Stash Down Saturday -Week 2

I am absolutely thrilled to tell you that I got through that pile of 350g of novelty yarn from last week but I have also knitted an additional 150g of school grey. But I'm still busy with the project only have WIP pictures.

Multnomah Shawl

I posted the FO's that I made with the novelty yarns yesterday if you didn't see them please go take a look.

Week 2. I was obviously conservative in the amount of yarn I took to stash down last week.  So this week I am going to add to amount.

Here is what my container looks like this week.

With that in mind I have chosen the following to stash down.

I have Dream Stripes Shawl pattern in mind to make with the dusty pink and school grey. I'm really excited about this one and I might land up keeping it for myself.

I want to also stash down some of my least favorite colours, the orange. So with this in mind these will also be dealt with. How or what they become I don't know.

Come back next week Saturday to see what I will be stash busting!

Total to be stash down week ending 7 July 2012:  Around 350g

Total stash down week ending 30 June 2012: 500g

FO Friday - Week 12

Howdy!!

Bad news no Multnomah shawl. Sorry, life quite rudely interrupted my knitting!!

BUT I do have three novelty yarn FO's.

Twisted Punk Fuzz Cowl, it was supposed to be a bag but I twisted it when I joined it!! Oops

  

Clown Twirl Collar, the less said about this the better.

  

Laptop Marshmellow cozy. I love it but it's already stretched too big so this just might land up being binned.

 

My proudest FO this week is my Pogona made with handspun and custom dyed yarn I received in my Easter swap from llamalady. It turned my hands a deep red which finally came off today. And with a few days soaking, rinsing, soaking and rinsing hoping the colour will stay.

   

Now you are to go to Tamis Amis site and make googly eyes at other FO's.

End of Year Presents Thursday Update - Week 1

Total to be made: 27
Total made to date: 6
Total still to be completed: 21
Total gifted: 1

In South Africa our school year runs from middle January to early December.  Thursday will also be where I show my progress for Christmas presents that I will make

My boys go to an amazing school, Crawford Preparatory Sandton. They started last year afterI finally made the decision to move them from a previous school which was notbad just not the right school for my boys.

Last year was a huge adjustment for them. Monster was in his second lastyear at Preparatory School and it was hard for him to fit in as the other kidshad made their bonds, but he doesn't give up. He made some good friends andmade some that proved not be lasting. He excelled at school bringing home marksthat I never thought in my wildest dreams he would. He received two all yeardistinctions at the end of the year. This is from a boy who the previous year Ihad been told he needs to repeat because he won't make the grade the followingyear!

Pudding was another story, he didn't want to change schools. I had hopedhowever that his transition would be easier as he started in the first formalyear of Preparatory School. Grade 1. It wasn't, it was the hardest year I havebeen through with him. He was miserable to the point that the doctors nearlyput him on antidepressants, at age 7. I was however determined to keep himthere as this school once he accepted it was perfect for him. With a lot ofwork by his teachers, therapists and his family he is now done a full 360without antidepressants. He loves going to school, has made a bff and otherfriends which really helped. He is flying, his teacher said that if his socialissues were not an issue she would have petitioned for him to skip a grade. ButI agree with the decision to keep him where he is for now.

My point is.....

The teachers and staff at Crawford Preparatory Sandton are amazing!! I have neverexperienced staff like this before.

Last year I was emotionally drained come the end of the year and I have tosay apart from one teacher I didn't make or give any thank you presents.

This year is going to be different. I am making the wonderful teachersscarves or shawls. Between the two boys I need to make 27 gifts. I keepforgetting Pudding's two therapists.

I have made a start and thankfully I had as the boys much loved music,marimba and drum teacher left unexpectedly at the end of this term. I giftedthe Boneyard that I had made with him in mind to him last weekFriday and he absolutely loved it. Mr V you will be missed.

As this is a catch up post I will now show you all the presents I have made.

Boneyardby Stephen West

BandanaCowl by Purl Soho

Citron byHilary Smith Callis

Granny Kerchief by ME

I have made two of the Bandana Cowls! I shared the Wingspan FO on Friday. I also made the Stingrayshawl, however it came out way too small, and have given it to a little girl inPudding's class for her dolls!.

This is the what my main project for Stash Down will be. But to keep my life interesting and notjust churning out the same thing over and over again. I have set myself achallenge. Each will be a completely new pattern, nothing that I have knittedor crochet before. Also at least every second project must have a newtechnique for me to learn. Get me out of my comfort zone.

WIP Wednesday - Week 11

I can't believe it's here again!!  I love Wednesday's and Friday's in blogland.  Seeing everyones projects keeps me inspired.

I have one small WIP I'm going to share with you.  I have started a Multnomah Shawl, with some school grey dk yarn that I had in my stash and 5mm needles.

I only started this morning so not much progress but I am hoping to have it finished for Friday's FO.  I have already finished three smaller projects this week and destashed 350g of novelty yarn.

Here is my declaration "I promised that I will think three times before buying more novelty yarn".  I always remember when I start knitting with the stuff how awful it is and why there is always loads on the shelf at the LYS!!!!!

Please got to Tami Amis's amazing site and see other WIP Wednesday's

Here is my progress shot of my Multnomah Shawl

One a Day Project - Tuesday's Tallies Week 1

The boys asked me for blankets this winter and how can I say no, the rest of the family have them in heaps all made by me.  And my boys have nothing.  The boys each have three different bed sets and are very bright.  The first one that I thought I would takle is the Turquoise and Yellow set. 

