FO: Rainbow Sampler

As promised, I present my finished baby blanket.

In a rush on Monday night, I decided to forego the puff stitches & border on this blanket:

yep, it's really bright

and simply finish with the rounds of granny.

The pattern is Rectangular Sampler Blanket, and it works up to a decent sized baby/lap blanket. I was working it as part of Underground Crafter's CAL, but didn't finish in time for the contest, and was also impatient.

My reason for stopping before the border was 1) because I knew if I didn't end it, I wouldn't finish and 2) I wanted to gift it ASAP. A friend of mine recently had a baby! and I wanted to give her something. It was spontaneous, hence the hurry to finish.

I'm pleased with how it turned out, all happy & rainbow-y. About 1000 yards of yarn went into it, and the rounds were starting to get long. I think if I work the pattern again, which I'd like to do, I would have more planning, and try to keep the colors down to 2 or 3, like the pattern recommends.

Linking with Tami for FO Friday!!!

If the internet actually worked.

Of course, the internet gets super frustrating when I am home for a whole week, on and off my computer for school and crafts. Its slowness can't even be blamed on too many laptops using internet in the house because neither of my brothers are home, and my sister and I are only doing super basic stuff with our internet. All this to say that I am super sorry for no pictures today. I uploaded a few to Rav early today, but forgot to grab my WIP pics.

So, in progress this week I have Ananas Crocheted Shawlette, a LB Homespun infinity scarf (color Tulips), and yarn drying for Stephanie's Wrap. Also, a few plain hats for fall craft show stuff, but those usually get pushed to the end of the list. I am honestly trying to stash-down, and all of the projects are using stash yarn-- I even had to make do with what I had on hand so I could start working on Stephanie's Wrap. Both of the shawls are part of CSW's Support a Designer CAL, where all those participating in the CAL pick a pattern made by a member designer. A few of the participants are crocheting the same pattern, but the idea is more to get project pages attached to patterns that might not have as many projects.

My Cold Sheep progress for March was pretty good, especially with help from the CSAL. I was able to use up 2400 yards of stash. I'll admit that some of it was new yarn, but the out was greater than the in. My goal for April is to only use stash yarn, no purchases at all, and to beat my yardage total from March. Since I'm already nearing 500 and it's only April 3, I think my chances of surpassing 2400 yards used are pretty good. We shall see.

I'm linking up with Tami for WIP Wednesday and Ginny for Yarn-Along, as both share lots of yarny goodness on Wednesdays!! :-)

One Wednesday Closer

Getting closer to the end of my student teaching! Teaching the 3 branches of government and Renaissance & Reformation for the next few weeks, cut in half by Spring Break. Woo! Going to read some Shakespeare with my World History kiddos-- wish me luck!! :)

Working on the Pineapples for Everyone CAL, in Caron Simply Soft Paints. I just finished up the first skein, and am starting on the second. Hoping the yarn will be enough. Love the yarn, might be too busy for the pattern, but feels so soft!!

My little hands for size comparison

I shared another project earlier this week, a slouch hat in Chroma & Bare (KnitPicks), and have since started to make a pair of fingerless mitts to match.

Not true to color

This is closer to accurate color. 

I'm still trying to keep up on the Cold Sheep Along, as it runs through April. So far, I've crocheted almost 1500 yards! (My monthly best so far this year is 2070 yards, and I'm hoping to surpass that this month.)

(Anyone in the Midwest sick of the snow yet?!)

Head over to Tami's & Ginny's to check out more progress & happy yarn-y things!

Just in Time!

Good Morning!! I am up bright and early for my last (?!) student teaching seminar of the semester. I only have 4 more school weeks of student teaching left!!! Woah, that flew by. Spring is on it's way and summer is lurking around the corner.

Edges look wonky, but that's just because I needed it to fit on my 2 boards. 

Finished just in time to deliver to E for his mom for St. Patrick's Day is Snowdrop #2. I took it off the blocking boards 2 nights ago, wove in the ends, and wrapped it. Even with my new camera, I could not get a photo that I liked of it, so we're left with the blocking photo. I love these Chroma green colors, perfect for St. Paddy's Day!! So silly that Knit Picks discontinued Elfin.

I didn't use the entire ball fo Chroma, just because I was in a time crunch and needed to get the project done. I'm pleased though, as it's the perfect scarf length. I really hope FMIL likes it.

More FO's today over at Tami's!!

You Can Do It! CSAL

Many projects at once!

