Well, I blew that...

So much for the goals I set in the last post. I obviously haven't posted once a week. I haven't documented any finished projects, and I even made my Grandma a pair of mittens for her birthday. I haven't sewn, not one stitch. And I don't even want to talk about no. 4 on the list, other than to say I have definitely decided against keeping a public record of what I've spent on crafting supplies. (There is a chance my husband could see it! What was I thinking?!)

What have I been doing? I have been suffering from a raging case of start-itis. I've been averaging two new knitting projects a week since Christmas and so far the finished projects tally is one (maybe two if you are feeling really generous, it was a pair of mittens...)

One of the biggest stumbling blocks has been what I have come to loving call Blue Death on a Stick (or the BDS as it will be known from now on.) It is a knitting project that will definitely receive it's own post and quite possibly drive me to seek some form of therapy before it is finished. But if nothing else it has shown me the depth of determination I possess, or proven the depth of my craziness, depending on who you ask. It's also brought out into the open the procrastination issues I have. As in I would rather do just about anything else than knit on the BDS, except maybe scrub the toilet. Hmmm. I don't know, that may be a toss up...

So far I've started a blanket, a pair of color-work mittens, and I'm making my own fancy-dancy beaded stitch markers rather than knit on the BDS.

A few of my first attempts.

 I kind of think the black one with spots looks like a fishing lure...

I have found that my taste definitely runs to natural stone and pearls.

I would have made more of these, but I ran out of the gold pearls. 

Carved wood and coral, so pretty and feminine.

Blue and silver with pearls, a slightly nautical feel.

Pink and gold, vaguely floral.

These are just fun. They look like candy rocks, plus I love the rainbow colors.

I call these my Othello set. (Anyone else play that game as a child?)

These are my current favorites, but each set that I finish has been my favorite and these just happened to be the last set that I made...

I'm even using some of them in the BDS on the theory that it would make it more fun to knit. So far it isn't working...

I would be making more stitch markers right now, but I ran out of the rings. The thing is they are just so much fun and pretty much instant gratification. Five minutes to a finished product as apposed to three weeks to get 5" of the BDS... it is a pretty blue though, isn't it?

2012 Goals: Crafting Edition (and the 1st finished projects of the new year)

Last year I had a goal to post everyday on my family blog, and I did it. But something had to give and it was my crafting. Not the doing of crafts (because I made a lot of stuff last year) but the recording of them. Perfect case in point, for Christmas I knitted nine hats, two capes, one pair of mitts, one pair of mittens, one shawl and one vest with cables. And I didn't take a single picture before sending them off to their new owners. I also haven't sewn in quite awhile. A lot of knitting, but almost no sewing. (I have a lot of fabric to get through.) So here are my crafting goals for this year.

1. Post over here at least once a week, even if it's just a work in progress.

2. Document finished projects, especially if they are gifts.

3. Sew! (I have a subset goal to attach to this one, but I am still working out all the details. So we'll come back to this one later.)

4. Use what I have. Which is a whole lot. Almost ridiculous amounts of things, as I found when I was relocating my sewing room. So no buying anything until I use up what I have. I'm thinking that I may have a running total on the side to keep track of my craft related spending... (I have not yet decided if that will include yarn. It probably should... okay, no new yarn. Unless it's out of like, birthday money, or something...)

So now that I have those listed out, let's get to the fun stuff:

Today I finished two projects, both for Evie. 

A hat/neckwarmer out of one skein of dk self striping yarn.

The top has an i-cord drawstring so it can be opened to fit over the head.

It can also be used to keep the hair out of the way.

And it's pink of course...

P.S. This makes 10 hats since October. I have really been on a hat kick...

I also finished the sewn bind off on this sweater that has been taking up knitting bag real estate for months.

It's not really the sweaters fault. It was just bad timing. I finished it once and it was too short and too tight. So I ripped it back to the armpit and knit the body again, and finished it off with ribbing instead of a rolled hem. It looks so much better.

This is the yarn I dyed last year and I love how it looks knit up as much as I did while dying it. 

She looks peachy-keen!

'Tis the Season...

I dug out my widget from last year and popped it back up on the side of the blog there. I found it a useful tool last year to help me keep track of my time (or ramp up my anxiety towards the end...) as I tried to manage all my projects. 

True to my word, I actually did start working on Christmas presents last January. A little bit here, a little bit there. But mostly I decided that to preserve my sanity and to keep my focus on the spirit of the holiday season I would be more realistic in what I tried to accomplish this year. So here we are with 44 days left and I have a grand total of 33 projects on my list. (See? Much more realistic.) The even better part is that I have 13 of those finished! And many more are in the partial to mostly finished category. 

I decided last year, after too many late nights and literally days spent locked in the basement by myself in the evenings, that a crazy, sleep-deprived, ready-to-snap mama is not the memories I want my children to have of their childhood Christmases. I don't want to be so busy making the magic that I don't have time to stop and savor it with them. So I have a plan.

