full bloom

yesterday i took a walk through my neighborhood. we are in full spring! this is one of my favourite parts of living in takoma park. people here have a lot of plants, but they don't torture them into manicured shapes. they are natural and pretty.

click to enlarge--these pictures are worth it!


this is the house around the corner from me. they have amazing azaleas. they will peak later this week. pretty!


this is a close up on an amzing tree some people down the street have in their front yard. it is probably 40 feet high and full of blooms that drag all the way to the ground.


science at work! this little field of bells across from my house shows natural hybridization. see the blue, white, and mix color? awesome. science still works!


my neighborhood is call "Between the Creeks" because... well... we live between two creeks. i am at one extreme edge and this is the creek 100 yards from my front door. the bell flowers grow near it.


i love daffodils. aren't the peachy colored center neat? i've never seen them that color before.


iris! look at it. these are very typical in ohio, but i almost never see them out here. when i was little we had a whole huge bed of them in the front yard and they smelled like grape candy to me. here there is one plant, and they don't smell. boo.


phlox! we had these in our yard when i was in high school. you also don't see a lot of them here, and they don't spread to be as big as they get in ohio. i think they like the special kind of nasty weather you can only get in ohio.


enlarge this one!
this is the bottle tree that the folks a block away keep. they put it in this fall, and it is colorful year round. i really want to know if they bought it finished or if they drank all of those bottles of wine to put on the tree.

beauty and progress

this weekend the weather out here finally broke and we had sunshine and flowers! the tulips were in a median and i took the picture while i was parked in traffic. it was the highlight of rush hour.

i had to work at the store on saturday, but it was okay. i went out to get my lunch which meant a little walk in the sunshine. and we did a pretty good day of sales. we had one $750 sale, so that was cool. those don't happen all that often, and it was a nice change of pace from explaining to people why certain yarns are "so expensive".

i also made progress this weekend on my latest knitting project. this is the sleeve for Dane's birthday sweater. it is a drop shoulder sweater, which is why the sleeve doesn't have a cap.

if you click to enlarge the photo, you'll see the yellow and royal stripes are garter stitch on the azure sockinette background. and look at the fun crinkly texture of the cotton yarn!

i love it!

designer knock-off

i posted a photo of me wearing this at my friend's wedding, but have not yet had a chance to do the write up on the project. forgive my tardiness. i was frantically knitting it, so there was no time to even announce it had been started. the details...

Anthropologie Knock-off Shrug
pattern by Julsey at PeonyKnits

knit in two skeins of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande (100% Superfine Baby Alpaca color #500--black) on size 10 US circular needles

this little darling came from Ms. PeonyKnits deciding she could make up the pattern for a sweater being sold at the store Anthroplogie for far too much money. (everything at Anthropologie is expensive, but it is beautiful!) it was inspired by their "First Frost Capelet" for sale in the Winter 2005 catalogue. follow the link to PeonyKnits if you would like to see her original version.

hers was knit in Rowan Polar in a cream color. Polar is now discontinued, so i went with the Baby Grande. i also decided i would get more wear out of black, even though the dress i made it to go with is cream and black.

i only made one major change, which is the original is intended to be worn with the reverse sockinette side as the "right side" and i chose to have the sockinette side as my right side. i wasn't happy with how fuzzy and smashed the reverse sockinette got in this yarn. i suppose the Polar had less of this problem because it is an alpaca and acrylic blend, and i chose 100% fuzzy baby animal hair.

alpaca is not a good choice for things needing a lot of stitch definition because it is very soft and smooshy, but it is excellent for items that need to be warm because it is very warm. and that was my main goal. i made the shrug to wear to this wedding on a riverboat.

and boy was it a last minute decision! i bought the yarn on a monday, finished the project on friday night, and then wore it last saturday. so i didn't get to block it, but i think it looked okay. and will look even better after i do get to block it!

i'm pretty proud. i guess i can call this my first sweater! usually you start with something like a baby sweater, but this is an adult sweater the size of a baby sweater! speaking of...

tonight at work i picked out the yarn for the gifty i plan to make for Dane's 1st birthday. i hope his mama likes it. it needs to be in ohio 3 months from tomorrow, so i should have plenty of time. i plan to cast on for it after i finish crocheting another gift this week.

he won!

congratulations go out to thehairyape and all his pals in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. monday night they won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble. pictured to the left is thehairyape's "I won!" face. i think i will be seeing a lot of it for a while.

