Cold Sheep

Ravelry, if you've never been, is a great place for community, conversation, and- of course- yarn. Several of my favorite discussion boards share patterns and host swaps, but as it is January, a popular one is the Cold Sheep (and Friends) group.

Now, you may ask, what is a cold sheep? Basically, it's a crafter's term for not buying any yarn. Every once in a great while (for some of us, more frequently), crafters realize that they have purchased more yarn then they could ever use up in their lives-- this is called SABLE (stash acquired beyond life expectancy). The Cold Sheep group exists to motivate crafters to knit and crochet and spin and weave their yarn into useful/beautiful/warm items.

The group runs little challenges throughout the year- some with prizes, some without- to help its members to think outside the box when working with their stash. My favorite is the You Can Do It! CSAL, which tracks participant's yardage output over a period of time- in this case, three months. For every 1000 yards you use up, you earn an entry into their prize drawing. I find that the motivation from getting a prize entry can help me finish languishing projects.

Who doesn't love motivational sheep?

Another group that is helpful for "stashing down" is the KnitPicks (and more!) Stashdown group. Similarly structured to the Cold Sheep group, challenges to use up yarn and motivate crafters to have manageable stashes abound. This year, they are doing 2 big challenges- a "no yarn" tiara and a "weight loss" tiara. I joined in on the "weight loss" one, because moving 6000g out of my stash would be amazing-- and it also allows for some freedom in purchasing new yarn if needed. Of course, the crowns are virtual, but in addition to the larger, year-long challenge, various group members have smaller, shorter challenges that may have real-world prizes.

One of the group mods made these images. <3

As it is January, and many people make resolutions, these groups could be useful for crafters. I am finding them useful for me, as I am taking this year to reorder my stash and put it into a more manageable, useable space. Avoiding aimless purchases is the first part, using the yarn is the second.

Progress and babies.

A couple of projects going simultaneously right now, and deadlines approaching faster than originally remembered. 

Cloudy mornings mean colors are difficult to capture

This red & brown round ripple is a gift. After I finish with the brick red rounds, I'll add one more of beige and a border of the gold. Using Vanna's Choice yarn means the matching has already been done for me. I love the way these particular colors work together. 

Still working on my gray monochrome sunny spread, but as its due date is closer than nearly all my other projects, it's taken precedence over everything else. Just last night, I squared up a third of the circles, so I'm really optimistic about finishing-- maybe as soon as the end f the week. 

While this scarf didn't have a deadline, it's been a forever WIP. I decided to bite the bullet, frog the last section and weave in the remaining ends. The variegated sections are Alpaca Sox, which is lovely and fuzzy and warm. The solids are Knit Picks Palette, definitely a workhorse yarn, and one of my go-tos. 

Little Munchkin is ten months old, and just starting to toddle along. His 'signature move' is the three step plop-- just my funny way of saying he takes three to five steps, and then plops on the floor. He's still working on the balance thing. 

Linking with Ginny!

WIP Wednesday

I hope everyone's been enjoying the cold weather!! It was zero degrees yesterday when I got up for school, and it barely got warmer than that.

My students are taking exams all week, so my teaching is minimal, and I've had a little bit of spare time to crochet. I started a Juliana again, this time with the proper yarn. It is definitely turning out better this time, and I love the colors. I'm using Knit Picks Palette in Mulberry and Chroma in Gossip. I doubt I will use all the yarn up, so I'm planning what to make next. I really love this Chroma colorway, and I'm sad that it was discontinued. You can't tell from the photo, because I hadn't gotten far when this photo was taken, but the pink in this colorway is AMAZING!

When I need something a bit more brainless, I go back to working on infinity scarves. I'm in the middle of my fifth this month. Making infinity scarves is an ongoing project, and I really hope to finish up many more between now and graduation.