  Step one: Be more realistic in what projects I take on.

Done

Step two: Get my children excited and involved in preparing for Christmas.

I am afraid that all too often I am in such a rush or overly concerned with turning out a "perfect" final product, that I have rebuffed little hands that want so badly to help. This year I am determined to change my focus by choosing simpler projects that are more on their skill level, and letting go of my perfectionism when it comes to gifts. The cookies we give out may not be decorated the prettiest, but by dang they will have an overdose of love as a secret ingredient!

As part of step two, this project is one of my first orders of business. It's an advent calendar, based on my knock off of the PB Halloween Countdown knock-off. My kids love the Halloween one I made and I had such fun making it, I thought a Christmas one would be great for us!

Last year I attempted a countdown of sorts with having a present that they could open each day, little treats and activities directed at spending time together. But with all my crazy crafting I was horrible at following through and actually doing the activities with them. This year will be different. I have been stock piling up little treats and toys that will fit in the pockets. It can be a simple as three chocolate kisses (so they each get one) and a note telling them why they are loved, to a snowman rubber ducky and the promise of a bubble bath where they can play in the tub as long as they want. It really takes so very little to make a child happy. 

Step three: Realize that unfinished projects are not the end of the world.

(and have a backup plan)

I love to give handmade gifts. It's one of my love languages. It says that I care enough about you to spend time making you something. Because while I am working on your present I am thinking about you, and what makes you tick, your likes and dislikes, and trying to find a way to show you that I care about you. And you just don't spend all that time and thought on someone you don't like. However, I also know that the people I love enough to spend my time on them that way, will still love me even if the gift I give them wasn't crafted by my own two hands. So I have a stash of small items (still thoughtfully selected) that are ready to deploy should I end up having more intentions than time. Then I can not stress about presents that are unfinished. Fortunately wool doesn't go bad, that hat or pair of socks can be ready for next year...

Step four: Choose to enjoy this time.

Christmas is magical when seen through the eyes of a child. And you only have so many of those Christmases before they are a little older, a little more skeptical, a little more consumer driven. I want to be able to look back and know that I didn't waste or miss another moment of child-like wonder or the absolute belief in magic they have right now. I have to make it a priority, and choose to spend my time wisely so that I can work on projects when they are busy elsewhere and then we can come together and enjoy doing Christmas things as a family.

I think I'm ready... now I have to go knit some things.

Halloween knits...

A couple of projects inspired by the latest holiday.

Skull Hat

My first attempt at fair isle knitting. I've had this pattern for years but was always afraid to attempt it. I decided to try it with the leftover yarn from Jake's sweater, but it came out a little too big for Jake so Brian gets my first attempt. Jake was quick to put in a request for a matching hat.

Baby pants.... wait for it....

Grumpybum Monster pants!

That's just ridiculously cute! 

Now if only I knew someone with a... say, two week old baby boy... any takers?

I'll hopefully have a picture or two with them on a cute baby in a couple of weeks. :)

And to wrap up the Halloween creativity I'd like to share a poem my son wrote for me:

Zombie Sheep Attack!

By Jake

age 8

Zombie sheep are coming, so run away!

Zombie sheep are coming, today!

All they really want is their wool back,

But I don't like them.

Ack!

They're big and merry,

Definitely not hairy, 

And that's why they're so scary,

At least to me!

Zombie sheep attack!!!

I love this kid. He just makes me smile.

Finish-itis

So first things first, I am going to ignore the fact that it's been over 6 months since I've posted over here. I have been working on projects, but with everything else going on in my life (the big one is my husband getting put in a wheelchair), my renewed passion for reading, and the whole post everyday for a year on my family blog... well obviously something had to give and keeping up my craft journal was it.

But something about fall gets me excited to clean out and organize. And with the enforced move into a "sewing cubical" the organizing has also entailed a much needed paring down of my various stashes, especially the downstairs yarn one. After I did the downstairs stash, I tackled the upstairs stash which typically means figuring out just how much yarn can be shoved into one of the squares without spilling over the top. It also means assessing which projects need to be moved from the WIP classification into a UFO and sent downstairs. Once I got the upstairs stash organized and functional again, I had two large bags of yarn and UFOs to head downstairs. New problem: I've got considerably less space for all my stuff now and the yarn storage I do have is already full. Hmmm, new solution: finish some UFOs and clear out space in the yarn storage. Also, make a new resolution to buy no new yarn until I've decreased the stash considerably. (If you're not a knitter you are thinking I am very practical, if you are a knitter you are probably laughing pretty hard by now...) 

So I have been focused for the last 4-5 days on getting through some of the larger UFO's that have been taking up a lot of real estate in my knitting cabinet. 

