100 days of creativity - week 2.

week two was a little slow going up onto instagram as the shorter days are definitely impeding on my photo taking time. i did get there eventually though ha ha!



a finish up of the beanie i started last week, as well as a start to a swatch for work, and a baby blankie with some yarns i was gifted as part of a yarn swap. ooh and there was a little fixing of my crocheted blankie that was developing a few holes after being on the couch for the last couple of years. and also a little end weaving on some wash cloths that my mum got to knitting.
i'm finding it quite hard to take interesting and different photos of my projects each day, so i think i'll keep juggling projects for the 100 days, so i don't bore everyone to tears...

what creating have you gotten up to this week?

all striped out.

sunday night, i put the last of the edge on my granny stripe blanket!



it's DONE!

a little later than i'd hoped, but still, within the month...



the edge is made up of granny clusters, going around the edge entirely, rather than just back and forth like the body of the blanket...



oh, and some stats: this blankie weighs in at 3.1kgs. that's almost 16x200g balls of wool! and at $12.50 a pop, this blankie, like all the others that i've made, hasn't come cheap!
it has however, given me HOURS of entertainment and should last us for years and years.
money well spent? i think so!!



and it already has a big fan! pretty sure this guy spent all day yesterday, snoozing on it while i was working.
it's a nice life huh?



ravelry deets.

have you finished any projects lately? do you like to crochet?

august.

august? seriously? how did that happen?
august is probably my favourite month though, it's my birthday month :D

a quick look back on july, i didn't get everything done i wanted to... so for that reason, there are a lot of things repeated on this months list.
i'm hoping to make good use of my day's off this month, to get a couple of the lengthy projects ticked off the list.



oh, and i think i need to start back on my '4 rows a night' habit to get my granny stripe blankie finished!

what are you up to this month? do you have a list of goals too?

little lovelies.

every weekend, i put together a little list of lovely things that have happened during the week. always looking for the nice side of the week :D



i received this lovely biscuit in the mail from a new mama. it was to say thank-you for a little blankie i knitted up. what a lovely gesture! it's too pretty to eat though!



i cast on a new project during the week on my way to brown owls. a gap-tastic cowl for a friend's upcoming birthday
it's using the yarn that i mentioned last week!



and speaking of yarn, the back-ordered yarn i ordered a few weeks ago for the granny stripe has turned up. so i'm back at work on it! well in between knitting up the above mentioned cowl that is ;)

today, i'm heading off on a little roadtrip to visit my parents. i haven't been to visit them since mothers day! whoops!

what cool things have happened to you this week?

ta-da!!

after my wool shopping expedition on the weekend, i finally had enough wool to finish off my bamcal blankie!

i decided on a scalloped edge to finish off the edge of the edge.



and although it's a little wonky due to the slight different sizes in the squares, i think it finished it off nicely.



it's been loved and used on the couch over the last few months, but i'm super happy that it's all finished now.

and so is this guy.



it took me almost 18 months, but it was well worth the wait, i LOVE it!
now, what should i make next...

what have you finished recently? or have you started something new?

squaring up.

i've been trying to catch up on my bamcal squares recently. i'd gotten quite behind... september crept up on me and i'd barely made a start on my august squares!
after a few days of frantic hooking, i'm all caught up now though...

august's squares...



and september's...

raveled

now to get them joined onto the rest of the blankie...


are you kicking any creative goals today?

you so square!

once again, i've managed to get my bamcal squares done at the very start of the month.
i think my quick hooking is to do with the excitement of the patterns being released at the very start of the month, it's a bit like christmas morning, logging onto ravelry to see if they've been released and what they are. might be just me though...

i was pretty pleased with myself for getting these ones done. they all presented a bit of a challenge as they all had something a little bit different to them. i learned some new things!



they still all need to be blocked out, they're all looking a bit wonky...

and i think i might start putting them together soon too! if i wait until they're all done in december, it'll probably seem like way to big a job and they'll just sit in piles forever!
just have to work out how i'm going to join them...

do you have any joining recommendations?

kicking back.

phew! what a week it has been for me! since my last post, i've worked almost every day, so not too much time for blogging at all!
i had a package arrive the day after my last post...




full to the brim with some beautiful wool for the crochet-a-long i'd joined in with.

naturally, i got to work straight away. i managed to get all 3 blocks done within the week and after putting it off for while, got them blocked out too.




i blocked them out to 9" squares. they're a bit smaller because i'm using an 8ply wool instead of the recommended 10 ply. i've also messed around with the pattern a little, making the 6" square a bit bigger. i think i'll do this with all of the 6" squares, so that i can have a 6x6 square layout at the end, no worrying about complex sizing of the squares.
i also took a bit of extra time and did a final round of single crochet around the outside of all of the squares, to make joining them together that much easier.

