Missing a Head

My week has been a bit crazy, especially since I spent all day Tuesday thinking it was Monday. I love having a long weekend, but since we were out of town, I didn't get a lot of time to relax like I had wanted to. My major progress this week has been a pair of baby hats, one of which is still in progress. They are similarly sized, but I wanted to make one slightly bigger, just in case. The accents on it are still up for debate, because it's hard to come up with ideas for boy hats. Girl hats are really easy- add a flower and BOOM you're done. This requires more thought. 

A hat in need of a head... and an accent

I used Vanna's Choice yarn in a light green- the name escapes me right now- single crochet with an H hook. My only model in the proper size is an orange shaped candle. I'm both excited and nervous to have a baby to fit it come the end of the summer. Hopefully, I will have a few more cute crocheted items done by then.

My basil is my other success for the week, as it is starting to look like what it's supposed to look like, and it smells awesome. My zinnias are doing alright as well, with the oregano coming in 3rd place. My rosemary is sadly in 4th, with nothing discernible in the pot. We planted another pot of seeds, but we may just buy a seedling in a few weeks if nothing comes up. 

My husband has most of the vegetables out of the pots and into the proper garden, and I have been given the responsibility of keeping them watered. We have beans, carrots, pumpkins, and cucumbers right now. Hopefully we'll get some good produce from them this year. 

Zinnias

Basil

Oregano

One Step closer

Five Finished Squares

My finishes have been small, but I am seeing a bit of progress on my sock blanket. There are plans for dyeing yarn that may take place this evening, but nothing really concrete. These little squares are definitely the best on-the-go project to have right now, so there is hope for more progress over the next few weeks.

The weather is tired and rainy today, and my mood reflects that. I've been busy, bustling around trying to get lesson plans together. Hopefully the weekend will be calmer.

FO Friday!

Triduum

Today is Holy Thursday, the start of the Sacred Paschal Triduum. I find that there is something extremely peaceful and relaxing about a weekend of going to church. The pinnacle of the liturgical year for Catholics, the events celebrated during Triduum represent our faith.

This year, my husband and I will be celebrating Triduum in our own fashion, separate from both of our families, at least for a time. I have an appointment this afternoon (half day of school) so we will not be able to attend the Chrism Mass, but we have plans to attend the celebration of the Lord's Supper. (We are still searching for a parish where we both are comfortable, so the location is TBA.) Tomorrow, E works, so I'm looking for someone to go to noon services with me. I don't really require companionship to church, but for the last 4 or 5 years, I've been attending Good Friday services with my mom and little sister, so the abrupt change to going by myself this year will be difficult. E did get both Saturday and Sunday off this weekend, so Saturday we plan on attending the Easter Vigil, with Sunday being a day of traveling to celebrate with my family. Of all the holidays, Easter is the one that both families celebrate on the day of, so E and I have to make decisions. We turned down his brother's celebration since we went there last year. My sister's birthday and my goddaughter's birthday also fall during Triduum, so we are including those celebrations on Sunday.

I'm really looking forward to the extra days off of school (Friday and Monday) even though they won't be as relaxing as Spring Break. A little rest is always needed.

A finished hat!

You can see my Christmas decorations hiding in the back

The focus isn't great, because iPhone photos are not the best at night, but I have finished a slouch hat. Challenged by my sister, I came up with the pattern myself. I plan on making more of these, so there will definitely be more (& better) pics in the future!

The fact that I've been  able to finish this is most certainly an accomplishment, as I have been so busy with teaching, my time is not always my own. I still want to make a few more before my final craft show of the season- next weekend! I think with Christmas being so close, many people will be shopping for gifts, and these have been particularly popular. 

Linking up with Tamis Amis! 

Sunny Summer Shawl

I just love alliterations! Yeah, I'm a teacher like that. This week, I've slacked off quite a bit here, mainly due to a full work week-- a co-worker's on vacation, so I worked every day. (the only sadness to that is working on my birthday, which I will celebrate with my family tomorrow).

It has given me time, though, to crochet. I tested a shawl pattern for Anastacia Knits, and I wanted to have it finished to show off today.



I've also been working on some shawl pins, one of which is featured in the above photo. I haven't blocked the shawl yet, but I think it will just bring out the edging more, so the photo is a fair representation.

Linking up with Tami for FO Friday!

A Garment in 72 Hours

Even though I am both a process and a product girl when it comes to crocheting & knitting, today I'm definitely endorsing the product end of the spectrum.

Last week, after finally assembling the afghan for my parents, I felt inspired to tackle what seemed like another large project: a garment for me. Over the last 18 months, I have been challenged through various Block-A-Month crochet-a-longs, which have expanded my technique and helped me to become a more adventurous crafter. I have also gotten better at knowing what I like and don't like, and am now more than willing to frog a project if it is not suiting my needs.

