YOP LIST 2023-2024

Sunday, November 30, 2014

YoP week 22


As promised,  I am doing my 'normal' update this week.  Thank you for all the well wishes for me to get better.  I think I am 99% there.  Now, if the cough would just leave I would be 100% there.  But I digress.

Let's take a look at what has been going on in the leftycrafter's house this week.

First up........................Crafting

This is the sweater I am working on for myself.  I have combined two patterns to get the look I want as well as putting in a few of my own ideas to totally get the pattern I have been thinking of for two years.  If you click on the picture, you will get a much better look at the fiber I am using.  There is a lovely gold thread running through it.

Then there are these:

My "Riding the Metro" socks.  I love this pattern and it is working up a bit easier now.  I have just finished the gusset and am about to start on the heel shaping.  I am using Knit Picks 100% cotton sock yarn.  It will be perfect for this "no wool" peep and also perfect for our mild Arizona winters.

Today I have been a busy beaver and not with knitting/crocheting.  Have a look at this

That is my fridge.  Well half of my fridge.  There are 4 pounds of fudge, 3 batches of scotch treats, a double batch of rolo pretzel bites, chocolate mint bark and there are also 8 gallons (no exaggeration here) of homemade chex party mix sitting on my counter.

I had told my mom, that when she could no longer do the Christmas baking, I would take it over.  Silly me!  So that is what happened this weekend.  Hubby and I started it on Friday and finished it off just before I wrote this blog.

Needless to say, not all of this food is for the two of us.  It will be passed out to family and friends to enjoy during the Christmas and New Year season.

Oh, I finished all the dishcloths and ended up with 13 of them somehow.  I think one got stuck somewhere and when I pulled them all out, SURPRISE, there it was.  I am also done with slippers.  I was going to make one more pair but that person was another one that said there was no way he would wear them as they make his feet too cold.  FINE!  

So here is how the list looks now:

YoP 4 List
New items to do

Sweater for me
Started 11/18/14



WIP's to complete

Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now.  It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK

Yearly projects I do anyway



Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
WORKED ON THIS WEEK

Things to increase my skills

2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them.  They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
   
Personal Goal

Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year.  I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 11/30/14

Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 11/30/14

COMPLETED ITEMS
Lapghan for my mom
(I started on this on July 1st since this is when the official YoP 4 started)
FINISHED 7/6/14

2-3 Doll Clothes
(I really want to get this done this year......I really do)
ALL FINISHED BY 7/22/14

1 fingerless mitt
( This is for a Christmas gift this year so it WILL be done soon)
FINISHED 8/12/14

One sock
(This also needs to be done for Christmas.  It's been lingering around for 6 months)
COMPLETED 9/27/14

Be Loving
Unplanned project but did it for love
COMPLETED 10/19/14

Slippers
(These make the best Christmas gifts and my entire family said they need new ones)
8 PAIR COMPLETED 11/09/14

12 dishcloths 
( These also make such nice Christmas gifts and are quick and fun to do)
THIRTEEN COMPLETED 11/16/14


Happy Crafting!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

YoP week 21.5

Just a little update as to what has been happening in my crafting and personal life.

I have not posted for two weeks and it felt weird not to have done so.  Therefore, I decided to do a mid-week update.

Half way through week 19 I got sick.  I mean the kind of sick where I had to stay home from work for a day because of a fever.  I am still not 100% but am managing to function as normal as I usually do.  (that's not saying much LOL)

On week 20 we had a retreat at our church for all the adults that will be making their sacraments at Easter this year.  It was an all day retreat and we were gone from 7am until 10pm that day.  Sunday saw me going to church and then home to take a nap and do laundry.  I normally knit during this retreat but this year was not able to.  I was ' walking' with a person on the retreat so needed to pay attention to her and be able to answer any questions she might have.

The next week I took off for San Diego to see my BFF's son graduate from Marine boot camp.  It was a lovely three days but very busy.  I got very little knitting done during that time.  

I do have to say that I was trying to knit during the past two weeks but ran into some technical difficulties.  I was working on THE socks when the needle and cable separated. Not a biggie.  I called the company and they said they would send out a replacement right away.  I was stoked.  I would have it before the San Diego trip.  And I did..............but the lovely post office decided that they could bend the package and therefore the needle was bent at a 30 degree angle. (Size 1 needles seem to bend pretty easily)  Not conducive to doing magic loop.  Called the company again and they said they would send another replacement.  Got it the day after we got home from our trip.  BUMMER! So I spent all day getting the socks off the defective needles and onto the good ones.  Not an easy task, when the cable is detached on the side that the stitches have to slide off of.

So due to all of these problems, I cast on a new project.  A lovely sweater for myself.  I combined two patterns to make it just the way I want it.  I will post pictures this weekend when I do my 'for real' update.  I am using my Blue Heron Metallic yarn that I bought almost 2 years ago.  I have been wanting to do a open weave pullover with it since I got it.  I have scoured Ravelry and finally found what I was looking for.  It will be a cap sleeve and I will be able to wear it summer (with a tank under it) and winter (with long sleeved tees).  I am stoked.  This is some of the most expensive fiber I have ever purchased.  That is why I wanted to make something I could wear year round.

I have not started anything else new but have finished some projects and will show those off this weekend when I do my real update.

I would like to wish all my fellow Americans a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Happy crafting!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Week 19 and crafting along



Week 19 and I have FO's to show for it.  We are still working over time at the office, but I decided to go ahead and take my hour each night and actually do something I enjoy and try to relax.  

First up:


Slippers are completed, even down to the pom pom.  My Packer friend will so adore them.

Next up:


Eleven dishcloths have been completed and number 12 is on the needles and hoping to complete it yet today.

