The Daily Progress on my Client's Shrug

A friend of mine saw the last shrug I made and asked me to make one just like it for her.  It's been rather slow going...hitting a few roadblocks along the way...not having a circular needle that the yarn worked well with...searching all over the place for a circular needle that would work...realizing that going from small, dense stitching to larger, looser stitching would not work so well on circs and that I should've bought a set of double-points in the larger size if I didn't want to sew seams.  All hurdles that I've managed to get past without pulling out my hair.  Sadly, I will still have to sew sleeve seams on this shrug, but I have learned  a few lessons and won't have to do seams on any future shrugs.  This is the progress each day.

The first and second day I got the cuff and a small amount of the sleeve done.

This second photo is the progress for the third day....not too shabby...more than doubled the work of the first two days.

This third photo is the progress for the fourth day....the first sleeve is nearly done...safe to say I'm in the home stretch now!  lol

My Shrug is Finally Done! :D

Well, I finished stitching my shrug...gotta say my least favourite part of it was the sleeve seams.  Other than that, it was a super easy vintage pattern, given new life with newer yarn available on the market.  I used Bernat Mosaic, Strange Magic for this one.  Well, I posted the pics below on my facebook account two days ago and wouldn't you know it, I was contacted by somebody who wants one...same colours and all!  I've decided I'm NOT doing the seams this time....tweaked the pattern a little and decided to go with my good ol' double points and circs for this one!

Heather's Slipper Socks Are Done! :D

Well, it's been a long journey, but my son's girlfriend's slipper socks are finally finished!  Now I am rewarding myself with a nice hot cup of chai latte and some Beatles 1 on the stereo!  Below are photos taken as the work progressed from start to finish.  Now on to my Mosaic yarn shrug!  I intend to have it done before tomorrow night...it would be nice to wear it out when hubby and I go for our Valentine's dinner & movie night!  :D

My Day is Off to a Productive Start

Well, today has gotten off to a productive start.  As you can see in the photo, I got the stitching done on the first of my son's girlfriend's slipper socks and just need to stitch the seams and also got a good start on the mate.  

This morning I went to the post office and sent off two parcels for Yarn Angels.  What is Yarn Angels, you may ask?  It is a wonderful program set up by two equally wonderful ladies where people who can help less fortunate knitters/crocheters by sending them yarn and/or accessories, supplies, patterns, etc.  I have sent my recipients each a nice box full of specialty yarns with two crochet hooks.  Why did I chose to send specialty yarn?  I don't know the situation of each recipient, but kept in mind that they weren't as well off and maybe they would like to try stitching a ruffle scarf, or a pair of socks or something along that line, but couldn't really afford the ruffle yarn or a skein of sock yarn as these types of yarn are normally a little more costly than your regular worsted.  If they can make something with this yarn, maybe even sell it and then be able to buy themselves more yarn, then my job is done and has been successful!  Honestly though, I'm not sure who benefits more from this program...the people receiving the yarn they wouldn't have otherwise, or myself with the good feeling I got for helping somebody else!  I guess we all benefit.  I am a HUGE supporter of the whole "pay it forward" movement...it's directly connected with Karma...what goes around, comes around...you never know when you are going to be hit with a need that somebody else can help you with.

On that note, I am going to get some housework done so I can get down to some serious guilt-free stitching!

Had a Little Chat With my Stitching Coach

Those who know me, know that when I am stitching, my faithful companion Amigo, also known as my stitching coach isn't too far away...usually resting his head on my lap.  Well, today I wasn't feeling the urge to stitch, but I know that I won't be able to start working on my shrug until I've finished my son's girlfriend's slipper socks...a restriction I have set out for myself.  So, I sat down with Amigo and had a little talk with him.  I told him that he wasn't doing a very good job of being motivational and that I would have to take on that role myself today.  Well, I guess even stitching coaches of the canine kind don't like getting lectured...he sighed, jumped up on the couch beside me and rested his head on my lap...and thus, the stitching began.  I am now only a few ridges away from starting the toe decrease and then it's on to the mate for this slipper sock and then...THE SHRUG!!!!

This is the first slipper sock, or at least as far as I've gotten on it so far.  It's a denser fabric with this pair than the ones I made for my son in the reversed colours.  I made his on larger needles to accommodate the width and size of his feet.  This is a rather old pattern from the 60's...you could even call it vintage.  I just can't help myself...there's something about the older "classic" patterns that just calls to me to have new life stitched into it with the newer yarns that are available on the market these days, and the older patterns just never seem to be outdated really.  I guess, thanks to the creative geniuses in yarn manufacturing, I will never grow tired of these patterns...each different yarn I use will give them a whole different look and feel!

My First EVER Design I've Actually Written Out! :D

My oldest son's roommate asked me for a hat for Christmas...that's all she wanted.  I searched the internet and didn't find a pattern that spoke to me, so I sat down and made a hat of my own creation, without a written pattern.  I have never done that before, unless it was something REALLY basic, like a scarf or something like that.  When I was done the hat, I decided to write out the pattern I created so I could make it again somewhere down the like.  It's a basket weave beanie, but could be made into a slouchy hat quite easily.  You can download the pattern here.

Christmas Gifts 2013

Anybody who knows me, knows that I like to make home made or hand stitched gifts for my family for Christmas and this past Christmas was no exception to that rule of mine.  This year, each of our kids and grandkids got something that I made for them and each of the kids living away from home on their own also got a rather large tub of home made cookies also.  Let me run this down and introduce you to my family at the same time.

This is my son-in-law Dan wearing the slouchy beanie I crocheted for him.  It's very thick, so it's sure to keep his head warm in the really cold winter weather we have been having.

This is my youngest step-daughter Tiffany, Dan's better half wearing the slouchy hat with matching scarf and gloves that I made for her.  The young man picking on her is my youngest son Thomas.

Somewhere under all that hair you will find my oldest grandson Gabriel.  He's trying on his Momverse slippers that I made for him.

This is my darling little grandson Noah...he's grown quite a bit from the pics in my previous posts.  He's now 4 years old.  He's our little monkey wearing a crocheted sock monkey hat!  lol

This is my oldest step-daughter Crystal wearing her crocheted cowl.

A Few MORE of my Favourite Things

After finishing my last post yesterday, I realized there were some photos on the computer of other things I have made over the years.  These first few things are gifts I had made for the first grandbaby that I would be a part of my hubby's family for...our sweet little Noah.

This is my sweet little Noah with the knit reversible toque I made for him.

A multitude of what my sons call Momverse slippers.  I've made tons of these slippers over the years and they are always a favourite!

My youngest sister Lexiee's gloves (only one shown here), with matching slouchy hat.

My oldest son Josh modelling his pair of Momverse slippers.

A sweater that I knit while working for the Salvation Army during their Kettle Drive.  It was for my very first little niece for her very first Christmas.

Crocheted bells I made, complete with embellishment and a little jingle bell clapper.

flip flops I had made for my sister when her feet were so swollen during her pregnancy that she couldn't wear regular shoes.

My Diva slippers....eyelash yarn around the cuff made them so special.

A little purse I was asked to make for a tween girl.

Potpourri Angels...so cute and they smelled so pretty!

Two of three yo-yo afghans I had made to use up my scrap yarn....now working on a different scrap afghan with the end of the scraps nowhere in sight!  lol

My crocheted snowflakes.  I have about 4 or 5 sets of these on my Christmas tree every year, I've made a few sets of these for my sister and have sold many sets of these also!

My very first crocheted cafe curtain for the kitchen window in the house we used to live in.

The crocheted angel tree topper I made for my sister.

These Are a Few of my Favourite Things

 I promise, not all of my posts will have so many photos in them.  This being my first post, it contains photos of most of the projects I've been working on or have finished over the past little while.

These two photos are a scrap afghan that is still a work in progress.  The poor thing is only a few rows of squares away from being completed, but it keeps getting back-benched for other projects.

Monkey hats...I started out just making one for my youngest grandson for Christmas and then when my friends say it, they all wanted them for Christmas gift giving.

This is my youngest son.  He told me he wanted a beanie with a short brim on it so I stitched him this hat.  He hasn't gotten to wear it too much since his girlfriend stole it from him!  lol

A friend of mine became a Grandma for the first time to the teeniest little girl I have ever seen.  Even newborn and preemie clothes were too large on this little angel.  I made these two sweaters for her.

In the nearly 7 years that hubby and I have been together, I have never made anything for him...that is, until now.  I decided to make him a pair of "dorm socks" to kick around the house in.  We have no carpeting in our place and these floors can get pretty cold in the winter.

 Spiderweb slouchy hats I have made.  They work up so quickly and all the women in my family seem to love them!

For my youngest son (again).  I made him a pair of Green Bay Packers slipper socks using a vintage pattern.