Weekly craft check-in #5: Garfield the Grumpy & thoughts on misfit crafts

This week I dug out some long-dormant cross-stitch projects and picked one to finish. And what do you know? I actually did it.

(Cue dramatic noises of surprise and shock!)

Seriously, I hardly ever finish cross-stitch projects. Once, I was sure I never finished them because I just wasn't any good at cross-stitching. Now, I realize that I never finished them because counted cross-stitch just doesn't really suit me. (And don't get me started on the kind of cross-stitch where you take a piece of fabric with a printed picture on it and stitch over it. Not that there's anything at all wrong with it if you enjoy it, but me, I'm more inclined to just hang up the pretty picture than to spend all that time stitching over it to make it pretty much look the same. ;))

Anyway, the problem wasn't that I was bad at cross-stitch (though I'm still not that awesome at it, it's true), and it wasn't that cross-stitch and I just don't get along. It was that I hadn't found a type of cross-stitch that really fit me. But a few months ago, I came across some pictures of other kinds of cross-stitch in an old needlework book I have, and suddenly I'm enthused again about learning it.

I'm realizing more and more as I keep on crafting — even from the stuff that I finish but hate hate hate making, and from the stuff that comes out merely blah — that when I'm drawn to a craft, there's probably something awesome about it that I will totally love. That doesn't mean, though, that the most readily available form of that craft is suited to me. And if I confuse the readily available project ideas and kits with the whole of a certain craft (which I have done a ton of times...), I just might miss out on some obscure form of the craft that really, really flies my starship.

So the lesson is, apparently, that sometimes I just have to struggle through the projects I have ready access to, even though they don't really suit me, in order to get good enough at a craft to discover the parts that I really, really like.

Life is kind of like that, too, huh? ;)

But rather than get off on a hippie tangent about life, the universe and everything, I'll just share with you the cross-stitch project that I finally finished:


It still needs some of the plastic canvas cut off, but it's essentially done. OK, except for that part where I decide what to actually do with it. But WOO. I must have bought the kit for this project somewhere on the order of eight or nine years ago ... and it's finally done.

There's hope for me yet! ;)

Just for kicks, too, here's a picture of our resident orange cat:


If he ate lasagna, he would pretty much be Garfield. He's grumpy, doesn't like kittens, sleeps all the time (though what cat doesn't? ;)) ... and actually, we've never tried giving him lasagna. Hmm. Maybe if we tried it, we'd discover that he really is a Garfield cat. You never know.

Aaaaanyway...

So what'd you make this past week? :D

Finished Object: Branching Out scarf

Behold! The Branching Out scarf I started two years ago is done!





The Phoenix Bess secret test knit has been received and cast on. It looks like it's going to be an enjoyable and quick knit, especially since my new Knit Picks Harmony wood circular needles were magically the correct size for the pattern AND I magically got gauge with them. That seems like a good sign.

Image dump!

After the famine comes a feast: today is the day of photo dumpage, meaning I finally uploaded a bunch of the photos I've been taking. I may not actually dump all the photos I have to dump ... ;) [Note: I did. Ha. ;)]

One of my latest finished projects is -- ta-da! -- the Jamaica bag, from One Skein Wonders:



And that's for me, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, I finally finished something else for me. I'm on a bit of a roll. ;) Going through the UFO list will necessarily make me knit for myself, since I tend to neglect me most, by starting things for me and then rarely finishing, which takes up space and keeps the stash static. Hiss! Now that I'm mentioning stash, though, I should note that all the knit projects in today's photodump were knit from stash. The Jamaica bag is stash left over from yarn I bought for knit Christmas ornaments.

I've also knit another bag lately, this one a semi-angel for the April Fool's Fun swap on Swapbot:



That's a version of Purl McBigBottom that I'm calling Funky Purl McBigBottom, also, as noted, made with stash yarn: some white acrylic and an expensive Fun Fur type yarn for the main body, with some red worsted weight cotton thrown in at the bottom where I ran out of furry stuff, and in the handle for coherence. Yay. ;D That's two yarns that I've had for a while, and some random red scraps I wasn't sure what to do with. Great success!

The other item I made for that same swap is this shawl:



Because I've been wanting to knit a shawl for a while even though Florida is the Land of No Shawls. ;) I haven't woven the tails in on that one still, since it isn't going out till the recipient has an address again (positive vibes to her on her husband -- possibly soon ex-husband? -- situation), at the very least. That's all straight from the stash, including some pink for Faire bunny slippers I never made, some orange left over from Halloween, some random fuzzy stuff from a scarf for my sister and for which I have developed a hatred, and some sparkly pink stuff from a necklace knit as part of a trade. I'm working on another on a similar design, using the same Simple Yet Effective Shawl pattern, for a private trade with the swap coordinator for April Fool's Fun. ;D I'm also making her a pair of matching wristwarmers, which brings me to...



...the items I knit for the Mystery Skein Swap, which were received yesterday, and well appreciated, by the lovely Elabeth (good luck to her on her new knitting shop endeavor :D), who apparently has been thinking of knitting some wristwarmers for herself but hasn't gotten to it yet. Hurrah. :D That yarn, entertainingly enough, is also stash ... just not my stash. Part of the idea of the Mystery Skein Swap was to have someone make something for you out of something you obviously have a bit of a block on ... like everlasting stash yarns. ;)

I've also been arting a bit lately (which is much prettier than it sounds, I hope ;)), including carving a neat stamp based on a mandala. I kind of wanted to keep the stamp, but at least I still have the test sheet to play with:



And I seem to be on a purplish theme lately, too; for the Purple Postcards swap, it's pretty obvious why, but the bookmarks and the wish stones weren't required to be purple, sooo...







...I guess it was just a phase. ;)

And that's your photodump for today, that's your photodump for today-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay ... that's your photodump for today. ;D

Finished Projects of 2007

In the effort to keep organized tabs on my creative insanity, I'm making a Grand List of Finished Projects of 2007, to be accompanied by a Grand List of Projects in Progress, a Grand List of UFOs to Resurrect, and a Grand List of Future Projects. Then I can list just the numbers on my blog index page (e.g., "Hats Knit: 3," etc.). Soooo...

Here's my running list of finished knits of 2007:

*Ben's mismatched mittens
*Calorimetry
*Mystery Skein Swap item 1 - a hat from One Skein Wonders
*Spiral Rib hat for Caps for a Cure
*Paisley's Piggle hat
*Felted summer hat - made from cream-colored wool donated by Ben's grandmother, my first felted project :D
*Mystery Skein Swap item 2 - ribbed wristwarmers from the 2006 pattern-a-day knitting calendar
*"Simple Yet Effective" shawl variation - pink and orange stashbuster for April Fool's Fun swap [finished in early March]
*Eyelet skirt from Knitty [finally finished, seams, tails, and all, on March 16]
*Jamaica bag from One Skein Wonders [March 25]
*Funky Purl McBigBottom for a semi-angel for April Fool's Fun swap
*Cabled cozy socks from Handknit Holidays, for Brian in gray Merino wool (Patons Classic, I think)
*A scalloped edging for the much-delayed Fabric Scrap Craft
*Tropical Island shawl (for trade with kiakiali)
*Ball band washcloth (from Mason-Dixon Knitting) in purple and black for SBS Teas Secret Spring Genie 2007
*Ball band washcloth in pink and purple for Earth Mother's Day Swap-bot swap [April 27, 2007]
*Star Stitch hanging towel with joined loop at top instead of button [June 25, 2007]
*Warm Up America afghan square in white acrylic yarn (finished for Ben) [August 28, 2007]
*Sunday Market Shawl [early September]
*Bronwyn's square-bottom dice bag in Mainstays variegated blue acrylic [September 14, 2007]
*Loom-knit hat - two strands of acrylic worsted weight yarn, size smallish [September 26, 2007]

Finished spinning/fiber projects:

*Spin to Knit secret pals skein 1 // 2-ply Columbia fingering weight - yardage?
*Hand carded mini-batts from raw Columbia fleece // mission: failed ;) - weight?
*Birthday gift for me: .9 oz Merino/Tussah in blue colorway, sport or possibly DK weight - ~240 yards
*Spin to Knit secret pals skein 2 // 2-ply alpaca, 30.3 yards, .9 oz bulky weight (10 wpi)
*Brown alpaca - from sample sent with destash purchase of cotton and wool, hand carded into batts before spun - singles, 44.7 yards, .3 oz lace to fingering weight?
*Blue-green mohair/Merino blend done on hand carders as per Knitty instructions - .6 ounces
*2 drum-carded batts from gray spinning bell [some leftovers of lighter gray spinning bell]
*Gray-blue Columbia/mystery wool fiber blending experiment - hand carded, .2 oz
*3 batts of drum-carded blue Columbia/gray mystery wool [April 12, 2007]
*Yarn: 1 skein silvery gray mystery wool, sample from fiber shop at Bay Area Renaissance Festival - .4 oz [yardage?] [WPI?]
*Yarn: dark gray spinning bell wool singles - 75 yards, .4 oz - about sport or fingering weight [to be plied with something]
*Yarn: 54 yards (.2 oz) gray/blue Columbia/spinning bell (from first fiber blending experiment) singles, about fingering weight
*Yarn: 92 yards singles white fingering weight Columbia (from commercially-processed roving) to be plied with something for the Orphan Handspun Swap
*Yarn: 40 yards yellow-white mystery wool two-ply sport weightish - Anne's custom embellishment yarn (to be dyed); dyed blue, green, and mauve!
*Yarn: 80 yards gray variegated Jacob singles fingering weight to be plied with something for Orphan Handspun Swap (possibly to be overdyed)
*Yarn: mini-skein two-ply dark dyed alpaca and a tiny bit of silver wool
*Yarn: 70.8 yards two-ply dark purple/white Jacob/Columbia fingering to sport weight (for Orphan Handspun Swap) [May 04, 2007]
*Woven belt: worsted-weight cotton with blue flecks, to go with my silk robe
*Weaving: rigid heddle test project (short woven band, worsted-weight cotton)