 The Cold Sheep group on Ravelry is hosting their 11th You Can Do It! Cold Sheep A-Long. I've mentioned the Cold Sheep group here before, as they have been really helpful to me in regards to de-stashing and keeping my yarn purchases to a "necessary" minimum. Now, "Cold Sheeping" isn't for everyone, but I find the CSAL very motivating for finishing projects.

Pineapples for Everyone

***

I am not a monogamous crafter. (There, I admitted it) My three "on-the-go" projects this week are the Pineapples for Everyone Shawl (Marie at Underground Crafter is having a CAL, with prizes), a commissioned hat (due for a birthday in April) and my 2nd Snowdrop shawl. I also have 2 stay at home projects, one is a blanket. I think having so many projects to work on can be both overwhelming and helpful. Overwhelming, because I have no idea where to start, but helpful because it usually means I have something small to work on.

Giant Granny

***

Back to the CSAL. I find that attempting to reach a goal with a bunch of other Ravelers is much more fun than reaching a goal by myself. There are milestones for your first 500 yards, and then in 1000 yards up to 5000 yards. And you can get up to 5 entries to win prizes! It's super awesome, and definitely an encouraging environment.

Sorry for the dark image. 

***

I'm reading a new book this week!! One of my co-workers got to it first, and says it's really good: A Natural History of Dragons, A Memoir by Lady Trent. Even though I don't quite have time to be reading fiction books for pleasure, I think I'll be able to squeeze it in this week, with my teaching schedule of all sorts of standardized tests (which leaves me with only 2 proper classes of students at the high school-- no chance of getting out of teaching the middle school hooligans). And with the testing, I'm hoping it also means more time to crochet during the day... Maybe, just maybe.

***

It's really Wednesday again. So I'm linking up with Work-in-Progress Wednesday @ Tami's, and with the Yarn-Along over at Ginny's.
((This post was intended for Wednesday, March 6, but time got away from me, and I'm sharing it today instead.))

Weekend Roundup

Another typical weekend for me.

Working all day Saturday, with some attempted lesson planning and the like. I did get some crocheting done in the evening, mainly powering through an infinity scarf for someone I was seeing on Sunday.
I also started working on my Snowdrop, as part of the February CAL that the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group is hosting.

Top: Red Heart Holiday Hunter/Gold
Bottom: KnitPicks Stroll Tonal Stonewashed

My mom had the US Figure Skating Championship Women's Finals on, so I watched a bit of that with her, remembering how I used to love watching the female figure skaters.

Sunday morning Mass, breakfast with the family, a bit of a nap. More crocheting. A prayer meeting in the evening, with a speaker sharing about the youth programs. A variety of people asking me how wedding plans were going. By the last one, I was a bit flustered, mainly because right now there is not much wedding planning, as both E and I are finishing up school, and the big things are all planned and out of the way.

This morning, I woke to a text from one of my friends, informing me of the snow day. It was way too early for her to be texting me, but we're both teachers, so I guess she thought I would be up. That text was followed shortly by a text from my host teacher, telling me to go back to sleep. My fiance called 10 minutes after that, because he volunteers to be my secondary alarm clock. Because I was in no rush to get up, we actually chatted for a few minutes before he had to go. He has to get up for school too, and his wasn't cancelled.

Since I got a bit of a lie-in, I was not overly productive today. Errands mainly, plus chores that I don't have as much time to do when I'm in and out of the house for school and work. More crocheting, working on my "Ten-minute" projects. (both of my 10 minute projects take more than ten minutes, but it is good to spend some time with them.)


10 minute project- trying to finish Mom & Dad's afghan!

 Not much else-- Hope you all have a lovely week!

FO Friday

The end of a busy week is more than a welcome sight. Tomorrow I might even wear jeans-- five days of "teacher clothes" can wear you down! And I don't insult teacher clothes, I just need to adjust my wardrobe to find stuff that is appropriate to teach in, is reasonable attractive, and comfortable.

But I get off topic so easily!! I'm here to post about yarn-y things. After school yesterday, I sat down with my hooks and cranked out a dishcloth, the border on a shawlette, and dithered about what to make next. I just found a few really nice cowl patterns in the Ravelry database, and I might try some out in the near future.

My 2 finishes are the Tulip stitch dishcloth that I've made before-- I super love the pattern-- and the Oveja shawl in a scarf/shawlette size. The Oveja is the CAL in the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group this month, and as it is a goal of mine to get my stash under control, I'm finding yarns to go with various CALs so I have support when I work a pattern. It's a fun and active bunch  participating in this CAL, which is super helpful.

However, there is always a condition on my finishing-- today it is the fact that I still have 15 g left of the yarn I used, and I hate saving those little balls of yarn. So I'm debating between frogging back the final written row in the pattern and redo-ing, or adding on another border row to finish up the yarn.

