The Ballad of the Unlikely Crafter

What's new, pussycat?

2007-04-20T21:12:00.000-05:00

I've been a blogging slacker lately, tis true.

As a matter of fact, I've been really quite busy. Not in the "I'm making an excuse for my sheer unrelenting laziness" way but an actual god's honest time-crunch.

You see, I got a job. Hooooo-ray! It is a great job, part-time, freelance, editing books like I used to do back when I was a person. For a real company! I even work from home and make my own hours. *knocks wood* This is one of the best turns of event in quite a while.

It all came about because I decided to stick my neck out, by the way. They were advertising for a full-time editor. I sent them a letter that basically thumbed my nose at their request for an actual onsite employee and told them to call me if they wanted a freelancer.

Behold, they actually called. So moral is: don't be afraid to fling poo at the wall and see what sticks. At worst, you've had some fun flinging poo.

And now, because I'm here and I can, some crafty pics:

This is a scarf. (You don't say!) It is very boring to look at. I made it for the husband for Christmas but he hasn't worn it even once. Well, maybe once. It's not that he dislikes it, it's just that it turned out a bit skinny for a manscarf.

That is OK. I wear it a lot. It's the softest yarn in the entire world--Knit Picks Elegance. It's too bad the color isn't particularly flattering to me.

The yarn is left over from that ugly shawl I tried to make last year or whenever it was. I frogged it and there the yarn sits. It is seriously SO soft. Maybe it needs to be socks or something.

Here's something slightly more fun. The SPCA is having a silent auction so I whipped up a couple more kitty beds. The darker one is inexpressibly beautiful in person.

The yarn was so, so very expensive but I want to use it again sometime. It's Brown Sheep Burly Spun in a color called Mountain Majesty.

Speaking of mountains, I went to college in the beautiful Blue Ridge region of Virginia. (If you have not been there, you really must go.) This week's news of the shootings shook me, not because I went to Tech but because I could have--or it could have happened at my college just a couple of hours' drive away. Or near you. Or anywhere.

My dad got his master's degree at Tech, one of my good friends from high school went to Tech, and so on. Maybe we all have a specific connection, or maybe we don't. The point is, this week we're all Hokies. So go Hokies. You're in my thoughts.

Boy, oh boy!

2007-03-06T15:40:00.000-05:00

Boy, oh boy is a new post overdue!

Boy, oh boy, a boy is here!

The long-awaited nephew was born on February 9th and eschewing the usual blanket or sweater (I was far too lazy and taken by surprise at the earliness of the arrival), I decided on some incredibly, wondrously deliciously adorable newborn socks!

Pattern here!

Cuteness here:

You can see how tiny they are, to go with the little baby feet. (I hope they fit--haven't heard yet!)

I am also working on an endless feather-and-fan throw that may take me until next winter, which is fine. It is a patient project.

My first paying client paid me to design another project which will have to remain a poorly kept secret for now. If you can read this, it's not for you, because dogs can't read. (Which reminds me of the saying, "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.")

Resolutions Revisited

2007-01-01T18:22:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Last year I posted my New Year's resolutions here. Let's see how I did, boys and girls, shall we?

The Ballad of the Unlikely Crafter: Goals for 2006 (not related to yarn)

1. Be more kind.

I'm not sure if I fulfilled this one or not. I don't feel much kinder than last year, and I sure as hell think bad, mean thoughts all the time. Hopefully I at least managed the Google corporate slogan of "Don't be evil."

2. Lose 26 pounds in 2006, which both sounds catchy and represents just 1/2 a pound a week.

Ha ha. The good news is I lost a couple of pounds, but only a couple. I'm checking this one back into the resolution library and renewing it for another year. This time it will be 27 pounds.

3. Be more selfish, in all the good ways.

Again I think I held the status quo on this one. I'm not quite sure what I was envisioning myself doing.

4. Do 10 stomach crunches every day in January, 20 a day in February, etc.

Right.

5. Start yoga. Again. It works.

Ugh, this is going badly.

6. Take the GREs and get act together for the long-term.

Jeez.

7. Go on a real vacation.

Ooh, ooh, this one I did! I had a blast in the Grand Canyon for a week by myself! Oh hey, maybe that applies to # 3--since leaving one's family for a week surely qualifies as selfish in a good way. I can also fulfill this one for 2007 because we are spending a week in St. John in January. Yipppeee!

8. Be a better housekeeper or earn enough money to justify housecleaning service. (see #6)

I think I have made some progress in this area, truly. The house is cleanable now in a couple of hours. I have sorted and pitched a lot of stuff and I'm better at daily maintenance. There are still days, nay, weeks when I feel like a massive failure in this department.

And my yarn-related goal:

1. Keep on learning: lace, intarsia, fair isle, embroidery, etc.
I did some lace, but none of the rest of it.

Adding a few goals for 2007--

1) Make a will. It is pathetic that we don't have one.

