Finished Socks and Ravelypmics

Yay! I finished my first pair of socks! And it only took me 3 to make a pair! :D Here they are...

The one I took on his feet came out really fuzzy. For some reason, 2 year olds just don't want to sit still! ;) I'm really happy with them. Thanks to all the great people on Ravelry and those of you that commented on my blog, I was able to make huge improvements. The holes are gone and the toe is round! YAY!!! I don't know if the sock bug has bitten, but it's a least nibbling. I'm going to go for a pair for his twin sister as part of the Gift Knit Pentathalon for the First Ravelympics!

That's right...Ravelympics! If you haven't checked it out yet, you should as registration ends Aug. 6th! I will be competing for Team Crochet and Team Hopelessly Overcommitted in WIPs Wrestling, Amigurumi-n-Toys Toss and the Gift Knit Pentathalon. Overall, I'm planning on 14 projects for the 17 day event. Screams overcommitted doesn't it? Perfect team for me! LOL

Anyway, for WIPs Wrestling, I will be attempting to complete the Daisy Afghan for my baby girl that was started while I was pregnant with her (she's now 2); the Monkey for my oldest DS that was supposed to be for Christmas last year; my first lace project - the Nutcracker Scarf that I finished most of in I think a week, but never quite finished; the Draft Stopper that was supposed to be for my oldest DS's room last winter; my very first ever knited project - a purse that needs a lining; my In Bloom Bag from Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker book; the Annimeko Cat I started a few months ago but put on hold cause I couldn't find pellets (well I have now!); and the thing that was supposed to be my first ever miniature thread bear. I also have 5 or so projects waiting in the wings in case, by some miracle, I finish all those and still have time to kill.

For the Amigurmi Toss, I'm planning a gag gift for my DH for Christmas (who I just found out doesn't read the blog, but now he might); Fairy Tale Finger Puppets for all the kiddos; at least one brand new miniature thread bear; a Hostile Bunni for my oldest DS cause he loved the blog story about him; and of course what's a Hostile Bunni without Evil Minions? So I'm going to try to make at least 2 of those (another blog story we loved).

A lot of the Amigurumi's are cross competing for the Gift Knits Pentathlon. In fact, all of them except the thread bears will. In addition, I'll be trying to do those socks for my baby girl.

It's official now...I'm crazy! I have to be to try to do all of this in 17 days while also going on vacation and getting ready for school to start again. What was I thinking???? I don't know how much of all of that I'll actually be able to get done, but I'm certainly going to give it a good try. It'll be fun no matter what.

Oh, and if that's not enough, I'm also trying to get 3 to 4 Buddy Bags done in the next 2 weeks as well as 2 napsacks. I've almost finished the first Napsack (no new pics yet) and I'm about halfway done with the first Buddy Bag.

Of course, I've really messed up that Summer Goals list now. But by the end of it, I will have finished about half of all of those goals and then some. I'll just consider the rest to be rearranged for the Fall. Yeah! :D

And I know I haven't done all the links to the projects. If you're on Ravelry, you can check my profile (share32006) to see it all in my projects/queue or just plug the names into the pattern finder. I've got to go run and get dinner on and feed everybody so that maybe they'll go to bed at a decent hour tonight. And maybe I can get some knitting done! :D

Happy Crafting!

Queen of WIPs

Yes, that's right, I've designated myself Queen of WIPs. And here's my crown to prove it...

See, it's even on my head...

This is crocheted with wire and beads. My first time crocheting with either, btw. It was created for a challenge for the Ravelry Silly Strings group. Back in May, we were all dubbed queens (yes I'm behind). We had to figure out what we were queens of and set forth to crochet ourselves crowns/tiaras representing it and do it with wire. This was tough! I've never crocheted with wire before and it's a lot harder than it looks! There were some great creations made by people who clearly have better wire skills than I, but I'll get there! :D

I knew right away that I wanted a something along the lines of a traditional (in shape/style at least) crown/tiara. Just had to figure out what to be Queen of...and of course figure out how to work with wire. So I got out my sparkly silver (diamond looking right?) seed beads, some 32 gauge wire and a for wire only steel crochet hook and started playing. After many attempts, I finally a really simple almost bracelet looking thing (sorry, I can't find the photo).

