Twee little excuse....

Okay, so here it is, my twee little excuse for being a dreadful blogger: Working full time leaves little time for anything else! Yet, I have still found time for my yarn, and for other crafting. I just haven't, however, taken the time to blog all of it, as that would simply mean less time for - get this - actually crafting.

Since last I posted, I've made 3 bridal garters, a sweater, numerous other bits of flotsam and jetsam, cards, etc, and am now working on my Next Ambitious Project^TM. Of course, in true Kerry fashion, this brainchild came to me when I have other things that are much more important to be accomplished, and when I have little time in which to create, but hey, when has that ever stopped me?? So what is this project, you ask? Well, Friday is Aliceon's 10th birthday. She's having her first sleepover party Saturday evening, and what with Hans being out of work for nearly 3 years now, there isn't a lot in the budget for decorations and the like. So, being me, I thought, "Hmmm.... I have that book of upholstery samples that I bought years ago, and I just inherited some awesome pinking shears!" I was already planning on making her cupcakes, and putting pennants in them a la Martha Stewart, so why not make a pennant banner for decor? So, much to Hans' chagrin, I started drawing my diamonds onto the backs of the fabric and cutting away with my lovely pinking shears. I got all of them cut and folded. I've just sorted all the colors (there's three pennants of each color) into the pattern I want, and have grouped them so that I can iron and letter them tomorrow.

They're really quite lovely, if I do say so myself! Check it out:

Grouped pennants, counted for lettering

A shot from the top to showcase the colors

Fanned out and lovely!

Pinking shears - an incredible invention!

Bright and happy, perfect for little girls' birthdays!

Back Again

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I'm a terrible blogger. I know. I suck at it. The truth of the matter is that I just haven't felt much like writing lately. Today, however, I feel like it.

I find myself back in the situation of crocheting because of my shitty health, my body that insists on betraying me every chance it gets. So, after a week of ER, doctors, tests, scans and what have you, I turn again to yarnapy to help me through it.

In December, my dear friend, Dianne, went to Olympia, WA and brought back some lovely yarn for me. I have been working on turning it into a shawl for myself because when she gave it to me, I realized that I really haven't made anything that was just for me. This yarn, though, was special. It needed to be just for me, something that I could wrap myself in and feel the love and friendship that I know went into choosing this yarn for me. I searched and searched for the perfect pattern, knowing that when I saw the right one, I would instantly know it was right; I would know that this was the garment this particular yarn wanted to be.

So I found the pattern and started on it. However, since this is for me, I find it difficult to stay on task with it. Even today, when I'm cranky and frustrated and needed yarn in my hands, I didn't reach for my shawl. Instead, I started on a birthday gift for Aliceon. She knows I'm making something for her, and she knows the yarn I'm using, but she doesn't know what I'm making for her.

So I have at least 2 projects in progress to keep me busy through whatever my decrepit body decides to throw at me, plus at least two more in my head itching to get out. Oh, and to show that I still am hardcore - we went to Disney a few weeks ago, and I took yarn and hooks with. I even have photographic proof! I'll leave you with that proof, plus a shameless picture of my family in front of Cinderella's castle!

I'm on FIRE!

So I made my sister's garters, then I decided to design one myself based on things of liked and disliked from others I've seen. I wonder, though, if anyone would be interested in purchasing the pattern.

Here's a pic of the first mock-up:

That was quick!

So this morning, before my migraine reached critical, I decided I would browse the crochet patterns on Ravelry and see if any caught my eye for Christmas gifts. I came across one, though, that I felt the need to do today for my little HeatherE. So, after 2 darvocet and a short nap, I sat down with a skein of Caron Spa in Naturally and whipped up this little beauty. It literally took about 20 minutes, and turned out beautifully!!

Absentee Hooker!

Oy! It's been quite some time since I've blogged anything on here. It's been an adventurous busy few months, and there's no indication that things are slowing down any time soon!

I have been playing with my yarn, though! I even took a little jaunt to Canada and managed to talk Hans into letting me buy yarn there! He walked through one of the yarn stores, too, much to my amazement!

