What happened to your CAL?!

Remember by Crochet-a-long plans? The one by Megan of Crochet Every Day – with a theme of “sweet”? And how I was all like “Oh and I’ll add in another pattern from Gleeful Things”?

Yeah. I totally made stuff, but the sharing part? Didn’t quite happen before Halloween! Eep! We went away and somehow I thought I would be all slick and post from the hotel – yeah, uum well the internet that was available was not what I expected, so the time I spent on the laptop was for a work project and I didn’t get as far along as I thought I would.



Upon returning home, we had no power. BUT. But but but we did have the ability to use out hot water heater and stove – YAY NATURAL GAS. So warm showers by candlelight and many blankets at night. Went a few days like that, and the rest of the week has been a blur even with power back on. What the heck?



I had started out right away after my previous post, completing one of each pattern in the same night (or two, see what happens when you don’t at least start a blog post about a project while you work on it?) The candy corn on the left is from the Lion Brand pattern, with some changes to make it have a rounded base;

Rd 15 4sc, dec, repeat;
Rd 16 3sc, dec, repeat;
Rd 17 2sc, dec, repeat;
Rd 18, dec around;
FO - Fasten off

(I like how FO to me is like FINISH OFF – which doesn’t even make any sense, except when you grew up with Mortal Kombat and somehow it also associates to the voice saying FINISH HIM, except in this case it is candy corn. FINISH HIM! *quickly pulls yarn to cinch the last row*)


“Look at me!” “I have a crazy-but-cute smile!”

The pink candy corn uses Julie's pattern, and actually reflects my initial thoughts when looking at my yarn stash. I added 6mm safety eyes, and should have sewn on the smile before starting the decrease rows, would have been much easier.



Next up was another in a Harvest Candy Corn theme, again using the Lion Brand pattern, altered. Hard to tell in the picture, but I wanted more of a flat base, so I started color three one row sooner than pattern suggested, created base lip by crocheting in the back loop the row before the decrease…then sc 3, dec for a row, then went right to sc ,1 dec for two rows to make a flatter base. Then I realized that type of candy corn usually has orange in the center. Whoops.



Now what? GIANT CANDY CORN. Julie’s pattern with double strands of yarn, moved the color changes up one row for both colors. 12mm safety eyes. Then left him on the floor and cried about my candy corn being lonely on the floor. Hopefully you laugh, because I took like 12 pictures of the scene, trying to look like some far away scary sneaky thing since the whole ‘candy-on-the-floor’ thing wasn’t being conveyed in the photos. Candy Corn with Jaws music, slowly creeping across the room. That would make an awesome animated GIF. No? Then do what I did and call someone in to make them laugh.



I tried to be all artistic and create a little diorama of the ones that matched (poor pinky corn looked out of place) but I think now it just looks like a haphazard picture. Oh and when I realized the Harvest Corn was the wrong color, I also realized the Pink Corn was color-silly, and I should have made the bottom red for Valentine Corn. Doh!

So TADAAAAaaa I wrote a post – which is something I really want to do more often. I have been reading lately about managing one’s time and reviewing where your time goes and so on, and while I have myself down to one game on Facebook, I think that is a real time sucker for me. OH BUT WAIT I did make a Facebook Page for my Etsy shop, so that's something positive to do with my Facebook time.
Thanks for the reminder to write this post Megan! See I literally got right on it! At least one thing I wanted to do this past week got done, now back to cleaning. Hooray for electricity! :)

Sweet Crochet Along

Hooray for my next Crochet-a-long! This is another CAL hosted by Megan of Crochet Every Day – with a theme of “sweet”!

I am going lazy and using my stock yarn shelf photo, focusing on the pinks…

I plan to make pink candy corn! Cute idea, right? Maybe purple too ;)

Now I didn’t take a new photo (wow this one is almost a year old!) because my yarn shelf is looking a little sad – but it is okay, it means I am using the yarn! I bought a yarn ball winder on eBay (because I am wayyyyy too cheap to spend what retailers are asking) and I hope to have it here next week. Why? I want pretty little yarn cakes! It will sound silly if you are not a crafty person, but when the above skeins start to get about half-way used up, they get flat, sad, and potentially turn into one giant know. Plus it is hard to take one of those blobs from the shelf nicely, and returning it? No way.

Looking at my Flickr pics of the shelf, maybe tying on some variegated yarns will be nice too? I may also incorporate some of Julie’s pattern for a more 3d amigurumi style, check out her pattern here!

Next time? Planning to share the sweet results, and share a pic of my lovely prize from Megan for joining in last time, an adorable handmade coffee cozy!

