Another year coming to an end

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is New Year's Eve and we are saying goodbye to 2013.

I am sitting today thinking about what I have accomplished through this year and what I didn't quite accomplish.  I am happy with my accomplishments and know that next year there will be some new ones and some I will repeat.

Over the next couple of days I will need to actually look at my 2013 goals and see what I did and also note what I got done that wasn't on my list.  I have tired things that I didn't think I could do and enjoy and other projects won't be repeated again.

Of course reviewing my 2013 goals means it's also time to set my 2014 goals so will do that over the next few days.

Happy New Years to everyone and be safe.

Jewellery progress

more bracelets and a pair of earrings

Here is what I have been up to over the last few days.  I decided that it was time to finally put a post together to show that I am still busy making a bunch of different bracelets and now I have started making more earrings.

The bracelets in the first picture where one that I made last weekend while sitting at home and hiding from the ice storm that hit around here last Saturday.  I wanted to try a couple of different colours and patterns so that it what I did.

butterfly earrings and shaggy earrings

Last night I finally got my jewellery supplies back out and started working on making some earrings that I had wanted to try.  The first picture are the pattern that I had found and figured I needed to try them out.  The first two are called butterfly earrings and considering how much I love butterflies I just had to make these earrings.  The other pair are shaggy earrings and they were also a lot of fund to make but not sure if I will be making them again as they did take quite a bit of time.

same pattern 4 different versions

more earrings

Now the last two pictures are other patterns that I decided would be interesting to see how they actually turned out.  This picture with the four pair are all the same pattern but I decided that I wanted to make them in the four different versions that I was able to make with the jump rings that I have.  The hanging part is four different size rings so they are a little different.

The last picture is a version of a pattern that I found but modified it a bit considering it called for 10mm jump rings and I had 10mm jump rings that have been soldered.  I am still pretty happy with how these turned out.

 I am now looking forward to trying some different bracelets over the next few days that is when I have time to do them.  I have some work that needs to get done so am going to focus on that today and then will see what I do over the weekend.  I do think part of the weekend is going to be crafting time.

Now it is time for me to start getting some work off the list so that I can spend more of the weekend relaxing and maybe even making more jewellery.

My Christmas wish

As Christmas is just over a day away I have a wish that I want to make.  For those of you that have lost power during the ice storm I hope you get power back before Christmas day.  I want to wish that my parents and sister get their power back soon as well as it has been a very long couple of days for them.

For those of you that have power, remember do something for those without power.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Jewellery making supplies

More supplies

Today I decided that I have been getting a lot of work things done so it was time to take a day and take a trip to pick up some more supplies.  As you can see I had a lot of fun today and now should be able to make quite a few bracelets and earrings. 

The fun part of this trip was being able to just look at all the different jump rings and think of what I could make with the different ones.  I ended up with silver, gold, white gold, antique gold, gun metal and a few coloured rings. 

My stash increase is actually thanks to a good friend because he let me know about this store so I just had to go and check it out.  Of course, I will be going back there in the future when I need more rings.

Now I am going to have to figure out what bracelets I want to make and then maybe this weekend I will sit down and try some of them.  The boxes are actually for gifts that will be given away. 

On the ride home I was joking around with DH saying all the different ideas that I had and saying I wanted to try all of them out,  Of course, while on this trip I found out another place where I get my chain mail supplies is having a sale on Saturday.  Maybe another trip is needed to make sure that I have lots and lots of jump rings to make lots of things with during the cold weather.

Well I better get working so that I can spend this weekend making more bracelets instead of having to finish up things that I need to get completed.

Jewellery making continues

new bracelets completed

 This past little while I haven't had a lot of time to work on crafts but this weekend I decided that it was time for me.  Time for me resulted in one bracelet getting completed and another bracelet (one with the D charm) was started and completed on Saturday.

Through the making of these two bracelets I was running into a few issues because I couldn't find something that I was looking for in my case that I was using for all of my jump rings, lobster claws, earrings and tools.

time to organize stash

After a discussion with my DH we decided that I had enough jewellery supplies that it was time to figure out how to organize them a lot better than I originally had.  See when I was buying all the different rings I was putting each size in it's own ziplock bag.  The bags worked to a point until you have too many bags and can't find what you are looking for.

