End of the Year

It has been a pretty productive week off craft-wise, and I still have a couple of days left.

I went through all of my doily books and filled my queue up on Ravely, started and finished a doily (shown in previous post), and started another. I got my huge thread order of 10 big 1-lb balls of thread, got about 6 of them ready to dye (12 hanks), and dyed 5 of the hanks. I should be able to dye another 4, but the other 3 will have to wait for my soda ash/dye order to arrive (maybe tomorrow?), otherwise they have to wait until next weekend. I can always get the other 4 balls wound into hanks while I wait too. I won't run out of soda ash for a while, as I ordered 5 lbs of it, so I can just keep on dyeing as long as I have thread.

I haven't done all of the housework/deep cleaning stuff I wanted to do, but hey, that is not nearly as much fun as the other stuff I have done!

Happy New Year!

Amaretto

Amaretto from PK's Coffee 'n' Cream Doilies. I used Aunt Lydia's light peach and my hand-dyed colorway 'Salena'. The image is clickable and shows the detail of the entire doily nicely.

I've got Ashley on the hook from PK's Victorian Spiral Doilies, book 1. Not too sure how I feel about it yet, but it was next in my Ravelry queue, and I decided I was going to work through the list alphabetically. Never know until you try...right? I decided to do it in Aunt Lydia's Dusty Rose. Not sure yet if I will use any of my hand-dyed stash yet, we'll see how it goes.

Enchanting

I have completed 'Enchanting' from Patricia Kristoffersen's 'Doilies with Charm'. I am pleased with how this one turned out.


I have already started on my next Doily, 'Amaretto' from PK's Coffee 'n' Cream book. First one in my queue in Ravelry, and have time off from work, so I am going to take advantage of it, and crochet to my little hearts content!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, or whichever holiday you celebrate this time of year. :-) I had a very mild, laid-back day, spent with my kids, and visiting with my ex-inlaws (which was enjoyable, btw), and then working on finishing off my current WIP, Enchanting, a PK doily. I am on my last round, so should finish up tonight. I am anticipating the advancing New Year, and I plan on facing it with a positive outlook. I have my first grandchild due in May, and as time goes on, I get more and more excited about this change in both my daughter's and my own life. We have a close relationship anyway, but I know when I had her, it brought me and my Mom closer, so I look forward to that for her and I, and sharing this amazing and wonderful time with her.

I spent the spare time I had yesterday entering my doily books in Ravely, and queueing up projects. It ended up being a whole lot more than I thought, but I have some projects set up, with no particular timeline set when to get them done. They are mostly PK doilies with a few Mary Werst designs mixed in. I don't know if anyone else who has used patterns these two ladies have designed will agree with me or not, but any other designs look almost...too easy, if that makes sense? I love the intricacy and beauty they both capture. Anyway, I have about 80+ designs queued up, and that doesn't count any other creations I embark upon. I have to partially credit Lori ("The Shrone" on the 'Ville, and a link for her website Home Burrough: Residence of the Unknowabale Shrone) for inspiring me to have a goal, and something to work towards. I decided that instead of going through books and finding the next doily to inspire me, I would alphabetize them, and progress that way. I will add to the list, more than likely, as I find other challenging patterns that intrigue me as time goes on.

I have also started learning to knit. I bought a kit last year, same time as I bought a learn to crochet kit, but decided to wait to learn to knit. Not so sure how it will go. I have decided to learn how to knit right-handed (I am left-handed), simply because from what I have gleaned from reading various forums on Ravelry, it seems that it is not the same as crocheting left-handed. I don't have a problem crocheting or reading patterns left-handed and it never occured to me that patterns can be right- or left-hand oriented in crochet. But it seems that is not true in knitting. Maybe it would be better if I didn't know any better in knitting either? Too late now...ahhhh the joys of the internet. Anyway, I have decided to learn to knit right-handed to avoid any problems. If I find it too frustrating, I may wait. No need to frustrate myself when I so love my crochet right now. I find myself jealous of those that can do both, but if it is not a stress-buster, rather a stress-creater, then it can wait.

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog this past year, and has provided kind words for my rambling thoghts and completed projects. I look forward to seeing your new creations in the new year, and wish you many happy hours of hooking!

Weekly update

It finally got cold here over the weekend here in Georgia. We went from having a week mostly in the 70's to the 30-40's. I still won't complain, even though I don't like the cold. Who knows...by next week we might be back up in the warmer temps...that's just how it goes here.

I worked my last weekend of birthday parties. I have handed it off to another lady so I can spend time with my son on the weekend. I am relieved, yet sad, as it was a program I helped create and has done well. I could have still helped out booking parties, but after working with the new lady, I decided it would be best if I stepped out completely. I just think there would be too much head-butting going on. I am going to do some marketing for the bowling center still though, but I can do that from home, and still have time to spend with my son. It will be nice to have my weekends back after working there for a little over 3 years (ie. more time to work on my crochet...dyeing threads...learning to knit!).

As for my Christmas list...it was a bust. It's gift card city for everyone but Mom. The unfinished (ahem...unstarted...)projects will have to be allocated to birthdays. My brother and his family live in Colorado, so since they can have snow anywhere from September through ohhhhhh...May (*evi laugh*)...I can send them scarves/hats/mittens after Christmas, and they will still get use out of them. I STILL have to put up my tree. I just haven't had time to get all the stuff done that I wanted, and now I have reached the panic point. Of course, I have to keep up with what everyone else is doing, so I am sure that the time I spend surfing around looking at everyone else's goodies could be better spent...naaaaaaaa! Who am I kidding! LOL

December?

We are having unseasonably warm weather here in Georgia! It is supposed to get up to 75 today...which would beat a record set back in 1973 (I think that is the year they said). My company had our Christmas party on Saturday night, and we were all standing out on the deck because it was so pleasant. It's amazing. This is one of the reasons I looooooove the South! I grew up in Colorado, and I DO NOT miss the snow or the cold at all. I get just enough cold and winter weather here in Georgia to remind me how nice it is, and how nice it is when it is gone. LOL!

