Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2014

[Harriet]

Take a walk to figure out your creative projects!

Last month, Stanford Graduate School published the results of their recent creativity study, and the news is good. It turns out simple walking (either outdoors or just pacing up and down wondering about your project) helped the participants come up with creative solutions at a much higher rate than while sitting. Cool! Next time you are stuck for a color, a method, a stitch change, or any other puzzle relating to the art of your choice, pace up and down a while or go out to walk! Hmmm... ... better take a note pad in case you come up with lots of ideas!

Ivy's newest idea for a crochet pattern is a soap pump coaster, with edges that won't curl
Nancy has washed a new fleece, and her newest knitting project is a cape in spring colors
Lynlee built a small step stool project even though she's still recovering her strength
BookSaver is up to 18 delivered bags for preschoolers and has 10 more cut out to sew
Twins' Mom built a raised bed planter
Elizabeth delivered a charity crochet shawl to a fundraiser on Monday
Kathryn designed a real estate web page by herself after parting with her agent! lol
Harriet pressed flowers and learned to color paper with baby wipes and watercolor pencils

[Ivy]

[color=#BF0040]Harriet, I sure enjoyed reading through the list about what everybody's been creative at lately.

This evening, I'm crocheting the V-Stitch facecloths again, but this time I'm using an "H" hook instead of a "G" hook. I like the larger, looser, more flexible stitches.

After Mother's Day is over, I plan to crochet (at least!) 1 Granny butterfly square daily or doing the Granny square that alternates with it, on dgd's Christmas afghan. She'll be turning 16 months old on May 8 & will be 23 months old at Christmastime.

I have other projects planned for Christmas, in a Christmas file decorated with Christmas scrapbooking stickers. It's on my coffee table in our master bedroom, with my Bible on it. I want to complete 1 project at a time, for Christmas, so I don't have a disjointed mind by multitasking the Christmas projects, as to not overwhelm myself. It's my plan to do the afghans 1st. 1 is for 3 year old dgs & 5 year old dgs. I feel that 1 project at a time, along with fun things for myself, such as facecloths or potholders, etc.. will be enjoyable, as I take turns back & forth between a project, which takes more time to complete & a short pick-up project. Breaking up the monotony of a larger project helps. So does taking occasional days off. [/color]

[Nancy]

I have 2 projects in knit going a striped spring colored cape and pink prayer shawl and one crochet purse/tote in lime green Sug. & cream cotten that I have stalled out on.

[Harriet]

Newly pressed flowers are volunteer starts of last year's basket flowers, the calibrachoa in two colors. Also Johnny-jump-ups found on an urban outing. These are fantastic new colors for Johnny-jump-ups, including orange, and I wish I had more but a few is okay since they were along a sidewalk and dd was already embarrassed enough!

[Ivy]

Crocheted 1 more facecloth, decided to go back to my old standard pattern, for the next few. Will decide what to do after a few of them are done. Might make a different pattern of them again.

Harriet, That's just too funny about your DD being already embarrassed enough.

[Nancy]

Pushed the pause button on the knitting to go outside yesterday. Today is cooler so it is more apealing to do needle work. Meeting today of the group. Still trying to figure out how to work out that time slot. It is durning lunch at a coffee shop that is not diabetic frendly. Ack!

[Ivy]

Nancy, Is it a needlework craft group? Sorry it's not diabetic-friendly, too.

I'm crocheting the original facecloth pattern, which I have tons in the same pattern.

You chain 29, do 1SC in 2nd ch from hook, ch-1, sk 1 st, sc in nxt st, ch-1, *repeat. Each row's end, you chain 1, turn, then follow the same pattern. I usually DC or HDC around with 3 stitches in the corners. It's very nice for washing the face or body. The old faded ones make great touch-up cleaning cloths, too.

[Ivy]

I decided 2 weeks ago, to start crocheting Grannies for dgd's Christmas afghan, the day after Mother's Day. I believe it takes 35 squares, if I'm not mistaken. The challenging part (but I've happily made 1 prototype) is the butterfly I crochet separately and add to every other square. I'll make all the butterflies at the same time, in assembly-line order. I'll make the non-butterfly Grannies in assembly-line fashion, too. Then, I'll make the butterfly Granny base motifs the same way, do the butterflies, and add them at one time. Ahhhh..... Then we assemble it all, edge it & pray we have enough yarn to finish it completely, in the proper pink, off-white & raspberry. I can always buy more pink or rose to edge it with. I'm pretty certain, when I figured out the amounts needed in the beginning deciding time of do I or don't I make this- how I'm on the safer side of having the required amount of yarn. This makes me very happy.

When her Granny afghan's done, I'll store it in a plastic bag in my hope chest, given to me by my step-father #2. He had no daughters, so he gave it to me when he married Mom. Then, my plans are to start dgs-5's Christmas afghan, in a 50" x 50" pattern called "Easy Patterned Throw," from the Crochet Me site. I'm going to stripe it at random, for variety. I plan to finish it by or before August 30. Then, I'll do the same pattern, in different colors, for dgs-3. Hoping to be done with his by Oct. or in Oct.

After that, I'll make them crocheted pillows. Then, it'll be puppets on a scarf for the boys and a butterfly doll for dgd. That's the end of grands' Christmas crochet, because we gift money to them, too, for their parents to buy what they need/want. It works for us. I'll be crocheting kitchen gifts and/or hats for friends & pen pals. Just a few. I want to be able to relax and enjoy this time of celebration with our dfamily & dfriends, too.

1 suggestion to anyone, if you cannot get into the Christmas gift-making "mood" during the summer or fall months, is to play Christmas music CD's. It truly helps out a LOT!

[Nancy]

I went to the spinning group meeting discovered they do have quiche'. That I can have brought my own diet soda. Really had fun; & after the mtg. Got fiber this does not need washed and knitting needles at the leaders home studio! Happy camper!

Got a lot of the black wool fiber spun up. Glad I took my tablet used it there. Saw some friends that came in to the coffee shop. The may have some art classes next mo. I am considering that.

[BookSaver]

Tried a new crochet pattern for a dishcloth.

http://foothillsofthegreatsmokymountain ... cloth.html

I bought a large cone of Peaches & Creme brand cotton yarn "Happy Go Lucky" variegated, which is mostly white with little bits of teal, yellow, and light green scattered through. It made up really pretty.

Adjustments: First I was glad that I had read the comments on the page, because one of them is correct saying to add 1 more chain to the starting row. It needs to be a multiple of 4.

I used what I thought was a G hook; it's an old one that isn't marked. Even keeping tight tension, it started to look too large for my preference in a dishcloth. I ripped it out a few times and finally decided to start with a chain of 32. That made it finish closer to the size that DMIL knits for dishcloths.

I just found a smaller hook so I'll try this pattern again this evening.