Weekly Check-In

Hi Sunday!

Blog Stuff: This week feels like a baking week. Are you ready for some recipes?

New from the babies: Mara turned two on Friday. I disapprove. She received a doll today, and she has been carrying it all over. I suspect it will be like her other dolls - she plays with them for a few days, and then cars become way cooler.

Gabriel

Crafty things:

I made an owl for the Nerd Wars Intellectual Challenge. This owl is actually for Mer.

I also finished a book scarf for a barter:

It is double knit, with the gryffindor symbol.

I also started two pairs of socks, and a cat bed, all Nerd Wars related.

Books:

I finished reading "50 Shades Darker" by E.L. James. I am still not sure if I like the series; I don't think it is particularly well written, but is is definitely easy to read. The characters seem more like people in this book, and less like caricatures. I recommend the first two books in the trilogy for fluff reading.

Weekly check in

Hello, Monday. I know, I'm late. I put the kids to bed last night and had every intention of blogging, but I fell asleep instead. 

Blog Stuff:
I didn't do research into the possible Saturday post, but the more I think about the idea, the more I like it. I will probably be mostly M.I.A. until September because I am traveling to Michigan on Thursday, and won't be back until the following Friday (Saturday?).

New from the babies: 
Mara attempts to say "I love you". Gabriel can say "Rapunzel". Also, does anyone else think it is crazy that three weeks from today is Gabriel's fourth birthday?!?!? I don't want to talk about it.

Crafty things:

I am a little ashamed of myself this week. I only finished one thing! A pair of toe socks for Becka. The second photo has a better sense of the yarn color (and also shows the HORRIBLE attempt at an origami heel that I frogged). The socks will look better on Becka because she doesn't have "Flintstone feet", as my mom refers to the wide slabs I have attached to my ankles.

 

I also finished my Nerd Wars dissertation. I am a few days early, but I have four Nerd Wars projects to do yet.

In the WIP pile, I have made a lot of progress. Both Skew socks are through the toe. The crocheted project bag is on the last `color repeat, and then I just need to make handles and a closure.

For the coming week:

I want to finish spinning the "spring morning" singles so I can ply it before the end of the month. I haven't done any of Rachel's squares, so I need to do that. I'd like to finish the Skew socks, but don't know if that is practical since I only have half my week this week - the other half will be spent doing only wedding things. I have to spend quality time with my sewing machine tomorrow - notion bag, messenger-style project bag, finishing appliques on bags for Jasmine's wedding, fix TdF bag...

 In the mail:
my new spindle came! Isn't it beautiful? 

The woman who donated it also sent a spindle snack, so I spun that. The spindle spins very smoothly.

August Crafting

For the past few months at about this time, I have been writing what WIPs I want to finish during the month. This month, I am going to to it a bit differently. I have quite a list of projects to tackle, but not all of them are WIPs. Some of them are just ideas. I'll put the things without pictures first:

-I need to finish that project bag A.S.A.P. Hopefully tomorrow.
-I will be making another project after the Ravellenic Games end.
-I would like to piece together half of Steve's quilt top.
-I want to cut the pajamas for Mandi's kids.
-I am making a mitten garland for a barter, and would like to finish that this month.
-I need to finish my Nerd Wars dissertation. In other Nerd Wars news, I have figure out 4 of the 6 challenges today: my Ravellenic WIPs for one, a bag I am making for a swap for the second, a market bag for the third, and a pair of toe socks for the forth.
-Make a quilt top for Craft Hope - Project 18 so i can finish the quilt and send it in September.

There are 3 new square patterns for my CAL, which means 4 more squares. If I can manage to do one square a week, I will be great. The patterns are Shape shifting in 12, Moon Granny Square, and The Crocodile Flower.

I am going to participate in a KAL during August and September to make non-vanilla socks with self-striping yarn. I plan to use the pattern Skew with this yarn, and will be casting on sometime this month.

For the Ravellenic Games, I have two projects to go - Diagonal Lace Socks for my mom, and the blue baby blanket.

Hopefully all will go well, craft wise, even though I will be travelling at the end of the month for a wedding. Wish me luck; I will need it.

Weekly Check-In

Hello, Sunday! It is time that time again. (I can't believe it has already been a week!)


Blog Stuff:
Last week, I said I was going to write a few things this week. I didn't. Don't worry, I will. They are on my list of things to write about. Sorry for being a flake this past week.


I want to start something this week - "Sewing Tuesday". I have A LOT of sewing to do - for the holidays, for some prizes I donated to competitions. I would like to start pulling my sewing machine down once a week and start putting a dent in these projects. This week, I will be sewing a bag. I don't know yet if this is going to be a "how-to" thing, or a show off thing - possibly a bit of both.

New from the babies: 
Mara learned that wearing a super hero cape does not make her indestructible. Gabriel learned the color "gold". 

Crafty things:
I finished all 4 squares for Rachel's afghan - I am all caught up! Just in time for the next batch to come out in the middle of this week... 


 

I made 2 can cozies for Bryan. They are the same pattern, but with different techniques.

Mandi's double moss socks

For Nerd Wars, I caught my dissertation up. Also, I used helping Becka move (see the rest day in this post) for the Giving Geeks challenge. For the other two challenges:

Mittens for the Geek Pride challenge

And the Heart toe socks for the Nerd Culture challenge

For the coming week:
I plan to spend the next couple days working really hard on Ravellenic projects. Tuesday I will start sewing a project bag. Wednesday, I will get a whole slew of challenges, so I will figure out the rest of the week from there.

In the mail:
Look! I made a new section. This probably won't happen every week, but this week I got some awesome things in the mail.


Remember the arm warmers I finished last week? I sent them to my barter partner on Monday, and she sent me her part of the barter - hand made buttons and stitch markers! Aren't they gorgeous?

Remember hearing about a my fiber-fairy godmother? Well, she struck again. When I checked the mail on Monday, there was a huge box outside my door. Inside I found a letter

and a LOT of fiber (that white rectangle is a piece of printer paper):

From Nistock Farms

Blue mystery fiber:

Purple mystery fiber

Babydoll Southdown

I felt so grateful when I opened the package. It is just amazing that someone would send me so much fiber, just because I mentioned I had run out. Thank you, Carrie.

Weekly Check In

Hello, Sunday. Seeing you means it is that time again.


Blog Stuff: People went crazy for the podcast post. I will keep that in mind, and do more of that sort of thing. Also the spindle-making post was quite popular. Next week I will have a follow up post to the generosity of fiber folks, and probably a Nerd Wars related post.


New from the babies: Gabriel says "your welcome". I like these manners he has. Mara made a valiant attempt to say llama ("nah-nah" is pretty close) and kitty ("kee"). The kids have a book with a little girl that you tuck in to bed with a little piece of fabric; Mara kisses her goodnight. 


Crafty things:
The Tour de France had it's last ride today, and so the Tour de Fleece ended, as well. I met my goal for the tour: to spin 20 minutes a day, and finish my starter fiber. I took a roundup picture of everything I spun during the tour (except the plastic bags).

The mug cozy and chair pad are made from my test fiber. The pastel fiber on the toilet paper tube is 1/3 of the corriedale fiber; I started the next third this morning. The teal turtle is the first half of the merino, with the second half started on the Turkish spindle. My BFL spindle snack is trying to hide under my CD spindle.

I made a couple squares for Rachel's afghan, and started the third. I failed at meeting my goal of 3 for the week.

I made 3 can cozies for Bryan (sorry for the super horrible lighting)

I also finished the rest of the arm warmers for my barter partner

Not as many finished projects as I would have liked, but not horrible, I guess...

This week, round 2 of Nerd Wars ends. This means I need to post 3 challenges by 11:59pm Saturday. Two are done - one, I am trying to figure out the tie in. The last is a pair of socks that I just need to do the toes on - but they are toe socks, and I've never made toe socks before. Wish me luck. I also need to catch my dissertation up to the halfway point... Ugh.

I also plan on finishing the rest of the squares I need to do to get caught up on Rachel's afghan, finish Mandi's double moss socks, and make the rest of the can cozies.

Nerd Wars

If you are not on Ravelry and you do any type of fiber art, you should check it out. (My name is BunniPhish - send me a message or a friend request when you join!) Nerd Wars is a game that is played by the Nerd Wars group (surprising, I know). The basic idea is that teams are formed around a common nerdy interest. There are nearly 30 teams,  including: Team 1-UP (video games); Team Mythology; Team OneMorePage (series fiction); Team Tardis (Dr. Who) and Team UU (Discworld). Each month of the tournament, there are six new challenges. A player can enter one, or all, or any number in between. Each challenge completed wins points for the team. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament wins.

Nerd Wars is my new favorite thing, period. We are in the middle of tournament 5, round 2 right now. I missed the deadline for team sign ups, so I am not on a team. Instead, I am a Ninja Warrior. Ninjas don't earn points for teams, just for themselves. Ninjas can come and go as they please, finishing as many or as few challenges as they want without worrying about their efforts affecting a team. Ninjas are also able to tie their project to any team they want. Also, ninjas can join the game whenever, so if you are just signing on to ravelry, consider becoming a ninja!

Aside from being able to play a creating game with other nerdy people, I LOVE that Nerd Wars has deadlines. This tournament, each round begins on the first of the month, and ends on the 28th at 11:59pm. I need deadlines, otherwise things don't get done. So far, I have only made things that I had been planning on making anyway. Ready to see what I mean? Here come the pictures!

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I am making a blanket for my SIL as part of a Block-A-Month Crochet-A-Long. I have answered two of the challenges with squares:

 

The square on the left answered the round 1 Scientific challenge, and the squares on the right answer the round 2 Scientific challenge.

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I am a part of a Granny Square Swap. Every month that a person chooses to participate, they swap two 6" squares with another person (and maybe little extras). I made one of my squares for June to answer the round 1 Technical challenge.

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A friend of mine wanted me to test out her crochet pattern.

I made the shawl to answer the round 1 Intellectual challenge.

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Last Christmas my nephew asked me to make him a dragon.

The round 1 Nerd Culture challenge offered me the perfect opportunity.

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I've been planning on making my sister a Tororo.

The round 1 Geek Pride challenge was perfect.

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I sent a care package to my cousin, and I wanted to send him something with a personal touch. So I made a washcloth to put in the package.

This fit into the round 1 Giving Geeks challenge.

Pretty cool, right? I hope to finish up a few more challenges for round 2 this week. Look for them in my next general update!