I have not been getting anything done as far as crocheting goes. I have been busy at both jobs and working weekends. By the time I get home during the week, usually around 9p.m., I am just beat. Same for the weekend...doing childrens birthday parties wears you out. Not so much the kids, but the parents! Of course, everyone is stressed, getting ready for the holidays, so some of the party moms are not so...shall we say...pleasant. Any other time of the year is just fine, but come December, whew! Being a Mom myself though, I do understand, and I try to get them to relax and have a good time and let us take care of things for the couple of hours they are there. Usually by the time they leave, they are smiling, and in a much better mood than when they got there. Usually. :-)

I have Christmas projects to finish, I have dyed thread waiting to be wound, I still have to put up my Christmas decorations...I have definately over-extended myself timewise this year. Still, when I do find the time to sit and relax, once that crochet hook gets in my hand I feel so much better. It's just not getting in my hand often enough! My crochet time vs. my other time ratio is waaaaaaaaaaay off.

First Item on Etsy

I put my first item on Etsy this morning. I will add more on a daily basis as it finishes drying, gets photographed and wound into balls. I have about 9 colorways to add over the next few days.


My camera is great for taking pics of people, but not so much of close-ups that I need of thread. I have tried all sorts of settings, but nothing seems to work for as close up as I need to get. And of course, the colors never look quite right either. I crocheted up a couple of samples and took pictures of them so folks could get an idea of how the colors look "in action", and the pics came out so washed out, they may as well have been done with white thread! LOL

Etsy Shop

After looking into it more, I decided I am going to try out Etsy to sell some of my hand-dyed thread. I have posted a link over on the right-hand side, but here is a direct link to my Etsy store as well. I don't have any items listed yet, I am waiting for my recent batch of thread to dry so I can take pictures and wind it up into cakes...hopefully in the next day or two.

If anyone else has an Etsy shop, and you would like me to put a link on my blog, let me know and I will add you! I would also love to hear any advice or experiences you have had as a buyer and/or a seller.

At this point, I am thinking I will use Etsy to sell my thread for a set price, and if I have remnants, or a cake with a knot in it or something, use eBay to auction them. I'm not sure yet though. Since Etsy is like a huge online craft fair, it is a lot more specialized than eBay with folks understanding the value of handmade items. Once I get the hang of it, and get used to how Etsy works, I may be able to just have sales for my remnants and stuff there and not use eBay at all to sell.

If you haven't checked out Etsy yet, you should! So many talented people over there! I get side-tracked and just drool over all the crafty things people do. It is free to sign up, or you can browse the shops before actually signing up. If you don't already have an account, and you check them out after reading my blog, be sure to mention that when/if you register. I don't know what it does, other than let track know where someone heard about and/or who referred you to the site.

I'm off to check out everyones recent blog updates...I love love love seeing what other people are working on!

PS Progress

EEEEK!!!!

So there is officially less than a month left until Christmas. Take off time for shipping any gifts that need to be shipped...and there is only 3 weeks left!

I had last week off from work. I got snowflakes done. That's it. Snowflakes. Now granted, those are on my list of gifts, but that only covers my co-workers for the Christmas party on Dec. 8th. I thought I would have all sorts of time to crochet last week. But no. I ended up having to work a half-day on Monday, because my boss "forgot" I was going to be off, and needed me to schedule appointments for him for this week for our next big project. So I did that. Then I took my car in for repairs that were needed due to a traffic altercation my daughter was in (ggrrrrr...she is ok...but I didn't need this right now...guess that is why they are called accidents and not on-purposes). By the time I got done with all of that...it was 5:00 and I had to go work at my second job. I didn't take time off from that, it's part-time, a couple of hours here and there, how bad could it be? So...I was home at 9:00. One day of vacation chalked up. Tuesday wasn't much better. Wednesday was spent cleaning the house getting ready for any guests that decided to come to dinner. Thursday was cooking and eating and cleaning up again and football. Lots of foottball. I hate football. What happened to Sunday being football day? Now it is on every freakin' night of the week it seems. But I digress...Friday was running around doing errands, battling shopping crowds, etc. You get the idea. A week off just isn't enough time. My To-Do list...hardly a thing got done on it...and I'm not talking my crochet list, just my general list.

On a brighter note, I no longer have more people in ahead of me than I do behind me in line on the Ravelry wait list:
You are #56419 on the list.
3713 people are ahead of you in line.
5748 people are behind you in line.
84% of the list has been invited so far
I am hoping I get the invite when I am off for the Christmas break so I have time to get acquainted with the site. I'm excited to see what it's all about.

I sold my most recent batch of threads on eBay. Still not what I was hoping for, so next batch is at "Buy it Now" pricing. I had some new bidders though, so I am generating some interest, and the feedback I have received so far has been good, with requests to keep dyeing. I have a batch soaking now, so might be able to dye it tonight if I get home at a decent time. Hoping to have about 4 of each colorway to put up, so about 40 balls. Not bad, if I can get it done! I might miss bowling tomorrow just to get it done.

Between Meals Centerpiece doily

I didn't even realize this is the doily that is my background! When I set up my blog page, I was looking for something crochet related, liked this one, and snapped it up...don't even know from where now. Then, today on the 'Ville, rascalsmom posted a pic of her finished one, and I recognized it immediately. The one on my background looks like it had some extra work done on it by putting some scallop-y looking things between the points though, that I would love to figure out. I was so excited, and then to find out that it is a FREE pattern...I was in doily pattern heaven! I found it, and saved it to my pattern folder on my computer to work on after the holidays. If I start on it now, then everyone will get gift certificates for Christmas for sure!!!

