Pins & Needles, er, Hooks

I spent yesterday afternoon placing the final touches on the freeform jacket I had started earlier this year.  Let me tell you, entering items into competition is a sure-fire motivator to get those stalled projects going!  LOL

Why that happens, stalling I mean, no one really knows for sure.  We can put the blame on our busy lives, but I tend to think that would be a lie.  I think it's the yarn's fault.  Oh, no, not the yarn we're currently working with.  No, that yarn has already settled into the routine of things; found it's place in the "pecking order" of our stashes, and on the list of projects we have planned. 

No, I'm talking about the new kid on the block -- you know, the fibers that jump into our arms as we visit local yarn shops where they all cry like newborns.  "Pick me up," they wail.  "Take me home," they coo.  "Play with me now!" they scream.  You get the picture.  Yeah.  It's the new kid, the new yarns, we bring home that causes the project disruption.  Don't even get me started on beads & buttons!  They're culprits too!

So finally getting that freeform jacket done yesterday was a great feeling!  I do hope I got all the pins out!  [yikes!]

Along with the jacket, I also prepared the tank top and the "Lacy Leaf Cocoon" that is featured in the Spring issue of Interweave Press' "Crochet magazine," and the sun dress I created for my daughter to wear/model at the Fashion Show. These are the three things I decided to enter into our local Bridgewater Fair competition.

My daughter entered a crocheted purse and a knitted scarf.

While we won't know how we faired (nice pun, eh?) until Sunday, I think we already won.  No, not in the sense of a Ribbon, but more so in promoting crochet. While we were dropping our entries off last night the pieces received a lot of compliments from the fair workers/volunteers; even a discussion into the freeform process took place. So, in my mind, if the workers/volunteers are interested in our crochet works, then perhaps fairgoers will also be interested.  And if one of them -- just one! -- is then inspired to pick up a crochet hook then I accomplished what I set out to do.  (Isn't this the cue where someone should hand me some pom poms??)   "Rah!  Go Crochet!"   {{Big Grins}}