I was getting ready, late last night, to prep some stuff for shipping before Christmas - namely the three market bags I crocheted for my aunts in Pennsylvania. But I couldn't do it. I just could. not. do. it.
The reason? One of the market bags I made was so hideous, I knew I could not, in good conscience, give it away as a gift. It would be borderline insulting.
I made it using the same pattern as the other two, but the yarn seemed to sag and grow with every row. By the time I finished, I realized the thing was almost as long as my body! But it took just enough time to make that I was reluctant to rip it out. So I did the next best thing: I stashed it in my closet and didn't look at it for a month.
Yesterday I pulled it out again and realized that time did not make the heart grow fonder. It was just as awkward and elephantine as I remembered. Plus, it looked really plain... it was just a blah tan color with a dark brown rim and strap. It definitely wasn't as cute as the other two bags I made.
But, rather than face the problem for what it was, being: the bag was just too big and saggy, I decided to attempt to cover it up by embellishing it. And let me just say that embellishing is not my strong suit.
I crocheted some scalloped lace edge to go around the rim. Let's just say it looked more elegant in my head than it did in real life. Still not satisfied, I figured it just needed more bells and whistles. So I crocheted 3 different sized flowers and sewed them randomly on the bag.
I then took photos and couldn't fight the nagging feeling that I perhaps made it even more ugly with my embellishing.
I tried to justify it by reasoning that the intended aunt is eclectic and has a funky style, so she would probably really like the bag, though deep inside I knew this was a lie.
And my husband only confirmed it when I showed it to him later and he whistled through his teeth and said "Sorry... but that's really ugly."
"But my aunt will like it, right? She's got a sort of cool, mismatched style! Right?" I replied, desperate.
"....Sure..." my husband replied tentatively.
So that sealed it. I knew I could not send the bag to my aunt like this. And even though the Priority Mail deadline for Christmas is tomorrow (talk about last minute), I knew I had to fix it.
So I sat down and took the time to rip out half the bag, add a new border and strap, and add one new flower made of the 3 previous flowers to make a bag that was smaller, simpler, but much better.
I'll admit ... it's still not my favorite crafted item, and the yarn is still saggy so it's still bigger than I wanted. But at least it looks like a bag I can see my aunt using and not like a deflated dinosaur bladder!
And now: Comparison photos!
I have a short attention span. I think I have more projects in-progress than I do actual completed projects. The projects that I have completed tend to be one-shape deals. A scarf, a baby blanket, a coffee cup cozy. As soon as extra elements such as sleeves, shaping, seaming, and especially pairs are introduced, the chances of my finishing the project drop dramatically.
However, I've decided to take a stand and start taking care of those un-finished objects (or UFOs in yarn-speak) and get them done, if only to free up some of the needles they're resting on. And so far so good! I think it's a promising sign that my knitting is getting more proficient because finishing my projects seems to be taking much less time than I anticipated.
Last February I knit a cozy orange neck-warmer and wanted to make arm-warmers to go with it. I completed the first one, but lost motivation to finish the second. Well, I picked it up the other night and was amazed that I was able to finish the second arm-warmer during a few episodes of 30 Rock. That wasn't so bad... and now I have a cozy neck and arm-warming combo to wear just as the weather is getting more nippy!
Emboldened, I dared to face a project from my very distant past. Almost 2 years, to be exact. That's right... my first sock. I was so proud to have finished the first one, but also traumatized and I couldn't bear the thought of repeating the experience. I even dabbled in other sock-knitting, but as I mentioned in my last entry, socks are just not for me. But that one single sock has been a spot of bother in the back of my mind for the past 2 years now and I decided I wanted to be done with it once and for all!
My poor neglected first sock and the accompanying ball of yarn were buried in a basket and somehow coated in dog hair. I spent a good amount of time picking these hairs off as I contemplated my mission. Then I began, feeling somewhat reluctant, like it was a chore.
But then, something funny began to happen.
I began to enjoy myself. The sock seemed to fly off my needles (it is worsted weight yarn on size 6 needles, after all), and it seemed like I was done in no time at all. And even though the socks were made of basic acrylic yarn - nothing fancy, when I slipped them on my feet (which are perpetually cold, by the way), I experienced a sudden blissful feeling of "Aaaahhhh". I'm wearing them now as I write this and my feet feel so cozy. I'm usually always barefoot in the house - I don't like wearing socks indoors...but I'm changing my mind!
