Yes, I'm Still Crafty....

Hello!

I know, I know, it's been awhile since I've posted. Did anyone miss me? Let me assure you, I am alive and well and happily crafting again! :) I had a 3 month working stint this past fall. Between the job and homeschooling my children, trying to keep my house up, maintaining my relationship with the hubster...I seriously, honestly, about completely lost my mind! I have a newfound respect for working mothers, and especially working moms who homeschool their kiddos. I found it hard to find any free time for myself, which was an absolute bummer, because me not having a creative outlet is not a good thing. Regardless, I am thankful that I had the opportunity for this job, short-lived as it was. God used it to teach me lot of things about myself, and it also provided Christmas money for my family. :)
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Another reason for my absence? Since quitting my job, I've also pretty much unplugged myself from the online world. No more Facebook, blog-surfing, drooling over craft blogs, homeschool blogs...etc. I've kept myself to checking my email once a day and checking in on my favorite message boards once a day or so. That's another thing that working brought to light for me, the many ways that I had wasted time in the past. As much as I love it, for me, the internet is a huge distraction from the responsibilities of raising my children and loving on my family.

So anyway, I'm back to crafting and I'm totally immersed in everything yarnie right now. I made my folks an afghan for Christmas...aren't they the cutest? (The parents, not the afghan! ;) ) This afghan is the Two Color Afghan from Lion Brand Yarn's website. Yes, I used three colors in my two colors afghan..I'm onery like that. ;) I used Caron one pound yarn in the following colors: Taupe, Cape Cod Blue & Off White.

The rest of the pics are of projects in progress....in various states of almost done, to some just started. :)

This is my first experience with crocheting bobbles. Can you see them? I can't really in this photo, but trust me...they are there! :D This scarf is from the book Crochet Scarves! by Candi Jensen. The pattern is called Blackberry Cobbler. The yarn is Patons Classic Wool, although the color escapes my mind at the moment. I'm thinking it's rosewood or something along those lines.

Next, socks for my sweet boy. This is the first time I've tried crocheting socks, and I'm surprised how simple it actually is. This pattern is In Your Shoes Ankle Socks. It was nice to find a pattern that actually used sock yarn, since anything else would have been too "slipperfied" for my manly little guy. ;) I used Sensations Soles and More yarn in grey shades for this....also a teeny, tiny, almost invisible hook. ;) As you can see, I need to finish up the heel and then it's off to the next sock.

This is my favorite project at the moment. It's the Easy Lacy Shells scarf made with Bernat Alpaca wool in Persimmon. I've just started the edging, but am so looking forward to wearing it! Can I say how much I love this yarn? So soft, fuzzy, and beautiful to boot. The catch is if you have cats and attempt to knit/crochet something with alpaca wool...look out. My cat has a love/hate relationship with this yarn. She's always in my yarn basket sniffing it all the while with her mouth hanging open. She's not tried to eat it yet, she just seems to find the smelling of alpacas too enticing to resist. :D

Be blessed!

Amy