Not sure how much crocheting I will get done today and tomorrow, but hoping to get a bunch done after Thursday. I have been working on snowflakes each night while I watch tv, but I am not going to get nearly as many finished as I had hoped.

I am off to go do more cleaning before tomorrow. I had to take a break. I just feel so overwhelmed and like I will not have everything done in time. Of course, getting online doesn't help.

Up on the auction block

Update: I did better this time around as far as the bidding went! All 3 sets were sent off to Ohio this morning. I also received my first feedback as a seller for the first group I sold! Now...if I get some housework done, I can dye another batch of thread!

Since I like to use colorways combined with solids in my doilies, and it is not always easy to match the colors with stuff in the stores, I thought it would be a good idea to make coordinating solids using the same colors of dye. For a first run, I thought they turned out pretty good. Still some fine tuning to do, but if there is a good response I will do more that way.

Off to hit the shower and head into work. Only 4 more days left, then I am off for a week...YIPPPEEEEEEEE!!!!

Busy Weekend

I had a very productive 4-day weekend. I dyed my thread, I finished Mom's present, I learned more about blogging, worked on Ebay descriptions for my new listings I hope to put up in the next couple of days, I spent time with my kids, I made home cooked meals...I am beat, but in a good way!

I didn't get my house cleaned. Not expecting anyone, so not gonna worry too much about that. If I should have any drop-in visitors (not likely), they are just gonna have to overlook the dust. They came to see me, not my housekeeping abilities...right?

So now I have a week of work to "look forward to", then a week off. I'm loving it! I'm already starting my mental list of things I want to do during my week off. Need to transfer it to paper soon or I am going to forget stuff, or put it on here, since I seem to be hanging out on Blogger so much lately.

PAY IT FORWARD

I participated in the PAY IT FORWARD on Crafty Christina's Blog.

The way it works: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog for this post. You don't have to be a regular commenter or even a blogger member, as long as you can get me your address by e-mail.

I don't know what you will be getting yet, LOL, but as the rules state, you will receive it within 365 days. Most likely it will be sooner than that...like after the Christmas rush.

The only thing you have to do in return is PAY IT FORWARD by making the same promise on your blog/site. Come on and join. This will be fun if you love getting nice things in the mail.

smartsmiley.com

Preliminary Results Are In!

<=====Front Drying







Back Drying==========v

I finished washing and rinsing the thread I dyed. So far so good. I'm not sure if the ones that I made to coordinate will do so, need to wait until it dries completely before I can tell for sure. Overall, I am pleased with the results. The colors are more vibrant than I expected. In my mind I was hoping for lighter shades. I will have to keep experimenting. I have so much fun doing this!

I also sold my first 4 colorways on Ebay. I have now made my first Ebay transaction as a seller! One person bid on all 4, and while they went for much less than I had hoped, I have to start somewhere. The buyer is doing the Happy Dance I am sure! She got each cake of thread for .99! I know I'd be doing the Happy Dance if I were her! I am still doing the Happy Dance for selling them. I was starting to think no one wanted them, so I was pleased. Hopefully when I list the next batch they will do a little better, and I will build from there. My little threads will be on their way to Anchorage, Alaska first thing Monday morning!

Dyeing!

So I dyed 5 colorways last night. Didn't take but a couple of hours this time. Will be able to rinse those Saturday night. We had fun mixing the primary color kit that I bought and ended up with blue, peach, purple, green, yellow, red, orange and pink to dye with. Can't wait to see how they turn out.

This morning I was up bright and early to dye the second batch I had soaked in soda ash overnight with a different process. I used some of my new colors from the kit I bought on Ebay. Gonna see how it turns out. I made a large colorway using 4 colors, then made 3 coordinating solid colors to match it from the same batch of dye. I'm excited to see how it comes together. I want to do more now, but I have to prep some more before I can by winding it on my swift. Since that takes a bit of time, I probably won't get any more actual dyeing done until next weekend. I do have the week of Thanksgiving off, so if I prep enough, I can be a dyeing fool!

No work?

I have today and tomorrow off from my "real" job. At first, I was thinking

...oooOOO(Lots of time to crochet!) <====sad attempt at thought bubble

but now it has turned into

...oooOOO(after I clean out my car, get my emissions and the tags for my car, go to the store, clean the kitchen up a bit so I can do some dyeing, swift some thread, I can crochet!)

Not nearly as exciting. All those things you think you will do on days off that are leisurely somehow get trumped by necessary things that need to be done so you can enjoy the fun things. Vicious cycle.

Tomorrow I am hoping that DD and I can go to a craft fair for a little while and see all the creativeness of others. I enjoy that so much. It's always nice to see what others enjoy doing and the ingenuity some have. I have to refrain from thinking "I can do that!" because my list of crocheting is long enough that I shouldn't (yes, I said shouldn't) add to it with other stuff.

I won't be working on my lunch afghan, obvioulsy, since I am not at work. And my list of things to do on my weekend off is growing so much that I'm not sure 4 days is enough time to do everything on my list. I do have to work at some point at my second job for a couple hours each day, but I have let whoever is listening know that I will NOT be there Saturday or Sunday. After this weekend, I have a week of work, then I have the WHOLE week of Thanksgiving off! Yippeeeee!!! I was going to bring lunch afghan home with me during this week to work on, but if I do that, then the list of gifts I need to work on won't get done, so it will have to stay at work that week too.

But I know, know matter how long my list of things to do gets, I always manage to get crocheting in.

No dyeing after all

We didn't get to dye. I ran out of time to get it ready to soak, so I am going to finish that over the next couple of nights, and soak it Wednesday, so we can try on Thursday.

I did put some of the thread I dyed back in July up for auction on Ebay to see how it will go. I did that on Saturday, but as of right now, I still don't have any hits. I've been told to be patient. I'm trying.
smartsmiley.com

On a good note, I am on the edging for Mom's Christmas present! I had to stop last night because my hand was getting tired. I figured if I kept pushing on, then I would probably pay for it later by either being in too much pain to crochet for a couple of days, or making a mistake that I would have to go back and fix. Once I get the edging done, I can move on to the smaller projects and hopefully get some of that list taken care of.

