Work-in-Progress Wednesday 8

Wow is it hot in San Diego! Last week I was wearing a sweatshirt to walk Milo, and this week we are breaking records for the heat! It was hot on the weekend and 110 on Monday in parts of San Diego (one of those parts happened to be exactly where I live). I don't have air conditioning. You can feel my pain I'm sure. I stayed home with the house shut tight trying to keep my animals (2 cats and a dog) hydrated and happy. Not an easy task. That being said, I wasn't in a crochet kind of mood. Who wants hot yarn draped on them in that heat?

That being said, I agreed to a quick swap with a friend of mine. She's making me a bead necklace while I crochet her a hat! She picked out a hat, modern flapper style and I started right away. It was a fast crochet and super fun! I love it and will probably make one for myself at some point. Unfortunately, it was such a fast crochet project, that I finished it before sharing it on WIPW. I will have it up on Friday for FO Friday this week!



As you can see, I've made some progress with the Granny Stripe blanket (aka The Ice Cream Blanket). I'm really enjoying it, though now that all the colors have repeated a few times, it's a little less exciting to work on it. The first set of colors, I couldn't wait to see how each color looked with the other. Then the second time around, I was excited to see how it all looked repeated. Now that I know both those things, it's just the same ol' thing here on out. It may also hurt that the weather is so hot. When I started the blanket, it was cooling down. I hope I'm ready to really crank on it once the chill returns to the air.



I'm making purses for several people (I have to make a total of 3) for Christmas, so I thought I should probably, you know, start on that. LOL You may have remembered, I made a gray version and shared it for WIPW 4. That one was a test, so I could figure out the confusing pattern! Hopefully I remember how to do it! The exciting part about making another one is playing with the ribbon and the lining I get to do afterward, so that's a plus. I hope to making this in a day/day and a half. We'll see how it goes!

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Flash Your Stash! An Ongoing Meme (Part 2)

Since I've bought a ton of yarn in the past month, I decided to update my Flash Your Stash post. I have yet to link it to the sidebar (which I will do at some point soon!), so it's good to dig out the old post for those to join along. This post includes the same Mr. Linky as before. If you joined in the first time, feel free to add a new link to new pictures of your stash if you'd like. I want to keep it ongoing so we can see how the stashes grow (or in some cases, shrink).

For my first FYS post, please click here.

Since I posted those, I've bought so much yarn, I had to graduate to two yarn holders. I still use the Ikea crate, but now also have a Tupperware sweater bin. I will say, I'm not very proud of how much yarn I've bought over the past month (okay, who am I fooling, of COURSE I'm proud!), but it's all so pretty, I can't resist it. I am happy to admit, most of it was bought on clearance or with coupons (thanks to Labor Day sales, and Joann's/Michaels great weekly coupons). It's so tricky how they give you a coupon for the next week, and who can go and only buy one skein of yarn??

An eagle eye view (Look, a kitty!)

A close-up of the bottom left section which includes a few Red Heart SS, Red Heart Eco, Loops and Threads Impeccable, Hobby Lobby 'I Love This Yarn', Vanna's Choice and a few small balls of Queensland and Debbie Bliss

This bunch is the bottom right corner of the overview picture. Again, more RH SS (multi and solid), Red Heart Tweed, TLC Essentials Sugar and Creme and a HUGE skein of Bernat Cotton.

This pic is of the middle section from the overview. Again, the HL, RH and then you will see some Lion Brand Wool-Ease, Caron Simply Soft, some Alpaca (I can't remember the brand) and small skeins of the Fun Yarn by Lion Brand.

This is the top left. RH SS and the Lion Brand Fun Yarn (which is great for small amigurumi) and a better pic of my RH Multi

Look at all of that Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. Yikes! I hope soon it is out of my stash and into my afghan! Good think I like working with it!

A few skeins of Red Heart Designer Sport (Is this getting discontinued? I can't find it anywhere) and RH Soft. Also, a not so happy closeup of the kitty (who's name is Cosmo).

I would love to see how your yarn stash has grown! Share updated pics, or join in for the first time!

FO Friday 2

It's great to see how much WIPW has grown in the past 7 weeks, and I hope to have FO Friday follow in its footsteps. I know that you may not have a FO each Friday, but be sure to share when you do! Some weeks, I may not have one, but will always have FO Friday up for others to participate.



