I need a fire under my bum.

I haven't been doing much of any crafting lately because I've been a little busy and I'm trying to finish up a book for the Ravelry group I am in.  There was about three days this week where my wrist was on the outs due to an unfortunate mopping incident (out damn spot!) but it's fully recovered now.  I'm also experiencing project guilt.  I have to still finish that drop stitch scarf for my friend but I really want to finish that sweater vest for me.  Or, I really want to spin but I should continue on with the Christmas gifts.  Oh and the 12 for Me! for September is going to be way late!  WAhhh!  So, rather than feel guilty, I haven't been doing anything.  

I'm such a wimp!

Thank goodness it's Friday tomorrow.  Maybe I will find some motivation after the school day... and if Hazel lets me have the time!

Supposed to be.

 This was supposed to be my August for ME! project.  But somehow, I lost steam.  This is the back of the ribbed u-neck sweater vest I'm making from Vogue Knitting Winter 2004/5.  This is going to be my August for ME!  instead.  Wasn't my original plan but I am still keeping with the goal of making 12 things for me this year.  To be honest I can't wait for it to be over.  I'm already pumped about my 2012 goals which will be revealed at the end of December.  As for my September project, I've been eye balling another pattern by Robyn Chachula but hopefully it won't end in heartbreak like the last...

 It just keeps going and going and going....

I've come to the conclusion that once I know I can conquer the stitches involved and the shaping, then I subconsciously know it's done in my mind.  And so the never ending battle of: am I a process or product crafter?  It changes daily but today it seems I appear to be process.  But then again I'm still slogging away on that dropped stitch scarf and I am almost half way done!  Yea!  Product?  Oh and my fiber keeps calling to me and I'm feeling torn!  Ahhh, process??

Happy weekend!

Night, night!

Hazey and Foofa <3

Full Moon

 One of the last fiber purchases of the day was at Stone Edge Fibers where I bought 6 oz of variegated wool roving for less than a $1 an ounce!  Woot, woot!

 A visit to Cloverleaf farms to pick up two braids in the colorway of snapdragon and sunflower was the very last purchase.  The last time I bought something from them it was two skeins of pretty purple yarn at Rhinebeck back in 2009!

 The crazy pink and blue and this foresty green fiber was the very first purchase that I found in High Bid Farm's bargain bin.  I couldn't resist.  Especially since I wanted to get something kind of funky and different.

 The fluffy, irradescent roving caught my eye at Pear Tree's booth along with some clearanced fiber in my hometown's colors.  The roving above the 12 oz bag was so soft that I couldn't tell the difference between where my hand began and the fiber started.  So cozy!

My sole non-fiber purchases of the day (besides a sad slice of pizza and a Mountain Dew) were these old issues of Spin-Off for $2 each.  I'm very excited about reading the articles and drooling over the fibery pictures...  So, how do you think I did?

Game Plan? Ha!

I don't know why I even set any goals for the fiber fest yesterday.  I couldn't find any reasonably priced spindles I liked and the yarn that was on sale wasn't really tickling my fancy.  So, I made a few twenties turn into fiber!  That, and I got some really cheap issues of Spin-Off for $2.  SCORE!

If you're over on Ravelry, pirates have taken over!  Shiver me timbers!  I will be posting pictures of the booty all this week!  But for now the only three pictures I took at the festival because the fiber fumes made me drunk:

Llama!

The Program

Sheep stamp on my hand

Game Plan

...for Finger Lakes Fiber Festival:

• spend no more than $20 on fiber for spinning
• spend no more than $20 on yarn 
• spend no more than $20-$30 on spindles

Will report back but until then take a look at the new roving I bought the other day at the Yarn Cupboard.

Wool/merino from Spinner's Hill Top

Name TBA

Don't I look just fabulous dahhlings???

Figures!

Just as I clicked publish post from my previous blog entry,  I was trolling around Google and found this.

DANG IT!

In other news, here's another birthday gift I need to bust a move on:

 I'm just doing a drop stitch pattern which is working out nicely but I'm already bored with it!  What's keeping me going is the fact that it's going to look hella pretty when it's finished.   I am using Patons Ducette in the colorway Maroon Mist.   I found this skein a long time ago in a clearance bin in Michael's or Joann's.  If you like this yarn, bummer for you, Patons doesn't make it anymore.  You can't even find it on Ravelry!  Well, I couldn't.  And we all know how great my internet searches have been working out for me lately! :-P

Yo Gabba Gabba!

 You may have remembered from a previous post that I had a work in process in pieces.  I introduce to you, FOOFA, from the popular kid's show, Yo Gabba Gabba.  My daughter loves this show (and so do I, let's be honest!) and her favorite character is the pink and happy character -  Foofa. 

You may also recall that I'm part-time teaching at my school with no increase in hours in the near future so trying to find a pattern that was free was pretty difficult.  Although if you want to pay for a pattern go here.  I decided for the love of Hazey, I was going to make this doll for her.  I've made a ton of amigurumi so I figured I would be able to find something in all the books and free patterns I have stacked up around my office.  The only things I had to improvise myself was the collar and the pupils which were pretty easy once I sat down and thought about it.  Here's a breakdown of what I used:

• legs:  free Lion Brand pattern, Amigurumi Graduation Bear
• arms: book, Amigurumi! by Elisabeth A. Doherty
• body: Amigurumi World Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli (p. 26 head of the daddy doggy)
• head: same book by Ana Paula Rimoli and page number except I went down a needle size
• flower: book, Crocheted Flowers by Nicky Epstein page 126 the moonflower
• eyes: book, 201 Crochet motifs, blocks, projects, and ideas by Melody Griffiths, I followed the goldfish pattern on page 78 up to row 6 and then improvised a decrease till it looked rounded.

I leave you with words that DJ Lance would say if he were a yarn crafter: "Crocheting Amigurumi is AWESOME!

Spinning it up

 I went to spin night last night at the Yarn Cupboard and picked up this wool/merino roving from Spinner's Hill Top.  I didn't see a colorway on the package so I'm channeling The Beatles and naming it 'Blue Jay Way.'

 Here's what it looks like so far.  This is the first fiber I've spun that isn't a very neutral  color or naturally occurring on sheep unless of course these sheep happen to be smurfs.  It was interesting to see the color changes as I spun.

I am also still working on this domestic wool blend that I named 'Into the Woods.'  I'm really in need of another spindle.  Nothing fancy, just a basic one like my Ashford.  Luckily for me, I will be attending the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival in Hemlock, New York this Sunday with a few of my friends.  I will report back with the booty I've collected and pictures from the event. 

Quality Control

 Birthday Gift

 Pattern: Warming Trend Wristers from Lion Brand

 Amazing yarn in the colorway of Olympia

 Rocking the gift in my pjs.  Aww yeah.

End of pics that seemed to have come out of a photo booth.

Um...excuse me?

I was cruising around on the internets when I turned around and saw that someone got into some newly acquired (thanks, gram!) stash...  I also have video of her taking my yarn for a 'walk.'  I thought about posting it but it clocks in at about a minute and it may just be video that only a mother would love to watch over and over again!  And when I say mother, I mean Hazel's mother! :-D

NYS Fair leftovers

Future Dairy Queen

First ride at the NYS Fair!

NYS Yarncrafters and their ribbons!

There were a ton more that I didn't take pics of.  Congrats fellow NYers!

NYS Fair LLAMAS, GOATS and SHEEP!