Crochet and Other Random Interests

Yep, I actually have an update!

2009-05-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, the super secret thing I was knitting is finally finished. It only took 4 months...

I suppose it could have been worse. About half way through, I realized that throwing was just too slow. I watched about fifty videos of speed knitters online and decided that I just HAD to learn continental style.

I have to admit, it seemed like quite the daunting task at first but the videos I watched were so helpful! I picked it up so incredibly fast and now I am officially a speed knitter.

So, if I hadn't learned continental, I would probably still be working on the shawl. Anyway, the shawl was a gift for my mom. Originally meant for her birthday back in February - I finished it just in time for Mother's Day. I cannot remember where I got the stitch pattern from, but it was called the Waterfall stitch. It's kind of a false cable stitch. It's really quite pretty and lacey. Thank you whoever created that stitch!

I also can't find the yarn wrapping, so I have no idea what yarn it is I used. That is definitely the disadvantage to working on a project for more than a month. I lose things or my husband throws things away. (He hates clutter). Anyway, here it is in all its glory!

Pretty, huh?

I've got a pattern written for a cute cardigan I want to make with some bamboo cotton blend yarn I found. I'll have to let you know how it goes. :) No secret projects for the time being.

Thanks for reading.

It's been awhile...

2009-03-14T23:02:00.001-07:00

Funny how my posts seemed to stop around the time I got a new job. I've been busy as hell and have had very little time for knitting or crocheting. Lameness. I am working on an undercover project, but it is slow going. I'm still learning how to knit, so I'm still a bit slow at it. I could have crocheted 4 of what I'm making in the time it has taken me so far...and I'm only a 1/4 of the way through my project. :( I've got to learn Continental. It seems like it would be so much faster. I am trying to update more often, so check back for new stuff!

I Won! I Won!

2008-10-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleasantly surprised! I was one of the 20 winners of the First Plurk Design-Off Contest. :) Read about it and Plurk (the coolest most awesome communities on the web ever) here: First Plurk Design-Off Winners. Still haven't seen anything about that gift certificate, but I am so happy people liked my little plurk creature. I think I posted a picture of him before, but for shits and giggles here he is again...

I wasn't totally pleased with how he turned out (I *suck* at sewing) and I would have added some more color to him. He's pretty cool though. I guess I'll not be ashamed of him anymore. :P

Look for a new post tomorrow! I finally got to give my sister her broomstick lace baby blanket, so I will be posting pics and a quick tip or two on making broomstick lace. Until then...Go to plurk and sign up. It is fun fun fun. :)

Broomstick Lace Shawl Pattern! It's here!

2008-08-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

After much delay, I'm finally getting around to posting my new pattern. The pattern is written in multiples of 7, so if you need to adjust it just make sure you start the base chain at a multiple of 7 plus 1. I'm calling it the Meryle shawl, for my Mother-In-Law.

Here is what the shawl looks like when finished:

If you are unfamiliar with how to make broomstick lace, I highly recommend watching this video: Intro to Broomstick Lace. Just watch the series (it's short and easy to follow) and you will be ready to make this beautiful pattern!

You will need:

A lightweight varigated yarn of your choice (TLC Baby Ultra Soft was used in the example above)
A 4mm or 5mm crochet hook
A 1/2 inch wooden dowel

Chain 189

Row 1 - sc in each stitch across

Row 2 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 3 - Join in groups of 7 loops with 7 dc in each loop group (for the first group, insert your hook through the loops, ss, chain 3 to count as first dc and then 6 more dc in group)

Row 4 - Repeat Row 2

Row 5 - Repeat Row 3

Row 6 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 175 stitches

Row 7 - Repeat Row 3

Row 8 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 9 - Repeat Row 3

Row 10 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 161 stitches

Row 11 - Repeat Row 3

Row 12 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 13 - Repeat Row 3

Row 14 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 147 stitches

Row 15 - Repeat Row 3

Row 16 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 17 - Repeat Row 3

Row 18 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 133 stitches

Row 19 - Repeat Row 3

Row 20 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 21 - Repeat Row 3

Row 22 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 119 stitches

Row 23 - Repeat Row 3

Row 24 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 25 - Repeat Row 3

Row 26 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 105 stitches

Row 27 - Repeat Row 3

Row 28 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 29 - Repeat Row 3

Row 30 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 91 stitches

Row 31 - Repeat Row 3

Row 32 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 33 - Repeat Row 3

Row 34 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 77 stitches

Row 35 - Repeat Row 3

Row 36 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 37 - Repeat Row 3

Row 38 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 63 stitches

Row 39 - Repeat Row 3

Row 40 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 41 - Repeat Row 3

Row 42 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 49 stitches

Row 43 - Repeat Row 3

Row 44 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 45 - Repeat Row 3

Row 46 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 35 stitches

Row 47 - Repeat Row 3

Row 48 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 49 - Repeat Row 3

Row 50 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 21 stitches

Row 51 - Repeat Row 3

Row 52 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 53 - Repeat Row 3

Row 54 - ss in first 7 stitches, draw up loops through the next 7 stitches

Row 55 - Repeat Row 3

Row 56 - Draw up loops through each stitch across onto broomstick

Row 57 - Repeat Row 3. Finish off.

