Blair Stocker, Author at Wise Craft Handmade

June 29, 2012

Granny Square Sampler Project- Week 7

(Find all the assignments for this entire project listed on this page.)
I am so excited for this week’s square! It’s great for you beginners who are still getting the basic stitches down, but sort of adds a little flare. I found the video early this week and starting playing around with the square on Wednesday and let’s just say I think this is one of the prettiest squares I’ve ever tried. A variation of the African Flower Granny Square, its going to measure around 4 1/2″ square or so, done in our weight of yarn.READ MORE

June 26, 2012

The DIY Project I Can No Longer Put Off

Last year Peter and I talked with Emma about redoing her bedroom, but time got away from us and it just never happened. There was some much-needed purging and cleaning out done, but that was it. She’s now 7, I mean, 13. Lavender paint and sweet birdy paintings, nice as they may be, are not quite her style anymore. Far from it, actually.
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June 22, 2012

Granny Square Sampler Project- Week 6

Well, at the end of the first week of summer vacation (i.e, kid home, but I’m still working) has gone swimmingly. Ian’s school is out today, so next week the wise craft house is officially “summering”.
Bring it, summer. We’re waiting for you.

(Find all the assignments listed on this page.)READ MORE

June 18, 2012

Hitting Restart

(me, a couple of months ago)

Hi.

I hesitate to write a post like this. Putting things like this out there creates a whole new sense of awareness that I’m never sure I want. I’m living it regardless, but now everyone else knows I’m living it. I have committed to it in a whole new way. But this morning I woke up and decided to write about it instead of drinking coffee.
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June 15, 2012

Granny Square Sampler Project- Week 5

This week, we’re going to do 2 different grannies. Both with a circle in a square shape. I was thinking we definitely needed some of these type of square in our sampler. So without further ado, here is this week’s assignment.
(Find all the assignments listed on this page.)
1. The Granny Square with a Circle Center– Make 4

You knew this one would eventually show up, right?
So, crochet these following the tutorial I made way back when, using and picking colors as your heart desires. Remember, the beauty of a sampler is that you “sample” your color mixes as well as your squares. Try a completely the square solid, or 2-color, or do it as originally written up. You pick.
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2. The Squircle V 3– Make 3

I have had the image of this granny square pinned to my crochet pinterest board for a while, I love the simple straightforward look of it. I asked Deb, the creator, if I could include it as one of the squares in our project, and she kindly said yes. Her instructions are very easy to follow, I’ve already made several. (To make the 2 color version, you will change your yarn color before beginning round 4.) I will note that she makes her center circle/beginning circle differently than I do. Give it a try. Just follow her instructions, and you’ll get it quickly.
There are some gorgeous squares showing up in the Flickr Group. Thank you to everyone who posted!
As always, any questions on these squares, leave it in the comments.
Enjoy!
Blair

