Melanie's Thoughts and Musings on Life

 Here we are, almost at the end of the Crafting Journey! This week, I was thinking about washing yarn. I am sure I have mentioned this before, but I really hate yarn that has special care instructions. If it can't be washed on a regular cycle or tumble dried, I don't have time for it. I like acrylic yarns and whenever I have lots of projects to wash, I just throw them all in together. Maybe that isn't the best idea, last time I had some green yarn that bled and colored some white blue- but even still, it looks okay.  I am making a shawl right now that I started about a week ago. I am making good progress on it, but I feel like it is taking a long time. I am intrigued however by the shape of it, it is a triangle but the spine of it is not down the back, it is horizontal across the front. I am making it in the loveliest shade of purple and it is super soft. In the last week, I finished the little dress I was making (I haven't done the finishing on it though- weaving in th...

 Hi Friends, I have been just knitting and working. I started a new project! I have made progress on the dress, but it has a lot of stitches so I often do not do too many rows at a time. The last section is 14 rows, and I am on about row 4 or 5. The little blanket I am making is coming along too- it will be small, but it will be probably be a carseat blanket anyway. I am only using one ball of yarn. Anyway, the new project is a shawl made of big twist yarn, it is new at Michaels.  I have many ideas for the yarn I already have at home, even though I recently bought some new stuff. The joke/meme is:  "I will use all the yarn I have at home... then I laughed and laughed!" But really, I am going to try to use the yarn I already have. I have some plans in mind for the scarfie yarn, it is purple and black. I am going to make some shawls that drape more like a cape and add faux fur around the neck.  I have been thinking about Christmas and I must admit, some of my plans hav...

 Hello Friends! Saturday (last) was the roundup for Craft for YEG. I did not make a donation this time, because I felt that I did not have enough stuff. I am hoping to have some more shawls made for the pre-Christmas roundup.  I have so many ideas of stuff I want to make. I decided to abandon the doll cradle- it was a fussy project and required more patience than I was willing to give it.  There was a sale at Michaels and I bought more yarn, but I haven't started making anything with it yet. I have two projects on my needles (currently- but really, who am I kidding? I actually have about 5 or 6 unfinished projects- and who knows when or if those will get done...) Right now, I am working on a baby blanket for Craft for YEG and a baby dress for a couple from church. This working for a living is seriously cutting into my knitting time- LOL. I cannot wait to make and show you the projects I have in mind. I have been pinning from Pinterest many free patterns and I also have so...

 Hello! I cannot believe it is already September! Time to start thinking about the projects that I want to get done for the winter. I knit slowly, and although I have a few things that I have knit the past few months, I don't feel it is enough to make a donation, so I am going to wait until the December round up to donate what I currently have, and by that time, I will have a few more items too. I am making progress on the little dress I started, already I have knit the top part and now it is just plain knit (stockinette actually, because it is in the round).  I was thinking about all the yarn I have, and the patterns too. Several years ago, I purchased some purple and black yarn. My intention was to make myself a long cape for the winter. I wanted to lose some weight so that I could wear it for a while. Now thinking about that, perhaps a cape is a little matronly and out of style. I have never considered myself a fashionista, but it would be a big project and I am not sure I ...

 Hi, This week I have been busy with lots of projects! I finished the Dazzling Daffodils shawl. It is beautiful, but it needs blocking to really make the pattern stitches pop. It turned out so well I am totally looking forward to making it in yellow, though it was quite time consuming. I also wonder if I can count... I think I can, I am sure I learned to in elementary school but somehow when it comes to knitting projects I question whether I really can count or if it is just an illusion! I didn't think I had made any errors in the shawl, but at the end, I was two stitches short, luckily, the pattern worked out anyway-on the beginning of the decrease I snuck in two stitches in the knit section and the rest worked out just fine. Still working on that doll cradle- I am thinking of abandoning the project and just chalking it up to a lesson in what not to do or take on... It is unfortunate though, I had high hopes for that. Finishing it is not off the table quite yet. I think I will jus...

 Part T- But sorry it's not a party! Hi, Thanks for tuning in weekly! I appreciate you and that you read my posts.  I am settling in to working at Michaels, although I am praying that this is a stepping stone to a medical reception job. Retail may be therapy, but it is not a job for everyone- including me. I put down the cradle bag for a while, I was given that advice and it was beneficial. I have now made the eyelets and I am casting off with a picot edge. There still are a few pieces that I have to do- like the bassinet hood and the edging around the whole cradle, plus the icord for drawstring closure. I have never done icord- so there definitely is a lot of learning on this. This one purse may be the one and only... on the other hand, at least I will be able to say I did it! The dazzling daffodils shawl is pretty- but coming along slowly. When I get to it though, I usually knit several rows at a time. Progress is slow though because each pattern repeat is 36 rows!  I a...