My annual visit

Ha, just when I am ready to blog again, they make it New & Improved !!! See you soon.

Creating Collars or What to Call IT

Creating new patterns sometimes happens the first time around [or across, lol]. Or sometimes, I'll simply be stuck - starting and stopping. Okay, I surrender, I am so stuck! Somebody help me, please?!?

I've been trying combinations of crochet collars and/or neckline embellishments and/or bib necklaces.
Either

• to attach to a shirt already in my wardrobe, 
• or button or ribbon or tie (affix) around my neck, 
• or even over-the-head length.

(NOT one piece to do it all)... And, what to call IT.

I've made more than ten such things. The one pictured is the closest to what I like, with enough extra yarn in case I attach it to a shirt. And, I don't know what to do with IT now... any suggestions?

Next problem of this stuck-in-the-yuck, how to move on to something else?  Every time I go to pick up a project, I start another one of these 'things'!   Please, any help much appreciated!  Thanks. 

Old March New April news

Hey,Hey, hey! I just learned where a 'draft' hides here and how to edit.  So below is my 4-1-11 post - ie April Fools!


Goodbye, National Crochet Month!   The positives first:  Many March goals were met ~ but the evil Gemini twin has her say in italics.

• completion of 10ish 'Works In Progress'.  No 'completions' were afghans technically - even the Baby Blankie still has tails to hide!  On the 30th, I found another bag of old WIPs!  
• Made my first ever baby booties; CinC baby bonnets (which don't fit a baby head).
• YO - Yarn Organization took great steps forward.  Ignored the Old Yarn stash in the closet. 
• Blog - Following some of the best, & a few Followers for me!  Blogging seems harder than I thought.  I'd like to add my email address to the side, don't know how (please email me at sbnann dot nh at gmail dot com anytime).  And a few other things.
• Facebook - Page for me the Artist:  Creations in Crochet by NancyAnn. Need to make another update, then Suggest to Friends from my personal fb - all 46 of them.
• Ravelry - Joined - made a '5-minute' project (the baby booties).  Don't know how to use the majority of its features, & post a link-thing to that pattern or its maker.
• GO Art Show Silent Auction - my entry to the GOArt Auction sold for a few dollars more, but the whole concept of jewelry on a scarf was silly.   

Hello, again!
So, I guess when keeping a blog gets too challenging, my solution was simple:  Start another Blog!  Check it out (won't take long for the one entry); it is to track my Make Something 365 CHALLENGE.  Yes, I'm finding lots to Challenge me.  But for today, I posted a pic on fb, & plan to publish this post, now!

Crochet Marathon - Ready, Set, GO

Hooray!  My friend, originally known as My Crochet Teacher, is coming very soon, for about 24 hours!  Wheeee, crochet, crochet, & crochet, with a knit here & there from her!  Only wish it were easier to stay up till all hours, like it was 30 years ago.  Since it's about a 2-1/2 hour drive between us, we haven't gotten together since early autumn.  Old Man Winter had other ideas for us.
My DD (Dear Daughter) is away for a long weekend too.  She'll be attending the GOart Auction tonight in Clawson Michigan, with our auntie.  We both donated works, a first for each of us.  Hope we can help bring the GO organization a few dollars and wish them all well tonight!
My work is the crocheted  "Wearable Art, Jewelry on Scarf" piece - I think rather unusual for an Art Show for '2-dimensional art'.  The large tree necklace, 2 pairs of earrings, 3 pins, a ring & a bracelet, and a keyring!
We'll see - maybe more updates of completed projects tomorrow!

a few photos?!?

A bit of an update, yes, a few photos finally... but the cell phone camera is pathetic. I'm not much of a photographer, and just found a helper on the computer called Paint, so I'm trying to learn that for cropping, and who knows what else.

3 chemo caps donated today
top super-soft purple, self-stripe pink & purple,
off-white with gold ply

(above)  Our zany Ziggy kitty was ready to swipe at the pink & purple hat (but I won that battle). Really wish the colors showed better! Top cap was completed late February, next striping cap was Day 4 Completion Project, and the last one was the Day 2 Completion Project.

Adorable !?! Pink booties!  Pattern from Ravelry member
2 strands of pink yarns (I will learn how to add her name or info)

Feels like cheating, but, since there ARE days where I've not had a Completion Project, here's the schedule:
Day 13 Sunday    One baby bootie
Day 14 Monday   The Other baby bootie.      honestly, the weaving (to close heels) & hiding tails of both on Day 14.  Seems I have a bit of trouble being totally honest, even with myself.  On Day 8, I thought I had completed the Hand towel topper, but had not, & still haven't sewn on the button.

