Still Playing with String

I've been hunting through my craft room, because I absolutely cannot find 'Snowing'.  I don't know what I've done with it, at all!  I know I didn't take it anywhere because it was too small and fiddly - I need my lamp and all my gadgets when I work on it!  But it has vanished.  I'm going to have to replace it in the Turtle Trot, at least until I find it.  Then I may switch back, or put it on the waiting list.

Anyway, while digging though ancient project bags, I found one with some specialty yarn in it - a very fuzzy green and black that is supposed to be self-patterning.  I made a very interesting crocheted hat with it a few years ago and I apparently had decided to use the little that was left for a small scarf.  In the interest of finishing things up, I got it out and did some more rows.  I'm not much of a knitter, but this is just garter stitch.

It has no pattern at all yet, but it should soon.  I think this will be a quick finish, and I can use it; it is really cold here!!!  We've been spoiled by some recent mild winters but this one is a doozy!  Not a whole lot of snow, but it's so cold... brr!

Anyway - that's project #27 (the kumihimo braid is #26).

For #28, I got out my brother-in-law's Christmas present - yes, totally didn't finish it! What else is new?  Anyway, it's a 'Kittens in a Row' afghan, and I was going to start with black, shade up through two or three colors of grey to white, and then shade back down to black.  But my sibling asked me not to - they are decorating their first house in Natural shades, I was informed.  This, from two skinny Goth kids who wear almost all black, have too many piercings to count, and shred their new clothes to make them more interesting!  But I was happy to agree.  They requested that each set of 'kittens' be in a different color, ones that cats might actually be.  So here it is:

And today!  #29 - I finished up the last of the puzzles!  No pieces missing, woo hooooooo!

I thought I would immediately be offering these for sale or trade, but they've all been kidnapped by my Mum - she wants to work the rest.  She's really fast, though, so I'll be offering them soon!

For tomorrow I'll be getting out whatever takes Snowing's place.  Whatever shall it be?  I have no idea!  Only two projects to go, though!

I am so far behind...

My job - yes I'm thankful for it, but still! - has been murder lately.

I've been working six days a week, 10 hours or more a day.

Yes, the money is nice. The chance to put it in the bank and all would be nice, too. (My place of work doesn't offer direct deposit yet.)

So stitching has been really, really slow.

And there is no end in sight - my direct supervisor had carpal tunnel surgery on one wrist, and has to have the other done before the end of December so she won't have to pay her deductible next year.

Until she's back, my job will remain like this. I don't know if I'll be able to get my Christmas prezzies done, forget about my poor Angel of Grace. I haven't finished my SIL's shawl because I ran out of beads - I did start (and nearly finish!) my Mother's shawl. I've also barely started my grandmother's shawl. I have no pics of any of those yet.

But I do have some small amounts of stitching to show!

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For example:

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A very small Gingerbread Cottage as my November ornie. It was supposed to have French Knot snowflakes, but I like it better without them. It's busy enough as it is.
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When I asked my brother what he wanted stitched for his present, he actually had an answer!

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A very weird one...

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I'm stitching a logo from something that I don't even know what is, called Demonhunter? I think.

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So yeah.

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A cross-stitch demon...

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"Boys want the weirdest things," she said, ignoring the large pictures of Vash the Stampede and Spike from 'Buffy' that are hanging on her wall...

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Here are my last Crochet-Along afghan blocks:
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I'm about two blocks behind - the next one is super simple, a big granny square. I just haven't gotten around to it. Then the last blocks are a flower block. After my sister's wedding necklace, I shouldn't have trouble, but I've never crocheted a flower block before. I've got to catch up! I still need a few of those mitered squares, too.

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And I have decided to stop wishing I could knit, gather my books and needles, and make myself really do something besides a scarf.

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I'm going to try Bernat's Knit-Along afghan since I'm also doing the Crochet-Along.

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Here are the very badly knitted, in desperate need of blocking, three squares done to the first pattern:

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The middle one was the only one that showed the pattern in the picture. I decided to do every block in a different shade of blue - if my stash of blue yarns holds out!

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The crochet and knitting I can actually do at work, during lunch, but taking the cross stitch is tougher. It's so much smaller, and yet so much easier to get dirty... I dunno why.

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Thanks for visiting my blog!

~Tama