Just another quick little note to let you all know I do have news. I do have pictures. I do have crafting stuff going on.
I am planning on uploading all the photos on New Years Day as I have the day off and will be able to spend some time at the computer doing just that. Then on Week 27 I will have lots of photos to show, lots of crafty news to report, and some really neat things that I received for presents to show you.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and will have a Joyous and blessed New Year.
Until next year:
Happy Crafting
Here is a place where you can enjoy listening (reading) about all my adventures as a lefty in a righty world. It is not easy to do this at times but I have managed to do it for over 70 years. Crafting is probably the hardest thing to do as a lefty since all directions are printed for righties. I have managed to adjust and will be more than happy to share my crafts with you thru pictures and writings. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Sunday, December 21, 2014
YoP Week 25!
I can hardly believe it is only a few days before we celebrate one of the most wonderful days of the year. CHRISTMAS!!!!! I am so excited and really ready to be with all my friends and family and have all the love pouring out all around.
I am not completely done with all the Christmas stuff. I still need to wrap gifts but that is all I need to do. So it really isn't too bad. I do use bags for a lot of things and that goes pretty quickly. But this year we have added to our family with a future Son In Law so needed to try and come up with something unique for him. I think we are going to be great friends as he is also a crafty person. He loves to SEW! How exciting is that?
I did work on my socks just enough to complete the gusset this week. I did not touch the baby blanket and have had an offer from a family member to finish it for me as she needs something to do. Get this...............................She is the one that designed the pattern. You betcha, you can finish it for me. So I will get that to her this week and she can finish it and send it off to operation baby shower for me.
I did crochet a lot this week and am sorry to say that I failed. I did not take photos of what I completed. I made 5 ruffled scarves for someone that wanted to gift them for Christmas. So they were made and sold in a matter of 2 days. So I guess I will mark that as a fail on my YoP list of things to accomplish this year.
I have started a prayer shawl in crochet. I noticed my mom's prayer shawl had a huge hole in it and she has never said a word about it. So I am making a new one for her. This shawl has a stitch in it that I have never done. It is a triple treble stitch. (That's US terms) It is slow going right now. I have developed a trigger finger on my left hand ring finger and also on my right pinky finger. (Remember I am a lefty) Knitting on small needles is very hard on my and so I can only knit for a very short period of time. Crocheting is much easier on me as I don't grip my hooks in a way that affects the finger. So knitting will be slow going for a while.
In fact, today I had to go and have my wedding ring cut off my finger because of the arthritis and trigger finger. The knuckle was so swollen and my ring was embedding itself into my finger. When I FINALLY found a jeweler that would do it ( I went to 4 jewelry stores before I found one that would even attempt it) the jeweler was amazed at how swollen my knuckle was compared to where my wedding ring of 39 years had been. I am so sad not to have my rings on anymore. I was going to have them do an arthritis hinge on it but that was around $1000 and I just don't have that kind of $$$$ to do that right now. So I will be ringless until hubby and I decide what to do about it.
I will say, my finger does feel better without the rings embedded in it. LOL It may take a while for it to fill in to the girth of the rest of the finger though.
As far as test knits/crochets go.......................I am searching the forums on Ravelry daily trying to find a test crochet since that is more comfy for me right now. But I have yet to find one that would really challenge me. I will continue to peruse the group until I find just what I want.
If you don't want to read my list again, then I will wish all of you a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it. Happy Hanukkah to those who are celebrating and happy winter solstice to those who do neither.
So lets see how my list looks today:
YoP 4 List
New items to do
Sweater for me
Started 12/21/14
WORKED ON A BIT THIS WEEK
NEW PRAYER SHAWL FOR MOM
STARTED 12/19/14
WIP's to complete
Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now. It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK
Yearly projects I do anyway
Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
WORKED ON THIS WEEK
Things to increase my skills
2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them. They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO DO A COUPLE BUT UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, I JUST DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.
Personal Goal
Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year. I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 12/21/14
Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 12/15/14
OOPS, DIDN'T TAKE PHOTOS OF THE SCARVES I MADE AND SOLD 12-19-14
COMPLETED ITEMS
Monday, December 15, 2014
YoP update
This is just a quick little update to let all my fellow crafters know that there really isn't much of an update to give.
