The Motivation of Public Goals

It was about a week and a half ago that I took a picture of the mending pile and then set them off to the side of my craft basket.

It was about a week ago that I put a blog post together with a picture of my mending pile and a hope that it would magically get done.

A couple of days ago that post was published.

Last night I finished the last item that was in the pile. They are all mended and in usable condition now! (well, except one of the pants that wasn't in the pile - one of my daughters saw me tackling the pile and brought in another pair of sweatpants. It is now patched and she is free forming some more decorations around the patch)

Letting other people know about your goals does seem to help!

(now to decide what my next public goal will be?!?)

Mending Pile

I need to sit and mend... but I have so many more interesting things to do, so I keep putting it off. My hope is that by posting it here I will actually get it done soon.

New Fabric

A Joann's store recently opened up near me, and of course I got a coupon to use at their grand opening. I picked up some fabric for 2 pairs of pants for one of my girls, and for a dress for each of them:


(and some stitch markers and yarn needles to replace my supply my daughters keep taking)

I also recently traded on Ravelry. Someone was wanting to barter away some of their fabric for some fiber, and it just so happened that they lived locally. I looked on their page, they looked on mine, we bartered back and forth, and then she dropped by my church building before church started last Sunday and I swapped some fiber for this:


(that's some denim, some flannel, some brushed twill batik, some christmas cotton, and a small piece of dora and diego cotten my son happened to see while I was browsing)

Any bets how long it will be before I have the first finished item from any of this new fabric?

November 15

With this post I am half way through the month. I think this blogging daily thing will not continue into December - I don't want to feel like I have to every day - but it is good practice, and almost a habit now!

Today I did manage to knit half a pattern on the lace scarf during Lily's ice skating. She reached her goal (10 times across the width of the rink and back - my little marcher, she only fell umm.. 4 times?) so instead of re-casting on the toe to my husband's sock we made ginger snap cookies. Want to see? Not the cookies from today, but almost the same... yummy.

Tonight was the church craft night - with the help of some people, we managed to cut out pieces for 6 complete costumes (mary, joseph, 2 shepherds and 2 wisemen) for a still nativity that the children will do for our Christmas party. Now I just need to make sure each packet has everything it needs and then hand them out to the willing victims to sew. They do look fairly simple, but they still need to be done, and I don't want to do them all! No way that's happening. I think I'll keep Mary to do.

Now I can go watch a bit of Les Miserables and zone for a bit before sleep.

oh right, I did find some safe sick meds. I got some vicks and some similar shower steams. ...and I did sleep last night and feel much better today. Amazing what some sleep will do.

...and don't worry. I didn't forget that I mentioned a one year blog-anniversary contest. It will just happen a bit later in the month than my actual anniversary, but it will happen. (I know you were all just so worried - right jbb?)

Quilts (and no knitting)

I finished clue 2 for MS3, perhaps a picture tomorrow, but it's a bit hard to spread out enough to take a good one. I'm still working on the Melon Shawl Edging ...forever. I'm also about to start another baby blanket and bear, for a little boy who was born last week - I figure with the current weather (we turned on the ac today) there's not a huge rush, but I would like to make them and gift them soon. Other projects, current and planned, hover in the background, calling to me, but I need to keep to a small-ish number during MS3, so that I can work on that every week and not be buried by my current WIPs.


For this dose of old finished projects (I'm showing things that were made before my blog started) it's quilts.

This first one I made while I lived at home (middle or high school?) and is currently used as a nap blanket.



These next two were made out of some fat quarters and a bit of spare cloth. Each used two packs of fat quarters...

...pooh bear


...and princess


I then paired the squares with some I cut from a cloth that went with the quarters (the yellow and the green). Once the top was done I bought a king flat sheet and managed to get both backs out of one sheet. I just quilt them quickly on my sewing machine. These quilts fit nicely on the top of their twin beds, without hanging down. I had four squares left, so I sewed a them up with a big square of the sheet and made two little pillows to go along with the blankets. The girls use those pillows for their dolls.

Those are the only quilts I've made for the girls I think, I made them last year. I have a couple more larger (adult) ones, and one that is in the planning stages (material bought, and pattern chosen, nothing cut yet).

Hopefully I'll finish some knitting soon....

Projects Update

I think it's time to update my post from 9 Days Ago...

Projects:
Fish
Fuzzy Hats
Bear
Lace Scarf
Teased Wool


Planned Projects - (may be on the needles, or under needle for sewing, soon)
Felted Fish (for child 1, and maybe one for husband also?)
4 more bears and 2 more baby blankets
Another furry fuzzy hat (due by feb 28th - mailed before then of course)
A felted bunny rabbit
A project with my new yarn from yarn swap (maybe dyeing and spinning wool to go with it?)
Spinning more yarn to send off to my pal in February
6 more skirts
some handkerchiefs

The fish are done
The fuzzy hat (one in progress, and one planned) are both done





The bear is also done


The lace scarf - I haven't touched... maybe soon?

and the teasing of wool, well, I got enough teased to do this:


Yay! more wiltons dyeing. This, depending on how it spins up, will be used with my yarn swap yarn.


I also got to some sewing:




I currently am working on or still have to do:
finish spinning yarn for yarn swap (pictures sometime in February)
work on that lace scarf
maybe some more fuzzy hats if I find more fur yarn
2 more baby blankets and 4 more bears
my felted rabbit
Spin up that dyed yarn to use with my yarn swap yarn
4 more skirts
and some handkerchiefs

Some Skirt Sewing

Last week I sewed a couple of skirts for the girls...





I sew skirts for them because they are both tall (like their father) and so by the time I buy a skirt and alter it, I might as well have spent some time (instead of money) and made them their own unique skirt (and matching scrunchy for their hair of course!)

Of course, my girls have decided that any day I let them wear a skirt is a GREAT DAY!!! So I have some material I was *given* (I just had to buy elastic) set aside. Now I just need to find some time to make... oh, three more each at least.