Dyeing Thread on Sunday

smartsmiley.com

My daughter and I are going to do some thread dyeing on Sunday. We are going to experiment some and have a lot of fun with color mixing. We are hoping it goes well and we will be able to put it up for auction on ebay to see what the response is. We are excited and hope it goes well. She is hoping to find something to do from home that will allow her to be at home during the last months of her pregnancy as well as after the baby is born. Hopefully we can generate some excitement over the next few months over our dyed thread that it can support her better than being a server at a local restaurant.

Of course, this will cut into crocheting time, and Christmas just keeps on getting closer and closer. I'll have to work on my other projects over the next few nights so I don't feel to bad about neglecting them come Sunday.

Christmas, Projects and Ideas...OH MY!

Christmas is coming way too fast. What seemed like plenty of time, is slowly but surely turning into not enough time. I will have my Mom's gift done, possibly by this coming weekend. So her, I am not worried about. Other folks on my list to receive crocheted goodies may not get what I have listed for them. At least they don't know. I need to make a better plan of action for making stuff throughout the year for Christmas next year.

My lunch quiltghan is coming along nicely. I haven' worked on it during lunch this week simply because I have been working on "ideas" instead. I haven't done any other crocheting other than these two projects for a few weeks. My snowflake-a-day plan flew out the window about 3 weeks ago when I began working on completing Moms gift.

smartsmiley.com

A small idea that started as "hey...I can do that..." has turned into something bigger that I am going to try. I've mentioned one of my favorite ebay sellers many times and have her store listed on my blogger links...Sara's Colorwave Yarns. She has become quite the popular lady in the past couple of months! If you don't hit her store the moment she posts new items, you may have to wait until her next "feeding of the store" as she calls it. I have missed some incredible colorways she has posted because I have to think about it and how I can use it and for what...and by the time I make up my mind...*poof*...it's gone. As shown in my previous posts I have experimented with my own dyeing, initially just so I could see how it works, and I had fun with it. Sara also provided some good feedback when I asked and gave me safety precautions when taking on dyes, which I have found invaluable. My daughter, who is expecting in early May '08, is looking for a way to be able to work from home, and get away from being a server. When I told her I am going to have to start dyeing my own thread in order to get the unique colors I have come to enjoy working with, she said we should start doing that and selling on ebay. It was also suggested on the 'Ville that if I ever decided to sell my thread, there would probably be buyers for it. So it planted the seed, and I am seriously considering it. I've made lists of supplies, costs involved, ideas that would make it different than Sara's ebay store, but in the end is still a similar product. I am going to experiment some more, maybe put up the colors I have made to see how they go, and then move forward from there.

Oct 23-24

smartsmiley.comI didn't work on Mom's gift at all. Tuesday night I bowled (like crap, but that is another story), and Wednesday I went out to a movie. I would have been better off in both instances had I not gone and stayed home and crocheted instead. I did get some more done on my "side" project, but no pictures to post. Maybe I will have more to report on tomorrow.

I did get my vacation days nailed down, so I am hoping to get a bunch of crocheting and maybe even some thread dyeing done in November! Errrrr...after I clean my house. Ick.

Oct. 17-22 update

So much for "daily" updates...

I have completed a bunch of motifs on Moms present in the past week. In fact, I only have one corner left to do, then I have to do edging. I might even finish it this weekend if I keep at it! Of course, I have not worked on anything else for Christmas, so my list is not getting shorter.

WHAT IS THAT?!?!=================>

*cough cough* I don't know what you are talking about...what afghan that I am working on at lunch? Oh...that is just a project to keep here at work so that I don't have to transport back and forth each day. Not a Christmas project at all. Although, I should have brought in a bunch of scarf yarn and been doing that instead. But no...what fun is that? That would mean I wouldn't have anything to complain about in my crochet world if I was actually doing what I was supposed to be doing and whittling down my Christmas To-Do list.

I may have been a bit ambitious in thinking I could get that much done. So, I probably need to sit down and come up with an alternate list. Maybe I can start on stuff for next Christmas? Yeah...right...as soon as Christmas is over, I will probably not look at it until this time next year, who am I kidding? Well...I am off to my Procrastinators Anonymous meeting...more later!!!

Oct. 16 - No crocheting done but...

I did get my Svanhild doily blocked finally. Here it is still on the board...



I used Aunt Lydia for the purple and the colorway "Ocean" from Sara's Colorwave on ebay. When I started this I was looking for a pattern that would have a peacock affect, and one of the first comments I got when I posted the pic on Crochetville was that it reminded her of a peacock...so mission accomplished!

Oct. 15 Progress

Five more motifs done. I cheated though and didn't weave in ends on 4 of the 5. So I have to weave-in before I can do anymore. It goes a lot faster when I don't weave, but I HATE weaving in ends (I believe I have mentioned that before), and the only thing worse than weaving them in as I go, would be to have a whole bunch to weave in when I am done. I was trying to get 6 done to complete an area last night, but I had taken some nighttime cold medicine to try to help with the nagging cough that just won't go away, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes open on the 5th one. This is also why I allowed myself to not weave ends. So I could get as much done as I could before I got drowsy. I think I have about 50 more motifs to go, and 8 half-motifs, then the main part will be done, and all I will have to do is the edging. The project uses 208 whole motifs and 18 half motifs...damn...why did I go and figure that out? Because 158 motifs just doesn't sound like all that much. Still, it is about 75% done...I guess that sounds better.

Oct. 14 progress

I lost count of how many motifs I got done yesterday. I worked on cleaning my house most of the day, then around 5:00 I decided I was done and sat down to watch TV and crochet. I would say that I have completed about 75% of this project. Once I picked it back up, it has gone really fast. I would say it was maybe a little over half-way finished when I started on it again, so I feel pretty good about the progress I made over the past week. Of course, I haven't worked on anything else, but thats ok. I think this was the one "big" project I had. The other stuff is fairly small and can be completed (in theory) fairly quick.

