One Pillow, Two Pillow and a set of Booties. Year of Projects Week 2

So as soon  I decide to buckle down on my list I find myself suddenly diverting  onto other things. I've been trying to organize my craft room, putting yarn up and putting yarn together with patterns for a while. And as I move one more box and I then realize I've got a nice selection of pillow forms just hanging around. SO instead of working on a project that needed to be completed I started another. In my defense it was quick and I've added a spot of color to my living room/office space and utilized a pillow form. And did I mention that I used two skeins of yarn that I had in hand? Win/Win/Win in my book!

Its a pattern from the crochet crowd, Crochet Textured Flower Pillow, Here's the pattern I didn't have a bulky yarn I liked so I went with two strands of Red Heart that I had on hand. And I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'll be making another one in a different color soon, well as soon as I find two skeins of a color I think will work in that area. The stash hunt is officially on !

Then as luck would have it I got a message from a person who follows my daughters Instagram and she asked about a pillow I had done for My daughter a year or so ago. We struck up a conversation and soon she was placing an order for an Acorn Pillow, yes you read that right, Acorn. So that was pillow two of the week and I can't say how much fun those large stuffies are. In case you wondered the one for my daughter was a beet! My daughter is vegan and she loved the small version so well I thought a big one would be fun and a conversation piece too. I actually ended up making a few beet pillows and a couple of other veggie pillows last year for a friend of hers that had a vegan store on the coast. You just never know where the world of yarn will take you!

Then it was on to a special order of Booties. Dad is a baseball fan and with a new baby on the way and hope for the season opener, Mom ordered these Chicago Cubs inspired booties, These are fun and easy, toe of my favorite things, and I get it add a check mark to the finish column even if it's not on the list!

I'm hoping to dive into my project bags this week and drag out my long suffering cardigan, I might have it finished by the time it gets cold. I'm really glad I bought so much yarn for it since i"m pretty sure they don't make it any more.

So having said that It's time to track my Cold Sheep/ Clean out the Disaster  Craft Room

Yarn

OUT 2550 yards (rounded) 

IN 0

Other Craft Supplies

1 Pillow Form

So that wraps up another week of Projects for me, Please be sure to check out all of the other blogs in the group and  remember it's always a good time to join. Check it out here.

Have a Wonderful Crafty Week!

Year of Projects Week 8

Just a short post today, I have a finish, some progress and a pattern that I just couldn't resist (that I hope to get to in the next couple of years..).

First up is my finish unfortunately he's not on my list for the year but I'll take yarn moving out of the house any day. I had a preview last week and I finally found some eyes so I was able to finish him off and get him stuffed and ready to go. He should be landing in his new home next weekend!

He's such a happy guy!

On to the pattern that I just couldn't say no to. The Luna Blanket by Hailey Bailey.

If you're interested here's a link on Ravelry for it

I originally saw it on instagram and knew it had to be knitting, but nope it's crochet and my daughter loves luna moths, so I'm adding it to the ever growing pile of items I really want to work on. Hailey has some really cute items in her Etsy shop, bees, feathers and birds too. Now to find the right Luna color...

Did you know that last Wednesday the 15th was Granny Square day on instagram? I worked up a couple of squares but decided on this one..

All of the samples went into a bag for future blanket ideas!

 It so much fun to see the virtual blankets that people put together, and to think that so many squares traveled all over the world virtually on one day is a tribute to crafters and crochet.

I have made some progress on the CAL, square 2 is finished, it's a moss stitch so not much to see, but I'll be starting square 3 this week and I could be caught up by the time the next one is released.

My crafting time this week might be taken up with pumpkins, Canning ring and fabric, and maybe a crochet one or two, since fall is right around the corner and the orders are coming in. 

So I'll give a bit of a small update on the Cold sheep while I'm here!

Prior Count 1450 (out)

Intake 109 yards (boo but it was for the bee)

Bee  -545 yards

Granny Squares 10yds (guesstimate)

CAL Squares (2 sets of 2 squares)- 700 total (guesstimate)

=2596 yards out for week 8

Not too shabby, but I'm not counting the joining on the Peach Blossom yet so it should be going up 

Wishing you a very Crafty and Productive week!

Week 2 Year 8

Computer is still refusing to cooperate, so this post was delayed.

I managed to get a few things done this week. Worked on one project off of the list and another that was an order for a friends store. 

I'll start with the order, these don't take that long to do but my crochet time was cut a bit short this week due to some travel and pumpkin seed planting.

