Always Running Out of Time

It seems I've managed to create a mountain of stress for myself these holidays. At first it seemed like I had far too much free time and now I don't know how I'm going to get everything done!

I mentioned previously that I would be making each of my family members something for their birthdays. Seemed like a good idea until you factor in that;

a. I start full time work in just a few days,

b. Will be working 7 days for the next 2 months, and

c. There are 5 birthdays during January and February.

Suddenly, my projects seem more like work than recreation!

I'm powering on though. I've pretty much started everyone's projects or at least have a solid idea in my head. It's just a matter of finding the time to complete them now. And I will.

Meanwhile, this is what is currently on my plate;

Bridgette Crochet Bustier by Factorie

My sister requested that I make her this before summer is over. I hope to have it done before the end of January so she actually gets to wear it. But unfortunately, as simple as it looks, it is so time consuming! Plus...I made a mistake! And the DAYS worth of work I had completed, has to be redone. Devastation.

Bauble Break

So I've needed a break from all the baubles. I made at least a dozen, but it turns out that isn't quite enough.

I know it's just over a week till Christmas and I really need to finish them for my family, but I can't help but want to work on new projects!

Free Pattern: Crochet Christmas Bauble #5

So much for trying to get a pattern out each day. Christmas time is just not the time to be doing anything but preparing for Christmas!

I have managed to get the next bauble pattern out though. I don't think there will be too many more to come. If anything, maybe just one more. I'd like to start working on some different patterns and post them up.

Here is bauble #5

Free Pattern: Crochet Christmas Bauble #4

So I had written this awesome little intro to this post. And I HAD saved it. But for some reason, now when I access it to finish editing, it is an empty post. Since I do not think I could replicate the sheer awesomeness that was my previous intro, I leave you with this; bauble #4.

Free Pattern: Crochet Christmas Bauble #3

So here's the next of my bauble designs. The next few will probably be in a couple of days since I have to work the weekend. At christmas time, retail is the worst place to be working. But such is life. If I didn't work, I wouldn't have money to buy yarn!

Free Pattern: Crochet Christmas Bauble #2

As I'd hoped, I did find some time to write up another pattern (yay!).

I hope these are making sense. The reason I set them out in a table is so I can write little explanatory comments at each stage without disrupting the flow of the pattern. But if it's still confusing, I'm happy to draw up a couple of charts to make things more clear.

I've taken new photos too, with close ups and different angles. They should make things a little easier to understand.

Without much further ado, here is the pattern...

Free Pattern: Crochet Christmas Bauble

Here is just one of the patterns for my crochet bauble designs. I've been meaning to get it out all week! I'd like to have a "free patterns" section on the blog. It's always nice to be able to share what you've made. The first step is actually posting the patterns though! So my aim is to try post a pattern every day or two. Life is so crazy though, I hope I'll be able to keep up.

For baubles approximately of 19.5cm circumference.

Materials:

• Crochet cotton (4ply)
• 2.5mm crochet hook

Stitches used:

• Chain (ch)
• Single crochet (sc)
• Double crochet (dc)
• Double treble crochet (dtr)
• Slip stitch (slst)

Note: I use a "magic loop" to start this pattern. This tutorial from crochet-world is a great guide on how to achieve the same method I use. Also, in case it's not clear, everything inside the square brackets are to be repeated as specified outside the bracket.

	Instruction	Comments
Start	Magic loop, do not tighten all the way	The thread cover can be started without using the bauble initially
Row 1	ch, 12 sc, slst
Row 2	ch4, dtr in next sc, [ch3, 2 dtr in next two sc] repeat 5 times, ch3, slst
Row 3	slst between ch and dtr, ch4, dtr in same space, [ch5, 2 dtr between the two dtr stitches] repeat 5 times, ch5, slst
Row 4	slst between ch and dtr, ch4, dtr in same space, [ch6, 2 dtr between the two dtr stitches] repeat 5 times, ch6, slst	Once this row is completed, carefully cover the bauble with the thread cover. Tighten the magic loop around the top of the bauble.
Row 5	slst between ch and dtr, ch4, dtr in same space, [ch4, 2 dtr between the two dtr stitches] repeat 5 times, ch4, slst	Continue the remaining rows whilst stitching around the bauble.
Row 6	slst between ch and dtr, ch4, dtr in same space, [ch2, 2 dtr between the two dtr stitches] repeat 5 times, ch2, slst	As you cover more of the bauble, you may need to pull the threads tighter or gently stretch parts of the piece closer together till the stitch/row is completed.
Row 7	Slst between ch and dtr, ch3, dc in same space, [2 dc between the two dtr stitches] repeat 5 times, slst, Tie off and tuck in loose threads