I have worked a bit on my top and a very little bit on my socks. Nothing else has been touched in the past two weeks.
Hubby and I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas that there just is not enough hours in the day to really do any justice to my crafting right now. My craftroom looks like a small explosive devise went off in there. I barely have enough time after work to go and visit my mom and eat dinner before I am asleep in my nice comfy recliner. (Mom is doing fantastic)
Hopefully, after by the first of the year I will be back in full swing of my crafting. It so relaxes me and I really do need that right about now.
There is so much going on in my life, I can't even begin to tell you all about it. I am totally stressed out right now with family issues and ask that if you are a praying person, you will send up a few prayers for our family. I know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but I wish He didn't trust me so much.
I will not go into the issues on my blog as it is very personal and it might take a while before everything it all straightened out and we have some kind of 'normal' again. Hubby and I will be fine and we know that. It is just hard right now.
But since this is suppose to be a crafting blog..............lets get back to that.
I have been invited to test knit a couple of items. The first time the test was full by the time I got to it. The second time, I realized I did not have all my Christmas knitting done and had no business starting on something that had a time frame to get done. So I am going to search again after the first of the year. I am sure I will find the perfect test knit/crochet for me then.
Here is my list again:
Lapghan for my mom
(I started on this on July 1st since this is when the official YoP 4 started)
FINISHED 7/6/14
2-3 Doll Clothes
(I really want to get this done this year......I really do)
ALL FINISHED BY 7/22/14
1 fingerless mitt
( This is for a Christmas gift this year so it WILL be done soon)
FINISHED 8/12/14
One sock
(This also needs to be done for Christmas. It's been lingering around for 6 months)
COMPLETED 9/27/14
Be Loving
Unplanned project but did it for love
COMPLETED 10/19/14
Slippers
(These make the best Christmas gifts and my entire family said they need new ones)
8 PAIR COMPLETED 11/09/14
12 dishcloths
( These also make such nice Christmas gifts and are quick and fun to do)
THIRTEEN COMPLETED 11/16/14
I have worked a bit on my top and a very little bit on my socks. Nothing else has been touched in the past two weeks.
Hubby and I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas that there just is not enough hours in the day to really do any justice to my crafting right now. My craftroom looks like a small explosive devise went off in there. I barely have enough time after work to go and visit my mom and eat dinner before I am asleep in my nice comfy recliner. (Mom is doing fantastic)
Hopefully, after by the first of the year I will be back in full swing of my crafting. It so relaxes me and I really do need that right about now.
There is so much going on in my life, I can't even begin to tell you all about it. I am totally stressed out right now with family issues and ask that if you are a praying person, you will send up a few prayers for our family. I know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but I wish He didn't trust me so much.
I will not go into the issues on my blog as it is very personal and it might take a while before everything it all straightened out and we have some kind of 'normal' again. Hubby and I will be fine and we know that. It is just hard right now.
But since this is suppose to be a crafting blog..............lets get back to that.
I have been invited to test knit a couple of items. The first time the test was full by the time I got to it. The second time, I realized I did not have all my Christmas knitting done and had no business starting on something that had a time frame to get done. So I am going to search again after the first of the year. I am sure I will find the perfect test knit/crochet for me then.
Here is my list again:
YoP 4 List
New items to do
Sweater for me
Started 11/18/14
WORKED ON A BIT THIS WEEK
WIP's to complete
Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now. It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK
Yearly projects I do anyway
Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
WORKED ON THIS WEEK
Things to increase my skills
2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them. They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO DO A COUPLE BUT UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, I JUST DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.
Personal Goal
Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year. I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 12/15/14
Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 12/15/14
COMPLETED ITEMS
Sunday, November 30, 2014
YoP week 22
As promised, I am doing my 'normal' update this week. Thank you for all the well wishes for me to get better. I think I am 99% there. Now, if the cough would just leave I would be 100% there. But I digress.