Not exactly what I had in mind. Too thin, too flimsy, too everything but what I wanted. And all my attempts and anything other than chaining left a lot to be desired as did my attempts even at chaining larger wire. So, I had to figure out a way to use my chaining with flimsy wire skills to create something that would fit my idea of a crown. Oh yeah, I also have to come up with a theme!

The WIP idea came about pretty early too actually, but I was sure how to do it or if it would even make sense. I kept bouncing other ideas around, but this is the one that kept coming up and hence, I dubbed myself Queen of WIPs. Not necessarily because of the number of crochet and knitting projects I have in progress (I know there are people who have more), but for all the other things in my life that are also works in progress (me, the kids, my other crafts...just to name a few). So to that end, I put in some color to represent the ever changing "Works in Progress" that we all are. The green is not only my favorite color, but is also meant to be vine-like. The pink dot over the ‘i’ is symbolic of a flower. And I can use it as something cool to put on my head to let the rest of the family know when Mommy’s working and needs to be left alone. LOL (And there is another definition of WIP for ya!)

I'm quite please with how it came out. And it can actually be considered a Work in Progress as well, even though it's technically finished. It's inspired me to try other things in wire and darn it, to figure out how to do more than chain and slip stitch in wire! :D So that's one thing I can cross off my Summer Goals list.

Speaking of Summer Goals, my baby girl's Princess should be done in time for her birthday Monday as well. I finally finished the hair! YAY!!! Although I may never do doll hair again! I've just got a couple of other minor things to do. I didn't like the 'crown' in the pattern. So I made up my own. I don't want to sew it to her head as I wanted to make this a doll that can grow with her. So it's removable and as such I probably won't give it to her till she's a little older. Besides, that will give me more time to figure out the socks! Try as I might, I could not make a sock from the pattern that would actually fit the doll. So that will have to wait until I know more about socks and can make her some a different way. And the stupid shoes haven't worked for me yet either. But I'm going to give them at least one more try before giving up. She may just end up being a barefoot Princess. I do plan on making additional outfits for her. But that definitely won't happen for awhile! I'll post pics after she's all 'dolled' up. :p

I'm also changing some things on my goals list. I'm going to save the Hourglass Jacket for August or September, cause I decided I wanted to do the longer sleeves and it's just too darn hot right now to think of that. So I've replaced it with the La Mer Scarf from the Summer 2008 Interweave Crochet magazine. It's done in Tunisian Crochet which is totally new to me. I had a very small taste of it during the NATCROMO CAL and wanted to learn more about it and since the Tunisian Crochet group on Ravelry is having a La Mer CAL, it seemed like the perfect time. Here's my start on it....

I'm using Patons Grace in Spearmint and an I cro-hook. The color really is nicer than this picture shows. I'm liking it a lot and it's going pretty quickly, even with all the frogging. I'm already about half way done.

And I'm going to make the Anny Purls Buddy Bags for an upcoming vacation. I'm going to stuff them with fun stuff to surprise and occupy the kids with for the long car ride. And my oldest just lost his only loose tooth, so I have a little more time on the Alien Tooth Fairy pillow (now if he'll just make a final decision on color it would be great!). That reminds me, I have to figure out what project I'll take with me for that vacation! Hmmm....

I've also been participating in a contest over at Aunt Kathy's Place. It's fun. My Princess's dress was even the mystery photo last week! HeeHee! I'm still tickled by that! :D It's fun and you should check it out.

Anyway, that's all the updates for now!

Happy Crafting!

Rings, Rings and More Rings

And more hearts! :D Warning: I got my image upload problem resolved and as such this is an image heavy post! :D

OK, it's official! I have crafting ADD! LOL I have soooo many other projects I should be working on right now. But I couldn't resist a little mini challenge for the Ravelry Silly Strings group. And it felt good to actually finish something! I think it has actually inspired me to really get to work on those summer goals (so I can start on more stuff). :D

Anyway, the challenge was "What’s the finest thread you can actually crochet with to create a wearable ring?". How can I resist that??? Well, I almost did. I was really trying to be good and not start anything new till I get some of my WIPs finished. But I needed a break and needed to finish something quick! I was losing steam on my projects and having a hard time getting inspired to even work on them. This challenge seemed like the perfect thing! So here is what I came up with....