3 pins: white rose with button, Purp-L-Loopy, and shamrock

These I made as jewelry for the wearable art donation, but included the pic because yesterday's only completion was:
Day 15  Tues.  2 shamrocks    omg, not even completed to be pins or magnets or bracelets, oh my!
Day 16 Wed.  Really thought I'd finish the baby blankie, only needs put together & edging.
Took a cell phone pic of the blankie, but it all looks gray!!!
And only one other project completed, was on
Day 11  (maybe 12) A preemie hat, s2f

Well, my hope is that this month of Practice will be enough so that on April 1, when I start my 365 Daily Creativity Challenge, I will blog more frequently including pics with the digital camera of my little exercises!  I am not going to set my expectations too high and say every day.  I've already had my expectations ttooo high for March, wanting to complete afghans:  THE Baby's, a hexagon, a Project Linus donation, a Granny Ripple, and my very own personal crazy quilt afghan.  ugh, must go to sleep now, or maybe crochet just a little while?!?

5 Days' Completions?!?

• 7/31  Cotton hot pad edging  &  WIP
• 8/31  Bathroom hand towel tri-fold  &  WIP
• 9/31  ooops!  Offset by excitement of pick-up of 365 Journal!!!  BS BrainStorm scribbles about theme or name.   oops again, sounds like an excuse.
• 10/31 '2 hrs wasted time' crocheting & pulling out
• 11/31 Time to get back on track!  WIP - first 2 squares crocheted together

One of many realizations this week:  I was ssooo stuck in Indecision (about the third color for the WIP - The Baby's blankie), I did very little focused crocheting.  Even forgot about this goal!!!  But, happy to say, I'm very pleased with the shiny-pink yarn.  Still half-a-today to finish a something.

Tonight's update

Crochet completion Sunday; & I'll simply note WIP for continuing work on a Work-In-Progress.
6/31  Neutral off-white open mesh scarf  &  WIP
Sometime in the past five days, I completed a Mile-a-Minute scarf.  Thought I'd crochet more around & rounds, but decided it looked great 'as is'; that to crochet more with the self-striping yarn wouldn't work.  Hid ends; Done, & a 'J' hook back!

Notes from past 3 days

While the actual written projects do not look like huge accomplishments, I am NOT going to criticize myself.  I am able to resist the temptation to start new large projects thus far.  Looks like I must buy a skein of yarn!!! Ideally pink pound-of-love for Color #3 for the baby afghan.
3/31  cotton dishcloth  &  baby afghan
4/31  pink/orchid striping soft hat (chemo cap)  this yarn would edge the baby afghan perfectly!
5/31  gray winter hat  &  baby afghan    (gray yarn almost gone - less than 1 yd. left!)
Also on my GOal list, I solved a mini-prob I was having with blogging.  I ordered the 365 Daily Challenge book, and shall pick up same on Wednesday!

Crochet Month GOals

Rather than begin & complete ONE Creation in Crochet this month, my GOals are:

• Complete one UFO un-finished-object a day, record here
• In order to complete larger projects like un-finished afghans - 6+, work on those daily
• Any new items begun, must have a estimated completion time of under one two hours
• Listing on etsy, joining ravelry, and FB
• Understanding just how this Blog thing works!

Yesterday, I had help with 'YO' - Yarn Organizing.  Much progress was made, found the skein of white pound of love yarn for the baby girl afghan (my first larger project, for my granddaughter hopefully), & saw countless UFOs in the conquered land of my bedroom.  This is practice for the 365 Daily Creative Challenge, to start on April 1, the Red Sox Regular Season opener, which is also my 4th anniversary of resuming crochet.

Day 1/31:  Gray bracelet and Shamrock bracelet start2finish aka s2f

Day 2/31:  Gold/off-white hat and work on Kaylynn's afghan

March!

Happy CROCHET Month!!!

Or, if you don't happen to celebrate Crochet, perhaps you celebrate another Craft?!?

Happy CRAFT Month!!!

a Little Side Trip

We (DD & I) made an unexpected trek to my hometown on Thursday, for 3 days.  Stayed for 3 days at my Grandma's house, visited my Mother at her house, and other loved ones, it was truly one of those multi-generational gatherings!  My elders are fine okay, the same as the day before (at 90-1/2 yrs & 68 yrs old with several health concerns), and both slowly adjusting to her own no-longer-driving status recently. 
{Hope to post more about the trip soon, but will postpone for a little awhile.} 
So, my crochet hook & yarn took a side trip as well.  While packing up to travel, each time I went in my bedroom, I tossed another skein of yarn into my bag!  That may seem gluttonous, BUT was to my advantage... I tried resume work on a baby afghan, but... The Red Heart Baby Econo - 'white pomp' yarn was ridiculously rough onto the Pound of Love violet/purple yarn!  Certainly unsuitable for a baby.  However, the same brand-type  yarn in 'Rainbow Sherbet' variegated was ssooo soft, BUT the violet/purples clashed instead of matched to my eye.  (and I could not justify going to AC Moore to buy yarn, without a coupon & when my home-supply store has plenty of options!)
Instead I decided on the variegated for baby bonnets or preemie caps... the first one with a bit of ruffle on the front but not the back, and then a larger one with scallop edging, & created newborn mitts too.  I was pleased with the end products, as surprising spontaneous Creations in Crochet:  

Preemie cap & baby bonnet (love the stripe effect!)

