2008 12" Block-a-month CAL - Dreamcatcher

Okay, so I'm working on this as well as the other projects (knew I was being unreasonable when I told myself I wouldn't start anything else until the Hippy Handbag was complete), it's turned out okay it's just I got confused between American and British terminology...gah.

Will just have to do another tonight, hopefully this will also fix the problem I had with the edge pulling in. I'll post a picture of tonights go, tomorrow :-)

Vintage Vertical Stripe Dog-ghan

I told myself I wasn't going to start anything new until I'd finished the Hippy Handbag, hmm that didn't last long.

When I went to bed last night I thought I'd just have a go at the VVS afghan, well a go turned into chaining 100 and using some old DK yarn I'm not to fond of but will make great blankets for the dogs beds, hence I've now called it a dog-ghan :-), so far I've done 9 rows and I'll work on it tonight whilst watching Stargate Atlantis and CSI.

Hope the dogs like them.

As mentioned I chained 100, I'm using old DK yarn in grey, purple and black and a 4.5mm hook, I think 50 rows may be enough but I'll know more as it grows.

Uneventful weekend

I didn't really get much done this weekend, I worked a little on the Hippy Handbag from Lesley Stanfield's book First Crochet. Should get that finished this week (hopefully).

I also put some new curtain tape on two sets of my gran's curtains, the material was awful to work with very rough and stretchy but gran likes then and you don't argue with a lady of 85 :-)

My dad needed a small repair job done on one of his cardigans (the seem had come slightly undone) nothing taxing and it only took a minuet.

Modified wrapover vest.

This is from issue 14 of Simply Knitting magazine, it was supposed to be a cable wrapover but for some reason the pattern just didn't seem to work and being fairly new to knitting when I did this I didn't (and still don't) have the skill to work out what was wrong.

So I changed it from a cable pattern to a rib, it seems to work and keeps me nice and warm.

Jacket

I made this Jacket a while ago now, it was one of the first things I made. I was pleased with how it turned out, it was very easy and quick to knit.

It was in issue 13 of Simple Knitting magazine.

Side cable slippers

I've finished a pair of slippers for myself, started them at tea time and am now wearing them, the pattern can be found here, you have to be registered to get the pattern but it's free to do so. I used four different pink coloured DK yarns for them, they are keeping my feet very cosy :-) Once again, sorry for the poor quality of the pictures I really must invest in a new camera.

Afghan Pictures

Don't know what's wrong with my camera but I can't get the colour representation to look right. Got it, the top picture shows the colours.

Yay.

The Afghan is finished, will upload a picture tomorrow. I was quite surprised at how fast it went, always thought a blanket/afghan would take forever. It's definitely made me want to do another very addictive although I've still the boarder to do but I guess it's not necessary, think the next one I do will be the Navajo Blanket as it's very beautiful or the what appears to be very easy Vintage Vertical Stripe afghan.

In the end I decided to just stitch the afghan together as it was much easier, as the more squares I added the harder it was to use the method I mentioned in a previous post. I think it's something I need to work on. But very pleased considering at the beginning of December I had no idea how to crochet.

For now I think I'll work on something a little smaller, maybe a bag LOL.

Life gets in the way.

Well as usual things get in the way of what I really want to do, like work on the Afghan. I have finished all the larger squares and I've about five of the smaller still to do, then of course I've got to connect them all and do the edging. Will work on it some more today and see how far I get.

Unfortunately I've the uniforms to get ready for tomorrow plus a fair amount of housework, can't believe how quickly this house gets messy [sigh].

Mum came down yesterday and didn't bring her jacket as she says she's in no hurry, after a word from me she'll bring it next Saturday. It's a Simplicity pattern 3627, I made option B (green jacket on front cover) in a heavyweight brown cotton. As mentioned, she really likes the jacket it's just that the sleeves are to long.

Also my mum mentioned that my gran really likes her bed jacket and it keeps her nice and cosy when reading in bed.

My first ever knitted bag.

This was one of the first things I ever knitted. I was just doing a sample of the stitch but it screamed to be made into a bag. So after a little thought and planning this is what I came up with. It's lined and held stiff with thick cardboard( bad choice looking back). But I was pleased as I'd never come up with my own design before (okay it's real simple but still, it's mine). As you can see I'm uploading pictures of the things I've been working on for the last few years. I'll update the posts as well with details of the designs.

Spotty top

I made this top for a trip my youngest was going on with school, she wore it most of the summer :-)

It's a Simplicity 'Lizzie McGuire' pattern 4295, it's no longer on their web site.

I thought it would have been harder to construct, but it came together very fast and was finished in half a day.

Matching bag

This is the matching bag, didn't really take that long to make.

Good job really as she needed it that day.

It's a Kwik Sew pattern 5001 that I downloaded free from here.

Again it was another simple pattern (me and simple go together real well LOL).

Dress

My daughter was going to a wedding in August and couldn't find anything to wear that she liked. I nearly died when she asked me to make her something.

I never in a million years thought she'd ever want to wear anything her way uncool mother made LOL.

Of course the morning of the wedding she decides that none of her bags look right and could I please make her a matching bag....Arghhhh!

