Sew I See!

Prepare to Dye!

2012-02-02T10:44:00.000-06:00

I spoke too soon regarding the three completed gifts in January. I still haven't finished that last one-- haven't even touched it since before the last entry. (Oops.)

I did start my first Big Secret Project of the year, though. It's going well, so far. There's still tons to do, of course-- and I think I'm in denial about how long it will really take, because the first bits have gone so quickly.

Sneak peek:

That's all I can show for now. I don't want to risk giving the whole thing away. (I don't think the intended recipient reads this blog, but just in case...)

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Yesterday, I gave in to a long temptation and decided to try dyeing some yarn.

You don't need much, and I just happened to already have everything I'd need. The only "ingredients" are animal-based yarn (in my case, I used wool) and either Kool-Aid (which comes with its own acid mixed into the powder) or food dye (Wilton's gels, liquid food color, Easter egg dye tablets) and vinegar (or lemon juice? I think) for acid.

You'll also need water, a pot, a spoon, and a stove. If you'd rather, you can use a microwave oven or crock pot instead of the stove. (There seem to be a hundred different ways to dye yarn. I chose an easy, mess-free way, this time-- stove, pot, wooden spoon, and a plastic dishpan for pre-soaking the yarn in water and vinegar.)

I had a skein of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool and a small amount of (hand-me-down) vintage yarn that I think is Bear Brand "Wool and Shetland Wool".

I found a chair with a "wrap" of close to a yard (35" is the closest we have) and wrapped all the yarn into hanks, dividing the Fishermen's wool into thirds, which seems like a decent amount for a hat or neck-warmer. I wanted to play around with different colors, so the more hanks, the better. In the future, I may try to dye a larger amount in the same color-- enough to make a generously sized scarf or shawl, for instance. (I doubt I'll ever make a sweater... I tend to wear sweaters out quickly, so I'd rather just buy them.)

You may have noticed that the Fishermen's Wool was beige. It's the "Oatmeal" colorway. Most of the time, people seem to buy the "Natural" (a creamy white) for dyeing, but since I was using what I had on hand, Oatmeal it was! Next time, I'll probably try something in white or cream, but the Oatmeal worked fine. In fact, depending on the look you're going for, Oatmeal might be the better choice. I imagine it tones down bright dyes into more neutral, muted shades.

So, I ended up with five skeins (three of which are in the photo above)-- nearly 100 yards of the bright yellow, approximately 75 yards of the cream, and three 155-ish-yard skeins of the oatmeal.

I set about soaking and dying. I spent a while fiddling around with it, adding a little more color here and there to each pot, generally having fun, but I was surprised at how quickly it went. It really needn't take long at all to dye a few hanks of yarn.

I didn't take any photos of the dying process, but you can find plenty of information elsewhere. (I'll provide a few links I found useful, at the bottom of this post.)

Basically (for my own Swiss cheese memory's sake), I soaked the yarn in a solution of water and vinegar-- nothing precise, roughly 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. I didn't soak for any prescribed length of time-- just 5 or 10 minutes, in some cases, maybe 20 or more for others.

On the stove, I heated water and vinegar (in the same 3:1 ratio, usually with a total of four cups of liquid) in pots (two at a time, at most) and added my food dye. I started out using just the Wilton's gels (the kind that come in tiny plastic pots with screw-on lids). I've had a set of four colors for years: Willow Green, Creamy Peach, Rose Petal, and Cornflower Blue. However, I ended up adding plain old liquid food coloring (the kind that come in tiny plastic droppers and that usually come in a set of red, yellow, green, and blue) to each batch.

Some of my Wilton gels tend to stay in clumps, so I used a wire whisk to help break up the color as the water heated. In some cases, I simply couldn't get all the globs to dissolve. The globs may leave spots of dark/vibrant color where they hit the yarn, but it wasn't a big issue for me. (I kind of like the look, actually.) When the color was dissolved and the water warmed (but not boiling), I lifted the hank of yarn with a wooden spoon, let as much water drain off as possible, and put it into the pot of dye. (This is where it's very handy to have the yarn soaking in another pot or a dishpan, so you can scoot it close to the dye bath to avoid dribbles.)

The smell of vinegar and wet wool is... interesting. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, and I think I have a fairly sensitive nose, but then again, I have dogs in the house, so maybe my nose isn't that sensitive, after all. ;o)

You're supposed to let the yarn "cook" (but not boil) until the dye bath is clear, which means that the yarn has absorbed all the color. I was kind of winging it, but when I wasn't happy with how a color looked in the yarn, I'd mix up more color in a coffee cup (with a little water) and either spoon it over portions of the yarn or pour it straight in. I mixed dyes to get the colors I liked and just generally played around until I was happy, then took the pot off the heat to let it cool. (It's hard waiting for the yarn to cool enough to handle!)

Pointers: Try not to stir or otherwise agitate wool (or other feltable) yarn too much while it's hot. This can cause felting, which can ruin your yarn. Also, apparently you're not supposed to put wool into water that's colder than it is, because that also can cause felting. I didn't know that, and I know that I put warm yarn into cold water a time or two, last night, but I don't think I did too much damage (if any). Another thing to avoid: Don't pour or run water right over the wool. Doing so can cause-- yep, you guessed it, felting.

When the yarn is cool enough to handle, you rinse it (thoroughly) in water that's roughly the same temperature as the wool itself. My hanks all rinsed clear-- no color bleeding into the rinse water-- so I washed them (briefly and gently) and rinsed them some more. Then I held each hank above the sink, squeezed as much water as possible out of it (without wringing it, which is a no-no), and hung it in the utility room over a plastic clothes basket (in case it dripped). I made sure none of the hanks were touching, to give them as much air as possible. A few times before going to bed, I went and squeezed the bottom few inches of each hank over a small bucket. (You'd be surprised how much water those things hold onto!)

By morning, the smaller skeins were almost dry, but the larger three are still damp. I think I'll try a blow dryer and see if I can speed up the drying process.

I moved them into the hall bathroom for easy access, and it's hard to get an accurate photo of colors in that windowless room. I'll try again in daylight, when it's dry. For now, here's the best I could do:

From left to right:

1) Small amount of cream wool dyed primarily with Wilton's Cornflower Blue, but also with some liquid dye.

2) Oatmeal dyed primarily with Wilton's Cornflower Blue, but also with some liquid dye.

3) Oatmeal dyed with Wilton's Rose Petal and Creamy Peach, also with quite a bit of yellow and some red liquid dye. (Had to work to get a more yellow-orange cast. At first, the yarn was mostly beige with red on top. It wasn't what I wanted. I like this much better.)

4) Oatmeal dyed primarily with Wilton's Willow Green, but also with green and blue liquid dye to give it a little more variation and a slightly bluer cast).

5) Yellow wool dyed almost entirely with Wilton's Rose Petal and Creamy Peach, but with a dash or two of red liquid dye near the end to punch up the contrast.

It's interesting to note how different the same dye can look, depending on the base yarn. The yellow yarn is much more vibrant than the oatmeal. Meanwhile, the oatmeal with the Cornflower Blue (which is known, by the way, for being unstable and "splitting" into purple and blue and sometimes pink) has a grey-green undercast... I really like it (it reminds me of storm clouds, but I'm sure it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

I can't wait until the yarn is dry enough to wind into balls (by hand, no ball winders here) and then be knit into something! How exciting!

(This is how people get addicted. The first step is knitting. Then you dabble with dying your own yarn. After a while, you realize you want to try spinning your own yarn from fleece, and before you know it, you have a flock of sheep in your back yard. (g))

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Links I found useful (though some of them are more about Kool-Aid dyeing):

Handpaint Your Own Yarn (on Knitty)
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/FEATdyeyourown.html

Wilton Dyes Tests (on InsanKnitty)
http://insanknitty.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/i-said-it-was-an-addiction-didnt-i/

Wilton Dye Ratios (on Craftster)
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=102434.0

Kool-Aid Dyeing (on Knitty)
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

Tie-Dye with Kool-Aid (by Paula Burch)
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/drinkmix.shtml

I also find it very interesting and inspiring to browse the hand-dyed stash of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool on Ravelry. There are so many different looks you can achieve with just a handful of food dyes and Kool-Aid mixes! I warn you, though, if you go there and look, you most likely will feel an irresistible urge to try dying some of your own.

No-Photo Update

2012-01-29T08:59:00.000-06:00

No photos this time, I'm afraid. Just jabber.

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I've finished "Secret Project". It was quick, easy, and fun to knit. (Hurray for those projects.)

When that was done, I promptly began "Another Secret Project"-- also knitting, but not quite so quick and easy. Still fun, though, as it has been my introduction to knitting cables. It's worked in chunky yarn, which always makes for satisfyingly speedy progress. (Well, speedy by my standards. Some of those speed demons out there claim they whipped up this project in two hours. I'm simply not that fast at knitting or crochet.) I'm currently stalled on that one, though. Shouldn't take much more to finish it, but I have to kick myself back into gear on it...

So, together with a thread crochet project I've already finished, that makes three gifts (that will be) completed in January. I'm impressed! ;o) Unfortunately, that also means fewer in-progress and finished-object photos for the blog... (I may have to resort to more "sneak peek" photos-- the kind that don't reveal the precise nature/size/intended recipient of the project.) On the other hand, two of the the three will be given relatively soon... and none of them are Christmas gifts, so I'm not really making progress on that front.

On that subject, I'm not sure how many handmade gifts I'll be making for next Christmas, anyway. I have two big crochet projects in mind (just about to start one of them, actually). Then there's a sewing and small-scale crochet project that will go together. But apart from those, I just don't know... I enjoy making and giving handmade gifts-- and I feel that urge to make gifts very strongly, closer to Christmas-- but it takes a lot of time, and sometimes you have to wonder if it's worth it-- especially when you can't be sure whether the recipient is genuinely pleased with whatever you've made.

We'll see. One thing in favor of making gifts-- it give me an excuse to make things. I mean, I can only use so many of XYZ, myself, but if I have a few people I can make them for, I get to knit/crochet/sew so much more! ;o) I think the key is to do a little throughout the year, and to intersperse my gift-making among my "for me/Donald/our home"-making, so that I don't start to feel that I'm only ever "making" for someone else, who may or may not even want the darn thing.

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I'm thisclose to finishing the V-Stich-ghan. I think I'm ready to crochet over the selvedge edge, and then I'll be DONE.

I already have my next crochet project (a gift (g)) lined up.

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I think I'm going to make myself a scarf, for my next knitting project. Not sure, yet, what yarn I'll use (I want to use stash yarn, and I'm iffy on the yardage I'll need to get decent length), but I'm leaning toward this project: Reversible Cabled Brioche Stitch Scarf (here on Ravelry). I also found (what looks to be) a very similarly-styled scarf, elsewhere: Reversely Cabled. I think I'll go with the former, though. For one thing, it's been on Ravelry longer than the other (which I added myself, yesterday), and there are lots of projects for inspiration/guidance.

I've never done the brioche stitch before, but apparently it's very squishy. (It also sounds very fancy, doesn't it?) From what I gather, lifelines are a must in this scarf, and the cables may be a little tight to knit. I blanched a little when I read that... but the cables I've been knitting have been a little tight, and I've still managed with them, so why not these, as well?

Anyway, it's a lovely scarf, and I think it will be worth a little extra effort to make one.

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While checking out Ravelry projects for that scarf pattern, I came across a yarn named "Supreme Possum Merino". It's 40% possum fur, 50% merino wool, and 10% silk.

Well, that's certainly interesting... (What a conversation-starter. "I love your scarf. Is that wool?" "Oh, thank you! Actually, it's a blend of wool, silk, and possum fur." *other person makes a polite "ah!" sound and takes the first opportunity to slip away*)

It's probably a very nice, soft yarn. I just... I can't think of possum fur as a luxury fiber. Honestly, that strikes me as much more icky than the thought of people using dog fur in yarn. Probably because one of our dogs is an Eskie, with long, silky-soft fur. It hardly smells "doggy" at all, either, unless she gets wet. A possum, on the other hand, seems like vermin. Imagine a rat-fur yarn! Ick.

Random This & That

2012-01-23T13:44:00.000-06:00

Progress Reports:
I'm getting close to the end of the Very Vintage V-Stitch-Ghan. Maybe a handful more rows until I'm happy with the length, then taking care of tidying up the sides, which are a mess, since I haven't woven in any of the tails. I plan to crochet over them when I crochet along the selvedge... and then weave the last bits in the opposite direction. (Maybe... Or possibly just crochet over them and say "good enough".)

I had trouble when I picked up the Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, so I ended up having to frog it. :o( Then I had an awful time getting it restarted, but I'm finally back about where I was when I stopped, last time. (Progress? Yeah, right. (g))

Otherwise... I'm mostly working on a Secret Project gift item, so no details on that one... Just that it's an easy-breezy project that's loads of fun to knit.

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What I Found at Wal-Mart:
I know it's not fashionable to shop at Wal-Mart, but whatever. I do, and I'm not ashamed to say so. Anyway, on a recent shopping trip, I took a look down the yarn-craft aisle and was surprised to find size 20 crochet thread there. True, it was only available in white, but I think that's the first time I've seen size 20 thread at Wal-Mart. I bought a ball to signal my approval. ;o) Now I need to choose a pattern and give it a try. So far, I haven't crocheted with anything finer than size 10 thread.

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Interchangeable Knitting Needles:
By my standards, sets of interchangeable knitting needles can be a bit pricy. However, all it took to convince me that it was worth the investment was accidentally buying the wrong size/length of fixed circular needles. Even buying individual fixed/length needles with 40-50%-off coupons adds up-- especially since you can't always know what size needle you'll need to get gauge. So I took one of those good coupons and put it toward one of the cheaper sets of interchangeable needles.

I got the Boye set of needles. I chose them because it was the most affordable set (if bought locally with the 50%-off coupon)-- and also because in my limited experience, I find metal needles nicer to work with than plastic. (I haven't tried bamboo, but since I like the slickness of metal needles, I doubt that bamboo's my style.)

Like most things, you find widely varying opinions of this set, online. There are two most commonly cited negatives of this set: 1) The cables are stiff, and 2) The needles come unscrewed from the cables during knitting.

My responses:

1) I haven't had a problem with the cables being too stiff, so far, but if I ever do, I plan to soften them by dunking them in hot water and straightening them-- or using one of the other remedies I've read for stiff cables. Or if I'm really desperate, I've seen an interesting tutorial for making your own cables.

2) The first time I used these needles, I wasn't knitting in the round, and I had no trouble with the needles coming apart. The first time I did knit in the round was a different story... Sure enough, the needle in my right hand kept unscrewing itself. I paused my work and scooted the stitches apart enough to use the (kit-included) tightening system (which I hadn't bothered with before). Since tightening them, I haven't had a bit of trouble (and I've used the needles to complete one project and start another). So it seems that some of the reviews I read were correct: If you take the time to (carefully) tighten the connection (as per instructions), you are much less likely to have a problem with the needles coming loose from the cable.

Here's the case that comes with the needles...

...And a rather blurry photo of (most of) the kit's contents:

Some of the cables aren't in the photo. (I took them out the first time I checked out the kit. I prefer not to have them in the pouch, unless I'm taking the whole kit with me somewhere.)

So far, I'm happy with this purchase. The needles can be attached to any of the lengths of cable, and cables can be connected to make them longer. If you want to use them as straight needles, those little red discs can be screwed onto the ends of the cables. Also, you can purchase extra cable connectors, needles, and cables, separately. (Or make a bunch of your own with that tutorial I linked above.) Unless I start doing knitting that requires tiny or gigantic needles (unlikely), I should have everything I need in this kit.

One funny thing:
Where I bought my kit, there were two in stock with two different package designs. They'd obviously just done a redesign. Some of the information on one of the packages was a little misleading. Whoever designed it apparently didn't pay close enough attention to what s/he was doing. When (very prominently) listing the needle sizes available in the kit, they included two numbers that simply aren't there. I'm sure this wasn't intentional-- and because the package was clear, you could see for yourself exactly which needles were included in the kit-- but it's still a pretty bad mistake. For the record, this kit includes the following needle sizes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13, and 15. It does not include sizes 12 or 14. (Actually, sizes 12 and 14 don't even exist in the US sizing system...)

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Cable Needles:
I have my eye on a simple knitting project that involves basic cables, so I picked up a small set of cable needles from the craft store. There were only two sets to choose from, and the other was made up of plastic needles, which is completely unappealing. This one has three different styles of needles (and at least two sizes). Maybe they'll help me decide what style of cable needle I prefer. That is, if I don't find cabling too difficult, period. Cables seem so mysterious and difficult. I'll be pretty impressed with myself if I manage to make them. ;o)

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And to finish up the entry...
My mother won a giveaway for a very nice gift certificate for an online shop that sells fabric, yarn, trim, etc.-- and she generously asked my sisters and I to choose something to order along with her! (Wasn't that sweet?) Here's what I got: It's a yard of some adorable lime green retro-style fabric with blue-polka-dotted kitties-- and two skeins of Cascade 220 wool yarn. The blue skein is #2433 (Pacific Heather), and the one in the back is #8229 (Country Green).

It was lots of fun shopping/choosing. Next I'll have probably hours of fun thinking about what to make... and then the fun of the actual making. Thank you again, Mom!

Knitting & Crocheting on the Road

2012-01-13T06:17:00.000-06:00

My husband is in the process of gaining American citizenship, and to make it to his interview/test, we had to drive up to Atlanta on Monday (and back again on Tuesday), which amounts to, I don't know, ten (or so) hours of driving and/or riding. That's a lot of time, so I made sure to have plenty of knitting and crocheting projects with me-- the already-in-progress Chickadee Cowl, the barely-begun Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, and the pattern and ball of thread for my next doily.

So, what did I get done? Not much. Apparently I don't knit or crochet much when I'm riding in a car. Of course, it was dark for 2-3 hours of our drive home, but I think a bigger issue is that I feel guilty focusing too much on knitting/crocheting when poor Donald is driving for hours at a time. (For the record, I always offer to do some of the driving, but he never takes me up on it. What does that say about my driving ability? ;o) Seriously, I think he prefers driving to riding, since he's prone to motion sickness.)

I often like to put in some earbuds and listen to music while I knit/crochet, but I hated to "shut him out" like that when he was doing all that driving. Next time I'll put on a book-on-tape or something else that we can both listen to and enjoy... At least we made some progress in the book we're reading aloud together (Making Money, by Terry Pratchett).

One thing I did accomplish was nearly finishing the cowl. I loved knitting that pattern in that (soft, pretty, twinkly, rainbowy) yarn. Such a great, fast project! I still have to bind off, which I've been avoiding thinking about. I'll need to read and figure out what kind of bind-off to do. So far, I think I've only tried two types of bind-offs, ever. One was sewn, and the other, I guess, is just the traditional, plain-jane, knitted bind-off (whatever that's called). I need more experience to be a good judge of which one is most suitable for a given pattern.

I also started the doily. I began it in the hotel room Monday night in an effort to unwind and get comfortable in the new surroundings (without much success, as I still had trouble falling and staying asleep) and continued on Tuesday while I waited during the interview/test. It did a better job of distracting me, that time, though I still couldn't do many rows before I "had" to stop for a while. I'm fidgety, apparently. This hasn't been a favorite doily pattern, so far. It's not that difficult, but there has been a lot of chaining, which I don't love. (The chains may have had something to do with the fidgeting.)

The Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, I haven't touched since my last entry (and well before it). I want to get back into it, but maybe not until after I've finished this doily (PK's "Majestic" in dusty rose size 10 thread).

Speaking of the thread, it's some I bought in a very cheap bag of thread at a thrift store-- my stash of South Maid, and quite possibly the only South Maid thread I ever will buy. The stuff has such a weird texture. It's stiff, rough, and "crunchy", and it tends to split in this weird, crunchy way-- fortunately, not when I place the hook, but after I've made a stitch, sometimes. ...Anyway, I want to use some of it up, and it's actually perfectly useable, once you get started, but it's definitely not my favorite thread. At least the dusty rose should go well with the decor of the intended recipient.

...And... I hesitate to admit it, but I'm champing at the bit to start another large-scale project. I have yet to finish the Very Vintage V-Stitchghan, my most recent large-scale project, so I probably ought to hold off, but I don't know if I can resist... In any case, I guess the particulars of this next large project really ought to be kept a secret. (Oh, how I hate keeping crafty projects secret!!) Worse yet, it will have to be a secret until Christmas. So many months of keeping it secret! The agony!

(Sorry for the lack of photos. I'll try to come back with a snap or two, soon.)

Nostalgia, Strangling Vine, Majestic & Chickadee

2012-01-07T17:10:00.000-06:00

I chose and sewed on some buttons for the Nostalgia Neck-Warmer, yesterday:

It's pretty cozy. Could probably benefit from blocking, but for now it works as it is.

I haven't made much progress on my Subterranean Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, but then again, I haven't worked on it much, either. (g)

I did go ahead and copy out the 4-row chart so that I'll have it handy when I do sit down and put in some stitching time on it...

And because it just seemed like I needed a portable crochet project, in addition to the portable lace knitting project, I've chosen a doily pattern and am all ready to start hooking. I'm planning to crochet the doily on the cover. (It's "Majestic" by Patricia Kristoffersen, in the booklet titled Masterpiece Doilies. I've already made "Gallant" from the same booklet and found it a very pretty doily design.)

But at the moment, I'm smitten with another project already in progress-- the Rainbowy Chickadee Cowl. It's my first try at knitting in the round-- and my first time using bulky or super bulky yarn-- and I'm loving it.

Knitting in the round was a little intimidating at first, but so far, so good. The pattern itself is very easy to memorize and work (again, so far), and it knits up so fast in this chunky yarn!

I'm using some Yarn Bee Mosaic Twist that I bought on clearance probably years ago at Hobby Lobby (or the Hooby Looby, as we sometimes call it). Too bad it's been discontinued, as it seems like a pretty nice yarn. Of course, I probably think of it more favorably because I got it for 99 cents a skein. (The regular price was over $6 a skein, according to the price sticker.) Another factor in its favor-- this stitch pattern (linen stitch?) is very good at breaking up pooling in variegated yarn. It probably wouldn't look nice in a lot of patterns. I'm very happy with how this is turning out, though.

Meanwhile, Trixie the Eskie snoozes, oblivious to pooling, button selections, etc.:

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Button, Button

2012-01-06T09:00:00.001-06:00

I'm to the point on the Nostalgia Neck Warmer (after a lot of trying to decide how long to make it-- I ended up adding a little extra length-- and fussing over how to make the buttonholes) of needing to choose the buttons for it.

All the ends are woven in. I just need to choose the buttons... and sew them on. (Unless I decide to block it first... Thing is, it's acrylic, and I don't think acrylic "grows" with blocking, does it? Maybe I'll try, anyway... Because it might affect where I need to sew the buttons... )

I need four buttons-- four of a kind, because I'm not feeling kooky enough for mix-and-match. I have a variety of polymer clay buttons that I think will work. Here are (most of) the styles I've narrowed it down to, so far:

It's always so hard to make a decision! (But I want to decide so I can go ahead and finish it...)

Meanwhile, I've cast on my next knitting project. It's my first time knitting with laceweight yarn! (Eeee!) I think it's going to take me forever and a day to finish, but that's ok. There's no rush.

Here's the yarn I'm using:

It's Knit Picks Shadow in "Snorkel", and I'm using it to make the Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, which looks a lot harder than it is (I hope).

I was going to be using the needles in the photo, but what with one thing and another, I'm using a different pair, which is probably good, since those needles were so close in color to the yarn.

I'm also planning to start crocheting a new doily soon. Should be fun to crochet a doily again. It's been a while since the last one.

Shave and a Haircut-- Rag Quilt Style

2012-01-04T08:51:00.000-06:00

If you've ever sewn a rag quilt, you know what a mess they can be to wash and dry those first few times. Even after they come out of the dryer, the work isn't done, because they usually need a little haircut-- mostly for threads that are too much longer than the rest.

Then there's the fuzz. The pilling. Admittedly, I mostly use fairly cheap flannel-- bought for 99 cents a yard at one of Jo-Ann's Black Friday sales a few years back-- for the backings of my denim rag quilts, and possibly you'll get less pilling with pricier fabric. (I'm not sure, honestly.) But I can't imagine you'll ever be complete pill-free, with flannel. It's the nature of the beast. That pilling nature and the loose threads from the "ragging" combine to make a big old mess.

For my first few rag quilts and rag-quilted bags, I went through the painstaking process of picking off all those pills and threads-- the ones the clothes dryer left behind and that shaking outdoors could never budge-- by hand. I've used a lint brush, but that left behind some of the more stubborn pills (and cleaning the brush multiple times through the course of a quilt was annoying). I also tried catching them with a fine-toothed comb, which was sometimes helpful, but still time-consuming and tiresome (and if I wasn't careful, the sharp teeth would catch on the fabric). It was worth the effort, to see the improvement that pill-picking made in the appearance of the blanket, but it was definitely the worst part of making a rag quilt.

Recently, I decided to try a battery-operated fabric shaver (generally used on sweaters, I believe). When I bought mine, it was under $6, with free shipping from Amazon (well, free with a checkout total of $25+), so it seemed worth the risk.

