Camper Coat, Magic Balls and the 15Minute Rule...

The Camper Coat has grown but not a fast as it should have...3 rows of squares and about half way across the coat at the minute.

WORKROOM SORT OUT

Thanks Chris for starting me off with the sort out,  promise I am using the 15minute rule and doing a little every day but its a huge job and not going as fast as it did while you were here, thats for sure, lol. 
Every box i open i find something interesting that hasn't been complete....just so many projects i want to do and not enough hours in the day so again, its back to the 15minute rule and some more Magic Balls too. HERE to see the original post 


Lots of ends of balls to play with thats for sure...

All sorts of uses for these when you crochet especially when you do motifs and use lots ofsxall quantities to make motifs

I'm using lots in the camper coat only a couple of metres if that in each centre circle in a rainbow of colours

the grey version is using US Terms dc but the black and white tweedy look i settled on was slightly more open and i used US tr.

 join as you go in the spaces only

 a little bit quicker than joining every st.

Definitely more effort needed though to complete this Ruana/Kimono/Jacket for next winter, can you believe we are well into July already? 

and for this wearable item I'm making it sleeveless a bit like a Celtic Ruana, i've been wearing a woven black and oatmeal checked one all last winter and love it.

Simple, wide enough not to need a sleeve and goes over everything  a Ruana really should be open at the sides but mine is going to be stitched up so I suppose it could be a sort of Kimono Style, possibly.

UPDATE ON THE 15MINUTE RULE
 All those unfinished project I have?
Could 'The 15 Minute Rule'
see a project or two finished in a year?...YES, I think it could.

15 MINUTE RULE
PERSONAL CHALLENGE 2016
 Using 'The 15 Minute Rule' complete as many unfinished projects as possible in 2016

I'm sure you all have unfinished projects lurking somewhere and would like to see them completed?

By doing just 15minutes a day on a project we could all see a few finished?

PART 1: Granny Flower Coat

Having already made a granny square coat with a wide sleeve it was basically a 'T' shape this time around I'm going to attempt to make a Granny Square coat with a shaped sleeve and set it into a shaped arm hole

these MINI CALS really are crochet along, I'm only going to be one step ahead, so you will see worts an all, we can create a coat for everyone.

SIZE

The number of square you need will of course depend on the size coat you need...so for this first post its...

Decide on the colour

Decide on the yarn

Decide on the Granny motif you want to use.

Make a sample length all joined in one long row.

Check your yarn is all washable, if you've used odd ends of balls and have no idea of the content.

I'm using dk all wool or with some wool in it. 

I used an all acrylic yarn last time and after a few washes and lots of wearing it stretched slightly the small amount of wool should help to stop the stretching and I'm using a

 4mm hook...

but if you want a bigger coat then maybe an 

Aran and a 5mm hook will help make a smaller square sightly bigger for a bigger coat so you need to make less squares 

The pattern will look something like this for the fitted sleeve

hoping this shape will work ok

so there will be some half squares to make for this coat or jacket if you prefer.

PICKING YOUR GRANNY SQUARE MOTIF

So many to choose from....

You could use the one i used for my first coat and some I know have already started with this motif.

made in many colours above or made in just 5 below

MOTIF PATTERN HERE

You could make your coat in a basic granny...this is the one I'm using for my Bethany Skirt 

There are so many good options, I think this could be the hardest part making that decision?

MY COAT MOTIF PATTERN CHOICE

I have decided on a simple 8 petal Daisy flower, i've used this pattern many time before 

originally in a Circular Daisy rug, using a white daisy.

But for this coat i've adapted the pattern slightly from the original, to open it up a little ays don't need such a close daisy for a coat and to use my favourite finger wrap start.

BASIC DAISY GRANNY PATTERN

Finger wrap of 4 wraps

Round 1: after securing the finger wrap, ch3, this is the first dc and ch1 sp, 1dc, ch1 repeat until you have 8 spokes to the centre, with 8 ch1 sps, sl st to complete cut off and weave in ends

Round 2: Granny Shell petals, att new colour, ch2 counts as first dc, 2dc into first sp, ch1, 3dc, ch1, in next 7sps, sl st, to complete, cut off and weave in ends

Round 3:THIS ROUND IS THE JOIN AS YOU GO ROUND

 att, background and joining colour in any ch1 sp, ch3, 2tr,  in the first ch1 sp, ch1, 3dc in the next is sp, ch1 3tr, 3ch, 3tr, in the next corner sp repeat for all 4 sides, finished with the last 3tr, ch3, sl st into the first tr, to complete, cut and weave in ends

JOIN AS YOU GO

Replace the ch1 stitch between the side granny shell and the 2nd ch st, in the corners with a sl st and join the next square to the first in the matching sps.

FINGER WRAP: for this that don't know how, wrap around finger 

and secure with a ch st.

MY COAT COLOUR CHOICE

This is a quick to make motif and I am using shades of greens for the first round

Shades of reds, pinks, oranges, maybe a few purple lilac shades too, for the petals and

Charcoal grey for the 3rd and joining round...although i might be tempted to make a second as this is such a quick granny square to make into making an Olive green back ground one too.

MY COAT YARN CHOICE

All the yarns i'm using and I'm mixing lots of brand together, all with a small wool content to hopefully eliminate the stretch on my first coat in all acrylic and all will be washable yarns.

Important to remember when mixing lots of yarns together to be sure they are all washable at the same temperature, if you're not sure then wash at 30deg.

I'm making a sample length...

a. to decide on how many squares i need to fit me

b. to check they are all washable yarns I'm using

MAKING A START...

So as soon as you have decided on your colour, yarns and motif, make a sample length of squares that will fit you personally

That will reach around your biggest part un- stretched, no cheating now, its around your biggest bit.....so you know how many squares to make approx.

TOMORROW 

I will have my sample length made of the 3 round granny daisy i have chosen and it will be washed and I will be able to say approx. how many squares I will need for this 
new Camper Coat. 

My old coat was 13 squares wide by 9 in length with 6 wide by 4 in length sleeves

Lets see what this coat will have
cya tomorrow 

Have fun