for all us crafters and wannabe crafters

Lesseee:

-finish leaf/pumpkin quilt (binding)
-Finish scrapbooking Jan-May '04
-finish fall sampler quilt (borders, quilting, binding)
-finish log cabin quilt (quilting, binding)
-table runner quilt (quilting and binding)

The only way I'm going to finish those quilts (other than the table runner) is machine quilt them. I hate to, but I will never get done if I do them by hand.

Five oldest projects. Hm. Not in chronological order:

1. Knitting: Eggplant alpaca pi shawl.

2. Weaving: Frame weaving to be turned into a bag.

3. Knitting: Plastic grocery bag strip grocery bag--yes, I'm knitting grocery bags into a grocery bag. Really kinda zen when you think about it.

4. Spinning: Finishing up a series of batts bought more than two years ago from Lucky Duck Farm.

5. Sorta weaving: Moving my table loom from the garage to the basement.

Of these, 2 and 5 are definitely do-able, and 4 is next up in my spinning basket and I could put a big dent in it if not finish it (then I have to plan what to do with all the yarn). I want to do a few rows on 1 and I need to start cutting up bags again for 3, but 1 and 3 are long term projects, especially 1.

But I'm being good; I got a lot of GORGEOUS stuff at OFFF yesterday that I really want to get at, and I can't until I clear some of this backlog up.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I finally finished my first sweater!

Well, almost. All of the knitting is done; now I just need to find some nice person who can help me put it together. First sweater I've ever made--only took me 9-10 years. I wasn't working on it most of that time. This is one I can definitely finish.

Other than that, I don't really have other crafty projects going. A few I bought supplies for and never started, I guess. Currently working on a hat I hope will be quick and fun.

It's been forever-and-a-day since I've done anything remotely crafty. I have two I can think of:

1. Make a small quilt with DD7.

2. Finish up baby bibs.

Even that seems not-so-doable. However, I just washed a little dress that had a hole in it, which I might make into quilt squares for #1. Then again, I wanted to make a purple one, as Bug said that's her favorite color. Maybe we'll shop for cotton fabrics at Wal-Mart after P.E. tomorrow.

and I thought Lynn was knitting an eggplant

I am currently working on a Country Companions cross stitch design which I am going to frame as a Christmas present for my Auntie. I am working on it almost daily so hope to have that finished soon.

I have a cross stitch bookmark for my brother's girlfriend (Christmas present again), which is all stitched but I want to make it stiff (how do I do that, btw? Starch?) and add a tassel, when I've worked out how.

My only other unfinished project is a tiny 'bellpull' style cross stitch design of pansies, which I stitched about five years ago! It just needs some hemming. I never finished it off as I can't decide whether to make it a bellpull or a bookmark for myself. I still can't decide (I need more time! Dont rush me ) so I'll pass on that one, but I will try to get the other two completed in October. Oh go on then, I hereby commit to making a decision on the pansies and finishing that, too.

Well ok I am fessin up....I got a four year old cross stitch project of lighthouses I have never finished. Will it get done in October? Not a chance, I started this project when I quit smoking, and never finished it. LOL Also I am working on a crocheted tote bag which I maybe could finish if this #*@*!!!!*&%^ tendonitis will chill out! LOL!

Marlene -

I am all for finishing up projects - but there is a point when it is time to get rid of it! I did that with a a really nice cross stitch Santa several years back and it was very liberating!

I usally use a heavy weight interfacing on the back of cross stich bookmarks. You can use the iron on or hand stitch. Hope that helps

I have used iron on interfacing in the past on bookmarks, but they were still quite floppy. I didn't realise the stuff came in different weights! I need to get me some of the heavyweight kind, then. Thanks, Susan!

Lynn, now I have seen those, I want to abandon all projects and make a knitted bowl of fruit and veg!

Marlene - my oldest project is a cross-stitch map for my mother's 50th birthday. Will it be done in time I hear you ask?? Not likely - she's 60 next March! It won't get finished in October either, but I do have some hope that it might eventually get some more work done on it. If I can ever finish the tiny rooster keyring cross-stitch I've been doing for DH's birthday, since back in March. His birthday was in May, and if I don't hurry, the Chinese year of the rooster will be over before he gets it (he's a rooster).

but maybe having winter might help... and kids who go to school at the same time too. Right now I'm just shopping like a fiend!

We moved into our first home three days after Christmas...

I bought a lovely cross stitch wall hanging in the after-Christmas sale that year, to complete by christmas the next year.

That was...... 1993!

It's still not done...
I still have it!

