Time Flies – Year of Projects Update #18

It has been a whole two months since I did an update, but this won’t be much longer than usual because I’ve been busy doing other things besides crocheting (and besides blogging, obviously!)

Finished Objects

Since last we met, I’ve finished three cowls, an ear warmer, a hat, and two shawls. In the order that I completed them…

First, I made my daughter a Malia Cowl in taupe to match the hat and ear warmer I made her last year. I made her a cowl back then too but it was too wide and not snug enough around her neck to keep her warm on the windy UMass Amherst campus. She mentioned that her friend had been admiring the original and asked if I would make one for her as well. I just happened to have some more of this Touch of Alpaca in my stash,  so I made a second Malia Cowl in crimson which was perfect since that is the UMass school color. I still had some left so I made her friend a matching ear warmer as well.

Next, I finished the Wonder Woman Wraps for my two girls for Christmas. These were fun! The Woolike yarn is nice and soft.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to block these. (If I’m going to I’d better do it tomorrow since they’ll be home for winter break in three days. They both go to the same college.) I think my oldest will like it because she is a big Wonder Woman fan, but her younger sister will probably be, “meh”. I’m picturing the two of them wrapped up in them while doing homework in their dorm/apartment

And, finally, I made a hat and cowl set from a Latte Cake I bought on clearance recently at Michael’s. Last night I pulled it out of the basket and did a quick search on Ravelry to see what others had made with it. The first thing that popped up was Michael Sellick’s Latte Ribbed Infinity Cowl. After I finished that this morning I whipped up a matching hat with the left-overs (and no particular pattern though I wrote notes in my Ravelry project page.) I’ll probably keep this for dog walking. It is my bestie’s birthday tomorrow but she’s a yarn snob, so I have another idea for that.

Works In Progress

Since last I posted, I’ve started one more blanket: the Yule Tree Throw by Bonnie Barker. Bonnie did it as a three-video CAL on YouTube that she released between October 22 and November 5. I started with her but got distracted by other, non-crafty things so I’ve only just started the second video. You can see the loopy branches of the first Christmas tree starting to form. I will get back to this shortly — maybe it will get to be on the couch this year before I put away the holiday decorations.

I’ve also added three more sets of squares to my Stitch Story CAL blanket: Fisherman’s Basket, Cabled Ropes, and Six Stitch Braid. The braid one was particularly fun to do. (The colors of the two on the right are accurate — the other was taken on a cloudy day.) I’ve just got one more set of squares before the join/border, which is scheduled to be released this coming Friday. My squares will need a good blocking before joining though since they’re all different sizes.

Lastly, I’ve just started the fifth section of my first Havana CAL blanket, though I haven’t touched the second one. (I had finished the first three sections last time I blogged.) I’ve decided these will be graduation gifts for my daughter and her cousin, so I’ve got a little time to finish them. I admit I’m a little daunted by the instructions for the double border.

The blanket is a little wrinkled in this picture because it’s been hiding in a box, all folded up since it is a surprise.

My crochet socks never got done for Socktober and I’ll probably frog them since I determined I’m unlikely to have enough yarn to finish them. I haven’t done that yet because maybe I’ll have enough to make them shortie socks.

Upcoming

This coming week, my goals are:

1. Do the small & large squares for the Stitch Story CAL pattern 12, The Bee Keeper. This one looks like fun.
2. Work on the Yule Tree blanket CAL,
3. Wrap Christmas gifts! I always leave this until the day before Christmas which is silly. This year I’d like to do it over the course of the week.

The non-crochet project that’s been sucking up most of my free time is a massive declutter/organize/sell on Craigslist effort. That is going really well and I’d like to keep going to take advantage of the last-minute Christmas shopping rush.

Incoming

I’ve had a lot of incoming goodies over the last two months.

Notably, I won a copy of Rachel Carmona’s The Art of Crochet Blankets from Bonnie Barker & Interweave Press. I haven’t really had a chance to examine it closely and decide on which project to do from it first, but it looks like a gorgeous book and I’m a big fan of Rachel’s.

Also notably, I went to the paint-your-own pottery place with my girls during the Thanksgiving break and I (predictably) painted a yarn bowl. It was lots of fun and quite functional too.

My yarn buying has picked up again, enticed by all the end-of-year sales. Of note are the two Scheepjes Colour Packs (one Catona and one River/Stone Washed), the 8 cakes of Red Heart It’s a Wrap Rainbow, and some Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lace.

For the Catona colour pack, I’m looking for a small motif that will take the entire 10g mini and I think I’ll do a 10×10 blanket with them (there are 109 mini skeins in the pack). Maybe the Willow Square by Jan Eaton. For the River/Stone Washed colour pack, I may do Rachel Carmona’s Happy Little Tree.

With the It’s a Wrap Rainbow, I’m toying with the mad idea of doing Mandala Madness (if I ever finish my Sophie’s Universe).

And finally, I bought 4 50g hanks of baby alpaca lace-weight when I went to Webs in Northampton, MA. What an overwhelmingly huge place that is! It’s only 15 minutes from UMass Amherst so I stopped by on my way to have lunch with the girls last weekend. My plan is to use it to make something for my yarn snob bestie whose birthday it is tomorrow. Maybe a Shin-Yu holding two of them together?

I’ll definitely be back to Webs, probably as a road trip with some of my friends from the Crochet Crew.

Have a great week everybody! Happy crafting.

P.S. This is an update for the Year of Projects blog-a-long group on Ravelry. At the beginning of the YOP year, starting on July 1 for most, participants make a list of goals for the coming year and then post weekly updates on their progress. You can see my list and all my updates in my YOP1819 category here on my blog. Visit the Ravelry group to see posts from other participants and to find out how to join us.