Tag Archives: Christmas tree skirt

2016 Crocheting Goals

I’m going to take a slightly different approach this year.  Last year was the first year that I created crocheting goals for myself. And although there was a lot that I did not complete, I think in the first half of the year I got a lot more done than I may have in previous years.

Instead of going quite as structured as I did last year with laying down what projects I was going to do in which month, I’m just going to make myself a project list of things I want to get done.  I will start this list out with some semblance of the order I want to complete these project in, however, I expect it to be more of a living, ongoing, occasionally changing list – especially with regards to when I get custom orders from my Etsy store. So here is the first draft of the…

Stitched In Love Crocheting 2016 Project List:

  1. DONE – Sweet 16 Afghan – This is started and needs to be done soon because it will need to be mailed out as soon as I can.  It’s already going to be late for her birthday.  There’s just so much going on right now!
  2. Buddy’s Afghan – I have designed an afghan pattern in honor of each one of my new babies.  As soon as the Sweet 16 Afghan is done, I need to get working on Baby #3’s.  I’ve already done quite a bit of R&D (i.e. Pinterest pinning) and I’m pretty sure I know what I want to do.  I even have the yarn. Now I just need to sit down and start work/writing the pattern.
  3. Christmas Stockings for Family – I think I’m just going to continue working on the Christmas items after the immediate projects are wrapped up so that they don’t just get put off until the end of the year and not get done again. I need to finish the stockings for the new baby and myself. Then I would like to do some embellishments on everyone’s stockings, including names and maybe some holly berries and leaves.
  4. Christmas Tree Skirt – I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to this one and have not yet decided what I want to do for this exactly. However, I might see if I can get a plain, solid tree skirt on sale after the holidays this year to use as a backing for mine to lend more durability to it and potentially act as a background depending on what design I settle on.
  5. Afghan Christmas Present #1 – I have three different afghans that I want to make family members for Christmas gifts.  Hopefully I can get them done in the first part of this year and then just block them and package them come Christmas next year.  These projects are going to be difficult to post about while maintaining the Christmas surprise. I might have to  come up with some creative pictures of extreme close ups and do some fun editing to disguise the true results.
  6. Afghan Christmas Present #2
  7. Afghan Christmas Present #3
  8. Curtains – We have  a great big bay window in the new house and instead of putting up some boring curtains or sheers, I really want to crochet some pretty lace-like curtains that I can just slip onto some tension rods for a sort of 3/4 cover.
  9. Rugs – We also have all hardwood floors in the new house which we have refinished with a beautiful dark stain. But we need several rugs in multiple areas of the house. I also want to do a “street and lawn” rug for the kids’ room
  10. Happypotamusses for kids – I thought about doing these for their birthdays or for another holiday through the year, but I think I’ll stick with making these and saving them for Christmas next year.  The designer of this very cute stuffed animal has actually designed quite a few others, so I’m actually thinking about making the Hippo for Bubba, an Elephant for Sephy because she loves them, and something else fun for Buddy instead of just doing 3 hippos in different colors.
  11. Mitten Ornaments – Another small gift for the family members to make and save for next year.
  12. Top for myself – Finally on to non-Christmas items! Hopefully by this time I will have been able to loose some baby weight and can make myself something pretty.
  13. Dress for Sephy – I’d like to try again in making a dress for Sephy, this time in a very light weight yarn, or even thread.
  14. Parasol – I would still like to try and get this thing made. I have two different umbrella frames ready to use for it.
  15. Masquerade Masques – My sister is having a Masquerade Ball for her Halloween party next year and I want to make the masks that my Husband and I wear. I also have a whole Pinterest board for this one!

It will be interesting to see how much of this I will actually be able to get done this year. Fifteen doesn’t sound like a lot on this list, but with 3 afghans plus a tree skirt that is basically a whole afghan itself, it is definitely going to be a challenge.

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30 Days of Blog 2015 – Day 8

I finished a project last night that I really can’t post about yet.  It’s a baby gift for a friend and I need to wait until I give it to her.

Then I had to work from home today because the alternator on the car appears to have gone out, and my husband’s job is on the road, requiring a vehicle.  Fortunately my Mom took my daughter to the zoo today, so I only had Bubbs with me and was able to get some work done.  But, working from home means I don’t really get a lunch when I can crochet.  So that leaves me without any pictures today.  Hopefully I can get some work done on the stockings tonight after they go to bed.

