Did you ever make the fall wreath?
To recap: I didn’t do a lot of decorating this year for the fall because we are so swamped with work, but Gordon wanted a pretty fall wreath for the door, so I went to Michael’s, got some supplies, and made one. Since this wreath is 50% of our fall decor, the other 50% being a wooden board with sunflowers that says Welcome, I might have overcompensated
Behold, the Wreath of Too Much.
Did you ever finish your stole?
I did and it is huge. The dropped stitches contributed to length. I had to stretch it between two trees to display it.
You can’t quite see it, but it is so sparkly. Very easy pattern.
Did you ever finish your dragon cross stitch?
Yes. I framed it and sent it to live at Kid 2’s house. Here it is, in the process of being framed. The back wasn’t trimmed yet here. I just wanted to know if the frame fit the design. I did decide on glass, mostly because Meow Meow Camille has sharp claws.
What are you working on now?
A crocheted cocoon cardigan. I’m pretty fried, so anything complicated is out of the question, and this pattern is as simple as it can get. It’s basically a giant granny square. It keeps my hands busy while I spend a little bit of time in front of a TV.
What are you working on?
Teaching myself calligraphy, love the look and feel of different types of paper.
Also like to sketch and color, mainly with different colored pens, “watercolor” pens and pencils.🤷🏽♀️
The wreath is gorgeous! The blue is a nice contrast with the red and cream color scheme. And the little birds! You can almost hear them chirp.
The wreath is gorgeous!!!
In reply to current craft projects I have 3 grown daughters and I’m making each a large crochet blanket throw using 2 colors and a herringbone double crochet stitch. The oldest chose blue and white stripes the youngest purple and gray which I’m currently working on and the middle child is waiting for her golden yellow burnt Orange combination.
Knitting a cardigan for a friend. Contemplating having a go at felting – I found a knitting pattern for what I call boot style slipper socks. I knitted myself a pair I loved then accidentally put them through the washing machine (they got caught up in the sheets one day when I was careless loading the machine). I stubbornly wore them anyway but they’d shrunk so much I wore the toes through very quickly. However during those few wears I realised that being felted made them more durable and warmer. This has given me the idea of knitting myself a new pair in a bigger size and deliberately putting them through the washing machine. Watch this space! Haven’t made myself a candle for ages, and want to do so as I have empty containers on the shelf sitting beside unused wax. Want to return to the garden if it ever stops raining, once I’ve finished physio for a knee injury. Want to try my hand at sewing some simple garments. My employment that pays the rent, utilities, petrol, medical bills and groceries is an unwelcome intrusion on all the things I’d like to do with my time!!
Cards, Halloween, Birthday, Thanks giving, Winter Holidays for family & Friends but also for meals on Wheels and Children’s hospitals. Also I have several little girls at dolly age so making doll wardrobes so parents don’t have to buy
I’m trying to finish the gardening before it really gets cold. Too many plants in pots from bed renovation or that I bought that need to be planted. Some flagstone to place too.
Working on a hooded cape, the trick is making it reversible. One side solid teal (an old bedsheet) and the other is pieced satin strips from my stash. Shiny. Kind of for Halloween, but that’s more to give myself a target date as it’s been sitting around for awhile. Also helping my son with his costume.
Next I’d like to either finish off a quilt top that I need to square up and then sandwich and quilt, or work on some presents. I’m thinking of making matching aloha shirts for my son (17) and our dog (10 lb 14 1/2 year old Yorkie).
Lovely wreath!
As a retired floral designer/floral design judge, I would give you a high score.
I am currently working on needle felting Christmas ornaments and trying to stop my kitten from attacking my wool. Next on tap is totes and backpacks needle and wet felted with positive sayings for my girls.
Weaving in the tails on a knitted Dr. Who scarf.
Which Doctor? Tom Baker?
Wow, you are talented. Your wreath was spectacular. And your crocheting is just wow. If you ever decide to give up writing (Not) you def have a fall back skill.
I am busy raking leaves and pine needles. Upstate NY is in the midst of the leaf war, prelude to the snow war. Come on Spring…
just finished a unicorn crochet for a birthday gift. I was halfway done when my brain caught up with my yarn choices; pristine arctic white… for a two year old. Her parents are going to *love* me. Free pattern, google Jess Huff amigurumi unicorn.
Another crocheted baby blanket for the DV charity I support. New mothers so often arrive with nothing but the baby who provided their impetus to leave.
I’ve gotten back into beading this fall, and I’m working on a couple of designs to teach at the local night school. I recently learned a new stitch, tubular chenille, and I’m getting very fond of it. It feels almost as sturdy as tubular herringbone, but it’s a more delicate look and it’s much faster to bead.
