Every time my works in progress includes too many longer projects, I just stop crocheting or live gets in the way of my crocheting, but this time my excuse is that I had too many distractions during optimal daytime photo snapping time.

Here are a few of my current projects:

 My Cousin’s Favorite Crochet Hat, a free pattern from Dreamweaver Yarns. Very quick, very warm hat. The brim will come in handy on our Christmas trip to Montana when my ears will be chilly. I used about 3/4 skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky in Black and an “M” crochet hook.

Next, I’m making a jewelry bowl for someone to be named later’s Christmas present, using a skein of recycled silk sari yarn. I’m using a solid square pattern and then removing the corner increases to make the bowl shape.

Finally, here’s my progress so far on my Monkey socks. It’s a wonderfully easy pattern, I just can’t find the time to work on it as much as I want to. It’s going to be my Montana project.

 Good night! My fingers are freezing. That’s what I get for opening the windows to cool off the house during our Daisy/Brownie Girl Scout meeting. I’m off to watch the rest of the Cowboys/Packers game. Toodles!

—————-
Now playing: Pat Green - Don’t Break My Heart Again
via FoxyTunes

Tags: Crochet, hats, Knitting, Socks

This is the first time in my life that I’ve actually needed to keep a weekly planner of all of my activities. When I was working, I never had the need. I didn’t have appointments or lunches with clients to keep track of. Now, I’m volunteering in the mornings at the girls’ school (trying to average twice a week), I’m their Room Moms, I’m their Girl Scout Troop Leader (which I’m very excited about!), and they’re taking swim lessons. I’ve got an interview Monday evening at JC Penney for a holiday job to help out with a little extra Christmas money. I’ve just finished my paperwork to start after-school tutoring. It sounds like a lot to me, but it’s all working out well so far. I’ll probably not be as convinced of everything running smoothly after I start working a few evenings a week too. As far as that, I’m just excited to get out of the house in the evenings and make a little extra spending money.

Now that I’m finally over the nasty flu from last week that managed to keep me feeling miserable through this week, I have a few projects that I finished in September to share. First, I made hats for the girls. Laura’s is in worsted weight (Lion Brand Wool Ease) and Maddie’s is in fingering weight (Lion Brand Babysoft). I hope to post the pattern free in a few days, as soon as I find my notes.

Hey! That’s not Laura! She’s still at school so you get me as a model. :)

I also made a stash basket from a Bernat pattern. I haven’t woven in the ends yet and I need to buy starch to finish it out. It’s going to be an organizer for my bills more than a stash basket, but for now it’s home to the yarn for Laura’s Griffyndor scarf I’m working on.

Now, please avert your eyes if you would rather not see knitting, but I’m excited about what I’ve accomplished. It’s my first sock!! It’s the training sock from Knitty. I used Red Heart Sport and Size 3 needles. I’m going to weave in the ends and put it with my Christmas ornaments. It’s cute although not perfect.

 Now, just as exciting - I started a pair of Monkey socks!  I’m just on the first bit of ribbing because I’m not working exclusively on it (got that scarf to finish), but no troubles with 5 dpn’s so far.  I’m impressed with the twisted ribbing, I’m not just particularly impressed with knitting in to the back loop.  It takes too much time.

  It’s back to cleaning the house for me.  Mom & J are coming up this weekend for a visit.  The State Fair is on the schedule for tomorrow so hopefully I’ll have a bunch of cool pictures to share.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Tags: Crochet, Girls, Home, Knitting

I love to crochet.  Really, really love it even.  (It is Valentine’s Day so I might as well be extra loving. ha!)  I’m beginning to think that I love combining crochet with knit too.  It’s a new love which means that it might not withstand my short attention span, but right now it’s bright, cheery, and fun.  Look what I made!!  In 20 minutes no less, including all end weaving!!  I love square coasters, so I call these Coasters Squared (I’ve only made two so far.)

Details:

1 ball of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick or something of that sort in White Fisherman. (much, much less than 1 ball, more like a few yards per coaster)

10 mm (Size 15) knitting needles

10.5 mm (Size K) crochet hook

yarn needle, scissors

Cast on ten (10) stitches.

Body

Using your needles, work in stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) until piece measures about 4″. 

There is no need to work knit stitches at the beginning and end of the row because the edging will keep it from curling.

Edging

Using crochet hook, slip stitch into corner of piece, ch 1, sc. 

sc across, evenly spacing your stitches (about 7 stitches) until you reach the next corner, 3 sc in next corner.  Continue to work in sc across the edge, 3 sc in corner until you reach your first corner.  2 sc in your first corner, join to 1st sc.  Finish off.

Copyright by Tiffany Roots, 2007.

Tags: Crochet, Crochet patterns, Knitting

 

I’m now at 5 inches on my ribbed scarf.  That means if I make 5 inches of progress every two days I’ll be finished with a nice 60 inch scarf in 30 stinking days!  But, the colorway of this yarn is beautiful so it’s not destined for coin pursage… yet.  What type of yarn is it?  It’s 100% wool from….. (had to do a Yarndex search since I long ago lost the tag and wound the yarn into two center-pull balls).  All rightey then.  The yarn store where I bought it in Arizona has closed down and I think it was a regional (Arizona-made) yarn so it’s now classified as a yarn-to-be-named-later. The scarf -

Update:  I officially finished 7 inches in two days.  I managed two inches during a 50+ minute episode of Brotherhood, so now my projected finish date is closer to 17 days. I live in Texas!  We’ll be having spring-like conditions in 17 days!!   

I’m going to try to finish this -

before January 27th so if I work on my scarf during lunch and Striped (well, isn’t it?) during my evening movie watching, I may finish it in time.  I’m on the fourth stripe combination and I’m thinking that I’ll need 12 in order to have a decent length.  I’m using Lion Brand Homespun in Antique, Mediterranean, and Prairie.  If I finish it in time, it will be a birthday present for my dad and stepmom.  The only time I enjoy working with Homespun is when I’m using an N hook and a single crochet pattern.  Every other time, I have issues. 

 

Tags: Crochet, Knitting, WIP Wednesday

I finished my first knit project!  While looking for my needle stash to begin this dishcloth, I found many, many starter knit projects that I never finished.  I had them stuffed at the back of yarn.  Shame, shame, shame. lol

My dishcloth -

I made it with Sugar ‘N Cream 100% cotton in Light Teal and size 9 needles.  I used the Motorcycle Dishcloth pattern.  I’m now working on a simple garter stitch washcloth in Bernat Cotton Tots for the girls for bathtime.  They have tons (the joys of having a crocheting mama), but they like variety.

In a little exciting news - I’ve qualified for an interview for the alternative certification program I’ve applied to.  My academics had to be approved first and now I get to go in for an interview.  Woohoo!  If I’m accepted, I start pre-internship training in January and start applying for jobs for the next school year in the spring.  I can teach anywhere in the Houston area so this is my chance to decide where in the area we’d like to live.  I might apply up on the north side because I miss the tall pine trees (and I won’t have to have mandatory hurricane evacuations up there like I do down here closer to the coast).  See, Houston is ginormous and I currently live on the south east side of town which puts me within five miles of Galveston Bay and storm surges from large hurricanes.  If I move up on the north side, I’m 50 miles from the shore and more than clear from the storm surges.

Tags: Knitting