Intriguing

Hazel's Moods

I came across a blog post about a crochet mood blanket. Then I saw this blog post too.   I'm intrigued by this thought:  Crochet one square a day in a color reflecting your mood.  At the end of the year you will have 365 squares to join into a blanket.  OR, you can join the squares as you go while watching your blanket grow.  There are over 1,000 members on the Facebook Group page!

Mary Anne's Mood Squares

A lady in the UK, Stacey Wentford-Hall started the whole craze.  Here are her rules: 

Hello lovelies!  I see some people have been worrying about getting things 'wrong'. I thought I'd show you 'the rules' I wrote out on my Instagram page:
I really wasn't expecting so many people to join in, thought there would be about 10 at the most, must be about 1000 now, maybe more!!!
So, really the only rule is that you crochet/knit a block or stripe everyday (or once a week if that suits you better) in 2014 using a colour that you feel reflects your mood.
The colour choices are totally up to you! I think it's important that you use colours that you like so that it doesn't get boring. Plus you'll want a blanket you'd like to keep after all that hard work!! I'm personally using stylecraft! The amount of rounds is up to you! I think I'm going to do 4 rounds as I think I'll find that manageable! Most people doing the 365 are doing 4/5, the 52 people are doing more so they get a big blanket too
A few lovely people including @charliebarleymo have said that they're going to do 15x24 squares or 18x20 or even 19x19. That leaves a few extra squares left so you can either give yourself a few days off, or do a border for those days.
If you're a newbie to crochet @girlybunches has lots of lovely easy to follow YouTube videos (link on her page) or there's always Lucy from Attic24's blog which is fab!! Hmm... Think that's everything??? Hope that helps?? Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know and I'll pop it on the comments on this post!
Happy hooking everyone!! And thank you, I'm totally overwhelmed!!  Stacey   xxx

Amber's Blocks

I also saw a lovely idea on another blog where a woman crochets a square a day according to the weather in her area.  Some are blue, some are gray, some are yellow.  Since I live in Los Angeles, I'd have a totally blue afghan with a few gray squares thrown in for morning fog!

Christine's Stripes

Some people are crocheting multi-colored squares or hexagons.  Some are crocheting a stripe a day for their blankets.  I really do like this idea. I've been wanting to use up some of my acrylic yarn for a solid squares afghan.  I've made of few of these types of color block afghans in the past, but I might just join in the fun for 2014! 

Sylvia's Hexagons

All photos from Crochet Mood Blanket 2014 Facebook page.

Works In Progress (WIPs)

Yarn for 2014 Mardi Gras Hat for Mr. Larry

In this yarny world where I live we're always talking about WIPs, FOs, Frogging, LYSs and such.  Translations:  WIPs - Works in Progress; FOs - Finished Objects; Frogging - Ripping out, as in rrrib-et rrrrib-et frog sounds; LYS - Local Yarn Shop.  Yeah, we have our own lingo.

Well, I'm innundated with WIPs this week.  I'm working on a quickie afghan for a friend; thinking about a Mardi Gras hat for Larry; almost finished with my Valentine Swap project for my WeHo (West Hollywood) SnB (Stitch 'n Bitch) buddy; AND thinking about a few more Crocheted Mobius Cowls to show for the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers Guild at our February meeting. I also joined the 2014 Mood Afghan group and am about 8 days behind on my squares.  Phew!

I'm rather excited about being a co-chair for the KAL / CAL (Knit-A-Long / Crochet-A-Long) for 2014 at the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers Guild.  My co-chairs and I have come up with a knitted cowl and a crocheted mobius cowl for our Spring project.  We've all been working on samples to show the Guild at our February meeting.  My pattern choice of the Crocheted Mobius Cowl is really easy and takes no time to whip up, I just have to DO it!

THEN, the Ravellenic Winter Games are coming up!   This is an international project, hosted by Ravelry (Facebook for yarny folks) where you challenge yourself by starting and finishing one or more yarny projects during the 2014 Winter Olympic games.  Our WeHo SnB group has a team participating.  I have to decide and tag the projects I want to enter.  Oh the pressure!

