Year of Projects- Week 30

This week has been horrible as far as weather goes but it has been conductive for Crochet.

I've made headway on my Cardigan. only 7 more inches to go on the back. I've adjusted for the sleeves and it actually looks pretty good for my first clothing piece. It's moving along quickly but can get monotonous so I've started two more projects,,

First here's the updated Cardigan

It's coming out better than expected..

So since this was going so well and I only have a couple dozen ideas and started projects I had a to join a CAL. It's for a groovyghan and I since I have a blanket in the works for my daughter that I'm not really thrilled with and a quilt that really needs work, I decided to work this one up for her. She laughed when I told her to shop the stash and come up with colors. We both think I can stay on track for this one since the clues come out every two weeks. It started January 13th and I've gotten the first step almost completed. I'll be joining these squares into a strip while I watch the Panthers play today. They aren't 'My Team" but it's our state so we are supporting them,

And the other project is one that was already on my list so that's headway and I'm till using stash to get it started so that's a plus too! This one is a take on Grandmother's flower garden. My grandmother taught me to quilt and I'd love to do more it than I do. Her last quilt that she had pieced was a Grandmother's flower Garden and it was completely made with scraps from clothing,curtains and other items she had made for the family. My mom has it but it is my favorite pattern. I'll be using my in my craft room so bright colors will be on the agenda. I wanted a lacy pattern for my Hexagons so I found Saundra Paul's Weekend Blanket. 

My first flower is almost completed and it works out great for a lunch or travel project. Lots of Hexagons in my future. White is the next round and then on to a light green, and I hope to join them together as I work so I don't have a lot of pieces just hanging around and getting carted off by a dog. Don't laugh it has happened..

I've seen a couple of diagrams related to this crazy winter storm we are having on the east coast, showing how many skeins of yarn you'll need in relation to the amount of snow in the forecast. We started out in a one skein and gladly we missed the worst of the weather, but I'm happy to say that I've been busy staying warm and busting my stash. Wishing you lot sof stash busting but no crazy weather to go along with it!

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Year of Projects Week 29

So now I remember why I put that pineapple throw into the closet for so long. Those points are driving me crazy, I've made a couple of starts and nothing looks right. So I put it down for a bit and I'll come back to it on Monday, it's my last holiday for a while so I decided to dedicate a bit to getting it right. It's just going to take a couple of tries to get it and then once I get it figured out it will be easy going for the rest and then the next challenge will be getting it blocked. Hopefully I'll have an update for that next week.

This week I do have progress to show for the cardigan, I'm one skein in and up to the 11 inch marker where I have to start thinking about arms. It's coming right along, I figure it should be finished before warmer weather rolls around, but the good thing about that is that my office is just a tad below freezing year around, so I'll have lots of opportunities to wear it.

A closer view, while I was working this morning while my helper napped.

Up to 11 inches and one skein in..

Doing a bit of early crafting for Valentine's Day. We have Jams and Spreads in a local boutique and the owner had asked if I had any ideas for Valentines, so I did a couple of these Burlap Hearts this week. She was pretty excited, hopefully they will go over well. I hear people complain about how quickly the stores are putting out items for the next holiday but when you are crafting, you have to be thinking way ahead to make sure it's ready by the time the general public is ready to buy!

Still plugging away on the sidewalk quilt, a couple more of the medium squares made. I might have to go ahead and join some this afternoon while I watch football. As far as blankets go I think I might be trying to join a Groovyghan CAL hosted by Keep Calm and Crochet on UK. It started up this week and new patterns will be posted every two weeks. Sounds fairly doable for me and I've always had my eye on a Groovyghan. While I'm on the afghan kick, I've been wanting to do one that is inspired by quilt patterns and I think I've decided to do a Grandmother's Flower Garden for my craft room. It's full of bright colors and something I can work on a bit at a time and Join as I go. I have my first couple of hexagons completed for the centers and I've pulled a few colors for my petals. Both of these blankets will help with my stash down project for this year. I'm working hard on going cold sheep so this should help me make room for those special skeins that I'm planning to pick up at Carolina Fiber Fest in March! 

