Adventures in Crochet

A Thought for the Day

2009-11-08T08:09:00.003-05:00

Have you ever been in a joke shop? I have to admit even though I recently entered my fifth decade, I'd never done so. What's the point? It will be stupid. It will be gross. I don't need to go in there! Or so I thought.

There were stupid gags, and gross ones. But, surprisingly there were also some real delights: costumes, silly signs, games, gifts for milestone birthdays, sand art, rain sticks... We had a great time reading to each other and holding up our "finds". Laughing.

Then I saw it. It wasn't very big. Just a wee bumper sticker. It stopped us in our tracks. The message?

Life is Sexually Transmitted

Hmmm, how true!

Seclusion Success

2009-09-13T21:27:00.004-04:00

I spent the weekend secluded in my home so as not to spread my germs. Sometimes, sharing is not a good thing-LOL!
.

Anyway, since I was stuck in the house with the prospect of boredom, my thoughts turned to UFOs. I was hoping there was something in the pile that could give me that victory rush one gets when finishing a project. Lo, there was one. The Cotton Country Shawl which I started last November was patiently waiting for two measly rows and a border.
.

Ha! Easy peasy and DONE!
.

I'm so happy with the result. I wanted to be enveloped. Adding 3.4 extra repeats resulted in a shawl that when lain on my shoulders reaches just past my wrists. Of course the fact that it is made from silky wool rather than cotton adds to that yummy wrapped in comfort feeling. Just what I needed. =-)

Causing a Stir

2009-08-28T18:16:00.003-04:00

Questions fired in rapid succession from two nearby tables in a restaurant when I pulled out my Jenkins Turkish Delight:

Whatcha doin'?
Is that a toy?
Is that cotton or wool?
Can you repeat that?

The verdict? That's so cool! LOL

Spreading the fiber love. =-)

Progress...

2009-08-27T18:13:00.003-04:00

Progress Blocked: I thought I'd be working on getting my classroom ready for next week. But... someone has decided to sleep on my supplies! I don't call him "box cat" for nothing.=-)So, here I am posting to the blog. There is a lot of spinning to catch up on. Serious progress.

Progress Success! First, this little beauty came to live with me for a few weeks. The lovely Gina lent me her Ashford Traditional. It is a sweet wheel.
I took to it quickly and spun some soy silk. See the two skeins below? The one on the left was spun on a spindle and the one on the right on the wheel. They are amazingly similar!Then, because I had to try something else I grabbed 4oz of Falkland Combed Top dyed by the amazing Heather of Sereknity in her Black Forrest Fudge colorway. Yummy!I'm really happy with both of these yarns. I wondered if I would be able to spin on a wheel, and now I know. Woot! A lot of the things I've read about spinning make more sense now that I've sat sat a wheel. Thanks Gina!

Progress? No. Learning? Yes. Then I had to try out my new Greensleeves Ethan Jakob spindle. I decided it might be just right for the one and only fiber batt I own. I had no idea that there were so many different ways to spin from a batt. I think I tried them all! Here is some on the Ethan Jakob and on a toy wheel spindle twice its weight.

Close up...In the end I gave up and threw all of the spun stuff away. I think there is just too much going on in this batt: 50% BFL, 40% Bamboo, and 10% fire star. The different fibers tended to separate as I spun so there would be stretches of almost pure BFL or Bamboo. Not my thing. That and they seemed to want to tangle.

I'm sure much of this is my inexperience! I thought the BFL would balance the slippery bamboo. Nope. Not in my hands it didn't. I'm going to have to just let this one go and stick to top for a while.

So, the rest of the batt is up for grabs. There is more than 3oz left... Interested?

Saturday Spinning

2009-08-19T09:31:00.001-04:00

Cozie Complete

2009-08-14T07:07:00.002-04:00

Well it wasn't done in the morning. It took until about 1:30 to finish 2,000 stitches and block this 30x30 cozie. However, I'm glad to say: mission accomplished! I love how it came out. This morning after a trip to the post office, it will be heading out to Sophie with the purple one.Moments after taking these photos I started the next project. I dug out the blue alpaca, found an appropriate hook, printed the pattern, and packaged stitch markers, a darning needle and a pair of folding scissors. One traveling kit complete!

Of course there was still the question of whether there would be enough time to finish the wrap before the High Holidays. So, off to the calendar I went. After a little counting and a little math, I know this can be done! Just 4 motifs a day will get me to the necessary 114 with time to spare. Let's hope I can keep the pace when school starts a week from now.
Here's yesterday's motifs: I realized quickly that leaving the end dangling from the center would ensure I placed each motif the same way up. Also it helps me orient as I join the points. No twisted motifs here! (Well, as long as I pay attention - LOL) So, the "Star of David" wrap is well begun. Woo Hoo!

