Baby Babbles, Washcloths

I finished the towel based on Baby Babbles from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

I also crocheted 2 washcloths based on pattern #27 designed by Darla Sims from Leisure Arts' The Big Book of Dishcloths.

Plum Granny Ripple

I finished crocheting the Plum Granny Ripple afghan by the late Janie Herrin.

 

As always, taking a photo of a large item like an afghan was a challenge. I ended up standing on my couch and leaning as far back against the wall as I could. I don't know how I'm going to photograph afghans and quilts once I get rid of the couch (which is happening soon, I hope).

Dish Sponges

In my efforts to help out the environment by replacing as many disposible items with reusable items as is practical, I've been on a quest to find good reusable dish sponge.

I've been using these for a while. The scrubby side is made from a plastic fabric with raised white plastic dots.

The back is terry cloth, fiber content unknown.

These can be washed in the washing machine, but as you can see above, the plastic fabric splits and has to be mended. Also, the plastic foam sponge inside does break down over time and eventually these need to be thrown out, adding more plastic to the landfill. Also, the white dots fall off in the washing machine or while I'm doing the dishes, sending microplastics into the water system. Altogether, these are not an ideal solution.

Thinking about this recently, I realized that the scrubby side doesn't actually do that good a job of scrubbing. I've essentially been washing my dishes with cloth. And, since I'm good about rinsing my dishes right away and setting them to soak in soapy water, I don't actually need to scrub them. So, I decided to try my hand at creating my own dish sponges out of some sort of fabric.

Using one of my existing dish sponges as a guide for size, I crocheted a rectangle that when folded up would be the desired thickness, folded it in thirds, and then crocheted the edges together.

The first sponge in that image demonstrates why one should always make a gauge swatch: even though my foundation chain was the same length as the old dish sponge, by the time I got through crocheting my rectangle it had grown quite a bit! I used the oversized sponge as my gauge swatch, adjusted my stitch and row counts, and made 3 more sponges, this time the right size. I used hdcs to make the rectangle because they work up fast and make a nice pattern on their own.

I just used one of these to do the dishes, and it did the job just fine. There was even an unexpected advantage: it was much easier to rinse the soap out and wring out the sponge than with the old model.

As a final note, I can never wring out my dish sponge without thinking about this episode of Frasier:

Granny Square Poncho

Lately, I've been curling up in front of the computer under an old cotton blanket, which is cozy, but kind of a pain since I have to keep readjusting it and clutching the front of it closed. So, I decided to make a cotton poncho. No pattern, I just grabbed some cotton yarn from my stash, decided on a color palette, and got to work. I crocheted granny squares in the shape of a poncho using a join-as-you-go method and added borders. The color placement was completely random. I made a few mistakes in the joinings, but I couldn't be bothered to rip back and fix them once I discovered them.

Step Afghan

I finally finished my step afghan.

 

It's really difficult to photograph an afghan this large (62"x71"). I ended up standing on a step ladder holding my camera at a very odd angle just trying to fit it all in the frame. I actually finished it the week before last, but I was sick last week and couldn't get to blogging about it before now. I had to add borders to keep the edges from curling, and I've updated the pattern to reflect this. Also, as you can see from the photos this afghan could definitely benefit from blocking, but I'm not going to do that because 1) I don't have the space, and 2) I can't be bothered. I don't mind if it's a little wonky; it'll still keep me warm and keep this plastic yarn out of the landfill that much longer.

On that note, even after crocheting this monster afghan I still had acrylic yarn left over. I swear the stuff had been breeding.

I've given up on it. I acheived my goal of getting rid of all of my acrylic yarn by simply bagging it up, labelling it "Free Yarn", and leaving it in the laundry room for any of my neighbors who might want it. Except, that is, for 2 balls which I'm using to work out a pattern for an afghan I'm designing. Once I have that pattern worked out, the acrylic yarn goes in the laundry room and I'll buy some good yarn for the afghan.

Now for an update on my stitching schedule. My new schedule is working out really well, although I did have to make a couple of tweaks. I eliminated my weekly walk (I walk and take the bus everywhere, so I get enough exercise), and I divided my chores between Saturday and Sunday rather than trying to cram them all into Sunday. That feels a bit saner.

Also, I shortened my stitching time a bit. I discovered the book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey, a collection of brief bios of artists' working days. This book was a revelation for me. I don't know about you, but I've always had this picture in my mind of an artist working all day long in their studio, only stopping to eat, drink, or sleep, and sometimes not even then. Well, guess what, folks: that's a myth. There were (and are) artists, to be sure, who did work all day at their art, but they're the exception rather than the rule. Most worked for short periods of time and then went and did other things, even those who were full-time artists. Many had day jobs and did their art when they could. After reading a great many of these bios, I decided to stop guilt tripping myself about not being a "real artist" and get more realistic. I noticed the time period of 3 hours cropping up again and again in these bios, so I decided to limit my stitching time to no more than 3 hours at a stretch (unless, of course, I get really involved in a project). So, now I'm doing my half hour of stitching in the mornings, and 3 hours of stitching in the afternoons, and it feels right. I start to get tired right at the 3 hour mark.