And no photos because of my early rising and self-imposed bed times. Sorry. Maybe I'll do just a photo update this weekend. 

Shallow Waters Revisited

I made a NEW SCARF

Back in July, as part of the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers monthly CAL, I hosted a "Show Your Support" CAL, meaning everyone who participated made a pattern from a designer who is a member of CSW. I picked out the Shallow Waters Shawl, which done in a lighter weight makes more of a scarf.

for seeing the scarf, this is not an excellent photo

The first time I made it in Knit Picks Shadow Lace in the Summer Blooms colorway. It is my absolute favorite scarf. I wear it all the time. Hence, this post being littered with photos from my (heavily) photographed date. (My sister is a perfectionist when it comes to her photos, as I've mentioned before.)

I knew I wanted to make another scarf in that pattern, especially since I get so many compliments on my pink one, and it's quick and easy. I purchased a bunch of Knit Picks Felici a few months back, because I love the colors, and have wanted to try it for a while. I was attempting to make fingerless gloves in the colorway Hummingbird, but they stalled. So I decided another Shallow Waters was in order. Besides, I said to myself, the designer used a sock weight for her original...

Comparison of the 2 shawls

I was making great progress, until I came close to the end of the skein. It still wasn't as long as I wanted it. I figured I'd try it, and was able to squeak out a border row of single crochet with inches to spare.

My hummingbird Shallow Waters is not as big as my Summer Blooms Shallow Waters, but it is big enough to wrap around my neck!




I really love how Felici feels, and the colors are awesomely vibrant. I'm not sure if I would use this yarn for this pattern again, at least not this colorway. Because the colors are so different, the striping caused odd pooling in the pattern. I started working with the Tyrian Purple colorway the same evening I finished with Hummingbird, and those colors are closer together-- multiple shades of purple-- so it might have been a better choice for this shawl. Also, I would definitely recommend 2 skeins. After looking through the pattern info, etc, I saw that the designer did use 400+ yards of a sockweight, where Felici is only 218 yards. I will definitely continue to experiment with different yarns and yardages with this shawl, as it is definitely a staple for me. I have more sockweight somewhere, waiting to be dyed-- an after Christmas project, maybe?

Joining up with Tami's Amis for FO Friday.

Hosting a CAL

Joining up with WIPW @ Tami's Amis and Ginny's Yarn-Along @ Small Things.

This week, my biggest WIP is my Juliana Wrap. I'm hosting the June CAL (Crochet-A-Long) at the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group on Ravelry. (I mentioned this last week)

In order to properly host, considering that June will involve lots of preparation for A's wedding at the end of the month, I figured I would crochet the wrap early and take copious notes. Most of my notes are on my project page, so Ravelers can benefit from them too. So far, I've only shrunken the first section. I'm nearly through with the mesh section, which I LOVE! 


I do wish, however, that I was using a lighter weight yarn. The yarn I'm using is from a thrifted sweater that I dyed, and might nearly be classified as worsted. But I will persevere and finish.

I'm really excited to be hosting the CAL, and I hope you'll stop by the group to check out everyone's progress once we get started in June.

Thanks for visiting today!

Progress, I think...

As I join up with Tami's Amis and Ginny's Yarn-Along, I'm making a mental list of all I have to do this week. My classes started yesterday, so my days are busy once again. My best friend's bridal shower is this weekend! and I'm excited to celebrate with her.

Once again, I have a list of afghan squares for the BAMCAL and Melinda Miller CAL to work on. This month's squares have been languishing in my project bag (my rainbow tarn bucket has become the temporary home for my BAM squares) because I have been working on so many other projects. I did finish the Windowpane Square early on, but did not want to post it separate from its May counterpart. Above is pictured the Stained Glass Square. It is such a well written pattern, and the color combinations are endless! I really want to make a whole blanket of this square.

Also pictured above is my library's copy of The Fellowship of the Ring on audiobook.  I wanted something fun to 'read', and it needed to be something I could crochet to. I thought that LOTR fit the bill. I just finished Book 1 last night, and I'm excited to listen to the rest :)

As I look at my list of things to do this week, the squares dominate, so hopefully I'll have a set of completed ones to share with you soon!

I've finished my Eva, but it needs dyeing and blocking. Look for it on Friday!!!

I'm hosting next month's CAL at the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group on Rav. We are making the Juliana Wrap! I'm super excited to work on this pattern, and I already have 2 different yarns picked out so I can make 2 wraps :)

I'm also helping to host a Dishcloth Swap on Rav, and the sign-ups for the July swap (We do 4 swaps a year, and each one is 2-3 months long) are still open- maybe you'd like a pick-me-up?