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Year of Projects Week 28

I've got some progress to report on a very UFO project,it was supposed to be a Christmas present for my mom back in 2014 but it was side tracked by a few other items and it has sat untouched and maybe a bit unloved in a bag in the closet. I been on a kick to get some of this mess out of the house, and I pulled this project out and decided it had to be moved off the UFO listing..

I had labeled it the Round Pineapple blanket for Mom, it's really more of a throw but she'll use it in a decorative fashion I would think. It will match the colors she is using the in the "Front Room" also known as the room we are not allowed in..lol White furniture does strange things to people..

The pattern is Ruby's Pineapple and that version was originally a doily done with size 10 thread. I liked the pattern it looks a bit like Peacock Feathers to me so I fiddled around with it a bit and decided to use 2 RH soft worked together with a 10mm hook and it's worked out well. All I have left is to finish the final points on the pineapples and It will be done. So for now I'm thinking I have my Mother's Day shopping done,,

It needs a good washing a then to be dried flat to get a good form, it's been rolled up in a bag for a bit longer than a while..

Missing points to finish..

I've also made headway on a cardigan. I have three others on my list but decided to go with this one for my first real piece of clothing. It might just catch on and I'll be making more, so I haven't given up on those yet. 

It's not too much but it is progress, and this is my project for when I'm watching TV. Fairly repetative at least for the next 11 inches, then I'll be shaping for the sleeves, which will be highly modified!

Be sure to check out the Year of Projects blogs, for ideas and progress!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Year of Projects- Week 27

I have totally fallen off of the project bandwagon  but I'm getting back on over the next couple of weeks. We are finally out of  Festival and Bazaar season and some how I thought that I would be able to craft, create and sell all a the same time It did not work out that way, unfortunately. August was my last post! I knew it had been a while but it's a  new year and time to get back on track!

I have taken a few minutes here and there to work on some orders and a few things for the booth but not as much as I had hoped. I'm really not sure where the time went. It's 2016 Already!!

Small things seem to be all that I have been able to accomplish lately, but I guess that's not too bad. Otherwise I would have a huge amount of WIPs hanging over my head..lol. I have a few things in a local store and the owner had stopped by a bazaar we were at and she spotted my "Diva Dishcloths" and wanted to know why I hadn't dropped any of those off at her store. Frankly I didn't think it was something she would have been interested in having in the store, so I am filling in my lunch hour with dishcloths.

Yes those are helping toes that snuck into my pictures. In all honesty it's her box but it is the best light in the house so we share for pictures..lol

I did have an interesting order this season. A coworker had gone to visit her sister in Arizona, we are in NC, and she had shown her some pictures of my work, So she called and asked me to make a hat for her granddaughter who is in Tennessee..It seemed kinda convoluted as an order goes but fun to make and I hope everyone involved was happy with it. Horrible last minute picture but I did get one this time, I've really got to do better with pictures.

The sidewalk Quilt has barely gotten any attention but it is being moved up on the list of to do's since I've run across a couple of blanket ideas that I'd like to start.. I needed 60 small squares which are completed and sewn together, then it's 25 medium that need to be completed and the final 10 very large squares to finish. So far I've completed 5 medium and I hope to get back on it today for a few more. 

The last project on my list that must get started this month is a cardigan for me. I've picked up the yarn and I think I have decided on the pattern but I'm holding out a bit trying to decide one of theses three the Ariane, Cap it off Topper  or this:

No way could I deal with those sleeves so there would be a bit of modification there to a 3/4 length, but it's number one in the running right now. Only because it would be my first sweater, I'd rather have something with more of a yoke but maybe for the next one if this goes well..

Happy Hooking Ya'll!