Pastel Dit Dah Blanket, crochet pattern by Susan Carlson of Felted Button | Colorful Crochet Patterns

::Blooms in Winter::

A happy little surprise occurred this week. Wanna see?

My amaryllis bloomed. It is altogether lovely, don't you think?

I got the bulb from my dear friend, Karie over at Karie's Chic Creations. (Thank you, friend!) I am always amazed that inside that not-so-pretty bulb is stored sufficient energy and info to produce so much beauty. And I literally think I could have watched it grow--it was so fast!

Karie did a really sweet post about us and our crazy crochet and "junking" adventures together. You can read about it on her awesome blog here.

I also have been working on another Dit Dah Blanket in an entirely different color scheme.

Rather than this...

I did it like this...

It's always amazing to me how the same pattern can produce such different effects when using different yarns. But I love it so far. And it is super soft and squishy! It is so fruity looking--I am loving this color scheme.

It all started from 5 balls of Ice yarn (from Turkey) that my friend Katie gifted to me. She's a giver--of time, talents, and thrift store finds. (More on that in a second.) The labels on the balls don't tell me much--but it looks to be a mini pom pom yarn with little tufts along a thin thread--finer than boucle. I held it together with a white worsted for the "Dah" rows and interchanged it with a single strand of worsted in coral, pale orange, warm yellow, and fern green for the "Dit" rows.

I haven't decided on what colors to use in the border, but I'll show you as soon as I am finished.

Back to Katie. I think her "Love Language" is gift-giving. (If you haven't read the book "The Five Love Languages" you should. Totally worth it--and helpful for ALL relationships, not just your love.)

She also gave me the chalkboard below--remember it? It has been on my front porch this winter weathering the snow and ice. Since my city is known for its fierce winds I should have known better but my little chalkboard took a tumble in it. No worries--it survived a little ouchie and will continue to leave you (and my neighbors) uplifting and happy messages.