Crafty Plans For 2013

I really am not looking forward to packing our house up  when we eventually move and really think this is the best time to down size some of our belongings.  I know what I am about to say is very rude but my crafting supplies need to be down sized too, yes, I admit I have too much stash. You would never have guessed I had too much, but where do I start?



 

My expedit is full to the brim with paper and yarn, a further shelf unit is full of yarn and then there are baskets galore scattered around the house filled with yarn.  Apart from the odd ball all of the yarn has a purpose with 90% of it for projects already started.  Crochet wise I must get working on those WIPs.  I find it very hard to believe that I only completed 4 projects last year; a cot blanket, a pram blanket and 2 hats.  The hats were not included in my one a day tallies yet I managed to complete 502 stripes, rows or squares last year.  Why then do I have so many WIPs which are less than 30% complete.  According to my Ravelry account I have 23 WIPs at present.  To be honest I think there is about another 4/5 not listed.  Lots of work is needed to complete these.  This year I intend to complete one a day again and I am currently on track which is at least a positive towards completion of the many projects I have began. 

 

 



 This week I have been working on the Rowan Cashmerino DK blanket.  I need 96 squares and have now completed 50 squares and surprisingly I have sewn in all the ends as I have gone along.  Happy with this progress but I had wanted to complete this by Christmas but life just got in the way.  The aim now is to complete the blanket by the end of February.  Seems a long time but I need to be realistic with what I can achieve.  I just don't crochet as quick as I used to due to carpel tunnel and finding time always seems to hinder progress.

 

Knitting wise I just have one seam to sew up to complete my grey cashsoft chunky wrist warmers.  Max of 10 minutes yet they have sat there unloved for about 9 weeks!  Then I have my Nephew's owl hat that needs sewing then eyes, beak and ears tufts made and attached.  Again so close yet very far from completion.  These projects will be completed by the end of next week.

 

2013 will be the year when I do some serious work on the many projects I have started and I will do my best to ignore any new yarn and projects shouting out to me.  Its clear a large number of projects need to be completed before any more are started.  But let me think, didn't I say that last year??  Wasn't 2012 going to be the year of completion?  Oh well, it just happens doesn't it or in my case it doesn't happen, lol.

 



 

Then there is paper crafting.  Paper, paper, paper every where.  I spent the latter part of the year sorting scrapbook kits out.  I had tended to keep the kits in the boxes they were delivered in as I found it easier to use them that way.  I could have a good look at what I had and then just shut the lid. However, the number of boxes were taking over.  I couldn't store them all as I had more kits coming in than LO's being made.  I still have Scrapagogo kits unused and I stopped the subscription 2 years ago.  I also have plenty of Sarah's Cards kits untouched and then there are all the Studio Calico kits. But don't get me started on the number of paper collections I brought in addition to these kits.

 



 

The kits packed into plastic pockets and then stored in these files look much better.  I still need to purchase anpother 5 files to unpack all of the kits but I am getting there slowly.  Even though I am getting organised and compacting my stash I must vastly decrease the quanity I have and quickly.  I can't bear to throw any away which means I need to scrap, scrap, scrap.

 

I took part in Shimelle's class Cover to Cover and I have gone through old albums and noted all the missing stories.  I now need to sort out the photographs for these LO's which I want to work on doing this month.  Completing the actual LO's is not essential I just want to get organised and get the gaps ready to be filled.  My next aim this month is getting on top of Project Life 2012 and September to December Document 2011.  Yes, you did read that right, I have yet to complete my 2011 album.  Then there is the Christmas albums; 2011 and 2012 need finishing. 

In order to decrease my stash I could say I'm not going to buy any more this year but lets be honest its never going to happen.  Instead I plan on completing a one a day for my scrapping too.  This year I will make 365 LO's.  A little ambitious but I will count my Christmas albums as 1 LO per page I make and they are smaller albums, Project life will be 2 pages per week and I intend on keeping up with this years as well as completing last years album.  As with the crochet I won't necesarily make 1 LO per day but I will average this over the year.  Must get started as I have yet to make any LO's this year but I often find I struggle to scrap when the kids are off school as Freya always wants to scrap as well and my table is not big enough for the two of us.