Knitting a stripey sock. Love your Clapotis.
I’m making crochet pumpkins and ghosts
i love ypur fall wreath
A sweater that I frankenfurted from several patterns. Super happy with it so far. Also eyeing next projects on Ravelry. Love the dragon! Still puzzled by shawls. So many people make them but I can’t see myself using one. I have two my mother made.
My great niece, Cecilia, was born 9 days ago, so I am making her Christmas stocking. =) My mother began making the Bucilla felt stockings from the kits for family back in the 1970s. Several years ago, I took over because of her arthritis. =)
Love that wreath and the dragon is so cool! I’ve finally gotten around to my fat quarters and various bits of hoarded fabric..books aren’t all the horde loves, apparently. Made college bound kid a tote and some bookmarks and made inventory of all the other stuff I’ve crafted over the years.
I love the wreath! It is beautiful. I have been working on 10 mesh plastic canvas making small, Christmas related pieces to fit in a bunch of wooden Advent calendars that I still need to paint and otherwise decorate. Not sure if I am going to get them finished in time for this year or not.
I love your projects, they are beautiful. I am piecing a quilt and knitting an countdown to Christmas project made of tiny mittens.
Can we get an update on Meow Meow Camille? And the GSDs? Pretty please?
Reading the blog reminds me of all the generous folks out there. Had a foot fusion done and the recovery has been unpleasant. I am looking forward to driving again and independence!! Going to be working on calligraphy, quilting soon. Maybe some watercolors. Will be grand! 🤗
Christmas quilts.
Beautiful wreath with the flowers. Very talented. I want one of course, lol. You sound very cheerful. So glad you have this stress reliever. Looking forward to all the future works.
Nice!
I’m working on a virus shawl that goes from grass green to white with a single ball of cotton (pattern and yarn from hobbii website) 😊 I started it in 2019 I think, but I’m doing crochet only during role playing games, and I didn’t play regularly for a few years. But now I’m close to the end 😀
How amazingly “crafty” you are!
I found the most impossible to resist alpaca lace yarn on ebay. Donated mill ends where the proceeds go to the care of street children in Peru. Some of the finest yarn in the world at a tiny fraction of the price.
So now I am knitting lace shawls, pure alpaca, alpaca with linen, alpaca with silk, alpaca with wool, they also have plain wool, all from Peru. They are called Peru hope mission.
They have both cones and small lots of thicker balled yarn, but for me it all all about the cones. The weights run mostly 0-2 in American reckoning, or cobweb to fingering. Cobweb gets you roughly 1000 yards per ounce. A two month shawl project weighs about 3 ounces, and these yarns, roughly, cost 1-2 dollars an ounce. If you need a heavier weight you can ply them. And the softness!
My right now project is a Shetland shawl(Which might turn into a christening blanket) from Alpaca/Pima cotton. I’ve finished the center, which is plain garter stitch on 2mm needles. It has incredible body. I’ve moved up to 3mm needles for the rest, which will be various Shetland lace patterns.
Good luck to all the crafters!
I’m crocheting amigurumi for trick or treaters. I’m not feeling the candy this year and it is a good way for me to give away all that I make.
BTW, was that stole knit from the Clapotis pattern on Knitty? I made the big mistake of knitting my Clapotis in bamboo yarn. It’s almost a blanket.
Hi Michelle 🙂, Ilona answered this higher up in the comments:
“ No, this is not Clapotis. This is a Clapotis-lookalike for simple people like me. The pattern came free with a skein of Heron yarn I bought at a knitting shop in the Outer Banks.
So instead of all that complicated stuff, it’s a simple repeat: knit 1 through the back, knit 3, knit 1 through the back, purl. So on the right side row you have: pxkkkx (x-crossed knit stitch) and on the wrong side row you have kppppp.
Then you just skew it on diagonal.
Chain multiple of 6 plus +2, knit a row, purl a row.
Pattern row 1: slip one, knit 2 together, knit 2, knit 1 through the back, crossing the stitch, purl.
[knit 1 through the back, knit 3, knit 1 through the back, purl] until you have 2 stitches left.
Knit front and back, knit final stitch.
Pattern row 2: slip one, purl all the purled stitches, knit all the knit stitches.
Rinse and repeat. This gives it diagonal slant. Continue like that until you have 1 knit stitch followed by a purl stitch at the beginning of the knit row. Slip stitch, drop purl stitch, carry on.