First a simple green band....

that evolved into a sinlge flower ring...

that evolved into a Garden Fairy Ring...

that led to a Floral Fantasy Ring...

And then I couldn't help myself, I had to make another one of those hearts! This time I made a Nano Heart Ring for my baby girl so now we match...

They were all made with sewing thread and a .75mm hook. I know, I'm crazy! :D But it's so fun! Now I just need to give my eyes a break for a few more days. LOL

And then to further stray from my summer goals list, I went to the LYS yesterday. They were having a GREAT sale and I couldn't resist. So I picked up some yarn for things on my list to do... just not on my summer goals list. But I got some lovely Babyboo from Knit One Crochet Too in this lovely Blue Ice colorway that will become a Circle Crochet Scarf by Michelle Gibbs for me.

I walked around the yarn store petting this yarn the whole time! It's soooooo soft! I haven't worked with bamboo yet, but now I can't wait! I see many more bamboo projects in the future!

And then I got some Sirdar Snuggly Tiny Tots DK to make some sweater thingies for the twins. More on that later. :D I may go back and get some more to make one for my oldest too. But first I want to be sure he'd wear it and not be freaky about it coordinating with the babies. HeeHee

I also got some help on the Daisy Sweater while I was shopping. So now, I can continue on with that. The princess almost has a full head of hair. I'm waiting to get new pics till the hair is done.(See some things on my summer goals list!) That's about it from the list so far. But I have renewed energy for it, so we'll see what I can get done this week! :D

Happy Crafting! :D

Help me decide which sock!

OK, I still don't have any new finished items to show you. I'm still working on everything, it's just slow going right now. And as if I need something else to start......

I wanna try knitting socks! It seems like such a big thing in the knitting world! I haven't really gotten into it or understood what the big thing is about making socks when you can go buy them. But there must be something to it since sooooo many people are really into it. So, I'm gonna give it a try and see if I can figure out what the big deal is. :D

The question is where to start? I found some "basic" sock patterns in Ravelry that I thought might be good, but even in "basic" patterns, there are lots of patterns! So help me choose! Please! :D

The yarn I've chosen to use is Moda Dea Sassy Stripes in Crush colorway. I didn't want to make a huge investment in sock yarn until I know whether or not I'm gonna like making socks. I've heard so much about Second Sock Syndrome that I didn't want to spend the money if I was only going to make one sock. :D If all goes well and I enjoy it and decide to make more, I'll get the really good stuff then. I've already got my eye on some ShiBui Sock colorways that I will have to make something else out of if I don't enjoy socks! :D

And how do you decide on toe-up or tow-down????? Is there a big difference?

Anyway, to the patterns...... All these patterns are links in Ravelry (since most of you I know from there):

Knit Socks - LM0131 by Grace Alexander
Basic Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Magic Stripe Basic Socks by Lion Brand Yarn
Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock by Wendy Johnson
Sock-u-lator Sock Pattern Generator by Lucia Liljegren

And by all means, if you know of some other really good free pattern (again, not ready to invest much in this yet) for a first sock attempt, let me know! Leave me a comment or vote in the poll. Whichever pattern gets the most votes will be the one I give a go!

And to my crochet friends, you know I've got to try a crochet version too, but the pattern I really want to try for crocheted socks isn't out yet! So I'm eagerly awaiting the first CLF Book release! :D

Happy Crafting!

Finished Projects!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!! I finally have something to show you! :D

I finally finished the Noro Silk Garden Scarf for that my 6 year old. He loves it! Of course the first thing he says is "It's not winter anymore". Be that as it may, it is still gorgeous and he can wear it next winter! :D


I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but I've had a good reason. I was working on getting my first pattern written up and sent to testers! Another Yay! :D Once I get feedback from my testers and make any adjustments necessary to the pattern, I'm submitting for possible publication in the first ever Crochet Liberation Front Book! I improved the CLF Patch that I posted earlier and that's what I'm submitting. (I know, you want to see it, but I don't have pictures of it yet....stay tuned!) I'm excited. Even if I don't get published, it has been such a rush to work on just the possibility! And I've already got several more ideas in the works that I will maybe try to submit somewhere else, future CLF books, or maybe just self publish. We'll see.

