The Interior DIYer
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Hey girl.

Yesterday I found this site. Not many sites make me laugh out loud, but Handmade Ryan Gosling did. I would like to say that I’m more Reynolds than Gosling, but after reading a few of these babies, the scales have begun tipping. Slightly.

Below are the images that fiance and I enjoyed the most, since they rang painfully true to me. Take it away, Ryan …

All images thanks to Handmade Ryan Gosling.

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Black and white afghan

At long last, my monochromatic / black and white afghan is complete! I wanted to photograph and blog it yesterday, but some unfortunate happenings came about involving homemade soup, spillage, and said afghan needed an emergency wash. But myself and blanket have made it through in one piece. Both physically, and mentally.

To date, I have to say this was the toughest thing I’ve had to photograph. I took over 150 photos of my blanket, and only four made the cut. I had some more than willing kitty props, except that Juniper {above} doesn’t exactly look happy. I promise, she’s actually a happy cat. You’ll just have to trust me. And every time I positioned the blanket to take a picture, Toshi was on it like a car bonnet.

I was so surprised with how fast I was able to get crochet this blanket. I casually crocheted it for 6 weeks, doing a couple lines each evening; I sound like a hardened crack addict. I averaged at 20 minutes per row, which works out at 30 hours of continuous crocheting. Or realistically, 6 weeks.

I crocheted until I used up all the yarn. It’s the perfect length for sitting on the couch watching tv. Snug as a bug. 97 x 137cm (38 x 54 inches). I tidied away all the crochet gobbledy-gook after the jump. Enjoy!


Pattern Note
The original Lion Brand Yarn Shaded Ripple Afghan uses twice the size of crochet hook (9mm), and half the chains (76ch). Since I used a 4.5mm crochet hook, I had to double the amount of chains. In the end, it makes up the same size blanket. Original pattern can be found here. Below are details on how I made my blanket.


Materials
400g skein of black yarn
400g skein of white yarn
Crochet hook size 7 / 4.50mm
Scissors

Abbreviations
ch(s) – chain(s)
dc – double crochet
rep – repeat(s)(ing)
st(s) – stitch(es)
dc3tog (dc 3 together) – yarn over, insert hook into st and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops. (Yarn over, insert hook into next st and draw up a loop. Yarn over, draw through 2 loops) twice, yarn over and draw through all loops on hook (4) – 2 dc decreased

Afghan
With black yarn, ch 152.
Row 1 – dc in 4th ch from hook, *dc in next 4 ch, dc3tog, dc in next 4 ch, 3 dc in next ch; rep from * 10 more times, dc in next 4 ch, dc3tog, dc in next 4 ch, 2 dc in last ch – 12 ripples.
Row 2 – ch 3, turn, dc in first dc, *dc in next 4 dh, dc3tog, dc in next 4 dh, 3 dc in next dh; rep from * 8 more times, dc in next 4 dh, dc3tog, dc in next 4 dh, 2 dc in top of turning ch. Change to white.
Rows 3-90 or until you run out of yarn – rep row 2, continuing in color sequence.

Fasten off, weave in ends, and get your snuggle on!

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Caddy-up, partner

They say the best things in life are free. During an office clear out, one of the guys I work with walked up to me and said “Hey, this looks like something you could use”. Before I had a chance to reply with a smart-ass remark, it actually was something I could use …

For the sake of my story, turn the clocks back 24 hours. I saw this post from <3elycia which showed a super cute ‘yarn caddy’. I was curious as to what this magical contraption was. As many of you probably already know, it’s a device used to store your ball of yarn to prevent it from bouncing all over the place. I then found a few caddy tutorials online, but I was missing the main ingredient – an appropriately  large container. Turn the clocks forward one day, and co-worker hands me said necessary item. These coincidences boggle my little mind sometimes.

What you’ll need : some sort of medium / large lidded container, a hammer, a nail and screwdriver bit, and a corner or a tool box {see what I mean below} … Since this has a tin lid, I used a nail and hammer. If you’re using a plastic container, you might need to drill through it.

Place the lid upside down* on the corner of an open box with enough support and space below. I did this so I didn’t accidentally hammer the lid directly onto a flat surface. I started with the nail to make a guide indent for the screwdriver piece. I then used a screwdriver piece since it makes a wide enough hole to feed your yarn through the lid. You won’t be hammering with excessive force, so the screwdriver piece won’t be ruined in any way.

That’s it really. No ground breaking DIY skills necessary. But it’s been an immense help with keeping small furry paws away from my yarn stash, as well as keeping my yarn from running away under the couch.

*You’ll need to make the hole from the inside out / using the lid upside down. This way, when you’re using the caddy and pulling yarn out of it, it runs smoothly and doesn’t snag on any imperfections.