My fiance was over this past weekend, and brought a book with him-- he thinks I have time to read. Oddly enough, he's right, as I've been able to read nearly 3 chapters of Service, by Marcus Luttrell. Luttrell is a Navy SEAL who lost his team and wrote about it in his first book, Lone Survivor. This second book is much more palatable for me- one, because my fiance is no longer deployed, and two, because I'm not walking into the book knowing that everyone dies. E keeps bringing around these military books for me to read, to help me understand what he went through. It's eye-opening and sometimes scary, but we really do need to face what our military personnel go through to defend our freedoms.

Linking up with Tami for WIPW and Ginny for Yarn-Along.

Out of my Element

I've been sewing. Which is so not me. I never took up sewing when single because my mom had this older sewing machine that she was convinced my sister and I would break. So I took up yarn arts because that was different from what my mom did. But with a little one at home comes the need for sewing projects. I feel silly paying for someone to hem fabric for me-- ala nursing cover or car seat canopy. Several internet searches led me to some DIY designs for both of these items. I didn't even need to buy fabric, because my mom has a friend who used to work at a fabric store and was destashing her fabric a few years ago. There are several large bins of it in my parents' basement now. 

very geometric fabric- so my lines are straight!

Luckily when this idea to do some sewing hit me, my mother-in-law was able to provide. I'm currently borrowing her machine, which apparently she rarely used.

the instruction booklet stays close!

All the hemming done!!

sewing machine problems

I made it most of the way through both my projects before the tension on the machine decided to go wonky. What's left on my two big projects is mainly hand sewing anyway, but 'breaking' the machine really dampened my morning. 

I was able to switch to my crocheting projects though. Both are CAL patterns from the CSW Ravelry group.  The first one I've been working on since July, but was motivated by the September CAL to get moving on it. 

nearly finished

I'm using KnitPicks Stroll and Candy Skein Yummy fingering. The colors are not showing true due to the overcast weather we're having.

My second one is the October CAL, modified to be more of a scarf size. I'll try for better pics when my arms aren't occupied by baby J. I'm holding two strands of Lion Brand Sock-ease together for this one, the second ball being one I dyed a while back. Hopefully the Sock-ease will soften, as it feels a bit stiff right now. 

new project

Pink Shawl-- desperately seeking shallow crescent
Blue-green scarf-- Nena

Wednesday link-up with Ginny

Vacation Crafting

Not typically considered the time to craft, vacation is a time to relax. For me, on the first 'family' vacation since getting married, it's a little different. I'm usually one to get in one the action and play around with the kids, but being in my third trimester puts a bit of a damper on that activity (8 kiddos, 8 and under). So I play referee in the corner, with my bag of yarn next to me. 

My first project is the Lagnaippe shawl, though I'm only a third of the way done. I ran into some color coordinating problems so it got put on hold. 

The second project is the Citrus Shawl. It has a really pretty starting motif, followed by a vstitch body. The pattern is soothing to me. 

Both shawls use some KnitPicks WOTA that I dyed for another project, but they coordinated really well with some Shepherd's Wool that I've had in my stash for close to a year. I really love the Shepherd's Wool-it's kinda local to me, which is nice- great colors plus a great feel for a wool yarn. It is very soft, even in the skein before washing. It also has a nice weight to it. If I get the chance, I'm definitely buying more of it. 

The next two days of vacation may prove to be the downfall of my shawls, but I'm really hoping to finish, as the kiddos are taking a day trip today. There might be a bit more quiet and productivity, if I put my mind to it.  

Longer Rows

I've reached a point in my current WIP where each row feels like an eternity, and the prospect of frogging is extremely daunting.

Long rows  and short rows

The first row of the final section. If I had worked this pattern all the way through the first time, my mishap might have been avoided. But at the time, I was content with the size of my shawl. This time around, part of my goal is using up yarn and with several hundred yards left of yarn, I really need to go on and complete the final section. I've learned that charts are a wonderful addition to a written pattern, but only helpful if you actually look at them. In my haste to keep moving, I misread the pattern (forgetting to look at the charts) and will be spending my afternoon frogging the last row. 