For the border:

I unfortunately did not write out the border as I crocheted it. :( I always forget something. The pictures I took for the blog don't show the start of the drop stitch shell pattern, and I cannot remember how I began it. I already gave the shawl to my MIL, so alas...no pattern. Boo! It's ok, I deserve to be boo-ed for this. I might be making another one soon. If so, I will record the pattern as I go along. But, basically, to make the angle of the triangle from the steps of the loop groups...slip stitch into the furthest stitch out in the group, chain 6, ss into the next step down's further stitch out, all the way down. This will give you a nice flat base to work from. The drop stitch shell pattern came immediately to mind when I was working on this. The long part (for around the neck), was done in an alternating front post/back post double crochet over 6 rows. I'm really sorry I don't have the pattern for the border. :(

If anyone tries this pattern and finds something wrong with it, please contact me so I can alter the original pattern. Also, please don't sell this pattern or claim it as your own because it took me forever to get it the way I wanted it. Seriously, I'll be mad. And I am internet savvy. I will find you. :)

I hope you enjoy this pattern. The basic broomstick lace pattern presented here makes a beautiful fabric for afghans, shawls, scarves, skirts, etc, etc. It works up fast and looks much more complicated than it really is. :) Don't be afraid of the broomstick. It is your friend.

The Need for Speed

2008-08-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have a deadline. One of my Mother-In-Laws' birthday is on Wednesday and my darling husband asked me to make her something. Which is fine. But, give me say...more than 2 days. He wasn't thinking ahead and yeah, I have two days to make this thing.

Two freaking days.

I wanted to knit a shawl for her, but after three failed attempts to follow a pattern...I decided (in the best interest of TIME) to crochet something instead. Wracking my brain for a fast shawl, I decided on Broomstick or the very apt knickname: Jiffy lace. Booyah. I'm working it in a step fashion so once the edging is done it will be one big triangle.

I really enjoyed writing this pattern up. I was able to set the base chain at a prime number, have each loop section be in groups of seven, and have every single row contain an odd number of stitches. Oh, the happy happy joy!

I will be posting the pattern once the shawl is complete...just in case I screwed something up. But, so far, it's looking nice. I wish I had more time to make this. I would have ordered a nice wool yarn. However, I had virtually no prep time (think about 3 hours), so I ended up with a very soft baby yarn in a soft, subtle blue/green/purple colorway. It's really pretty yarn and worked up in the broomstick lace, it makes a nice soft fabric. It has a surprisingly lovely drape so far, which I can only imagine will get better as the piece gets larger. I'm really excited to see how it turns out.

At this point all I can say is...it's a damn good thing I am a speed crocheter. I think I can do this. But, I have to get back to it instead of writing this inexpectedly long blog post. :)

Look for the pattern by Wednesday! 'Cause if it's going to get done...it's got to get done by then.

Cast On...and Away!

2008-08-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever in my whole entire life...I tried to knit. It wasn't pretty. Casting on was easy. Then, I tried the knit stitch and failed miserably. M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-Y. Stitches kept flying off the needle and the work was snaking around the other needle like a spiral staircase. Then, I dropped a stitch.

After the long and graphic string of curses finished their mass exodus from my mouth, I threw the needles down like a little kid and stomped off to the other room. Oh how I hate when I cannot do something.

I thought maybe I would just go work on the shawl for my mom, but that damn swatch drew me back in. Those needles weren't going to get the better of me.

I tried again, keeping the yarn looser than before. I finished one row, then another, then another...then thought, "Ok, I've got this. Gotta try to purl now." After the same episode was repeated twice I finally got that down too. Only problem was...I had two more stitches than what I had started with!

How the hell did that happen? I still don't know. If any of you knitters out there have any suggestions as to what happened and how to avoid it...I'm all ears.

Here is my sad excuse of a swatch:

I don't think it's that bad, but the added stitches are bothering me. I need to know what I'm doing wrong. But, now I know stockinette and garter stitch. Woot!

On another note, I was finally invited to Ravelry! I think that is what really spurred on this whole learning to knit thing. Plus, I want to make some clothes and usually knit looks better than crocheted. I cannot wait to use Ravelry to it's full potential! :)

I've met a lot of great knitting/crochet/fiber arts people on Plurk. They have been very helpful and supportive cheering me on. I love my Plurky friends!

To honor Plurk and all of its goodness, I decided to make some Plurk creatures. Here's the one I've finished:

He's cute! I found out that I really suck at sewing. So, one more thing to practice! He turned out ok, but he's missing something. I just don't know what yet.

That's all for now, but you can bet there will be more updates soon! And pictures of the beautiful broomstick lace shawl!

My new love...broomstick lace!

2008-08-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with variations of the broomstick lace pattern. I can't help it. I love trying different multipliers and changing things up a bit. I was working the basic 4 loop stitch but with each row I finished the more irritated I became. It was floppy and the loops looked stupid. I wanted a sturdier finished product, one that could withstand multiple washings without wearing out.

I decided to try a 5 loop, but that still didn't do it for me. I went up to 8 loops and wow. I really liked how it looked. I should have taken a picture before I dismantled it. For the pattern I made for the main part of the blanket I used 7 loops because I'm weird and need patterns to be based off of odd numbers and primes. Don't ask, can't help it don't know. Anyway, I can't show you a picture of this yet because it is a gift for someone. Ahem. But, once the gift is given you will all enjoy basking in the glory of it because it is freaking gorgeous.

