Haruni on the go!

I'm very please with my Haruni so far.  Of course as I add more rows it adds more stitches and therefore each row takes longer so visible progress has slowed a bit. Up to row 74 now and already planning my next one. What colour I want to make it in and trying to pick one from my stash so I don't convince myself to buy something new.

I've also started a Rippled wrap.  It's pretty :)  Looks like a half star and I'm using Bernat Softee Baby yarn (from my stash!) Thankfully it's crochet so it zooms along really quickly and I'm much faster at crochet then knitting.

I've got another baby blanket nagging to be started but I've been convincing myself not to cast on anymore projects!

My poor wrists have been really painful from going at it too much so I've been taking a break and going cycling. Not very far as I sort of got really REALLY lazy over winter and now I'm paying for it. I can feel how unfit I've become and I need to get that sorted.  Benefit of other half in the military is gym membership for a one-off very small payment. And, I can ride my bike down to it to add just that little bit extra. It's not a New Years resolution or anything, just not feeling up to standard so I've got to get on top of it.

I suppose sometime in between all this I should tidy up the house but well, honestly....I Don't Wanna!!!  It's too sunny to clean the house. I like taking my chair & WIP outside and enjoying the sun.  Laundry is all caught up as I love hanging it out on the line to dry.   Okay, do the dishes THEN I can do a few more rows of my shawl.

Hi ho Hi ho, it's off to the sink I go.

Oops! I'm a project addict !!

Well, I said I wouldn't cast on but I did. OOPS!  I made a preemie matinee jacket (just have to sew on the sleeves),  2 more baby hats and a berry ball.  I started the Haruni shawl and am on row 46. Not nearly as scary as I expected. Just need to pay attention to make sure I don't get my counting wrong!! I'll probably be making more of these or a few of the different patterns that I've come to collect.

I desperately need to get myself a ball winder as well. I like the little cakes much better then rolling it into balls by hand and I'm hoping it'll save my wrists a little bit of strain. Just need to find one because my LYS doesn't sell them and I'm one of those people who wants it now.  I don't want to wait for ebay auction to end then wait for delivery. BUT I might just have to do that so I don't pay a tiny fortune for one.

Enjoying the amazing spring weather and the unseasonable warm couple of weeks.  That's right, t-shirts and laundry hanging out to dry. GREAT!  So I'm spring cleaning my stash as well. Re-organising everything and seperating what is already set aside for future projects and what is just PRETTY!! So hard not to cast on something with every ball.   Time to play a little more in my yarn cupboard. hehehe  Play time is fun :)

Saturday March 19 - Pick a Shawl

Well, I've been trying really hard to decide what pattern I was going to use to make the baby blanket for a friend of mine from a fabulous yarn I just received from a friend.  I don't normally do lacy baby blankets because I hate the idea of their fingers getting stuck in the blanket.

However, the colours are perfect for this woman. SO, I think I've decided to use this yarn to make a lacy shawl for her and find something else for a baby blanket. Now I'm just stuck between 2 patterns I've found which I like. 1 is a crochet and 1 is a knit with a little more detail.   I've never tried making a knitted shawl and am a little nervous about it, but I tend to take on the patterns I'm not used to just to prove I can do it.

Anyone have any suggestions?  So far I've been looking at Haruni or Evas Shawl.  I'd like to decide soon so I can get it done and in the post.  I know I know, I'm not supposed to be starting any more projects but it's for a gift!  hehehe (yarnaholics logic always wins)

Evas Shawl

 

More Finished Projects of 2011

Finished my Market Bag.  The photo doesn't do it justice and its sooo roomy, I can fit approx. 1200g of yarn in it (maybe more)

Trying to show the interior. I'm using the bag to hold all of my finished hats & scratch mittens. (Until I got yarn shopping of course!)

Honeycomb stroller blanket. Looks complicated but surprisingly no :) so cute too!!

Just using up some stash yarn. Was supposed to be a throw but ran out of yarn so it's a baby blanket instead!!!

Spiral scrubbies. Forget dishes, these ones are for the shower hehehe

Gotta do dishes sometime I suppose

Square dishcloth again, using up leftovers

Pictures - finally!

