A Very Warm and Very Huge Ripple Afghan

     Last winter while sitting in the living room in the evening watching television and crocheting, I would find myself freezing. So with no current projects on the go I decided I was going to make a HUGE rippled afghan for myself to curl up under on cold winter nights, I decided to do it in double strand strips of black, purple and white, So I found the pattern I wanted, figured out the multiplier needed to increase the width of my afghan and set out to crochet. After doing the foundation row I started on row 1, well I was 6 feet across when I looked at what I had left to do in that row and OMG I still had about another 3 feet to go. I know I wanted a huge afghan but that was NUTS, so I finish that pattern multiplier section then finished to what would become the end of the row, and cut the rest off. So I did six rows of black, four rows of purple, 2 rows of white, then backward with colours, four purple and 6 black then purple and white. Well I go to the end of my second set of colours and run out of my purple and black.

    I headed off to Wal-mart to get more yarn for my afghan, while once I got there I found that there was no black or the purple I needed. I didn't panic was Christmas and all. Knowing that I would be back often for Christmas shopping I figured that I would just have to wait a bit. The wait lasted into the new year, but then I was only able to get my black yarn, so I grabbed six bags of my black, there was still no purple. By March I was starting to panic, I text a friend from my crochet group to see if she had any or to check around for me, then when talking to my sister I asked if she could check the Wal-mart near her (she lives in Ajax). By the middle of April still no purple yarn, so I then email a egroup that I'm in, put an ad up in Kijiji and phoned the company that makes the yarn. Well to make this short, the colour I need is a custom colour made only for Wal-mart and is no longer being made. OMG what am I to do now. About two weeks ago, a lady email me from my ad in Kijiji asking the colour of yarn I need as she may have it, but wasn't willing to go through all she wools looking for a lot number but knowing the colour would help in her search. So I'm now waiting to hear back from her as to if she has it or not.

A More Detailed History of My Projects Part Six

    After my ripple afghan was done, I seem to hit a major down in my crocheting. I rarely picked up a hook and I had no interest in crochet, so for a good two years I did little to no crochet. It was darning this time that I experience hit two lows in my life. the first was after years of trying for another baby, my husband and I were told that i would never have another. But in November of 2003 I found myself pregnant again, then in my 9th weeks I lost the baby. that a day has passed since then that I have not thought of my lost angel. Then in January of 2004 I lost my mother, two blows back to back. needles to say I took them hard, but I lived thought them and I am stronger would because of it. Then in May of 2004 due to family problems my husband, son and I moved out of Toronto and I must say that had we not, many things in our lives since may not have happened had we stayed in Toronto.

    After moving to Hamilton, I tried a few times to pick up on my crocheting but still no interest. it wasn't until end of 2005 that I really start crocheting, and it was the upcoming birth of my next child that got me back to crocheting. Yes you read right, I was having a baby, my husband and I keep the baby news quiet until I was into my 20th weeks before we shared to news with everyone. While waiting the birth of the baby I crocheted a baby afghan for him/her (the baby would never let us see if it was a girl or boy) So I made a rippled baby's afghan done with strips of blue and pink and the rest in white. I finished that afghan just in time for the birth by a month. Then on July 17th, 2006 I give birth to a gorgeous baby girl who we named Nicole.

   I found my love for crocheting again, after I finished Nicole's baby afghan I did a rippled afghan for my nephew then I did another for Nicole for her "Big Girl Bed"  Both of them took me about two years to finish off, with Nicole's done quicker. Then just after we moved into our current home, I started and finished another ripple afghan in purple which then I have it to a friend's mother who was sick. Between these three afghans I did a sweater, scarf and hat for Nicole.

A More Detailed History of My Projects Part Five

   Fash forwarding a year and half, my husband and I were now able to afford to live own our own again and my sister was ready for a place of her own. One day while my brother and his wife was visiting, my sister-in-law (crochets too) bought out her current project. It was a Pillow Doll, I fell in love with it. So a few days later my neice and I headed over to Wal-Mart so I could get one for my self. They didn't have any of the pillow doll, but I did get a Music Box Doll, I did  the doll up in a lilic purple colour. Just after I finished it, my neice (who was now stay with us for a few months with her two boys) was going to see her mom, so i send my doll with her to show my sister. When she got home that night, my sister asked if I would do one for her in black & white to match the afghan I had made her years ago. So off to my favor store (Wal-Mart) to buy the yarn and doll for my sister's doll. While I was there I noticed beads so I picked up a package of pearl like beads is sew on the dress of the doll I was doing for my sister.

In no time all I was done crocheting the dress and now sewing on the beads. The doll turned out beautifully, I was very proud of how well it turned out. With all the work that I put into this doll I could have easly charged $70.00 for this doll, but as it was for my sister I asked only $45.00. My sister had hit some money issues and couldn't pay me for the doll, so I held onto the doll for what turned out to be close to two years for her. After doing a couple more dolls for myself, I started on a new afghan, it was a ripple pattern. This pattern was the first in a long line of afghans that I would do as the ripple pattern would become my all time favor pattern in crocheting. That first rippled afghan took me just under six weeks to do. I also learnt the crochet cable stitch with this pattern.