And of course, I only think to take picture in the evening, so the colors are out of whack. As I've mentioned before, I'm using three yarns for this pattern. 

The little bit of blue at the top of my photo is my start on the Hexy shawl in Knit Picks CotLin. To combat the tedium of the long rows, I started this shawl which has been on my list for a few weeks. This shawl stuck out to me because it had an interesting stitch pattern while also not being triangular. 

My reading has been intermittent, as this week E and I have been focusing on moving. The final day is Saturday, with a number of his work buddies coming over to help with the larger furniture. I'm really anxious about it, but I'm trusting that everything will get done in good time. 

Joining with Tami & Ginny!

Summer Progress

With the school year finally over (I finalized my high school grades yesterday), I'm finding that I need to occupy myself in brain stretching ways. In order to avoid a huge pile of WIPs (which I nearly have already), I have been making a point to have near exclusivity with projects, particularly ones that have been in progress for quite a while.

Pulled out of hibernation

My second True Love, which was started back in February for the Ravellenic Games, is my current out-of-hibernation WIP. Habing only started back in February, the hibernation isn't as long as some of my other projects. I'm using 2 different colors of Knit Picks Palette, Mulberry and Fairytale, plus a coordinating shade of Classic Elite Alpaca Sox. My sister will again make fun of my constant use of pinks and purples, but they really are my favorite colors. My husband's family vacation starts at the end of July, so I'm hoping to have a couple of new shawls for the chilly nights on the lake. This may be one of them :)

lots of blues


My other out-of-hibernation project has been the "Wedding Ripple". Originally started about 3 months before my wedding last year, my husband thinks I should finish it up for the baby. I'm stubbornly refusing, saying that this is "our" blanket, and I need to finish it for us. It is nearly queen sized, so will fit on our current bed-- a bit too big for baby. On a whim, I purchased 2 more skeins of yarn for it the other week, and am hoping that all the yarn I have will make it to the end. Of the colors you can see above, the dark blue and the medium green are the easiest to find in craft stores and what I have the most of. After the blue light-to-dark repeat, I'm adding a row or two of beige, followed by a green dark-to-light repeat. There will be reassessment at that point, to see what yarn I have left and if it's big enough.

For both of these projects, I've been watching TV on DVD for a few hours at a time. I'm re-watching Joss Whedon's Firefly, which, if you haven't seen it, you totally should. On a whim, I also picked up the first season of Call the Midwife at my library last week. It took me two days to watch all of it, and I'm hooked. I now have the second season, and will probably get quite a bit more crocheted while watching that.

Books and more books

The major brain stretching of the first few weeks after school's done can be found in this giant stack of books. It's quite a stack of subjects, from faith to history to birthing. The two that you can't see the spine are Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and The Fellowship of the Ring on audiobook. I've been reading quite closely the Bradley book, as I have absolutely no clue what to expect when it comes to the birth of my child. It's interesting and educational, and has given me a bit more knowledge, even if it hasn't quite made me totally confident in myself. Of course, of all my books, the other ones I am really into right now are personal copies. So while there's no rush to finish those, I'm still reading them before the stack of library books. Oops.

FABRIC PAINT

My last crafting project for the week is fabric painting some t-shirts for the summer camp I'm working at later this summer. I think the fabric painting is my favorite part :)

Check out Tami's & Ginny's 

Scarves on Wednesday

Patience wears thin as the school year draws closer to the end. Luckily, there is always more yarn to be found! (In fact, I came across another 2 Rubbermaid containers full of yarn at my parents' this weekend.) I made a stress yarn purchase last week, along with the most adorable buttons!

With my new yarn, I'm thinking of a new scarf... honestly, I'm always thinking of new scarves. Even in the summer, I love the light accessories. The FOs I posted last week will probably become my staple style of scarves for the summer. The yarn is perfect too. Sock yarn is great for lightweight scarves. 

Neon Yarn is awesome!

