Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Hello!

Back from a long absence. I spent the majority of December with different variations of colds and flus, and then January took off with a vengeance at work! I have been absolutely swamped. It's nice to get a chance to talk about crafts.

I currently have a spinning project on the wheel, two knitting projects on the needles, and a crochet project on the hook, plus two more knitting projects and a weaving project ready to go at a moment's notice. This isn't even counting a couple of long-term WIPs that I have in a blanket and a shawl that are currently languishing. They'll get done someday when I darn well feel like it. :-)

All I finished in December was a small cross-stitch project that I failed to photograph. It is one of those small kits with the circular plastic frame, and it has a cute baby bear asleep with a blanket and it says "Sweet Dreams". There is a picture at this website, which is not my own, but mine looks very similar to it. It is in the second row, right in the middle, titled Sweet Dreams.

I spent the rest of December trying out different techniques and stitch patterns. I'm going to be working on some new projects this late winter, and I wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing first. Lots of warm accessories are on the way!

I made a fun purchase last weekend. I found a knitted hat kit that came with a stuffed giraffe head topper- here is a picture of a finished one- that I'm looking forward to making for my own little one! I will be welcoming my first child in June. :-)

I look forward to showing you the beautiful projects I am currently working on! Check back soon!

Happy Holidays!

It doesn't feel like winter here today (our norm is 37 degrees F, today our high is 52 degrees), but I'm still getting in the holiday spirit. I still have shopping to do, eep!

As for crafting, there are a couple things I would like to get done for Christmas, but I'm not willing to craft myself to death to accomplish them, so we'll see what I can finish in a nice, leisurely way before then. :-)

Last month I made...

These cute crochet charm bracelets:

Some polymer clay buttons:

This cactus wall-hanging:

And some handmade soap and jewelry that I failed to capture in picture form. Foolish me! We'll see if I can snap a pic the next time I'm at Emma Rae's, the store where all of the jewelry is currently located, and the next time I'm home, where the soap is currently located.

I'm currently craft dabbling in the best way- I've got a cross-stitch WIP, a weaving WIP, and the yarn and needles for a pillow that are all being carried around in my craft bag. I hope to show you at least a couple of these by next month!

Stay warm, stay cozy, and stay happy! Happy crafting!

Tardy!

I am so sorry for my tardiness! The end of October was very busy, and then November didn't get off to any better of a start! I've been running ragged getting things done at my "real" job (darn real life getting in the way of my crafting time!) and the blog has just gone by the wayside. I'm here to remedy that!

In October I...

Finished knitting and assembling this cute flower pin:

Crocheted this dainty necklace for a beautiful fused-glass pendant:

Crocheted this tiny "horn" as a gag gift for a friend:

Spun up some recycled silk/wool blend yarn:

And continued working on the giant afghan I have currently on the hook. So much time on one item!!

I'm currently turning my attention towards Christmas presents, although I am going to make very few this year. My goal is to buy as many presents as possible on Etsy from other sellers. I need to support my fellow craftsperson!

What do you have on the needles or hook right now? Maybe you're weaving something amazing? Tell me about it! It's show and tell time! I want to hear about your crafty adventures.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I WILL be back here in no more than a couple weeks, I will!!

Happy crafting!

Leaves and pumpkins and ghosties, oh my!

Last weekend was the Pumpkin Festival, and it was a great experience! It was a little chilly and quite windy, which meant we couldn't display some things the way we really wanted to, but we were pleased with the turnout considering the conditions. We made money, and that's what counts, right?! :-)

On to the monthly wrap-up for September:

I made this colorful cotton dishcloth- $5 gets this beauty sent to you!

I made this neat wet-felted necklace for a class at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. So cool!

I knitted this hat from shiny red and black eyelash yarn to wear for the local school's football games. Go team!

I crocheted this reflective ear warmer- it can be yours for the low price of $15! Great for walking/jogging in the early morning or evenings.

I finger-knit this pretty braided scarf that can be sent your way ASAP for $15.

I finally finished knitting this cute monster for a friend. It's a bit tardy, I planned to give it to her in March, didn't start it until May, and didn't finish it until last week! Didn't it turn out cute?!