I've been sticking to this new schedule for the most part, lapsing occasionally when I'm ill or "life" happens, but I get right back to it as soon as I can. This looks like it could be a permanent routine.

Goals for 2017

Hi, y'all! With 2016 almost behind us (thank goodness), it's time to start thinking about yearly goals again.

Setting a yearly goal and then working on a project in the finishing stages at least once a week worked so well for me last year that I want to continue in the same vein this year. So with that in mind, I listed all of my projects and thought about how I wanted to approach getting them done. Eventually, I would like to work on at least one finishing project, one quilting/binding project (as opposed to piecing a quilt), and one of my own designs each week. Once I've done some work on each of those, I'd then work on whatever I felt like. I'd also like to have just a few projects for each type of needlework that I do. Over the next few years, I plan to focus on reducing my UFOs so that I don't feel so overwhelmed by the excessive number that I currently have.

I'm not going to worry about reducing the number of projects that are at the finishing stage or the number of quilts that are at the quilting/binding stage because if I keep working on those for a bit each week I should be able to keep on top of them. I'm also not going to worry about Christmas projects since I only work on those during the month of December and I only have a few anyway. Also, for the sake of brevity, in this post I'm not going to bother with images for each project; I'll just list the project names (I promise to properly credit the designers in future posts).

So, without further ado, here we go:

Swedish Weaving:

I would like to have just one Swedish weaving project. Currently I have the following:

Baby Babbles

Goal already met. Yay!

Blackwork:

For blackwork, I would like to have at most one of my own designs and one project designed by someone else. Currently I have the following:

Da Capo

Goal already met. Yay!

Knitting:

For knitting, I would like to have one summer project and one winter project. Currently I have the following:

Shawl
Soft Shoulders

Soft Shoulders is perfect for a winter project. I would prefer to have something knit with cotton or linen for a summer project, but the shawl, which I'm knitting with a laceweight yarn, isn't too heavy so it will do. I'm calling this goal already met. Yay!

Crochet:

For crocheting, I would like to have one summer project, one winter project, and one scrap-eater project. Currently I have the following:

Plum Granny Ripple
Step Afghan
Granny's Daughter
Country Quilt Footstool Caddy

Plum Granny Ripple is a good summer project and the Step Afghan is a good winter project. Granny's Daughter is a scrap afghan consisting of 1 1/2" one-round granny squares crocheted together with a main color. It's a perfect project for using up scraps that are too small to be used in other projects.

So, to meet my crocheting goal I'll need to finish the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy.

Quilts - Piecing:

For quilts that are in the piecing stage, I would like to have one of my own designs and one project designed by someone else. Currently I have the following:

Hidden Stars
Old Mill Pond
Around the Town
Snuggles Quilts Block-of-the-Month (BOTM) (the designer never gave this a name)

Hidden Stars is my own design. That leaves 3 designed by others. Old Mill Pond will take the longest to finish, so in order to meet this goal I plan to finish piecing Around the Town and design a setting (I didn't like the designer's) for the blocks in the Snuggles Quilts BOTM and finish piecing it.

Cross Stitch:

For my cross stitch projects, I would like to have one of my own designs and one project designed by someone else. Currently I have the following:

Bright Feathers
Mask of Colors 1
Fish City
Noah's Sub
Joy of Computer Work
Brilliant Butterfly Celebration
Kitty Litter
Elements of Nature I
Elements of Nature II
Celtic Gilt Sun
Serenity
Starry Night
Planetarius
Dolphins' Domain
Rose Cross

Yikes.

Now, Mask of Colors 1 (and its companion piece), Fish City, and Noah's Sub are all giant projects that will take me years to finish, so I'm not going to worry about them; I'll just make sure not to start any more giant cross stitch projects.

Bright Feathers is my own design.

That leaves the following projects by other designers that need to be whittled down to just one:

Joy of Computer Work
Brilliant Butterfly Celebration
Kitty Litter
Elements of Nature I
Elements of Nature II
Celtic Gilt Sun
Serenity
Starry Night
Planetarius
Dolphins' Domain
Rose Cross

Obviously, I'm not going to be able to finish all of those in just one year. I'll need to spread them out over a few years, starting with the smaller ones so that I feel like I'm making progress.

So finally, after reviewing the above, I've decided to finish (or at least get to the finishing or quilting/binding stage) 6 projects this year. That's 2 months per project, which seems reasonable. I'll do the projects needed to meet my goals plus enough of the cross stitch projects to make a total of 6.

