Finally Productive

I've started my six year old's afghan, but almost immediately ran into a setback. She adores pink, so I wanted to do pink and white. Apparently, no one makes a variegated pink/white acrylic. I could do blocks of white, but I was so hoping to find a pink and white. What a bummer.

This is what I have done so far, with a total of fifteen or so rows done. I just kept working until the skein was completely gone. It's my first real attempt at something meant to actually cover someone rather than just warm their lap. I have to confess: I wasn't prepared for how much yarn it eats. The idea of doing 5 more (4 kids and a younger brother) is slightly daunting.

I have a formula/technique that I so want to share with you. Since I'm so excited about it, I'm actually going through the effort of testing it - again. I'm rather proud of it as I came up with it all on my own without following even a hint of a pattern. It's for a handbag or purse or whatever. I have the first one I made, the second "this has to get better" attempt, and now the third "do I really understand what I'm doing" in progress. I'll definitely make a fourth because I use the second one all the time but hate the color scheme. It's cream and maroon and it gives the impression I'm a Sooners fan. I'm not opposed to the Sooners, but I don't like to publicly affiliate myself with any one team.

This is my work in progress. That's my boot heel on the left if you need some perspective as the size. I'm planning to make the over-the-shoulder stretch in camo to try to offset the patch of black at the beginning of the handle.

This is my second bag made. It has more depth than the first I made. If I lived in area where the local school colors were blue and white or purple and black, my bag wouldn't be suspicious. Here in Oklahoma, it signals automatic fandom and I would rather it not.

 

I love that bag, though! I find I can fit so much in it and it mushes to fit what I want. I even put a binder in it the other day and it held it just fine. It's not lined, but I like it. I can slip pens in it. When I use it as a crochet bag, I can slide my hooks through the stitches. I can even wind my yarn through a stitch and use it as a makeshift yarn bowl. It sits a little high under the arm, but it's not so bad when it has some weight in it. The wide strap is awesome and doesn't cut into my shoulder. I just love it. :) All of that is even weirder when you understand that I don't carry a purse 95% of the time.

 

I also made some hats. The hats and the camo bag came into existence today. I only managed to get a pic of one.

This is a kids' beanie. I think I just wanted to make something and this is what happened.

 

 

Oh. And I tried my hand at another necklace. I like this one best of what I've done so far, but I think I'm through with them for the moment. They just don't make me happy. I don't sit back and look at them and go, "Look what I made!" Rather, I tend to look at them and question how much yarn I "wasted" making it. Do you have that? Is there anything you make that looks just fine and functions perfectly well but it doesn't make your creativity happy?

I would've modeled it as before, but I happened to be wearing a solid black shirt tonight. Wouldn't have been a very effective photo.

I'll write the pattern out as soon as I figure it out. I do quite like it, though. I might have to steal the idea and use it as a border.

 

 

So, that was my night. I'll leave you with a little glimpse into how I try to make a pattern work.

Notes and gibberish and psycho handwriting

Trying to figure out the straps. Always the pain - how to decrease the straps!

 

Thanks for reading!