I was messing around with a new pattern for a shawl using broomstick lace. I finally got the pattern the way I wanted it. My first few attempts ended up loses stitches somehow (still can't figure out how that happened), but the newest is awesome. It's pretty, delicate and it goes really fast. Here's a picture of the tester I did in some lame white baby yarn:

I love the definition of the stitches and how the openings make a pattern as well as the stitches themselves. This makes me happy.

This, however, doesn't translate through boucle AT ALL. This is/was the boucle shawl's beginning few rows. (beautiful yarn, really)

The pattern doesn't translate at all. It looks like crap. So, lesson learned...if you care about stitch definition, even in the slightest, don't use boucle yarn. I've found that cotton yarn looks fabulous using the pattern though, so guess I'm using that.
I'm working on many, many, many projects at the moment. I have to finish some of these to make room for many more. :)

I've never been happier

2008-08-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

...To finish a project. Jesus. This thing took way too long. The main part was quick and easy enough, but the lace border I decided to use...that's another story. Took about an hour per section, there were four sections to the border and then I had to sew the stupid thing on. Then, there were gaps between the border sections, so I had to fanagle it so it didn't look fugly when finished. I think it turned out ok, but you be the judge...

Here is a close up of the Pineapple Lace Border:

Yeah, it's pretty, but it is also tedious and tremendously taxing. My fingers hurt, same with the wrists and forearms. Arrrrgh.

Funny story...last week when I started to work on the border, I nearly impaled my finger with the crochet hook. I had NO IDEA it was possible to get cut by one of these buggers, but yep. Thankfully blood did not get all over the piece because then I would have lost my mind. I had (and still do) a neat little slice on my finger....The finger I use to hold and stabilize the work. It's all good though. My lace calluses are back and the piece is finally finished! Wooooo! There will be more because I'm making not one but TWO baby blankets coming up soon. Two pregnant sisters. What are the chances of that? Until next time...

It's been awhile...

2008-06-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

And as usual, I've been super busy. So here's a fun (stupid) story for you...

So, I, thinking that I will make a bunch of cash, rent a space at a local "Craft Fair". I crochet a TON of stuff to sell and it all looks fabulous. I wake up at 6 am to get to the "Craft Fair" by 7 am. I get there and what do I see? Rows and rows of complete and utter CRAP. So, this "Craft Fair" turned out to be a "Flea Market" with customers to match. No wanted to buy high end handmade stuff...they wanted to buy someone's trash. It sucked. At least my sister was with me, otherwise I would have been bored to death!

So, I have to get rid of some of this stuff I made. My enterprising husband suggested putting it all in an eBay store. So, yeah. I did. Well, some of it anyway. :) Here's some of the stuff I made...

The Pineapple Doily!

This was made with cotton yarn...I guess sport weight? Here's a closeup. It's preeeetty.

I was getting tired of using the size 10 cotton thread, so I made this one with yarn that didn't cut into my flesh. Don't get me wrong...I really like making lace. However, I need breaks from it. I have so many calluses from the thread - it's just ridiculous.

Anyway, this is one piece that gave me calluses for sure.

The Super Fantastic Dragon Filet Crochet Thingy!

This is my very own pattern...and it was a pain in the ass! I mean...look at the thing! I'm still recovering, but soon I will make an awesome fleur de lis border, perhaps with a picot edging. :) It took forever to make this. I wasn't able to spend hours at a time on it, so I never really got into a rhythm. Shame. I kinda wanted to make another one of these so I could have them facing each other. Maybe with some kind of a family crest in the middle. I dunno. Right now, I just want my hands not to hurt!:P

This is one of the several granny square purses I made:

And the liner inside:

My mom stitched the liners for me and I think the purses are really freaking adorable. This is my favorite one. It's so colorful! I really like that blue with the red too. Makes me think of those Sweettart Ropes. Mmmmm...they are tasty.

Ok, so there is more, but Photobucket is really slow right now and my patience is wearing thin.

If any of you are interested...check out my eBay store. It's not just crochet. Not yet anyway. :P There's a ton of DVD's and some rare comics and stuff. One day I will break down and open an Etsy store. But...not yet. No. Not yet. Anyways, here's the Store! Handmade Crochet and Collectibles

Yay! I'm a teacher! (Kinda)

2008-05-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday, I taught my first "class" how to crochet granny squares. :) Well, my class was a group of my friends. It went a little slowly at first, as one of my friends is a lefty. She managed without specific help, which was awesome. All of them have done some crochet, but they are mainly knitters. Which is why I giggled at them the whole time. :) They hold their yarn and guide the yarn instead of mastering the hook. I was quite impressed with how quickly some of them picked it up. For example, my best friend started off VERY slowly but when it was done it looked great. She then made two more after I left! :) That makes me happy. I think all of them need to work more on their tension. I think the knitting fingers had a lot to do with that. :P All in all, it was lots of fun. They want another crochet night, so I'll have to come up with a project with some new stitches for them to learn. I think that will be lots of fun. :)

Life Gets In Your Eyes

2008-04-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like every time I actually schedule time to do some crochet work, something else comes up. I am in crunch time making a present for my mom's boss/friend and I don't think I'm going to be able to do it. First, it was money. Then, it was something wrong with my gallbladder (possibly). That still continues. Anyway, then it came back to money again. Why can't people do what they love and get paid for it???? Sorry for sounding a little bitter, but at times...

Sigh.