i'm very excited for it to be february now, bring on the next 3 squares!

now i'm going to kick back and have a bit of a relax, i have the next two days off work!

what have you been up to this week?

my creative space.

i wracked my brain all day yesterday, trying to think of a topic for today's post, completely forgetting that thursday is my creative space day! silly me!!!



today i'm working on some repairs to a well travelled blankie. one you might remember seeing before...
my first blanket effort hasn't held up to toddler time quite as well as i would've hoped, but it's very repairable. and it's a good indication just how far i've come with my crochet. i'm looking at the joining that i did with this blanket and wondering what the hell was i doing! hopefully the latest blankie holds up a little longer :D

more creatives spaces, over this way!

baby blanket ta-da!

it's done! the baby blanket i was working on for my cousin's baby is all done!
i made it up in greens, whites and yellows as my cousin wasn't sure whether she was having a girl or a boy.



don't mind the wrinkliness of the blankie, i was trying to use up wool from my stash (read: bb found my wool stash and has forbidden me to buy any more wool, i'm pretty safe though, he has no idea what i've got in there so wouldn't notice if new balls showed up :D), so everything is in slightly different plys. makes it a bit snugglier i think!



i got it done just in the nick of time too! poppy louise was born at 1pm on the 12th of august!
can't wait to go and visit because she looks ridiculously cute in the photos!!!

our creative space.

putting the very last of the baby blanket squares together.

nearly time to put on the edge and get it alllllllllll finished up!

what are you today?

ripple ta-da!

so this may well be the longest it will ever take me to finish a crochet blankie, but the ripple, well it's finally done!!!
i started it wayyyy back in september of '09 and finally got around to putting the finishing touches on it last night while i watched the afl upset of the season. to be honest, i actually thought i was done before the weekend, with just some ends to weave in, when i noticed in the brilliant sunshine of saturday, that i had crocheted the final row in a grey instead of a green (made me realise how terrible the lighting in our lounge room is of a night time!)
i did contemplate leaving it how it was, claiming it to be a design feature, especially because there wasn't a lot of difference in the colour...


but my perfectionist nature got the better of me... i quickly frogged the row, taught bb how to roll it back up into a ball (oh how he will regret learning this skill *evil laugh*) and re-crocheted the row within the football game.

so here it is, all done! with all the ends sewn in and trimmed off! i really think it looks pretty as a picture :D



and my favourite blankie shot! can i trademark it ha ha?




a work in progress, a long time coming. unlike pip, i am not sad to see the end of this blankie, probably because it's all mine and will get plenty of loving from bb and i over many years, but also because there's always another blankie project around the corner...

the ripple journey is mostly here.

flood relief blankie ta-da!

it's done! it is alllllll done!
i finished the last part of the border on monday night but haven't had a chance to get it photographed til today! it's very hard to get nice lighting when you come home from work and it's dark!



even so, not the greatest photo, i didn't have anywhere big enough to lay it out nicely!

so here's a prettier one... bit more deja vu happening. i'm not so creative with my photo taking am i? (to be honest i just wanted an excuse to sprawl out on this lovely creation. the boyfriend is begging me not to send it!)


i can't believe how vibrant the colours are! they would definitely not be in my safe choices! love your thinking outside the box lea!




thought i'd show off my edging too, after working the entire blankie in double crochet, i decided to do a row of single crochet in each colour to finish everything off nicely.
so tomorrow, this gorgeous little thing will be winging it's way to lea, in sydney.
i started it on shrove tuesday (8th of march) and finished it up on monday so just under 14 weeks, not a bad effort i think!

i hope you love it as much as i loved making it for you lea!
i do love making a good crochet blankie... maybe now i'll finish up my ripple... then again...

see you tomorrow for some creativity in this space, and maybe tomorrow night too...

so very close....

after being so close to being finished lea's blankie on thursday, i thought i'd be here with a ta-da, i'm finished post but gosh this edge is taking a lot longer than i first anticipated!



but here i am, on the very edge of the edge. it can't be too much longer surely!

have you enjoyed your weekend? was it a long one? i enjoyed a very leisurely day off from work today. thank you dear queen for being born and such ;)

our creative space.

bit of deja vu happening here... everything is looking a bit the same as a month or so ago, except now, i'm on the home stretch (and the lighting isn't quite as bright...)


hooking up the last few rows and then there's just the edge to go! guess i better start saving up my pennies to send this baby up to sydney, it's getting quite heavy!

i also made a start on one of the baby presents i've been banging on about needing to make!



it's a cross stitch using a counted pattern for a cousin's (almost born) baby! hoping i can get it to near completion before the little babe is born so that all i need to do is stitch in a name and birth date. fingers crossed!

more creative spaces can now be found here!

june?!?!

