Another day, another project...

So yesterday, my youngest girl comes up to me and says, "Mom, did you finish my quilt yet?" The answer, of course, is no. And I should totally get on that too, because she's been extremely patient, considering I meant to make it for her 9th birthday -- which was back in November!!

I have, however, made another of those little bags. I'm kind of in love with them. They're maybe big enough for a cell phone, or a change purse & keys, whatever. Small stuff!



Oh, I do like the little things. :)

So, anyway, I'm thinking of learning embroidery. As far as fancy needlework goes, I can only cross-stitch, which I do love, but I want to branch out a little. Also, I should hook up my printer to print out some free patterns I've bookmarked. I want to do a whole bunch of those vintage fruits & veggies for my kitchen -- you know, like smiling apples & grumpy tomatoes & such? I'd really like that. :)

Is it really almost February? Yikes! I've done very little in the way of crafting, especially cross stitch, as my last pair of contacts is acting up on me, and I won't have new ones for maybe a week. I did go to the optometrist last week, and the good news is that my eyes are extremely healthy -- I just can't see outta them!

I am behind on so many projects right now that I'm embarrassed to even admit how much. Still, I am no longer working nights, so the first thing I did was clean most of the apartment, except for my room & my desk. And it isn't that I'm not going to -- it's that I haven't done them yet. It's amazing how much clutter seems to breed when you haven't got the time to stay on top of it! But I figure that if I'm going to catch up on my craft projects, it'll be nice to have a tidy place in which to do it.

Yesterday my oldest girl turned 12. She didn't want a party (though her best friend came over) but there was cake! And what she wanted, it turned out, was a Minecraft cake -- specifically a creeper. I mixed up the icing, and she frosted the cake...



Sssay... That'sss a nice cake you have there... It'd be a ssshame if sssomething happened to it...

Yarn addiction, anyone?

I have a terrible habit of going to places like Goodwill or Value Village & buying up cheap bags of assorted yarn -- but I can't help it! It's an addiction, really. You know what I could totally benefit from? A 12-step yarn addiction group. I've come to the realisation that I binge-knit. I won't touch the stuff for months, and then, in the blink of an eye, I can't leave the needles alone. The, er, knitting needles, that is. This wouldn't be so bad if I could at least do more than a knit stitch! But no, silly me, I haven't even learned to purl.

Anyway, I've got 3 little girls. And if I make a little bag for one, you just know the other 2 are gonna want one too. My oldest got the camouflage-coloured one that I posted the other day (she's quite tomboy-ish & picked the yarn out) but my middle girl is much more girly. She likes everything pink & sparkly, unicorns & rainbows & all that crap. I think her bag turned out better though.



Here's the 2 bags together. These are not large bags, y'know; they might be big enough for a cell phone, but that's about it. Not that my girls have cell phones, but there you go. In a few days, I'll probably have a blue one done for my youngest girl.




I'm really enjoying making these. They're quick to knit up, and it's a good way to use up all those little balls of yarn that I've got around that aren't big enough to make much else.

I know, I know... Powerless over yarn & other craft materials, I know... All together now: Grant me the serenity to accept the yarn I already have, the courage to occasionally put down the knitting needles, and the wisdom not to add to my already plentiful stash!

Boy, I don't update much, do I?

So I haven't been doing much of anything lately -- except working late nights, which sucks, because then I spend half the next day napping! Only one more week of that... just one more week... And then I actually managed to give myself food poisoning over the weekend. Luckily it was something I ate somewhere else, and NOT at home, so I know my family isn't going to suffer! The funny thing is, I'm usually ridiculously paranoid about food safety, and I had ONE lapse in common sense -- and this is what happened! Oh well, my own fault.

I'm surprised I'm getting anything done today, actually, as my 2 older girls are home sick from school (just coughs -- the youngest had it first & she's over it already) and usually they're in my hair constantly. However, I managed to finish a little bag I'd been making for a while. It's not very big, about 3x4 inches, if that.



It was my first attempt at anything using decreasing stitches (I'm not that capable of a knitter, I must confess!) and I think it turned out pretty well. :)

Now, of course, Maddy wants one in pink, and when Liv sees it, she'll want one in blue... I feel like I should be taking requests!

Just a quick update...

Some of you may know already that I'm very involved with a 12-step program -- and if you didn't already know, well... now you do. :P As a matter of fact, I'm about 2 1/2 years sober -- yay me! Anyway, tonight I went to my home group's weekly meeting, which I really cannot miss as I make the coffee! I brought along the scarf I finished for Maddy, partly because I'd promised two of my friends there that I would show them, and partly because I wanted to show it off a bit. Well, didn't I get requests from THREE people for scarves! :D

In other news, no real progress with any kind of cross stitch, knitting or quilting today -- I did a little knitting, but not too much. Like I said a few posts ago, I am working nights for the next week or so, so right now my days are more about catching up on my sleep!

Okay, my pretties -- this is the one weeknight I *don't* work, and can actually get a proper night's sleep. Good night! :)

Finished a scarf!

Well, doesn't it just figure that the first thing I finish ... isn't actually part of my 2012 cross-stitch challenge pieces -- or even cross-stitch!



Still, it's not bad for a scarf, is it? I do love that self-striping yarn. And the little girl modeling it for me here is my darling Maddy, for whom the scarf is intended. (Yes, she's growing out her bangs; I know how long they are!)

What do you all think?

Quick update!

So according to this 2012 cross stitch challenge I joined, I should be on day 10. Well, folks, I am just as behind as I was for day 8! But you know, I don't have the stitching time I would like to have just now. For one thing, I have been working nights, and will be doing that for at least another 2 weeks. For another thing, I also need to get up at 6 a.m. to make lunches for my 3 kids, and get them all ready for school. (NO, I don't like to make lunches the night before; I feel they don't taste fresh then.) What this means is that once the kids are in school, I don't want to stitch -- I want to nap! Which is exactly what I'm going to do after I drop the girls at school this morning. One has left (she takes public transit) and two more are leaving in a few minutes. And then it's nap time for this sleepy lady!

I have decided that, as much as I love cross stitch, it's just not worth stressing myself over whether I'm behind or not. I think I will work on the projects that I've already started when I have time (and am awake enough to not constantly stab myself with the needle!) and post pics & updates accordingly. The challenge is to complete 15 projects in a year -- it is *not* about being first, or stitching the most, or anything like that. If it starts being a contest, it stops being fun, and I want to have fun!

PS: I plan to do a bit of something crafty after my nap! :D