YoP 2014-15 List (a week late)

So my list is getting posted a week late but....
I didn't take part in last year's YoP but I'm back for 2014-15! We're expecting our second little girl in September so here's the rundown of what I hope to accomplish over the next year (starting July 1, 2014) as I adjust to stay at home life with two girls :)

1. Continue knitting at least ONE pair of socks per month

2. Make at least FIVE things off my current Ravelry queue (items 1-120) and try not to add to my queue more!

3. Make at least FIVE things from one of the many knitting/crocheting books I own that I haven't had a chance to go through yet.

4. Finish at least TWO of my current larger wips.

5. Make both girls Christmas stockings this year (and hopefully finish ones for my husband and I as well)

My goal for July though is to finish up a TON of baby gifts I have to make for friends! Most have to be done by August 1st because that's when the Mom's group that I'm a part of is having a baby shower for several us that are expecting! Here's THAT list! If you're a fan of FreshStitches, you'll be a fan of this list ;)

1. Stretch the Giraffe
2. Vera the Ladybug
3. Kepler the Lion
4. M. Richard the Whale
5. Jonathan the Bumblebee
6. Nelson the Owl

Just a short and sweet update of my list this week! I'll have plenty of finished baby gifts to show off next week! :)

WiP Wednesday 2/20/13

Wow do I have a lot to show you today! I went on a cast on spree last week and now have four knitting projects in progress. If you know me, I'm much more of a crocheter so for me to have that many knitting projects around is unusual!

First up, an Antler Cardigan by Tin Can Knits. I'm making this for my 18 month daughter in the 1-3 yr old size. I've already finished the sleeves and am working on the body in Red Heart Soft (color: Guacamole). For right now it's my easy whenever I have time project because I'm at the stockinette portion of things but once I get to the cables up top I'll have to use something else as a mindless project.

Next up...another hat. I'm making a Little Bough by Kydel. It's part of this month's KAL in her Ravelry group (which is ALMOST at 100 members, check it out) and I'm loving it so far! I'm using Stylecraft Special DK in the color Fondant. It's got easy cables but it's definitely one I have to pay attention to so it's usually reserved for when the little one is napping.

Third, I'm working on a Trillian shawl with some mill ends that I bought at AC Moore. I'm sure I won't even make a dent in this pile of mill ends working on this but I NEVER find sock yarn in those bags so I couldn't pass it up! It's another mindless knit that I can do whenever and I love it so far, it's squishy!

Last but certainly not least I started some Easy Peasy Socks by Stacey Trock. I had done a "practice" pair of socks awhile back with a child's pattern (that I'll absolutely make again) but decided I wanted to try a pair to fit myself. They're made in worsted weight which to me is perfect for a beginner getting to know the construction and details of making a sock. It's a little more instant gratification than sock yarn too since it goes much quicker. I figure they'll make some nice socks for inside my hiking boots or even just slipper socks for around the house! I'm using Vanna's Choice Baby in Pink Poodle.

I'm taking part in the Million Rows Challenge on Ravelry still and I'm up to 4,815 rows since September 2012. That's only counting FO's so the above aren't included just yet even though I've complete a total of 354 rows so far in those 4 projects.

Happy to be getting a few "firsts" out of the way too. First REAL pair of socks and first knit cardigan! I'm excited!

Don't forget to check out http://tamisamis.blogspot.com for plenty more WIP Wednesday posts!!

FO Friday

Keeping it short today as I have a sick toddler on my hands, argh! We're missing the snowstorm today but hope everyone who is in its path stays safe and warm!

Irving the Icebox monster was made for a big sister to be as a little gift :)

Hoping to have a picture of Miska on the little one soon but she's not in the mood (for good reason)

That's all for today! Time for more cuddles with the little one and Disney movies!

Too early for Christmas?

Over in the Pinterest group I participate in on Ravelry, we've started a "Twelve Months of Pinterest" where each month we do a project that will get us on the right track to getting ahead of the December holidays! For January, I chose to whip up a few tags using my Cricut Expression 2 and a simple stamp. Nothing too fancy but they're perfect to have on hand for cookie trays, neighbor gifts, and just for that stash of "just in case" gifts.

I'm not 100% sure I like the font that Winter Greetings is in so I may whip up a second batch using something else. Only took me about 15 minutes to whip up a pile of 24 tags for the stash.

