Projects

Things I plan to make, am making and have made

From One Project to Another..

/ jennanana / 3 Comments

Hi, friends! It’s been a while since I posted last, but that’s because my Christmas/Winter break has been crazier than I thought it would be. And because of that, this post is going to be a bit drawn out, so sorrryyyyy.  I was looking forward to being lazy most of the time, catching up on TV shows, reading books I’ve actually been wanting to read, and spending at least one entire day sleeping. I sound like a bum. But anywho, I would say that I was only partially successful with those goals. I did spend at least one (almost) whole day snoozing and cuddling with the man.  I watched the whole 2nd season of the Walking Dead in only 2 days (while working on a huge crochet project I’ll talk about in a minute..) It took me just about 2 weeks to get through the audiobook of A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Apparently the movie has been in the works for a while now so I decided to read it before the movie comes out and I must say it was an entertaining read! I’ve only made it half way through Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. It was the 2005 Newberry Award winner and I’m trying to get a hold of and read past winners; a task that will help me in my library career. Hmmm what else.. Christmas was nice and relaxing for the most part. Nothing too exciting to report except that my boyfriend knows me way too well and got me a watch, DD coffee, AND A TALKING HEADS VINYL.  Amazing. He rocks. New years eve was fun. We got all snazzed up and celebrated with some of his friends and had a great night. All in all my time off from school and work has been great and I don’t want it to end. EVER. However, we have one last hurrah before returning to the real world. Matt’s birthday is January 8th so we’re driving down to Memphis tomorrow to celebrate. I’ve never been but we’re going to gorge ourselves on amazing Barbeque and Blues music, and make a visit to Graceland! Yay Elvis! Pictures will come. You can count on it.

Other than all that, my fingers have been busy (not with typing blog posts, obviously) with a lot of crochet projects! Some of the things I’ve been working on: Baby booties for my cousin’s new baby, Ruby — PomPom bookmarks — small Christmas gifts (mug cozies, head bands, etc) — Sushi amigurumi which I’ll post about soon! — and two afghans. There’s more but I don’t want to list everything. But yes, you read right. Two afghans. One for a friend; it was supposed to be a house warming gift 8 months ago but I’ll save that for another post. The other is a birthday present for Matt. Hey, men, you know your girlfriend loves you when she crochets/knits you an afghan! So he told me back around September that he really wanted an American Flag blanket and if there was any one thing I’d crochet for him it would be that. I got to work looking for patterns and came across an image on Ravelry but since I’m the cheapest of cheap, I didn’t want to spend the whole $5 for the pattern so I used the image as a template and figured out how to do everything from the stars to joining it all together. I’m not quite finished yet, but almost there! And since he already knows what he’s getting, here’s a sneak peek at the blanket!

photo(1)

I’m very happy with how cozy it’s becoming and I’m positive he’s going to love it. And if he doesn’t, he can shove it. =D

As for the Granny Square Scarves, they’re almost done! I have maybe 3 more to make and they will all be donated! I’m glad that’s almost done with because it’s a time consumer, but I know they’ll be appreciated. As soon as everything is donated I’ll post about my after-thoughts and some photos.

Well this turned out to be a longer post than I wanted, so I’ll stop now. I know I promised a lot of posts so we’ll see if I get around to them all! I hope everyone’s holidays were splendid! Tell me how they were; I’d love to hear about it! Happy almost weekend =D

Signature

Regarding a Slight Change of Plans…

/ jennanana / 1 Comment

So this collaborative leadership project is nearly coming to an end. I’m happy with the outcome for a couple reasons: 1) People ended up getting involved, and 2) Not tooooo many people ended up getting involved. That sounds bad, so let me explain… I was afraid that this project would have gotten so big that I wouldn’t have been able to handle crocheting everything together all by myself. But I got just enough granny squares (so far) that it’s enough for me to handle. So for that reason, I’m happy with the outcome.
As for changes in the project I have decided to nix the battered women’s shelter donation. First off, my donation would not have been big enough to make a bug impact, and secondly, it would have been a hassle to make a donation. I probably wouldn’t have been able to donate them directly to the shelter and I didn’t even have all of the information on the shelter! So I was super excited when another donation option fell in my lap…
At my library every year we set up a mitten tree. People can donate mittens, hats and scarves to the tree and everything gets delivered to an organization for needy families in the community. Perfect, eh?! So I’ve already put together 3 scarves and wrapped them all cozy like around our tree. Yaayy! I plan on adding them to the tree as I make them. This makes me very happy that it’s one less worry on my part.
So all in all I think things are coming along swimmingly, as I presented my project to my class last Saturday, so that portion is all done. Now it’s just a matter of combining the squares into a mish mash of scarves and putting them around the mitten tree!
So many thanks to everyone who has donated, and even to those who wanted to but didn’t.

20121207-133805.jpg

A Call to my Crochet Hookers: Part 2

/ jennanana / Leave a comment

Hello, hookers! I posted a while ago about my Collaborative Leadership Project. I just want to give a quick update on the progress I’m making with it!