Finished hairpin lace:

*Triple Threat scarf in red Lion Cotton Solid
*Superfringe scarf in Blue Heather Wool-Ease

Finished art-type projects:

*Brian's pocket heart
*Valentine's hearts
*Mini-ATC: "Smitten 1"
*Things With Wings matchbox fill
*ATC: "Love That Coat"
*ATC: "Knit Love"
*2 sets of wish stones: 1 stamped glass marbles (hearts), 1 stamped polymer clay (purple, silver, and translucent marbled)
*Purple postcards, set of 3 (for a Swapbot swap) - cut from a Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream box
*Old Box ATCs, series of 10 (for a Swapbot swap) - cut from various cardboard boxes
*I (heart) books bookmarks - 2
*"Why I Swap"/Happy Spring postcards (2) - blue and yellow, plants and flowers, simple Gel Pen embellishment
*"Orient" puzzle piece for Robin's charity "Destinations" art puzzle [April 06, 2007]
*2 fat book pages for Robin's charity, "Nature" and "Tea"
*Old Box ATCs, series of 9, for Old Box ATCs #3 Swap-bot swap
*ATC: "Zetti Vacation" for Secret Spring Bunny Swap
*"Courage" matchbox shrine for Personalized Value Matchbox Shrine [April 12, 2007]
*Postcards: 3 yellow postcards for Swap-bot swap [April 16, 2007]
*Altered journal (blue and green naturey) for Creative Journal Swap
*3 bookmarks (April 27, 2007): one Old Box bookmark (Thai Kitchen noodle bowl) for Earth Mother's Day swap, one vintagey flowery bookmark, one kitty bookmark, the second two for "newbie/changing bad ratings" swap on Swap-bot
*ATCs: 3 Old Box ATCs for re-send to Mary Rousseaux (downtown painter) {May 01, 2007}
*Altered toy animal (voodoo war pig) for Eccentric Pastiche swap [May 09, 2007]
*Hand-bound tea book for Eccentric Pastiche swap [May 09, 2007]
*Blue postcards (3) for Etsy swap [May 17, 2007]
*ATC: "Rainforest Frogs" for Surf the Net with Me Etsy swap [May 21, 2007]
*Wall art: "Le Coq" 4x4 for Mini Wishlist 2
*Polymer clay good luck charm for Mini Wishlist 2
*Purple and green bookmark for Tiny Box of Joy [May 29, 2007]
*3 ATCs for "Things I Wish I Said" swap": "Lovely Friends," "Immature," "Thoughtful Gift" [June 12, 2007]

Jewelry of 2007:

*Surfer Girl ring
*Simple ear cuff design
*Dangly ear cuff design
*Current 1 ring
*Polymer clay beaded beads - 1 barrel bead and 1 disc bead in Valentine's colors
*Little birdie necklace
*Phoenix Flame necklace - handspun alpaca I-cord with hand-made polymer clay pendant (red, brown, yellow)
*Diamond pendant-charms (flat top-drilled bead things) from the same cane as Phoenix Flame necklace, plus one more pendant
*Pink and black swirl pendant-charms from a cane used for buttons
*Earrings for nktigger of Swapbot: blue-green crackle glass tube beads over black spirals, silver-plated ear wires
*Necklace: polymer clay disc embedded with seed beads on I-cord, red, white, and cream, 17.5 inches long, with copper wire hook on yarn loop
*Ring: size 8 re-do of Surfer Girl for Flory
*Ring: size 6.5 copper ring, Bright Bubbles
*Earrings: black and silver for Mini Wishlist 2

Finished sewn objects of 2007:

*Pin cushion for Fabric Scrap Craft [April 17, 2007]

Things that don't fit anywhere else of 2007:

*A coiled fabric scrap basket for me
*Polymer clay buttons: 2 sets
*Pom pom scarf (acrylic) for "Different Scarf" swap [April 09, 2007]
*Purple and black two-strand basketweave mini tote for Secret Spring Genie on SBSTeas.com [April 24, 2007]
*Pink, cream, and orange three-strand basketweave tote for Earth Mother's Day swap on Swap-bot [April 26, 2007]

Trades of 2007:

*2 oz. Columbia roving for a hairpin lace loom

"Tools" made in 2007:

*Stitch markers: 2 sets
*Polymer clay spindles: 1
*Point protectors: blue and green stars, 1 set
*Point protectors: blue and green discs plus crackle glass bead, 1 set

Next up, the Grand List of WIPs...