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June 8, 2012

Granny Square Sampler Project- Week 4

(Find all the assignments listed on this page.)
I’m calling this week’s granny square a “V Variation”. (It’s only week 4 and I’m already out of names, I know!) There is a version of this square in the original afghan that inspired this project, which didn’t make any sense to me, so I created this pattern which makes more sense and will hopefully make sense to you. It’s a little more open than last week’s square, but similar to the traditional grannies in week’s 1 and 2. I explain a little in the videos, but there is a “V” effect with the stitch patterning in rounds 3 and 4.
Use a different color for each round of this week’s squares. I made mine totally different from each other, as you can see. I want to throw some totally random colors in my sampler in certain spots, so at times I pull out a bright citrusy orange and get crazy. I divided the videos by round, so there’s several of them.
Week 4
Square 5, “The V” (Make 2 of these- 1 version with 4 rounds, make 1 version with 6 rounds.)
4 round version- uses 4 colors
Round 1 & 2-
With first color, ch 5, join with a sl st to form a ring.
Rnd 1 (same color)- Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc in center of the ring, *ch 5, 4 dc in center of the ring* rep from * 2 more times, ch 5, join with a sl st to top of beg ch 3. End off.
Rnd 2– Join new color in corner (ch 5) space. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc all in same corner space. Ch 2, between 2nd and 3rd dc from previous row, 1 dc, ch 1, 1 dc into same space (the “V” I was talking about). Ch 2. *3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc in corner space, ch 2; (1 dc, ch 1, 1 dc) bet 2nd and 3rd dc crochet; ch 2* Repeat bet * 2 more times, slip st to top of first ch 3 and end off.
Round 3- Join new color in corner (ch 3) space, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc. Ch 2, 1 dc in ch 2 sp (from previous row), ch 1, 3 dc in ch 1 sp (in the middle of the “V” from previous row), ch 1, 1 dc, ch 2. Corner- 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 2, *1 dc in ch 2 sp, ch 1, 3 dc in ch 1 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in ch 2 sp, ch 2*. Corner- 3 dc, ch 3, 3dc, repeat bet * *, corner- 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, repeat * *, slip st to top of first ch 3 and end off.
Round 4– Join new color at corner (ch 3) space, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc. *Ch 1, 2 dc in next ch 2 space, ch 1, 3 dc into the top of the center dc of the 3 dc group from previous round, ch 1, 2 dc in next ch 2 space, ch 1*; corner- 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, repeat from * *, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, repeat from * *, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, repeat from * *, slip st to top of first ch 3 and end off.
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6 round version- uses 6 colors
Rnds 1- 4– Follow instructions for 4 round version above.
Round 5-Join new color at corner (ch 3) space, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc. *Skip 2 dc stitches, 3 dc into top of 3rd stitch from previous row*. Repeat bet * * 4 more times. 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner). Repeat bet * *5 times, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner). Repeat bet * *5 times, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner), repeat bet * *5 times, slip st to top of first ch 3 and end off.

Round 6-Join new color at corner (ch 3) space, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc. *Beginning at top of next dc stitch from previous round, 1 dc into the top of each dc stitch, 20 stitches.* 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner), Repeat from * *, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner), repeat from * *, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner), 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc (corner), slip st to top of first ch 3 and end off.
Any questions, just leave them in the comments. As always, you can find the everything we’ve done till now on this project with all the links on this page.

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June 1, 2012

Granny Square Sampler Project- Week 3

Here’s what we have so far. How do you like what you’ve done?
(Find all the assignments listed on this page.)

(Ignore that I have stitched some of my smaller ones together, that may or may not come later for you, but not to worry about doing that yet.)
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May 30, 2012

Good Fortune Hex

Good Fortune Hex, 6″ x 6″ wooden board, combination of gouache and acrylic.
Even though the painting class is now over, I have found myself missing the act of sitting down and starting a painting. I wanted to create a new one and keep the ideas and inspirations I have in my head fresh, so I started this one on Saturday night and finished it Tuesday afternoon (I am not even sure the paint is dry when I snapped this photo). Paintings take a lot of time, I had no idea! I found a paperback book on the subject of Pennsylvania Dutch hex symbols at the thrift store several months ago and I’ve been pulling it off the shelf at least once a week to flip through it since then. That is where the inspiration started for this piece. First the book, then further reading and researching, and here you go. Originally painted onto barns to ward off evil spirits, these hex symbols also have a long and symbolic history. Each of the symbols within a hex have meanings that can be interpretive. I found several different meanings of each of the symbols I used in my piece, but roughly-
eight pointed star- good fortune
wheat- abundance and goodwill
tulips- trust in mankind

May 25, 2012

Granny Square Sampler Afghan- week 2

(Find links to all the assignments on this page.)

How did everyone do on last week’s squares? If you haven’t finished those, or are still trying to get them down, no worries. This week we’ll be doing the same traditional granny square, but we’re all about quantity this time around. These repetitive ones will have you mastering this square in no time!READ MORE

May 21, 2012

Week Five of Painting Class

Vintage Floral Sheet, acrylic and gouache, 6″ x 12″ wood panel
This was the final week of Lisa and Mati’s online painting class, Get Your Paint On, and our assignment was to choose between starting a new painting, or revisiting one we’d done during the other weeks of the class. I was anxious to start a new painting, and had already begun rolling around ideas in my head.
That is, until Emma recommended I not paint a quilt this week.
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