Reprioritizing

Well, I don't really feel like I got a whole lot done this past week on the yarn front. The blanket is moving along, and I did get a small project made, but I didn't get very far at all on my sweater. That last one has more to do with the fact that my daughter's molars are coming in than anything else. She has been having trouble sleeping, and Friday night was particularly bad. The lack of sleep made me just worthless on Saturday and I totally gave into lazy-mode. Which of course meant I had twice as much to do on Sunday and therefore got less done yarn-wise.

I don't know why I ever think it is a good idea to have multiple big projects in the works at once. I mean, yes, it is nice to be able to take a break from something to pick up something else, but when you get to a certain point, each one just starts distracting you from the others. Sigh.

At this point, I have three things I am working on. Only one needs to be done by a specific date, but I would like to get the other two done by the end of November. I think this is possible, but I could be totally kidding myself. Once those are finished I only have two must-do projects on my official list and one want-to-do. One of the must-do items can totally wait until the start of the year, so there's that.

Here is my priority list as it stands for what is in the works now:

1. Blanket (I am 1/3 of the way done with this and might just buckle down and plow through and then pick up the other two projects once I am done.)
2. KAL Sweater (Still slogging along on the back on this one.)
3. Secret Project (This is actually ridiculously easy, which, unfortunately, means it is not very engaging. I just need to find some good television or movies to burn through while I work on it and it should go pretty quickly.)

Once December rolls around I will pick up Must-Do project number one (because it is a Christmas present) and put whatever else I am still working on from the above list on hold if necessary. It is a crochet project so I think it will go much more quickly for me, thankfully. Depending on how much of my sweater and other project I have left, once I finish the Christmas present, I might or might not attempt to make my daughter a pair of socks for her Christmas stocking. Her feet are small, so those should go by relatively quickly even with the learning curve involved. That's the plan, at least. 

If, by some miracle, I managed to finish ALL of those projects before December is out? I would like to make myself a vest. Then when January rolls around, I will start off the year with my last must-do item, a blanket for one of my cousins, and then I shall dive into SOCKS. 

Yup, got it all planned out. This means that you, dear readers, are now free to sit back and enjoy watching my plan fall completely to pieces. Feel free to laugh as things go all pear-shaped. It's okay, I won't mind. I was totally asking for it anyhow.

To end things on a good note, here's that small project that I did manage to finish off this week. I made another Ninja Turtle hat for my friend's daughter. 

Red is for Raphael.

Pattern: Meh, totally winged it.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Dark Sage (1 skein) and Red Heart Classic in Cherry Red (1 skein)
Needles: Size 8

My friend thought red would be the best color for her daughter, so red is what we went with. I was a little put off by the contrast between the yarns at first (I used what was in my stash), but I actually ended up really liking it. The mask is not part of the turtle's head, after all. It makes sense that it would look and feel different.

I also am much happier with how the eye holes on the mask came out, as well as how the attaching of the mask to the "head" ended up looking than with my first turtle hat. For the eyes, I ended up just binding off at the holes and joining a new strand of yarn for each separate section until it was time to resume knitting across. This did mean that I had three strands of yarn attached this work at one point, but only for like three rows, so no real biggie. It was a good practice lesson for the neck shaping on my sweater, actually. When I attached it, I actually overlapped the last row of the head and first row of the mask, with the mask on top, and just back-stitched it on. I think it makes it look more like an actual mask, so I was very pleased with that.

I got my daughter to sort of model it for you, too, so I'll leave you with that. Have a great week! Hopefully I'll have more progress to report next Tuesday.

Mom, I really don't know what you are doing but you're
interrupting Planet Sheen.

Fine, if you're going to make Daddy hold me still insist,
I will pose for a picture. Sheesh.

Elephants, Ninjas, and Blankets, Oh My!

So, I sadly did not make any progress on my crochet-along project this weekend. That doesn't mean I didn't make any fibercraft progress, however. Oh no.

The reason my CAL got put on hold was because I encountered an unexpected deadline for the baby blanket I have been working on. I found out that I needed to get it done before Sunday if I wanted to avoid paying to mail it across town. Seeing as I had also intended to make a stuffed toy for the baby's big sister, this meant I needed to get my butt in gear. So I doubled down and finished the blanket on Friday.

Blue Rose by Cori 2011.

Border shot.

Detail shot.

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Blue Mint (5 skeins)
Hook: G

For the most part I am very happy with it. It is just alternating rows of single crochet and double crochet with a scalloped border. If I had had a little more time I probably would have made it a bit longer, but it is still a good size for a baby. I really do just love the color of this yarn. I must find something fun to do with the leftovers! If you want to see the actual "pattern" I used, I detailed it on my Ravelry projects page.

I finished that up on Friday, which left me Saturday to make the toy for big sister. For one amigurumi, one day is plenty (even if that is a crazy baby shower and birthday party-filled day). Apparently, she loves elephants, and I just so happened to have recently stumbled across a really cute pattern for an elephant, so...

Ton of Toffee by Cori 2011.

Side view.

Look at that cute little elephant tush!

Pattern: Amigurumi Elephant by Ms. Premise-Conclusion
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Toffee (1 skein) and Beige (1 skein)
Hook: G

Of course, I ran out of the Toffee yarn when I was almost done, which is what I get for using leftovers. But I improvised with the ears and tail and I think it actually came out really cute! I love this little guy. I did use a G hook instead of the F called for in the pattern, because I wanted it to be a little larger. I also had to wing it a bit on the legs because the pattern was written with the pieces worked inside out, and the complicated legs had to be worked inside out to follow the pattern exactly. But out of habit, I just make it so the fabric turns right side out as I work, which made things...interesting. Still, it all worked out quite well, I think. This is a great pattern for an intermediate or above crocheter!

Speaking of a baby shower and birthday party-filled Saturday, I can now show you what I made as gifts for those events. This was the project I hinted at in last week's post. It is full of win and awesome.

I think you will agree.

Party of Ninjas by Cori 2011

Ninja 1

Ninja 2

Ninja 3

Pattern: Amigurumi Crochet Ninja Pattern by Ms. Premise-Conclusion
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Sapphire (1 skein) and Charcoal Grey (1 skein), Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Baby in Lamb (1 skein), black scrap yarn for the eyes
Hook: F

I mean, come on, how are these not awesome? Also, this pattern? SUPER easy! I may or may not have snuck up behind my husband and launched all three of them at him while simultaneously yelling, "NINJAS!!" Cuz, you know, why not?

So, I had a flurry of activity crochet-wise last week, but that is okay. My next project deadline isn't until the middle of September. So I am going to work on my CAL and then go from there.