I've used the fabric shaver a few times, now, and I'm a convert. I won't say I'll never go without one again, but as long as this one lasts a reasonable length of time and isn't too costly to replace, I certainly wouldn't want to go back to my pre-fabric shaver days. The process is so pain-free with one of these little gadgets!

This is the model I bought, the Remington Fuzzaway (or as it's currently listed on Amazon, the Remington Battery Operated Fabric Shaver).

Unfortunately, at the moment it appears that it's no longer shipped by Amazon, which means another $10 for shipping. (I'd shop around or try a different model that does have free or cheaper shipping... but then, I'm a bit extreme in my hatred of shipping fees. (g) It's particularly painful when the shipping is more than the price of the item being shipped. Ouch.)

The Fuzzaway does make quite a bit of a buzzing noise, for such a little thing, and it takes a little time to go over the whole blanket with it. (The denim side shouldn't need it-- just the flannel. But if you make a flannel-only rag quilt, you'll need to do both sides, of course.) Also, you'll probably have to pause at least a few times to empty the little lint trap (or whatever you'd call the part where the lint collects). However, it's much faster and easier than picking off all those pills by hand. Hey, compared to picking off pills, one at a time, using the Fuzzaway is fun. ;o)

I also tested it out on a sweater (what it's designed for), and it worked well at removing pills from that, too. I believe some reviewers complained of fabric shavers cutting holes in fabric, so I might not use it on an expensive or special sweater... or at least do so only with great caution-- but so far, I haven't had any issues, and I've pressed it firmly against fabric, to get a few especially stubborn pills.

Of course, there are other options, if you prefer something that doesn't require batteries (or something that doesn't involve blades next to your precious fabric). There are sweater stones and specially designed combs (such as the D-Fuzz-It comb). Each has its pros and cons, so you'll want to read reviews to decide what's best for you. Personally, I'm happy with the speed and ease of the fabric shaver. It makes the prospect of rag quilting much more appealing.

More Project Photos...

2011-12-30T17:41:00.002-06:00

A few more recent or current projects, as threatened! ;o)

My as-yet unfinished Calorimetry:

I had such plans for Calorimetry... I was going to make this one for myself, then make one for my mother and at least one of my sisters for Christmas-- possibly make one for every female in my family. (Ok, not really.) It's such a quick project, even for a new knitter like myself. It takes hardly any yarn at all! It's useful! It's handmade with luv! It's perfect!

...But I just had a pretty awful time getting the pattern to work the way I wanted. I couldn't eliminate the non-essential holes, and I couldn't convince myself that the holes were a "design element". Meh, it doesn't matter. Maybe no-one would've wanted to wear them, anyway. (Someone said they look stupid with short hair...?) Or maybe I'll finally learn how to fill in the holes to my satisfaction, and I'll make a few of them for next year. (g) We'll see...

Anyway, this one is still waiting for me to (A) learn how to weave in tails in knitting and (B) sew a button on so it's wearable. I think I'll probably look like a dork in mine, but oh well. I'll wear it anyway, when we go on walks to the pond, maybe.

Want to see a little corner of our kitchen? Sure, you do! ;o) This is the corner where we keep our calendars and I hang various crocheted pot holders, hats, and scarves. And sometimes keys.

That scarf is the Four Winds Scarf (aka Delicate Scarf) I made quite a while ago but never photographed in its completed state-- mostly because it sat on the coffee table for a few months, waiting for me to spare five minutes to weave in the tails.

Here's a photo of it finished (and there are a couple more on Flickr, if you're interested, though I think I forgot in all of them to turn it so the popcorn stitches are turned puffy/pretty-side-out... Oops.):

I think it's pretty, but I've yet to wear it. (I'm more likely to do so, though, now that there aren't several loose threads hanging off it.)

Oh, and that Phannie beret I've made four times? Maybe you spotted a couple of them in the kitchen-corner photo, above? Well, here's one of them closer up:

This is the one that I decided to keep for myself when I made a grey one for the intended recipient. I love that color. Maybe the intended recipient would've, too, or maybe grey goes with everything, and she'll be marginally more likely to wear that one. No way of knowing without asking, and I wouldn't like to ask. People will just be polite and say that of course they like them both, but the one you gave them is just what they needed. I like people to be polite to me-- and I try to be polite back, usually-- but it does make it hard to get at the truth, sometimes.

There are a couple more photos of the hat on Flickr, if you simply can't get enough pictures of slouchy berets.

- - - - - - -

So, now that Christmas has come and gone, the flurry of gift-making over for another year, it's safe to settle back into the comfort of working on "whatever". I've added a few more rows to the Very Vintage V-Stitchghan, and yesterday I embarked on an exciting new adventure in knitting-- a neck warmer.

I've been admiring the pattern for a while... It's the Nostalgia Neck Warmer by Kris Percival. The pattern's free, and I love the way the sample neck warmer looks. Mine's not quite so charming, yet, but I'm still happy with how it's turning out.

Apparently it uses the reverse hunter's stitch, not that that means much to a newbie like me...

It's been my introduction to knitting through the back loop. And in looking that up, again, I see that I'm not 100% sure I'm even doing this pattern correctly. (g) The pattern uses the abbreviation "k1B", which seems to usually mean "knit 1 below"... but can also mean "knit through the back loop", which is how I read it. I don't see a glossary/explanation in the pattern, and as far as I can tell, my neck warmer looks somewhat like the sample photo, so maybe I'm doing it right. At this point, this is how it will be done, right or wrong.

(If you see a mistake, don't tell me. ;o) I'm happier not knowing. Blissful ignorance.)

I wonder if maybe I should've gone up a needle size to get a better drape, but it'll be fine. I'm practicing my knitting and having fun, and that's the important thing. Fortunately, a neck warmer doesn't have to be any particular width, and if it's a little dense, that'll just make it warmer.

(I think I spotted an error in the pattern, but I'm not confident enough in my knitting pattern reading skills to be certain. There are more details about it in my Ravelry project notes. Probably an experienced knitter wouldn't be troubled at all, but as a beginner, working a pattern with blind faith, something as simple as a missing comma can be perplexing. I had to rip out my first try and restart.)

- - - - - - -

I've been enjoying playing around with a few of my yarn-craft-related Christmas gifts. (And this isn't nearly all of them! All sorts of goodies!) Need to spend some quality time reading through that book...

- - - - - - -

I hope you all have a fun New Year's Eve and kick the new year off to a good start, this weekend. Happy crafting!

Wrap-Up-- for Reals This Time ;o)

2011-12-30T15:59:00.000-06:00

Ok, time to really wrap up the (handmade) Christmas gifts.

When I started (and named) this blog, I didn't realize that I'd eventually become so enamored of crochet (and knitting). I expected to spend more time learning to sew than I do-- but I do still sew a little, with plans for more, eventually-- and a couple of the gifts I gave this year were rag quilts. (Which I'm not very good at photographing, apparently. They get blurry. I need to either take them outside or get out the tripod, next time.)

This one for my paternal grandparents:

(I gave my maternal grandparents an almost identical one, last Christmas. Er... Actually, I'm not sure which one is pictured, but I think they were so close in appearance that it hardly matters.)

Then there was this one for my husband, Donald:

He's from Sweden, so when I really looked at this denim-- blue on one side, yellow on the other-- it seemed perfect for a Swedish flag rag quilt. The back of the quilt is done all in dark blue flannel-- quick and easy.

I like rag quilts. They're warm. They're sturdy. And if they look a little rough around the edges, that's ok; they're supposed to look a little scruffy and well-loved. That's a major part of their charm. However, they do shed. They're kind of like our Eskie, Trixie. I love her and wouldn't want to do without her, but having an Eskie in your home means you will have long, white dog hairs on you when you leave the house. Similarly, rag quilts can be a real pain to wash, the first few times, because they shed so much-- and even after they're washed and dried, they shed the occasional thread or twenty. I sometimes find them on the couch... on my crochet projects in progress... on our clothes. But it's not nearly as prolific as the dog hair, trust me.

So, those were the sewn gifts...

Before I became obsessed with crochet, I was obsessed with polymer clay. (And I still enjoy polymer clay. I just spend far less time thinking about and messing around with it. I intend to get back into it, though...)

The first grandchild in my family was born this year-- my niece, Clarabel. I decided to make a little polymer clay Christmas tree ornament with her name and birth year on it, since I still have some ornaments that were given to me when I was a baby. It seems like a nice tradition to carry on.

Here's the simple ornament I made:

While I had the clay out, I made a few little extra things to stick in with the gift for one of my sisters. She had something about doll's house miniatures on her wish list, and I figured small food and pottery could fit into that category. Even if she doesn't care to use them, herself, one of these days her daughter (Clarabel) will be old enough to use them with her Barbies (or similar).

It's kind of a random assortment, but I had fun making them...

Aaaand... I do believe that wraps up the handmade gifts I gave this year!

I might post again soon with photos from a few other recent projects (or not-so-recent projects I'm just getting around to photographing, because I'm lazy).

Christmas Project Wrap-Up

2011-12-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

Whew. As much fun as it is, it's still good to have the busy-ness of Christmas over. I'm happy to have relatively guilt-free craft time, again-- time when I can crochet or knit or whatever on any project that strikes my fancy, without feeling that twinge of "I really ought to be working on Secret Project #9..."

This has been quite a year for (mostly non-polymer clay-based) secret projects, by my standards. I don't think I've ever crocheted more Christmas gifts than I did for 2011-- and that's not even counting the doilies I crocheted for a few birthdays and other special occasions earlier in the year. While working on these Christmas projects, new ideas presented themselves, so I already have a few more handmade gifts nebulously planned for 2012, and I'm excited to get started. (I'm aiming to start early, this year, but don't we always make such plans?) However, first I want to do a little write-up (and yes, show-off) of the Christmas gifts-- and my first post-Christmas project will be a completely selfish one-- something just for me, just because I want to try the pattern.

First, the Christmas Project Wrap-Up!

- - - - - - -

Secret Projects #1 and #2 (+1)
Lollipop Fingerless Gloves

I made a pair of these for myself earlier in the year and liked them. I had a few extra skeins of the same yarn (in the same colorway, even), and thought maybe they'd make nice gifts. I started out making just two pair, but at the last moment decided to make a third one so I'd have pairs for my mother and both my sisters.

True, the colors are kind of crazy (the yarn was on clearance and might not have been my first choice, otherwise), but I think it's fun, and even if you're particular about the colors you wear, certainly they're fine for less dressy occasions or around the house/yard.

I think this pattern is great, but I did modify it fairly heavily. I start out with a round of chainless foundation single crochet (for its superior stretchiness), begin with more stitches than called for (34), work the cuff to make it longer (15 rounds in addition to the foundation round), and shorten the thumb and finger portions to make them shorter. It's easily adjusted up or down, though, and I find the herringbone half double crochet very effective-- easily picked up and fun to crochet.

- - - - - - -

Secret Project #3
Cafe Latte for Granny L.

I made this PK doily for my maternal grandmother (along with another one, further down the list). I have a hard time remembering much about the making of most doilies, unless they cause me lots of headaches. From what I recall, this one worked up pretty quickly and easily, though I did make one of those careless mistakes that cost me an evening of crocheting. Also, according to my project notes, the last round was somewhat time-consuming, even without any mistakes. (There are different types of picots, I think, and the pattern took me a little longer to memorize than usual.) There's not a ton of Patricia Kristoffersen's signature "crusty" texture in this one, but still, it's a pretty pineapple doily, I think.

I didn't get any good photos of the two doilies I made... I'm not great at photographing doilies. Neither do I really enjoy blocking them. Too bad I don't know someone who loves blocking and photographing doilies. It would be nice to crochet them and then just hand them off to someone else for the bits I don't like...

- - - - - - -

Secret Project #4
Granny L.'s Japanese Flower Doily

Another doily for my maternal grandmother-- this time a Japanese charted pattern from Pierrot. I admired this pattern right away and was happy to have a chance to make it. It's one of those doilies that doesn't have any raised texture, but the "positive/negative" areas of thread create a floral motif.

This doily is hard to block perfectly, in my opinion, but then again, I'm not an expert blocker under the best of circumstances. Usually, even a lazily blocked doily will look fine once it's on a table, underneath a lamp or what-not. If I were going to make one to frame and hang on the wall, though, it probably wouldn't be this one, since it's tricky to get the scallops even and smooth.

- - - - - - -

Secret Project #5
Nyan Cat Scarf

When my youngest sister tweeted about a crocheted Nyan Cat scarf, I filed away the idea for future reference. ;o) At that time, there was at least one free pattern linked on Ravelry for a similar scarf, but when I finally got serious about making one, the pattern was no longer free. I think there's a different free pattern, now, but back when I started this, it was either pay for a pattern or figure it out for myself. I went for the latter.

I used (Attic24) Lucy's Neat Ripple pattern for the length of the scarf, making one row per color. To add a little texture, I crocheted in the back loop only, so there was a little ridge along the top of each ripple of color. That was easy enough. Then came the amigurumi portion of the project-- the poptart cat him(?)self. I'm not that familiar with how to make amigurumi, but I figured it out. My version of the Nyan Cat isn't perfect, but it should certainly be recognizable, and I think my sister was happy with it. :o)

I considered making the cat portion removable, but in the end, I figured that anywhere Kimberly would be unlikely to want to wear a Nyan Cat scarf, she would probably be just as loth to wear a loud rainbow scarf sans amigurumi poptart-cat, so I attached it to one end and put rainbow fringe on the other.

Incidentally, making the sprinkles for the poptart taught me that I needn't fear French knots. I've always been kind of terrified of them. (I think maybe I failed at making them back when I was a pre-teen doing cross-stitch...) They weren't that hard at all, with yarn at least. They were even fun!

- - - - - - -

Secret Project #6 (x2)
Couple of Hedgehogs

I wanted a simple, baby-friendly project for my new niece, Clarabel. These hedgehogs are quick and easy to make-- a great use for novelty yarn-- and cute, I think. I put rattles (taped-shut Easter eggs with beads/whatever inside) in the middle of the hedgehogs, with poly stuffing all around.

Many of the completed hedgehogs on Ravelry had safety eyes and noses, and those are adorable, but I thought yarn eyes and noses would be better for a baby toy. (She's at that age where everything goes right in her mouth.) Getting the eyes and especially the noses to look right (to me) was tricky, and in the end, I just had to say "good enough". Of course, now that it's too late to use it, I've found this neat (and oh so easy) tutorial (PDF) for making "yarn dot" eyes: Yarn Dot Eyes: Making and Inserting Them.

- - - - - - -

Secret Project #7
Kindle Cozy

This was another gift for my youngest sister. I'd already made my own Kindle a cozy and liked it, and I thought Kimberly might find one useful, too. I altered the pattern slightly to make it a tiny bit wider, since K's Kindle is in a hard case. She says it fits, so that's good!

Just as the first time I worked this pattern, it was extremely easy... to the point of being boring... but the final product is a cozy with a fairly sturdy feel. Using a smaller hook produces very dense fabric, so it's worth a little discomfort and/or boredom while crocheting.

I used another of my handmade buttons for the closure. Polymer clay buttons are simple to make. Have you tried making any? I might make a tutorial or two, one of these days... They're excellent for knitters and crocheters, since you can make them in whatever size, shape, color, style, and thickness you like. There's something special about putting the finishing touch a project with a button you've made yourself, and unless you're making huge buttons, you can get several from one 2-oz. package of clay, so they're also very affordable. Also-- I once tested a handful of my buttons by sewing them to a rag and tossing them in with the laundry every time I did a load. They held up even better than I expected.

- - - - - - -

Secret Projects #8, #10, and #11
Phannie Berets

Heh. Actually, the first of these hat projects (not pictured-- I'll take a photo one of these days) ended up being for me. I started it for someone else, but after she gave me the wish list I'd asked for and I noticed the colors she specified for some other wearable item, I wondered if maybe she'd prefer a more neutral color for a beret, too, so I made another hat for her. It was just as well that I did, because I'd been planning to make another of these berets for myself, and now I have one ready to wear!

I'd made this pattern once before, but I used a thinner yarn, and while it fits, I'd decided I'd prefer something slightly larger. All three of these berets were made with Caron's Simply Soft, which while usually is classified as worsted weight, seems to be a somewhat light worsted. I used the better part of a skein for each hat. There were about 1.9 ounces left over from a 6-ounce skein.

The details of exactly how I modified the pattern are on the Ravelry project page. The berets turned out bigger and slouchier this time around-- big enough to pull down over my ears, which is good, since ears tend to need covering. Projects 10 and 11 were for my sister Carrie and my mother.

- - - - - - -

Secret Project #9
Nose Warmers

This was a request from my youngest sister, with a copy of this photo as an example. (g) I made three novelty nose warmers for her in a variety of colors (to coordinate with different ensembles, of course ;o)), but I also made one (the snowman's-nose carrot-orange one) to stick in with a "Dirty Santa" gift for the game we always play at my maternal grandparents' get-together.

None of them are made according to the exact same specifications, but I started all four based on Marleen Hartog's Crochet Dodecahedron pattern, of all things. I just started out making one of the "cones"/points and modified it from there. (A couple stick to the pattern up to round 10, while at least one of the others was changed to be a bit longer and pointier.) For a couple of them, I made the final round (and the ear loops) based on Andrea's Crochet Nose Warmer pattern.

They're goofy-looking, but when I tried them on (to determine how long to make the loops or ties), I did notice that my nose felt warmer... and I have come across several people (online, while looking for patterns/inspiration) claiming to have worn them as children.

- - - - - - -

...Then there were a handful of other handmade gives that didn't involve yarn or crochet thread, but they'll have to wait until next time, because I'm all blogged out, for the moment!

The Shame! & Popping Head Up From Pile of Secret Projects

2011-12-22T07:55:00.000-06:00

I just discovered/realized that Ravelry has a messaging/mail feature. And I have quite a few (by my standards) messages that I haven't even looked at, so potentially several people have thought I've been ignoring them... *guilt-blush*

Of course, I'm pretty awful about answering non-urgent e-mail and comments on other sites/blogs, so it wouldn't be completely outside the realm of possibility that I'd have ignored them, even if I had been aware of their presence. (Bad me!)

...Still, I think I'll make an effort to read through and catch up on at least the more recent messages...

- - - - - - -

I'm popping my head up from under the pile of secret projects I've been working on, lately. The end is in sight!! On Christmas Day, we'll go to our last get-together of the season, and I'll be giving the remainder of the secret projects I've been working on over the past month or two.

Most of those gifts are crochet, and one is sewn. (Because I cautiously tried out the sewing machine earlier this week, and yes! It still works! Thank you, Donald!) There are also a couple of handmade items in another medium (as the artists would say). I might post a few quick photos of those here, too...

So, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm looking forward to working on something that's not a Christmas gift-- something I can blog about, if I want to. I already have my next knitting project lined up. Unless something changes, it's going to be the Nostalgia Neck Warmer. (Not sure what yarn I'll use.) Until the weather cools down again (from these highs in the 70s/80s-- with humidity!), I won't have much use for it, but I want one, so I'm making it.

I've also been feeling the itch to make a doily, lately. It's been a while since my last doily... And then were visions of blankets dancing through my head, the other day, though I ought to finish the one I'm working on, first. And possibly work on weaving in the ends on a couple of finished afghans... (Ugh. I've learned my lesson on that. I have to work in the ends in along the way, or else I'll take months or years to ever get them all done.)

Sewing Machine, Resurrected! (?)

2011-12-13T06:37:00.000-06:00

Last night, Donald (my sweet husband) looked at my sewing machine for me.

(I believe I mentioned that it had suddenly stopped working? The needle had stopped moving, and I was afraid it would be impossible or too expensive for its value to repair, and was dreading having to shop for a new or used replacement machine.)

We took the whole case off, as best we could, and looked it over. It's amazing, all the components and moving parts that go into something as (seemingly) simple as a basic sewing machine! I'll never understand how anyone ever managed to figure out how to make one in the first place-- but I'm glad they did. (g)

Well, long story short(ish), we think he's gotten it working again! At least, it was working when we put the case back in place. How long it will continue to work is anyone's guess, but there's no reason why it shouldn't last for months, if not years.

It would be nice to have a new machine with a few extra bells and whistles, but as long as this one works, I'm satisfied with it-- especially since I can sew my heavy denim quilts without feeling as though every stitch may be slowly killing a nicer machine. I don't mind putting my "old" sewing machine through such trials, since if it does finally go kaput, at least I won't have ruined a fancy, expensive investment. It's just my old "learning" machine.

Still, I think I'll try to take it easy on Ms. Singer, for a while... Not push her to her fastest limit, for instance. She's still recuperating from her operation, you know. ;o) And I don't want to outright kill her. We've shared some happy times. Er, when she wasn't jamming or otherwise making life difficult, and I wasn't cursing her to the skies. (To be fair, most of those times, I was probably doing something wrong and just didn't know it. Have I mentioned that I'm an inexperienced, mostly self-taught seamstress?)

I still remember standing in line at Target all those years ago (ahem, five, I think), on that dark and chilly Black Friday morning... Feeling irritated when some ne'er-do-wells cheated their way ahead of us line-abiding folk... Hurrying back to the sewing machines with my shopping cart, as though there would be a rush on sewing machines, of all things. As it turned out, I didn't have to race to grab a box before they were all gone-- didn't have to defend my prize from a crowd of dangerous-looking crafters. In fact, I seem to recall an associate asking me what I was looking for and looking slightly amused when I told her. She was probably thinking, "Honey, you could've slept in this morning and still have gotten a sewing machine, no problem." But where's the fun in that-- and why leave something so important to chance? I believe I was among the first to check out. Ah, happy times... ;o)

Summer in Sweden, Specifics

2011-12-12T16:06:00.000-06:00

Someone expressed an interest in the exact color combinations I used in the squares for my Summer in Sweden Throw, and since I'm looking for ways to procrastinate various things I ought to be doing, why not? ;o)

(If you're wondering what throw I'm talking about, you can read about the "Summer in Sweden" crochet afghan in this entry-- and a few earlier ones-- or check out the Ravelry project page.)

First, here's a list of the brands and colors I used. I've assigned each one a letter, except for the Antique White, which is used as the last round in each square and for joining the finished squares. (I think I forgot to mention the peach color in at least one earlier entry. Oops! The peach was an unlabeled acrylic worsted I found in a thrift store. Any peachy acrylic yarn in similar weight would work.)

Caron Simply Soft:
A: Ocean
B: Dark Sage
C: Persimmon
D: Soft Blue
E: Lt. Country Blue

Loops & Threads Impeccable:
F: Lt. Fern
G: Grass
H: Pumpkin
I: Butterscotch

Caron One Pound:
J: Sunflower

Unknown brand:
K: Peach

Lion Brand Pound of Love:
Antique White

There are 54 squares, and each one is a little different from the rest. Here are the combinations for each square, using the "key" outlined above. I'll start with the first color used (the center of the motif) and work my way out. Again, the Antique White is used for the last round of every square, so to simplify things, I've left that off the codes.

(Click the photo to see it bigger. This photo is to give you a visual of the whole afghan. There are better photos in the earlier blog entry, but I don't believe any of them show the entire afghan spread out like this.)

G A C
I H D
E J B
K B I
F E H
E G C
C D J
I K A
F A K
C G A
B F D
E I A
I E B
J E F
C I H
K C F
A I G
D H K
C A J
A D G
J C B
B J D
F B J
C D B
G B E
J A F
H I D
E H F
D J A
F C I
A F H
B I E
J D A
A K C
G C J
A G E
H E G
K G A
D C G
D A J
A J E
C E H
B E I
E F B
B C J
G D A
E K H
I B G
G E H
K H D
D G B
H F C
B G E
C J D

If you want to put them together in the same order I did, here's how:

The squares are assembled in numerical order, from left to right, in rows of six squares. (So numbers 1-6 make the first row. Under that is a row composed of numbers 7-12, and so on.)

I described how I worked the border in the blog entry linked above... and I think that covers the whole project. :o)

If anyone happens to try this and finds an error (which is entirely possible), please leave a comment so I can correct it.

Figured It Out

2011-11-24T06:56:00.001-06:00

I think I've figured out why I just couldn't get the hang of basic knitting that first time I tried. As it turns out, the instructional video I found on YouTube just wasn't that good:

But as they say, I wasn't making mistakes; I was making experiences. ;o)

Back with Photos!

2011-11-21T08:49:00.001-06:00

As promised! ;o)

First, apologies for the quality of the photos. The light is sub-par this morning, but I wanted to act while I was in the mood.

Ok, let's start with the Very Vintage V-Stitch Rippleghan!

The last photo shows the afghan's current size. I still have many rows to go to get the length I want.

Also, as you can see, I'm leaving the tails loose. The v-stitch is so open, I think that attempting to crochet over them or otherwise hide them inside the blanket wouldn't work well enough (to my liking). Instead, I'll crochet over them at the end, when I single crochet along the two long sides of the afghan. You could also put fringe along those two sides, but that's a lot of fringe... (g)

Next up, my current knitting project, the One Row Lace Scarf (aka Drizzled Chocolate Scarf):

(Again, not the best photo, but it gets the point across.)

It's fun to knit a row or two, then stop and think to myself, "Wow! I'm knitting!" (g) Sure, it's a super-simple pattern, but it's still knitting. I'm on my way to being able to say I can crochet and knit. (Until I learn to purl, it would feel like a lie, so I can't say it quite yet.)

