Winter Projects

I can't believe it's already almost the end of January!  Time flies when you're having fun, I guess.  To anyone who follows my postings, I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates since the fall.  Life has been hectic, and the crafting and blogging managed to fall by the wayside in the process.  I'm renewing my efforts to post more regularly with updates and photos of projects, so please don't give up on me!

I have a couple of fun projects in the works right now.  I have two friends who requested scarves, so I have two different scarf projects in process.  It's fun for me, because I get to work with two vastly different yarn types for two special people.  I'm hoping both finished projects are a huge hit!

I will definitely update with photos and progress as soon as I can.  Thank you all for your patience and support!  Happyn crafting!

Suncatcher Dishcloths

I found a great pattern for dishcloths via Craftsy.com!  They are so pretty!  I will post more photos soon.

 

My first two suncatcher dishcloths

Current Projects

It's been entirely too long since I last updated!  There are still several projects that are ongoing.  I've been terrible about working on anything lately, partly due to being busy with a new job.

Anyway, here's a list of what I have in progress!

- Crochet -
Garden shawl
Card bag
Sparkle mitts
Hexagon throw

- Knit -
Cool tone scarf

- Sewing -
Drawstring bag

I have a lot to do!  My goal is to finish as many of these as possible before Labor Day.   We shall see how I do.

Hat and Glove Set

This is an older project of mine, but one I'm fond of.  Last winter, I crocheted a set of fingerless gloves and a matching hat for myself.  Here are photos of the finished set!

Fingerless Gloves

Double crocheted Hat

Finished Hat and Glove set

More Card Bag Progress

The first of the two card bags is finished!  I'm happy to share a photo of the finished product, and the friend who commissioned the entire project is extremely happy with the first of the two crocheted bags.

Finished bag, complete with a button to keep it closed!

The bag itself is a modification of another pattern I found online awhile ago.  I will share the original pattern when I complete the entire project.  As for this bag, all I did was alternate single and double crochet stitches to create the pattern/texture of the bag.  It creates a tight enough pattern that the bag doesn't really need to have a lining, which is awesome.

I'm also happy to report that the second bag is coming along nicely.  I believe I'll have a finished product by the end of the week, as long as I don't slack off at all!

Front panel of the second bag

Overall, I think things are going well with my crochet projects.  With a new job starting on April 1st, keeping up with things may end up being a bit difficult.  I hope to keep updating and sharing crafted goodness with everyone despite the job and its demands.

 

Crochet Card Bag - In Progress

Once again, I have a lovely project in progress.  This time, it's a commission for a good friend of mine!

A while back, I experimented with a scaled down version of a crochet tote pattern I found online.  The result ended up being a nice little clutch style bag that I use to hold playing cards.  I showed this little bag off to a friend of mine who fell in love with it and asked if I would make a couple of them for her.  So, we made a trip to our local JoAnn Fabrics for supplies, and here we are!

It's really a simple project and I'm quite happy with how it's turning out.  I've included some progress pictures below.

Front and Back panels of the card bag

Close up of stitching for the body of the bag and the decorative border

Pre-assembly of the finished product

 This is actually getting pretty close to being finished already!  There's just the gusset, assembly, and finishing touches to go on this first bag.  Photos of both crochet bags and a bonus sewing project will be added when I'm done with them.  ^_^  Happy crafting!

Crochet Shawl

Finally!  After all of this time I remembered to take pictures and post the finished result of the shawl I was working on!  I'm happy to report that it was a smashing success.  ^_^

Full view of the finished product

The only difficult part for me with this project was remembering to keep stitch markers handy so I could keep track of my stitches.  Stitch count really is important for this piece, so don't be silly like I was in the beginning.  You can only recount your stitches so many times before it drives you crazy.

Closer view of stitching and border

The border was a little bit difficult as well, but only on the edges where I couldn't match up stitch for stitch.  Again, patience and stitch markers are your friends here.  Overall, I give this pattern high marks for the finished product.  Now I just need an outfit to wear it with!

 

Crochet Shawl - In Progress

Good morning, world!  I'm taking the time to let you all know that I have a lovely crocheted shawl in progress.  I found a lovely pattern on LionBrand.com that I decided to give a try.  It's a half-moon/half-circle pattern, which I'm finding to be both interesting and a bit of a challenge as the shawl nears completion.  Expect pictures and a link to the pattern when I'm finished!

(As a teaser, you can go to Lion Brand's website and search for "Emily Shawl" to find the pattern.  Just click here!)

Projects in Progress

So much to do and so little time!  It doesn't seem all that long ago that I was working diligently on another knitted scarf, a crochet tote, an afghan, and goodness knows what else!  I've hit a bit of a slump with my work as of late; mostly because I've been moving around and under a lot of stress the past few months.  The good news is that I'm starting to settle back in and create again.

As of right now, I have three projects in process.  The first is my ongoing battle with the motif-based hexagon throw I've been working on.  I'm at a bit of a standstill with it again because I managed to lose most of my crochet hooks (including the hook I was using on the project) in one of my recent moves.  The second is another knit scarf that I started months ago and just never got back to.  The third is another dishcloth collection that I've started.

Pictures of completed projects will be posted as soon as I can get decent photos to upload.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring!

SOPA Strike

Hello all!  I just wanted to give fair warning that I will be participating in tomorrow's SOPA Strike in order to tell our lovely government to stop trying to censor our internet.  Please consider boycotting the internet for the day in support of this movement.

Thank you.