Today we went out for a little bit and picked up some containers that I could use to organize all the bits that I have collected in just over a month.  On the trip out I was trying to figure out how much stuff I actually had collected.

Yes, I have been having lots of fun with all the different bracelets and earrings that i have been making. I have made 13 bracelets and 9 pairs of earrings and 18 stitch holders since starting this venture on November 9th.

Tight fix, think I need a bigger case

So part of today was set aside to organize all of the stash that I had and put it into the different containers that we picked up.  The good news is I got my stash organized with two containers empty but the bad news is I think I have more stash somewhere.  Also the other bit of bad news is the case I have been using for all my jewellery supplies is rather full now.

The tools that are in this case are the ones that I use all the time but I know that there are quite a few more around so need to figure out how to store all of them as well as all the other things that are around.

The one good thing about doing this is I now know what size jump rings I have as well as what colour.  I can now locate all the jump rings quickly so it isn't going to take me long to start another project.  Gee, maybe it's time to turn off the computer and start one.

Work versus Crafting

So since my last post I haven't had much time to craft as I have been working on moving a client from one location to another location.  The move is now finished so I think I am going to be able to get back to crafting like I was doing a while ago. 

I have been able to find a bit of time to sit and crochet but of course the results have been very minimal over the last couple of weeks so nothing to show.  I hope that over the weekend between studying and Christmas shopping I will get a bit of crafting time.

Now it's time to figure out the remained of today and see if there is any time left for crafting.

Jewellery progress

Earrings

 Instead of making bracelets this weekend I decided that I was going to try and make a couple of pairs of earrings.  Of course it didn't take me long to realize that they were a lot of fun to make.  The top pair goes with the twisted ring bracelet that I made on Friday and the bottom pair are Japanese weave and I had to try making them on Sunday.

This weekend after talking nicely to the DH I went and picked up a few more supplies that I wanted to get to try and make a few new things.  The Japanese Weave earrings was one of the things I wanted to try.  So I picked up my supplies along with a couple of books and headed home yesterday to try and see what I could finish.

Stitch Markers for the Knitters

What I didn't notice during my shopping trip was that I picked up some rings that were soldered so they wouldn't work for jewellery too easily so I figured out a difference project for them.  I turned an idea of an earring into some stitch markers which were a lot of fun to make.  I also decided that I had to make the earrings to go with the stitch markers so they are now ready as part of a Christmas gift.  The stitch markers are also Christmas gifts for my mom and sister as I had to make 18 of them.

Two new bracelets found new owner

Now the two bracelets in this last picture were bracelets that I made on Friday.  I decided to wear the bracelet on the left when we went for dinner today.  I was wearing it to show the friend that had ordered the other bracelet from me.  Well, the outcome of the visit was both of these bracelets have now found a new owner and the bracelet that I made for the friend is still with me.  She loved these two bracelets a lot more so figured to make her happy it was worth it.  Now to see how many of these different bracelets I can make.

Tonight, I don't think I am going to work on any jewellery but it does feel good knowing that I have only been making jewellery for two weeks and already two of my bracelets have found new homes.

More jewellery

Two new bracelets

 This week I have been busy working on a few more bracelets.  Yes I am really enjoying making the various bracelets now that I have two pliers that really work well for me.

The first bracelet is like the other two that I made but this time I used some better jump rings as well as used both silver and gold rings.  When you see the bracelet in person sometimes you can see the silver but that depends on the lighting.

two new bracelets total length

The next bracelet I made was the alternate silver and gold double rings bracelet.  I know now of these bracelets are very difficult but I have been really enjoying trying the different ways I can use the jump rings.

Bracelet with twisted rings

After completing these two bracelets I just had to try just one more idea I had.  This bracelet was the bracelet with twisted rings.  I had seen some pictures  of the twisted rings but hadn't found instructions on how to do them so I figured it out myself.  The only bracelet that I actually followed instructions was my first bracelet with I have now made three like it.

