Making Progress

My tunic project is sloooooowly coming along. I always end up putting projects for me aside as I work on something else for someone else.

I did start a brand-new, very colorful project that for now, must remain secret. Stay tuned. I hope to share it within the next couple of months. But in the meantime, just know that it involves this box of yarn:

One thing I can share is a pattern for a shawl that I'm crocheting for a dear friend who is ill. I ripped it out three times before I was finally satisfied with it. Here's the beginning of the shawl (Red Heart Soft yarn in Watercolors):

My big news is that I finished the second blanket for my great-niece! She will make her appearance in July, so I am way ahead of schedule on my projects for her. Yay!

WIPs - Blankets

I wanted to share some progress I'm making on some lovely blankets for my son and my great-niece who will arrive in July.

For my great-niece, I made this blanket (Happy throw pattern from Mamachee):

The yarn in Red Heart Soft yarn in Off White, Pink, Guacamole, Lilac, and Honey.

I am working now on a Chevron blanket (pattern by Mamachee) in White, Light Grey Heather, and a surprise color (to be revealed later)!

For my son, who is about to turn 13, a variation of the Chevron blanket in three shades of his favorite color:

I really like the ombre effect. The yarn is Red Heart Soft yarn in Seafoam, Deep Sea, and Teal.

 Truth be told, two of these blankets are "completed", except for the dreaded weaving of the ends. Of course, you can't tell that from the pictures (creative editing, haha).

New Yarn, Old Obsession

12 days into the new year, and my resolution to not purchase any yarn still holds. Although, truth be told, it has not been easy. At. All. Especially when I see yarn on sale.

One thing that has helped some was that I received a shipment of yarn (it was ordered on December 31, before my resolution began -- haha, so there!). Nothing like opening a box of yarn-y goodness to make your day:

Red Heart Soft Yarn in Lilac, Pink, Lavender, Guacamole and Honey (clockwise from top left):

 I also bought 3 skeins of a multi-colored shade called Plummy:

I originally thought I would make a blanket of African flower hexagons with this new yarn for my great-niece, but now I'm not sure. I love the hexagonal flowers; in fact, it is an obsession of mine. Proof of my obsession:

There are more than 100 motifs here. And they are all different! Which I guess speaks to my hoarding of cotton yarn as well as my obsession with African flower hexagons. Each hexagon begins with white yarn. For Rounds 2 and 3, I used an ombre (remember, they are all different), and Round 4 ends with a coordinating solid color. My plan is to complete Round 5 in white and then join all the hexagons into one mega-awesome, colorful, one-of-a-kind blanket!

So in the meantime, I am putting my obsession aside and I need to decide how to use my order of girly-girl yarn. Maybe stripes? Or maybe the obsession will continue. I still have some time to decide.

I also adore this sweater:

 

It was published in the January/February 2009 issue of Crochet Today. The little moose applique is so darling! I just checked the pattern, and I am pretty sure I will need to order the yarn to complete this because I don't usually buy baby-weight yarn. And the yarn that was used in the sample is discontinued. I guess this means that when I finally do break my resolution, at least it will be for a good cause!

Summer Happenings

Dear Summer, you are passing too quickly. Please slow down so I may enjoy more time with the boys before the hectic pace of school/activities/theatre/gymnastics? start again. Kthxbai. Love, Me.

We've been so busy this summer. At least summer school is over. DS1 and DS2 are both happy about that. :)

We try to go bowling at least once a week. The boys are all getting better, and I've managed to keep my form too. Ha.

We've had lots of family visits. Cousins:


And we've been hanging out at the ranch:



And we celebrated DS4's 5th birthday with lots of friends:

(16 kids and everyone's eyes are open! Ha.)

I have managed to finish a blanket that I made for my younger niece A. She loved the colors; like me, purple is her favorite!

I have lots more plans for summer; just hope I don't run out of time!

