I think I have WIPitis...

 I counted and including the two that are not pictured here today because Ididn't work on them this week I have seven WIPs. I frogged the brown ami I was working on last week and started this green blob.  It will hopefully become an aboleth.

I had become increasingly unhappy with the shaping on my blanket design and so I frogged and started again about a bajillion four times.  I am currently really really happy with the way the new shaping is so far and I am no ready to tons and tons of mathy things to figure out how much yarn etc. I will need to make my sample.  I wasn't sure what yarn I wanted so I bought 1 ball each of three different yarns to try--that was really fun!
Last week I only showed you the back of this because I wanted to keep it a secret a bit longer.  This is my second Noah's Ark blanket.  My first was a huge success so I decided to make one for my sister's new baby.  The beige yarn for the sky is a handspun yarn that I respun from my very earliest super bulky underspun attempts at spinning.  It is gorgeous and soft and adds great texture but ended up not playing well with the blue acrylic and so I decided it needed to be backed with fleece.  My sewing machine and I have and uneasy truce and sewing fleece to crochet nearly caused us to go to war, except for the courageous efforts of my husband who ended up doing about 80% of the sewing.  The only thing we have left is  to finish the top stitching.  It should be done for Friday and I hope I can get some better pics.
I spent too much money on yarn this summer and have been placed on a yarn diet until such time as my yarn shelves are empty ( or at least emptier).  So as penance I have begun to use up all the scraps of acrylic on a granny quilt.

 My husband has needed a new wallet for almost as long as we have been married(four years).  I decided upon the pattern Michael del Vecchio's Wallet about three years ago.  Two years ago I went to a LYS and bought the patterns recommended Berroco Suede.  A few month's ago I started the pattern in said yarn and learned that linen stitch in ribbon yarn is about as pleasant as repeatedly stabbing myself in the eye with a needle.  Finally I bought some cotton dishcloth yarn, sucked it up and finished the pieces.  Now if only  I could figure out how to put them together.


This has been another issue of Work in Progress Wednesday.  If you would like to see more amazing projects check out my link party page to see where the parties are happening.

Nearly Finished!

All I have to show this week is that I have finished the actual crochet work on my Snowflake project.

I am hoping to have these blocked, stiffened, and have hangers added in time for Friday, and definitely by the end of Sunday.  So hopefully I'll have some major beauty shots for you then.

Also I published the pattern for one of the snowflakes I designed yesterday.  You can find it here, and on Ravelry.

Treading water

Once upon a time in another life I used to swim a lot.  My favorite thing about swimming was treading water, and I was very good at it.  I didn`t understand why so many people disliked it or why expression "treading water" often has a negative connation.  I have since grown up and realized that like most people I prefer to do more than just keep my head above water.  This week I have really felt that about all I am doing.   I am still not feeling well, and it has affected everything in my life from my school work to my fiber arts and even my blog. I had hoped to post another post in my Why I Crochet series Monday, but I was ill and gave myself the day off. 
I have finished the silly purple headband and two small skeins of yarn.  So I only have a couple of snowflakes and another spindle of yarn I started to show you.  I have also finally made some decisions on some secret knitting/crocheting and so I can get started.  I have 3 1/2 more snowflakes to finish before I have to block and finish them all.  I cast on for a pair of socks to practice some new techniques, one of which is sock making.

I cast on for a pair of socks

Awesome potluck roving

 

Join me at Tami's and Sue's to see some other great works in progress.

Learning to take better photographs

Today I felt like I don`t really have much in the work until I started thinking about the things that need to be photographed.  To be honest taking photos is my least favorite part of doing the blog--I am not very good at it, I don`t really have a space to set aside for it,  we live in demi-basement so we more less always have less than ideal lighting.   So I have decided that my camera and I must try to make friends and we spent a couple hours together trying to make things look good and then I did the photoshop stuff and now it's totally the time I supposed to go to bed and I haven't had the chance to rest or read everyone else's Wednesday posts yet so I am going to keep it short on words today.

Another snowflake of my own design and probably my favorite.  They definitely need blocking.

Closeup of the previous

 American Thread Company Snowflake that I finished this week next to it's pair I finished a couple weeks ago

One of the best pictures I got tonight!