Close up of twisted rings

Maybe it's time to look for a couple of books on chain maille jewellery so that I can actually follow some instructions on the next bracelets that I make. I have been having a lot of fun making the bracelets and I think I will make earrings to match the twisted rings bracelet. 

I have to say a big thank you to Silverlotus for encouraging me to give jewellery making a try.  The other thank you is to my own DH for putting up with me and having to look at each bracelet as I complete it.  He is also been someone that encouraged me to give jewellery making a try and let me know that if I had problems he was there to help.  Of course, he also comes up with different ideas for me to try so I think I am going to be busy for a while.

Jewellery

Gold bracelet almost completed

OK, I admit it that I am really enjoying making bracelets.  I had a bracelet almost finished on Sunday so sat down this morning and just had to finish it.

Yesterday on the way home from a client we stopped at Michael's so that I could pick up a couple of nice pliers so that I could work on the bracelet at some point this week and get it finished.

Gold bracelet finished this morning

So I was good last night and didn't sit down and finish it before going to bed but just had to sit down this morning and put the final links on it.  I had to wait for DH to get ready so figured I wouldn't waste the time just sitting around.  The new pliers are working out really good so will see what else I work on this week.

I wore my first bracelet out for dinner on Monday evening and a friend of mine asked if I could make her a bracelet but in the gold colour.  Of course, I said I would make one because I do enjoy making these.  I still want to make a gold and silver combination bracelet for myself and I think I will make another one like my first bracelet now that I have good pliers to use.

I am going to have to look at what other bracelet I can make because I want a few different types so that I can wear them depending on my mood.

So work is now calling me so better get back to it.

Weekend progress

Blackwork Knight as of Wednesday at noon

This weekend I decided that I needed to take at least part of a day to work on crafts instead of working on all the work items that I need to do.

I wanted to try and make a bit of progress on my Blackwork Night.  The Blackwork is enjoyable to do and on days when you don't feel like changing colours this works extremely well.  Wednesday night I was able to get the face of the knight done so wanted to see more of it completed by the end of the weekend. 

Blackwork Knight as of last night

The first picture of the knight is as of Wednesday before I did any work on it because I wanted a record of where it was before Stitch Night.  Of course I worked on it a little bit during the rest of the week but yesterday I sat down and make some really good progress on it.  I now just need to finish filling in the area behind the knight's head and it is done.  The second picture of the knight is where it ended last night.  Hopefully this week I will be able to work a bit more on this knight and then see it finished before the end of November.

Bracelet with matching earrings

Besides working on my knight I also decided that I wanted to work on a bit of jewellery to see if I could finish a project that I just started on Wednesday afternoon.   I had just got about three rings joined on the bracelet so yesterday sat down and finished the bracelet and made a pair of earrings to match.  This project was a nice quick project so that also made me happy.

New bracelet

Once I finished the earrings I decided that I was going to start working on a new bracelet like my first bracelet that I made.  This version is gold coloured and the rings are a little stronger so it took me a bit longer to make progress on it.  I also got a new pair of pliers this week so it made working with the jump rings a bit easier. Will see when I get to sit down and finish this bracelet as I have quite a few things that need my attention this week.

Bracelet

Finished and ready to wear

On Wednesday I decided that I was going to sit down and work on finishing the bracelet that I started on Sunday. 

Wearing new bracelet

It didn't take me too long to see the results of Sunday and Wednesday when I was able to put the final rings on the bracelet.  It was interesting to put it on my wrist and know that I had made the bracelet myself.  Of course I can see little issues with it, but overall I am happy with the outcome of my very first bracelet.

Now to be honest I couldn't just finish the bracelet and put all my supplies away.  I had to start working on another project almost immediately.  I haven't take a picture of this project as there are only 6 rings joined together so nothing really interesting to show off yet.

Besides starting the new project I also came up with a few more ideas of things that I would like to make now that I have made my first bracelet. Knowing that if I take my time I can actually make some simple jewellery. Maybe after a while I will try something more challenging but for now I am going to enjoy having some fun with the jump rings and see what I end up making.

The jewellery making is going to have to wait until later today or over the weekend as I have some work things that need my attention first.  