And finally, a sneak peek at my current crochet secret project:

At first glance, it almost looks like I'm making one of these. I promise you, I'm not. (Not quite my style, I'm afraid.) But while I can tell you what it's not, I can't tell you what it is, yet. Sorry! ;o) Sometime after December 25th...

Secret Projects, Knitting, & Sewing Machine Issues

2011-11-20T10:24:00.001-06:00

I apologize for the silence over the past month. I've spent a lot of my crochet time, lately, either making or planning a handful of Christmas gifts.

Working on projects that are destined to be gifts is fun, but it leaves me with less to blog about at the moment. I don't want to risk someone seeing something they shouldn't and spoiling their surprise, so I'm trying to keep those "secret projects" under wraps. (I'm even doing that over on Ravelry, which is something of a pain, since I have to "lie" about what pattern I'm using, hold back photos, and censor my notes. I hope that reassigning the projects to their actual patterns won't be too much trouble, after Christmas.)

So, what I've been doing that I can write about is essentially working on that v-stitch afghan I mentioned last time. It's getting some length, now, but I still have lots of rows to add, since I want this to be a full-length couch blanket. I'm enjoying crocheting it. The pattern's so easily memorized, and it doesn't take long to zoom through one row and on to the next-- which is when you get to choose colors-- always fun!

I just started a new knitting project, too-- the One Row Lace Scarf. Don't let the word "lace" scare you off, my fellow knitting novices! It's only one row-- and not a difficult one, at that-- over and over again. Perfect for a beginner, I think. All you need to know (or learn) is the knit stitch, how to yarn over, and how to k2tog (knit two together). I'm making mine in chocolate brown. :o)

I also have my eye on this pattern (which I believe was only recently added to Ravelry): Nostalgia Neck Warmer. Partly, I'm just a sucker for the word "nostalgia"... (I can't help it: project names matter to me! At the very least, they catch my eye.) Also, it's pretty and classic-looking... and I've never made a yarn project using buttons (that I can remember)... and it doesn't look like it requires a ton of yarn, which is always nice.

But at the same time, I'm on the lookout for a good pattern for practicing the purl stitch. I've yet to even try to purl, but I suspect I'll need some repetition to ingrain it into my mind. And then, once I've learned to purl, maybe I'll try a hat. I have a pattern in mind, already, but I'm a little intimidated...

On a non-yarny note, I tried sewing something this week. (Another secret project, I'm afraid.) It was actually going very well, I thought, and I was zooming through at a decent clip. The sewing machine and I were getting along nicely, for a change-- and then-- *clunk*-- the needle stopped moving.

Ugh.

I'm going to see if Donald can (easily) tell what's wrong, but somehow I doubt this will be a quick fix. I think the best case scenario will be that it needs a new belt of some kind, and unless I can find one of those very cheaply, I think it may be time to look for a new (or at least gently used, new-to-me) machine.

Double ugh. (So that sewing project won't be finished by the time I'd hoped. Oh well.)

I dread shopping for a new/used sewing machine. Even apart from the expense, I just don't know what kind of machine I should look for. I don't want to invest too much in a nicer machine if the kind of sewing I currently like to do (rag quilting with denim and flannel) will just ruin it... but on the other hand, I hate to buy another low-end machine when I could get a nicer one (with maybe a couple of the features I find interesting) for not that much more... I don't enjoy comparison shopping and weighing the pros and cons. I'm the kind of person who can be paralyzed by indecision. Too many choices! Too many considerations! Which is the Right Decision™? Will I know it when I see it? How can I live a meaningful life if I end up with the wrong one? Argh!! *flails about in the agony of too many options* (See what I mean? (g) Ok, maybe that re-enactment was a slight exaggeration.)

In the end, if nothing else, I'll opt for another cheap machine and save the nicer one for "someday". At this point, I don't do that much sewing, anyway. Confession: I don't really like measuring and cutting fabric. I find it tedious and too easily messed up. The part where I'm actually sewing is ok, so long as the machine doesn't go into fits.

Making things from yarn is just so much easier! More time-consuming, maybe, but easier. The yarn never gets jammed, for one thing. ;o)

Current Projects

2011-10-24T17:46:00.001-05:00

Whoa. It's already been twenty days since my last post?! Where does the time go?

I thought I'd drop by to at least mention my currently open (yarn-based) projects.

#1:
Oldest in the list is a cotton market bag. Once I worked through some issues with the pattern, the bag worked up quickly, but then I got to the point where I needed to make the handle... and it got set aside... and (almost) forgotten.

#2:
Then we have my third knitting project-- a pin cushion / knitting doo-dads cushion. Again, I went through most of the project pretty quickly, but then I got to the point where I'd have to sew the pieces together... and it got set aside... and (not quite) forgotten. (Hm. I'm beginning to see a pattern here. (g))

#3:
At that point, I started another "secret project" (gift item). I got pretty far in that one, and I was still enjoying it, too, but somehow I was sidetracked into afghans... Ah, yes. I think it was because we were forecast the first cold weather of the season, and I went into blanket-making mode. Anyway, I wavered between the African flower motif and a v-stitch ripple, but the ripple won this time.

#4:
I'm using a free pattern from Bernat-- the Eight Shades Ripple. There are currently only four Ravelry projects for the pattern, but I think it looks pretty nice, and it's definitely fun, once you get going. I will admit, those first two rows or so feel (and look, until you get another row or two crocheted) a little awkward, but before you know it, you have the pattern memorized and it's smooth sailing. I'm using ten shades, myself. Here's the only progress photo I've taken so far:

The afghan will be a long-term project. No rushing through this one! There are just too many other patterns I want to try, not to mention a few things I'd like to have done by Christmas.

#5:
So, with those four projects already on the go-- and at least a few still to start and finish in the next couple of months-- naturally it was time to start something totally off the wall. Off the wall and on the floor, as in a crocheted rag rug. I'm making mine using strips of old t-shirts. Actually, I've had these strips of fabric for quite a while. I tried making a rug once before, some time ago, but didn't stick with it past the first, more difficult bit.

It looks a little rough, up close like this, but I'm satisfied, considering it's my first rug. I think this will go in the laundry room, where Molly (our cocker spaniel) spends most of her time. She likes blankets, towels, and doggy beds, so a raggedy rug will be right up her alley. ;o)

I already have plans to make a large basket/bowl using the same technique (raggy strips of t-shirts and a large crochet hook). Maybe something to hold yarn... or dog toys... I recently went through my clothes and pulled out enough no-longer-wearable t-shirts to keep me busy for a while.

If you're interested in crocheting a rug, I've read that you can use strips of any fabric you like. Denim, old sheets, even fabric right off the bolt (though that might get expensive). The most time-consuming part of the process is cutting the shirts. (I prefer this method, though there are other ways.) Unless you are super-human, your hands will probably get tired crocheting a rug. At least, mine do, so far. Like any crochet project, getting started is the hardest part.

Well, I think that's it for current projects. There are still a couple of completed projects that I've yet to blog, so far as I can recall. I plan to post about them soon. :o)

Teaching Myself to Knit

2011-10-04T15:43:00.002-05:00

What's this?

Knitting needles?! Shocking, isn't it? ;o)

For a while, I resisted all thoughts of learning to knit-- at least partly out of loyalty to crochet. I liked the looks of both, but I felt that crochet often got short shrift. Poor thing. Plus, everyone always comments on how fast crochet is compared to knitting. (Not a selling point for knitting, honestly.) Also, how long would it take me to learn a whole new craft? Why bother, when I already knew how to crochet? Despite those concerns, I eventually decided that, ok, I would like to know how to do both, mainly because it would open up a whole new collection of free patterns-- and because I'd fallen in love with knitted lace shawls. (There are some lovely crocheted shawls, too, but they're not quite the same thing.)

I tried to teach myself to knit a year or so ago (or who knows how long ago, the way the months zip by). It was not a success. At all. However, this time around, I am determined to stick with it and learn. It may take a while, but I know it's possible-- and even after only a few rows of a (very, very simple) dishcloth (i.e. a square of garter stitch), it already felt much easier to do than when I first picked up the needles. True, I wielded those needles awkwardly, and I had a feeling that watching my laborious progress would cause a skilled knitter actual physical pain and nervous twitches... but I persevered.

The funny part (to me, at least) was how easy the cast-on was compared to the actual knitting. Maybe that's the way it always is for everyone, but I would've thought casting-on would be trickier. It did take me a few minutes to understand where to put the needle in relation to the yarn, but once I got that sorted, I was zooming along, if I do say so myself. It was the same the last time I tried to learn. So, knitting at first seems harder than casting-on. Maybe this is because knitting requires the use of two needles, whereas the cast-on is done with one needle-- somewhat similar to crochet. Actually, this time around, I'm already seeing that (for me, at this point in my infant knitting career) you actually don't have to think much about both needles at the same time. What a relief! It feels easier if I only have to really think about one needle at a time.

Comparing crocheting to knitting reminds me of playing melodies vs. harmonies. I can play clarinet and a little flute-- and I can tap out a melody on a piano/keyboard. Anything where you only play one note at a time is easy enough-- especially if I'm playing by ear. (I've long since forgotten how to read music. I suspect it would come back with a little practice, but I was never that good at sight reading.) The thought of "really" playing the piano, though-- of almost constantly hitting multiple keys at the same time-- throws my poor brain for a loop. Crochet-- only one hook to focus on at a time-- has long seemed less complicated to me than the double needles of knitting. But now that I can think of it as one needle sitting still-- just holding the loops and project-- while the other needle does all the "work"... it's much less intimidating. I suspect that an experienced knitter moves both needles simultaneously and thinks of them as working together to accomplish each stitch. Maybe someday I'll manage it.

A couple more things I've found interesting, as a crocheter learning to knit:

1. Right-handed crocheters may find it easier to learn the Continental method of knitting. Using the Continental method (as opposed to the English method), you hold the yarn in your left hand, which of course is the same hand right-handed crocheters use to hold their yarn. I'm sure anyone can learn either method, but I'm happy to have one less unfamiliar thing to deal with as I embark on this new adventure. ;o)

2. The transition from hook to needle may be somewhat easier for crocheters who hold the crochet hook like a knife than those who hold it like a pencil, since the knife-hold is more common for knitting needles. I've always found it more comfortable to hold my hook knife-style, so switching to holding at least the right-hand needle has been pretty easy. (But again, there are multiple ways to hold both hooks and needles, I'm sure, and being a pencil-style crocheter shouldn't discourage you from learning to knit.)

. . . . . . .

Are you read for the big reveal? ;o)

Here's my first completed knitted project:

It's not perfect or even very pretty, but I knitted it all by myself!

I've since knitted my second mini dishcloth, too. This time, I tried a pattern identical to this one: Grandma's Favorite. (It was in a freebie PDF about learning to knit.) It looked like a good way to learn to increase, decrease, and "yarn over", but honestly, I didn't enjoy my second project as much as the first one. I think I may need to take it slowly until I learn how to fix the little boo-boos that pop up in a newbie's knitting.

You know what they say about practice making perfect. I think I have a lot of practice ahead of me before I'll be ready to tackle one of those intricate laceweight shawls, but it shouldn't be long before I'm ready for something like this: One Row Lace Scarf. (Technically, I think I could follow that pattern even now, but I'd rather wait until I'm a little more comfortable with the needles... My technique needs work.)

So... more swatches / dishcloths? I figure the dishes won't care what the dishcloth looks like, so long as it gets the job done. ;o)

Smitten

2011-09-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

I came across some stunning crochet afghans (and cushions) this morning:

They're all by Moxy Crochet, based in Cape Town.

Though the patterns don't seem to be identical, the motif they use reminds me of the African Flower motif. (Here on Ravely, and here, in a slightly modified form.) I've bookmarked that pattern before, but these photos have brought it to the forefront of my crochet-obsessed mind. ;o) I love the colors they've used-- and the mixture of fuzzy yarn with plain is beautiful, too. Simply gorgeous work.

If I didn't already have a list of projects I want/need to make (some of them before Christmas, too), I'd be tempted to start a new afghan inspired by those in the photos. (Especially the one in the upper right-hand corner. It will surely haunt my dreams. (g))

Summer in Sweden Afghan Finished!

2011-09-14T18:21:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the Summer in Sweden ("Weekend in Stockholm") afghan-- about a week ago, actually, but I'm just now getting around to taking a few photos. I tend to put off photographing completed crochet projects. Some of my least favorite types of photos to take, because they usually turn out blurry or otherwise blah, but I'll do my best. :o)

Here are a few of the better photos I managed to take this afternoon:

There are a few more in my Flickr photostream, too, but they're pretty much just more of the same. I may try to take a few more in better light and "pose", one of these days. For now, I really just wanted to do my little write-up before I completely forget what little I still remember about the making of the blanket. ;o)

Pattern:
Debbie Stoller's "Weekend in Stockholm Throw"

Yarn:
I used mixture of 100% acrylics. As for amounts, I used less than a skein of each of the colors listed below. Some were partial skeins to begin with, so I used less of those colors. I started a second skein of the Pound of Love, just to be sure I didn't run out on the joining and border. (I might have had enough if I'd used only the first skein, but I figured I'd find a use for the rest of the second skein, anyway.)

Caron Simply Soft:
Ocean
Dark Sage
Persimmon
Soft Blue
Lt. Country Blue

Loops & Threads Impeccable:
Lt. Fern
Grass
Pumpkin
Butterscotch

Caron One Pound:
Sunflower

Lion Brand Pound of Love:
Antique White

Hook:
I (5.5 mm)

Total Number of Squares:
54 squares in a 9 x 6 rectangle

Joining Method:
I held the squares face to face and slip stitched through the back loops only.

Edging / Border:
I liked the looks of the pattern-indicated border, but I really wanted to try out a wider and more elaborate (by my standards thus far) border than I've used before, and I'd already edged an afghan in simple scallops similar to the ones in the pattern.

I started with a round of sc in the main/joining color (Antique White Pound of Love), then moved on to a round of dc in the dark green (Caron Simply Soft, Dark Sage), followed by two rounds of hdc in the two very similar light blues (Caron Simply Soft, Soft Blue and Lt. Country Blue). After that, I went around two more times-- one round each of sc in Caron Simply Soft Persimmon and Ocean.

For the icing on the cake, I used border #59 from Edie Eckman's Around the Corner Crochet Borders book. I worked that two-round border in the Antique White.

(The border looks prettier in the book, I think... Must be the different yarns used. The Pound of Love yarn is a little thinner than a lot of worsted weight yarns. It's not bad on my blanket, though, just not quite how I pictured it. The more I see it, the more used to it I get, so eventually I'm sure I'll love it.)

Verdict:
This was a fun and relatively quick blanket to crochet. Also, the assembly line method worked well and may have had something to do with how quickly I finished the squares. I recommend this pattern-- but only if you either enjoy trebles or want to conquer your fear and/or dislike of them. (g) Seriously, there are tons of trebles in this motif. (Which also probably had something to do with the speediness of the squares.)

Now to wait for the weather to cool down enough that we can use it...

Afghan in Progress & Unraveling, Too

2011-08-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

I was looking at color charts for a couple brands of yarn this morning, trying to remember the names of a couple of shades I'm using in my current afghan-in-progress (the bands of which I've either thrown away or stowed into a folder for the free pattern's sake). So many pretty colors! Why don't the local branches of the craft stores carry them all? (Not a serious question. Still, I wish they would.)

- - - - - - -

Speaking of the Summer in Sweden Afghan... After weaving in all the ends on my initial stack of 40 squares (which went well right to the end-- never got completely sick of the process!), I decided to embrace the old "in for a penny, in for a pound" mentality. What's the point of crocheting a blanket that's just a tad too small? I don't like a blanket that doesn't cover my feet when I lie down and pull it up under my chin, and though this is intended for a couch / lap blanket, I suspect the time will come when I'll want to stretch out underneath it and not have my feet left out in the cold. So, another round of square-making it is! I think I'll have enough when this batch of 14 squares is done. That will make a total of 54 squares-- 9 x 6 squares plus an edging of some sort. (Still pondering that edging...)

- - - - - - -

I took a break from the afghan to do some "yarn reclaiming". Have you ever unraveled a sweater for the yarn? Before last week, I'd only unraveled (at least parts of) four sweaters-- all 100% cotton. I know some people wouldn't bother with "just" cotton, but it was worth it for me, because I wanted some thinner cotton yarn than what I can find locally-- and I wanted to obtain it as cheaply as possible. That said, once I knew how to do it, I was itching to try the process on something a little more luxurious.

I was fortunate enough to learn that one of the local thrift stores was having a 10-clothing-items-for-$10 sale, a few months ago, and I managed to find two sweaters that looked promising. One was 100% cashmere (antique white / cream, cobweb weight) and the other was 70% lambswool / 30% cashmere (pink, thinnish lace weight).

I also finally got around to unraveling a worsted(ish) weight sweater I'd bought much longer ago. Unfortunately, when I dug it out, I realized that it smelled of cigarettes. Long story short, I soaked (and thoroughly rinsed) it a couple of times. First, I tried a 30-minute soak in white vinegar and water that didn't seem to do the trick. Next, I soaked it for an hour in a solution of water and Odo-Ban. No more ciggy smell! (Thank goodness. I would've had to throw it out / donate it, otherwise. Can't abide that odor.) Now I'm unraveling lots of vibrant red yarn-- 54% nylon / 40% angora rabbit hair / 6% lambswool. I'm going to drape one (still intact) section of the sweater across my neck for several minutes before I unravel it all. I want to make sure the angora's not too itchy for me. (I doubt I'm allergic, but you never know. If I can't use it, maybe someone I know would appreciate it...)

I wouldn't recommend unraveling lace or cobweb weight yarn for everyone, but if you're of the right temperament, it's not too bad. (I actually enjoy it, myself.) However, for fingering or worsted weight, I think even some children could do it-- especially if an adult got it started for them. (Picking the seams apart is the most difficult part, by far.) If you're interested in giving unraveling a try, I suggest you give this link a look first-- even before you go thrift-store-hopping: My Virtual Sanity: Recycling Sweaters for Yarn. Dawn (the blogger) tells you everything you need to know. After reading that entry, you'll know exactly what to look for when you're deciding whether or not to buy a sweater for unraveling. (Some sweaters will unravel into nice, long balls of yarn; others will yield nothing but short, useless lengths of yarn.)

Looking for good candidates in thrift stores and yard sales is a fun treasure hunt-- and the process of taking the sweaters apart is fun, too. Unraveling is a good excuse to sit a while and listen to a favorite movie, TV show, CD, radio program, audio book, podcast, or what-have-you. And then, at the end of it, you've got new yarn to play with! (And possibly some relatively fancy yarn, at that. I doubt I'd ever have even considered buying angora, for instance, but now I'm really excited to see what it's like to crochet with.) Highly recommended.

Summer in Sweden, Progress

2011-08-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

Apart from blocking a few doilies (Treasure, Summer Splendor, and the Fancello Pineapple Oval-- all of which I still need to photograph...), I've been spending my crochet time on the Summer in Sweden afghan.

I made the first two batches of eleven blocks (each) using the assembly line method, as I described in an earlier entry. I modified the method for the next batch(es), mainly because I was running out of a couple of colors-- but also because I wanted to emphasize one or two bolder, darker colors, or use them more often so that they wouldn't feel unbalanced in the blanket.

To date, I've crocheted 40 blocks-- mostly only rounds 1-4 of each. I think I might want to add another column/row/whatever of blocks to the width (possibly to the length as well), but I'm going to wait until my current set of squares are all done before I make that call.

In the meantime, I've moved on to rounds 5 and 6 of the current, existing squares. Those are the rounds worked in the main (joining) color. I'm using a pale cream-- Lion Brand's Pound of Love in "Antique White". I'm trying to crochet no more than three or four at a time, then stop to weave in the ends. The end-weaving is going well, so far. It's not as bad as I feared it might be, and I'm really enjoying the process of crocheting and weaving. Of course, I've only woven in the ends of five of them so far, so that could change. (g)

...Well, I know at least one thing I'll be doing this weekend!

Summer in Sweden, Underway

2011-08-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

As promised, I've taken a few progress photos of the new afghan/throw. Or the motifs, rather. They're nowhere near being connected, yet.

Here they are in a couple of stacks (minus a couple that I've worked through to the next round)...

And spread out in the first of two sets...

They'll take much more room than this when they're done, of course. I just wanted to fit them into the photo and give you an idea of the color scheme.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to stick to the "use each color only once per round (per batch)" rule. So far, I have, but I may change that in the fourth round... or in the next batch. I think I may want to work more of the dark blue and dark green into the motifs so those darkest colors don't seem too spotty. (Besides, I love love love that dark prettiest-blue-ever, so I want there to be plenty of it in the blanket.)

It's coming along. I think I'm going to like the finished product, and this method certainly is fast. (I haven't done any end-weaving, though, so...)

- - - - - - -

I also took a few photos of the Fluffy Diamonds Pillow. They're all basically the same photo, though, so here's just one of them:

I've even used it once or twice, to prop up the Kindle when I'm reading or my elbow when I'm crocheting. (Fascinating information, I'm sure. (g))

On the Assembly Line

2011-08-02T17:06:00.000-05:00

So, I started my Summer in Sweden Throw (aka the Weekend in Stockholm Throw)!

I originally selected the pattern based on photos of the finished blanket-- because I just liked the look of it-- and until I sat down with hook in hand, I hadn't really paid much attention to the construction (except to note that it was made of joined motifs). Well, come to find out, this motif is made up of bunches (and bunches) of treble crochets. Bunches of them. That took some getting used to, because it's been a while since I've made trebles in yarn, and they can be a little of a pain, until you get in the groove of crocheting them. (Fortunately, the groove has been found. I'm happily trebling away. One good thing about trebles? They fill up a lot of space quickly.)

Then there's the fact that this particular pattern is a little bit... weird. It's not the easiest thing to understand-- but at least once you do understand what you're supposed to do, none of it is very difficult.

I've decided to make this afghan a little differently than I usually do. In the past, I've almost always worked one motif from beginning to end, then moved on to the next motif. The one exception is that I might make the first rounds of a few of the motifs at the same time. After that, though, it was strictly one motif at a time, start to finish.

This time, I'm going to try the assembly line method. I'm making the first two rounds (since they're done in the same color) of several motifs-- two in each color yarn I'm doing, to be precise. Once I have all those first two rounds done, I'll go back and add the third round to each one, then the fourth. Those are all the rounds that are worked in different colors, I think. I'm not sure yet if I'll go ahead and finish those motifs by adding the "main color" rounds or leave that until later... I know I'll need more motifs than this first batch will yield to finish the blanket, so at that point, I guess I'll start the process over again.

This "assembly line" approach is based on the method Sucrette described on her blog in this post, but I haven't decided yet if I'll follow it to the letter. I might allow myself to use the same color more than once per round. We'll see... I'm using some partial skeins, so I'm not sure how far those colors will go, and some brands of the yarn I'm using are thicker than others (though they're all supposed to be worsted), so I'll probably try to even out the sizes of the motifs by mixing the different brands in each motif. (Well, except for the first one I did, which I made before I considered the size difference and started using the assembly line method.)

My one major misgiving about the assembly line is the tails. When I crocheted the baby blanket for Clarabel (the Circle of Friends afghan), I was careful to stop and weave in the ends after (almost) each motif was completed. This made the worst part of crocheting (tail-weaving) seem much more manageable. Of course, I can still make myself stop and weave tails every so often... but I wonder if my discipline will hold? It seems easier to just let it slide until the end, with this style of crocheting.

I might be back tomorrow or soon thereafter with a photo or two of my progress. :o)

Hemming and Hawing

2011-07-28T16:12:00.000-05:00

Literally and figuratively. ;o)

I dusted off the sewing machine this afternoon. (I know. I actually sewed something. This blog should really be named something else entirely, considering how rarely I sew.) I finally cut and hemmed some "thrifted" ($1) full-length jeans down to capri length. I've been meaning to do it all summer, but I really don't enjoy the process of hemming things, so I kept putting it off. Sewing doesn't get much easier than hemming, but I always worry I'll get the legs uneven, or too short, and I don't like dealing with all the pins... nor do I particularly enjoy sewing over the thick bunches at the seams. But all that said, it worked out fine, and now I have another pair of comfy denim capris for around the house wear.

I probably ought to carry the sewing momentum on to making the simple skirt(s) I've been planning to sew since last summer. (Then there are all those curtains I want to make...)

As for the figurative hemming and hawing, I can't settle down to the actual starting of the new afghan. I think I may "have" to wait until I've finished the doily "already in progress". In theory, I like the idea of having two or three projects to choose from, at any given time. Something absorbing-- something portable-- something mindless for when I want to pay attention to the TV or a book on tape while I crochet. In practice, though, I worry about my gauge changing in mid-project, and I tend to focus on one crochet project at a time. Other "open" projects go into hibernation/neglect mode.

Well, there aren't too many more rounds on the doily... A few more evenings of crocheting should see it done.

Finishing & Starting (?)

2011-07-27T15:32:00.003-05:00

This feels surreal... I think I just actually finished the Fuzzy Diamonds Pillow!! (Could I be dreaming?) According to my Ravelry project notes, I started that thing in July of last year, so it's about time the crazy thing was done.

