Art, Craft and Needlework, January, 2015

[Nancy]

Trying to do not left handed backwards knitting. I may have to frog out a project and re do it correctly.
Got some bulky yarn today on sale biege blue and pink.
Trying to get a guage on it.

[FelineFriend]

I'm almost done with DGD's first dress.

It's adorable!

[Nancy]

Working on the striped sweater project I started yesterday.
Trying to get notes dwon a loose leaf anything notebook aka planner so I can get it transfered to my yarn projects notebook. I keep for knitting weaving, crocheting projects.

I need to get the sketch and measurments down for other projects. Arm length etc.

[FelineFriend]

I found 2 pkg's of the most bright, cute, zany and adorable butterfly buttons, for DGD-2's dresses and vests! I also found a great pkg. of flower buttons, in different colors, shapes, and styles for her, too. I found a Bernat white yarn skein for the bodice on a dress and Bernat variegated baby colors yarn, for the dress' skirt. It's going to be such a cute single crochet dress. I might use a larger-next-up-size hook, so she'll be able to wear the dress for awhile longer, too. I didn't care for the available yarns, in threads, for dresses. They looked picked over, too thin/skinny, and I couldn't find colors I liked. I'm considering using the Peaches 'n' Cream yarn, for the bodices on dresses with fabric skirts. When they wash, they'll be soft, too, against her chest skin.

I got a new Peaches 'n' Cream 1-Lb. cone called "Ivy League." If you go to the Peaches 'n' Cream website, you can search for the colors in it there. It's an ecru-olive-aqua, very pretty, and rich-looking to me. I want it for kitchen mats/CD coasters.

[Nancy]

On the toddler size sweater I am past the tricky part arm holes yea I will finish the body the do sleeves. First one I have done this method only my 2nd sweater ever with a 30 yr space in between.

[FelineFriend]

I only have 1.5 - 2" to crochet on DGD-2's dress and it'll be done, except for sewing on the buttons, at the empire bodice. I showed BFF today, she adored the dress and the buttons, too.

EDIT: I got the dress finished, right before dinner. ADORABLE! It's going to be so cute on DGD-2, especially with her orange hair in long loose curls.

Next up, is an Empire dress with a tie, heart pocket, and CC trim, done in single crochet. It'll have a white bodice with a variegated in baby colors skirt. Later, I want to try making 1 dress (same pattern - Empire) with a white top and pink skirt. LATER! I have 4 weeks to go!

And, after the Empire dress is finished, I'd love to make another pinafore sleeve pastel yellow dress with yellow flower buttons on the bodice.

Also, today, an idea came to me! I can use the pinafore sleeve pattern, in blue and green balls of yarn, for the bodice and attach a floral calico cotton fabric skirt to that. I think it'll look feminine, would be pretty for spring/summer.

Have an awesome weekend, Everyone! Happy Needleworking, crafting, artsy-stuff to you ALL!

[FelineFriend]

I'm putting the royal blue chain-21 "loopy" chain onto an "M" size 2-strand green & blue DC scarf, to match my hat in similar Seahawks colors!

[Nancy]

FF lovely!
I am thinking Imay need to do some thing in sea hawks colors as well. But do not have time.

I took the weekend off from knitting to let the cracks in my thumbs heal up. I have been doing some spinning.

[BookSaver]

My participation in the School Uniforms for Haiti project is finished. I had planned to stop helping with that in November, but the need was so great that I went to the group sewing days in The Big City in December and this past weekend, and also brought shirts home to sew. I enjoyed doing the work, and it gave me lots of practice with my newer sewing machine. However, as I mentioned in PWYC, I have other deadlines that need my time and attention now.

For the next 2 weeks I will be doing crafty things to get ready for the library's Fancy Nancy Tea Party. Most of these will be paper crafts.

[FelineFriend]

I bookmarked some quilting blogs I found at the Quick Quilts website. I liked the one from Portland a lot, because her blog post titles are subjects I'm interested in and some of the titles were unique or comical.

I need to re-read the Empire dress pattern, for the crochet project I'm embarking on doing in the morning. They say it's intermediate, but I won't know if I can master that level, until I'm in the middle of it, actually. Sometimes I surprise myself, with my skill being a higher level than I previously think it is. In other words, I believe I'm more advanced that I've been thinking I am. I enjoy challenging myself with the more advanced skills in projects. It makes me learn more and it boosts my self-confidence a lot. It's a good thing, as Martha would state.

Your projects sound like so much fun, Booksaver!

Go, Nancy, go! Go Seahawks colors, go!