Anyway, you want to see more finished stuff! This week, after saying I wouldn't start anything new till I finished some old stuff, I cast on a new project. But in truth, this one had been planned for a long time. May 5th-9th is teacher appreciation week. My 6 year old LOVES his teacher! So he asked me to make her a bookmark to go with the book gift certificate he gave her for Christmas. He picked out the pattern, Lace Heart Bookmark by Darilyn Page, and the color, purple (her favorite). And here is what it turned into.....

I'm also almost done with that gift I mentioned, so I'll be able to post photos in a couple of weeks after it's been received. I don't know if the recipient reads this blog, but I know her hubby does! :D

I don't think I've made anymore squares for the big blue afghan since the last posting. I've got many more to do on that. And even though I'm trying hard to not start new things, I found a pattern on Ravelry that I fell in love with and just have to make for myself. So I went out today and bought some lovely green yarn that I'm going to use to make Jennifer Hanson's Hourglass Jacket. Finally, something just for me!

I'm also going to start soon on my first knitted sweater. This one will be for my baby girl. I figured I'd start with a little sweater to see how it goes. I bought the pattern before Christmas, but have just finally gotten up the nerve to try it. I don't think that the pattern is hard, I'm just nervous about sweaters!

Speaking of Ravlery, I have put my Water Fountain up for the Crochet on Ravlery March Finished Object of the Month. I do a shameless plug and say "stop by and vote for me!" :D I'm post #78 on page 4, btw! :D

That's about it for right now. Yes, I still have toys to finish, and a baby afghan, and another baby afghan to start and blah blah blah! I can't help that I suffer from crafting ADD! But I am working on it all and I promise to keep you all updated! :D

Until then....Happy Crafting!

Happy National Crochet Month!

It's here! Yay! :D

Yikes! I forgot to post last week! OK, I didn't really forget, I just got so busy that I ran out of time. So here's a little bit of what I've been doing....

In honor of National Crochet Month (NATCROMO), I'm trying to do a project a day. Well, OK, maybe not finish a project every day, but at least have some crochet project going on every day that I can work on. So this week, I started and finished a bath puff in Lily's Sugar n' Cream Denim Twist.....

Started what was supposed to be my first thread bear, but the color reminds me more of flesh, so I may turn this into some kind of doll instead......

Made a "diet" Dark Chocolate Orange cupcake (for my Miniature Crochet Group CAL).....

And I'm still working on a few secret projects for our NATCROMO party on Ravelry. In fact, instead of just doing two projects for that, I'm up to three now. But since they are "secret", I can't show them to you until they are completed and revealed at the party!

Also, I finished my entry for the CLF design competition. I thought it had to be posted March 1st, so I was rushed to get it done in time. I only found out about it like 2 weeks before the 1st and it took me about a week to decide what I wanted to do. I finished the morning of March 1st, just needing to take photos, when I found out I had until the 15th to post them. Oh well! I stacked my schedule in a way that doesn't give me time to do it again (without colors bleeding slightly) before then, so I will go with what I've got. I'm happy with the design and hopefully that part will be seen over the slight bleed. Anyway, I can't even show you that yet, cause the weather has been icky for photo taking and this is one I want to be sure to get the photo just right on, so......you'll have to wait to see it too.

I have managed to sneak in a little fun (as if this isn't fun already) doing my first freeform project. It's a NATCROMO Freeform CAL. I'm having a blast with it, but really wondering what this is going to come out to be.....

This picture was taken after the 3 day of instructions. We get a new set everyday.....yes, I'm behind on the photos.

We are having our first big NATCROMO party day tomorrow. I would like to have at least one of my secret projects done by then, so I'll probably be up all night!

And to top it off....It snowed this week! That's right, snow! See....

So, this will be another super busy week! I'm supposed to have my pages for my son's yearbook completed before Spring Break on the 17th and I just got the stuff to do it this past Friday! Hopefully, I'll still have time to get in my crochet a day! :D

Happy National Crochet Month! And Happy Crafting!