Crocheting with novelty yarn is still Not Fun (which is a big part of why it took me a year to finish the pillow), but it wasn't that bad, once I got started. Anyway, it's DONE, now. It doesn't really "go" with our style of decor-- especially not our living room-- so I just tossed it on the bed. It can stay there for a while.

In the end, I just single crocheted the two halves together. No need for a fancy border on this one, I think. First, because I am so, so ready for this pillow to be finished. Second, because I shudder at the prospect of crocheting more fuzzy yarn right now. Third, because aforesaid fuzzy yarn is kind of floofy, and I suspect that a border of any real width would flop all over the place. Fourth, because I've already marked it as "finished" in Ravelry, and that's that. It's done. The hook's already been put away for a well-deserved rest. (Phew.)

- - - - - - -

The Oval-ish Pineapple Doily (designed by Jeanne Fancello) is still in progress, of course, but as I wrote before, that hasn't stopped my wandering eye. ;o)

This morning, I read this post on Sols(tr)ikke, which mentions this pattern on Ravelry: Vintage Crocheted Blanket. It struck my fancy, even though I haven't lately been that interested in afghans worked in rows-- ripples, chevrons, etc. But this one's an exception. I especially like it in bright, random colors-- like the second example photo on the pattern's Ravelry page. The pattern's available for download for $5, but I've also found a few other patterns that look very similar (to me, at least):

Waterfall (by Glenda Winkleman)
Printed in Quick-Stitch Crochet Afghans.

Blue Skies (by Leana Moon)
Pages 37 through 40 in 40 Favorite Ripple Afghans. Ravelry doesn't have a specific page up for this pattern, yet, but here's the Ravelry page for the book as a whole. This pattern has rows of V-stitch (which appears to be the basis of all these patterns) broken up by the occasional row of puff stitches. I like the look, but I imagine it would be easy enough to alter the pattern to leave out the puff stitches, if you didn't want them. (It would make your yarn go further, I'm sure.)

And the best for last:
Eight Shades Ripple (by Bernat Design Studio)
It's free online (in English and French)!
This may not be exactly the same as the Vintage Crocheted Blanket, but it looks very, very close. Close enough that I think I'd save the money for more yarn. ;o)

Oh, and while I was looking, I was momentarily sidetracked by these other two pretty (and free) ripple afghans:

Antigua Throw: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/antigua-throw

Granny Ripple: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/granny-ripple-afghan

So. Assuming I'm ready to start an afghan, which shall it be? I'm dithering. (What a surprise.) Part of me is smitten with this V-stitch chevron style. Another part of me is saying, "What are you thinking?! You've had your next afghan planned for at least a month or two already."

That's true. I even have the yarn set aside. Waiting.

See?
(Um, please ignore the stack of tissue paper. I'm in the middle of a never-ending craft-space clean-up.)

These are the colors I was planning on using for my version of the Weekend in Stockholm. I still really want to make that afghan, too...

Since I have the yarn all picked out, I think I'll start with the Weekend in Stockholm Throw (but mine will be a Summer in Sweden Throw). However, I do believe I see the dim outlines of a Vintage-y V-Stitch Ripple in my future. At least I very much hope so. ;o)

I Took Photos (!!!)

2011-07-27T12:41:00.000-05:00

Hey, I actually took some crochet-related photos today! Sure, the light was awful and some of the photos are kind of blurry, but we'll just have to make do. (Because I'm too lazy to haul out the tripod and take them over again.)

Let's see... There are a few photos of blocked doilies...

The "North Star" doily (made to try out the South Maid thread):

My lavender "Sunbflower Bloom" doily (a PK design):

And my "Pink Lemonade" version of PK's "Gallant":

(The last one looks lopsided-- not perfectly circular-- in the photo... I may need to reblock it, once I improve my blocking board, though I don't think it looks quite so lopsided "irl".)

Then there's another photo of the Firecracker fingerless gloves-- with no hands in them, this time. (g)

Here's the tissue box cover I made for my youngest sister:

...And again, with Trixie the Eskie snoozing in the background, because nearly all photos are improved upon with the inclusion of a dog:

(Now that I've photographed the tissue cozy, I can finally give it to her!)

I still haven't finished the (longest WIP ever) "fluffy diamonds" pillow, but I'm nearly there. Here's the (newly sewn and stuffed) filler cushion sandwiched between the two sides of the crocheted cover:

The best thing about making pillows?
I don't have to bother with weaving in all these loose ends! (Woo!)

Still speaking of pillows, here's the one based on the "Something Pretty" motif, front and back:

So, those are the finished object photos!

- - - - - - -

I'm slowly making my way through the pineapple oval-ish doily. Though not a technically difficult pattern, it still requires that you pay close attention and assume nothing. (g) It keeps me on my toes!

It's funny... When I decided to try a written doily pattern after all I'd really done were charted patterns, I was afraid I'd have trouble keeping my place in all those words. Now that I've gotten used to written patterns, I've fumbled a couple of times with this charted pattern! (Moral: Never wander out of your current comfort zone? Ok, maybe not.)

For instance: In round 4 (I think), you're supposed to put one more set of (dc, ch 2, dc) than is intuitively obvious. (All the others fall in between dc pairs-- or something-- but this one set does not.) Of course I failed to spot that, and it wasn't until 2 or 3 rounds later that I spotted my mistake (and had to rip, rip, rip it back).

Once I found and fixed my mistake, the doily flattened out considerably, but it's still bumpy. I'll be disappointed if blocking can't straighten it all out, but I guess there's no way to know until you try...

Like the crochet addict I've become, I'm already feeling that urge to find and plan for my next project(s). More on that next time!

Fingerless Gloves

2011-07-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

Uploaded a couple of mediocre photos of the fingerless mitts:

It's harder than you might think to photograph a glove or mitt while you're wearing it... ;o) Maybe I'll get Donald (my husband) to take a photo or two, sometime... or at least take a couple of photos of the fingerless gloves with no hands in them.

(I started the pineapple oval-ish doily last night. Crocheting into the chain = yuck and no thanks. But now I hope it will get easier as I go...)

Putting the Pillow on Hold

2011-07-20T17:00:00.001-05:00

My "Ruby Treasure" doily is finished! What, you expected photos? Ha ha ha, so funny! ...Yeah, about that... I haven't even blocked it. Nor have I moved photos off the camera since my last entry. There may be one or two crochet-related photos on there; honestly, I can't remember one way or the other.

When "Ruby Treasure" was off the hook, I decided to make a small cushion cover using the "Something Pretty" motif. (Here's the project page on Ravelry, but of course there are no photos there, yet. Tsk, tsk.) I started out thinking, "This motif hurts my hand to crochet! Thank goodness I didn't start an afghan with this pattern!" By the end of the "Something Pretty" side of the cushion, I was thinking, "This motif isn't so bad to crochet, after all, but I'm still glad I didn't start a whole afghan." I made the back side of the cushion something simple, and I think I'm ready to stitch them together (and decide on an edging). I just need to sew a pillow to go inside. Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to do, but I'm not feeling in the mood for dealing with the sewing machine at the moment. Soon.

I was going to start a small, simple attempt at filet crochet-- my first-- but by the time I got the starting chain done, I realized that my "small" pattern was going to turn out much larger than I thought. So I ripped out the chains, wound the thread back around the ball, and said, "Eh, maybe later." (g) I think I understand the basics, at least. Maybe I'll just jump right in with a project I really want to make, rather than wasting time and thread on an uninteresting practice piece. I do wonder if filet crochet might really require a smaller gauge thread (thinner than my usual size 10) to (A) look pretty and dainty, and (B) not end up taking up a whole wall, for a fairly detailed pattern. (Ok, maybe it's not quite that extreme...) If nothing else, it would be a good excuse to buy more thread. ;o) I think I have some size 30-- a partial ball bought at a thrift store for about a quarter. I'm a little uncertain about working with such thin thread... and I don't know how far the yardage goes with this gauge... but hey, there's nothing to lose, really. Still, not really what I want to do right now.

So. What next?
I think I'm going to start a doily, but maybe a non-PK doily, for a change of pace.

Should I start the Between Meals Centerpiece? (I have no idea where I'll put it, since I don't have an appropriately sized round table, but why should I let a tiny detail like that stop me?) Or should I make a pretty pineapple oval doily by Jeanne Fancello? It's similar to this one on Ravelry, but smaller. I can't find the exact pattern in Ravelry's database. It's project number 13 in Number 226 of Crochet Monthly. Actually, there are two variations of the doily in the magazine, one slightly smaller than the other. I'd be making the larger of the two, which is still smaller than the version on Ravelry.

...I keep hesitating over making the commitment of starting the large BMC, so I'll probably make the pineapple oval(ish) doily. Now, what color...?

Pouches, a Potholder, a Cozy, & Doilies

2011-07-12T07:36:00.000-05:00

Let's see... What have I been up to (crochet-wise) since last time? Not enough blocking and project-photographing, unfortunately...

(Maybe posting on this blog again is just the kick in the rear I need to make that happen. The problem is that as much as I enjoy crocheting doilies and taking photographs as separate hobbies, for some reason, I just don't get as much pleasure from photographing my doilies. The pictures never come out as sharp as they ought. ~shrug~)

At least I have been crocheting, though!
After the Summer Splendor doily and the granny cushion, I tried my hand at pouch-making.

I muddled (and modified) my way through that first pattern and was dissatisfied with the results. (Ended up frogging it. Figured I might as well use the yarn for a dishcloth rather than leave it as a pouch I'd never use.) The stitch pattern is pretty and unusual, though. You can find the free pattern here: Star Stitch Coin Purse.

By that time, I'd decided I wanted a pouch for my mp3-player, though, so I improvised a simple pattern. It worked out ok... (Alright, it was so simple it almost couldn't not have worked).

After all that urgency and insistence that I must have a crocheted mp3-player pouch, have I actually used it for the intended purpose? No, not really. Said mp3-player is always left out where I can to it quickly and easily. Oh well. At least it has "a place", even if it's never in it. (g)

...That was a boring project. The best part of it was that I got to use a couple of polymer clay buttons I made back when I actually did polymer clay. (I do mean to get back into claying...)

Next up was a potholder. I've used this pattern twice before, with good results. It's a vintage pattern, which I always think is fun. (It appeals to the same part of me that gets excited about genealogy and the occasional "antique-y" find at a thrift store.)

In the past, I made this potholder pattern in red; this time, I used pink. (I know, everyone says red and pink clash, but I find a perverse pleasure in pairing them, from time to time. I fully intend to hang the red and pink potholders together-- side by side-- in my kitchen. I'm such a daredevil!)

Here's the (very simple) pattern: Pretty Petals Potholder (from 1946). (It looks like you have to use the Wayback Machine to access it, though, so I suggest printing out a copy, if you're putting off making one for a while.) I like making mine with one ruffled, frilly side (the front) and one plain round (the back). It uses less yarn that way, and seems thick enough without the double-sided ruffles, but of course that's a matter of personal preference.

After the pouches and potholder, I was ready to get back into doily-making.

Sunflower Bloom (blocked, not photographed)-- an attractive-enough, smallish/medium-sized doily-- not all that difficult-- but for some reason I had a heck of a time with (part of) it. Plus, while making it, I ran into two knots in fairly rapid succession in my ball of thread, which only added to the frustration. I think it would go better a second time around, but I don't really need two of it. (Ok, I don't even really need one of it, but the doily-making addiction cannot be denied.) This doily taught me that I really don't enjoy making bpdc (back post double crochet) pairs. Yuck.

I wanted to make a doily as a gift for my grandmother, next. I decided to try a different PK doily: Pretty Pineapples. Overall, it was easier than expected, but I never really love making picots. (This pattern doesn't have that many picots, but the "large" ones were still a bit of a pain.) The last round felt a little odd to crochet, at first, but once I got into the rhythm of it, it wasn't difficult.

The pineapple portion of this doily was a little denser than I tend to like, but the overall effect of the doily is nice. I like the raised stitches, and that last row-- the one that felt odd to crochet-- also gives it a unique touch.

Side note: I don't like blocking doilies that are very noticeably round or have elements (like the solid band in the middle, there) that are supposed to be round. I'm not good at getting them perfect. At least with "pointy" and meshy doilies, it's not as immediately obvious when a person's blocking skills are lacking. Still, it was blocked well enough. I guess they can always be washed and re-blocked.

Next up-- another doily, but for a change of pace, I wanted a charted, non-PK doily. Actually, I chose this pattern because I thought it would be smaller than it actually turned out to be. (I neglected to notice, when selecting the pattern, that it was made of trebles instead of dc.) I'd scored a bag of thread from a thrift store very cheaply, but it was a brand I'd never used before-- South Maid-- and I wanted a quick project just to test it out.

The results were mixed. The doily turned out ok (though very plain, especially compared to a Patricia Kristoffersen doily), but the thread itself was a disappointment.

I'd read awful things about South Maid, but hoped they were exaggerated. (After all, some people cringe and turn up their noses at acrylic yarn, yet I find it perfectly fine to work with.) A few of the reports do seem exaggerated to me, but there's no denying that this is some rough, stiff, dry yarn. It's almost crispy, compared to the other threads I've used!

I wouldn't want to think I had to use only South Maid thread for the rest of my life. I can't imagine paying full price for it, either. (It's not much cheaper than Aunt Lydia's or Royale, is it? Yet both of those-- Aunt Lydia's, particularly-- seem much better quality, or at least much easier on the hands.) Still, I'll use the rest of what I got in my thrift store purchase, and I might even buy more, if I find it at an irresistibly low price. (That depends on how I feel after I make another doily with it, though. If it's too unpleasant, it's not worth using, even if it's free. This is a hobby, for goodness' sake. It should be enjoyable.)

(There's the doily again, still in it's unblocked state. If you're wondering about the varying colors, well, I was experimenting with "cross process"-style photography last month. I prefer the colors in the second photo. I wish it were that lovely antiqued aqua color, but it's actually closer to the blue in the first picture.)

After all that doily-ing, I needed something different, so I made another granny tissue box cover. This was my third time using that pattern. It's worked well every time and is always a quick and easy project . (You just have to remember that it's written in UK terminology or else you'll have to rip and restart.) This time, I made one to order for my youngest sister, to match her bedroom colors of black and purple. (Still no photos. Oops... I haven't given it to her, yet, though. There's still hope.)

I really need to update this blog more often. I'm wearing myself out, writing about all these projects at one time. (Plus I've probably lost half my readers by this point in such a long entry. Half. That means there might be two of you still reading. (g))

Around this point, there was a clearance bin at Michaels with 99¢-a-skein yarn. This was very exciting, because yarn is not cheap, these days. (Or at least I don't think it is. Of course, I am usually a penny-pincher, so maybe it's just that I have a skewed view of what is and is not cheap...) One of my finds in the bin was sock yarn. I bought some with fingerless mitts in mind, and that's just what I made from it!

This is the pattern I used: Firecracker Gloves.
I read through a lot of project notes on Ravelry, trying to figure out how big to make the gloves. You can find my (way too long and detailed) notes on my project's Ravelry page, but essentially, I found that to make the pattern fit me, I had to use a larger hook (F) and start with more stitches than specified in the pattern. I also used foundation sc (instead of foundation chain) and made the cuff longer and the thumb and finger sections shorter than called for in the pattern.

The mitts aren't difficult to make. Figuring out how to get them to the right size was the most challenging aspect of the project, by far. Once I got that figured out, I enjoyed the pattern stitch. It was one I'd never heard of before-- the herringbone half double crochet (hhdc).

Here's the yarn I used (again, with slightly weird colors, because of my cross-process month):

I got two fingerless mitts out of one 99¢ skein. Not bad!

Admittedly, this (Patons Kroy Sock "Fern Rose Jacquard") probably isn't the colorway I would've chosen if I'd had my pick of the litter. ;o) It's a little bit crazy (though I wouldn't go so far as to call it "clown barf", as I've seen it described elsewhere), but I'll be wearing them around the house, mostly, and their colors won't matter as much, then. Besides, these colors are... youthful and playful. Adventurous. (Right?) (g) Meh, whatever. I try not to care (too much) about what people think of my sense of style, anyway. So long as I'm comfortable, everyone else can just deal with my atomic clown barfy fingerless mitts. Yo, haters! Talk to the mitt! (What? Too dorky? Ok, sorry.)

That brings me up to my current project-- PK's Treasure, done in red. There aren't a lot of projects for this pattern on Ravelry. I wonder why... It's not textured like some of PK's doilies are, but it's still pretty. The large holes in the design give it an unusual look, and so far, it's been very easy. The hardest part is that you have to crochet into the chain a couple of rounds. I don't enjoy crocheting into the chain, but I can endure a little of it.

I'm already thinking ahead to my next project. (That's a sure sign of crochet addiction, isn't it?)

There are so many things I want to make... I want to get a few gifts done by Christmas, but that's months away, so I'm not feeling the need to rush on those, yet... I'm planning to make another afghan, and I even have the pattern and yarn all picked out, but I'm not sure it's time to start that, yet, either... (Maybe I'll wait to start such a big project until after I've gotten a gift or two finished.) I'd like to make the Between Meals Centerpiece, one of these days. (Twice now my husband has seen me looking at this pattern and commented that he likes it. This is clearly a Sign that it is Meant to Be.) This scarf (seen over on Pammy Sue's blog) looks like a fun way to use up small remnants of favorite yarn (as if I need yet another scarf)... Some day, I'd like to make this Hinterland Throw, but I'll have to buy enough yarn in a single color... I usually go for a mix of small amounts of lots of different colors of yarn, but that won't do for this project. If I don't make the Hinterland Throw, I'd like to make a doily pattern in yarn... Or-- here's a novel idea!-- maybe I'll do both. (g) Can't ever have too many decorative throws, right?

...But I'm also in the mood to finally try filet crochet. I want something small, just to give myself an idea of how it works and whether I like it. Eventually, I'd like to make a wall-hanging or two in filet, but I'd rather not start with something too ambitious. I'll just keep looking until I find something suitable.

And with that, I believe I'm all caught up!

Subdued Granny Cushion

2011-06-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

I finally made myself go ahead and finish the cushion cover I started last month. This could have been a very quick project, but I took my time putting the two halves together, so it ended up dragging out about a month. I'm highly skilled in the art of procrastination. ;o)

I used 16 of the Summer Garden Granny Squares for the front panel; for the back, I just made one large traditional granny square, adding rows until it was as big as the front panel. I edged each panel in a round of sc in the same color, then connected the two panels around the pillow insert with a round of single crochet (again, in the same color).

For a simple border, I used a modified* version of border #83 from Edie Eckman’s Around the Corner: Crochet Borders. (My first time making the bead stitch. I like it! I creates a slightly nubby texture… kind of like the bumps on the Circle of Friends square, but smaller.)

*The modifications: First, I used hdc instead of dc for the final round, because I didn’t want the border to be too deep and “floppy”. The second alteration was a mistake, but it worked out fine, anyway. Instead of crocheting the hdc on the corners together, I completed each one separately. This doesn’t give you a sharp corner, but it looks fine-- particularly if you don’t have the sharp-cornered border for comparison. (I didn’t notice until I’d done a fair bit of the edging, and I’d already discovered that I don’t enjoy the process of crocheting an edging on a stuffed pillow.)

A few of the colors (brown, maroon, and burgundy) in the photos look more similar than they do in the actual cushion, incidentally...

So there it is-- my first (completed) crocheted cushion! I'm already thinking about making a smaller pillow cover in a different pattern (but similar colors). I've always wanted to try the catherine wheel stitch... First, though, I ought to make a pillow so I can finish that first novelty yarn cushion cover I started so long ago...

Can't Get Enough DOILY-MAKING!!

2011-05-21T06:34:00.000-05:00

Man, I love making doilies. They're so completely pointless, and I don't know what I'll ever do with them all, but I'm sure having a lot of fun making them! ;o)

I had been taking a break from doily-making to crochet a cushion cover. It's small granny-ish squares on one side and a great big regular ol' granny on the other, but I've yet to crochet them together... (Need to get on that, along with the other [novelty yarn] cushion cover that I started many moons ago.) I started the project thinking it would be a seat cushion for my computer chair, as the built-in cushion feels a little... deflated. But the more I thought about it, the more I worried that crochet might not hold up well to the wear and tear this cushion will be subjected to (being sat upon multiple times a day, sometimes for hours at a time), so I think I'm going to just make this a throw pillow. (I have one I'd like to cover, anyway, and fortunately, I chose colors that will coordinate well with the sofas and rug.) I guess I'll try to sew a simple cushion cover instead, for the computer chair. (It should be a quick, easy project, but I'll probably drag it out for a month or two.)

...Um. Back to the subject... Doilies, wasn't it?
So, after that brief detour into cushion-crocheting, I was ready to return to doilies. Working with the yarn for that cushion hurt my hands! I'm not sure why, but it did. The yarn wasn't the softest stuff ever, but I think it was the tension more than the texture of the yarn that bothered me. Anyway, whatever the reason, #10 cotton thread was a breeze to crochet with, by comparison.

I chose to make "Summer Splendor" from some of the America's Best Country Cotton I ordered not long ago-- "Lt. Green", which is a boring name, but a color I am currently in mad love with. It feels fresh and vintage at the same time, if you know what I mean.

"Summer Splendor" is a very simple pattern. It is also a very repetitive pattern. In the early rounds, that was fine, but once the doily gets bigger, it’s almost a little boring.

I think this may be the first doily of this size I’ve made that didn’t have pineapples or something to add a little complexity to the pattern or break it up. This one is just the same thing over and over again (within each round)-- which is nice in a way, but also a bit dull.

While I stand by my ranking of this as a very easy doily pattern, I should add that there were two or three times when the wording seemed slightly confusing. It may be just me, because I’ve seen that others have commented on how clearly it’s written-- but once or twice, I think the designer left off a tiny bit of instruction (such as joining a round with a slip stitch). Then, in the last round, the way it’s written sounds (to me) like you should put two chain-three loops in one space, when clearly you ought to put a chain-three loop in each of the following two spaces. In any case, if you know much about crochet, it’s not difficult to just go with your gut or look at a photo for guidance.

Overall, "Summer Splendor" is ideal for an “almost auto-pilot” thread project. It just goes to show that you don’t necessarily need fancy, complicated stitchwork to make something beautiful from thread.

Once I block and photograph it, I'll post a photo or two here (and that still goes for the doilies from before, too).

Doily-Making

2011-05-06T09:54:00.001-05:00

That's what I've been doing since my last blog post, crochet-wise.

I finished and blocked that first PK doily ("Peacock Pride"), and the results were... let's just say a little underwhelming. I think I did a really poor job of blocking, so I'm going to wash and re-block it, sometime soon. (Also, I've gone up a couple of hook sizes since then-- to a 2.0mm hook-- and I think that works better for me when I'm making PK doilies. If I ever make that pattern again, I'll definitely use a larger hook than size 7.)

Undaunted ;o), I picked out another PK pattern and thread and set to work, and I'm glad I did. They've all worked out very well, and I'm now as confident about written instructions as I am diagrams. Charts make it easier to see where you are at a glance, count repeats, and reassure yourself that you're getting the right shape, but written instructions make it less likely that you'll completely miss something in the pattern, I think. (And sticky notes are a great help in keeping track of your current round.)

Since "Peacock Pride", I've made one medium-sized doily, two medium-small-sized doilies, and four mini-sized doilies. Let's see... I've made "Pineapple Patch", "Becharmed", "Gallant", and (from 99 Little Doilies) #83 (twice), #8, and #70.

With all of those doilies piling up, I decided to do something about my blocking situation. Previously, I'd just used (rust-proof) pins and a towel on the carpet, but that was less than satisfactory. (See above regarding "Peacock Pride" and underwhelming results.) It's just so uncomfortable, working on the floor, but I didn't want to use our couch or bed, either... and a cushion wouldn't be flat enough.

I'd read about people using foam insulation board, and we happened to have some scraps of that left over from our pump house, so I washed one off and gave it a try. It's great. So much better than kneeling on the floor and trying to force pins through the carpet. (I bent some of them that way and hurt my thumb a couple of times, too, on the tiny pin heads.) One thing that would make it better would be having a grid or concentric circles to use as a guide, and I'm going to see about adding that. (I just have to figure out what kind of ink I can use that will stay on the insulation board and not stain my doilies. I wonder if a Sharpie would do the trick? I'll make a test mark near the corner and find out...)

So, if you've read all that, you're probably wondering "Where are the photos?". (g) Well... Those will have to wait a little longer, but in the meantime, here are a couple of artsy shots of the "Lavender Patch" (my "Pineapple Patch") blocking. ;o)

Venturing into the Written Realm...

2011-04-28T16:32:00.053-05:00

My first attempt at a doily was one of Trish Kristoffersen's "99 Little Doilies" (which, as you may know, contains written directions-only patterns). I chose it because I thought it looked simple-- no fancy stitches involved. And it probably was simple. However, I had two things working against me (in addition to the fact that it was my first experience crocheting with thread).

First: I was using variegated thread. While it's beautiful in a ball (and can be stunning in the right project), variegated thread usually seems to act like camouflage on fancy stitchwork, in my limited experience. It's not the best for a beginner trying to reassure herself that she's "doing it right".