So, in addition to all the stuff I already have on the back burner, I just had to add something else into the mix. Now it's a straight up job search. Awesome. No time, no fun. I even have an idea for a novel that is pretty much unraveling itself in my head, but do I have time to write it out? No. Why would I? Anyway, there will be more pictures of things. Eventually. I have no idea what kind of time I'm going to have. I don't know anything anymore!

I Promised...

2008-03-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

I totally promised some updates awhile ago, so here we go.

I've been busy. Very busy. I'm working on a present for a friend of mine who will be having a baby girl soon. I can't say what it is, because she reads my posts. :) Pictures to come after she receives the totally awesome, amazingly fantastic thing I'm making.

Anyway, I was commissioned to make a lace name thing for my Great Aunt, which turned out very nicely. I finally blocked something! Though, I ran out of pins so it is not perfectly even. Grr...

This was made with a size 10 cotton thread and a size 5 (1.9mm) steel hook.

I also had the fabulous fortune to get a coupon in the mail from Jo Ann fabrics for 40% off. So...I took my time browsing the ridiculously priced yarn. I found some Patton's Merino in denim and immediately fell in love. I got a 5.99 skein for 3.50 something. Booyah! I got home and immediately began crocheting. I made some socks! I looked at patterns online, but I knew they wouldn't work for me with just one skein and two rather large feet. (I'm a size 11 womens. I know, it's weird.) Anyway, I got two very comfy socks out of a 3.50 skein of wool. I freaking love it.
These were made with Patton's merino wool and a 4mm aluminum crochet hook.

Awhile ago, I was working on a dog jacket for my parents' dog, Patrick. I keep forgetting to get a picture of it on him, but here is a detail of the stitch patten I used. Once again, totally original. I like doing the math part of crochet, what can I say? :)
This was made with 3 balls of Vanna's Choice yarn in Autumn and a 4.5 mm crochet hook.

I am still working on a few other things. I'm making a really neat looking drop stitch blanket for our attic room. It looks really neat, and despite the very open shell pattern...it's pretty damn cozy. I'll post pictures when that one is finished. I'm totally going to make some bitching lace border for it. Oh yeah. I've also been commissioned to make several more of those lace name thingies. I don't have a name for them. They aren't really doilies, but they aren't big enough to be table runners. Therefore, they are thingies. I have to really move my ass on two of those actually. Damn. I'm suddenly very busy with commissioned crochet! I love it. Let me say again here that if you want something made...let me know. I love, LOVE doing this. :) Though, it would be nice to get paid for it. :P I'd love to crochet for a living. That would rule the universe.

Yeah, so I'm one of those people and take pictures of my cats. I have to share this one, because it epitomizes the very nature of cat-ness. This is The Peach It:

He's the handsomest, laziest cat I know. I have two other cats, but I won't bore you. Even though they are just as awesome as The Peach It.

Check back for more crocheted stuff. The weather is warming up and I'm thinking...tank tops. Oh HELL yeah!

Drawing Time...Oh, yeah.

2008-03-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

Woooo! So I finally got some inspiration to draw. It was fabulous. I woke up this morning with a Beatles song stuck in my head. (It was I, Me, Mine) So, after nearly driving me crazy all day, I decided to just draw it out. :) I love it. Will be posting more projects soon. Just had to show off some ink and paper!

Here is a close up of the old man's eye:

I really wanted to make him look real, out of all the weird shit on the paper. I don't know if I achieved that or not. I am the WORST at deciding if my shit is good. I like the way it turned out, so I guess that's all that matters. That's right! I said it!

Completing Projects

2008-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

I've actually become rather proficient with finishing things! Wooo! Go me. I finished the dog jacket blanket thingy I was making for my mom's dog, Patrick. He's the cutest big little dog ever. He's an Irish Setter. Anyway, I will be presenting the finished project tomorrow. I'm going to fit it to him with the last two pieces. They just need to be whipstitched on, so it will only take a second or two. :) Another project completely created by moi.

I finished the chart for a gift I'm making for my mom's employer's mom. Haha. It's more lace, and I gotta say...it is pretty damn cool looking. I can't wait to make it. My mom cracks me up. She keeps calling me from Walmart to see if I need any yarn or cotton thread. I gotta come up with something else cool to make for her. :) Pictures to come tomorrow. I have some now, but I wanted to show the jacket blanket thingy on his glorious red coat.

Woot!!!

2008-02-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

Yes! So my mom loved her birthday present. :) That makes me so happy. I love making beautiful things for my mom. A few other birthday guests decided they wanted to commission me to make stuff for them!!! Yay! So, maybe this is the start of something good for me. I love it. I can't wait to make these designs! More pictures soon as I work on and complete these projects. Oh yeah, and there will be pics of a dog blanket jacket soon.

Itsy Bitsy

2008-02-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

No, not that damn spider. Itsy bitsy cotton thread. There is smaller, but this is the smallest I've gone so far. Size 10 cotton thread. Small thread calls for a small hook. This is also the smallest hook I've ever used. Ever.

It is a 1.9 mm, 5 steel hook. Yeah, millimeters.

Anyway, once I got used to the extra tight gauge, it all went pretty smoothly. However, to get used to the extra tight gauge, I actually completed this project once. Then, I looked at it and said, "Oh, hell no!". Then, I proceded (to my husband's astonishment) to unravel the whole thing and start over. Really made them tight.

