My current yarny endeavors...

I'm continuing to work on the chevron pillow this week.  Another 5 inches or so 'till I can sew it together.  Yay!

With all the color changing I will say I feel much better now that I've sewn in all the yarn ends up to this point. Waiting until the end to do this job would make me dread it so.  Doing it as I go makes for a much more exciting job of crocheting and watching the thing grow.  And it also makes for easier crocheting as this pattern tends to want to pull in on the sides, bringing all those loose ends to hang and tangle with my free crocheting yarn.  Unless I have a good reason not to, I try to sew in my ends as I go anymore (especially on large items).  It makes me a happier woman as I'm finishing up a project.

And here are two other crochet projects underway that are waiting on the sidelines for me to get back to someday...  

Arrowhead Blanket

Simply Irresistable Shawl

Join other Ravelers to see what projects they're working this year.      

A pillow and a good book...

This week I'm continuing to work on my chevron pillow.   I'm about half way done and am looking forward to seaming it up.

In truth...  I'm sort of loving the colors, sort of not sure.   

What do you do when you're not sure?  I've decided to finish it, and hope I love it when it's finished. If not, ah well...  it's a small accent pillow that will likely be an overlooked footnote in my decorating - certainly, not the focus of anyone passing through the family room.  I will say I am loving the teal color. And am thinking a teal throw across the back of the red family room couch this winter would look awesome.  I don't want to use this yarn, though - just not sure how it would hold up for a blanket - so I may be looking for something else in that vein.  Then again, I really need to not be buying more yarn...

Okay...next up is a book review, but before I get to that, let me explain a few things...

A while back I decided to re-home a bunch of what I'd call young romance novels.  Nothing embarrassing in the lot, just stuff I was pretty sure I wasn't all that interested in reading at this stage in life.  For some reason I hung onto this one and last weekend I picked it up before giving it the old heave-ho, thinking it would be a quick decision.

I don't know how many times I have to learn to not judge a book by its cover, or its genre, or its companions...   The cover alone is unappealing to me.  It evokes thoughts of a lonely Amish girl from some nondescript time gone by. Now, I have nothing against Amish fiction, but I'm not particularly drawn to it either, and thinking it was a love story taking place within an Amish community is largely why I never got around to reading it.  Nevermind that if I had simply looked at a map I could have seen that Liberty, Indiana is nowhere near (or on the path to) the beautiful northern countryside where there are some lovely Amish communities.

While the uninspiring cover alone was enough to stop me from reading this (until this past weekend), you'd think the story line would have gotten a pass.  I had just finished The Last Runaway by Tracy Chivalier (a book about the Quaker community and their involvement with the Underground Railroad).  When I read the first line of this new book, "Quakers in Union County, Indiana, were active participants in the Underground Railroad..." I uttered a low moan.  While I had found it all pretty interesting when I read Chivalier's story, I really wasn't in the mood to read yet another book on the topic - not so soon. And not one with an uninspiring cover.

Well...was I ever in for a surprise.  And a lesson on judging a book too quickly.  Melanie Dobson is a fine story teller (from what I've read so far).  She paints pictures with words that make me feel like I'm sharing the same tight quarters the runaway slaves lived in - sometimes for days or even weeks before their next transportation, or a dark enough night sky to make traveling by foot safe.  Dobson also gives dignity to those same terrified runaway slaves, causing the reader to immediately connect and identity with a character.  Nevermind that I've never gone to bed in dirty clothes I've worn for weeks, or fallen asleep fearing that in the morning I might find myself shackled to a horse walking my way back to the horror I had spent desperate weeks running from.  I can almost imagine my sweat-stunk person laying against cool, clean floorboards; or can almost taste buttery biscuits served in the attic room; and I feel myself breathing a cautious breath of relief when danger passes.

In short, I'm impressed.  In fact, I would say I like this book over Chevalier's. They're each captivating in their own right, but Dobson's book makes me feel like I'm reading a book that has more value as a true historical fiction than as a romance story.  I whole-heartedly recommend it.  And I'll probably be looking for more Melanie Dobson books to read in my future.

Now if someone could just do something about that cover...

Linked to Ginny's Small Things

and

Nicole's Crafting On

Year Of Projects 2015-2016

I'm eager to be joining in a Ravelry Group of bloggers called Year of Projects. The concept is simple.   Each blogger creates a list (however s/he wants to fashion it) and for a year (July through June) posts about the progress made on this list.  Ideally, posts will be made weekly, but I'll start modest and make it my goal to post at least twice a month.

The first part of my list is about process.  I want to get freer with the idea of simply practicing and sampling different techniques and tools, and stretching who I am and what I know - as a fiber crafter. It will be nice if practicing and sampling produces some end products, but for the purpose of the first half of the list learning is the project, per se. So I begin with listing techniques or skills I want to practice, as well as some personal challenges. Then my project list is more like an idea mill where I can plug in things that grab my attention (or as I start or finish them) during the year.

