Conquering some WIPs...

This week saw two finishes - yay me!

My first finish was a linen stitch scarf I intended for Greg for Christmas.  It was all done except for a couple dozen (at least) ends that needed weaving in.  It helped that the day I committed to finishing it (last Sunday) an out-of-state friend called and I could mindlessly and painlessly get that job done while enjoying a long chat.   Greg wore it the next day (and every day since).

The bottom there is a little messy because I hadn't take a picture before Greg wore it all day on Monday.   So that messy bottom part is witness to some scarf love.  :^)


And then later in the week I finished the child-sized pink! Tides of Change blanket:

I love this thing!  It's bright and cheery, and I can just see a little girl snuggling under it enjoying the total unabashed girlie-ness of it.

Some other things have been worked on as well, but I'll save them for next time.  My other WIPs from last weekend will wait a little longer as I enjoy some new crochet infusions.  I've concluded some new projects will be good for my creative soul, and good for helping to tame the yarn stash I've amassed over the last year.

'Till next time... come visit the Year of Project thread on Ravelry to see what other Yoppers are up to.

A glimpse into my WIP pile...

I really wanted to have a finish to show today, but more confusing points in the Tides of Change pattern and the occasional mistake on my end, combined with the happy interruption of friends dropping in last night meant that a finish was not in my weekend plans.  That's okay, though...  I'll take friends over a finish any day! 

So...   Not having anything new to show I decided to take stock of some unfinished business I really do want to finish - and soon.  So here are just little glimpses of how my WIPs stand today, with the hope that publishing them here serves as a motivation to get 'em done, already!

My Arrowhead Blanket:

I really only need to finish a few rows, sew in what remains of loose ends, and then put a border around it.  I don't believe that all blankets need borders, but this one will definitely benefit.  It will be the first blanket I've ever done a border on.  Let's hope it's a success.

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A linen stitch scarf I began, oh...I don't know... sometime last autumn (really, how long can a person procrastinate?):

I'm pretty sure all I need to do is sew in all those ends.  Half of them are done already, I've just been dragging my feet finishing it.  We're having a bitter cold snap right now, so perhaps that can be my motivation for getting this over and done with.

 

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Speaking of procrastinating, I think the last time I even looked at this Starling Bag project was late summer.  I recently uncovered it:

All I need to do is line the finished bag with this pretty fabric.  While this takes a little more thinking about (I'll have to figure out the dimensions of each inside piece and sew it together), it's not like this is rocket science.  Putting this off really makes it seem harder than it is, I know.

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And last, but not longest lanquished in my WIP pile is my pink Tides of Change:

Actually, this one hasn't languished at all.  I've been crocheting pretty monogamously on this since I began a couple weeks ago.  I just keep being interrupted.  By good things, mind you, but interrupted all the same.  Just 4 more rows, a washing, a blocking, and away it goes!  Out of the WIP basket!

To see what other Yoppers are up to, visit this week's thread on Ravelry.  All the links above will take you to the original designer's pages on Ravelry.  Membership to Ravelry is free and easy.  If you want access to an amazing library of crochet and knit patterns, and one of the most supportive communities on the web, join today!

Pink Tides

Ginny's weekly Yarn Along causes me to pause and take stock of what I'm reading and crocheting.  I've been a completely monogamous crocheter for over a week now and for my efforts I hope to soon be finished with my Pink Baby Tides of Change.  I don't know, yet, who will be the recipient, but I do hope it brings a cheery smile to someone's face.

And I recently began reading Below Stairs by Margaret Powell.  The original publication date of this book is 1968 and it claims (on the cover) to be the inspiration for both Upstairs, Downstairs, and Downton Abbey.  This memoir tells the story of a young woman raised during and after The Great War in poverty stricken Europe.  She takes us inside the home and street life of the poor and then into the life of a kitchen maid serving the upper class in Hove, England.  It's very readable, and while this type of life is foreign to my late-twentieth-century-bred sensibilities, her style of story telling makes her story very relatable. 

Feeling pinkish...

As I've continued crocheting the Tides of Change blanket I have finally decided I'm feeling kind of ambivalent about the pattern.  The designer is unconventional at times when it comes to writing out pattern instructions, but fortunately, with the help of fellow Ravelers who are doing this as part of a CAL, and thanks to many, many progress pictures posted on Ravelry by others who've already crocheted this blanket, mine is coming along... 

And in spite of occasional frustrations, as I complete more and more, I'm finding myself drawn to it and am enjoying watching the blanket grow.  In fact, I'm thinking of making another one in different colors.  So I'm taking good notes on my Ravelry project page.  And hopefully the next one will be a piece o' cake.

One of the big plusses about this blanket is you could stop just about anywhere (just about) and call it done.   I'm going for a baby blanket size this time, so just a few more rounds and it ought to be finished. 

 I feel like I should name this one Proud to be Pink! 

Now that winter is full-on here I'm finding myself content to work on blankets - which is slow business, and that means there are not a lot of exciting pictures to show for my time.  BUT... I'm planning on being a fill-in hostess on the 2016 Weekly & Dishcloth CAL on Ravelry every few weeks or so, so I'll probably have some smaller, fun projects to show here soon. I've already got some ideas simmering...   :^)

To see what other Year of Project participants are doing, check out this week's thread on Ravelry! 

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Something fun to start the year off...

I didn't manage to complete the Arrowhead Blanket by year's end, but feeling the need for something fun and colorful, I decided to start a new project this weekend: Frank O'Randle's Tides of Change.  I've experimented with various colors and I finally decided to do something bright and girly, and kind of funky.  At least I hope it turns out that way.

Here's a first peek (the colors are mostly true except that red color is really a deep pink red):

Hopefully the bright colors will be fine for a baby or child's blanket.  No intended recipient at the moment, it's just a fun project to start the new year off with.

Visit this week's YOP thread to see what other yarnies are up to.

 

 

 

 

Warm wishes for a Happy New Year to you!