Summer Saturdays

A couple of weekends ago my husband and I were able to go on a spur of the moment getaway.  So we headed out to the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, VA. If you get a chance, please go and  visit because it is one of the most intriguing museums you will  ever go to.  On the way home we made a side trip to Virginia Beach. Let’s just say it was about 100* and too many people.  However I did happen to find enough space to write out this (as well as getting a few stitches in while there) ….. DSCF5307

There are less than 2 months to the NC State Fair. How can it be almost here??? So what I have been working on, as you can guess, will be some of my entries. Sometimes it is a hard choice to make when deciding on what to enter. I had no trouble deciding on the baby blanket pattern that I wanted to make this year. I have stated before since I have found Elk Studio  that Kathy Lashley has become one of my favorite designers. Please go check out her beautiful designs! I joined in the Southern Diamond Shawl CAL (Crochet-a-long), then the Southern Diamond Wrap CAL, and today I finished the Southern Diamonds Baby Blanket CAL. If only the colors would pop in the pictures as it does in person. BTW the colors are white, orchid, and grape.

Guess I need to try to improve my photography skills.  DSCF5333 DSCF5334              For now we will just have to continue on my path to get the fair entries done since I have less than 2 months!!!  Until we talk again, Don’t worry be crafty! ~ Jama

Proud to be a Southern Girl

Hey ya’ll! What a day it has been! I have been working on some non-yarn related projects around here. As I have stated before I love canning season, and that season may be a little late this year, but it it here now!!!!! (Insert happy dancing here) It is no secret that cooking is my other passion. And I am proud to keep the tradition of preserving food, as well. My Granddaddy likes to tell how his mama  Ellie Claire, whom I get my middle name from, would put up 275 quarts of tomatoes every summer. 🙂 That is what dreams are made of. One day that will be my goal. For now what I get out of 25 lb of tomatoes at a time is what I will take. Canning tomatoes may be my favorite, but we must not forget the greenbeans as they are a close second.

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There hasn’t been much time for crocheting this week. What little I have done has been simple butterfly shawls. I did however find new colorways in some of my favorite go-to yarns this week. Check out these skeins that somehow jumped into my cart yesterday. 😀

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Now I must get back to my chores, so maybe I can crochet a bit later. Until we talk again, Don’t worry be crafty! ~ Jama

Good morning!

Good morning ya’ll! Sorry things have been quiet this week. But don’t worry I have been working on a new design.  Something that had been floating around in my head for almost 2 years. I believe that sometimes we need a bit of confidence that we can make beautiful things, and that for a fact there will be mistakes. If it hasn’t been made before, then why would it not have mistakes? So why be afraid to make a “boo-boo”??  The funny thing is there are times when mistakes turn into part of the design. I have learned that once you start working on a new design that it opens up even more ideas. At this point I see doing this garment 3 different ways. I love the creative process. Truly what you put into it ,is at the very least what you get out of it.

Until we talk again, Don’t worry be crafty! ~Jama

Flying Fingers to the Finish Line

Hey ya’ll! It has been a busy few days around here trying to finish up the Openwork Top I started about 2 weeks ago. The first part of the week completed the Southern Diamond Wrap CAL. Needless to say my fingers have been flying! I used to watch people and think, “Boy look at them go!” I never thought my speed would pick up, however with practice there you go, 4 rows before you know it, next time you look 20. With that said, I got the “Openwork Top” done. YAY!!!! The finish line was crossed tonight, so onward to making my demo board for my class tomorrow.

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FINISHED!! Openwork Top by Yarnspirations
FINISHED!! Openwork Top by Yarnspirations
Week 3 completed of Southern Diamond Wrap CAL from ELK Studio.
Week 3 completed of Southern Diamond Wrap CAL from ELK Studio.
The finished product., all 90 inches of it. The colors are incredible in person!! Very happy with it.
The finished product., all 90 inches of it. The colors are incredible in person!! Very happy with it.

Hope this brings some inspiration to your day! Until we talk again, Don’t worry be crafty! ~ Jama

5 years, much change, greater love

July 6, 2011. The date I started to blog this journey down a crafted path. So much has changed since then, since I first got back into crochet 9 years ago for that matter. {There was a few years that I didn’t craft a lot during highschool/college.] My crochet style has changed since then as well. I have made many afghans. Those used to take me months to complete, depending on the complexity. When our nieces and nephews started coming into the world I began making baby blankets. When I realized that smaller projects cause more instant gratification and I could make 2 to 3 times as many as an afghan, I was hooked. Now I love to make stuffed toys, and as of late wearable garments. Things that make up quickly but beautifully catch my attention now. I can never stress enough that practice is the only way to gain confidence and speed. Things that used to take months now only take a matter of days. Always aim to be better at what you do than the day before.
My progress on the Openwork Top is coming along….

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The back is finished, now on to to the front. All the while I am on the last leg of the CAL from Elk Studio. Oh and work on the sweater I am making my Mom. I think I may have CADD. You got it Crafting Attention Deficit Disorder! 🙂 Seriously you have to have lots of projects going on at once so that you are busy not bored. Until next time, don’t worry be crafty~ Jama

Routine and Ribbing

June has passed us by, with little to show that it was ever here. Now we enter into July with hope that with the scorching weather, that we can get a lot packed into the next 31 days. Usually in the summer my family and I have a garden and by the 3rd week of June we have things like squash and green beans start coming in. Most of the time the pressure canner has taken its first trip out of the pantry. This year however is a little different. With everyone’s schedule we did not have the time to really invest in what it takes to garden. (Last year we got taste of going to the State farmer’s market, which we loved!) The reason I share this is because usually in the summer my crochet and knitting, among other crafting, is put on  back burner if you will. That has just be my routine, until this year that is. What would we do with out routine? This summer has consisted of nights of crocheting after daily tasks have been done, but I got to say Fridays have been my focal point. The day filled with time for  just me and my yarn (with Netflix thrown in for good measure). So my new summer routine is to sleep in a bit, work all day on my current projects, prepare for the class that I teach and focus on what to share with you all. I got so excited when I turned the calendar page this morning and realized that there are 5 Fridays this month.  😀 How awesome is that, an extra Friday to get more crafting done?!? So let me show you my latest WIP that I have going…