Here we go:

Techniques/skills/tools:
Tunisian crochet - just try it
Knitting - it's been years!
Soft sculpture/Amigurumi
Use a crochet or knitting tool I've never used before
Try to learn how to read a charted crochet pattern
Make stitch markers
Challenge myself regarding photos of finished objects.
    Learn how to better use my camera
    Participate once a month in Ravelry: Project Photography group

Personal challenges:
Read 3 books on fiber or textile arts
Explore joining a local group of fiber artists
Get to know a charity/ministry through which I'd like to benefit others with my crochet or
     knitting
Create a crafting space that is inviting and that works well for me
     (both for working in and storage).

***********

In the spirit of creating actual projects my idea list includes:

- Item(s) for the home
      both practical:
      and purely aesthetic:

- A blanket inspired by Lucy at Attic24

- Something wearable (other than a rectangular scarf)

- Something vintage

- Something completely whimsical

- Something one of the guys in my family would wear/use

- Something(s) for charity ministry

- A "SURPRISE!" gift for someone

- Something amigurumi

- Something that qualifies as a container

- Swatch  (do it, explore it, learn to appreciate it.  I don't know.  Just stop ignoring it)

- Write a simple pattern and make it available here and on Ravelry

- Get back to embroidery (this is wide open)

- Sew a top  (it's been years)

- Sew a skirt (even more years)

- Host a CAL project on a Ravelry group. 

~~~~~~~

Okay...that's good for starters.  I'm sure this will evolve over time, but I think I'll work best with a list that's open ended and idea-generating and, most importantly...flexible... as I progress through the year.

If this sounds interesting to you (to either join in with your own Year of Projects, or just see what others are doing), check out the Year of Project group on Ravelry.

Note:  You will need to be a member of Ravelry to fully access the links in this post.  Consider joining if you're not a member.  The resources there are astounding.  And membership is free and easy.

I'll end this post with a picture of my newest WIP.  It will be a couch pillow (the chevrons will run vertically on narrow pillow, as opposed to horizontally on a more squared off pillow.  The pattern is easy, so I expect this project will be finished pretty quickly!

A simple mandala...

My first mandala - made in honor of Marinke (Wink) whose lovely and colorful crochet designs have made many smile.   This will not be my last, I am sure.

While I have only gotten to know Wink after hearing of her death, I can say the world is a less colorful place for having lost this young lady.

Color Choices...

I'm making a chevron pillow as part of an online CAL (Crochet A-Long), and I was at first going for a bright mix of colors - thinking they'd look fun on our red couch.

That picture is small on purpose.  I'm afraid of blinding someone.  As much fun as this combination is to me, it just downright clashes with the couch.  So I'll need to find another purpose for that terrific riot of colors I've begun above.

Now I'm thinking about more subdued choices for my couch pillow.   The base will be dark brown, light brown, wheat, off white (that actually has a slight tint of rose to it - love it), and burgundy.  While the pictures don't quite capture the burgundy-ness of the yarn, the burgundy basically matches the couch.

And what I'm contemplating adding is gold (which gives the combination a decidedly autumn feel):

And then look what happens when I add teal (and yes, that's a different color of gold):

Is it good, or is it bad?  I don't know if I have a problem with not knowing when to stop with color, or fear of being too bold with color.   In case you're inclined to share your opinion (and be my guest), remember...the red is really a burgundy (as opposed to a cherry red like it looks above).  And the teal has a slight bit more green tint (it's really not bright like it appears above).  And the off white has a slight rose tint that compliments the burgundy.   lol    So much for providing pictures.  I really need to figure out how to get true red and blue colors out of this camera.

Newsflash!   I just tried putting in the basket the teal without the gold and THAT'S IT!   I'm ditching the gold.   For now, anyway.  ;^)

Meanwhile, I've got something on the hook I've been meaning to whip up for a while now.  It's going to be a rectangular shawl and the pattern produces a kind of lattice-work design.

And I finally got my hands of a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo.   Admittedly, I'm only about a third of the way in, but I don't quite understand the attention this book has gotten.  It doesn't seem to me to be anything terribly new, nor Ms. Kondo's strategy very difficult as I've heard lamented across the internet.  But then I'm what some might call old, and probably have at least 2 more decades of decluttering under my belt than Ms. Kondo (nevermind that she started her "tidying" at the tender age of six.  But then again...didn't most of us when our mothers chided us weekly to "Clean your room!")? 

While there's "nothing new under the sun" ...and all that, in this book, I do recommend checking it out if you're needing to get a handle on your stuff.  Because whether or not it holds any magic for you, it certainly can provide another motivation to get rid of that which is bogging you down. 

When it comes right down to it, it's not that most of us really don't know how to "tidy", it's that we lack motivation, and sometimes are overwhelmed by the volume, are busy or even lazy, and well, yeah...just not getting it done.  Ms. Kondo won't likely motivate you to shake off the overwhelmed-ness you may be feeling - for that I recommend Peter Walsh and any of his decluttering books, or to show how old I really am, my first decluttering guru was Don Aslett.  He provides some serious motivation.  But Marie Kondo may just spark some interest in tackling your clutter once more with some resolve and give you the courage to tackle it in bigger chunks than you may think you can.  If clutter is getting the best of you, check out the KonMari method of "tidying".

Linked to Ginny's Small Things

and

Nicole's Crafting On