Dear Emily,

 As this blanket is a special gift for a special baby.  I have written this post as a letter to her.  For those of you interested in commentary and information on the blanket,  I have provided this in the captions.
Dear Emily 

Voila! My fantastic blanket is finally finished.  The blue yarn is random stash acrylic but the beige 
is my own handspun. They didn't play as well together as I had hopped.  (Read I accidentally felted the
 handspun when washing this).  And So I decided backing it in fleece would make it look nicer.I was right.

  It will be many years before you will understand this letter and probably several more before you can read it for yourself.  I hope that someday you do read it but even if you never see this letter there are things that I wanted to say to you that I think should be sent out into the universe.  I made this blanket for you.  I started long before you were born and I have missed your birth by a couple of months.   I have spent hundreds of hours crocheting and sewing this blanket because I love you.

Frogs are my favorite critters so I couldn't resit adding one.

  I know we have never met, and that we will probably only meet infrequently in the future due to the thousands of miles spread between us.  I love you anyways.  I love you because I love your mother, but more importantly I love you because you are you.  I love you because of the potential you represent and because every person in the world needs love.

The elephant is also made of some of my handspun.  I love the lion's mane!
 When I first made him I left his mane about two inches long. 
For the longest time I bounced back and forth between wanting
to trim and leaving it long.  I decided to trim it a bit.

     I decided to make you a blanket, because I love blankets. A special blankets is a talisman.  It tells you that your are loved, and it can keep you warm and make you feel safe on a bad day.  Someday when  you are older you should ask you mom about her special blanket from a grandma she barely knew.  I remember it was pink and silky and had beautiful animals sewn all over it and she loved it.  I know she slept with it well into her teenage years and I can only hope that you might love this blanket even half as much.

This blanket tells the story of Noah's ark, but

Fishes

that's not the story I am going to tell you today.  Instead, I am going to tell you what each of the symbols on your blanket mean to me.  The boat and house represent a safe place for you to go when the world gets to be too much.  The giraffe represents your reach.  You can reach much further than you know.  Everything you do has the potential to change the world.  The lion is bravery, because you'll need it, kid.  It's jungle out there! 

Octopus!

The elephant is wisdom.  There is a folk saying that says that Elephants never forget anything.  Who knows if that's really true?  But I wanted to give as much wisdom as I had because I know things can be tough.  And the frog because everyone needs a little silliness.
I hope you remember that I love you, and if when you are older you ever need someone to talk to, even if I am a million miles away, I'd be happy to listen.
                                                                                             Love,
                                                                                          Aunt Amy

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.

March reflections

I haven`t finished anything new this week but I wanted to talk about some of my highlights for March and how I am doing on my goals.

Reflections on my snowflake project

I am a member of the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC).  The HPKCHC is a Ravelry group "competition" that is set up around the world of Harry Potter.  Every month there are class prompts for various things to craft and a player earns points for their house by participating in activities.  It is fun and helped me to stay motivated and get to know new people. 
My Snowflake project was what is called an OWL (ordinary wizarding level) and is supposed to be a project that takes 10-12 weeks to complete.  Participants have to propose and OWL and be approved to be able to earn the 150 points available. 
·         The whole owl  proposal process was a bit demanding and slightly annoying but helped me prepare to finish the project in a limited amount of time
·         Setting a time limit made me much more likely to finish the project
·         I was totally proud of myself for finishing on time
Learning to work with thread
·         I don`t think I am an expert at crocheting in thread yet but I feel fairly confident
·         I have learned a lot about tension and stitch definition
·         It`s easier than it looks.  In a lot of ways thread and crochet feel like they were made for each other
·         I really love the stitch definition of thread, and I actually like working super tight which keeps the stitches super neat.
General reflections
·         I really enjoyed the project and the results, but I am relieved to be done.  It was a huge undertaking and by the end I was pretty bored of tiny white  crochet thread and snowflakes.
·         Written doily patterns are a bit of a pain.  It is kind of difficult to determine what the huge sheath of instructions means until you actually do it.  I am sure the instructions I have written out will proof just as difficult to someone else as the instructions I have run into were for me.
·         I have resolved to learn to read and write crochet charts.  A lot of the pattern reading difficulties I had could have been solved with a good chart.

Learning to spin

I set a goal in the HPKCHC's Order of the Pheonix (OOTP) missions to spin for 3 hrs a week for 8 weeks.  
I loved this project.  I think in a lot of way the biggest thing I have learned by  spinning project is that there really is so much to learn about fiber and spinning.

There are so many things I don`t know. My yarns are still lumpy and uneven but I think they are beautiful in all their irregularity.   I really liked working with the BFL even if was also the hardest for me to draft evenly. 
Setting a goal and sticking to it was fun and challenging.  It was good for my self esteem as well

Yearly goals 
I know I have alluded to these, but I haven't posted the list yet.  So here is how I am doing on my yearly crafting goals:

• Knit or crochet 12 squares for charity---2 so far
• Learn Tunisian crochet----so far I have worked through
  
  Beginner's Guide to Tunisian Crochet by Marie Segares and made this sampler square

  
• 24 snowflakes for my Christmas tree next year--Finished
  
  
• Learn to spin ( I got a spindle on Christmas --Actually my WIP the first project is with the tiny bit of yarn I have spun since then)--See above
• Knit at least one Men’s Bias-Knit Tie--not started
• Knit Wallet--not started although I've had the yarn for 2 years
• make at least one homemade present for everyone in my family(either Christmas or b-day NOT both)--I have a few presents for special occasions planned but none completed
• Learn Irish and/or Clones lace--I learned a little bit making the Irish snowflake and I have done some reasearch
• improve at tapestry crochet--not started.
• Knit or crochet 12 Bookmarks --Not started

Winter is over!

I finished the Snowflakes!  I guess that means the snow can melt and spring can officially begin.  Sorry to all those of you who have had unseasonably cold weather :p.

All 24

Pinapple Tree Topper

Snowflake by American Thread Company

Snowflake by American Thread Company

Cut-Glass Snowflake ( reduced slightly in size by me)

                  

Flower (improvised)

Irish Crochet Snowflake

Of Seven and Three (My first published pattern)

Old Fashioned Lace (mine)

Pineapple Basket (mine)

SnowFlower  (Mine-not yet published)

Snowflake by Maggie Weldon

Small Pineapple (based on the pattern for the topper)

Icicle (mine)--My husband calls this one Starfish

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.

Thread Crochet Resources

I couldn`t possibly consider myself an expert in thread crochet.  I have only really done 2 things in thread so far:  A fillet crochet panel depicting an eagle in flight ( note to Amy call mom and see if she has a picture or would be willing/able to take one) and my current snowflake project.  Both of these projects are in number 10 thread--ie as big as you can get and still be considered thread.  But I know like me many people are like I was and scared of learning to work in thread so I have put together a list of some of my favorite thread crochet resources. 

• Thread Crochet and Snowflakes  is one of the my favorite resources so far.  It is very text heavy but has great discussions on every thing from the types of thread to choose to how to hold your work and maintain tension--two things which can be very difficult when beginning to work with thread.
• The next is a video done my Aunt Lydia's That gives good descriptions of the various thread weights and hook sizes with a few recommendations for where to start.  It's short and sweet.

•  Thread Crochet at about.com  I have mixed feelings about about.com.  All personal feelings aside, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention this section on thread crochet.  Amy Solovay --about.com's crochet guide has gathered many resources, tutorials, and free patterns into the same place and it definitely useful.

So what are you favorite resources for working in thread?

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.