Amber's (scaifea) 2024 Crafting Thread

Hey folks! I'm still here, still crafting. I lurk a lot, but I do love seeing all your projects here in this group and sharing my own.

Current Projects:
Knitting: a Pride cowl (pattern here: https://loumiorganicyarnshop.com/products/queer-pride-flag-cowls )
Crochet: an amigurumi Boba Fett, for a library display I'm organizing for February
Two quilts: a t-shirt one for Charlie and a king-size one for Tomm and me
Cross Stitch: two bookmarks, one for my mom and one for a friend
Sewing: pajama pants for my son, Charlie

Happy Crafting, friends!

I'm looking forward to seeing your projects, especially the amigurumi. I love seeing them.

Your crochet skills have really developed in the past year or so, Amber. I remember you learning the basic stitches and now here you are making amigurumi gifts. Bring on 2024!

Thanks, folks!

I'm really surprised at how well my crochet skills are coming along, to be honest. We're already planning for a big display for the summer library program, so there's definitely more amigurumi in my future...

Looking forward to seeing all the gorgeous projects you'll share this year, Amber.

No project photos to share just yet, but I treated myself to a fancy new ironing board, and if I can't share my excitement here, then where can I?

Everyone, meet Annie:

>6 scaifea: The mini-board at the foot of the big board makes it look like you have a staff of squirrels helping you with your seamstress duties. :-D

Happy New Year! Happy ironing and happy crafting!

>6 scaifea: - I like that. I've been thinking it's time for a new ironing board (and maybe iron). I might look into something like that.

The racks are a nice feature.
I still have my mother's wood ironing board and it did fold.

>7 rosalita: HAHAHAHA!! That's hilarious! And it will now live in my head full time.

>8 lesmel: Thanks!

>9 dudes22: It had been *so* long since I even looked at ironing boards that I was a little shocked at how expensive they can get, but I had xmas gift cards and decided to splurge. I've never thought of ironing boards as a luxury item and yet here I am owning one now. What a time to be alive.

>10 mnleona: My old one (which is still perfectly fine and will now live in the HS band room - I'm the band uniform mom these days) has been around for almost 30 years. It's creaky but still pretty sturdy. I love that you still have your mom's! Very cool.

Hi Amber,

Your current projects list looks like a good mixture of techniques and big and small projects. Always good to be able to choose.

Ooh, I need to put iron and ironing board on my (massive) list of things I’ll need to buy when I move house. Not that I tend to iron clothes all that often - it’s most just shirts and dressy trousers.
Not sure I’ve seen one with a shelf like that before.
And I love the idea of little squirrels helping out with the ironing.

>12 PawsforThought: Oh, to be clear, I almost never iron actual clothing, which is one of my most loathed chores. I only do sewing-related ironing. Ha!

I made some progress on Boba Fett yesterday, and I also started cutting out some new pajama pants for Charlie. Here's Mr. Fett so far:

>13 scaifea: I will age myself. I am 85 and remember all the ironing I had to do. My 5 kids were born within 6 1/2 years and I actually liked ironing because I could stay in one place for a long time. I hardly iron these days. My next ironing project will be the dish towels I am embroidering for gifts.

>14 scaifea: I missed what this is going to be.

>16 mnleona: Not a Star Wars fan then, eh? Boba Fett, a character from the franchise.

>14 scaifea: Boba is shaping up nicely!

>18 MickyFine: Thanks! He's gonna be a teeny thing with a big head, which I think will be pretty cute. I hope, at least.

>6 scaifea: I LOVE that you've named your ironing board. 😁😁

>20 PlatinumWarlock: Ha! Thanks! She's Annie because - and I kid you not - her official name on the paperwork that came with her is "Smooth Criminal." I mean, seriously.

My iron's name is Bueller. I'll just let that sort itself out.

And my dress form is Danny (Mrs. Danvers).

>21 scaifea: That's hilarious about your ironing board! Who came up with that?

I don't quite get the other references. I recognise the names and where they're from but haven't watched/read either work so...

>22 PawsforThought: ... If you recognize the names and where they're from, then that's pretty much getting the references, even if you haven't seen the movies. Congrats!

>6 scaifea: I guess those are all the bells and whistles?

I have never thought to give my ironing board a name....

>21 scaifea: Is your iron always having a day off? 🤣

I finished up Yoda for the library display:

He's so cute!!!

>27 MickyFine: Thanks!

How lucky your library is. So cute!

