Year of Projects 2014

Progress!

Pivotal shows that 1 of 6 items are complete and one... finished this passed week - go me!

*self high five... ya know, if that is a thing*

I could probably have been much more productive if I didn't spend a lot of time knitting off the list. Oops? But truly - who is really surprised here?

Year of Projects 2014

Well, as it stands my Pivotal shows the same unfinished 6 items from last week BUT I can say I have made progress!

I had an offsite visit for work on Thursday which landed me 6+ hours in a van with 4 male coworkers - which also meant I got a LOT of work done on that sock - in fact, by the end of day yesterday, I had finished the first sock of the first pair on my YOP2014 list... and that is WITH a migraine.

Not Finished Saturday

I took this picture yesterday and should find some inspiration in it.... inspiration to finish something *laughs * Truly, on the side of this table I have a line up of things mostly done... I need to get off my rear and do... not start one more ... which I just purchased "the bear that saved me" pattern from Ravelry and a skein from my stash is calling out to become an ear flap hat...

Startitus at its finest.

Year of Projects 2014

Well, I was able to wrap up the YOP3/change in program dates in my last post so this will be the first post I can fully focus on my YOP2014 items.

Now that I have afforded myself the ability to focus on my rather short, but relatively intense list, I didn't do one spankin' thing on any of it this last week. Nadda darn thing.

And that, my dear readers, is how I roll. *laughs*

Ahhhh ... knitting weather

I live in the Midwest and as any Midwesterner knows - the weather this year has been completely squirrely. Winter was bitter and crazy. Spring was really summer. Summer was spring at least for most of it then turned to summer quickly at the end of August. Autumn is starting out summer but quickly moving into autumn... and I like the idea of that!

WIP Wednesday 09-10-2014

Here I am, only two weeks from my last confession WIP Wednesday post.

I'm actually pretty happy with the progress I have made since my last post. The quick overview is that of the four projects posts in my 8/20 post, I have actually made progress on two of them and finished the other two.

Granted, this means I epically failed in posting an FO Friday post - but we can't all be perfect... or make regular blog posts.... *coughs lightly*

Year of Projects 2014

A'right.. so I need to own up to my YOP 3 list and discuss my 2014 list.

First, let me say outright that I love the idea of a Year of Projects. I love numbers and I love analysis - tracking my work for a year is actually something I find really fun (don't judge) and I will keep doing it. Heck, I created a Pivotal Tracker for my yarny adventures - that is linked on the right if you wanted to check it out.

WIP Wednesday 08-20-2014

Boy oh boy do I not want to do this post *laughs*

Truth be told, I have had a bit of project ADHD lately.... hopping from one project to the next, bookmarking pattern after pattern - no real direction but a lot of distraction from one yummy fiber to the next.

What I am hoping for is that if I post what I'm working on... all of it.... then perhaps it will shine a light on how crazy it is and help me grab a little focus in wrapping up these projects.

It may not seem like much to some, but for me and my schedule - its causing scatter brain!

Be warned that while the blog is "Crochet with Cris" - I do lots of things with fiber so I inappropriately  named the blog. Later on, I started with Creations by Cris, which is what the blog should have been.

Onward!

Gratuitous Fiber Shots from the 2014 State Fair

Oh happy day.... as promised, this post is going to be pretty image intense with several shots from the State Fair.

This glorious image to your left is that of my win - third place with the Navajo Indian Diamonds Pattern afghan. I'm pretty pleased with the win - jokingly I had said "as long as there were more than 3 entries, then it is good" - and of course, being a State Fair, there were more than 3 entries and I am very happy with my win.

never run with pointy sticks...

I have no idea what the title of this post has to do with the creation of socks, but its all I could come up with. *laughs*

I do know that I really enjoy making socks - and while I normally use two circular needles and sometimes occasionally one circular, nothing seems to make me feel more "in touch" with my "knitting heritage" like using bamboo double pointed needles.

Am I the only person that feels like this?

293 Days... and no longer counting

My last blog post was October 11, 2013 - 293 days ago. I am thankful I didn't go more than a year away. I admit, I got pulled in a few different directions and lost sight (and vision) of my blog. Losing Google Adsense didn't help any - and they still refuse to re-instate my account, which is a shame. The only reason I do not move to WordPress is because I do not want to lose the patterns and work I have put into this blog.

But in the end- I should never have let it affect me. It should not affect my sharing my work, reading about yours, and publishing patterns.

I have realigned some of my responsibilities since last I posted so hopefully I can remain on track this time.

So, what have I been up to?

1. Working
2. Working
3. Knitting
4. Crocheting
5. Working
6. Family
7. Family
8. Family
9. Family
10. Working

One thing I have done to keep my work organized (and reportable... and open to analysis... I am a sick sick person *laughs*) Is to start a tracking device. I will be linking that and referencing it as I move forward. I will do a summary post for YOP 3 and my intentions for YOP 2014.

One big goal was that I finished the Navajo Diamonds Afghan a few weeks ago.

