W.I.P. Wednesday

It's time for another edition of Work In Progress Wednesday!
I'm actually going to give a sneak peek of a gift I'm making for someone special. 
It's my first attempt at a pattern considered Expert and while I'm able to accomplish it, I still would not classify myself as an expert by any means! LOL
I'm making a Tree of Life Blanket. I'm using Caron Simply Soft Bone color instead of the recommended Lion Brand Wool Ease so I'm pretty sure it will be a tad smaller than the original, but still nice to throw on the back of a couch and cuddle with.
Here are some pics of where it's at currently:

And, yes, I've made mistakes, but they're only noticeable to me and any actual expert so I left them in. Makes it completely original, right? :o)

I'm also working on this for my hubby. It will (crossing fingers) eventually be a shawl. I've no pattern except for the Batman logo chart which I found after someone shared these awesome potholders. The rest I'm making up as I go along. This was my first time carrying colors and was a valuable experience as I could definitely do better next time. :o) But he likes it so far and that's really all that matters!

I shipped off the baby gifts I had made and they've been received by their recipients so I'll share some of those finished pics.

Baby Goshalosh Boots

Pattern by The Lovely Crow

Star Stitch Mitts

Pattern by My Crimson Clover

Chris' Skull Cap

Pattern by Mamachee

Little Sports Saddles Baby Shoes

Pattern by The Lovely Crow

Star Stitch Mitts

Pattern by My Crimson Clover

Chris' Skull Cap w/Rose

Cap pattern by Mamachee

Rose pattern by The Hook Hound

I will be adding sets like these to the shop as I can (I really wish I had more hands or time LOL). 

That's been it for me for April. Looking forward to adding more hats to the shop (scored some really awesome patterns!) and possibly some of my Frank N Monkeys. Enjoy your Wednesday!

W.I.P. Wednesday

I'd love to say I have grand Works In Progress on this W.I.P. Wednesday, but my work in progress today is getting the craft room cleaned up. It's getting hard to relax and be creative when there is a mess everywhere I look! I've taken some before pics to show just how claustrophobic it's becoming! Hopefully by the end of the day I'll be able to add the after pics of my tranquil, calm, relaxing space I once enjoyed. :o)

BEFORE:

Awful, isn't it? Well, ok, the last one with the yarn isn't all that bad. :o)

AFTER:
Off to work on getting ready for some awesome after pics later!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

W.I.P. Wednesday

Wow! I had so many Works In Progress last week that I forgot to post!
This week has been all about the granny and the Rapunzel.
I'm participating in a 12x12 square swap. It's a great group of ladies (55 of us!). We'll be swapping squares and will end up with enough for 2 blankets! The 2 blankets I make will be used for fundraising for the 2013 Relay for Life season. All of the patterns for the squares I'm using can be found at Crochet Pattern Central. Here are some pics of the squares I've completed so far.

I've also been continuing work on the Rapunzel Beanies (pattern by The Sheepish Hooker). I'm trying to do a variety so I can have enough pics and practice to start selling them. When last we left you, I had completed one without the flowers. Here are some pics of that one with flowers completed and the red one I finished. Currently in progress is a brown one (I don't have pics quite yet) and once that's done, I can take pics and get this bad girl listed. :o)

My only other accomplishment this week was destashing my yarn stash. There's an album on our facebook page with yarn for sale if you're a fellow yarn lover like myself. 100% of the proceeds after paypal fees and shipping is going to the American Cancer Society!

That's it for us! We'll be making more squares and finishing up the Rapunzel beanies this week. After that, I think I'll be trying a chicken hat from a new pattern!

W.I.P. Wednesday

I have some fun items that are currently Works In Progress!

1st, we cover the items I have done, but will be making a lot more of before our Relay for Life event in July! These Playin' Hooky Discs are AWESOME! They really fly and they really don't hurt if you get hit by one. We're anxiously awaiting the warmer weather to try them outside, as they fly so well, it will be fun to see how far they can go. Our walls keep getting in the way!

Next up we have the Crocodile Stitch Boots by Lianka of Bonita Patterns! I've finished the right boot, and half way done with the left. I love this pattern! Easy to follow and so cute and classy when finished!

And last, but certainly not least as far as my youngest daughter is concerned, is the Rapunzel Crochet Dress Up Beanie pattern by The Sheepish Hooker. This beanie is complete except for the 20+ flowers I still need to make and attach. She is excited to wear this to Disneyland when we go this fall and I am having a hard time keeping it off her head! She even wanted to wear it to kindergarten this morning! I made the 4+ size which she will definitely be able to grow into (and she's 6yo). It's large enough an adult could wear it if I made the braids longer. In fact my 15yo had it on her head so I could braid it! LOL

That's it from here. I hope to make a Leprechaun Ski Beanie this week and we'll see where else the week takes me! Until next time!

