Boxing Day 2013

[babypoohsmom]

So, I made these kennel blankets.  Which means I found cheap fleece and cut pieces to the right size with a wavy ruler.  It's not hours of crochet, but it's an accomplishment! 

And here are the sweeties I am currently fostering. 

 

[ddc]

babypoohsmom - it could have been me. I don't remember posting patterns, but then I was pretty excited to be doing cross stitch again after years away from it, so it may have been. I had a bad case of this one, no that one, and I've ended up with a number of WIPs. They are indeed all large and complicated. I do super simple afghans, but had very ambitious eyes for the cross stitch patterns. Actually, I'm not particularly driven to finish them and use so few pictures on my walls I'm not sure what I would do with them anyway - I just like the work itself and seeing the picture developing.

 

I started a third afghan last night. Can't ever have too many WIPs, right? I made some centers for variegated granny squires after falling in love with an afghan that's posted over in show and tell by CrochetAddictUK - afghan for mum, or something like that. I admitted I was going to blatantly steal the idea. I have a love/hate relationship with variegated. I love it in the skein, usually don't much like it when it's worked up, but hers turned out really nice. I have boatloads of the stuff to use up and that seemed a promising way to use some of it.

[babypoohsmom]

Ok a little more not-crocheting charity work this week. Finished up 3 more beds. I made two toys with the salvage edges of the blankets I cut last week. I think I have used up all of that flower print now. It was $2.99 a yard at a place in Phoenix called SAS.

 

PS to pine knot, how is your mil?

[pineknott]

Good morning,

our area got a little wind,other areas had trees toppled in the next city over from us,

power still out for many,being the last day of school here,they are trying to restore power so they can finish up.

for June,so far have one hat,and another in the works

Denise,you do wonders with fleece,good price too.

thanks for asking about mil,she is hanging in there,I guess some don't realize they are in decline,she does and it bothers her alot

she used to spend hr upon hr out in the garden just putzing around,doesn't have any interest in that any longer.

its been a quiet week,no asking to go home to NY,and not saying she just came for Christmas and wants to go home now

its not registering that she has lived with us for over 20 yrs.

[krazycrocheter]

I made another square. I know slow going. I think this one was purple.

[Gardener]

 

I made another square. I know slow going. I think this one was purple.

I'm going even slower. No crafting ambition at all. My goal of one item per month for the pregnancy resource center is 4 months behind. The only reason I'm not further behind is that I made extra items back in December.

[pineknott]

I'm finding it slow going too

other things keep popping up and by the time I could sit and crochet,I'm just bone weary tired

[krazycrocheter]

I know exactly what you mean. I've had so many things pop up recently. I just haven't felt like or had the time to crochet. I think things are getting less hectic around here. Maybe i can get more done.

[ddc]

I don't have any pics yet, but I finished two baby blankets, stash busters - one with some Caron Simply Soft I had bought to try ( very definite thumbs down, never again), and some Bernat peach I had bought online hoping it would match other yarn (it didn't). So I'm glad to have those out of the stash. Both are round ripples.

 

I'm almost finished with two lapghans, a round ripple with RH Wildflower, blue, green, and turquoise. I have the last row and edging left to do on that. I'm also working on the assembly of a scrap granny. 

 

By the end of next week, I should all of them finished, and I'll try to get some pics up.

[babypoohsmom]

Trying to post pictures and I'm told that they are too big.  I'm using the same camera setting as always.  Anyone else having this problem?

[Gardener]

Denise, I haven't had that problem lately, but I have in the past. I ended up having to resize the pictures.

 

I started a baby blanket this week, but I can't say I feel much like working on it. At least it's super easy and moves quickly!

[babypoohsmom]

Well, I'd love to post some pictures because I have been busy, but I can't seem to find a way to get the new system to accept them.  Drat.  
No fun without pictures! 

[smith]

I am finishing up a baby afghan so I'll have four done so far. I was hoping to have more than that done by now. I am starting preemie hats from my left-over baby blanket yarn. It's amazing, I can't believe babies are that small! I have a few dresses I did for practice but does anyone know where they would be of use?

[pineknott]

Good afternoon

my total for hats for June was 2+3/4 of one before I ran out of the one yarn,just picked it up today

[ddc]

I finished up all my WIPs, so I have 2 baby blankets and 3 lapghans finished, with a third baby blanket nearly completed. I haven't taken any pics yet. When I can get to it, I will try to post them, but it doesn't sound like the new forum format is very picture friendly from reading your posts.

[babypoohsmom]

I have 6 pictures to post and I just get frustrated and give up. I'll keep trolling for someone who has a simple answer. I always assume there is just something silly I am missing.

[babypoohsmom]

Wheeeee, I just came from the library where I picked up season two of Downton Abbey!  I think I will be crocheting a lot this weekend while I watch. Now, if I could just post pictures of what I get done.....!

[babypoohsmom]

Here are some more things I have finished.  I didn't do anything differently but this time I was able to upload the picture.

6 more cat beds, some toys and one crocheted mat.

[babypoohsmom]

And catching up with pictures... a mat and a hat! 

 

I don't know if I explained that I make hats all year then I participate in just one craft show in the fall (I only will do handmade only shows and they are hard to find here) and the hats that don't sell get donated, so I don't really count them or show them during the year.  This is a baby hat made with homespun.  Very soft! 

[pineknott]

wish I could work with homespun,but doing crochet just by feel doesn't work well for me.

[ddc]

Homespun is beautiful yarn, but I've read so much negative about it, I've never tried it. Anyway, it would be very expensive for a lapghan, or it seems like it would. I don't know how far it goes when it's worked. I keep looking at it and talking myself down from the ledge.

 

The hat is beautiful, babypoohsmom.

[babypoohsmom]

Thanks! 

Once you get the first two rows of this hat done, the Homespun is no problem because you put the next round of stitches into a Ch 1 space, so that's why I can deal with it!!  

About a year ago, a Michael's by my house had some red and green on clearance for $1 per skein.  I bought the whole bin!  I originally was just going to use it in my cat mats, but I tried a hat just to see how it would work and loved it.  I tried other stores around Phx, but didn't find the same deal.  Once in awhile, I will find one at Goodwill.  I wash all the second-hand yarn I get for cat mats and Homespun washes up nicely, so no problem there.

I know there are Simply Soft haters around, but again, I love that stuff for cat mats because it provides a nice soft touch when it is used as one of the three strands. 

I will try anything in a cat mat if it's cheap enough!! Ha ha. 

[ddc]

Well, it was a long process but I (a) found the camera, (b) charged the battery, © found out the battery wasn't charging after all, (d) bought a replacement battery, (e) charged that, and (f) finally took some pics. 

 

This is what I've finished so far for donations this year. The last one, the blue/green round ripple was for donation, but a co-worker may buy it. If she decides she wants it, sure, I'll sell it. It helps offset my yarn addiction. The three together are baby blankets. The others are lapghan size. The scrappy ones with squares reminded me of why I never do squares -- weaving ends, sewing them together -- 

 

  

 

 

[pineknott]

wow,those squares were alot of work but the end result is really beautiful

thanks for sharing

[ddc]

The one with squares on the left was made to use up a bunch of my tiny bits, golf ball size to a little larger. It felt great to destash all of that, and I'll probably have to do it again eventually, but it really is a pain. If it didn't go so much against the frugal grain, I would just toss them.