I have started sitting in with the crochet group at my library and they seem to be excited about the project.  A few members have learned to work in the round and have expressed interest in making some squares as soon as they get it down pat, which is great! I’ve also received a small number of squares from some of my co-workers at the library and even some friends who crochet, so a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has helped and who plans to help out!

I’ve stated that my deadline to submit squares was December 1st, but I am going to push it back to December 15th, maybe even a few days more.  I want to make sure I get as many squares as I can for this donation of granny scarves! I haven’t started assembling them just yet, but as soon as I do, I’ll get some more photos up. But for now, here is the first batch of donations! Yay! These were only the first four I received, so I have a small stack on top of these. So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone helping out with this! Keep them coming

Signature

Afghan: A Finished Product

/ jennanana / Leave a comment

At the end of July I posted about an afghan I was commissioned to make.  Well I made it! I actually finished it a little over a month ago, but haven’t had the time to get around to posting about it.  So let me explain a little bit more about this afghan…

I have a friend in Pittsburgh whose co-worker was looking for someone who could make an afghan.  He sent me a pattern and liked my sample, so a week and a half later I got a big box of yarn in the mail.  I used this pattern from Caron (he sent me a free pattern you would get from a craft store) and though it was a little difficult to figure out in the beginning, I got the hang of it and started cranking out the squares.  I worked on it during most of my free time, and even took it with me on a road trip to the East coast. It took me all summer to make, but it turned out just beautiful! The colors are gorgeous together and, though the yarn was a little cheapy, it ended up being nice an slinky and soft.  So now this afghan has a cozy home somewhere in Pittsburgh and I was able to make someone’s Winter a little more snug.  After I finished it I of course had a photoshoot with it, so here are a few pictures of the finished product..!

 

Yay for completing big projects! This is probably the most time-consuming and most rewarding thing I’ve made, and I couldn’t be happier with it.  If you’re a fellow crochet hooker, what was your biggest yarn endeavor?

Signature

A Call to all My Crochet Hookers

/ jennanana / 5 Comments

You may or may not know, but I am in Grad School for Library Science. One of the classes I’m in this semester is a leadership course where, surprise, we learn how to be successful leaders.  Throughout the semester, each of us has to come up with and present a Collaborative Leadership Project.  I’m not entirely sure if we’re required to actually follow through with the project, but I feel like my “do good” meter is running low so I actually want to follow through on my plan.  I knew from the start I wanted to incorporate my hobby of crocheting and use the resources available to me (my blog, colleagues at the library, and the crocheting community) to do some good.

So here is my call to action:

I’m hoping to collect as many granny squares as possible from anyone who has the time or wants to do some stash busting.  Every granny square I collect will be joined into scarves, and if this turns out to be bigger than I expected, they will also be turned into small baby blankets.  Once I conjoin the squares, the scarves and blankets will be donated to a local women’s shelter on the South Side of Chicago.  I’m hoping to get a nice big batch by December 1st, 2012 so that during the month of December when I’m not busy with school work I can work on joining the squares and donate the scarves and blankets by the beginning of January. Chicago should be in for a cold winter (though considering what we had last year, ya never know!) so I want to make sure these women who deserve some love and care get that love and care.  I’m referring to this project (for now…until I come up with a more catchy name..) “The Warmth of a Granny Scarf”

So as I said, I’m calling out to my fellow crochet hookers! I’ll list the requirements below and the mailing info. Please help me out with this. Granny squares are so simple and even if you only have time to make a few, it will still be a big help!

  • Use medium weight, 100% acrylic, machine washable yarn. If you can’t use this yarn, that’s okay too. Like-squares will be joined together.
  • Feel free to use any color(s) you want! The more color the better. Make them solid, or use multiple colors in one square.
  • Only do four rounds, as the fifth will be the joining round.
  • Use a 5mm/H gauge hook.

If you don’t know how to make granny squares, don’t fret! I’ve found some really helpful patterns and step-by-step instructions from some awesome blogs. So go check those out for some ideas.

Once you have a nice stack, send them to me:

Jenna Harte
2730 W 97th Pl
Evergreen Park, IL 60805
 

Thank you so much in advance to everyone who participates. If you’d like to enclose a little card or something I’ll include that in my package when I drop off the scarves. Otherwise I’ll include your name (unless you’d like to remain anonymous) in a note.  Please pass this along to anyone it wouldn’t otherwise reach and let’s see how many squares can warm the hearts and souls of these women.

Passing the Summer Hours

/ jennanana / 2 Comments

I think I mentioned a while ago — hmm it’s been so long since I’ve blogged that I’ve forgotten what I wrote! — that I’ve been working on some big projects this summer. I hate sitting jn the heat with a mound of yarn on my lap, but what better way to pass all of this free summer time? One project in particular, an afghan I was commissioned to make, is very slow going, but coming along great! Here’s a photo of the progress..

20120730-120246.jpg
And good news! I finished a baby afghan but shh it’s a gift. Pictures to come after the baby shower.
How have you been passing your lazy summer hours? Do you even have any lazy summer hours?!

Best Birthday Present EVER?

