What's Up Wednesday

Hello again!

I wanted to take a minute to share a couple of projects that I have finished in the last month or two. This week I started working on a sewing project for a customer and suddenly found myself with a sewing machine that wasn't cooperating. Tomorrow, Glenn is going to take it to the repair shop so I can get it fixed and then get back to work. (Don't you hate it when you are ready to get your craft on and something goes wrong?)

Finding myself without a sewing machine, I spent some time crocheting. A customer had recently requested a stuffed cow. I had not attempted this particular animal, but I knew I could give it a shot. I was really pleased with the results, though I do wish that I had a craft store nearby where I could find a tiny cowbell to hang around her neck.

I have also started the process of sorting and purging my craft supplies. I posted a bunch of stamps on a website, but have only sold one set so far. I am hoping that I can get rid of some more because I know I need the space and it will also give me less stuff to sort through when I redo my craft room.

I could use some inspiration as far as organizing goes..... so..... if any of you are very good "spacial" thinkers who love to organize things and/or play around with interior design, I am very open to suggestions! You can refer me to a website, share pics, or..... come on by and help me clear out and redo!

What's Happening Wednesday

It is me.... checking in again to give you an update on what I am working on. I wish that I could show you my REALLY BIG PROJECT..... BUT..... I can't. I don't want the recipient to see it.  As far as I know the person does not have any idea that I am even working on something for them. (That is part of the fun with these things.)

I did recently crochet a doggie sweater for our lovely dog Rudy. You see, Kari was getting ready to run in the conference race at the end of Union College's Cross Country season. Glenn and I were going, sporting our Union gear of course, and I really felt that Rudy needed something too. A quick Pinterest search and I came up with a pattern for THIS:

Isn't he adorable? He was a hit at Saturday's race in North Carolina. Everyone kept oohing and aahing the sweater and I even got an order from another Union doggy momma for a sweater for her dog! I love crocheting, but I love seeing others enjoy my work even more!

I actually have a couple of Christmas sewing projects in the work, all for another sweet returning customer. A couple of crochet orders also..... then I will get back to work on my own projects. I am loving the fact that retirement has provided me with time to do some of the crafty things that I enjoy so much! When I taught full time it seemed like I was always trying to just squeeze things in. Now I can find the time to try new things and do projects for customers too!

What's Happening Wednesday

This week I have a finished project to share with you. (I actually finished 2 projects this week, but one of them cannot be shared until the gift recipient receives it.)

As I posted earlier in the month (See my blog entry HERE) I have been participating in my first mystery stitch along. This one was sponsored by Bernat yarn and JoAnn's Fabric and Craft Stores. Each Monday in the month of October they have posted "clues" to a finished blanket. They offered patterns for both a knitted and a crocheted one. I did the crocheted one.

With this week's clue in hand, I sat down to complete the blanket and was very pleased with the final result.

Now to reflect on the experience....

There are several aspects I need to consider when talking about this project.

1) Yarn Selection- This was my very first time working with the Bernat blanket yarn and I discovered that I really like it! Bernat offers a wide variety of colors: brights, typical crayon box colors, pastels, and variegated blends. It is very easy to mix and match and put together unique combinations that turn out to be beautiful together.

I was a bit concerned that the blanket would be bulky and cumbersome, but it wasn't.  While the yarn is nice and thick it does not create a weighty blanket. The finished project is just thick enough and warm enough to be comfortable. I am sure that my blanket would be enjoyed by some young girl or teenager, especially one who is like me and stays cold in the winter months.

2) The Mystery Aspect- As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am a self-proclaimed control freak. I carefully plan out every aspect of my projects from color to yarn selection to stitch count. Because of this, I found this Crochet Along to be a bit of a challenge. Weeks one and two were fine, but at the end of week three my stitch count was off and I was a bit discontented with the order in which I had used my colors.

Nearly as soon as I finished week three's "clue" however, I went online and discovered that many other ladies had also finished the third week's stitching and they, like me, had an incorrect stitch count. It did not take very long for Bernat to jump on top of things and realize that their original pattern, as posted, was incorrect. They prepared a corrected version and posted it.

After looking at the new instructions and counting my stitches (twice) I discovered that I was now only 2 stitches off and I could easily correct that as I worked week four's "clue". WHEW! Tragedy averted!