Second: I turned my work after every round, even though the pattern never said anything about turning. (Forgive me. I was a newbie. I didn't know any better.)

The results, as you might expect, were less than stellar. Still, I persevered. I tried some micro doilies with diagram patterns-- and they worked!

Ever since, I've been hesitant to go back to written doily patterns. Other types of patterns, ok. I can deal with it if they're written, but a doily pattern changes with every row. So confusing! I've been a little bit intimidated, but one day last month, I finally took the plunge-- on another Patricia Kristoffersen doily, no less!

I chose to make "Peacock Pride" from Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies, in a teal/peacock blue (Aunt Lydia's "Classic River Blue"). So far, so good! I've actually been surprised by how easy it is to follow the written pattern, and I definitely won't be as scared of written patterns anymore.

One thing, though-- it does take more work to locate your place in a written pattern than in a charted / diagrammed one. With the diagram, I can find my place at a glance, but with the words, I need to read over a step or two to reassure myself that I'm looking at the right row. This could be helped with a sticky note to mark my spot. I've just been too lazy to bother with that.

...Anyway, learning that I can in fact follow a written doily pattern (without imploding under the weight of the stress and confusion) has opened up a whole new world of written patterns. I'm pretty excited! I went ahead and found another booklet of PK doilies on eBay-- Doilies with Charm. "Bewitching", watch out. I've got my eye on you...

Crochet Mood Therapy

2011-04-25T08:55:00.000-05:00

Meh. I am just not feelin' it (as they say) today. I even think I may be slightly depressed, which isn't helping me get motivated to do all the crap that needs doing-- one of which is letting some things go/moving past them so that maybe I won't feel slightly depressed anymore. So much easier said than done! (I don't think many people from my Real Life read this, so I feel a little more comfortable writing this kind of thing here, though I still "can't" go into details... Every now and then, I wish my personal blog was anonymous, but it's way too late for that, now.)

So. One of the happier aspects of life at the moment is crochet.

I'm just about finished with the next-to-last round of my latest doily. When that's done, I'm not sure what I'll start next. I might make a couple of mini doilies... (We'll see.) What I'm more tempted to do is start that afghan I wrote about last time. I've already gone through my stash of yarn and picked out some colors I like together. The "problem" is that I think I may have picked out a few colors too many... and now I can't really bring myself to put any of them back. It's the perfect mix of colors. (!!) Heh, ok, maybe not, but you know what I mean. Sometimes you find a color scheme that you just love. It's the prettiest color mix ever. (Well, for the time being, at least.) You know your life will never be complete if you don't use that color scheme for this project. ...So I guess I will. (g) I just have to decide if I want to start it now or wait until I've made a mini doily or two (which would be gifts)...

But first, I need to finish that doily. That's a priority. It needs to move to the top of that never-ending to-do list.

(I do feel a little better now. The thought of my new color palette and that afghan is a definite mood-lifter.)

Afghan Itch

2011-04-23T10:35:00.001-05:00

Since finishing the booties and dodecahedron, I've been making doilies (on my third at the moment, and need to block the first two). My plan was to spend my crochet time this late spring / early summer making doilies and possibly weaving in ends on two finished afghans (my Sunny Seaside Moorish Mosaic and the Flower Garden Hexagon-- because, tsk-tsk, I still haven't woven in all the ends from even that afghan)... But I've been getting the afghan itch again...

I keep thinking about the Weekend in Stockholm throw, in particular. Yes, I'll admit it: Part of the reason I want to make that afghan might be its name. My husband is Swedish, and I visited Stockholm with him before we were married. (Gamla Stan and the verdigris on the copper roofs were two of my favorite things from the city.) But I also just like the design of the square, honest! (g)

...So... I'm thinking I may "have" to start an afghan in the hot time of this year, after all. Since it's not a join-as-you-go, most of the work won't be any hotter than doily-crocheting, anyway.

...But then there's that string quilt kit my mother put together for me for my birthday... I'm a little nervous about sewing a "real" quilt (as opposed to a rag quilt), but I'm also interested to see how it might turn out. There are so many different kinds of fabrics in the kit, and that's what I like most about so many quilts-- the hodge-podge of different colors and patterns.

...And speaking of sewing, I never did make those skirts last summer, and I've been wishing I had more comfortable around-the-house/yard warm-season clothes... I think I have everything I need to sew a couple of them...

Decisions, decisions!

The Nerve of Some Craft Stores!

2011-04-15T05:32:00.000-05:00

The last time I went to Michaels to buy some sale-priced yarn, I was disappointed to notice that they seem to be shifting their stock of Caron Simply Soft from the 7 oz. skeins down to the 6 oz. skeins. And they're not changing the sale price to reflect the shrinking skein (so I kind of doubt they're changing the regular price, either, though I'll admit I didn't think to check). That is just SO RUDE.

I'm not sure who's to blame here... Maybe Caron is no longer making the larger skeins. (I've noticed before that other stores carried only the smaller skeins.) On the other hand, Caron probably isn't forcing Michaels to charge the same amount for a 6-oz. skein that they charged for a 7-oz. one, before the switch.

I know, I know. Prices go up on everything. (Don't I know it!) But still. Please allow me to be irritated. ;o)

Oh well. I dug around and found the 7-oz. skeins where they were available. (Thought they could hide them from me in the bottom of the bin, did they? Ha! I'm no amateur!) For the rest, what can you do? I'm already using sale-priced acrylic instead of fancy natural fibers, for my afghans. I figure everyone spends a certain amount of money on his or her recreational activities. Considering the hours (and hours) of enjoyment I get from crocheting (and the fact that I'm making extremely useful blankets that double as decorative objets d'art (g)), it's still a pretty affordable hobby.

Now, just don't get me started on the fact that I found steel crochet hooks on clearance at the nearest Hobby Lobby, last time I was there. Are they going to stop carrying the smallest hooks altogether? That would be most annoying, Hobby Lobby. We are not best pleased with you, today.

They had also marked down most colors of their Rustica thread, but considering that it is unmercerized and I have never used it, anyway, I can't work up the will to be that upset about it. Unfortunately, it probably doesn't bode well for the thread department as a whole...

Booties & Dodecahedron

2011-04-11T15:19:00.000-05:00

I made a couple more crochet items to put in with our baby shower gift.

First: Rainbowy Dodecahedron

(Here's the project page on Ravelry, where you can also find the pattern.)

Instead of making the full-sized pattern, I stopped after round 10. I think it turned out plenty big enough this way (for a baby/toddler toy).

You can read more about my impressions of the project on Ravelry, if you're so inclined. Basically, once you get started, it's a fast project, but putting the "modules" (points) together can be a little messy. I explain the method by which I finally understood we are meant to join them in my Ravelry notes.

Second: Booties

I actually made two pairs of booties, because the first turned out so tiny I didn't suppose the baby's feet would fit into them even as a newborn.

This was my first time making booties, and I wasn't that excited about making them, honestly-- but I thought there'd be a lot of adorable patterns out there, available for free. I was kind of disappointed by the selection I found. I didn't want to pay for a pattern, because to me, the booties were just an extra-- a photo prop. I wasn't sure what size to make and didn't even know if they'd ever be worn. If I were going to pay, I'm kind of smitten with these: Double Strap Baby Booties. (I wonder how hard they are to get to fit, though, with those straps...)

Anyway, here's the project page for the ones (both pair) I did end up making. They're ok for a photo op, but they're not my favorite thing I've ever made. There's information in my Ravelry notes about how I deviated from the original pattern to make the second pair larger without going up a couple hook sizes.

Since the baby hasn't been born yet, I don't know if either pair will fit at all. (See? This is why I don't like making things that have to fit. It's so much fussier than blankets, scarves, and doilies.)

Cirlce of Friends Afghan Completed!

2011-04-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

You know how you hold off blogging for a while because you don't want to completely ruin the surprise of a gift? And meanwhile you accumulate quite a mental list of things to blog about? And then when the gift has been given, you find you've just kind of fallen out of the habit of blogging, and there's so much you've been meaning to write about, that the thought of blogging becomes one of those "um, maybe tomorrow / where do I start?!" things?

Yeah, well, let's see if I can ease my way back into this blog again...

The first subject to tackle is the gift that I didn't want to spoil-- the Circle of Friends baby afghan.

I was overwhelmed by the kind comments and hearts over on Ravelry for that blanket-in-progress. Wow! How flattering! It's a really fun motif, isn't it? I may make another afghan from it-- to keep this time, since I've given the first one to the mommy- and daddy-to-be. (The baby should be arriving early in May.)

So, where was I in the blanket-making process, when last I wrote? I guess I was just in the midst of making all those squares. Well, when I finally finished all I needed, I had to decide how to join them all. Because I'm not fond of sewing motifs together, I opted for the slip stitch method. This was my first time to stitch together a whole afghan's-worth of motifs, and though stitches on facing squares didn't always match as perfectly as I'd hoped (because I guess I made a mistake here and there in making them), they still all went together well enough. I don't think you can see any unevenness at all, really. (Thank goodness crochet is so forgiving!) I like the way the front of a blanket looks when the backs of the motifs are slip stitched together-- very smooth and well-finished-looking.

(If you're unfamiliar with the slip stitch joining method, I'm sure you can find information about it in lots of places online. Here's one I like: It's Lucy's (Attic24) Joining Granny Squares photo tutorial, which works just as well for squares and other motifs of the non-granny variety.)

Next up-- the border. I was tempted to try a fancy border, but in the end, I stuck with my initial plan to keep it very simple. I, um, can't remember (doh!) exactly what I did, actually... but it was either one or two rows of single crochet, then a row of reverse single crochet (crab stitch). I'm very fond of reverse single crochet for a simple, sturdy edging, and it didn't fail me this time, either.

Oh, and I used the same yarn for the joining and the border that I'd used on the last round of each motif. I thought that would tie them all together nicely. It would also have been fun, though, to use stripes of different colors on the border.

As I mentioned, I've already given the blanket, but I managed to take some photos beforehand. I'll put a handful of them here; if anyone's interested, there are more on its Ravelry project page and my Flickr photostream.)

First, the whole blanket on the floor...
(None of this "pose" really turned out that well, but it gives you the basic idea, at least. All of these were taken before washing. After washing, I think the "self-blocking" aspect kicked in a bit and evened out the edges a little more.)

Then a couple on the swing:

And then just a couple more...:

And that, I suppose, is that!

It was a joy to make.

Crochet in the "News"

2011-01-21T15:28:00.000-06:00

Ha!

(Found here... from The Onion.)

Circle of Friends Progress Report

2011-01-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

I think I have nearly half as many squares as I need to finish the Circle of Friends Baby Afghan!

I had fifteen squares when I took these photos, yesterday afternoon. I now have seventeen... and I think I'm going to stop when I've made thirty-five squares. (That'll be 5 squares by 7 squares... which, considering that the motifs are about 7 inches square, I think is about right. I don't want to make it too big and unwieldy for a young child.)

I'm eager to finish those remaining eighteen motifs so I can see it all put together!

Here are a few beauty shots:

...And here's a boring one to show the color combinations of the first seventeen squares:

(Some of the squares look quite a bit smaller than the rest, in this photo, but I think that's exaggerated by the slight angle of the view... They're closer in size in real life... and I think that they'll work out fine when I start crocheting them together.)

As much as I'm enjoying this project, I have to admit that my fingers are itching to try something different. It's a very nice motif, though. I recommend it very highly! There's plenty of room to play with color (if you like-- or you can limit the color changes). It has an interesting texture (which looks much more complicated than it actually is). The pattern is easily memorized and executed, but the results look pretty impressive, I think.

Tissue Box Cover

2011-01-12T13:39:00.001-06:00

Had you told me when I was a teenager that I would someday crochet a tissue box cover, I probably wouldn't have believed you... or I'd have been mortified at my (imagined) future state of mind. (g) Yet there it is. I have made one of those "little old lady" tissue box cozies.

I saw the pattern on a blog or two-- then my husband caught a cold, and our unadorned tissues came under my eye. Well, it was inevitable, really, that I should take a break from my current pet project (the Circle of Friends afghan) to make a tissue cover. It's a simple and very quick project. An experienced, speedy crocheter could whip it up in an afternoon. The rest of us might stretch it out over a day or two of easy, pleasant crocheting.

Mine's not the prettiest I've seen. I really prefer the ones in rainbow colors... but since this one will probably be living in our bedroom, I decided to go with the colors that tend to harmonize best with our bedclothes-- green, blue, yellow, and white. (And I just happened to have those colors of yarn in my stash, un-spoken-for by any contemplated projects.)

If you happen not to have seen the pattern before, it's the Granny Tissue Box Cover, by Michelle Kludas.

The pattern's written in English crochet terminology, but it's easy to translate into American abbreviations. If you can remember that UK terms state things one step larger than US terms do, you'll be fine. (So an English dc is an American sc, their tr is our dc, and their d tr is just a plain American tr. Chains and slip stitches are the same in either system.)

Circle of Friends Afghan Progress

2011-01-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

Time for a couple of progress photos!

First, a detail photo of the first Circle of Friends motif I made...

And here's a (rather blurry) photo of all the squares I had made as of yesterday afternoon. (I finished one more last night, though, so I'm up to six!)

(The one in the upper left-hand corner is the second one I made. It's my least favorite, so far-- too "circus-y" for my tastes-- but I think it'll be fine when they're all mixed and matched together.)

I'm going to make all the squares before I begin connecting them, so there's plenty of time to arrange them just so. ...And also plenty of time to agonize over the final placement. ;o)

...I have to say, I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. I think it's going to be very bright and cheery, indeed!

One thing I noticed is that my squares measure about 7 inches instead of the 8 inches mentioned in the pattern. I'm not sure why. I'm using worsted weight yarn with an H hook (which the pattern suggests, I believe.) On the other hand, I did change the ch-3s to ch-2s... And of course gauge varies from person to person. Anyway, I'm fine with them being 7 inches-- but I think I'm going to make the blanket five squares wide instead of the 4x5 I'd originally (tentatively) planned. As for how long it'll be, that depends on how things look when I get closer to the project's end. 5x6? 5x7? Probably one or the other of those dimensions.

I have many squares yet to crochet! (Yay!)

P.S. My fingers are confused today. I can't seem to type "circle" or "square" correctly on the first try, no matter how many times I need to type them!

Being Decisive

2011-01-06T21:28:00.000-06:00

I've made some decisions regarding the baby blanket.

I ended up choosing Priscilla Hewitt's Circle of Friends Square. It's not overtly floral (in my opinion, at least), but it has texture and plenty of room to play around with color combinations. Also, it's not too holey (something I wanted to avoid in this blanket).

Yesterday evening, I picked out a boxful of colorful yarns from my stash. I don't know yet if I'll use every one of those colors, but it's possible. I did end up going for a rainbow approach-- but I won't be using them in rainbow order, necessarily-- just scrambled up together every which way.

I didn't have a chance to try out the motif until this morning (early, because one of the dogs woke us up around five, and I didn't figure I'd be able to get back to sleep). I have to say, I'm impressed! This pattern is pretty easy, but it looks more complicated than it is, with those rings of raised, puffy stitches. I think it'll make a very nice blanket.

At the moment, I'm thinking it'll be four by five blocks, plus some type of edging-- but I may change my mind once I have a few more of them made up and laid out together. We'll see.

Here's a link to the pattern, if you're interested: Circle of Friends Square. (Or you can download a PDF of the pattern here.)

And if you're on Ravelry (and if you're not, you should be, if you knit or crochet at all!), you can also check out its pattern page over there. (At the moment, there don't seem to be many finished, whole afghans made of this square on Ravelry. Lots of pot holders and loose squares, though.)

Oh, and here's my Circle of Friends Baby Blanket project page on Ravelry.

I'll try to take and post some photos soon!

Indecision

2011-01-04T13:42:00.000-06:00

One of my sisters, C., is expecting a baby (the first great-grandchild in our family) in May. This is, of course, the perfect excuse for me to crochet a baby blanket, and the idea's been floating around in the back of my mind since I first heard the news.

She and my brother-in-law have decided to let the baby's gender be a surprise, so I'm going to try for something gender-neutral. I'd like this blanket to be something that could be used through the toddler stage and on up, as long as it holds together, and I suspect that a little boy might not want a blankie with flowers all over it. So overtly floral motifs are out-- as are too-pink, girly-girl color combos. For that matter, army colors are a no-go, as well, in case it's a girl-- not that I'd really have wanted to make a camo-themed baby afghan, anyway. (g)

There's the standard yellow or green that everyone uses when it's unknown whether the baby will be a boy or girl. Or several pastel hues, including both pink and blue... But right now, I'm leaning toward a combination of several bright, non-pastel-dominated colors-- perhaps even a rainbow theme. Those should be fine for either gender, right?

I can tell I'm over-thinking this, but hey, let's just go with it! ;o)

First Question:
How big should I make the blanket?

Something too big might not be as convenient to use when the baby's small... But I don't know how much it would be used in the infant stage, anyway. (I'm sure there will be no shortage of blankets-- including many that are easier to wash and transport than an afghan.) Something too small might not be useful for long once the baby reaches toddler age...

I need to just google it and see what the standard baby blanket size seems to be.

Second Question:
What type yarn will I use?

I already know the answer to this one. I want something durable, machine washable, accessible, and affordable, so I'm going with acrylics. I know some people whine that acrylics aren't soft enough, but they seem fine to me. (shrug) If it's truly too rough for delicate baby skin, they can store it until s/he's toughened up a little. ;o)

Third Question:
Heirloom lace or bright and cheerful?

It seems like many babyghans (for instance, this one) are meant more to be looked at than used-- props for very staged portraits-- heirlooms to tuck away in a hope chest and never see again. (g) Well, ok, maybe it's not quite that extreme, but they're so lacy and delicate that they don't look very useful as blankets. They feel like the kind of thing Mother packs away once the baby leaves the crib, because a rambunctious toddler would ruin it. I guess this would be a good excuse to make something like that-- the kind of blanket I'm unlikely to make in adult size... but I think I'd rather make something cozy and potentially useful.

...If I made them small, I could potentially make two little afghans... One bright and cheery and the other elegant and heirloomy. ;o) It's something to consider, at least.

Fourth Question:
Round(ish) or Rectangular?

I've seen some cute and very unusual afghans shaped like stars and such. (See Little Star, Aztec Sun, and Round Ripple.) They're so unique that they're kind of tempting... But how useful would something like that be? Maybe a plain old rectangle is best... In any case, this ties into my next (and final) question...

Fifth Question:
Ripples of Motifs?

Assuming I do decide to go with a rectangular blanket, do I want to make a ripple afghan (such as the Attic24 Ripple) or something from motifs-- something like this one based on the Circle of Friends motif, or this lovely Carseat Blanket)?

This is my biggest dilemma: What pattern will I use? I like the look of ripples, but perhaps they're more boring than motifs would be-- and I do really like motifs, as well. Still, sometimes simpler is better. On the other hand, I just got (for Christmas) a great book full of motifs, and this would be a good chance to break it in. Do the motifs I like look too girly? Ripples, at least, are thoroughly gender-neutral, I think...

Ah, decisions, decisions!

There's time to spare, but I don't want to wait too long. I need to settle on something soon!

Flower Garden Hexagon Afghan-- Yikes!

2011-01-02T20:55:00.001-06:00

I know I said I was going to take some photos of the completed flower garden hexagon... and technically, there is a photo of it toward the end of this post... but it's probably not the type you're expecting.

See, what happened is this:
I "finished" the afghan, right? I mean, sure, there were hundreds of ends still to be woven in and trimmed, but as far as crocheting went-- done! I had every intention of pulling out the afghan when cool weather came and happily weaving in ends while sitting in front of the TV on cozy evenings at home.

That was my intention.
What actually happened? Well, the blanket got covered up by a couple of things that ~~needed~~ still need mending, and out of sight = out of mind. Then December popped up out of nowhere, and I spent evenings either working on Christmas gifts or debating whether or not I had time to make this or that Christmas gift.

Fast-forward to 2011. I pulled out the afghan and saw that (much to my dismay) those loose tails hadn't magically pulled themselves in. (So lazy of them, really.)

So, I've begun the long, arduous process of weaving in ends. Some of them already were woven in-- those I did back when the blanket was still in progress. If only I had been a good little crocheter and done them all as I went along!!

(The good news: I learned my lesson, and when I made my version of the Moorish Mosaic Afghan, I dutifully wove in ends immediately after crocheting each motif. Now I just have to weave in the ends I create when I crochet all those motifs together. I'm very proud of myself for that, actually. (g))

I have a feeling this weaving-in bit is going to take a long time. There are eight tails per hexagon... and I don't know how many hexagons remain, but it's a whole bunch. I try not to think about that big number, though-- just do my one or two at a time (because did I mention that I'm kind of plodding at end-weaving? Well, I am...) and keep faith that eventually-- however unlikely it may seem now-- I will work my way down to the last one.

Want to see my progress?
I took this photo this morning. I've done maybe six or seven more since then, so it's a fairly accurate representation of the current state of affairs.

(The bump under the blanket is a couple of throw pillows.)

It looks like I have approximately two-thirds of the ends still to weave...

(Man, am I glad this wasn't a bed-sized afghan!!)

Well, I might try to go tackle another hexagon or two... Yaaaay. ;o)

(One pleasant thing about weaving in the ends is getting to look at and think about all the color combinations again. I do enjoy that.)

P.S. And yes, I know, I know. I should've crocheted over my tails to save myself most of this work. I did try that, but I just didn't like how it looked, with this motif. I think that if I ever do a similar pattern again, I might crochet over them anyway, though. (I wasn't as familiar with crochet techniques at the beginning of the project as I am now. These days, I might be able to figure a better, neater way of hiding the tails.)

Hexagon Photos

2010-12-30T16:35:00.000-06:00

I was just glancing back over some old entries-- and did I really never put up any photos of the finished hexagon afghan? I can't believe that! ...Though, looking through my "Afghan" set on Flickr, it seems I never took any wonderful photos of the finished afghan! I'll have to work on that, one of these days.

In the meantime, here are a few more photos of the Flower Garden Hexagon Afghan:

In progress:

Working on the afghan:

Still not finished:

All the pretty flowers-- er, hexagons:

Edging:

Folded and ready to go!:

There! That's better, already!

A Rag Quilt for Dad

2010-12-30T16:08:00.000-06:00

Let's see... Has it really been two months since my last blog entry here?!

Where to start?
...Well, I've done a bit of sewing since my last post.

I made a denim rag quilt for my father's 50th birthday, back in November.

The "sandwiches" were denim on the front and flannel on the back, but because the denim was all fairly lightweight (for denim), I decided to put in a middle layer cut from a retired sheet. (According to my mother, who has also used it, it's very warm, so that's good to know!)

To liven things up a little, I added some patches and faux chenille-style strips on the quilt top.

(Note of possible interest: The reason the denim was fairly lightweight was that most of it didn't come from jeans, but from a piece of denim I bought on discount from a store, a denim curtain, and a couple of denim shirts. They all worked fine, but definitely seemed lighter weight than what you usually get from old jeans.)

Here's a not-exactly-stellar photo of the finished rag quilt:

It looks pretty raggedy, huh? But that's kind of the point... ;o)

I whipped this one up pretty quickly (and I'm not that speedy with cutting fabric and sewing). Cutting larger squares than I used in my previous rag quilts helped speed up the process. (That's one of the benefits of using store-bought fabric instead of recycling jeans. You simply can't get such big squares out of most jeans, unless you include the heavy seams down the legs in your squares.) I can't remember for certain, but I think I might have used 10-inch squares for this blanket...

The blanket is big enough for someone my size (about 5'5") to stretch out under, with blanket to spare. It might not be big enough to cover up a taller person quite as completely, but it's definitely enough to cover most of him/her.

December was also a busy sewing month for me, but I can't really blog about all that yet (since I'm not sure who might read this and have a surprise ruined). Well, I've waited this long. I guess I can wait another week or two. :o)

I've also done some crocheting, but I think that'll have to wait until another blog entry. I think I can safely promise that I won't take two months to get around to writing the next one, though. (g)

2010-10-24T20:09:00.001-05:00

(I'm eventually going to finish that cushion, and when I do, I'll be sure to post photos. In the meantime, here's some more afghan talk.)

Back when I was still working on my hexagon afghan-- which I still haven't really finished, if you count all the tails I still need to weave in-- I just couldn't keep myself from forming serious crushes on other crochet afghan patterns. I don't know if I'll ever make them all, but I'm definitely keeping them in the back of my mind. . .

At least one of them I know I'll be making, because I've already started it:

The Moorish Mosaic Afghan.
"An interplay of color transforms three basic motifs into a rich tapestry."
This pattern calls for sportweight yarn in six colors, but I've seen a lot of people on Ravelry making it in regular worsted weight, which is what I ended up doing, too. I'm using Caron's Simply Soft in Autumn Red (for the main color), Ocean, Sunshine, Persimmon, Light Country Blue, and Dark Country Blue.

The fun of this afghan is that each of the octagons is uniquely colored/patterned. The more I looked at photos on Ravelry, the more I wanted to make this afghan! I was tempted to pick out my favorite variations and do only those, but in the end, I think I've decided to make one of each. If I ever make it again, though, I might pick and choose.

