Sophie's Universe Grand Finale

Well Folks-The day has come.

Sophie's Universe is officially FINISHED!

I've done a whole series of posts on this project as it has been a rather large one. I have included links below for easy reading. 

Beginning the adventure (read here)

Half-way through (read here)

Finishing up details (read here)

Wet blocking process (read here)

Update on blocking (read here)

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I know it may sound corny, but it has been an incredible journey. I started this way back in January as a project to work on for 2016. I worked on it casually as I was also trying to fill custom orders, beef up my Etsy Store inventory, work full time, and battle chronic headaches. In May it was boxed up for my move in June. Then shortly after settling in I started working on it again. Just in time for the wrath of Phoenix summers. With the AC on and a fan directly on me, it still felt sweltering to have this huge afghan on my lap. But I plugged away and kept it all in perspective.

 Speaking of perspective, I wanted to share 5 things that I learned from this experience. With of course, some photos of my favorite details of the project.

1.) Challenge yourself! Great things start with your willingness to try. My crazy works for me. My crazy allows me to look at a huge project like this and think, "Yeah. I could probably do something like that." As heartbreaking as it is to me, I wasn't born with a crochet hook and the wisdom of a crocheting granny. I had to learn. And it started with that same crazy idea, "Yeah. I could probably do something like that."



2.) Be stubborn! If I'm two things, it's crazy (aforementioned) and stubborn. They say that practice makes perfect but really stubbornness makes perfect. There were times when this project wasn't exactly rainbows and sunshine. But I kept at it.



3.) Double-check your work! I feel like I'm back in college statistics when I say that, but it's true. This project involved lots of patterns and numbers. Everything has to line up and measure up exactly. If you made a mistake four rows back, you will pay for it. The more diligent I was at counting and checking, the smoother things went.

4.) Anything worth doing is worth doing well! This really means something coming from a cheapskate like me. Because sometimes But this project taught me that it is worth it to do the extra work and make your project look great. If this sounds too vague, check out my post for my first (real) time wet blocking. 

5.) Yarn! I learned so much about yarn during this project. That may sound silly coming from someone who works with yarn everyday, but it is true. Some people are purists and work with only one brand of yarn, different colors, for an afghan. This ensures sameness. Me, I suppose I am more of a loose cannon. I wanted a variety of colors, so I ended up going with multiple brands (see my post about that here). But I quickly found out that some yarns handle wear and tear better. I learned my favorite from this project are: Hobby Lobby, Red Heart Love, and Deborah Norville.  

But now the moment you have all been waiting for, my final reveal!

Sophie's Universe Stats 

as crocheted by Kristen @ Kwid Creations (pattern by Dedri Uys) 

53,200+ stitches

116 rounds

1,000s (at least!) of hours of work over 7 months and 2 states

17 different colors of yarn 

3 different size crochet hooks

And like a bajillion trips to the craft store for more yarn, so I won't even attempt to add up the yardage (maybe another day). 

Thank you everyone for the input and likes and comments on my posts. And thanks to my husband who answered countless questions of, "which color should I do next?!" I appreciate your love and support. 

You might have a feeling this isn't the last time you will see of this project... I feel the same! ;) 

Sophie's Universe Blocking Update

Happy Monday! How about some bright photos to improve any Monday Blues you may have?

Is everyone tired of hearing about my Sophie's Universe project? Find a collection of project posts here.

I am leaving for a wedding this week and the project is still drying (okay, okay, it's been like three days). I went into the room to take a look at the progress and I couldn't help but feel like I am leaving a kid while I go on vacation. A very, very, low maintenance kid. Haha.

Now I would like to share a couple pictures from the project. Unfortunately the lighting isn't great in the Craft Cave where it is drying/ blocking (read about that here) but they will do until the final reveal when it is all dry.

Center flowers:






Roses and bobbles:



 

 I will have to leave you hanging for now, but I am sure the project will be dry when I return this weekend. Stay tuned!
 

Sophie's Universe Wet Blocking

I have posted a couple times before about my journey making the Sophie's Universe afghan.

You can find my first post from back in January here.

Then I blogged about the half-way point here.

