Monochrome

WIP

A slouch hat and a pair of convertible mittens, in shades of grey, are in my project bag for the week. Hoping to finish them soon so I can move on to something more colorful in these dull winter months. Though the greys do match my mood as well as the snowy, frosty trees.

In the midst of exam week, so reading is limited to lesson prepping and essay reading. 

Linking with Ginny. 

When it rains...

Actually, we just got hit with snow. But I just got rained on with crochet commissions. Just yesterday, I posted about trying to expand my business, and last night I *encouraged* my little sister to send out invites to my page to all her friends. Turns out one of my cousins' fiancees ( I have several cousins that are getting married soon) is interested in items for their family Christmas gifting. So I got flooded, a bit.

My donation for my school's annual auction

Luckily I finished an order last night, and am on the edge of finishing another one. Last year, I made my first donation to my school's annual auction, and I wanted to up the ante this year. Unfortunately, I was a bit behind, as the auction is this Friday. I am pleased with my donation, especially the penguin hat. Next year, I'll be trying to be prepared before the call for donations goes out. 

My little munchkin

We're still trying to enjoy the little-ness of our munchkin- but he's getting so big, so fast! I want to make so many things for him, but other projects are getting in the way. I'll be calling off custom orders at the beginning of December so I have time for gift crafting, and hopefully I'll get to some woolies.

For now, I will continue to be grateful and continue to pray for wisdom. Thank you all for your prayers and warm thoughts as well. 

Getting Back in the Groove

It is taking me longer than expected to get back into a regular routine. This past week has been full of ups and downs, with my downs being particularly low. Part of it may be the sinus infection that E and I think we both have, which is leaving me more fatigued than just pregnancy fatigue. But we're coming closer on the end. That is my main encouragement. My only 'worry' is that once I find my new groove, the baby will come along and give me something new to adjust to. I just keep coming back to changes, and adjusting to those changes.

A finally finished blanket in use

There have been a few good days, even when E was working. I've been making precise plans, and  actually got done what was needed. My extra time then became dedicated to finishing my biggest WIP, the 'wedding' ripple. In my typical fashion, I simply crocheted until I was sick of it, then called it done. It's not quite as big as I originally wanted, but it is finished. There are a few ends to weave, but I'm calling it.

Baby Owl

Riding on the coat-tails of that finish, I was motivated enough to finish one of my baby hats. There are several in progress, but I told myself I would get at least one done before Baby is born. Now I'm hoping to have two or three. Only two of them are actually for him, but getting extras done can always be a plus. My craft show stock on hats is low this year, so I've been hoping to get it up in these last few weeks.

This green-- one of Vanna's Choice Baby-- was initially difficult to match, but after thinking it over and halting multiple times, I just decided to stick with another shade of green. Not living with my artistic sister can be such a drag sometimes, because she has always been my main color-matcher. I'm a lot less adventurous with my color choices, and mainly just stick to colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. My sister tells me that her method is exactly the same as mine, but I don't really buy it. She has some magical sense that just allows her to coordinate colors better than most people.

Getting one hat done means I'm just a bit closer to getting more done, which is extremely motivating. Which brings me to more projects that need to get done.

Half-finished Granny Squares

I've come back to my baby granny blanket, and added to that as well. It was started at Christmas time, when I brought a bag of Vanna scraps with me to my in-laws, because my oldest niece wanted some crocheting tutoring. My brother-in-law was extremely frustrated that I was working on something that really had no coordination or purpose-- randomly colored granny squares can do that to even the most relaxed person-- so it was more an effort to tease him than anything else. But it turned into a baby blanket, now intended for our new little one.

 In an attempt to not overwhelm myself, I keep switching between projects. By finishing small things, the big picture looks tidier in my head. My sinus headache is still awful, but the edges around my crafting mess are starting to get smoother. 

Depression is an odd thing. I don't know even if these blues I've had for most of my pregnancy qualify as depression. But it's been a struggle. These moments of accomplishment, though sometimes small, are sometimes all I have to cling to in dark times. E has been amazing through all of this, praying with me and for me and taking on more than his share of the burden. Without his constant reminders, I think I would lose sight of who's really in control. 

These little accomplishments help me get back on track, with everything. Being grateful for the small things helps so much. And these small things get added to the list. I am grateful that I finally finished a baby project. I am grateful that even though he feels as sick as I do, my husband still helped with the dishes. I am grateful that our family has been blessed with life. I am grateful for changes that stretch me, and for normal things that give me comfort.

Linking with Tami & Ginny & KCCO

Another Wednesday

If I posted a picture of what I was working on today, it would look really similar to last week's picture. I made a second light green baby hat, this time a bit shorter (no rolled brim) and with ear flaps. During craft night last night, I made two little green "ears" though they may morph into horns/fins/something. I'm still debating about the overall design, but I'm leaning toward dinosaur/dragon.

An acquaintance who does photography for a living did some maternity photos for us back at the beginning of May, and we're planning on having a newborn session as well. My sister, while being a talented photographer, is not good at people pictures. So at this time, I am content to hire a local photographer.

The whole point... LOL... I'm attempting to have some crochet pieces- hats, diaper covers, sweaters- made for this newborn photo shoot. The biggest problem is guessing the size of the baby. Hence multiple sizes of hats. I'm totally in love with the Leaping Crochet Baby Hoodie, have considered the Puerperium (which may be hindered by my poor knitting skills), and have downloaded several diaper cover patterns.

As my school year comes to a close, I'm hoping to have more time to work on all these ideas that I have. However, it's likely that between school moving and home moving, it will be a while...

Check out Tami's & Ginny's