Auburn

In between all that glove making and stocking work, I managed to put together a new dishcloth set.



I call it "Auburn Stripes".

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!

A little less than a year ago, one of my dear friends asked me if she could pay me to make her some Christmas stockings using a pattern that she had found online. I said that I'd be happy to do that, as long as she was okay to not get them in time for Christmas. She was. So, she purchased the pattern for me, as well as the yarn in colors that she wanted, and once I got through my list of crochet "to do's", I started on them. I think it was February or so.




I had a ball making them. I love granny squares anyway, and so putting granny squares together into Christmas stockings was just a treat for me. In fact, it was so much of a treat that I tried to just give the stockings to my Amanda for free (she had bought the pattern and the yarn after all), but she wouldn't have it. (She's generous like that.)

Amanda has three daughters, hence the three stockings with a little bit of pink thrown in here and there.

After I finished with Amanda's stockings, I decided that, as long as I already had the pattern in my mind and in my fingers, I might as well experiment with some other color and design combinations:

And that my friends, is how I ended up spending a good portion of 2014 experimenting with Christmas Stockings. Not a bad way to spend a year, you know?

gloves and more gloves--and what I'll do for a half-decent photo or two

I've been in fingerless glove mode lately.

A bit ago, I received an order for several pairs of gloves in different colors, with the caveat that each of the cable decorations be slightly different. It took me a few days (or more), but I was able to get them finished, and I really enjoyed playing around with the different cables.



Then I figured (as I often do) that as long as my fingers were in "glove making mode", I might as well whip out some other ones in different colors and different patterns. So I did. I moved a bunch of yarn from my stash tote to my work basket, and just got to work putting the colors together. About a week ago, I found that I had worked through all the yarn in my basket, so I took my eight pairs of gloves out to my front yard, and proceeded to photograph them for the Etsy shop.



I was quite a sight, lying face down on the grass, contorting my hands in front of me and through the legs of the tripod, hoping to get the perfect shot of these gloves. Several of my neighbors made their way our of or into their homes while I was thus engaged, and I shudder to think what they think of me now. (However, truth be told, I know them all, and they already know that I'm slightly eccentric but have a good heart, so I think they probably just chalked it up to business as usual with the crazy neighbor lady.)









Some of the shots came out a little bit overexposed unfortunately, so the next day I betook myself to the privacy of my backyard and the backdrop of my handmade Cedar wood bench to shoot a few more pics.









I'm not sure which set I like more, but it's been a fun adventure putting it all together. Next up on my "to do" list is a baby blanket that I'm making for a soon-to-be-born nephew. I'm hoping to pull together something along the lines of this:

[Image]

So, I guess we'll see how that all comes together.

Angel Wings

I've been trying some new things lately.  One of them is this Angel Wings Pinafore, a lovely little number that I found via Pinterest.



The pattern is courtesy of Bev's Country Cottage (pattern made by Maxine Gonser), and can be found (for free!) here.



I played around with the dimensions a bit, hoping to get something a little bit bigger than newborn size, and I managed to get this dress, which fit a little girl that is around a year old. So, I'd call it a success.



I think I'll try it again soon-ish, perhaps in different colors. We'll see.

works in progress-July Edition

Active Projects (work on one or more of these every day or close to that)

• Deepen stock of Fingerless Gloves (5 of all listings)

• Stockings for the shop 

Back Burner, but still on the stove

• Afghan with weston yarn
• Afghan for Maegan's baby
• Slouchy/Beret winter hats for me (one in red/white, one in blue to match scarf)
• Make market bag--use up other plarn
• Make 5 Baby Girl Dresses (or sweaters) for future gifts
• make more slippers

• restock dishcloth sets, try a new pattern

• Make more scrubbies-restock and also try a new pattern

• Go through old stock, either donate or re-purpose items that are consistent non-sellers
• Crochet legwarmers
• Several camo hats to go with picture that Harmony took, list in shop.

• Restock Chunky Beige Scarf
• Restock Lacey Scarf

• Make a scarf/cowl like the one Tonia asked about.
• Work on (finish?) garden of pink baby blanket, write up pattern.
• Make a hairband something along the lines of this.
• restock Newsboy Caps (?)
• Go through clear tote and make sure all is dealt with there

Someday, (I hope!)

• Reclaim yarn from thrift store sweaters
• Try a scarf/scoodie
• Make/Design Beret
• New Winter Cap for me, using that big button and 3 already made flowers.
• Design/Make Potholders (for wedding gifts)
• Design/experiment with long stocking caps (Robert)
• Make/Design Soap Socks/Savers for family, gifts, possibly etsy shop.(popcorn stitch on one side, plain on the other. (Make a soap saver, perhaps like this one)
• Re-learn to tat.

Image courtesy of vrangtantebrun

• Make/Design leg warmers for H and other girls?
• Make/Design/Refine Convertible Mittens pattern
• Go through specialty yarn, imaginate (scarves?)
• Make infant hats with interchangeable buttons to give as shower and general new baby gifts.  

Granny Squre Dishcloths

So, I was getting bored of my standard dishcloth pattern, and I determined to try out a new one.

This one, in fact.

I found that the pattern made a dishcloth that was a little big for my taste, so I went ahead and decreased the number of rows that I finished. That shrunk it down to the perfect size for me.

scrap yarn afghan

After my fun experience with the Basketweave Purse Pattern, I determined that I would have another go at a square from my 30 Best Afghan Squares booklet.

This lap blanket was the result: