Tag Archives: crochet

On a limb

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I thought that once March wrapped up, we might be able to start April off on the right foot. Well, I may as well have started April off with a visit to the Ministry of Silly Walks because holy chickens, it has been a whirlwind of activity and not all of it is great. You’re here for the fiber projects, and what I have to share today is part of a new HeartCat. This one is a birthday present that I think might be a belated gift by the time it is done, but I will pres on. In the photo you can see one arm of the HeartCat, my painted fingernails (such a rarity, but a fun distraction), and my new specially commissioned project bag! Amanda, of SewKnitPicky and Knot a Podcast was so great to work with me for this bag. I love it! Little kitties and a heart zipper pull – perfect, as this bag is intended for HeartCat projects.

Socks, a scarf, a kit and a book

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I finished Stitches last week and enjoyed it, though I was left wanting a bit more. Lucky for me, my mom brought Help, Thanks, Wow to borrow (which I gave to her at Christmas). I have yet to start it; maybe I’ll be able to sneak in a few pages today. I’ve also been reading class material on website development, which will help me at work. And I’m finally going to be taking nutmegknitter to it’s very own dot-com! Exciting stuff!

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In the last week I have knit on my March Socks and a crochet scarf. The heels are turned on the socks, so now it’s a matter of deciding how tall I want the legs to be. There is a strong temptation to make these socks shortie-style just to be done with them. On the other hand, the yarn is an MCN blend and I don’t want to stop knitting with it. The crochet scarf is a challenge project for Team Stitchosaurs and the eatsleepknit Yarn Marathon.

It has been a long while since I joined any sort of yarn club or bought any themed kits, but I did treat myself last week. From the Stockinette Zombies podcast I learned about Little Skein on etsy, when she did a custom kit focused around the Extra Yarn book. This latest kit is focused on the children’s book “I Love You as Much”. We used to read this to my daughter and she would act out the parts with her dad (adorable!) and we’ve been reading it to my son and when I tell him I love him to the moon and back when I put him to bed, he replies with “and across the river”. So I stalked the update and purchased it. I have to say, I am completely sold and would buy any other kit that Anne creates. The are on par with the kits I had bought in the past from WoolGirl. Not only is the bag well made, but everything in the kit so nicely fits the theme – the yarn, the pattern, the stitch markers, the candy…. I love it! I am already putting the bag to good use and it is holding a new project, bunny-themed of course. I have one leg done, but I think holding the yarn doubled was not a smart choice as the fabric is too stiff. So I don’t really have much to show you there.

Finished and almost satisfied

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Hooray for getting things finished! I’m now in a weird lull – I have many WIPs that are not calling to me, and other projects I want to start but that requires the effort of gathering all the supplies. Hopefully sharing the latest finished items will get that mojo moving in the right direction!

First off, a new HeartCat amineko (the first one took a walkabout and was lost in the mail). Part of the reason I enjoy making these is how different each one is, even though I follow the same pattern and they are made with a similar intention. When I finished attaching the pieces of this one, I thought he could use a bowtie. And then I couldn’t get that idea out of my head. My gals at knittting agreed, a bowtie was the way to go. I used felt and a touch of white glue, so he’s still very kid safe. Another project for the marathon-of-warmth!

 Next, what would have been a true Ravellenic Sweater success, had I started at the beginning of the Ravellenics, not half a week later. Still, a sweater made in under 2 weeks (sportweight! long sleeves!) is a success for me. The Beach Street Park sweater was a great pattern and I am considering making one for me. I adjusted the pattern a bit due to my gauge, so following a combination of numbers for the XS and M size resulted in a room sweater for the intended person (Zoe of the Good Karma Farm family, on the left), but also fit me with less ease (my selfie is not seamed or blocked, but you get the idea)

And then there were socks! These awesome stripey socks are my February Personal Sock club socks for the Stitch Addiction KAL. I really love them and their eye-searing Peep yellow and Peep pink. I am noticing a few things though – like, they fit and I’ll wear them, but I notice the toes skew a little bit when I wear them (maybe I need to find a toe that better fits my foot?) and do you see the slight rolls on the top of the foot? I think maybe they are slightly too big? My go-to for sock knitting has been US2 / 2.75mm so maybe I need to go down a size? Interesting. I don’t notice it when I’m wearing them (I have them on right now!) but it catches my eye in the photos.

Have you been happy with your FOs lately?

Try and Try Again

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Jan 22 wip we'dI’m pretty pleased with my progress on the projects this week, even if one in the picture was a do-over.  The brown fuzzy blob is the Cody Cardi (two balls in, I’ve made it to the 2nd buttonhole) and it continues to be fuzzy.  And it sheds. I am a dog lover but my dog is a short-hair / low-shedder. When I take a break from knitting with Cody you would have thought he was snuggled in my lap! The blue is the do-over. I was very excited to try out the yarn on the right (Madeline Tosh Sock in Ophelia) for a Blossomy crochet scarf. I worked my way through the motif, but the variegation in the color was way more apparent than I expected. I dug out some vintage stash (Dream in Color Smooshy in Dusky Aurora, circa 2008 – it wasn’t even in my Ravelry stash, uh-oh!) and that seems to be better. A fellow Ravelry user suggested that I block that motif to be sure I like it and maybe even go up a hook size, and I think I will follow her advice. I am getting better with crochet for amigurumis, but with bigger accessories / garments, I should really know what I’m doing! I’m still reading class materials and brushing up on web design things.  I’ll fly the geek flag, it feels good to read a textbook. Yes, really. There’s a lot of acronyms and I suppose parts of it would make most people’s eyes glaze over, but I’m finding all this new information so interesting. There’s a lot that parallels my chemistry background.  I finished a pair of socks, so I can finally start on my personal sock club. Though I’m at a loss for a pattern. I want to try toe-up socks, but my go-to is cuff-down. To be continued!

FO Friday

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Hello Friday! I am very excited to share this project this week. It’s an amineko / crochet cat friend – around here we affectionately refer to them as “HeartCats”. This is a custom project, specially requested for a new baby who is also facing some heart issues. As before, I used Plymouth Sockotta held doubled. I like this yarn because the colors are great but also the blend (cotton / wool / nylon) is soft yet sturdy and washable (key for any baby / kid item) and not fuzzy. I found out this yarn was discontinued, so I’m currently keeping my eye on sales and destashes to stock up. I posted to the Plymouth’s Facebook page and did get a response, which was quite nice. They have another sock yarn, Sakkie, that I might try, but I’m hesitant only because of the mohair content.  Pretty stuff.  I also finished a sample knit this week – for Plymouth actually! – but I sent it back without getting a picture of the finished object. That was a laceweight scarf – it turned out beautiful and was nice enough to knit with but confirmed for me that I am not a lace knitter.  How about another amineko picture instead?

Warming Up

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FO Friday jan 10My FOs that I have to share are part of the Marathon of Warmth. I’ve made two hats and a cowl (386 yards down!) and soon they will be sent out to HatLoveKnits. I really enjoyed working with both of these patterns and the yarns. The teal hat is a Wurm in SimpliWorsted. This one is a bit small on my head, but should fit a teen just fine.  The hat and cowl set (using this hat pattern and this scarf recipe) used up one ball of Red Heart Unforgettable. I liked the construction of the hat – the crown / body are crocheted which went pretty fast and then the brim is worked at 90 degrees. I do think I would try it again. These were knit in the first few days of 2014, mostly while watching London Hospital. I find it fascinating! If you like medical dramas with a touch of soap opera (like ER), I would suggest you try it out. If you have Amazon Prime, both seasons are there for instant streaming.

 

A Bunny Buddy

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 I finished up this little bunny rattle last week for a visit to see my niece last weekend. It is actually a rattle, and the pattern is very simple.  He’s cute and I would make this again.  I had a bit of trouble taking a good picture to show the scale – the whale bag is about 8″ tall? Next to the sleepy Violet is not a good way to tell either, as she is still so wee and bundled up! I am pleased to report that she (and her parents) are home from the hospital! I am very much looking forward to seeing her next week before Rhinebeck!