We shall see...

Long time no see

I hand-dyed some thread back in July and worked up bookmarks for each color. I have already given away 2 of the bookmarks but here are the results of 4 of my custom threads...

Oct. 11-13 progress

I completed 13 motifs over the past 3 days on my Mom's gift. It is coming along slowly but surely. Not sure how much I will get done today, as I have promised myself that since I do not have to work, I am going to clean my house. It needs it. I didn't work on any snowflakes this week, at all, and if I plan on fulfilling my list, I need to try to do 1 a day. I need to find more hours in the day.

Snowflake Pics

Finally got around to taking some pictures of my snowflakes I have completed. Twelve so far. My camera doesn't like taking close-ups, so they aren't as clear as I would like, but you get the idea...

Oct. 10th progress

Three more motifs done. I don't know why these are taking so long. Probably because I am watching TV while doing it. I am also weaving through ends as I go. I hate weaving in ends, and this is a HUGE project, and the idea of having a whole bunch of ends to weave in after I am through is not at all appealing to me. I have to weave in at the beginning of each motif and the end, because of the way I am doing the starting round. It gets way too loose if I leave it while I work. I also have a bad habit of admiring my work after each motif is done. So it is taking me about 30 minutes a motif, and I know when I had timed it when I worked on it in the beginning that I had them down to about 10-12 minutes per motif. I have the motif memorized now, so I don't have to keep refering back to the pattern, but I do watch TV as well, so that distracts me. At least I am getting it done slowly but surely!

I did not get my crinoline girl put together last night. I need to get some fabric glue or see if Hobby Lobby has an inexpensive hot glue gun. So, she may not get completely finished until this weekend. I have to weave in all then ends too. Ick.

Oct. 9th Progress

I was able to get 3 motifs done last night, which is better than nothing. I haven't worked on any snowflakes this week. Need to do that.

I have all the pieces done on the Halloween crinoline. I just need to press it and attach the hat and mask. I did end up using embroidery thread. Since it was such a small amount it worked well. I used 3 strands. Will have to remember that for future needs when there is just a small amount of thread needed in a certain color. This turned out smaller than I thought it would, but I am pleased with the results of my first crinoline girl. *sigh* Another thing to add to the growing projects that need to be photographed!

Daily Progress - Oct. 8th

Didn't get home until 9:30pm...but I did get 3 pieces of Mom's present done.

Worked on a Halloween Crinoline Girl during lunch. Once I figured out I made a mistake very early on, and ripped the whole thing out and started over, it went really fast. Something about only repeating 3 times instead of the ohhhhhh...12 repeats I was doing. I guess it helps to actually read the pattern and see what you should end up with at the end of each row. It's not quite finished, and I need to find some orange thread, which does not seem to be a popular color. I'm thinking I might have to resort to embroidery floss since I only need only a little bit, should work just fine. What? Halloween Crinoline wasn't on the Christmas list?!? How did that happen? I don't know. Ummmmm...I have to practice on one before I decide which one I am going to make for GG for Christmas? Yeah! That's it! Whew...it almost looked like I was side-tracked for a moment.

Not sure how much progress I'll make today since I bowl tonight and don't get home until late.

Making progress

Ever since I realized that Christmas was "sneaking" up on me again, I have been a busy girl. I pulled together all my Christmas crochet books, so I have them handy. I made a list of what I want to make for who. I ordered and received 4 books from an ebay store ('Tis the Season, All Wrapped Up, Simple & Fun Footwear, and Welcome to Winter Wonderful Wearables)to help make what I want for who. Hobby Lobby fed my addiction by having a WONDERFUL .99 sale on their Yarn Bee yarn. I got some beautiful yarn to make scarves/gloves/hats with. I love when they have these sales...the yarn is normally anywhere from $5-$8 and to get it for .99, well I just can't pass that up. They tempt me, I can't resist. But...but...no...I can't resist...leave me alone....it was a good deal, I don't care if you give a lick about crochet, or yarn or not...a good sale is a good sale...that's my defense, and I'm sticking to it! LOL! So now I am ready to tackle my list...

I finally finished my sons afghan (ok, I need to add the fringe...but finished... mostly) which was his Christmas present last year. He was very pleased. And now I can crochet other stuff without feeling guilty that his present isn't finished. He isn't sure he wants the fringe on it, I am waiting for him to let me know. Of course, he might be worried that if he gives it back for me to put fringe on it, he won't see it for another year. He might be right.

I have stitched and starched 11 snowflakes. I have a list of people I want to give these to which is still growing, but is at 50 right now. I may have to modify this, but I am still going with the idea that if I can get 5 or 6 done a week, then I might just make it. Maybe. They take about an hour to make, so in theory, if I set aside a couple of "crochet days", where all I do is crochet, then I could really churn some out.

I got out my Mom's Christmas present, which I have not put any "in progress" pics on here in case she decides to check out my blog. I was further along than I remembered being, so this was a good thing. After working on it for a little while last night, I got back into the groove of the pattern again, so I didn't have to keep looking at it. Took me a little while to pick the pattern back up, since I haven't worked on it all summer. Also, after working with thread for the past several months, since yarn is just way too heavy and hot to work with when it is 90-100 degrees outside, it was strange working with a "thick" medium again. That took a little getting used to as well, but it's all good now. I should have this done and ready to ship in plenty of time for Christmas.

I also want to do some charity crocheting for various organizations that I have come across through the Crochetville website. I was part of a Charity a Month thread that I kind of fell out of after the May charity. All of the organizations they supported throughout the year are worthwhile, but I was just stressing myself out trying to get stuff done, so I decided to take a break. Of course, trying to work on this in between my other projects might be stressful too, but I would like to do a little something to give to those who are not as fortunate as I am to have family and friends around them. It may not be a huge contribution, but if I can make a difference, even if it is just to one person, then it is worth it.