A More Detailed History of My Projects Part Four

     I'll never forget the morning I open my emails to find an email subjected "An Angel in a Box" post to the group from the lady I sent too. Sure it was an angel group and many of the emails were subject in that  form about angels, but I knew it was the email I've been wait for from the lady. As everyone involved in the swap, we had to post what we got and who it was from. This lady (sorry to said that I don't remember her name) wrote, "I received a package in the mail today from April (me, of course) and when I open the box it smelled in heaven, and inside was the most beautiful afghan I had ever seen or had been given. She when on with details of the other things I put in and thanks to me etc. etc. but I will end forget the beginning of that email or one that followed months later. I was happy enough to know that I had made some one happy and that I was able to help some one who needed it, even if was just by keeping her legs warm while she was ill.

    About 5 months later the angel group received a very sad email form the husband of the lady I had Angel Swapped to. She had passed away darning the night from a heart attack, and that she found great joy in the angel group and loved us all like family. The last part of the email was for me, he wrote saying that since the day her got my afghan, she was never without it in her lap. And the family wished to know what I wanted done with it now. I reply that it was a gift to her, and I would love it to go to some one in her family that would treasure it since it was hers as well as it was a gift from a angel friend and if no one in the family wanted to please pass it on the some one in need of it or a homeless person.

     Days after that email, the lady's email address was removed from the group list, so I never learn what happened to that afghan. I hope that it found it's way into the arms of some one who was sweet and kind as the lady I give it. I shell never forget that afghan or the joy some one got from it.

A More Detailed History of My Projects Part Three

    Once I finished my sister's afghan I started one that I believed would be for me, it was one of them style where you would be working 2 rows down to add a new row. Around this time my niece started coming around to visit my sister (her mother) and I, she know some basic stitches and wanted to try the one I was doing. She quickly fell in love with the pattern and seeing as I wasn't thrilled with it, I let my niece do it. Leaving my open to start something new. By then I had a few crochet books, knew how to read patterns I picked a Blue Ribbon Afghan to do. It was a mix of tiny ganny squares  and a huge 8 pointed star all pieced together. With over 80 ganny squares of 2" x 2" to do, I quickly learned that I HATE doing ganny squares and decided that once this one was done I would never do another ganny square in my life. It took me about 3 months to finish the Blue Ribbon Afghan,

       I then started my first double yarn afghan working in hexagon pieces stitched together in Rosy colour. Around this time my sister who still sharing a home with bought her first GOOD computer and I finally talked her into getting the net in. I had managed to find and join this arch-angel email group and once or twice a year they did secret angel swaps, I joyed in the next one they had. I got a lady to send to. We had to send things that were angels and the spending limit was $20.00 dollars with a month to get them to our angel gifts out. Well for 2 weeks I couldn't find idea thing I felt good enough to send to my angel. So I email the owners of the list asking for more info on the lady. I also mention to the owners that I was making this afghan and thinking of sending it to my secret angel. They email back with info and let me know that they talked to the lady's husband, due to health issues the lady was using a wheelchair and a afghan would help for covering her legs. So i finished off my Hexagon double yarn afghan and with few other little things I send off my angel gift.

A More Detailed History of My Projects Part Two

    With the VHS tape and the sheet came a pattern for a mile-a-minute afghan, so armed with the idea I could now do a different style of afghan I headed for K-mart. I bought enough wool to do the afghan in colours that I liked and thought went together well I when home ready to start. I started with the VHS and found that I could follow along easy and even understood what I was doing. I learned that I know some of the stitches and the new ones were easy. Double Crochets, and chains seems to be the basic stitches for crochet. And in no time at all I have my first strip done and when onto the 2nd one then the 3rd and 4th came quickly. But as with all new mother's with a young one at home I found less and less time to crochet.

    Then my world crashed down around me when I found my husband going to jail with the crown asking for up to 12 years. With a 1 1/2 year old son to rise alone I was scared to death, so I parked up my apartment and found a house to share with a older sister Marilyn and her son. In the end my husband only got 4 1/2 year sentence, I braced myself for a long hard time ahead. Been on Welfare I didn't have a lot of money to spent on crocheting or extras and clothing and food for my son became the most important thing to me. It was darning this 4 1/2 years that I finished my ganny square afghan and the mile-a-minute afghan. I gave them both to my mother, setting a pattern in which I still seem to follow today, I made afghans at my own cost and give them away to others, never asking for money for them. Also darning this time my sister wanted a afghan for herself, so i was able to still crochet but some one else had paid the wool bill. So I manage to finish off two afghans and start and finish a third. And my husband was due home in weeks, so life was looking up for me.

A More Detailed History of My Projects Part One

My first project was an giant ganny square afghan that fit a single bed.I don't remember who give me the wool to start this afghan, but I would work on it slowly. Which explains why it took me 15 years to finish. At one point I when started taking it me on the school bus to work on. The ride to school long and it give me a good 30 minutes twice a day to crochet. I did this so often that for christmas my bus driver Nancy give me 3 balls of wool. Over the years many people donated to that afghan. It was until after the birth of my son and well into his second year of life did I finish this afghan.

Up until the birth of my son I didn't know how to read any form of patterns. One day while shopping with my husband I found beautiful doily pattern. So I bought the pattern, hook, and the crochet cotton to make it. Once home and a fre minute I sat down with new project to find I couldn't understand a word of it. By this time my dad & mom had moved into a seriors building, I had mention to my mom that I couldn't read a pattern. After while on one of my visits to her she handed me a VHS tape and a few sheets of papers. The VHS was a tutorial on how to crochet, how to read patterns by Annie's Attic, the sheets were the same thing just in writen form.