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30 Days of Blog 2015 – Day 7

THE MONTHLY GOALS LINK-UP: June 2015 Goals

Although I didn’t get much done for my goals this month, I did do a LOT!  With 30-Days of Blog for June, I am hoping I can get my stockings done.

I also have two baby gifts to finish, and I would really like to make myself a tank top before we are too far into the Summer as well.  I will have to see where that might fit in.

I’ve also updated my method of showing completed items to be more clear.

May

  1. ADDED (Custom Order) – Baby Afghan Success!
  2. ADDED (Custom Order) – Second Baby Afghan Success!
  3. ADDED: Baby Gift #1 – This was the Strawberry Cocoon and Beanie Success!
  4. ADDED (Custom Order) – Baby Gift.  Surprise gift to be posted at a later time. Success!
  5. ADDED: Baby Gift #2 – In progress.
  6. Finish writing Cuffs and Monkey Patterns –  Cuffs done. Monkey on hold till Fall. On Hold.
  7. Christmas Stockings for Family (4) – Not Started.

 

June

  1. Christmas Stockings
  2. Baby Gift #2
  3. Baby Gift #3
  4. Top for myself

July – Christmas Tree Skirt

August – Afghan Christmas Present #1

September – Afghan Christmas Present #2

October – Afghan Christmas Present #3

November

  1. Happypotamusses for Sephy and Greyson
  2. BONUS: Start Sweet 16 Afghan

December

  1. Sweet 16 Afghan
  2. Mitten Ornaments

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THE MONTHLY GOALS LINK-UP: May 2015 Goals

I’m a bit behind in posting this for May.  Half the month has already gotten away from me!

I still feel like I’ve been doing very well here.  I got a LOT done at the beginning of April, which is good because during the last couple weeks I was fighting a Poison Sumac rash and couldn’t really work on anything.  But I finished up a few custom orders including a baby afghan.

I’ve got a few things added for the month of May.  I have a custom order baby gift to complete, plus two other baby gifts I’d like to make up too.  Then I want to get one of the four Christmas Stockings well underway before the end of the month.  Next month is 30 days of Blog 2015 and I plan to be a mad stocking-making-machine for it!

April

  1. Parasol – ON HOLD
  2. BONUS: Write Boot Cuffs Pattern
  3. BONUS: Write Boots the Monkey Hat Pattern – ON HOLD – Ran out of yarn for this and don’t want to buy more right now. May try to pick this back up in the fall and have it ready for Halloween.
  4. UNPLANNED (Custom Order) – Very Hungry Caterpillar Cocoon
  5. UNPLANNED (Custom Order) – Puppy Dog beanie and Diaper Cover
  6. UNPLANNED (Custom Order) – Baby Blanket
  7. ADDED – Bumblebee  Cocoon & Pattern
  8. ADDED: Mermaid Cocoon
  9. ADDED: Ladybug Cocoon & Pattern – Didn’t get to this one.  May come back to it later.

May

  1. ADDED (Custom Order) – Baby Gift
  2. ADDED: Baby Gift #1
  3. ADDED: Baby Gift #2
  4. Finish writing Cuffs and Monkey Patterns –  Cuffs done. Monkey on hold till Fall.
  5. Christmas Stockings for Family (4)

June

  1. Finish Christmas Stockings
  2. Christmas Tree Skirt

July – Finish Christmas Tree Skirt

August – Afghan Christmas Present #1

September – Afghan Christmas Present #2

October – Afghan Christmas Present #3

November

  1. Happypotamusses for Sephy and Greyson
  2. BONUS: Start Sweet 16 Afghan

December

  1. Sweet 16 Afghan
  2. Mitten Ornaments

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THE MONTHLY GOALS LINK-UP: April 2015 Goals

So far I am really appreciating my goals list.  I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a crochet project, but checking off items on my list is adding to that.

I did really well for the month of March.  I finished The Granny Square Project as planned and made my daughter a simple sweater to go with her Easter dress. But then I ran into a problem.