 

Wish me luck because as well as moving house, renovations and life in general I'm going to be very busy crafting this year.

Tuesday Tallies (16 October 2012)

This week I have again concentrated on my Rowan Cashmerino blanket. I crocheted the cream around the 9 squares I made last week.

 

I then made a further 6 squares.

 

 

This makes total squares made to 20.

I have spread these squares out on the bed and I need to make the blanket 8 x 12 squares to fit a single bed; 20 down, another 76 to go. Do you think I can manage to make 10 each week and have this blanket finished by the end of the year?  I should have enough to complete the blanket as I can't find any of the Rowan yarn; I did buy it over 2 1/2 years ago so I am not surprised really.  Will teach me to not hoard yarn and make one project before I get yarn for another or at least buy enough for the intended project!

Pop on over to Carole to take a look at some other one a day projects.

Tuesday Tallies (9 October 2012)

The past week has not been too good here.  I was in hospital for a couple of days having some treatment on my elbow and hip and it meant I was not very mobile for a few days.  The hip is not too bad and it was only uncomfortable for a couple of days and pain killers worked well to ease things.  My elbow however is a different story.  It has been very painful and I have not been sleeping.  I don't sleep well at the best of times but the past week I have had a maximum of 2 hours a night and usually not at the same time.  Lets just say I am withered a little and I have to go back to the hospital today for a little bit of the same.  At least I know what to expect this week. 

 

All this has hampered any craty things I wanted to do let alone normal housekeeping, looking after children and pets.  Whilst recouperating on Thursday and having got very bored with the never ending all the same day time tv I set about sorting my yarn stash.  Anything to get me away from this so called entertainment.  I have a large number of projects on the go and not all of them have all of the yarn I will need purchased.  I made a big list of what I need and really want to buy up the yarn as some are discontinued.  One colour for my Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK blanket is discontinued and I need another ball (22 Fuchsia Pink). 

Don't know what I am going to do yet but if any one knows of somewhere that stocks it I will be very grateful and I am open to part balls too!

 

Well this sorting of yarn uncovered some projects that have been unloved for a long time, a very long time.  In January 2010 I purchased 3 packs of 10 balls of some Rowan Cashmerino DK yarn.  Three yummy colours; pink, green and navy.

 

 

I started the granny square blanket in the April and managed to make 8 squares.  I then crocheted a border of teal (Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK, Elkin) and that is how it  has remained. 

At the time I was not happy with the teal but at the same time didn't know what colour to use which is why there has been no progress. Speed forward 2 1/2 years....

 

 

On Thursday night I removed the teal border and began work on a new cream border.  The squares are five rounds each with a border of cream.  I had already made 8 squares which I have edged 5 this week. 

 

 

 

I love this blanket now, the cream is so much better and they are lovely snuggly pieces of yumminess.  Just love, love, love, love, love, love it!  This really has put a smile on my face.  My crochet, well crafting in general was not much fun the past month.  I don't know why but it seemed like a chore, nothing to enjoy but this blanket has changed that.  Can't wait to snuggle under this when it is finished.  I then made a further 6 squares up to the first 5 rounds.

 

  

I am much more happy with the cream, if you didn't  guess.  The cream is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK.  The original 8 squares had been blocked and you can really see the difference.  My aim for this week is to block the new makes and finish the cream on the remaining 9 squares. 

 

Sorting through my stash has shocked me by the number of projects I actually have on the go and the fact most of them have a long way to go to reach completion.  I really don't have much odd stash, by that I mean stash that does not have a project in mind. I suppose that is a good thing as I have only ever brought yarn with a specific project in mind instead of the other way round which can be very dangerous on the purse.  Shame I don't have that feeling for scrapbooking!

 

This year one of my many goals was to make 'one a day'; one crocheted row, stripe or square.  I knew that I would not actually make 1 each and every day of the year but the intention was to make 366 by the time Big Ben starts to strike on the dot of midnight.  I am really happy to say that yesterday, 8 October I reached this goal.  Admitidly some of the items have been 2 round grannies but I reached my goal well ahead of time, something that does not happen too often in my life.  I am still going to keep tally and hope to make a further 100 by the end of the year.  I may get some of these WIPs finished some day and the one a day goal is keeping me on track.  Only thing that is holding me back is the number of projects that I have started.

 

Now you have read all about my one a day project, pop on over to Carole to take a look at some other great yarn projects.

One A Day Tuesday Tallies (14 February 2012)

Another week has passed and it has been a very strange week.  On one hand it has gone really quick but on the other hand very very slow.  I can honestly say I am in need of this week off work but to be honest it would have been preferrable to be kid free.  I have lots of house things to do and to be honest kids inside all day is not helping.  So far I have achieved nothing that I wanted to in the house and have managed 1 errand out of the 14 errands I need to run this week!

Crochet wise I have achieved my one a day but they were completed by Thursday evening and I had Friday, Saturday and Sunday at home and managed no crochet.....in fact I don't think I managed anything of anything!

Rowan squares have increased by 5:

With the white being completed on 9 squares:

Amy squares have increased by 7:

Note - ends still not sewn in! lol


Sorry about the quality of the photos but the light is not good today at all.  

Pop on over to Carole for other one a day tallies.

One A Day Tuesday Tallies (7 February 2012)

Can't believe it has been two weeks since I last joined in.  Although life took over last week and I didn't have time to blog I have been busy crocheting.  My pram blanket just needs the edging now and as it is so close to being finished I am going to wait until its finally completed before I show you.  With a bit of luck that will be next week.

Now on to this past weeks crochet.  First up I need to confess.....I have started 2 new blankets this past week.  I know I said no more starts before I have lots of finishes but it just happened.  You all know how it is!  I have had my eye and heart on a Flowers In The Snow blanket with Amy Butler Organic Belle DK for a long time. Last Monday I ordered my wool, not all of it as its £5.50 a ball and I need to spread the cost.  I ordered 1 of each colour I wanted to use apart from 4 of the colours which I found at Hulu Crafts at £4.20 and ordered 2 of those.  I had already spoke with Sarah who is just in the process of finishing hers and she said she had used 2 balls of each colour and looked at Little Cotton Rabbits blog where I estimate I will need 8 of the moonflower as mine has 2 extra colours.  Do pop on over to the two blogs and take a look, these blankets are gorgeous!

All good.....until I go to knit club and see a new range of Rowan wool being unpacked on to the shelves.  Oh Oh big time!  It is Wool Cotton 4ply.  A mix of 50% merino and 50% cotton, super soft and warm.  One ball of 6 colours and 2 balls of white land in a bag at the till. 

 I start there and then using it:

I am in LOVE!  I go back to the shelves and an orange, yellow and leaf green also fall through the till.  Once at home and in better light I decide after all I don't like the 3 new colours with my original choice but they will make a great second pram blanket made of teeny tiny squares.  On Tuesday another ball of each colour fall in to another bag.  This yarn really is naughty!

Through the week they multiply:

18 in total but only 1 has been edged.  Then the Amy Butler arrives!  

After Bromsgrove crop on Saturday and ending up home early afternoon due to the snow, on goes the fire and out comes Amy.  Two Flowers In The Snow blankets is greedy so I start on the Springtime Throw in Cute and Easy Crochet By Nicki Trench another project I had my eye on for a while.  The fact Deb was working on hers at the crop on Saturday spurred me on.  I've made 7 squares Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  

I'm loving Amy even more than the Rowan!  These are my One A Day Projects now the Baby blankets are done.  I think I am going to keep Amy for home and Rowan for knit club and journey to work.  I hope to complete one a day for both projects each week and at some point I MUST start to sew the ends in as both projects have around 220/250 squares and nearly 500 ends all at once is not something I look forward to!

Pop on over to Carole to see some other wonderful projects and if you fancy joining in we would all love to see.