2) Save more for college in the kids' 529's.

3) Get a part-time job by the end of the year.

4) Be grateful and joyful. Life is precious.

5) Remember how time flies when your kids are little. This time next year they will be 7 and almost 5. Enjoy them.

Another item for my Christmas checklist

2006-12-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

Rosie had a cold last week and missed a day of preschool. The next day she came home sad because all of the other kids had made a pinecone ornament to take home and she didn't have one. No problem, I said. In the Land of Loblolly Pines where we live, there is no shortage of pinecones. We could make pinecone ornaments every day for a year and still have plenty.

We got out the glue and glitter and paint and crafty supplies and we each made a pinecone ornament. Our craftacularness is not the point of this post, however.

This is what I find so amazing. Here is my creation, the pinecone oeuvre of a 33-year-old practical woman:

And here is the ornament of an almost-4-year-old under the influence of the book Fancy Nancy, which I simply cannot recommend enough to parents of girlie girls:

She used up every speck of green and red glitter glue, all the silver glitter, much of the blue glitter, all of the feathers, all the jingle bells I didn't snag for myself, and at least two dozen fuzzy sparkle pom-poms. I love this child.

Although Ian did not wish to participate in the glitter fiesta, in the interest of equal time here is the sandpaper gingerbread man (rubbed with a cinnamon stick for a delicious smell) we made together last year. Love this child too!!

Also Rosie's:

And Eric's, which is a self-portrait. Love this guy!!

(I cannot find my own sandpaper gingerbread girl at the moment--I saw it briefly on Saturday when we were decorating, but I think the tree ate it since then.)

I don't consider myself one of those crafty moms, but we do try to make at least one thing together every year. Forget those department store theme trees, they suck compared to a tree covered with tacky homemade ornaments.

I made this one in the fourth grade. It scared my little sister but I have always loved it:

So there you have it. Whenever the Demented Elf ornament surfaces, my Christmas spirit usually starts to stir.

Two weeks and counting down...

Christmas checklist

2006-12-03T18:35:00.000-05:00

One batch of cookies, peanut butter with Hershey's kisses stuck in them (my klassy husband calls them butthole cookies), check.

Went to church on the first Sunday of Advent, check.

One lovely fresh Christmas wreath on mantel, check.

Christmas music on iPOD: Jackson 5, check.

Irritating insane children, check.

Messy house and two beds covered with laundry, one for dirty and one for clean. Check and check.

Christmas shopping done, tree up, decorations outside, any semblance of Christmas spirit growing and spreading cheer to the whole planet, um...yeah, call me next week.

Instant gratification

2006-12-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Today at my friend's house she was showing me her knitting projects, all in woeful states of unfinishedness. Though a half-hearted knitter, she sews like a genius and also chases two kids 3 and under, so we'll give her a pass.

Anyway, she pulled out this hat, which she started knitting a year ago while doing her 3-hour glucose fasting test. It was a case of nesting syndrome coupled with sitting-in-the-hospital boredom. The reason for the nesting is now 6 months old and she has lost interest in finishing the hat.

It was just about ready to go on the DPNs for the decrease rows, so I snatched it up. Stole all her needles and the cone of yarn and brought it home where I finished it in an hour or so.

Ah, so satisfying. For once I finished something I didn't start instead of starting something I'd never finish.

The hat, meant to be an 18-month size, is going to fit her son in about 3 or 4 years. Cotton, ack.

I only get partial credit for this one, but my blog is completist...

From photosforposting

The end of babies

2006-11-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

My BIL and pregnant SIL visited over the Thanksgiving weekend. We welcomed their visit as an opportunity to unload the baby items that we still have that haven't been yard-saled, Goodwilled, or given away. (For years, we expected no nieces or nephews would materialize at any point in our children's own childhoods. We were wrong, but it's not shaping up to be a Kennedy-size extended family by any means.)

It's (going to be) a boy, so it was especially poignant to wash and fold all of the remaining baby boy things. I did find that I could not part with this outfit:

I mean really, how could I? :-)

That little fleecy dude turned six two weeks ago. He loves Nintendo more than life itself and likes to create puppets by drawing pictures and taping them to plastic silverware. The ensuing puppet shows are lengthy and sometimes make sense. He loves to draw elaborate poster-size pictures but never colors them--he's all about the line drawing. (A future architect?) He likes to dance but refuses to sing (although he can) and instead he talks. non. stop. He also loves and protects his baby sister (who is NOT A BABY, so she says) when he is not torturing her.

Giving up his last remaining baby clothes was highly symbolic, because it signifies with near 99% certainty (so says my friend Mirena) that we are DONE.