Seeing Stars

2009-08-13T09:03:00.003-04:00

There I was innocently surfing around Ravelry: reading forum posts, answering messages, catching up on my friends' projects when I was stopped dead in my tracks by this:

Queenies Clementine Crochet Lace Wrap (Ravelry)

It is pretty and lacy, but that is not what made me gasp. I was done in by the fact that each motif looks like a Star of David! It is very very difficult to find motifs of this shape that look really good. Yet, here there is an entire wrap's worth? Woo Hoo!

Then, I had a vision. Myself wearing this wrap during High Holiday services with the family. Snugly wrapped in a soft layer of alpaca to combat the always chilly air conditioning. What color would it be? Well, blue of course. I have the perfect yarn sitting in my stash.!

I thought maybe for next year. Not this year. The High Holidays are only a few weeks away. That plan is changing thanks to my sister the knitter with whom I shared the pattern link. Her reply?

WOW!!! Teach me, teach me, teach me, (jumps up and down)

She is so excited that she is planning to accost a friend to teach her to crochet the wrap since I am too far away. I cannot let the knitter wear this wrap before I do! No fair! So, this morning I am attempting to finish up the blanket I'm making for Sophie's Cozies so I can begin the shawl with a clear conscience.

Wish me luck! =-)

WIPs Running Wild

2009-08-09T11:40:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been overrun with WIPs? Ever look around your home and realize that every available surface has some work in progress (or two or three) sitting upon it waiting for your attention? Yeah, me too.

A few weeks ago I decided I had to get the fiber WIPs in hand. Fiber-in-Waiting was stashed. Then, with a new box of zip top freezer bags, I managed to corral all eight or so projects into one Lantern Moon basket:Hooray for containment! Of course I promptly started a new project because my Jenkins Turkish Delight arrived in the mail and I just had to try it out...right? LOL Anyway, last night I came to the conclusion that projects near completion had to be cleared out.

First up to be emptied was the wagon wheel spindle I bought for my students to use. It can be dropped and survive nicely. On it was some red merino which has now been finished, plied, and is soaking as I type. The rest of this merino is going back in the stash for testing future spindles.
I think this yarn will be a light fingering. As I was skeining I realized there was more than enough to make a kippah. I look forward to my first FO with hand spun!

Next up will be more plying. My first attempt at creating a three ply from three singles from the Romney I finished a bit ago. Wish me luck!

Animoto

2009-07-30T18:54:00.003-04:00

Want to make quick music videos? Try Animoto! I wanted to test it out before making some things for my classroom, so I picked some pics, some music, and voila!

Traveling Surprise

2009-07-24T16:13:00.002-04:00

So, yesterday I got a postal slip that said I had a package from Megan. I was mystified. I thought, I only know one Megan. What would she be sending me? I'm upstream from her in our Traveling Scarf group on Ravelry...

Then, today, I got the package from the post office and nearly cried I was so touched by the enclosed notes. I hadn't even looked into the bag at the scarf yet. Then, then I opened the bag. Oh, my it was a beautiful soft scarf. See? Megan in cahoots with Julie made this lovely traveling surprise. You see, we had a few scarfs go MIA in our group and one of them was mine. It looked like I would have to be satisfied with the enjoyment I got from designing a piece for each scarf that came my way. There would be no happy scarf wending it's way back to me after traveling around two countries.

Now? I have a wonderful scarf all my own. And it has come from two countries! Julie is in Canada and Megan in the US. I don't know if I can properly express how touched and thrilled I am to have this scarf.

Thank you ladies for your thoughtfulness. I LOVE IT!

Spin, Span, Spun

2009-07-23T06:12:00.002-04:00

This is a new record. I stopped only because...I ran out of fiber!

As I have become better at spindle spinning, I've been able to handle bigger and bigger cops on my spindles. This, a Bossie midi, has the largest one ever:

2 5/8 oz - 1.25 oz spindle = 1 3/8oz of lovely Romney

I hear tell that one should be able to make a cop that at least weighs as much as the spindle before winding off. I can now say I've done that! WOOT!

Sophie's Cozies

2009-07-20T15:37:00.002-04:00

Sophie is a delightful 4 year-old who wanted to go to the hospital and play with the children to cheer them up. Unfortunately, there are age minimums for volunteers which do not allow for those who are so young. Undaunted, Sophie and her mother came up with a different idea: give the children hugs and snuggles! How? With small blankets made from soft yarns. And Sophie's Cozies was born...

