Since I'm behind on posting, I'm behind on showing you what I've been up to with my Create 52 challenge. So, here are some photos of some things I've been working on over the past few weeks...
I love thrift shopping and found a little package of tiny, unused bottles with cork lids and loops to hang them. I think the cost was twenty five cents for both of them. I recently filled one with lavender buds and made a necklace out of it. I thought it would be fun to fill the other one with teenie, tiny sea shells. I went through a jar of shells I have and found just enough tiny ones that were small enough to fit. I crocheted a triple cord to hang it by and I have a beachy necklace. :-)
I also like going to rummage sales and found this huge table cloth for a couple dollars. It's in perfect condition and I thought it would be fun to crochet a fancy edge on it. That's when I realized how HUGE it really is. It took quite a while to stitch around it! I made it around twice with crochet thread I had in my stash. I had to buy a new ball of thread to keep going to make the fancy edge I had in mind. Even though the new ball seemed to match when I bought it, the colors were really different when I started crocheting. The new red really didn't go with the fabric at all. It was a cooler, more blue red. So, I ripped out the start of that third row and decided that this was enough trim. It did fancy it up a bit.
You may already know how much I'm in love with cotton yarn and that I have a weakness for Sugar N Cream. Especially when it goes on sale! I've had some ideas in mind for the ever growing stash of colors I have but when it went on sale a few weeks ago I just had to buy a few more colors and get started on one of my ideas. I'm making a bunch of the "African Flower" motifs to sew into something. I figure I'll keep making them until I'm tired of them. I'll make a blanket if I end up making a lot. If I get tired quickly of making them, I'll use them to make a bag. There are so many great ideas on line for this versatile little motif. It's fun playing with all these colors!
I often long to knit or crochet just for the sheer pleasure of it. It gets frustrating when I want to stitch but just can't find a pattern I love. I end up spending a lot of time pattern searching. I thought I'd found one last weekend and got started. It was SO nice to just work on a simple pattern of double crochets. It was like meditation and was SO relaxing. Ahhhh!
However, I soon realized that I wasn't going to be very happy with the result as it was so bulky that the shawl I was making wouldn't hang nicely. So, I ripped it out! After searching for so long for a pattern to use this leftover yarn in my stash (another yarn I've fallen in love with and it comes in SO many pretty color combos!), I decided to just make up something...a scarf. So far, I think it's working up nicely. And, I still have something relaxing to work on in between other projects that take more concentration and brain power.
I usually have several projects going on at the same time. That way I can switch to something different if I need a break, want to work on something easier, or feel like tackling something more challenging. Since I went through that finishing frenzy a few months ago and finished up so many projects, it's seemed a little weird to not have several projects to go to. So, why not start another new one?! I've been wanting to try to move beyond shawls, scarves, cowls, hats, and other simple stuff and learn to make garments. I finally decided on a top pattern last week and got started using some stash yarn. It's a bit challenging because the yokes require some lace knitting....something I'm a bit challenged at. But, I'm figuring it out. Yay! I hope this project works out because I have several things in my wardrobe that would work great with this orange top.
This post seems to have developed a theme of budget shopping and de-stashing! Here's another project that started with a deal. Over the weekend I found a skirt at a thrift shop for just $2. It was a gathered, mid shin length, size 18 skirt. With a little cutting, stitching, and use of parts from a pattern I recently bought, I transformed it into a knee length (just below) wrap skirt. I like the colors and pattern of the fabric and thought it would look so much cuter this way. I think I'm happy with it.
I have so many things I want to create! If only I had more time and I could finish them more quickly to move onto the next! But, these projects and my small accomplishments are fun!
What have you been working on lately?
5 comments:
So many wonderful colors! You have me hooked on the Caron Cakes yarn - I LOVE their color combos. I wish I knew how to crochet - every fall I vow to learn over winter, then don't. It is still on my bucket list. I really like how you repurposed that skirt. I have to change my thinking when hitting the thrift shops and garage sales.
I love seeing all your projects in progress. Hmm, I have a bunch of those little bottles and I have tons of tiny shells - I might have to make some necklaces for holiday gifts.
So many projects, you certainly have been busy. Love the table cloth edging it looks really pretty and the beachy necklace was a delight too.
Nice accomplishments! I especially like the African Flowers-so many combinations of color that will make the crocheter happy!
FIrst of all the skirt re-do is amazing. I am in love with it. I think you should make those motifs into a great bag. They are gorgeous.
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