Also the finishing up details here.

And now I want to talk about the "wet blocking" process a little more. My first attempts were done with canned food and a blanket. More traditionally it is done with foam blocks and pins. Once I was finally finished with this huge and beautiful blanket I knew it would be wise to invest a little in some blocking tools.

The only problem is that I couldn't find any affordable options for interlocking foam mats. The afghan is over six feet square, so I knew that after stretching and coaxing, I would need a little more space. I knew that an 8'x8' area would be best. But that's an insane amount of square and way more money than I could afford. Luckily after talking it over with my husband, he remembered seeing some at... COSTCO! Of course, Costco is always kind of a  gamble because so many of their items come and go. BUT. I am so very happy to say that I was able to find them at an outrageously affordable price. Thank goodness!



As for the blocking forks- another dilemma. Joanns offers one brand, 40 pins, for $15. Again, no. I'm on a budget here. But I'm really great at problem solving and sticking to a budget so I started looking at other options.

 Aaaannnnd! I found a great option in the floral department, for a fraction of the cost. I will have to look up the exact details but it was a large pack for less than $3- and that is without using a coupon.

Score!

You know that as soon as I got home I got to work cleaning and vacuuming the room (Pro Tip: crafts motivate me to clean).  I set up the foam mats.



You can see that the whole configuration barely fits in the tiny room. But I am glad it did.
I said a prayer and crossed all my fingers and toes as I dumped the finished afghan (read more about finishing it up here) in the washer. In a crummy little rental apartment stacked washer, there are so many things that could go wrong. What is all my hard work and beautiful yarns got torn apart (like that scarf I washed the other week)?! Here I am dramatically photographing it going into the wash.



I am happy to say it survived! The spin cycle was especially effective and I had to wet it again to make sure it was damp enough for the wet blocking process. It was definitely a chore since the water added so much weight but my trusty partner in crime helped me out.

Once it was dumped onto my blocking station it was just a matter of pulling, pushing, pressing, measuring, tugging, pinning, pinning. And repeating that over and over and over. And then over and over again some more.



All pinned down, now just to wait and wait and wait for it to dry.

Sophie's Universe Finishing Up!

Remember the Sophie's Universe afghan I have been working on? You probably do because I have been posting about it more frequently. You can read about the beginning here. And the half-way point here. Since unpacking "her" after the move, I have really picked up steam. I've had fun working on it even though now each round takes more and more time. Some nights I only get one round done. And that's after working the whole night. But I am learning so much each round and really honing my skills.

August 9th: 
Finished up to Round 111. I've come along way since even the half-way point (read about it here).  



Saying goodbye to Sophie has been hard. I just can't resist adding more details. Recently on social media my followers helped me choose the colors for the very last rounds- green and fushia! My followers have great taste.

August 10th:

 

After finishing the afghan I added some surface details. This pink round really adds textures and makes the Butterfly Band "pop."

 August 11th: 

I also added light pink flowers in the corners by the red flowers. They are subtle enough, but really add to the feel of the afghan. Below you can see the before and after pictures. You can also see how different it looks in full natural sunlight (right picture). 

Next I need to weave in all these ends. That may be the scariest part so far. I have actually been on top of weaving in the ends for the most part, so it shouldn't be too much work. This collage just looks extremely scary. But I have it all under control.

I am so close to finishing now! The very last detail is to "block" the piece. I will talk more about that in my next post. I tried to avoid the need for blocking but it has become apparent that all that bulging and pouching will benefit (read: go away) with some blocking. 

Here is your best sneak peek for now:

WIP: Sophie's Universe Half-way There!

In the words of an 80's hair band, "Whoooaaaahh! We're half way thereeeee!"

And I have to admit that on some rounds I have felt like I was "living on a prayer" (crocheting on a prayer?!). Thanks for the inspiration Bon Jovi. I need it as I wrangle these 17 different colors.



A "WIP" is an acronym for "Work In Progress." Exactly what Sophie's Universe is right now. You can see my first post about this project here. With 113 scheduled rounds of this "Crochet Along," round 57 is about the middle. Well, I've really been jamming and I just kept going! Below I've finished up to Round 68.

