Infographic- Christmas Gift Making 4KCBWDAY3

Day 3- Make an Infographic

In my student teaching, we were asked to make graphs to assess the improvement of our students' knowledge over a unit of material within our subject area. So I had bar graphs on the brain as I prepared for this KCBW challenge.

My motivation to finish Christmas gifts, and how productive I actually am

With lots of extra time in my last week of student teaching, I prepared this graphic to show my motivation versus my productivity throughout the yarn in regards to making Christmas gifts. As you can see, motivation and productivity is high in January, as "I don't want to repeat last year", and it slows down come spring, with a "Christmas in July" peak in motivation (though not necessarily in productivity), a productivity increase during craft show season, and finally in December "lots of motivation, but so flippin' busy".

I had a lot of fun coming up with an idea for this challenge, and I hope you enjoyed viewing my infographic.
 

A Mascot Project 4KCBWDAY2

Your task today is to either think of or research a project that embodies that house/animal. It could be a knitting or crochet pattern – either of the animal itself or something that makes you think of the qualities of that house.

Today's challenge from Eskmimi for Knit and Crochet Blog Week is to plan out a possible project that represents your House mascot. As I talked about yesterday, I placed myself in the House of Manatee. As I sat and brainstormed about possible mascot projects, I came up with several ideas.

My first round of brainstorming

• A giant stuffed manatee- or a tiny ami manatee-- taking the project totally literally, and making a mascot in one of several sizes. Because I still relate to the other houses, mainly the color of the peacock, I knew my manatee would not be grey. My first thought was to hold 2 yarns together, creating a mottled effect that would look like a sea animal. Being a sutffed animal, a manatee would embody the characteristics of its house simply by being. A stuffed toy is cuddly and comforting.
• If I was not going to make an actual manatee, I wanted to really represent a manatee. Calming colors came to mind-- soft blues, greens, and purples. The color of water, the ocean. I find the ocean really relaxing, and I felt like this idea further expanded upon the characteristics of a manatee. So, something blue or green would definitely be a possibility.
• When I thought of the ocean, I thought of waves, which took me to ripple patterns. They exist in both crochet and knit, and if done in the right colors, could successfully embody the House of Manatee.
• From ripples, I started searching my favorites and my queue for ripple ideas. Two patterns stuck out in my search- a ripple blanket like Lucy from Attic24 makes frequently, and this cardigan which I've been meaning to make for some time.
• To go with my color idea, I would need to use either green or blue with either of these projects. Oddly enough, I found that because I've had another ripple blanket in mind for a while, and I've wanted to make a cardigan for a while, I have yarn in my stash for both of these projects.

Round 2 brainstorming- less structured

A blanket or a cardigan? Both represent the comfortable and cuddly side of the Manatee House, and both of them want to be made :-) Through my reflecting on this challenge, I have found several projects that I would now really like to make. In color, technique, and end result, these projects represent how I feel about being a part of the House of Manatee. Now all that is left is for me to decide which one to start first!

Yarns for a blanket

House Cup 4KCBWDAY1

The House of Manatee: Manatees are gentle, calm and cuddly. Relaxed and unflashy they represent the comfort and soft side of knitting and crochet.

In the debate over which House I belong to, I really wanted to properly assess myself. Originally, I was torn between the Manatee and the Bee. I would fit as a bee because I am always starting something new. But I feel like a lot of people are like that. I decided on manatee, because I feel like when I knit and crochet, I'm making something that will last, but also something that will give the recipient a hug. Even when I knit or crochet on commission, it's a blanket or a warm scarf or cozy hat.  

Sometimes I feel like flashy things are impractical. My wardrobe even reflects this, as it is full of staples- basic pants, tops, and shoes- though I do have some flashy pieces, they do not go with everything. And it's not even just my wardrobe. An ideal day to me includes several blankets, a cup of tea, and a cozy knit project. 

While I might not always come across as the gentle, calm, cuddly person, I know that I wish I was that person more often. There are so many times in my classroom where I wish I was acting as the calm and gentle person. 