It took me a little while to get into the groove with the octagon motif. I made my first one a little wrong-- even after seeing someone write about making the very same mistake! (The flower had one too few "petals".) Once I got into the swing of things, though, I was enjoying the pattern very much. Then I got sidetracked for a couple of weeks (trying potholder patterns, then making some scrubbies and a few small doilies), so now I'm going to have to refresh my memory of the pattern. I think I've just about forgotten it!

(Though these photos only show a handful of octagons-- because these were all I'd done back when I took them-- I've actually completed about 2/3 of the octagon motifs, I think. I have all the squares and triangles yet to go, though.)

Here are the other afghans I found so captivating, in no particular order:

Sunshine Day Baby Afghan.

(Though this is called a "baby afghan", I wouldn't necessarily be making it for a baby. Since it's made of square motifs, it would only be a matter of creating more of them to make a larger blanket.) This is one of those "circle-in-the-square" patterns I keep seeing and admiring, but this one is unique in the "puffiness" of some of the stitches. The coloring of the example afghan stands out, too.* Not your typical babyghan. The touches of pink and pale blue are more than balanced by so much beige and brown.

* I'm not sure why I even comment on the colors used in example afghans, because 99% of the time, I don't use the yarn mentioned in a pattern. . . and even if I did, I generally prefer to choose my own colors, to make it a little more "my own". That said, the colors in the examples do help persuade me to choose one pattern over the other, even though I try to look beyond that to the possibilities in the textures and shapes of the blanket.

Homespun Classic.
This is a unique afghan made of two shapes of motifs-- an eight-pointed star and a smaller floral shape that links the stars together. It's definitely something different from your typical squares, and the photo of it on the cover of the book is gorgeous. (Those colors, again!) However-- the book it's in hasn't gotten the best reviews, so unless you can get it from a library, it may not be worth the investment. Also, I only see two versions of it on Ravelry, and both those crocheters rated it as fairly difficult (though to be fair, they also both rated the pattern highly-- 4 and 5 stars). One other thing-- these very lacy afghans definitely seem more for looks than use. I'm sure they make some difference on a slightly chilly day, but still. . . And all those holes are just begging to get snagged. Part of the territory of lacy blankets, I guess.

Refreshing Throw.
(Free from Red Heart.)
This one's made of square motifs. Each individual square is worked in a single color, but (if you follow the pattern) you make squares in a handful of different colors. It has a slightly lacy texture and a little raised design that is floral or star-like-- a nice touch that makes the single-color motifs anything but dull. I'm very tempted to make this one (or something similar) in a variety of cream, white, and ecru yarns-- maybe a touch of beige or tan here and there. I think it would make a classic, understated afghan-- a pleasant change from very bright and playful afghans. (Don't get me wrong: I like bright and playful very much, but sometimes you need a change of pace.)

Double Diamond Blanket.
(Free from Bernat.)
More squares. This is a very simple-looking motif. I can't imagine that it's much of a challenge-- except maybe dealing with the boredom of repetitiveness and getting the "eyelets" to line up properly at the end. Or maybe it's one of those things that looks easier than it really is. . . It certainly looks like it'd be so easy that it might be rather dull to crochet, but the cleanness of it is appealing.

8-Color Afghan.
(This one's free from Lion Brand.)

I like the example photo of this one. So bright and cheerful. Yet more squares. It looks like a great way to use up small amounts of leftover yarn.

...And of course, since I bookmarked all those afghans, I've found at least half-a-dozen more to stare at and daydream about... If only there were time and yarn enough for them all!

Crocheted Cushion Cover

2010-08-15T14:31:00.000-05:00

About the beginning of July, I decided to try to make something from some of the novelty yarn I’d bought (on clearance) before I really knew how to crochet. Using the knitting loom, eyelash yarns could sometimes take a little extra patience, but it wasn't that bad. However, it turns out that fluffy novelty yarn is kind of a nightmare to crochet with. (g) It was nearly impossible for me to see for sure where to insert the hook, so I just did my best. (I could feel where to put the hook more than I could see it.) On the plus side, the yarn is so fluffy that you can’t really see if you make minor mistakes. It’s pretty forgiving.

I made really simple granny squares-- just three rounds per square, counting the starting chain loop. When I had enough, I crocheted them together along the back. Because this is going to be a cushion cover, I didn’t even bother weaving in all my loose ends. I figure I can just keep them pushed to the back. (Yeah, I’m a little lazy. (g))

All I have to do now is figure out how I want to put together the two halves (and find/make the perfect cushion to put them on)…

I need to take photos of the squares stitched together. They look much nicer already!

On a side note, I think that crocheting with novelty yarn might be more manageable if held together with a strand of regular yarn-- something to give you a better view of where your stitches are.

Bookmark Photos

2010-08-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

This is the bookmark I mentioned the last time I wrote here (which was, um, way too long ago-- sorry!)...

...And here's a bit of a close-up:

I also made a second version without the flower "tassel", which I think looked just as good (if not better).

I've written before that I didn't like variegated yarn/thread as much as plain-colored thread and yarn. For that most part, that still holds true, but in the meantime I've learned that there are some patterns that look nice with variegation. This Queen Anne's Lace-style stitching, for instance. It was fun to watch the colors change while I crocheted-- and of course (because I didn't start at the same place in the color sequence in the thread), the two bookmarks ended up looking slightly different. (This was also fun!)

So don't count me out on variegation altogether. ;o)

What I've Been Up To...

2010-07-07T17:08:00.005-05:00

I've been a bad blogger again.

Let's see... What have I been doing (craftwise), since last time... ?

I tried knitting.

The casting-on part (long-tail cast-on) was ok, once I knew exactly what I was supposed to do, but the first row after that was awful. Trying to get the needles to do what I wanted-- ugh, it filled me with disgust, even though I tried to remember that when I first started crocheting, the crochet hook didn't immediately bend to my will, either. I think part of the problem may have been the yarn I was using. It was a partial skein I had only because it was bundled with some other yarn I wanted to buy at a thrift store. It was nasty, nasty stuff (and I use almost only acrylics when I crochet, so if I say it's nasty, you may believe me that it was). Scratchy, catchy, yuck. Next time-- assuming there is a next time-- I'll use something a little nicer, even if whatever I make is likely to turn out ugly because I'm a rank amateur.

I suppose I still would like to learn to knit, if it doesn't turn out to be too much of a pain to get the hang of it. The problem is that what I really want to knit is lacy fabric, and from what I gather, that's the type of thing that many even fairly seasoned knitters view with trepidation. I wonder how much of that is exaggerated-- or just people overestimating the difficulty of knitting lace / lace knitting-- or if it really is that much more difficult... I have a lot of confidence in the idea that if you want to do something badly enough, you can make it work, but I'm not sure if I do care that much. Especially when there are so many lacy things I could just crochet, instead. It's not exactly the same look, but it's beautiful in it own right. ...We'll see.

I crocheted a couple of lacy bookmarks, for gifts.

I think I have photos, somewhere. They're doily-esque, thread crochet items. The pattern is very similar (if not identical) to the one I used to make the Queen Anne's Lace scarves. (I love that pattern. So addictive!) If I do say so myself, it turns out just a beauifully in size 10 cotton as it does in worsted weight yarn.

Someday I'll probably get around to posting one of the photos over on Flickr. (I'm so, so far behind on photo uploads.)

I bought the makings for a handmade skirt.

I hunted out a vintage, floral-patterned twin flat sheet at a thrift shop and some elastic at the craft store-- and I should have everything else I need to whip up an around-the-house skirt. (Actually, I should have enough for more than one skirt. Or maybe a pair of pajama/lounge pants.)

I've seen people write about doing this for years, but I've never been interested enough in wearing skirts to give it serious though. However, after buying a couple of skirts cheaply and finally wearing them this summer, I've had to admit that they are awfully cool and comfortable (for home, if nothing else), and so I decided to try making one myself.

The thought of elastic waistbands makes me wince, but that must just be some faded psychological scar from an ill-fitting garment of my past, because I have elastic-waisted pj pants and things today that are wonderfully comfortable. No reason why my homemade versions shouldn't also be a pleasure to wear!

I hope I won't end up looking too much like a flower-power hippie woman in my full, flowery skirt.

I crocheted some more dish clothes and scrubbers.

I even tried a few new patterns. However, I found nothing I liked so well as the old favorite "spiral scrubbie" I've used in the past. I think I'll just stick with what I already know works, from now on.

I (kind of sort of) finished my hexagon afghan. (! ! !)

That's right! I’m finished! Or at least I’m counting this as finished, because the only thing left to do is weave in the (eleventy billion) loose ends. I don’t consider that crocheting. It’s just tidying. ;o) I’ll probably be working on that for quite some time, but that’s ok; it’s good TV-time, keep-you-hands-busy work.

I finished the border just today-- three rows of single crochet, then a final scalloped shell edging. I based the shell edging on the one Lucy used on her hexagon blanket. I couldn’t find a description/pattern of it, so I did my best to copy it based on how it looked. It’s essentially this, in US terms: sc, skip a stitch, 4 dc in next stitch, skip a stitch-- as many times as it takes to work your way around the afghan.

I’ll try to take (and post) photos soon. Woo! So excited to have finished this afghan! It was sheer pleasure to make, once I got the pattern straight.

--Oh, and I ended up deciding to “fill in the gaps” with KnittingNonni’s “half hexie” pattern. Though I didn’t really enjoy having to crochet that first border round into the half hexagons, I think it probably cut down on the edging work in the long run, and I like having the sides even. (The jagged edge can look nice, too, though. It was a tough choice.)

There will be photos, of course-- just not tonight. Soon, though!

...Now I get to start thinking about what my next crochet project will be. Maybe I'll have more than one going at a time...

Just Chatting

2010-06-06T21:24:00.000-05:00

I'm in a funny mood tonight. I can't seem to settle to anything, so why not blog a little instead?

Craft-wise, I've remained focused on the Flower Garden Hexagon Afghan, adding to it one hexagon at a time. I'm not sure how many I have at this point. (Donald could probably guess closer to the total than I could, because he tends to count the motifs every day or two, when he happens to see the afghan all spread out.) I think I'm making decent progress, though, and I'll try to post new photos soon.

It's not destined to be a big blanket. I think I'd rather have something smaller, and I think that by the time I get a decent-sized small blanket, I'll probably be about ready to move on to something different. I'm aiming toward something between a lapghan and twin-bed-size. Something large enough to cover up with on the couch in the winter, without your toes poking out at the bottom, but not so big and heavy that it's awkward.

Every now and then I wonder what I'm going to do about the edging. I definitely want some type of border, but I'm not sure what kind. I think I've changed my mind, too, about the half-hexes. At least, at this point I'm planning to leave it jaggedy-edged. I of course reserve the right to change my mind half a dozen times between now and finishing the afghan. ;o)

I'm still enjoying crocheting it, very much. It's a soothing process-- requiring more concentration than my Procrastination (Ripple) Afghan did, certainly, but still very easily memorized and mostly relaxing. Getting to play with the different colors of yarn is the focus of this one-- and watching the blanket grow one tile at a time. It's satisfying to finish each hexagon, such fun getting to see how my color choices work together. I've been surprised by some of the combinations that please me most. These little swatches of color experimentation may be a useful tool for guiding color choices in future projects-- not just crochet projects, either.

I'm learning a lot about the yarns I'm using, too, since they're in a variety of brands.

I've found that Caron's Simply Soft is very soft-- and quite silky-shiny, compared to the other yarns I'm using-- but it's also noticeably thinner than the other yarns I'm using, despite being marked (I think) as a regular worsted weight yarn. Also, it's fairly splitty, which can be a bit annoying at times. Still, it's not bad.

I also have a few colors of Loops & Threads Impeccable. It's definitely not as soft as (and nowhere near as silky as) Simply Soft-- but it doesn't split. It seems that one skein (a buttery yellow) is rougher than the others, too, which is a bit odd.

I have one skein of Vanna's Choice. I think it's slightly thicker than the other worsted weights I'm using. It's perhaps a bit softer than the Loops & Threads, but fairly similar.

I've been very favorably impressed with Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn. Not only is it quite soft, it's also just very pleasant to work with. It has a strange "spongy" texture. If I had to choose a favorite out of the yarns I'm using on the hexagon afghan, I Love This Yarn would win, hands down. However, I've read that some people have had problems with the yarn not wearing well-- pilling excessively and looking old before its time. On the other hand, there are people saying it doesn't pill. . . and some who say it's changed from good to bad. In short (too late!), one doesn't know what to think. I'll just see how this afghan holds up. I hope the I Love This Yarn proves to be good, because I'd really like to use more of it. The downside is that I haven't seen HL put any of the yarns I'm interested in on sale in a very long time (if ever), and it seems like they just keep raising the price on ILTY. It's still cheap by many people's standards, but I'm extraordinarily frugal ;o) and it does take a lot of yarn to make an afghan (which is chiefly what I'm interested in making, when it comes to worsted weight acrylics).

That brings me to the rest of the yarn I'm using. I have no idea what most of it is, because I bought it at thrift stores and/or yard sales without wrappers. There's also one skein from my Aunt Cathy-- "Baby Yellow" from DuPont (or something like that)-- which I think is probably no longer made. All these unknown yarns have been just fine to work with-- not splitty, soft enough, and generally pleasant.

Though I was a good girl and stopped to weave in loose ends, earlier in the blanket, I've kind of slacked on that part of the afghan for a while, now. I probably ought to stop again and do some more weaving-in, but I'm not sure I will. . . I'll have to find something good to listen to when I start that little task. . .

It's going to take some time, because there are quite a few loose ends! I started out trying to crochet over all my ends (all except the very last tail leftover after the last round). However, I soon saw that I just didn't like the way it looked when I tried to crochet over the tails in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds. Too much yarn showed through in the gaps, and often it was impossible to keep the "wrong" color tail hidden behind the "right" color one. I finally just decided that I might as well do it right, if I'm going to do it at all, so I've stopped crocheting over the ends, except in the first two rounds (where I think it's not as much of an issue). It will make for more weaving-in in the end, but I don't mind the weaving-in that much-- especially if I don't try to force myself to do too much of it at one time and make sure to have something good to listen to while I work.

So. . . That's my Flower Garden Hexagon Afghan update for the present! I feel all chatted out, so just in time, too. ;o)

Crochet vs. Knit (A Mockumentary)

2010-06-04T06:41:00.000-05:00

I saw this video on Sarah London's blog this morning and thought it was worth saving here on my own blog.

As a post-knitting-boom crocheter who doesn't know how to knit (and probably won't try to learn for quite some time, simply because I'd rather use the time crocheting at an intermediate level than starting from scratch with a new craft), I must admit that I have at times felt that there has been. . . not quite a stigma against crochet. . . but definitely that it's not nearly as widespread or (sometimes) as deeply appreciated as knitting. It's the old story of the apologetic "I only crochet".

(Of course, that's not always been the case. A nice lady in a thrift shop, as she helped ring up my purchase of yarn, asked if I was going to knit with it. When I responded that I crochet, she said that she'd always wanted to know how to crochet, but that she could "only" knit.)

Anyway, this video gave me a laugh, and whether you knit, crochet, or do both, I think there's a good chance it'll make you chuckle, too.

I guess I'm lucky that I come from a crochet family, so I'm not ostracized. No-one returns my crocheted dish scrubbers with a look of disdain. Or at least, not based purely on the fact that they are crocheted ;o) Not many members of my family crochet, but I think more know how to crochet than know how to knit. . . which is part of the reason I chose crochet to begin with-- because I was somewhat familiar with it and knew it was do-able. . . which I suppose means that for me, being a crocheter is being a conformist (g)). So much for being part of an underground crochet movement! I'm not really much for counterculture for its own sake, anyway, though, so it's probably just as well.

Just a Heads Up. . .

2010-05-27T21:11:00.001-05:00

It's a little bit of late notice, but you still have about a day to enter a fun "giveaway extravaganza" over at Scotty's Place. The blogger-- Pammy Sue-- is celebrating her fourth blogiversary with five bundles of craft books (mostly crochet, but also a couple of sewing books, if that's more your interest). Five bundles means five different winners! Hop over to this post to read all the details on how to enter.

Blog giveaways always seem like so much fun. I ought to do one of my own, someday. . . (Maybe on my polymer clay blog, though, assuming I ever actually start blogging there again. . .)

ETA: Seems I was mistaken about the lateness of this post! You actually have until midnight today to enter the giveaway.

Flower Garden Hexagon Update

2010-05-24T16:30:00.001-05:00

Even though the first time I blogged about this afghan (in detail) was earlier this morning (thanks to that accidental "save" instead of "publish" click), I'm back with an update. (Maybe I should do all my blogging this way. Makes me look a lot faster than I actually am.)

I've been working on the hexagon afghan (which I'm called the Flower Garden Hexagon Afghan, because all those colorful hexagons remind me of, well, a flower garden) for a week or two, now, since starting it over again. I'm not making lightning-speed progress, but it's growing a little at a time-- usually by at least two or three hexagons every day or two.

Here's my progress so far, looking a little blurry because there wasn't quite enough light (and I didn't want to use the flash):

And another couple views, for good measure. . .

And then just one more in direct light from a window (thus the shadowy bars across it). . .

Just don't look on the back side yet. ;o) I took a break several hexagons ago to tidy up the back, but sooner or later I'll have to give it some more attention. I try to crochet over as many tails as possible to cut down on the weaving portion of the work, but there are places where I just don't like the way crocheting over the tails looks. Mainly it's the tail left after the final round of each hexagon-- and sometimes the ends from the previous round. If I don't like the way they're lying-- if I feel that too much of the "wrong" color is showing through to the front, I'd rather take a minute or two to weave them in by hand. I don't really mind weaving in ends, so long as I can quickly and easily find a place to put them. It's easier to focus on other things during end-weaving than during crocheting, so it makes a good TV project for evenings.

So, there it is. I have crocheted 24 hexagons thus far using the join-as-you-go method. It's not flawless, but I'm trying not to be too much of a perfectionist over it. After all, I'm doing this for fun, and homemade things can bear a little imperfection.

One more thing!
Because the motifs are hexagons, they won't line up straight on a rectangular blanket. You can either leave the sides jagged or fill in the gaps with crochet to straighten them up. I suppose you could fill the gaps with anything, but the most natural choice (in my opinion, at least) is a half-hexagon. Fortunately, someone's thought about that, come up with a pattern, and even shared it on her blog: Mariella's "half hexies". (See? This is the benefit of choosing a popular pattern and waiting a couple years after all the cool kids have used it. By that time, they've worked out all the kinks-- smoothed out any wrinkles, as it were.)

I haven't tried the half-hex pattern yet, but unless I have trouble getting it to work for me, I'm planning to use it. Straight, even edges seem easier to add a border to, for one thing, and I know I want a border of some kind, even if it's something very simple.

Well, that's (more than) enough of an update for now!

Hexagon Afghan Yarn

2010-05-24T09:00:00.003-05:00

While doing some blog housekeeping, I just came across this old entry that (apparently) I never got around to publishing. I could've sworn I'd clicked "publish", but nope. There it was, marked "draft". Oops! I'll just publish it now, even though it's from 'way before I started the Procrastination Afghan...

It wasn't so long ago that the thought of crocheting an afghan would have elicited a "But why would you ever want to do that?" type of response from me. The investment of time such a project requires was the most obvious deterrent, then there's the fact that you can buy a finished blanket more cheaply than the amount of yarn it takes to crochet your own. Where was the appeal?

This, of course, was before I'd been bitten by the crochet bug. Now it makes perfect sense. It's about the process of making the afghan as much as (if not more than) the blanket itself. You get the fun of choosing the colors and memorizing the pattern-- the cozy hours spent crocheting happily away. . . And then at the end, you have something unique that, if not for your skill and effort, would never have existed. (Well, that's the theory, anyway. I'm still waiting to see if mine turns out to look like it took much skill. . .)

After making the difficult admission that one only needs so many scarves (especially when one lives in a generally mild-wintered climate), I've been thinking about other projects I could try. I'd still like to make some wristlets or mitts. . . maybe a lacy shawl. . . possibly a hat or two (. . .and I'm not giving up scarves, altogether-- just going on a little scarf diet)-- but this spirit of adventure (ha ha) prepared me to accept inspiration when I rediscovered some beautiful photos of hexagon afghans.

Around the Christmas holiday season, I started seriously contemplating the possibility of making an afghan and began scouring the Internet for more photos and patterns. There's no telling how much time I've spent over the past couple weeks just in ogling hexagon afghans-- er, I mean researching. Yeah, that it's. Researching. ;o)

- - - - - -

Here are a few promising hexagon patterns I found online, available for free:

"Grandmother's Flower Garden Afghan" from Sunshine's Creations:
This one is a drafted pattern-- reverse engineering based on a photo of an afghan. I haven't found any photos of afghans made using this pattern, which would of course be nice. She does link to a similar afghan, but the stitch counts are slightly different. Still, it wouldn't be hard to work up one or two hexagons using the pattern to help you decide whether or not it's the one for you.

"Super Simple Hexagon" from Leanda at One Loop Short:
Unless I'm mistaken, this hexagon pattern is based on the "similar afghan" linked to in the previous pattern. (Here, you can find a photo of it in this entry.) Anyway, Leanda writes that she likes this pattern as an alternative to the hexagons in the next pattern, because she found those were sometimes a little too time-consuming, per hexagon.

Each hexagon has only three rounds (versus the five rounds in the next pattern). However, I think that it will vary from person to person as to which pattern is truly the most simple. Unless the rounds are wider on this pattern than in the next, you'll need to make more individual hexagons (and join them all, too) to reach the same size afghan as you'd get with a lesser number of the wider hexagons. Comparative simplicity aside, these do have a different look from the other hexagons, and I like them both.

Attic24's (aka Lucy's) "Hexagon How-to":
This, I think, is the pattern that initially caught my eye, and in the end, it's the one I settled on making (this time). I'm not sure how much of my decision was based on the pattern itself or the glorious riot of color in Lucy's hexagon afghan. The photos of her afghan are so appealing! Even though I'm not using the same yarn (or, thus, colors) as she used, I thought her photos were proof that this pattern (with its five rounds per hexagon) lends itself well to a good mix of colors.

- - - - - -

No matter what hexagon pattern you choose, there's always the issue of how to join them. You can make all the hexagons separately, then stitch them together at the end, or you can use a method of "joining as you go". Alex (aka Moonstitches) shares her method of join-as-you-go, which she calls "Block Meet". This is the method I'm using, as it seemed more appealing than stitching together who-knows-how-many hexagons all at the end.

- - - - - -

Once you've settled on a hexagon pattern (maybe even considered how you'll join them) you get to the really fun part-- choosing yarn! In my ~~hexagon-ogling~~ research, I found lots of people wondering how much yarn is required (never got a perfect answer to that one, as it depends on how big the afghan will be and what weight yarn you use), what type of yarn to use (in my case, acrylics fit the bill of affordability and washability), and how to choose colors. Especially that last part.

--How many colors are enough? (Most people seem to say you need at least three. Personally, I prefer more than that.)

--How many colors are too many? (Is there such a thing?)

--Is it okay to mix brights with muted shades, or do they clash?

--How much contrast is best (within each hexagon and the afghan as a whole)?

--What's the right balance between harmonious colors and something that has a little "pop"?

If you have a stash of remnants, some of your decisions may be made for you. My stash, however, didn't contain enough colorful worsted-weight yarn to supply a bright and cheerful afghan. I had to go yarn shopping to supplement the yarn I did have. (Had to, I tell you. There was no choice. Heaven knows I didn't want to do it, but there are times we must simply bite the bullet. ;o))

When buying yarn for a project like this, you have to just remember that it's all a matter of personal preference. You can study color theory-- read about complementary colors and what-not-- but eventually it comes down to your own taste. I suppose that if you feel you lack the ability to look at colors and make the final call, you can base your decisions on photos of others' afghans-- or design a color scheme around a fabric swatch. Of course, that's assuming that you can find the exact colors in your sample in the yarn aisle (or online). That doesn't always work out-- especially if (like me) you're shopping yarn sales and discover that you're limited not only by the palettes available in the sale-priced yarns, but also by the fact that some of the colors are currently sold out. (!! How dare they?)

You can spend a lot of time dithering over which colors go best together-- whether that green is too neon or that blue's too dark. I know I did! I'd brought snippets of the yarns I already had, taped to a scrap of paper. I think the snippets helped me see whether Shade A was more harmonious with the others than Shade B, but it was still a little of a leap of faith. I had to keep reminding myself that even if the colors turned out not to all "go" perfectly, that would just make it look like a scrap afghan-- and I like that look at least as well as the overly coordinated style that uses only a few carefully selected colors.

Incidentally, I think it's easier to "let it go" and be random when you work entirely from a stash of yarn. If you have to go out and buy new, you're more prone to designing/planning-- feeling like you have to make the "right" decision on each color you select.

