Sew I See!

As promised, I've come to share some photos of (some of) the secret projects I've been working on over the past year. There's more photo editing to do, so there will be at least one more post like this in the future, but since my previous post mentioned (and linked to) some of them, I thought I'd at least deal with the ones that have been "processed".  (Note: I've posted lots of photos on Flickr; these are just a few.) I'd seen some crafters make the Tucson Throw in all white and loved the look, so I made two of those-- one for each pair of my grandparents.  I think they came out nicely!  (The motifs are pretty big, though.  I wonder what it would look like in lighter-weight yarn... It would take longer to make, of course.) Hmm... I made this baby blanket for the baby that one of my cousins is expecting in February: I made an afghan for my parents, too. It's a DROPS design, with one of their completely unmemorable names-- ...

I don't believe it was a conscious decision, but 2012 has turned out to be the Year of the Afghan for me.  (g) Let me count them up... I started the year by finishing an afghan begun the year before-- the Very Vintage V-Stitch-Ghan (which I've been using and loving a lot this season). I've started a few long-term-project afghans this year: Novelty Scraptastic Afghan   (attempting to use up most of my novelty yarn) So Ugly It's Cute Afghan (mini-grannies in scraps) Granny's Daughter (micro-grannies in scraps) I also started (but did not finish) the A-Gypsying We'll Go Afghan .  (That's the paperweight granny / African flower motif blanket, for those keeping track.)  I've picked up work on that one again, now, but there's no way I'll finish it before year's end.  (Wouldn't even want to try!) And in the category of "Started and Finished in 2012" we have these: Pink and Purple Crochet Sampler Favorites Lapghan C...

Well, almost.  There's another family get-together-- but my gift-making for 2012 is finished.  There was one little something that I'd originally planned to have done in November... then hoped to finish by Christmas... and then gave up as a lost cause.  I'll finish it sometime-- whenever.  It wasn't important-- just a little trinket-- and the things I really "needed" to finish, I did manage to complete on time.  I was photographing and wrapping the last couple of items yesterday morning, before the first family get-together.  It is so good to have that done! I always feel the need, when writing along this vein, to first say that, yes, I enjoy giving hand-made gifts-- but for the past month or two, it had just gotten to feel like too much.  I do believe that 2013 will be the Year of the Extremely Limited Handmade Gifts.  (g)  I want to feel free to make whatever I like, when ever I like, with fewer deadlines encroaching onto my craft time....

(It's a little early, but...) I'm not one for making (and sticking to) grand New Year's resolutions, but I think all of us feel that occasional (or maybe frequent, though ineffectual) urge to resolve to do better in various areas of our lives.  (Exercise?  Healthy eating?  Getting the jungly portions of the yard back under control?) I've been contemplating crafty resolutions, lately. Last year, I resolved to work on handmade gifts throughout the year-- and I did pretty well at that.  True, I still have a couple of gifts in progress, but I've finished and wrapped a few fairly major projects, so I count that a success! Next year, I'm not sure I want to make so many gifts.  (For a number of reasons, but mostly because you can never know if the gift will be to the receiver's tastes and used, and it just takes way too much time and effort, if you're not reasonably sure.)  So maybe one of my informal resolutions will be to scale back on the handmade g...

First: Ack!  Headache! (I shouldn't complain, because I don't get them that often. *knocks on wood*) Second: I am bad.  I... I started another scrap afghan .  (Should I pretend to hang my head in shame?  No, I already have a headache; that's punishment enough. ;o)) I couldn't resist.  After crocheting (and not weaving in the ends, yet!! ) twenty more of the Ugly-Cute mini grannies, I misbehaved.  Instead of either weaving in my ends or going back to the WIP that is "due" by or before Christmas, I started whipping out "Granny's Daughters"-- i.e. teensy-tiny one-round granny squares.  Oh well.  What's (yet) another long-term project between friends?  If I counted correctly, I made 60 of the Granny's Daughters squares before coming to my senses.  Crocheting sixty Granny's Daughters doesn't take long.  They practically fly of the hook (size F, as per the pattern).  Weaving in the two tails on each miniscule square, howe...

I actually have two finished projects that I could share here (meaning that they weren't secret projects), but I have yet to photograph them-- and with today's overcast skies, it'll have to wait. In the meantime, though, how about a little rambling chitchat on a variety of completely random subjects? Gold or Platinum Embroidery Needles-- Not so long ago, I noticed that the blunt-end (tapestry? darning?) needle I use for weaving in ends of yarn had tarnished/the shine had worn off in just the spot where I touch it most.  I had another, so I switched to it.  Now I've noticed that it is also beginning to show the same signs.  Frustrating!  I'm sure my lovely skin chemistry is to blame.  *grumble* I'm not sure if this wearing off the of the nickel plating is a real problem, but I'd rather it didn't happen.  If nothing else, I think I started noticing a metallic smell every time I used the more worn needle.  It probably wouldn't hurt anything to ...

Here's one of those projects I won't be starting anytime soon.  ;o)  (Even after the Christmas stuff is done, I will deny myself the fun of starting any new afghan project until I've finished the "Gypsying"/African Flower one already in progress.  One must have some self-control. (g)) But if I can't make it right now, maybe someone else can, so I'm spreading the word! The pattern in question is the Victorian Ornaments Afghan .  Very pretty worked in Christmas colors-- but I don't see why it couldn't be crocheted in any colors you like.  There's nothing inherently seasonal about the afghan, imho.  The "ornament" shape of the motifs is your typical "cat's eye"/"pointed oval"*, which is decorative at any time of year.  (In fact, if I ever do make this blanket, it will not be Christmas-themed, because I prefer afghans that I could-- in theory-- use all year.)  The pattern was published in Crochet! Magazi...

I am fighting the urge to start a new project that will be mine, mine, all mine.  (Even though I already have a few me, me, me projects in progress...) I really-- no, I mean really shouldn't start something new.  I have a Christmas gift that I'm still crocheting, another that needs a polymer clay button or two, and yet another that is a sewing project.  Oh, yeah-- and then there's another (tiny) sewing project that I might try to get done for Christmas. Part of the problem is it just doesn't feel like Christmas.  At all.  I'm not sure what's to blame.  The unseasonably warm weather?  The fact that I haven't yet mustered the enthusiasm to put up any Christmas decorations?  The knowledge that once I put up said decorations, Donald and I are the only ones who will see them (and I'll have to take them down and put them away again in just a few weeks)?  Or perhaps the fact that I haven't done any of my shopping yet and have no idea what any...

Maybe I'm late to the party and everyone's already seen this before... but for reasons of my own ;o) I was looking at photos of Amineko cats on Pinterest and was absolutely stunned to see a human-sized one sitting on the couch beside his creator. Chester is an example of what Alison Willcocks calls "Extreme Crochet".  At 6'5" tall, I'd say he's pretty extreme.  Just imagine being a child and receiving a toy cat that size!  I think Child-Me might've been a little scared of him, at first.  (g)