When I finished the sweater and went searching for my thread to start my parasol, I realized that I had packed it away in my cedar chest, which we have moved into the garage of the new house.  Not only that, but it has boxes and boxes of other stuff stacked on top of it.  I thought seriously about just going and buying new thread, but I’ve got a lot of thread and I’m just not willing to buy more.  So the parasol is just going to have to wait.  Until when, I’m not exactly sure.  In the mean time I’m just going to have to move forward with my list and come back later.

So, I jumped ahead to my April Goals. I finished writing my boot cuff pattern and started writing the Boots the Monkey Pattern, however I am out of the yarn that I used to make that so I need go get some of that before I can continue.

I feel like I am doing very well so far in my goals even though I haven’t been able to get the Parasol started. I should be able to get most of May’s goals done in April.

I have also added a few other projects and had a few custom orders to complete that I will write another post for.

April Goals

March

  1. Finish The Granny Square Project 
  2. Sephy’s Easter Sweater 
  3. BONUS: Start Parasol – ON HOLD

April

  1. Parasol – ON HOLD
  2. BONUS: Write Boot Cuffs Pattern
  3. BONUS: Write Boots the Monkey Hat Pattern
  4. UNPLANNED (Custom Order) – Very Hungry Caterpillar Cocoon
  5. UNPLANNED (Custom Order) – Puppy Dog beanie and Diaper Cover
  6. UNPLANNED (Custom Order) – Baby Blanket
  7. ADDED – Bumblebee  Cocoon & Pattern
  8. ADDED: Mermaid Cocoon
  9. ADDED: Ladybug Cocoon & Pattern

May

  1. Finish writing Cuffs and Monkey Patterns
  2. Christmas Stockings for Family (4)

June

  1. Finish Christmas Stockings
  2. Christmas Tree Skirt

July – Finish Christmas Tree Skirt

August – Afghan Christmas Present #1

September – Afghan Christmas Present #2

October – Afghan Christmas Present #3

November

  1. Happypotamusses for Sephy and Greyson
  2. BONUS: Start Sweet 16 Afghan

December

  1. Sweet 16 Afghan
  2. Mitten Ornaments

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THE MONTHLY GOALS LINK-UP: March 2015 Goals

I currently have 16 projects on my Evernote Crochet To-Do list.  Sixteen!  That doesn’t include all the things on my Crochet Ideas Pinterest Board that I would like to make.

Many of the projects on my actual To-Do list are Christmas Presents for next year.  Well, I guess I mean this year.  I have several afghans that I want to make and several projects for my family, including finally making Christmas stockings and a tree skirt for us.  I think I may also end up adding a few projects to my list once we get moved into our new house because with all the hardwood floors we have we are going to need some spectacular area rugs.  Of course, I want to crochet them.  I totally wish I could quit my job and just crochet full-time.  I also have a few patterns that I would like to write up that I want to fit in there somewhere.

But with working full-time and two kids, and trying to do all the remodeling on the new house, my crochet time is limited.  I had a little more time when I was still pumping milk for my son at work and could multitask by using that time to crochet.  But that’s done and for the most part now I only get to crochet over lunch.  Once the kids are in bed at night all I want to do is to fall into bed myself!

So I’m going to join this link-up for goals and accountability. I’m going to go a step further though and tentatively plan out my projects for the rest of the year.  The only thing is, I have no idea when I might receive an order for a finished product on Etsy so I’m going to have to go easy on myself. I think this plan is pretty ambitious.  I’ve never really planned out what I intend to make for the year. I’ve always just had an idea in my head of the next few projects that I plan to do.  I always feel like I’m trying to catch up with what I want to make!

Monthly Goals

March

  1. Finish The Granny Square Project
  2. Sephy’s Easter Sweater
  3. BONUS: Start Parasol

April

  1. Parasol
  2. BONUS: Write Boot Cuffs Pattern
  3. BONUS: Write Boots the Monkey Hat Pattern

May

  1. Finish writing Cuffs and Monkey Patterns
  2. Christmas Stockings for Family (4)

June

  1. Finish Christmas Stockings
  2. Christmas Tree Skirt

July – Finish Christmas Tree Skirt

August – Afghan Christmas Present #1

September – Afghan Christmas Present #2

October – Afghan Christmas Present #3

November

  1. Happypotamusses for Sephy and Greyson
  2. BONUS: Start Sweet 16 Afghan

December

  1. Finish Sweet 16 Afghan
  2. Mitten Ornaments

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