Blackwork Knight progress

Blackwork Knight previous progress

So now it is time to show some of the progress on the Blackwork Knight that I have been working on since getting it at the Creative Festival.

In the last couple of days I sat down and worked on it again as I really want to see it completed.  It is funny to say that I want to see it completed as I love doing blackwork and once this is done I don't have any more blackwork currently to work on.

Tonight I am going to work on this project on this project as I am looking forward to getting the face on the knight.  Of course there is a lot of detail just around the top of the knight so it will take me a bit of time to get that done.

Blackwork Knight as of Nov 12/13

I am continuing to work on my bracelet as well so hope that I will soon have some completed projects to show instead of just showing progress on the various projects.

Now it is time for me to go and get a bit of work done so that I can pick up my knight and work on it again later.

The fun of a new challenge

First projects done

So here is what I ended up getting completed yesterday.  The earrings were the first projects that I completed as I wanted to start with something small and see if I could do it without too much help.

A first bracelet

My challenge is my hands somethings don't like holding tools so I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to even make any jewellery.

The bracelet I am making is using split rings so it means a lot of opening and closing of the rings.  When I ended my jewellery making for Sunday, I had completed just over half of the bracelet.  Considering it took a lot of figuring out at first I am happy with what I accomplished.

Bracelet on wrist but not finished yet

I am determined that I am going to be getting this bracelet done soon so that I can start wearing it.  I have already figured out ways to improve the next one I make and it will be using gold split rings.

Now that I have started making some simple jewellery I am feeling a lot better about the entire process.  I know that there is going to be things that I have problems with but at least I have overcome one of my challenges.  The jewellery making has renewed my spark in crafting so will see what else I end up figuring out.

I proved to myself that I could actually make some jewellery and I will be wearing it soon. 

New challenge

Supplies

This weekend I decided that I needed a new challenge.  I was finding that my knitting, crocheting and needlework hasn't been challenging me enough lately.  So what I ended up doing was figuring out a new project or new area to focus some of my energy.

Now the new project may require a bit of help from my DH but I know that he just smiled when I told him what I wanted to try and do.  Of course, picking up all the different supplies today made me smile and of course it also renewed the spark that I had missed lately.

My tools

Another person that has given me a bit of a push was Silverlotus as she does this.   So now the challenge started as I needed to find some patterns and really decide what I was going to do.

The supplies I had to pick up but the tools were already in my tool box. 

It didn't take me long after taking the pictures of the supplies and tools to open some of the packages and start something new.  It has taken a bit of time and energy but it does feel good knowing that I have started to figure out something different.

What I have accomplished is going to be a different blog as I now want to go back and work on the items that I have been doing.

Progress on a project

Blackwork Knight - before weekend

I decided that this weekend I am going to take a day or at least part of a day to work on one of the projects that I started at the Creative Festival a week ago.

Of course decided which one I was going to pick up first was also a challenge in itself because I want to get all of them done quickly.

The one I ended up deciding on was the Blackwork Knight as I wanted to see how much of it I could get done.  Also this one only had one colour so it meant it was a little easier as I didn't have to change colours while I stitched.

 

 

 

Blackwork Knight - Sunday evening

I only worked on this project on Sunday and I saw a big difference.  Of course I decided to work down the rest of the pattern so that I could get the bottom of the pattern done and that is where I am now.  I do have some metallic thread to put on this part of the pattern but I will do that at the end.

This is now the project that I am going to work on when I have time this week so that I can see if I can get it finished quickly.  Of course there are also knitting and crocheting projects that I am working on so will pick those up when I don't have lots of time to focus on a project.

Finishes from Creative Festival

Cross Stitch Pendant - Susan Fritzgerald

Yesterday after getting some work done, I decided that it was time to sit down and work on the projects from the Creative Festival that were almost finished.

My first finish was actually the seamless hat because all I had to do was cast off the stitches and sew in the ends.  This project was a very quick project to finish so now have a hat that fits a doll.  I was also given the pattern that would fit a child so think I am going to make that hat to see what it is really like.

