Personal Goals

Hello and welcome back to our Friday installment of yarns and yarns (literal and figurative)!

I'm in a weird mood today.  It doesn't help that I overslept and had bizarre dreams.  And my daughter was mad at me this morning when we left for school, but was fine and dandy when I dropped her off.  It's been a bit of a weird day so far.

Ella was mad at me because I discussed hygiene with her and how she washes her body.  She's almost a teenager and doesn't like me talking about the need to wear a bra, washing her hair properly, deodorant, etc.  But when I find little turdlets on the bath mat in front of the shower door, I have to question how she washes herself!!  So, first strike against mom.  Then I had the audacity to fix a lunch for her and make her take it to school!!  Such evil!!  She didn't want to carry her lunchbox for the first half of the day.  So... I swear I saw smoke emanating from her ears...but we talked in the car on the short drive to school, and by the time I dropped her off, she was fine, and said she loved me and to have a good day.  Kids!!!

It's a windy morning, with gray skies and hints of rain (you can feel the moisture in the air... here in Washington, we get so many different types of rain!  This is a soft, light sprinkling of rain that isn't quite heavy enough to be drizzle.  A friend told me that the native Americans in the region call it "woman rain" because it is soft and gentle).  The Marketing classes are hosting a Trade Show (something they do every year), which is a bit like a vendor fair, but with students presenting their projects.  It involves local businesses, as well, so it's an important project for them, but it does make the school a bit discombobulated.  I'll have kids actively involved in it, so they won't be in class, etc.

Anyway, it's 20 Time day again!  I have made excellent progress this week.  I've been physically tired (there's no tired like end-of-the-year Teacher Tired), but have managed to keep my hands busy while my bod rests.  I made 12 hats this week... I'm very close to my goal of 50 hats.  Instead of taking pictures on my desk at work (where there is fairly good lighting), I took these pictures on my kitchen table with mediocre lighting.

I've also transferred my hat-and-bootie sets into plastic bags, and my storage has now graduated from a fairly large shoe box to a mid-size plastic container.  I organized them by size last night, trying to figure out what sizes I need to make now.  They are fairly well-balanced, so... I kind of feel like I should make larger ones, and some holiday hats.  But... I was also thinking that I could continue doing this all summer, and do another donation in the fall.  I have accumulated a LOT of yarn!

So, what did I make this week?  Here you go...  I've organized them by pattern, so I'll link the pattern to the hats for you.

These bonnets were easy and fun to make.  Although I realized this morning that I'd posted a picture of the pink one earlier.  Still, I'll post the pattern, as it's really pretty.  All of the yarns for these are acrylic.  I used Yarn Bee (Hobby Lobby) baby yarn for the left bonnet. I used "I love this Yarn" sport in white for the blue and white bonnet. I edged it with Universal Yarn's "Uptown Baby Sport" in blue, and used a bright pink of the same yarn for the bonnet on the right.  The two bonnets on the left were made from the "Molly Bonnet" crochet pattern from Momma That Makes.  The one on the right is also from the same blog, called the "Rose Bonnet".  This particular blog has a ton of lovely items to make for preemies and babies.  If any of this kind of thing interests you, have a look at her blog!

I have made several hat and bootie sets from this pattern, the Little Babbity hat and booties from Marianna's Lazy Days.  She has an absolute TON of patterns, both knit and crochet, for babies and preemies.  Check her out on Ravelry or on her blog.  The link for this pattern takes you to her blog.  Her patterns are easy to follow and fun to make!

This is the Little Clusters Beanie pattern from Mamma that Makes.  It's quick, easy, and turns out cute every time.  I can turn out these fairly quickly... less than an hour.  And they don't take a lot of yarn, so you can make multiples while watching your favorite movies, etc.  (personally, I like to listen to audiobooks or podcasts)  I used Yarn Bee Camo print yarn for the hat at the top, and another Yarn Bee print for the one on the bottom right, and Bamboo Pop! yarn for the one on the lower left.

These two hats were made from two different patterns.  The one on the top comes from Mamma that Makes, the Garret beanie pattern, using the same Yarn Bee yarn from the picture above.  It has a slow color change that makes a lovely ombre effect.  The one on the bottom uses the Talia preemie hat pattern, using Cascade Yarns' "Fixation Splash" a cotton yarn that is blended with less than 2% spandex, making it very flexible.  Unfortunately, the stretch is a challenge, because if you don't keep the tension loose, it will be a hard, uncomfortable hat.  I can see it working better in a knit hat.  I picked it up on my visit to The Black Sheep at the beginning of May.

I've used this pattern many times, as it is quick to work up, and has multiple sizes.  I made these using Marianna Mel's Valerie pattern (posted on Ravelry and on her blog).  Both of the yarns I used for these were Baby Bee yarns... the one on the left is a variegated gray-blue-dark blue print, and the larger one on the right used a blue camo print.

Finally, I have one last pair.  This the Kaitlynn beanie from Momma that Makes.  It's a super-fast, easily memorized pattern.  You can change the size of the pattern by changing the yarn and hook.  The one on the right was made using a D hook and fingering yarn (Wool-Free sock yarn I got at Hobby Lobby--I love me a yarn sale!), but I think I miscounted my rows, as it seems rather short in length.  The one on the right uses the same yarn as the hat on the left in the photo above this one, showing you the variation in colors.

Chasing down and linking these patterns led me to discover several more patterns, so I've printed a bunch, and can't wait to try them!  One is a little newsboy-type hat, and another is an aviator style!  I have read, in my research, that boy hats are needed.  As I progress through my patterns, etc., I try to do one in feminine colors, and one in masculine colors, so that I have an equal balance.  But I still plan to make some white "angel baby" hats, too.