My Latest Projects

I'm happy to report that I have completed another afghan in the long-running and ever-growing list of blankets for the primos!

Plus the next one for the primos is almost complete; just 10 more rows to go.

In the meantime, I have started a baby blanket for a dear friend who is due in November (yay for Scorpios!). It's made with super-soft, super-plushy Buttercup yarn by Red Heart. I chose the white-multi color since I'm not sure of the baby's gender yet.

I also made a flower scarf for a gift using 2 colors of Loops and Threads (Michaels own brand) Impeccable Yarn, an ombre called Holland and a solid named Soft Fern:

And I liked the combo so much (reminds me of a fruit salad) I made a long, skinny scarf that will be listed at The Lavender Lizard.

The Latest WIPs

I was finally able to wrestle DS3's birthday blanket away from him to shoot a photo. He sleeps with it every night.

I used the five colors of yarn that I chose last year when I was working on a baby blanket for a friend's nephew. Originally, I thought I would make this in a ripple pattern (see below) but then I decided to make an oversized variation of a granny square. DS3 and I both love how it turned out!

This is the next primo blanket, a griddle stitch (alternating sc and dc) in purple, green, and yellow stripes. It reminds me of pansies!

I also recently finished a top (for me!) in a soft bamboo-blend yarn. I hope to post photos soon!

Trying to Catch Up....

Well, lots has happened in the last two months. I have finished two blankets, one for my sister and one for DS3's birthday. I also started another one in purple, green and yellow for the primos. (It reminds me of pansies.)

Here's the one for my sis in blue, white and purple:

I'm also working on a top in a bamboo yarn in purple for myself. It's turning out so nice that I think I'll make another in yellow. Can't wait to share a pic of that one.

Spring has brought lots of changes to South Texas. Because we had such a wet winter, the wildflowers have been the best we've seen in years. (Unfortunately, the rain also brought an astounding number of potholes!) We even finally managed to sprout some bluebonnets in our backyard (the seeds were planted 3 1/2 years ago!).


And here's another backyard surprise -- Boomer's back! Apparently we grow the right kind of weeds! He stops by almost every night around 5 and sometimes we even see him in the morning.



But the best bluebonnets by far are on what I call Bluebonnet Hill!

Happy Spring!

Four Down, Seven To Go

Here's the afghan I completed this week (#2 for the primos, if you're keeping count):

If you think I'm counting incorrectly, there was a change (and a few additions). Afghan #1 went to the first primo; afghan #2 was kept by my mom for herself (her excuse was that it matched her bedroom perfectly); afghan #3 was for my sister; and this just-completed one is afghan #4 for the second primo. So although the original plan was to make seven afghans for the primos (cousins), somehow four more were added to the list (two for Mom, one each for my two sisters).

That makes the score: four down and seven to go. Sounds daunting, but on the upside, #5 is already started, and #6 is a repeat of #4 with a different color scheme (which went very quickly)!

These projects are all temporarily on hold while I complete a quick entry for the Etsy Texas Crafters February Design Challenge. Sneak peek -- I'm combining these two very different yarns:

Stay tuned for a pic of the finished project and a link to the Design Challenge!

So Many Projects, Not Enough Time

I can't believe how quickly 2009 has slipped by! And now we're about seven weeks from Christmas! The list of gifts I want to make keeps growing. For sure, I have to finish DS3's bookbag -- he asked about it today. Oh, did I feel horrible when I had to tell him it still wasn't complete. Worse than that, I haven't touched it for weeks. :(

So completing the bookbag is Number One on my list.

Number Two is completing DS4's Christmas stocking. Several years ago (before DS4 was born), I crocheted Christmas stockings for DS1, DS2, DS3, DH, and myself. I like to decorate in non-traditional holiday colors, so I made the stockings in shades of blue and purple.