So many projects, so little time!  Ack!

The Yarny Olympics!

Meri, Sarah, Kim, Stephanie, Yuki

Team WeHo met at my house on Sunday for our spirited Ravellenic Winter Games event.  To re-cap: In the yarny community known as Ravelry, many of us are now participating in the Ravellenic Winter Games 2014.  This entails challenging yourself by starting and finishing one or more projects during the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Projects were started during the opening ceremonies and must be completed by the closing ceremonies, February 23, 2014. "Medals" will be given to those who complete their challenge projects.

Diane, Lauren, Jenna, Cap'n Laurie-Ann

We gathered, talked, ate, knitted and/or crocheted and watched the Olympics on TV.  We had a grand time.  Everyone brought something tasty to share.

I managed to finish just a few squares on my Crochet Mood Afghan.  I was too busy talking with everyone to get much crocheting done!

Suzette and drop-in guest, Mr. Larry.  Larry came for the food!

Kim's knitting a beautiful sweater!

I cannot believe that we fit 16 people into our living room, somewhat comfortably.  Gotta love that 4-piece sectional sofa we found 15 years ago at an estate sale! 

In the photo above, Lisa has this certain GLOW about her!  Alien? Angel?  You decide.

Team WeHo - Going for the Gold!

Team WeHo SnB goes for the Gold!

In the yarny community known as Ravelry, many of us are now participating in the Ravellenic Winter Games 2014.  This entails challenging yourself by starting and finishing one or more projects during the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Our West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch has a team captain, Laurie-Ann, and we call ourselves Team WeHo!  Go Team!

Projects were started during the opening ceremonies and must be completed by the closing ceremonies, February 23, 2014.  You must be a member of Ravelry to enter.  Here are the official rules:

What will be a stretch for you? It could be a new technique, that first sweater or pair of socks, something massive, something delicate, or maybe finishing that monster in the closet. The goal of the Ravellenic Games is to support you in expanding your knitting/crocheting horizons.

When do we start?
The Mass Cast-On will take place during the Opening Ceremonies. When the Olympic Games kick off in Sochi (20:00 Moscow Time Zone, UTC+4:00) that’ll be your start time, whatever time that is in your timezone.
Quick reference: 20:00 MSK = 16:00 GMT = 11:00 am EST = 8:00 am PST

When is it over?
Official End time: 23:59 Moscow Time Sunday, February 23 The closing ceremonies will be earlier that evening, but since the exact moment of the torch being extinguished is unknown, we’ll give you until midnight Moscow time. Each Ravellenics project must be marked Finished on the project page prior to the ending time in order to qualify for a medal.

HOW TO COMPETE

Pick an event, create project page with special tags, and cast on with thousands of your fellow Ravthletes to compete. That’s it in a nutshell.

What is Finished? Does it mean blocked? Ends woven in? Sewn together? Photographed? That’s up to you. See the big rule at the top: Challenge YOURSELF. Do you feel it’s finished without the ends woven in, or before blocking? Then mark it finished. If not, don’t. Be honest with yourself, and we’ll celebrate with you.

The Finish Line: Each event will have its own FINISH LINE thread on the Ravellenic Games 2014 board. Post details of your finished object in the thread(s) for the event(s) in which it is competing. (Details of what to post – link to project page and picture, for example – will be listed in the thread.) The FINISH LINE threads will be open for a few days after the closing ceremonies, so if you can’t get a pic and post by the official closing time, just cross as soon as you can.

Medalling: Bobicus Maximus will hand out medals (badges for your blog and/or profile and project pages) to each finisher in the event threads.

Scoreboard: You’ll be able to follow your team and event progress on the special Ravellenics stats page. Chat and cheer in special threads for each team and event.

For the summer Olympics in Britain, 2013, I challenged myself to make a British flag pillow.  I finished in the allotted time and I LOVE my pillow!

2012 Ravellenic Summer Games Project

This year, I've decided to make my 2014 Mood Afghan my Ravellenic Winter Games project.  By the end of February I should have 59 squares completed.  I'm rounding that up to 60 squares!  Woo Hoo!