Projects Galore

I've been so busy working on projects!

I finally took the few minutes required and ran the ribbon though Sweet E's pink dress. I tacked it to the dress with hidden stitches, so the ribbon will stay in place. She wore her bloomers with it, but they were a little big, so I had to run a string through the waist and tie them. It worked out, and she was able to wear them, but I'd like to make her a smaller pair. I have a lot of projects now, so I'm not sure when/if the bloomers will be completed. Here's her finished dress.

I'm very happy with the dress, and love it on her. It fits very nicely.

I also took a few minutes and sewed the buttons on the white baby poncho, so now it is ready to wear.

I have also started working on Sweet E's 3-D Teddy Bear afghan again, and realizing how much work I have ahead of me, actually considered for a day or two just throwing away what I've done (or just making a tiny afghan of just the flower motifs) and being down with it all, so I can move on to projects that interest me more. However, I really want to finish this afghan, and hate to get rid of the work I've done thus far. I've pretty much decided to make it smaller than the pattern calls for, but that's still a lot of work.

I added several projects to my queue today - a knit dress for Sweet E, a crochet cardigan for me, and a baby afghan that has been commissioned. All of these on top of all the projects I'm making for Christmas. I'm to the point I'm so overwhelmed I don't know where to start, and I'm losing valuable time just thinking of all the work I have to do.

Meet Ups and other stuffs

I attended my first ever crochet/knit meet up at a local coffee house. It was so much fun meeting others who share my love for yarn, needles, and hooks. I was afraid I'd be intimidated and be the only one who didn't know how to knit well, but that was not at all the case! The Knit Nuts were so welcoming, and I can't wait until the August meet up. While there, I shared the pink dress I recently completed for my daughter. Someone took a pic, and since I didn't have a camera, allowed me to share it :) I'll be adding ribbon to the two eyelet rows, but haven't taken the time to do so yet.

My awesome mom and dad got a new camera, and are letting us use their old one until we save up for a new one - how great is that?!? We actually are going to have a camera to take with us on vacation next week! No worries though, there will be no salt water waves for me to dunk the camera in.

Speaking of vacation, while we're away, I'm hoping to get several smaller projects started and completed. I'm really wanting to work on things for the hospital babies since I haven't donated in a while. I always take WAY to much yarn on vacation with me, and never even get 1/4 of it worked up. I also want to work on my daughter's Teddy Bear afghan. I'm letting it get the best of me, and continue to put it off thinking the yarn fairies will visit my house and complete it for me.

I'm also awaiting the arrival of a Knit Picks order which includes a set of circular knitting needles I'll be using to make a dress next month, and a smaller, but longer set of needles for me to attempt Magic Loop on. That way, I'll be able to knit tiny things in the round, which avoids both seams and knitting with 4 double pointed needles at the same time. 2 needles is enough for me, thankyouverymuch.

I hope to have lots of exciting progress and projects to share with you when I return from vacation. We'll be gone an entire week (Monday-Sunday), and I can't wait!

Completed!

I finished the pink dress for my daughter! Yay, another finished project! I'll post a picture as soon as we get our new camera (which hopefully will be soon!)

We went to visit my grandmother for her birthday this past weekend (happy belated birthday grandma!), and she gave me a baby poncho that she'd started. I worked on it last night, and it is working up quite quickly. That is, if I can just keep working on it. I don't want to put it aside, because if I do, there's no telling when I'll finish it.

I only have one major crochet work in progress, but am actually overwhelmed when I think of what I want to start next. There are so many things I want to work on. I really need to continue working on Sweet E's teddy bear afghan. I don't know why I keep putting that off. I think it may be because it's so overwhelming to me since there are so many pieces to it.

I'll be starting on quite a knitting project Aug 1. I'm going to try and knit Sweet E a dress for next summer. What? You ask...Didn't you just learn to cast on? My answer would be, "Why yes, I did in fact. But, I'm up for a challenge." Or am I? We'll see. I'll be accompanied by another new knitter from Ravelry, and we're doing this dress as a knit-along, so we can ask each other questions.

A month?

No way has it almost been one month since I last posted. When I saw that this morning, I was shocked. I was sure that I've posted since then, but apparently I've written the posts in my head, and have not actually put them on the blog. Sorry about that!

I finished my fist doily. Since I washed it and blocked it, I'm very happy with it. Lace is not my favorite thing to crochet, at least not right now. The thread is so tiny, and keeps falling out of my hands. I try to hold on to it, but then my hands cramp. Somehow, I made it through it, and it now adorns my dining room table (because I didn't know where else to put it.) I have 5 spools of thread now, and Have no idea what to do with them, since I am not that crazy about working with it. The finished product is beautiful though.

The FlyLady has continued to help me around my house with organization, and de-cluttering. Cleaning my house is a becoming a breeze, and I thought my husband would faint the other day when I said I wanted to wash the windows. And I genuinely meant that I wanted to. She is helping me mentally get control of things, including my projects. In order to not be so overwhelmed, I'm attempting to use self discipline to actually finish things. Sweet E's Banana Split dress is coming along, slowly but surely. If I'd stop finding new patterns and project online that I'd like to do, and would actually work on her dress, it would probably be done by now. I've got to finish it soon though, or else she'll outgrow it.

