I Don’t Just Do Tunisian Crochet!!

I have joined a few swaps on Ravelry to help me keep busy, meet new people and exchange ideas and stuff. My first swap for the year, Envelope Swap, it is a Valentine’s theme. I have “Crochet Today” Jan/Feb 2010 with a lovely heart coaster which I thought was a perfect Valentine gift.

It is worked in single crochet, although the whole time I was working it up I was trying to figure out how it could be done in tunisian.

I hope my swap partner likes it.

By Design

So after half semi-thought out, half impulse, I got myself put as a designer on Ravelry. I have used my Queen Of The Deck Afghan as one of my deseigns.

Queen of The Deck Afghan

I have received some interest in it which makes me hopeful for future designs. So far my pattern(s) are free on request but soon I hope to have a paid pattern up.

New Year, New Me

At least that’s what I hope. Last year I was very laxed in my posting and in my crocheting. This year I plan to be more active in both. I have joined a few swaps on Ravelry which should have me busy.

Speaking of swaps I did a scarf for A Secret Santa Swap I was in for Christmas

I do wish I had used a larger hook so the lacey effect would have come out better but I still love it.

I got myself a new, better, 14.2 mp camera so this year my picture will be better. Example
I have some stash yarn and I bought some today so that I can do a project in 3-Colour Tunisian. Fingers crossed that it comes out good before I get frustrated.
Plus I have projects to finish. I need to do a proper list, hopefully i can get that done this week and post what I want to make this year and then I can decide order. I have alot queued on Ravelry but I am getting ready to change my living situation plus a few other balls that I have in the air. Huh.

Here’s to 2010!!!

Lion Brand Moderne Jacket CAL II

Okay, so I am finished. I actually finished a couple weeks ago but I have been too busy and too lazy to get here to talk about it. I think I mentioned that this was my first adult wearable but I have to say I liked it.  I changed the pattern so I could do it in tunisian. I think it came out very nicely.

My sister to some of the pics and they aren’t properly focused. I followed the  pattern using tunisian simple stitch instead of single crochet and I found that with the ch-1, I got a faux cable look.

If I manage to take a better picture, I’ll post it.

I kept notes of my progress on ravelry which is great for me because I tend to change stuff in a pattern or add and don’t remember what I did. Although I didn’t keep pattern notes I charted my progress and trials. I liked it.

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/trinichiqn/moderne-jacket

I start my next CAL tonight which is Kim Guzman’s “Guatemalan Suprise”.  I am already envisioning a matching pillow or two, hope I have enough yarn.

To Do List

Here is a list of projects that I would like to do in 2009:

From Kim Guzman’s book Tunisian Around The Home

  1. – Guatemalan Surprise
  2. -Pinwheel Pillow
  3. -Bow-Tie Pillow 
  4. -Hot Pad
  5. -Blue Cloth
  6. -Green Cloth

Other Projects

  1. -Hat Pillow
  2. -Red Rose Kitchen Set
  3. -Chakra Purse
  4. -Grove Isle Bag

Lion Brand Moderne Jacket CAL

So I am participating in Lion Brand’s CAL, The project is the Moderne Jacket. I have have modified it slightly since I am doing it in the Tunisian Simple Stitch as oppose to the single crochet. I started on March 7th, and am doing well. I don’t work on it everyday as I would like since I have other commitments as well as other projects that I am working on, but I am pleased with my progress.

I have completed the back and both front pieces. The fronts gave me some trouble, but I overcame. I think this is the first project that I have ever done where I had to frog so much of my work. Today I was buying yarn and the sales clerk asked me if I had a lot of patience when completing my work. I said sometimes, this was one of those times, I questioned if I should finish it or just cut my losses and do something else. This is my first CAL and I am the kind of person that does not like to fail, so I am moving along. I now believe I don’t really have patience, I am just stubborn. Hopefully it will pay off and I will have a great jacket to wear.

Here is the link to my project on ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/trinichiqn/moderne-jacket

Running Around My Head

Yeah yeah yeah I know I promised that I would blog every week and I haven’t, but life gets messy and busy and frustrating. I am here now so that’s good. Now while I have been slacking on my blog I have not let my crochet fall short. Although I have not been doing as much as I would like, I have been doing a few rows on two of my projects regularly. I am on my third skein of Red Heart Super Saver for my big wine coloured afghan (the first skein was a little more than half), and my sweater is getting there. My baby afghan is kind of at a stand still, I mean I have to finish it because that one is a gift but I am so distracted that it’s hard to get it done.

Anyhow, I have all these ideas and projects that I want to get done, one of which is the crochet-along-along that I joined that is due to start on March 15th. It’s for an afghan in Kim Guzman’s book “Tunisian Around The Home”. I love tunisian crochet and to be able to do more than just afghans is great. That’s why despite the trouble I am having working om my sweater I want to finish it.

I am also seeing all these great patterns that I am trying to turn into tunisian, but all this is a distration from what I am currently working on. I have decided to do a wish list/to do list but I don’t know if that would just make me anxious. I don’t know but I’ll figure it out.

Balls in The Air

After a practically crochet-free 2008, I am having a crochet-full 2009. I have already finished two projects and am currently working on three. A baby afghan, an adult afghan and a sweater, all in tunisian crochet. Now all this in addition to a full-time job as well as I’m supposed to be studying, plus have a social life. So this is how I am juggling: the baby afghan is worked in panels so I am doing a panel a week (actually Mon-Wed), I’m doing the sweater on Thursday and Sunday, finally the adult afghan on Friday and Saturday when I have time, considering that it’s 200 stitches wide sometimes I only get five rows done a day. That’s okay though because I’m trying to make it big so I’ll just do as I go until it’s finished and I’ll start other projects around it. But I have so many ideas now, and so many I want to start but I want to finish at least one that I’m doing now. Also Kim Guzman has a new book out, Tunisian Around The Home that I want to get which has 13 patterns. So which me luck and hope I don’t drop a ball.

Promised Pictures

I promised in the last post that the pics of the baby sweater and hat were coming, so here they are.

baby-sweater in progress

baby-sweater3

baby-hat

Ignore the dates for some reason I always need to reset my camera’s dates, and I always forget.

Back On The Hook

2008 was not a great crochet year for me, but 2009 is shaping up to be better. I have already finished (pictures to come) a baby sweater and hat, I have a baby afghan in the works, as well as a full afghan. I just bought some yarn from Joann.com, I needed some to complete the full afghan that I started but once I started buying, I started to see all these future projects that I wanted to do, so instead of buying just the two skeins of the colour I wanted, I ended buying a couple skeins of a few other colours that I liked. This year I want to finish at least one project a month and update my blog at least once a week. So here’s to 2009 being a great year for crochet cause I’m back on the hook.