A snowflake I improvised--Not sure I like it much.

Another American Thread company Design I have been working on

Learning to spin.  BFL Top from the Woolery

Cabled Icord headband I mentioned on Friday.

Closup

Hermionie the Unicorn I started a while Back.  (Hoping that posting it here will give me kick in the pants).

I need kick on the pants to finish Archer too.  I totally started him back in November with the Mystery CAL.

Just for fun I took a couple pic of Confundus.  He was made with the Lark patter by Stacey Trock

I was having fun with Photoshop

I need to put all these photos on Ravelry, but I am totally tired tonight and I have tests at the hospital tomorrow--Wish me luck so hopefully soon.  Drop by Tamis to see all the great projects.

Snowflakes Galore

I have several crafting goals for this year.  I will tell you about those another, but one of them was to learn more about crocheted lace and to make something that could become an heirloom for my family.  My maternal great-grandmother was very ill later in life and spent most of her time bed-ridden and crocheted a huge number of doilies and tablecloths. I don’t know where most of these are—My mother and |I made a quilt to showcase several of them as a gift to my oldest sister at her wedding. I have decided that I would like a set of doilies to pass on to my children (when I someday have them)—but I am not really the kind of person who puts out doilies. So I have determined that Christmas ornaments are the way to go.  I have planned to finish 24 snowflake ornaments, including a rather elaborate tree-topper before the end of March.

These are pictures I took last week that I haven't shared yet.  I have finished 14 ornaments in this photo so far and have finished 3 more this week that I haven't photographed yet (something to look forward to for next week.)  Since these are all part of one project I won't consider them finished until the project is finished.  Also they all (except the topper which is shown in its blocking photo) are unblocked and un-stiffened.  Several of the snowflakes are my own designs or improvisations and I hope to finish up the patterns and publish them in April.  I would

The thirteen finished ornaments together

Snowflake Ornament by Maggie Wheldon

Miniaturized ( 6 in instead of 10-12)  Cut-Glass Snowflake

Snowflower designed by me 

Of Seven and Three designed by me (needs some serious blocking--and I ag

Irish Crochet Snowflake   This one is deceptively simple; it was by far the most difficult of all of the snowflakes

A smaller version of the snowflake for The Pineapple Snowflake Tree Topper.  It's more or less the same doilies without the pineapple points.

Snowflake by American Thread Company.  This one was also quite difficult; it is one of my favorites.

Pineapple Snowflake Tree Topper

I'm back!

Well after a long unplanned sabbatical,  I'm back.  Sorry for dropping off the face of the Earth.

I thought I'd jump right into the thick of things with a WIP Wednesday.  I bough this yarn earlier this summer from a Craftsy deal.

Nashua Handknits Summer Gardens

When I saw this yarn I knew it would become something for my sister Mel.  You see, I grew up in a very conservative household. We went to church on Sundays, and Wednesdays and often Saturdays, Tuesdays or Thursdays as well. We watched G and occasionally PG rated movies, we didn't have television, and the first tie I wore a tank top was in college.  So when my oldest sister started reading Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, my parents were, of course, quite horrified.   They tried to ban the books which as any person who's ever been teenager knows is much easier said than done.  I never read The Vampire Chronicles,  but Mel and I do share a love of a vampires (and other supernatural beings).  This is all a very long way to tell you that I knew that the lovely reds, and purples and almost blacks in this yarn made me think of all things vampire and gothic.

So here is my V is for Vampire Shawlette.  

This is my first attempt at knitting anything remotely cabled or lacy.  So although both the cables and the lace are fairly simple I am exceptionally proud of what I've managed to do so far.  Now that I have started on the second side I am pretty sure I did the decreases completely hay wire wrong on the first side.  I am planning to tear back and redo the whole first side after I finish the second side. It's weird though because I am feeling remarkably zen about the whole ripping out half a shawl thing.  Though I really hope I can get faster at knitting--that's the only complaint I have about knitting its terribly slow.

Drop by Tamis Amis, What you doing Wednesday, and Frontier Dreams  to see other great works in progress.  Have a Happy Wednesday!

WIP Wednesday: Wingspan, a hat and tapestry crochet

I have been seeing so many great knitting projects lately that I decided it was time for me to start practicing my knitting again.   I was particular inspired by all the beautiful Wingspan's I have seen lately.  So this morning I cast on for one of my own.

