Art, Craft and Needlework, April 2014

[Harriet]

What's making your creative world go 'round these days? Please come in and let us in on the enjoyment! If you have a photo you'd like to share, instructions can be found in the Tips and How-Tos forum. Also, here's a link to the explanation of how photos can be used here in a way our bandwidth can handle. There's been a lot going on in March... ...

Nancy is working with raw wool to demonstrate her drop spindle, hopes to repair a loom
Ivy is making hanging dishtowels for friends and a butterfly afghan for her dgd
BookSaver is sewing bright cotton tote bags for homeless and foster-care children
Harriet is gathering spring blossoms for pressed-flower bookmarks
Emptynester finished a carving project in cottonwood bark - dust is a problem!
Lilac is sewing hutch-shelf-liners from fabric that matches her dishes
Elizabeth finished a charity shawl, and captured foster kitten Panther in a new painting

[Nancy]

I am doing 100 days of fiber project trying to increase my skill and advance my level forward. One month done. Puppets have helped me to learn toe up knitting and given me the confidence to tackle knitting socks did a pr. For h. He commented that his feet were hot. I am doing some for me and then the Kids will get some.
I will tackle mittens at some point as well maybe for Christmas.

Yesterday I rewashed the last of the white wool fiber I have here to blend with natural colored Jacobs fleece wool to get @ spinning mtg. Evuntally to be made into sock and for dogwood festival demo~ing on the drop spindle. Maybe even some weaving. Watched u-tube and figured out double weave concept that had escaped me in the past.

I have successfully done a cable, and tackled picot cast on and bind off and done some lace knitting trying to get out of my rut!

Doing this and more baby sitting house work is slipping a bit. But I am having fun!

[Ivy]

I finished the hanging dishtowel and 4 dishcloths for BFF. They're in tissue, laid out in a floral box. The color theme of the crochet is red & white. I found a canvas woven "ribbon", which is red with white top-stitching on it, to tie the box closed. It'll match the theme of red & white gifts inside the box.

[Nancy]

Ivy I was thinking dish clothes might be an excellent way for me to practice some knit stitches.

[Ivy]

Nancy, That's a good idea. Also, another idea would be to make the squares all the same size, then stitch them together into a sampler throw. Or 1 dishcloth joined in a line could make a scarf. Oh, there are hats, which are crocheted or knitted flat, into a rectangle, then the back seam's stitched closed, the top is pulled inside, to make a hat. You'd probably need ribbing added, too, right?

Later: I just cannot seem to get myself in the "groove" to start Dgd's butterfly afghan. This is what I've done so far:
1- I got all the yarn together into the biggest tote with the pattern on a clipboard.
2- I made a mock-up butterfly on a square, to give it a "test drive".
3- I wrote down "my" pattern, for the square, since the square for the pattern was flimsy, loose, and too holey.
4- I measured the square.
5- I drew out what square would go where, on a chart.
6- I counted how many butterfly squares I need and how many plain squares I need.
7- I have the tote, etc... in the dining room, under a bay window, just awaiting me for when I decide to jump in.
8- I only need to make a date, start squares, and put them into gallon Ziploc bags, to keep them clean & in 1 place.

NOW- TO MOTIVATE MYSELF TO JUST DO IT! :!:

I ask myself right now:
1- What's holding me back? The fear of failure?
2- Am I "that" short on time- that I cannot MAKE time for something fun to BLESS dgd????
3- Maybe I'm just "side-tracked" like a SHE?
4- Maybe I'm scared of sitting too much more?

My answers to myself:
1- I'm NOT afraid. I CAN do this!
2- I'm NOT that "short" on time. I can make time to write stories or pen pals or read, so I can make time to crochet this lovely pattern up!
3- Sure, I might be "side-tracked" like a SHE, but I can remember OMM list, I can make myself buckle down and actually do this. I can pretend somebody's paying me $$$$ to get the job done. Maybe I'll reward myself with something, like a new book or that crochet book that's going to be out at Costco in mid-April.
4- Sitting too much more????? I am making SQUARES! There are only about 8 or 9 rounds per square. After doing a square, I can get up for air, move, do other things..... I can move in between sitting and making squares.

It's high time to write it in RED in my runner, on the calendar, on my hand, anything to get me a reminder to crochet what's going to become a lovely heirloom, something she can save for her DD someday. I love my dgd ♥, so I'm not going to hold off anymore. Tomorrow is the 7th of April, it's a Monday, and seven is a good number, too. You hear, I'm in 7th Heaven. So I'm starting TOMORROW!

