Saturday 29 December 2018

2018 Craft

How are you all going with the leftovers?  Are you as sick of ham yet as I am and do you have some new inventive recipes to keep the family happy?  My fridge seems to be back to a normal size again and not bulging at the seams because of the excess so that's a relief.

  These last few days of the year are turning out to be quite calm for us.  It's all quiet with crochet and cricket for me and games and quiet time for the kids.  We're planning a couple of outings just to get us out of the house but none of us seem very interested in doing too much at all.

Quiet meanderings seems to be how we're ending out the year and perhaps a few more outings once the New Year begins.

On the craft front, the second half of 2018 proved quite productive for me.

The first half not so much as I was still trying to deal with paperwork and putting into place strategies with the school and paediatricians etc for the kids.  That took up so much of my time over the past few years that I pretty well put everything I loved doing on the back burner.

After starting Miss R's blanket way back in January and only working on a few rows in months, she got a little impatient and kept nagging asking me when I was going to finish her blanket.

So in the second half of 2018, the hook was picked up again and it not only reminded me of how much I love crochet, but also how much I needed to do something for me.   It's okay to look after your family but it's not okay to put them before you for pretty well everything.   You shrivel and waste away inside until one day you realise that you're a shell of the person you used to be.

So finishing Miss R's blanket has been the spark I needed to turn things around and what a turn around it's been!

So here is a peek at what I've finished this year.  Enjoy!


Miss R's blanket from Stylecraft DK in colours she picked herself.



My granny square blanket from all the leftovers from Miss R's and Master M's blanket.




Little makes including a beanie and scarf for Master M, some spring bunting, plenty of dishcloths and some butterflies (which proved equally frustrating and fun).



Plenty of headbands as a request for a friend and some little mittens for Master M's mate at school.



My shoulder bag which I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!  More can be read about that here.



It's not all been crochet though.  I made some shopping bags which were gifts for school teachers and a few family members for Christmas.  Pretty and practical!




I also made some little ouchie packs for one of the teacher's at Master M's school for her little charges.




Some scarves were made.  One in a beautiful alpaca which my Mum gave me a great pile of and I'm still trying to work out what to do with it all.



Then there was my lacy scarf which I don't think I've shown you.  This was a stash buster project and is a pattern I use whenever I have a small amount of yarn left.  In this case it was one 50g ball of Noro yarn and I was able to make something light and pretty out of it.

I've got a free pattern on Ravelry for this scarf so if you have a some yarn leftover from a project, this is something that can be whipped up in no time and you have no waste then.




My Sea Green Shawl was a wonderful to work on and is so soft and beautiful.



I love the way this shawl feels and the way it drapes around you.




Another brighter shawl was made in a classic granny stripe.



My Summer Breeze poncho has proved a hit and I'm loving the beachy colours of this one.  It's so perfect for throwing over my standard uniform of jeans and t-shirt if I'm running out the door and want to oomph up my outfit a bit.




I made a second one as well but adjusted the original chain length and went up a needle size to open the pattern up a bit more.  I do like it but not as much as the original as I think the lace effect is a little too open for me.  It's great for summer though and the pattern for the original poncho is now available here.



I'm working on another couple of projects and one of them will probably be finished before the New Year but I'm not putting time limits on anything I make, especially in the school holidays.  They will get done when they're done and I'll show you more in the near future.

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable New Year and hope that 2019 is filled with all that makes you happy (and a few less leftovers!).

xx Susan

2 comments:

Teresa Kasner said...

I totally agree with you that a mother must protect some hours to herself for her own pursuits so she can show her children her creativity and independence.

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  *H*A*P*P*Y* *N*E*W* *Y*E*A*R*!*
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((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Christina said...

You have been busy with your crochet hook! Finding time for yourself is my survival skill number one - a happy woman is a kind mother. I am not always successful of course :-)

No leftovers in our fridge, there weren't any as my bloke is pretty good with judging our appetites. I always worry that he doesn't cook enough but he is usually spot on.

Happy new year to you and yours xx