When DS4 was born, I knew there would come a day when I would have to make a stocking for him. No problem -- I found the worn free pattern that I had used originally, picked some more Lion Brand Homespun yarn, and starting crocheting last winter. Unfortunately, Christmas came and went before I could finish the stocking (don't worry, he got goodies from Santa in another, not handmade, stocking). He didn't even notice that his stocking was different. But this year, he's a year smarter and much, much more observant, so I must finish it! Number Two.

Number Three is a blanket my mom asked me to make for my sister. (No peeking, M!) I'm about 3/4 of the way complete. I love the color combination (a pretty pink and chocolate brown) -- she's going to be lucky to get it from me -- it's definitely a keeper!

So those three are my "must finish" items! Time permitting I want to make a scarf for my mom, hats for DS3 and DS4, and something from the exchange student my parents are hosting. I also have an awesome pattern for a man's vest, that hopefully will be under the tree for DH.

Another Primo Afghan Complete!

I'm just so excited to be finished with this:

It literally took four hours over the course of two evenings (and two Ranger baseball games) to weave in all of the ends of this afghan. It is my least favorite chore of finishing a project.

What's up next? Here's a sneak peek:

More WIPs and an Update...

It's been a busy, crafty couple of weeks since the boys finished up their school year. They all painted birdhouses for my parents' 51st anniversary, which was on June 15. My parents live about 30 minutes away on 6 1/2 acres of land with tons of trees. We thought the birdhouses would be a great addition to their enjoyment of the property.

From left to right, DS4's barn birdhouse, DS3's double-decker birdhouse, DS2's colorful feeder, and DS1's castle birdhouse. (Truthfully, I painted the barn. DS4 was not interested in painting at all.)

I finished one of the 2 scarves I started last week. It turned out great! I will be listing it soon at The Lavender Lizard.

I was not happy with the way the second one was turning out, so 5 rows into it, I pulled it all apart. The reason: I love love love the yarn (Caron Spa -- a bamboo/microdenier acrylic blend) and the colors are scrumptious:

But the pattern I was making was not taking full advantage of the drapey, silky feel of the yarn. I have new ideas for the yarn though, and I hope to dive into them real soon.

And here's what I'm really, really, really trying to avoid:

The only things missing from this afghan are weaving in the ends (yuk!) and 3 rows of a border. I must force myself to finish this, and I'll probably devote Friday to this dreaded chore. Wish me luck!

WIPs and UFOs

My home is full of WIPs and UFOs. Before you get the wrong idea, WIPs are works in progress and UFOs are unfinished objects. Sounds like they are the same thing, but really UFOs are WIPs that have been tossed in a drawer and left untouched for a period of time. I admit I just looooove to start new projects, sometimes before the current ones are complete.

So to that end, I decided to finally finish some loooooong standing projects. I can't tell you how many years ago I started this cross-stitch sampler, but the magazine with the pattern on the cover is from 1988.

It sat unfinished for many, many, many years. I finally finished it recently, but I made a design change (gone are the teddies!). Now I just have to frame it! Yay!

I also finished Afghan 1 for los primos (the cousins). My mother asked me to make 7 afghans for her 1st cousins (children of her father's brother). Out of the 21(!) children born to my great-grandparents, only my grandfather and my great-uncle Nat lived to adulthood. Both of them died in 2001, and they are greatly missed by their children and grandchildren.

So Afghan 1 is finally ready:

Afghan 2 is almost complete (it looks finished here, but trust me, the side with all of the yarn ends looks horrible! If you know anything about me, you know I hate to work in the ends.):

I did manage to complete this great dinosaur skull shirt for DS3's birthday! It only took a couple of days to crochet, and a couple more days to sew it on the shirt. The pattern is by Regina Rioux Gonzalez and was published in the March/April 2009 issue of Crochet Today!

I have 2 more WIPs that I started yesterday (please don't ask why; I just don't know). Both are scarves -- one is made of cotton yarn, and the other is an acrylic/bamboo blend that I just couldn't resist. They will both be listed at The Lavender Lizard when they are completed (which, hopefully, is soon!).