My current WIP is another infinity scarf, this time in the Tiki colorway of Felici. The striping is not as clean in this colorway, which is a bit disappointing, and less vibrant overall than Fizz (my previous 2 scarves). I really liked it when I saw it online, but I'm less thrilled about it now. This will definitely be a scarf that I have my artist sister coordinate outfits for. 

I'm planning, when there is finally extra time (if that ever happens), to write out an alternative to my current pattern, in hopes of making it more dense. I'd like to be able to use it with different yarns, but right now, it's really just an angled mesh.

Dinos or turtles with the hand-dyed yarn?

Other than my brief attempts at designing, I've been dyeing yarn to go with my buttons! The first finished skein is a blue-green color, which I love, but I'm having a hard time deciding on the buttons. I'm planning on a Pebble Vest, possibly two, for baby boy, since he'll be a fall/winter baby. The other yarn I've dyed is red, but it's drying and I need to decide if it needs more red (it might dry too pink for baby boy). I also have some bug buttons that might be cute for this pattern, but I'm just in the planning stages and can always use advice. There is also the possibility of dyeing the blue-green again, or finding another yarn entirely (I know I have tons of worsted weight yarn. Some of it was earmarked for another project, but there's no way it was going to be more fun than baby knits! Brown... Dark Teal... Hmmmmm! The choices are endless!)

Before I bore everyone, I should direct you to Tami's and Ginny's for the Wednesday link-ups!

Infinity Stripes

On Wednesday, I gave a sneak preview of my finished project for the week. This project will always hold special meaning for me, due to when I made it.

Double the fun!

These two scarves kept me company during my first experience on an over-night school retreat. We only had girls sign up for this one (I'm told that's unusual), and the experience was interesting, to say the least. It was a short, two-day retreat, but still a good time away from everything else. 

My small group

Being out of the school atmosphere was great for me, as I really enjoy the age group, but so often have to be the teacher with my students. These girls were not my students- I teach freshmen, they were sophomores- and we had some good fun. The "thing" of the weekend was the "Cold Water Challenge". We were on a lake, and a few of the girls had been recently nominated. My understanding of the challenge is that you must jump into a cold body of water within 24 hours of being nominated, or donate $100 to charity. What ended up happening was the priest on the retreat with us offered to do the challenge, since none of the girls had permission forms to go in the lake. (School rules, which is legitimate). The girls thought it was hilarious, and the priest told us later that it was something he did with his buddies when in college, so not much of a challenge for him.

The girls challenged the priest- the "Cold Water Challenge"

Back to the scarves- one skein of Knit Picks Felici per scarf, crocheted on an angle. I didn't want a pattern so busy that it obscured the striping, but I didn't want plain double or single crochet either. It's basically my version of the Retro Striped Scarf from Crochet Me a few years back.

Working Hard

I've been working quite a bit on my sock blanket project. As I mentioned before, it is a great project to have in my bag, for those spare minutes. I've completed my goal of seven base squares, though it's possible that I will add if I see fit. Yesterday I started joining them together, which is what you see below.

Kinda blurry....

The 3 yarns you see here are all from different places- the pink is from a Harry Potter mini-skein pack I got in a swap ages ago; the purple/blue is Candy Skein; the cream/gray is Knit Picks Stroll Tonal Pearlescent. You will definitely see more of all of them in the future, as I still have some left. If my calculations are right, I can get 2 squares out of a mini-skein- and many of my leftovers are larger than mini skein size. 

Sneak Peek!

The above is a quick look at what I've been crocheting, which will be revealed on Friday, since it is finished!!

Reading has slowed down again. I have many of the same books on my shelves as I've had for the past 2 or 3 weeks. Hopefully with the school year winding down, I will be able to get a few new ones in!

Check out:
WIP Wednesday
Yarn Along

A Happy Finish

Not really true to color.