1st up- The Grey Sweater Vests of Doom

These are for my cousin's two little boys. They aren't a terrible difficult project. So why has it taken me almost a year (or more? I've seriously lost track...) to finish them. I've made stupid mistakes, and screwed up the first attempt so badly that I simply started over rather than try to untangle the mess I had made. (So technically I made 2 and 3/4 grey sweater vests.) I kept doubting my measurements, and finally they've spent the last 5 1/2 months haunting both my knitting cabinet and my subconscious. I repeatedly pulled them out and then couldn't work on them so would put them away again. When my cousin called me earlier this week to see if they were finished I took a deep breath, hauled them into the light and determined that come hell or high water I would finish them as fast I as I could. I was surprised to find that I was much further than I had remembered. They were both done, except for the ribbing around the neck and arm holes. 36 rounds of knitting? That's nothing! Why hadn't I just finished them? Oh yeah, I didn't have the right size of needles, that's what my big hold up was. That's just ridiculous, I know. I got the needed needles and had them done in a day! I sent them off with my husband to deliver on his way home from work today, along with the 2 and 1/2 leftover skeins of yarn, and a huge sigh of relief to have that particular monkey off my back! 

Also I just want to apologize again to Sarah for taking such a ridiculously long time on them. But they sure came out nice. :)

And once that was done I was eager to dive in and see what else was sitting around half or mostly finished.

2nd up- The Black Sweater of Doom

(Do you sense a theme among my UFOs)

Started well over a year ago, motivated mostly by guilt that I knit way more for my girls than I do for my son.

And boy does that boy know how to work his Mama. Mention while at the yarn store in a wistful voice that it's been a long time since you got a sweater and the girls have both gotten 3-4, and it's a sure bet that said Mama will let you pick out yarn for a sweater. 

I'm still kicking myself for not setting any limits when it came to color selection. The reason this sweater lingered in knitting purgatory so long? Black is a total witch with a capital B to work with. I about went blind knitting this thing. Having complained about that, and now that it's done, it sure does look sharp on my cute boy! He designed the stripe placement himself and I have to admit to being pretty proud of the both of us. 

All this sweater needed was a cuff, one sleeve and the neck ribbing. One day, one finished sweater, one happy kid, and a whole lot of space opened up in the knitting storage. Win, win, win!

On a roll I grabbed the next project that came to hand.

3rd- Sweet sweater for Evie out of the Vintage yarn I over-dyed with food coloring!

No doom here. This yarn just makes me happy every time I look at it. 

And all it needed was a round of attached I-cord in the keyhole at the neck. 20 minutes tops! 

I was thrilled thinking that I may even finish a third sweater today... until I had Evie try it on.

A titch too tight and definitely not long enough. I don't know if that is because I fiddled around with the pattern to accommodate using a heavier yarn or because I waited too long to finish it and Evie had a growth spurt in the mean time. Either way I had to rip it back to the arm holes. It's all good though. It just means I get to knit some more with my happy yarn...

And hopefully the finish-itis lingers at least through November! I've got lots more to do.

Easter Tea Towel to Smock

This is one of the craft ideas I came up with for if I made it into this season of SYTYC, which I didn't. But that's okay, I am going to play along at home! All the fun and none of the pressure, right? :)

I found these holiday tea towels at my local dollar store and thought, "I can do something fun with that..."

How about a child's smock? Perfect for when you are dying those easter eggs. Or how about if you have a family dinner and egg hunt planned and want to keep those cute easter outfits clean for a photo op later?

I folded the towel in half "hamburger way." (Anyone else have elementary school flashbacks just now?) I cut a narrow half circle, well, half oval really, for the neck and then cut the back open down the center.

You could do a narrow turned hem, or serge and then hem, I opted to use bias tape for a bit of contrasting color. Anything that will finish off those raw edges will work. 

I sewed on some ribbon ties for side closures, which makes the fit adjustable. 

A big fun button and a loop of narrow elastic at the neck back makes an easy and sturdy closure.

Fun, practical and not expensive!

Plus she likes it! Always an important factor in my crafting endeavors.

The Month of Me...

I was a selfish knitter this month. 

(It's okay. It was my birthday month.)

After all the deadline knitting and gifts I worked on for the last 4 1/2 months I just didn't want to work on any of my already started projects. I wanted something new. And I wanted it for me. 

So I did...

This is my Shedir hat. 

I love cables and the yarn is a luxurious blend of merino, alpaca and silk that was a treat to work with. 

I know Lila is wearing it, but only because I could not get a decent picture of the top of my own head. It is my hat. 

The other project I finished is this great scarf. I call it my "scarf of shame" because it is cheap cotton yarn that I bought somewhere other than my LYS. I couldn't resist the colors though. I loved watching them change through the rainbow as I knit it. Simple minds are easily amused I suppose. 

I also have a lovely butter yellow yarn that is halfway to being another hat for me. And some wonderful lace socks, also for me, also in progress. I don't know when I'll be able to finish them though as today is the last day of the Month of Me and I need to get going on some other knitting projects I've been putting off. I think having those socks calling to me from my work basket with be a good incentive for me to finish the have-to's and get back to the want-to's!

Also I have taken a chance and enter a project into this crafting contest. I can't tell you which one is mine, but I'd love it if you took a minute to check them out and vote!