5 posts tagged “crochet”

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! 
 

So here's another update with some more projects I'm working on (is it any wonder why I never get anything done??).

But first! My knitty Secret Pal sent me another surprise:

(sorry about the crummy photo)

A "fairy" cool card (sorry, that was a corny pun!) with a nice note, an adorable teeny-tiny crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches, and a neato tape measure!! I am so spoiled - thank you SP!! ^_^ It was especially nice to get something in my mailbox after a long and hectic weekend!
 
Now, here are some things I'm working on...

First, I finished my most complex thing yet - an arm sock with light cables! (Only one so far, haha). I followed the pattern "Hurry Up Spring Arm Warmers" from Stitch and Bitch Nation. I used this lovely yarn: Noro Kureyon color #88

It's actually kind of rough scratchy wool, but it's not as uncomfortable as it looks. I think it softened a bit while I knit it.

It actually wasn't that hard to do but the whole time I was knitting it, I was convinced I was doing something horribly wrong. I did sort of mess up the thumb gusset... it's not really positioned right, but it's only off by an inch or so.

Here's a pic of me wearing it:

and a close up of my shaky attempt at simple cables:

Now that I've done one I've kind of lost steam and I'm procrastinating on finishing the second one... but it only took me about 3 days to do the first one, so I have no excuse! And I want to be able to wear them before it gets warmer outside!

Next up is my Cobweb scarf! It's based off a character my husband created named Cobweb (duh), which is part of a larger idea called Puri Kura.

There's some exciting news about Puri Kura which I won't reveal yet (I don't want to jinx it!!), but the scarf is sort of a tribute to this good news. It's coming along nicely, but it is kind of boring to knit. I want to make it pretty long and I'm just chugging along, dreading weaving in all those loose ends when I'm done.

Next up is my Jolly Roger Sweater from a patten in Knit 1 magazine (from a few months ago). It was my first attempt at intarsia and I am happy with how it turned out. I only have one sleeve left to knit which shouldn't take long because it's really chunky yarn and big needles. But I'm sort of dreading sewing all the pieces together so... yup, I'm procrastinating again!

Next is a crochet project that was inspired by this site: Counterfeit Crochet

Basically, people take a fancy expensive handbag and crochet a "counterfeit" version of it. I decided to try one based on this bag from Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B line:

I've just started but I can already tell it's going to be a challenge. I've just completed one piece so far:

I'll let you know how it goes...

What else is going on? Oh yes! My husband thinks I'm an absolute geek, but I've joined a guild on World of Warcraft comprised of several of us on the knitty boards. We're called "Purls of the Alliance". I almost couldn't believe there were other knitters out there who love to play WoW - but I think it's great! One of our members even has a popular WoW podcast, World of Warcast!  Check out our forums:  Purls of the Alliance
And here's my new character, Arachne, a Warlock!

Last but not least, I'm excited to say that I splurged and bought a Blythe doll! Here she is: Blythe - Feel the Sky, a cute flight attendant. (Ironic because I hate flying).

I've named her Birdie. I can't wait to knit little hats and things for her. ^_^

Hi everyone! This is my newest blog which will focus on knitting, crochet, amigurumi, and related projects.

Just a fair warning - this blog will likely be image heavy! This is my place to talk about my various projects etc, and I don't want to have to hide or edit the pictures I post.

Some of the things I'm going to talk about on this blog are:

-Say Llama Friends amigurumi.  Amigurumi is a Japanese word for cute little stuffed dolls that are usually crocheted. I'm currently working on some original amigurumi designs to fill Say Llama Land, a fictional amigurmi world! ^_^ A separate website will be up eventually at sayllamafriends.com

Below is a pic of one of my designs: Gwen the cat!

-My attempts to learn to knit more than just a scarf Crocheting is fun, but I wanted to learn to knit as well. It's been a good challenge with many disasters along the way. ^_^

-My knitting manga, Knit-Wits! I've been working on this personal project, a doujinshi with a knitting theme. (For those who don't know, doujinshi is just my fancy way of saying comic book). I'm not sure how many pages it will wind up being, but it's going to be zany and ridiculous - just the way I like it! Here's a pic of the main character, Bernadette - a.k.a. the Chosen One! I'm aiming to have this available for the MoCCA Art Fest in June
 

Lastly, a quick explanation on the name Say Llama. It's sort of a pun. In spanish, se llama (pronounced "Say Yama") means basically his/her/your name. And since my amigurumi will each have their own names and personalities, I thought this was fitting. The other part of the pun is the fact that alpacas, my favorite animal, belong to the llama family of camelids and their wool is often used to create soft yarn for knitting and crochet! As a result, the title is both a hint at the amigurumis' names, yarn fiber, and a silly exclamation.

Phew!