Sew I See!

On Friday, we got our first pattern update (a.k.a. Clue #1) for Julie Yeager's 2014 MCAL! I couldn't resist peeking at other crocheters' project photos before starting my own.  Maybe it spoils some of the surprise to peek, but you still have no idea how all the pieces will go together-- and I prefer having at least a vague idea of what I'm going for.  (It also helps me determine whether or not to deviate from the pattern in recommended color, color changes, etc.) I decided to add another (lighter) green to the mix-- and I may use more orange (or pumpkin or rust) than I initially expected.  Originally, I'd planned to use a G hook for this project, but after working the first motif, I decided to go up to size H, which should yield a slightly looser, more flowing fabric.  The deadline for downloading the MCAL pattern for free has been extended, by the way.  (To July 21st, I think...)  So if you've been on the fence, there's still time.  It looks ...

After the "high" of finishing the scrapghan, I decided to continue the good feeling by tackling a few "loose end projects" hanging around the house.  Unless I want to use something right away, I can be prone to procrastinating that sort of thing, and they pile up. I sewed a button the crocodile stitch "Pinecone Neckwarmer" I made back in... ~checking~ ...oh, September 2012.  (And that's not even the record-holder in this blog entry!)  Then I approached the knitted objects with woven ends left hanging.  I'm much worse about weaving ends in knitting than in crochet, because I know how to weave ends into crochet, but for some reason, I'm still shy about the knitted objects.  Not a good excuse, really, because with the help of a couple of YouTube videos, I got them done in very little time, compared to the months they've been waiting. First, two hats: A teal Foliage for me... And a brown Simple Cabled Hat for Donald.   (There are s...

I've finished the border for the Ugly-Cute afghan!  (And changed its name to the more positive "Waste Not, Want Not" .)  It's taken a while, because apparently crocheting the same thing over and over again, around and around, is, well, boring .  It depends on the pattern, I guess, but the border I chose was extremely repetitive. I thought I'd try to use up as much as possible of my remaining (but dwindling) stash of Caron Simply Soft.  (All except those skeins set aside for a different afghan-- all shades of blues, grey, and white, if I recall correctly.)  I was aching to slap the "FINISHED" stamp on this project, though, so I stopped well before the yarn ran out.  There'll be more leftover Simply Soft than planned. (Some way to use the rest will come along.) A few photos of the finished scrap-buster: It turned out prettier than I would've thought, when I started it.  (A bit rumply, but...)  I don't think it'll be out on di...

I have finished the slip stitch joining of the Ugly-Cute Scrapghan.  I have slipped the last stitch. . . . . . . . Yahooooooooo!   Well, but seriously, I was getting so tired of it!  I don't want to slip stitch any more . Next, I'll put a border of some kind on the afghan (and weave in the ends created during the square-joining, in the process).  I might keep the edging very simple, or maybe I'll get interested and make a more elaborate border.  Doesn't matter.  Either way I am done slip stitching!  Photos when the whole thing's done and laundered. (And then it'll go hide away somewhere until winter, probably.)

It's taking two forevers to join the "Ugly-Cute" afghan.  At least, it feels like it's taking that long.  All the squares are joined in one direction, and now I'm joining along the other direction. I thought this second phase of the joining would go faster, since I wouldn't have to stop to arrange the next column of squares, handle loose pieces, make sure each square was facing the right direction, etc.-- just pick the joining color and start stitching.  Maybe I am going faster, but it definitely doesn't feel that way.  It's probably mostly down to the fact that there are more rows than columns, and even if the rows are shorter, that's still a lot of slip stitching! I'm eager to get all the boring joining done so I can work on a border instead! Here's a WIP photo, wrong side facing: - - - - - - - I noticed, while slip stitching, that the metal portion of my crochet hook (one of the Crochet Dude's rubbery handled type) wa...

I finished two of the "Granny's Step-Daughter" cushion cover panels, then stopped, toying with the idea of filming some of the "making" of the next one.  I'd like to remember exactly how I'm doing this, and it could be fun to put together a simple tutorial-ish video.  What I'm not so sure I'd enjoy is listening to a recording of my own voice and editing the video for the web.  It's intimidating, with all the possible combinations of settings, and it's been a long time since I used a video-editing program.   ...Anyway, we'll see.  Maybe I'll give it a try.  - - - - - - - When I put aside the one-round granny project, I picked up the "Ugly Cute" project instead.  Another 34 mini-grannies flew into the bag!  That made 304 total.  (I made a few extras to replace a couple of duds that I stitched early in the project.  They're just too ugly for even an "ugly-cute" project.  Into the garbage with them...