I finished my sister's birthday present this morning, with just the ends left to weave, and a light blocking if I have time. Seeing as she picked out the color & yarn, I'm really hoping she likes it. Working with Knit Picks Stroll was lovely- I have worked with similar before, but not the plain Jane Stroll. I have to find a place where I can capture the true color of the yarn; it is much richer in person. Also, my couch is not a good staging place. Nor is my iphone a fabulous camera when I need it to be (it takes great pictures when I dont need it to take great pictures).

 

New wardrobe in the first bedroom

Yesterday afternoon, E and I spent quite a bit of time assembling the above wardrobe. E was having a bit of trouble, but once two heads were involved, it came together fairly quickly. It looks great with the new paint too. Assembling this was one of the last steps in having the apartment move-in ready. My parents have a baby crib for us, which we are picking up this weekend, and after that, there is just a bit of cleaning left. We won't start moving in earnest until after the school year is over, but we are getting there. (Also, I'm making new curtains.... Hopefully)

Again, colors don't work, though this does give you an idea.

My sock blanket is progressing slowly but surely. I came to the conclusion last night that this will most likely NOT be for the baby on the way. While I'm not big on gender colors, this blanket will definitely lean girl, based solely on my own personal choices of yarns that have pink and purple in them. There has been no firm decision yet, but I'm pretty sure even if this doesn't work for baby, it'll work for someone else another time. I have many other more neutral options open to me. 

 

I really enjoy the sock blanket as a project, though, more than I thought. A quick knit for me, though still not up to speed just yet. The project as a whole may take a while, but the little squares will come together fairly quickly. It makes me want to start another crochet block project.... But I shouldn't get ahead of myself.

 

It's a happy Friday today, for me at least. Many things are getting finshed- both cleaning and crafting, we celebrate the sacrifice of Christ through his crucifixion, and Sunday we celebrate his rising from the dead. Overall, a good way to end the week.

New Home WIP

While I have been working on some crocheting and knitting, this weekend I've been working on a piece of furniture for my/our new apartment!!!

There are no before pictures, just halfway to step one pictures. 

On the first day, I got to play with paint stripper, a power sander, and ended with really sore hands, arms, and back. Being liberal with paint stripper (not that I have experience) was difficult, and I ended up probably doing more work than necessary. 

All the white paint is gone, but still needs work!

Day two was work on the drawers, as well as paint that I missed on day one. I also put stain on the top (the only bit that is completely sanded and stripped of paint), which is helpful in motivating me to work harder on the other bits. 

The reason for this dresser makeover? Fiancé really dislikes painted furniture. It was in a little girls room, and it needed either a new coat of paint or a complete overhaul. I counted at least 4 layers of paint, plus the most recent color. If I slapped another coat of paint, it would've needed to be touched up the next time we moved. So I'm striping all the paint, sanding, staining, and then topping it with a coat of poly. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it. 

Even though I've been busy with home projects, I do have some yarn to share!!!

Decorating my books: a scarf and a shawl

My stack of books increased yesterday, as I decided to pursue the historical fiction section on Amazon. I didn't expect to get them all at the same time. Titles, in case you can't read them: The Age of Ice, The Light between Oceans, The Kitchen House, and Red Templar. It Starts with Food is obviously not fiction, and I'm still working through it, a bit at a time. 

And here's a close up of my crocheting, Hitchin' a Ride. 

Lovely self-striping Felici!

Linking up with Tami & Ginny!

Project Monogamy

I'm trying this new thing, project monogamy. Working on a single project, until it is finished. This is odd for me, because I have a tendency to work on multiple things at the same time.

The reason for this monogamy was first a problem in a knitting project, which caused it to be put in timeout, combined with the realization that I have a lot of WIPs. If I work on one, until it's completely done, I am more likely to be motivated to finish it. 

For example: I am currently working on True Blue Love, using Palette fingering yarn. The color is a great shade of blue, the pattern is interesting. It's also turning out a lot bigger than I had expected. I want to finish it, but I also would love to start something smaller. If I don't finish this now, I'll likely end up not finishing it. It's not really me forcing myself to finish it, just that I am resisting all the new yarn and other projects to make sure that I actually finish.