As it turns out, I ended up using half the thread from the original project to make the new and improved, gift-worthy one. It looks awesome. And the lace edging! Oh, I really like doing it. It looks awesome and becomes kinda hypnotic after awhile. Teeny tiny thread with a teeny tiny needle requires concentration, which leaves no room for anything else. I guess you could say it has become a form of meditation for me. :P

Here is an under construction picture:

Before the panel and edging became one. Haha. Funny story about that...I had to rip off the edging because I totally forgot to flip the panel over before sewing it on. Boo. But, it came off easily so I did it right the second time. I swear, I'm such an idiot sometimes.

Here is the finished project!

It is for my mom, for her birthday. Yay! She's going to love it. I made this pattern myself, and put it in chart form. It was easy really to read, and if I hadn't screwed up the gauge so badly the first time, this would have taken me about 3 hours or so, with an hour for the lace edging. What can I say? It's so small...

Teensy weensy. The lace edging, by the way, is called the Shell Path Edging. I found it on about.com by Sandi Marshall. The pattern is easy to follow, except for the transition from Row 9 back to Row 5 for the repeat. Do NOT turn your work. It will make you angry. That's the only place you shouldn't turn your work. Everywhere else Sandi says...do it.

What I find to be so cool about using such tiny thread is that it doesn't split or unravel. It's pretty awesome. The thread itself is also fairly inexpensive. You could probably make 3 very large doilies, or a whole bunch of smaller ones with one roll. A roll cost me 2.99. Can't beat that.

Look for more lace soon! I really like it. Also, I'm starting to write my pattern for a large dog jacket blanket. You'll understand when you see it. It is like a horse blanket, just for dogs. I am also working on a pair of convertible fingerless gloves. Booyah.

Puff the Magic Dragon...

2008-01-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

Not that puff. This puff:

I finally did it. I made a hat. (For myself). :) After making all of those granny squares, the idea got into my head that puff stitches were the coolest things ever. I wonder why.

I needed to make a hat because I lost mine. It was also crocheted, but nothing as cool as this. Basically, it is puff stitches. That's about it. There were some increases and decreases in there, as I wanted it to fit closely to my head. I love winging these projects. They always seem to turn out well. It is so thick, it stands up by itself.

I don't know why my camera refuses to take proper pictures. The colors in this don't look anything like it does in person. It is black with a moss green to lavendar gradient. See? It fits perfectly!

You even get a glimpse of the hubster in the background. :P

So, the puff stitch is awesome. To do the puff stitch, yo, insert hook in indicated stitch and pull up a long loop. Do this three times. Yo, and pull through all seven remaining loops. Chain one to lock. Easy, right? It really is, and the texture is awesome. Try it!

A Granny In Her Twenties...

2008-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Well, not really. I discovered granny squares! I absolutely love love love making these. They are small, fast, incorporate lots of different stitches, look cool, and you can make so much stuff with them. I love it. I've got totally batty and crocheted about a dozen of them. Granted...I screwed a couple of them up. I guess they are fixable, but they are still messed up looking. :( Boooooo.

So, it's show off time! I'll even show you a few of the retarded looking ones to show some humility. If you want the patterns for any of these, please visit Crochet Pattern Central and the two I remember...Moon Granny Square and Sunburst Granny Square. They are great patterns!

I don't know why, but my camera refused to capture the correct color. This granny is bright (and I mean BRIGHT) orange, Christmas green and white.

I love how the puff stitches look next to the cluste stitches. I totally dig it. Oh yeah, did I mention that I haven't woven in the ends yet? I really hate doing it. Oh, and none of them are blocked yet either.

This one is really beautiful. It was a little confusing at first, but once you figure it out, it is really really nice. This is the Moon granny square.

Here's a close up of the stitches. You tell me it doesn't look awesome. Go ahead.

See? It's freaking awesome.

Here's one of the retarded ones. This one is easy enough to fix. I don't remember the name of this one, but I know it is on CPC somewhere.

Not that you wouldn't have seen it without the red circle and arrow...

I screwed this one up too, but it isn't as noticable. This is somewhere on CPC too.

I love the colors on this one. This is the same as the Sunburst, just different colors. Awesome.

I like the stained glass look the black gives to this one. I want to make more of these...maybe bigger.

I have more, but it is late and I am tired. So, my new obsession. Oh yes. Still working on the lace. It is very time consuming and using a teensy weensy little steel hook and size 20 cotton thread is seriously a pain. But, it looks so nice that I want to do it, so I'll get it eventually. Oh yes, I will.

I've Been Busy

2008-01-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

As the title implies...I've been very busy lately. My husband decided that I should have my own room to paint, draw, sew, etc, etc. So, we moved my drafting table and a bazillion other things down into one of our spare bedrooms. Squeeee! It's awesome. I now have a library, arts, and crafts room. Complete with a tv that doesn't work Woo!

All silliness aside, as soon as my stuff was in one place my brain just exploded with all these ideas. So, without further ado...a pictural journey of my work in the past couple (?) of weeks. I don't even remember.

I've been crocheting more again after my brief hiatus (much to the chagrin of my husband). I finally got the guts to try filet crochet and you know what? It isn't all that hard to do. For more information on how this was made, please check out: Easier Than You Think

This is the table runner!

Yes, those are my husband's magazines. But, how cool does that look?

I also had the privilege to get a picture of one of the scarves I made for Christmas, but forgot to take a picture of. Please read previous post...something about me being stupid. Anyway...this one was my absolute favorite. Ted likes unicorns, and the color pink.