also note, we both clean up awful pretty.

this was a very special and exciting year at the awards because some results were highly unexpected. in past years there has been complaining about the same people always winning for doing the same old thing year after year. Congratulations, we love your mediocrity! Keep it up!

this year a lot of first time nominees who worked their butts off won. there were also a couple of nominees who had been nominated up to 8 times (!?!) and never won--but they finally got their nod this year. in a typical year there are a few underdog nominees, and at the party afterward their friends are slapping them on the back and telling them they have been robbed. this year, i think a few people who were considered a sure thing, got to walk a mile in their shoes.

nice change of pace.

i will say, however, that there were two "i'm honored, as usual, because i win this every year" speeches, and i am thinking daggers at those people. have some class--don't sound as rented as your tuxedo.

here are the photos of monday night. enjoy!

helen hayes awards 2007

the past revisited

it has been a busy week and weekend! the album link below will take you to the photos i took at a wedding i attended on saturday. it was lovely, and i am extremely happy for the couple. i am friends with the groom from way back, and i am pleased to see him happy and with the right gal. check out the album to see wedding highlights including the cake being cut with my friend's military dress uniform sword!

Kent's and Dana's Wedding

earlier in the week, one of my college roommates was in town checking out a PhD program. we had a great time catching up, and she brought photos of her little boy with her. here is the cutie pie. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will be moving here soon because his mama may be going to school near me soon!

i like rice!

it is hard to eat an apple when you only have 2 teeth.

hippy chick

this is project #2 from my new favourite book . i love this book, and i think this project was a good excuse to use a yarn i really wanted to try. the details...

Flower Power Vest
from Doris Chan's Amazing Crochet Lace

stitched in 2 partial skeins of Colinette Yarns' Tagliatelli (90% merino wool, 10% nylon in colors Neptune and Florentina) on a "N" hook.

this yarn is a really awesome merino wool tape yarn. it is like that junky ribbon yarn the bigger commercial companies put out, only of a much high quality. it feels really great to work with, and the colors are amazing. the skeins are all hand painted, and no two are totally identical.

the pattern was designed to be made out of moda dea ticker tape, which is a very stretchy 100% nylon tape yarn. because the tagliatelli is less stretchy, i added two extra rows of mesh in the straps and one extra row of mesh in the side joining panels. i also decided to add more mesh in rounds at the bottom of the vest to make it a little bit longer--personal taste there.

now that it is blocked and dry, i see that i didn't need the extra mesh at the sides, but it was needed for the straps. the extra mesh made the vest bigger than i need it to be, but it isn't big enough to be legitimately oversized. so it more or less has the effect of making me look 10 pounds heavier. ho hum. since that is the look i'm always going for.

this reinforces my assertion that bulky or novelty yarns are not to be fully trusted. just like muffins and pizza. or it may suggest i have been trusting muffins and pizza more than i ought to lately.

anyway.
i made one other design change. in order to show off the flower motif more, i decided to work the vest in two colors. the flower is done in Neptune, and the mesh that holds the motifs together is stitched in Florentina.

we'll see how much i wear the vest. i know i will to work at the store... but otherwise, i may have to hang it on my wall and just admire how pretty it is.

model material

finally a new finished object. this is the store model i made to display at work.

i apologize for the stupid pictures. it is very hard to photograph yourself, especially in full length. so the tunic is more flattering than the fatty picture would indicate.
the details....

Abydos Vest
published in Amazing Crochet Lace by Doris Chan

size small (long version) stitched in six balls of Plymouth Yarns Royal Bamboo (100% bamboo, color #40) on a size "H" hook.

i really love this yarn. it works up very nicely, and it makes crocheted fabric that is super drapey and beautiful. it is a little harder to work with because it is plied, not twisted, but the drape is worth the extra care needed to catch all of the the threads.

i am really into this book as well. i have started another project from the book already, and i think i may have to buy my own copy (i used the store's copy for these two projects) because it is too awesome not to own. the patterns are great, and most of them are relatively easy to make.

i think there could be some christmas gifts in those pages.

Doris Chan may be one of my new favourite designers. she has two patterns in the latest Interweave Crochet, and i want to make them both. the sugarplum bolero and simplicity top are both very yummy. i like her designs because they are simple, elegant, and show off crochet to good advantage for garments.

happy 50th!

blog entry, that is.

we have some progress on the store model. actually, we have a lot of progress. i have about four more rows to go in length and then the finishing. it looks shorter than the pictures, but it also has not been blocked--it really needs to be pulled down.

i made my decision, i will not be keeping the model after the season. i'm taking store credit for my time instead. i made this choice for two reasons... 1. i don't look very good in this shade of coral. 2. i would have preferred the pattern to have some waist shaping. i could have worked it into the pattern, but i needed to make it the way the directions describe because it is for the store to display.

i have a third reason, i guess. i would rather have the store credit for some other projects i want to make. the store model was a process project for me.

i have come to see that i make two types of projects. process projects and product projects. a process project for me is something i see and say "i want to make that" without really considering if i would wear it or not. penguingirl's sweater or thehairyape's afghan were process projects. i really wanted to make them, but not so much for myself, which is why they were very easy to gift.
i tend to make more product projects for myself. things i want to wear, so i will make them even if the knitting or crocheting is tedious and uninspiring. by golly... i will have the garment! the cupcake sweater is one of those projects.

now, sometimes they can be one in the same. the short 'n sweet bolero i made was something i really wanted to make because i thought it would be fun to crochet, and because i reeeeeally wanted to wear it. i have a few of those coming down the pie, but i need to finish the model and a gift first.

i'm very tired, and i took the morning off. i have had that "running on the last gallon of gas" feeling since last week. i'm hoping a few extra hours off will change that.

i'm a tired girl.

and i have not been able to work on my own projects becuae i am making things for other purposes. i am crocheting a cap for the opera being produced at my alma mater. i am also making a store model for BossLady to display in the shop.

we don't have very many (if any at all) crocheted models, so i am making a lace tunic from Amazing Crocheted Lace in a fantastic bamboo yarn. we sell a lot of this yarn, and it is a stunning fiber to work with. i am making this particular model in a coral color we can't seem to move. people just feel nervous about how vibrant it is.

most knitters are wussies. they can't take the color, so they stay out of the dye room. bah. we'll see about that. having a model on the floor is a way to make things move. people always want to use the model color. mostly because they have no imagination.

a longer, more personal, and more upbeat post should come next week. i've been working really hard this week, and i am wiped.

finally a real finished object!

okay, so i had the knitting done weeks ago, but i had to return the original handles and exchange for a more sedate pair. plus sew the lining and embellishments.

these things take time.
and i'm really not that interested in needle and thread sewing when i am doing it for hours everyday at work. and to be entirely frank, i don't like hand sewing very much.

the details...

SWS Bag
inspired by the Chinese Charm Bag published in Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch.

knit in the round on size 9 circular needles in Patons Soy Wool Stripes (70% wool, 30% soy) in shade number 70310 "Natural Plum".

the buttons are made from shell sealed in a colored shellac. i saw them when i went out to buy the lining, and i loved how they blend into the colours of the bag (which is far more accurate in person). i sewed them on in the random patterns because it just felt right.
the lining is also in the vein of stripes vs. circles. it is all shades of rich purples--diagonal lines of circles with little tiny stripes in each circle. it is pretty, but it doesn't photograph well.

i'm very tired tonight, which makes me not really up to writing a lot more--or very well. i'll have more of an update later in the week. maybe some progress on the 2nd sock. i'm wearing the first sock right now. it is very toasty!

where the wild socks are...

penguingirl told me my first sock looks like the creature from Where the Wild Things Are. she is pretty correct in her observation. what makes it particularly funny is that thehairyape has him tattooed on his arm. unfortunately, i cannot give the wild thing socks to thehairyape because he can't wear animal fibers.

i also think he secretly finds hand knit socks silly. i'm pretty sure most men (who don't knit) feel that way. why knit socks when you can buy them! bah.

as you can see, the first sock turned out pretty well! i finished the toe decreases and closed up this morning. i am proud to say that i even grafted the toes closed for real! 100% honest to goodness kitchener stitch. it wasn't too hard either, but it does require a little bit of focus to make sure you do it correctly. the upside is that it is a perfectly seamless and invisible join. plus you can't feel it when you foot is in the sock! i hate when sock seams irritate my toes.

i have already cast on for the second sock. i hope this helps prevent me from falling victim to Second Sock Syndrome.