OMG so adorable!

Thanks, ladies! I'll try to remember to post photos of the display when I get it all put together.

That is very cute! Is there going to be a lot of Star Wars characters? (You were working on Boba Fett, too, right?)

>32 PawsforThought: Ha! Well, it's a Star Wars display, so...

But if you're asking about quantity, don't expect massive proportions. There are only three of us who do the crafting and this isn't as big a project as our summer program stuff. It'll be a modest display.

Sounds good no matter the size of the display.

Has the library made any plans for another summer display this year? Or are you using/expanding the garden you made last year?

>34 PawsforThought: Yes, we've made BIG plans for this summer's display because, as it turns out, my boss is amazing and convinced the library system director to let us interpret the summer theme in a way that is 100% up my alley! We're not allowed to talk about it just yet, but be prepared for what I think is a VERY cool display. And no, the garden won't be used - every year is something different.

>35 scaifea: What a teaser ... I can't wait to learn more!

>35 scaifea: - Olympics maybe?

>37 dudes22: Guess all you like; as I said, I'm not allowed to talk about it just yet.

>36 lauralkeet: Ha! It shouldn't be too long before the official announcement, I think. I've been dying to tell my Tuesday Teens, too, because I know they'll love it.

Marking my place here. Just realized I'd forgotten to go back and add newish threads after I created mine. I wondered why my feed wasn't getting many "Needlearts" posts!

Boba Fett progress:

>26 scaifea: I LOVE your Yoda!

>42 SqueakyChu: Thanks!!

Mr. Fett is finished!



I won't try to complete any other Star Wars stuff for next month's display - my colleagues have contributed a Millennium Falcon, three tie fighters, an Ewok, and a Han Solo - so I can move on to other projects.

Woo hoo! Well done Amber.

>44 scaifea: Very cute!

So cute!

>44 scaifea: Adorable!

Thanks, all!

LOVE Boba!!

>50 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks!!

I put together the Star Wars display at work yesterday:

That's awesome. I always show your displays to my sister who is a children's librarian for ideas.

ETA: Do you have ideas yet for the Olympics?

Awesome! Cool! Love all those.

Thanks, folks!

>53 dudes22: The olympics will be during our SLP so we'll be all decked out for that instead.

>52 scaifea: That is exceptionally cool!!! The kids (of all ages) must love it.

>56 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks! I hope so. We'll see...

>52 scaifea: Wow! That's a big piece of knitting, I think. I'm not close enough to see if it could be crochet, but it looked like knitting at first glance.

>52 scaifea: That's so much fun!

>59 mabith: Thanks! The patrons seem to be enjoying it. Now I have to figure out what to do with a giant knitted death star once I take it all down in a few days...

The Star Wars knits look great, but yeah, what did you end up doing with the Death Star? A decorative cushion?

>61 PawsforThought: I gave it away to a very excited SW fan/older patron.

I can finally share what I've been working on, since my library system has now revealed the Summer Library Program theme (Adventure Starts at the Library). My branch is interpreting that as "Adventures in Mythology," and so we've been working on items for our yarn art display. Here are my first two projects finished, Zeus and Medusa:

Those are so cute!!

Wow! That's so cool! I love Medusa!

Thanks, folks! Next up: Athene.

Absolutely fabulous!

>67 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura!

Those are so cute, Amber!

Oh my gosh, those are great, and I especially love Medusa.

Thanks, folks!

love those!

Thanks, everyone!

Work on Athene is coming along - I've got the torso done and am working on her head at the moment. Meanwhile, I finally finished knitting the cowl I've been working on for ages:

oooh, that's nice Amber. Great colors.

Laura's right - great colors!

Love the colors in the scarf.

All of your projects look great, Amber!

Thanks, everyone!

I've been hard at work on the Summer Library Program display, and I'm happy to say that Mount Olympus is finished!



I'm also working on a smaller Norse Myth display, but it's awaiting a colleague's Odin. I will share my Loki, though:

Wow! That's amazing work!

That's really incredible! Such a lot of work.

>79 scaifea: absolutely brilliant, Amber. And huge! I had no idea. Great job!

Thanks, folks! I had a lot of fun putting together that mountain. Lots of cardboard and hot glue, plus a pool noodle or two...

That is great. I bet a lot of people take pictures.

>79 scaifea: Wow, Amazing!!!

>79 scaifea: Mount Olympus looks great!

>79 scaifea: Late to the party but this looks so great!