I hope this pattern makes sense. I tend to write things in my own way. So if something doesn't seem quite right, don't hesitate to ask questions.

Crazy for Trying

Things have been crazy lately. It's amazing how having more "free" time can actually mean having less time all together. And focusing on the important things is so hard to do.

Needless to say, I've been busy in every sense of the word.
I've managed to finish one of the tunics for my cousins. It's adorable, if I do say so myself. It needs to be washed and blocked still, so I'll hold off on photos till it's completely finished.

I've also managed to complete more than a handful of baubles. I want to start writing out my patterns and putting them up. I'm just a little concerned that my patterns will be incomprehensible. I have a habit of writing things in a way that only I understand. I'll give it a shot though. The patterns will probably be up in the next post. I want to do the potholder pattern too.

Here's how the baubles look on the orange tree out the back. We haven't gotten around to putting up our Christmas tree yet so this will have to do.

Baubles, Bangles and Bright Shiny Things

I've been stitching like crazy lately trying to finish those tunics for my cousins. I found a pattern to give me approximate sizing and the number of stitches and then I've just gone with my gut. It looks pretty cute so far, but I'm worried the size will be too small. Even though I made a gauge swatch and measured everything out, it still doesn't seem quite right. I'll finish it first before I freak out though. And if it doesn't fit, there are plenty of other people I know who have babies.

I also decided what I wanted to make for christmas for my family. I usually bake them all something sweet, but this year I decided to make something less naughty. Among my Pinterest travels I came across theses crocheted baubles which I thought were adorable.

I'd like to make at least one for each of the separate families, maybe one each if I have time. I'll see how I go.

I found a few different designs while I was searching and some beautiful colourful baubles from Woolies.

Baubles from Woolies

Pattyo's Baubles via Circle of Crafters

HandiArt's Baubles

HandiArt has so many different designs, and those ones are for sale.

I found a great looking tutorial for them too on snovej.com. Marina makes it look so simple but effective. I'm so excited to try them.They should be a super quick and fun project. And it might deplete my yarn stash a touch!

On to the Next

So my week has been super productive. Despite having a seriously full workload because of my studies, I managed to finish not one, but TWO projects. Finishing anything is pretty much unprecedented for me, but this is outrageous! But here we are...

 

I managed to finish my tote and my christmas potholders. I'm pretty sure my grandmothers will never use those potholders for fear of getting them dirty, but I'm really happy with the way they turned out. It wasn't easy working without a pattern. The only reason they are flat is because I ironed them. But I'm happy with them none-the-less. Once my exams are out of the way I'm going to write up the pattern properly and put it on Ravelry.

On another note, I am in a bit of a bind. I have a few projects lined up but first and foremost, I wanted to make something for each of my cousins on their birthdays. Which happens to be at the beginning on January, February and March respectively. The problem is I don't know what to make. I have plenty of patterns but nothing that inspires me. I'd love to make them something summer-y, but there's not a lot of summer patterns for little boys. I'm going to keep hunting though. I found a raglan tunic that might work. I'll have to try it out and see if it works with the yarn I wanted to use. Hopefully I won't run out of time.

Progress and the Pouf

I'm getting so close to finishing my tote bag now. And somehow the closer I get, the harder it is to finish. Maybe it has to do with tying loose ends. And I don't mean that figuratively. 

I mean I literally have to tuck in or tie in all the loose ends so the squares look neat. Worst part of any project. I always tell myself to do it as I go along, but I never do...

On another note, my procrastination skills are really coming along. I told myself that I wasn't allowed to be distracted until I finished writing up 10 index cards of notes for my exam. I've done half. Of 1 card.