I'm hoping to apply this project monogamy to some other WIPs, as I have a few, and I think that as long as I start and finish a smaller project in between the bigger ones, I won't get as antsy about all my WIPs. 

More Finishes

Last week I posted my finished Michele's Lace, and I have post blocking photos now too! 

The lace opened a lot with blocking. I took some photos with my mom modeling, and I'll get those up next week hopefully. 

I also finished my First Love shawl, and am currently debating about a button for it. The reason for the button is the smallish size of the shawl, which I was expecting. It might get a bit of blocking to help it. 

I left off the picot border, and was left with a small ball of yarn. My project page on ravelry will be updated with the measurements, etc, in a few days. 

Thinking about new yarn is dangerous. But I'm still thinking. I've been doing really good, keeping up with and finishing projects, and I think I need a wedding de-stress-er. 

Linking with FO Friday!

More Shawls than I can count

Shawls have been the order of the day with me, as I have been trying several new patterns. I'm nearly finished with my Michele's Lace, and am planning on starting on another of Julie's designs, either Kendall's Lace or Leah's Lace.  I'm also working on a First Love, and just cast on a Summer Flies. And there's a lace shawlette that might be in progress.... So both my hooks and needles are flying!

Being bicraftual definitely has an advantage, as the yarn I'm using for Summer Flies is Candy Skein's June colorway Bubblegum Ice Cream and it is VERY variegated. Now, variegated yarns dont always play well in crochet patterns, so I switched to the knit pattern, where it does not overwhelm the pattern too much.

Summer Flies
using US size 5 circular needle
Candy Skein Yummy fingering Bubblegum Ice Cream

First Love
using US hook size H
Knit Picks Palette in Mulberry

Michele's Lace
using US hook size H
Serenity Sock dyed by me (shades of blue & purple)

Linking with Tami & Ginny for WIPW & Yarn-Along

Feeling Unaccomplished

This past week has been a busy one. I worked every day except Friday, the weather has been unseasonably warm, my room went from messy to clean to messy again, I switched over to summer clothes, packed my winter clothes and read at least 2 new books. However, because I have neglected my blog, I somehow feel unaccomplished.

Unaccomplished is definitely not a good state of being. It is also incorrect. I finally finshed putting together the afghan for my parents, and am waiting for Around the Corner Crocheted Borders to come in at the library so I can put the finishing touches on it. Two more infinity scarves were added to my stash for the fall craft shows, and I'm halfway through a third. I have my next half dozen or so projects planned, while still having too many WIPs.

1. Baby afghan for C's September baby-- will probably be a Christmas gift
2. Wedding afghan for me! (I told E we would get a blanket...)-- I have 100 or so days to finish this on time... The last one took me 6 months. I think I'm cutting it close
3. Fjaril cardigan-- the Cold Sheep CSAL just finished up, and I won a prize. I picked out this cardigan, and excited to expand my knitting skills- Probably going to use Knit Picks Palette in Whirlpool after frogging my Blue Pineapples shawl that just wasnt working
4. Chevron Cardigan-- a less ambitious project than the Fjaril, because it is crocheted, but still will be one of my first proper garments. I dyed the yarn for this project over a year ago, and it needs to get out of my stash and into my wardrobe before I move.
5. Infinity scarves by the dozen-- A few weeks ago, I posted about a great deal I got on some Lion Brand Homespun Thick & Quick. I want to use it up as quickly as possibly, so I'll have more merchandise for my fall craft shows, and so I won't have to transport the excess yarn when moving.
6. More hats! Scarves have been my primary focus, but I still have quite a bit of yarn for hats. I need to use it!
7. Shawls for the mothers for the wedding. I have no yarn, no pattern and no plan, but I know I want to make something. (Ones for the bridesmaids are out, as they wont appreciate it)-- I'm thinking of Knit Picks Stroll Tonals, but am currently undecided- I would need to buy yarn, which I dont really want to do....