My goal for 2017 is to finish the following:

Country Quilt Footstool Caddy
Around the Town
Snuggles Quilts Block-of-the-Month (BOTM)
Elements of Nature I
Serenity
Rose Cross

So, my plan for this year is to work on one finishing project, one quilting/binding project, and one of my own designs each week, and then focus on the 6 projects listed above. If I do that, then by the end of the year I should have reduced my UFOs to a reasonable number, except for the cross stitch projects, of course.

Bright Feathers, Rose Cross, Elements of Nature I, Hidden Stars, Hand Towel, Potholder, Celtic Jewel Bookmark, Country Quilt Footstool Caddy

Finishing:

I finished the Celtic Jewel Bookmark from the Textile Heritage Collection.

Now I've got just one more project left to meet my goal for the year.

Quilting:

I layered, basted, and started quilting my potholder

I also did some more work on the 3rd block of my Hidden Stars quilt.

Knitting:

I did some more knitting on my hand towel.

Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on my Bright Feathers design.

I also did some more work on the Rose Cross by Irene O. Thomas.

And I pulled out Elements of Nature I, which is adapted from the artwork of Jennifer Pugh and did some more stitching on it.

Crochet:

Finally, I did some more crocheting on the side of the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom.

Blackwork Chessboard, Bright Feathers, Brilliant Butterfly Celebration, Country Quilt Footstool Caddy, Hand Towels, Hidden Stars, Mask of Colors 1, Celtic Jewel Bookmark, Potholders

Finishing:

I finally finished the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor.

And now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!

My next finishing project will be the Celtic Jewel Bookmark from the Textile Heritage Collection. So far I've just washed and pressed the needlework and the felt backing.

Quilting:

I also finished my potholder.

And then I started and finished piecing my final potholder.

I did some more work on the 3rd block of my Hidden Stars quilt.

Knitting:

I finished my hand towel.

I also started started knitting the next one. This will be last of these too.

Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on my Bright Feathers design.

I also did some more work on Mask of Colors 1, a Colray Crafts chart by Michele Sayetta* of Heaven and Earth Designs* based on artwork by Linda Ravenscroft.

*I do not endorse this designer's products.

And I pulled out Brilliant Butterfly Celebration (designer unknown) from The Gold Collection by Dimensions and did some more stitching on it.

Crochet:

Finally, I finished the bottom of the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom. Again, I haven't finished it off just in case I want to make size adjustments later.

I also got started on the side.

Blackwork Chessboard, Bright Feathers, Hand Towel, Hidden Stars, Mask of Colors 1, Potholder, Country Quilt Footstool Caddy, Rose Cross

Finishing:

I finished the 3rd binding strip on the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor and started on the 4th.

Quilting:

I finished the 1st binding strip on my potholder and started on the 2nd. I've been doing single bindings, but I decided to try double/French bindings on this project. I'm finding the double bindings easier to make and will probably do them in the future unless I'm short on fabric.

I pulled out my Hidden Stars quilt and sewed the first 2 blocks together. Now you should be able to see why I named it Hidden Stars. :)

I also started piecing the 3rd block.

Knitting:

I did some more knitting on my hand towel.

Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on my Bright Feathers design.

I pulled out Mask of Colors 1, a Colray Crafts chart by Michele Sayetta* of Heaven and Earth Designs* based on artwork by Linda Ravenscroft and did some more stitching on it.

*I do not endorse this designer's products.

I also did some more work on the Rose Cross by Irene O. Thomas.

Crochet:

Finally, I did some more crocheting on the bottom of the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom.

Bright Feathers, Blackwork Chessboard, Rose Cross, Hand Towel, Country Quilt Footstool Caddy, Potholder

Finishing:

I finished the 2nd binding strip on the Blackwork Chessboard by Anne MacGregor.

Quilting:

I started a new set of potholders. These will be small and single-layered -- no pockets. I decided it was about time that I learned how to do curved seams, so I found a template for a drunkard's path block and added a border to make it big enough. I've finished piecing and quilting the first one.

So, here it is: my very first curved seam. I'm rather proud of it. :)

Knitting:

I did some more knitting on my hand towel.

Cross Stitch:

I did some more stitching on my Bright Feathers design.

I also did some more work on the Rose Cross by Irene O. Thomas.

Crochet:

Finally, I finished crocheting the cover for the Country Quilt Footstool Caddy by Karin Strom and started on the bottom.

Here's the cover by itself.

And here it is on the bucket lid. It doesn't lie flat in the center, but it should look okay once I've put the cushion under it. I haven't finished off the end in case I want to make size adjustments after I've made the cushion and seen how it looks.

And here's the bottom, so far.