For me, knowing I'm done is completely an intellectual exercise. I simply cannot do it again, but in my heart I'd always love to cuddle another baby and snuffle another newborn baby head. The feeling of tickling little feet in footy pajamas, patting a diapered bum underneath terry cloth and snaps, and getting a gummy grin covered with sweet potatoes--these are always things I'll crave until I hopefully have grandchildren someday.

Rosie has been waking up several times a night the past few days, however--reminding me, do I crave another two years of THAT? Not so much.

The thing is, whether you have one or two or ten kids, they will eventually grow up and you'll be done with babies. No getting around it. My choir friend whose daughter just got married told me that she often wishes she could take her little girl out of the old photos and hug her again, just once. *sniffle* I've been hugging my own children a lot more since she said that.

Children get bigger and take up more space, and they become way more expensive at the same time, but on the plus side they begin to resemble something like rational people. I'm looking forward to enjoying the next phase while also looking back at the past more than a little wistfully.

In the immortal words of that formerly ubiquitous song "Closing Time"--"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Well, it's true, isn't it? :-)

Haven't posted in a while...

2006-11-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

I was just sitting here and my favorite parenting message board is down so I thought I'd type some random drivel. I have toyed with making this a more personal blog, but then my next thought is always "Who the hell cares what I have to say?" Indeed. I feel this is true and that personal blogs are 99% boring. Allow me to join the fray.

My children are sitting in the next room eating their lunch (peanut butter and jelly, baby carrots and a cheese stick.) Rosie is not dressed yet despite the fact that I gave her her clothes to put on. It's 11:15 and Ian has to catch the bus in just a few minutes. Afternoon kindergarten is annoying only because they have to eat lunch early. They get up and eat breakfast early and seem to be rampagingly hungry by 10 am, so the early lunch doesn't bother them.

Afternoon kindy is good for me though because it means I get to sleep in. It is no great secret that I am not a morning person. Left to my own devices and despite the fact that teenager-hood is long in my past, I will go to bed at 2 am and get up at noon. These days Eric feeds the kids and sets them in front of various mind-numbing TV programs and then leaves for work shortly before 8. My room is feet away from the family room and so in a state of semi-snooze, I can hear what they're doing while not actually standing up and "looking alive" as my mother would say. I roll outta bed around 9 or 9:30, depending on how quiet the kiddos are.

My friends tell me I am super lucky because their kids insist that they wake up at the buttcrack of dawn. I fear that my kids are just well trained to accept this form of benign neglect and that luck has nothing to do with it.

At any rate, thank God for the L-shaped ranch house that allows me to supervise from bed for an hour or so every morning. No amount of guilt that I give myself during the day will get me to change my habits because I've been trying for years to be a morning person and I'm JUST NOT.

Baby-rama, baby!

2006-09-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

Just a few projects I've been working on for various babies!

First, a flannel rag quilt for my BIL and SIL's baby, due in February. This was my second sewing project and what fun to just sail right through those quilted X's zip zip zip without stressing about being exact. This quilt can be likened to parenting in that I learned while doing, it was kind of exhilarating at times, I screwed up in a bunch of places, but overall the result is very good. (I am sure that with tutoring it will get into a good college one day.) Two views, the raggy side and the pretty side.

Next project is Bunny the Second, in KnitPicks Spinnaker, color Oasis. This bunny travelled with me as a WIP to the Grand Canyon, sat in my tent for a week, and then was completed when I got home, so it is a well-travelled rabbit!
(By the way, I had a blast on my vacation. Check out the view!)

Finally, some bibs to go with the bunny. These are for a very old friend whose wife just had their first son. The bibs came out very well. I modelled the "pattern" on our favorite bib style from when our own kids were still wearing droolcatchers. This used up some leftover flannel from the quilt as well as some cotton chenille I bought for the quilt but did not use. I have more fabric so I will probably make more bibs, only with square collars since the curved ones came out functional but wonky in shape due to my total lack of sewing skills.

Is my dress done? Is my dress done? Mommy, is it done?

2006-07-30T20:25:00.000-05:00

First of all, see that tiny little baby in my profile picture? ---------->

Could she POSSIBLY be growing any faster??

Secondly, the dress I have been sewing for her is finally done. It's amazing how something so simple can be so complicated, especially because I haven't used a sewing machine in over 15 years, and even then I only made one thing. It wasn't hard once I got the machine up and running (requiring a run to a bunch of sewing stores since I had lost a bunch of parts to MIL's old machine somewhere along the way) and once I got the hang of sewing, but it did seem to take forever!

On the plus side, she loves it. It's a bit big, which is better than too small. Here's the facing (so snazzy, pity it's on the inside!) and the back:

So overall I am very pleased and ready to try a new sewing project!

Fancy schmancy!

2006-07-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

These are for my aunt who has helped me out a lot in life and also has helped finance my upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon. She says she likes forest green, so this shade of KnitPicks Parade is perfect!

