What I've Been Up To Lately: Summer 2017, Part I

I haven't updated since May and I'm only kind of sorry about it.  I'm still making stuff and drawing, but the pace of production has slowed significantly.  

What I've Been Up To Lately: Spring Cleaning Edition

I recently cleaned out my workspace, getting rid of a bunch of stuff and reorganizing everything.  I also tackled my project list with an unprecedented focus and determination.

Lil Deer Hat

Fawna Hat pattern by Julia Belsante

I think I could fill my days making cute stuff for my tiny baby niece.  I also feel like my sister would endorse that venture.  She found a hat similar to this one on Pinterest and I hunted down a suitable pattern.

What I've Been Up To Lately: December 2016

I know it's been awhile, guys.

Roses Afghan

On September first I became an Auntie!

My baby niece was over a month early and her birthday present wasn't finished yet.  I had to hustle, but I had it finished by the time I visited her. 

I used this chart I found on Pinterest to create the roses with Loops and Threads Snuggly Wuggly Yarn that appeared to fade gracefully from pale to bright pink, but in reality it created pale pink roses and bright pink roses. There was no in between, and in a couple of them, you can see the hard transition.   The rest is basic granny square with a continuous join and a border.  

What I've Been Up to Lately: Future Auntie Edition

In which my sister's pregnancy inspires me to make a million adorable baby things.

And Now for Something Completely Different

Sometimes people hire me to draw or make things that are outside my wheelhouse, and I'm one million percent okay with that. In fact, I prefer it to the times people ask me to "surprise them" because it challenges me and pushes my limits, which is the only way to learn and grow.

Recently, I was asked to make a hat that looked like a soccer ball, but none of the patterns I found appealed to me.  I did find the photo below, but an exhaustive reverse image search produced nothing that would help me recreate it.  Someone else had attempted to reverse engineer it, coming up with this chart, but when I followed the chart, the result was not close enough to the image for my taste.

 

The mystery hat and its almost-chart.

After a few days of experimenting, I bumped the clusters in the chart up from three stitches each to four and went with it, even though I wasn't completely happy. I also opted out of the bill, because it's not what my client wanted and added the rose to incorporate the intended recipient's team color. Following the chart with my minor alterations produced a slightly slouchy hat (unexpected bonus!) so I also extended the band a little.  

Crochet Rose pattern by Kati Crafts (using half the recommended chain. The first rose I made was massive!)

In the end, I made a cute hat and learned about hexagonal and pentagonal granny squares (granny hexagons and pentagons?). Plus, look how happy she is about it!

What I've Been Up To Lately

In which I am both eternally grateful and filled with melancholy in the course of a single post.

It's been awhile, guys.  Over the past month and a half, I got divorced (I mean, pretty much.  I'm just waiting for official decree or whatever.), spent two weeks on the other side of the country for my best friend's wedding, fulfilled a lifelong dream, worked my booty off preparing for a craft show that was an unmitigated disaster, and then spent three days feeling sorry for myself and watching movies.

What I've Been Up To Lately

Drawing, a little rebranding, crochet, and sewing!

What I've Been Up To Lately

A little more Rococo,  some robots, and the whole entire solar system.

What I've Been Up To Lately

In which I draw things until I die.

What I've Been Up To Lately

In which I make myself Birthday Presents and think a lot about the circus.

What I've Been Up to Lately: Christmas Edition

Look at all the stuff I made for my friends and family!

What I've Been Up To Lately

Stash-busting like a boss and other things.

Field of Daisies Afghan

I used Maz Kwok's Crochet Wild Granny Square pattern, with a few alterations

I've wanted to make granny squares since before I knew how to crochet.  After I learned to crochet two years ago, there were a million projects to do and my coveted granny squares always took a back seat.  When my good friends announced that their new baby would be named Daisy, I knew it was finally time. The clouds parted, the angels sang, and I hit Pinterest in search of the perfect pattern.

Here's a Close-up

What I've Been Up To Lately

My monthly summary of the things I've made and done.

What I've Been Up To Lately

A summary of my most recent projects, including a little knitting, a little crochet, and a decent amount of drawing and sewing.