I'm pretty happy about it, as you can see. *chuckles* I have this one in the State Fair which starts in a week or so. I drop the actual afghan off this weekend - so I'm pretty excited about that. Hopefully it does well. Knowing the amount of talent out there (from the year of the Beastghan), if I get second I'll be happy. Anything better than second will be fiber art gravy.

Even though it has been a long time since I last posted, I hope to reconnect with everyone and get back to enjoying the relaxation my blog always offered. I hope you are all well, readers and I look forward to conversing with you again.

Year of Projects 3: Update 2

Total Items on YOP List: 19

Items Complete: 4

% Overall Complete:  21%

Socks in Progress (SIP)

This post is serving two-fold. First, my twitter feed from my blog posts seems to be broken. It has posted automatically up until Jun 30th... and it hasn't picked up anything since. So - this is a test. This is only a test....

And of course, the part that is not a test - I want to share my current SIPs with you. For those of you who don't know, SIP stands for Socks In Progress. Wednesday's have traditionally been used to share Works In Progress, or WIP Wednesday - but since this isn't my only WIP, ... here is my SIP on Thursday. *smiles*

Year of Projects 3: Update 1

Total Items on YOP List: 19
Items Complete: 3

% Overall Complete:  16%

More Socks YAY

I have been on a sock knitting kick since... well, when I learned to knit socks. For any knitter that has not attempted socks, I would highly recommend it. They are small, portable, and somewhat quick as long as the design doesn't get too intense.

These are plain vanilla socks I made for a co-worker. I didn't get to work on them straight through but if I squished all the time together I probably finished them in about a week (week and a half-ish).

I think the most amazing thing that happened is that as I worked them, the stripes just lined up - and the yarn isn't really what I'd call "self striping" - but I think the sock was narrow enough to allow it to create small dark blue stripes.

Sadly, the photo doesn't do the color much justice because it has a little green in it, some grey, some orange, and of course, the dark blue.

3 years and DONE

I don't often keep a project on the hook or needles for more than a year although in the last 3 years, I've had 2 - both blankets... blankets created as one large piece, not as squares.

So one, that tells me if I am going to do a blanket and have any hope of finishing it in less than a year I should make it in pieces and two, well... there is no two.

Year of Projects 3 - The List

As it turns out, I totally suck at blog deadline dates. Each week in July slid by with me saying "boy, I really should get that Year of Projects 3 list done" ....

Knock Knock

Who's there?

August 4th.

August 4th who?

Point Taken.

That's right. Not only did I miss the original date of the first weekend in July.. I missed July altogether.

DOH!

My FO Friday... a bit "adult"

I guess I have trouble thinking that posting an image a faux breast (or two) is considered adult material but I guess in some people's minds a boob is a boob is a boob.... so here... here are my two boobs - well, for the sake of what they really are: FOOBS!

And they aren't mine - they will be headed to their new home within the next couple of days.

This is my FO Friday post... I would apologize to you in the form of "I am sorry if this offends you" but... really - why would it? If you are offended by the idea of a knit breast changing someone's view of their personal appearance, then for that I am sorry you feel that way.

My Current Sock in Progress

I have decided to expand the blog a little bit without changing the name. I do a lot with yarn that isn't just crochet. Now, while the blog will continue being primarily crochet - here goes a nice knit post.

I have come up with a pretty solid "vanilla sock" - a repeatable process, if you will. So, after making a few pairs using my recipe, I decided to make a fancier sock.

This sock is being knit with base inspiration from this pattern I found on Ravelry: Waffle House Sock by Brooklyn Handspun.

Making Stitch Markers

I rarely use stitch markers for crochet - I keep some simple plastic ones on hand but have also been known to use a paper clip, a safety pin, and little scraps of yarn. But now that I've been knitting more, I am finding need for something a little more sturdy - something not too thick like the plastic but something that isn't going to slip off.

After looking online, I decided to take a stab at making my own. This is what I came up with.

Squirt also took a stab.

The marker made with hearts was made by Squirt. She did a really good job - I was hoping she would make me more but she seemed to lose her momentum. The "eyeballs" across the top are mine. I kinda grouped them in the progressing stages of figuring out what worked and what didn't.

Squirt had trouble getting the loop around the ring snag free - and getting the ring closed all the way. Even I had difficulty in squeezing the ring all the way closed - but it works and its really cute. I'm glad to have a token like this from her.

The blue eyes, that are by themselves, I tried them in the same manor that Squirt tried - and it didn't work out too well for me. I had trouble getting the wire looped around and snag free. The middle "group" - the single pair of green eyes, was done a bit differently - I used a doubled up piece of wire around a smaller jump ring.... but in the end, I still shouldn't have used the thicker wire.

So that brings me to my last group, the group of three, that look a lot better - I think this will be my method.

Perhaps in the near future, I'll do a give away of some of my eyeball markers! (but let me make sure they work out ok first)

Have you ever tried to make your own stitch markers (beyond bending a paper clip just the right way) ? I'd love to see what you've created!