For the pattern I cobbled together a chevron lace pattern found in Knit Socks! with a sock pattern I purchased that uses worsted weight yarn and slightly bigger double points. This lace on size 1's, no thanks! Size 5's make for a much quicker project. The Parade is close to worsted weight anyway.

You know, this may just be the most challenging thing I've made and I had no problems with it at all, which shows how much progress I've made. Not only did I adapt a pattern to make it more complicated, it was a sock pattern with lace, so the stitch count and repeats were crucial throughout. I'm pretty proud of how they turned out.

The original pattern in Knit Socks! did use self-striping yarn, but I think the outcome on bigger needles is a bit busy. It would be interesting to try these socks in a solid color. They took me only a few days apiece, so I'd tackle them again!

Wait a minute...didn't I say just a few entries ago that I was buying my socks at the store from now on??

Monsieur Petit Lapin du Chenille

2006-07-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

First, Lion Brand Velvetspun is evile to knit with. Emphasis on vile. It's fat and yet so smushy that it makes your fingers tired. Plus there is that whole plasticky non-cotton chenille thing going on.

However, in mere moments it can be coaxed into knitting an adorable bunny blankie such as this one. It is very soft and this was so quick and easy, I'd definitely make it again in a different yarn, perhaps. I'm no embroiderer (embroidress?) but winging the face wasn't too hard since at least I've cross-stitched before.

There is a pattern for this at the Lion Brand website, which you can find here except that of course you have to type in a whole ton of personal info now to get to the free patterns which frankly I find freaking annoying and I bet you do, too.

Monsieur Petit Lapin du Chenille is for my sweet friend Gwen and her baby who has been dubbed McScreamy. I tried to make McScreamy a hat and sweater and that was a total fiasco, which will make another blog entry. Tune in again!

Other WIPs at the moment--ribbon tank for Rosie, currently only one row which does not a ribbon tank make, a sock-and-a-half in lace for my aunt, and my endless socks on two circulars in KnitPicks Dancing which is like knitting with string, as well as something I'm SEWING on a MACHINE. Go me! It's a dress for Rosie and I'm very proud of it so far. I haven't sewed since high school.

Remember ribbon barrettes??

2006-07-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

I figured everything else from the 80's has returned, and I have this adorable blond pink-loving, hair accessory-loving (sometimes) kid, so why not make some of those ribbon barrettes we were all obsessed with circa, oh, 1983?

My hair was thin and never looked all that great in the barrettes, but I had a bunch anyway. They were always in that shiny satin or grosgrain ribbon in contrasting colors...

Directions online? But of course! I heart the Internets.

From left to right: traditional, preppy, and experimental (tried some tape yarn along with the ribbon.)

Close-up of preppy style--this is 1/4" ribbon instead of the thinner stuff. If you only use one color you only need one yard-length of ribbon but you'll wind up with two tails instead of four.

On the "experimental" one, that is also thicker ribbon, and that tape yarn was a bear to weave. I need a better method. I recall that in the 80's the process was quite refined. I'll have to think about this and make it easier.

Some notes if you try this: Each of the matching pair of barrettes should have the streamers going in opposite directions. Also, I do recommend the thinner ribbon--it was so much easier! Had trouble finding it at the store though.

Good luck! These are fun!

Never knit after surgery...and buy socks at the store!

2006-07-03T13:55:00.000-05:00

So I had my gallbladder out last week, which turned out to be no fun at all. I'm feeling mostly back to normal but my brain function is low, which is extending the extended sock drama I've been dealing with.

Backing up a second...I made a pair of socks (the blue striped ones out of KnitPicks Parade) from the top down a few months ago. One came out a bit too baggy and after repeated washings the ribbed top was totally stretched out.

I wanted to rip it out backwards, from the cast-on edge, decrease the number of stitches and knit it back up to the top and bind it off. I asked some experts if it was even possible to knit backwards. They said, "Huh?"

Bravely deciding to give it a shot, I picked up all the stitches halfway down, then started from the cast-on edge. Got one row unpicked and realized it wasn't going to frog from that direction.

So I went down to a row or two above the stitches I'd picked up and snipped the yarn, then carefully undid the row so the foot of the sock and the ankle of the sock were separated.

I frogged the entire ankle of the sock and balled that yarn, then reattached the right end to the tail left above the needles where I'd cut the yarn (that's why you have to do it a row or two above the needles.)

I knit it back upward and it looked like it was that way all along--no line where I began or anything. I guess knitting goes both ways.

So it looked pretty nice...but then at the top I didn't do enough ribbing. Couldn't STAND that the socks didn't match at the top, so I now have to let every other stitch run down, pick it up in purl all the way to the top, and OH HECK.

I'm buying socks from the store from now on.

Happy Mother's Day Socks

2006-05-31T20:16:00.000-05:00

My mom wanted socks for Mother's Day and socks she received, in KnitPicks Simple Stripes Harvest (or Autumn, or something.) Never in a million years did I think I'd make anything sportweight, but these went surprisingly fast. Toe up, one at at time.