W.I.P. Wednesday

Today is normally Work In Progress Wednesday, but I don't actually have any works in progress! They're all done! Oh, wait, not exactly true. My step-sis has been waiting patiently for me to finish up a pair of Mamachee boot slippers, but I don't have a pic of that work in progress. You can click on the link to see what they're SUPPOSED to look like, although I'm not brave enough to do the cables, yet. :o)

I had an awesome vacation with hubby! A week on the Oregon Coast was just what the relaxation fairies ordered! I found these 2 artist blown floats on the beach as part of Lincoln City's Finders Keepers program. 

I also crocheted my little fingers off! I made the crocodile stitch cowl by Bonita Patterns (one of our 2012 Team Sponsors) seen in the above pic. It was awesome as it doubles as an ear warmer so when the beach would get really windy, I could put it over my ears. It triples as a double chin hider, so I was loving it!!!! I'll definitely be making more of these! Below are some of the other items I finished while on vacation:

                         Chunky Hoodie by Dainty Loops     Adult Tutti Frutti by The Hat & I

                           0-3mo Tutti Frutti by The Hat & I        Train Conductor Hat by Micah Makes

The links provided will take you to the pattern in case you'd like to support these talented designers. As of right now, the Chunky Hoodie is listed in our Etsy shop. I'm actually keeping the adult Tutti Frutti, but will be making more. Look for the 0-3mo Tutti frutti and Train Conductor hat to be listed in the near future. 

I completed quite a few other items in the past couple of weeks while on vacation and visiting with out of town company. More than I thought! LOL 

Hope you enjoyed today's edition even though it was a little off topic. :o) I'll get back into the swing of things shortly!

Friday's Fun with Raven's Rascals

This week has been a whirlwind of activity! 

My super SIL is in town visiting and playing Nanny while Hubby and I get away for a week on the OR coast. In anticipation of how windy the beach can be, I decided to see if my hair was long enough to donate to Locks of Love. I've been growing it to donate and figured now was the best time. Shorter hair is way easier to clean after swimming in the pool and way less tangled when blowing in the wind. It was a little iffy at first glance if I had enough (which is 10 inches braided), but in the end I had more than enough...a 12 inch braid was cut off and sent to Locks of Love. 

Here are the before and after pics I know our FB fans have been waiting for.

Needless to say, the back of my neck is always very cold now. :o) And I realized that all the sun-bleached portions of my hair were cut off so it's definitely a darker color right now. But, I love it! I've never been disappointed when giving my hairdresser free reign to do as she likes. 

Now I'm starting the process of growing it out all over again. The next time it gets long enough, I'll be donating it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Here's a little blurb from their website: 

"Beautiful Lengths is a partnership between Pantene and the American Cancer Society. Thanks to volunteers like you, we've donated thousands of free, real-hair wigs to women living with cancer. Created and funded by Pantene, these wigs are distributed through select American Cancer Society wig banks across the country. Your donation is critical because we can only create as many gorgeous real-hair wigs as gifts allow."

The best part about Pantene is that you only need 8 inches of hair to donate! It won't take me as long to grow it out! I highly recommend donating your hair if you can. It grows back, you can sport a new look and you bring hope and happiness to those who need a boost in their self-esteem. GO FOR IT!

On a hair related note, our other news this week was the addition of a new model for our hats! My SIL and I do a lot of thrift store shopping when she's in town and she came across this Manikin in Goodwill. It was a little more than I like to pay for a thrift store item, but having looked for months for one online, I knew it was a bargain. So I went for it and became the envy of the other women in the checkout line. Who knew heads were in such demand?

Meet Nicki Vanessa Wilson

Nicki is a cosmetology manikin and her stylist-in-training did a fantastic job on her cut and highlights! I really am a little jealous of her hair. Before I knew she had a name of her own, I had asked See See what we should call her and she decided Vanessa. When we arrived home, however, I noticed she already had a name tattooed on her neck so Vanessa became the middle name. She thoroughly creeped out every child in the house with her real human hair (good thing I didn't do my original idea of introduction...putting her in someone's bed under the covers! Yes, I can be bad like that!), and I couldn't wait to show her off to Hubby. When he saw her, the joke became I may just adopt her as my best friend and start talking to her all the time to which Hubby said I really should name her Wilson after the ball Tom Hanks conversed with in Castaway. I said it would be a horrible first name for her, but an awesome last name and thus Nicki Vanessa Wilson was named and made a member of the household. The oldest is happy as I will press her less often into being my model (she hates her pictures taken). And all in all everyone is getting used to Nicki's presence. She's currently modeling one of our Homespun Cloche Hats.

That's it from our neck of the woods. Next week I'll have beach pictures to share! Enjoy your weekend!

W.I.P. Wednesday

Really quick edition of Work In Progress Wednesday as I have company and am getting ready for vacation. Plus I only worked on those hearts this week in the final push to get them all done!

Click on the picture for the pattern.

There you go. The count now stands at 38! Only 12 more to go!

I'm still trying to decide what project(s) I want to take on vacation. So many I want to try! LOL

Have an awesome week! And check back on Friday when my new hair cut is revealed! :o)