3) Overall Experience- Looking back on my experience with this Crochet Along I have to say that I am pleased with it. I debated and debated whether to purchase my yarn weeks ago. (After all, I had plenty of other things in the works. I truly did not need another project on my plate.) I typically jump into a project only when there has been a customer request or I have a purpose or recipient in mind for the finished project. I could not "pre-plan" this time, so I truly do not know what I will do with the finished blanket, even now. It may end up under a Christmas tree. It may end up as an item in an upcoming Christmas craft sale. Whatever happens to this finished blanket, I am glad that I participated and did this.

It required me to stretch myself and turn over a bit of control to someone else. Letting go of the reins actually helped me come to a realization. I have learned that crafting is not always meant to be a controlled process. Yes, there are typically patterns that are used, but it is nice every once in a while to allow those little "friendly accidents" to instill more character and personality in the finished product. I may not have exactly the number of stitches that the pattern says. My finished blanket may be smaller than the measurements posted on Bernat. BUT..... I have a brightly colored, warm, beautiful blanket that someone will love!

What's Happening Wednesday

Hello.... my name is Stella and I am a control freak! (That probably does NOT come as a surprise to those of you who know me personally.) When it comes to projects, I am the kind of person who likes to make the decisions. I want to know the "end goal" and prefer getting step by step directions on how to get there. 

This month I decided to stretch myself and try to "loosen up" just a bit. I decided to participate in the Bernat Blanket "Mystery" Stitch-Along. With this stitch-along, "clues" or portions of the pattern are placed online each Monday in October. I do not know what each week's portion will actually look like until it is completed and I have NO IDEA what the finished project will look like. 

For a control freak like me, this is totally new territory! I normally carefully plan the colors for a project and purchase extra yarn, just in case something happens along the way. I also frequently count and recount stitches to be certain that each row or section is just perfect. I know what my finished item should look like and I have that as my final "goal". With this project, I don't have that luxury. 

I did make very deliberate yarn choices. The Stitch-along used the Bernat Blanket yarn, so soft and cushy! But it also gave me TONS of color choices. I decided to use one variegated yarn and 3 solids from that mix. Baby steps, I know..... but for me this project is my big step! 

I had to wait until one color of my yarn was delivered so I could decide in which order to use the colors. When it finally arrived I sat down with the pattern (clue) and stitched away. Here is what my blanket looked like after week 1:

Looking good, huh? Nice and bright. One would assume that the blanket was going to be round in shape, but I learned very quickly not to get too comfortable with that idea. 

When clue 2 came online, I printed it out and kept stitching. Here is what it looked like after week 2:

I have a nice looking square and I am still happy with my color choices.

AND.....

That brings us to this week, week 3. I just finished that portion of the blanket and here is what I now have:

I pause for just a minute to give you an update from this control freak. IF I had any inkling of the finished design, I think I probably would have switched the placement of the orange and purple, but I am still ok with it. I also have to confess that I did go back and count my stitches on this last round and my stitch count fell about 12 stitches short of the intended number. I am not sure where I lost those, but the blanket still looks like it is shaped correctly, so I won't agonize over it TOO much.... LOL!

As for the overall reflection on this experience, with each week it gets a teeny-tiny bit easier to do this. I am pleased with the blanket so far and I am anxious to see what the final one looks like. Allowing myself to loosen up and give over control has become a bit easier, but I don't think I am ready to totally shed the control "freak" inside me. I am, and probably always will be a control freak when it comes to my projects. 

Five Minute Friday- Test

Today I begin a personal test--- a test of my patience and (to some) a test of my sanity.

One of the crochet skills I have developed over the last twelve months is the skill of doing C2C crochet. (For those of you who are not in the know, that means corner to corner crochet.) With this type of crochet I create a grid pattern on graph paper of whatever design I plan to make. I then crochet tiny blocks of color, starting in one corner of the design and working diagonally across the remainder of the project.

The catch to making this work is the use of small "bobbins" of yarn which I add in each time I encounter a new color in the design. Because of the intricacies of some of my patterns I sometimes find myself working with several bobbins within a single row. The upside of this type of crochet is that I can create a blanket with almost any design I wish, as long as I can create a graph for it.

