Balance? More or Less...

I'm still streamlining my online endeavors so that I can properly ration my time while maximizing my creativity. My Ravelry groups are back down to 32 in number, which still sounds like a lot, doesn't it? As much as I adore knitting and crochet there are other facets of my creative life I need to spend more time working on, specifically, writing. Fortunately, there is an active writing group in my area which participates in the annual NaNoWriMo! I think I will be signing up soon :)

Balance!

Finally, I feel like I am achieving balance again since Ravelry came into my life! There are so many wonderful people, projects and information on this site that it can be overwhelming and time consuming... not to mention the time it takes away from actually making something! I've got my groups back down to 40 and I may actually delete a few more as I know I don't have time to actually participate in all 40 groups. My plan is to use Ravelry once a day... we'll see how that goes LOL.

I'm caught up on my podcasts and may be in the "market" for a few new subscriptions. The wonderful thing about podcasts is that they can travel with you and don't demand your full attention while listening. So multi-tasking (which is a necessity in my life) is no problem.

As for the more mundane, my front-loading washer is acting up. Without an agitator it is difficult to balance a load and I think between all of the towels and jeans this family of 5 can dirty, that I've worn the poor thing out!

With the sun beating down...

sunhat
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

...it was time to pull out the sun hats. Just one problem, I didn't have one that fit. Ok, so my head is a little large for a woman... Anyway, I decided that since it was very doubtful that I would take my cotton stash and make washcloths, I would crochet myself a sun hat! I think I did quite well, thank you very much! Actually, I had found an old pattern in one of those little special publication books put out by Better Homes & Gardens but as I worked it up discovered that it was just a bit bigger than I would like. I added a row of double crochet so that I could thread a ribbon through and cinch it in a bit to fit better. After that point, I switched back to single crochet and improvised the rest of the pattern based on how I wanted it to look and feel. I'm very happy with the results and wore it nearly all Easter weekend :)

Now, We're Talkin'!

This is my second variation on the popular Booga Bag. I cast on more stitches (48) than the pattern called for, knit a larger bottom panel, and picked up more stitches in the round. I knit until I ran out of yarn and I am thrilled with the results! So these are fall colors? I don't mind!

About the yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Chestnut and a red-orange (I don't know what the color was called).

Where's My Rabbit?

It's been awhile since I posted in part because I was sick with a nasty chest cold and bronchitis which lasted nearly two weeks. Due to extreme fatigue and general blahs, I stuck with less complicated projects such as this one: a felted crochet hat from the book FELTED CROCHET by Jane Davis. I am very happy with how it turned out though it is a bit tall to be practical but its very warm, slightly eccentric, and perfect to wear to my crafting group... I just haven't done it yet... I've become quite taken with felting knit or crochet projects but I must shift gears now and concentrate on crafting through other elements of my stash (such as the last of my squeaky acrylic). Going from knitting or crocheting with pure wool to crafting with acrylic is like dumping a bucket of ice water on my head!

On a happier note...

Here is my latest finished object... my version of the Booga Bag.

This was made utilizing two different felt-able yarns in my stash: Patons Classic Merino in Chestnut and Bernat Lana in Smoke (I think). A quick easy knit, I think I will be making another soon to take my mind off of my recent WIP disasters. I will likely tweak this pattern a bit to make a larger finished bag.

Also, I am considering embellishing these bags with needle felting, a skill I hope to learn in the near future!

Update Overdue...

As you will see in another post, I do have a finished object to share and I am definitely happy with it :)

However, it seems like everything else I have touched since then I have had to frog and forget or frog and restart. For example, my ribbed Austermann Step socks and my stash bustin' lace sampler shrug... I had thought that I had measured my gauge for the socks, but apparently not. After turning the heel and knitting the gusset, I eagerly tried on my creation only to discover it was about an inch too large. Rip-it, rip-it... to the frog pond. I have now come to terms with this situation and I am re-knitting it after casting on 8 fewer stitches. Hopefully, I will have no further issues with these socks.

The shrug, using LB suede, is progressing slowly and the different lace patterns are giving me ideas for designs I may want to create myself :) However, I will be sooooooo glad when my stash is void of this particular yarn. I just don't like working with it... it's becoming a chore but I will see it through to the end!

I've also had gauge issues with a crochet (to be felted) hat. I don't know why I didn't realize that you need to check your gauge even when felting but I didn't until I was over halfway trough the project only to discover that it was waaaaaaaay too big. So I've restarted this project too.

My mojo seems to be missing at the moment...