In fact, I've decided to give socks another try. I'm now working on a "real" pair of socks using real sock-yarn and tiny needles for my husband's huge feet. I'm almost done with the first. If I can finish the pair I'll know I have beaten my second-sock-syndrome for good!
It isn't just knitting projects I've been finishing. I also weaved in ends and embelleshed three market bags that I made for my aunts for Christmas. I'm feeling quite good about getting all these things out of my way!
I still have projects left though.
The main one that's bugging me is the second Beer Glove to match the first I made for my husband. I learned that if there is something I like less than socks, it's making individual finger holes. But the first turned out fairly well and I would really like to get the second one over with. That's next on my list.
Next, is my Avalon Hoodie. I fell in love with the image in the magazine and I really should have held out for the kind of yarn shown in the magazine (Lorna's Laces Swirl in Pewter).....
...BUT... I was impatient and bought what was immedietly available at my LYS, (Lorna's Laces Swirl in Black Purl). Now, don't get me wrong. I like the color - it reminds me of my favorite time of day - dusk. But I'm not sure I like it on me. I very rarely wear purple and as I've been working on the hoodie (I've got the body done, just need to finish the sleeves and hood), I'm not sure I'm digging the stripey effect of the yarn.
I'm having a hard time seeing myself wearing this, and from trying it on so far I fear the bottom edge isn't as long as I would like so I'm already wondering if there's a way to knit from the cast-on edge to make it longer... As if that weren't enough, the LYS only had 5 balls of the yarn, not 8 like the pattern called for. But I was too impatient to worry about it (else I would have ordered the color I really wanted and waited for it to come in), so I bought the 5 that were available and knit until they were almost gone and ordered 3 more online. And, of course, the dye lot is different. Luckily it seems very similar, if not for the annoying shades of pink in the new lot of yarn that were absent in the first skeins. Sigh...
As a result of all these annoyances I haven't been working on the hoodie much of late, which is a shame because I do have so much of it done and that yarn was not cheap!! So that will be next after the Beer Gloves.
Lastly, I have a crochet afghan that I started enthusiastically when my good friend Cecily was asked to host a Crochet-Along for Lion Brand. I started using all the random acrylic colors in my stash just to get rid of some stuff I wasn't going to use ever again. But the damn thing was just so ugly!!! And when I saw Cecily's blanket which was in lucious shades of purple, and crocheted with a much bigger hook so the blocks were large and springy compared to my tightly-wound curmugeons,
So I basically got yarn-envy and ripped out all my blocks in brown and orange and god-knows-what-other-random-pukey-color and ran out and bought a bunch of puple Lion Brand yarn and started over. And I got like 6 blocks done! But.....then I sort of lost interest and I currently have a bag full of blocks and heaps of yarn that I bought in desperation.
I'll have to deal with that later...
I also have a gray boatneck sweater that I've barely started. I may just rip that out and pretend in never happened. (Anyway, gray boatneck sweaters are so two years ago.)
I think that's all of my UFOs...though I'm sure if I went digging I would find one or two more. I'll try to pretend that isn't the case while I get my current list tackled.
I'm already forming a resolution for next year and that's that I will not start a new project unless I finish another one first!
We'll see how long that lasts!
I am a very bad blogger. I just realized that I haven't updated this blog since February! Well, despite the fact that I haven't been blogging I have, at least, been continuing to work on projects.
I admit my 2-socks-on-one-circular-needle experiment never reached fruition. I was optimistic that by attempting to complete 2 socks simultaneously that it might somehow stave off my boredom. But, no. I have just accepted that socks are not for me. I still have several skeins of lovely DK yarn that, at one time, I had dreamed of turning into luscious socks. But now I am eying those same skeins with new possibilities - namely, clothes for Blythe.