The asymmetrical baby sweater

2006-05-07T19:39:00.000-05:00

This is my rough (very rough) sketch of the shape of the asymmetrical baby sweater pattern, posted for a friend.

Another FO (that's felted object)

2006-04-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

This purse was made for an online auction like the other one below. I used scrap yarn for it so the only cost was for thread, magnetic snaps, and buttons. The colors are lighter than they appear and the size is about 9 x 11.

The construction was based on a smaller purse in the books Vogue Felted Knits (the one with the Noro tea cozy on the front.) Basically you make a front and a back and two I-cord straps. Then you sew the straps together and sew the resulting single strap to the front and back of the purse before sewing up the bottom. Did I mention this involves a hell of a lot of sewing? Ick.

I'm concerned about the strength of construction, but I reinforced the bottom and corners on the inside. The winning bidder got about 3 pounds of chocolate with the purse, so hopefully that will make up for any inexpert seaming.

Socks!

2006-04-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

I finished these several weeks ago but did not get a pic until now. My very silly blue striped socks were made from KnitPicks yarn (Parade? I think?) and took quite some time. I changed needle brands in the middle so one is a lot baggier than the other. They are very comfy though! I love that the stripes don't match from one to the other. I bet that would make many people twitch but to me it's awesome!

I really like this!

2006-03-11T19:01:00.000-05:00

I made this bag for a charity auction but I so want to keep it! The pattern is free from KnitPicks and the yarn is Cascade 128.

The bag has a black canvas lining (a pre-fab canvas tote turned inside out and sewn inside, ingenious!) and a magnetic closure.

It knit up very quickly. This was my first try at cables and they weren't nearly as hard as I'd feared. It felt sort of unnatural but was in no way difficult. The bag took me about two evenings to knit and another two evenings to finish. I think I will make one in every color.

Noodle in her sweater!

2006-02-03T17:43:00.000-05:00

Good Lord, this dog is cute. She looks much better in the sweater than Dash. I particularly like the way the cream color looks against her dark red fur.

There is a certain mini-dachshund...

2006-01-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

...by the name of Noodle, who lives with my cousin Kelly not too far from Times Square in NYC, and who will be the fashion plate of canine fashion plates by next week. The other dogs at the dog park will be so jealous.

Unfortunately, I do not have a mini-dachshund myself, so I was forced to settle for a local model in order to show you the sweater I made. The wool is Cascade Bulky (loved it!), the model is, of course, Dash. (He didn't even mind.)

Bryspun: great customer service!

2006-01-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

I just faxed them a letter about my broken circular needle. I got a phone call within an hour from a service rep.

She apologized, wanted to know if I still had the packaging, and explained that it's a known problem that they had early on when they came out with the circulars. Something about the glue not withstanding changes in temp and elevation.

They've completely revised the product and are sending me a new one, plus a free set of DPN's size 3.

So, kudos for Bryspun!

Modified glittens and a temporarily stalled WIP

2006-01-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

My dad requested that I put mitten flip-tops or whatever you want to call them on his fingerless gloves. Now, I thought the gloves looked pretty darn handsome before, but we must please the unhappy/grateful customer, mustn't we? (Sondheim, anyone?) I found a yarn at AC Moore that nearly matches the Knit Picks yarn that I did not feel like reordering, and although it's not nearly as soft and silky it worked just fine.

I ended up having to write the pattern for the mitten tops because my early attempt to hack an existing mitten pattern was a total flop. I also finished off the thumbs because glittens always have finished thumbs. One came out a bit pointy in appearance but fits fine.

It's all FINE do ya hear me, fine I say.

Pics (closed and flipped open):

Finally, the Pearly Elegance shawl...my size 11 circular died. One needle completely snapped off and the other one is about to go. So until I get another one, here are some pics of the WIP. I think it's going to be pretty although I'm not yet sure if I will keep it, auction it, or give it as a gift.

To my loyal readers (if applicable)

2006-01-13T20:04:00.000-05:00

(Laura, I'm talking to you mostly since you told me about this. Thank you!) I just changed the comment settings so anyone can leave a comment, not just registered users. I had no idea I had control over that! So if you'd like to say hey, please do! Here are a few more exclamation points if you happen to be lacking!!!!

Never argue with somebody when you're an idiot

2006-01-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

I emailed Knit Picks to tell them I thought there was a mistake in the Pearly Elegance Shawl pattern. It talks about a 10-stitch repeat when in fact I was counting by 12's and it was looking fine and working fine.

The nice but somewhat condescending customer service rep wrote back and said I was wrong, but "if a 12-stitch repeat is working for you, go right ahead and use it." Bitch.

