Japanese Diagram Crochet......Again

This last week I finished these two little layette items.  But once again, as you can see from the lovely glossy photos of the book, and the more altruistic pics of the finished product ~ I have once again meandered from the actual pattern into some other territory.  Why do I change up the pattern?  I don't know ~ maybe it's some inherent desire to be as orginal as possible despite the fact that I am following someone else's bit of creativity.  Perhaps it's a nod to the idea that each creation is an original, simply because it is new, though created from string & sticks.  But I think maybe the real reason might be that I just get bored.  By the end of the pattern, I am starting to think that I might never finish it if I don't change up SOMETHING. 
It's strange, really ~ because at the beginning I am so drawn to the adorable little item in the pretty book ~ my eyes glaze over as I try to imagine what yarn, what size hook, what colors ....In fact, sometimes I am so enchanted with the tempting photo that I even use the same color scheme, hook size & yarn as the pattern suggests! 
But then, invariably, half-way through, I become disallusioned, disoriented, and disinterested.  So much Dissing.

Oh how cute the picture is ~ look, they even have examples in TWO colors.... funny thing is ~ that hoody was the main attractant of this particular pattern in the beginning.   But then... well, I got almost half-way through the hood ( yes, yes, yes, it WAS the last part of the project......) & I folded down that hood, and Lo & Behold ~ check it out ~ it made a pretty cute collar.  SOOOO.... in the interest of just ending it right there, I did.  Unfortunately, the second cutest thing about that little hoody sweater was the pom pom buttons, which no longer looked right with just a collar.  And so, once again, I hold up my finished piece and sigh ~ yah, not quite what I had in mind.  On the other hand, it's not like the arm is sewn onto the collar, so there's that.

And here is a little layette set, again, in the colors shown in the lovely tempting glossy... unfortunately, not just like it, though.  I did booties instead of a hat ( which is silly, cuz I KNOW how to do hats... I just didn't have the fortitude to muggle through another hat, i guess), I did buttons instead of ties....

And quite honestly, at the end, I wasn't all that happy with the turn-out.  Again.  Big surprise.  I know ~ heart-stopping really.  On the other hand, it's one more item done. 

What I really need around here is an actual baby to try stuff on.  ( Ang, that hint was special for you ~;-D )
Isn't it the babies that just grab your heart & make you want to make those adorable things?  And since I can't read Japanese, I never know who the photographer is, but they choose the CUTEST little people! 

I think I'm done working in yellow & white for quite a long time ~ besides which, I ran out of most of the cheapo acrylic baby weight yarn.  I still have some pink & blue, though.  So, in an effort to use it up, I am now working on a little pink pineapple kimono.  Probably with a white bodice.  And I want to do a little dress in pink with a rusty orange cape & a red hat & gloves.  My kids are a bit shocked at the color combo's, but I like to remind them that I was a 70's child & have a right to certain ~hippy-ish~ moments.

On a more fun note ~ my two daughters & I are going to Women's Conference this weekend!  We are going to be spending 3 or 4 days in Provo.  I am looking forward to lots of crochet time.  They usually have projects that they hand out & then you return them finished, & they get sent off to the Humanitarian Center.  

They get thousands of finished projects this way, & it's so much fun to participate in!