Market Bag is Complete :)

I finished the market bag on July 9, but I have been lazy about posting it. I really love it. I think it would make a great purse if it were lined and had a little closure added to it, but at the same time, I keep picturing a long baguette sticking out of it. Not sure how I will actually use it yet. The pattern is from Lion Brand's website. I used an H hook and Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn in Cornflower Blue. I think I want to put an edging in a different color around the handles, but I'm not sure yet. I have also been trying some new and exciting stuff, like fused plastic and duplicate stitch. I will post some pictures as soon as I have them.

Market Bag Update

Well, I have been making good progress on my market bag. Here is the body of the bag. Now all that is left is to crochet the handles.

Unfortunately, my supply of yarn has dwindled to this small little ball.
I was hoping that I would not have to tackle the untangling of the last part of the sweater. I started unraveling it in the dark and made a real mess of things. Note to self: playing with yarn around a campfire is not a good idea, for a number of reasons.
But I did it. I untangled that mess of yarn and now I have enough to complete the market bag.
I started the handle last night, and I love it so much, I might want to make it into a purse instead of a market bag. All it will take is some lining and a closure.

Arches Square

I completed the Arches square, the second April square for the afghan CAL. This square was really easy and quick to crochet. I am very happy with it.

Crocheted with Accord acrylic yarn and an I hook. Now onto May's squares. I think I should be caught up by the end of the summer :)

Waldo's Puzzle Complete!

Waldo's Puzzle square is complete. I finished it last night. It is crocheted in Accord acrylic yarn in three colors with an I hook. This one is definitely going to need some blocking, although since the yarn is acrylic, I am not sure how much it will help. I am happy with this square. Now to continue playing catch up and start the second April square.

Waldo's Puzzle

Well, I know that I am a little behind, but tonight I started my first April afghan square, Waldo's puzzle. If you are a Ravelry member, here is a link to the pattern. You can also find it on crochetpatterncentral.com. This square has four interlocked rings in the center. Here are the first two rings.
As you can see, the rings are interlocked as they are crocheted. Here are the four rings completed.
So far I am loving the color combo. The outside of the square will be a variegated yarn that includes both the green and the red colors in it. I am looking forward to seeing the completed square.

Crochet mania

I haven't been posting very much lately because my internet is not very dependable right now, something I hope to remedy soon. Anyway, I have been in a crochet phase recently. I think it is because I am avoiding my sweater, and if I knit, I would have to work on the sweater :)

Anyway, I crocheted this hacky sack for my honey with embroidery floss and a really small crochet hook. I made up the pattern as I went and I think the size is pretty good.
I stuffed it with aquarium gravel, which gave it a really nice weight and feel.
Then I worked on the March Ravelry square for my afghan CAL. Ok, ok I am a little behind. Oh and by the way, I hate this square. It took me forever to get started. I kept making mistakes. I almost completely gave up, but made myself keep going. The square never actually looked square and now that it's finished, it doesn't sit flat. It's acrylic yarn, so blocking won't help much either. And the color combination is awful. I think I will use this square in the kitchen as a dishcloth :)
Finally, I have started a market bag as part of a CAL. Here is my progess so far, using Sugar and Cream cotton yarn and a size H hook. So far so good :)

P is for Purse

This is the first purse I ever felted. My mom gave me the yarns for a Christmas gift along with the book Pursenalities. The pattern for this purse came from the book. By the way, I love that book. It has a good variety of purse patterns and really great instructions on how to felt.

Anyway, I love this purse, and I use it all the time. It's nice and big, so I can carry my book and my knitting in my purse. And that is a dream come true for me. However, the large size also makes it difficult to find important things like my wallet, cell-phone, keys and lip balm, so I decided to make a lining. Now, my sewing skills are lacking, and I have not used a sewing machine in years, but I still decided to try. I actually bought myself a sewing machine with some of my Christmas money, and this was my first time using it. For the lining, I used an old dress, red and glittery. I even made a pocket for my important items to live in. It is not perfect by any means, but I am very happy with how it turned out.

Also, I finished my CAL square for February last night. Here it is, the two-tone square. It's crocheted in the same colors as the last two squares. I don't really like the second square this month, so I will have to find something myself. This square turned out a little bigger than the other two squares, but that can be fixed later.

Mandala Square

Well, here is the first square of my 2009 Afghan CAL. It is crocheted with an H hook in Accord acrylic yarn. The final afghan will have four colors, including the two seen below. The square was supposed to be 12 inches, but came out a little small. I am going to see how the other squares turn out before I decide if I want to add extra rounds or not. Overall, I am really happy with how the square looks and I am excited to see the whole afghan come together over the course of the year. Tonight I will be starting the second January square.

Without further ado.....I give you the mandala square......