my second sock will not match the first one exactly. BossLady taught me how to properly do a Long Tail cast on at work the other night, which is the most popular cast on used. it wasn't what i learned first, and it always confused me in the book, so i have used the Two Needle or "Knit On" method until i cast on for the second sock tonight. the second change in this sock is that i am doing a Knit 1, Purl 1 ribbing just to test the elasticity difference between that and Knit 2, Purl 2. you know, for future reference. and finally, i want to try the Eye of Partridge heel flap instead of the standard flap i learned on the first sock.

in entirely unrelated news....

congratulations go out to my friend Marietta. she had her little boy today, and by all reports he is healthy and beautiful! i also hear that her charming hubby is awfully cute in scrubs. i'm looking forward to meeting little Max--welcome little guy!

work and a little update...

here's the latest progress on the sock. i finished the gusset. see how pretty the decreases are. yay! clearly i spent more time knitting in the last few days than i should. only 3 more inches of foot/instep until i start the toe deceases.

today i started work at a local knitting store. it is just part time, mostly afternoons and weekends. i took it on to help line my pockets during lean months, and the discount is a good incentive as well! with a store discount, i will actually be able to afford nice yarns.

the first day was good. i asked a lot of silly questions, of course, but the owner and my co-worker didn't seem to mind. i walked in on them talking about me. they think i'm nice, but a little shy--but not shy! clearly i am a paradox!

i'm socially awkward is the real story. it takes me awhile to warm up to people and confirm that they are okay with my quirks. after that, i'm fine. with total strangers i am just fine because there is no "track record". i just be myself and try to help.

so i did a lot of reorganizing and sorting of yarns. i did a little restocking, but not much because we need to reorder the "winter" yarns, and the summer yarns that just came in are still being tagged for inventory. i also helped two people find something for a "just because" project and buy more yarn for a project they ran out on. all in all a fine first day.

pick up sticks

look at those beautifully picked up stitches! so far, so good on the gusset. in fact, the gusset is going faster than the heel flap. this is probably because i'm back to working in the round with knit stitches and not back and forth including purl stitches.

the work has become rather gratifying again because the piece is actually starting to look like a real sock. now i have to hope that i can bring myself to start over and make the second sock when i complete the first.

i should have bought a prettier yarn to inspire me to complete the project. i wanted my first socks to be of fair quality, but without the $12-30 price tag for fancier sock yarn. you know, in case i sucked at knitting socks or hated it and didn't want to finish.

in other news regarding poor material choices, i returned the pink handles for the SWS purse in exchange for more sedate brown ones. i'll try to finish that this coming weekend. i want to finish it before the next SnB... if we have one (i hope so)!

liar, liar, socks on fire!

i don't get it. what's all the fuss about knitting socks? the difficulty, i mean. so far so good. as you can see from the photo at the left, i made good progress this weekend.

i used the standard Slip 1, Knit 1 row followed by a Slip 1, Purl 1 row pattern for the heel flap. this is really neat because it makes a double layered fabric for the heel flap so it is nice and strong and reinforced. the socks kika's grandmother made for me are not made this way, and i want to figure out her method when i make myself a pair of worsted weight socks.

why would i want to switch to worsted after conquering real sock weight yarn? well... i pulled the kika grandma socks out of the wash today, and one of them is starting to get a hole in the heel, and the toe is sort of going too. grandma uses the decrease to 4 stitches and then thread through the live stitches and pull tight method of closing the toe rather than grafting. seeing this method wear out has made me decide i need to graft the toe on my lovingly constructed socks.

now to be fair to the grandma socks, i have been very hard on them for the three years i have owned them. they are too thick to wear in shoes, so i wear them as slippers. they start to stretch after a few wears, so i toss them in the wash, and because they are made of good sturdy eastern european acrylic yarn, i just toss them in the dryer to re-shrink them.

anyway, back to the sock at hand.
look at the pretty turned heel! ha! people have told me how hard it is to turn a heel. um. not really. you only need to know how to knit, purl, and decrease. easy easy. i'm more concerned about picking up the gussets and getting all of my stitches back on to four needles without a disaster visiting itself upon my constructed heel.

keep your fingers crossed.

see stripe run!

i've been pretty busy lately, so there has been little needlecraft progress to post. now that i have hit a milestone on the first sock, i decided i should share. here it is!

the leg is complete!

the orange metal at the back of the photo is the stitch holder holding the instep stitches to be worked later. (thanks for sending the stitch holders, mum!) the pink needle in the front is holding the first six rows of the heel flap--only 22 more rows until the heel turn!