After reading about Sophie, I wanted to make a cozy.

So I stitched up this Bobby Square sans a few rounds (click picture for pattern) with the left over yarn from the Wheelchair Wrap. Then, I tossed it on the scale. It looked promising so I kept going.When the squares were done there were just a few grams left...not enough to join. So off to the stash I ran. I knew there were some scraps of white in this same yarn in there somewhere.And, lo my memory was good. Plus, I think the crochet gods were smiling on me. Just as with the purple, there were but three grams remaining when the joining was done. (Perhaps that is a sign that it was meant to be?)And here it is! I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. The picture is a little washed out. The colors are more vivid in real life.

Here's hoping some little one is well comforted by this soft cozy and the loving heart of Sophie.

Purple People

2009-07-13T07:08:00.003-04:00

Some time ago, my sister asked me for a shawl. Not just any shawl. She wanted a "Perfect Spring Shawl" for her own. (It is a version of the My Blue Jeans Shawl which was modified by the ever creative Elisa. Thanks Elisa! If you want to make one from Dream in Color Smooshy you can find my counts here on Ravelry. )

If you have been reading for a while, you'll know this is the seventh time I've made one of these!

I warn you, making them is addictive! They are quick, easy, and lovely. This one is done in Dream in Color Smooshy's colorway Pansy Go Lightly. There are subtle color variations of blues and greens which don't show up as well as the dominant purple. I'm happy to say she loved it.

The other purple thing finished is the Wheelchair Wrap. Why purple? I wanted to use Lion Brand's Pound of Love for its softness and washability. I did not, however, want it to look like a baby item. It is meant to be worn by an adult after all... It turned out that my stitch gauge changed so that there is enough extra material to actually wrap the front or pin it closed. A happy accident. The row gauge came out right on the money.
This pattern is a good one for quick gift or charity crochet.

Friday Faces

2009-07-11T10:01:00.004-04:00

Faces of the painted variety that is...Actually those are some samples that I painted on the back of my hand/arm. Usually Friday nights are reserved for fun of the yarn variety, but who could resist the call of a good friend for help with her 6 year-old's birthday party? I ended up face painting.

Face painting is fun, especially when you let the little people describe what they want. They get so excited and have clear opinions. The birthday boy had a skull and cross bones on one cheek and a snake on the other. I think my favorite of the night was the girl who wanted to world on her cheek. Every time I saw her after that I caught myself singing "We Are the World". Nearby adults burst out laughing when they made the connection. The kids thought we were crazy.

One little guy kept coming back for more painting. When I cut him off he had a snake on one cheek, an apple on his forehead, a cloud and stars on the other cheek, a skull/ghost on one hand, and a heart on the other. I think he was all of three years old! LOL

My biggest challenge of the night was another three-year-old who was sucking on a ring pop while I tried to paint butterflies on her cheek. Did you ever notice how much the cheeks move when the mouth is sucking? Yeah, not so easy that one!

I thought I'd make it to stitch night after the party for some fun of the yarn variety. Nope. The party that was to end at 8pm went until 9pm. No yarn for me, but the reward of many smiling children was worth it!

Charitable Thoughts

2009-07-02T14:55:00.006-04:00

Have you read any of the Debbie Macomber books about Blossom Street? They have been on my "some day I'll read those" list for a while because most of them take place in and around a knitting store called "A Good Yarn". The side effect of reading these novels is wanting to stitch along with the characters.

I have read the books out of order, so in finishing up the series I'm actually reading book three Back on Blossom Street where the characters are making lace prayer shawls.

Now, I've made a few of these in the past, but not recently. In fact I haven't done any charity stitching in a while until I made this the other day:

Divine Hat by Rheatheylia
Free pattern found HERE and Ravelry pics HERE

It will go into the Chemo Cap stash where they collect until I think there are enough for a reasonable sized donation. By the way, if you crochet, this is a fun and easy pattern. I enjoyed making it and will likely make a few more some time.

But, back to the topic: Prayer Shawls. So, where does one begin to look for a new pattern? Ravelry of course! A quick search for worsted weight, free, crochet, and shawl turned up this:

I realize it doesn't look like much laid out flat; however, it is a clever design (pattern). It is short so that it can easily be worn in bed or a wheel chair, has a pretty decorative edge, and because of its shape will sit on the shoulders with little sliding. There is a great pic on Ravelry (here) showing it being worn. I imagine this being a restful pattern to stitch given its elegant simplicity. It should work up quickly once I make a trip to the yarn store. (No, really. I don't have enough yarn in this weight living in the stash to make the shawl!)

