Hooked on Needles


Sunday, April 29, 2012

Modern She Made Swap ~ Still In Progress

It's been a busy week here but I finally had a chance to spend some time in my sewing room. I'll show you at the end what was keeping me busy! This Modern She Made swap has been so much fun so far, browsing through everyone's projects and wondering which one is being made for me! I made a little more progress on my own project that I am making for...well...for someone! I can't tell! I don't want to ruin the surprise! Take a look...



Modern She Made Swap ~ Still In ProgressI gave a sneak peek of the zig zags a few weeks ago, and today I finished piecing the pinwheels. What do you think?


Modern She Made Swap ~ Still In ProgressAny guesses as to what I am planning to make with these two pieced lovelies?


Modern She Made Swap ~ Still In ProgressI'll give you a little hint...it's something my secret partner has asked for and is hoping to receive. And here's a bonus for me...she has seen the sneak peek on Flickr and said she loved it! So at least I know I'm on the right track! I won't be able to show the finished project until after she receives it because her name will be embroidered on it, so this might be it for showing off this project for a while.


Pink Pig CupcakesAren't these little piggies just so cute? My daughter's first grade teacher is celebrating her birthday today, so on Friday we surprised her with a great big birthday party at school! She has a thing, I mean a major Thing, for pigs, so that was the theme! It was great fun and I think she really was surprised and touched by it. So between planning that party, and other school activities and sports for both younger kids and the every day stuff of life, my poor sewing room was so neglected all week long. I made up for it today though, and it felt good!

I hope you have a wonderful week, with a little sewing thrown in for good measure!

Happy Stitching!

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Crocheted Scrap Afghan Weight Revealed!

Remember the crocheted scrap afghan I finished recently? Seems like a long time ago, but in fact it was not even two weeks ago! Well, my kids are back in school today and we have returned to our regular routine, which means time to reveal the actual weight of this big afghan and declare a winner of the guessing game. Let's get to it...



2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!Just to refresh your memory, this is the afghan of which I speak. It is folded in half here and then hung over the deck railing. This thing is HUGE and cozy, and it's available over in my Etsy shop for anyone who likes a warm blanket to cuddle up with on a cool evening!


Crocheted Scrap Afghan Weight Revealed!So to get an accurate weight on this oversized afghan, I folded it up and packed it into one of my large shopping bags and took it to my local post office. The self-serve kiosk there is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I use it all the time and it saves me so much time waiting in line. I put the bag on the scale and touched all the right places on the screen to get to this....


Crocheted Scrap Afghan Weight Revealed!...the afghan inside the bag weighed 5 pounds 11.6 ounces. And then I took the afghan out of the bag...



Crocheted Scrap Afghan Weight Revealed!...and put the empty bag on the scale...



Crocheted Scrap Afghan Weight Revealed!...and found out that the empty bag weighs 4.1 ounces.

So after a quick calculation, I determined that the 5 lb 11.6 oz afghan in bag less the 4.1 oz empty bag equals a crocheted scrap afghan that weighs in at 5 lbs 7.5 oz making Margaret from Michigan the winner! I've already contacted Margaret with the good news. Thank you all for playing along with this fun guessing game! I was actually surprised that the afghan didn't weigh more than that because every time I had to turn it at the end of a row, it seemed to gain at least a pound!

So what do you do with your leftover yarn from other projects? I love to make scrap afghans like this one, but usually smaller. This time I had a lot of leftover yarn I wanted to use up! Another idea for using up your leftover yarn is to crochet or knit squares, either all in the same stitch or in different stitches, just making sure each square is the same size. Then when you have enough squares made, sew them together and crochet a border around the whole piece and there you have your own one-of-a-kind scrap afghan!

If you'd like to find a fun stitch or two to try with your leftover yarn, check out my video tutorials by clicking HERE. Make a few blocks in each stitch and you'll end up with a lovely sampler afghan. You might even discover a new favorite stitch!

Happy Stitching!

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

A Little Bling and a Guessing Game

Recently I submitted one of my crochet with beads projects to Kelly over at I Have A Notion for her Bling Your Thing event. I've blinged a few things over the years, but the one I picked to share was the little white crocheted rosary case I made for my sister. Kelly posted pictures of it, along with a few other people's blinged things, on her blog today. Click HERE to check them out!

Also be sure to check out THIS post about the crocheted afghan I recently finished and see if you can guess how much it weighs. There are a few clues to help you, and lots of pictures too. I'll reveal the actual weight and the winner next week after my kids go back to school. In the meantime, we are enjoying a picture perfect spring vacation week just doing things around the house and playing and not running to and from school every day!

How's your spring going?

Happy Stitching!