[Ivy]

I crocheted on 1 square today, which is a start, right? I labeled 2 Ziploc gallon bags, 1 for butterflies squares; 1 for the raspberry centered squares. Hope to do more tomorrow.

[Nancy]

Socks done.
Mittens next to learn!

[BookSaver]

Last Friday I delivered 12 little bags to the organization for preschoolers.

Since then I have completed 6 more, the ones in the bright summer beach print.

I have 10 bags cut out of the red calico, ready for whenever I have time to sew.

I also found a sports bra project from a class last August. It is more than half done so should not take very long to complete.

[Ivy]

Booksaver, If you are working or were working on a sports bra project, do you own a serger for knitted projects? Just curious.

I bought a cone of P 'n' C cotton kitchen yarn at WM today. The color isn't listed on the inside underneath the cones any longer, it's not on the label, so I don't know the name of this color. If I went to their website, I "might" be able to tell the name of it from a small swatch, but that's even "iffy" because those photos are so very small. Let me run and grab my cone, so I can describe the colors.

Okay. It's mainly white with a touch of yellow, pretty bright aqua and a lime green that's on the bright side. The yellow's bright, then goes pastel, as do the other colors, too. But the main color of the entire cone is white. I plan on making facecloths from it. I use that pattern where you chain 1, single crochet in chain-1 space below, across, turn, chain 2, and repeat. Sometimes I single crochet the edging, HDC it or double crochet it. However, recently I was crocheting a round dishcloth pattern, which had a ruffle-looking edging. You single crocheted in 1 stitch, chained 3, single crocheted in the next stitch. I thought, since this cone's in a feminine-looking color scheme, the ruffle edging would look pretty, on it, too. Also, there is another variation on an edging. You slip stitch in a stitch, chain 4, skip 3 stitches, slip stitch in the next stitch around. It makes it look sort of like U-shape chain to it. It's not as pretty as the ruffle one I talked about previously. I'll use my old facecloths for cleaning, in the bathrooms, kitchen, and utility room, since they're faded, have pills on them, etc....

Also, I have dgd's afghan Grannies to do. About 16 of them will be raspberry in the center 2 rounds of the Granny. Rather than do the raspberry middle, then 4 rounds white, 1 round raspberry, edged in white HDC, I thought it might be fun to assembly line fashion do the squares. I labeled a gallon Ziploc bag "raspberry center Grannies," to put in the 2-round raspberry centers inside. After I get 16 of them done, I can continue with the white part, then either finish them each or do them in steps, of color, stitches, until they're done. Also, the squares with the butterflies on them, are white Grannies for 5 rounds, then 1 round raspberry with HDC white edging. I have a Ziploc for them, too. After I get them done, I'll make up a bunch of butterflies. After I attach each butterfly, I can join squares, then edge the afghan. It shouldn't take very long to get it done, if I don't get side-tracked. But if I work on and off, during Easter week, while I do Easter cleaning, which is also my spring cleaning, I think I can get a lot done. After dgd's afghan's done, I'll store it in my hope chest, then start on 1 dgrson's afghan. I have the colors all together in totes and a pattern, which is 50" x 50" without the border. I'm striping it. It's the Easy Patterned Throw from Crochet Me website. I made it before, in bands of red and white, but elongated it, to make it a rectangle for Ddil. I got so long-winded!

[Ivy]

I looked at the butterfly Granny afghan closer. The center of the Grannies that are white with raspberry centers are only 1 round raspberry and NOT 2-rounds as previously erroneously told by me. I need 15 centers, I'm crocheting on center #15 now. I'm so glad it's being baby-stepped and it's only April 12. I hope I'm done with it by June 1. I know I probably will be. It's going to be so adorable, too. Making the butterflies is both challenging, but very fun. And knowing how to make them means I might make a pillow someday and add butterflies to it. Or, who know? I might make dgd a vest someday and add 2 butterflies on each pocket or something.

The challenge, too, is making my own facecloths, at the same time I'm doing dgd's afghan.

Do any of you have difficulty juggling projects? Do you work on projects as your reward time or is it a chore for you to fit it in? For me, it depends upon my mood. If I'm in a happy mood, doing projects is a rewarding joy, but if I'm grumpy and feel overwhelmed or too busy and time-cramped, then it's a chore and I don't like it as much. When that happens, since I want it to be joyous, is that I go do a different project for awhile, which gets me back into a good mood again - or just take a nap and chill out, to rejuvenate myself. I think it's more for to work while being happy than not.