His wife tells me he likes to wear it.

These are just some cool clouds I saw last week. I like that you can see the sun through the clouds.

I am almost embarrassed to post these, but since no one knows how I am anyway...I figured why not. I tried watercolor painting for the first time this week. I don't know if what I made is good or what. I look at other peoples' paintings and they look good. I look at mine and think...this doesn't look like theirs. I dunno. I did make a sweet nebula. I have named it the Seahorse Nebula. Maybe it exists.

Close up of one of the crappy paintings. Sorry about the shadows, I couldn't escape their clutches.

This is the Seahorse Nebula. I like this one.

So, yes. I was busy. I hope to have pictures of LACE in a few days. That's right. I'm doing lace now. Booyah!

From Crochet to Painting and Back Again

2008-01-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

I had an exlosion of creativity last night! Woooo! I tried my hand at watercolor painting. I gotta say, after my very first attempt I think I've got the hang of it. I will have pictures up soon. I made a nebula! :)

Other than watercolors, I've also been doing some little crochet work. I finally figured out filet crochet, and I made a cute heart table runner for my mom. (Again, pictures up soon). My crowning achievement this week though, was definitely the crocheted gladiator helmet I made. No pattern (again), just worked off of my head and a real helmet. This I have a picture of.

Don't look at my silly face...look at the helmet! I'm going to be making many more of these, in many more styles. :)

Look out for more stuff! I'm getting back in the groove...

Playing Teacher

2008-01-11T10:47:00.001-08:00

So, my mom is coming up tomorrow to learn some stitches. I can't believe I'm going to be teaching her. She's the one who taught me how to do the sc, dc and tc. I think it is cool she wants to learn to make other things. I'm going to show her how to do rounds so she can make cat toys and I think I'll show her post stitches since they are so versatile. Needless to say...I'm excited! Plus, I can show off my new found ability to NOT SMOKE. (I'm proud of myself, what can I say). If we finish anything, I'll be sure to take pictures and post them here.

Woot woot for teaching crochet!

Back Burner

2008-01-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, life is a pain in my ass and requires me to shift my attention and energy to the making of money. I would much rather crochet, but apparently that is just not meant to be. :(

So, in the time that I am not working on my store, work, and selling my possessions on eBay...I guess I'll be crocheting. Or sleeping. I officially hate money. Anyone want to buy something from me? Let me know.

Until later...

Good News and Bad News

2007-12-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

The good news is...I managed to get the new digital camera software working. Yay! Bad news...I lost all of the pictures I took of all the scarves I gave people. Very bad news. I'm so upset about this. What am I going to do? Go around to everyone I gave a scarf to and be like..."Hey, can I get a picture of that scarf I gave you..." Yeah, no. So, all is left to the imagination unless someone wears one while I have my camera. :(

I took some new pictures of the zip up hoodie I am working on though, so you can see some progress. I'm doing stuff, I swear! :)

This is one of the front panels:

I like the way the cable looks, and it is going to look so much more awesome when I put it all together with the green cables.

Here is one of the sleeves (I like them long)

I might have to go buy more yarn, though I hope to avoid that as I'm sure the dye lots won't match. We'll see. Maybe I'll fanangle some way of incorporating more green, since I have so much of it. Go boucle!

Soft, gorgeous zip up hoodie

2007-12-30T18:44:00.000-08:00

Oh, yeah. That's right. I jumped straight from scarves and amigurumi to a zip up hoodie. I've got the sleeves done, as well as one front panel. It looks awesome and is going to fit like a dream. I'm so excited to get it done! I think my husband is getting jealous of my time with the yarn. :P So, maybe I'll take a day off. Or...maybe not.

Anyway, the hoodie is my very own pattern. I'm kinda winging it, but charting out stitches and decreases, etc, etc before I start a panel. There are six row cable stitches, four row cable stitches, front post, and alternating front and back post stitches.

I plan on continuing the six row cable from the arm to the hood "brim". I'm not sure what I am going to do with the hood yet. I want to make it really cool, and definitely big enough without being silly. The hoodie won't be thick enough for a coat, but it sure will be nice to wear around the house and in the spring when it gets a little warmer. I worked it in hdc's because I thought it looked cramped with the sc's.

I'm going to make some moss green cables to connect all of my panels (the main color is varigated brown boucle). I think the contrasting color will look really nice and the cables just rule. I still have to buy a zipper, but I thought I'd get the actual piece done before I mess around with that. So, one more front panel, a back panel, hood, trim and zipper. And possibly pockets. I loooooooove pockets.

Unfortunately, no pics yet. The new camera software is proving to be difficult to install. So...yeah. One day, hopefully soon, I will post a gazillion pictures. Because I really do have that many. Really.

New Camera, New Projects!

2007-12-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

So, my parents were good to me and bought me a new digital camera for Christmas. I took new pictures of the scarves I made for everyone and can't wait to get the software up and running. The pictures are so sharp...it is amazing! And the colors look true, which is really nice for crochet items. So, hopefully this evening I will be able to upload these pictures! woooooo.

My upcoming projects may be delayed due to my new work load. But, I plan on making a zip up hoodie, some comfy pants and a really cool hat. Yay!

Not a Crochet Blog

2007-12-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well, not really. I am still in crunch time with these scarves. I have two more to do, plus the hubby's! What am I going to do? I have no idea.