I am working a lacy spring hat for a little girl--It is is nearly done I just want to add some embellishments.

Last week I posted the crochet chart I did for an afghan for my sister--This week I have tried to start crocheting it.

It seems that I need to do some more research and practice on tapestry crochet in the flat because it looks terrible and is backwards.


The chest is completely stained.  Now we only need to coat it in polyurethane and touch up the metal.

Yes this is the same pic from last week.  You'll have to trust me when I say it's completely stained.

I haven't worked on my buttons at all this week.
As for reading I have started reading L'Alchemiste: Les Secrets de l'immortel by Michael Scott and translated to french by Frederique Fraisse to help me in my quest to learn French.  It's slow going and Pat has had to help me a lot but I feel like I've learned a lot.
 What have you been working on this week?  Come and visit Tamis Amis, Ambassador crochet, Frontier Dreams or Ginny's Yarn Along to join in the fun.

WIP Wednesday: hats, buttons and more

Since last week was Knit Crochet Design Week I didn't do my WIP Wednesday post.  This week I am back to regularly scheduled programming and ready to show you what's been keeping me busy.

Chart for Mel's afghan:

The chart is pretty much done.  Now I need to test it.

A second Elephant Hat:

This elephant has a 14 inch circumference and so will fit babies with a a 15-17 inch head ( around 3-9 months)

IT will probably done for Friday so you can see it.

Hat for Me:

I am kind of free forming a beret style hat for my self.

I am probably going to have to pull back quite a ways and try again because I think the band is going to be too small.

Steamer Chest:

I was hoping that this would be done by Friday so I could reclaim my dining room but I am not sure that's going to happen.  We've had some set backs on it as well.  

Buttons:

Buttons are so much fun.  I have been experimenting with different finishes and painting.  If I have time to seal them some of these may be ready for Friday.  These are pretty simple but I am considering a tutorial on how to make them.  Would any of you be interested?

These little  people are super cute but I am not sure how I'll be able to attach them 

without obscuring the faces

Books:

I usually listen to  various audio books while crochet and doing other work around the house so I am always reading or listening to something.  This week it has been  Broken by Kelley Armstrong and Every Which Way but Dead by Kim Harrison.

As a huge fan of urban fantasy I would recommend both series wholeheartedly but recommend you read them in order ( unless you're like me and read them in whatever order you can get them from the library).  Reading them out of order is not too bad but has left a few strange gaps in the story line as hop around.

Broken is book 6 in Kelly Armstrong's  Women of the Otherworld Series.  I have read most of the other books and of the two series this is by far the easier to read out of order.  Broken opens with Elena Michaels, the world's only female werewolf about 6 weeks pregnant.  The reader gets to follow along her crazy pregnancy as she deals with the pressure of changing into a wolf bi-weekly, terrifying nightmares, overprotective pack-mates and many more pregnancy issues.  As the story progresses a Elena accidentally opens a dimensional portal near downtown Toronto and has to deal with a rogue, sorcerer, dimensional zombies, and figuring out how to close the portal.  What I especially love about these books is that Kelley's female characters are neither so buff and independent that they seem like Superman, neither are they wimpy, ditzy, silly girls that either excell by pure luck  ( think Stephanie Plum) nor do they constantly need rescuing ( like Cassandra Palmer).  I love the way Armstrong portrays all of the character's as strong individual made better by teamwork.

Every Which Way But Dead is book 3 in Kim Harrison's  Hallows Series.  The Hallows series features Rachel Mariana Morgan, smart, sexy, powerful witch who always seems to get herself into a ton of trouble just trying to survive and protect her friends.  Book 3 opens just after Rachel has made a deal with a demon to help put Cincinnati's master vampire behind bars for murder.  Rachel manages to become the demon's familiar, break the familiar bond, get pulled in the demon ream The Everafter, and escape, with each twist of the plot simultaneously getting her out of immediate trouble and causing even more long-term damage to both her reputation and her ability to live a normal life.

 What have you been working on this week?  Come and visit Tamis Amis, Ambassador crochet, Frontier Dreams or Ginny's Yarn Along to join in the fun.