This week, I'm lucky to have a FO finished! You may remember the beginning of a cupcake I was commissioned to do that I shared on this week's WIPW. On Tuesday evening it was just a little round circle, but look at it now!

He's all grown up (or maybe she?) and ready to be shipped to Phoenix. I will say, I originally started out thinking it would be a three tiered cupcake, but after doing the first two tiers and the start of the third, I loved it so much. I sent a picture off and sure enough, she loved it too! We decided it didn't need a face and just stuck with a more "traditional" cupcake. I really like the way this came out and wish I had written down the pattern as I was working. Maybe I'll try and make another one to see if I can figure out exactly what I did.

Materials used:

5.00 mm (H) hook
Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn (Frosting- Ivory), Red Heart Super Saver (Cake bottom- Coffee), Loops & Threads Impeccable (Frosting- Soft Rose)
Yarn needle
Poly Fluff stuffing

I worked on it from September 21st-23rd.

Just like WIPW, please use the Mr. Linky to share your FO Friday post.

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 7

I hope everyone has had a great, crafty week! I'm really excited about this week's WIPW because I started a new project!

This past week I've been obsessed with two things--my new sewing machine (which is for a later post) and a blanket I started after being inspired by Alea's Granny Stripe blanket from the Attic24 pattern.



Not wanting to buy more yarn (for now), I went through my yarn stash and (with Alea's help) picked out the colors I would use for the blanket. It was great to get a little color in my life since recently I've been working so hard on my brown and cream afghan, as well as the tweed project. Despite my husband saying it looks like a blanket for Easter Bunny land or like ice cream, I love the colors. I also love working on this blanket because I'm able to multitask since it's easy!




I just started this project this afternoon (hence the odd, dark picture since I had to take it at night). I got several rows in and realized it was curling, so this is the second go around. I was commissioned to do a 3 tiered cupcake like this one, but in dark brown, cream and pink! I plan to make it bigger than I normally do, so I'm excited to get further on it. I'm still trying to decide if I want it to have a face or not, especially since the bottom will be so dark. What do you think?


For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

My First Swap

I can't believe I almost forgot to share the pictures of my first swap! I decided to join in a swap over at the Ravelry group $10 Amigurumis for the month of August. The theme was dinosaurs and I thought it would be the perfect chance to create my own pattern. I shared my dino already here, but wanted to show the package I sent and received in all their glory.

The idea behind $10 Amigurumi is that each person should spend no more than $10 on the swap (minus shipping of course). You can include yarn, candy, craft items, of something to go with the theme of that month. Basically, anything goes (to a certain extent). Each person has filled out a questionnaire in the group thread, so once your partner has been chosen, you can look them up to see what their likes/dislikes are.

I loved participating in the swap and can't wait for my next one!

This is the package I sent to my partner. She mentioned she loves the color purple, blue and green, adores chocolate and is a teacher.



I was super excited to get my package. Who doesn't love to get a surprise box in the mail (even when you know that it is on its way)!? Here are a few pics of the items I received, including an adorable knit and crocheted dino! As you can see, his body is knit and his stomach, scales and bottom of his feet is crochet!

FO Friday 1

First off, I wanted to say happy birthday to my husband, Kurt! I hope he has a good day at work today and an even more awesome weekend!

Welcome to the first ever FO Friday! I decided to try this out after I received feedback on if you would be interested in participating or reading a weekly FO (Finished Object) Friday post. We'll give it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes.

This week, I'm going to share a project that I first showed as a WIPW in week 1!

You may remember this picture from WIPW

I was looking for a fun hat to make a few weeks ago, one that I could wear once it gets cold (or as cold as it gets here in San Diego) to walk the dog. When I first started crocheting, I made a tight fit beanie that was very simple, just using single stitch in the round (or maybe it was double? I don't remember). Anyway, it was my first project in the round, and I was mostly doing it to learn something new. The hat fit, though a little tight, and I even wore it to work a few times. It became one of my regular rotations, at least when a purple hat was appropriate. That's right..purple. LOL

I thought it would be fun to make something with a little more life to it, and that also was a color I could wear with more things than a black shirt and jeans. I searched on Ravelry, and I must say, it was hard to choose. I didn't want anything too complicated, but it seems like the easier ones all looked a little plain design-wise, like my purple hat.