My Blythe collection has grown quite a bit since I last posted about them. I now have 12, count them, twelve dolls! And I still anticipate each new release with a whetted appetite. But I am currently on a strict "Dolly Diet" after acquiring my two dream girls: a Darling Diva, and a vintage Kenner. For the time being, at least, I am content with my big-headed family and of late I have been venturing into the scary realm of pattern-designing. I figure I may as well start small, since there's less time invested and it's easier to whip up multiple attempts while I work on perfecting the pattern. I admit my confidence at first was a little shaken. I wasn't sure I was "qualified" to create my own designs as I'm self-taught and relatively new to knitting and crochet. But once I dove into it and began keeping notes as I went along, I realized that it's not so intimidating after all. In fact, by paying closer attention to what I'm actually doing, while I'm doing it, it's actually helped me become a better crafter.
My goal is to start an Etsy shop where I'll sell my creations. And then, once I grow bored of making a particular design over and over again (which will happen, trust me, especially given my attention span), I'll start selling the pattern instead so people can make their own. Or maybe I'll just be charitable and give the patterns away for free. I mean, it's not like I'm really in this to make money. It's all for the love of Blythe!
At first, I was a little iffy on my Blythe-clothes-making skills and I didn't dream of selling any of them. Instead I participated in various swaps in which actually made me feel a little worse. Because I would often receive amazing items from my swap partners that my own crafted items just didn't live up to. But over the past year, I've kept at it and I realize that my biggest problem was that I was using yarn that was too thick for Blythe's little body.
Chunky yarn works great for some items, of course, like Blythe hats and scarves etc. But for dresses and tops, I was getting frustrated with my results until I switched over to ultra-thin Crochet thread and sock yarn. It really makes a difference, let me tell you!
Anyway, here's one of my favorite Blythe creations of late:
I think I've definitely come a long way since I made this abomination!:
Besides Blythe stuff, I've been keeping busy with lots of other projects as well. I finally finished my mom's infernal scarf in time for her birthday (never mind that it was April in Atlanta and she couldn't even use it at the time), and my best friend gave birth to a baby so I took that opportunity to make some baby items, which was fun. All those projects can be seen on my Ravelry Projects Page!
My proudest accomplishment was a Latvian fair-isle bag that I made during the Olympics for an event my LYS was holding called "Amanolympics". I think it's safe to post a photo here because I don't believe my mom knows about this blog - I intend to give it to her for Christmas this year.
Speaking of my LYS, I've finally found one that I love. It's A Mano Yarn Center!
This is the fist yarn shop that I've ever felt truly welcomed and
comfortable going to. I'm pretty shy, so at first I felt a little
awkward when I showed up for their bi-weekly "Breakfast Club" event, or
their Stitch N' Bitch nights, but the ladies there quickly made me feel
welcome and now I look forward to going there every couple of weeks to
knit and crochet for a few hours. I kind of want to go in more often,
but I'm worried I'd never get any work done! (It's hard enough working
from home as it is!) But I'm glad to have a place that I can call my
"LYS" with pride. :)
Anyway, I've also been working on a few other things, but this post has been long enough! I'll try to post again before too long!
Well, I still haven't started on any socks with the nice koigu I bought, but I am making some tiny practice socks with some cheap acrylic yarn using the book, "2-at-a-time Socks", which teaches the mystery that is 2 socks simultaneously one ONE circular needle!
I've also finished my neckwarmer with the Cascade Baby Alpaca yarn I bought. I followed THIS pattern and I'm thrilled with how it turned out! The yarn is so cozy and warm and I've already worn this neckwarmer on several bike rides. It really keeps the chill out and I don't have to worry about long scarf ends getting loose and flapping around as I ride.
Hmm... what else? Oh! I had a crazy dream last night where I dreamt this amazing pattern for this cute crochet babydoll-style top. I had drawn it out on paper and started writing up a chart for it, and deciding what kind of decorative crochet edging should go along the sleeves and what kind of stitch would consist of the bodice... and then I woke up. I completely forgot what the pattern looked like and I felt a little sad when I came to the realization that I'm not a designer... and even if I could remember what it looked like, I wouldn't be able to actually make it.
It was an inspiring dream, though! Who knows, my memory might return and I might be able to at least sketch what it looked like. I bet my friend Cecily would be able to help me deconstruct it!