Started back on the knitting attempts after my friend, Dianne, asked me to teach her how. Not sure how I accomplished it, but I was able to teach her to knit when I barely manage to do it myself, and she has taken off! She's reading patterns now and everything! So I got her a book and some special pink cotton hand dyed from Canada. Here's a picture of Di's first attempts:


So let's see, what have I done lately?










The first is preemie hats, "Tiny Ladies," a pattern that I was testing for someone on Ravelry. The second is the "Bridesmaid's Dress Sachet" that I tested for Tracie. Third is a chapstick holder I designed and created for my older daughter, Al, because she had chapped lips. Fourth is the hat that I created for my friend Jenn's daughter, Maveri.

Currently, though, I'm working on the garters for my sister's wedding. I have the first one almost done - just needs to be embellished and then cinched with the elastic thread, but I plan on doing that when I get up there so we're sure of a custom fit. The second - the tosser - I've just started, but it's the same pattern with a narrower (half size) band. I should be able to knock it out by tomorrow up to the same point the first one is at. Then I get to take both of them and go to Micheal's to play with ribbons and other embellishments!

For your viewing pleasure, the garter:

And so it continues....

Once upon a time, I was content to occasionally do some simple embroidery. Not anymore. Once the fiber bug bit me a year and a half ago, that was all she wrote. It started simply enough - crocheting a few things with some inexpensive yarns. Simple projects - hats, dishcloths, scarves and the like. Then I decided to move on to something a bit more challenging - thread. I haven't done a whole lot of it, but what I have done, I have really enjoyed. After that, it was on to the pointy sticks. While they haven't been mastered yet (the pointy sticks hurt my wrists horribly), I decided it was time to try out yet another fiber discipline - tatting. It's slow going, but,admittedly, I have only just started tonight. Still, it's something I want to master.

I'm not doing it just because I want to try to attempt as many things as possible. Actually, my little sister is getting married in October, and I am making her garter. I have a crocheted pattern that I think I like, but I found a tatted one that I adore. I'm hoping that it's something I can pick up as quickly as I picked up crocheting, and that this isn't an insane goal. Besides, tatted lace is just so very lovely. I would love to tat (is that the correct term??) something for my grandmother for Christmas.

In other news, I'm working on (almost finished, actually, thank goodness) a scarf for my mom's birthday. It's going to be late, seeing as how tomorrow is her birthday, though. I think it's going to turn out wonderfully, though. It's a soft, fluffy, light purple heather yarn that is just delicious.

I also am about to start on a gift for Hans. He's not much for crocheted items, but he liked the Fit To Be Tied, so who knows. I'm going to buy a very special yarn to make it, something that he'll actually use. I can't wait to get the yarn and get started! I love the thought of creating something for Hans that he may actually use.

Hmmm.... What else is going on right now? Not a whole lot. Life is busy, what with being PTA president, a Girl Scout leader and having cookie sales going on, plus Hans being out of town almost all the time. It's tough to find time to play with all my yummy yarns. Still, I make time. h

Will Wonders Never Cease?

I've been meaning to publish this for almost 2 weeks now, but just haven't had the opportunity to sit down and do it.

I finished this purse New Year's Eve. Put it in my basket beside my chair, and thought nothing of it. Didn't bother showing Hans because, well, frankly, he doesn't give a damn about my crocheting; in fact, most of it annoys him.

So friends come over for NYE fun, and I show the purse to one of them. She looks at it and shows her fiance. Somehow, it ends up sitting on the couch, and we go to bed.

The next morning we get up and are straightening up for Hans' parents to come over and pick up the girls, and Hans notices the purse. He actually picked it up, inspected it, then told me he really liked it and was really impressed with it. I thought he was being sarcastic, as usual, but no, he was sincere. And if I doubted his sincerity, when his parents got here, he got it out of my basket and showed it to them, bragging about how I had made it! I can't believe it!

Let me tell you, that really meant all the world to me.....

Powered by ScribeFire.