i have a break from the temporary day job until thursday, so i may yet post more progress soon. but, i will probably start my new job this week, so we will see.

yes, it is true.
i am getting a more permanent day job. i'll be working at one of the local yarn stores (LYS). it doesn't pay a lot, but i think i should like it.

it's raining, it's pouring!

last night i attended a baby shower for my friend marietta. she is due in about three weeks, but her little boy, Max, may have to come a little sooner. apparently he has comfortably set up shop feet first. i'm still hoping he will be nice to his mom and adjust before his big debut.

the party was held at the home of one of marietta's bosses (she works for a theatre, you have a lot of bosses in theatre) and most of the guests in attendance were friends from work. one of her friends from high school who now lives in the area was also present. i was very happy to be invited since i don't work with her company all the time, but marietta has been one of the best parts of the time i do get to spend there.

i had a lot of fun. mostly because it wasn't a showery shower. i mean, we did the two things i think you must do at every shower 1. eat. 2. shower gifts and attention on the honoree. marietta is not a frilly person, so not having balloons, streamers, and games involving dirty diapers made of chocolate probably suited her just fine.

despite her non-frilly nature you will see from the photos that marietta has a healthy love of things small and precious. the baseball sleeper was a present from the hostess, and it brought out one of those "awww"s you only hear over babies or kittens and puppies.

another friend of ours who is expecting her second baby just two weeks after marietta gave her been there, done that wisdom in the form of toys and books that served her well with her first daughter.

i went for gifts that would serve her more a little down the line. i gave her two books: Where the Wild Things Are (his name is Max after all) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (a favourite of mine when i was little). i also had to do some subversive clothing including the mom tattoo shirt picture below and a red onesie on which i embroidered a skull on the pocket. i went for bigger sizes because i am sure he will outgrow things in five minutes.

Baby's First Tattoo

Bad to the Bone!

congratulations marietta!

here comes the bride

oh, no no. not me. my friend of 15 years, puppyJ. she is getting married at the end of this year, and i am making her gown.

for reasons of her job, i won't be disclosing any more personal details about my friend on the blog. i would also ask that anyone whom i have spoken to about her or the wedding not use her real name or details in the comments.

the picture is of the two of us trying silhouettes at a david's bridal a few weeks back. i look silly, but puppyJ has her eyes closed under the box too. that was a heck of a flash!

this week we met for a design lunch and shopping for underpinnings. and thank goodness (and my design skills) we have a design! puppyJ wanted something very sophisticated but not too bride-y. i have to give her all the credit in the world--this girl has her head on straight about the wedding and what she wants out of her day.

the dress suits her personality and at the same time it is very functional for the day. it is perfect for dancing and hugging and spending all day on one's feet. the thing is like the best about the dress is that it is completely unaffected. puppyJ picked an evening gown style that she would wear out in another color for a special occasion.

i'm also a big fan of the beading. puppyJ wanted to do some color in her dress, but we both really wanted it to be subtle and classy. a scattering of purple and lilac beads will give it some pop and be very different from how we are seeing color in bridal gowns lately. exciting! here's hoping i can do a good job making it!

i'm sad.

it is very hard to find a roommate. impossible, maybe. i don't think i have impossible standards, but i still have a few. they all seem to be deal breakers.

things i have seen people seeking....

• roommates into nudism
• roommates who want to live with a single mother and 3 children under 7
• or 4 large dogs
  
• roommates who are willing to not cook
• or use the bathroom (?!?!)
• or use any space that is not their own room except to enter/exit the premises
  
• or have overnight guests (not even my mom!)
• or come/go after 9pm
• or consume alcohol (at all, not even outside the house!)
• or be an overnight guest somewhere else...
  
• roommates who will schedule the use of the washer and dryer (one load per week)
• and the kitchen (30 minutes at a time and no foods that smell)
• roommates who don't mind the livingroom becoming a weekend flophouse for bands on tour
• roommates who don't mind having their male roomie wander around in their underwear... their womens underwear.
  

so the world is full of puritans or looney tunes.

to make matters worse, the ones that sound okay have a major absurd flaw. they won't have me because....