Well, I haven't fulfilled my sock itch yet, but I did buy some lovely orange Koigu yarn that is destined to become biking socks! For some reason, I feel a little reluctant to actually cast on. I always feel a little intimidated casting on for a new project - especially with yarn as thin as this. It's like part of me already senses the hours of work ahead of me and balks a little. So, for now, I've mostly been squishing the yarn and appreciating it in cake form.
I guess my knitting has improved because the 2nd one felt much easier to knit and I didn't mess up on the placement of the thumb like I did the first. However, I realized halfway through that I must have been using a larger needle size than I did on my first armwarmer (either that or my hands have learned to relax considerably) because the stitches looked much bigger. But I wasn't willing to rip back so I plunged ahead and finished the thing anyway. Now, seeing them side by side, I can see that they are, indeed, two different sizes. Fortunately, it's not as noticeable when I'm actually wearing them. It's just that one feels a little more snug than the other.
Anyway, I'm just glad they're done with.
I also finished a quickie project the other night - a neck-warmer. My friend Feaver sent me a link online to a shop that sold neckwarmers and commented on how it'd be cool to learn to make one. I agreed, and decided to try one out. It's basically just a really short scarf, so it flew off my needles.
Speaking of needles, I actually started this project as an excuse to try out my new Lantern Moon rosewood needles that my friend Cecily got for me! They are the most amazing knitting needles I have worked with. I thought I was happy with bamboo... until now! Thanks, Cecily!!
Anyway, I digress. Here's my finished neckwarmer which I made using Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends Yarn:
I love Alpaca yarn and was excited to see a "cheapie" yarn with Alpaca fiber at my local Michaels. But even though it feels soft to the touch, it's incredibly itchy against my neck...
I have an urge suddenly to knit socks. I made one single sock about a year ago, with crappy yarn, just to prove I could learn how, and my interest in socks waned after that. I finished about 75% of the second sock but then let it sink to the bottom of my "project basket".
Now I suddenly want to knit socks again, only I want to knit yummy socks with nice yarn. But part of me wonders if this will be folly. Surely, second sock syndrome will hit me again and I won't be motivated to finish what I start. And, let's say that I do finish... well, in that case, can I be sure I would even WEAR said socks? I've found that of all the hats and scarves and sweaters I've made, I've never actually worn any of them other than for project photos. And I'm worried that if I make nice socks that I'll feel like my feet are unworthy of wearing them, or I'd be too paranoid about getting them dirty.
So I'm going to try and come up with a compromise for myself. First, I need to finish the crappy sock set I started a year ago and be done with it so it's not at the back of my mind. Secondly, I need to finish my second Hurry Up Spring arm-warmer to prove I can, indeed, finish a pair of something.
Then maybe I'll allow myself to dabble with socks again.
I have way too many unfinished projects that are starting to gang up on me and demand attention even though I'd like to forget some of them exist. Mainly, my mom's never-ending-scarf that I started well over a year ago and failed to give her at Christmas 2006 and again at Christmas 2007. It's becoming the bane of my existence. Just row after row after row of k1p1 ribbing. It's like pulling teeth. And I still have one more skein of yarn to use up. Will it ever end?!
About a month ago I almost snapped and decided to frog the whole thing, all 4 feet of it, and make a NEW scarf with a nice lace pattern that would keep me entertained. Thankfully my husband intervened and told me in no uncertain terms that I was crazy for even considering it. So I have to keep going. And going...
My husband is currently out of town at the moment and while he's away, I decided to knit him some nice fingerless "Beer Gloves" from the book Son of Stich'N Bitch. Again, I started the project simply because I've never done gloves before and wanted to learn how. (Even though, when I showed my husband the pattern a couple weeks back, he said they looked like hobo gloves and he doesn't understand dressing like a hobo, especially since we have so many real-life hobos living on our street at any given time). I just pretended I didn't hear him and when he left town, I went ahead and started on the gloves anyway, certain that he would come back home and fall in love them at first sight.
Well, the more I work on the first glove, the less I think this is likely. The more I knit, the more the thing seems to grow and sag. I mean... the ring finger opening shouldn't be wider than the thumb opening, right? And the palm seems so long it's beginning to look more like toe-less socks, rather than fingerless gloves. Let's not mention the huge ladders running up the sides due to my first attempt at knitting in the round on two circulars. And, why do I keep insisting on knitting with this Plymouth baby alpaca dk yarn even though everything I've made with it to date has been a disaster?
