This blog is MOVING.

I have decided to move this blog over to Yarn Krazy (clicky-clicky). Moving it means I will probably update it more often than I've been for the last year plus. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to move all of my old posts or just leave this up as the old and continue on for the new. For now, I'm just starting over. If I decide to move everything over, I will leave another short announcement.

But starting now, please use the new link.

yarn fiend out.

Started a new project... finally!

I haven't crocheted much in the past year. After moving last year, trying to make this new house a home, and simply having my time occupied by other things, I just didn't feel much desire to. But I recently found out that my best friend's niece is pregnant again, so I started a new blanket for her. She's only about 9 or 10 weeks along, so she has no idea what sex the baby is - so I chose a gender-neutral color.

It's going to be just a run-of-the-mill granny square afghan, but the yarn I'm using is American - you just can't find yarn like this out here. It was one of the many things that I'd inadvertently left behind when we moved from the US to the UK, and my grandmother sent it to me last summer.

Chloe's "Almost a Rainbow" Poncho

A week ago, Chloe was home from school because she wasn't feeling well. She found Caitlin's poncho (not the one I made her, but another one that she'd gotten from one of Chloe's teachers last year) and was messing around with it. One minute she was wearing it, and the next it was her "hair." *lol* But after playing with it a while, she came to me and asked me if I could make her one like it. As it's a simple granny square poncho, my response was "what color?" :)

She decided that she wanted it in "rainbow colors, like Syrina's [scarf]." So I got started that night. I had kind of hoped, since it would be such a small poncho, that I could get it finished that night, because Hubby was due to take her out on a little "field trip" to Newcastle to see the Castle Keep on Saturday. Unfortunately, I only got to the end of the yellow band by the time I went to bed.

When they got back on Saturday, I tried it on her to see how many more colors I could fit into it, and she wanted me to just stop at the green! I told her it would be a little too short if I did that, so she changed her mind and decided I could put purple on it. That's why it's an "Almost a Rainbow" poncho - I had to skip over blue and indigo and go straight to purple.

Ah well... she loves it, I guess that's all that matters. :)

Wild & Woolie Swap Items Revealed

I finally got around to resizing my photos so I could show y'all in blogger-ville what I made for Angie, my swap partner, for the Wild & Woolie Swap over at Crochetville.

The drawstring pouch is made with size 10 cotton thread, using my one and only thread hook. It's alternating rows of dc with shells. The lining is white satin.

The purse is made with chunky acrylic yarn, using an H hook. I had originally planned on putting some of that novelty yarn (I seem to have misplaced the yarn label and I forget what it's called) all the way down the purse, but when I got as far as the picture shows, I decided that looked perfect, so I stopped. It, too, is lined with white satin. I had considered making a small cell phone pouch for the inside of the lining, but my sewing skills aren't the greatest (huge understatement there! *lol*), so I didn't.

The bookmark is again made with size 10 thread - the same thread I used to make my pincushion, actually - and again, with my one and only thread hook.

The scarf is made from 100% Bamboo yarn. Oh. My. God. This stuff was a DREAM to work with! You'd think that, with it being made from BAMBOO, it would be rough. Just the opposite, actually. It was SO soft!!! And I just picked the colors at random - I didn't really think about which colors they were, I just wanted colors that looked good together. It wasn't until I finished the scarf and had hubby inspect it that he pointed out that it looked like Neapolitan ice cream! *lol* So I have to give him the credit for actually naming the scarf. *wink*

I made a little sachet for her, with Lavendar essential oil in the stuffing. Apparently she plans on using it for a pincushion. I didn't even think of a YARN pincushion! *lol* Whatever - I don't really care, as long as she USES it! *grin*

I picked up a few "extra goodies" as well. I wanted something that screamed out "Sunderland" - since that's where I live - but I didn't want it to be huge. So I went over to the tourism office and had a look-see. When I saw the magnet, it shouted out "pick me! Pick me!" So I did. :)

The Galaxy chocolate bar... well, if you'd ever HAD Galaxy chocolate, I wouldn't HAVE to explain why I sent it to her! It's absolute heaven!! I got her the hand cream because she said she liked hand cream (and I happened to need some, too, so I got her some when I got ME some), and the tea... well, again, she said she liked tea. And if I'm going to send her tea, I want to send her something that says "British." How much more British can you GET than Yorkshire tea? *grin*

But can you believe that I forgot to take a picture of the actual WOOL I bought her? *LOL*

I had a lot of fun in this swap, and knowing that I got everything out on time and didn't have a problem being able to afford the supplies I needed made it SO much better!