These Diva Dishcloths will be sent out this week to Up Beet Market in Wilmington. It's a vegan speciality store but she is also buying from local crafters, mainly kids items and other household things that support the lifestyle. She's been open just over a month and sales have been great. I'm always excited when someone can follow their dreams! So 12 dishcloths can be added to my list for July.

I had made a set of play veggies for her and they've flown out the door. I knew they had been popular but I didn't realize she was almost out. I had worked on Mushroom this week.

Three of the four that I sent. I guess I should have done a few more.

This is the display after the four mushrooms were added! I'll be working on veggies the next few days I guess..

 I did manage to work on one of the items on my list. The Unicorn Ripple. These colors are so much brighter than the actual colors. It's really pastel in person. And why in the world did I think single crochet ripples would be fun? I'll be happy to see the last row on this project.

While I didn't make much progress on the list I did make some progress on the cold sheep this week

Intake 0

12 Dishcloths -1440 yards

Mushrooms- 10 yards total (guestimate)

=1450 yards out for week 1

I'm not counting the progress on the ripple, I guess I could if I weighed the skeins but since I had the yarn in my stash I'll just count the total once it's finished. Easier that way and it keeps me moving items out!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm hoping for more progress next week!

Crafting with old quilts

My grandmother and I'd say all of the women in the family before her were avid quilters. Yes quilting is fun but they did it out of necessity. There wasn't a Target on every corner, but even if there had been my grandmother still wouldn't have gone.

People still quilt, quilts are still passed down but maybe they don't have the same meaning sewn into them as they once did. Like everything else a well loved quilt will get worn in spots or or worse become soiled and unable to be safely cleaned. That doesn't mean they still don't have a lot of use left in them. I personally have a chest of quilts made by my great grandmother and maybe even from before, that never see the light of day. My Grandmother, Elizabeth would be horrified, quilts are made to be used, they were after all mostly made from scraps from other sewing endeavors. So to honor those quilts beyond repair, personal or ones picked up at sales let's imagine ways to give them new lives.

We'll start with family quilts, the ones who have seen a bit too much of rough housing or who belonged to Children and were used a tug toys, camp forts or for naps in the grass. They are a part of their childhood and are often passed from kid to kid. Now they aren't in fit for the next generation, but not quite ready for the trash heap. How about making ornaments for each kid that loved that blanket? Something to talk about with the next generation and so the quilt doesn't really go away it gains a new following.

Jan  from JanMade used an old quilt to make Angels for her tree

How pretty is this and what a story it could tell. you could do other shapes as well, stars, barns, trees, hearts or any shape that fits your style. They make wonderful gifts for Christmas or any special occasion and everyone gets to take a tangible reminder of their special quilt.

If you have a larger quilt or one that you don't mind cutting into, stuffed animals are another option for gifting a quilt to numerous people. Bears, rabbits and even dolls can be made from old quilts.

via Stitch This

My personal favorite idea is one we saw while shopping in the North Carolina Mountains.

Aren't these the cutest sheep? I would think you could cut the shape out of wood and then wrap the quilt pieces and extra battling around it. The would make great decorations or even a foot stool. This idea has been hanging around for a while. I think it's time to get busy making some!

Thanks for visiting with me and my quilt ideas as I blog my way through the Alphabet with Blogging from A to Z. There are still  10 days left to go and I'm hoping you'll enjoy them as much as I am creating them. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see  you tomorrow with my R for Rags post.

Year of Projects Week 38 Year 7

I've managed four finishes this week,three smalls and one larger, two of them are crochet, one sewing one sewing related.

The first was a pin cushion that once was part of an arrangement from when I was born. My mom is cleaning out some cabinets and thought I might like to have it. I thought I would make it into something useful, it's now a great addition to my sewing table.

This is my second,larger finish I might have been up past midnight getting it done but it was ready for my daughter's birthday!

I've done a bit more digging and I have uncovered the cardigan that I started a couple of years ago, so along with all of the other projects I'm working on I'm going to add that back to the rounds.

Finished a couple of more squares and a hexi's , I might start joining a few this week. 

Another thing I dug up was a set of Play Veggies, I had made a few items and I always meant to go back and add a couple of more but it was put in a box and forgotten. I found it and I've managed to whip up a broccoli and a mushroom, I'm contemplating an apple, radish or tomato and maybe some grapes? But once it's done it will be added to my Etsy along with it's super cute market bag. 

