Tiny Airedale

I finished up a project that has been in the works for quite some time.  A few years, actually.  It's a tiny, needle felted Airedale.  I'm not quite sure why I'd set it aside without finishing it but here she is.  my tiny, 3 1/2" little cutie...

I feel like she still needs something but I can't quite figure out what it is.  So, I've decided she's finished...unless I come up with any ideas on what might make her better.

A little red collar might be cute.

I love her ears and her adorable little behind.

I'm naming her Salsa after our dear, sweet Airedale that passed away recently.

This is number 34 in my create 52 challenge.

Tropical Blues

I just finished tucking in the ends of this gorgeous, turquoise, chunky throw.  I wish you could see it in person because the color is breathtaking!  It's hard to get it to turn out right in photos though.  The only way I was able to come close was by having warm tones of the table and the seashells in the photo.  The colors went all wonky whenever I tried to go in close without those things in the photo.  Oh well.  Close is better than nothing.  And, the seashells are perfect because the throw colors remind me of tropical seas.

This project started out as something completely different.  The original project only used one kind of yarn (with several strands held together) and was a knitted cable throw.  It was exciting to try out giant, size 50 needles.  However, I quickly lost my enthusiasm for several reasons....it went much slower than I'd anticipated with those giant needles; the giant knitted stitches/loops made it hard to figure out where I was what was what with the pattern; and those giant needles caused pain in my shoulder because of the exaggerated movements required to knit with them.  So, it sat in time out for a long time.  I eventually came to the conclusion that this would never get done.  I had no desire to work on it again.  And, I wasn't even excited about the throw pattern anymore.  So, I ripped it out a couple of weeks ago.

I decided that I really wanted to make another "5 1/2 Hour Throw" (that's the name of the free pattern on Ravelry but it takes longer than that to make).  I'd made several and really enjoy crocheting them.  I figured I had enough of the chunky yarn.  I just needed some accent colors to go with it.   I had some ideas in mind but came home with totally different yarn and colors than I'd planned on and I sure am glad I did!  They turned out to be a gorgeous combination!

The chunky yarn is Loops and Threads Charisma.  The other two are Caron Simply Soft in Pagoda (the dark teal) and Blue Mint (the turquoise).  The three strands are held together throughout the entire project.

Something happened that I found interesting.  I started two skeins of Caron Simply Soft at the same time but one ran out way before the other.  I wonder if one was way short of the yardage, the other way long, or ???

I love this throw!  It's my favorite color, it's beautiful, and it's super soft and squishy!

It didn't use up all of the yarn from the original project.  I still have several skeins left.  And, I have about 3/4 of a skein of each of the Simply Soft colors.  I did, however, get something out of it that I love.  That old project is no longer hanging hanging over me and waiting to be finished.  And, I have an idea of something to make with the leftovers.

This will be number 30 in my Create 52 Challenge. 

Scrabble Markers

I finally got around to finishing up another project that had been in the works and waiting to be done for quite a while.  I made Scrabble tile crochet markers.  They are letters that correspond with crochet hook sizes.  When I start a project, I simply place the hook size marker on my project.  Then, there are no worries about losing my hook and not knowing what size I was using.

I collected letters of sizes I use most often and a few others.  There are several of each of the more commonly used sizes.  I used a few different sizes of clips for different thicknesses of yarn.  And, they store nicely on a ring to keep them all together.

I'm not sure if I'd seen some like these already made up or if I got the idea from other things made with Scrabble tiles.  Either way, I started searching for and collecting Scrabble tiles a few years ago for this project.  

Hubby helped me build a tiny jig to put the tiles in one by one to drill and get all the holes in exactly the same spot.  It was fun using the drill press!

It'll be nice using these and not worrying quite so much about my hook getting separated from my project or setting it down next to another hook only to forget which one I was using.

Yay!  Another project completed that's been in the works.  And, another project for my Create 52 challenge.  This one makes number 28 and keeps me caught up.

Argyle Color Pooling

I started a project a recently just to try a new and interesting technique.  It's called, "color pooling".  Multi colored yarn is stitched in such a way as to produce an plaid or argyle-like pattern.  I researched the internet for patterns, videos, blogs, and tutorials that explained how to do it.  And, after a couple of tries, I finally figured it out.

I can't say it's easy.  And, I can't say it's fun either.  It requires constant attention as to where the colors are landing and lots of ripping out, adjusting of tension, and re-stitching to get the pattern to work and continue to work.  So, it did end up in a short time out.  However, on my trip to Arizona about a week ago, I only allowed myself to take projects that were in progress.  As much as I wanted to stick to my norm of taking lots of project possibilities to start new things, I knew that this was the best chance of getting some projects completed.  It worked!  I completed two shawls and made big progress on this during the trip.  So much so that I continued to work on this scarf and finished it up this morning.  Hooray!

I decided to make the finishing end match the starting end...

I realized while taking photos of the scarf that the pattern matches up when it's draped around the neck.  That's pretty cool!

Of course, it has to work as a cowl...one of my favorite ways to wear a scarf...

I used about a skein and a half of Red Heart Super Saver Multi yarn in the Icelandic colorway and a size J hook to crochet this.  It turned out pretty.  And, even though the process wasn't very fun, the results are kind of magical.  

This will count as number 21 in my Create 52 Challenge.

Finished Projects

I finished two more projects that I can count in my Create 52 challenge...

I made another needle felted drier ball.  Although, just like the last one, I'm thinking it might be too pretty to use for a drier ball.  It's supposed to be a mandala.  The outlining makes it look a bit like a stained glass design too.