That's when I found The Animator's Hat by Crochet Kitten on Ravelry. It's not that the hat was so much better than the rest of them on the site, I loved that it was called The Animator's Hat. You see, since I was very little, I wanted to be an animator. I dreamed of working for Disney one day. My college degree is in art with an emphasizes on animation, so this hat seemed almost made for me! I also loved all the pictures shared on Ravelry of the finished product from the different people. The ridges of the hat gave it dimension. I got started almost right away.

I initially thought it would be too big for me, but as I got closer to the end of the hat, I realized it fit me perfect! I've said this before, but I made it with Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn Yarn, and I really do love it. It's 100% acrylic but super soft. If you have a Hobby Lobby in your area, or don't mind ordering it online like I did, do give it a try if you are a fan of soft acrylics.

I can't wait to wear the hat when the leaves begin to change and the frost appears on the grass in the mornings. I think I'm going to make one as a Christmas present for one of my family members as well!

Materials used:

6.00 mm (J) hook
Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn (main portion- Navy/strips- Gray Mist)
Yarn needle

I worked on it from August 8-11th.






Just like WIPW, please use the Mr. Linky to share your FO Friday post.

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 6

I wanted to thank everyone again for voting on my FO Friday poll. As I said in my last post, I will be trying FO Fridays for a few weeks to see if I can handle the extra posting. I usually post on Fridays, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal. I will be including a Mr Linky for those that would like to participate! I look forward to seeing all the completed projects!

I've bought a lot of yarn in the past few weeks due to sales and coupons! Look for my updated Flash Your Stash post including the Mr Linky. Feel free to flash your stash for us!

Now onto WIPW 6! (Sorry for the quality of the pictures this week. The light is starting to change earlier, which I forgot. Where did summer go?)



I've been a little determined to get further on my afghan but it's still slow going. As you can see, I finished the third block and have started the 4th and final color before I begin to repeat the pattern. I think I'm going to do one more block of each and see how long it is. I don't want this to be a HUGE afghan, so that might just be enough. Also, I'll be adding a border once it's done due to the curling of the afghan stitch. What do you think?




Look, a kitty! One of my cats, Roxy, wouldn't get out of the picture. I tried 4 times and this is the best one I could get...half a cat and my project. This is a secret project I can't give the details on because the person I'm making this for sometimes reads the blog! I'll be showing progress next week, unless it gets to the point where you can tell what it is. LOL The exciting thing about this project is check out the yarn! My local fabric store has a few skeins of yarn in the back. I looked through it and come to my surprise, discontinued yarn (Red Heart Tweed)! This yarn is perfect for this project and they had two skeins of the same dye lot. So excited! There are a few other discontinued yarns I may have to go back and grab. How can I pass it up?

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

Paris, Anyone?

Sorry I was MIA this weekend, but I tried to stay away from the computer and get a few things done in my life for a change! Isn't it amazing how easy it is to get sucked into the internet?

I wanted to thank everyone for voting in the FO Friday poll. It seems there are a few of you who are interested, so I'm going to try it for a few weeks and see how many participate and how much stress it is to try and get something completed and posted each Friday. I post on the writing blog I co-own (YAedge) Fridays, so what's one more blog each to schedule on Thursday? This Friday, the 17th, will be the first FO Friday including a Mr. Linky for everyone to share their FO Friday posts. Can't wait to see everyone's finished work!

If you remember, week 5 of WIPW I shared a beret I started for a friend of mine based on the Crochet Today! pattern from the August 2010 issue (with a few slight tweaks thanks to Alea!). Originally it was going to be part of her Christmas present, but the further I got on it, I realized it was best suited for her birthday which is in October. I like the way it turned out, despite not being a huge fan of berets. It turned out really soft and fit me, so hopefully it's her size as well!

I bought the yarn (Bernat Alpaca) when I was first learning to crochet (two skeins of it) because I thought it was pretty and loved the feel of it. Of course, being new, I had trouble working with the bulky, slippery yarn. I'm glad that I tucked it away instead of wasting it. I really enjoyed working with it (using a larger hook) and would buy it again. It was pretty affordable and great in texture. This project took one full skein.

The true color of the yarn is in the first picture. Sorry for the darkness in the last two pics.

Materials Used:

6.00 mm (J) hook
6.50 mm (K) hook
1 skein Bernat Alpaca (Aqua)
Yarn needle

I worked on the hat September 8-9.

FO Friday!