I have run out of cotton for Pudding's and his will have to wait until my LYS has a sale, I'm not getting the cotton at the regular price for this blanket.  I still need at least 20 x 50g of cotton.

Monsters is well a disaster!  I made granny sqaures of six rounds and joined them all together and have realised it's to skinny and too short but again I am running out of yarn and have no plans to purchase anymore for this blanket.

Get on with it you say

I am going to go around Monsters blanket until the yarn runs out!  I know soooo original you say, but I can't bring myself to pull it apart and make more granny squares, not in a crochet mood at the moment, but to get it finished I will do one round a day.

I pulled it out yesterday and did one round in Turquoise.

Pop over to Gingerbread Girl's blog to see more one a day tallies and add yourself there to.

Plan the Week - Week 1

This week is week 26 with the dates being 25 June 2012 - 01 July 2012

7 Day Forecast

Monday           3°C - 13°C
Tuesday          2°C - 14°C

Wednesday     3°C - 15°C

Thursday         1°C - 16°C

Friday              3°C - 17°C

Saturday          3°C - 17°C
Sunday            4°C - 18°C

My craft plans are to make 7 squares for the one a day group, two scarves for teacher present for the year of projects group, and a laptop cozy for myself.

As it is school holidays and the other house is not ready for us to move into yet this week is going to be pretty chilled with lots of home time.

Monster turns 13 on Sunday!!!!!  I still can't believe it.  He has asked to go out for breakfast and then choose his birthday presents and go ten pin bowling so that is Sunday planned.

Pudding only has Occupational Therapy on Friday and the only reason we are going during the holidays is that this is his last month.  Hooray it's been a long journey but school is extremely happy with his progress and feels that he can end.  This is such a relief as between the two boys and all the therapies that we have been running backwards and forwards with it puts 9 years of Occupational Therapy at an end.

Friday will of course be weekly food shopping but I have that down to a fine art and only takes 15 minutes there and back.  The unpacking and packing always takes longer!!

SPORT - Wimbledon starts on Monday!! Hooray for tennis.  Super Rugby continues this weekend with the Bulls playing The Cheetahs at home.  The two semi finals and the final of the UEFA EURO.

Year of Projects II

Last year I attempted this and well failed.  I realised that I made my list far too specific and got bored with it, changed it numerous times and then well, having a concrete list of projects to do is not for me, I am a more fluid crafter and like the fact that on that day I can choose what I want to make with a specific yarn.

So with this in mind I am going to make a new list, but it is going to be very general.  For example Shake Shake's birthday (December 2012).  I always have these kinds of lists floating around and add to them and remove off, but this list is one that I can work with and I know I can stick to it.

I know that this ties in perfectly with my Stash Down initiative that I am busy with.  Hooray!

Pop on over to the group on Ravelry to find out more and join us on this journey.  It starts next week with everyone posting their lists.  Hope to see you there.

Stash Down Saturday - Week 1

Iam a woman on a mission. My mission is to destash!

What I'm going to do is every Saturday I'm going to show my stash and show what I'm planning in destashing the following week and what patterns I'm planning on using.

Most of my stash is double knitting acrylic as this is what is widely available here and economical. BUT a few Internet purchases of really yummy yarn has changed my mind about becoming a bit of a yarn snob. I really want to change my stash, in order to do that I need to destash what I have.

This year for the Teachers end of year presents I will be making scarves and shawls. I have already started as I have 25 to do. Great for stashbusting. I do however need to make some adjustments to some of the patterns to accommodate double knitting.

Without any more waffle here is container 1 of 4 that houses some of my stash.

The next picture is what I am planning on destashing this week. 
2 x 50g Pink Fuzz (Scarf, maybe because it's actually a little scratchy)
2 x 50g Peacock Twirly (Definitely a scarf)
3 x 50g Marshmellow (Laptop cozy?)

Come back next week Saturday to see what I will be stash busting!

FO Friday - Week 11

Hello.  I am really excited about joining along with Tami Amis FO Friday's again.  Of course since I have been absent I have many many FO items, but I will not show all of those, just this week's FO.

I am busy making end of year presents for the amazing teachers in my boys lives.  Between the two of them they have 25 teachers.  As we end our school year at the end of November I still have time.  I have to date made 6, gifted one already and one that turned out too small so actually only 4 made. 

My aim with these is to make patterns I have never made before with the view of expanding my knitting and crocheting abilities.  Also I am not purchasing any yarn for these, completely destash.  This poses a challenge as most of my stash is DK and I am making scarves and shawls.  But I have found that if I go up a few needle sizes then it works out perfectly, yes its heavier but especially on days like today (flipping freezing) it will be fabulous.

I promise I am not taking pictures of myself like this, and when I view it on my computer it is the correct way, but as soon as I upload it it puts it like this!!!

Please go to Tami Amis and see other amazing FO Friday's.

Bad Blogger

I have been to worst blogger for a long time now and have missed it some days and other not so much. 

I am reading blogs everyday and find them very inspirational and creative.  But haven't felt the need to blog myself for awhile. 

I decided today that this is going to change I am going to blog more often and go back to joining all the wonderful and inspirational blog links that I have missed, funny cause it felt like that was all I was blogging about before I stopped.

So I am going to do WIP Wednesday's and FO Friday's with Tami Amis.  I am going to do the Year of Projects but differently this year which starts on the 01 July and I am hoping that I can join the Shawl along by Sarah at Crafts with Cwitch.

So I will be seeing you very soon