So, my spare time is pretty much going to be spent working on Christmas presents over the next couple of months. I found a new fire over the weekend, and I am motivated and ready to jump in. I am trying to only have a couple of things going on at a time, do a snowflake each night, then work on completing something else before moving on to the next big project. As it gets to crunch time though, I'm sure I will be thinking "Who can I get a gift card for instead?"

I also have a bunch of pictures of completed projects I need to to take before I forget. I have fallen behind on those too. I have the snowflakes, 2 or 3 doilies, my son's afghan, some bookmarks made from my hand-dyed thred I did, and probably some other things too. I should have those for the next blog.

Yikes!

I have been a little slow with my crocheting lately. Now, suddenly it is September and Christmas is just around the corner! I still have gifts from LAST YEAR I haven't completed. I had all these grand ideas of giving crocheted gifts this year, and now I am worried I won't get them done! I need to make a list of everything I need to get done, and get working on them. Now that it is cooling off, I can work with yarn again. Although, I still have plenty of snowflakes, doilies, bookmarks, etc. to make for gifts too. Where did the year go!?!

The results are in...

It is kind of hard to tell, as the pics are a little on the blurry side, but the one on the left is when they were wrapped and set, and the one on the right is the finished product. All wound beautifully from the swift to the winder. I had a little trouble at the beginning with the one Kitty helped with, but after exercising a little patience, I got it worked out and on the swift and wound. I am very happy with the results. For the most part the colors were a lot more even. The violet color had some splotchiness to it, but it isn't extremely noticiable. I may try to work up some bookmarks with each one just to see a small sample of how they each look when worked up into something. This was fun...can't wait to do more. Hope thread goes on sale at Hobby Lobby soon!

Dyeing Weekend

My swift arrived on Friday! I knew it wouldn't come with instructions, so I had spent some time surfing the web to figure out how to use it before it got there. It was really easy to set up, and is just as nice as all the reviews said it was on joann.com. I couldn't put my tangled mess on it of course (I still have one to de-tangle and tame...the other is headed for the trash I think), but I was able to make hanks for my next round of dyeing. It went faster than doing it on the back of my desk chair, and it was more consistent, so I am hoping that when it is all said and done, I will be able to put these back on here to wind into balls. I worked on these on and off Saturday afternoon/evening. I am going to have to wait for a thread sale at Hobby Lobby before being able to do more. I still have 2 white balls I can hank, so may do that just so they are ready, and while everything is set up still.

I made 5 hanks, 3 white, 2 ecru. I soaked them in soda ash overnight and part of the day (about 18 hours total), then I gently squeezed out the excess soda ash water and carefully hung each one up by the window to air/drip dry while I dyed. Of course, the slight breeze didn't care that I had been careful and blew one hanger down. So, I carefully rehung the thread, after mumbling under my breath for a minute (or two), and made sure the hanger was secure and could not be blown off again. The cat didn't care either apparently, or her curiosity just got the best of her, and I just about killed her when she messed with it and it got caught on the hanger and got pulled and...*sigh*. We've made up now, but she was shooed away the rest of the afternoon.

I laid out my saran wrap, and my first hank. I put on my gloves, mixed my dyes and I was off! I had some help, thank goodness, or else I would have been dyeing for much longer than the 3.5 hours it took. I was bound and determined (hopefully it will pay off) to make sure the colors were even, that the spots that didn't quite get as much color last time (around the folds of the hanks and around ties), weren't missed, and that I didn't use too much dye. We had a pretty good process going by the end, we shall see if it worked.

With each one I did, I added water to the dye. Two reasons, I wanted to make sure I had enough to do all 5 hanks, and I wanted to see the color variation that would result. I'm not sure how much the color will vary, but they certainly lasted. I probably could have done another 5 or 6. The colors were still very vibrant even after being watered down several times.

I was a little "done" and was probably a little less careful with the last one, maybe too much dye (had to blot before wrapping), so might have more bleeding than I want. Did some experimenting with color mixing for the last one, and I can't wait to see how it turns out! Next batch, I may do more color mixing, because that was fun! I wish I got pictures of all of them before they were wrapped, but I did get a few. By the time I remembered the camera, it wasn't worth it to unwrap it just to take a picture.

Then they were all wrapped, looking like colorful cinnimon rolls in a little tub on my kitchen counter, waiting for 48 hours to let the color set. I felt with my first experiment, the one that sat for 48 hours turned out the best, so I am went with that for all of them this time.



After they sat for 48 hours, I rinsed them in hot water until it looked like the water ran clear. Then I put a little bit of Dawn in a tub and let them soak in there while I rinsed each one. By the time I was done with that, I pulled the first one out of the soapy water, and rinsed it again, getting out the soapy water. There was some color that came out while they were soaking, but not too much. After rinsing in cold water this time, I put them back in a tub of cold water, no Dawn, and let them each sit for a few hours. Actually, I went out with a friend, and had run out of time, so that is what I decided to do. When I got home, I rinsed them all once again in cold water, then put them in the spin cycle in the washer to get most of the water out, then hung them up to finish drying.

Now, I'll just have to see if they go back on the swift to be wound into nice little thread cakes. I don't think they tangled very much, if at all. That will be another post!

Thread Mess!

I broke down and bought a yarn ball winder. I had an online coupon for joann.com for 40% off, so that helped. It arrived. I grabbed my 3 newly dyed projects to sit down and wind them into nice little balls...and they are a mess. Either I didn't put enough ties in to keep it from tangling or the washer did it, I don't know. The little bit I was able to wind looks great...go ball winder!


Here is the finished product. It took me about 3 hours and a lot of patience to get it untangled, creating a regular ball as I went, then from that, I wound it onto the winder. That part took all of 2 minutes.