Blessings,
Lenora
"...if woman's work is never done, why bother about how much of it [isn't] getting done at any given moment?"
~ Claire Fraser in The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

I finished the bookmark for brother's girlfriend. The pansy bellpull I mentioned got made into a bookmark for me. All I have left now unfinished is the Country Companions fireside scene, and I have worked a lot on that too.

I am exercising a great deal of restraint at the moment as I have had several cross stitch kits arrive from ebay and I want to start ALL of them! Right now!

It's finished and cut off the loom. I'm going to back it with a piece of leather and maybe use it as a spindle case or something. It's interesting looking! Haven't touched either of my knitting projects, in fact I was bad and cast on two different pairs of socks--one in a pretty green that I'm doing in a basketweave texture pattern and one that will have dusky purple (eggplant, even) heels and toes and handspun merino feet and legs in a colorway the dyer called "Apple Orchard." Lemme see if I can find a photo of that roving...*rummage, rummage*...ah, yes, here it is:

This is the actual roving that I spun. The colors are more muted now that it's yarn, but still really deep and rich. Lovely stuff.

I've done a bit of spinning, but I stumbled across a roving even older and in greater danger of felting than the Lucky Duck batts, and in fact it's from the same dyer as the Apple Orchard and here it is, it's called Aspen:

This looks really weird in the roving but it spins up just beautifully. I'm nearly done with it, it's just a little bit of merino really, and then I'll start in on the Lucky Duck batts, I swear.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I finished the hat I was working on. It was quick and fun, but now I'm looking at it and wondering what to do with it. It's really more of a cap than a hat--it doesn't come anywhere near my ears--and I think I pulled the seam too tight. I could redo it, but...eh. I don't see myself wearing it.

The sweater's coming along. I asked 5 different people how to finish it and got 5 different answers, but I finally talked to someone who really seemed to know what she was doing and was willing to show me instead of just tell me, which made all the difference. The sleeves are attached now and I just need to do the long seams from the sides up to the wrists. I hope to wear it this winter!

And I started a scarf. Maybe I'll finish it by Christmas, maybe not. If I do, I think it'll be my mother's Christmas present.

I got the leaves/pumpkin quilt done and it's hanging beside my mantel now. I finished the tops to the other two quilts today, washed the fabric for the backing and will hopefully get them put together and ready to quilt tonight or tomorrow. I'm still debating on machine quilting or handquilting them. Handquilting just looks so much better!! It's just in the ditch for the blocks, and something fancier than that in the borders. Hmmmm...

Got sidetracked into crocheting a couple of ghosts, a doll sweater, and a sweater for DH, but I finished the ghosts while waiting around for things, on the train, etc. Now the sachet and the snowman are next.

My five oldest projects...

--a lap quilt top that I was piecing together by hand, 90% done, started in 1992
--a wedding crosstitch sampler for my ex-best friend, 90% done, started in 1996? They divorced before I got it done, so there it sits.
--a dress for myself also about 90% done that is now two sizes too small, started in 1998
--DD's crosstitch birth sampler, 90% done, started in 2000
--embroidering a snowflake on a set of two napkins, not even half done on the first one, started in 2001

And those are just the OLDEST unfinished projects.

I think I can finish DD's birth sampler by the end of October, there's just some easy border stuff left, and I should get out the lap quilt and finish that, too. If it hasn't rotted away, yet.

Good idea, this, Becky. Thanks!

Anhata
www.familynaturally.com
Your Family's General Store, Naturally

but I really like this challenge. I am torn between getting christmas stuff started and finished...

1. knit 3 pairs christmas stockings
2. skull cap for sister
3. christmas cards - always hand done
4. knit 2 sets mens scarf and hat

and pulling out old projects...

1. wedding photo album (just had 5th anniversary!)
2. needlepoint picture frame for daughter
3. baby bibs... for everyone!
4. needlepoint bee pillow
5. needlepoint frame for EOB

so, I will finish the frame for my daugther and work ono Christmas things.... then I would love to have this challenge again after Christmas - get all of the old projects and unfinished gifts out of the way!!!

timoney
***********
expecting twins, and trying to get control of life before the chaos begins!!
http://makeshiftmom.typepad.com

I've put a couple of rows on the eggplant pi shawl, and if that doesn't sound like much bear in mind that a round is well over a thousand stitches. Still spinning the Aspen roving but don't have much left of it.

Finished the first socks of both the Apple Orchard socks and the green basketweave socks and am feeling unsock-ish right now so they languish. I lost my enthusiasm because the Apple Orchard socks are just *this* much too small. I may try them again now that I have them completely cast off.

