new phone

means crocheting. I just got an iphone and ta -da, Craft magazine online has a piece on crocheting phone cases.  Clearly it was meant to be.  I had thought about getting a new phone for months, but last night it was an impulse thing coupled with a salesguy with a nice smile and a great attitude.

afghans and afghans, oh my

It's summer, which means that fair is just around the corner. My mile project will be on the back burner while I work on things to enter.  In the quest to use stuff up, I have made a baby blanket and a premie bonnet out of some Lion Brand stuff, used almost all that I have, yeah.  And then I started an adult afghan from the Vanna's choice...... and had to go buy more and that probably won't be enough, either.  I have a tendency to make large afghans, but that is because I used them and want to really be covered.   Oh, and a purse and hat and two coffee mug holders to felt.  I hope to get to that later today, after the needlepoint insanity.

International Yarn bombing day

Clearly I need to read more blogs, as I just found out about this on Friday, and the day itself was on Saturday. So, I hauled out some of my 6' lengths and frantically crocheted flowers.  Damascus, MD did get yarn bombed and if I had any idea of how to add pictures, you could see them.  Anyhow, go to the Damascus homepage on facebook.  Most have stayed up for a whole week, despite rain. As for the ones that I have disappeared, I truly hope that they will grace the neck of some chilly person next fall.

lots of crocheting, but no miles

Finished a dinosaur hat, for a kid named Oscar, whose mom, as a little girl, drew a picture of a dinosaur and named him Oscar.  So, after the fair, he will get it.  Also finished one of those great three layers at once potholders designed by my friend Barbara.  Working on the second one.  More needlepoint this year, in part, because my left thumb is kind of sore.  All in all, there is never enough time to stitch of any kind.

1/80th done

IN order to crochet a mile, I have calculated that I will need 880 strips, 6' long.  Above is a picture of my first 11.  I have decided to use roman numerals to label them, straight lines being easier than curves, and I will have to learn the numbers above 50....

Below are my first four placemats for you be the judge competition at the Home Arts Building, Montgomery county ag fair.   Yep, I don't trim the threads until the very end.  It's the part I like least, so if I die in the night, my friends will have to do that for me. Kind of like not washing the dishes before I go to bed, if I die in the night, I don't want to have spend part of my last hours doing dishes.  I am fine doing them when I first wake it, kind of nice to start the day cleaning.

more mile

finished another strip yesterday, along with a placemat for the You Be The Judge.  And better, my Stitch and Bitch group celebrated 18 years last night.  Two of us are originals, last night there were 15 creative woman around the table.  Are we lucky to have found each other, or what? Some are friends, some are friends of friends.  Jane, the person I have been most destined to meet, was a person in line and then a client. And some are just ladies that I have met on the internet.  Too special.

more crochet, no miles

One of my 15 starts for the first 15 days of 2011 was an afghan, but really more of a bedspread, but heavy fibers.  Stuff that was laying around the house for whatever reason. I have done a few more rounds of it. It's not laying flat, in part because of switching fibers, I think.  But it is still looking good and already is quite warm, to it is a basic success.   The other crocheted project is a ripple baby blanket. I have done more on that too, it seems awfully little, so really for a newborn.  And I have finally worked on a crocheted place mat for you be the judge.  I started one yesterday, am about 1/2 finished.   It's a nice pattern, one row of single, then a row of crossed double. Working up well.  I will use this pattern to make several. I have lots of Sugar and Cream weight around the house, good way to use it up.   But none of this counts in my mile.  I started off so well, then I did the math, I think that 880 strips is daunting.  But I keep telling myself there is no deadline.

On the needle note, I worked on the Charley Harper Needlepoint Duck, finished the cross stitch Funky Flower from By the Bay, and did a little on the Bee Line,  At work I am finishing a Subversive Stitch Thanks for Sharing piece, that I want to have done by Friday so that I can give it to Terri to frame.  I am doing the flowers on the edge now, might do some beads in the corners.

crochet slowdown

I have about 11 strips, 6 inches by 6 feet done. I need to start numbering them.   But I am not doing as many right now, I started - and finished - the start one new thing a day for the first 15 days of 2011 challenge, and it included 2 crochet projects, a baby blanket (lion brand pattern, Vanna's choice yarn that I bought ages ago on clearance) (another part of the challenge for me was to start only stuff that was already in the house).  The other, a single bed blanket, came to me in a vision!  I have not seen anything like it, I started with a rectangle and am now working in "circles" around it.  But occasionally turning so that it will be a little off -center (kind of like me). In blues and purples, stuff I already have, but  I will have to buy more to complete a blanket. Not sure where it will go, colors are too intense for the guest room, but then, maybe I will paint it. Kind of like the Pantene color of the year, I forget the name, a vibrant pink.  Today I am working on a Funky Flower from By the Bay. It's cross stitch and  I truly hope to get it finished today. We shall see. I barely started it last week.