So I re-examined my technique and found that I am doing yarn overs wrong. I've been adding a stitch where I shouldn't be.

Why, you ask, did the pattern still work out for me? Ah, the wonders of math. The cast on is 125 stitches and there are 5 border stitches. Voila, 120, a number divisible by both 12 AND 10.

Lucky me. *twitch*

Goals for 2006 (not related to yarn)

2006-01-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

1. Be more kind.

2. Lose 26 pounds in 2006, which both sounds catchy and represents just 1/2 a pound a week.

3. Be more selfish, in all the good ways.

4. Do 10 stomach crunches every day in January, 20 a day in February, etc.

5. Start yoga. Again. It works.

6. Take the GREs and get act together for the long-term.

7. Go on a real vacation.

8. Be a better housekeeper or earn enough money to justify housecleaning service. (see #6)

And my yarn-related goal:

1. Keep on learning: lace, intarsia, fair isle, embroidery, etc.

Happy New Year!

Less angry at knitting

2005-12-30T20:55:00.000-05:00

I think I have fixed the run in the shawl. There is still one small mistake but you'd have to be a knitting guru to spot it. So I feel better about that.

Mitten top: still grrrr.

On a happier note, here are some pics of the final push to finish the kitty beds.

My able assistants demonstrate the size of a pre-felted kitty pi:

This is the final group of 5. To hold the shape of the bed and make the inside washable (and comfy!) I added a yard of coordinating fleece in each one. The cats love this!

This is my father-in-law's cat Duncan the day after Christmas. And the day after the day after, etc. etc. I think he might still be in it! My parents' cat Fluffy also inspected her bed and found it suitable. No pics of her though! All in all, a ton of work but the results were worth it:

Angry at knitting right now

2005-12-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Firstly, the Christmas Kitty Pis were a big success. At least two were in solid use before I even left to come home! Pictures to come.

Secondly, my dad requested those flip-tops for his fingerless gloves so he can wear them like mittens. I worked on one for about 6 hours using a top-down mitten pattern. I was going to stop at the thumb gusset and then sew or button them to the original gloves. I guess I misunderestimated (lol) my gauge because the mitten top turned out big and round like a newborn baby hat. So if anyone wants a charcoal gray alpaca wool ski cap for their newborn baby, let me know. (Seriously the yarn is pricey so I am going to frog it and start over.) It is incredibly irritating when something fails like that.

Thirdly, in anger at the mitten top, I began working on a beautiful lacy shawl (pattern called Pearly Elegance from KnitPicks) and I am thoroughly annoyed with that. I did OK for the first two rows, then totally f***ed up the first rounds of lace and had to rip it back about 8 rows. After that the lace came out well and I knew what I was doing.

Started the second lace rows (it's a repeating pattern of ten rows) and P.S. the fun fur is way too f***ing furrypuffy, I probably should have gone with the eyelash it called for. Nine rows into the second round of lace (carefully counting all the while) and something suddenly looked really wonky. Where the hell did that giant ladder come from?? I apparently dropped a stitch...somewhere...and it rolled down all the way to the bottom of the lace rows. *insert crying smiley here* There is no way to retrieve it properly and furthermore it probably screwed up the count everywhere. So I retrieved it in plain old knit and I'm going to look at it today and see how screwed up it is and if there's anything I can do. It is right near the end of the row so I might be able to fix it or ignore it. Wanted to scream at 11 pm last night though.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

It's an, um, it's a...BEADED DOOHICKEY!

2005-12-05T20:43:00.000-05:00

Once in a great while I will be overcome by the urge to try something different, to put down the knitting for a minute and head to a different section of the craft store.

This time it was big shiny glass beads and wire that called my name. I wanted to try one of those garden suncatcher glass thingamabobs that museum and garden stores everywhere sell for a meelion dollars.

Instructions, minschmuctions. Needlenose pliers are my friend. I had fun making it, whatever it is. My husband says it looks like beads stuck to a bunch of bent-up paperclips. But it is not made of yarn, and that is a plus.

Dash has a newfound love

2005-12-05T20:34:00.000-05:00

Kitty pi the second is done. This one is in a cranberry red Lopi that is heathered with flecks of blue, green, and orange, striped with orange Lamb's Pride bulky that had been mistakenly marked as $3.50 a skein. Shhh! The eyelash is something very shiny and expensive whose name I cannot recall. This yarn held its shape after blocking better than the first pi, which has gone all floppy already.

Only too late did I realize that these are Virginia Tech colors. Go Hokies. Or something.

Here is the Hokie Pi pre-felted, closeup pre-felted, and being factory tested by the Kitten Prince of Kitty Pi Castle.

Dash's obsession with the Kitty Pi

2005-11-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

Shhh...I'm making Kitty Pi cat beds for Christmas presents. The first one is done, in Sierra by KnitPicks.

