Monday, November 28, 2022

One crazy week

Here it is the start of another week and hopefully this week will be a little better for me craft wise.

Of course, things have been busy for us, and now we are going to try to get into a routine that is going to work for us, as this last week we were busy, and things were a little off.  Now that things are settling down, I think we will be able to see progress on a few things, or at least I hope that I will.

Cross stitch - well there is no cross stitch project to show you and that is because I have been working on a secret project that I cannot show you. This has been the main focus for the last couple of week, so now that it is finished I hope that I can also get back to stitching some more or at least getting more crafting done that I can show. I have loved working on the project and hope that the person that receives it likes it as well.

Simple Triangle Shawl - of course, when I had those few minutes each day, I was able to spend it working on one version of the Simple Triangle Shawl. These shawls do work up relatively quickly, and I hope to have a few more of these made so that I can possibly have them as items at a craft sale, or I could also donate these to a charity.

I like working on these shawls because they do work on quickly, and it is something that I can just work on when I have those few minutes between the various things that I am working on. This pattern is also great when you are attending a webinar, and you just have to listen, and you don't have to have your camera on.

Of course, I finished this shawl on the weekend and immediately had to go and figure out some yarn that I could use for this next version of the shawl. This version of the shawl may be bigger because I do have a bit more of this yarn. This yarn is closer to a solid colour, but it does have a bit of variation of the shades, so that is nice. Now to see how much I can get done on this shawl this week, as I do have two webinars to attend and both of them are just me listening to the presentation.

English paper piecing - last night I decided that instead of working on my knitting or figuring out the next cross stitch project that would get my attention, I would work on some more motifs.

It felt great working on these, and it was rather difficult to stop making them, but it was time for bed, so I put them down and will see how many I can get done this week. One thing I do like about these motifs is they are quick to make and something that I can do when I want to relax, and it doesn't involve a lot of concentration. 

Other projects - I haven't been working on any other project in the last week, as I was focusing on getting the secret project completed.

I hope everyone is finding that time each day to do something that you enjoy doing for yourself. It is important that each of us takes that little bit of time each day to recharge your personal batteries so that we can be there for others.

Hopefully next week I will have more projects or at least progress to show you, as I think I now have things a little more organized and know what I would like to be working on. Until next week, have a good week and enjoy your personal time.






Monday, November 21, 2022

A bit of progress and a quick finish

Here it is the start of yet another week and another week of I am not sure what I will be getting accomplished. Live is starting to get back to being busy, so I am now juggling and trying to find some time when I can focus on my crafting, even for a little while. I do make sure that I take a little bit of time each day no matter what to take time for myself.

This time of year, is always a little busier than other times of the year, so now to see how the rest of 2022 goes.

Mini the Forgotten - I did pick up this project for a little while this weekend and I got a few more stitches in. I am still working on getting the black completed on the entire project. I am looking forward to seeing the piece once all the black is completed. I will take it off the q-snap at that point just to see where I am on the piece.

I am enjoying working on this piece, and it is so different from how I have stitched any of my other full coverage pieces. I figured I would try doing it this way, so that is why I am doing all the black on the piece before working on a lot of the other colours. I did start working an entire section at a time, but then thought I would try this method instead. I will figure out what I like doing best.

Holly - here is a project that I started quickly after I received the pattern in an email newsletter. This pattern is from Hello From Liz Matthews, and it was sent in her latest newsletter. Of course, I looked at it and decided that I could get it stitched up quickly, so after a trip to the local Michael's to get the floss that I was missing, it was time to sit down and get it done. I loved how quickly it worked on, and within a few hours I went from looking at a pattern to having a piece finished.

The project is nice and small as it is only 27 x 33 so something that you can stitch up quickly. I do think I will probably be stitching some more of these, as I think they would make some nice ornaments. I am glad that I picked up the floss and got the first one completed.

Simple Triangle Shawl - here is the project that got the most attention this week. I decided after finishing the last shawl that I wanted to continue making this shawl, so I grabbed another ball of yarn and immediately started another version of it. I was also looking forward to seeing how quickly I could get one of these shawls done. I set a goal of 7 hours knitting on the shawl for the week, and by last night I had done those 7 hours. I am very happy with the progress that I made on the shawl, and I am looking forward to seeing how much longer it is going to take me to finish it.

I am loving working on this pattern as it is something that is easy to pick up and put down. Just having one row to do makes it nice for a change, and this shawl is also a nice way to use up some of my yarn stash.

Other projects - I haven't worked on any other projects this past week, so will see what happens this week. I know that I have a few other things that I should be working on, so will see how it goes.

I hope that everyone is trying to find those few minutes each day to do something for yourself. I know that being able to spend the time knitting or stitching has helped me refocus, and it has made it easier to handle everything that has been doing on. Have a good week, and hopefully I will have things to show you next week that I got moved forward.