I didn't touch my sock or baby blanket this week at all.  I wanted to get the Christmas crafting done and out of the way so I was not doing the panic dance around midnight on the 23rd.  Did that last year and did not like it at all.

So where am I?

YoP 4 List
New items to do

Slippers
(These make the best Christmas gifts and my entire family said they need new ones)
8 PAIR COMPLETED 11/09/14
NEED ONE MORE PAIR BEFORE CHRISTMAS

WIP's to complete

Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now.  It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK

Yearly projects I do anyway

12 dishcloths 
( These also make such nice Christmas gifts and are quick and fun to do)
ELEVEN COMPLETED 11/09/14

Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
  NOT WORKED ON THIS WEEK

Things to increase my skills

2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them.  They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
   
Personal Goal

Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year.  I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 11/09/14

Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 11/09/14

COMPLETED ITEMS
Lapghan for my mom
(I started on this on July 1st since this is when the official YoP 4 started)
FINISHED 7/6/14

2-3 Doll Clothes
(I really want to get this done this year......I really do)
ALL FINISHED BY 7/22/14

1 fingerless mitt
( This is for a Christmas gift this year so it WILL be done soon)
FINISHED 8/12/14

One sock
(This also needs to be done for Christmas.  It's been lingering around for 6 months)
COMPLETED 9/27/14

Be Loving
Unplanned project but did it for love
COMPLETED 10/19/14


Some of you may be quite observant and notice that the number of slippers I need to do by Christmas has decreased by one.That's because I showed them to one of the recipients and was told they were nice but they would never wear them.  So why make something that is going to sit in someones closet or be shipped off to a Thrift Store.  Nope, I can make them for homeless shelters and nursing homes where they will be appreciated.  So all I have to do is finish the one dishcloth and the one pair of slippers and my Christmas crafting is D.O.N.E.  I do still need to get adornments for the slippers that can not have pompoms because of kitty issues.  I am perusing the internet as much as possible trying to find just the right thing to sew on each of the pairs.  I want them to be totally personalized.

That is all for this week.  I am off to do laundry, cleaning, ironing and knitting.

Happy Crafting

Sunday, November 2, 2014

YoP Week 18


Week 18. I can hardly believe it.  October has bypassed me and November is full of activities that will keep me away from my knitting.

I don't have any photos this week, as I have yet to finish anything.

I worked on my sock but very little.  I didn't touch the baby blanket or any other WIP's that I have going on.

I realize that I need to get on and finish my Christmas crafting soon.  It's not like I have that much left to do.  And all the projects are quick knits/crochets.  So I will be concentrating on that this week.  The socks will need to be in time out with the blanket until the Christmas crafting is done.  

One of the reasons I am not crafting as much is......................no time.  We are working lots of overtime at the office.  I leave my house around 6:45 and don't get back home until 6 or there after.  That doesn't leave much time for dinner and family.  It gives me at most about an hours worth of crafting time.  I get about 4 rows done on the socks and then it is time for bed.  But I have gotten to the gusset on the socks (they are toe up) so I have made some progress on them.

Grand Daughter and I talked about the Crochet Doll set.  She is so set on the fact I NEED to make this doll and all the clothes for her for Christmas.  I do have some yarn in my stash that I can use to get things started.  I haven't decided what I will do yet.  I am hoping that next year she will be just as pleased with it as she would be this year.  I really don't want to break my yarn fast.  I am doing so well and I really don't have room for anymore yarn at this point.  If I could get my Christmas crafting done in the next couple of weeks, I would start on a sweater for me.  That would make lots of room for more stash.  I have yarn bought for about 4-5 sweaters and I really would like to do them to add to my wardrobe.  They will all be cotton blend sweaters and could be worn year round.  I will see how I feel after I complete the Christmas crafting.  

Lets see where I am:

YoP 4 List
New items to do

Slippers
(These make the best Christmas gifts and my entire family said they need new ones)
7.5 PAIR COMPLETED, 2.5 MORE TO DO BEFORE CHRISTMAS


WIP's to complete

Log Cabin Blanket
(This has been in my WIP pile for about 3 years now.  It needs to leave it)
DIDN'T TOUCH IT THIS WEEK

Yearly projects I do anyway

12 dishcloths 
( These also make such nice Christmas gifts and are quick and fun to do)
SIX COMPLETED 11/02/14

Socks
( I love doing them and can not say how many pairs I will complete but need to do some)
STARTED A NEW PAIR 10/7/14
WORKED ON THIS WEEK

Things to increase my skills

2-3 test knits/crochet
(I have done a few of these over the past year and loved doing them.  They totally test my skills as a crafter and help me branch out into areas I would never ever think of going)
   
Personal Goal

Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.
( I am truly going to try NOT to purchase any more yarn this year.  I have already gone 4 months without buying any yarn and I figure I can continue that trend for at least another 12 months.)
NO YARN BOUGHT AS OF 11/02/14

Take photos of ALL items when done.
(I have a habit of gifting items and never photographing them for my blog)
YUP, SO FAR AS OF 11/02/14

COMPLETED ITEMS
Lapghan for my mom
(I started on this on July 1st since this is when the official YoP 4 started)
FINISHED 7/6/14

2-3 Doll Clothes
(I really want to get this done this year......I really do)
ALL FINISHED BY 7/22/14

1 fingerless mitt
( This is for a Christmas gift this year so it WILL be done soon)
FINISHED 8/12/14

One sock
(This also needs to be done for Christmas.  It's been lingering around for 6 months)
COMPLETED 9/27/14

Be Loving
Unplanned project but did it for love
COMPLETED 10/19/14