One my most difficult graphs to date was a police car blanket I created for a dear friend of mine. It was a true test of my patience and my sanity. As I worked my way across the graph I drew lines and labelled how many stitches of each color I would need in that row. Even with my careful graphing and counting, I still managed to mess up. The problem with that was that I did not catch my mistake until I was 5 or more rows PAST THE MISTAKE! This required me to pull out all of those rows and to back up to the point where the problem was.

So.... why do that? Why not just crochet a simple little blanket with straight rows of color? Surely that would be just as appreciated..... While that might be true, I enjoy the challenge of the whole thing. How much detail can I put into the graph? How far will I get before I do make the inevitable mistake? How long will it take for me to actually finish the project? Some people would definitely say that I had lost my mind, but I love to test myself and see whether I actually can complete the project.

The personal payoff for me is twofold: the personal satisfaction that I get when I actually pass the "test" that I set for myself and the joy that I see on the recipient's face when they receive the finished project. Just look at the photo below....

How could I NOT attempt something that would make someone so happy?

Pardon me now.... I have to go prepare my bobbins for this "test". I will post pictures when it is finished. 

What's Happening Wednesday

Big things happening in the Baker household tonight. Our daughter came in from college. She will only get to stay one day of her fall break, as she is traveling to North Carolina to help support the Union Cycling team in their end of season race later this weekend. Even for only one day, it is sure good to have her here!

Even our dog got excited to see her come in the front door, as evidenced by this photo....

I think he was just very excited to finally have someone to keep him company and play a little. I have been hard at work this week crocheting. Typically, when I am working on a project, Rudy will tolerate it for just so long. Then he will do one of two things. He will either climb up onto my lap and plop down, right on top of the yarn (his way of saying "You need to stop and give me attention!") or he will find my finished projects or works in progress and lie down on top of them.

This week's big project was to create a Star Wars themed scarf for a customer. I am not really a Star Wars fan, but I was pretty confident that I could come up with something. I did an extensive Google and Pinterest search and finally decided to try to create my own "light saber" scarf. The customer requested black and silver as the colors and I managed to find some great sparkly yarn to use for the "lighted" portion of the saber. More black and grey yarn was used to create the handle on the saber. I was pretty pleased with the final results and the customer was too!

I think I have finally gotten most of my orders filled, so I am trying to squeeze in some things to stock upcoming Christmas bazaars. This will be my first year participating on this scale and I am a bit undecided about what items will sell. If you participate in bazaars or if you shop at such sales, I would love for you to drop me a comment to suggest items. Many of you have purchased things from me and know what I can make. Please let me know the kinds of hand-crafted items that you might be looking for. I am always willing to try! 

A Throw of Many Colors.....

Joseph had his coat of many colors.....

Genesis 37: 1-3 

1And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

Dolly Parton had her coat of many colors.....

And now.................

My daughter has her "Throw of many colors."

A little over a year ago, my sweet hubby brought home a HUGE yarn stash that he had purchased. There were literally bags and bags of yarn in every color and thickness. I have been trying to work my way through the stash, but I was not having a lot of luck.

Recently, on one of my Pinterest searches I found a pattern for this "scrap afghan". I knew I had found my answer. Over Christmas break I began working on it. The throw or afghan is worked with 3 different pieces of yarn at the same time and a very large hook. As one color of yarn ran out, I would join a new one and just keep crocheting. This causes the colors to blend rather than end abruptly.

Here's a close-up:

The only color that I used throughout the entire thing was the white or cream color. (I had plenty of that.)  My daughter had a great time selecting which color would go into the mix next. When she left home about a week ago to return to college, I had her pick out the next several colors so that I could finish it. Tonight I put in the final stitch and ended. I really should have kept track of just how many skeins or bundles of yarn went into the blanket. I know that it was a lot. With all of that yarn, the throw weighs a total of 6 pounds! 

I sent my daughter a picture of the finished throw, but it really did not do it justice. I can hardly wait to see her reaction when she sees the finished product in person. Hopefully she will know that, just as with Joseph's coat, this was made with love in every stitch. When she is laying under its warm layer, I hope that she can sense the hug that I have stitched within it as I crocheted each and every little loop. 

Oh..... by the way..... That yarn stash? Well, there is still lots left, so I will likely make other things for other people that I know and love.