Project lead time

Hurray! I'm finally crocheting in the final strip. I'll finish this today. 56 hours of crocheting, and I still have to block this. The loops on the edges won't lie flat and even without blocking.
The starch will take another 4 or 5 days to dry.
These big projects take a month or more to finish, if I work several hours each day. They'll take longer if I work on several projects at once, which I always do. My magnolia dresser scarf took 3 years! But it's the largest project I've made.
I need to get busy on the Christmas pineapple runner. I want to have it ready to enjoy this season, which means I can't start working on it in December, I have that month lead time to factor in.
What I'm saying is, unless you have way more hours in a day to crochet than I have, you can't buy yarn or thread and have a finished project the next day. You have to plan a month (or 2) ahead for the projects you want as gifts or for decorating.
Crocheting is a very time consuming hobby, but I think the rewards are well worth it.

More unfinished projects!

So, I was looking through my bags and boxes of yarn, looking for more yarn for my star afghan.

I didn't find any yarn, but I did find 2 more unfinished projects!! Why did I put them away? I have no idea, and its obviously been several years because I don't remember them.

 Another pineapple runner. Over the years, I've made 6 and given them away. There's not enough thread to finish this in white/gold metallic....

 So, I'll make 2 red strips and 2 green strips, alternate with 3 metallic strips and have a Christmas runner...

 Its white thread, not ecru, so I can't mix with the one I started a few weeks ago. Oh, well. Suddenly I'll have 2. An embarrassment of riches.

 Then, there's this angel. I guess Christmas was over, I figured I'd finish it the next year and forgot it.

It needed 2 more rounds. Now, I want it quite stiff, so I'll saturate it with white glue and toothpick it into shape over this Styrofoam cone. It'll be a lovely tree or tabletop decoration.
I wonder what else is buried in those bags and boxes of yarn?.?.?.?

Wrapper patterns

 This table runner sure takes a while. 7 strips, 7 pineapples and an edging/joining row each. Each pineapple takes me about an hour to make. The edging/joining row takes about the same, so each strip takes about 8 hours to make and join to the previous strip. I've found that if I work too long on any one project, I seem to get bored and start making mistakes, which have to be taken out, unraveled. I'm so easily distracted.....

 Oh, look, inside the wrapper!! A free pattern!! Actually, I've seen this wrap on several skeins I've bought over the last several years. It looks darling, or would in a different color. But I HAVE to finish something before I start something else. (Famous last words)

 Oh, look inside that wrapper! What a pretty afghan. Wouldn't that be pretty in a different color?

Oh, look! Inside that wrapper! What cute house slippers! The problem with buying yarn for projects is that I keep finding more cute projects I want to make!

Shawl - Finished

I decided to use 3 glass buttons on my shawl, to match the hat. It's finished just in time for the cooler fall weather.

 So, I was sitting, happily crocheting on the table runner, when I realized my sister's birthday was coming up! Oh, no! What can I make for her? No wonder I so rarely finish anything!

 Let's see, I haven't made her a hat in her boys' school colors. Nice, but too plain, those boys would wear it if I left it like that and she'd never see it again.

 Hmmm, better. White fuzzy yarn for trim. 2 rounds using a bulky, knobby yarn.

 It needs some bling. 1 glass button.

Using white yarn, spiral around 3 times, sc, 3 chain, sc.

Ch 1, turn, in each loop work: sc, hdc, dc, TRC, dc, hdc, sc. Finish off. A white rose. Now, it's too girly and her boys will NEVER borrow it!

This is the star afghan I started several weeks ago. I'm using leftover yarn and some of it is in balls, no wrapper. When I tied the yarn on, I didn't realize how much bulkier than worsted weight yarn it is. So, I took I out those stitches and used that yarn for the trim on the hat for my sister. (Which she loved!)

I think it looks better now. Maybe I'll finish it eventually!

Wrapping big doilies

Now, the best part of crocheting gifts....giving them to loved ones!! Only, I'd need a mighty big box for this one....and I certainly don't want to fold it! Those are paper towel cardboards, well, one and a part of one, just enough to support the rolled doily all across its diameter.

I don't like to put the doily against the cardboard, so I first roll it once in tissue paper.

 Now, all those toothpicks have to come out.

 Carefully lay the doily on the tissue, making sure it's flat.

 Start rolling. It takes 3 sheets of tissue to completely cover and protect the doily. Keep rolling.

A little tape at the end, and it's ready for some pretty paper outside, a card, and giving!

Denim "rag" rug

 The hook on the left is size 00, used for thread. The hook in the middle is size J for yarn. The hook on the right is size N, for bulkier materials.

 15 years ago, I used it to make a rug using three strands of yarn, cream, blue, and green.

I'm still using the rug. It's usually on my living room floor, when I'm not laying out an afghan! It's machine washable and dryable. I think it still looks good.

 Other than multiple strands of yarn, what other bulky media can be crocheted? Worn out jeans? Can't use seams, hems, or waistbands. Cut the denim into inch wide strips. Crochet as usual.

 You'll have to sew strips together.

 It doesn't have to be pretty.

Back side.
I'm going to make a rectangular rug for in front of my kitchen sink. I'm still deciding what size to make and what stitch to use.  Oh no, I just started another project!

Why do I have so many unfinished projects?

I just finished my shoulder bag of Target bags. I should work on one of my unfinished projects, right??

 How many projects do I have waiting? This gray grocery bag...

 This yellow shoulder bag....

 This multi color shoulder bag...

 This shawl...

This star afghan...

A pink doily...

A gray plarn hat...

A round ripple baby afghan...

A green granny square afghan...

Do I work on any of these 9 projects? No. I go to Varenhorst's. They have the best selection of crochet thread. I got metallic thread to start a pineapple table runner. So, now I have 10 unfinished projects.

I found this pattern at: freepatterns.com Under the crochet tab. It's called: pineapple rainbow runner. I've never made it using their suggested colors. Patterns are suggestions, remember?

I have made this project before, always as gifts for someone else. This one is for me!

Flowers

 There are so many ways to include flowers in your crochet projects. This filet stitch runner is called "magnolias".

 " Roses" table runner.

 Full width of roses.

 African violet doily

 Closer view. The yellow dots are French knots embroidered after the flowers are made.

Primroses/forget me nots. The first round of these flowers is worked in yellow, then use a different color for the petals. It seemed to take forever to make enough little flowers and the operative word here is LITTLE!! These flowers are flat.

 So many patterns are 3D. The pattern starts with a flower in the middle and by switching colors, the doily is worked around the flower.

 Again, each afghan square starts with the flower.

 I found this doily at Goodwill. The pansies are made separately and crocheted around in the appropriate round.

 Close up of 3D pansies.

 The rose I made of plarn to tie onto my hat.

 Roses around.

 Rose decoration on an ear warmer.

 After making the band, I made a spiral of sc, ch 3 until I had as many ch 3 loops as I wanted for the petals, then worked sc, hdc, 3dc, hdc, sc in each loop for the petals.

 Another rose.

 Back view.

 Poinsettia on an ear warmer.

Back view.
These flowers bloom year round, no weeding, no watering, no bugs.