We're supposed to be going for the best fit here, and my self-evaluation places me in the house of Manatee. Stop on by if you're looking for a cup of tea or for a hug in the form of a scarf. 

Hype for Knit & Crochet Blog Week!

Last year was the first time I had participated in Knit & Crochet Blog Week, and I thought it was a lot of fun to see the variety of people who blog.

This year will be year 4, and I'm already enjoying the Harry Potter-esque theme with having participants choose their houses, etc. I'm also thrilled because next week will be my first week off after student teaching, and I might actually have free time. (I still am preparing some posts in advance, just in case) It is so much fun to travel around the web, reading what other people have to say, especially about the crafts I love!

Even if you don't participate, check out eskmimi's blog to get the tags to search for each day, and offer your support to those who are joining in.

Slippers in the Spring

When we thought the rain was going to stop, the field behind our house looked like this. 

 So, I was a weirdo the other day, and shared a picture of my toe poking through a hole in my hand-dyed, crocheted, felted slipper. I realized that there was no explanation for this problem, etc. A while ago, I shared this pair of slippers that I had made with yarn dyed with my cousins. They were not sturdy enough (to me) for everyday wear, so when I remembered that I had a stack of projects to felt, these slippers went in the wash too. I wore them, I loved them, but my toes poked through the double-crochet that didn't quite felt all the way (or perhaps, too much, as after the second washing, they were a little snug).

These slippers will find a home with my cousins who dyed the yarn initially, as the kiddos have smaller feet than mine, and have a cold basement that could require wool slippers. But after wearing them for a few days, I realized that I really, really wanted a pair of wool slippers for myself. The first thing that came to mine was this pair of slippers, which I made for my aunt. I would, of course, actually felt them, even though the pattern doesn't call for it.

I have the needles, the yarn, and the desire. However, since I knit really slow, I'm not sure I will get them finished before I won't need them anymore. But! If nothing else, they will be ready for next winter.

(And with all this nasty almost-winter-again weather, I might actually get to wear them sooner then I think... If they get finished)

When the rain started again on Thursday, the field looked like this.

Oh, and don't forget!!!

 

Finished and Unfinished

As per usual, I have quite a few projects on the hooks or needles. But do not dismay, I have finished some of them to share with you today.

After my fall off the sheep, I determinedly got back on and started using the yarn. My test cowl shows that using a Q hook (I think that's the size. Basically, whatever size the ginormous plastic hook is...) makes too loose of a fabric, so I'm trying different sizes to get the drape I want. I finished the test cowl though. It is nice, but way too hole-y for my tastes.

#1

Another project that has been waiting to be completed is another wreath. This isn't really a crochet/knit project, but it involves yarn! Wednesday afternoon, I got out my hot glue gun and finally glued the pieces together. I actually completely finished two wreaths, though one of them had just been waiting on the glue for a while. Although I really like the inexpensive-ness of the pipe insulation, I don't feel that it makes the most sturdy wreath. I'll be on the hunt for something on the sturdier side if I want to continue to make these wreaths.

#2

My unfinished stuff consists of a cowl for my sister's birthday, which was yesterday; a knitted commissioned item that I finally unlocked the key to making the pattern simpler, so am finally making visible progress on; Steph; Blue Pineapples; and a number of dyed yarns that are waiting to be transformed. But HOORAY! I finish my student teaching today, so my life becomes my own again. (I mean, I'm hoping to get some subbing jobs between now and the end of the year, but I will not be working 5 days a week without pay anymore.)

Linking with Tami's Amis for FO Friday.

Crocheting really slowly.

This is my weekend progress on my Steph Wrap. I totally love how my hand-dyed yarn turned out!

The rows and counting are getting daunting, so I'm just trying to keep track of where I am in the pattern (without really counting) and am hoping I don't screw up.

Around the time it was a bit bigger than my laptop

It started out small.

And then the striping starts!

It is now the size of a 20"x30" foam poster board

And this is the hole in my slipper.