New Projects

Well, I haven't been up to a whole lot lately, but I'm starting to
work on a couple Christmas gifts now. My birthday surprise Shawl for our friend up in KC has been coming along nicely. I'm on the second skein of sock yarn for it, and am very pleased with how it's turning out. I'm going to surprise Roommate with a new cowl made from the Lionsbrand homespun, you know that really soft yarn that is difficult to crochet with because it's hard to see your stitches? Yeah, that stuff, because I'm also going to use that in a pattern for Little Sister. It's called the really big crochet cape, unfortunately you have to be logged in to find the pattern if you want to see it, but trust me...it's kind of awesome, and I think using the homespun will be good because of the softness and warmth that will be there.
But I know I'll be in the hospital for 48 hours after I give birth (at minimum) due to an antibiotic I have to have while in labor, so I'll have lots of time to work on my projects, hopefully that will keep me from boredom when not being bombarded by people wanting to see my baby :)
I'll try to post pics of the finished projects on Raverly if nothing else.

And that's all for now! Hoping for my water to break any day.

Surprise Project!

I've found a wonderful pattern to make for the lovely Kitty for her birthday in December. I've very excited. I found the pattern on Raverly thanks to the ladies at Twist. It's called Eva's Shawl, and I've picked out some wonderfully orange yarn to use, I just know Kitty is going to love it!
I've also finished my first bib, I didn't really like the way the pattern had it turn out, so for the second one I've modified it so it's more square than rounded, and also the i-cord ties on a little differently. I'm also very proud of myself for being able to modify a knitting pattern....it makes me feel acomplished :)
And now off to the yarn store to get some work done on the new shawl, and also just to get out of the house....I need more of a social life I think.

Creativity update

Well I havent' really been up to much lately....I dunno why, more than likely it's the fact i just can't sit still anymore, I start to get sore and hurt after just a little while. And my pregnancy brain has come back, and I have lots of trouble focusing. It's a little irritating, and leads to me not updating my blogs as often as i should...
But anyways, hopefully I'll have a new project update soon.

New Stitches

Well, due to finances I'm not going to be able to take the sock class this time, *sigh* maybe next time I will.
In the mean time Roommate and I are learning new knitting stitches. She's mastered the basket weave

New Plan

I have Husband's permission to take a 'basic sock' class next week, now I just have to complete a list:
*knit
*purl
*knit in the round
*increase
*decrease
*cast-on
*bind-off
*ability to follow a pattern

of those not marked off, I'm pretty sure I mostly know how to increase and decrease...I'll have to go to Twist sometime this week and make sure I can read patterns well enough for the class requirements. As for the increase and decrease...I've learned one version of both, so I'm waiting to cross that one completely off until I have learned one more of each.

I've been lax with my updates...i know

Not much is new in the crafting world of Eryal...I finished one of my cowls, unfortunately I made it just a little too short, so I had to put a panel in, so it has a two nice little seams in the back, but in all it is amazingly soft, gotta love those soft acrylic yarns. I've now started a new cowl (still working through my stash yarn, hopefully we'll have some extra cash soon and I can start getting some new yarn to work with) made with the Naturally Caron yarn, it's ever so soft. I'm combining a white and charcole, and after this I'm going to use the forest and red that I have, I think they'll both look very nice when finished.
In the mean time, I'm going to try to learn how to cable with my knitting...and hopefully work on my 'subbie slippers' pattern, I've already got someone interested in them when I've got them going....so yeah, really need to get on that. Hopefully will have some news about that later this week.

And the Crafting goes on

Not at the frenzied pace I had going last week, but slow and steady win the race. After re-doing Aunt's cowl 3 different times I have finally picked a pattern of stitches I like, and I do believe that I will stick with that pattern when I make more cowls for my Etsy site. The two I've already made that are a half double crochet stitch have been dubbed "the Cozy Crochet Cowl" (There is another shop I like that has named their different types of cowls, and I just thought that was the bees knees, so I'm trying to do something similar, with the naming, I mean)

But anyways, I'm off to crochet some more, and after finishing Aunt's cowl I'm going to work on a scarf for me that I'm knitting, this time not just the knit stitch, I'm using the purl stitch too! (scandalous, I know) Thanks to the wonderful ladies at Twist, I have learned not only how to purl correctly, but I have learned how to read the stitches and know without remembering what stitch was done last and what the next one should be.
All in all, very good things to know, and I am very happy to have learned them.

