"No Spend" month - almost halfway through......

I can't tell you how many times I think to myself, "oh, I need to get some __________". Then I remember, "oh yeah, I can't this month.  How many more days of this???" Ha!

The month started off rough.  The first couple days were hard.  I wanted to start new projects but didn't have what I needed.  So I had to remind myself that it would have to wait. Now thinking back on it, I can't remember what it was I wanted, which goes to show me that I probably didn't need it anyway.

I worked on my walker bags that I sell at a local pharmacy.  I used what I had to finish up 10 bags.  I took them up last Thursday and sold them.  They handed me $125 in cash.  Now the rules were that I couldn't spend any money in our household budget for any crafty stuff.  BUT if I sold crafty stuff then I could use that money to buy more.

Immediately I knew I had a workshop coming up which would take at least $30 out of my paycheck.  That left me with $95.  I spent $20 on a new sturdy desk for my craft room. While this is technically not a crafty item, it was purchased for my craft room so I will count it. Now I am left with $75.  Then I spent an additional $21.75 on scrapbook paper. Now I am left with $53.25.  Then I went to a consignment sale and found a bold of awesome fabric to make walker bags with for $7.90.  I bought that. It was 5 yards of upholstery fabric.  I couldn't pass that up. Now I am left with $45.35.  I put that in my pocket for later.  I made a donation to the local library of $5 but I am not counting that. Included in the donation was a bag of books that I could choose from an array of books.  I chose some great novels for myself and my family but also included some crafty books and magazines that were there too.  I am not counting this because I didn't buy the books. It was a donation and the books were a "gift" because of the donation.

I still need some thread and some lining.  I will wait on that for a bit because I don't need it right now.

What I have learned.....

• I am an impulse shopper. (when I see a great sale or a great deal I buy it)
• I am an impulse creator.  I have a terrible habit of seeing a new project on line and want to try it out.  I start the project to see what the pattern looks like, feels like, etc. Then I put it down partly done and go on to the next one.
• I thrive on creativity and I really do need a budget.  I lucked out this month because I could sell some of my items to get a budget for the month. But the reality of it is that I don't sell my walker bags each month.  I sell them once every couple months.  So I can't rely on an $125 monthly budget.  I need to figure something else out. 

Plans for the rest of the month:

• I want to create some things for Easter.
• I want to finish up the knitted blanket that I started. 
• I want to reorganize my yarn stash.  Currently it is in piles and in plastic bins all over my room.

I will post again in a week or so and let you know how I continue to fair.

Box Stitch Blanket - Gambling With a Side of Fixes

I stumbled across this pattern the other day and wanted to give it a try.  This pattern has a picture with it and the blanket looked so cozy and cuddly.  I was a bit chilly that day and thought it would be nice to have a cozy, cuddly blanket to snuggle up with.  So I decided to give the pattern a try.

The pattern is written for a preemie baby blanket.  Well, I am not "preemie" sized so I needed to increase this blanket considerably.  I chose to strive for a lap blanket. Something about 45 inches by 60 inches would be good.

The pattern also calls for DK weight yarn doubled.  This means that you knit with two strands together. The yarn they actually used was a baby weight or sport weight.   I had some medium weight but not enough to double so I decided not to double it. I also chose a size smaller needle because I wasn't doubling.  The pattern calls for a size 10 knitting needle.  I went with a size 9.

Currently, I have not measured the blanket yet.  I have about 22 rows on it.  I really should have started on circular needles but I didn't have any the same size.  So I went with straight needles.  I casted on as many stitches as I could.  I have 160 stitches.

I also decided NOT to add the border on the blanket that they called for in this preemie blanket.  I decided I wanted to crochet a border around it later.

I had a bunch of Loops and Threads Impeccable yarn laying around in various colors so I chose to use that for my blanket.

That is it so far.  Once I get a bit further I will change colors and make stripes of color for the blanket.  My thought is that if it is not quite as wide as I would like it then I will add a thicker border on it to make it wider.