In order to help get back into building this blog, I decided to do the blogging from A to Z Challenge in April. You pick a pick a topic and post every day in April except for Sundays, using the letter of the day. I'm going with upcycling products in new and fun ways. The main website has a list that can be sorted by categories and themes, so you can find what you're interested in without having to go through a ton of blogs, as of now there are 351 blogs participating. 

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out what all of the other Yoppers are up to this week too!

Year of Projects Post Year 7 Week 36

Just a quick update on the current blanket, an Easter Project and a small Birthday surprise.

I've completed the flower portion of my current Work in Progress. 30 flowers down now it's time to square them up.

Lot's of ends left to weave in but I thought it would be easier to do as I complete the squares. Winter decided it wasn't quite done with us already. The temperature has dropped and it seems more like blanket weather again. 

Easter is right around the corner and I have a couple of crafts in the works, one is bunnies! They are all cut out and ready to be stitched up. I'll be finishing them off with a pom pom tail. Colored tails for the white and white tails for the colored. 

Since I had the pom pom maker out for tails, and someone has a birthday coming up quickly I whipped out a couple of "Soot Sprites" from the Spirited Away movie  for the Kiddo. Just a couple of oversized eyes and a bit of clear thread and these guys will make a great addition to any corner..lol

I've got another project on tap for her and a couple of weeks to get it completed.  She's been eyeing those faux fur blankets and I found a great DIY post on putting one together.  Hopefully that will be a finish for next week.

Check out what the other Yoppers are up to this week!

Year of Project -Wk 6

Not a very busy craft week but I did manage to add a couple of patterns to my list of projects and I did manage to get all 60 of  small squares sewn together for my Sidewalk CAL. Now it's just one to the next phase medium squares, of which there are only 25 but we'll see how long it takes me to get the correct sizing..

Here's the latest on the Sidewalk CAL, it's coming along pretty good so far.

Sixty small blocks together so far,,

I spent a bit of time on Ravelry this week while I made some phone calls, I had to pass the time while I was on hold right?! And I ran across this ridiculously cute lion.. So expect to see him added to the project list. There is just something about the toes that just do me in! Check out her Ravelry patterns she has a few more awesome stuffies.

Peach Unicorns Lion Pillow

I have also had a couple of requests for some Tams or beanies for the fall so I'll be looking in my pattern books and checking out Ravelry this week for those too. Do you have a favorite pattern you'd like to share? It's always something new to add it's no wonder I can't seem to catch up!

We're also coming up on the end of peach season and figs are on so I'm picking and canning too.

If you're interested in the Farm Side check out my other blog CluckCluckBuzz.

Thanks for stopping by!!

YOP- Week 4

Here I am again running late with this post and It's gonna be a short one. I have started three projects, two that I am steadily working on, one that might be iffy and I have an ongoing project am a round away from a finish. So far I can say that joining the Year of Projects has been great motivator for me!
You can check out my list here. I have a couple of ideas that haven't been officially added yet but they are requests so I should add them to the list just so I know how many projects are underway and how many I've managed to accomplish.

The first start is one that was on my list, the Yes, Yes Shawl from Bernat. I'm using a really great hand dyed yarn from Unplanned Peacock Studio that I picked up at Carolina Fiber Fest earlier this year. I'm always glad to see Natasha at festivals because I know she'll always have a great selection and at least a few skeins that I can't live with out. I've just gotten started, really I've only had a short amount of time Sunday afternoon and I haven't picked it back up but I have high hopes for it to move along late this week.I can see the blocking board in my future..

The other two starts are both Stuffies, one is a rabbit and the other is a stegosaurus. I might or might not have been a bit too excited over Jurassic World this summer. I seem to have added a few dinosaur patterns to my favorites...lol. The rabbit is done in continuous rounds and I think it will go fairly quickly. The dino is my problem, it's in UK terms, which isn't a problem, my brain can do the adjustment easily. The problem is the directions and it's not the designer it's me. There are lots of breaks and restarts and skip stitches. It will take more time and attention than I have to give to it right at this point in time. 

My time hasn't been my own lately, we have a ton of farm related things going on right now that seem to eat away at my crafting minutes. It's not yarn or fiber but I it's a finished product!

Fig Strawberry Jam! With real Strawberries not that nasty Jello stuff..

Have a great week and sign up here for A Year of Projects! Lots of fun, encouragement and no pressure.