Pinterest Catch-Up 2/2/13

Tried out some homemade fruit snacks this week courtesy of this pin. I followed the directions as written (using water and gelatin) and I have to say they're mighty tasty!

See those trays I used? Aren't they great?! I found them in the $1 section of Target a little more than a week ago. These were the only two shapes that they had but I may check the other Target near us to see if they have other ones.

I'm sure you're itching to see the finished product...right?

Voila! My strawberry flavored (yet raspberry and apple shaped) fruit snacks. The little one was quite cautious of them because she's never had fruit snacks before but I'm sure they'll grow on her. I do think the next time I might give it a try to use some V8 fusion juice in place of water to make it at least a LITTLE healthier because let's face it, it's sugar water in a solid form really :-P.

I would make them again though overall

FO Friday 2/1/13

Three FO's to show off this week! Keeping it simple with just showing off pictures so that the little one and I can go enjoy the small bit of snow on the ground this morning before it melts. And then I can catch up on everyone else's blogs too!!

Acorn doll blanket

Take it or Leaf it Cowl

V-Stitch Fingerless Mitts

WiP Wednesday 1/30/13

Started two of my projects from last week that I had in the works. First up, I started a pair of v-stitch fingerless mitts in my Tiny Dino worsted. Had planned to do the Spring Semester cowl but after looking into it more, I changed my mind. This is one of my favorite quick crocheted fingerless mitt patterns to do! it's a long rainy day here so they may very well be done in time for Friday's post! The picture below is what I whipped up quickly last night before bed. All the way to the thumb hole :)

Next up...I started Petunia the Patio Monster last night. Fingers crossed that I don't have to start over on smaller needles but I need to get a few more rows in to see or not. I'm using some Patons Grace that I had in stash. (If all goes well, 2013 will be ALL stash and no new).

I already have a few things lined up to share on FO Friday so don't forget to come back and check them out!

Applesauce bites

Last week for my Pinterest project I decided to try Applesauce Bites. Instead of just applesauce, we used some Plum Mashups in berry instead. I figured, hey, the little one is yet again getting more teeth so these should be perfect! Not so much in our house.

The bites themselves turned out fine but my toddler really would've just been more interested in a chilled food pouch or her usual slushie instead of these. I think they were almost TOO cold on her gums so needless to say we probably won't be making them again. Don't think that your little one won't like them though since every kid is different so it's still worth a try!

Looks like we'll stick with our original plan...using the homemade baby food trays to freeze puree then using our Ninja blender (pulse 3 times) to make a mini slushie.

WIP Wednesday 1/23/13

Time to show off what's in the works although I will say I really only have a few small things to show. I'm getting ready to START some projects so you'll get a few yarn pictures, etc. The one project I'd love to show you that's the farthest along I can't because it's a secret test!! It's so so adorable and I can't wait until I can share it with you months down the road :)

And then there's one I'm making for a super secret swap in the Fresh Stitches group so you can't see that one either! So much suspense, I know!

Here's what's in the works that I CAN tell you about...(and apparently they're all green, don't ask...I have no idea how that happened)

Acorn Doll Blanket

My daughter is 17.5 months and at the age where pretend play as just exploded for her. She adores "feeding" her dolls and putting them to sleep, using her play kitchen and exercising her imagination everyday. She doesn't have any blankets specifically for her dolls, she keeps taking the kitty's blankets so that's where this project comes into play.

Kitchen Cushions

I made the jump into the addiction known as hexipuffs. I'm using worsted weight for mine to eventually use them as a set of kitchen chair cushions. I've only done one shade of green but I do have others on hand at the ready!

Cat Fish Toys

This is one of my charity projects for the year. I'm hoping to donate to the rescue organization where we adopted our adorable kittens Mac and Cheese. We adopted them when they were 3 months old and now they're nearly 5!! They're the "original kids" in this house so an active toddler is a huge adjustment for them. One of the reasons I chose cat TOYS as opposed to other things is because we received a crocheted cat toy when we adopted Mac and Cheese and to this day, I still have it. It's sort of a sentimental "baby toy" that reminds of the day we brought them home :)

Onwards to the "here's what's coming up" part of things:

Temperature Scarf
I've stared at this for awhile and watched it gained popularity. Yesterday I saw that Bernat is doing a KAL/CAL for it so I figured, "Hey, why not" and have decided to join in. Obviously I'm nearly a month behind so I need to record January's temperatures and get going! Here's the yarn I'm using:

It was originally put aside for a Kumasi throw but being that I'm on a yarn diet this year (no purchases allowed), I'd hate to start the throw and get stuck having to leave it as an UFO because I run out of yarn. That and we have more than enough blankets around here. Plus, I haven't made a scarf in a long while!

