Up and running

I feel so much better now that I have my banner for my blog.  I must have some OCD as it bothered me all week that I didn't have my Yop2 info on my blog page.

So let's get on with the progress this week.

Last week I went into my craft room and counted all the things I mentioned last week.  Here is what I found out.

Cotton Yarn:

Seems I have enough for 10-12 dish cloths.  I am currently working on a ecru one and am hoping to get a couple of ecru done this week.  Hubby is heading up to Las Vegas to see his mom and I noticed last time I was there, her dish cloths were more like dish rags.  So I really want to get a few done for her.  She likes to bleach her cloths so I didn't see any reason to make her any in the colored yarn.

I also counted my sock yarn and I have enough sock yarn to make 40-45 pairs of socks.  That comes to over 4000 yards of sock yarn!  That's 3658 meters of sock yarn for my metric blogging buddies!  That's a lot of sock yarn.  Now I am going to have to come up with a way to use up half of that amount by the end of YoP2.  This does not include the sock yarn I am using for my color affection shawl either!

Hello, my name is Leftycrafter and I am a yarn-o-holic.  It has been 2 months since I purchased any yarn.

I also decided to count my project bags.  16 of them are sitting proudly in my craft room.  Dang!  good thing I only proposed making 3 of them up in the next year.

Now is there other yarn in that room?  Of course there is.  Come on..................I already said I was a yarn-o-holic.  I can not even count the amount of loose yarn in there.  I have cotton thread, worsted weight, DK weight, nylon cording for purses and of course my scraps from projects that I could not bear to throw away.  And to think I gave away 9 -13 gallon bags of yarn at the beginning of YoP1 to a local church.

On to other pictures of my WIPs

Here is the color affection shawl.  I have now completed the second part of the shawl.  I had to lay it aside for a few days so I could get on the dish cloths.  I will pick it back up once the cloths are done.

The finished front of the blooming pillow.  Have not started on the other front yet or the backs.  Just need to have this done by Christmas.  It should not be a problem.  The front takes me 2 days to make and the backs I can complete in an evening after work.

Here is the La La's shawl.  It has been on my needles for over 2 years.  Love the color and the pattern is not that hard.  It will make a great shoulder warmer when done.  I may donate this to our cancer shawl ministry at church when finished.

Cancer ribbon shawl.  This is a quick crochet and I don't have a clue as to why I put it aside.  This too, like the La La has been in my WIP bag for about 2 years.  This will be going to the cancer ministry for sure at our church, when completed.

I did not put this on my YoP2 list.  But it is really something.  (no the picture is not blurry,  that is a angora/silk yarn)  This pattern is Eva's shawl.  This sucker is soooooo warm to work on.  It is even hard for me to work on it in the winter time.   I know it is going to be gorgeous when it is completed but I think I need to move to the north pole and sit outside and work on it there.  I have no idea who this will be gifted too.  It can not go to the cancer ministry since it is not acrylic.  So I need to find someone that gets chilled when it is 90 degrees outside.

Still only have the one log cabin square done.  This is 24 inches (61 cm) square.  There are only 4 square to the entire afghan so that makes it 48 inches (121.9cm) square and that is without the border around it.  My DD is going to use this as her bedspread/duvet.  She has a king sized bed so it is going to be a bit short all the way around but then I can always add more border on the thing to make it fit.

That about covers my fiber addiction for the week.  Now I need to get busy on those dish cloths for my MIL.

Happy Crafting!

YoP part two

I really need to get the YoP 2 banner for my blog but since I just got home last night from a nice vacation I have not had the time to go in and find it and load it to my pictures.  I promise by next week I will get that taken care of.

Any who......................I have had lots of people asking about the blooming pillows.  I got the pattern from Attic 24.  It is a fun pillow to make and you can use what ever colors strike your fancy.  Here is a picture of the ones I just finished and left back at the home of where we were staying for our vacation.

These match an afghan I made for them for Christmas.  The white is really pretty and since photos don't always show up the detail I will tell you that it is laced with gold metallic thread.

I have been working on my color affection shawl and have discovered that knitting and falling asleep do not go together.  I had to frog 10 rows of it because I had somehow made a wonderful hole in the middle of the shawl.  I am just about back to where I was when I made my little boo-boo and am still loving working on it.  I have heard a lot of people say that they can not stand doing this shawl because it is too much garter stitch.  But I find that soothing and relaxing.  It is an easy thing to do while talking to people or watching TV.

I have also finished the front of my next blooming pillow.  So I have one more front and 2 backs to do and those will be done. 