Well, time to grab my hook and get started!!  And it's a three-day weekend!!  Hallelujah!!  I'm planning to do some housework, and then work on my sewing room.  I need to rearrange how some things are stored, and then start bringing in bins from the dining room and garage (freeing up space!).  That will make it a functional room again, and I'm planning all kinds of fun projects, including getting back to sewing for dolls.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to make time to do something creative....

20 Time, Round Two!

Good morning!

Today is the day I get my students started in on our second 20 Time project for the year.  Some are excited, some are worried, some are not happy.  But I'm hoping to challenge them a little more.

First, I'm going to have them reflect on the last 20 time project, what went well, what didn't, why, etc.  I'm going to use myself as a model, partially so that they can have an example, but also so that they can see my process as well, and that I'm still participating with them.

As I knew we were going to do this since the beginning of the semester, I've already had time to think it out.  They have known, too, so some of them have been doing the same thing.  Instead of having them present their plans to the class, they are going to submit them in writing to me, and I'll help them to refine it to a workable plan.

As for myself... Last time, I bit off more than I could chew.  I ended up spending the final five weekends doing nothing but the project, to the detriment of the cleanliness of my home, and my participation in family activities.  I was so happy and relieved when it was done!  This time, I wanted something portable, not as cumbersome or expensive as the last one (I think I spent close to $400.00 on that project), and less complex.  I also liked the idea of using my skills for the benefit of others.

I narrowed it down to three options:

1.  Tailoring old clothes to make new ones for my somewhat smaller self.  That would mean fixing many baggy pants and shirts, mostly so that I can wear them to work.  I periodically check out the Re-Fashionista's blog, and am often inspired by what she's done with clothing she's found in thrift shops, etc.  But she's maybe a size 2, and I am definitely not!  So my choices are limited there.  And now that my niece has moved out, I have my sewing room back!  Woohoo!!  But it needs a lot of cleaning to make it ready, so I'm in the process of transitioning from my tiny work area in my husband's office back to a full room.

2.  Crafting for charity.  Multiple options here:  quilts for hospitals (mostly for kids), purses for girls in Africa (Sew Powerful project...I've wanted to participate for a long time), chemo caps for kids going through Cancer treatment, and making baby hats and gowns for preemies, some of which are called "angel gowns", for the preemies who have not survived their early entrance to the world.

3.  Working on my novel.  Yes, I've started a novel, many years ago, and periodically tinker with it.  Ella (my daughter) wanted to see what I've written (she's an aspiring writer herself), so I printed a copy of it for her.  It's only a few chapters.  But she loved it, and wants me to finish it.  And I will, although I don't know if I could do it as a project...writing on demand is difficult.  But, it is certainly a personal challenge.

My choice is to craft for charity.  I can do the tailoring and writing when life is less hectic (during the summer).  I have inherited a massive amount of fabric and sewing implements from my mother, who passed away about a year and a half ago.  Those are still in storage (in the garage, and don't worry--they are in sealed plastic containers), and again, I'm still working on getting my sewing room re-established.  So, my yarn stash is always accessible, and I don't mind shopping for new yarn!!  I've found a plethora of knit and crochet patterns on Ravelry.  I'm using free patterns, as I believe that items made for charity should be free.  I've got a binder full of printed patterns, and I've been testing those patterns for the last couple of weeks, as well as finding patterns that challenge my skills a bit.

Progress...

My first hat, in progress.

The finished hat.  It's about 2 3/4" across, 3" long.

I have not blocked any of the completed hats yet.  Here are more:

First crocheted hat, similar in size to the knitted one.

Hats I've made thus far.  I work on them while watching TV or movies with the family, while waiting in the hospital (Ella's had multiple surgical procedures in the last 5 weeks, all to place stents in her ureters...with multiple failures for the left one.  We have surgery on Tuesday, and we're really hoping it will be successful), etc. I've even found bootie patterns that are adorable.  I'm making hats in multiple sizes, as well.

It just occurred to me that I could share my pattern resources for anybody who is inspired to do the same.  Most of the patterns use DK, Sport, and Fingering weight yarn (on the labels, the little black-labeled yarn size is 3 or 2, although some fingering yarn is also sock yarn, which is a size 1), and use hook sizes D-G, knitting needles size 3-4.  

There are certain guidelines to follow, and I will post those later.  Yarn has to be washable and super soft.  But more on that next time!  :)  In the meantime, I'm stitching away!  Most that I've done take a very short amount of time to do, and not a lot of yarn.  I average about 1 an hour, unless I'm interrupted or tired.  Some are much faster.  I crochet very quickly, as I've been doing that since my grandma taught me when I was eight years old!  And she's still alive and kicking at 92 years.  Her oldest grandchild is 50 (that would be me), so... she and I have shared an interest in sewing and needlework for many years.  She slowing down a bit now, but still paints (Tole, etc.).  

In my family, hobbies are encouraged, so we all have things we like to do when we have free time.  My daughter is very much like me, and has many creative pursuits!  I believe that keeps our imaginations alive, and is important for mental and emotional health.  When I'm crafting (sewing, beading, embroidery, paper crafts, yarn crafts, miniatures, doll accessories, painting, etc.), I kind of go into Zen mode/my happy place... calming, relaxing, freeing, serious stress relief.  I like to listen to audiobooks while I do quiet crafts, so I'm also reading.  But... that's me.  

And I'm still beading... So... I may also post stuff about that.  And my sewing room.  You get all the good stuff!!

Until later, have a fantastic weekend!