Art, Craft and Needlework, December, 2013

[Harriet]

Ready or not, December! Wow, for me, it's hard to believe.

Don't regret what you weren't able to craft and create by now, but delight in the things you were able to enjoy!

Now's the time to really be sensible in budgeting time for handmade gifts, so that we are not bogged down by any negative emotions about them. CEO reminds in her "Christmas Countdown" that handmade gifts that don't get finished this month can be set aside with the knowledge that they can be given on a later occasion. It's all good!

But if you do have time, without guilt, for creative things, tell us ALL ABOUT IT! We're all ears!

[Ivy]

Got the 3rd grand's afghan done, so those 3 only ones are done. Older boys don't get them, since they've had several over the years. The youngest grands are 11 months, 2.5, and 4.5.

Now it's onto 3 hats, 2 puppets, and a kitty or bunny's head with a blanket attached to it and I'll be done for Christmas.

I'd LOVE to be able to crochet DD and myself an infinity scarf each, too. Maybe I'll be able to get one done before or after Christmas. If it's after, I can ship it to her. I'm uncertain which colors she'd like, too. Am leaning toward a 2-strand in black and white, since she wears a lot of black. I might do the same for myself since I have 2 black coats and 1 herringbone tweed coat.

After Christmas I'll be crocheting myself a striped Granny in horizontal rows across and back, using what's in my stash. My 2014 goal is to use up my "stash".

[Nancy]

I have decided that I will not be doing as much needle work this month.

[Ivy]

I'll be starting the bunny blanket body with an attached embroidered head with ears this afternoon-evening today. I'm putting deadline dates for writing magazine issues in my day runner right now.

I'll try to make the soft, delicate wonderful-looking baby girl hat in pink soft stretchy yarn this evening. It has a matching rose attached to it, too. I'm thinking about perhaps sewing on a little hippo girl button into the center of the rose, to add some character to it or perhaps if I can find a pretty girlie-girl button in my gallon button yarn, it'd work out nicely, too.

The "Mario" and "Luigi" hats are slated to be started about Wednesday sometime or Thursday if I get tight on time. Nevertheless, they should be done by Sunday night or Monday morning. Then, it's on to 2 very simple-to-crochet puppet fronts/backs joined, and decorated with embroidery features, hair, and ears.

Then, all the holiday crochet will be done, unless I want to make myself and DD infinity scarves. I'm "itching" to get going on my Granny striped afghan this month, so the infinity scarves can wait until Jan. sometime, too.

I enjoy crochet because it's relaxing, repetitive, has a meditation flair and a de-stressor, too.

P. S. The bunny blanket toy looks so cute, so far. The head's done, I'm decreasing on the blanket. Next will be the ears, attach them, embroider a nose and eyes, stuff the head, sew it closed, knot the hands, which are already crocheted on, while doing the blanket. I used 2-strands lavender, which makes it soft, rugged, and lavender's pretty for a girl's color. I think dgd will enjoy it. She turns 1 year on 1/8/14.

Also, I got bins of yarn opened and bags of yarn on them, to begin the Granny stripe afghan, for myself to use up most of my stash. If I don't use my stash up, I'll make a Granny square (single 1) and go around and around until it's larger. I'm tired of bins of yarn making clutter in my closets, and various other parts of the house. I'd rather use the bins for something else or just store them.

[Ivy]

I finished the lavender bunny's head, features, ears, stuffed the head and sewed it clothes to the attached blanket with the knotted hands. It turned out very cute. Whew. Lotsa work!

[Harriet]

Here's a photo of the sketchbook that lies beside me today - no more than 10 minutes was spent on each portrait by dd15 last evening, as she used my desk to brainstorm an art assignment off the top of her head. She'll keep working on that at school tomorrow. This is how far her sketching has come in less than year, if you remember the sketch with watercolors I posted in January. It astonishes me. And yet, on another day she will struggle to get what she sees in her mind down on paper, and throw pages into the trash bin. I tell her never to put pencil to paper unless it is a good sketchbook, because some of her best work ends up on notebook paper or post-its. That frustrates me, but she will already be on to the next idea and forgets it. I think the child sketches in her sleep. I know I find sketchbooks on top of her when she's sleeping, pencils rolled away somewhere.