I knit a little tiny Bubbles the fish rag, and Sweet E uses it as a teething cloth. I wet it with cold water, and she chews on it. She doesn't care if my stitches aren't perfect, and it was a good little confidence booster project. We still don't have a camera, but I'll post a picture when I can.

After I finish the dress, I think I'll make myself work on her Teddy Bear afghan. It too would be done if I'd just crochet it, and not procrastinate because of all the little pieces. I'd really like to make the projects in my head come to be, and the only way to do that so others can enjoy the finished object, is for me to actually work on them and get them done.

So that's where I've been the past almost month. I've also noticed that there is a baby boom at church, so I'll probably be making some afghans. I have a few new patterns I'd like to try, but because of the difficulty, we'll have to wait and see.

Pretty in Purple

One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art. - Oscar Wilde

I'm not trying to be conceited and claim that this dress is a work of art, but in all honesty is a work of a mommy's love. I got most of this dress done as we traveled last weekend, and finished it up today. Well, almost. I need to go buy buttons to put on the back of it, then it will officially be done. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and with the fact that I began, and finished, a project in about 2 weeks. Yay!

Snuggle up!

I made this afghan to match my new niece's nursery. Her mommy chose the pattern and the yarn, and I think it turned out nicely. The afghan is so soft and the pattern is appropriately named Snuggle Up. Without further ado...

This is the tag I made for it. I cut it on the Cricut, and the body of the butterfly is raised on pop-dots to make it 3-D. Washing instructions are on the back of the butterfly's wing.

I also made a matching card, kinds inspired by one I saw at Target. It is kinda hard to see in the picture, because I had already put the card in a transparent purple envelope (which accounts for the line down the right side of the card). This one is also 3-D. It's very simple, but I didn't have a lot of time.

I love the Cricut, and the fact that I can make many cute 'themed' tags. I look forward to playing around with the back of the tag, is order to stamp my name on it.

I've also been working on my daughter's crocheted dress, and it's quite cute. I should have it finished shortly, if I can just make myself sit down and do it.

Quilt

The quilt is basted, and I began to quilt it. Then, my brand new walking foot broke in the middle of the second seam. The short version of the story is the sewing machine shop is going to replace it (after some run-around), and I go to pick up the new and improved foot tomorrow. Yay!

I'll be posting pics this weekend of my new niece's afghan - I love it!

I've also begun a crochet dress for my daughter, and I'm hoping it's not about 4 sizes too big when I'm done :)

After frogging the two projects I did, I've tried to be really selective about what I work on, and am really trying to make progress. The new pattern book and knitting needles I bought last week don't help the avoidance of new projects much. Need I remind you that I don't know how to knit? I guess I think really cute patterns and new needles will suddenly give me some mad knitting skill. Or not. Maybe I just like to collect cute patterns.

My latest projects

Just a quick update so you can see what I've been up to...

Baby E with her Santa hat on. I made it big enough to fit over the band she's now wearing for the flat spot on her head. I hope that this will still fit next year - and it very well may, since she won't be wearing the band anymore.

Baby E's dress

My stocking for next year. E's and YammaDaddy's will come later...

The pieces to E's Teddy Bear afghan

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Making progress

I've been working on the Linen Brick stitch afghan lately, but in my little bit of free time, when I haven't had the afghan with me, I've accomplished this...

2 more pages in the 'pre-made' scrapbook,

I've cut the pieces for Baby E's black and pink polka dot dress. A sample of the fabric is under the ribbon...Now what? I don't know. Guess I'll call mom and ask...

Lastly, I took about 10 minutes and converted my previous centerpiece to a wreath for the inside of my front door.

I'm still not happy with the wreath, so who knows what it will become next. Plus, it fell off its makeshift hangar, and it no longer a circle. Oh well, so much for that. I'll stick with crocheting.

Success!

This has been quite a productive week, which makes me very happy!

I completed the repairs on the peach brick stitch. It's not the best repair jobs ever, which disappointed me, but it's done, and is out of my sewing basket. Here are the results.


Speaking of my sewing basket, I've decided it's really time to crack down and finish this quilt. I pulled out my sewing machine, and got it all set up and ready to sew my quilt back together. My to my surprise, when I unfolded the fabric to iron it, it was already done! Either the quilt fairies took care of that for me, or it has just been so long since I worked on it, I forgot I had made it to that point. I think the latter is correct.

While my machine was all set up and ready to go, I decided to mend some clothes. I was so proud that I got it threaded all by myself, then as I began to mend my first shirt, my needle got stuck in the down position - through my shirt. It would not budge. On top of that, thread was all over the place when I removed the bobbin to check things out. After working on it for quite a while, I got it taken care of and figured out I had not popped the bobbin all the way in. Oh well. After that disaster, I successfully mended two shirts, and hemmed two pairs of pants! Woohoo!

I was 'sew' inspired, Mom and I went to the craft store yesterday and came home with fabric for my daughter's Halloween costume, and a little dress for her too. Pics will be up later tracking my progress.

I also made Baby E's candy corn treat bag for Halloween. Not that she'll be able to carry it, but it will be cute while she chews on it! This picture is before it is felted, and before the handles are sewn on. That's the big question of the day - to felt, or not to felt?


Also, check out Limelight Papercrafts today - Mandy's got some really fun stuff going on for world card making day! I'll be posting my pictures for her scavenger hunt on Flickr - user ID Yamma1212, if you want to keep up.