The moral of this story?  If you see a pattern that you like the looks of but it doesn't quite fit your needs, make it fit!  You can use the basic pattern or stitch and make it work for you.  Use the gauge and it will help you figure out how many extra stitches you need to make it the length or width you need.  Also use the pattern to help you.  In this case the pattern repeats every 4 stitches.  Knit 2, Purl 2, then you repeat.  So you need 4 stitches to complete the pattern.  Therefore, I multiplied by 4.

If you choose to add a border to it while you are knitting then add the border stitches to the total multiples of your pattern stitch.  For example if you want a border of 5 stitches on each side then add 5+5=10. So your total would be 10 + the number of multiples of 4 you want.  Easy???

So for my blanket with 160 stitches I expect the blanket to be a bit over 42 inches wide.  The gauge for this pattern is 15 stitches = 4 inches.  I divide my 160 by 15 then multiply by 4.  Now I know that my needles will make the gauge a bit smaller and if I were a precise knitter I would have knitted up a swatch to create my own gauge to figure out exactly how many stitches I would need for a 45 inch wide blanket.  But I am more of a gambling with a side of fixes kind of girl, so I gambled with the number of stitches and used their gauge and will opt for a crochet border to make it a bit wider when I am done.

Where Crocheting and Sewing Come Together!

I have been interested in crochet edgings for the past couple months.  I wanted also to start making seasonal kitchen towels.  I love the change of seasons and it makes me happy to have pretty things that change with the seasons too.

I made the edgings one day with some cotton thread I had on hand.  I made up the pattern as I went.  I chained a bunch of chains, then single crocheted in all of the chains.  Then I double crocheted 3 times in one SC then chained 1 (I think), skipped two SCs and did 3DCs in the next SC, chained 1 and skipped 2 SC and did 3DC in the next SC.  I did that all the way to the end.  Then I chained 2 and turned.  I did 3 DCs in each space on the row below,  chaining 1 before moving to the next hole. 

I made the towels myself with some homespun cotton fabric.  Then I sewed the edging on the bottom of the towel with a zig zag stitch.

They are so pretty.  I might not have the courage to use them.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

We have never really decorated for Valentine's Day but yesterday I found this wreath and we knew we HAD to make it.  This occurred just after my "announcement" that February would be a NO SPEND month on crafty stuff.  It is still January, right???

So off to Michaels we went and we got all the supplies we needed.  My daughter dove right in and began working on the wreath as soon as we got home.  She isn't a rule follower, nor a reader in directions, but thankfully she does a good job making things she sees.

So far here is our wreath.  She is painting the letters as I type and as soon as they dry she will adhere them to our wreath.

Then I found a pattern for this crocheted hearts garland and HAD to make them too.  I crocheted 6 hearts and then attached them to a white chain.  It is super cute.

So I guess we are now decorating for Valentine's Day.  What do you do for Valentine's Day?  Do you decorate for the holiday? Celebrate loved ones? Ignore it all together?

**Three more days til my NO SPEND month begins.  I am getting nervous!!!

I have decided!

I have been thinking about this for a long time, a couple years now but haven't been able to really wrap my head around it or make it work for our family.

Yesterday I was cleaning up my craft room and I came to the realization that recently I have purchased many crafty things, yarns, papers, material, embellishments, etc.

So I have decided......

Next month will be a "NO SPEND" month for crafty supplies or items.  That means that I won't be purchasing anything new for my stash or for any new projects.  I will have NO discretionary money for crafty stuff.

I have three more days before my NO SPEND ban begins.

So.... what do I NEED before the month begins??????

Ha ha ha.....

What inspires you?

What inspires you? What is your go to place to find inspiration for your projects? How do you go about starting?

And the best question: how many projects do you have started right now?









The last question is easy for me.  Right now I have three projects started.