- - - - - -

Here's a list of the yarns and colors I'm using (in case anyone might possibly care):

I Love This Yarn! from Hobby Lobby
*Hot Rose
*Orange
*Turquoise
*Limelight

Impeccable from Loops & Threads
*Soft Rose
*Rouge
*Lavender
*Claret
*Butterscotch

Simply Soft, from Caron
*Iris
*Berry Blue
*Violet
*Blue Mint

Simply Soft Eco, from Caron
*Sprig
*Ocean Mist

Vanna's Choice, from Lion Brand

*Mustard

Assorted Acrylics (no wrappers or vintage)
*Christmas Green
*Peach

*Lemon Yellow

None of them are luxury yarns, but I'm not exactly a yarn snob, and I think they're pretty nice for acrylics. Most of them are quite soft-- and they're washable and affordable enough that I don't have to feel wracked with guilt over having purchased enough yarn to make a whole afghan (and probably-maybe-possibly have leftovers to start the next one). (Reasonable prices are very important to me. Even if it's not a question of being able to afford more expensive yarn, guilt over craft expenditures takes all the fun out of a hobby for me. But I'm probably an extreme case. . .)

- - - - - -

Still on the subject of choosing colors, here's a tip that helped me and might help you, if you also have a hard time letting things be totally random. (g)

This is a trick my mother told me (that one of her aunts told her). They both use it for quilting, but I don't see why it can't work for anything that requires the selection and combination of color.

The idea is that to get an impression of what a bunch of colors of fabric (or in this case, yarn) look like together-- without being distracted by any one pattern or color-- you should lay them all out together (or stack them up, maybe, in the case of skeins of yarn), stand back, and look at them through squinted eyes.

I thought that a purposely blurred photo would be one step better, so I took out the camera, set it to manual focus, made everything nice and blurry, and snapped away. (If your camera won't let you focus manually, you can blur a photo afterward, using Photoshop or a similar photo-editing program. You might also be able to trick the camera by putting something small and neutral a few feet in front of the yarn and focusing on that. The background should blur somewhat.)

Looking at the colors this way does give a different impression. You'll likely notice that certain colors stand out more than you realized they would, while others seem to recede. When I took my blurry photos, I was happy to discover that some of the colors I was initially hesitant about seemed more harmonious when mishmashed with all the other colors.

(Keep in mind that the lighting and surrounding colors in your photo may affect the accuracy of the yarn colors. Incandescent lights, for instance, tend to make colors appear more yellowy than they really are. This is definitely not an exact science.)

- - - - - -

When you settle down to crochet, you find that you still have one more decision to make-- what size hook will you use? When you're using a variety of yarns, you may find (as I did) that the wrappers recommend slightly different hook sizes. I worked my first hexagon in a few different hook sizes before settling on a J hook. I'm still not sure if it's the perfect size, but it'll have to do, because I'm not starting over again. (g)

So far, I've worked five hexagons, and I'm still a little uncertain if I'm doing everything correctly (according to the pattern). The pattern itself is simple enough. There are no intimidating stitches. For me, the struggle has been learning to tidily change colors (using knots) and trying to crochet over (most of) the tails so that there's not so much weaving in of loose ends. This is my first time changing colors in a project. Obviously that's a big part of this afghan-- and one of the most exciting aspects of it-- but it's still taking a little getting used to.

Also, I've had to admit that I'm not sure if you're supposed to "turn" the work at all. . . I'm going to just try to be fairly consistent in what I do. Even if you do every hexagon "wrong", it probably won't be as noticeable if they're all that way. (Well, that's what I keep telling myself.)

It's been something of an adventure already, this afghan, and I've barely gotten started! (g)

I'll try to keep this blog updated on my progress, every so often. In the meantime, here's the hexagon afghan's Ravelry page.

- - - - - -

P.S. I found these videos (and others like them) on YouTube to be helpful when trying to grasp the concept of working tails in as you go:

And this one is good for those times when you need to weave in an end that you accidentally left too short:

Why did it never occur to me to position the needle into the crochet before threading it?! It makes perfect sense.

Hi, it's Present-Day Me again. I have picked up the hexagon project again. I decided to start it over from scratch, because with a little more experience under my belt, I saw that I shouldn't have turned the motifs as I worked them. I only had five done, anyway, so it wasn't a huge loss of time and effort. I'm enjoying the project much more now and should have some photos of my progress soon!

Catching Up (Mostly Doilies)

2010-05-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've been quiet (here, at least) for over a month, but that doesn't mean I haven't been crafting! Most crafty pursuits have been put (temporarily) on the back burner to make room for my more recent obsession-- crochet.

Let's see. . . What exactly have I done since last time?

I made six more sprial scrubbies. I used up the remnants of some variegated yarn I had left over from the Procrastination Afghan, and I've already given them all away (along with some of the square pot scrubbers I made some time ago).

Here they are, all bundled up. . .

Nothing fancy, but definitely useful. I enjoy the actual crocheting of them, too, though the process of transforming the scrubbers from parallelograms into spirals is somewhat less pure enjoyment.

- - - - - -

What else has happened (craft-wise) since the last time I posted. . . ? Oh yes, I've taken the plunge into the wild ;o) world of doilies! I did it, and my doilies are recognizable as such! It's amazing! I too can crochet with thread!

Okay, maybe it's not so amazing, but I was happy to discover that it wasn't quite so difficult as I'd feared it might be. I'm definitely not saying that I'm an expert-level doily maker, but I'm satisfied with my progress so far. Also, I'm happy to have found that making doilies is just as fun as I thought it would be. Though I've given away most of the little doilies I've made so far, I suspect that our house will be thoroughly doilified in short order.

I've uploaded photos of my doilies to my Flickr account and added them as projects on my Ravelry, too, if you prefer looking at things in either of those formats. (I'm lazy today, so find the links to both over on the sidebar, please.) Otherwise, here they are below, in the order I made them (as closely as I can recall). . .

This was my first doily ever.

It didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped it would. This was partly because the variegated thread distracts from the pattern-- partly because I made the mistake of turning my work after every round (which was a no-no for this pattern, and most doily patterns, it seems)-- and partly just because it was my very first time working with thread.

Still, once it's underneath something, it probably won't look too bad.

(Actually, I'm not 100% sure the order I made these little blue ones in. . . Not that it particularly matters.)

I made these dark blue mini doilies using some thicker thread (thicker than standard size 10 crochet cotton) that I had in my craft supply stash. (I used most of it to blanket stitch around a fleece throw, several years ago.)

I really like the way that first one came out. It's not perfect, but it was much nicer than my first attempt.

This is a (vaguely) hexagonal mini doily. My verdict: It's okay, but not my favorite. I think my lack of patience during blocking shows in this one. . .

This one didn't work out perfectly, and it was my own fault. (When is it not, though?) I saw early on that I had the wrong number of do-dads (some sort of stitch), but I didn't want to go back, so I just said to myself, "Let's see where this goes." Turns out, it went to not having the perfect number on the last round. (Who would've thought, right?)

Eh, it's ok. It's just some scrap thread (bigger than the traditional #10 bedspread weight), and the mistake is only noticeable when you look at the whole thing at once. When I strategically place some knick-knacks on it (with the mismatchy part in the back), no-one will ever be the wiser (unless they've read this, that is).

See? You can't even tell I was a ~~lazy~~ experimental crocheter who didn't go back as soon as she realized her count was off. ;o)

After making a few tiny doilies in the thicker blue thread, I decided to give my thin (#10) variegated thread another try.

I like the way this variegated doily turned out much better than my first attempt. It's still not perfect, but I think it's pretty.

I really enjoyed making this doily. Possibly that's because this one was *so tiny*. It's easy to like something that's so quick to make, right? But it's more than that-- just the shape of it. . . and the fact that it works much better with the variegated thread than my first pattern choice did. (Technically, this and the remaining doilies were worked in a different thread than the first variegated ones. It's even a totally different brand of thread-- and the colors are slightly different under closer observation-- but at first glace, they look almost the same.)

This pattern called for a couple rounds (I think) of treble stitches. I haven't done *that* many trebles in regular yarn, so it felt a little odd at first doing them in thread, but I find that I like trebles quite a bit. They're fun, for some reason.

This doily was not supposed to be ruffly (or at least I don't think it was, as the tiny photo didn't look ruffled). I worked from a chart, and there were special instructions for one symbol (an emboldened X) that I couldn't read (as they were written in Japanese). I pretty much just treated those as standard single crochet stitches, and I'm thinking that must have something to do with why my version is ruffled. (g)

I don't really mind. I mean, I didn't intend for it to be ruffled, but I have nothing against frills, and I think it's at least as pretty this way as it would be if it lay flat.

Here it is again, from a different angle so you can see the ruffling effect:

I made this last one because I wanted to try the variegated thread on something with a slightly more solid look. All the double crochets grouped together gives a different look. I think I like it. . . Reminds me of tie-dye.

- - - - - - -

I realize I should have measured all the doilies, but I fell short of time and gave most of them away before I had a chance to do so. None of them are large. The first was the largest, I think, and it's less than six inches (not quite) square.

I stuck with small projects for a few reasons. First, I had only relatively small amounts of some of the thread I was using (and I'm very cautious about not running out since I'm still such a beginner that I have a hard time gauging how much thread something might take). Second, I didn't want to embark on a huge project too soon, since I was still learning a lot about the basics of thread crochet, and I figured my work would be more likely to be noticeably uneven in a large piece. And third, after the mess of my first project, I was trying to figure out what type of doily would look right with variegated thread.

And that brings me to this: I prefer solid yarn and thread to variegated.

There, I ~~said~~ wrote it.

Variegated yarn and thread looks very pretty in the skein or ball-- and I even enjoy the process of working with it. It's fun to watch the colors shift, and there's no denying that it makes it very easy to see stitches and whether you've inserted your hook into the right loop (or at least I think it does)-- but it just doesn't look right in most patterns I've tried. I'm sure there are places where it works beautifully (probably in longer stitches and less textured fabrics), but mostly the yarn distracts from the details of the pattern, and I find that I don't like that.

I may purchase the occasional variegated thread or yarn-- particularly if it's an irresistible price or somewhat less blatantly variegated-- but in general I prefer the look of solid colors.

- - - - - - -

I think that's almost all for now. Just one more photo to share. These are my most recent creations-- two of the three (mostly) identical bookmarks that I crocheted from the same pastel variegated thread:

(They look a bit yellowy in this photo. Oops. Should've done a better job in the editing process. . . Or in the, you know, photographic process. . .)

Unless I'm mistaken, the pattern I used had a couple of errors. I changed it to what I thought seemed correct, and the end product turned out well enough.

This was my first time making pineapples. I really like the way they look in doilies, so I'm sure I'll be trying them again, even though I still think these aren't perfect. . . Maybe I should've blocked more carefully. . . Or maybe I'm still just learning the ins and outs of thread crochet. Still, they're perfectly usable bookmarks.

And that, I think, is enough for now. I should be all caught up on, as far as finished objects go.

Yo!

2010-04-03T10:46:00.001-05:00

I never realized until this morning how cool-- how "down" we crocheters truly are.

As I browsed patterns online, my husband came up behind me, glanced at the screen, and noticed all the "YO"s (abbreviation for "yarn over") scattered across the page.

He's right. There's an awful lot of yo-ing going on in crochet patterns.

Yo! We crocheters be down wit dat. ;o)

Beautiful Crocheted Pincushion

2010-04-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

This project combines my new(ish) interest in crochet with my already existing interest in pincushions!

Crochet Tomato and Strawberry Pincushion from Karabouts:

Isn't it charming?

The yarn used for the pincushion in the photo (Berroco Suede) gives it a glamorous, velvety appearance, but I'm sure you could get attractive results from a variety of other yarns.

Procrastination Afghan -- Finished!

2010-03-31T21:21:00.001-05:00

I finished my Procrastination Afghan today!

Actually, I had it all but finished a day or two ago, but it took me that long to get around to weaving in the few loose ends and washing and drying it.

I decided to go with a simple edging, after all-- just two rows of single crochet (in blue) down each length of the blanket. The pattern specified one row, but I like the look of two. It seemed best not to compete with the simple ripple pattern, so I resisted the urge to try something a little more complex.

I did one other thing that I can't remember if the pattern called for: I added a row of single crochet to the final ripple. I felt that would balance the blanket better, since the first ripple was also a little wider than the others-- due to the chain foundation row. Also, single crochet just feels more stable and finished than double crochet.

Here's the finished afghan, lounging on the swing:

It turned out that I had plenty of yarn, and I still have some leftovers to use in future projects. That's always nice, even if some of the colors still aren't what I'd choose to buy today. . . However, the colors did grow on me as I worked with them. Though they're not my current favorites, I now remember why I liked them before. They make me think of woodlands and nature trails and vintage National Park signs. Pine cones. . . Smokey the Bear. . . "Only YOU". . . That sort of thing.

Though (as I mentioned in earlier posts) I had a little trouble in some of the earlier rows (due to absentmindedly messing up the counting or failing to skip a stitch), the pattern eventually became second nature. Now, I think I could almost crochet it with my eyes closed. . . .Or at least crochet it again with far fewer uh-ohs.

This has been a very soothing project, and now that it's done, I'm not sure what to crochet next. I have several ideas, but I can't seem to decide. (Not such a bad problem to have, though, is it?)

Dimensions: (roughly) 48.5" x 74"

Number of ripples: Sixty-nine (if I counted right. . .)

Hours of work: No telling, and it's probably best I don't know. . .

Amount of yarn, price of yarn, etc.: Again, ignorance is bliss. Since I used cheap(ish) acrylics, it's a fraction of what it'd cost if I'd been using something fancy. It's probably still more expensive than if I'd just gone out and bought a cheap blanket, but where's the fun in that? ;o)

Ravelry link (again): Procrastination Afghan

All in all, I really enjoyed making this afghan. I'd definitely recommend the pattern to someone looking for a simple ripple. If you don't mind single crochet, double crochet, and lots (and lots) of repetition, give it a look.

Only by Hand?

2010-03-25T00:28:00.001-05:00

I was just reading something about the crochet hats worn by Sweden's athletes at the Winter Olympics (which I've written about before, in the blog entry linked), when this statement caught my eye:

"Crochet cannot be done by machine."

Is this really, truly true?
In my quick googling, I've found several people saying the same thing, but I'm still not sure I believe it.

If it is true. . .

I don't see how anyone can seriously be all snooty about knitting versus crocheting. I mean, no offense to knitters-- and I might even try my hand at knitting myself, one day, if I get bored with crochet (and my many other crafty interests)-- but really, if a machine can do one of them but not the other. . .

Well, I'll let you draw your own conclusions. ;o)

P.S. I'm beginning to suspect that I have this blog account set up so that I'm not e-mailed about new comments! I thought I just wasn't getting any comments-- not that unusual-- but a day or two ago I happened across a recent one and assumed I'd just missed the e-mail notification. Fair enough. However, now I see another comment that I was unaware of. Time to go poking around in the settings tab and see what there is to see. . .

Procrastination Afghan Update ;o)

2010-03-22T02:25:00.001-05:00

I'm happy to report that the little mistake I made-- and the simple fix I came up with for it-- seem to have worked out perfectly fine. It didn't set in motion a horrible chain event of problems. In fact, I doubt I could even find it now, without counting many, many stitches.

I think the blanket is probably long enough now that I could just finish the row I'm on and go ahead and start on the edging. However, I may want just an extra row or two more to make sure it's long enough to stretch out on the couch with. No sense in stopping short when I already have the yarn (and no specific plans for any leftovers there might be).

I'll be so excited to finish this project. My first crocheted afghan! Back when I bought the yarn, I was planning to make a very simple blanket using strips made on a knitting loom. I mistakenly thought crochet would be too complicated or time-consuming for me. I'm so glad I finally learned at least the basics of crochet! Though I know you can do some very neat things with knitting looms, I think it's actually much easier (for me, at least) to do things with a crochet hook. It just feels more versatile and accessible.

When I do finish the afghan (tomorrow or the next day), I'll take some photos and measurements so I can update the Ravelry page (and this blog), and then I guess I'll give it its first gentle trip through the washing machine. (I'm a little nervous about that part. I'm sure it'll turn out fine, but still. . . All that time and effort going into the washer makes me a bit apprehensive. (g))

Still Crocheting Away!

2010-03-19T04:49:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I haven't updated on my progress on the Procrastination Afghan.

Well, I'm still crocheting away at it at least a little almost every day.

I like doing a little in bed at night to unwind before going to sleep (with the TV going in the background or the mp3-player providing a soundtrack). There's something very relaxing about such a repetitive pattern.

Though it is very repetitive, so far I haven't found that to be annoying. (That said, maybe I ought to mention that I'm the kind of person who likes to re-watch, re-read, and re-listen to things perhaps a little more than average.)

After making some mistakes from time to time in my counting (or by failing to skip a sc now and then), earlier in the project, I thought I'd finally gotten past that phase. I'd gone row upon row with no mistake (or at least none that went beyond a few stitches before I noticed them). But then. I found a mistake last night back in the previous row. (I had double crocheted 4 instead of 5. Oh, the shame. ;o)) Rather than ripping out all that work, I decided to just fail to skip a sc (on purpose this time) in that general vicinity. My stitch count should be right on the next row, and I really doubt such a small aberration will be noticeable in the finished product. We'll see. I think it'll work out, but if it doesn't look right, I can always go back and re-do it-- only it'll be even more work lost, now. *gulp*

Here's a look at the afghan as of day-before-yesterday:

I've been making pretty good progress, by my standards, but I'm not sure just how much progress. I'm not really worrying about gauge (haven't checked it even yet, as a matter of fact), so I don't know if I need the same number of rows as called for in the pattern. Even if I did know that my gauge matched the pattern, I don't really know how many rows I have. (As you can see, I'm not an absolute control freak in this area of my life, at least. (g)) I'm really just going until I either run out of yarn (which I don't think will happen) or I feel it's the right lenghth. (I'm hoping for it to be long enough to cover up well with on the couch-- bigger than just a lapghan.)

Sooner or later I'll decide I've hit the magic length, then I'll need to see what yarn I have left over and how I can use it to add an edging or border. I believe the pattern only calls for a row of single crochet down the long (straight) sides of the blanket. I'll probably do that-- or maybe a couple of rows-- but I may add a little extra trim. Depends on how it looks. . .

So, there's my progress report, such as it is. It's still a highly effective procrastination tool.

What's Wrong with Doilies?

2010-03-07T20:53:00.003-06:00

I know they aren't for everyone, but then again, hardly anything is.

I just finished reading something somewhere (we won't go into specifics, because they don't really matter) that seemed to contain a bit of a jab against granny squares, ripple afghans, and doilies-- which are apparently "old lady projects" that make crochet less than cool.

Now, I'm not an old lady-- only thirty-one-- and yet I still happen to think that grannies, ripples, and doilies are all great. Not only that, but I know I'm not the only non-old-lady to appreciate them. (What's the problem with old ladies, anyhow? I hope to be one, someday. (g))

A few thoughts:

1) Granny squares have had a resurgence in popularity. (Perhaps the granny square's cool-factor is ebbing somewhat, again, but other motif-based afghans and cushion covers are still popular projects among the crocheters I follow online.)

2) Ripples have also recently come back into fashion (in certain circles, at least). (And honestly, I'd never heard anyone disparage the ripple. The granny square, yes, but ripples? Must not have been paying close enough attention...)

3) Doilies, I'm not so sure about. Maybe I simply haven't heard about it yet (I'm not that concerned with being up on all the latest trends), but I get the feeling that doilies have yet to enjoy the same degree of rediscovery.

Again, I get that doilies aren't for everyone-- but why are they so often disparaged? What's so wrong with doilies? I tend not to like modern, minimalist homes. I think they're usually cold and boring-- but obviously someone likes them, or they wouldn't exist. The same goes for doilies. Plenty of other people still like them.

I have yet to even try to crochet a doily (though I will, sooner or later, given time and opportunity), so I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, but like it or not, doilies are part of the history of crochet. Some may be tired of seeing crochet associated with the old granny square and doily. Personally, I'm tired of people putting down those old-fashioned favorites.

(And now I'm done griping for the day. (g))

National Month of Annoyance Over National Months ;o)

2010-03-04T18:21:00.002-06:00

Apparently, March is National Crochet Month and National Craft Month.

Busy month!

P.S. I kind of hate all that "National This 'n' That Month" stuff. It just seems so pointless. It might have made sense once upon a time, when few things had "national months", but these days, everything has an official national month, it seems. Either that or there are lots of bogus national months being falsely advertised here, there, and everywhere.

Why must there be a special month for every possible cause and/or interest? If something is near and dear to your heart, you don't really need an excuse to revel in it (if it's a good something), raise awareness about it (whether it's a hobby, an industry, or a disease), and just generally pester other people with it. ;o)

Then again, maybe I'm just being grumpy. . .

Sweden, the Olympics, & . . . Crochet?

2010-03-04T09:04:00.000-06:00

You've probably already heard about this, if you follow any crochet blogs, but I want to document it on my own little blog, since it's the kind of thing that might be fun to remember in ten or twenty years (assuming I back up my entries and they even exist that far into the future).

When we watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, I took a good look at the Swedish athletes marching into the stadium. When you're married to a Swede, you're obligated to take a certain interest in these things. ;o) I was curious to see what they'd be wearing and whether or not I could detect a certain Scandinavian or Swedish "look" in them. Actually one of the star athletes does remind me a little of one of my husband's cousins, but that's neither here nor there, because what immediately caught my eye was their hats. They wore crocheted hats in stripes of turquoise/sky blue, yellow, white, and black.

Honestly, they're quite plain, these hats, but the fact that they were crochet at all was surprising. As someone taking more and more of an interest, lately, in crochet, I find my eye drawn instantly to every stitch of it that crosses my path. Most often, it's a crochet afghan draped over the back of a chair or sofa. I've recently spotted them in a Miss Marple mystery, the BBC version of Wallander, and (repeatedly) in episodes of The Middle, for instance. Apart from the ubiquitous granny square blanket in the background, though, knitting still seems to be much more common, though-- particularly when it comes to items of clothing / accessories.

So, anyway, as I say, I saw it and was amused that of all countries that might have chosen to sport crocheted hats, it turned out to be Sweden, a country I have ties to (through ancestry as well as by marriage). (What can I say? I'm easily amused.) Apparently, many people-- not just in Sweden, but in the US, too-- have developed a severe case of hat envy, and they're on a mission to find a pattern and make their very own Swedish Olympic Team crochet toboggans.

Donald, (my husband) pointed it out to me when he found a pattern (in Swedish) for the hats, on a Swedish newspaper, online. If you can read Swedish, or feel confident in your translation skills, you can see that pattern here (or via Ravelry), if you like. I've also read that Annette Petavy is trying to translate the pattern into English. In the meantime, according to some sources it's not merely rows of single crochet. Some seem to think it's half double crochet. Here's a pattern using half double crochet...and its Ravelry page.

Finally, if you're intersted in the history behind the hats, check out this blog entry by Kim Werker.

Here's an excerpt:

[Eva Christensson, the designer behind everything the Swedish Olympic athletes wore during the 2010 games] was surprised to discover so much interest in the hat – "even more than in the Olympic games." Because the hats aren't for sale in stores, a crochet frenzy has taken over Sweden. Yellow and blue yarn and large crochet hooks are sold out all over the country and she's aware of all the homemade patterns popping up on Swedish websites. She added that, "a lot of people who never made crochet before are now trying....it feels like the story is never ending."

I asked her why she chose crochet for the hats, when knitting can be done much more easily by machine. You're going to love her response: "Why we wanted a crochet hat is because the look of crochet is much cooler than a knitted version. Knitted caps have a totally different look. In Sweden these kind of crochet hats have been popular over the past winter seasons, especially among the younger generations."

Neat!

The Procrastination Afghan

2010-02-27T13:33:00.002-06:00

So. I've fallen into the same bad habit as so many crocheters (and knitters) before me-- putting aside one project to work on another. I don't want to start a collection of UFOs (unfinished objects, to those unfamiliar with yarnese), but maybe it's impossible to avoid.

At least I still have only a mild case of UFOs. The lovely, colorful hexagon afghan has been set aside-- temporarily. I'll eventually have to look at it again, figure out a thing or two about changing colors (and whether or not you're supposed to turn your work as you make each motif), but rather than tackle those questions, I've allowed myself to be sidetracked.

First, there were a bunch of granny squares I made as I learned to crochet. The problem was, they weren't very nice. They were all of one type of variegated yarn, and I've come to realize that (in my opinion, at least), granny squares really need to be either multiple colors or a solid color. Besides the yucky effect of the variegated yarn, they were "wonky" (if an American may use the word ;o)). Some were larger than the others, because I was so inexperienced with tension and crochet in general. I could have forced them to go together, but instead, I frogged them. (Or is it only called frogging when knitters do it? (g)) Then I spent some evening TV hours happily crocheting away at dish cloths. Variegated-only dishcloths = much nicer than variegated-only granny squares!

Once I'd used up my supply of granny-square-yarn, I was left to face a dilemma: face up to my hexagon problem or start a new procrastination project. If you know me, my choice should be clear. ;o) Immediately, I began researching afghan patterns that might be acceptable for a bunch of yarn I already had on hand (and that wasn't intended for the hexagon afghan).

If I got to choose any colors I wanted for this new blanket (which I really ought to call The Procrastination Afghan, oughtn't I?), I'd pick something other than this previously purchased yarn. It's country blue, sage green, beige, "Warm Brown", "Aspen Print" (a variegated yarn in green, blue, cream/white, and light brown), and ecru (with the ones in quotation marks being the only ones I remember specifically by name). It's not that they're ugly colors-- they're just not what I'd gravitate toward, these days. Still, I think they'll make a decent afghan-- and they're already paid for, which gives them bonus points.