What I actually wanted to write about is the 20 dozen assorted chocolate truffles I just finished making. (Finally) They are really easy to make, but man did it take forever! The rolling and shaping are what take so much time. You whip up each flavor in a few minutes, wait an hour and then start rolling. Before you know it, it is about 7 hours later and your back and feet really hurt. But, they look delicious! My personal favorite unique recipe is: The Super Happy Fun Time Ball. It contains hardened ganache of the following flavors...milk chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter all surrounding marshmallow, covered in granulated or confectioners sugar. How freaking awesome is that? Yeah, I'm the best. Looks like just about everyone I know will be getting some truffles.

I hope I can finish these damned scarves before tomorrow!!! Look for new pictures of finished projects after Christmas, when I can safely post them here! :)

Pre-Christmas Update

2007-12-22T19:17:00.001-08:00

Woot! So, I have two scarves left to crochet! I also had enough time to make REALLY cute cat toys for everyone I know who has little aliens. What? They are aliens. Anyway, I crocheted this one scarf using two colors at the same time. This was a first for me. It was difficult at first to keep the two colors on the hook, but after awhile, it was just flying through my hands. :) Once I get in that groove, I go so fast. Speed crochet! :)

I really liked the way the two colors looked together, and how the cables looked. Yes, I switched to one color for the cables, carried the other color, and just brought them together again after the cables. It looks pretty sweet.

You are probably wondering, where are the pictures dammit? I need the pictures! And so you do. However, my wonderful parents gave me my Christmas present early...a brand new fancy digital camera! My old camera was kinda busted from when my niece got a hold of it. This one is AWESOME. I just have to hook up software, etc, etc, etc...then there shall be pictures. And they will be sharp, focused and full of color and detail. That camera is pimp. :)

Plus, I don't want anyone to see those cat toys before I give them out. They are seriously adorable!!! So, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...have a blast!

For the Love of Crochet!

2007-12-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

I'm so full of myself right now. I just made a dragon. No pattern. No nothing. :) Oh, right, and it looks really good too! If my nephew doesn't like this, I'll just keep it. :)

It turns out that black yarn is very difficult to photograph, so please pardon the enhanced pictures. No, I did not make a blue dragon.

In all it's glory...

I tend to overstuff things, so I'm a bit miffed at the white stuffing that is showing through in these pictures.

Here's his cute little face:

I was going to replace the black tongue with a red one, but then I thought...giraffes have black tongues, so why not dragons? It's not like dragons are some thoroughly researched species. So, in my world, dragon tongues are black dammit!

Here's a close up of my super duper tight ass stitches for the wing. I needed to make a dense enough mesh to partially support it's own weight. It worked.

I am very happy with how this turned out. I think I've learned most of the techniques I need to begin to master crocheting. (Except filet. Someone please explain filet to me! Something about sharing posts really screws me up.) I really enjoy being able to think of something I want to make, and then just do it. I'm beginning to think of it as sculpture, and that just takes my imagination to all sorts of places...

I love love love love love love love to make things! And they are useful! :)I mean, what 14 year old boy wouldn't want a handmade stuffed dragon? :P

I know I've mentioned this before, but if anyone wants a pattern just let me know. I wrote it down as I went along. :)

Projects and Me Being Stupid

2007-12-17T08:16:00.001-08:00

Of course, I am stupid. This is widely known. Why am I specifically stupid? Well, I forgot to take a picture of the freaking AWESOME octopus I made for my husband's boss' daughter. Damn it! It was ADORABLE. Argh. Well, use your imagination for that one. :(

Other than being a moron, I was rather productive this weekend. I finished the scarf for my dad and one for my mom. My dad's looks just like the one for my brother-in-law (in previous blog) except it is charcoal. I am very proud of my mom's. The yarn is beautiful, the color is beautiful, and thanks to my overactive brain...the pattern is beautiful. I really like making cables but I wanted something reversible for her. So, I made cables on both sides of her scarf. The one side is a 6 row crossover cable:

The other side is two 4 row crossover cables:

You can see how the reverse side of a cable looks. With a little patient stretching and adjustments, you can line up the horizontal line rows to make them even. I think this scarf looks nice no matter how you flip it. I know she is going to love it.

I also decided to make my friend Jesse something cute. I've been seeing a lot more of her recently, so I thought, why not.

I overstuffed his little legs, and his head is almost too heavy (almost), but I thought he turned out well for a two hour project.

Christmas scarves are almost done! Only a few more to go...and a week to do it! :)

Way Too Exciting!

2007-12-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my lovely husband has taken it upon himself to volunteer my crocheting services for his boss. Ok, no big deal. Then I learned it is for his boss' two little girls! That made me very excited. I really like making little animals (I keep forgetting the Japanese word for it), and an opportunity arises! Yay!

I just finished the one for the "tom boy" - a purple octopus. Damn it is cute. I'm making a fuzzy pink teddy bear for the "girly" girl. I really hope they like them! Pictures to come once I finish the bear. :)

On another note...there are only like 12 or 13 days til Christmas. Will I finish the scarves in time? Progress reports daily (hopefully)!