Seamless Hat - Gail Silver

The second finish was the cross stitch pendant that  I had worked on last Thursday in class.  Of course sitting down and finished this project probably took me less than an hour so another good feel.  The cord for the necklace was also included in the kit and so the project is totally complete.  The cord uses the chinese sliding knot so that the necklace length is adjustable. 

I am not sure what project I am going to work on next but I do know that I am looking forward to having another finish soon.  Of course I do have other projects on the go as well so will see if the finish is a Creative project or another project.

Now it is time to get some work done so that I can curl up later today and craft for a bit.

Creative Festival 2013

Double-ended Hook - Becky Simmons

Wednesday

Double-ended hook: scarf

To start my five days at the Creative Festival I decided to take a class on making a scarf with a double-ended crochet hook. The class was 3 hours and it was a lot of fun. It taught us how to use the tunisian simple stitch with two colours so that we end up with a reversible scarf with the two colours.  The length of the hook is longer than I would have liked but now I have figured out how to use it and it doesn't seem so bad

Thursday

Tunisian Crochet

Tunisian Crochet - Rebecca Smith

Yes it would have been nice to have this class before the double-ended hook class but I knew the simple stitch so it wasn't bad. In this class we learned how to do the tunisian simple stitch, knit stitch, purl stitch, honeycomb stitch and also the full stitch. We worked on a sample piece so that we could learn the stitches but not have to worry about making sure it worked perfectly on a project.

Modern Cross Stitch Pendant - Susan Fitzgerald

Modern Cross Stitch Pendant

This class was one that I took because I wanted to make a piece of jewellery using cross stitch and I knew it was going to be a very quick project to do. The picture shows what I got done in an hour and a half. I think I should have this project done very soon if I sit down and work on it. 

I am now going to be thinking about what else I can put on these pendants and already have one idea.

Friday

Cabling without a Cable Needle

Cabling without a Cable Needle - Kate Atherley

I have always avoided working with cable on hats and sweaters because I don't like working with a cable needle as I always drop it or lose it. That is the reason I took the class because knowing how to do cable without an extra needle would be really nice. So this class we worked on some sample pieces so that we could learn how to do the stitches and I have to admit this class went extremely quickly but I learned lots. The cables we learned were: right-leaning mock cable rib, left-leaning mock cable rib, three-stitch cable, right-leaning and left-leaning twists, 4-stitch cable and 6-stitch cable swatch. The only stitch that I really didn't like doing was the right-learning and left-learning twist. I guess that isn't bad considering these were all new for me. I now think I will be working on some cable projects because doing cables without a cable needle are pretty easy to do as long as it isn't any wider than 6-stitches.

In the Round - Kate Atherly

In the Round: PDNs, Magic Loop and Circulars

This was another class that I was wanting to take because I really wanted to figure out the magic loop that everyone was talking about. As this class was only an hour and a half it meant we didn't get a lot of practice on any technique but at least we learned them. The most time was spent on the magic loop because that was what we all wanted to learn. The biggest challenge I found was figuring out how to hold the needles but I think what a little more practice I will be able to do the magic loop without too much problem.

Jacob's Ladder - Becky Simmons

Jacob's Ladder

The Jacob's Ladder class was learning a new method for making a scarf using the simple crochet stitches. This class was a three hour class and as I am very comfortable with crocheting I found it very enjoyable and was able to figure out the picking up of the chain stitches quickly.  The pattern we have is for a scarf and I am going to continue working on it so that I can get the scarf done. The instructor that I had for this class was the same one I had for the double-ended hook class so it was nice to have her again. I had this instructor last year and found the classes were very enjoyable and what we learned was a lot of fun and different.

Canvas Coin Purse

Canvas Coin Purse - Jennifer Aikman-Smith

This was the class I was looking forward to because the instructor was Jennifer Aikman-Smith and all the classes I have every taken have been a lot of fun. For this class we had to pick up some supplies for it which meant we got to pick colours that we wanted for our purse. Jennifer than brings some supplies and we get to pick and choose from that as well. Of course the courses with Jennifer go extremely quickly so it doesn't look like you get much done even when you are spending three hours in the class.

