Time is flying

It's hard to believe that it's the 11th of October already.  I am still trying to get a few things completed for the charity that I work with and then it's time to start thinking about working on a Christmas gift.  My goal is to have the gift finished by the beginning of December this year instead of what I normally do which is finish it right before I wrap it the day before Christmas.

This month is the Creativ Festival so will be taking some classes there which should be a lot of fun.  I am taking some knitting and some cross-stitch classes.  Now that it starts next week I need to get all of my stuff organized so that I can figure out if I need to pick up anything for the classes.

September was a very productive month for me as I completed 52 items.  I do have to admit that a lot of them were very small so that is why the number is so high.

• Scarves              2
• Cowl                  1
• Shawl                 2
• Child hat            5
• Baby blanket      1
• Preemie hats      36
• Baby hats           5

 Yes the preemie hats don't take a lot of time to make so that is why I accomplished so much in September.  So far in October the number looks like it will be lower but we will see what it is by the end of the month.

One of my goals this year was to complete 180 items and yes I have already accomplished that.  As of the end of September I had completed 207 items so will see how many I actual complete by the end of the year.

Lapghans for veterans

This past Friday we dropped off nine different lapghans to the Veterans Wing at Sunnybrook.  I have to say it gave me a wonderful feeling knowing that these lapghans are going to be used and appreciated. 

The picture is of one of the lapghans that was dropped off and this one is based on a Sudoku puzzle.  These are a lot of fun to make but it does involve a lot of checking as you do them to ensure that each of the nine blocks are different.  What I did was solved a Sudoku puzzle and then used it to plan this lapghan.  I know I am going to be making more of this type as they are a lot of fun to do as well as they use up lots of bits of yarn as you only need nine small squares of each colour.

The  lapghans are now gone and it's time for me to start thinking of my next project as I do have lots of yarn that needs to be used up and a lot of different ideas going through my head right now.

Off to see what inspires me next.

For more info on sizes go to www.dlklife.ca I have given some sizes and a few more examples that I have done.

Where have I been

Gee it's been a couple of weeks since I posted and yes I finally took some time for me.  We actually took a vacation for a week and believe it or not, I didn't get as much crafting done as I had planned.  I took lots of stuff to do but instead I concentrated on getting some relaxing in.

Since getting back I have been working on getting some projects completed and have actually worked on some preemie hats for a hospital so they have kept me a little busy.  I say a little busy because all the hats I have made haven't taken me too long to do and I have been loving how quick they work up.

Beside that I have taken a bit more time for me and tried to figure out what projects I want to focus on and also what projects have stuff ready for delivery.  Yes I have quite a few things finished that just need to be dropped off so that I what I hope to do in the next little while. 

The best part about finishing off some projects is knowing that they are ready for their new home and soon will be received by someone that will appreciate them.  I know that not everything I make is going to be received by someone that will appreciate the time and effort but at least if some of the stuff helps to keep people warm that is all I can ask.

So before it's too late tonight I want to try and put a few more stitches into a baby hat so that it can be added to the completed list.

Outside comfort zone

Small clay bear

This year I have challenged myself to try and step outside my comfort zone and try a couple of things that I haven't done.  Well my sketching was outside my comfort zone and it is progressing and am extremely happy with that.   Now in the last week I decided to try something different again.

Small clay bear - side view

This is a small clay bear that I made a few days ago.  I wanted to try to use modeling clay, so I had picked up some a while ago only to put it away and figured that one day I would try.   I came across it and immediately decided that I had to try it right then and there.  Of course did I think everything through, no as I made the bear and then had to figure out where it was going to sit while it dried.  The clay was air-dry so that did help but it took over 72 hours for it to dry and of course it meant a safe spot that wasn't going to get banged during the drying process.  The best stop I could find was behind my lap-top as I knew it was somewhere that was safe from being banged around.  Also it meant that when I closed my computer I could check out how the drying was going.

I have happy with the results and have to admit that it was a lot of fun working with the clay.  Maybe one day I will try something else with the clay because of all the fun I had making this little bear.

So stepping outside my comfort zone wasn't so bad this time.  Now to see what else I end up trying.  It is such a different feeling trying things that are outside your comfort zone, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't but at least you can say you tried.

Now to get back to working within my comfort zone on some knitting and crocheting.  I think I will also try a bit more drawing and hope to have a picture to show soon.

August accomplishments

It's hard to believe that another month has gone.  I have been busy working on my charity crafting and in August actually did a couple of things for friends and myself as well.

Here is what I accomplished in August, 40 items:

• Children's hats            7
• Mittens                        9
• Shawls                        2
• Baby hats                   15
• Thumbless mittens     4
• Baby slippers              3

Yes I was able to get quite a few things finished up in August which has made me a little happier.  Now I just need to get my yarn stash to go down some more as I realized I have way too much yarn so my goal now is to try and get it down over the next few months.

September looks like I may be able to get a few more projects completed so will see what actually happens as it is only the 3rd of the month, but I have finished 2 things already.

Now to pick up the needles for a while and see what I accomplish this weekend.

Crafting and life

Yes I am around and crafting some but have to admit that I haven't taken any pictures for a while of what I am working on.  I guess you can only take so many pictures of mittens and hats as that is what I am still working on.

Yesterday I had a bit of a panic attack when I realized that I have been crafting lots this summer but really didn't have any idea what I had accomplished and didn't know what mitten and hat sets I had done.  So yesterday morning I decided to sit down and empty the box and bag where I was storing all my charity stitching and organize it.  Now I know what I have completed and even know the hats that still need the matching mittens completed.  It was a nice feeling to see that I did have quite a few sets completed but they just needed to be matched up.  Now all of the items are in the boxes ready to go and a list of everything has been made.

On a different note I am working on a shawl for a friend so once it's completed I will take a picture of it as it's turning out really nice.  I do want to get this shawl finished so that I can mail it off before the weather gets cool as this friend wants to use it during the fall and winter to keep her shoulders warm.

Well off to work on a pair of mittens and will see what else I get accomplished over the next few days.

Weekend getaway and July results

view from door (zoomed in)

 Last weekend we actually took some time off and went away to visit some friends which was great.  The hotel was studio rooms so we had a small kitchen as well as a love seat and desk.

I was able to get a bit of crafting done on the drive to and from Sudbury and also a bit done while we were there.

Now the picture is what we saw when we walked into our hotel room which of course made me laugh and made husband sigh.  It was a view that we saw all weekend long (5 nights) and I did make it over to the store three times in the weekend but have to admit I only ended up purchasing some sketching paper while I was there.

better view from window

So besides the view I was able to work on some of my projects that I wanted to get done in July and have some good results which I am happy about.  During the month of July, I completed 26 items which are:
     9 - children's hats
     3 - scarves
     2 - shawls (one was given to the hostess of the weekend)
     3 - baby hats
     5 - pairs of children's mittens
     3 - pairs of thumbless mittens
     1 - sweater (size 2)

So I am looking around now and figuring out what projects I want to finish during August so that by the time September rolls around I will have a few items ready for the neighbourhood office when they call.

Off to work on a couple of items this evening and will see what gets done.