Crafty Boosie

I’m still working on the Irish Hiking Scarf and will be for a while so I doubt I’ll have any else happening until it is done.  I am one of those people who don’t keep a bunch of works in progress.  I generally try to stick to one or two projects at a time.  I currently have the scarf, three popsicle toys and a pair of pjs in progress.

This is my progress on the scarf as of this morning.  It is coming along, albeit slowly.  I generally only work on projects while Paige is sleeping because she is far too active during the day to get anything done.  The scarf is turning out beautifully.  I’m absolutely in love with it.  I usually give away most things or make them for my daughter but I think I might just keep this one for myself.  I haven’t decided yet.

I also have three popsicle toys crocheted.  All I need to do is stuff, sew shut and put on the face.  I really don’t know why I haven’t finished this yet.  It’s not like me to get it nearly done and then stop.  I’ve been having trouble focusing lately which leads to my last WIP.  I have a pair of fleece pj bottoms cut out but haven’t sewn them.  I decided that I want to embellish them before I sew them up but I can’t decide how I want to embellish them so they are sitting on my sewing desk waiting.  I can’t decide between a flower, a butterfly or a heart.  I do know that I’d like to use some sequins and that requires a trip to Michaels so it will be a while before that project gets finished.  Naturally, by the time I finish it the weather will likely be too warm for her to wear them.  LOL.  That sounds about par for the course.

Having three WIPs is a lot for me.  Hrm… well actually I have another WIP but I’ve shelved it for now.  The quilt using Papa’s clothes.  I have the shirts all cut up and ready but I’m struggling with continuing on it.  It is a very emotional project and too hard to work on right now.  I’ve put it on hold and I’ll see how I feel about it this summer or fall.  Every time I see the bags of fabric I get all misty-eyed and know it is too soon.

I decided last night that I wanted to learn to cable knit.  I absolutely love the amazing things that people create using that technique.  Cable knitting always scared me.  I felt very intimidated but I was determined that I would learn it.  I poked around on Ravelry last night and found a simple pattern that I thought I’d be able to do.  Success!

The picture is horrible because we were in the middle of a snow storm and the dark cloud cover wasn’t going to go away today so I had no choice but to shoot it indoors with a flash but you get the idea.  The pattern is Irish Hiking Scarf from Hello Yarn.  It really is an easy pattern.  There are only two rows to learn, they are repeated for 7 rows and on the 8th row you do the cabling.  The pattern is simple and easy to learn.  As you can see, I haven’t gotten very far yet but the results are amazing.  I can’t believe I did that!

I will try to get a better photo in a few days when the skies clear up but at least you can see the general idea.  Isn’t it beautiful though?  I can’t wait to try another BUT after this scarf is complete I am going to try my hand at knitting socks.  I’ve been wanting to try making socks for years.  I watched my friend Shannon knit socks often for her family and I was green with envy. (Be sure to check out her blog, she makes the most wonderful things)  She’s absolutely amazing with the stuff she creates.  I am eager to give it a try.  Tonight, I purchased two sets of DPNs and look forward to using them.  I’m no longer afraid of DPNs now that I’ve figured them out.

I recently knitted a hat and successfully used DPNs.  I was very proud of myself.  The hat looks great but the crown cut in too quickly so instead of being a hat for my daughter, it will be a hat for my friend’s baby but I’m still thrilled that I was able to finally “get it”.  I think I had trouble understanding it because using so many needles at once was intimidating.  Once I became determined to learn it, I smacked my forehead and called myself stupid.  LOL.  Learning the DPNs gave me the confidence to be willing to try more new things like cabling and socks.  New possibilities have opened up for me now and I have far too many things I want to make now; far more than I will ever have time for.

Whew!  I’ve never been so happy as to finally say that my husband’s blanket is finally finished.  Unfortunately, the picture looks horrible due to the poor lighting.  It’s storming outside and super dark because of it which makes the picture look terrible but you get the idea.

You might be asking yourself, why do they have two separate blankets on their bed?  My darling husband is a blanket thief.  I learned really fast in our marriage that if I wanted any warmth at all at night, it would require his and hers blankets.  I tired of waking up feeling like a Popsicle.

Oh and yes we do have the world’s most boring bedroom. When we finally buy a house of our own and get out of a rental, I’ll do something about it.  Until then, we will keep this boring bedroom as a reminder of yet another reason we want a house of our own.

This blanket is also the reason I’ve been quiet on the blogging front for the past several days.  I’ve been working really hard to get it finished so that I can get back to sewing.  This was a 3½ month project that I’m happy to cross of my To-Do List.

If you are anything like me you have an ever growing “To-Do” list.  I decided to share the Top 10 items on my current to-do list, in no particular order.

1.   Front Tie Spring Dress from Make It and Love It:  I’ve posted this one many times recently.  I have the pattern cut out and ready I just haven’t had a chance to start it yet.

2. Black, White and Dark Green Angry Bird Plushies from Obsessively Stitching.  I also need to remake the yellow and blue birds and make several additional green pigs, as per Paige’s request.