Saturday

Santa's Helper Ornament

Santa's Helper Ornament - Jennifer Aikman- Smith

My second class with Jennifer Aikman-Smith and this was an hour and an half class and we worked on an ornament. I really don't know where the time went but this class seemed to be over way too quickly.  This project is using a piece of ribbon aida cloth with a wire in the edge of it.

Stitching Beyond the Traditional

I guess I expected more from this class then I actually found out. This class was showing us that we could take a cross-stitch pattern and bead it, knit it, rug hook or whatever we wanted. I guess for someone that was new to cross-stitch they may have learned something but I didn't find it very interesting. We got a grab bag of different fabrics, threads and beads and got to play. I guess the playing with the different things was made the class ok. It was only an hour and a half class so that made it manageable.

Seamless Hat on 2 Needles - Gail Silver

Seamless Hat on 2 Needles

I took this class to find a way of knitting a seamless hat only to discover that I learned this technique years ago. The actual project was a hat for a doll and it worked up very quickly. Basically this class was learning to double knit and end up with a tube with a seam at the bottom. The yarn that we got for this project was 100% wool which was nice to work on but something that for children requires a lot of extra work. Now I just need to cast off the hat and it will be completed.

Dragon Pin Cushion

Dragon Pincushion - Jennifer Aikman-Smith

My third Jennifer Aikman-Smith class and this one was a little more of a challenge because I just couldn't seem to get my head working on this project. It was a project on canvas and we were to work diagonal instead of row by row. Of course that seems to be a challenge at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon after spending almost 4 days taking classes. Once I figured out what I needed to do the project started to work up pretty quickly. Another 2 hours seems to fly by and that was the end of the first four days of classes.

Sunday – final day of classes and final day of Creative Festival

Blackwork Knight

Blackwork Knight - Jennifer Aikman-Smith

Working on a blackwork project was just what I needed a 9am on a Sunday morning. I love working on this type of project because you can see results pretty quickly if you work in small areas. Today I decided that I was going to work on a major outline instead of a small area and did get to see some good results. Honestly this course was 1.5 hours but the next class was with the same instructor (Jennifer Aikman-Smith) so I continued working on this project instead of picking up the next project.  I can't wait to start working on this project again because I want to see how quickly it will work up.  This project goes with the Blackwork Princess that I did a few years ago.

Tiny Fantasy Kingdom – Over 1

Tiny Fantasy Kingdom - Jennifer Aikman-Smith

This project was one that I wanted to work on but considering the lighting in the convention centre it meant that I would not start it until I had better lighting. The advantage of taking Jennifer's classes is we get projects that are new and a little different. It is great spending 5 classes with Jennifer because her classes are very relaxed and enjoyable. 

So many of us just take the classes because we enjoy spending the time with Jennifer and the rest of the group that we have gotten to know over the last few years.

Final Notes

The Creative Festival this year didn't have as many cross-stitch classes as normal so that is why I took as many knitting and crocheting classes as I did. In some ways I am glad I took the knitting and crocheting classes because I did walk away learning something in all of those classes. Now what I need to do is work through the projects that I started at the show so that I can get them completed. I really don't want to end up with a lot of projects from this year in a box that I haven't completed.

It is so nice seeing the number of friends that I have made over the years of going to the Festival.  We may only see each other for the 5 days we are at the show but it always feels like it hasn't been a year since the last visit.

Quick update

You may be wondering where I have been for the last little while.  That is so easy to explain by saying that I have been sick for a little while but finally getting back to myself.

This past 5 days I have been at the Creative Festival and have taken lots of classes.  Now what I need to do is sit down and write about each of the classes that I took and that is going to take me a while to do,  It is going to have to wait for a day or two until I can find the time to sit and think through everything I did.

I had a great time and saw lots of friends that I don't get to see enough of.

Until I can write up my weekend of events.

New cross-stitch project.

New cross-stitch project as of September 22, 2013

So last week I sat down and pulled most of the threads that I needed for my new cross-stitch project. I didn't have all the threads and not sure why so went out yesterday and picked up the last 14 colours for this project.

