Back Again, Fair Season

So, here I am. I don't think I have blogged in 2 years. Maybe I will give it another try. A lot has happened in that time. Not sure if I will be any better at keeping up with this page now or if it will just fall by the way-side again. The local State Fair starts this week. My mother and I have entered handmade items the last couple of years. The fair gives a free pass book to anyone that enters 15 items or more. This year I managed to get 40 items done in time. Next year I'd like to geet 60 items made. I need to start ealry and keep crafting every month to hit that number. I don't normally crochet much and making items to enter into the fair gives me the modavation to crochet more. The Game Plan for "Fair 2018" is to crochet as many things as I can in the next 2-3 monthes, then take a break fro crochet and go back to knitting. I always seem to wait until the month before the fair to start crocheting and I end up feeling rushed. 

Finding a simple Blog Post Planner........Fail!

Disclaimer: This post contains my personal opinion on the given subject at the time of this post. I reserve the right to change my opinion at anytime. Please be nice. Thanks.
 

So, I decided I wanted to start blogging again. I've tried several times before without success. I never seem to be able to develop the follow through needed to keep at it. I went to Pinterest to find a free blog post planner page. I was bombarded with pins about making money using my blog, pins about how to avoid mistakes blogging, how to increase my views in just one month, etc. Maybe it is just me, but what happened to blogging for the fun of it.

While I can understand wanting to work from home or adding extra income from blogging I sometime find the large amount of ads take away from the blog itself. Many blogs are more ads than blog. Even if I enjoy a blog, all the pop-ups and having to hunt for the posts in between the ads will make me less likely to return to read future posts. Ads that are placed on the edges of the page or a single ad between posts do not bother me.

So as a final note: It is not the use of ads that I have a problem with. It is being bombarded with ads that is the issue. So, after more than an hour of trolling around on Pinterest and many 404 screens I finally decided to design and make my own Blog Post Planner Page using Google Documents. Sometime Pinterest is not the answer.

Ravelry Update: Knitting, Crochet, Spinning

I took a break from updating my Ravelry Projects Page during the summer. I want to start entering my new projects on Ravelry again. I need to get use the taking FO pictures again. The last month or so I haven't done much knitting or crochet. Work has been very hectic and stressful. I knit and crochet a lot at work and all I've done most nights is sit and stare at the TV. I am changing jobs next week. (Still working for the same company, just a different home.)  I am hoping the change will help me get back into crafting.

I'm a Very Bad Blogger

The title says it all. LOL. So now that I have managed to make a large dent in my Holiday knitting I've decide to try the blogging once again. I warn you now, don't hold your breath.

I'm Still Here

Me thinks the last few months have not gone so well in the crafting/knitting area. I just picked up my needles again last week and turned out 5 dishes clothes. Time to finish all the Holiday knitting and sewing projects.

The Stash: Part 2

Well, I do believe the Stash is winning.

My Goals For July:

Find all the yarn in the house and bring it back to the Craft room. Most of it is in the Craft Room. A few skeins are in the bedroom

Take pictures of yarn to post on blog. Take some pictures, till haven't posted them

Sort yarn by fiber Not going to work. Going the bag everything by like kinds of yarn instead. Fancy, worsted, etc.

Make list of all the yarn and how much of it I have
Nope

Make a list of items to be made with Stash
Working on it.


Post weekly to blog on progress (or lack there of)
Lack there of....

Not to add to Stash (mmm.......)
Bought 2 balls of cotton the make dish clothes for a gift. Looking for a pattern right now. So this doesn't count at adding to Stash.

Stash= 3 , Me =3

We seem to be tied, at least for now. I think part of my problem is that the Craft room looks like its been hit by a tornado. I'm thinking I may need to clean that BEFORE I have any real hope of winning against the Stash. SO the Stash Battle is on hold for now.
This weeks cleaning goal.
Pick up EVERYTHING on the craftr room floor and find a home for it.

How To Make A Plastic Canvas Needle Case

What you will need:

Worsted weight yarn in any color

Needle

A piece of felt in any color

Scissors

Plastic Canvas, 7 Count

Directions:

Cut 2 pieces of plastic canvas: 12 holes by 17 holes

Cut 1 piece of plastic canvas: 2 holes by 17 holes

This pattern makes a small needle case that will hold small quilting needles. If you want make a case to hold longer needles just increase the size of your peices to fit the needles.

Next use the Continental Stitch to fill in canvas. http://www.wikihow.com/Stitch-Plastic-Canvas

Then Whipstitch around the 2 short sides and 1 long side of the larger pieces.

Take one of the larger pieces and the small piece. With wrong sides together. Whipstitch through both pieces along unstitched edge. Repeat with other piece. It should look like a little book when finished. ( Sorry I forgot to take a picture before I gave it to someone)

Cut the felt a little smaller then the case when laid flat, and sew into case along the binding.