A few people at the Ravelry group, The Blog Hub, suggested we do a FO (Finished Object) Friday to show off our finished objects that we've shared over the week's on WIPW. It doesn't have to be the project from that specific week's WIPW, but from any previous. I wanted to see how many people would be interested in it.

Just like WIPW, I would have a Mr Linky set up for all day Friday, which would then close Saturday morning, until the next week. Please let me know in the poll below!

FO (Finished Object) Friday?
	Yes
	No
	If I have time
pollcode.com free polls

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 5

I hope everyone who had a holiday weekend had a great one! I know I did. We went up to visit my parents in Los Angeles, where I was born and raised. Like anyone who has lived in LA for any significant time, I have a love/hate relationship with the city. Since I've been away for about 5 years (other than small visits), it's mostly love at the moment. I know that would change quickly if I were to move back, that still doesn't keep me from wanting to!

Unfortunately, because of my small vacation, I didn't get much crocheting done. I was hoping to do some up in LA, but we were busy most of the time we were there. Luckily, some of that time was spent buying yarn, but that's for another post soon.

This week's WIPW projects are:

The afghan I've been working on for quite some time now got a little bigger! I showed you where I was at with it in WIPW1 and WIPW3. Here it is as of yesterday (Tuesday). I'm loving it so far, even more than I thought I would. After I finish the current square, I'll move onto the oatmeal solid color and then back to the brown with oatmeal flecks.



I started making the beret pattern from the current Crochet Today! magazine for a friend's Christmas present, who adores all hats. I got a little ways in and realized that I was doing the stitches way too tight. This is a huge problem of mine, something that I seriously need to stop doing. Today I decided to start all over again, and this is what I have so far of the new one. It's still coming out a little smaller than the gauge suggests with the pattern, but will just add another row or two of increase to solve the problem.

For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!

The Dinosaur Says RAAAARRRRR

Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone in the US! Please have a fun and safe holiday. Enjoy the last days of summer.

I took part in my first swap in August, and I had a great time. It was the swap from $10 Amigurumi Swap on Ravelry. I'm still waiting on my package to arrive from my swap partner, but I wanted to share the dinosaur I made for it. I'll share the full swap package in a separate post once I receive mine.

A few of you probably remember the progress from WIPW 2 and WIPW 3, in which I shared the beginning head and neck of the dino and then when he was almost complete. Now I present to you, the dinosaur finished! This was my first amigurumi from scratch with no pattern. If I were to make him again, I would change a few things, but I'm still really happy the way he turned out. To be honest, it was hard to send him away!

Materials used:

4.00 mm (G) hook
Loops & Threads Impeccable (whole dino- Deep Forrest)
2 buttons (for the eyes)
Poly Fluff stuffing
Yarn needle

To see all pictures of this dinosaur, please click here!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday 4

Wow, I can't believe this is already the 4th WIPW. Thanks to everyone who has participated thus far. I've been busy making a list of everything I want to crochet for Christmas gifts, and I must say, I have my hands full. I'm not sure I am going to be able to finish it all in time, but here's to hoping. That being said, I've started a few projects this week that will be gifts, or at least are "test" items before I made the real one.

A little off topic, if any of you can recommend a good "beginner/starter" sewing machine for less than $150, please let me know! The cheaper the better of course, but I don't want a piece of crap. LOL I don't know the first thing about sewing machines, but would love to learn. Please leave a comment if you have a recommendation!

Last week I shared my afghan further along. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to even touch it! I also shared my dinosaur. I sent it to my swap partner, which she received yesterday so I can post it soon.

This week's WIPW projects are:


I wanted to make this purse from Ravelry for a Christmas present, but the pattern was a little confusing. Before trying to making the one I will be giving, I decided to make a test one. It only took me one night while watching a movie and then another afternoon. I still have to figure out the lining (in black) and I plan to crochet a strap. For the Christmas gift, I will be making it in black with a pink inside and pink/black ribbon. I think I'm also going to buy a purse handle/strap for that one. I was really excited to find out I could make it so quickly and I had a great time doing it!



Alea at Pop Culture Junkie has been obsessed (is that the right word, Alea?) with Granny Squares lately. I'd never made one, so decided to give it a try. This is the start of my first Granny Square I started this morning and haven't had a chance to finish today. Hopefully I'll have a bunch more to share next week. Since Fall is coming, I thought it would be fun to make a few in Fall colors, so I started with this pumpkin color.

To share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in yours to get the word out! The more the merrier!