I didn't have any patterns (or internet).  I will look for a pattern for booties (maybe even sweaters which I've always avoided!) another day if 'my brain's own ideas' don't quite work.  O-Kay, that's all for now, folks!

Creations in Crochet - GOne!

Once I surrendered to my sob-story circumstances - excuses, feeling my creative creation was impossible, I realized the lessons of the 'GO' organization were indeed inspiring me.  I am learning that 'Impossible is Nothing', that I CAN 'Achieve the Impossible'... and as a favorite author SARK says: Impossible means I'm Possible.  
I developed Good Options to complete the Creations in Crochet and got GO-ing to submit my piece for the GOart show!

Jewelry on bottom of Spring scarf

And, the entire green and blue scarf on its special hanger, attached with the yellow disc logo of GO as keyring and the large tree bib -collar- necklace is pictured below.  Mailed a bit later than the deadline but still acceptable, along with my best wishes for a successful Art Show & Auction... and the hope it will bring in at least $1 for GO connect.  If I knew how to add the GO or any button or link or thing-y to this post, I would!  Maybe another day...

My DD also submitted a Piece, and it's possible that she might attend the Auction... we're HOPE-full, thanks to our aunt & uncle, whom she'd be visiting for the long weekend. I'm not ready to fly yet, but she certainly is ready to GO to Michigan again!  

peace.  & smiles! 

Creation Is Complicated

My Creation in Crochet concept (of 1/20/11) is still under consideration for a later time.  With a 'completion date' (aka 'deadline') of today to be mailed, I regretfully retracted my contribution for the GOArt Show & Auction.


I have nearly completed 6 of the 10 mini creations, which is commendable, since I have not crocheted much jewelry in my crafty past.  Except for the lapel pins ~ shamrock, bunny, pumpkin,etc. ~ back in the 80's.  Think I shoulda created the tiny jewelry back then, when my eyesight was, umm, younger.

Kinda clockwise, is the aqua ring, shamrock pin (from the 80's), lg. purples flower pin, green cuff bracelet with silver button, pr. leaf earrings, pr. of pink/white starry flower earrings.   
The inspiration piece ~ necklace ~ for the entire complicated creation is still an hour or more from completion... and camera shy.  Well, can't stay on the computer all day, I've gotta GO.

peace.  & smiles!

GO-GO-GO

Instead of learning any the 27 new crafts I've learned in the past couple of months, I think I may have made a decision!?!   My creations might come from the crochet genre, maybe, possibly.  I have hundreds of skeins, balls  & pieces of yarn, and likely 100 projects started and never completed.

So last night, I just had to start a new crochet project... it's in a sub-category of FREEFORM, which I never knew was okay for me to do until 2 days ago.  Whenever I would create a new crochet creation, I'd focus on having to repeat it a second or hundredth time.  Then I'd lose interest or ability or goal, and put the yarn & hook & strange looking swatch into a bag.

With Freeform Crochet, there is no pattern, no intention of duplicating it ever again, no wrong decisions, no worry of someone NOT liking the creation -- somewhere, someday, somehow, it will connect its Grateful Owner.  I may adapt the style's name - Free From... (criticism, condemnation, complaints, etC.!)

Yes indeed, because as I see Free From, that connects with another concept that's been a Swirley in my head - Guerilla Art, aka Yarnbombing if done with yarn.  My idea has been to crochet a something useful (like a hat or scarf) and leave it freely for whomever wants, or needs, a little warm fuzzy feeling... beginning with warming up a certain cold concrete block bench down the street.

The "January 20, 2011 Creation in Crochet" is, imho, very, very creative!  The concepts are penciled in.  The crochet hook was located (from a bag with an incomplete thing-y).  The colors and yarn types are coming out from hiding places all over the house.  And, co-incidentally (LOL), about 10+ little mini-creations will combine efforts to become ONE.  My art and I (my heart and eye) are getting connected, I'm developing the motivation for these unknown possibilities to present themselves, and found THE charity I am GOing to help sustain.  All adds up to:

the GOeffect organization and GOart and GOrilla

so, now that I've learned a little bit about blogging, it's time to see if this Creation in Crochet will work... okay now, time to GO...   thank you.

peace.  & smiles!