Mermaid tail afghan and Shark afghan

I have been intrigued by the Mermaid's tail blanket (bag) for some time and finally decided to try it. First I purchased the pattern from theanswerlady. It is in her book Kid Stuff for Girls.

I checked out all the patterns on Ravelry for ideas also. Then I really tried to closely follow the instructions in the book. I did a tension swatch. Hey, that is something I usually skip!! I had to substitute the tuck stitch design I used for the body, because I could not find the punch card for the specific tuck stitch shown in the book among the huge amount of punch cards I have scattered around my house (Embarassed look on my face!!)

The card I substituted tucked the stitches for 4 rows instead of the 3 called for in the book. But it looked good.

I checked into DAK to slightly revise the design for my 8 year old granddaughter....I THOUGHT it should be a bit longer than called for...who knows? She won't get it until Christmas!

I knit the design and used a variation for sewing the back seam....I crocheted it together by doing a double crochet on one side, chain one, then double crochet on the other side......sort of a hairpin lace style which I usually use to join afghan panels. I don't know if it is best, probably not, but it is a mostly flat seam in the tuck area and I am happy with it. The seam goes from left to right in the photos

Here is the compete mermaid. It looks lumpy and crooked just from the way it is placed on the couch. 

Here you can sort of see the tucks that look like fish scales. 

My Shark blanket is still a work in progress. I adapted it from Kathryn's pattern to use as a smooth not-tucked design. I changed the top area to make the mouth, added blood and teeth like I had seen on various blankets on Ravelry, changed the direction the tail fits onto the body, and added a fin on the back. I still plan to put fins on the side. I designed the fins and the shape of the head in DAK. I had to learn to crochet to do the teeth and eyes! Not the greatest, but perhaps it will please my 5 year old grandson!

The shark has hairpin lace for the seam on his tummy. You know that method...unravel 2 stitches on one side and use the latch tool to pull them through 2 stitches on the other side. (I could not do that on the mermaid because I forgot to not bind off the last stitch on each side so I could ravel it down.) 

I also still need to press the shark!

Hope the kids like these.....and hope they fit into them!! 

Christine's shawl

In October the Carolinas Machine Knitters Guild held a Knit-a-long for Christine's Shawl, famous on Ravelry and various facebook groups. I, along with some others, finished the challenge and knit the shawl, which was an easy to do item!

I love my shawl. It travels well, is useful on airplanes and in restaurants in Florida. My version is done with 2 strands of 2/24 acrylic yarn and a basic stockinette (with a needle out of work every 4th needle) and using the holding position. I like this shawl because it stays on my shoulders and is cozy. I also find the point in back to be flattering.....please don't burst my bubble!