Pillow

Here is the pillow I made for my husband's Grandma (Great Grandma to our children) for her 84th birthday:

One side

And the other

I am happy to say that she was very happy with her gift.  I figured it was a safe bet though as I made her and her husband an afghan for Christmas using the same colors.  In fact, when she opened this for her birthday, she grinned and said, "Oh, it's all the same beautiful colors as the blanket."

An added bonus is that my husband was quite the happy camper since his Grandma was so pleased.  Definitely a win all the way around.  :)

Another Afghan

I thought I'd show off the afghan I made for the Ravelry Afghan Swap 2012.  I had a lot of fun making this and am really pleased with the way it turned out.

In Progress

More Progress

Finished and Stretched Out

The dark green border added a nice finishing touch.  And fortunately it was also well-liked by Laura and her family.

Close-up of the stitches.

Afghan Swap

As I've posted a couple of times before, I participated in an Afghan swap through Ravelry last year.  It was a lot of fun and I made a new friend along the way. I think it's high time I post some pictures of the lovely afghan Laura made for me - along with the other fun stuff that came in the box.

We love the afghan.  It is so soft and warm to snuggle up with.

Miss B and I think the stitches look like bouquets of flowers.

Some fun curly yarn for a future crafty endeavor.

A few other things.  There was another box of chocolates but my husband and kids tore into that before I could get a photo of it.

Laura, thank you again for a great year of swapping.  As I've said before, I'm so glad I was paired with you!

Personal Granny Square Challenge

I'm setting myself a One Granny Square per day challenge during 2013.  I want to have a few blankets made to give to family members for Christmas at the end of the year and I think this will help me reach that goal.  Right now, I'm starting with a basic Granny square but hope to move on to some different designs fairly soon.  I'm excited by the idea of this endeavor - which will definitely take some patience.  I like to see things come together quickly but that's not really accurate for crochet, is it?

Possibility

As we say goodbye to 2012, I am so thankful for this year.  There have definitely been some challenges to it.  However, I believe the trying times make the peaceful times all the sweeter.  As always, I am so thankful for my husband and our two beautiful, sweet, talented, head strong daughters.  My husband says I am the glue of our family but it is their love that helps me hold it all together each and every day.

In just a handful of hours we begin 2013 and I am thinking about the possibilities ahead in a very hopeful way. I hope my family continues to be healthy.  We are making a huge lifestyle change and converting to clean eating.  I really hope this transition goes smoothly because I really believe in it and fortunately, so does my husband.  I am also strongly considering selling my handmade items.  This is something else my husband really believes in and that loving support is huge for me.  I am also really, really hoping that this is the year I finally get published as a writer.  I stay positive on that front and have to believe that counts for something.

Finally, I am very excited about all of the other artistic possibilities of 2013.  I have a friend who gave me items to learn to knit.  I'm going to take that on.  Also, once I finish the afghan (that happens to be for the same friend) I am making my daughters new afghans.  They each have one that were actually my second and third ever made blankets.  It's nice that they love the blankets but they are riddled with beginners mistakes.  While I am happy with how far I have come as a crocheter and see those early blankets as a sort of learning curve - I want my girls to have afghans that are well done.

So, this group of colorful yarn definitely speaks of possibility to me:

These are the colors that the girls have chosen for their new blankets.  They both want hearts so I am on a mission to find just what they want in order to make what I hope will be the most awesome afghans for them.

What possibilities are you looking forward to for 2013?

Happy New Year to all!

Christmas Cushion

Front View

Back View

Close-Up Back View

 

I crocheted a cushion cover as a Christmas gift for one of

my girlfriends.  I am happy to say that this beauty was well

received.  In fact, it was well-loved by my family.  Even

my husband loved this pillow.  He didn't want me to give

it away - which is huge from him because he generally

wrinkles his nose at the idea of decorative pillows.  He

actually made me promise I'd make another like this in the new

year.  I'm going to make one in the colors of our living room.

Merry Christmas Everybody

 

Have a Merry, Peaceful and Blessed Christmas!

Peaceful Crochet

December is usually such a busy month for me - as for most, I know.  This month is no exception.  However, I have had a few peaceful moments for crochet.  And honestly, crocheting by the beautiful glow of the Christmas tree lights is a wonderful, relaxing treat.

One-aDay Tuesday's Tallies

I have not made much progress on my One-a-Day afghan.  I know I better get moving on it if I want it done by Christmas, though.  I do have the excuse that I've been working on a baby afghan for the silent auction at my kids school but still.  I guess a little progress is better than none:

wordless Wednesday - Seashells at the Seashore

Wordless Wednesday - Caramel Apples

Tuesday's Tallies - One-a-Day

I am so excited to have a new One-a-Day project to share.  This ia an afghan that I am making someone -who shall remain nameless for the foreseeable future - for Christmas.  I'm pretty certain that said someone does not even know about, let alone read, this blog.  Still, to be safe, no names.  Just pictures of the progress:

This photo has turned out rather odd.  The squares are all the same size, at six rounds each.  I have no idea why they look like different sizes.  It's probably the way I took the picture.

This looks like I'm making a scarf rather than a blanket.  It's meant to show a close up of the colors, though.

A new One-a-Day Project

I've started a new One-a-Day project.  I know it's not Tuesday, but I'm excited to show it off a bit.  This is the start of an afghan that is going to be a Christmas gift.  I'm positive the people that it's for don't know a thing about my little blog here but still, no names mentioned.  So, here are the first few squares:

100 Days Until Christmas

I can not believe that it is only 100 days until Christmas! I know the time is going to fly by, too.  I have several afghans in the works to give to family.  Fortunately, all but two of them are begun.  I am going to HAVE to work on them a little each day if I want to complete them, though.  Life is so busy and seems to get busier and more filled with responsibility each day.  Not that I'm complainig.  I am very grateful for my life.  I just can not believe that Christmas is in 100 days and it feels like there is so much to do! Oh well, at least I'm aware of my time and trying to get it done.