• i'm under 30
• i'm over 23
• i'm a vegetarian
• i'm not a vegan
  
• i don't like dogs
• or babies
• or multiple dogs + babies
• i'm not the correct gender
• i'm not the correct sexual orientation
• i'm unwilling to spend $100+ for cable (cable alone! ack!)

sigh...

ps...

i actually prepare some of these in advance.

someone asked me today how i manage to blog so frequently. well, first... i type fast. second, i will stockpile a few things i want to run and let them out over the course of a week. you will note the description of this blog says i do a lot of things.

i meant it.

here's hoping the SWS purse is finished this weekend. i decided i don't like the handles. i was having dinner with my friend FrrAnc, and he crunched up his nose at them and said, they sure are pink. and that is saying something because he knows good pink. i tried sewing the handles to the bag, and they look silly. hrmph.

new tricks

i am in the process of teaching myself how to knit socks. i cast on for this little guy a few nights ago and left the geometry project of stabby metal things sitting on my dresser until now in favor of finishing the SWS bag. reasons i am making a sock....

1. i have heard it is the logical project to do before knitting your first sweater. build lots of technique in a little package.
2. someone told me they aren't as difficult as they are made out to be by the non-converted.
   
3. i want to know what all the fuss is about. sock knitters are a devoted bunch.
4. heck, i can make beautiful thread crochet pieces, now i have to prove little needles and skinny yarn don't frighten me as a knitter.
5. my friend kika gave me a pair of worsted weight socks her grandmother knit from her scrap stash and sent over from slovakia. i love those socks, and i wanna be as cool as kika's grandma.
   
6. my mum can't knit socks. she has put learning socks on hold for the moment. so i plan to teach myself so i can go home for a holiday and help her make her little treat project. she bought a set of nice bamboo double points, a pattern, and a beautiful sock yarn. these treats cannot languish on the shelf! besides she taught me important stuff like how to drive (twice!)... and held my hand through the learning to sew and learning to crochet process. time to payback.
   

this is my first cuff (K2, P2) plus four rows of sockinette started for the "leg".

soy sneak peak

soon this lowly tube will be a handbag. future handles are pictured above, but i still have some steps to go. when i finish this post, i need to block the tube into a reasonable purse shape so i can sew the seam and handles on this week. i also need to buy a lining because believe it or not... i don't have anything pink in my fabric stash! or purple. strange, i know since i knit and crochet almost exclusively in a purple/pink/red palette if i am not working in black.

i hope it blocks prettily. this i my first time working in the wool and soy silk blend. keep your fingers crossed. i'll probably post the finished product this weekend--items i am blocking take a while to dry in my apartment.

the new knitty came out today.
ho hum. nothing i am all that jazzed about making.

the "isabella" top is pretty, but 1. i would never wear that cut. and 2. i don't think i want to try attacking a repetitive small yarned sweater yet. to be fair on the cut, i won't wear 98% of knitwear patterns because they do not have enough waist shaping. i have about 10 inches difference between my bust and waist, and i look 5-10 pounds heavier in knits with too much ease at the waist. i hate a sweater that is fitted at the bust and hip line, and then has six inches of ease in the waist. i don't have tummy rolls, and i don't want my sweaters to give them to me.

i am considering stitch diva's simple knit bodice as my first knitted sweater. (full sweater at least. i think i'll probably make a tank or halter first.) the pattern claims to be easy enough for a first time sweater knitter. we'll see.

grrrs and mean grrrls

on monday night i went to a stitch 'n bitch hosted by a friend i met through thehairyape. we'll call her viola. she got a few other theatre gals (and one gent!) together at the newly opened Juan Valdez Cafe in chinatown. the coffee was great, but skip the baked goods, at least near closing time. i had a slice of lemon pound cake, and it was.... special.

we had a really good time, and it was an excuse for some people to cast on again for the first time in a long time. viola herself is a crazy knitter. she's working on an afghan right now, and she showed off her wild striped, cabled hat with a pompom on top. very fun. most everyone else was doing a scarf or hat. we had one stand out--a rippled lace scarf. pretty pretty. personally, i worked on the cotton shawl the Classic Elite Flash is being crocheted into until i got ADD on the project and knit for the rest of the evening on a handbag i am making out of Patons SWS.

for some reason, i cannot get into a good rhythm on the shawl. i think because it uses a double treble crochet shell pattern that just does not flow. the tension is tricky, which makes me tense! the up side is that you start on the wide end of the shawl triangle, and the project will only go faster as it progresses.

anyway!
because i forgot to take pictures at the SnB, i am sharing a project and some work.
pictured above is my mum's other child... samson. he is a huge jack russel terrier. i made him (i guess really my mum) the sweater for christmas.

the details....

