Frogging Again

So this was supposed to be a Christmas Gift but that's just not going to happen.. This year anyway.

It all started with some poking around on the internet, I am always looking for new ideas. And I came across this stripped cowl pattern. I loved the flow of colors and I sent a quick link to a friend. She loved it too, I asked about what colors she thought would work, she decided Red, Black, Grey and White and I thought that it would make a quick gift for Christmas. To start off it has been a crazy season and I am a bit behind but I though tit would be easy to knock this out. After all I have all those colors in my stash, shocking I know! So I dug around a bit pulled them out and started on my way.

First I followed the pattern as written, 54 sc in a round. Did about 16 rows and decided it was too wide and too stiff. Frogged it and left it for the next day. Got back to it and decided to cut the stitches in half and add another row to the colors. Much better but as I went along it was still really stiff. I know that a SC makes for a solid cloth but the person I am making this for is looking for something more "soft". SO it's coming out again today,  after I fix the antlers on the reindeer hat one more time. Having a bit of problem with getting them right too. I just love the way the colors flow into one another. I might end up with a flat cowl instead of doing it in the round but still with SC or perhaps half doubles. Any Ideas? I hope to finish it up this weekend and I'll make it a New Years Present!

 I think it's time to take a break from crochet, after these projects of course and complete something else. I'm afraid I'm having a bit of a Holiday burn out. Once this is completed I'll  post a picture of my seriously changed version. My issues might stem from all of the time I have spent on Pintrest lately looking at strip quilts. I am having a hankering to knock out a few for some new babies that are on the way. Never fear I have stash for that also..

Here's hoping you were able to get all of your projects done and packages up by now. If you're in my boat , at least it's better to know you aren't alone!

Monday 11/10/14 I Made a Thing!

So now that I've been doing this for just over a week I thought I would try to keep myself on Track with not only blogging but completing projects, see yesterday's post. I'm pledging to post a finished Object every Monday! Some Mondays it will be crochet, but it could be something else crafty. I also make wreaths, do pottery. cross stitch and quilt. So it could be any combination of any of those.

Today's project is a small crochet one but it's functional and that's what we are shooting for this holiday season. We have so much stuff and we are working on paring down quite a bit of the things we just don't use or haven't un-boxed in the 6 years since we moved here. So in that aspect I give you my version of the Holiday Towel Holder.

I thought instead of a spring daisy I would try a poinsettia for Christmas. After a bit of trial and error I think I'm happy with it. It needs a bit of tweaking but it works.

I got the idea from here-Daisy Towel Holder



Then I ran across these towels and since my Daughter is such a huge fan of owls I just had to do this.

Now this owl needs a bit of help and I think I will change out the strap to be more Christmas colors but I thought I would match the center. Ignore the horrible picture, it doesn't do the owl justice. It would help to have a beak too or just the solid color center. I think this one is going back to the drawing board for some adjustments...Keep an eye out for upcoming changes..

Startitis I have it..

What  in the world is startitis? It's a common problem many crafters face, we start a project and suddenly come across another that just must be made, and then another and another. Then you wind up with other issues like a box full of WIPs (works in progress), UFOs, (Unfinished Objects), I unfortunately have my share, in fact I bet I have enough to have your fair share also.

Why do we do this to ourselves, can't I just sit down and finish one project before I start the next? Not everyone has this problem, could it be a gene we inherited? I'll take that explanation and run with it. I have run a cross a project or two that my mother started before I was born and it just never got finished, we won't talk about how long ago that is let's just say they might have gone out of style and are heading back into system by now.

I could list them but I just don't have that much time, If I'm going to get something accomplished today so I'll leave you with a few pictures and you can see I do make progress just not much at once. And in my defense I do try to have a travel project, a take to work project and who am I kidding. If I could stay off Ravelry I'd get more done!

Here's a few I'm working on and the links if you are so inclined to join me in my madness..

This my version of a modern granny square Blanket. Just sold the boy version last weekend so It's time to do another and get this one finished!

The there is the Elf Hat that just needs the ends tucked in a pom pom
http://oodles4noodles.blogspot.com/2011/03/long-tailed-baby-elf-hat-tutorial.html

Then a Star Blanket that I had started for a baby boy but with the Dallas Colors I might have to make the big boy of the house one..

http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/star-blanket.html

Then one more blanket to show, but not the only ones that are in process. It's the Irish wave and I plan on using light pink, darker pink and two shades of green.. I love the way it comes together.

http://bizzycrochet.blogspot.com/2014/05/new-free-irish-wave-baby-blanket.html

This might or might not be another reason I haven't gotten much done lately..

Check out that face, too sweet. I was using her window box so I guess she deserves a bit of a tummy rub too.

Have a great week!

Day Dreaming about the Great Pumpkin

As you may have figured out we have a small farm, and we use every bit of it to the best advantage available. Fall is my favorite season and I have a crazy love for pumpkins.Big pumpkins, small pumpkins, different colored pumpkins, fake pumpkins, I love them all.

So in my love for pumpkins, in 2012,  I got the great idea that I would have our very own Our Greene Acre Pumpkin Patch! How awesome, kids could pick a pumpkin, we'd have Apple cider and pictures and all of that happy fall afternoon fun. Planted tons of seeds, six different varieties and they came up great. They were growing right along and then BAM , August rolled around and of course here comes Hurricane Irene, Tons of rain and wind and it did my pumpkin patch in. I was discouraged but I still held out hope for another patch in the future. Last year I sowed a few Long Island Cheese Pumpkin seeds in the flower bed up front and WOW, those took off. They climbed the bushes around them, and almost made it to the road. We kept turning the runners back towards the house. No crazy weather this time and I was rewarded with about 10 pumpkins off of just those couple of vines.

Following that success, I wanted to try the Pumpkin Patch again, but we were a bit short on garden since the 300 tomato plants, along with the other plants we had were doing so well. In steps Jimmy, our great neighbor from just down the road. He had a patch of garden that he wasn't using and we were welcome to it. All he wanted in return was a couple of pumpkins and a tour for his grandson. We could totally do that! Seeds planted, check. Organic (smelly) Fish Fertilizer in, Check. Plants growing like wildfire, Check. Blooms everywhere, Check.

 Too much rain in August, Check. Arggh 
Six and a half inches of rain in just four days,My Pumpkin Patch was on a bit of an incline and the rain just washed everything out and then we got mold, it was crazy and heart breaking, We had so much rain it cut ditches in the fields and washed plants right out. I couldn't believe it, I was just sick,

 I'll try again next year and fingers crossed it will eventually happen. We are lucky we didn't lose everything in our garden we had so many things that were ready and we harvested the majority of it a bit early but we saved it.
So instead of the Great Pumpkin, I'm settling for making these great Pumpkin Hats. The orders have kept me busy but I would have loved to see some of them running around in our patch, but there is always next year...