Friday, October 17, 2008

Christmas Knitting Made Difficult...because I have no DPNs.

It's only October and I'm having a tough time already.

I started my friend Rachael's present first because it's a Gryffindor tube scarf, which is nice and warm and coming out fabulously, but it's taking forever to knit. I would like to make a few hats for people, but alas, I have NO DPNs.

This isn't to say I can't use them, oh no no no, I just don't have any in sizes that I need, and the craft stores don't actually carry them in good sizes, if at all, and I have to drive for an hour just to get to the LYS that has them nearest me. Not so freaking fun at all.

So here's the deal...

I think what I'm going to do is order the ones from Lion Brand off the internet, it seems like the most feasible thing to do at this point, especially because I can't wait any longer to do this crap.

On another note...we have about a month-ish before the Twilight movie comes out. Who else is beyond stoked?

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

stole this from a ravelry buddy.

Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing.


Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater (UGH I'll do it one day!)
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles

Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting (I can't do it English style! haha!)
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit

Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items- dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies
Knitting socks- or other small tubular items- on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching

Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards (I want to learn this SO bad for no other purpose but Lady Elanor!!! that shawl is BEAUTIFUL!)
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
JewelryKnitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers (lol that would be my comfort food)
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom(round looms not so awesome but the rakes are SO COOL for quick scarves!)
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho (there are about 8 different shugs i want to make for myself)
Knitting with dog/cat hair (why???!!!)
Hair accessories
Knitting in public (hahahaha I am a shameless yarn hussie)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Whole grain penne and some other awesome things.

The passed few days have been really really rough. I won't elaborate because I tend not to dwell on things that make me upset but rather learn from those troubling times and move on. It's been hard though, but I've been doing things to get my mind off of the initial troubles of it, but you know it's still always there, at least for now it will be. Grieving is a gradual process.

That being said there isn't anything like cooking (besides maybe knitting something fast and gratifying) to calm your nerves and settle your mind, at least I know for me it's a good thing. I've been tapping into my inner domestic goddess over the passed couple of days, it's one of the things I want to do to try and better myself; every girl should know how to cook for herself and at LEAST one other person right?

I hung out with Nicole today and I made some asparagus (steamed of course) and some "broccoli slaw" which is basically just shredded broccoli with some awesome poppy seed dressing mixed together to give it that "slaw-ish" consistency. The main course was whole grain penne in burgundy wine marinara and it was SOOOO good haha. I love actually cooking things, even if it is just pasta. Eating healthy food and not sacrificing taste and body is really satisfying and is actually quite motivating.

In other news back to school in three two days. I am stoked for it! This semester promises to be one of the best for now. I have high hopes for myself. I'm gonna stop being so absorbed in myself and my own issues for once and just live like I should have done from the start. I think it'll be good for me.

Friday, August 22, 2008

rant about crochet, alternatively titled: "Forgo the Red Heart"

I seriously don't get it at all.

Even on etsy there are all kinds of crochet patterns/pieces that are made with this ghastly multi-colored, variegated, cheap acrylic yarn and they are normally something awful like a toilet paper cover, a tea cozy, or a "spa set" that involves an uber-intricate picot edging with lace and ruffles that is so inappropriate and it's just...ugh.

The point here is I'm failing to see why crochet hasn't stepped it up, and why the crochet designers haven't tried to take inspiration from someplace other than their grandmother's kitchen. I'm all for hand-crocheted dishcloths and hot pads because they're functional and have that traditional vintage charm thing going on but HONEST TO GOD please stop with the Super Saver for the love of all that is good and holy!

Crochet is a very versatile craft capable of making a sturdy bag as well as an elegantly draping shawl, but the choice is in the YARN people! And the STYLE! If we crocheters are going to change the way people think about our craft we are going to have to quit making the doilies and start making something fabulous. There are a couple of books out there that have the right idea and are making strides, like this one by Debbie Stoller (thank the lord, someone credible) and this one that just came out from Chicks with Sticks, but we as the artists really have to evaluate what we're doing.

It might be okay for your great aunt to make a bed doll out of pastel baby yarn but come on, is this what we have resigned to using our craft for? Stiff cotton can be made into cute washcloths or sturdy bags (that don't need to be felted, a plus with crochet) and although using wool and other finer fibers is particularly scary for crocheters (because crochet uses more yarn than knitting) they make for beautiful hats, scarves and even fingerless gloves. It's true. Even mohair is fair game.

And lest we forget, crochet has one important edge over knitting we fail to utilize properly: lace. Crocheters can make the most beautifully intricate lace shawls EVER and with a lovely yarn to showcase the workmanship it will outshine ANY knitted lace item. And don't forget, we have Amigurumi too, the cutest thing to come out of Japan for the crafting world. We need to learn that nothing is off limits to us anymore, and we need to understand that if we're going to give crochet the street cred it's cousin knitting has, we're going to need to knock it off with the grandma-style projects that set our craft back a couple decades too many.

With that I give my message to crocheters everywhere:
Experiment. Try new things. Take that old doily motif and turn it into a scarf. Try to make a lace beanie out of a DK wool. Crochet an environmentally friendly market bag out of that cotton you were going to use for (yet another) hot pad set. And perhaps the most important thing of all:

Forget about the Red Heart for a little while, it does nothing for your but make your work look cheap, and outdated.


With that said, get out there and make something.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Oh my god.

It's been months and months since I even touched this blog. It's been kinda crazy with everything that's been going on this summer and I haven't even had the time to actually get this thing off the ground (two posts is not a lot haha).

Recently I've been getting back too my roots, yeah, I mean crochet. My grandmother taught me when I was about 10 years old, and it's been like comfort food ever since. Until I started experimenting though I had resigned crochet to nasty potholders with cheap acrylic yarn (crochet uses 1/3 more yarn than knitting! AHHHHHH). However, since I was looking through some books and trying to reconnect with something another woman in my family passed down to me I decided that if I do it right, crochet doesn't have to be stiff, unforgiving, and ,worst of all, synthetic.

While my camera is on the charger, I'll just tell you a few of the things I started making while on my crochet renaissance:

- Two cowls
-Three washcloths (okay, so they're typical, but these are at least cute)
-A scarf (which is technically a WIP but I have three stitches to go to finish and a ran out of yarn).
- aaaaaaaaand fingerless gloves, but those were given away, sadly I have no pictures =[.


As for Coquette...

That thing NEEDED to be frogged. I looked at the errata and everything and decided that it would be the easiest projected to complete since the shaping is practically ziltch, however it wasn't the actual pattern that vexed me this time, it was the YARN. I need to start it again with something a little less...splity. The yarn is a gorgeous color purple, but it's being a pain in the ass as far as workability goes. Maybe I'll just get some soft cotton or wool even...I don't know. Anything but acrylic at this point.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

oh boy oh boy oh boy...

I'm about to cast on for my first garment ever. It's gonna be the Coquette lace tube top from Fitted Knits. Wish me luck, this should be interesting. Progress to follow.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Moment of Clarity.

I decided that of my two blogs, I would prefer this one, I can reach a wider base of people this way.
Overall it wasn't a bad day for things, although everything around here is still hotter than hell, and muggy to boot. I suppose I should learn to suck it up though, New England is know for it's nasty weather after all.

Today I bought Stephanie Japel's book "Fitted Knits" and I LOVE most everything in there. Unfortunately I'm not anywhere near good enough to complete some of the more challenging (and of course most interesting) projects, but it's good incentive.

I started another feather and fan scarf for my professor, and decided that today, a Monday, would be the day I start kicking my workouts into high gear to get myself healthy again.

Overall very good, albeit boring day.