The fabric was a polycotton from my stash (it was for some summer trousers for myself) Why I had a large amount of lining fabric in the same colour I'm not sure but I did. It's a New Look pattern 6672

This was another pattern that was quite simple to construct, the only problem I had was with the back midsection, I'm going to have to check I've traced the correct size as I'm sure it was to small as it didn't really match up. I'm also rather crap at zips, so that was a bugger (something I'll have to have more practice with).

Booties, again.

They were so cute I made a pair in blue as well. As I still don't know anybody with babies I'll hold on to these until I do.

It's a Debbie Bliss design that I got free with Simply Knitting magazine, they work up so fast makes it real gratifying.

Too cute.

I knitted these booties a while ago, didn't know anybody having a baby and my kids are a bit big for them so just stashed them along with a matching hat.

Then a lady I work with became a grandmother for the fist time, hurrah somebody to gift the booties and hat to. She was very happy and reported that mum and dad were as well.

New Year knit 2

This is the scarf I made to go with the Drops hat. I didn't follow a pattern just made it up as I went along.

Youngest likes both items (fell asleep in the hat on New Year LOL)

New year knitting.

I knitted this for my youngest daughter on New Year's Eve. It's a Drops design that can be found here.



I made a scarf to go with it.

Productive night, last night.

As I mentioned earlier I worked on the Afghan whilst watching Stargate Atlantis and CSI, two more large squares to add to the pile. If I keep going like this I'll maybe have it finished by the end of the weekend.

Then I really must get some sewing done, I've a skirt and top there that have been cut out since before Christmas. The skirt is to sell and the top is for myself.

If I manage to sell one of the skirts (not to mention make) a week then that'll at least cover my rent. Free up some cash for other things like food :-)

Well I never...

I've just been on my favourite knitting site Ravelry and discovered that they have a group for people who also love Stargate SG1/Atlantis, can you believe it, two passions one stone. They had this wonderful link for a Stargate Afghan to crochet.

I managed to get some housework done and finished another couple of squares for the Afghan (one being a big one) shall work on it more whilst watching Stargate Atlantis tonight.

The dogs have just let me know they wish to go into the garden, I'm loath to let them as it's just a mud bath out there with all the rain we've been getting lately. So I'm off to let them back in and yet again mop the floor after them [sigh].

Not much done.

After such a promising start to the day yesterday, I ended up falling asleep after doing the evening meal, so no work was done on my Afghan. Thought I'd get a fair bit done this morning but I've been on the computer mooching about and looking at other peoples work to actually do anything myself.

About to switch the computer off and get some work done before actually going to work, hope to be able to do a little crochet on the Afghan as well :-))

Urgh, back to work

Well it was back to work today, don't they know work interferes with my knitting/crochet/sewing? I also discovered that crochet is so handy for popping in my handbag to do a bit whilst I wait for my shift to start, or for the bus :-)

I'm already hankering to get this Afghan finished just so I can get on to my next project (I'll not mention the hippy bag that is still to be finished) I'm not sure what the next project will be as there is so much to choose from.

The Jacket I made for my mum for Christmas will be returning on Saturday as the sleeves are slightly to long so I've said I'll alter it for her. As it'll be here I'll take a picture and post it.

Oh well the house wont clean itself (unfortunately) so I'll sign off to get that done.

Relaxing Sunday

Just off for a quick bath then I'm going to work on the Afghan some more.

I've decided I'm not so keen on the method I've been using for sewing up, so will change it from this:

http://www.crochetcabana.com/tutorials/joining_squares3.htm

To this:

http://www.crochetcabana.com/tutorials/joining_squares5.htm

I'm hoping it'll give a better overall look and feel as at the moment it seems a little gappy, or maybe if I carry on with it the way I am doing and then see how it feels after I've put the boarder on...hmm.

Okay, I've changed my mind (God, you can tell I'm a woman) I'm going to carry on as is and see how it turns out, if I still don't like it I can always add some sewing afterwards.

Summer quilt

I took up sewing a few years ago as well, this was the first thing I made.

I think it was a good choice as a first project as it was quite simple and only required me to be able to sew in straight lines.

I did it in nice refreshing colours as it was for my youngest daughter. She really likes it and it gets dragged out to the garden in the summer as well.

Current project.

I'm currently working on an afghan/throw based on this pattern:

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/cwe-grannySquareAfghan.html?noImages=0

I'm doing it in three shades of green, although in the picture the darkest green looks brown and the lightest looks off white. it's actually mint green, jade green and a khaki green (I'm feeling very green at the moment:-))

I think I'm going to really enjoy crochet, it seems to work up so fast.

The slipper picture.

slippers2
Originally uploaded by carobak

These are the slippers I crochet, did them both the same just different sizes.

I followed the pattern from here:

http://www.crochetandknitting.com/mocslip.htm

Sue's look much better than mine but apart from a very small granny square this is the first time I've crocheted anything, so they didn't turn out too bad.

I think if I make more than I'll use a more substantial yarn to give a firmer feel.

First ever post

Well, thank goodness Christmas is over. I spent Christmas eve cutting out and sewing together the Jacket I wanted to make for my mum, finally got it done at gone six in the morning.

I also made my dad and father-in-law crochet slippers using this pattern here:

http://www.crochetandknitting.com/mocslip.htm

I'll post some pictures of the finished things when I figure out how to :-)