Even so... I'm gonna keep going. Well... I'll finish one at least.
So I got a new orange bike recently and I can't fight the urge to decorate it with woodgrain patterns. For me, the color orange and 70's style woodgrain go hand in hand. If they made them, I would certainly have a woodgrain patterned bike saddle, and handlebars....but they don't. I even looked for a woodgrain top-tube pad but I couldn't find one of those either.
I then realized I'd have to make one myself.
My first instinct was to look through my stash of cheap yarn and see if I had anything that looked "woodgrainy". I found 4 contenders and crocheted up 4 swatches. In the past, I've both knit and crocheted bike cozies, and I've found that the crochet cozies are a little more snug and durable than the knitted version.
So my next step was to look online and see if there were any woodgrain knitting or crochet patterns. Once again, I came up empty-handed. So I figured I could use some graph paper and make up my own pattern. And that's what I did!
So, halfway through that bag, I taught myself to knit with two colors at once with one color in each hand, one hand doing continental style knitting, and the other doing english style knitting. After some intitial awkwardness, I got the hang of it and the rest of the bag just flew off my needles! Now I actually think I like Fair Isle knitting!
Anyway, I think if I didn't learn to do the two-handed thing, this woodgrain project would have driven me crazy with all the yarn twisting. But it went by really fast, and I'm pleased with how it turned out!
I'm still not convinced it really looks like a woodgrain pattern...(Already someone has mistaken it for tiger-stripes.) I'm not sure what more I'd have to do to make it look undeniably like woodgrain but this is a start!
And lastly, here it is in action!
Secondly, my workload has increased considerably. I've taken on another comics-related job in addition to my main gig, so my schedule has become MUCH more hectic! Unfortunately, that means less time for crafting... which sucks because I have so many things I want to make: sweaters, socks, hats, gifts, Blythe clothes, amigurumi... the list goes on and on!
However, I have managed to complete a couple projects since I 've moved: I finished my Cobweb scarf, my Jolly Roger Sweater, and I completed a project from Twinkle's Book of Big City Knits! I also completed the seabird bag from Andean Folk Knits and several Blythe outfits for my own dolls as well as swaps I've participated in!
Here are some pics of my FOs!
Anyway, along with her and my husband, and a couple other pals, we've created a sort of weekly crafting club or get-together called "Craftonite" where we meet up, eat, drink, and make stuff! And we've had such a good time doing it, we've were inspired to apply for a table at Felt Club this past November, and we got in! Woo! We also made a Craftonite website! There's not much on it yet, but we're planning on opening an etsy store at some point. Anyway, Felt club was quite a success! We sold crocheted amigurumi budgie buddies, Cecily sold lovely snowflake ornaments, and my husband and I sold our Dollar Dreadfulswhich are short stories inspired by the original dime novels. Oh, we also had prints and buttons and I sold my knitting comic ashcan! We were all worried about getting enough stuff done to fill up a table, but we actually had almost TOO much stuff to fit on a table. It was a fun day!
As far as Blythe goes, ever since getting my first doll, Lemony, back at the beginning of the year, I've become hopelessly addicted! I've now got 7 dolls!!! I used to say that 3 was my limit. But now I'm thinking maybe 9 or 10 is a good cut-off point. I don't want to get TOO many because then I won't have enough time to play with them all, but they're all so unique and they all have their own personalities that I can't resist! I'm really excited about knitting and crocheting more things for them because I want to update their wardrobes with something other than Barbie clothes, and because making little hats and sweaters is so quick and satisfying! I want to get back to sewing as well, but I haven't yet unpacked my sewing machine. I do have a little crafting room in our new place (um, more like a converted closet!), but it's a bit of a train wreck at the moment! One day it'll be very cool!
Anyway, that's the general update. I'll try to post more often about the various projects I'm actually working on. (Right now, I'm tackling my first pair of knitted gloves! Yikes!) And now that I have a shiny new bike I keep wanting to adorn it with a cool bike cozy! Stay tuned!