Of course I was so excited to start this that I had to put some stitches in the fabric to see what it was going to look like. Now this project has three parts to it so I decided that I wanted to see what it looked like so am doing one part of the project on a different fabric and over two threads. This gives me the opportunity to make small changes to the pattern before I work on the large piece over one thread. Now the one part that I am doing is going to be 12.5”x5.5” on 28 count even-weave over two threads. So you can imagine if I had of decided to do the entire piece over two threads it would have been 21.5”x12.25” so as I didn't want it that large I decided to do it over one thread.

The picture is where the cross-stitch ended last night. I am going to be very busy with work over the next couple of weeks so not sure how much work I will actually get done but am going to try and put little bits of time into this project as I want to see what it looks like.

Now can you figure out what this pattern is of? Two people who read by blog know what the project is but it still looks interesting right now because you can't tell what it is of.

It is now time for me to get some work done so that maybe tonight I can put a few more stitches in this piece.

No crafting time

So you ask what I have been working on and that is simple, not much.

I am very busy with a couple of projects for work and they have been taking a lot of my time and by the time I finish them each night I don't have the energy to pick up a needle or hook.  I am hoping that by the beginning of October I will be back to being able to spend some time crocheting or knitting.

Now, the exciting news is I have a brand new cross-stitch pattern that I cannot wait to stitch.  It arrived last night and of course had to spend some time looking at it and deciding when I was going to start it.  I will be writing more about this cross-stitch pattern because it has been years in the works and finally have it.  I have the fabric all ready for this piece so now just need to pull all the threads and sit down and start it.  The completed piece is going to be 11" x 6" and that is going to be over one thread on 28 count evenweave. 

So now I  need to focus on the project again today and then maybe tonight I can sit down and pull all the threads for the project.  Can you say I am excited about this project.  Yes I am.

I do have to say a big thanks to Silverlotus for helping me get this cross-stitch pattern.  She has heard my excitement about this new project.  I haven't stopped smiling since getting the email.

Frustrated

I know I haven't been writing for a while and that is because I have been very busy with work so put my crafting aside so that I could get the work done.

This weekend I ran into something that really bothered me so am going to write about it here.  I was shopping at a craft store on Saturday and rounded a corner only to almost fall over a box that was stock that was being put onto shelves.  The box was only about 8 inches high so of course something that most of us wouldn't see while walking around a store.  How many of us walk around looking at our feet?  Of course, I tripped over the box only to be told that I should watch where I am walking.  That comment was made by a staff member and possibly the manager.  A lot of the stores when stocking shelves have a cart that they put in the area so that people can see something and avoid the area. 

Now, this wasn't the only time I ran into an issue this week. We went to a different store, same chain and I found that I couldn't look at the knitting needles or crochet hooks because they had a bunch of shopping carts blocking this section.  The shopping carts were full of product that was going to be put in a different section.  Why do they think that someone on a Sunday wouldn't be trying to buy stuff.  After moving to the next aisle I ran into one of the wheeled step ladders blocking the end of the aisle. 

Yes, I am very frustrated because it seems that the yarn and needles get blocked way too often because there is product that needs to be put in other sections.  Now if the stuff belongs in the other sections block part of that section instead of blocking the yarn section.

Thank goodness I have a nice yarn store that I go to where I don't have issues of tripping over stock.  The staff is also very friendly and helpful.  I now will be going back to Sew 'N Knit when I need some yarn, needles or hooks and avoid the frustrations that I had this weekend.

Relaxing and Crafting

Here it is the start of the long weekend and it is time to sit back and relax.  It is so nice to say that work is mostly over for the week and now it is time to enjoy a three day weekend.

My goal this weekend is to see what crafting I can accomplish. No one project is standing out so going to just see what I can do.  The weather is suppose to be not too bad so am not going to work on anything too big.

Hope everyone has a good long weekend and enjoys themselves doing whatever they want.

It is now time for me to pick up some knitting needles and relax.

Where has August gone

It's already the 20^th of August and I really don't know where the month has gone. It has been a busy month for me with school and work so my crafting time has been limited. Also I have been crocheting and knitting things but haven't sat down and actually finished the things. I currently have a pile of items waiting for ends to be sewn in or seams to be sewn up.

