WIP Wednesday: Snow Day

I got the call at 5:40 am that we were having a snow day.  We all suspected that it would come.  Besides the early wake up call, I actually got to sleep in today.  Thats a rare thing.  It is still coming down hard.  My mom and one of my uncles have lost power, and they both live in different states than me.  Thank goodness I went on a chocolate run last night... Snowed in sanity food.  

So what is there to do when you are snowed in?  Work on those works in progress of course!

Yesterday I was suffering from a major case of crafting ADD.  I couldn't decide what to work on during knitting class, so I worked on 3 things.  My brain was so scattered that I needed something that required a lot of attention, so I worked on my double knitted scarf.  No, I haven't gotten very far with it, but I've barely touched it since the class where I learned how to make it.

Then I switched to my Bee's Knees bag.  However I was just not feeling the cables, so I started a new project.

Wait, what is Frankenstein's monster doing to my knitting?  He is holding onto the tail, possibly trying to eat it.  This is my latest thing, using bread tags to keep the tail out of my way so that I don't accidentally knit with it.  This bread tag monster was a project that I did a few years ago for Halloween.  You might be able to see that some of the paint is chipping off.  Yes they tend to do that.  I made more after this, but  used sharpies instead of paint with better results. 

So after much back and forth of figuring out what I wanted to knit, I bought yarn that I had been eyeing for a few weeks and started knitting another bag (Cascade Yarn Pacific Color Wave # 326).  I'm using this free ravelry downloadable pattern.  It looks so much bigger in the project photos, but the author does say that it stretches.  I am making mine larger than the pattern.  The pattern says 18 stitches on each of the 4 dpns, but I did 30.  After all of the increases, it is mindless knitting for a while.  That means that it is perfect for movie and tv watching or reading.  My favorite knitting right now is mindless knitting.  I guess that says something about my life right now.... Plus I just really want to read my book while still feeling like I accomplished something. 

A few weeks ago I started crocheting another fanciful flower hot pad.  I haven't made one in a long time, so I was over due.  This one is actually for display at my job at the local yarn shop.  Here is the free pattern from my one of my ravelry friends.  I'm using 3 colors of Plymouth Yarn Jeannee cotton yarn and a G hook.  Two of the ladies in one of my classes helped me pick out the colors since it is meant to help sell the yarn and to promote my crochet classes.  I bought a new book recently: Learn Drop Stitch Crochet by Kim Guzman.  I am not allowed to start learning drop stitch crochet until I finish this hot pad.  Like I really need to start another project without finishing one first.

One of my students wants to make a heart shaped box to house some amigurumi chocolates in.  They will be gifts for Valentine's Day.  This is how far we got on the box during class.  We'll probably finish it this week, depending on the weather.  I love this photo, especially since the yarn makes a heart.

Speaking of chocolates... Here are the two crochet chocolates that I made during class.  I still need to weave in the ends.  The spiral was made by crocheting into the finished chocolate, however the same look can be done with embroidery as well.  Here is the free pattern for them along with a larger heart shaped box pattern.   For more Valentine's Day craft ideas, check out my Valentine's Round Up post from a few years ago.

I finished all of the crocheting for my new soda tab purse.  Now I just need to sew the lining, and sew the handle to the 2 sides.  

Here is the 2nd block for my crochet block of the month class.  I am leaving it unfinished, because I want to be able to show my students how to half double crochet (my last row), and how to crochet around all 4 sides of the square.  The first 4 squares are really simple and cover the basic crochet stitches: sc, hdc, dc, and trc.

I have also started knitting some more hexiflats.  Making black hexiflats will fit into two of the Disney Adventures challenges this month, but I also want to make some with designs on them to.  I do need a lot of plain black ones though for my afghan.  I wanted to show you how I store my hexiflats until I'm ready to add some dulpicate stitching to them.  I cut a long tail (long enough for the kitchener stitch and for sewing the pieces together with), and then I put it on my circular needles.  Then I can keep making more on my dpns.  I've heard of people doing the duplicate stitching after the hexipuff has been closed, but I prefer to leave it open.  It makes sewing them easier, and I can hide my ends easier. 

Any time that we have a movie night I grab my log cabin afghan.  My family likes to turn off the lights for movie nights, so I can only do garter stitch knitting.  Right now this project is perfect, because each section of color takes longer to make (30 rows down one side).  The only movie night where I had a problem was when I was still trying to pick up stitches when the movie was starting.  The boys were patient with me while I tried to hurry.  Then during the movie I ran out of yarn a few inches from being finished with one section.  After the movie I immediately added a new ball of the same color, finished the bind off row, then picked up and knitted the first row of the next side with a new color.  Then I set it aside for the next movie night.  I've gotten a good bit more done this way, plus my legs stay nice and warm during the movie.