On a non-crochet related note...I got my hair cut and dyed purple. It is a good day. :)

Cables Are Really Really Fun

2007-12-12T08:03:00.001-08:00

As the title implies...cables are really fun to make! I made this scarf for my new brother-in-law:

I really like the way the 6 row cables look. I started this one with a 4 row cable, and I gotta say the 6 row looked waaaaaay cooler. Here's a closeup of the cabling:

I'm so proud of myself for teaching this to myself! :) I found out recently that my penchant for crocheting is probably genetic. My great aunt Ella was the crochet master. She used to make stuff for everyone, in addition to being a wild woman. Looks like I inherited more than just her crocheting ability...

A Somewhat Productive Weekend...

2007-12-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

I suppose I could have done a lot more with my weekend (like clean the house) but instead I made stuff! :P My sister's birthday was Saturday, so I decided to try my hand at a Jackalope. Yeah, that's right, Jackalope. She likes them (she is rather strange sometimes) so I thought I'd take a stab at it. Obviously, there are NO patterns out there for a Jackalope, so I made my own. Ha ha. Here's the end result:

Not too bad. At least I don't think it's bad. The antlers were a little too heavy for the poor little guy, so they drooped a lot. He still looks cute though. My sister loved him. :)

I am also making some scarves for some of my husband's coworkers. There is this sweet old man that works with him that I just love. He's super nice, and he loves cats! Plus, the guy works with a bunch of 19 year olds, and then my husband so...I thought he needed something nice. So, I made him a scarf and some cat toys. This is my first ever attempt at crossover cables. I think they turned out well.

Here's a better picture of the 6 row cables:

Why I started with the 6 row cable, I still don't know. The 4 row cable would have been much easier to start with, but hey! I like to go for the jugular.

With some leftovers, I also made a little hat for my cat, The Peach It. At first he wasn't pleased with the fashion accessory, but I think it grew on him.

He's too cute. My handsome boy! :) More on cables later...I plan on making more scarves with that awesome, awesome stitch.

More Art!

2007-12-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, I finally got around to taking a picture of the mural I started. Notice how I said started. I can't figure out what to do next. I had no clear idea of what exactly I wanted to accomplish with this mural, so no plan. Again, I'm stupid. But, it looks pretty cute, right? :P

I couldn't get the whole thing in frame. It is on a slanted wall, and there is a closet like right there. So, most of it is showing except the tops and bottom.

Here is a closeup of the flowers. Again, this isn't finished, so I haven't cleaned up around the flowers or anything yet.

If anyone has any suggestions on what to do now...let me know! :)

Ah, gifts for Christmas...

2007-12-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

I decided to post some pictures of some of the scarves I have made as gifts. There are only a couple right now, because I know if I post pictures of the rest of them, some of the recipients would be oh so clever and see them before Christmas. Haha! Thwarted!

Here is a starfish I made for my brother (in addition to the goldfish):

Cute, right? I also pride myself on making the most hideous scarf on the face of the planet:

And the closeup of the ugliest colors ever, to highlight the basketweave stitch:

Damn, that's ugly. I still have to weave in the ends (I really hate doing that). But I know exactly who will love it. :)

I decided that I really really really like working in the front and back post stitches. They give the scarf some really nice texture, and I think it makes them warmer. Here is the scarf I made for one of my new mother-in-laws:

You can see the nice texture and meshy look the front and back post stitches give to the thing. I like it a lot. And yes, I know the stripes aren't the same size. I did that on purpose. (really).

Here are the two scarves I made for my new sisters-in-law:

You can kinda see the diamond medallion in the center of the stripes, but it looks much more distinct in person.

I like the basketweave stitch to a degree, but I think they would work best for a nice blanket, not a scarf.

I'm learning how to do cables, so maybe I will have some pics of some crossover action in a few days. I still have so many scarves to make. And quickly!

On a non-crochet related note, it is supposed to snow and I can't wait!

Fun with Crochet

2007-12-06T07:51:00.001-08:00

I have been messing around with crocheting silly things, ever since I came across this Kitty Squid. I made a squid (which ended up being larger than my cats), and decided that making little toys was fun. So, I tried my hand at free form crochet. I think it turned out very well.

I was going for one of those fancy goldfish. My brother loves fish and is a hard buy for Christmas, so I think I'm going to make a few more and give them to him. I want to try to make a dragon for my nephew, since he probably won't wear a scarf I make him. Yeah. He's a teenager now, so if it isn't cool...sigh. I hope the dragon is feasible. If not, I guess some video games will do. If anyone wants the pattern for this goldfish, let me know! It may be free form, but I recorded what I did so I could do it again. :)

Scarves, Scarves Everywhere!

2007-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

So, this year for Christmas I decided to crochet everyone scarves. It started out innocent enough, but soon turned into a monster of a project that has a deadline fast approaching. I don't know what I was thinking! I have finished 14 scarves and I still have at least 20 to go. See the date? Yeah, I am incredibly stupid.

Good thing I am enjoying the hell out of making these scarves. I've made it a point to personalize them as much as possible. I monogrammed a few, and used everyone's favorite colors. I learned new stitches to make the scarves more interesting. I've actually become rather obsessed with crocheting. I never want to do anything else. I have plans to make cat toys, jackets, blankets, slippers, hats, convertible mittens, pants, lace doilies, etc, etc, etc....I just love it!

So much to do in so little time! I hope I make them all in time.

everyone else is doing it...

2007-12-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

so, i decided to start my own blog. how exciting. two things would make this blog great:

a) something interesting to write about
b) readers who care if i write something interesting

so, we'll see. i have plenty of random interests, so this could work well. at least for me. i pity anyone who reads this blog for entertainment. sorry ahead of time.