Crocheting for Me

 I have been working on cleaning up one our bedrooms that was originally designated as my crafts room.  It has since become a dumping ground for all of the "extras" in our house.  A storage room of sorts.  I am trying to reclaim it, and when I do, the above colorful Coastal Kaleidoscope throw will be residing there with my rocking chair.

For now it stays in the living room, where it actually goes quite well with my ripple blanket and the pillow I made my mother years ago.  My daughter is quite taken with it, and has been laying on it on the living room floor while she watches cartoons, playing peek-a-boo behind it, and stomping around on it.

I think it's really one of my favorite pattern designs.  Definitely my favorite of my own designs.  I began the one below a while back.  I have left it unfinished, mostly because I was out of the colors I needed, and was debating on its final size.

 I love the feminine colors of this one, and the combo of soft acrylic and warm wool.  The back is just as cool as the front, and I still can't believe it is sitting unfinished!  I have decided to give this one to my little girl.  It will look lovely in her room as either an area rug or throw on her bed.  I am going to by another couple of skeins in cream and pink(seems to be her favorite color these days) and finish it off soon.

I also started the one above a while back.  I absolutely love the yarn (it's Mosaic in Medusa), and I bought several balls of it.  The problem is, I love the yarn soooo much that I go back and forth, debating what I REALLY want to use it for.  I know I could buy more eventually(I don't need to buy anymore I keep telling myself), and I'm sure I will, but I seem to start several projects with it, and wind up frogging them.

This project is still in tact and I think I will complete it with all of the yarn I have on hand (though I will need a bit more of one of the other yarns I am combining with it, heehee).  I don't know whether it will become a Christmas present or perhaps be listed in my shop, but I probably don't need to keep it.  I'm certain I have enough of these (not really, and I really want to keep it!), and it would probably make a delightful gift for my cousin perhaps...... We'll see.

 In other news, I have finished the shawl that I was working on.  I would share pics,  but the light wasn't great, so maybe another day.  I enjoyed making it so much that I have two others in progress, and will definitely be doing more.

I find that I am enjoying the simplicity of crochet these days, without having to design a pattern, write things down, do the math, make size adjustments and countless edits.  Though I do love pattern writing, and I still have a notebook full of sketches and ideas, I find that sometimes it takes a little bit of the fun out of things.  So I am taking a little break from pattern writing.  I'm sure it will only be a brief one, but I need to get back to the pure enjoyment of crochet.

I also have been itching to use my sewing machine.  Something about spring makes me feel like sewing.  I did the same thing last year, and I wound up making my daughter a bunch of skirts as a result.  I may do another few skirts, though I think I will change my design a bit, and I would like to try some dresses too.  There are those half finished quilts that need my attention as well.

So, off to finish a little crafting for me today!  What are you working on lately?  Do you find your crafting changes with the seasons?