vagueGirl

Check it out!  I’m kind of excited to be a part of it.

The Milkweed Project

Ravelry Group – The Pod

~vagueGirl

I think I’ve lost it again.  Perhaps I won’t even try to find it again this time.

Current Works in Progress List:

1. Traveling Scarf 1 – bamboo yarn for Cassady
2. Traveling Scarf 2 – Sock yarn for TelmahQ
3. Fair Isle scarf in Kashmira
4. Bounce In Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand-dye
5. Fetching in Andean Treasure
6. Toria’s Circle Coat in Wool of the Andes
7. Toria’s mini lace scarf (to match her Fresh Picked Color 3/4 Sleeve Cardigan)
8. Random acrylics bath rug in crochet with a mega-huge hook
9. I’m sure that there are one or two I’m forgetting

Current list of wannabe Works in Progress:

1. Bounce – again
2. Hat/mitt set for Chelsea
3. Morgan for my Dad
4. Mini-stocking and sweater ornaments for everyone
5. coffee cup cozies for three co-workers
6. Scarves to match all of the hats I’ve made so I can give them as gifts
7. Baby blocks for the nephew
8. Dr. Who scarf for The Boy
9. Various other Christmas presents I’ve forgotten about

Recycling Projects (need to get ball winder and fix swift):

1. Brown silk – wash and wind
2. Red wool blend – wash and wind
3. Aqua blend – finish frogging, wash, and wind

Current UFOs I want to finish before Christmas:

1. Almost High School Musical Blankets (3!) for nieces
2. Bunny Slippers

Current UFOs I may never finish:

1. Spiderweb blanket – not sure who it’s for!

Okay. i know I’m missing something, but i really needed to take a deep breath and catalog so I can confirm that I’ve lost my mind. 

I’ve been addicted to many things, but I never thought my addiction could be a positive thing! Warm up America is a great way for beginners and experts alike to crochet (or knit) AND make something for charity at the same time. What can be better than a warm blanket to help someone in need.

What you do:

• Crochet or knit sections of blanket in a uniform 7″ x 9″ rectangular size. They can be made out of anything you want and in any patterns you want, but it is recommended that they be machine washable and dryable to make care of the blankets less complicated for the future owner. (I also personally recommend that the sections be pretty “solid” rather than “hole-y,” ‘cuz I think it makes the blanket warmer and more durable and less prone to odd stretching.)
• Get together with your friends, family, co-workers, random strangers, churchfolk, your knitting or crochet group, passersby, or anyone else you can find to make these sections (called ‘blocks’ or ’squares’) and/or put them together into strips (7 sections long, 7″ x 63″) or even blankets (7 x 7 sections or 49″ x 63″).
• Send in your sections or strips or blankets to Warm Up America so they can give finished blankets to organizations that would *love* to receive such a wondrous gift for those in need.
• Find a worthy cause to donate your finished blankets to in your local area.

What they do:

• Provide a central location to go for ideas, patterns, inspiration and anything else you’ll need.
• Finish up those sections and strips that you couldn’t quite do yourself or with those locally and get them out to the folks who need them.
• Came up with the idea to begin with!
• Work with charities across the country to help those in need.
• Branched out into a campaign to knit and crochet preemie baby caps.

Why it’s so great for you, too:

• Test out new stitches and color combinations and make something useful at the same time.
• The sections are small enough they don’t overwhelm you.
• It’s quick and easy — or it can be as complicated as you want to make it. It’s like the ultimate swatching project! And coming from one that hates swatching, that’s amazing.
• Feel good that you’re helping someone while feeding your fiber obsession.
• It’s absolutely GREAT for beginners – And blankets made in pieces are forgiving of minor blips and bumps when you put the pieces together. (This is a super project for Girl Scout/Boy Scout Troops, Church get-togethers, after school programs – anywhere there are lots of kids that need something to do.)
• Use up your machine washable stash and odds and ends from old projects you didn’t want to toss.
• It’s great for that quick break of something different when your mind is being numbed by over-complicated or over-simple stitchwork.

I think I will stop before I overflow with reasons why you should do this.

But, just one more point…

You know that one ball of that color you thought would work in your project but just did not and now it sits waiting for a purpose. Or that one ball of horrendous neon almost blue acrylic yarn that has been in your stash since you started that someone’s great-aunt Hattie gave to you because she heard that you knit. Those colors will find friends to hang out with – they will blend into the rainbow-colored tapestry of a well-loved warm blanket – they will find a purpose – and they will be beautiful!

Cheers!
~vague.Girl

Oh me, oh my.

Why?

Why did Target have to have that nail polish in a pretty pink color at 75% off clearance?

Why did I have to go with my boyfriend to get him his headphones so that I’d have to buy that nail polish that was 75% off clearance in a pretty pink color?

Why did I put it on as soon as I sat down?

Why didn’t I realize that my nails would have to dry completely before I could crochet?

Oh, gee. Silly me!

~vague.Girl

I have this wacky list of things I want to make, just in the next month and a half. Will I be able to do it all? ;P

Done (or mostly done and just needs something like buttons): Thread sandals, stuffed bear, soy onesie, dog sweater, one of a pair of matching scarves,

To finish: The second of a pair of matching scarves (50% done), felted wool potholders and hotpads

To start: Baby booties, more baby booties, some amigurumi

To get yarn and start: Alphabet baby blanket (eyeing some bamboo and some soy – deciding which), Shawl for myself for a wedding outfit, Some kind of wedding gift for my friend, some slippers or a shawl for my new sister-in-law

Distracted by: Spiderweb blanket (80% done), Simple pattern afghan (20% done), Socks (online yarn 1/2 off at Webs – not started yet), more socks (went a little crazy at Webs – finished one pair)

On the back burner: Three Hollywood walk of fame afghans I started last fall for my nieces which are ending up as Christmas presents for this COMING year, ha ha, (each 90% done and waiting for stars and edging), potholders and hotpads for a waaaaay late housewarming gift

Oh, lordy. I’m not even done listing and I can’t take it any more. Must crochet! (But watch the end of Project Runway first!)

~vague.Girl

I think I’ve been crocheting too much. I seem to have lost my mind. But here’s a pic of those mittens that I never posted the last time I was here.

Oh me, oh my.
Never done this before.
Am I doing it right?
Is there a right way???
To blog or not to blog… it’s taken me a while to get to it. But I think it fits.

So, I’m obsessed with crochet.
I’m practicing on mittens that I can donate to worthy causes so I don’t freak out if they look a little odd. I think I’m getting better, but everything turns out a smidge (okay, more than a smidge, but who’s looking?) smaller than it should be. And, no, I’m still too lazy to do the swatch sizing test for my gauge. I figure, there’s lots of different sizes of hands and all of the mittens I’m making will fit someone, right?

I already have a beef, I’m afraid to confess:
What’s with the knit-lockdown? For every non-doily, non-washcloth, non-amigurumi, yet still cool crochet pattern I find, there are about 300 knit ones of the like. Talk about frustrating. Well, I’m not switching over to the knit just yet. I like crochet. It’s simple, uncomplicated, and it amazes me what you can make with one little hook and a ball of yarn.

Okee dokee. That’s a good start, eh?
Cheers