FO Friday

Another week has gone by and I'm still on a roll with de-stashing and finishing projects!  Woo hoo!  I love this!  It feels good to use up some supplies, finish up projects, and have some new and fun things.

One of the things I finished up this week was this painting...

My daughter and I took a class at the local ceramics/painting shop last month.  They were featuring this "Sugar Skull" painting for one of the classes.  We liked it and the class just happened to be the day after my daughter's birthday.  So, that's how we celebrated.  It was a lot of fun!  However, there's a lot more to this "simple" looking painting than it seems.  So much so that we didn't finish our paintings during the class...even though it went an hour longer than scheduled.  My daughter finished her painting a day or so later.  But, me...I kept putting it off.  I finally got around to finishing it this week.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and it was a lot of fun.

Another thing I finished was this granny square table topper.  I made it with a huge, 710 yard skein of Handicrafter Cotton that I had in my stash.  And, I made it in one week.  I thought it would look great with this table cloth that I have.  And, it will be perfect for Fall.  However, it turned out a bit small.  I wanted to center it over the table cloth, on my round kitchen table, and have the corners go to each place there's a chair to act as a place mat...perfect to put a place setting at each corner.  I haven't given up hope yet though.  I'm going to try to block it out as much as I can and see if it makes it big enough.  If not....well?....I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it.  I really like it though and I'm determined to make it work for something.  The burnt orange color of it is perfect in my house.  And, I don't want to rip out 710 yards of stitching!  That was a lot of work!

I also knitted up a couple more dish cloths with a ball of brown Sugar N Cream.

Looks like a great color scheme going on, huh?  :-)

This feels so good to be using up so much stash yarn and finishing so many projects!

I'd better figure out my next project and get started while I'm still on a roll!

I just got a message from Sandy at "My Yellow Swing".  It's a bag making bonanza at her place.  She has finished up a bunch of great bags and posted them on her blog today.  I love how she combines sewing with inkle weaving and cords that she's made.  Here's just one of her FO's for this week...

Be sure to pop over and see all the other great bags she's made.

Oh...and, I almost forgot...I'm need  to add my newest FO's to the Stash-Buster Party at Linda's Crafty Corner.  Hop on over if you'd like to join in on the fun or see what everyone's been making.

P.S.  I just got word that Cindy at "Delighted Hands" posted for FO Friday.  She finished a gorgeous, knitted, lace shawl.  Hop on over and take a look.  Great job, Cindy!  I love it!

Here's a peek...

Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

I've been a little bit absent in the blog world lately.  I've been wanting very much to dive back in and post more often but I've been finding it a little difficult.  Summer was busy but the end of it was packed!  My daughter came home for the summer and we were busy almost constantly.  Then, all of a sudden there was only one week left to pack in everything that we had wanted to do but hadn't yet.  There was a recording session (she's a musician...harpist), sewing, line dancing, people to see and places to go! Whew!  Then, I blinked my eyes and it was time for her to go back to college.

That first week was a little weird.  There was the quick halt to all the busyness.  Then, I think I was feeling a bit blue that she was gone.  And, hubby was home sick for several days.  I just couldn't get into the swing of things.  I think things finally started to click into place yesterday.  Whew!  I hate that sort of lost feeling and not being able to decide what to do or where to start.  But, hopefully, blogging is resuming...starting now!  :-)

In the midst of the busyness and the weirdness I have been busy with yarn.  I've been doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  I started to make an adorable purse...HERE'S the pattern page on Ravelry.  I found the perfect yarn in my stash!  I had two skeins of Cotton Supreme Batik in the "Early Autumn" colorway. When I started crocheting with it I fell in love!  It was going to be a gorgeous purse!  And, perfect for the season! Unfortunately, there wasn't enough yarn.  So, I ripped out the second skein and crocheted it into another granny square and I'm thinking of making them into pillows.  It turns out that the colors go perfectly with my house!

I've crocheted a couple more lacy rock covers.  Here's one of the latest...

I started another de-stashing project last Thursday.  It's the Claudia Scarf that I've had in my Ravelry queue for a couple of years.  It's an easy pattern and I like the look of it.  I like the grid-like stripes and the softness of the shells.  It should look extra nice once it's done and blocked.  I have four skeins of Bamboo and Ewe which should be more than enough yarn.  And, I'm using a size H crochet hook.  I started on the second skein last night.  

I've also knitted a little on a pair of socks I started a long time ago.  I'm up to the gusset on the second sock. And...My daughter and I did some sewing together on the last week of her break.  We both made the same skirt in different fabrics.  I just need to hem mine.  

Now, to get rid of this headache so I can figure out what to photograph for the Alphabet Photo Challenge and the letter N.  And, to get back to work on all of these other projects.  Ugh!  I hate headaches!  I'll be so happy when the weather cools and we can turn off the AC and the ceiling fans.  My sinuses will be MUCH happier!