Monday, May 28, 2012

Granny Square Afghan CAL

I decided, rather on a whim, actually - to participate in a summer CAL (Crochet-a-Long).  This is a first for me but I am excited.  The Granny Square Sampler Afghan CAL is being hosted at WiseCraft and anyone can join in at any time during the summer event.  As I am attempting to make a few afghans for Christmas presents - this seems like a great way to work on this lofty aspiration.  You do notice that I said attempting to make, right? I've got myself on a schedule and I'm hoping for the best but we'll see where I'm at come December.  I do believe that this CAL will help me achieve the Christmas goal, though.

Anyway, I'm very excited to get started with this.  Fortunately, it just started on May 18th and it's a weekly thing so I'm not far behind at all.  Oh, and thank you to Casey at Plus 3 Crochet for posting about her involvement in this CAL.  That's where I learned about this.  So, if you decide to participate, please let me know! One of the things I'm really looking forward to is seeing the progress of other participants.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

A Shawl becomes a Shrug

Last month I received a wonderful package from Laura - who is my Afghan Swap 2012 partner.  The package contained several skeins of Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn.  One of the skeins is called Summer Happens and I love it.  I almost immediately set out to make a triangle shawl with it.  I finished the shawl today but it is too small for me or any other adult.  Luckily, my daughters loved the shawl.  Since it's the perfect size for them - I gave it to them.  And yes, I know I could have simply purchased another skein of the yarn and made the shawl bigger but my girls really wanted this one.




Of course, as they are little girls, the concept of a shawl just does not work.  They quickly got irritated with the fact that the shawl kept falling off of their shoulders as they were playing.  So, I made a few single crochet stitches up each side of the shawl in order to make armholes.  A shrug was born and my girls are thrilled.  So am I.





Laura, thank you once again for the awesome package and yarn.  I've put a couple of the other skeins to use making more teacher appreciation gifts - to be revealed soon.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Teacher Appreciation

It's the time of year to say thanks for the wonderful teachers! Fortunately, Miss O has been very lucky with the teachers she has had so far in her school career.  I so hope this continues.  Anyway, she has two teachers this year plus an absolutely amazing reading tutor.  In three months her confidence in her reading has sky rocketed and she's jumped up a grade level.  So, as a way of saying thanks, Miss O designed - and picked out all the materials - her a purse and I made it.




I'm happy to say her reading tutor loved her bag.  And, as it turns out, she's getting married and this exact yellow and green are her wedding colors! How cool is that?

So, one teacher appreciation gift done, two to go!