. What a fun project:) We have had a couple of rather warm days (42 degrees celsius), so today we hit the beach with friends. It was lovely, but back to work tomorrow with a day of first aid training!
Blessings:)
PS, Australia is home:)
I really like that moss stitch. Your blanket is going to be beautiful!
That’ll be me in July/August/September, I promise.
Hi Elizabeth. I am a Midwesterner from SW Michigan in the United States! Temperatures have been in the 30s, but with a nasty cold; I haven’t been out much. Your temperature blanket looks great. Nice color palet. In the fall of 2016, when I was crocheting a baby afaghan and scarves for my daughter-in-laws I had several starts on each project before I found a stich and pattern I liked. Experimenting was a lot of fun. Best wishes as you continue your blanket throughout the year. Hope everyone is staying healthy during this flu/ cold season.
42 is rather warm?? I think I’d just curl into a ball and cry. (Unless my conversion was off. But that’s like 107 to us here in Farenheit land. It’s a miserable day where I am when we hit 100. Is it humid too?
Thanks!
Thanks! My husband had the flu this past week, which was not fun at all. I think if we all make it through today healthy then we can say no one else got it. Really praying that’s the case.
Hope you feel better soon!
It is looking good! I can’t wait to see the progress each Sunday. Here in Michigan we have seen a few days of negative degrees. Too cold for me!
Middle Atlantic East Coast of USA is my home.
Thanks! Below 0 is bitterly cold.
Thanks!
Your temperature blanket looks great! I was thinking how different ours would look, because we have been cold for so long. Looking forward to church today, because we have a missionary speaking whom I could listen to for hours! Have a restful Sunday!
Thanks! I love when we have missionary speakers!
I was wondering how the color scheme for the aghans would work. I would have chosen similar to yours with a literal bent. We had temps in the 40’s overnight. It was welcome and melted the last of the snow here in the bluegrass state.
I live in the USA. your blanket is looking wonderful. I love the stitch you have chosen.
40s is lovely for this time of year. We’re supposed to get to 65 today and while I enjoy the warm, I prefer it in the spring! Ah well, I’m sure it’ll get cold again at some point.
Thanks! I’m pleased with how it’s looking, especially since it’s so easy and fast.
I love the colors you are using for your blanket. The light pink color doesn’t match the key and I’m trying to figure out which one it is. It’s not the orange is it? I can’t imagine going from below 30 to the 80s. Curious minds and all. :)
It’s fun to see the picture of the blanket! I live on the other side of the US – California – ready to fall into the ocean :-)
It does look pink! It’s the glacier (really pale blue). We were in the 50s
Ha – I hope not! Too many of our farms are in CA – we can’t lose them! ;)
I wouldn’t have guessed pale blue. It sure is pretty!
Nice stitch! I can’t knit at all, but I did used to crochet. Maybe time to get back into it. I love the look of what you’re doing.
And good thing you realised about the 15 foot blanket before you started!
I can sort of knit, but not super well. This one is very simple though (single crochet, chain 1, repeat. chain 2 at the end and turn) so it looks fancy but really isn’t. And ha, yeah, when I was doing that math my kids were excited thinking about the blanket fort they could make with it. They were a little sad when I cut it down. It’s still going to be big.
I’m from Midwestern USA.
Thanks!
Your blanket is awesome Elizabeth! I have not a creative crafty bone in my body…lol! But my sister took up knitting (or is that crochet) and has done many projects & just started selling her handmade things. She even did up a few small red hats for premie babies (isn’t that sweet?). I don’t know the difference between knitting and crocheting…because the end results look the same to me :-)
I have really missed being a part of this blog on a regular basis. We’ve had some family issues with my grown daughter that have taken me out of my normal everyday things and turned our world upside down. I’m hoping that maybe things are getting better and starting our climb back to a more routine & normal life. We’ll see! If you think of us, we’d very much covet your prayers! Thanks.
I live on the Oregon coast where it’s been very windy, rainy and cold during the day (maybe 40 something) and even colder at night. Our normal temps and weather for the winter. I know other parts of the country have had some severe cold & snowy weather!
Looking forward to being a part of the birthday bash again this year. It’s always a fun time!
Your afghan looks great! I looked at some on Pinterest last week after reading your post and they were all so nice. I live in the USA.
Thanks, Trixi! We’ve missed you, too! Will definitely be praying for you and your daughter and looking forward to hopefully seeing you around the posts again! :)
Thanks! There are so many amazing ones on Pinterest!
I am not very crafty all, but your blanket is beautiful!
I am a Michigander by birth but have lived in SC for all of my adult life. More time lived here than there now. We actually got some snow here last week, but it was about 60 today.
Thanks, Patty! Where in SC? We lived in Columbia for three years in the late 90s. It’s a lively town.
Hello from WV in the US. Your blanket is looking lovely. I delivered the baby Afghan and hat I was crocheting yesterday. Blessings
Currently we’re living in Kentucky. I was born in Washington,DC and until recently lived in northern Virginia. I haven’t crocheted or knitted in a long time, but have been sewing flannel pajamas for my grandchildren