But that's not really the point, is it? No. The point is that I found something awesome! Or a couple of awesome somethings...

Hamilton Chunky Pouf Set
Source: http://www.spotlightstores.com/projects

Ta da! It's a pouf! Don't you just love it?

I have no idea what I would do with it if I made it. But I kinda love it none-the-less. Hence I must have it.

Seasons Pure Wool Star Garland
Source: http://www.spotlightstores.com/projects

And the garland...I've just gone a little Christmas crazy. I can't help it. I love Christmas time. I love the feeling and the music and the cheer. It's hard not to be happy when you think about Christmas. So I get excited when I see Christmas themed things.

Now I'm humming "I wish it was Christmas today"... ughhh, must study.

Pinterest Procrastination

So I was going through my Pinterest feed when I realised something;
I have WAY too many projects I want to start. I can't even remember them all. I started writing them down in a book but that doesn't really work when I save links or files. I already have a database to manage all my saved patterns, I'm thinking I can make a few new tables to incorporate projects I want to start? It so much work to maintain though. I haven't even finished putting in the pattern data yet...I have 126 records so far and that's hardly even made a dent in my collection! It's going to take forever! And silly me, I can't help but hunt for more. I'm a pattern hoarder. It's an addiction. What am I to do? *sigh

I gotta say though, my database is a work of art. It really is. It's so organised and well structured. Unlike everything else in my life.

Okay, no more procrastination. If I'm not going to study, I may as well do something productive. Like make my awesome database even more amazing.

Christmas Kitchenware

This is my latest inspiration. A lady I know received a set of these christmas potholders as a gift. Knowing about my granny square tote project, she thought I might like to try making a set myself.

I had a hunt around online for patterns that had a similar design but came up short. So I've decided to try and recreate it by sight.

It looks like a lot of work, but I'm for the challenge. I thought it might make nice gifts for my grandmothers. So after my bag is complete, I plan to get to work on them. Hopefully I can have them done in time for christmas!

The Infinite Square Project

So this is one of the things I am currently working on. I get bored easily, so I'm always starting new projects. Here is...

The Granny Square Tote

Tada!

Obviously this is just a sketch of the concept. The idea is to make a bunch of granny squares, stitch them together and then attach them to a plain tote bag.

I came up with the notion to make this when I realised my canvas bag that I use for uni was falling apart. I figured it would be a quick project to distract me from the stress generated by the looming end of semester.

Boy, was I wrong. It's not quite infinite but there is nothing quick about making 32 granny squares. Though I admit it has helped me to de-stress. When I need a break, I find a quick video to watch and allow myself to mindlessly stitch away.

Surprisingly, despite amount of time required to completion, I haven't given up yet. I've made all my squares now and I'm up to stitching them together.

Once I'm done and have a clear height and width measurement, I can sew the calico lining. Yay.

Also, I want to acknowledge Meladora's Creations. I was hunting on Pinterest for a granny square pattern to use and I stumbled onto the lovely "Lacy Flower Granny Square". I altered it slightly to suit my needs but mostly followed the pattern found here.

The Beginning

I don't really know how to start this. Starting a blog seemed much easier when it was just an idea in my head.

I'll admit, I can't always express myself and I'm the kind of person that finds it difficult to connect with other people. Sometimes, I feel myself slip away from reality, consumed by the details of my own little world. But now I want to expand that world. So I'm putting a little piece of myself on the internet. Starting with my love of knitting and crochet.

My aim is to share with all you people of the internet, the things that I make to keep my mind at bay. I find myself starting projects all the time but never completing them. Maybe this will give me the push I need to finish what I start.

I'd really like to connect with people too. I hope that my little blog will be able provide a little creative inspiration every once in a while. And that I can encourage some conversation as well. If there is one thing I love more than knitting and crochet, it's talking about it. I welcome any discussion or questions, though I can't claim to have any answers. 

I know I'm very new to blogging, and I'll admit that I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm probably going to make a few mistakes along the way, but stick with me, I promise to learn from them.

Hopefully, with each post and the progress I make on each of my projects, I will be able to clear a little of the confusion in my head.

And just maybe, I can open my world up to include some new people who share my passion.