today is the first of june but where on earth did may go? feels like just yesterday i was writing my may post :S i have this crazy feeling this is the way the entire year will go!
well looking back on may, i did get my beanies done, and the test knit, well i almost did, i sent them off this afternoon! will have a proper show and tell tomorrow.




i also got my cushion done! well maybe only one, i still have lyndel's to do (don't worry, it's coming!). and yeah, that was about it for may on the crafty front...




so what does that mean for june? well i intend to finish off lea's blankie . it's almost done and i'll be taking it away with me this weekend! i'm heading off to daylesford with my lovely aunties and female cousins, a proper girly weekend away! in a complete coincidence, it happens to fall on the same weekend as the makers market and the lark sample sale! i'm very excited!
when i get back i'll definitely be getting down to those baby gifts i wanted to get started on last month, one is due VERY soon so i definitely need to get my butt into gear!
i also want to get my ripple done, FINALLY! it's been living on our bed recently as it's been so darn cold and we've had to be very careful not to wriggle too much and unravel it!
i'd also like to do some decluttering! there's little pockets forming everywhere and it's driving me to distraction!

what are your plans for june?

may days.

so the inevitable happened, it's may. the days keep trickling by at a rate that is a little alarming.
won't you slow down days?
anywho, what are your plans for may?

my may will be very crafty i think! lots and lots of wooly, crafty things to do, and maybe even some sewing too!
on the creative to-do list this month, lea's blankie (the aim is to have it finished by the end of the month, we'll see how that goes...), more beanies (i finished this one off on the weekend, 3 to go now!), a test knit (which incidentally, is a beanie), some baby presents (one is getting quite close to due, need to pull my finger out...) and finally a cushion (or two).
which reminds me, my giveaway ended on sunday and i was wayyy too peed off at my computer to try and use it (i can't type a thing anymore, not a thing! starting to save for a new one...) so without further ado, the winner is

lyndel!

congratulations to you! i'll be knitting and crocheting (yes, the cushion has both, not great at choosing between the two) you a cushion cover up as well! and look,



i've even made a start! after two tension swatches knitted up on the train, i cast on and managed to get a few rows done too, only 85 cms or so left to knit up, twice ha ha!
yes, i will most definitely be a busy bee this month but for now, i've got to go and be a busy bee in the kitchen. the dishes are piled high and i need some of them to cook dinner. the call of housework *sigh*.
hope your month is a wonderful one!

why hello!

hi! i'm still here if you were wondering...
i've been feeling a bit absent of late. my buggy computer has meant that making blog comments or posting blogs (or even writing tweets) from it to be absolutely impossible! i found out that it's not full of viruses as i was suspecting, but in fact that the logic board is cactus! well perhaps not completely gone yet, but certainly on it's way out. in any case, no typey typing on it!



this means i have to use BB's big computer which to be honest i'm a little terrified of. it has windows 7 which i have no clue how to use and it does strange things and makes strange noises and i can't really get it to do what i want without a lot of huffing and puffing and such. these computer malfunctions, coupled with many many work hours and trying to catch up with everyone mean not many blog posts ha ha!
now look at me having a big whinge, it's good friday!
are you having a good and relaxing day?
i most certainly am! i love that there's no where to be, as no where is open!
a relaxing day is a very nice idea after a busy week :D
i started my week in geelong (maybe i'll share more about that tomorrow...) and have been busy working and crocheting and sharing meals and drinks with friends and family!

a little crochet update for you?
i've been working hard (yet inconsistently) on lea's blankie.


it's coming along don't you think? i do so like to measure blankies against my bed :D
and in case youw ere wondering, that lovely wool crochet-y close up further up the post, is lea's blankie too! i'm loving the colours, they're so much bolder than anything i'd ever put together!

progress report.

after a very long morning of cleaning, the oven alcove is completely clean! and the outside of the oven (well the back and sides) are pretty spiffy looking too!



however, my cleaning methods were a little voracious and i ended up stripping a fair amount of paint from the sides of the walls. so i'm off to bunnings on my way to work to get some new paint and some tile or lino to cover up those floor boards too!
the discovery of these floor boards under the oven has made me wonder if they're under all the flooring in the house too? wish it was mine so i could start pulling up our (terrible) carpet to check!

a little progress report on lea's blankie too...



i'm 48 rows in (of a calculated 265! eep!) so i think i'll need to pick up the pace a little bit to get it done and to lea by winter! a fair way to go yet.

update.

so it's been a couple of days, but i haven't really been up to anything exciting...
i've been working on the wedding blanket constantly, but that's really about it!




it's growing and growing and growing! it's well over a third of the way done now, i just hope i can get it all finished up on time! many late nights in my future i think...
well i'm off to the city for the day (blankie in hand). my parents are in town for the night yippee!
hope the start of your week is going stupendously!