Progress the hard way

  I did  make progress this week.  It was not the way I would have liked to do it.  I ended up taking 2.5 days off work with a nasty case of bronchitis.  As we all know there is NOTHING on the TV during the day so there really was not much that I could do, with out having coughing spasms, other than work on some fibery goodness.

First off..................I worked quite a bit on my color affection shawl.

I was not sure I was going to like the colors in it but it is growing on me now.  I am more than half way through the second part of the shawl and am looking forward to getting that done and on to the third part (which is the end of it)  I did it all in sock yarn and really am glad that went ahead and chose one of the variegated yarns to put in it.  Next time I am considering just using nothing but variegated for the whole thing.  I have several variegated that complement each other and some of you have suggested trying that.

There is a little girl that has just received her first American Girl Doll.  (this would be my grand daughter)  Her birthday is this coming Wednesday and since she really is not in 'need' of anything I decided to crochet up some clothes for said doll.  This is my first time at doing doll clothes and am loving it.  They are quick and easy to do.  This is a red dress that is still in progress and may have to frogged as it seems to be a bit large for the doll.  It is Red Heart Shimmer yarn and since it is raining outside I had to take indoor photos of it.  But this is a very faint gold thread that runs through the entire yarn.  I am also going to make a shawl, hat, purse and shoes to go with it out of the white shimmer yarn.

This is just a little bolero for the doll.  It is made out of Rowan cotton DK weight.  It was the first piece I tried.  I need to get buttons for it yet and then it will be done.

Gotta love baby pompadour yarn with it's shimmer in it.  This is a skirt for the doll.

Here is a top and skirt out of baby weight yarn.

I am not looking forward to frogging the red dress but since it is suppose to be a party dress for the doll I want it to fit very nicely.  I only spent about 3 hours on it already and most of that was trying to decipher instructions.  I finally gave up and just went with what I wanted it to look like and dumped the pattern and made my own from a combination of several put together.

I am feeling much better now and am looking forward to today which is our family day.  I have some cooking to do for it but it is always an enjoyable day for all of us.  Today is also a special day that I can not disclose yet but stay tuned this week for an update. (and more photos)

Happy Crafting!

Little Progress

There was little progress on my list this week.  My arthritis was acting up so I was not able to craft as much as I would have liked too.  So there are no pictures for this week.  Hopefully there will be something to show next week.

I did manage to complete the second section of my color affection shawl and am now working on the third section of the shawl.  I learned how to wrap and turn this week and have never done it before so it was kind of exciting for me.

I also managed to complete 2 more dish cloths and they left my house before I could snap a photo of them.  They were ecru and in the double hump pattern.  They went to live with my Mother in Law in Nevada.  DH took them up with him this past week.  I hope she likes them.

I did work on something that was not on my list.  I made a little sleeveless bolero for my Grand Daughters American Girl doll.  I want to make some more doll clothes for her in the next couple of weeks so I will have something for her birthday that she will love.  I am making crocheted clothes for the doll as her other Grandmother only knits and I am giving her full reign in that area.

Did not touch any of my other projects this week but hopefully will be able to make some progress on SOMETHING by next Sunday and will have pictures to show for it.

Happy Crafting!

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