Let's take a look at what has been going on in the leftycrafter's house this week.
First up........................Crafting
This is the sweater I am working on for myself. I have combined two patterns to get the look I want as well as putting in a few of my own ideas to totally get the pattern I have been thinking of for two years. If you click on the picture, you will get a much better look at the fiber I am using. There is a lovely gold thread running through it.
Then there are these:
My "Riding the Metro" socks. I love this pattern and it is working up a bit easier now. I have just finished the gusset and am about to start on the heel shaping. I am using Knit Picks 100% cotton sock yarn. It will be perfect for this "no wool" peep and also perfect for our mild Arizona winters.
Today I have been a busy beaver and not with knitting/crocheting. Have a look at this
That is my fridge. Well half of my fridge. There are 4 pounds of fudge, 3 batches of scotch treats, a double batch of rolo pretzel bites, chocolate mint bark and there are also 8 gallons (no exaggeration here) of homemade chex party mix sitting on my counter.
I had told my mom, that when she could no longer do the Christmas baking, I would take it over. Silly me! So that is what happened this weekend. Hubby and I started it on Friday and finished it off just before I wrote this blog.
Needless to say, not all of this food is for the two of us. It will be passed out to family and friends to enjoy during the Christmas and New Year season.
Oh, I finished all the dishcloths and ended up with 13 of them somehow. I think one got stuck somewhere and when I pulled them all out, SURPRISE, there it was. I am also done with slippers. I was going to make one more pair but that person was another one that said there was no way he would wear them as they make his feet too cold. FINE!
So here is how the list looks now:
YoP 4 List
New items to do
Sweater for me
Started 11/18/14
WIP's to complete
Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now. It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK
Yearly projects I do anyway
Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
WORKED ON THIS WEEK
Things to increase my skills
2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them. They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
Personal Goal
Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year. I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 11/30/14
Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 11/30/14
COMPLETED ITEMS
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
YoP week 21.5
Just a little update as to what has been happening in my crafting and personal life.
I have not posted for two weeks and it felt weird not to have done so. Therefore, I decided to do a mid-week update.
Half way through week 19 I got sick. I mean the kind of sick where I had to stay home from work for a day because of a fever. I am still not 100% but am managing to function as normal as I usually do. (that's not saying much LOL)
On week 20 we had a retreat at our church for all the adults that will be making their sacraments at Easter this year. It was an all day retreat and we were gone from 7am until 10pm that day. Sunday saw me going to church and then home to take a nap and do laundry. I normally knit during this retreat but this year was not able to. I was ' walking' with a person on the retreat so needed to pay attention to her and be able to answer any questions she might have.
The next week I took off for San Diego to see my BFF's son graduate from Marine boot camp. It was a lovely three days but very busy. I got very little knitting done during that time.
I do have to say that I was trying to knit during the past two weeks but ran into some technical difficulties. I was working on THE socks when the needle and cable separated. Not a biggie. I called the company and they said they would send out a replacement right away. I was stoked. I would have it before the San Diego trip. And I did..............but the lovely post office decided that they could bend the package and therefore the needle was bent at a 30 degree angle. (Size 1 needles seem to bend pretty easily) Not conducive to doing magic loop. Called the company again and they said they would send another replacement. Got it the day after we got home from our trip. BUMMER! So I spent all day getting the socks off the defective needles and onto the good ones. Not an easy task, when the cable is detached on the side that the stitches have to slide off of.
So due to all of these problems, I cast on a new project. A lovely sweater for myself. I combined two patterns to make it just the way I want it. I will post pictures this weekend when I do my 'for real' update. I am using my Blue Heron Metallic yarn that I bought almost 2 years ago. I have been wanting to do a open weave pullover with it since I got it. I have scoured Ravelry and finally found what I was looking for. It will be a cap sleeve and I will be able to wear it summer (with a tank under it) and winter (with long sleeved tees). I am stoked. This is some of the most expensive fiber I have ever purchased. That is why I wanted to make something I could wear year round.
I have not started anything else new but have finished some projects and will show those off this weekend when I do my real update.
I would like to wish all my fellow Americans a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.
