It’s been awhile (again)

So WordPress tells me that I signed up 2 years ago last month! I hadn’t realised that it has been that long. Also there haven’t been many posts in that time either. Something that I would like to change.
I announced a little while ago that I opened an Etsy store, I haven’t seen much action from it so far. Most of my orders have actually come from the facebook page or friends. I have also created a website, if you’d like to check it out you can click here.
It’s been really fun to try out new patterns and yarns without adding clutter to my home.
One thing I absolutely need to do from now on though is pick up the pace on the study front! I’ve used up 2/3 years and completed 8/18 subjects. Not great odds. Last year was a tough one to get study done in, it was discovered that I have kidney issues now last year in January 2014. I have whats called FSGS or Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis. Which is essentially scarring on parts of the kidneys allowing proteins and other things meant to be circulated back into the blood to be lost through the urine. So many medication changes and 11 months of steroids among other things. I will do a more in depth post on all that in a future post.

I’ve been working on this blanket for Miss 5 who chose the colours. All was going along fine until I started to run out of the yarn. I figured, it’s ok, I’ll just go back to the yarn store and buy some more. Well that worked well with the pink and white, but none of the purple. The owner says that he’ll order it in, all good right? NO! The purple is a discontinued colour and has been since 2012!! Disaster! However just because I’m so special (hehe) he rang around for me and found the 2 balls I needed from a different store!! How good is that? Awesomely good, that’s how good. So now I can go ahead an finish it for her. Well once I’ve finished the current customer order anyway.

Until next time, happy crafting and hug a loved one.

The finished product

Crafty Chelle's Corner original

Here is the finished rainbow puffle hat I made for miss 12. She said I got the expression spot on, but the hair is not quite right. I would have to agree with her, I’d do the hair a bit different next time.

Elsa wig, based on a YouTube video I can't find right now

The finished Elsa hair for miss 5. She loved it! Next time I will glue more of the hair in place.

Crafty Chelle's Corner original!

Crafty Chelle's Corner original!

Master 3 received this lighting mcqueen hat, another Crafty Chelle’s Corner original.

Life can seem unfair, but we can hope

I don’t know what it is about my family and friends, but so many of them are unwell with different ailments. The latest one is a good friend (I’ll call her Jane) with two young children who was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Jane was initially told that she’d only have maybe a couple of years left with her children. She has since found out that she also has cancer in the hip bone and also breast cancer. The good news is that the breast cancer is completely treatable and so is the hip bone, she’ll just never walk normally again. Jane is in good spirits though and is positive the treatment will help.
In response to this news, I immediately felt helpless. I wanted to help in some way but knew that I was unreliable with any physical offers to help with my own health issues. So what I came up with is that 10% of my profits will be donated to various causes this year; in the hope that it will help the people I care about in some small way. The organisation I’m donating to first is Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. If you would like to donate yourself, there are two options. First is to make a straight donation here at the website. Second is to make a purchase through either my Etsy store or facebook page knowing that 10% will be donated at the end of the month.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and remember to hug your loved ones, no one knows how many days are left.

Christmas is over

So I survived Christmas, just. The children loved the handmade items I gave them.

From top left, we have miss 12 and her rainbow puffle hat, miss 10 and her rainbow unicorn hat, master 9 and his  lego hat, miss 4 and her Elsa wig hat and finally master 3 and his lightning mcqueen hat.
Now I need to get through my sister’s wedding which all the children and I are part of the bridal party. The dresses need to be taken up and last minute items must be bought or found. We will get there, just need to remember to breathe.
Happy new year! (in case I don’t check in beforehand.)

Christmas is coming

How on earth did it become December already?? This year has seriously gone by so very fast. Although a lot has happened as well. I need to say that I’m not ready for Christmas yet! I have bought all the children’s pressies, but I just not ready to do Christmas. Is it just me? Probably not, I know that loads of people don’t enjoy the festive season for various reasons. For me this year its a couple of things; firstly I don’t feel like I have the energy to do it and secondly I really don’t want extra ‘stuff’ in my house. My husband and I have bought mostly practical items or experience based gifts, but I know my family loves to spoil them.
Anyway that’s my gripe for today.
On to a more crafty subject. I am crocheting all the children a hat each representing something that means something to them now.
So far I have done a lego hat for master 9…

Designer: Calleigh’s Clips & Crochet Creations by Elisabeth Spivey. http://www.calleighsclips.com

and a rainbow unicorn for miss 10…

Designer: Repeat Crafter Me repeatcrafterme.com /2013/10/crochet-unicorn-hat-pattern.html

Designer: Repeat Crafter Me repeatcrafterme.com /2013/10/crochet-unicorn-hat-pattern.html

So now I just need to make miss 5 her Elsa hat, master 3 his Lightning McQueen hat and complete the rainbow puffle hat for miss 12.