3/4 length sleeves & 2 buttons

The garment that I choose to make: a crocheted cardigan. I knew this would be a good choice, because it would not take as long as a knitted cardigan (I knit a lot slower than I crochet) and also because I had just recently lamented to my sister the lack of colored cardigans in my wardrobe.

my pair of buttons are nearly an exact match to the stripe I added

The pattern I picked is a free one: Chevron Lace Cardigan. This pattern was recently brought to my attention again through Knit and Crochet Blog Week, where we were asked to think about projects that would reflect the characteristics of our chosen house. My chosen house, the House of Manatee, reflects the calmer, steady nature of crafters, and I felt like it fit my most prominent crafting personality. I further explain this here.

Back to product versus process. I enjoy crafting because it makes me feel less useless while watching television. It makes me feel productive. I also enjoy wearing the items I make. This project was definitely a product. The process was quick, meaning I had the desired item (a colored cardigan) in a few short days. I never thought it would take me so little time to make myself a sweater, and I am totally thrilled. I dyed the yarn for it simply ages ago, blogged about here.

Perfect length, perfect weight

After debating about buttons with several different people, I found the ones I wanted.

It didn't really need blocking, so I wore it on Monday. Outside in the sun, the wool was definitely a bit too heavy. But in my air-conditioned workplace, it was perfect. I had a lot of compliments on it, which calmed my worries about it being a completely awful garment.

This sweater also used up close to 700 yards of yarn, pushing my total yardage used this year over 5 miles!!! (I know I have added to my stash this year, but I still feel awesome!)

Linking with Tami to share the love of a finished sweater!

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. 

Finishes

This week, my finishes are all small, as I have been reluctant to start on any big projects when I already have several looming.
As a gift for my mom's friend who is getting married tomorrow, I made a pillow.

Front

Back

On Christmas Eve, the Jesse Tree was also finished.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus at the top

O Antiphons

I finished crocheting a "scarflette" (basically a short scarf) on Christmas Eve before Vigil Mass. This one is short out of necessity, as I ran out of yarn. But it drapes well, and I might hunt for a matching button. (The yarn is KnitPicks Felici in Tyrian Purple)

More infinity scarves were finished-- but a super boring finish, because I make these all the time.

Yesterday I finished making my Terribly Simple scarf, which was indeed simple. However, the endless rows of boring knitting got to me, and I cut it short because I wanted my needles free in case of another project.

It was lovely spending Christmas with the family. Here is my fiance, helping cook the bacon:

Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas, and wishing all of you a safe New Year!!

Linking up with Tami's FO Friday!

Done and Done!

No pictures today, because I'm at work, but I wanted to share my joy with everyone!!

I am officially (minus end-weaving) finished making all the Christmas gifts!!! Yesterday I finished off the last infinity scarf for one of my good friends, and this morning, I started and finished the second fingerless mitt for my aunt!

Anything I make after this is just an added bonus-- I can think of at least 2 projects that would be nice to have done by Christmas, but are not necessary to have done.

E and I are spending Christmas with my family, and New Year's with his, so I'll be busy this coming week. Christmas Blessings to you and yours!!

(Linking up with Tami!)

Papercrafting and Last Minute Orders

My FOs this week are mixed media-- I have crochet, like normal, but also papercrafting. You see, I have been on the hunt for a circular paper punch, with the little scalloped edges, for several weeks. However, the stores don't seem to be re-stocking, so they've never had the size I wanted. Yesterday, my JoAnn's had the one I wanted, and it was on sale. I used it as soon as I got home, make new ornaments for our Jesse Tree. So now, my family is celebrating a mix of old and new as we prepare for Christmas and the birth of Christ.

new paper punch!

my ornaments for next week

this week's, up close

ornaments from years past

our Jesse Tree, preparing us for Christmas

I have made some crocheting progress, though sadly not with Christmas gifts. I had a woman who had purchased one of my scarves at a craft show contact me (2 months later?!) and wondered if I had any left. (I really wanted to tell her to go away, but business is business, right?) So I graciously offered two of my WIP scarves, since I would have the rest of the week to finish them. Those are now finished, and I'm waiting to hear back from her. For those of you who work craft shows, is there any good way to let people know that you won't take orders after a certain time? Because, I update that information on my Facebook page regularly, and people still think they can order stuff the week before Christmas. Like, I made the FB page so people could find me later, and contact me. Am I doing something wrong?

two new scarves

I'm looking forward to the weekend-- we're cutting our Christmas tree tomorrow morning, have a party in the evening, and on Sunday I'm going dress shopping with my flower girls. Anyone else have exciting plans?

Anyway, linking up with Tami for FO Friday.

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.

Repeat Friday

I don't know if I've shared my infinity scarves as a FO Friday recently, but that's what I have. I was really hoping to finish my second Shallow Waters Shawl for today, but it's still a WIP in my bag. I've mostly been making infinity scarves this week, and even though the picture is from a few weeks ago, it reflects what I've been making this week.

I'm going on a retreat this weekend with my mom, and it'll be a 3 hour car ride, so expect more photos next week of finished stuff!! Like, I will properly take photos of my new infinity scarves, and the Shallow Waters shawl should be done. I might even get to read a new book! Yay!

There will definitely be more fall-ish type pictures coming up too, as I've been waiting at least 2 weeks for my sister to finish editing photos from our trip to the pumpkin farm with my boyfriend. She's a perfectionist when it comes to photos, so they've been taking a while.

