October is National Craft-Making Month!

Day 29

I FINISHED stitching the little mouse ornament! I COMPLETED a cross stitch project! (While sick, even!) Where's my ticker-tape parade? :)

[ID: A completed cross stitch project; a gray mouse wearing a turquoise scarf; stitching the word JOY in red thread on white fabric; Holly leaves in dark green thread are stitched at the top and bottom of the mouse. End ID]

Now, it needs a little bath, and then to be formed into the ornament.

Day 30

I didn't really know what to do this day; I didn't really want to start another cross stitch ornament, nor did I want to knit a baby hat. I decided to darn the second sock of a pair of boot socks that were wearing thin. The raining season is coming, and to wear my boots, I need my boot socks!

[ID: A gray sock with the heel bottom darned in dark yarn. End ID]

A kid actually wanted to decorate for Halloween, so we dug out the boxes and set some things up outside. Our weather has finally turned fall-like, so I had to wear pants and a sweatshirt!


[ID: Gated home entrance with plants and various kinds of Halloween decor. End ID]

(There were other bits of decorating, but the photo in the dark didn't come out so great.)

After I had a hot chocolate to warm up, I knitted 9 rows on a new baby hat, in a different-colored yarn!


[ID: A purple knitting loom with 9 rows of knitted blue/tan/cream variegated yarn. End ID]

Day 26

Another Wednesday, and some more work on the SaL cross stitch at the stitch-in


Day 27

I had a doc appointment to look at my knee, and it was an ORDEAL, and once I got home, I simply could not get motivated enough to work on any of my projects. :(

Day 28

More SaL cross stitch


Day 29

Even MORE SaL


Day 30

I altered F's Halloween costume: it was way too long, and showed a bit more of her than she liked, so I spent 3 HOURS doing alterations. I hate that kind of sewing. Shown is the bit I took in at a shoulder; I also had to put in a 4 inch hem on trailing hemline, and it was... frustrating.



Day 31

Does costume makeup count? I say it does! And I did F's Cruella makeup TWICE!

It's been a really sucky week. But I did something crafty every day, even if I didn't create.


Day 26

I worked some more on moving stuff around and putting things away.

Day 27

I worked some more at getting things reorganized and put away, and I even took a picture!

Where I started on Monday:


Where I ended on Tuesday:



I also did some latch hooking (first pic is what I had done previously)



Day 28

I tackled the first batch of jewelry supplies! This is my last online order, so it's been sitting in that box for MONTHS. (Last summer, I put a moratorium on bringing in any more crafting supplies (with an exception or two) until I could find all the things I already had.) I got about half the box put away into storage boxes.



I also had a stitch-in, where I got only a little bit of cross stitching on my SaL done, because there was a guest speaker, and she had pretty things to show!




Day 29

I finished getting all the beads from the box I started on 10/28 put away into storage boxes!



And then, I got all the storage boxes put away onto the shelves!



Day 30

Day 30 was a day of prodding kids a lot and just feeling entirely unmotivated. Things got a better once we got around to pumpkin carving, so after dinner, I settled in with TrollHunters and my latch hook. Unfortunately, after I had put in about another half-dozen columns, I discovered that I had put in the wrong color of pink, so I spent more than 30 minutes frogging. Frogging latch hook is a lot more difficult than frogging cross stitch!

Day 28

I started to attach the gold cloth to the top of K's costume. I had NOTHING but problems: curling, bunching, thread breaking, and the bottom of the shirt disintegrating under the stitching. After a frustrating 90 minutes, I stopped and went on to more pleasant activities, like folding laundry.



Day 29

I assessed the gold trim again; I changed the sewing machine needle (I had been using the wrong kind), and changed the thread, but nothing worked, and my skills were not up to trying to make it work and get finished in 3 days. I admitted defeat, and informed K, who wailed and wailed. I promised her we would work on it again starting in January, and have it ready for our local SF convention in May. (And in the meantime, I'll get my machine serviced, because tension was part of the problem, and find a substitute for the gold fabric that isn't as finicky.)



(I took K to a thrift store after school on Wed, and we were able to find her a suitable beautiful costume.)

Day 30

Since I hadn't put my sewing machine away yet, GB asked me to repair the stitching on the waistband of his pants (no picture).

Day 31

The clutter in my office/craft storage space had become overwhelming, and I needed to get things sorted in there so at least I wasn't tripping and slipping and having things fall on my head.

Before


After


And, after returning home from the sugar mugging, I sat down and worked on my cross stitch until I ran out of thread in the needle.