This pair of socks is finally finished!  I started them a couple of years ago as a lesson to learn the toe up method.  However, the person that was teaching me wasn't very regular about coming to our stitch gatherings and then stopped altogether.  I thought about trying to figure it out on my own by using YouTube videos.  I was just frustrated with it and tired of it sitting around that I decided to just rip it out and make them the way I know how, cuff down.  I still might learn toe up someday.  In fact, I saw a different way of starting it recently that seemed a lot easier and more fun.  It uses circular needles instead of double point needles.

I'm now caught up with my challenge.  Yay!

Drawing as Meditation

I used to draw a lot.  Especially as an art student in college....years ago.  I've been wanting to get back to drawing again.  I've also been wanting to start each day with some quiet or meditation time.  Combining the two seems like an excellent combination!

I bought a fresh new journal and got started on it last week.  I'm beginning with drawing words to focus on throughout the day and more in daily life.  I started with "love".  I want to approach each person, each day, and the things I do in a more loving way.  It's easy to get angry or frustrated and let that cloud the better and more important things like love.

Today, I drew "quiet".  I've realized that I tend to fill so much of everyday with noise and chatter.  I often turn on the radio or the TV for noise.  I also find myself getting nervous when I'm with someone and it gets quiet for a while and find myself talking to calm my nerves and keep the conversation going.  I've realized that quiet is such a good thing!  I'm trying to have more quiet moments in each day and to quiet my brain and my mouth more often.

I'm using this project as part of my Create 52 challenge.  It's creative and it's out of my current norm of creative things I do.  It's interesting how drawing came pretty easy to me in the past and I'm finding it challenging now.  My hand isn't as confident and the muscles aren't trained to make those movements like they used to be.  This is going to take practice!

Create 52 Challenge

I've challenged myself to creating a minimum of 52 things this year...one for each week of the year.  The creations can be crafty, yarny, cooking, etc.  Within that goal, I'm trying to push myself outside of my normal box and try new things.  That can include new techniques, making things I've never made before or making them differently, new recipes, etc.  I had originally thought I'd use Pinterest as my inspiration but I've found inspiration in so many other places too.

Here's what I've created so far...

I fell in love with Caron Cakes yarn and just had to give it a try.  I just couldn't resist these colors and that I wouldn't have loose ends to tuck in at each color change.

The new thing I tried with this shawl project was knitting a triangle from end to end.  The pattern was on the label of the yarn.  I used two balls of this yarn and size eight needles.  It was a lot of fun to knit up.  I found myself knitting pretty fast on it as I would always want to knit to the next color.

I knitted up a pair of boot cuffs.  The new-to-me on this project was that I'd never made boot cuffs and I'd never worn them.  I thought they were pretty cute, could keep me warm, and was something I could make with some leftover yarn I'd acquired from a knit friend.  They knitted up quickly and were fun to make but I wasn't thrilled with how they felt or looked when I tried them on.  I ended up turning the photo black and white in an attempt to like the photo.  I may give them to my daughter.  I think she might enjoy them more than I will.

I've been noticing crocheted jewelry online for a while and finally gave it a try.  I tried making earrings.  It took a few attempts and was surprisingly not as easy to crochet onto the wire as I thought it would be.

I made myself a "pussy hat".  I didn't march in any of the protests as I was sick that weekend.  But, I felt strongly about a lot that was going on.  And, I just love these hats.  It was a fun project to make and to wear.  I found a pattern on Ravelry that was knitted in the round.  I love this color!  And, the hat is really comfy.  It's fun to wear little ears too.  Makes for funny shadows too.  lol

I crocheted a wavey scarf with some yarn I had leftover from my Taos vest.  The pattern is Nanci's Waves Scarf from Ravelry.  I liked how a few people had crocheted the pattern lengthwise I and decided to do that too.  The wave technique was new to me and fun to make.

I crocheted some fun tassels for the ends with little circles.

I made a Pussy Hat for my daughter.  She didn't want it in pink.  So, I knitted it in gray.  I embellished it with a little pink heart.  I've been wanting to embellish some of my projects.  This is a tiny start.  I did it with some pink yarn and duplicate stitch.

I'd knitted up a few gnomes last year and I guess they must have been fun because I just had to make another one.  lol  This time, I made it as a leprechaun.  I bought him a little hat, gave him a shorter beard, a little belt with a felt buckle, knitted stripes for socks, and used the same color for his hands instead of another color for gloves.  And, it was done before Saint Patrick's Day!

I made up a bunch of wool felted balls a few years ago and had been meaning to decorate some and use them for drier balls.  I finally got around to making one.  It's a simple design on natural, multi-color wool.

I got a little fancier with the next one.  I decided to make a desert scene on it.  I started out by making one scene on one side but decided to go all the way around.  It was fun needle felting little cactus.

My daughter was home for spring break and we all found ourselves enjoying an entire day outside on the back patio to enjoy the incredible weather we had that day.  While I was out there, I decided to harvest some lavender from my yard and make a lavender wand.

When my daughter went back to college, I went with her and spent a week there.  There's a great little thrift shop in town that I always go to when I'm visiting.  This time, one of the things I found was a package of tiny glass jars with cork lids.  When I got home, I added lavender to one of them and put it on a chain.  It's cute and I can take a whiff of that lovely scent anytime I want.  It's like aroma therapy on the go!

That's 11 projects and I should be up to number 13.  So, I'm a bit behind on my challenge.  However, I have several projects in the works.  I should be able to catch up with no problem.  I'll try to post the new projects as I finish them up.

You can also follow me on Instagram.  I post on that a lot more often.  You can find me there as acorntooak