I have another FO of sorts – we made Team Violet t-shirts to take with us as well, they were a big hit! Do you see her bird mobile? Her mom made that – this little lady is surrounded by quite a crafty crew!

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I’m looking forward to a weekend of knitting, weaving in ends, blocking, attaching buttons and maybe even pulling out my sewing machine! How about you?

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Acheivement Unlocked: Aunt Status!

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VHatDollI am super excited for this FO Friday as I can finally share a few items that have been under wraps for a while.  My niece, Violet, made her arrival last weekend and she is just wonderful. Little Violet is surrounded by a great number of handcrafters – her crib has a beautiful quilt and her closet is already stocked with hand-knit sweaters and dresses (her mom and grandy are knitters). Of course I also want to make things for my niece too, so I am taking on toys. To start, I made a little doll. When I finished this item, Lorelai saw it and wanted one, so I’ll take that as a compliment. The instructions to crochet this were straightforward and it worked up pretty quickly. I used Sublime Organic DK for all of it. It’s a bit hard to see in my photo here, but the hairstyle is a bun, and I went with a simple light purple dress. I think it’s a little Jane Austen-ish, which works as Mom is a fan. I would make this pattern again, and I would like to make the fairy version too.

When I started knitting I first made baby hats and I had my eye on the flower hat pattern for ages. I tried the original pattern, written bottom up – so you make the petals first – but my gauge wasn’t quite right, it was too open in between the stitches. I put it aside for a while and when the top-down version was released I gave it another go. Lucky for me it worked! The hat has a little bit of stretch, and it fits her now (enough for a photo anyway). I blocked it over the glass carafe of a small french press; I wet it and pinned the petals back to add a bit of curl.

It is so much fun to consider other baby patterns again! I’m looking forward to many more toys and accessories.

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Shawl, Socks and a Dino WIP

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082113We’re in the back-to-school-prep-zone this week. Why do I want to start a million new projects (not necessarily knitting or crochet related) when I know there is only so much time in the day? A new school year feels like a fresh start, even if I am not the student anymore.  In between party prep, party clean-up, figuring out how to prep for the new school year, I have no reading material aside from school documents.  I let the hold on the ebook lapse, oops.  I have been making decent progress on my projects though! Last night I finished the 4th skein in my August Augusta Shawl for Camp Loopy, yay! I don’t want to jinx myself, but I am in decent shape to finish on time! I am working on a Terence-tap-dancing T-rex for a swap (sadly, long overdue!) and I brought the Carousel socks to swim lessons. I would really like to finish them. I think they are going to be 2 different heights and I’m ok with that, because really who is going to notice? I have had a lot of trouble measuring these for the lengths. I have a bit more on the foot, then I will be picking up stitches for the cuff, toes and heels.

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Progress

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Shawl and sock WIPGoing for the short and sweet version today.

Reading: I finished Me Before You and would totally recommend it. Impulsively I grabbed The Woman Upstairs at the library from the 7-day loan section.  It’s slow going, mostly because I keep stopping to re-read passages.  I really like this main character. Sadly, I’m only 40 pages in and this book is a non-renewal, so it’s going back to the library. I will pick it up again someday. I did get the notice that Dark Places is available for me as a digital download, so I will be shifting to that book in the next few days.

Knitting: I started a pair of Simple Summer Socks for me because the yarn was wound and ready and my other project needed the next skein wound. I have had this one skein for a long time and always wanted to do something with it, so this pair of anklets should be just right.  I’m having trouble keeping my rows straight and for a section I repeated the yo, decrease so there is a spot that’s just not quite right, but I’m the only one who’ll notice.  Well, me and my husband only because I’m sure to point it out to him each time I wear them. I’m in the middle of the foot on the first sock.

Crocheting: My Camp Loopy project, the Augusta Shawl, is moving along nicely.  The great thing about this pattern is you just keep crocheting until the skein runs out! I have worked my way through 2 of the 5 skeins so far and I feel like I’m on the right track.

And how about you?

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