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My Craft A.D.D. is Taking Over!

Posted in Knit & Crochet , on April 7, 2009 ,

Does anyone else have craft A.D.D.? You think you’re absorbed in a project, but there hiding in the back of your mind is another project… one that keeps whispering your name.  Then when you’re supposed to be focusing and working on your current project, you can’t stop your mind from floating back to the possibility of this other project, how it will look when it’s finished, what supplies you need…  it’s been like this for me all week.

I know that I learned things backwards; I learned to knit first, then learned crochet and have been pretty much doing crochet-only projects since. But I’ve recently been wanting to get back into knitting projects, and of course I’ve already got an idea or two in mind. Once I learned crochet I found working things in the round to be so much easier than fiddling with DPNs, but recently thanks to some support and information on the Ravelry forums, I am feeling confident enough to try the Magic Loop method… and maybe even to drag those DPNs out of hiding. The problem is now that I feel confident that I can achieve this, all I want to do is get started. I won’t let myself begin yet another project, though, until I finish what I have “on the hooks” as I’m worried my current crochet project will just never get finished. *ahem* like that crochet sweater I started months ago. The poor side-to-side cowl neck sweater is still sitting on the back burner because I’ve let myself start something else. I am determined to finish it, though!  Even if it means I won’t be wearing it until next winter. ;) I know that there are many people out there who have lots of WIPs at once, and so I know it’s not a bad thing, but I worry that if I give my craft A.D.D. an inch, it’ll take a mile. I guess I just hate the idea of too many unfinished projects lying around. I must stay strong!

And that brings me to the elusive “something else” that I am working on currently: a crochet hobo bag. And not just any hobo bag — a felted one of my own design. It was time for a new purse and this will be my first felted project! I didn’t really want it to be of my own design, especially with it being my first time felting, but I can’t seem to find just what I’m looking for already. I know that to felt the bag it needs to be around 25% bigger than I want the finished result to be (give or take a little) and because I couldn’t find a (free) pattern for a felted hobo style bag that I’m dreaming of, I’ve decided just to wing it. I’m getting a little nervous, though, as the sides take shape — it seems really big. Maybe too big? I just hope it felts up as planned and ends up being about the right size in the end. I won’t know until I try, right? And what better way to learn than to just jump right in. Wish me luck!


Some Finished Projects

Posted in Knit & Crochet , on October 19, 2008 ,
Finished Froggie Beanie

Finished Froggie Beanie

A few days ago I showed off a few crochet projects I had been working on.  Last night I finished a couple of them! The crochet handbag take 2 is still in progress, but I finished the froggie beanie and even had time to squeeze in a little doggie sweater for Winston.

Finished Froggie Beanie

Finished Froggie Beanie

Somer’s froggie beanie turned out pretty well! I took a few pictures to show it off, thanks to my fantastic models Lucas and Oliver.  They were very helpful in photographing the froggie details!  I think Somer will like it and can’t wait to get it shipped off to her.  Ribbit!

Finished Froggie Beanie

Finished Froggie Beanie

Winston's Sweater

Winston

Winston loves his very first official sweater.  I made it in Chicago Bears navy and orange colours of course and plan to make a matching sweater in XL for Oliver.  I ran out of orange yarn so Oliver will have his as soon as I replenish my supply.  It took two takes to get the sweater sizing just right for Winston… the first time around because he’s so tiny to me (in comparison to Oliver I guess) I made a small size.  The general sizing info seemed like it would fit, but the small turned out to fit him too snugly.  I made another one and this time in a medium size, and it turned out so cute!  It’s a tiny bit big on him and hangs a bit in the tummy area, but I’m sure he’ll grow into it.  Isn’t he cute? I can’t wait to make Oliver’s now.  I used the Lion Brand free crochet striped sweater pattern by Shiri Mor.

Winston and the Cone Collar

Winston and the Cone Collar

And speaking of Winston, he endured his neutering surgery like a champ.  The vet called fairly early on Friday afternoon to let me know that everything went well and that he’d be ready to pick up around dinnertime.  We were warned that he’d be a bit groggy due to pain meds and that he’d probably not be very active.  When he came out and saw Lucas and I were there to get him, it was the exact opposite; he was SO excited to see us and SO ready to go home.  He has been taking it easy, though, and unfortunately has to wear the cone collar when we’re gone or at bedtime to make sure he doesn’t lick the incision site.  Doesn’t he look like the saddest little schnauzer you ever did see when he’s wearing it? He’s doing very well, though, and should be all healed up in a week or so. :)

So hopefully I’ll line the crochet handbag later today between football games and finish it off so I can get it off my WIP list.  I feel like I should have a lot more to do but really I’ve made a huge dent in my Christmas crafting list.  Hooray!  Happy Sunday, and GO BEARS!


Current Crochet Projects

Posted in Knit & Crochet , on October 16, 2008 ,

So in the background this past week I’ve been hard at work on three crochet projects: take 2 on the crochet handbag I tried at the end of August, a hat for Somer for her birthday coming up in November, and a small crochet pumpkin.

Work In Progress - Crochet Handbag Take 2

Work in Progress - Crochet Handbag Take 2

The second try on the crochet handbag is going… ok.  If you remember, I had followed a great pattern for the first take but the finished result seemed to be a bit too wide and not quite tall enough for my purse needs.  I decided I’d make a second handbag, adjusting a few lines of the pattern to make the overall bag not as wide and a bit taller.  I am not sure now that the purse will be big enough just in general now that it’s not as wide.  But I didn’t like the awkward space in the corners of the bag when I made it as wide as the pattern called for; at least for my personal preference.  Maybe if I had just changed the height to be taller, the width would’ve balanced itself out?  I am not quite finished with take 2, but it already sounds like attempt 3 is taking shape.  We’ll see how it turns out after I add a closure, line it, and add the handles.

