Yes, I'm still here.

Well, it's been a year since I posted, and much has changed while everything seems the same.  I'm going to get back into blogging slowly, so today's is a crafty post.

I'm working on a Crochet-A-Long (CAL) on Ravelry.  We're making blankets/afghans that are crazy quilts of colors and patterns.  Each person's is inspired by a single pattern, but each of us is making a very different blanket.  Here is the beginning of mine:

I started with 5 rows of hdc:

I rolled it up and it made a nice little roll (little being relative - it is about 5 inches across at the longest point).  This roll makes it easier to transport and less likely to tangle among itself.  It's approximately 10 feet long.

Next I did a chevron section.  It went well in the main pattern section, but the edges came out a little wonky.  There will be more chevron sections, so hopefully I can figure out my edging by then.

Here's a look at the edge.  Ideally, I want the greens to be equal and the purple to be no larger than its role in the rest of the segment.  Obviously, that didn't happen in this case, but it didn't bother me enough to make me pull it out and start over.

As you can see in the edge photo, I've moved on from that chevron pattern to another section of hdc.  I'm going to be putting 4-row hdc spacer sections between each of the stitch pattern sections.  Some stitch pattern sections will be wider than others, and I hope to bust a lot of stash with this blanket.

Sorting is Open!

Sorting opened today for the next term in the HPKCHC.  This term, for some reason, I felt inspired to write a poem to the Sorting Hat.  I wanted to save it somewhere, but had trouble figuring out exactly where.  So, as a way to save the poem I wrote, I am putting it in this blog post.

Oh Sir Hat you always bring
Joy to all seasons, Fall, Winter, Spring
The students all wait eagerly
To hear your song of unity

Two terms I have played, this will be my third
Each term I've cherished your every word.
Crafting became more fun when I found the House Cup
My faith in my abilities has gone up and up!

Classes in the castle are so much fun
I only wish I could do every one!
Someday I will manage to craft all the things,
Until then, I'll just be content hear the Hat sing.

Back Again After a Break

 I haven't been around in a while.  I have had a whole lot of not much going on, with the exception of having carpal tunnel surgery on November 2, 2011.

These were taken the same day I had surgery.  I recovered very well, and the scar is already barely showing.  If my hands get cold it will stand out, or if I happen to bang it on something (which still hurts) it will show brighter red than the rest of my hand.

I am already well back into my knitting and other crafts, and am enjoying the lack of pain/numbness that used to go along with these activities!!

Some Sock Stuff

Lately I've been on a big sock kick, due to a fun KAL on Ravelry.  I have made almost three pairs of socks in the past two months (the fourth pair is about 2/3 complete).  It's a lot of fun, but I think I need to take a break from socks and work on some other things (this from the girl who recently bought enough yarn to make three new pairs of socks....).  Thankfully this is the last month of this KAL, because my drive to do socks and very little else has definitely been motivated by the prizes possible (and the couple I have won) during this KAL.
Socks by their very nature are difficult for me to knit due to my Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  I've been thinking that I need to mix it up a bit - work something small, work something large, work something medium sized - and through all of that mixing it up, possibly chip away at my ever-growing pile of UFOs - including crafty things that are not knitted!  I have several scrapbooks that need updating/completion/started, two quilts (one needs the top finished, the other just needs to be quilted and bound), and multiple patch/repair jobs lined up for my sewing machine.

Anyway, here are a few pictures to show what I've been doing lately:

Lace and Cables Socks

Bavarian Cables Socks - in progress

Ribbed Ribbons Socks

Wizard quilt block

Dragon quilt block #1

Dragon quilt block #2

Dragon quilt block #3

Dragon quilt block #4