Been Away Far Too Long ...

I just logged in & was totally lost ... might take a little bit for me to get used to the changes, but I am hopeful.  :)

two updates ...

1) I got a tattoo in the not so distant past:

It's on my right forearm

Does the image look familiar to anyone?  I'm sure it does.  It's artwork & photo by Lynne Hoppe (the link will take you to her blogger page & not the post that has this image ... if you haven't visited it before, it's definitely worth your time to search for it if you are interested).  In case anyone is wondering, I did contact Lynne prior to getting the tattoo to make sure she'd be ok with me using her photo/image & was given her blessing.

I had it done at a local shop - Otherside Ink by Bisquette Bewley (if you have time, check out all of his galleries on his facebook page - his work is pretty flippen impressive) ... it took nearly 4 hours and was completely worth it ... one problem ... now I'm thinking I'd like to turn my whole arm into a tree branch ...

2)  I have been staying crafty ... funny thing is it's been a lot more than just crochet, but here I am posting another amigurumi critter ... this time, A Fierce Dragon (of the sweetest nature).

Meet Freud

he's from a pattern I found on Crafster by Angry Angel ... the pattern is straight forward and though I learned a couple new stitches, was easy to follow ... 

I used a couple of garnet beads for his eyes

 and black yarn for his scales

Sadie (my daughter) get's credit for the photo's of Freud.

I'm working on another one for a little friend that is about to turn five ... hers is being done in a deep red CHUNKY yarn.  It's HUGE (in comparison to Freud) and I am already loving it ... I'll post picture when I have all the pieces done.

OK, I just finished this post and am already digging many of the changes ... I have a feeling I'll get use to them in no time.

Ciao!

A Lot Happens In a Year

Blame it on me or facebook ... same difference, I suppose ... but it has been over a year since my last post. I do hope y'all didn't miss me too much. Here are some of the creative highlights of the last year (starting with oldest to newest).

This time last year, I was sending out my completed Peace Felt item:

I was really happy with the outcome, but it was such a struggle getting to this point. I don't think that I am wired for felting.

I went on a big crocheting kick (that I haven't really gotten out of). I can finally (with a lot of help from my friends) read patterns, so I made a small bunch of amigurumi critters ... here are a few of those highlights:

and made a dozen or so belts of the same pattern in a slew of colors & textures ... here's one example:

I actually used the pattern above to create a curtain for our living room window ... I wish I could actually use it, but it has zero privacy, so I only completed one panel. I haven't completely given up the thought (I'm considering weaving fabric through the spaces ... I'm just not certain how much more time and/or effort I really want to invest in the whole project). Time will tell.

I made a bag (this one is actually for personal use, even):

It's crocheted in the round and the strap is way too long, but since I stitched it right into the bag, I'm limited on my options to shorten it ... any thoughts?

Most recently, I did return to my roots ... just a little. One of Sadie's best girlfriends had a 14th birthday not too long ago. I wanted to do something with the last few lines of that famous Robert Frost poem ... this is what I ended up with:

the birthday girl seemed to like it just fine (and if I am wrong, I know her mama will be more than happy to adopt it). Speaking of her mama, she happens to be high on my "favorite people in the whole wide world" list ... she had a birthday just about a week before her daughter. For her, I broke out some new skills ... I used a torch for the first time! I made her a wire woven pendent with some stones inside ... wish I could show you, but unfortunately, I never actually took a photo of it ... one of these days, I might just have to invite myself over for a photo shoot.

and there you have it ... a year of crafty play in one teeny tiny nutshell.