Crafting time

Preemie hat

So it's almost the Labour Weekend which means three days of not working for most people.  I for one will be doing some work this weekend as I want to get some work completed that really needs my attention.  Besides doing some work I plan on spending some time with either my knitting needles or crochet hook.

The picture is of a preemie hat that I made a while ago but I do hope that this weekend I will be able to make a few preemie hats and a few baby hats. 

I am now really trying to work through some of my stash because I do have way too much yarn so need to figure out projects that use up the yarn quickly.  I also need to start working on some mittens for a local charity.  I guess considering the heat I just can't seem to think about mittens right now.  Hopefully that is another project that I can at least look at over the weekend.

Now time to wrap up work for today.

Life is very busy right now

So I haven't posted for the last couple of weeks and that is basically because I have been extremely busy with other parts of my life.  Work has gotten busy for me which is great in a lot of ways.  It does mean that I am getting paid to do a lot of the things that I love to do.  The down side is that I haven't had a lot of chance to sit and write or even craft.

Yesterday my big project was frogging a bunch of preemie sweaters that I had partly completed.  I didn't know where the pattern was and figured I would use the yarn for baby hats so frogging it went.  The good news is I now have a bunch of balls of sports weight yarn ready to be made into some baby and preemie hats instead of sitting as partly completed projects.  The bad news is I am seeing how much yarn is now sitting waiting for crocheting up.

I did work on another project over the last couple of weeks and was really happy on Saturday when I was able to cast it off the needles.  That was as long as the happy feeling lasted because the shawl was a lot smaller than it was suppose to be.  OK, I didn't knit a swatch before starting the shawl which I should have but I used worsted weight like the pattern called for.  That was also the problem as there seems to be different weights of worsted weight yarn and I had the thinner yarn that I should have been using.  Now I have a shawl that is about 6 inches shorter than it should be.  So now I have a shawl that doesn't fit me and am trying to figure out if I am going to frog that project as well.  I know that I could use this yarn to make a wrap for myself so that might be what I end up doing.

The pattern for the shawl is still sitting waiting for me to work on it again but I just need to find the yarn that I want to make the shawl from. 

So I have lots of projects waiting to be worked on and this morning while sitting and watching the early morning news I started a cardigan for myself.  Now that is the project that I will be working on and hopefully in the near future I will have a picture to show.

Work calls so off to get some of it done so that I can craft this evening.

Hearing the words "Thank You"

Baby hats

As a crafter I do a lot of things for charity and hearing the words "Thank you" mean so much and they are really appreciated.  Over the August long weekend I was able to deliver three bags of baby hats and a couple of small blankets to a hospital that needed hats.  Normally I give the hats to a friend and he does the delivery for me but he wanted me to do it myself this time.

I am so happy that he told me to do the delivery while we were in Sudbury myself.  Hearing the words "Thank you" and seeing the reaction to the hats really does make a difference.  Of course after dropping off all the hats that I had with me, I had to start making some more for the next time we can coordinate a delivery.  Knowing that the hats and blankets are appreciated really makes it worth my time.  I love making the hats as they give me something to do while sitting as a passenger in a car or even while waiting for dinner to cook, etc.

So hearing the words "Thank you" may seem very small but those two words do make a big difference.  Knowing your effort is appreciated can really help motivate someone to continue what they are doing.

Now before it gets too much later it's time for me to try and relax for a few minutes and think of what my next yarn is going to be for the hats.

Baby hats and such

Baby Hats

So what have I been up to lately?  The basket in this picture was used to collect a bunch of baby hats that I wanted to get made by the end of July.  I found out one thing, the basket wasn't big enough to hold all the hats that I had aimed to make between June and July.  Early yesterday I finally put the crochet hook away saying I wasn't going to make any more baby hats in the month of July.  The good news is I got more hats made than I expected and the final number was 80 hats instead of the goal of 60 days in two months.

Besides working on the baby hats I also had to work on a few more projects to ensure I didn't get bored.  Now I have a few projects ready to be finished and that is what I am going to be concentrating on over the next few days.  I have a baby afghan started, a child's hat, a pair of children's mittens and I think there is something else on the go.  See I now am going to work on trying to make a bigger dent in my yarn stash as I do want to be able to meet my 2012 goal of how much yarn I have used.  The thumb splint didn't help me get yarn used but now I am back to normal and happy with that.

I have been spending some time watching the Olympics and that has helped me work on the various projects that I have started.  Now I just need to work on getting the projects finished instead of starting more and more things.  Oh, yes the other thing I have started is a pair of tube socks.

