Happy Tuesday friends!

I hope you all had a great weekend.  It’s amazing how much my mood has lifted since spring has arrived!  We took several walks this weekend.  I tried to get a picture of Apollo posing regally in the bluebonnets, but he did not want to participate.  The best I could get was bluebonnet-adjacent photos of Apollo.

“Guys, I’m bored.”

We also watched Us (so good!) and the documentary about Elizabeth Holmes on HBO, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.  As with Fyre Fest, I could watch 20 documentaries on the subject and still find it fascinating.

So you may have noticed the lack of finished makes on this blog.  Yes, I am a very slow crafter, but it hasn’t been for a lack of trying.  I’ve been wanting to put this post together for awhile, and after reading about BonnyKnit’s recent crafty frustrations, I decided to make a post about my various crafty issues in solidarity.

1.  I am ready to burn my Hygge Shawl.

I’m being facetious, but you get the frustration – you finally find a project that keeps you feeling absolutely motivated, only to lose all motivation when you make a critical error.  I was in Week 4 of the project and had just finished with 24 single chain crochet rows for my embroidery, when I noticed that I had miscounted and was off by one stitch.

This is where you’re like, “Jenny, this is why we count our rows instead of quitting halfway through the piece and hope for the best.”  I KNOW.  I KNOW.

My edges are a little uneven, but you can see where it went awry, right near where the crochet hook is pointing. I already had to undo the 24 single crochet rows I’d stitched up, and I need to frog this to that last yellow cross-stitch.  ARRGH.  ARRGHH. So it’s been sitting in my craft basket for the past month. I guess I’ll pick it back up again in 2021.

2.  I have a hard time discerning colors.

I was starting a cute cross-stitch piece from Dimensions several weeks ago.

Dimensions – Life is a Wild Ride. Photo from herrschners.com.

The issue I have with this kit is that the threads aren’t separated by a number.  They’re just classified as, “RUST!” “DARK BROWN!” “DARK RED BROWN!”  “LIGHT RUST!”  You probably see where this is going.

That’s the dog’s torso sitting in the basket.  I completely mixed up “rust” and “dark red brown.”  I tested my husband, asking him, “Which color looks like rust to you?” and he of course picked the correct color.  ERRGH. I guess this doggy will be riding in a dark red brown basket. Another project I set aside for 2022.

3.  I apparently can’t read patterns.

When I was flying last week, I decided to work on the Swan River Cowl, a free pattern from Lion Brand, using their Scarfie yarn.

Swan River Cowl from lionbrand.com

And this is what resulted…

Excuse the fashionable wet spots on my jeans, I’d just finished mopping the house about 3 minutes before snapping this photo.

I haven’t sewed the cowl together, but right now it looks like a bandanna.  I got confused with the pattern and clearly messed up with the increases.

I still have a LOT of the ball left over, so I might try and make another cowl. I usually love Lion Brand but can’t say I am super in love with the Scarfie yarn. I have another ball and might gift it to another crafty friend.

4.  My granny squares look awful.

I’m working on a Little Box of Crochet project – I love the pattern, but am having a hard time getting my granny squares looking decent. I actually don’t have much practice with them, so I’m sure this is why.

5.  Knitting is hard.

I’m working on the Simple Lines pattern by Kiri Fitzgerald.  It’s a beautiful pattern using yarn I’d received several years back.

Source: Knitcrate.com

It’s supposed to be a beginner’s friendly project using P2TOG and YOs, but I was really struggling with these stitches. I’ve already had to frog the project several times.  Then I came to the embarrassing realization that I was wrapping my yarn the wrong way around the needle when doing a purl stitch.

Sigh.

Well, that’s been March for me.  So many crafty struggles, but hoping I can get something finished soon.  I’d better get ready for work – have a great week!