Today I will be counting all my sock yarn and my cotton yarns and will have a count of that for next weeks post.  I would have done that last night but I could have cared less about anything after flying for several hours, grocery shopping and unpacking our 3 suitcases.  I will have plenty of time for that later today while doing laundry and getting all my fruits and veggies cleaned for the next week of meals.

So until next week.........................

Happy Crafting!

YoP 2 List

Please bear with me as I am not at my normal computer.  I don't have access to my photos so this post may be a bit boring for the photo loving folks.

Also, I am a day late (OH NO!) in putting up my list for year 2.  I really had a very hard time deciding on how I wanted to make my list and I still am not sure I like how I have it.  But here is what I have for my goal for the next 365 days.

Year Of Projects 2012-2013

Use up all cotton yarn for dishcloths  (I will give a count of how much cotton yarn is there when I return to my home base)
Complete 3 project bags (I have several bags labeled with the project they are to become)
Complete LaLa Shawl
Complete Comfort Cancer ribbon shawl
Complete Color Affection Shawl
Frilly scarf
2 blooming pillows
Use up 1/2 of sock yarn (Again will give count when I return home)

If I can complete all of the above I will be very happy.  Christmas gifts are included in the above list so some of this will be completed before the end of the year.

I do want you to know that I did complete the blooming pillows I was working on last week.  They have been 'stuffed' and given to my DIL in Texas.  She loves them.  I will have pictures of them next week also.  I am still working on my color affection shawl.  It is kind of slow going since there are well over 200 stitches now on my needles.  I am still in phase II of the shawl but still am enjoying the pattern.

Off to work one of my YoP's.

Happy Crafting!

End of year one.

Wow, this is the last time I will be using this banner for my weekly post.  It is so hard for me to realize that a year has passed since in my crafting life.  I know I started about a month late but still...........there has been a lot of crafting and blogging going on since then.

When I started YoP I only had about 600 hits on my blog.  I now have over 2000!  I am so impressed and happy that there are really people out there reading my blog AND making comments.  I want to thank all of you for the comments, suggestions and help you have given to me over the past year.  It has inspired me to improve my skills and try new and sometime difficult things.

So let's get started with this weeks posting of what I did last week.  And there are pictures this time!

I have started on my color affection shawl.  As you can see it is not all that far along but I am loving it!  Super easy to do (so far) and a great way to use up all that sock yarn that I will never have time to make into socks.  I will be doing something I have never done before and that is wrap and turn.  I know..............I make socks all the time but I use a heel pattern that does not use the wrap and turn so this will be exciting for me to once again increase my skills.  I am using Berroco Sock yarn.  Yes, it is all acrylic but I believe it has one of the nicest hands for an acrylic yarn. Gray is the main color with the variegated being contrast color #1 and the red contrast color #2.

Now here is my question all my YoP friends....................I have TONS of variegated sock yarn and very little solid sock yarn.  I would love to make this pattern again BUT...............my goal for next YoP is NOT to buy any more stash until I use up over 50% of what I have now.  Is there a way that variegated yarns could be used together for this or do you think it would look like a regurgitated piece of food?

This is the newest 'skill' I learned this week.  It is called criss cross stitch.  Actually all it truly is, is a LONG cable stitch made without a cable needle. 

This is a better photo of the stitch it self.  This works up pretty quickly so I have no fear that this scarf will be done in time for gift giving.  I already have the had done for this set.  I do not like scarf making as it gets so loooooooong and tedious.  I will let you all know if this makes it as a scarf or not.

 Been working on my dishcloths.  Have 10 total done and lots more cotton yarn to use up.  I am hoping by the time I am done using up all this cotton, that Michael's will put it on sale again for $1/skein.  I really enjoy doing the dishcloths.  They are a quick, satisfying project and I like to stick them in when doing things like, shawls, socks, sweaters etc.

Ok, I got brave and just had to post the picture of the blooming pillow.  I don't think the recipient will be reading my blog for a while.  Anyway...............this is the front of the first pillow.  I have started on the front of the second and am about 1/2 done with that.  I wanted to do the fronts first because I am kind of low on the light colored yarn.  If I don't have enough for the backing then I will just make it all in the maroon color.  Won't bother me a bit.  I now am trying to find round pillow forms for the thing.  I will need a 16" form as the pillow measures 14" and I want it to be real fluffy.  I tried WalMart and they informed me they have never carried round forms.  So now I have to try, JoAnn's, Michael's and Hobby Lobby.  After that I will have to order them from the internet and for some reason I really don't want to do that.  (I order everything else from the internet but this just bothers me this time)

I went back to my list (the latest updated one) and finished it off to show what I accomplished this past year.

