Mysterious Monday...

So, if you're a long time reader you will know that I am a big fan of the mystery make along. I have two in particular that I participate in every year and they happen to  both go on at the same time. Now is that time, lol. Not that I'm complaining - I love the social aspect that goes on in Ravelry groups during the mysteries and seeing everyone's toys coming together. No matter how busy I am, I always make a point to join in the fun :)

First off this time was the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along. It started on April 4th, and the neat thing this time around is that it will involve Kool-Aid dying. She has you make everything in undyed wool yarn and then we will learn how to dye the pieces and what pieces should be what color later on. Pretty cool idea, huh? As of now, I have Clue 1 and 2 completed, and thy look like this:

At this point in clue #1 I was thinking it would be a seal (which is why I have the pieces arranged like that).

Clue #2 gave a different and undeniable perspective - that's looking to be a shell, friends. It was pretty obvious at this point that the pattern is for a sea turtle. I also peeked at Clue #3 (which was released today) and saw that all the pieces get dyed green except that shell, which is dyed blue. Pretty sure that means I'm right, but I'm still excited for the final clue next week :)

My second mystery project just started this past Friday, April 15th. It's the Fuzzy Mitten Mystery Knit Along 2016. This has become one of my favorite knitting projects of the year :) I've loved every one of the animals Barbara has designed for us, and I'm sure this time will be no different. She says that this year the animal will be bigger than normal, but also she decided to release the body parts first and the clothing after over the 6 weeks of clues (usually it's the other way around to keep the mystery alive longer). She says it will be obvious what we are making after the 2nd or 3rd week, but this way we will be able to make sure our clothing fits (we've had issues before with not getting a good gauge on the clothes and not knowing they were too big until it was too late). I managed to finish knitting the first clue during church on Sunday and this is what I've got:

It's hard to see in the photo, but the two needles on the bottom have a bind off section between then, so these are going to be the legs. Barbara give you the option of adding panties to the animal for modesty in the pattern or going without and I just decided to go au naturale and leave mine in the nuddie pants. The decreases in the middle are looking like a belly button (which is super cute), and I'm slightly worried it's a doll - as in a human - in which case mine will look like a nudist, lol, but oh well. It's fun. We'll see what next week brings.

I've been having a lot of fun with these two project lately, and I've been working on a very old toy project in between clues. I even managed to do some sewing (gasp)! It's true! I've been in such a funk with sewing lately. My sewing room is moved and completely functional, but I still technically live at my house (meaning I sleep there and my clothes and kitchen stuff is all there). It's a strange kind of limbo to live in, and I never thought it would be a big deal, but this dissected life has turned sewing into a planned event. I can't just meander into my sewing room when the mood strikes like I'm accustomed to since my entire sewing room is now a 45 minute drive away. Because it requires planning and setting aside time, I then guilt myself into being more productive with all the things I need to do to get out of this horrid dichotomy, making sewing seem frivolous and wasteful. It's a sad state of affairs. Thank heavens knitting is so portable. I've finished several other projects that I still have to photograph (again, my stuff is split between 2 places, making photos a planned chore), so hopefully those things will show up here soon and you won't have to just see random book reviews, lol. I did devote my Saturday night to sewing this past weekend though, and I managed to finish a skirt I started in January as well as mend 2 other me made skirts (gotta get ready for Me Made May), and I even cut out a shirt that I will hopefully sew some of later tonight. Life is crazy, but I still need to flex my creative muscles to keep myself from going completely insane.

So that's how things are going with me :) I'm so grateful for these fun mystery projects that add a sense of urgency to making the pieces so I don't miss out on the surprise. I definitely recommend joining in if you feel so inclined!