Designer: Crafty Chelle’s Corner by Michelle Payne aka ME!

Exciting news!!!

Just a very quick post for now, need to get my girls to a party. My exciting news is that I’ve opened a store on Etsy and started up a page on facebook!! You can check them out with the links below. I’m still perfecting both of them, but just couldn’t hold it back anymore. Hmm, maybe I’ve seen Frozen a few too many times…oh well, I’ll just let it go. lol.

 

http://www.facebook.com/craftychellescorner

 

Another Step Closer

I attended my very first webinar this morning!! I have started my training to be a Certified Xero Consultant. Very excited by this, makes me want to kick up a gear with the study and get that qualification sooner too. I’m feeling ultra motivated now and need to take advantage of it. So I’ve applied to become a Xero Partner and will take it from there.
I’ve also been busy finishing off my WIP. I finished a hooded scarf that I started in 2009 (big accomplishment!!)

My second born kindly modelling for me.

and another scarf that I started this year. It is really feeling good to get these things done and out of the way. I didn’t realise how heavily they were weighing me down!! So very freeing!! Only a few more things to finish that are actually started, then onto the long list of things I’ve been meaning to make, lol.
I decided to make my eldest daughter a matching jumper same as the blue one I finished a little while ago. She absolutely fell in love with it and I have enough yarn left over to do her size. It will be a birthday gift for her. Only down side is that I’ll have to keep it a secret until June! gulp! No, I can do it! I WILL keep the surprise.
Anyway, I’m going to go finish yet another scarf that I started (I may or may not have a thing for scarves, lol) and then learn about “Breach of duty of care”. Wish me luck!

It’s done!

The baby surprise jacket is compete! It has almost just flown off my needles, can’t believe it!
It started looking quite strange toward the end, but I could also see where it was going.

Still on the needles

I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. My children were trying to decide if it’s be for a boy or a girl. I’m not really sure myself, the sparkles kinda indicate a girl, but a boy could wear it too I think. Not too sure at all.

Front view

Back view

I’m already planning another one, but I must finish a few other projects first I think.

On to another subject for a moment, I’ve been finding it really hard to absorb the Latin names for certain things with my study. However, a solution had been find while I was in office works today! I got some index cards so I can make myself some flash cards to have handy at any time to go over and test myself. Could even get the older Kids involved too to test mummy. They would love that I’m sure, they already think that’s it’s pretty cool that mummy ‘goes to school’ too (even though I don’t attend classes, it’s all online apart from the exams).
So I’ll be going ahead with the study apprehensively optimistic! Lol!

Carried away…

So I’m knitting away, happy with my progress, when disaster strikes! I no longer felt the tension of the yarn being pulled from the ball, so I looked at where it should be hanging and the yarn is actually hanging there!

My hanging yarn 😦

Grrr! Or it could have been anyway. Thankfully I have learnt how to spice yarn together. So I just got a new ball from my bag and spliced then together.

Spliced yarn

Can you see where it’s joined? It worked quite well even if I do say so myself!

Spliced section

If you look carefully, you can just see the end of the yarn closest to the knitting sticking out ever so slightly. But once it’s knitted up, you can hardly tell. I’m very close to finishing this gorgeous little jacket, hopefully tomorrows post will be a finished item! So excited!

On a knitting journey

Today I found another project that I had started a few years ago and never continued with. I was really excited by this one because it is Elizabeth Zimmermann’s baby surprise jacket! I have wanted to try it out since I’d heard about it, and a few years ago one of my local yarn shops was doing a workshop on it. So I signed up, choose my yarn and appropriate circular needle and attended the evening. I got ten rows done on the night, and that is how it has stayed until today!
It’s so fascinating seeing something emerge from a long piece of yarn and a couple of needles. Elizabeth really does take you on a journey with this design, I can’t wait until it’s done.

My progress as of 23-03-14

This my progress so far, fifteen rows now. According to the schematics, I’ve done the cuffs, back edge of the neck and the back sleeve seams.
The yarn I choose is ‘new cocktail’ 8 ply. It has a metallic thread through it that really sparkles in the light. As the contrast colour, I choose a plain white yarn. It should look great!
Until next time…happy crafting.