My kitten Dash has been obsessed with it from the moment I cast it on. It's as if he knew it was for him (or at least for cats.)

He couldn't wait until it was even cast off to try it out...

He wouldn't let me take a picture of it before it was felted...

"Jeez, mom, can I finally sleep in it? Took ya long enough!"

(Note to self: one Kitty Pi down, four to go! 5 weeks until Christmas. *twitch*)

A sweater for Baby Fiona

2005-11-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

This was another quickie gift for a new baby girl. :) Paton's Divine and Target one dollah novelty yarn.

Dad with his belated Father's Day gift

2005-11-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here's the lucky recipent of the fingerless gloves and hat. Too bad he forgot to take them home with him. I guess I will have to deliver them at Thanksgiving

2005-11-08T15:55:00.000-05:00

Is there dog hair yarn in my future? This is our new golden retriever Kayak!

2005-11-08T15:51:00.000-05:00

The gloves are done! These are for my dad (and those are my husband's arms, NOT MINE!) They're done in KnitPicks alpaca yarn (Andean Treasure.)Yes, I left out the fingertips on purpose.

2005-08-17T13:24:00.000-05:00

Yarn nirvana! A big order from KnitPicks just arrived. This represents my next several projects. The yarn looks/feels great, especially the 100% Alpaca Andean Treasure. My first sportweight yarn--eek! The bulky yarn is Sierra, and the striped yarn is Parade. All very nice, cheap (everything you see here was $65) and quick shipping.

2005-08-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

Look, Mommy, it spins! This is Rosie's Summer Swing Top (see below!)

2005-08-15T10:08:00.000-05:00

Rosie's Summer Swing Top is done! The yarn is Cotton-Ease (which has been discontinued, wahhh!) and I'm really proud of how it came out. It was my first double purl decrease and my first rib knit.

2005-06-25T10:55:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the whole sweater. Not only is it done, but it fits!! I made a completely wearable sweater for myself. Yay me!

2005-06-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

It's done, it's done, it's done it's done it's done! The Wool-Ease Chunky sweater from the Yarn Girls book (Funky Rollneck Fun) is done. Just in time for that chilly July weather! I've been working on it since it actually was cold, in January. Did I mention it's done??

2005-06-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

The finished green fuzzy bag! Here is a picture from the top. The pattern is here: http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/patterns/fuzzyknit.shtml

2005-06-15T15:02:00.000-05:00

Here is another shot of the finished bag. I'm not in love with it and it was a ton of work. Tripling the yarn made my hands cramp. On the plus side I learned how to do the continental knit because my hand was so crampy! I think my version of the bag is a bit too shallow (I had to cut it short because my green yarn was running low) and a bit too wide. However, it will make a good yarn project tote I think. I doubt I'd make it again.

2005-06-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

The fuzzy bag being blocked...

2005-06-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a shot of the fuzzy knitted bag's texture, closeup before felting. It's made of Crystal Palace Fizz held with Plymouth's Galway Highland Heather worsted held double. I nearly ran out of the green so I changed colors for the strap--Lamb's Pride Bulky. I really liked working with the Lamb's Pride and I hope to use it again.

A new Booga Bag

2005-06-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of my most recent Booga bag. My mom chose this yarn since it was a Mother's Day present for her. It's Noro Kureyon #46, the orange/tan/brown/purple colorway.

Before felting:

A closeup of the colors:

And two after felting:

I'm all Booga-ed out for now. On the bag front, though, the green fuzzy bag is nearly done!!

2005-05-04T16:33:00.000-05:00

I made this in January. It's a knitted picture frame. Yeah, sometimes we all get carried away. I knitted the frame (pattern here ) and glued it to one of those magnetic picture frames they sell at the checkout of Michael's, etc. The whole project cost, maybe, at most $1.50. My grandma proudly displays the oddball thing on her fridge! Interestingly, the original pattern calls for dog yarn! Gross if you ask me.

What else am I working on?

2005-04-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

I have this oh-so long-term project going on. A plain funnel-neck sweater for me, in a nice fern green color. It is taking forever. I have the front and back and a third of a sleeve done. I'll be able to wear it by next winter, maybe.

I have another Booga bag on deck for my mom plus one of these in green/blue shades: http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/patterns/fuzzyknit.shtml

I'm working on a pattern for a knitted summer sundress for my daughter.

I want to make some knitted animals from the Debbie Bliss toy book.

I am also asking for a sewing machine for my birthday (May 3rd).

What has come over me?

2005-04-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

I had to rustle up a baby gift quickly. This sweater (you know the pattern by now) went together in THREE HOURS. Wowzers. The hat took about an hour and came off the Red Heart Baby Clouds website. Baby Clouds is kind of tricky to knit but it's soft and fluffy and sure does work up fast. It looks like a baby sweater should look!

2005-04-08T19:58:00.000-05:00

And now for something completely different...ahem.