FO Friday: Ashton Mystery Revealed! Meet Larry :)

This past month has been one of my favorite annual events - the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along! The way it works is that there are 3 clues each containing several pieces to crochet. You have no idea what you are making - you just follow all the directions and collect your pieces, waiting for the final clue that tells you how to put them all together. After completing all my pieces, my project looked like this:

I played around with where the pieces could go and tried to figure out what it would be, but I had absolutely no idea, lol. I knew those blue pointed pieces would be ears, and that the big piece was the body, and I had a suspicion about the others but that was it. I just embraced the surprise of the whole thing and waited for the final clue to be released this past Monday. So, without further ado, this year's mystery animal is:

A super cute puppy! I've decided to name my guy here Larry - he looks like a Larry, no? I really love the shape of him, very unconventional compared to the bodies of other FreshStitches animals. This guy just makes you want to hug him, which is exactly what my toddler nephew did as soon as I showed it to him (after the hug, he tossed him aside, but we'll take the hug as a good sign, lol).

The legs are attached flat to the body, which makes them easy to bend so he can sit down. The points of his ears are tacked down to stay in that folded over position. I think he's just adorable :)

He even has a cute little tail! Since I had no idea what I was making, I just went with crazy colors that I loved. I used Red Heart With Love in Jadeite (seriously my favorite color right now) and Peacock. They are a really nice combo and I think it came together nicely.

Look at that face :)

I had so much fun with the mystery this year and I just love the design - Stacey has done a great job again at stumping us all! If you've never participated in a mystery crochet along before, I highly recommend it - they are a blast and it's so much fun to see the creatures everyone else makes. I will definitely keep up what is now my tradition (this is my third time making the FreshStitches mystery animal). I hope you join us too!

WIP Wednesday: So Many Projects!

This week is suddenly full of WIPs. Firstly, my sister needed a gift for a baby shower on her husband's side this coming weekend. She can't attend herself, so she thought one of my animals would be a nice gift to make up for it. Since I had so much going on already this past week (and she only asked me last week), I decided to go with something quick and easy.

 Isn't she super cute?! I used the Jay, The Bird pattern from FreshStitches and just added baby safe eyes and a flower (as per request). The bird is only part of the gift - a large part, but I still have a little work to do tonight.

In exchange for my bird, my sister offered to buy me a pattern book - sounds like a sweet trade to me! I chose Modern Baby Crochet by Stacey Trock. I've wanted this book ever since it was released and it definitely does not disappoint. I'm using one of the patterns to complete the other piece of my sister's gift - can you guess what it will be?

I'm also into week 2 of the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along. The first clue was released last Monday, but I was so busy sewing and whatnot that I didn't get to make up the pieces until Friday night. Clue 2 was released this past Monday and I've just barely scratched the surface of it (*cough* I've only done a few rows *cough*). I'll get the rest of the pieces made up this weekend sometime :) I certainly still have no idea what it is, though I think it may be something with pointed ears...

And in case those projects weren't enough to keep me busy, today is the official first day of the Marion Knit Along with Untangling Knots. I've always loved this design so I jumped right in when this KAL was announced. I've had all my pattern corrections and yarn swatches ready and waiting - now I'll finally get to put them to good use :) I will confess, I'm a bit worried about my decision to use a cheap acrylic yarn, but this is for science, folks! I must know how it will turn out! I know I will be the pariah of the KAL group (hopefully they don't think I'm too trashy, lol), but I seriously have so much of this yarn from before I "knew better". Here's hoping it works out ok.

And of course I am still plugging away at my Emelie Cardigan. It's such a lovely design :) I've started increasing for the bust now, and I am actually surprised it is already this big. I was fully expecting this to take forever because of the thin yarn choice, and I am happy to be proven wrong.

So there you have it :) I certainly have a lot to work on (plus I really need to start my nephew's birthday present), so I'm hoping for a lot of time this coming week. Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others are working on this week too!

New FreshStitches Crochet-A-Long: Halloween Themed!

It's that time again - time for another FreshStitches Crochet-A-Long. This time it's a Halloween-A-Long! Similar to the Tiny-A-Long, you can choose your own pattern from the FreshStitches catalog - it just has to be related to Halloween. All the choices are found here. You can make:

• Igor the Tiny Bat
• Jack the Tiny Pumpkin (this is a free pattern)
• Mitchell the Spider
• Lemuel the Bat
• or ANY monster (there are a ton of free ones here)

The only other requirement is that you have your little Halloweenie finished by October 30th. And to make it even better, there is an awesome prize for the winner!

The winner gets this awesome set of Knitter's Pride Waves Crochet Hooks as well as a Pom Pom Maker! How cool is that?! To enter your cutie for the grand prize, just post a picture to theFreshStitches Facebook Wall or the Halloween-A-Long thread on the FreshStitches Ravelry Group.

I'm super excited to get started, but I just can't decide which pattern to make! Join us for the fun!

Crochet Update: It's So Tiny!

I actually finished this on Tuesday night, lol. He was supposed to be my WIP Wednesday post, but I finished him quick. So here he is as my FO Friday :)

I whipped up my submission for the FreshStitches Tiny-A-Long! I call him Mr. Pig :)

Look how small he is! I used the Cliveton the Pig from the Rainbow Amigurumi eBook. All of the animals in that book are designed to come out small just using worsted weight yarn, so I decided to up the ante and make this guy ... in fingering weight yarn ... with a D hook! MUAHahaha! lol The result is a little piggy that is right at 2.5" tall.

I used 6mm safety eyes, which just happened to be the perfect size. I must say, his parts were kind of difficult to attach just because they were so teeny. Also the black was really difficult to see in that small of yarn, what can I say? I'm old. Alls well though because he is just so stinkin' cute!

Look at his curly little tail! lol Yay! The yarn is Red Heart Baby Fingering yarn in light pink which has a shiny white thread mixed in with it, so he has a nice sheen. The black is Premier Yarn Serenity Sock Weight.

I'm super excited about how this guy came out. My nephew thinks he's pretty great - he's the perfect 10 month old baby hand size lol. I wish I had more tiny yarn in different colors so I could make more of the animals from this book. There's still plenty of time for the Tiny-A-Long, so maybe you will see another little guy :)

That's it for my Finished Object this Friday. To see what others have made this week, check out Tami's Amis' Blog!

Join the FreshStitches Tiny-A-Long!

It's that time again! Time for another FreshStitches Crochet Along! The last one ended at the beginning of July and it was the Mystery Crochet Along. This time is a little different. First of all there is no mystery, in fact the choice of what to make is entirely up to you!

The Tiny-A-Long rules are to pick any FreshStitches animal and crochet it with a smaller size yarn and hook than the pattern normally calls for. If you're new to crocheting this may sound pretty strange, but I think it's a great visualization of how the yarn size affects the finished product. Think of it as an experiment :) So the only real rule involved is that your animal needs to be crocheted with smaller than worsted weight yarn. You could even use a free pattern if you want to! As long as it's a FreshStitches pattern, you're good.

Once you make your animal, post a picture on the Ravelry Group Thread or Facebook Page to be entered to win the big prize - oh yes, there's a prize :) It's 1 skein of Cascade 220, 1 sparkly skein of Celine, The Crocheter's Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements, an Addi hook, and a Craftsy tape measure! Pretty awesome prize, I must say. The deadline to enter is September 18th, so hurry and get yours going!

Now if I can only decide on a pattern ... hmmm...

Mystery Crochet Reveal! Meet Amber and Cody

**Spoiler Alert!** If you're part of the Mystery CAL and haven't finished yours yet, don't scroll down! lol

I was so excited to get the final clue in the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along on Tuesday. Sadly my schedule is a bit crazy this week and I wasn't able to actually finish the pieces and put her together until last night. Without further ado ... Meet Amber!

She's a kangaroo! Isn't it fun?! I was so excited when I peeked ahead to see what I was making (I know, I cheated, but I couldn't wait!)

So Amber is the mommy kangaroo and the I've named the joey Cody (since it's a stereotypical Australian name lol).

The baby comes out and can stand up on his own too. I gave the baby eyes by making knots with black yarn and I also added a little nubby tail to help him stand upright.

The pivotal piece to this pattern is the tail. Before I put the tail on, Amber wouldn't stand up at all because she's so top heavy. I was getting worried while I made her to be honest, but the tail is the last thing and it really makes the pattern work.

I used Lion Brand Pound of Love yarn in Pastel Green for my Amber since all I knew at the beginning was that it needed a bunch of the same color yarn and I had a big ol' skein of this stuff in my stash. I realize my mint green kangaroo is a little silly, but I think they came out really cute just the same. Plus that's part of the fun of a Mystery Crochet Along!

I'm so excited I got to participate in the Mystery CAL again! It's seriously so much fun and I highly recommend giving it a try next time one is offered. Until next time, I'll enjoy my Amber!

WIP Wednesday

It's that day again - WIP Wednesday. This week I've been very excited about the Mystery Crochet Along with FreshStitches. The last clue was released yesterday, so I officially know what I'm making now. And it's so cute! lol I just wish I wasn't so crazy busy so I could have it made up and finished by now. Hopefully I can put it all together tonight. Here is what it looks like as of this morning:

Pretty cute, right?

The other project I've been working on this last weekend is a very long time work in progress. I'm not sure if anyone has been around long enough to remember when I started my Hope Shawlette last November (yikes!), but it's been just sitting around for many months with no attention. I found myself between animals and waiting for some new yarn to arrive in the mail so I decided to pick this up and I became determined to finish it! I worked for hours over the last week knitting mostly stockinette stitch and I finally reached the point where the lace border begins. I did the set up row and started on the lace and oh my gosh what a nightmare. I'm not used to reading lace patterns and I thought it would be better explained, but the pattern assumes you automatically know a lot of things ... which I didn't. So I had to reverse knit back half the row once. I started again fixing my mistake. I got to the very end of the row and discovered the stitches weren't lining up on the second half. So I reverse knit a second time and tried again. The same thing happened again! I was so frustrated by that point and I knew I did not have the know how to reverse knit through what I had just done. Sunday night I accepted my fate and made the decision to frog back. Since I was going back anyway, I had a small hole that I didn't notice until a few rows past it, so I picked up the stitch and just moved on, but it really does bug me now so I decided to go back before that. The problem was ...

It meant going back 1.5 inches! It was so depressing - seriously. This was hours and hours of work just pulled out and wasted, not to mention how long it took me just to place that thread and then reload the stitches onto my needle again. le sigh. So now it looks like this:

Pretty much just like it looked a few months ago. I am still determined to finish it though, so hopefully it won't languish quite as long this time. I like to think that it won't, but we'll see lol.

So that's what I have going at the moment. To see everyone else's WIPs you can check out Tami's Amis' blog :)

Mystery Crochet Along - I Finished Clue #2!

So clue #2 was released this past Tuesday night for the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along and I had all the pieces made up by Wednesday night. I even got to watch a Doris Day movie while I made most of the pieces - that's a good time, right there :) So here is what clue #2 looks like:

I've been reading the spoiler boards in the Ravelry group and I have to admit I am leaning towards a certain animal as my guess. If I'm right my mint green version will look ridiculous, lol, but that's part of the fun of it :)

I can't wait for next week's final clue so I can learn what it is and reveal the mystery to you all! Ooh the anticipation!

Mystery Crochet Update: I Have Completed Clue #1!

I was so excited when Stacey released the first clue a day early for the Amber Mystery Crochet Along! Sadly, I had too many previous obligations so I had to be responsible and not start making them up until last night. Once I figured out my yarn (I went with Lion Brand Pound of Love in Pastel Green - mostly because I knew I would definitely have enough yarn that way), it was very quick to finish this clue.

This time around, there are a lot of pieces involved in the mystery animal, so I opted to label my pieces. Last time they were all different colors and shapes so I could easily figure out which was which, this time they are kind of similar and all the same color - thus the little papers. I'm just using safety pins to hold them on as well as hold duplicate pieces together and it's working great :)

Now I have to try to contain my anticipation until next week!

** Since posting this, it was brought my attention that piece A says "make 2". Oops! I didn't see that. I have made the second piece now, so all is well :)

Join the FreshStitches Amber Mystery Crochet Along!

I am so excited about the news I have to share! IT'S ANOTHER MYSTERY CROCHET ALONG! Sorry, but I just can't contain it. I had so much fun back in November in the Archer Mystery Crochet Along that I couldn't wait for the next one. Well, that day has come and this time the animal is named Amber. The presale just started today over at FreshStitches and if you purchase the pattern before this Tuesday (June 18th), you get $1 off the price :) So head over here now to join in the fun for only $5!

If you've never participated in a Mystery CAL before, here's how it works. The pattern will only be released a few pieces each week over the course of 3 weeks. When you purchase the pattern, you will receive the materials list and instructions on how to do the stitches you will need (sc, dc, etc). The pattern will be automatically updated each week and you can download the next clue - it will show up in your Ravelry account that there is an update, so it's very easy. The pattern pieces will be referred to as "Piece A" or Piece E" etc. so you really don't know what it is until the final clue is released which will give instructions on assembling the pieces. I can tell you from my own experience, this is loads of fun and, just like all FreshStitches patterns, you get a super cute animal to show for it. In the meantime, you can join the discussion on the FreshStitches Group Page to see what colors others are using and guess what it might be together.

I can hardly wait until June 25th when we get the first clue! 

Scrap-Along: Meet My Scrappy Ball Monster!

With all my moving and whatnot lately, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make my entry for the FreshStitches Scrap-Along; happily I had just enough time this weekend and was able to whip this guy out :)

I used the Ball Monster pattern from the Design Your Own Monster class on Craftsy. This class is really great and it Stacey shows you how to make different shapes in order to help you design your own. This is the first pattern in the class which is just meant to be a super simple basic pattern, and even though I've made lots of animals before, I'm a sucker for doing everything in chronological order. I thought the scrap-along would be the perfect opportunity to make him up :)

I did alter the pattern a bit. His arms are a little shorter than called for - I just thought this length looked friendlier. His eyes are actually some eyes that I messed up when making François the Lobster; I put the pupil pieces on the top when they should have gone on the side. By the time i realized my mistake, I had already fastened the pupils on so there was no going back. I didn't want to waste them, so I've held onto them all this time. They are a bit buggier than the pattern calls for, but I think they look cute :) I also added the hair on a whim - the yellow was a small scrap and I just wanted to get it used. The mouth was a happy accident - I couldn't get the embroidery to go straight, so I just kept filling it in to smooth the stitches out and I really like how it came out. Funny thing is his eyes and mouth combo remind me of Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, lol.

Even though this guy is made with scraps, my ocd kicked in and I had to at least make it evenly striped. Also, I was picky with my colors I used - I wanted it to be kind of cohesive. I have plenty of other scraps, but they would have thrown off the coloring. I have to say though, I love that this is made from bits and pieces. The red, gray and rainbow were from 3 headbands that ended up being too small for my sister, so I frogged them just to use here. Everything else was left over from other animals and projects I had made.

Even though using miscellaneous colors isn't my typical thing, I am really happy with this guy. Also, my nephew really loves this bright color combination and he has been enjoying chewing on him, so he definitely approves :) I'm glad I got to participate in the crochet-along and get pushed out of my usual comfort zone! If you want to make a scrappy animal, the crochet along is going on until April 17th, so you still have time! Go here for more info.

Slug Update: Size Comparison

I was asked by a fellow Slug-a-long-er on Ravelry to post photos to compare the size of my Slug-o-saurus with the rest of the Slungington Family :) How could I refuse?

 From left to right: Slug-o-saurus (super bulky + worsted weight), Mr. + Mrs. Slugington (worsted weight + size 3 thread), Juniper (2 strands of size 3 thread), Leo and Winnie (size 3 thread alone).

Since I didn't use just standard worsted weight on any of them, I don't have a definite size comparison of what the original pattern size looks like verses the Slug-o-saurus. So, I took a photo of him with the 2 surrounding sizes. The 2 smaller slugs in the picture below would be slightly bigger and slightly smaller than a regular worsted weight slug.

I love seeing all my slugs together :) I still can't believe I got that many finished!

Crochet Update: It's a Slug-o-saurus!

I have completed the biggest animal I have ever made! I was inspired by some of the others on the Slug-a-long discussion wall. It seems that giant slugs are sweeping Ravelry. So, I pulled out my stash of Hometown USA super bulky yarn to take part in the gigantic fun. 

I call him ... Slug-o-saurus! As soon as I finished him, I thought of Insectosaurus from Monsters vs Aliens and knew the name homage would be fitting :) I think it's their same blank stare.

I not only used super bulky yarn, I also used a strand of worsted weight with it (the gray with the sparkles) and used them as one strand. This guy seriously took way longer than my other slugs - you try threading super bulky yarn AND worsted weight yarn into the same regular sized darning needle. Yeah, it was hard. But it was so worth it now that I have the result! Slug-o-saurus weighs 1 lb and measures 9" from foot to antennae, 5" wide on the body, and 6.75" wide at both eyes.

Here's the side view.

And the dead slug view.

Here is a close-up of the yarn - the gray is sparkly :)

I'm so pleased with my impromptu submission to the slug-a-long!

The Slugington Family Picnic

I finally had some daylight to do a mini photo shoot of The Slugingtons :) I give you - The Slugington Family Picnic!

 Aren't they cute?!

Ok, and I even did a little research for this :) I know, I'm a huge nerd. I had no idea what slugs each - and apparently it's leaves and mushrooms. Learn something new everyday!

This makes my submission for the slug-a-long ready to go and I can't wait to see what the other sluggers say :)

Crochet-Update: Meet the Slugingtons!

Well, I've finished my submission to the Slug-a-Long on FreshStitches :) I'd like you to meet The Slugingtons!

I decided that since these were such a quick project, I really needed to up the ante for the crochet along this time. These were made using the Hannah the Slug pattern (I bought it with the Cutie Crawlies ebook) and to make them bigger or smaller I just used different sized yarn and hooks. I designed this project to have the children made with 'traits' from the parents. It's like a crocheted Punnet square :)

 The dad came first. For Mr. Herman Sluggington, I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in Blue Mint and combined it with Aunt Lydia's Bamboo size 3 crochet thread in Marine Blue. I literally took 2 yarns and wrapped them around my finger and crocheted using them as 1 yarn. This is a technique I've never tried before and I am totally in love with the result. It's a little harder to see in the picture than in real life, but it adds just a light mottled coloring to him. Since I used the 2 yarns together, I went up a hook size than what the pattern calls for and used a size I hook. Also, I used 12mm eyes for both parents.

Mrs. Louisa Slugington was next in the project. I used the same Simply Soft yarn in Blue Mint and combined it with Aunt Lydia's Iced Bamboo in Aqua Ice - it's a size 3 crochet thread that is aqua colored but has a strand of sparkly thread in it, so it kind of glitters. It's kind of a bummer that the glittering doesn't show up much in the photos, but take my word for it - she's sparkly :) I made her mouth with the Iced Bamboo in Pink Ice and did it the same way as Sylvia the Snail. I like how little and puckered the mouth came out and it distinguishes her as the mom. 

 For the oldest child, Juniper, I used the Marine Blue crochet thread from the dad combined weight the Aqua Ice crochet thread from the mom :) See - she has traits of both parents! I also used 2 differen size 3 threads for the eyes - Aunt Lydia's Fashion thread and Iced Bamboo, so even the eyes have a little sparkle to them. I used a size F hook and 9mm eyes for her as well.

The two littlest kids were actually made using the same size threads, but this one came out a little bigger than the teal one. This was made with just the marine blue crochet thread and the white fashion thread for the eyes. I've named this one Leo :) I used a size D hook and 6mm eyes for both little ones.

The youngest Slugington is named Winnie :) She is made of the Aqua Ice thread and has the white Icicle thread for her eyes - she's nice and shimmery. It's funny how she really is just a tad smaller than the other little guy even though I used all the same components. My only guess it that the iced bamboo must be a little thinner than the regular bamboo thread.

Here is the whole brood from the top. See how much smaller Winnie is? I will say - the little ones took no joke twice as long to make as the big ones. I've never crocheted anything so small before. Up until this project the smallest hook I had used was a size F, and the D was so thin I felt like I was going to snap the hook while i used it! Those antennae - holy cow those were a pain to do so small. But I persevered and I'm so glad I did because I love my little family :)

The Slug-a-Long goes until February 13th, so I plan to do a fancy photo shoot with my slugs to make them look super cute. I've got my eye on the prize of the two skeins of Fuzzbee yarn :) 

Have you made any slugs? I'd love to see them!