1.  I have a scarf with a pattern that when I saw it I grabbed a ball of yarn and my knitting needles and had to try it out. The yarn isn't quite right for this project.  It is a scarf and the yarn is 100% wool and a bit itchy.  I am not sure I will want it next to my neck for very long.  I will most likely pull it out and start over with a softer yarn.

2. I have a quilt that I am hand quilting.  It is on hold right now because it is a donation quilt and I haven't heard back from the people I am donating it to.  Once I hear back from them I will get on this project again.

3.  I have another scarf. It is an infinity scarf that I am crocheting.  I love love LOVE this pattern and I have several in different colors.  This one is in a bright pink/coral color.  It is fun and easy to crochet. I have two rows done and have 8-13 more before I will call it done.

I find that I draw inspiration from my yarns.  They talk to me.  Sometimes they scream what they want  to become.  Other times I have to live with it a while before it speaks to me about what it wants to become.

I also find inspiration from other blogs, patterns and websites with crafty ideas.  Pinterest is a great source for inspiration but sometimes there is just too much on there.  There are two sites that I love.

www.allfreeknitting.com

www.allfreecrochet.com

These two sites are awesome for inspiration.  The patterns are completely free and you can sign up for their daily emails.  These emails give me lists of similar patterns.  For example one day I find 10 free scarf patterns.  Or 10 free hat patterns.  I find myself clicking all the links and seeing what the patterns are.  I often find myself grabbing a ball of yarn and my needles to try out a pattern.  They often link to some great blogs and websites that I never knew existed. Other times the patterns are directly on their own site.

So what gives you inspiration?

Cute Crochet Roses - Free Pattern

It has been sleeting, freezing rain and last night we had some snow.  It is chilly outside.  So to warm things up a bit I searched the internet for some fun flowers to crochet.

I came across this pattern but as I worked it up I realized it was wrong. Here is my corrected pattern.

Crochet Rose

Need:
worsted weight yarn
hook that corresponds with the weight of the yarn
yarn needle

Pattern:

Leaving a 6 inch tail, make a slip knot and chain 52.

In second chain from hook make a single crochet.  Chain 2, skip next chain, SC in next chain. *chain 2, skip next chain, SC in next chain. (basically you are single crocheting in every other chain with a chain 2 in between.) Continue SC, chain 2, skip next chain, SC in next to the end. Chain one and turn.

Row 2: SC in first two chain space.  Then 3 HDC in same space, ch 1 and slip stitch in same chain 2 space. Slip stitch in next chain 2 space, ch 1, 3 HDC, ch 1, slip stitch in same chain 2 space. Slip stitch in next chain 2 space, ch 1, 3 HDC, ch 1, and slip stitch in same chain 2 space. Slip stitch in next chain, ch 1, 4 HDC, ch 1, and slip stitch in same chain 2 space. Slip stitch in next chain 2 space, ch1, 5 HDC, ch 1, and slip stitch in same chain 2 space. Slip stitch in next chain 2 space,  From here to end alternate between 4 HDC and 5 HDC in each chain 2 space.  (in each you will slip stitch to next chain 2 space, ch 1, do 4 or 5 HDCs, ch 1 and slip stitch in same space. then move to the next space with a slip stitch)

When you finish Row 2, bind off with a 10 inch tail.  When you finish Row 2, your flower will look like this, a spiral.

Now, starting with the 3HDC side begin twisting the spiral around so the 3 HDCs are the center of your flower.  Twist the rest around to make the flower. 

Thread your needle with the 10 inch tail and begin sewing the flower together.  You will see the edges on the back and just whip stitch them together making sure you have all the layers attached. Then using the 6 inch tail from the beginning, tie the two ends together.  You may now cut these tails off or use them to attach the rose to another project.

This is what mine looks like from the back side complete.

Aren't they cute???

These are so easy to make and super quick.  You can use them for headbands, hat embellishments, or put them on a wreath.  You can add them to all sorts of things.

Let me know how your's turns out.