Color Me Lately

Lately I've been trying valiantly to reduce the number of works in progress I have sitting around the coffee table.  It started as a need to clean up the living room [my craft room is under siege at the moment by spare furniture from the bedroom. Anyone want a box spring?] and that blossomed into a need to clean out my work baskets. But I'm pleased to say that this has resulted in several new items going up in the shop, and some beautiful new works are being created [because of course I hated what I had started on months ago!].

Here's a peak at what's on the hook lately:

New Wedding Blanket

This is one that I have started over three times now. Nothing seemed to fit! Finally I stumbled upon a project I had started with this stitch, tried it out with these colors, and now I'm in love.

New Baby Blanket

This one isn't planned for anyone.  It's mostly a way to work on this new stitch, and so far I'm....eh about it.  I like the stitch and I like the color, but I'm not sure a whole blanket will work well.

New Pillow #1

I really like this one! Aside from some frustrations with miscounting every few rows, I really like this stitch pattern. It's made from my big store of scrap yarn, and I'm loving the color combos.

New Pillow #2

These squares were originally going to be a huge blanket for our bed, but I got bored. So I'm giving them new life as a pillow and I really like the way it's turning out! I'm excited to finish it up and get it all put together!

On Frogging

Oh frogging. There is something exhilarating about frogging a project and starting it over.  So soothing to be able to start it all over, get a fresh start. But let me explain.

What is frogging?

Frogging is the act of ripping out a project (get it? rip it rip it. ) and starting it again. Often this happens if I find a mistake in it somewhere, or if I want to change some part of it. Rarely do I rip out the whole project and start it again. Especially when the deadline is a month away!

But this time, I did.

Remember this hexagon blanket?

I liked it when I started it, but as I got to the point of putting it all together, it just didn't work. I tried to keep going on it, keep sticking to the vision I had at the start, but it just sat there in a corner. I didn't want to work on it at all. I would pick it up, do a hexagon, and then put it down again for a week. I realized that I was just trying to get it finished as quickly as possible. Not the way I wanted this project to go!

So I frogged it. Ripped out the whole thing. And  now it's becoming a new design that I like so much better!

The blocks are big, so the whole thing won't take too long to put together, meaning that I will be able to finish the blanket on time. And it will be easy to connect since it's all squares - no hexagons!

I'm now energized about the project - wanting to pick it up at all hours, not wanting to put it down again. I love this feeling! I can't wait for this project to be done to be able to see it all together.

On the Hook

As I shared last week, I've been pretty busy lately! But thankfully, the craziness has slowed down a bit, and I am able to get back to hooking up things I love! Here's a look at what's on my hook this week:

The first of this year's wedding blankets! I love the pattern I created for these hexies and the way the colors work together.

And because I can't just work on one project at a time, here's another!

Catching up on a crochet a day project! This started as a part of the crochet mood blanket, but quickly became just trying to do one square a day.  I'm only 60 some squares behind?

What's on your hook?

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was a busy one.  And not in the 'I got so many different projects done' kind of way, more in the 'we went all over and got very little sleep' way. A family friend of the Husband got married this weekend, so we made the long trip (which was made longer by several accidents) for that.  I always bring a project with me in the car to work on during these long trips.  I had brought my WIP from last week, but it never made it out of the bag! Husband and I spent most of the ride singing along to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.

So the only thing I actually accomplished was this cute little cuff bracelet:

It's an idea that has been knocking around in my brain for a bit, and finally made it out.  I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out - I like the shape and the way it went together, but need to go back to the drawing board on how to stick in the ends.

All in all, it was a good weekend.

Introductions are in order!

Hello! I'm Lisa. I'm a crafter, reader, superhero lover, and writer.  I've started this blog to keep track of the things I work on, and to be able to write about the things I love. I am lucky enough to be able to work at a job where I can be creative, and that has inspired me to get serious about the things I make. I'm reading more on technique, trying new things, and learning a lot about photography along the way!

My first crafty-love is crocheting.  I have been crocheting since I was about 8 or 9, but really picked it up again in college, when I started making blankets for people.  Since then, I have built up a serious yarn stash, and a love of experimenting with new patterns and ideas.

I'm a huge mystery lover - Agatha Christie is a god in my world! Rainy days will find me curled up with a glass of wine and a good Hercule Poirot.

I'm a Whovian.  If you don't know what that is, you need to watch Doctor Who. Now. Also, a Marvel comics fan, with the new Captain Marvel series being my current favorite.  I'm fascinated by the role of women in superhero lore, and how little attention women superheroes get.  If I could do my Master's thesis again, I would probably write about that.  (But hey! There's still a PhD to get!)

I'm also a newlywed - I married my person 9 days ago. It was a truly fabulous DIY geeky wedding. My husband is a wine lover and is starting up a blog of his own reviewing wines. We're a happy little blogging family!

Lastly, I am an environmentalist.  I believe in people and planet and want to see people take better care of the world around them.  I am learning where to find materials for my crafts that are more eco-friendly, and loving discovering everything new.

So that's me! I hope that writing this blog keeps me learning and experimenting and growing.