Besides writing two exams last week I have been trying to get my work schedule a little more organized. I had a couple of major changes happen this month so now I have a schedule that is different than it has been over the last couple of years. One change was my own decision to walk away from helping at a quarterly meeting. The other change wasn't my own decision but it has been made and now to look for something more challenging to replace it.

I was meaning to take some pictures of projects that actually have been finished earlier this month but of course forgot. Hopefully I will sit down and work on getting things finished up so that I can take pictures of them. See, I don't like taking pictures of items that aren't quite finished. I don't mind taking pictures of a cross-stitch in progress but knitting hats and dishcloths don't justify pictures of work in progress.

So now today's goal is to try and figure out my work schedule a little better and then move forward and see what I can accomplish. Tonight I will see what I work on and hopefully I will have some time to craft for a while.

Crafting and Heat

I am writing this blog post during a heat wave here in southern Ontario. The current temperature at 1:45 pm is 32C feeling like 41C and yes that is very hot. We have been dealing with this weather since last Sunday and they are saying that we should get cooler weather by tomorrow but will see when it actually happens.

So crafting has been put on a bit of hold while the weather has been like it has been this week. I have been trying to do a bit of knitting or crocheting while sitting on a balcony but even that has been difficult. Hopefully once the weather cools down a bit I will be able to get back to relaxing with my crafts.

Like a lot of crafters I am one of those that finds that my method of relaxing is sitting and working on something with my hands. Of course, my DH, says that “I need to stitch my mind back in order at the end of the day” and I so agree with him. I find that even 15 – 30 minutes of crafting each evening helps me regain my focus and I can sleep better as my mind has had some time to unwind from the day.

Time to try and get a little bit more work done, so that I can hopefully sit this evening and pick up some crocheting or knitting and relax.

Baby afghan progress

Peach - v-stitch baby afghan

As promised I finally remembered to take a picture of the baby afghan that I have been working on.  This is a peach v-stitch baby afghan that I have been working on while at home and when the weather hasn't been too hot or humid.

The v-stitch afghan is something that I really enjoy working on and can do them pretty quickly now.  I have figured out how many stitches and rows I need to do so I no longer measure the afghan to see if it's long enough.  One reason is I do a lot of these afghans for charity and figure that babies vary in size so my afghan can vary in size a bit as well.  By the time this afghan is completed there will be 100 rows on it and I think I have about 60 rows done so far.  The picture is with the afghan almost folded in quarters.

This past week it has been very hot and humid here so I haven't been getting as much done as I would have liked.  I do have a bunch of projects that need to have ends sewn in or items sewn together so need to focus on getting these out of the way soon.  I also want to continue working on some baby afghans so that I can get a bunch done before the end of this month.

Now it's time for me to try and get something done this afternoon as my to-do-list seems to be growing and am not getting things off it.

What have I been up to

Baby hats

Now to explain what I have been up to lately is easy.  HATS.  I have been busy knitting and crocheting hats of different sizes.

Yes these pictures are of hats I made a while ago but this process is continuing.  I have decided that I want to get quite a few baby hats made for a Hospital in Sudbury so have been working on them quite a bit lately.  I had set a goal of 50 hats from June 12 - August 1st and so far I think I have completed 30 of those hats.

Child hats

Now to explain why I am knitting child hats is because when it is really hot out this is a project that I can do while sitting on the balcony.  The basic hat that I have been knitting is the grey and blue hat and I know that pattern by heart and I don't even have to measure it anymore.  I know how many rows I need to do for either the sizes that I make.  Ok, just that is being lazy not measuring them but I figure not everyone has the same size head so a quarter inch difference isn't going to matter when the hat is finished.

I have also been working on a couple of baby afghans but don't have pictures of them yet.  Hopefully this weekend I will remember to take some pictures of the afghans so I can post some pictures.

I am still busy with work but am finding that taking the evenings to craft is really helping me feel better.  In a lot of cases I can focus better during the day if I have been able to relax the night before and just working on something small is great.

So now I am going to go and do some work so I can relax tonight and over the weekend and know I don't have any work outstanding.