EDITING because I started this when I took a break from writing this post! Here's the first 10 days of January...almost caught up!

Spring Semester Cowl
I love Tiny Dino yarns and I'm planning to whip up this cowl to use THIS season now that the frigid temperatures of winter have FINALLY kicked in!

Petunia the Patio Monster
I'm taking part in a little challenge to make all the monsters in Rebecca Danger's Big Book of Knitted Monsters so I've decided it's Petunia's turn to come to life!

Expanding on my blogging/crafting

So if you don't know me well, you may not know that I do LOTS of crafts besides just crocheting. I like to try just a little of it all!

I've had sort of a mental tug of war with what to do with my blog because I love blogging but it just got so repetitive to me ONLY doing WIP Wednesday and FO Friday (both of which I still love).

I started doing Year of Projects again this year and then I fell off the wagon for this reason: I expanded my knitting skills and most of my list was crochet so I need to evaluate a few things in continuing my blog.

1. Re-do my Year of Projects list to reflect my current crafting since knitting holds just as much as crocheting for me now!

2. Include many more of the Pinterest projects that I try each week!

3. Keep a record of all the cool things I do with my toddler. I do something with her EVERYDAY whether it's going to a play date or just an activity with the two of us while Daddy is at work.

Basically I've decided to EXPAND my blog to not just be my crocheting and knitting but how creativity plays a part in my life overall  so I'm excited to get this real kick in the butt to have a variety to blog about.

I'm hoping to get myself on a much better schedule to blog! My daughter, being a toddler, takes up the majority of my time (which I LOVE) so shifting around various things eighty different times has been new to me. Here's what I'm aiming for:

Sundays: Weekly Pinterest Project Roundup
Mondays: Other craft update (monthly Pinterest projects, million rows updates, holiday projects throughou the year, etc.
Wednesdays: WIP Wednesday
Thursdays: Toddler Fun Roundup
Fridays: FO Friday

That should get me blogging several times a week I hope! On that note, how has your blog changed and evolved since you started? Do you hope to incorporate other things one day?

Getting back to Pinterest projects

It's well overdue for me to get back to blogging about my attempts at various projects I come across on Pinterest.

This week I decided to try these clothes pin magnets. My fridge was in need of new magnets and it'd be perfect to have clip magnets to hold Taylor's artwork she's creating these days. The random business card magnets just aren't cutting it anymore.

I did end up with a pretty good batch, 18 total magnets, 4 of which are currently being used. I have these cute little "mat stacks" from my scrapbooking days and they were PERFECT for this!

I already have a few projects picked out this week that I'm itching to try!

Oh blog how I've missed you! 2012 Roundup

My last post was September 11th of this year? What the heck happened...blogging fail on my part! I went on vacation the day after that, then a bunch of fall activities/Halloween happened and the usual craziness of winter holidays happened, yikes!

I figured that out of my own curiosity, it was time to go through this year's projects and see what I've accomplished!

Looks like I completed 125 projects (and a good amount of afghan squares that aren't counted in that final tally)

Afghans: 8
Bags/Containers: 7
Bracelets: 6
Cowls: 12
Hats: 20
Tops/Sweaters/Dresses/Etc: 8
Fingerless Mitts: 3
Scarves: 10
Toys: 33
Dishcloths: 7
Legwarmers: 2
Other: 7

My blogging goal for 2013? (Besides actually BLOG) is to make an effort at doing the end of the month project collages so I can compile a nice big picture at the end of the year!!

YoP Round 2 Update: 9/11/12

So I decided to join in the 1 Million Rows Challenge (thanks to whoever blogged about it recently, speak up if you did because I'm drawing a blank!).

The way I see it, I'm using stash yarn for my Year of Projects list and that's one of the premises in the challenge so why not kill two birds with one stone! I'm also curious as to how long it will actually take me to do 1 million. This is my counter:




Don't worry, it won't say ZERO for long, I just created it 5 minutes ago!

I figure we leave for vacation soon and that'll be 14 hours in the car up and then another 14 when we come back plus a side trip day that will be 4 hours so with 30+hours in the car I'm curious as to what I can get done!

I did decide to add to my list since my amigurumi portion of my list is going to be complete very, very shortly!