 

 Here is the list of things that are finished:

****Finished******
Hat and Scarf (November gift)  Knitted (finished July 2011)

 Scarf for Jadin (by October 10th) Knitted  (finished October 2011)

Wedding Ring Afghan (finished in October 2011)

 Bedsock (Christmas) Crochet or knitted, haven't decided (Finished October 2011)                

 Hat for Josie (Finished October 2011)

wedding ring afghan (Christmas) Crochet (Finished in December 2011)

Bedsock(Christmas)  (Finished November 201

Scarf for Jenn (Finished December 23^rd!!  2011)

Scarf for Josie (Finished December 26^th 2011)

One man’s hat (Finished January 2012)

2 dishcloths (Finished February 2012)

1 log cabin block done (Finished February 2012)

8 dishcloths (Finished June 2012)

Cuff Down Socks (Finished May 2012)

Crocheted shawl (Finished May 2012)

 Crocheted Shawl for Christmas 2012 (Finished February 2012)


It doesn't seem like I accomplished much....................but...................(there's always a but)..............
I still have projects that I have been working on but are still not completed.  There are 3 shawls from last year.....................a pair of socks......................a sweater............................log cabin squares.................................... and stuff like that.

So what is going on the list next year?

Ravelry shows me all sorts of patterns that I have to do RIGHT NOW!  Then there are the other blogs that I read that have wonderful ideas and I have to try that RIGHT NOW!  Not to mention a family that really appreciates home made goodness and they want it RIGHT NOW!

So the list next year is going to be realistic, achievable, and hopefully full of fun stuff that will clear out my stash so I can get MORE!

I don't know if I will be able to get my list up next weekend or not............we are leaving this week for a trip to visit our kids in Texas for a couple of weeks.  I am going to work on the list this week and will take it with me to post if I can get access to their computer. (they love their computers and are on them ALOT)

Happy Crafting!

List? what list?

I have been very busy this week working on projects.  I have managed to knit 4 dishcloths and then decided that I needed to start in on my blooming pillows that are to be for Christmas presents.

Nope, the pillows are not on the list for this year but if I don't start them now I will never get to them once I start in on my 'new' list. (which I have not even begun to figure out what is going to be on it)

I do not have any pictures of the pillows because the people they are for read this blog.  If they saw them they would know right away that the pillows were for them.  This way all my family and friends that read this blog will just have to wait until Christmas to find out if they are the ones that are getting the pillows or not.  (I know, I'm mean)

I also kind of sort of started a color affection shawl.  I have cast on the beginning 5 stitches and that is as far as I have gotten on it.  I am using fingering weight yarn and it is very hard for me to see the bars to make the M1R and M1L. (I am using some darker colors)  So I want to work on that when I have LOTS of spare time.  (Not going to happen in the next few weeks for sure!)  But I am excited to do the shawl and I will be putting that on my YoP list for next year since it will not be worked before that challenge begins.

Today is Father's Day and I no longer have a father living on earth.  But I do want to say that I was one lucky girl.  I had my Dad for 22 years before he was called home to heaven and he was one of the best Dads I could ever dream of having.  A couple of years later I was gifted with my 'step'dad.  He was wonderful and never treated me any different than he did his own children.  My children were always his grand kids and he never called them anything but that.  He was called home to heaven about 4-5 years ago also.  I miss both of them so much and still have wonderful memories of both of them.  I was totally blessed to have been given two wonderful Dads in my life.  I was also blessed to have my Father In Law whom I also thought of as my Dad.  He was called home to heaven 3 years ago and has been missed everyday since then.

I hope all of you that have Fathers here in earth with you will take the time to let them know how much they mean to you.  Once they are gone you will never get another chance to tell them how much you love them, or how much they taught your, or how much they have enriched your life.  So take this day to let them know all of that.

Better go and get some food prepped for our Father's Day bash at our house today.  It is going to be a great day having most of the family here.