Haven't touched the plastic bag grocery bag. I hate cutting up the bags. But I tell you--once I get knitting it's hard to stop. There's something addictive about knitting with that stuff. If only I had someone else to do the chopping up of bags.

And the loom--I've started clearing out the corner where it will go. So I've made progress on or finished three of my five projects, and worked on three other projects (including one that I realized should be done before one of the listed projects).

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I'm finished with the sachet and the purse, myself, and sent them both off to their intended recipients (they were for 2 people with October birthdays). I've made progress on the snowman.

We are doing this again next month, I hope!

Finished the Aspen roving, plied it and skeined it off. Found a spindle full of the same stuff and skeined it off too for good measure. Just started the first of two of the lavender batts and thank heavens they're not too felted to spin. Those two and three reddish ones and then I'm done. I've also been putting more into the eggplant pi shawl. I, uh, also did a gauge swatch for a skirt for Lou. *sheepish grin*

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

Finished the lavender Lucky Duck batts--all plied but not skeined off--and have made a good start on the first of the three reddish ones. I'm not entirely happy with the finished yarn; it's thicker than I wanted, so that skein may not end up in the project I want to make with all the Lucky Duck batts. (Lucky Duck Farms, btw, is where I got the batts. A very nice llama/pygora goat farmer on the West Side of town.)

I'm wanting to get back to the blue/green Romney pencil roving I got at Black Sheep; I really really want to make myself a cardigan out of it. And then there's that mixed pastel merino/silk I've spun half of, really need to spin the other bump of that. Oh, and the pound of gorgeous russet Corriedale I got at OFFF! And that cobalt blue kid mohair that needs combed! Dang, too much to spin!

Earthmama is bringing me some beautiful brownish-gray Brown Sheep yarn tomorrow and I'm going to make a felted vest for John, probably as his holiday present--though he knows, in fact he asked for it. He's requested a felted tunic-length vest that will shed rain a little, and felted wool will do that fairly well. I bought enough to work the yarn double but I'm thinking it'll be too thick once felted, so I'll do up a gauge swatch double and another single, felt them up and see what he thinks. I think I'm going to work a steek, too, for the front opening, since the felting will take care of those ends nicely...just thinkin out loud here...

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

...is to finish the sofa scarf that I am crocheting in off-white thread for my Mom-in-Love for Christmas. She has a lovely little old home that she has decorated in a "not too fluffy" Victorian style, and her beautiful camel-back floral print sofa just cried for a vintage-looking sofa scarf. So, I decided last March to make her one and I believe I will indeed finish it in time for Christmas. It will end up being about 4 feet long and is about 18 inches wide, with a floral filet pattern in the center and about 18 inches of border on each side that I designed myself. I will need to finish a border around the edges to round it out nicely but will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Considering the magnitude of this project (it's a bit of a big one for me) I better not bite off anything else of any size until I finish it. You other gals are sure just crafting up a storm! Best of luck to everyone!

Many blessings,
Lorrie

And the reddish came up thicker than I wanted, too. sigh. Used to be the other way round! I've been spinning too much worsted weight lately. Just need to finish plying it and skein it off.

So that leaves the grocery bag and the loom. John is determined to get the loom moved this weekend, so that'll be done. And that will leave just the grocery bag. sigh. Better get cutting...

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

I finished the sachet and the purse, as I said. I didn't finish the snowman but made good progress, so that will be my project to finish for November! I'll start a new thread tomorrow.

1. Knitting: Eggplant alpaca pi shawl.
Progress: Put a few rows on it, actively working on it, considering a longer needle because it's getting hard to work.

2. Weaving: Frame weaving to be turned into a bag.
Progress: Finished.

3. Knitting: Plastic grocery bag strip grocery bag--yes, I'm knitting grocery bags into a grocery bag. Really kinda zen when you think about it.
Progress: Haven't touched it.

4. Spinning: Finishing up a series of batts bought more than two years ago from Lucky Duck Farm.
Progess: Done!

5. Sorta weaving: Moving my table loom from the garage to the basement.
Progress: Did initial cleaning up in preparation for moving it.

So 1, 3 and 5 carry over into November. Thanks, Becky, this is a good thread!

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

Well, I finished the hat I started and I've got about 4 feet of new scarf for my mother for Christmas...but that's a new project, not an old one. I still need to sew up the long seams on my sweater, but at least the sleeves are attached now! I really should do that soon, though, before I forget what I was doing.