FO Friday 4/27/12

The bad news is that I've been way way behind in participating in FO Fridays. The good news is that I have a few to share! (And a few stashed for future weeks just in case haha)

To start, I made a Shimmer Lace Scarf

Probably a new favorite pattern of mine as it's super quick, could easily be made in a variety of yarns to suit various seasons and it's easy! To match, I made up some v-stitch mitts:

Once again, new favorite pattern and very cute to wear!

Also did a few squares for the month of April! If this isn't bright colors, I don't know what is!

This one I just LOVE. It was a mystery square in a Ravelry group I'm in and the pattern is currently no longer available but I adore it so much!

Think that's about it for this week. Just a few small things to share! :)

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week Day 5

Hello bloggers. That's me in the picture up there. That's right, a lonely ball of sock yarn just looking for the right home. Rolled into quite the sloppy ball but it wasn't always this way.

I used to be a squishy factory wound skein of yarn that sat in a bin at the local Michael's craft store until my lovely owner fell in love with my colors and took me home (after paying for me of course!)

See how neatly wound I was when I first came home? Such a site to see!

Unfortunately I ended up in what my owner calls her "stash" for about a year before she finally decided what I would grow up to be. I believe she called it a beautiful "peacock shawlette." I glanced at a photo of it when she sat me on top of the freshly printed directions ready to begin and it really was beautiful, I couldn't wait!

I began slowly transforming through rows and rows of lace knitting that required my owner's full concentration level.

We even got through the entire part 1 of the pattern! And then...the unthinkable happened...

That dark fateful night (actually I think it was a sunny afternoon but still...effect wise, dark fateful night just works), she frogged me! Yes can you believe it?! She frogged ALL of me!

Apparently the frustration of trying out lace knitting with the November/December holiday craziness was just too overwhelming. She realized that several rows prior, somehow the stitches had been shifted and thus horribly messed up the appeal of the pretty lace pattern so there was no choice but to go back to the beginning.

Ever since that day, I've been cooped up in a knitting bag, waiting to see the light of day and hopefully what will one day become my permanent home project. What, oh what will become of me? Another shawl perhaps? An actual pair of socks? Something else sock yarn related? What shall I become?

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week Day 4

Day Four - Thursday 26th April, 2012

A Knitter or Crocheter For All Seasons?
As spring is in the air in the northern hemisphere and those in the southern hemisphere start setting their sights for the arrival of winter, a lot of crocheters and knitters find that their crafting changes along with their wardrobe. Have a look through your finished projects and explain the seasonality of your craft to your readers. Do you make warm woollens the whole year through in preparation for the colder months, or do you live somewhere that never feels the chill and so invest your time in beautiful homewares and delicate lace items. How does your local seasonal weather affect your craft?

So today's topic is regarding the seasons. I find lately I've turned more to a crocheter for all seasons, especially with the little one around. I'm always looking to make stuff a season ahead for her so that she gets the most wear out of it. My mistake with that in the beginning? Not knowing that she'd be born at 8.5 lbs and that now, at nearly 9 months old, be in 12 month clothes so in the beginning there were some flaws in my plan such as this cute hoodie I was so proud to make that she never really got to wear:

So after learning my lesson with that one, I recently (as in maybe a couple weeks ago) finished this one in 18 month size with plans for it to be worn on our yearly trip to Maine in the fall :)

Luckily it's a little big now which means it should work during the season it's intended!

As for other items and their seasons...I took a look at my projects on Ravelry to see when  I completed them and what kind of projects they were. I will say that prior to looking at the project page, I thought I was a crocheter who crocheted projects for whatever the current season is but apparently not.

This obviously screams Spring but I started/finished it in December (Winter)

Can't say I'd wear this in July when it was started/finished

All in all, I'm pretty much all over the place. It's just whatever project strikes me at that moment. It could be a project appropriate for the current season or a project meant to be for Winter that I'm completing in the summer heat of August.

I like to try and keep on top of my gift crafting as well so I didn't really apply that to this post since I didn't consider gifts to necessarily be a part of WHEN I crochet them seasonally :) Those things I just NEED to get done, no matter the time of year!

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week Day 3

Although today's topic is listed as discussing our crochet and knitting heroes, I've decided to swap it out for my wildcard topic. Mainly doing this because I really don't have a "hero" in the craft. I don't have other family members that crochet or knit, I taught myself and although I frequently test for several designers and follow many others, I certainly couldn't pick just ONE of them.

On to wildcard-ness :) The wildcard topic this year is to "Craft Your Perfect Day"


I have to say that with life being so busy lately, my perfect crafting day would likely be heading out to nearby Shenandoah National Park, renting a cabin and crocheting the day away to put it simply (possibly some knitting too but crochet is my main craft).


More specifically heading out to Sky Meadows in Shenandoah, the highest point on Skyline Drive. When my husband and I got a cabin there several years ago, this was our back deck view:

That sunset every night was AMAZING. Now starting with the sunset I feel like I've started at the END of my perfect day so let's talk about the rest of it!


To be honest, I wouldn't mind dragging along some stitch dictionaries and other sundry books I own and making a few swatches of stitches and motifs I've never used before.


An hour or two of that fun would mean it'd be time for a snack! I'd have to bring along some one minute lemon mug cake (recipe here) because who doesn't like cake that can be made warm in one minute!

Another portion of my day would have to be making some amigurumi! There are way too many cute patterns and not enough time for me to take them all so a perfect crafting day would allow me to try a few extras in addition to ones I've already made like these!

Green Owl

Lil Pumpkin! (With a kitty sleeping in the top right)

Purple lavender scented elephant that was the star of yesterday's photo challenge post :)

A little amigurumi playing and then it'd be time to whip up a project for myself for the evening, likely a top or a cowl since those seem to be my current favorites.

So more or less my day is simple enough:

1) Find a cabin

2) Try random new stitches, motifs, etc.

3) Eat lemon cake

4) Amigurumi

5) Whip up an evening project

Ahh...to be able to sit on my butt all day and crochet, I wish!! (Although I do enjoy my gym visits once a week).

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week Day 2 - Photography Challenge Day!

Wanna see some small finished objects in action? Well, that's what you're getting in today's photography challenge :) Enjoy!