Bernat Super Stripes Dog Coat (crochet version)
no designer listed
published on their website

crocheted in two balls of Super Stripes (black and red) on a size "K" hook. i adjusted the pattern to combine the size medium and size large because samson is medium sized everywhere except in the rib cage and neck. he's sort of built like a doggy body builder. but i managed to make a pretty good fit without any fittings before the unveiling. i wish i had a picture of sam opening the box because he did open all of his own presents on christmas.

i didn't really like the yarn because it is 1. acrylic (dogs need washable, but it still felt gross to construct) 2. super bulky 3. boucle. i don't really like very loopy boucle yarns because they obscure stitches. one thing i did like is that the yarn is sort of random and self-striping. it gave sam a nice lumberjack look. he's a midwestern dog. he should be sorta outdoorsy.

and on the less rough end, we have a sketch from my next show. these are some mean girls who are nasty to the protagonist. don't they look snotty? still, the pink duds are pretty fun. more details when the show gets closer.

fabriclious

i went fabric shopping with my gal pal littleC. we are friends from grad school, although we were never in the program at the same time. HQH (our mentor) gave littleC to me as an assistant when i returned to design a show, and i instantly took a shine to her. she is "little"... well, because she is, and because she is like my kid sister in the program (she is a first year and i just graduated last may), even though we are the same age.

we are both goof balls from the midwest, and our adventures are always fun. today was no exception. we hit four local fabric stores and had an awesome lunch. there was much success in the land of swatching for both of our shows. swatching is "the hunt" in fabric shopping. you dig through all the fabrics, clip a small pieces off the bolt, and after elevating your blood sugar over a fine lunch, lay out everything you have beside the renderings and choose which swatches are in, and which are out.... to be all heidi klum about it.

it is a lot of fun, but swatching will wear you out. you feast on sights, sounds and textures for a few hours while moving through busy stores frantically. you can see why lunch is such a vital part of the process.

i took a few pictures of the display windows. i love the crazy tie dye because they look so happy.



these colored silks make me think of the ubiquitous tailor in fairy tales. and that description of how wealthy the king is because he had such fine colored silks.




ps-i totally covet the orange embroidered silk at the top of the page. if only i had a reason to use it. sigh....

bathing beauty

i finished my first knit hat. while it is a winter weather hat, the round paillettes all over it remind me of a vintage bathing cap. so i call this my Esther Williams Hat. that is not the name of the pattern, but my changes make it appropriate. the picture to the left if the hat after i switched to double points.

the full details...

Sparkle Hat
designed by Sonya Laska
published in stitch n' bitch: the knitters handbook

stitched in one ball of Patons Rumor 84% acrylic, 15% alpaca, 1% polyester (color: moonstone heather) on size 10 circular needles and size 9 double point needles. 30 each magenta, black, and chartreuse large hole paillettes

this was my first project knit in the round. i picked it because it used both circulars and double points. i wanted to try both, and i guess you could say i want more bang for my buck when it comes to skill building.

the yarn is super fun. the acrylic content is high, but with the alpaca, it is sort of a good thing. my 100% baby alpaca scarf is a little spongy and it gets stretched easily. the acrylic seems to help this hat keep its shape, and it prevents the very toasty alpaca from melting my head off.

the original pattern uses a solid yarn and smaller paillettes, so mine looks a lot different. right now it is hitting about a 50% rate of approval from people who see it. the heathered multi color yarn and several colors of paillettes are pretty... aggressive. my grandma would call this hat loud. i like to think it is bold. you know, a fun statement piece. like the hat with kitty ears my mum crocheted for me. not for every day, but perfect when you need a little boost.

we'll see if i get to wear it this season. the weather has been increasingly nice these last few days. remember the snow photos sunday? well, today i was standing outside in a tee-shirt. wild.

what the F***!?

Fry some bacon and eggs for a good country breakfast. Once the kitchen is cleaned up, crochet this whimsical farm-friendly decorator item.

yes, that really is the caption. oh, why why why..... why do people design this stuff? it sort of eats a little piece of my dignity whenever i see bad crochet. i'm surprised i have any left. what is even more baffling to me is the photo. some "art director" went to the trouble of setting up a country kitchen counter top, and then the pig's nose was cropped in the photo.

sigh...