New Scarf...and Hat!!

Ok, so I actually finished the scarf a few days ago, but I just finished the hat last night. But, I added a flower to the scarf today, so I guess I didn't officially finish until today. :)
I'm just super proud of myself, because I've taught myself to read crocheting patterns, and the hat and flowers are my first from-pattern creations. I'm particularly proud of the flowers, because I actually altered the patterns a little bit to make them look better and I stitched beads onto them. Hooray!! I'm totally on a crocheting kick now (which is good, since I have 3 crocheting classes to teach this month) and there's another idea/pattern I want to try out. Don't worry, I'll post it when I'm done!

Poodle Scarf and Picture Woes

While I was at the shop yesterday, I picked up some new yarn to play around with. I got 3 skeins of Patons® Pooch Yarn in "Indian Summer", thinking that it would crochet into a really cute chunky scarf. And it did. :) I did the same lattice stitch that I almost always use, and it worked out well because this yarn is really bulky. It was kind of a pain to work with, in the same way that bouclé is pain to work with. On the plus side, though, it went really fast. I had the whole scarf (all 3 skein's worth) done in about an hour and a half.

As you can see, the scarf is cute but the picture is not. I spent an hour this morning trying to get a decent picture... Different rooms (with different lighting), different angles... Of course it didn't help that I was doing all the picture taking myself. So, I have decided that I need to join the PhotoShop bandwagon... It's just too cool a program not to have, especially since I am going to be taking a lot of baby photos in the near future... So, to that end, what suggestions do all of you photoshop savvy people have? Which version should I get? How difficult is it to use? Could I possibly bribe one of you to teach me how to use it, once I get my hands on the program? Really, I'll bribe you. :)

my latest craziness

One would think that after spending nearly 14 months (off and on) on one cross stitch project, that I would want to take a break and do something else for a while. But no. I just had to dive right in to the next one... One, I might add, that is more intricate (14 count as opposed to 12 count), more intense, and quite a bit larger. There is not a single square of blank Aida in this silly project. Still, it's fun to do, and surprisingly addictive. Hours fly by and I don't even know it. I keep telling myself to put it down, that there are other things I need to do, like clean the house, or eat lunch, but I just can't stop. It's that engrossing. Anyway, this is about the first 1/8 of the whole picture.
The light wasn't very good, and the flash made it worse, so it's kind of hard to see the detail but you get the idea. Can you guess what it will be? No? Well, here. Now you don't have to. I scanned in the cover sheet from the kit and cropped it down to just the sample photo, so you can see what it is eventually going to look like.

I do plan to frame it, and frame it myself, once I get the cross stitch portion finished. The question is, how long will that take? Will I be able to finish in time for my mom's birthday in October? Or will it be a Christmas present? Time will tell...

Blog of Video Game-Inspired Crafts

In his web-surfing, Brandon found this link and e-mailed it to me. It's a whole blog of nothing but video game-inspired crafts from around the internet!! There is everything from cross-stitch to tatting to cake-making, ALL of it video game based, and I must say...it is awesome! Some of them even have links to Etsy shops, which is pretty cool. Gotta love it.

By the by, I chose this pic from the many that I saw on the blog in honor of Corinnea, and her hat-making awesomeness. ^_^

FINISHED!!

Veronica's stocking is finally done!!! I finished the cross-stitch on Saturday, and I got the stocking made on Monday, along with the apron for my sister. Then, Tuesday, I got a TON of housework done that I'd been putting off in favor of working on Christmas presents. I am feeling so proud of myself that I could burst! *does a little happy dance* Woo hoo!

Anyway, I lined the stocking with plain white flannel and backed it with a pretty blue plaid flannel, that complements the blues in the snow. I was so glad to get it finished...after working so hard for so long on the cross stitch, I was terrified that I would do something to screw it up when I was sewing it together. It isn't perfect, and I've learned a thing or two that I can apply the next time I try my hand at making a stocking, but I think it looks great all the same. I can't wait to show it to my family! My sister is so gonna flip. ^_^

Also, as a side note, I got this potted orchid as a house warming gift from our land-lady a little over a year ago. It had very nearly died over the summer, but while we were visiting Florida and our land-lady and her granddaughter were taking care of Han, they also took care of my plants and managed to revive the orchid. Since then, I've been keeping up with watering it and it has come back and then some. Brandon counted 13 blooms on it the other day, and since then a few new buds have blossomed as well. It's crazy! Both of the old stalks had died, so I cut them out...this one is completely new. I've been watching it grow from a tiny little stem into what it is now.
Of course, as soon as I put the plant on the floor, Han had to inspect it...

What I've been doing instead of blogging:

This is the throw blanket that I've been working on for approximately the past million years. Or, that's the way it feels at the moment. It's really coming along nicely, though. I used blue variegated Lion Suede yarn (moonshadow, I think) for the whole thing. It's gorgeous, and it feels wonderful but man-oh-man is it ever a pain to crochet!! I don't believe I'll be taking on anymore large project with it. Anyway, I could have finished it last night, but I decided to do one more round of the pattern before I end it. So I only have 8 more rows and the same number of tassels and it will be DONE! I'm super excited, and might I say, rather pleased with myself. ^_^



And, of course, we have the never-ending cross-stitch for my niece. I still have some more bunnies to do at the toe of the stocking (to the left of the basket) but I am so close to being done, it's almost enough to make me giddy. I've gotten a lot done, even compared to the last time I posted a pic. Really, it's encouraging to see how far it's come. Then again, it's taken me more than a month to do it. I guess that so long as I get it done (and the stocking made) by the time I fly home just after Christmas, it's aaalllllll gooooood.

There's also all the other *stuff* that I don't have photos for...like, the mountain of presents that I've wrapped or the stack of Christmas cards I've written. I've been working on the nursery too, but I won;t be posting any photos of that until it starts looking decent. Right now, it's just a crib full of random baby stuff and a bunch of boxes on the floor. But at least you know you have something to look forward to, right? Anyway, all of this is my excuse for not blogging...and since I still have about a million things to do (finishing the above projects are just the beginning) I don't foresee a great deal of blogging in my future either. maybe as I finish things....

Work in Progress

This is the cross stitch that I have been working on for my niece for the past year. Well, I started it about a year ago, but until recently, I hadn't worked on it in a good 10 months. Anyway, I'm hoping to have it made into a stocking in time for Christmas this year, so I've pulled it back out. I just got the raccoon's face done, he's adorable! There's also another bunny or two and some birds to be added at the bottom. I'll post it again, once it's finished...

I've also gotten a few more scarves done this weekend. They should be making an appearance at the store in the next few days. :)