One a day (a habit is forming)

I have to apologise that I have yet again missed the day......maybe next week I will get it right!

So my one(but hopefully two) a day progress has been on track.

I've done 14 this week, added to my total last week of  94,  makes 108.  Actually, making the hexagons isn't as bad as I remember it, so maybe the blanket will eventually get finished!

(Anyone with any photo tips, I would like to be able to photograph this without the red 'glaring' and also, one of the other yarns I'm using (not in this pic) has a sparkly thread running through it, which won't ever show, what can I do with a fairly basic camera to make this show?)

Well, winter has really hit us in our corner of Wales, and I quickly took this pic outside my back door this morning on my return  from the school run. This water is brackish (fresh water and sea water mixed) so parts of it are frozen.....that bird out there is impressing his swimming friends I reckon....'hey, look at me!'

Anyway, if you would like to see my fellow one-a-dayer's projects take a look at Gingerbread Girl's blog.



One a day (which day?)

It is still Tuesday?

Well, if I use the excuse that I missed the day, I will never get back to it........ so,I'm late I know.....but enthusiastic!

So I actually finished my last one-a-day project (which came in the shape of a sunnyspread blanket) in November and then did some Christmas presents, but I am back in earnest now with a WIP blanket, here on in known as the boring blanket.

I actually started this when I first learnt to crochet...I was young, naive and a little wet behind the ears!  I soon realised I had no staying power and was drawn into quick crochet flings, promising bright colours, quick fixes, no commitment.........

So I am back, admitting I've done wrong and wanting to put things right.

This week I have done five hexagons and actually found since my crochet has improved they didn't take too long (although I still haven't learnt to sew my ends in!)  I will probably end up doing two a day I should think.

So here comes the maths, I have done 89   hexagons so far, with 5 added this week that makes 94 and I think I need ......well, lets not think about it, as that is why it become the boring blanket a year ago!

To see other people's one a day projects, pop on over to  gingerbread girl's blog.

In other news, I have discovered that knitting is not quite like riding a bike.  As I've previously mentioned, I have got it stuck in my head to knit a jumper, and today, I began!  Funny how it didn't come naturally at all and it took some time to remember I needed to reposition the yarn to purl.....sooo..as my brain works, I have been looking this evening at continental knitting thinking that if I could get my head around it, it would probably sit better with my crocheting position, particularly as I am a yarn grabber.  Anyone have a preference?  Wish me luck as knitting is maybe not my forte!  But I'm very determined!

Year of projects 22.01.12

I must admit to being a little out of focus this week......I have no 'pressing' projects.........and I feel like I'm wasting time a little.  It is not often, of recent, that you would find me without a crochet project on the go.

This week I went into the LYS to get some inspiration......bad idea!

I didn't come out with any inspiration, but I did come out with four balls of fingering weight wool/acrylic mix.  I didn't have a project in mind and am not really a long-haul project kinda gal,so four-ply was bizarre to say the least!

Anyhoo..........I started randomly making a blanket.......and then realised I was loosing the plot rather, so had a rethink...... and today...........well I started a shawl.....much more like it I think you'll find!

I've also decided that if I am going to complete my YOP list I need to address the boring blanket.....long ago started............long ago given up on!  I do like it, but it is going to take forever to do, so I think I will make it my One a Day....(atleast)

(A pretty poor picture, but the light has gone and the photographer has no photography skills!)

So....that about sums it up.....all ideas of knitting jumpers have gone out of the window until I have the right yarn for the job!

To catch up with other people's YOP work....take a look here.

Year of projects (wk1)

Well, having signed up for Ravelry's  blog-a-long year of projects just a few days ago, this is my first post about my progress (if I had thought about it more carefully I could have joined on a saturday and given myself even less time to complete very little!)  Anyway, progress is progress, even if it is just becoming better organised and more 'workish'!

On my 'Year of projects' page I have listed a number of things I want to do in a year (up until June 30th) this included to make some realistic birds........well I soon dropped the realistic and just stuck with birds!

I know what you are thinking, that robin looks mighty fat, he hasn't ruffed up his feathers because he is cold.....no the facts of the matter are, that I actually made another bird too, but he ate it.........who would have thunk it eh?!

Fly away, fly away

After enjoying my new feathered friends for a day, I decided it was somewhat cruel to keep them captive, so this morning I went out side and released them, after some emotional goodbyes they were gone, sad and even now I'm finding it hard to contain myself, but I know it was better for them to be in their natural environment.  Maybe in years to come they will come back and visit us again.

On a lighter note, a couple of days ago I ordered the yarn to make my granny stripe, I have such a burning desire to own one that I could not control the urge any longer.  Hopefully it will be here at the beginning of the week.

So here it is, back out of the bottom of my project bag, the boring blanket. I have done about 10 hexagons.  Not much I agree, but it all makes a difference, and is certainly more than the none I have done for the past three months.

I know it will be lovely when it is finished, but in the meantime it is so......<yawn>.......boring

So there we are, progress I think, although maybe not on a monumental scale.  Not sure what I will do next week........crochet eh.........it's a fly by the seat of your pants sort of hobby isn't it ;-)

Until next time, enjoy your Sundays.............

The vicar's chicken

Today has been a day for tying up loose ends (and sewing them in.)  This is the vicar's chicken, promised at the school Christmas fayre last year, when I sold out.  It was made that very weekend, but remained unstuffed and lifeless until today.  The vicar wasn't in when I called, so I left it on her doorstop......my hubbie thought it was all rather sinister!

While I was in the mood for sewing, I figured I would put together another gift I made a couple of months ago.  This is for a poppy loving friend of my mother's.  Again, another thing started and then put to one side, I am nothing but consistent!!

I took a leaf out of Lucy at Attic24's book, and used a thrifted jumper to make the back of the cushion, as Lucy explains to do here.

Of course, doing these two bits of work could make one rather smug, but my smugness was short lived because on uncovering all these half-finished jobs, I also discovered 'the boring blanket' which lies mockingly in my work bag.  The thing is, I do like it, but it is going to take me ages to do and there are things I would rather be doing.  The first time I worked out how many hexagons I needed, I worked it out to be about 800, after sitting down to settle my nerves I calculated it again, and now figure it is more like 450.  I have done 80-ish, but it is not the granny stripe blanket of my dreams, and therefore it remains in my bag.........