Ballerina Bunny made for a lady from Phoenix Knitters. Always good to help out others :)

Baby hats of 2011 so far. Many more to come!!

Some scratch mittens of 2011. Sent some away before taking photos. Will be making many more for all the babies

My first ever sweater that I actually made for someone specific. It fits and the colours all lined up perfectly. Very pleased!

I will not Cast On!

Today I can across an old favorite pattern of mine that I have just the perfect yarn for. However, as I went hunting for needles I decided that NO, I will not cast on another project until I finish off at least one WIP.

I'm almost done a stroller blanket and only have 13 rows to go so I really really need to finish it off.  I am sooo easily side tracked. It should only take about 20 minutes to finish because its such an easy pattern. Then of course I can make matching hat, scratch mittens and bootees with the leftover yarn :)  Mwuahahaha

Trying to fit in some spring cleaning around the house as well but it's too easy to keep putting it off until tomorrow because I've got to do "just a couple more rows!"  Hehehe...a couple more rows on several projects then suddenly it's "Ok, just until the end of the show on tv."  I can come up with a million excuses as to procrastinating house work. I'm sure you can relate!

After a week of illness and house bound days, I've emerged from my cocoon. I've made another hat, finished the Amigurumi Ballerina Bunny (photos coming shortly)  Now I want to make the Hippo but have to decide what colour to make it. It's going to be a very colourful hippo I think with the yarn I've got.  (Really want to go buy the denim blue to make it but I won't!)

I've made progress on my WIPs and really have an itch to go shopping. I'm desperately fighting that as I'm supposed to be stash busting, not growing!  There's an amazing sale at Lidl's but thankfully there isn't one near me!!!

I've been trying to do some good deeds as well. So far I've been able to share some cross-stitch graphs and now a matinee jacket pattern. I've got a small box to send away to the hospital with my baby hats and scratch mittens. I need to do a count before I get them sent off and take a photo of all the pretty colours. I love baby hats! So quick and simple and when you can't concentrate very well they are the perfect project. As long as my hands keep moving it feels like I'm being productive.

But, off to bed for tonight. I'm still not 100% better yet so shouldn't outdo myself in the first couple nights. Sleep tight!!

Amigurumi Day 2

So the head and arms are done and look fantastic, if I do say so myself.  Now, the body is done in stripes and I was not impressed with the spiral effect happening and the joining going round and round. Just looks less professional and I'm a little OCD so it was driving me crazy. After a little playing about and a little online research I've changed how the joining is done to be a little more eye appealing. I know Amigurumi is supposed to be done in spirals but it's just doesn't look right on the colour change.

I wonder if anyone else has this concern. Am I being a little over OCD? It's actually a Ballerina Bunny for a lady I've never met so I just want it to look perfect. Thankfully the striping is just on the body and the other bits are easy to do.
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Update:   Body finished and the seam is hardly noticeable!! So very excited about that. Now I've just got 2 legs, the skirt and the facial features and VOILA, c'est fini!  I've got to remember to take pictures before I send it off to her though. Definitely need to have my first Amigurumi documented.  My son is already asking about what toy I'm going to make for his new baby cousin!!  Selfless little guy I've got :)

Having a go at Amigurumi

Well, I sort of skipped out on my WIPs and made a nice warm hat for my cousin. Needed a simple project since I'm so tired right now. Something quick and easy. Now that it's done, I love the feel of it and don't want to part with it. I might just have to make another one for me.  Pics should be up in the next day or two.

However!I promised a lady I would do a Amigurumi Ballerina Bunny. Just got the materials and I'm very excited about getting into it. I put it off yesterday as I browsed through the magazine for far too long. So I picked up the crochet hook this morning and learned the Magic Loop and had a practice run with some stash yarn before opening the good stuff. It is so much fun so far. 2 ears already made and starting the head.

On another note, I found this adorable pattern for a wrap/poncho for a 6 yr old that I really liked. However I obviously am bigger than a 6 yr old. After some of my amazing math skills and a sheet of calculations/re-writting the pattern, I was able to convert it into my size.  It took all my will power not to start it straight away.

Off to do more bunny !!  Who has this much fun when they are sick?