Happy crafting!
I have not posted for two weeks and it felt weird not to have done so. Therefore, I decided to do a mid-week update.
Half way through week 19 I got sick. I mean the kind of sick where I had to stay home from work for a day because of a fever. I am still not 100% but am managing to function as normal as I usually do. (that's not saying much LOL)
On week 20 we had a retreat at our church for all the adults that will be making their sacraments at Easter this year. It was an all day retreat and we were gone from 7am until 10pm that day. Sunday saw me going to church and then home to take a nap and do laundry. I normally knit during this retreat but this year was not able to. I was ' walking' with a person on the retreat so needed to pay attention to her and be able to answer any questions she might have.
The next week I took off for San Diego to see my BFF's son graduate from Marine boot camp. It was a lovely three days but very busy. I got very little knitting done during that time.
I do have to say that I was trying to knit during the past two weeks but ran into some technical difficulties. I was working on THE socks when the needle and cable separated. Not a biggie. I called the company and they said they would send out a replacement right away. I was stoked. I would have it before the San Diego trip. And I did..............but the lovely post office decided that they could bend the package and therefore the needle was bent at a 30 degree angle. (Size 1 needles seem to bend pretty easily) Not conducive to doing magic loop. Called the company again and they said they would send another replacement. Got it the day after we got home from our trip. BUMMER! So I spent all day getting the socks off the defective needles and onto the good ones. Not an easy task, when the cable is detached on the side that the stitches have to slide off of.
So due to all of these problems, I cast on a new project. A lovely sweater for myself. I combined two patterns to make it just the way I want it. I will post pictures this weekend when I do my 'for real' update. I am using my Blue Heron Metallic yarn that I bought almost 2 years ago. I have been wanting to do a open weave pullover with it since I got it. I have scoured Ravelry and finally found what I was looking for. It will be a cap sleeve and I will be able to wear it summer (with a tank under it) and winter (with long sleeved tees). I am stoked. This is some of the most expensive fiber I have ever purchased. That is why I wanted to make something I could wear year round.
I have not started anything else new but have finished some projects and will show those off this weekend when I do my real update.
I would like to wish all my fellow Americans a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.
Happy crafting!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Week 19 and crafting along
Week 19 and I have FO's to show for it. We are still working over time at the office, but I decided to go ahead and take my hour each night and actually do something I enjoy and try to relax.
First up:
Slippers are completed, even down to the pom pom. My Packer friend will so adore them.
Next up:
Eleven dishcloths have been completed and number 12 is on the needles and hoping to complete it yet today.
I didn't touch my sock or baby blanket this week at all. I wanted to get the Christmas crafting done and out of the way so I was not doing the panic dance around midnight on the 23rd. Did that last year and did not like it at all.
So where am I?
YoP 4 List
New items to do
Slippers
(These make the best Christmas gifts and my entire family said they need new ones)
8 PAIR COMPLETED 11/09/14
NEED ONE MORE PAIR BEFORE CHRISTMAS
WIP's to complete
Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now. It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK
Yearly projects I do anyway
12 dishcloths
( These also make such nice Christmas gifts and are quick and fun to do)
ELEVEN COMPLETED 11/09/14
Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
NOT WORKED ON THIS WEEK
Things to increase my skills
2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them. They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
Personal Goal
Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year. I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 11/09/14
Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 11/09/14
COMPLETED ITEMS
Some of you may be quite observant and notice that the number of slippers I need to do by Christmas has decreased by one.That's because I showed them to one of the recipients and was told they were nice but they would never wear them. So why make something that is going to sit in someones closet or be shipped off to a Thrift Store. Nope, I can make them for homeless shelters and nursing homes where they will be appreciated. So all I have to do is finish the one dishcloth and the one pair of slippers and my Christmas crafting is D.O.N.E. I do still need to get adornments for the slippers that can not have pompoms because of kitty issues. I am perusing the internet as much as possible trying to find just the right thing to sew on each of the pairs. I want them to be totally personalized.
That is all for this week. I am off to do laundry, cleaning, ironing and knitting.
Happy Crafting
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