Ribbing for the "Openwork Top"
Ribbing for the “Openwork Top”

This happens to be the second time of making this top pattern found at http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/openwork-top.html

I wish I could tell you the name of the designer, however I have not been  able to locate it anywhere on the pattern. This was the first piece of clothing I ever crocheted, and I just love wearing it! This time I am using the exact same colorway, Circus, of Cotton Fair as the first one. Can’t wait to see how this one turns out. Well, I guess it is time to head back to my routine. 🙂

Until we talk again, don’t worry be crafty! ~ Jama

Party like it’s your Birthd……oh wait it is your Birthday!!

Saturday my package of yarn arrived. It was like my birthday had come early! I opened up this box full of colorful possibilities. Needless to say I have been enjoying my weekend working on the first part of another CAL from an amazing designer, every little while going back and looking at the bright colors that were somehow contained in this medium sized box. I have to say how much I love Cotton Fair by Premier Yarns. It was what I used for the first garment I made a couple of  years ago.  I also came across their Angel yarn when I happened to go into a Hancock Fabrics. I was stunned at how the colorways work up. As any artist knows, pieces of art are only as good as the material that goes into creating them. With that being said, wearable — usable art using Cotton Fair is the best. The drape of this lightweight cotton/acrylic blend is really incomparable. As I get ready for work this morning, I find myself day dreaming of getting home tonight and working some more with some of these beautiful skeins. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate turning 31!

Until next time, Don’t worry be crafty! ~ Jama 

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“Sometimes waiting is hard.”

Wisdom from my 3 year old nephew. He often tells me that waiting is hard when I tell him he has to wait for something he really wants. Waiting never really gets easier as life progresses. I am 30 and it is not easy to wait most of the time. Sunday I placed a large order of yarn for some specific projects that are coming up. Every day I have checked multiple times on the shipping order. What feels like a slow process to me is actually a short journey for my box of precious yarn! It is coming across the country for me just for me to make into these planned projects. So while I wait, I continue on with trying to finish up a few other WIPS. Until next time, don’t worry be crafty~ Jama

Testing 1, 2, 3

So things in the world of crochet have been a bit slow this week for me. I completed a small stuffed animal yesterday. That was all she wrote. With summer comes VBS, extra hours of taking care of nieces and nephews, prepping for teaching classes, and canning. Canning season has not yet started for me yet, but hopefully in the next few weeks. Thankfully my sweet husband helped me make a few tweaks on here to get my pictures to show properly. So let’s try this thing out……. Testing 1, 2, 3 {Let me know if you can see them 🙂 }

The "Panama Sun Hat for Girls" this is a hat that has been floating around the internet that has been loosely translated into English. This is my version.
The “Panama Sun Hat for Girls” this is a hat that has been floating around the internet that has been loosely translated into English. This is my version.
This wonderful pattern works up so quickly. "Southern Diamonds Shawl" by Kathy Lashley/Elk Studio Handmade Crochet Designs
This wonderful pattern works up so quickly. “Southern Diamonds Shawl” by Kathy Lashley/Elk Studio Handmade Crochet Designs

up close of "Southern Diamond Shawl" pattern

Butterfly-stitch Prayer Shawl designed by NJ Sharon Modified by Debi Adams
Butterfly-stitch Prayer Shawl designed by NJ Sharon Modified by Debi Adams
The beautiful Butterfly-stitch Prayer Shawl Designed by NJ Sharon Modified by Debi Adams
The beautiful Butterfly-stitch Prayer Shawl Designed by NJ Sharon Modified by Debi Adams
Butterfly -stitch Shawl by NJ Sharon modified by Debi Adams
Butterfly -stitch Shawl by NJ Sharon modified by Debi Adams

Life is busy, so here are some more designers/patterns to add to your to-do list ASAP!

First of all, as you all know by now I am a huge failure at keeping things going on this blog. Lately life has been busier than ever, but isn’t everyone’s? There is no excuse to why things seem to slip out of grasp, however it is never too late to hit the reset button. So here we go, reset.

Over the past several months I have been working on many projects. Last summer I discovered www.oneandtwocompany.com designs and boy how I love Carolina Guzman’s creativity!!! Ami can be tedious, but so worth it. They are some of the best written patterns I have ever purchased…. I may or may not have a huge collection from her. 😉

About a month ago I found another design company that is incredible, www.elkstudiohandcraftedcrochet.com  Kathy Lashley was  doing a CAL for this AMAZING shawl pattern. I must let you in on a little secret, I have never been a fan of making garments until this year. To me they never seemed to hang right or something looked wacky. By far this was my favorite! Like a good book I could not put this shawl down, being that it was a CAL only a certain amount of the pattern was released a week for 5 weeks, I anxiously awaited the next portion every Friday.  Like painting a picture, once you stand back and look at the whole thing, it is like “Whoa, did I actually make that?”

I always tell my class that the sign of a good pattern is that you want to make it more than once. With the patterns from these designers, you will make them over and over again!  So go on and take a look at(and support) these independent designers who make our crochet world more beautiful.

Until We talk again, Don’t worry be crafty! ~ Jama

P.S. Maybe by the end of the day I will post some pictures of my latest projects.