I hope everyone has a fabulous Wednesday, thanks for stopping by!

WIP/Yarn-Along- too much cotton?

Joining up with Tami's Amis and Ginny's Yarn-Along today!

I've been working on a large number of crocheted dishcloths as part of a wedding gift, which leaves me with lots of WIPs laying around, but no big projects accomplished.

Dishcloths: I've been using the tulip stitch dishcloth pattern, with a few modifications- throughout the dishcloth, use ch 2 instead of ch 3, except for the edges. I like the density of this pattern, and it's simple and quickly memorized.

May CSW CAL: My Eva shawl is relaxing and taking a temporary vacation, as I am not entirely fond of the laceweight. Some of you commented last week that my yarn's '2-stranded-ness' would be difficult to work with, and I will admit, that's part of the reason why I am stalling on this project.

But I love the way this drapes, and as soon as my dishcloth kick has cooled down, I will come back to this.

Something else that I'm super proud of this week is my progress on one of my UFOs- I brought the knitted vest for my brother out of hibernation, and after knitting a few more rows, it was long enough to FINALLY decrease for armhole shaping. This is where things get a bit uncomfortable for me, as I have never before made a garment that needs to fit properly.

I will definitely have a few things to share on Friday, so don't hesitate to stop back to check it out! :)

I still have open spots for the Pay it Forward Handmade, mentioned here.

Finished!

I heave a sigh of relief as I write today's FO Friday post, kindly hosted by Tami's Amis.

Yesterday the weather was bi-polar, and I did not have work, so I spent most of the day in my room, listening to The Fellowship of the Ring on audiobook, and finishing a few projects.

I finished my "yarn bucket" as I have fondly dubbed it, a colorful concoction made of recycled t-shirts. It is crocheted, on hook P, and took at least 10 t-shirts, if not more. My mom said it would probably make a great beach bag-- I'll probably use it for that in the next few months.

I also finished the Feburary CAL for the CSW group on Ravelry- the lattice lace wrap.

I haven't had a chance to block it yet, but I hope to have some spare time for it over the weekend. 

I'm proud of both of these projects because they have been "on my hook" for quite some time, and it is a relief to have another project checked off the list :)

I hope everyone has a nice weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Quick Note: I'm participating in the Pay it Forward Handmade! Check it out here.

WIPW/Yarn-Along: New Things!

I'm linking up with Tami's Amis and Ginny's Yarn-Along today!

This week, I'm technically on "vacation". Winter semester is over, and my spring classes don't start until May 15th. And so far, my week has been really productive. I really enjoyed participating in Blog Week hosted by Eskimimi Makes, and was really inspired by all you who craft and blog! I was particularly inspired by those of you who manage to keep your WIPs to a minimum, usually only working on one or two projects at a time. However, even though I was inspired, I haven't quite gotten to that point. In fact, I started a new project on Saturday evening...

Encouraged by the chatter on the CSW discussion board for the May CAL for Eva's Shawl, I got home from work, dug out the yarn I wanted to use, and got started. This is some of my progress from during the Saturday night movie:



This is not my first attempt to work this pattern, as some of you may remember, I was attempting to work this pattern so I could wear the complete shawl to my cousin's wedding last November. That was not to be. The yarn was scratchy and my hook was too small. So it went into the frog pile. But this yarn, a silk and angora blend, I believe, is lovely and light and soft. I'm not keen on the pale pink color, so it may visit the dye pot before I can say it is complete. But I like it more than the first time. I also added an extra wedge which gives the shawl a more versatile shape, in my opinion. Basically you add another chain 1 and 2 more dc in the foundation row.

Where are the rest of my projects, you may ask. And I will tell you- on my bedroom floor, in one project bag or another, too large to take to work with me. I'm nearly halfway through the yarn I bought for my ripple, but it's not as big as I would like it to be (I measured last night, and the width is still bigger than the length-- 42" by 32" ). The rows keep getting longer on my Citron, so that's hiding too. And I really need to work on that vest... and more dishcloths... The list could drag on.

In other news, I started a new book: A Dab of Dickens & a Touch of Twain by Elliot Engel. I bought it several years ago at a used book sale and hadn't touched it since. But because I am on vacation, I figured I should try a new book. My eventual goal is to read all the random books I buy (used and dirt cheap) or get rid of them. I took 14 books to the library as part of my effort to clean up. (Many more stayed, but that is beside the point.)

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my little world today! Stop back any time! :)