Sketchbook Portraits2013.JPG

[Ivy]

Harriet, Your DD sure does do beautiful work! ♥ LOVED IT! She's so talented. Wow. Only 15? She must have a wonderful future ahead for her with such a gift of art at her age now. Thanks for sharing. It was wonderful to see it this morning.

[Ivy]

The "Martie's Tub Buds" are done for 2.5 and 4.5 grsons! SoooOOOOOOOooo CUTE! Here's the link:

http://crochetnmore.com/martiestubbuds.htm

I made the blue-purple-tan variegated one with black eyes & nose with a crew-cut black hair and red smile. I made the blue-light blue variegated one with blue eyes, black nose, and red smile. I added loopy curls for hair on the top & down to about the top of an "ear"- if there was one actually there. I'm very happy with how they turned out. Now the boys each have an afghan and each have a tub bud. Tomorrow, I'll try to make the "Mario" hat and "Luigi" hats for the boys. Then I'll be done with Christmas crochet. I'm a bit tired, kept making a mistake with both tub buds at row 20, so the head morphed the first time on both of the buds. I figured out my mistake with #1 bud and then I repeated the SAME mistake for bud #2! WHY? Oh, well. They're done now and I can move on.

Things on my list are b-day leg warmers & a matching hat for dgd's Jan. 1st b-day. Also, I'd love to make myself an infinity scarf, get to work on my Granny stripes afghan and make some facecloths. I have a dgrson's #5 b-day in Feb., so I need to think up something for him then and the other grson turns #3 in April.

Happy Arts & Crafts, Needleworking and Sewing, Everybody!

[Ivy]

DD returned my call. She's VERY HAPPY with the off-white Homespun and Red Heart black Infinity Scarf. I used a "P" hook, 2-strands together, chained 78, and joined, ch-1. I did SC for 2 rows, then BLSC for 1 row, SC for 2 rows, BLSC for 1 row, then ended with SC on both edges. It turned out nice! But DD said she'd like me to make them about 10 stitches longer. She's petite, but has broad shoulders, chest, back and a larger head than mine. I'm taller than she is, but my head, neck and shoulders are smaller. So when I tried it on at home, for myself, to fit it, it fit me fine, so I thought it would be okay for her. It'll be after Christmas before I make her another one, too. I might get some more Homespun yarn and make her a pretty one again, only I'll chain 90 this time.

I'm crocheting on a "Mario" hat. I'm starting the decrease stitches now. The hat's top looks huge to me, for a little 4 1/2 year old boy! If I cannot get the hat to look "right", I'll crochet a "Mario" mushroom cap and a "Luigi" mushroom cap instead. All I know is that the hat's made my wrist hurt, I now use my wrist brace and this is a job that I don't think will EVER END! I love to crochet for my grands, but sometimes the pattern directions, written by a self-professed (on-line) designer whom says she's not the best pattern writer in the world is so TRUE! Ugh-a-bugga!

I'm off to work on the hat some more before bedtime. I hope to get it done sometime tomorrow.

[Ivy]

I'm almost done with the green "Luigi" hat, once it's done, all of my Christmas gift crochet is finished!

DD told me she takes long scarves, knots the ends, then makes an infinity scarf out of them, hiding the knot under the scarf at her neck so it won't show! So as of tonight, I've done that with 3 scarves, so I have 3 new infinity scarves! One "problem" though. One scarf is white, grey fun fur, so when it's all wound around my neck--- DH said I look like I'm wearing a BEARD! Anyway, it's a super idea and easy way to get an infinity scarf in this cold weather.

Tomorrow, I thought, while I listen to an on-line sermon, how I'll be crocheting myself an infinity scarf, like I made DD, but using different yarns/colors than what I did hers with. I can crochet and listen to God's word at the same time.