/ jennanana / 5 Comments

Maybe not ever, but pretty damn sweet! So remember when  in my last post I mentioned that I had something to share for my sister’s birthday?… Well she had her birthday this past weekend so I can finally show off my gift for her! I’ll preface it by letting you know that my sister LOVES Pac Man.  We grew up with a table top Pac Man machine in our basement where my sisters and I would spend hours playing.  The sounds of Pac Man gobbling up yellow dots and those elusive fruits was always coming from our basement (wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka).  In fact, Krystle is so obsessed with Pac Man that she has the little yellow dude and Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde tattoo’d on her! So when I came across a pattern on Ravelry for Pac Man and the ghosts I couldn’t resist.  I don’t know how I kept it a secret from her for so long and didn’t show her as soon as I finished…

I’m happy to report that she looooves them! Their eyes are kind of wonky  and it looks like they’re wearing skirts, but that’s just the perfectionist in me.. They’re so fun and easy to make, I wouldn’t mind making them again! Maybe a Mrs. PacMan?? Hmmm!!…

Signature

I’m still here! And with a baby afghan to show you.

/ jennanana / Leave a comment

I have a confession. And I’m probably not the only ‘blogger’ who does this.  Sometimes I wait weeks to post about a craft or project I’ve done. =O UH OH SECRET’S OUT!! Seriously though, I have things I’ve finished months ago that I haven’t posted about simply because either I forget, I neglected to take a somewhat professional photo of it, or I’m just overwhelmed by the thought of it possibly being a very involved post. However! The semester has come to an anticlimactic ending, and I now have so much free time that I’m planning to be more active in my posting.  Wait, did I say free time? Just yesterday I felt overwhelmed with all of the things I need to get done now that I’m not worrying about deadlines with school! This is why I’ve been AWOL from my blog. Library school is way more involved than I could have ever imagined. But the crochet hooker is still alive and kickin, and swamped with summer projects which I need to find motivation to finish.  It always seems so hard to sit down with a skein of yarn and my hooks when the sun is shining bright in the sky and the birds are beckoning me outside. Of course, I can always work on things outside, but who wants to fuss with a big afghan on your lap when it’s 75 or 80 degrees outside?? Not this gal.

Anywho, I recently finished a baby granny-square afghan! Commissioned by a friend to make it for her friend, it turned out ADORABLE. it was just a simple granny square pattern, but the colors go really well together and it was so nice and cozy that I know any baby would be obliged to sleep with it. Granted it did take me a lottt longer to make and put together than I had anticipated. That’s okay though, it gave me something to do while I listened to audiobooks for my young adult literature class =) Lots of people are amazed I can crochet and listen to an audiobook at the same time.. multitasking!

Since my last post, I’ve been busy with lots of projects which I’ll share now that I can shift my attention from schoolwork to hobbies (I promise!) Previews: another granny square afghan that is a whooole lot more advanced than this, a family of beard hats, and a birthday present for my sister!! I’m way too excited about this last one! Stay tuned!

Signature

p.s. I’m starting a new job today at a car dealership. (Is my excitement just exuding through the computer?) I worked as a cashier/receptionist for the last 5 years in another dealership and thought I was getting away from that. But hey, a job is a job right? Wish me luck!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

/ jennanana / 4 Comments

As a library science student, I obviously love books.  But what I love most is finding fun ways to do more than just read them.  I love to do more interactive activities and find ways to get kids into reading.  My friend Beth has a beautiful baby gal named Brooke and when she came to me and asked if I could recreate her favorite book character, I jumped on it!  The book is Itsy Bitsy Spider by Kate Toms

I haven’t had a chance to take a gander of the book, but apparently Brooke goes crazy over Itsy! So when Beth showed me the cover of the book it looked fairly simple to recreate.  The shape is just a flattened pear shape and the feet, big long tear drops.  I’m so happy with how he turned out! His legs are kind of wonky and dangly, but he’s handsome nonetheless.  I’m  happy to report that Brooke loves her Itsy!  Hopefully she doesn’t love him to pieces…

Itsy and I had a photo shoot =P What is your favorite character you’d love to pieces?

Signature

Busy Busy Busy.. And a Spring time wreath

/ jennanana / 1 Comment

I don’t know if you could tell or not, but I’ve been busy lately.  Graduate school isn’t fun when the end of the semester comes rolling along.  While working on major projects and trying to keep my 4.0 GPA (let’s see how long that lasts..) I’ve been crafting in between reading, reading, and more reading.  I’ve got a lot to share, but I’ll spread everything out so your brains don’t explode with amazingness.  HA.

Anyway, for the last year or so I’ve been seeing a lot of these fun and simple wreaths all over Craftgawker and Pintrest.  I’ve been wanting to make one myself but never got around to it.

FINALLY I DID.

It turned out supah cute and looks lovely against our red front door.  My yarn stash is getting put to good use other than being knotted by a crochet hook.

Since I haven’t posted in a long time, I have LOTSSS to share. But that’s it for now.. Preview for coming attractions: 2 afghans I’m working on, an accessory for my camera, and finding inspiration from a baby book. Stay tuned!

Signature