It did not go as smoothly as I thought it would. I went ahead and ordered the yarn swift too, with the 50% off coupon I found a couple of days later. I don't know if this will help with the tangles for future products or not. We'll see. I guess I need to get out the camera and take some pictures of my new toys, my recently finished projects, my dyeing experiment and my thread mess. By the time I figure out how to dye thread, I am going to have invested a whole lot of time and money, so I will have to keep doing it just to make sure I get my money's worth!

Finished!

I finished Svenheld...finally! I really need to block it to get the full effect I'm thinking. It is not one that I feel I can just press and its ready. Still need to weave in the loose ends too. Will post photos when it is blocked!

I did another small doily. Love those...they go so fast.

Started another for a friend in Florida. 'Hazelnut' I think from Coffee n' Cream. It was supposed to be the first one in the book, but for some reason I started on this one instead, and did not feel like going back to start over, so it is what it is. Seems to be going pretty fast.

I bought some more thread to dye, but have to get it into hanks. I bought a yarn ball winder to wind it up when I am through. It should be here some time this week.

Oh yeah...I STILL need to finish my Sons Christmas present from last year. I just can't bring myself to work with a heavy afghan/yarn when it is pushing 100 degrees outside. That, and have I mentioned...it is mostly single crochet (*yawn*) with a row here and there of hdc/dc/tc. Still. I started this as my first project when I started crocheting again, and have started and finished several projects since then. He is giving me a hard time about it now. As he should.

Thread Dyeing

I decided to figure out how to dye cotton thread. My favorite ebay store, Sara's Colorwave Yarns, has become very popular, and unless you catch her new inventory within the first few hours she puts it up, you are outta luck. So I asked myself...How hard can it be really? Try finding good instructions on dyeing cotton thread...not so easy to find. At least not with any great detail, or specific to thread. Can't use the cool Kool-Aid method, cuz it doesn't work with cotton. Last I checked, they don't make wool in size 10 thread.

I found a couple of websites that did explain it a little. I went with the easiest, but maybe not cheapest, version. I bought a couple of tie-dye kits and used one so far. My thread is wrapped and set. I have to wait 4-6 hours more before I know how they turned out. I didn't get very adventurous this first go-round. Just used the colors as they were, no mixing ... blue/violet/fuchsia. We shall see. I tried applying it in different combinations, double folded the thread on one, fuchsia/violet/blue on one, violet/blue/fuchsia on another. Here is a picture of one of them drying.

If they turn out well, I may try posting instructions with pictures next time. I did find a website that sells dyes for cotton in more colors, so again, if it goes well, I will expand. Looks like I can buy some of their kits for about the same as the tie-dye kits, but with the soda ash included (I had to buy that separate for my first try). It was easier than I thought it would be...so far.

If this becomes a new "hobby", then I will have invest in a yarn ball winder and possibly a spinner, because using a chair was kind of a pain. I will probably invest in the ball winder regardless, because I can use that for my ever-growing stash.

A couple finished...

I took a break from Svanhild to work on this doily. I just needed to put it down or a bit. I will finish it this week. This is another Patricia Kristoffersen doily, I don't have the name of it or the book I used in front of me, I will have to come back later to edit that bit. I used a size 7 hook, #10 Aunt Lydia's Frosty Green and Sara's Colorwave thread in Tea Rose. It is about 20" in diameter. I was quite pleased with the way the colors went together. The greens aren't an exact match, but they are close enough that they compliment each other just right (I think). The pink is kind of a peachy looking in the picture, and that may do to the little bits of yellow. All in all I am pleased with the way this one turned out. I feel like I accomplished something, and I am ready to go back and finish Svanhild now.


I received my signed PK books on Friday. 99 Little Doilies and Victorian Doilies book 1. I love the little doilies...I already made one and it went really fast. There are only 8-16 rounds to make on these. I'm not thrilled with the color choice I made, but I like the pattern and I like the thread, just maybe not together. I can live with it though, since it is only a small one, didn't take but a few hours, I don't feel like I have to love it. I do think I need to block this one for sure. Usually I just settle for ironing, but this one is small enough to block, and it may look better if I do. Maybe I'll like it more?
I have a couple of requests for me to make some doilies, I just have to find the right colors and pattern for it.

I finally got it!

After trying and frogging and trying again (x 10), I finally figured out the twists on my most current doily project. I had actually given up and decided I was just not going to do them, and the doily could just survive without them in there.

Then, on one last attempt, I finally figured it out...I was going under 2 loops instead of the back looop only. It didn't say this specifically in the instructions however. I was just going by what I knew about crocheting, and since it didn't say it specifically I did what I knew. On a last ditch effort to try to get it, I tried just the back loop...and Eureka!!! Something so simple. I think I have a pretty good handle on crocheting, and this was frustrating me that I couldn't get it. Anyway...I didn't fancy going back and ripping out 5 rounds of work, so I decided I could live with ripping out two rounds, and would attach my spirals separately. It seems to have worked out.

Picture quality isn't the best, but phone cameras aren't the best for quality.

Twists

I am working on one of the doilies from Doilies with a twist, Svenheld I think its called. Everything was going smoothly until the first spiral came up. I have spent over 2 hours working on this twist over the past couple of days and I just can't get it right. I am going to continue to work with it though. Eventually I will get it. Maybe.

Oval Doily

A PK Oval doily from 'The Best of Patricia Kristoffersen' (#23), done in Wood Violet. I made this for my mantle. I thought it would be a little bigger, but over all I am pleased with it.

My Addiction - Thread/Yarn

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I suppose there are worse addictions to have. Mine is yarn, thread, and crochet books. When I started crocheting again back in late November of '06, I bought one skein of yarn, and an "I taught myself to crochet" kit. I had never really made anything when I crocheted before, just "mastered" the sc and attempted an afghan with that stitch. *yawn*


I have accumulated several crochet books as well...thanks ebay! I mean really...if it is a good deal...how can you pass that up?