So one more project to finish up today for work and then I am going to try and focus on my crafts until next Wednesday.  I figure I am taking a small break from work or at least as much as I can over the next few days.  A fresh start next week will mean that I will be able to focus better on the things that need my attention.

Time to finish up the one project and then turn off the computer and relax.

Where did weekend go?

I am sitting here at work and realized that this past weekend went way too fast for me.  I didn't get a lot of crafting done and I think part of that was because of the heat and humidity.

I am still working on some baby hats and I want to try and use up some of my stash because it takes over everywhere.  The good thing about the baby hats is they are small and when it's hot out they aren't too bad to work on.  The other reason I keep working on the hats is because I had set a goal for myself between June 1st and July 31st and that was to make 60 baby hats during that time.  Well, over the weekend I completed the 60th hat but am still working on hats as I am interested to see how many I will have completed by July 31st.

Other than working on the hats I have been working on a large project that I really want to get finished.  I am making an afghan for a friend and would like to see it completed by mid-August.  The afghan is 108 granny squares so have been working on the squares during the heat and then in an air-conditioned room I have been joining the afghan together.  As of yesterday I have only 18 squares to join and then the border so hopefully it will be done soon.

Now off to get a few things completed today so that I can head home at a reasonable time and maybe craft.

Weaving loom that travels

Weaving loom that travels

 This past weekend DH and I took off and there was one thing that wasn't going to stay at home on this trip and it was my weaving loom.

Yes because my loom is a smaller size it means that I can take it places with me and it doesn't have to just sit at home.  The loom I have is the Cricket Loom.  On the weekend I worked on the shawl that I had started before leaving home which is in the picture and once this one was completed on Saturday evening I started a narrower scarf.

The little guy that is sitting beside my loom is named "Stash" and his job is to help me keep an eye on my stash and to try and assist me in using it up quickly.

Good location

Besides working on my loom on this trip I had a great excuse to leave the hotel room on Saturday.  Our hotel was located in the same parking lot as an outlet mall and what girl wouldn't take the opportunity to do a little shopping.  It was extremely warm out so it meant that I didn't do as much walking as I would have liked but I was still able to get out and pick up a few things that I found on sale.

The weekend went way too quickly but I did have a good time.  I met up with a friend that I hadn't seen for a couple of years which was nice. 

I also was gifted with another weaving loom which I can't wait to try out.  My mother-in-law had a weaving loom and she gifted it to me on Saturday which I really appreciate it.  I know that it is going to take me a bit of time to learn how to use the new one as it is bigger but I know I will. (picture to follow)

So the weekend is over and it's back to reality but at least I know that I did made a bit of a dent in my stash this weekend and I also have a great trip with my husband.

Long Weekend accomplishments

1st Weaving attempt

This weekend was a three day weekend here in Canada and it felt so good to be able to relax and know that I had three days to try and get a few craft things done.

So as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago my DH bought me a weaving loom.  He had put it together a week ago but considering I had a couple of work deadlines I waited until this weekend to attempt my first project.

Closer look at 1st scarf

My first project was a scarf which ended up about 4 inches wide and about 5 feet long.  Yes I aimed big on the first one.  I also decided that I wasn't going to do it all one colour so the warp is 4 colours.  The warp isn't a lot of fun to do but once you get it done you know that it's time to sit down and start weaving.  So on Saturday evening I started my first scarf.

I really enjoyed weaving and before noon on Sunday I had completed the first scarf and had the warp on for a second scarf.  (Sorry no pictures of completed scarves yet.)  Can you say I loved my loom considering the second scarf was also finished on Sunday.

After finishing the second scarf I figured it was time to do something different for a bit so I worked on a couple of baby hats and got them finished on Sunday.

Monday, being another day off meant that I could sit and relax again.  So late Sunday I put on the warp for a third scarf.  That scarf was quickly completed while sitting on our balcony Monday afternoon.

 c

Cricket Loom ready for first 10inch project

After completed three scarves all about 4 inches wide I decided it was time to attempt something the full width of my loom so I set up a shawl/scarf for myself Monday afternoon and got it started.  The first attempt didn't work out too well as I pulled the weave a little too tight and it ended up a uneven so took it out and restarted.  The second attempt is looking a lot better so now to try and get it finished this week.  Yes, I am using up some of my stash with my loom.

Did I have a good relaxing weekend?  Yes, I sure did.  I am finding it difficult thinking about work right now but I know that if I work hard today I can go home and weave again this evening.

So off to work as I can hear my loom calling me already.