The twist with the stitches keep unravelling nice and even. I also ended up knitting through the back of the purl stitches around the knit stitch on the wrong side just in case. It’s simple, fun, and unravels as you go.”
The dragon cross-stitch is STUNNING! Am so amazed at the talent! 😍
Oh, I like the “granny square”, and I have a lot of yarn, and we just bought a 65″ T.V., so now I think I must work the “Granny”. Thanks for the good idea.
Nice wreath! It’s beautiful 😍
I have learned how to knit socks, am working on one. Also have a song of the sea quilt in progress.
Thanks for sharing this, I have few crafty friends, it’s good inspiration to hear what people are working on.
Now that I almost exclusively do curbside shopping, it’s way easier for me to get real pumpkins for decor. I just get 4 or 5 fun ones and plunk them in my garden. It’s super easy and if I wait till it’s cooled off a bit they last through Thanksgiving. Afterwards I just search nextdoor for someone who is taking pumpkin donations for goats to eat. Win-win!
Your wreath and wrap are gorgeous! And the dragon’s colors so very pretty!
When it comes to crafts, it makes me happy to create and give useful things. For Christmas this year we are sewing some lovely grocery store totes with handles. I’m making them out of durable, yet light weight chenille upholstery fabric. It makes sense to elevate everyday chores with beautiful accesssories, though I haven’t figured out how to make cleaning the bathroom fun or sexy -lol, so I’m happily settling for fast and thorough. If I have time, I’d also like to make some potholders with a coordinating apron for my daughter because she enjoys baking so much.
Mod R, did you mention the craft you’re working on? If so, I’m sorry I missed it.
I’m not really a crafting one, too much discouragement when I was young about how I wasn’t good at it and had two left hands put me off for life, it seems. Maybe I’ll discover something at one point 😊
You hands are growing out of the wrong place.
~My mother, to me, repeatedly, throughout my childhood whenever I tried to make anything.
Dearest Mod R,
You are a terrific word-smith and manage the BDH’s appetite for all things HA gracefully -and these are not small talents. I’m in awe of you! You have a way of easily conveying your thoughts through the written word with a fresh impish charm. I encourage you to express yourself in other ways too. I’m in my late 50’s and just learned to sew beautifully. Never thought it would happen (horrible experience in High School Home Ec Class) but my daughter wanted me to join her in a beginners class and now I’m making gorgeous fabric shopping bags and even cute coats for my sweet Cairn Terrier. I’m here encouraging you to grant yourself some grace. You don’t need anyone’s permission to try something fun or to re-try something creative that you were discouraged from in the past. It’s your story, so you get to try-try-and-try-again until it takes. Here in the US many of our local libraries have fun easy craft classes where you’re virtually guaranteed a successful outcome. There’s no shame in that. There are also easy painting classes where you can sip a glass of wine and walk away with a lovely painting to proudly display. Just remember, it’s okay to fail. It’s also okay to keep after it if it makes you happy, even if it just makes a mess. As the season change, I wish you the delight of trying new things, pleasure in the process, and especially I wish you joy in every outcome. You deserve encouragement and every happiness!
Well said!
I’m 74646 yrs old😉 and never stop trying new things. Its fun, my hubby just bought a pasta maker!, we don’t eat alot of pasta. Oh well🤷🏽♀️
I’m in the SCA, and I decided I needed another ItalRen dress. I have been fighting with the bodice for TWO WEEKS. Two layers of linen with two layers of canvas lining.
It broke my Brother sewing machine. It broke the needle I was hand-sewing with.. and a second needle was dropped *somewhere* and I’ve yet to find it. And then.. when I got the bodice together and the skirt pleated, pleats stitched down, and halfway into the bodice?
IT DIDN”T FIT RIGHT.
I have to go in and take up the sides, which means I had to take out the skirt (hand sewn) and find the time to take up an inch on each side, and STILL hand-sew it because the Sewing Machine remains unusable.
Oh, I get so frustrated when I drop an escaping hemming pin! My trick is to get down on my hands and knees with a flashlight. I shine it around the area where the pin dropped and so far I’ve successfully found them all. Having a cat is great motivation to be careful, but still, the odd pin gets away.
Wonderful crafting results! I adore the little birds in the wreath, which I didn’t see at first.
I also love reading about what the BDH is doing. Currently I’m doing my best at packing up to move across many states in April. Given that time is running out for making Christmas gifts, I’m racing to design and make paper quilled holiday cards. Usually I make quilled snowflakes and other decorations to hang on family members’ trees. Today, since I don’t have a Halloween costume this year, I quilled a pair of pumpkin earrings to wear on Tuesday. Happy change of seasons, everyone!
