UFO challenge

Once again, I'm blaming the fabulous Kellie Winnell for this. Kellie posted about a number of her unfinished projects with the challenge of finishing them by the end of the year.

Well, I've got piles of UFOs (unfinished objects) around the place. Maybe one day I'll embarrass myself with a full list, but for now I'm sticking with those I want to finish by the end of the year. I'm also going to limit this to projects that have gone into hibernation, not ones I count as being current (ie the ripple blanket, the Elphieblanket, and the cat mat).

Dish towel stole

Dish towel stole - this was supposed to be a 'quick' version of my quilted stoles. I love the symbolism of the dishtowel, and the stole was inspired by a Maundy Thursday sermon; in 2009. It's meant to be more of a Lenten stole, but I'd like to get it to it's intended recipient before the beginning of Advent this year. (It's also in my June goals list, but there's precious little of June left).

Golden Teddy

Teddy bear - this little golden knitted teddy was only ever supposed to be a 'finish off' project. We found the teddy itself knitted and left (still to be sewn up) in the library store cupboard a number of years ago.. I've sewn him up and stuffed him: all he needs is a face, which I should be able to do with a mixture of surface crochet and wool embroidery. This wouldn't take long if I'd just pick him up and finish him. Then he'll go to this year's church fete in early November.

Tinkerbell Cross-stitch

Tinkerbell cross-stitch - meant to be a Christmas present last year, not finished in time.  We have a friend who is nuts about Tink, and this kit was on sale.  Since I picked up crochet in April last year, I've kind of dropped the cross stitch, which used to be my main form of crafting.  I have another unfinished cross-stitch that is a present for my mother, but that will go into 2015's UFOs challenge, I think.

40th Bithday album

40th birthday mini album - I have all the bits and pieces to put together a mini album of a friend's 40th from February this year.  Except for printing out the photos.  Again - the planned deadline is Christmas.  Obviously, although the picture shows two Core Kits, I won't be using all of them for a single mini-album.  But Blush and Maggie Holmes are the two I'm planning to use for this.

Chez Stutters (the house) album

Our new House mini album - Although I've been trying to keep up with

weekly PL spreads, the GF suggested a mini-album about the move.  There's a lot of work to do on this one, and of all the UFOs it's probably the lowest priority and the least fixed deadline.  But I'd still love to see it done before the end of the year.  This is using one of the new 6x8 albums, all the house and home-related cards from 5th and Frolic, some Ali Edwards digital elements, and Kellie Winnell stamps.

And if you're wondering what the heck it is I'm talking about here, July is going to be Project Life month here at Chez Stutters, so that I can finally get around to blogging my almost-a-year-long-now new scrapbooking method/obsession.

Purple Headband

Purple headband - earlier this year I went on a headband-making spree. I've completed two pink ones, but this purple one got somewhat lost in the house move.  This one matches my work uniform, so I'd like to get it done so that I can wear it next time I get my hair cut. Which really ought to be soon.

TARDIS blanket

TARDIS blanket - it was supposed to be a Christmas present for a friend last

year: I'm determined he'll be given it THIS year.  No, there's no pattern other than one I've vaguely drafted up after looking at various other people's TARDIS blankets on Pinterest. 

Kobo Cover

Finally, and most ridiculously, my Kobo Cover.  All it needs it two snaps, a button, and a chain loop.  I've had the snaps and the button for ages, and I've been using the cover on my Kobo for a good six months: it's just those final little things that need to get done.  This one I really ought to be able to get done *today*.

Currently Creative

Kellie Winnell has said that she's reinstating a regular "currently creative" linkup.  As you may have noticed, I'm trying to be more regular with this blog and to build it into an actual blog instead of just an occasional series.

If you're here from Kellie's blog linkup - welcome!  This is what I'm currently creating:


So, there's the Elphieblanket: I'm at 20 of 27 repeats of the main pattern before I start the multiple rounds that make up the border.  And I've read through the pattern for the border enough times that I think I almost understand how it works.

I'm slowly working on getting my craft room set up properly.

And I've created a Facebook Page for this 'ere blog and am working on graphics to use for it.

(For regular updates on posts to this blog, please "like" the Chez Stutters FB page, even though it's currently fairly bare.)

A new craft: rope coil basket

 I blame various websites, a mid-year sale, and the Queen's Birthday long weekend for this one.

For reasons related to post shared by friends on FB, I re-joined up to 'Household Management 101' on FB. (The frequency of posts and the way it takes over my feed is reminding me why I left the first time.) and they had at 'declutter the top of your dresser' challenge.  The top of my dresser is a mess (still is: I haven't really got to the challenge itself yet, apart from returning an overdue magazine to the library,) and with the layout of the new house, the dresser top has become the spot where I put my keys when I get home. I was already wanting some sort of vessel in which to corral my keys.  The GF and I have seen some beautiful bowls - made from telephone wire - at a local shop but they were well out of our price range. 

On Sunday, in search of yarn for a new baby blanket  for a friend who will move away well before she has the baby, we discoverd the Lincraft mid year sale, which was 30% off everything. Full rolls of cording we're marked at $5, and turned out to be around the $3 Mark with the discount. And that reminded me of Kellie Winnell's rope baskets from February this year. (Have I mentioned that Kellie is a favourite blogger of mine, and lives just two hours down the road from me! No, we haven't met in person.) 

So I bought the cording with a sort of 'someday' intention. Someday I would make one of those baskets. 

Then, on the Monday of the long weekend, I got itchy fingers. You know that feeling, if you're a crafter. You just have to DO something. I was having a quiet day while the GF kept on writing reports. I'd washed dishes, run some laundry, written long lists of all the other domestic chores that I really needed to get done, but I wanted to craft. And I thought about that dresser top, and the cording in my Lincraft bag, and soon I was looking up a non-video tutorial just to confirm my thoughts on technique, and away I went. 

I used a tutorial from The Red Thread Blog and worked on the basket for a good part of the afternoon, for an hour in the evening while the GF was watching Game of Thrones, and then again while I was attending a work meeting via Skype on Tuesday morning. (Anyone who's seen me at a church meeting knows I concentrate way better when my hands are busy. Luckily I can do the same thing in remote meetings for work: it's much harder to do in face to face work meetings unfortunately. Just imagine how much crochet I could get done then!)

 

Witness the final result - at the point of finishing, and then later, in situ on my dresser, with keys.