Comfortghan Package Has Been Sent!

1. one of the girls' ghans
2. one of the girls' dolly ghans
3. stuffed toys for the girls
4. cards for Jessie and the girls
5. the other girls' dolly ghan
6. the other girls' ghan
7. One of MY squares!!!!
8. Jessie's 'ghan

Just look at that!!! I'm just glowing with the love and pride I feel for having been a part of making those gorgeous items up there. Krystal got them completely finished and sent off today. As it's only Tuesday, it's quite likely that Jessie could get them by the end of the week!!! I can't wait to hear what she thinks of them!

I definitely think I'm going to keep a better eye on the comfortghans forum from now on. All it took was 2 hours of crocheting time and less than £2 in postage for me to be part of this (not including the $$$ donation I put in there, but this was a special case... I wouldn't be doing that every time I sent out comfortghan squares). It's an amazing feeling, knowing you've been a part of something like this. Something meant to bring love and comfort to somebody. This time it's been somebody I know (albeit not WELL, but still...). Next time it might be a stranger. But the intent behind it would be the same, and this is such an awesome natural high I just can't even describe it!!

"Shades of the Rainbow" - a scarf for Syrina

I just started this on Tuesday evening, and finished it last night. All I had to do today was weave in the ends.

The scarf in its entirety

A close-up... but fuzzier than I would have liked.

Syrina with her new scarf!!!

You'll have to excuse the way Syrina's looking in the picture. She's not been feeling well lately. She's stayed home from school for the past 2 days, and I have a sneaking feeling that she'll be staying home again tomorrow too. I was lucky I got her to sit still with the scarf on and look in my general direction to get the picture in the first place.

I hadn't actually planned this particular project. It all came from Syrina "stealing" a scarf from the hat/scarf/glove box in the front hallway on Tuesday morning. It was one of my scarves (I have several). I asked her if she'd like to borrow it for the day, and she nodded yes at me. As Syrina is severely autistic and completely non-verbal, a nod is a BIG deal when it comes to communication. It isn't the first time I've gotten a nod (or a shake, for that matter) when I've asked her a question, but simply asking a question doesn't necessarily mean that I'll GET a nod or a shake. So when she so obviously wanted to borrow it, I couldn't NOT let her.

That evening, when I was cleaning up after the kids having dinner and such, I found it on the floor of her bedroom. I picked it up to put it away, and the lightbulb went off over my head. "You really like this scarf, don't you, Syrina? Would you rather have one like this instead of a furry scarf?" (I asked this because I had plans to make her a furry scarf, because she'd seen me making her sisters' and seemed to like it.) I got ANOTHER nod - even more emphatic this time. "I can make you one if you want. Would you like that?" Yet another emphatic nod.

So I grabbed a few balls of yarn out of my stash to try and figure out what kind of color or color scheme she liked, but to be honest, she looked like she couldn't care less. What she really likes are the patterns and the textures of the stitches. I don't think she CARED what color it was.

So I got the idea to make a rainbow scarf. But seeing as I had 2 shades of pink, 2 of green, and 3 of blue, I figured I'd make it with every shade of every color I had. The one color in the rainbow I didn't have was orange, but rather than go out and buy a skein of orange just to make the scarf, I figured I'd just leave it out. Considering all the other colors I already had, I didn't think it would make a difference.

I really thought I would have it finished all in one night, but it took me 2 days. However, seeing as she ended up staying home from school and didn't really need to wear it anyway, it was just as well.

I'm thinking I might add something to it, though. It seemed almost TOO plain. I asked for suggestions over at the 'ville, and somebody suggested I do curly fringe. I did something like it for an amigurumi I did last year (if you search through the archives I'm sure you'll find it, because I posted it), but I just didn't think of it when I was looking at the scarf trying to figure out what to do. I'm seriously leaning towards doing that. I may change my mind, of course, but ya never know. :D

Jessie's Comfortghan

Krystal's almost done putting the comfortghan together. Isn't it beautiful??

I gotta tell ya, I get a warm fuzzy feeling all over knowing that I've been a part of this. And the outpouring of support from the members of the 'ville has been astronomical. Krystal has had so many squares sent to her that she's got enough to make a 'ghan for Jessie, each of her 2 girls, AND Jessie's MIL!!!! And not only that, but a lot of members have sent money that Krystal is going to give to Jessie to help take care of the girls until they decide what to do (apparently they're considering moving after the girls' school year is out, to be closer to family).

I am just in awe at the amount of love and support that has gone into this thing. It's the first time I've ever been involved in a project of this magnitude, and I'm just amazed.