Yarn Lovin' - Making Lemonade from Lemons

The past week has been, well, lets just say unpleasant and unproductive.  Between Tuesday and Thursday we all came down with a nasty virus.  By far the most debilitating virus our family has had in our history.  So once I got past the I can't move or think part, I still could not move around much but my mind was going all over the place.  I decided to take advantage of this time to work on my passion for crochet!  I am happy to say that this virus has been returned to the fiery pit that it came from and we are all feeling (almost) back to normal!

So today, I am going to share the fruits of my "labor" from this past week - my Lemonade made from some very sour lemons!

This is the One Big Granny Square Afghan that I am making for my daughter.  I started it before this week but have almost completed it in the last few days!

I have recently discovered the satisfaction of small crochet projects. They use small amounts of yarn and are completed quickly. So I can feel good about accomplishing something! :) If you have read my past posts on my ability to complete projects, you will know this is a big deal!

This is a vertical stripe coffee cozy pattern that I found at "Lucy 'In the sky!"  She has a wonderful blog with a ton of great patterns and ideas!  I did not follow the pattern completely since I was going by memory at the time but you can find it in the link above, along with another very cute one!

This is a can cozy that is an adaptation from a basic cozy pattern I found.  I added the decorative stitching and thought the glitter yarn would add some pizazz! :)

I am having so much fun and so many great ideas that I am considering opening an Etsy store with completed projects and patterns.  If any of you lovely crafters have one (or have tried it) and have any advice or thoughts for me, I would greatly appreciate them!

Happy crafting and blessings for everyone!

Today I am linking with:

 

Yarn Lovin' - Crazy Blue Granny

I am starting a topic and eventually a page called "Yarn Lovin'."  This is where I will share with you my love for yarn and crochet.  I will post about patterns, projects, yarns and resources that I have found.  I am no expert but it is a fun hobby that I love enough to share on my blog!

Today I would like to share with you a little about one of my favorite hobbies.  I love to Crochet.  To be frank, I have not finished many projects over the years.  However, right now I am working on an afghan for my husband that I plan to put on the very short list of completed projects.  I tend to pick very intricate or large projects, then get bored or overwhelmed and put it aside.  Then a while later I will move on to the next space eating project!  This time I picked a granny square afghan but with a "jamie" twist.  Instead of following a pattern I am using several colors my husband likes and making different sized and patterned squares then will put them all together "abstract like" and call it my Crazy Blue Granny Afghan!  Below is a pic of the progress I have made on the squares, laid out on the blanket I am using for sizing.

I have since complete more squares but do not want to get it all laid out again to collect more animal fur!  

I have found that crocheting is very therapeutic.  Taking time for things that I purely enjoy while not accomplishing something valuable for my family, home or spirituality makes me feel guilty.  I know that is not really healthy but God is working in me one thing at a time!  With crocheting I can be accomplishing something, making something we need or as a gift to one I love and still get much needed "down time" for my brain and body. I do know that I will have to actually complete projects for this to hold any water and remind myself of it daily! :)

Since the granny square is new to me (as well as finishing a project) my next challenge is deciding the best way to connect the squares.  The whip stitch and the slip stitch do not seem sturdy enough but the single crochet leaves a big ridge that I am not sure would be very comfortable.  Today I will be trying to do the single crochet with a smaller hook to see if it helps.   If any of you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.  Do you have a favorite hobby?  Do you struggle with finishing projects?

Note - I did find a cool yarn lovers site that keeps me motivated since I find so many cool ideas and people on it.  If you are a fellow yarn lover, check out Ravelry.com.  My name on the site is "jamiej76."  If you join, look me up!  I would love to share notes and projects with you!

Today I am linking up with Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop Linky Party Time at KatherinesCorner.com


Have a blessed and beautiful day!