So, once I'd decided to make a Procrastination Afghan, I got to spend a few days looking at afghan patterns. I eliminated squares/motifs fairly quickly. After all, I'm on hiatus from a motif pattern, and I thought something that was worked in rows might be a faster, more carefree project.

(Incidentally, it took me a while to grasp that when a pattern says it's worked "side to side", that really seems to mean what I would describe as "end to end"-- that is, lengthwise. Maybe that's obvious to everyone else in the world, but to me, "side to side" implies "across the width". I'd look at a pattern, think, "looks like it's worked vertically", read "worked side to side" and feel confused.)

I narrowed it down to Colorful Wheels, Twilight Shells, and Ripple Romance, eventually settling on the last. (The Ripple Romance pattern may not be available at that location much longer, since it's an archived copy. I suggest going ahead and saving it, if you like it.)

The pattern seems easy enough. All you need to know is chain stitch, single crochet and double crochet. That said, I don't think I'm capable of making it through a pattern without making a mistake somewhere along the way. I had the pattern memorized by the second or third repeat, but I've still managed to miscount a time or two, which led to a little ripping. By nature, a ripple pattern is probably guaranteed to be repetitive, but I don't mind that. (After all, I wanted something relatively carefree.) Ask me again how I feel about it when I've been crocheting the same repeat a hundred times. ;o)

Because I'm not sure how far my various colors of yarn will take me (since I don't have wrappers for all of them), I decided to go with single-row ripples in no particular order. It's easier this way to stretch colors through the entire blanket. I'm liking this approach so far. It keeps things a little more interesting, I think, than working with one color for multiple rows or (heaven forbid) the entire afghan.

When I was still researching patterns, I read various opinions of this pattern, on Ravelry. Some said it was the best and easiest ripple they'd seen-- the ripple that finally allowed them to crochet a ripple afghan, after ripple failures in the past. Others seemed to indicate that it could be tricky. I'd say it's pretty easy, but as I mentioned before, there's still room for mistakes. The most obvious mistake would be miscounting, but once you've crocheted a repeat or two (meaning a couple of full ripples), it's easy to see any mistakes before they progress too far.

I think I've gotten to the point now where it should be fairly easy going from here on out. It's just a matter of keeping going and hoping the yarn holds out until the end. . .

ETA: Here's this project's Ravelry page, for those interested.

Crochet Your Way to a Romance

2010-02-17T07:27:00.002-06:00

So I've been up since the middle of the night, thanks to some back pain, and I found myself in front of the computer, trying to take my mind off the discomfort. What better time to browse some free crochet patterns, right? (I've found so many things I'd like to try! If I ever do them all, I'll be buried under a mountain of crochet-- swimming through an ocean of afghans, throws, scarves, wraps, and doilies. That sounds kind of fun, actually. . .)

Anyway, after looking through a certain number of patterns from the same company, you start to recognize the models. One in particular stood out to me this morning-- a blond, blue-eyed Ms. Crochet Model. As I found her in pattern after pattern, a story began to emerge (with a little help from my sleep-deprived brain). . .

Ms. Crochet Model lead a lonely life.
Sure, she could crochet a mean afghan. . .

. . . (better make that several afghans [of varying temperaments]). . .

. . . but how many afghans does one person really need, anyway? (Don't answer that question. I'm currently pretending that there is a limitless need for afghans. Otherwise, I'll never get to use all the patterns I've just downloaded.)

Ms. Crochet Model did her best to mask her loneliness. However, sometimes she tried a little too hard. . .

"See how happy I am with my crochet throws? See how I smile? Constantly? That's because I'm happy. Just me and my crochet afghans, lapghans, and throws. . . La la la. . . So very, very, incredibly happy. . . Really."

She thought for a while that she could fill the gaping holes in her life with crochet-- and she made an admirable attempt at it-- but deep down inside, she knew there was something missing. She knew that she needed someone to appreciate her crochet-- someone to sit and watch her crochet for hours at a time.

Fortunately, Ms. Crochet Model also knew that, contrary to some bizarre myths regarding their stomachs, the way to a man's heart is actually through crochet.

Crochet Snuggies, to be precise. . .

Poor fella. He never had a chance.
Before he knew what hit him, she had ensnared him in her cuddly web of crochet.

(What do you imagine he's saying on the phone in the photo above? Maybe something like this: "Bro, you wouldn't believe this girl I met! I mean, sure, she's blond, blue-eyed and model-attractive-- with a blinding smile-- but you haven't heard the best part yet! She can crochet like nobody's business! I-- Now, I don't want to get ahead of myself or anything, but. . . I think she might be The One. . .")

Now that she's snagged herself a man, Ms. Crochet Model's life is so much more fulfilling. Her crochet has a purpose-- she has to keep Crochet Model Dude warm and cozy.

(See how happy they look together?)

"No-one makes an afghan like my lady makes an afghan!"
"That's right, baby."

What? You don't believe that you can crochet your way to romantic happiness?

I'm telling you, I've spent nearly the whole night looking at patterns, and I'm here to say that it totally works.

(For those of you who want a more empowered "don't-need-a-man-to-be-fulfilled" female in your crochet model fantasies. . . Sorry, but you really shouldn't take silly blog entries so seriously. ;o))

P.S. The patterns featured in the photos above are available for free from Coats & Clark. And that's including the awesome crochet Snuggie. (g)

P.P.S. Do my bleary eyes deceive me, or is the man in the last photo (on the right) the same as the one with Ms. Crochet Model?? Why, that dirty, two-timing double-crosser! (Or something. . .)

Vintage Acrylic

2010-01-30T17:41:00.001-06:00

My mother found some vintage-y acrylic yarns at a yard sale and thought I might like them. (Answer: Yes, I would!) I'm sure I'll find a use for it, and in the meantime, I love looking at the old wrappers. The colors and fonts! (Mainly the fonts...)

They're all either "Orlon" or "Acrilon". Do modern acrylic yarns go by such retrolicious names? I think not. And it's marked as "mothproof"! I've never noticed that on the new acrylic yarns I've bought. Some of the Sayelle brand yarn is labeled "FOR SWEATERS, AFGHANS & FASHION ACCESSORIES". (Only under penalty of law dare ye use it for anything else. Sincerely, the Yarn Patrol.)

I'm not sure how old this yarn really is, but some of it's old enough to stand out and feel interestingly different.

(TG&Y? Haven't thought about that place in a while...)

- - - - - -

I'd come across "Orlon" before, back on one of those pages of free vintage crochet patterns. Some of them were from manufacturers of the Orlon yarn. This new (to me) yarn got me interested in Orlon, so I spent a little time googling it. I had no idea it was trademarked by DuPont-- or that it'd been around since 1941. It's actually pretty interesting.

Then I found this, which might be amusing for anyone else who's not ashamed to admit to using acrylic yarn:

artichaut (whose livejournal has been deleted) wrote:

On acrylic yarn
The following is the verbatim text of a Red Heart ad from a 1974 Mademoiselle magazine.

"We know that hand knits knitted with Coats & Clark Red Heart 'Wintuk' Orlon yarn can take normal wear and tear better than those knit from competitive yarns. But when we got this unsolicited testimonial from Mrs. Fred Bard of Thornton, California, even we were astonished to learn what our yarn really could take.

"Read what she said:

"Dear Sirs:
"How true your ad in the September issue of Good Housekeeping is!!

"My husband and I lived at a Mobile Home Park on Andrus Island out of Isleton, California. On June 21, 1972 at 1:15 A.M. the levee broke about 200 yards from our house. We waded out in our pajamas in waist deep water. Our coach was completely covered with flood water and eventually collapsed and disintegrated. We lost everything, including our car.

"Five months later, when the flood water was all pumped out, my husband was looking around to see if he could salvage anything. He found a sweater-coat that I had just knitted from Red Heart "Wintuk" and that I was very proud of. It had been in the mud and muck for five months. He brought it out to show me he found it. He washed it off with the water hose. I put it through the washer and dryer and it looks as good as the first day I wore it.

"I am sure sold on Red Heart 'Wintuk'!!

"Sincerely, Mrs. Fred Bard."

The poor sweater had been in a virtual cesspool for five months, yet was unharmed. So we may conclude that, much like Twinkies and cockroaches, your handknitted acrylic heirlooms will likely survive the impending nuclear holocaust. Shouldn't your next sweater be made of Red Heart "Wintuk"??

Well, I'm not really a sweater-maker (at this point), but it's comforting to know that some afghan or pot-scrubber I make might survive a flood and a few months in the mud and muck. ;o)

My Denim Stars & Circles Quilt

2010-01-23T08:41:00.000-06:00

So, I may have mentioned that I was thinking of making a "stars & circles"-style quilt. (Maybe a time or two in the past couple of days, even. (g)) Well, I've already spent some time cutting out the denim circles.

When I took that photo, I had between 70 and 80 circles. I have over 100, now, with a goal of 160. I think 160 circles will give me a small quilt that's still large enough to cover up with on the couch (which is how I most often use my last quilt-- a denim and flannel rag quilt constructed with the squares "on point").

I cut my denim from old jeans-- some my own, some given to me by family who knew I'd made other things using recycled denim, and a couple of large pair bought at a church yard sale for 50 cents each. As you can see, some of the circles have patches of darker colors. That's where the back pockets used to be. Removing those pockets is a bit of extra work, but it does often give you at least another couple circles per pair of jeans. I think the color shift will add another interesting touch to the finished quilt. Of course, if you don't like the idea of using old jeans, it's probably a much faster process to just cut into a piece of fresh denim. It will be a different look, if all the denim is the same shade, but different doesn't necessarily mean worse.

I used a saucer as my template for the circles and traced around it on the back of the denim, using a ballpoint pen. (I started with a black pen, but soon switched to a purple one because it was handy, and the purple ink really stands out on the denim.) When I get tired of tracing, I spend some time cutting out the circles. (I've been using my spring-loaded scissors. I'm not sure if they're the best choice for cutting circles, but so far, so good.)

Once I reach 160 circles, I'll have to go back and trace squares onto them. Oh, and cut out 160 squares to go inside each circle. . . (Yeah, can't forget that step!) I've been waffling among a few options, but I think I'm mostly settled on using an old flat sheet for my squares. That means they'd all be fairly identical, but since I don't have enough scraps of fabric to make each square unique, even if I wanted to, I thought I might go the opposite direction. I really like the look of both the "every square's different"/charm quilt style and the one-fabric style. And I do like this sheet. . .

After they're all cut and marked, I'll have to figure out how to put them together (eek!) and decide whether to go with white or black thread. . . Decisions, decisions!

More Circles and Stars

2010-01-22T12:52:00.002-06:00

I've seen these quilts labeled in a number of ways, including the following:

Stars and Circles Quilt / Circles and Stars Quilt
Cathedral Window Quilt
Circles and Diamonds Quilt
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul Quilt

Whatever they're called, I like 'em. (g) I've written about them once or twice before, and now that I'm in the process of cutting denim circles to make one of my own, I've found yet another batch of relevant links.

Why not round them up for future reference?

More photos of this style of quilt:

http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/denim-circle-quilt

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xwi1FSUI-9TYN9mPLWFyNQ

http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2009/07/107-here-come-the-goodies.html

http://www.elegacyquilts.com/Library%20of%20Images/James%20Family%20I%20-%2043x70%20Haley%27s%20Cathedral%20Windows.JPG
(from this page: http://www.elegacyquilts.com/patchwork_quilts.htm)

- - - - - - -

Here's a different way to do a circle denim quilt:

http://anitaestes.blogspot.com/2008/01/rob-peter-to-pay-paul.html

(This pattern uses nothing but denim circles and decorative stitching, which would make a lighter quilt and eliminate the need to cut all those squares.)

- - - - - - -

This pattern is similar to the others, but it uses circles of cotton (or fleece, or whatever fabric you choose) instead of squares, and the end product is a raggedy mat instead of a blanket:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27141758.tip.html

- - - - - - -

Here's another pattern (available for purchase) with a pretty picture:
http://bonniebbuttons.com/details/quilts/9800sc.htm

- - - - - - -

Ok, this last one isn't the same style of quilt, but it is denim. I just stumbled across it while getting the other links together, and I like it, so I thought I'd throw it in here, too. The use of the jeans' seams as a diagonal element in each square-- very nice!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2223035_recycle-old-blue-jeans-quilt.html

Denim Circle & Diamonds Quilt (Again)

2010-01-19T17:50:00.000-06:00

(As if I don't already have enough to keep me busy,) I think I'm going to give the denim "Circle & Diamond" (Cathedral Windows)-style quilt a try. (If I can get it to work. If it turns out to be too much work with my simple sewing machine and limited skill, I may just make a Circle & Diamond pillow, instead. (g))

I've posted about this before, but since then, I've found another pattern (and a finished quilt made according to that pattern). I'm thinking this is the style I'll go for, with a zig-zag stitch instead of the ultra-raggedy look.

I've never really used the zig-zag stitch for more than a few inches at a time. I'm curious out that'll work out for me. . .

Luna Lovegood Scarf in "Mermaid"

2010-01-08T10:59:00.002-06:00

I've written about the Luna Lovegood scarf pattern before, because this is my second time crocheting it.

This time, I was making the scarf as part of a Christmas gift for my mother. I decided to try a more finely textured yarn-- Gloss Lace in "Mermaid", another yarn ordered from Knit Picks. It was my first (and so far, only) time using a laceweight yarn. (Very exciting!) I'm not exactly a great judge of yarns (mainly because my experience is so limited), but I was pleased with this one. It's 70% merino wool, 30% silk (if that means anything to you).

I bought a single hank and wound it into a ball by hand (which was an experience in itself!). I thought the pattern might require most of it (some miscalculation, there...), but it ended up taking much less than that– a little less than half the ball, I think. I could get a whole second scarf out of the leftovers! If I’d known that, I might have made it a bit longer, but it still turned out to be a perfectly good length for a scarf (especially considering that, with this delicate weight of yarn, this is a “for looks– not warmth” accessory). Besides, having leftover yarn's not such a bad thing; I just might use the remnants to make a matching scarf for myself. (g)

The scarf turned out very lightweight, but I knew it would, given the yarn I used and the airiness of this pattern.

I did run into a very small problem while crocheting this pattern, just like last time. I tried to see where I made my mistake, but I couldn't find it. Anyway, I don't think it's obvious-- especially after blocking. Just a reminder that I'm still not a perfect crocheter, nor am I ever likely to be.

I wasn't sure how large this scarf would turn out to be, but I think it ended up wider than I'd envisioned. The switch in yarn didn't make as much difference as I'd expected. I guess that crocheting with a smaller hook would make it a bit tighter (maybe?). . .

(You can read more about this scarf on its Ravelry project page, if you like, or see a few more photos on my Flickr photostream.)

Millicent Scarf

2010-01-06T21:00:00.003-06:00

This scarf-- another pattern I stumbled across online and saved for future reference because I loved the look of it-- was my introduction to a couple of things. It was my first time crocheting (and blocking!) wool and my first time going beyond double crochet to even taller stitches.

(Check out this project on Ravelry, if you have an account there. If not, you can find the pattern here, where the author, Tracey Swaine Hickson, has posted it on her blog.)

This is another of those patterns that are easily memorized (which I like). You get into the groove and you just don't really want to stop working on it. Very fun! And I have to say (again), I love the way this scarf looks. . .

I initially started crocheting it in some sport weight acrylic, but after a few rows, I decided that it probably wasn't going to look right in acrylic. The pattern's author indicated that it would open up (and grow) a lot with blocking, and I kept reading that acrylic just doesn't work that way. I don't know-- maybe you can block acrylic yarn and get it to open up and show a pattern like this-- but I wasn't willing to put that much time and effort into it, only to find out that it didn't work. Instead, this was obviously a sign that I needed to buy wool yarn. ;o) I ordered some fingering weight, 100% merino wool yarn-- Palette in "Clematis Heather"-- from Knit Picks.

(By the way, I was very happy with my order from Knit Picks. I'm not a yarn elitist, so perhaps my opinion is worthless in this instance (g), but I'd definitely consider ordering from them again-- especially if I can snag some yarn on clearance, like I did the first time!)

So, the crocheting went well, and then it was time to block it. I decided to go the full-immersion route, so I soaked it (actually, washed it gently with some extremely watered-down soap and then thoroughly rinsed it), carefully pressed the water out (against the side of the basin), placed it on a thick towel, rolled it up, and pressed even more water out of it-- then, finally, got down to the pinning. (I pinned it to some towels over a carpeted floor.) I didn't do a perfect job on the pinning, but I guess I did well enough.

Blocking made a world of difference in the look of the scarf! Here's a before and during shot:

It wound up being longer than I'd expected. I knew it would likely grow with blocking, but I was still surprised to see it actually happening. Also, as a lacy fabric, it's pretty lightweight-- but that's ok. Most of the time, our weather doesn't call for heavy scarves, anyway, and even a light scarf can be warmer than you'd think.

Well, that's the story of the scarf!

. . . Something about this pattern reminds me of spider webs-- but in a good way. (g)

Queen Anne's Lace Scarves

2010-01-06T14:41:00.005-06:00

(I'm trying to catch up on my sewing/crochet-related blogging, one project at a time. After that, I hope to do better about keeping fairly up-to-date, here. Of course, with items made to give, that can be a little tricky. You don't want to risk the future recipient of an item seeing it on your blog!)

I think the Queen Anne's Lace scarf was one of those first projects that got me serious about picking up crochet again (after some uninspiring one-color grannies and a long period of no crocheting at all). It was definitely on my short list of patterns to try. As of now, I've made three scarves in (more or less) this same pattern, and I can heartily recommend it to anyone else who knows even only the most basic crochet stitches.

(You can learn more about the pattern and my use of it on my scarves' Ravelry page. Otherwise, this pattern-- written by Khebhin Gibbons-- is available here.)

I made two Queen Anne's Lace scarves from one skein of this pretty, light green yarn (Lion Brand Baby Soft Solid in "Pistachio"). I made one scarf slightly longer than the other, but both are quite generous in length. (I prefer longer scarves, when there's enough yarn to make them so.) I gave these to my mother and one of my sisters as part of their Christmas gifts.

I also made a Queen Anne's Lace scarf for myself using I Love This Cotton ("Old Leaf"). (Such a silly-sounding brand name, I think. It's the "Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific" of the yarn world. (g) However, the yarn is wonderfully soft, and I do kind of love it. . .) I've yet to photograph that one, but I'll get around to it, one of these days.

I actually used a slightly different pattern (by Catherynne over at Arty Farty) for the cotton scarf. It's basically the same design, but the numbers of stitches aren't the same, with the main difference being that the motif in the pattern I linked to first is somewhat more elongated. They look very similar, but I think I prefer the pattern I used for these pale green scarves. Still, it can't hurt to read through them both. One set of instructions may be clearer to you than the other.

I love this pattern for the fact that it’s quite simple, yet to the uninitiated looks intricate and difficult. It’s very easily memorized and rather addictive. (“Just one more motif, and then I’ll stop for a while… Ok, just one more… No, I’m serious this time. Just let me finish this last one…”) ;o) It's very repetitive, but I like that in a crochet pattern. You can really get into a rhythm with this one!

Getting started is definitely the hardest part with the Queen Anne's Lace scarf. You have to keep close track of when you’re supposed to turn, the first little bit, but eventually it’ll all click and there’ll be no stopping you!

Not everything should be crocheted...

2010-01-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

Or knitted, for that matter.

Here's another one for the "What were they thinking?" file-- a 70's crocheted (granny squre) men's neck tie.

I feel so sorry for any poor sons, grandsons or husbands who might have been subjected to this hideous idea. What must they have suffered? ;o)

Scrubber, Scrubbie, or Tawashi?

2010-01-04T14:47:00.000-06:00

Scrubbers, scrubbies, tawashi-- whatever you call them, they're apparently a popular crochet item. I made a bunch of them to stick in with Christmas gifts, and now I've whipped up a couple to keep. I like them because they're simple, quick projects that don't require a whole lot of attention, so I can listen to TV while I work. They don't use much yarn, so they'd be a nice way to use up scraps. Best of all, they don't require any fancy schmancy yarn; even the scratchiest, cheapest acrylic is fine for a pot scrubber. In fact, some say that the scratchier they are, the better they work!

This is the pattern I use-- one designed by "Granny Judith": Spiral Scrubbie. There's a link to a video that is particularly helpful once you get to the end of the project.

All you need to know to get started is chain stitch and single crochet. This pattern is a good introduction to crocheting in only one loop (in this case, back loop only) and increasing and decreasing. A clever construction transforms a simple parallelogram into a round scrubber with sprial ridges. Use variegated yarn to produce attractive striping-- or switch colors every two or three rows for more even, pronounced swirls.

(I think that the next time I make these, I'll use two or three colors of yarn per scrubbie and make cheerful "lollipop" designs.)

Here's a similar pattern, minus the spiral effect: How to Crochet a Tawashi.

Free Vintage Crochet

2009-10-28T12:57:00.004-05:00

I just happened upon this site today (while trying to figure out what size crochet hook to use for a pattern I'm planning to work in laceweight yarn), and I thought it seemed worth bookmarking.

Free Vintage Crochet is just exactly what it sounds like-- free vintage crochet patterns. Of course I like the free part. ;o) The vintage aspect is also very appealing to me: 1) because I like things that are a little (or a lot, sometimes) old-fashioned (& thus it gives me a thrill to think of working and wearing a design from 1916 or whenever), and 2) because "vintage" means that they're (probably) not very common these days, so your crochet creation will stand out from the rest. (I don't mind using a pattern that practically everyone who crochets is doing, if it's something I really like, but it is nice to be unique every now and again.)

I haven't looked through all the categories yet, but from what I can see, there are some nifty patterns available there-- all for free! The only downside (so long as you aren't concerned about not being able to find the exact yarn called for in some-- all?-- the patterns) is that some of the photos are a bit small. It's always nice to get a really good look at what the finished project's supposed to look like, and some of these require a little squinting and faith. If you're experienced with crochet, you can probably get a good mental image just by reading the written instructions, but that's trickier for a newbie. But again-- they're free, so you can't complain too much. ;o)

P.S. There are a quite a few doily patterns on the site, and I find myself thinking more and more about giving doilies a try. I know they're definitely old-fashioned, but I like doilies. My mother-in-law (Britt-Marie) crocheted some doilies while she and my father-in-law were here on vacation a couple years ago. Her speed and skill was amazing. She whipped out one after another-- little works of art. Before they left, she gave us some of the pieces she'd made. I don't think I'm up to the type of delicate and elaborate stitchery in those doilies, but I'd like to attempt something simple, one of these days.

Sew I See!

Prepare to Dye!

No-Photo Update

Random This & That

Knitting & Crocheting on the Road

Nostalgia, Strangling Vine, Majestic & Chickadee

Button, Button

Shave and a Haircut-- Rag Quilt Style

More Project Photos...

Wrap-Up-- for Reals This Time ;o)

Christmas Project Wrap-Up

The Shame! & Popping Head Up From Pile of Secret Projects

Sewing Machine, Resurrected! (?)

Summer in Sweden, Specifics

Figured It Out

Back with Photos!

Secret Projects, Knitting, & Sewing Machine Issues

Current Projects

Teaching Myself to Knit

Smitten

Summer in Sweden Afghan Finished!

Afghan in Progress & Unraveling, Too

Summer in Sweden, Progress

Summer in Sweden, Underway

On the Assembly Line

Hemming and Hawing

Finishing & Starting (?)

I Took Photos (!!!)

Fingerless Gloves

Putting the Pillow on Hold

Pouches, a Potholder, a Cozy, & Doilies

Subdued Granny Cushion

Can't Get Enough DOILY-MAKING!!

Doily-Making

Venturing into the Written Realm...

Crochet Mood Therapy

Afghan Itch

The Nerve of Some Craft Stores!

Booties & Dodecahedron

Cirlce of Friends Afghan Completed!

Crochet in the "News"

Circle of Friends Progress Report

Tissue Box Cover

Circle of Friends Afghan Progress

Being Decisive

Indecision

Flower Garden Hexagon Afghan-- Yikes!

Hexagon Photos

A Rag Quilt for Dad

Crocheted Cushion Cover

Bookmark Photos

What I've Been Up To...

Just Chatting

Crochet vs. Knit (A Mockumentary)

Just a Heads Up. . .

Flower Garden Hexagon Update

Hexagon Afghan Yarn

Catching Up (Mostly Doilies)

Yo!

Beautiful Crocheted Pincushion

Procrastination Afghan -- Finished!

Only by Hand?

***Procrastination Afghan Update*** ;o)

Still Crocheting Away!

What's Wrong with Doilies?

National Month of Annoyance Over National Months ;o)

Sweden, the Olympics, & . . . Crochet?

The Procrastination Afghan

Crochet Your Way to a Romance

Vintage Acrylic

My Denim Stars & Circles Quilt

More Circles and Stars

Denim Circle & Diamonds Quilt (Again)

Luna Lovegood Scarf in "Mermaid"

Millicent Scarf

Queen Anne's Lace Scarves

Not everything should be crocheted...

Scrubber, Scrubbie, or Tawashi?

Free Vintage Crochet

Procrastination Afghan Update ;o)