So...since November this is what I have accumulated...Hobby Lobby doesn't help, they have had some incredible sales...$.099 yarn, $1.17 thread...I can't help it I can't pass up a deal. Did I mention...its an addiction? Keep in mind that the drawers you see are 2 deep in skeins. (Ah-hah! There is that dark purple thread I thought I had but couldn't find with my other thread!)


I'm an addict. I don't care. I'm off to go look for sales and see what is new on ebay!

I didn't get much done over the weekend. I ended up working on Sunday, which I normally have off. I started a new PK oval doily in wood rose (I think) thread. I still haven't frogged the other one I was working on, I am still trying to decide. I think the colors are just too wild to do as a doily.

I noticed this morning that Sara has new colors ready to sell. Trying to avoid that temptation. Cuz really, it's not like I need it, I just want it. I am going to try to do better with controlling my addiction. Not sure how long that will last. The colors are so pretty.

I hope to have some time over the long weekend to crochet and chill. Hoping to get outside and do some yardwork too. We shall see.

to-frog or not-to-frog...

***UPDATE***

I decided to frog it. I couldn't find a complimenting color to go back and try to neutralize it, so I decided to let it go. I'll have to find something wild and fun to use this thread for...it's definately not doily material!

******

So my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. I really did have to frog back to the previous round on my current doily. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be though. It just seemed like it when I first found it and I was tired. It only took me like 15 minutes to frog and re-do. However, I am seriously considering frogging the whole thing, because it is just not working for me. I think I can find something better suited for the thread I am using. It is too bright and varigated to work well with this doily and would be much prettier as something else. I am about 2/3 done, and that is a weeks worth of work gone down the drain, but if I never use it, or can't give it to anyone because it doesn't look right...then the time and thread was wasted wasted anyway. I took a picture of it as it is before I actually frog it, just so I remember WHY I frog it.

I went to Hobby Lobby. I bought thread. I couldn't help it. I'm an addict. Does it count that some of it is for my friend Heather who doesn't have a HL in VA? I didn't think so. Oh well.

My Mom got her doily and loved it! She called me last night to tell me how pretty it was and she couldn't believe how "crafty" I had become. I love crocheting doilies because they look a lot more intricate than they really are, and there is quick turnaround time on them. She couldn't believe that I had done one in between my Grandmas and hers.

The one I am working on now, I realized has a mistake on the previous round. I am going to have to go back tonight and frog it back to that point and fix it. I found the mistake Sunday night, and decided I would wait until I was less tired to re-examine it. Maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I was too tired last night to look at it, but I don't have to work my second job tonight, so should have time to work on it.

Hobby Lobby has DMC crochet thread on sale this week. Sara is about due for another round of hand-dyed thread. I really need to try to avoid temptation and not buy more thread. It's an addiction, I have plenty, but is there such a thing as too much? But its on sale! But I don't have that color combo! But...but...but...

Precious

I just figured out that images are clickable! This really helps with seeing the detail in the stitches...if you are interested...

My first Patricia Kristoffersen! "Precious" doily from Simply Delightful doilies. I finished this just in time for Mother's Day and just have to get it off in the mail to her tomorrow so she will get it in time. I also made a bookmark for my Grandma with the leftover fractel thread I had from my nightstand doily. I got the pattern for the bookmark is from another Crochetville member via her blog. It is really quick and easy to do, and a good way to use up that last little bit of thread left over from other projects.

Now...I could do some work on the Prairie Star quiltghan, but it is finally deciding to have nice weather here in GA and the idea of working with warm yarn is not very tempting...so maybe I will have to work on some smaller charity items for the charity blitz I am in on the 'Ville...or find another thread project. I have some crinoline lady patterns I purchased a while ago, and some beautiful thread from Sara's Colorwave Yarns...I could work on snowflakes...did I mention...I have a yarn and thread addiction and my stash is overflowing? I just can't seem to pass up a good deal. That would be another post though!

Exciting

"Exciting" doily from Extra-Special Doilies by Mary Werst. Done in size 10 hand-dyed thread (color is "fractel") purchased from Sara's Colorwave Yarns on ebay. If you ever want some unique varigated thread, I highly recommend this seller's store. This one I kept for my nightstand.

Pineapple Delight

My first doily. I gave it to my Grandma for her birthday.

Snowflake

They had a crochet-along on www.crochetville.org to introduce crocheting with thread to those that had not crocheted with thread before. So I tried it. The project was for size 3 thread with a D hook. This isn't what the project was...but it opened my eyes to thread crochet. I decided "hey, this isn't so hard", and bought some more thread (size 10) and some snowflake pattern books off of ebay.

This was my first attempt at making a snowflake. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. So now I have plans to make a bunch of snowflakes for my Christmas tree and to give as gifts this Christmas. Not sure where I think I will find the time for all the projects I want to do. I tend to work better under pressure and deadlines anyway. I'm sure I will be crocheting and blocking snowflakes like mad the week before Christmas. I'm not so excited about the blocking process, but it definately makes the finished project.

Prairie Star Progress

This is an quiltghan I am working on for my Mom. Originally it was going to be for her birthday, errrrrr back in February. Obviously I didn't get it done in time. Then I was going to shoot for Mother's Day. OK...so it still looks like this, and Mother's Day is this coming Sunday. So, maybe I will finish it in time for Christmas 2007! I am now trying to feverishly finish a doily for Mother's Day for her instead.

The afghan under it was given to me by my Grandma 17 years ago as a wedding present. It has been well used, and is still in great condition. I have been looking for a pattern for it. I saw on www.crochetville.org that someone had recently made one and it was called a spiderweb afghan. Grandma doesn't have the pattern for it anymore, so I will have to just keep on looking. I would love to make one for my daughter when she gets married eventually. Maybe if I start working on it now...?