 June 19th: 



Above, you can see a picture of the "blocking" process. It's a process used to accomplish stretching and molding to make your product a desired shape. There are a few ways to do this. I don't quite have all the tools I need to do a hardcore blocking, but I made do! You may notice that instead of pins and a foam mat- I've used a blanket and canned food. It worked pretty well! The photo was a little dark because I took it in my Craft Cave (still on the quest to find a decent lamp since the room doesn't get much natural light).

I wanted to document all the colors I used. I photographed them in natural light so you can see how beautiful the colors are! Still, the picture doesn't do them justice.

My Color Guide ~Sophie's Universe~

#1 Red Heart with Love- Holly Berry (Joanns)
#2 Craft Smart- Fuchsia (Michaels)

#3 Crafter's Secret- Passion (Hobby Lobby)
#4 Loops and Threads Impeccable- Lippy (Michaels)

#5 I Love This Yarn- Pink (Hobby Lobby)

#6 Red Heart Soft- Tangerine (Michaels) 

#7 Deborah Norville- Bittersweet (Joanns)

#8 Caron Simply Soft -Lemon Drop? (Michaels)

#9 Hobby Lobby- I Love This Yarn- Buttercup 

#10 Red Heart Soft- Guacamole (Michaels) 

#11 (Don't remember!)

#12 Red Heart With Love- Peacock (Joanns) 

#13 Vanna's Choice- Colonial Blue (Michaels) 

#14 Deborah Norville- Royal Blue (Joanns)

#15 Red Heart Soft- Turquoise (Michaels) 

#16 Loops and Threads Impeccable- Lavender (Michaels) 

#17 Red Heart Soft- Grape (Michaels)

After blocking and re-stocking my pantry with all those cans, I got back to work. Below you can see the beautiful details of the roses from Round 59. That has been my favorite round so far. Below the afghan is finished up to that bright orange Round 74.

July 14th: 



I think I should name this afghan the "Wild Card" afghan. Visually it is so enticing and dynamic. It starts with a circle then morphs into a square, then an octagon- and we are only to Round 76!



Round 76 features these adorable light pink scallops, which won't stay scallops for long.

But that is all the teasing I will do for now. Back to work!

The Beginning- Sophie's Universe

January is always an exciting time of the year. Maybe not the beginning of the year. That is filled with too much longing for vacation and the holidays and family. But by the end of the month I've kicked my butt back into gear. I have some goals in place and a good idea of what I want to accomplish.

This year I have decided to set a goal to make an afghan! I have mentioned before that the largest project I've made to date was this massive Christmas Tree Skirt project, which was almost the size of an afghan. Taking on a full afghan is a significant project for me. Knowing this, I knew I needed an afghan that was more than the same stitch, same color, over and over again.

Enter: Sophie's Universe by Dedri Uys.

[Source]

This afghan is absolutely stunning. Jaw-dropping even. The pattern is designed as a Crochet Along (abbreviated as CAL). Which is just a fun way of saying that the pattern is released in parts, each composed of a few rounds (traditionally known as rounds). This was a 2015 CAL, so I had the advantage of being able to see all parts ahead of time and pick colors accordingly.

January 5th, 2016:


A perfect excuse to drag out all my yarn and try to visualize. Originally I was thinking it would be fun to focus on blues purples and reds. But I really loved the way Dedri started hers. Luckily I had similar colors in my stash. So I picked up my hook and did the most intimidating thing- I started!

January 22, 2016:
Round 13 finished. I love the shape with the red diamonds and blue triangles.



Even just adding one round, Round 14, dramatically changes the mandala.

 

You can already tell that this afghan features so many different stitches. It is a great way to push and challenge myself.

January 25th:
I am already learning so much. For example, Round 25, features the "crab stitch." Simple enough, but totally new to me. I love the way the orange frames the piece. 

 

February 4th:
My method so far is line up potential colors to try to visualize how it will look. This is one of my biggest challenges so far!



Look at all those little details. I love the red corner flowers!



February 7th: 
Just one more photo! Finished up through Round 36. Part 4 (out of 18!) complete. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me.