Putting off till tomorrow is asking to get bit in the butt

So back in March I believe, I started the Happy Hooker Prepster Jacket.  I liked the design, the pattern was pretty easy, and it was working up well.  Bad news: I realize halfway up the back that I’ve underestimated my size!  -_- Good news: I don’t have a finished sweater jacket that is too small to actually wear.  Bad news: I still had to rip back what I’d done of the back and start over.  So I frog and then do the back in the right size.

 

(I also did part of the left front!)

More bad news:  I did both sleeves first in the original size so now they won’t match up properly and I have to rip them back and start over.  Worse news:  While I love the yarn I’m working with, Red Heart Boutique Treasure colorway Portrait, it’s a soft woolen yarn that’s fuzzy and makes beautiful stripes and is a bear to rip out.  It’s not mohair, but it definitely takes patience.

(Update: I have finished frogging the sleeves and my fingers are so sore!  But I did get to play with my new ball winder to wind everything back up! XD)

Worst news: I worked on it really steadily for a while then I set it aside so I could work on another project and have managed to completely forget which hook I was using.  ARGH!  I don’t feel like swatching again so I think I’m going to just pick up the one I think I was using and start the sleeves as a stand-in.  I have to measure as I go anyway so I’ll just check the gauge then and make adjustments (i.e. frog EVERYTHING) as needed.  The best part is the project I set the jacket aside for was the shawl that I had to rip back last month because I messed up that pattern too.  I feel like I’m going more frogging than crochet lately. XD  Well, it’s all part of the progress and speaking of processes I’m taking up spinning!  I’ve decided on my first wool to try, I have the spindle, and I’ve got books.  So far I haven’t been able to even get it started, but when I actually make something, and it will be a horrible something I’m sure, I’ll make sure to post about my failure.

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Accomplishments and Improvements

Ok, so I haven’t been posting lately.  I can blame my lack of home computer, but I do have access to computers at work and the occasional time to type out a quite post so that excuse isn’t really going to fly anymore.  I’m going to try and get back into posting again, mostly because I’ve actually been doing stuff, which is nice.  So we’re going to start with the accomplishments because they make me feel good before we get to where I could really stand to improve.

Accomplishments:

I made a skirt!  An entire garment!  It’s not just an accessory like a hat or scarf (not that those aren’t good and cool), but it’s a whole different ball game.  The commitment is greater, the cost is higher.  I made the Violet Beauregarde Skirt from Debbie Stroller’s Stitch and Bitch: the Happy Hooker (I’ll be adding a photo later).  It’s a great book for beginners and even the more experienced, if only because some of the patterns seriously rock, I’ll also be making the Prepster Jacket.

I’m also currently working on a shawl pattern that I really like (Again, adding a photo later).

Improvements:

I have one New Year’s Resolution this year: to finish all of the projects I owe people.  I’m going to make a master list of all the projects I’ve promised people and methodically work my way through them.  Since most are actually pretty small, I think one or two a month should be completely reasonable.  I’ll be posting this list as a permanent post at the top of this blog as I work through it.

Work more consistently.  I go on excited crocheting bends and devote myself obsessively to a particular project until it’s finished, but then the enthusiasm peters out and I stop crocheting for sometimes months.  I think the above list of goals will help me be a bit more steady about my work.

Post on this blog regularly, by which I mean at least once a week.  Sometimes I worry about posting because I won’t have made much progress, but there are lots of things I can talk about.  I have a number of crocheting books I could comment on or I could do yarn or hook reviews.  I can update anyone who’s wondering about my (nonexistent) youtube tutorials and when they’ll be coming.  There are lots of things I could talk about and I will.

Ok, so lots to do and improve on, but past accomplishments prove I can pick out a specific goal and work hard on it until it’s done.  I have every intention of doing that here.  Thanks to anyone watching for your patience.