Cowl Fettish

I've made two cowls in the past two days, and I'm working on a third...i'm quite pleased with myself. The first two are both different yarns, and even different sizes, just because of the types of yarn. I can't wait till it gets a little cooler out so I can dress up my volunteer models and get things taken pictures of and hopefully start posting on Etsy again. (which is just uber exciting!)
After reading some of the helpful emails that they send, I have decided to follow their advice about reviewing what you enjoy making yourself, not what you think people will want to buy. And I have decided I'm going to go back to focusing on cowls and scarves, and eventually mittens. And when February or March rolls around I'm going to start working on shawls. I think that will help keep me focused and hopefully help me improve all of my crafting, plus I'll get to work on making my own version of a shawl.
Speaking of shawls, Roommate has picked out the pattern she likes. It's a nifty fan/pineapple pattern with long tassels. She's really excited, so here in like a month or so when she has the extra cash we're going to go out to Twist (the most awesome yarn store in all the land) and pick out her yarn, and then I'll be hooking that and pretty much only that and maybe a cowl a week or so just to keep my hands from going crazy with just one project. All in all we're both really excited about it, cause I've never made a shawl before and I know Roommate is going to get so cold with me and Husband this winter, because with the two of us, we both enjoy the cold...a lot more than most people do even.

Yay for nesting!

While doing some nesting and organization I found a lot of my old fabrics that I was going to do quilt blocks and blankets, a couple pillows that are all pinned together. Hopefully I'll be able to stitch them together by hand or something, I still don't have a working sewing machine...the bobbin is wrong, my dad is going to try to fix it for me, but I'm not rushing it, he's busy and I'm not in desperate need of it any time soon.
I've re-started work on a counted cross stitch project that I was working on in high school, a very pretty dove and flower project with a quote in the middle. It's kinda fun to be working on it again, but it still amazes me, how long you can work on counted cross stitch and look like you have gotten nothing done...but then of course I'm working on the flowers and leaves right now, so a lot of changing colors at the moment. Plus I'm just not as quick as I used to be about it.
Have kinda started my newest knitting project, but haven't done more than cast on, and even then I think I'm going to have to do that over, because I need stitch markers for this one, especially since I'm doing a 10 knit 10 pearl pattern of my own devising. But all in all I'm proud of the pattern...I think it'll look really nifty. It'll be e blanket I make for my little Loki.

Whoot!!!

finished my third ever knitting project, my striped burp cloth! I'm very excited and proud of myself. I will hopefully be posting pictures, I finally got a lead on where the cord might have gone....so we'll just see about that.
I'm still (barely) working on the fan stitch scarf I talked about in my last post. The granny square baby blanket has gone as far as I can with that yarn...so now I'm trying to find another smaller type of yarn that I can use to finish making the blanket as big as it needs to be...hopefully in white. But I'm not sure how that's going to go. So for right now that project is in hibernation.
I've still been keeping track of the time I work on projects for etsy. I figure when I finish I will be putting the project in a large zip lock bag after a washing/drying then also enclosing a piece of paper that has all the washing information, and then what I would like to put for the etsy description, I figure that will help make sure I have well thought out and finished products and a more organized store/crafting area. Especially with the baby coming soon, organization is key!

Crafting activities and plans

I've been working on a granny square blanket in pink for a infant, maybe the size for a car seat, just as a spring/fall light cover up, but it's taking much longer than anticipated because of the small thread, but I think it will turn out just fine. It's to the size I'm either going to stop and make three more squares of the same size, or going to keep going with just the one square, I'm not sure yet.
If my camera cord to hook up to the computer wasn't missing since we moved I would be putting a picture here....but maybe I can use Roommate's computer sometime to do that. But she's out this weekend, so no way to do so. Maybe next week sometime.
I'm also working on a fan stitch scarf pattern also...I think it'll look pretty good. And like I said, I'll take pictures soon, hopefully.
But I've been keeping track of the time I spend on each craft, in order to price the product better on etsy, at least that's the advice I've been given about how to calculate what the product is worth.