Lidwig WIP

IMG_3290
Originally uploaded by rengawk

Ludwig is coming together for this CAL on Ravelry. :)

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/mygurumi-yourgurumi/1779257/

[My project so far]

Two works in progress

Two works in progress
Originally uploaded by rengawk

Trying to get into using Ravelry again for my crochet projects. While I find it easier to post my pictures and add notes on Flickr, I really enjoy browsing through what people have created on Ravelry! If I enjoy it so much, then why not contribute so more people can find inspiration?

I seem to have lost my month…

July already? Where did June go?!

I’ve decided Devil Dogs taste better frozen. Is it that my tastes have changes over the years, or the products have gotten cheaper? I bet YES is the answer to that one – but somehow freezing them doesn’t produce a rock to gnaw on, but something that takes a little longer to eat, and is less sweet.

I bought more yarn! What a shock, but I was being really good about it for a while. I had gotten a skein of Red Heart Shimmer in Snow the other month and while a fine (4-ply but thin) yarn, I love the iridescent thread in it. Last night I picked up skeins of the Shimmer line in Hot Pink, Royal, Purple, and Snow. I also picked up something new that I haven’t seen for a reasonable price before;  Caron Simply Soft Paints in Oceana. No plans for it, but I love Simply Soft, and this is all my favorite colors rolled into one happy soft yarn.

 

Now, what about that CAL?

Glad you asked! (I know you didn’t but I did so there) I took some photos earlier in the week and didn’t like them, so here are my retakes for the Patriotic Crochet Along!

Rather than a set of matching stars, I made a few different styles. My favorites turned out to be the darker shades in what I consider to be “Craft Store Americana”  - in that the Ben Franklin Crafts I used to work at would have HUGE sections of decorating stuff that was supposed to look like it was useful. For instance there were pre-weathered muffin tins that were for decoration only, and stated such all over the pan. Who wants a cast-iron looking pan they can’t use? I know I know, I’m just not the target for full-scale home decorating stuff, especially that gets changed by the season.

Even though the deep red-centered star was the first one I made, I purposely tried other color combinations because hey, what’s the point of a CAL if you don’t try something new? I had a ball of Peaches & Cream in red & white combo that I had gotten for the holidays for a candy-cane themed cupcake, and used it as the second round’s color – this star I had to get used to, as I liked the center round to be more prominent, and in this one it blended so well with the second round’s red. But now that I am blathering about it I see that I do like it much more than I started.

The two brightly colored stars stick out don’t they? I wanted to see in person what using what the pattern’s photo used, and the one with the tan center turned out to be too strange. I tried to add an outer round of white to make it large enough to be able to be sewn around a CD, but it looked tacky and like I made a boring hexagon-shaped crochet thing. I ripped off the extra row and then took the last group shot.

Making two and sewing them together? Just too thick, but would be adorable as a ornament – you would even cut some cardboard and sneak it inside to keep it stiff if you were thinking of a mobile… hey wait, would that be cute, a mobile of these in solid colors? How about in the Red Heart Shimmer yarns I just got? See, always thinking around here.

Of course if you didn’t see the above photos are linked to Flickr, where you can see them in more detail if you would like! What project is next?       

Patriotic Crochet Along

CAL = Crochet Along, in case you didn’t know. :)
I got this idea from my fellow blogger Jenn of Jenn Likes Yarn…it is a Patriotic-themed CAL! Thanks Jenn!
So Megan of Crochet Every Day is hosting a Crochet Along for starry coasters in which “The goal of this little crochet along is to complete a set of four coasters by July 4, 2011” being broken up into an intro post, and a post showing off your creativity!
Welcome to my intro post! I’ve never done a CAL on my blog, but today installed Live Writer (Sound familiar? A few posts down I was quite excited stating the same thing…but this time we are broadcasting from a more permanent machine) and can share in the crochet fun!  
My colors are based on the classic US flag colors of red white and blue, and include Red Heart Super Saver, Vanna’s Choice, and some stash yarns. My first idea is to use the dark red, heathered white, and navy (which is super soft!) for a country look, and then use the brighter colors on another star and see which I like more. I also may try the dark colors with a beige in place of white just for something different, but I didn’t think of it when I took the photo! Oops, I even have a red and white cotton yarn that completely skipped my mind – I may sneak that in too!
Now I will admit, between taking the picture and sitting down to type, I did make one already, and they stitch up quite quickly! I may make them double-sided, or add a row and use my “CROCHET OVER TRASH CDs” obsession as of late to make a different type of coaster than the flower pattern I have been using. (hint hint to me, that needs a post of its own).
Oh and welcome Summer! I am not a fan of being warm but this weekend for Father’s Day I took a drive to see my dad and got burned on my driving arm for trying to be frugal and not run the air and enjoy the breeze. Luckily I gave it enough care that it seems to have healed into a tan that may even not peel! 
So the plan is to be back showing my finished stars, but first, I’m going over to Crochet Every Day to post my link. Do you crochet? You should join!