2005-04-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

Modelled by a cutie...

2005-04-08T19:55:00.002-05:00

Hangin' around...

2005-04-08T19:55:00.001-05:00

Felted and blocking...

2005-04-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

My first adventure in felting! This is a Booga bag in Noro Kureyon #87. I looooooove knitting in the round. What a brainless and wonderful thing.

2005-04-08T19:53:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is 2! My MIL made her this adorable sweater. So cute!!

2005-04-08T19:51:00.001-05:00

The set together. Due to an overall lack of bidding on baby stuff in the auction, I wound up buying this back myself (LOL) and I plan to give it to a friend who's having a baby soon.

2005-04-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

Here's the headband I made to match the sweater. It looks too big on this doll, but on a real baby head it is smaller and makes a cute bow. Just a long knitted strip that's knotted together. No pattern.

2005-04-08T19:49:00.000-05:00

I modified the asymmetric cardigan pattern for this one. This time it was in garter stitch like the pattern calls for, but I added a fun fur crochet trim and just didn't make it a cardigan.

2005-04-08T19:47:00.000-05:00

It does not get any cuter than the Syberbaby whose mommy won the sweater and hat in the tsunami relief auction! Just freaking precious.

2005-04-08T19:46:00.000-05:00

Next I made this. It's one of the things I'm most proud of to date. The yarn was Bernat CottonTots, and the pattern is here... http://home.pacbell.net/kapleo/blog/domesticspherepatterns.html I've used the asymmetric cardigan pattern 3 times now in 3 different ways and it has come out great all 3 times!

2005-04-08T19:35:00.001-05:00

Can I take this off yet, mom??

2005-04-08T19:35:00.000-05:00

Next up was this Red Riding Hood cape for a very ungrateful fairy tale princess, who won't wear it to this day...

2005-04-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

Here's my sister, having just unwrapped her scarf and hat. Does she look thrilled or what?

2005-04-08T19:31:00.000-05:00

I'm still not sure about this set. This was for my sister, who dresses a lot more "fun" than me. I'm not sure even she wants to be this kind of fun. Ahem, coughcough clown. I got this pattern from the Lion Brands website. It's knit from side to side on a circular needle. I made up the ends and the tassles. The hat was a modification of a Suss pattern. The yarn was TLC Amore and two kinds of fun fur. I'm starting to feel really comfy with messing around with patterns. It's not that scary. Well, as long as you don't mind looking like Ringling Brothers.

2005-04-08T19:25:00.000-05:00

Scarf #3! The same pattern as the blue one, in evil Homespun for my not-so-evil MIL. Seriously, Homespun sucks to knit with. I think the color was Corinthian. It migrated from pretty red/orange to a rather pukey olive/purple as I knitted. One of my least favorite efforts, modelled by my most favorite hubby.

2005-04-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

Scarf #2! Also from Yarn Girls. I was really on a roll now.

2005-04-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here's Ian wearing my first knitted creation! Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, sky blue, pattern from the Yarn Girls book. I made the scarf and the boy. :-)

2005-04-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

This is me with my kids, aunt, and grandma. I was feeling like I wanted to start knitting, and my grandma very patiently taught me during this visit.

2005-04-08T19:16:00.002-05:00

Another view of marble sybermagnets...

2005-04-08T19:16:00.001-05:00

This was for the same syberfriend...

2005-04-08T19:16:00.000-05:00

I messed with this photo in photoshop until it looked cool, then framed it for a syberfriend...

2005-04-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

I dabbled in marble magnets...these are little mini-vacation scenes.

2005-04-08T19:12:00.000-05:00

I was feeling really uninspired until I met this little guy. He's a stuffed baby sock that became a Christmas ornament. Despite my on-again, off-again thing with cross-stitch, I had no idea that I would enjoy making something like this. I made him in late November 2004 and thus was born the Unlikely Crafter.

2005-04-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

This is the sort of thing I used to do. This little number only took me two years to complete. I hope my little girl doesn't decide she hates it and throw it away someday.

Why on Earth is this here?

2005-04-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

Once, about 15 years ago, I made fun of a friend who was keeping a diary on his computer. "Why do you need to type it in?" I asked. "Why can't you just write it longhand like a normal human?"

Ahem. Sorry, J, you'll never read this, but I was wrong and you were right.

Blogs are upon us. You know they are, because I finally have one of my own.

I am the most boring human and have little to say for myself, but since I took up knitting in November '04 I've been making stuff left and right and I needed a place to keep a catalog of pictures and information about my creations. That's what this is for. No more, no less, at least for now.

Why the title? I'm also a singer, so ballad just seemed right. And since I've never crafted anything except the occasional cross-stitch or paper snowflake since, well, forever, (and I pretty much failed pottery and stuff like that in art class), I am truly the unlikeliest of crafters.

Off to load some pictures. :-)