3. Bucket Hats – I have two Simplicity patterns, one for Paige and one for myself.  I want to make both of us a couple hats for the summer.

4. Treasure Bags from Ikat bag.  Thanks to a huge supply of fleece shipped to me by my mother I will have plenty to make some of these bags for Paige.  I know she’ll love putting her cars and little toys inside.

5. Snuggly Owl Pillow from Make It and Love It (for Sewing Republic).  The day after Paige heard an owl in our backyard she saw the pattern for this on my computer as I was looking through them.  She instantly declared that she must have one.  I was waiting for all the fleece to arrive before I started on this project because Paige was VERY specific.  She wants it to be purple and light green.  I had to wait for those colours to arrive.  They are here now but I’ve been bogged down with other projects.  I will also be making one in Blue and Red for my nephew.  I’ll likely make them at the same time.

6. Peasant Shirts – Paige has outgrown the ones I’ve made her before.  She needs new ones so I’ve added it to my list.

7. Shirred Top – I have enough pre-made shirring for one more top like the one I made last month.  I just need to decide which fabric I want to use for the bottom half.

8. Decorate my new sewing area.  I have a small blank wall that is 3 feet wide (the width of my sewing desk) by 3½ feet wide and one side of my refrigerator available to decorate/design to reflect my crafting life.  I have some ideas in mind and one of them I’ll be creating a tutorial for.  Yay for tutorials which leads to #9

9. Create tutorials for a couple planned projects.  I have two specific projects in mind and while I’m eager to get started I have a few things I need to do first (and supplies to gather)

10.  My hubby will kill me for this being so low on this list.  I promise this list is not in order of priority, darling.  The colouring is really off in the above photo.  This blanket is MUCH further along than this picture reflects.  I’m actually 1.25 stripes from being complete.  Finished size will be roughly 5 feet wide and 7 feet long.  I love having a knitting project handy for when I just want to sit in front of the television and watch my shows.  It gives me something to do with my hands and helps me feel productive at the same time.

There are many more items on my to-do list such as picking out the pink fabric for my picture frame quilt, getting started on making the quilt, lots of clothes for Paige that I want to make including some school items but these are the top 10 on my list to complete.  It is quite an impressive list and this is only about a third of the items I have planned.  I just hope I can make a dent in this list so that I can add more items.  Hehe.

As you’ve seen, I’ve made a number of Angry Bird plushies for my daughter as well as a new top.  What will I work on next?  I’ve been working on a blanket for a little while now.  I don’t recall if I blogged about it.  I started a blanket, same size as the one I recently finished for myself, for my husband.  I work on it every evening as I watch television after my daughter has gone to bed.  I started it before the plushies and the top.  I did those items as a bit of a break from the blanket that I am so lovingly knitting for my dear husband.

As you can see, I am making great progress on the blanket.  I really love the fat stripes a lot more than the ultra thin stripes of my own blanket.  It highlights the colours much better.  An added bonus, as my husband pointed out, is that it is a similar to his Manchester United scarf.  This is his Manchester United blanket and he can’t wait for me to finish it.

What else am I working on?  Nothing else at the moment but that doesn’t mean I’m not planning.  I recently received two large packages of fleece from my mother to remake the Angry Birds for my daughter using a more appropriate fabric that will hold up better.  The felt is showing a LOT of wear and tear from overuse.  Paige really loves those plushies.

In addition, I am 90% sure of which pattern I am going to use for a quilt I want to make.  Right now, I’m trying to find the perfect fabrics for the task.  To find the perfect fabrics, I really need to make up my mind about whether this quilt will be for me, for guests, a lap quilt or for Paige.

I also plan to make some more clothing items for Paige.  I found some excellent tutorials online with some super cute patterns.  I also plan to make another attempt at shirring.  I’ve tried in the past without success but I think I have finally figured out what I’ve been doing wrong, thanks to a YouTube video that explained things much better.  I’ve been winding the elastic thread on the bobbin too tight.  At least I *think* that is my problem and hope to test out my theory soon.  I have also thought I’d like to make a few household type items such as quilted potholders, quilted coasters, etc.  Who knows, maybe some day I will be brave enough to try my hand at a pillow, or at least a pillowcase to match the quilt that I plan to make.

In addition, Paige has been begging for some curtains for her room.  She has a very high and narrow window in her bedroom.  It lets in some gorgeous light.  It’s never been an issue but recently she’s been complaining about the sun being in her eyes while she naps and has been sleeping on the floor.  Frankly, she just likes sleeping on the floor; it’s fun and different.  I’ve had a curtain rod for years but haven’t installed it yet.  I don’t really know how.  I keep trying to convince my husband to install it and he keeps trying to convince his father to come over and do it.  LOL.  It’s a cycle.  However, before I make curtains I should really decide on a colour scheme for her room.  Right now, it is just tan.  Tan walls.  Tan carpet.  Some colour would be nice.

As you can see, I have a lot planned.  I have no idea how much I will actually accomplish but there are definitely ideas and plans in the works.  Sadly, my wish list of things I want to make is always 10 times longer than I ever manage to accomplish but it is good to have a plan.