Yeah.... These plus my WIPs will definitely keep me busy... I should stop worrying about feeling accomplished and just start knitting :)

Always a Work in Progress

I love this pattern, and I wish my camera would capture the colors better.

There are 2 big WIPs in my craft basket, and they've been there for 2 weeks and many months. The one above is the more recent of the two. Below is a creamy knitted poncho. Both are using KnitPicks yarns. 

5 sections out of 20

One is for me, one is a commissioned item. I really need to get on task and work on the knitted poncho. Friday night, it was the only project I worked on. I love the mindlessness of the knitting, now that I've figured the pattern out. I mentioned this in my Friday post, and a visual will probably help-- as you can see, it is knitted in sections (well, the lace part is) and each lace wedge has 7 yarn-over "ladders", I guess you could call them. So instead of keeping a tally, I now am able to just count the ladders to check my progress. It's a pattern that the friend who commissioned it picked up at a LYS "up north" as we say in Michigan, and I don't think the pattern is written well. Not trying to insult the designer, just saying it could be easier to understand if written better.

If nothing else, I like working on the knit better than my Steph, as the rows are over 100 stitches and take pretty much forever. I'm not even on the short rows yet!

You can see a bit of the size difference here. 

Even though I'm in the midst of KCBW, I wanted to share what I've been working on. And its not too late to get in on the fun!

Linking with Tami & Ginny for WIP Wednesday & Yarn-Along 

Making New Things!

I am so excited to have pictures to share of the new things I've been making.

Both of my WIP shawls

Ananas Crocheted Shawlette

testing new settings on my camera- B&W except for blue things :)

Stephanie's Wrap

My hand-dyed tonal pink.

I had all the yarn for my Steph wound into balls on Thursday last week, using my cousin's eldest daughter M for my swift. (Note to self: KnitPicks makes their skeins small. Drill new holes on Lazy-Susan swift.) M is really great, and she loves helping me with yarn-y stuff (I sense a new student as soon as my schedule slows down). As much as I wished I had, I didn't officially start crocheting until Sunday night, when I alternated between 3 projects.

Sunday night, my "Ananas" were just starting to appear on the shawl. But the rows were really long! So, I didn't get as far as I had wanted to, but finally added the second skein. The pineapples are starting to be visible too-- I totally love watching these sorts of patterns develop.

This was my afternoon- popcorn, tea, Rav & crocheting

With Spring Break ending and classes starting back up, my crafting time diminished. However, I will be done teaching this week, and finish all the student teaching paperwork, etc, next Friday. So, crafting time will again be a large part of my day.

Joining Tami's WIP Wednesday & Ginny's Yarn-along!

Finished: Dyeing

This yarn was supposed to coordinate, not match, but since I was experimenting with dye, it turned out pretty close in color. My last few days have been a bit busy, so I haven't gotten anything finished. It's ok though. I'm enjoying my last few days of Spring Break.

The top yarn is KnitPicks Palette, and the bottom is KnitPicks Bare Stroll, which I obviously dyed. I'm planning on making the crocheted version of the Color Affection shawl that has been popular. I'm excited to see how it comes out.

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful and I spent the afternoon with my cousin and her children. We all went to a nearby nature park and had a lovely long walk. Photos later, for sure :)

Share all your FOs (hopefully more finished than mine!!) over at Tami's!

another Wednesday

I'm grateful for Spring Break, which is just around the corner.

My busy school schedule has been keeping me from crocheting as much as I'd like, but in these last few weeks, I'm thinking my schedule will get back to normal.

Slow progress...

Last week I was working on fingerless gloves to go with my slouch hat, but on Monday, I decided that I just wanted a scarf. So I'm making up a pattern as I go for an infinity scarf that almost matches the hat.

I'm tired of the crazy weather, and am hoping that spring will finally come our way. Not much else around here.

Linking with Tami & Ginny!