This is my new bag, purchased from another vendor at the craft show last Saturday.
I LOVE it!

My camera, when it was broken. But it's fixed now! :)

Thanks for stopping by!! Check out Tami's Amis for more FOs this week!!

Yay! I finished something!!

I have been on a roll-- 2 weeks in a row I have something to share for FO Friday!
This is the Azzu Shawl, that might be a gift for one of my friends. I haven't decided yet.













I really like the endless stockinette sections and the eyelets, but was disappointed with the shape. I really expected it to be narrower, and I am still trying to figure out how to make that happen.

 It really needs to be blocked, but I haven't really had the time to do that yet.

The yarn was part of a recycled sweater that I dyed for a project. I had to dye more yarn at the end, in order to finish the last few rows. I also omitted a section from the pattern because I did not want the shawl to get any deeper. Pre-blocking-it is about 17" deep and 64" long. I used a size 8 circular needle, and the yarn weight is probably sport. 

Head over to Tami's to see more FOs this week!

Here you can see the color shift when I had to dye more yarn to match.

FO: Finally!

I am so pleased to finally share the knitted cable vest that I made for my brother. I've talked about this vest so many times- it was nearly the bane of my knitting existence. I started it between 3 and 4 years ago as a Christmas present, and it never got finished. Until now!

Tuesday night I kept going and going, fueled by the long weekend, and my desire to finally cross it off my list. I followed the pattern and picked up stitches around the neck, but without a short circular needle, I switched to dpns, then got frustrated. I only ended up with 3 rounds on the neck, but for a first time go at something, it doesn't look awful. Because I didn't want to play with more dpns, I just put a round of single crochet around both sleeves to finish it off.

The pictures were all taken at night, and my body is not great at modeling a sweater for a boy.

Not completely finished

If he doesn't like it, I might keep it!

Finished! with the leftover yarn behind it!

All wrapped up for his birthday!

Since starting this project, I have not committed to making garments for anyone else. I can feel better about making a sweater for myself though, now that this one is done.

I'm taking a short break from garment sized projects for the time being, and will just work on my scarves and shawls and hats.

Linking up with Tami to share my big accomplishment!

One (or 2) shy of the Finish line!

I've mentioned multiple times in the past few weeks the hat order that I am filling for E's sister. Well, I can officially say that I only have one left!

Wednesday night I powered through cutting and fastening yarn, and Thursday I spent re-arranging flowers, so now Rapunzel is complete! I have all sorts of tight muscles in my neck, shoulders and back, but the finished product is so worth it.

(My second Toothless is still in pieces! Nearly done though!)

The one that is unfinished- a dinosaur- is only due to my lack of yarn for it.

So here are all the hats I made!!!
2 Yodas, 1 Toothless, 1 Rapunzel, 1 monkey, 1 pirate, 1 crown

Linking up with Tami for FO Friday!

Did I finish anything this week?

I'm not really sure if I finished anything that I haven't already shared. I've been a busy bee, working on various item for the first craft show of the season (for me) which will take place the weekend after Labor Day.

Ah, yes, I have finished a few things: one scarf and a handful of flowered hair elastics. See?

Oops! These are unfinished, but you get the idea, right?

However, even though I am focused on this craft show projects, I have still worked on other things. Like more squares for my Autumnal Afghan (up to 12/30 now!), edging more Smorgasbord squares (it's still not big enough), crocheting lacy snowflakes (I've made 4/16 so far) and working on my hat order.

Maybe I'll have a whole heap of things to share next week. I'm not really feeling locquacious today. I'm linking up with Tami's Amis for FO Friday, and you should see what other completed items people are sharing this week! :-)

A Different (but not new) Craft

My crocheting progress this week is mainly invisible, so it's not really fair to share it in my FO Friday post. I finished all of my Ravellenic Games projects (I only committed to 2) and have 2 of 9 hats finished for my big hat order. There are also 3 more hats on top of the large order, and I plan to have all of them done in the next few weeks so I can focus on school once it starts.

In an effort to clean in my room (again!), I was sorting through my jewelry making supplies. Did I ever tell you that I spent my last 2 years of high school making jewelry? I have lots of jewelry making supplies, and haven't touched them in a couple of months, as I put most of it aside when I got into more serious yarn crafting.  I had made up a half -dozen or more stitch marker sets the last time I had my beading stuff out, and all that was needed was assembly. So that's how I spent the majority of my Thursday afternoon. Look at all the pretties!

I made all but 2 of the sets that I had prepared, and would've gotten into a beading stride if I hadn't had the afternoon shift at work. The ones I made up were all using jump rings, and will fit on knitting needles up to US 10. I have plenty of beading wire to make snag-less stitch markers, but didn't realize that I was all out of crimp tubes. (This is definitely a reminder that I need to inventory all of my beading supplies in the near future.)

If there is any interest, I'll photograph and write up a basic tutorial for everyone :)

I'm linking up with Tami's FO Friday today, so hop on over to see what other people finished this week!