One of my besties is having a baby so I’m working on a cross stitch announcement for her. When that’s done, I’ll start a blanket for the baby.
I’m putting fun size candy into clear disposable exam gloves (into the fingers and palm part for movement. To hide and hand out for Halloween. 🙂
Literally last minute trying to crochet lace collar for a Wednesday inspired outfit for work (we don’t dress up so I just wanted to do a nod at something I could do!) Its 10pm & I have 2 rows out of like loads & I’m unsure I want to continue! XD
Forgot about it because I made paper & willow lanterns this weekend in a workshop & we had a little parade with them all this evening!
And did pumpkin carving – used biscuit cutters to press in the outline of stars (& a cat!) & then shear off a few layers using an apple corer! (thank you internet for ideas!) & baked the gluten free vegan pumpkin tart/pie. It smells amazing but we did have to roast a small food pumpkin since the big one was mushy…& kinda tasteless when cooked.
I tend to leave everything last minute then don’t do anything!
The Wreath looks Awesome!!! You did a Beautiful Job. My mom used to Scotchguard her silk flowers so they would resist the airborne dust when hanging on the door.
NaNoWriMo prep! My yarn/wool is currently out for petting purposes only.
Your projects are gorgeous!
I’ve been the project manager and sometime laborer on the renovations at my Daddy’s house. Recently, I have been working on painting his rather ginormous basement, including the ceiling, now that all the drywallers are done – so glad my brother-in-law helped. This past weekend I tiled his wet bar area and the area in front of his sliding glass door. Some how I have to make time this week to go grout. Rudely, my lower back & knees have made it clear that I am way too old to be doing stuff like this, despite the pilates. 😁
I am currently teaching a puppy to use her 🦷 for good, rather than evil. Apparently my puppy is part volcano monster and feels good is highly overrated.
I’ve been hand sewing 12″ Christmas Star quilt blocks. I’ve made twenry-five since the eclipse last month.
Yesterday I went to lunch with mt writing group friends, the Radioactive Tumbleweeds. I laid out the pieces for the final eleven blocks so they could mix and match.
This way, years from now, I’ll see the blocks they matched and think of them. I think I’m definitely going to do this kind of group crafting ambush again!
I’m reading Evanovich’s new book and thought of you and this pucture you’d shared when I read:
…”My mom was at the table, knitting needles in hand, working on a twenty-seven-foot scarf.”
Hope you’re doing well.
I like that really long scarf – the stitches and colors.
I wonder how you wear it with it being so long.
It reminds me of an Indian sari where you have a lot of material that provides a skirt and a scarf
I’m part way through a sock. The yarn is so pretty and soft, blues and teals and greens. I ended up making it too big, so I’ll either use them for lounge socks or give them away to someone who doesn’t have midget feet. The pattern is Rye Light by Tin Can Knits. I love her patterns, they’re so easy to follow, but make such lovely projects.
Backstory: I am primarily a crocheter but also do some weaving. Fast forward, my kid 2 and I are in my friend’s weaving store where she has the most gorgeous hand dyed yarn on display along with a sweater pattern by the person who dyed the yarn. It’s knitted. I have only knit one project 10 years ago and decided it was not my fun place. Fast forward again, Lily Chin offers a knitting with a crochet hook class at the 2022 DFW Fiber Fest. I sign up for said class and I enjoy it more. Fast forward again, I go on a stitching retreat with my friends who knit on a regular basis in July of this year and practice under their watchful eyes. I complete a dish cloth in knit stitch and another in perl so I order the kit of all the needle / hook sizes from Denise Interchangeable Knitting and Crochet. I am ready to move onto my next project, a drop lace stitch scarf kit with hand painted yarn that was given to me. It’s a repeat of 8 rows. I believe I will never finish as I keep having to rip back. Thank goodness I listened to my knitting friends for years and knew about safety lines. Crochet is much more forgiving and easier, but I will perservere until I can work up to making the sweater for kid 2. She’s 24 now, but by the time I figure it out, she may be 50. 😀
I’d been living with my mom as my caregiver for 3 yrs. She’s 84 and had 3 v serious falls with in 2 weeks. So my sister and BIL upended their home and lives to move us in. We’re still getting a routine going which is rough because mom fell again—and again. Then a chair collapsed under me and needless to say mom and I are focused on resting and healing.
I have my holiday shopping almost done so that’s a plus.
Being retired for disability puts limits on . . . everything. Adjusting takes time and patience. With the economy and covid, I’m pretty much housebound and bedridden. Thank god for the internet, authors and books and social media. I’m not stagnating. 👍🏽