Happy Crafting

YoP

There are no pictures this week.  Why? you ask?  Because I have been too busy to even pick up a camera and take a photo of anything!  But I will tell you where I am at on my YoP list

LaLas prayer shawl (when ever) Knitted ( in progress) For Christmas 2012
1pairs of socks (Have the yarn)

5 dishclothes

 Here is the list of things that are finished:

****Finished******
Hat and Scarf (November gift)  Knitted (finished July 2011)

 Scarf for Jadin (by October 10th) Knitted  (finished October 2011)

Wedding Ring Afghan (finished in October 2011)

 Bedsock (Christmas) Crochet or knitted, haven't decided (Finished October 2011)                

 Hat for Josie (Finished October 2011)

wedding ring afghan (Christmas) Crochet (Finished in December 2011)

Bedsock(Christmas)  (Finished November 201

Scarf for Jenn (Finished December 23^rd!!  2011)

Scarf for Josie (Finished December 26^th 2011)

One man’s hat (Finished January 2012)

2 dishclothes (Finished February 2012)

1 log cabin block done (Finished February 2012)

2 dishclothes (Finished June 2012)

Cuff Down Socks (Finished May 2012)

Crocheted shawl (Finished May 2012)

As you can see I have deleted MANY items that I want to be done by the end of June this year.  What I have left probably will not be completed but I am sure some of it will.

I have been working on LaLa's shawl and it is fun and pretty easy but with over 200 stitches per row it is very slow going.

I do have a pair of socks on my needles.  They are for my hubby but at the moment I am concentrating on Dishclothes.  I needed a project that was quick and satisfying.  I can finish one in about a day or two depending on how much other stuff I have to do around the house and at my office.

I am still trying to figure out what I am going to do for a list for next year's YoP.  I have lots of projects that I want to complete by Christmas for gifts and I want to make sure those or on the list.  But after Christmas I will need to figure out what I am going to do to challenge myself.  If any of you have ideas please post them in the comment area.

I do want to stash bust during this next YoP.  I didn't do so well on that this year.  I have LOTS of sock yarn.  Enough to make about 30 pairs of socks.  That is the yarn that I do not have booked marked yet as to what I am going to make with it.  I guess I could just challenge myself to make LOTS of socks in LOTS of different patterns.  But there is no way I could do 30 pair of socks in 6 months.  Nope, not happening.

Now onto a more personal note.

I have really been struggling with my journey to a healthier me.  I kind of plateaued for a while and then some of those pounds started coming back for a visit.  Well, I have successfully evicted them again along with a couple of their friends.

How?  Easy..............................EXERCISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, it is like a dirty word to me too.  But my DH got me a stand to put my bike in and now I can ride in the comfort of my own home.  It is just too dang hot to be walking or riding right now here in the desert of Arizona.  SO I have been pretty faithful to at least get 15 minutes a day in on the bike and most of the time I get 20-30 minutes in.  I take one or two days off a week total to let the muscles regroup.

I leave the end of this month for Texas to visit my grandsons and their parental units.  We only see them once a year so I am really looking forward to the trip.  Hubby is coming along too and we are both excited.  I plan on taking my craftiness with me and I will try and post as much as possible from there.

Until next week

Happy Crafting!

Just like I promised

Wow, a month has passed since I last posted.  It doesn't seem like that long but dates on blogs don't lie.  Do they?

I do have some crafts that I have been working on fast and furiously.  First up...............a lovely shawl for a friend.

She had tried to do this herself and after row two wanted to throw it in the trash.  So we exchanged.  I gave her a cross stitch that I loved and I took the shawl to do.  This has been on my hook for about 2-3 weeks.  It has traveled many places with me including to Las Vegas where most of the work was done on it during the car ride.

Remember that sweater class I was taking.  Well here is where I am at on the sweater.

I have the cap sleeves finished, the neck is finished even thought it is kind of rolling.  I have been promised that once it is blocked that will stop.  So now it is a matter of straight stockinette knitting for the rest of the body until I am ready to put the lace pattern from the sleeves onto the bottom.

I also too that cuff down magic loop sock class.  I have been doing toe up magic loop since I first started making socks.  So I was excited to do the cuff down.  I finished the first sock and it fits my hubby just fine.  So not wanted to be one of those knitters with second sock syndrome.................

Here is the second sock.  Today is the day I am going to work on that and hopefully will be able to get the rest of the foot done and maybe even get to the end of it and close it up.  Then I will be back on the sweater again.

Since the ravelry group that I have been in for the past 11 months has decided to do their Year of Projects for another year...........................I now have to come up with a list of projects that is reasonable/feasible for me to complete in a years time.  It starts on July 1st and is an absolute blast to do.  We have knitters, crocheters and even some sewers in there.  It is great fun to see what everyone does.  I especially love reading all the blogs from all over the world.  I have learned some totally new 'sayings' from it.

Not much else on the crafting front.

Personal life..................................just about the same as always.......................exercise,work, eat, knit/crochet, sleep.

Happy Crafting!