95 down

I know, I haven't updated in a while, but the projects at this time of year are repetitive because they are large, so not many fun pictures to post.  Mostly it's the Hue Shift afghan, which is nearing the end of the 100 squares.  95 are now done, only 5 to go, but square 96 might stop me in my tracks if I run out of yarn.  The pattern calls for one skein of each of 10 yarns, but I had only 1 yard of red left when I finished with it, and I'm not sure the blue will hold out for its one last square.  I will be really annoyed if that is the case and I have to buy another skein for just a few yards.  I'm a tight knitter, so it's not like I was wanton with the yarn, but I'm going to have to leave a comment on the website about being careful with it.  Seems unfair for people who buy the kit to have to buy extra.  Here's how the first two quarters looked:

I have managed to fit in a few other projects, but mostly it's a race with myself to get that afghan done so I can move on.  I made some Star Wars figures, then gave the pattern book back to its owner so I could truthfully say that I didn't have the patterns any more.  Amigurumi can be a booger to make because of the finishing work - embroidery, felt, sewing pieces together.  I made a red panda and didn't ask for any payment, so the requestor's wife made me some origami boxes.  That's a nice trade - handmade for handmade.

I also used some leftover Ultra Pima cotton to make a "lovey" for my anticipated nephew, using a standard pattern for the square and a teddy bear head with the last 10 stitches.  The head turned out smaller than I would like, but it is done and survived the washer and dryer with embroidery intact, so it's ready to give.

I hope they don't find it weird - I think it looks a little odd, but it's done and they can do with it what they like, even if they bury it in the garden so it doesn't frighten the kids.

Once I clean the litter boxes and finish packing I'm off to Florida to visit my parents.  I packed 3 small-scale projects for the trip - plain socks with self-patterning yarn, some knitted mitts, and crocheted mitts.

Where do I find patterns?  Ravelry, of course, but if you're on Facebook you can find pages for Cascade Yarns or Knit Picks or other vendors, "like" the page, and posts will show up in your Pages feed.  A lot of the posts are links to free patterns.  You can also just go to their websites and browse free patterns.  If you make an account with a yarn website like www.yarn.com you can sign up for e-mails that tell you about yarn sales and sometimes have pattern links.  I have also gotten patterns out of calendars and library books, but I find they are prone to errors.  Patterns on the web have often been done by many people before you find them, and the kinks have been worked out, no fiber pun intended.

Time to finish packing and reconsider my project choices.