 

Monday, November 14, 2022

A busy week so slow progress

Here it is the start of another week and of course that means that there are things that I was able to get done last week but not as much as I would have liked to do. I was busy with a lot of other things this past week, so crafting was something that got little bits of time, but it still meant that I was able to see some progress on a couple of things. Now to see what this coming week is going to be like.

Mini The Forgotten -- this project did get a bit of attention as I wanted to see if I could reach the top of the pattern before long. The first thing that I had to do was move the q-snap, so I did that, and then it was time to see if I could at least reach the top. I have now reached the top of the pattern and have finished outlining all the black areas. I hope that through the next couple of weeks I can start to add all the black stitches in, and then I will know where a lot of the other sections go.
 
Simple Triangle Shawl - I have been working on this shawl quite a bit, as it is something that I can pick up and work on for a few minutes at a time and sometimes see some good progress on it. Over the weekend, I once again decided to do the hour a day from Friday through Sunday to get some progress on the shawl. Well, this weekend, those three hours meant that I was able to get the shawl finished
I don't know how long it really took me to knit this shawl, but it was a lot of fun to do. This pattern is extremely easy and with the yarn that I have been using it has made it a fun project to do.

Other projects - this past week I didn't work on anything else because I didn't have a lot of time. I was happy to see some progress on these two projects, and now to figure out what I am going to be working on this week. I would like to see if I can get more of the black done on Mini the Forgotten, and I do know that I need to have another knitting project on the go.

I hope you continue to find those few minutes each day to do something that you enjoy doing. I know that it is helping me recharge those personal batteries so that I can be there for others. 

This coming week I will figure out which projects will get the attention and then hopefully have something to show you next week. Take care of yourself so that you can be there for those around you.  See you next week.


 

Monday, November 7, 2022

Some slow progress this week

Here it is the start of another week, and I can honestly say that I am not sure where the last week went. 
 
It is hard to believe that another week has come and gone because with everything else that was going on I haven't been able to spend much time working on things. I did find some time most days to at least find a few minutes to do something that I love doing.

New Doors - this project at least got a little bit of attention, which meant that I was able to work on getting another key done as well as work on the border and another one of the locks. I hope that before too long I can start to see more progress on this, as it would be nice to see it getting closer to a finish.

I would like to try and continue to work on this piece a bit each week because then I would be able to see the progress that I want to see on it. I might not get a lot of stitching done but at least moving it forward would be nice and maybe now what I am going to try and do is see if I can get at least one of the colours of keys finished before too long.

Mini the Forgotten - here is a piece that I am trying to work on getting more of the black finished. I would also like to see if I can get the outline done on the rest of the black so that I can reach the top of the design. I have already been able to touch the bottom and both sides, so now it is just a matter of working on the black to reach the top.

I am so happy with the progress that I have been able to make on this piece because I think I am now going to move the fabric on the q-snap so that I can continue to work on the outline of the rest of the black sections. 

I would like to be able to get to the top of the pattern before too long, as well as get the rest of the black finished. I can see that I am getting closer to the top, but there is still quite a bit of black that needs to get stitched. I think I still have around 3,500 stitches of black, but it is between the top of her dress on the top of the pattern, so will see how things go over the next couple of weeks.

Simple Triangle Shawl - I am continuing to work on this project as it is making me feel so good to see the progress on it.  I have been trying to work on it a bit each day because as the rows at getting longer it means that it is taking longer to see progress on it. I would like to see how much of it I can get done this coming week because the ball of yarn is now starting to look like that is less to use. I am not sure how many more stitches I will be increasing on this before it's time to cast off, but at least just seeing it moved forward it is making me feel wonderful.

After I finish this shawl, I am not sure what I will be working on but I am starting to think that I need to figure out my next project. I don't think I will be finishing the shawl in the next week, but having the next project figured out might be a good idea.

I am happy that I have been able to continue to knit a bit most days, so will see what this week is like, as it would be nice to get more of this shawl completed.

English paper piecing - this last week I wasn't able to spend a lot of time working on my motifs or attaching them to the scrap throw, but at least I made a bit of progress.

I would like to see if I can continue to make the motifs because having a bunch of them ready to join makes it so much easier. I do know that I still have lots of motifs to make and join together, but this project is currently fun to work on and also very relaxing. I have found that when I have those few minutes at the end of the day I am picking up this project as it is easy to do, and it doesn't take a large time commitment. I am finding that even either making a motif or two or joining them is a nice thing to do, and it helps me refocus my mind and get me ready for the next day.

Other projects - I haven't been working on any other projects this week, and I think part of that is because we were busy with other commitments of our time. I am not sure what this coming week is going to be like, but I do know that it does look a little busy again.

I hope everyone finds that bit of time each day to do something that you enjoy doing. It doesn't matter what it is but making sure that you can find that time to do something for yourself is very important. If things go well this coming week, I should have something to show you, but only time will tell. My pile of things that I would like to work on continues to grow, but I do know that just taking those few minutes at the end of my day is very important, as it helps me recharge my personal batteries so that I am there for everyone else.

Have a good week and I hope to have something to show you next Monday.