I added a home category:

I bought some Dishie from KnitPicks and had every intention of making washcloths to keep in the kitchen for my toddler daughter to use. That was a couple months ago so they're being added to the list for motivation!

Also going to work up some new placemats, throw pillows and a few motifs that I'd like to work up, block, stiffen and just frame individually for wall art :)

Sorry for the lack of pictures, it's been a crazy week! I did get started on the two cowls off my list that will be traveling with me!

WiP Wednesday 9/5/12

Trying to get back into WiP Wednesday. I'm so bad about taking pictures of things while they're in progress!

Working on the I Predict A Riot hat by Kydel. It's part of a CAL that just start. We're doing either the hat I'm working on or her Uncoil pattern. Come join us!

Looking at the picture, I'm realizing that I think I missed a knit row in between the yarn over rows so I guess I'll be frogging back two or three rows to fix that.

Oh well, it's my first knit hat so it's a work in progress in itself :-P

Decided to break out my Oaklet shawl again since it ended up hibernating all summer. I decided I didn't want to start another shawl before I finished this one (trying to be good about it). No progress picture on it yet, we'll see how far I get before we leave on vacation next week.

Next week will be cast-on mania for me because I'm taking at least 7 projects (mostly small) with me.

YoP Rnd 2: 9/4/12 Update

So now I have the opposite that I had last year with my Year of Project list. It's a little shorter and much more manageable but I'm sort of flying through a lot of things on it and am not ending up with as much to blog about as I'd like!

I'm contemplating adding some things into it since my amigurumi category is going to be beyond finish by Christmas and it's not going to take me another 6 months to do other small projects!

I also took the last couple weeks to start a few new things for our upcoming vacation to Maine. We have 14 hours of driving time so that'll be a lot of time to complete things (in between entertaining the little one).

I did decide to take two of my Lisa Gentry cowls with me to start/work on...

I'll be doing the shell with a twist crochet cowl and use my mohair/merino mix in Eucalyptus from Tess Designer Yarns

Also casting on a lace with a twist knit cowl and using soft green Caron Simply Soft.

I did finish up these little guys this week! 3 more amigurumi to add to the list!

Gary the tiny frog (from Rainbow Amigurumi E-book)

Alastair the Caterpillar (from Cutie Crawlies E-Book)

Tipper the Crab (from Rainbow Amigurumi E-book)

These little guys took no time at all and are all out of e-books from FreshStitches.com

FO Friday: 8/31

Figured I haven't posted some FO's that were non-Year of Projects related in awhile so here they are!

I've been on a bead crochet kick lately so we'll start off will a few bracelets first (and you can ignore the ugly shadow in the first picture lol)

Beaded Ripples bracelet designed by Lisa Gentry

Beaded Band Lace Bracelet by BethToddCreatz

This is such an easy, quick little square with nothing complicated about it but has a great look!

BLO 6" Square by Anastacia Knits Designs

Ignore my ugly join up top, I need to make a few more of these in cotton. All I had readily available was worsted weight which still looks nice but the cotton would give it a nicer look (which is what the pattern calls for)

Linked Bullions Coaster designed by Donna Kay Lacey

Tumbling Diamonds 12" Square designed by Anastacia Knits Designs

Tumbling Diamonds 6" Square designed by Anastacia Knits Designs

Kitty Kat Kanoodler Blankie designed by Lisa Gentry

The Amy Cowl designed by Kelly Menzies

YoP Round 2: 8/12/12 Update

So now that the Ravellenics are coming to a close (Yes, that's why I was quiet last week), I've got some FO's relating to my YoP page to show off! My Paintbox Frog was put on hold over the games so I'll be back to him shortly but until then, enjoy these!

My Ruffles & Buttons Cowl, designed by Lisa Gentry

M. Richard the Whale, designed by Stacey Trock, available free here

Frankie the Lobster, designed by Stacey Trock
This pattern was available FREE in the amigurumi calendar on crochetme.com from Aug 1-7. I was waiting and waiting and waiting for what seemed like forever and snatched it up as soon as it was available! You can still grab the remaining patterns during the first week of each month but you can also buy the calendar if you missed the previous ones.

Finally, my most prized amigurumi so far on my list:

Petey the Pufferfish, designed by ME!! That's right, I cracked and started dipping into designing :)
He's too cute to leave my house though so this one won't be sold or gifted. Kind of like people who frame their first dollar they make when they start a business? He's the first of his kind in my designer world!