Bargain of the Year!

18 skeins of yarn from Michael's. They all look to be unused, but they were returned and they didn't have the paper on them that is usual with yarn, and they were in the dollar bins where there's usually little candles or tiny stamp pads or random stuff with initials on them.

Yep, I spent $18 on 18 skeins of yarn. Each one is roughly three times that at full retail.

My mommy was so proud! :D










The first image is of all the yarn on the bed in my mom's guest room (which used to be my room but is now totally different), which has dusky pink sheets and there's a floral-print bedspread visible around the edges. The other four images are a clockwise series of close-ups of the same yarn.

I don't always do well crocheting with the Homespun, but it's great on the Knifty Knitter. The other four are, I think, one organic cotton something or other (the pink-brown-white one) and the other three either Vanna's Choice or Impeccable.

New Project: Space Invaders blanket for Chris.

Loops and Threads brand Charisma yarn squares in light blue and medium blue. Once I can afford more of this yarn I look forward to working with it again. It's soft. And thick. :D

Here's the pattern:

A Space Invaders alien, blown up and made into a pixel pattern.

Black Beanie - Just Started.

Again with the Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn. I took apart the Tetris Blanket and that's the yarn I've been using for these quick pieces.

Orange Scarf.

Practice piece for learning the arcade stitch. It came out pretty well but my rule is that first pieces are gifts, so this time...it's a giveaway!

First person to comment wins the scarf.


Made with Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn.

Green and Yellow Drawstring Bag

Another drawstring bag along the basic lines of the other drawstring bags (Ya, I'm on a bit of a easy cute things kick), except this one has rows of fillet crochet and it alternates between green and blue Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn (seriously, I want a commission :P), and the bottom is a square. It was originally going to be a macrame-type container for an origami box made from not-quite-cardstock scrapbooking paper.

I love projects that can be made using the gray hook, the kind that sometimes comes with a bigger blue hook. I'm not sure what letter it is.






What do you think, should I add a gauzy (white, probably) fabric to line the inside so it's better able to hold small things like coins that fall to the bottom of one's bag?

Blue and Green Top

Another top I'm making using this pattern, using blue, white, and green extra chunky yarn in a fillet crochet pattern.

Fuzzy Purse ^_^

I actually made all the parts a few years ago, when my husband was in boot camp/AIT and I was in Florida staying with my mom in the meantime. Back then I had made the straps (there are two, folded over) to go through some plastic rings in similar colors and have the top of the bag sit at about my waist or hip...and it looked ridiculous and amateur. While I don't claim that this project looks professional, it looks a far cry less amateur than it did originally.

Inside:

I'm also proud of this picture and the cropping. I think I'm finally getting better!

I think that having the four straps not tied together in any way would make it comfortable to carry if there were heavy things in the bag (it worked well for me anyhow), though once I'd already tied the straps down and cut off the fringe I thought damn, should'a done a four-piece braid.

What do you think?

Drawstring Bag - Finished!

The whole thing used the entire skein of "Marble" yarn. After I finished the main part of the bag, I chained the rest. I tried chaining that chain, but the result was too short, and I wound up folding it in half and tying knots roughly every six inches to make the handle.

What do you think?

New Project - Drawstring Bag

About halfway done here:

No real pattern to it, just made a circle and after five rounds I quit expanding. Three or four rows from the top there'll be a space every three stitches for the rope handle drawstring to go through. :)

Then yarn is Lion Brand Tweed Stripes, but is identical in feel and style to the Marble Yarn. (In fact, I got a skein of yarn identical to that marble yarn so I'm guessing they're from the same manufacturer and just called different things in different countries. :)

Christmas Blankie.

I'm thinking of sending it to my little sister, who's gonna be across the pond at Oxford by Christmastime.

This is the first time I've successfully managed to do the ripple pattern, and while there are still mistakes, they're not as glaring as the mistakes on the practice pieces were. ;P

Project: Christmas Blankie
Supplies: Red, Green, and Off-White Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn.


It's gonna be warm...


But hopefully not too heavy, since it won't be nearly as large as the Tetris Blanket. :)


I'm rather proud of it. :)

Plastic Crochet

This is a short bit I made before going whole-hog just to make sure I could do it. It takes more strength than using regular yarn, and I'd have to rest my hands more often, but it's totally do-able. :D


And this is how it starts: cut up strips of plastic bags (these are from Wally World, I'll do balls of every color I have--the green Barnes & Noble bags should make nice accents), twist them, knot them. I didn't cut off the extra "yarn" because I thought it'd be a nice accent for...whatever I wind up making.


I'm also making this hat that I found via Ravelry, out of yarn left over from Fizzy's Blankiezilla and from yarn of the same kind (Lion Brand Hometown USA, and there are more colors now! Go out and buy it and make Lion Brand keep stocking it! If you crochet you'll need a K hook. That's usually the gray plastic one.) from another project that never really got started.

I haven't done more on the Book Paring Down Of Doom since my last post, but I do intend to finish it. But even if I keep everything that's currently left, I'll still have made a huge dent. :)

ETA: You can see the Waldo Hat in the corner of that second pic!