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.

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.

Headbands and Scarves

I  haven't finished a lot this week, since most of my crocheting time is going into my snowflake project.  But I did manage to finish a couple of small things.

I made this scarf as birthday present for a friend.  Instead of trying to guess what she might want I made up a set of coupons that had the following on them :

•  One evening day of free babysitting
• One family dinner cooked by me at my house or theirs ( I am sure there will be other dinners but sometimes it's nice not to have to worry about supper)
• One handmade scarf or similar item in your choice of style and color

This was one of the best received gifts I have ever given, and it was so simple for me to prepare.  I plan to use this technique again.  The scarf below was inspired by a belt/scarf I had made myself in the same pattern, and she admired it greatly and requested a similar one for her coupon scarf so voila.
The yarn used is is knit picks Chroma in colorway prism.  I did 36 repeats of the motif so its more that long enough to be used as a scarf or belt in several different configurations, and I think it turned out stunningly.  I am considering making another one myself in the same color way--with the leftovers.

Pattern Natural Belt

I have been having tons of migraines lately, and had another last night and this morning.  When I finally woke feeling only mildly ill around noon I decided to spend some time knitting and watching reruns of one of my favorite shows  Warehouse 13.  I Learned a new skill---knitting icord which surprisingly easy and made up a couple soft head band which I desperately need since my has been at that awkward length where the front is a bit too short for a full pony tail for quite a while now.  After I got int a nice rhythm my brain began to improve and I cam up with a really cool sort of cable icord head band that is taking me forever to knit and will have to wait until next week for its debut.

Made with this simple pattern

Join me at tami's, crochet addict's for more awesome finished objects

FO Friday--Except it's Saturday

I haven't written a finished object post in a while and I find myself dithering between the thought that I have nothing worth sharing and far too much that I have finished in the last six months for a single post.  Both ideas are true and false at the same time --most things its a matter of perspective.  Consulting both my brain and my Ravelry notebook I know that I have finished at least a dozen projects since October. Some of them I have forgotten to photograph and some of them have fairly poor photographs, and a  few of them are part of larger projects that require more explanation than I wanted to write today.  My mind works like this often, I see the twists and turns and cracks in the earth and yet completely miss the footpath to my intended destination.   I think I will just share a few of my favorite things I finished in the last little while.

A lovely simple granny pillow that lives on my couch

My first hand-spun knit into a swath and sewn to a little pillow that makes me smile

My first hand-spun made over the winter holidays on the spindle my mother gave me for Christmas

My husband with his dragon hat I made him for Christmas.  My first real effort at tapestry crochet.

My Vampire scarf being modeled before sending it off to my sister.

Vampire scarf again

A blanket square made up with a few Tunisian stitches.  Also my first effort at Tunisian crochet.

A pair of knitted slippers made for a valentines day swap.  My second attempt at knitted cables.

Two new elephant hat samples.  The one on the right was finished last spring and the one on the left a few days ago

Another blanket square for Blankets for Canada.

The most frustrating crocheted socks that I finished for my husband's Grandfather's Christmas present at the end of January and still need to deliver.

This is made up with the pattern Lark by Stacey Trock.  We call him Confundus and he has taken to sitting on the corner of Pat's Computer.

I know there have been a few other projects but I think this is enough to give you and idea of what I've been making.  They are not in chronological order but I hope you enjoy them.   I hope you drop by Tami's amis to see what others have been up to this week.

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's: Candy stripe blankie, and a hat

There's really not much to say about this blankie, except that I think the colors are gorgeous. It's super simple and so is working up fairly quickly. The only thing I can't decide is if this blankie needs a single crochet border or not and, if it needs a border what color should that border be.

Somehow I always seem to start another project even though I have a bunch that need finishing. I have decided to work on my knitting by pulling out my practice square and turning it into a Slouchy hat with Picot edging. I just cast on this Monday so it doesn't look like much yet, as I am a very slow knitter still.

The thing I find most challenging so far is keeping track of my stitches and row count. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish them and figuring out which row I am on. I mostly can tell when I am at the beginning of the next round but it is easy to confuse my self. Also I have a question is it just me or is knitting in the round actually knitting in the spiral. It seems like it is the same as crocheting unjoined rounds--which means it is in the spiral. It might help my poor head if I could figure that out. I am so used to crocheting hats; working from the bottom up is kind of confusing to me. Theoretically they are the same and the end product doesn't change whether it is made from the bottom up or the top down but my head and hands disagree.

Oh boy I am starting to ramble. Well thanks for visiting.

Oh I almost forgot I have been working on a chart for making a zebra motif. It's taken alot longer than I planned but I think I have come up with something I can use. I hope it A.) has enough detail, and B.) won't end up too big; I just want a small motif for the corner of the candy strip blanket probably no more than 4" x 6".

If you want to check out more Work-In-Progress posts, please check out Tami’s Ami’s Blog, who’s been organizing a great WIP Wednesday blog theme!