I started knitting a flower brooch, but I didn't finish by the end of the month. I got it done early this week, but you'll have to wait til November to see it's finished form! The petals were adorable and not nearly as much of a pain to sew together as I thought they would be. :-)

That's all for now. I made three contacts that I got excited about at the Pumpkin Festival, but I'll save that tale for another day.

Happy Crafting!

September Brings...Showers?

Most of September has been dry here, but it POURED last night and is supposed to tonight again. Sounds like some good weather to hunker down in your house and craft!

Lots of exciting things have happened in the last month! First of all, school started and life went back to being crazy-hectic. I love my job, but I am sure tired at the end of the day!

Then we went to the Midwest Old Thresher's Reunion the first weekend of September and spent our time looking at antiques, crafts, and horses. A few of those crafts may have made it back to my place at the end of the weekend.... :-)

Last weekend was the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival and I LOVED IT! Each year we spend the weekend learning new skills and catching up with friends that we really only see once a year, and it is always a blast. I got together with many of my Ravelry friends and I took two cool classes. On Saturday I learned how to spin using a Navajo spindle. I spun a bulky Navajo Churro singles that is 20 yards, and I started another bulky yarn. Hopefully you'll get to see the finished product in this month's wrap-up in a couple weeks! On Sunday I took a class on wet-felting necklaces. Using just roving, a bead, water, and soap, I made a beautiful necklace that I'm wearing right this second. Pictures will be in the monthly wrap-up soon.

Speaking of monthly wrap-ups...I never did August!! I didn't finish a single craft in August. I spent some time hand-quilting, knitting, and crocheting, but I just worked on WIPs and I didn't actually finish any of them. I'm such a bum. :-)

We have an event coming up in two weeks! On October 3rd my town is having a Pumpkin Festival complete with craft sale, and FuzzyDorff Creations will have a booth! If you find yourself in my neck of the woods, come on over and check us out! We will have many original crafts including crocheting, knitting, and quilting, plus we will have a selection of our antiques and auction finds. You're sure to find something great!

We hope to see you there!

Until then, happy crafting!

Back to School is Upon Us

Hello everyone! The end of the summer has been so busy for me. I've been working on getting my classroom set up for the school year, teaching summer lessons, updating the business Twitter account, and keeping our booth at Emma Rae's full of crafts and antiques. I've been suffering from a loss of crafting mojo- I just haven't felt like crafting anything lately. I'm sure that as the weather gets cooler I'll be more excited to climb under a pile of yarn.

I only crafted two things last month- I continued working on my crochet colorwork mittens and I made these cute mitts with my new peg loom:

I call them Mohawk arm warmers. I love how they turned out!

In blog news, I really want to get into putting craft tutorials up. I need ideas for some, though. What past projects have I made that you would enjoy seeing again in tutorial form? Please comment and I will deliver!

Happy crafting!

Happy July, with a sad twist.

It's July! Warmth, fruity drinks, relaxing by the pool, and spending time with friends. All wonderful things. Unfortunately, my parents' barn partially collapsed in a storm a couple weeks ago, so I spent a couple hours this past weekend helping to clean up some mess and sort through items before they have to tear the rest of it down. It was built over a century ago by an ancestor, so it's hard to see it go.

Goodbye, old friend. :-(

After helping out for a couple hours on Saturday and Sunday, we headed home only to find that one of our angora rabbits had died. She was six years old, which is getting up there for angora rabbits, but I was still surprised. Her appetite had decreased, but she was still eating pellets and hay, gobbling down treats whenever they were offered, and having regular "bathroom habits".

Bye sweetie. :-(

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Okay, on to happier things!

June was a slower craft month for me, but I got a couple things finished:

Two fabric flower pins, perfect for adorning bags and coats. The first is made using fabric that has sugar skulls on it, the second is some leftover floral fabric I had on hand.

I also finished a patriotic ruffle scarf:

I also made a nine woven squares that will become plaid people. You'll have to wait until they are finished to see the pictures!

Besides that, I spent the month working on some stranded colorwork mittens and running around like a chicken with my head cut off. How is it that my summer always ends up just as busy as my school year?

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @fuzzydorff and PLEASE like the new Facebook page titled "Fuzzy Dorff Creations".

Happy crafting!