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Monday, April 16, 2012

Modern She Made Swap ~ In Progress

The Modern She Made Swap over on Flickr that I mentioned in my post not too long ago is now in full swing. I received my secret partner information and have been stalking her website and her Flickr account for ideas and clues as to what I could make for her. I have settled on an item, fabrics and have a rough idea of design. This is the kind of project that I like to design as I go. So here are a few pictures of my progress so far...



Modern She Made Swap ~ In ProgressAll the essential tools gathered and little squares cut for marking and sewing.


Modern She Made Swap ~ In ProgressPrints sewn to whites up one side and down the other to make lots of little half print/half white squares.


Modern She Made Swap ~ In ProgressHaving fun laying out some of the newly pressed squares, which measure about 2 inches at this point. This layout is one I have been wanting to try, but I have not quite settled on it yet. I might try out some other designs with these squares once I get the oranges and pinks pressed too.

And what about that green fabric there in the background? Hmmm, what could I use that for?

One of the requirements for this swap is that the main gift item must have a circle somewhere in the design. Do you think my project fills the bill so far?

I had another picture of my work in progress that I was going to share here too, but I noticed that on my drawing, my secret partner's name was plain as day! Ooops! I am planning to embroider her name on this item as well.

So tell me, if you were my secret partner, would you like what you see here?

Happy Stitching!

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!

Finally! The great crocheted behemoth of 2012 is complete! Whew! What a project this was. This afghan measures 71 by 75 inches and is crocheted in woven stitch using Red Heart worsted weight yarn. I started it with the idea that I would make a bunch of scarves to use up my leftover yarn, but then I really didn't feel like ending and starting again, so I just kept on crocheting! This afghan has been keeping me warm and cozy, and giving me quite the workout, for the past many months so it will be strange not to spend my evenings with it anymore. But all good things must end, and it's time for this one to find a new home to keep someone else warm and cozy.

Check out these pictures, and if you're a fan of guessing games, be sure to read all the way to the end!


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!This afghan was made using up leftover yarn from other projects. Some skeins had just a small amount leftover, but others were almost completely full. This blue stripe and the gold one next to it were made from almost full skeins of yarn.


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!All the yarn in this afghan had a band that looked exactly like this one.


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!That orange stripe was a complete skein of yarn.


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!




2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!The navy and magenta stripes at the end of the afghan were also full skeins of yarn.


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!The afghan is folded in half in this picture, then hung over the railing. The measurement of the afghan across the top of the railing is 71 inches.


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!This pictures shows the afghan turned the other way and in a single layer over the railing. The measurement across the top of the railing here is 75 inches.



2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!


2012 Scrap Afghan ~ Complete!So I've given you a few clues that might help you in this little guessing game. Put on your thinking caps and see if you can guess how much this afghan weighs. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post with your guess and your email. The person who comes closest to the actual weight of the afghan without going over will win a little prize package from me. I haven't decided what the prize will be, so perhaps you can suggest something you might want to win from me when you submit your guess. I'm always open to suggestions!

I'll keep this guessing game open until my children return to school on the 23rd of April, only because I probably won't have time to think about it until then! Their spring break starts as soon as school is dismissed today!

If this afghan looks like something you would love to have in your home or to give as a gift to someone special, it will be making an appearance in my Etsy shop soon. But you can email me and let me know you're interested if you like! If you are local, you would not have to pay shipping as I would be happy to deliver it in person!

Happy Stitching!

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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Come join the fun ~ Two Swaps Still Open!

You all know I'm a sucker for a good swap, right? I've been involved in quite a few since starting on this wild adventure called Hooked On Needles, and I've loved every one! Some are easier than others. Some require quite a bit of thought and creativity and work. Sometimes they are a bit expensive, especially if you add in the cost of mailing packages, and sometimes even return postage. But all in all, they are fun and exciting and a great way to meet people from all over the world who share your love of creativity.

Here are two swaps I signed up for that still have some openings. The first is a super easy one where we are swapping 5-inch fabric squares in purple and green. If you love working with charm squares, these swaps are a great way to acquire a large variety of prints without having to wait for leftovers from your own projects. Click HERE to get to the sign up page on Flickr for the Green and Purple Charm Swap. I signed up twice so you'll get two purples and two greens from me if you join!

The other swap I jumped into is called the Modern She Made Swap and it is also on Flickr. You can get to it by clicking HERE and then make sure to read the 'in a nutshell' post before committing. That way you will know exactly what you're getting yourself into! This one will require a bit more work than just cutting up squares and sending them to someone with a self addressed stamped envelope. I am very much looking forward to receiving my swap partner's information so I can begin thinking about what project I will do and how I will design it. Very exciting! If you'd like to see my Inspiration Mosaic for this swap, click HERE. I can't seem to figure out how to post the picture!

Spice up your spring sewing and jump into a fun swap or two! Maybe I could design a nice project just for you!


Happy Stitching!

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