Work in Progress - Froggie Beanie

Work in Progress - Froggie Beanie

The beanie is something I’m pretty excited about.  I hope Somer doesn’t read my blog before her birthday next month, but I just can’t not post about it.  It’s a frog hat, and I’m nearly finished with it; it’s from a pattern here by Crochetroo, and is so darn cute! :) It’s basically a double crochet beanie hat done in green (I chose Vanna’s Choice in Kelly Green, my first time using Vanna’s Choice. I really like working with it and will be using it again on other projects that call for a simple worsted weight yarn.) and then there are two double crochet eye “bulbs” that you attach on top.  The pattern calls for googly-eyes (which in general I despise) but I think they’re a perfect fit for this project and will give it just the right finishing touch when I hot glue them to the center of each eye bulb.  I just have to go out and purchase some googly-eyes!  It’s a quick crochet and I started it Tuesday evening before House came on and then finished up the beanie portion last night in no time. Today I plan to do the band and then work on the eyes. Even though it’s spanning over 3 days, the amount of time I spent each day was very small and this could easily be done in one evening I think.  It gives me ideas for making a teddy bear beanie, using the same pattern just in brown and not adding googly-eyes at the end (so the eye bulbs of the frog would be teddy bear ears.)  Not that I have time to add more things to my queue for Christmas projects, but oh well.  Love the pattern!

Finished - Small Crochet Pumpkin

Finished - Small Crochet Pumpkin

And the small crochet pumpkin is one of my favourite finished objects right now.  It turned out so cute! :) I followed the YouTube tutorial by Teresa, who is tjw1963 on Ravelry, and she is the founder of the Video Crochet group there which has been immensely helpful in my learn-to-crochet endeavour.  She has some amazing videos on YouTube for all kinds of projects and demonstrating a huge variety of crochet stitches.  Her blog accompanies her video tutorials in case you want written instructions for each pattern to follow along with, too.  As most of you know, this past week was Canadian Thanksgiving, and my husband and I were invited to my friend Michelle’s mom’s house for dinner.  It meant a lot to us, because Michelle’s mom and grandma treated us like family, and we really felt special being invited to their family Thanksgiving dinner.  I made this little crochet pumpkin and attached a thank you tag to it and mailed it off today to thank Michelle’s mom for including us.  We plan to return the favour and have their family over for American Thanksgiving next month :) Michelle is such a good friend; how nice it was to feel like family, too.

So that’s what I’ve been up to in the fibrearts world!  Once I finish Somer’s froggie beanie I plan to get started right away on matching doggie sweaters for Oliver and Winston.  I can’t wait!  They’ll be done in Bears colours, of course: a beautiful navy blue and pumpkin orange. :love: Little Winston goes for his neutering appointment tomorrow morning first thing, so keep him in your thoughts!  It sounds like he’ll have to wear a cone for a bit until the incision heals, which will make for some admittingly hilarious photos. Am I evil for thinking that? lol :lol:

See you tomorrow for Freebie Friday!


Score!

Posted in Knit & Crochet , on September 29, 2008 ,
My new knitting tote

My new knitting tote

Last week I received an email from Michaels with a make-your-own-50%-off-sale coupon (as did everyone else on their mailing list) and Lucas treated me to a shopping spree on Saturday.  Wow am I a lucky girl!  I used the 50% off coupon on something I’ve needed for a long time … a knitting bag.  I’ve been pining for one of the Ravelry totes but it’s on my Christmas list.  The fact that I needed something useful for carrying my WIPs around became very apparent this past Thursday when the first official meeting of the SE Calgary Knit & Crochet group took place.  We organized on Ravelry.  It started with me looking on the Calgary discussion board for any groups that were already meeting way down in the SE.  It turned out that there weren’t any, so once it became apparent that there were several showing real interest in the idea, we just decided to make our own.  We met at a local Starbucks and it was really great!  There were four of us total with one other confirmed to be there next month along with a possible sixth member, too.  It was a great way to meet and get to know

luscious yarn!

luscious yarn!

each other. As I was getting ready for my first knit-and-crochet-in-public social event, I realized I was carrying my current WIP (a baby blanket for the Ckalieys) around in a Safeway bag.  Sad.  I managed to scrounge up something for Thursday but I was elated to pick up a real knitting travel bag at Michaels with my coupon and it’s so handy!  Just look how pretty!

And that’s not all I got at Michaels.  I’ve been carrying around a tattered yarn wish (read: need) list in my purse for all the yarn required to make the Christmas gift items on my to do list this season.  Most of it was on sale and so I picked up more yarn in that one trip than I’ve bought over the last several months combined. Needless to say, it was an exciting day :)  Just look at all of that luscious yarn!

screenie of My Memories Suite in action

screenie of My Memories Suite in action

I’ve got several digital scrapping freebies ready to give away (I’m glad everyone liked the CU paper edgers from yesterday!) but also on the horizon are some tutorials for working with the My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software I use.  I’ve gotten a few emails lately from users asking about its features after they read my review, and now that I’ve had the software for nearly a year and have been using it extensively, I think some tutorials would be a great idea.  Inspired by an email I got today, I’m already working on a basic features intro and a tips and tricks for layering paper tutorial.  I know it won’t be of much use to those of you who don’t use My Memories Suite, but perhaps the free videos will inspire you and get you excited enough about the software that you’ll want to pick it up for yourself! :)  I really can’t rave enough about it.

So that’s what’s new on the crafting front.  See you back here soon for more freebies later in the week and some software tutorials.  And with all of that great yarn I just got, you can be sure there will be some more WIPs to share in the very near future :)  Have a great week! :heart: