Just a quick pic!

See my pretty coaster! Just wanted to show off a bit.

Of course, no one but a member of the Base Honor Guard would want an Honor Guard coaster, but it makes Greg happy. I’m going to stick the pattern up when I have a moment.

Oh, and I’ve plugged my way through my design issues, it looks like smooth sailing ahead - so you should be seeing more from me in the October CrochetMe!

Why do I always run out of days?

No matter what I do, I always seem to chop it down to the wire. Only 4 days left in August after today, and I still need to finish the last - very last! - little bit of my CrochetMe project (unfortunately, this last part is giving me more trouble than all of the previous bits combined. :razz:), then type the whole thing up, photograph the project, and submit it, all before the September 1st deadline.

Who’s going to be frantically typing at 11:30 pm next Wednesday? Probably me…

And yet, despite the slender time I have remaining, I keep doing other things. I took a break the other day to make a coaster. I had planned on making one that was big enough to protect the computer desk from my freezer-mug. (You know, the kind with double-layered walls and water in the middle? You keep it in the freezer, and it keeps your drinks cold like ice cubes, but you don’t dilute whatever you’re drinking. Since I mostly use it to drink water, that doesn’t make much sense.) Anyway, Greg found out I was going to make a coaster, and he asked me to make one with the Honor Guard symbol on it (he’s in the Base Honor Guard out here, and very proud of it).
So I did - and I did a bang-up job of it, too, IMO, it really looks fabulous - and Greg agrees. First thing he said was, “Wow, that looks awesome, sweetie! I’m going to use that at work!”
…What? I made this for the desk here.
I told him that, and he was like, oh…okay… Oh….all right.
So now I need to make another coaster. He wanted me to make another Honor Guard coaster, but I’m not a big fan of making the same thing twice. I mean, I think the ONLY thing I’ve ever made duplicates of was a pair of baby booties, and by that I mean that I actually made both of them. I told him he couldn’t take it until I got a picture of it, which, I can’t do that yet because the batteries in our camera died. Which is the reason that I haven’t included any photos in the last post, or this one…but we’re picking up batteries when we go shopping today, so perhaps a photo of and pattern for said coaster will be coming shortly.

Oh - right - after the CrochetMe pattern is finished.

I’ve overcome my block!

Yay! Progress, at last - my CrochetMe project, which has been languishing in the crafts basket for several days, has finally begun moving forward again! Which is good, as the submission deadline is in 10 days. I was really stuck at that point, which led to my discarding it in favor of my polite and uncomplicated gryphon square. I hope I can get it together in time, it would be so happy in the October issue!

Ah, the productivity of procrastination…

So, I finished something else today. Obviously, I haven’t been working on my CrochetMe pattern for a few days… But I got a free piece of software from PC Stitch that lets you make charts. It’s really intended for cross-stitch patterns, but I’ve been able to make a few for crochet. Since a single crochet isn’t exactly a square, it needs to have a few more rows than stitches to produce a square. I’m working on it. Here’s my first one:

It’s a gryphon, in case you can’t tell. I like gryphons. I’m thinking maybe I should have used a more contrasting color for the gryphon. But it was fun. Hopefully, this is only the first of twelve to make a mythical/fantasy child-size afghan. This is my first experience with this many color changes, and it was a little tangled, I must admit, but the end result is quite interesting.

At any rate, I’m adding the chart in my patterns section.

I’m going to work on my CrochetMe pattern, I swear! *shifty*

Say it with me: Awwwwwwww…

Three words: Cutest. Boy. EVER! My sister and I went to Sea World this week, dragging poor Max along with us. I’m sad to say he didn’t have the best time, what with the heat and the humidity and the lack of quiet places for naptime. He did enjoy the aquarium, though, where I held him up to the fishtanks and he tried to catch the bright fish through the glass. I don’t think he quite understood why he couldn’t grab them. Anyway, despite the usual bad results of attempting flash photography through glass, I got some pretty good ’shark’ pictures for Greg (who had to go to work, ha-ha!). He really loves sharks.

We did everything! Rides (one at a time, of course, someone had to stay with Max), the waterpark, and the animal interactions and shows. Over two days, of course. What, you think I have a deathwish? My sister had a ball - a good thing, too, as this visit was a graduation present from us and my parents - and I had a good time too. Poor Max. Sooooo tired.

Here’s possibly my best shot of the entire trip:

Cool, huh? Oh, and on a crochet related note, my submission for CrochetMe’s next issue is coming along, and as long as I can concentrate long enough to get it done before the deadline, I predict you’ll see another pattern from me in the October issue…

The Ark pattern is up!

After much typing, peering at smuged penciled notes, typos, and coding errors, the pattern for my Ark Tote Bag is available on my website, complete with instructional diagrams which showcase my mad ‘Paint’ skills. Yeah, baby! Go check it out.

Anyway, I’ve decided what I want to start for the October CrochetMe, and I’ve bought the yarn for it, so I predict that it won’t be long before I discard my Christmas knitting - again - for a fun little crocheting diversion. I’d better watch out, though - I don’t have too many projects lined up (at least, not yet…) but it’ll be really hard for me to finish my knitting project at the last minute, even if I can do that with crochet.

Yay! CrochetMe!

Weeeeell, after fretfully checking the website every half hour or so yesterday, I had to go to bed, disappointed, without seeing it at all. Awwww. But it was up this morning, and I’m so excited! My pattern was the cover pattern! Wheeeee!

If, for some reason, you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, go here. I’ve also included a link to the pattern on my ‘free patterns’ page, so you can look there for it.

But I’ve got the bug now, I’ve got the bug, and my hands are twitching to design something else. Something fun, something whimsical - something Halloweenie? And, of course, now that I’ve finished Max’s birthday present, I need to get started on his Christmas present, which I’ve been planning for a little while. I want to make him a Perfect Pony, which I agree with the designer (and I think you will, too) that it is the single most perfect crocheted pony pattern I’ve ever seen.

Another big project, you say? So soon? Well, my friends, I simply cannot help myself. I only have 5 months to do all of my Christmas crocheting (plus one knitting project…) and dangit, I’m starting now!