So, two afghans and a shawl on the hook it will be.

A Shopping We Will Go...Baa

2009-05-17T19:37:00.004-04:00

Tis the season for Sheep and Wool Festivals. In the last month, I've been to two. The mission this year was to acquire a Golding Spindle... Check

.80 ounces - spins like a dream

Try some Bossies...Check

A matched set of minis in cherry (.46 ounces each) and a midi in rosewood (1.46 ounces?) Yummy!

And see how many different types/blends of spinning fiber I could acquire...Check

Since I haven't been spinning long, I don't know what I like. Only one way to find out, right?

Here's what I bought:

Shetland, Falkland, and a 3.5 oz braid of three colors of Corriedale from Purple Fleece
Merino/Tencel 70/30 in purple from The Fiber Fetish
Kid mohair/Cormo 50/50 from Buckwheat Bridge Angoras
Alpaca/BFL 50/50 from Moon Shadow Designs (sorry, no web site)
Border Leicester from Riverslea Farm
Corriedale from The Sheep Shed
Romney from Foxhill Farm Fibers & Sheep (sorry, no web site)
Merino/Silk 80/20 from Hampden Hills Alpacas
Coopersworth - pin drafted from Turtle Creek Farm (sorry, no web site)

And here's what I already had:

Undyed Blue Faced Leicester from Blarney Yarn
Merino from Snokist Farm Girl (4 oz each of red, purple, and blue) and two more in peacock and Navy from the Fiber Studio
Handpainted Superwash Merino from Zebisis Designs
Colonial that was primarily purple and streaked with other colors from Yarn to Spin
More of the Colonial in number 4 in brown shot through with red, blue, yellow etc. and some Merino in greys from Elegant Ewe

I'm thinking that I am well stocked for a while! This is the entire stash. Some is partially spun and one is almost completely spun (brown merino). Now to find a good place to store it all...

It's all His Fault (THANKS!)

2009-04-23T15:23:00.003-04:00

At 8am my phone rang and I was greeted with the question, "So, what are your plans for this morning?"

Hmmmm, I thought, he needs or wants something...

Turned out I was right. His lunch was sitting on the dining room table about 1/2 mile from my house. Since we live so close I have keys to their house and they have keys to mine. Getting the picture?

You guessed it. Off I went to run some errands, stop by the house, and then drive about 25 mins., through road construction, to my friend's work. He was very happy to avoid buying take out.

Now, I could have gone home at this point. But, I am on vacation. That's no fun. Being half way to a yarn store I rarely visit was enough incentive to keep on trucking north. After all, I need a niddy noddy. I've spun enough to be tired of using my forearm or the back of a chair. That's a good enough reason, right? (Say right!)

The trip was a definite success. See?

I've never seen this type of niddy noddy before. It makes a two foot skein and look...
It comes apart into two flat pieces! Perfect for traveling with a spindle. So clever.

Um, while I was there, I may have found some more top like the purple Colonial I showed you on Tuesday.

The one on the left is more of the Colonial top and the one on the right is Merino. Both are four ounces of loveliness. The price on all three was just too good to resist. The top was actually less than what I paid for the first 4oz on-line!

So, to my early morning caller... It is all your fault, thanks!

False Faroese Fantastic!

2009-04-22T11:25:00.003-04:00

If you guessed that the Kauni was a shawl, you were right! The Mock Faroese Shawl by Lily Chin to be exact. Come to think of it this is the same pattern on which I used Noro for the first time. Must be good luck!

Here the shawl is blocking with the Wool Inspector looking on. She actually had to be convinced to leave this one alone as the crinkle of the plastic under the towels got her all excited. Thank goodness for pins holding it all down! It received her seal of approval. After drying...LOVE!

There is always that moment when you first put on something you have made and pray that it will be as wonderful as you imagined. Larger than the first, beautiful drape, the right colors to make you look good. Sigh. No disappointments here!
It is hard to see, but the first section is a deep purple, followed by a black and then a light gray. As the colors progressed the black and purple became lighter/more vibrant and the gray deepened. Here I thought there were just three colors when I picked it out!
Now, back to the baby blanket (and of course some more spinning). =-)

Kauni Konvert (and spinning)

2009-04-21T19:48:00.002-04:00

See? Even though I have been bitten hard by the spinning bug, I still crochet.This is fresh from a soak and ready for blocking. You'll get to see it tomorrow if the rain stops so that I can take some pics. This Kauni is the ET colorway of blacks, greys, and purples. I just love it. When I purchased it two weeks ago it was set aside. Motivation to finish the baby blanket. Is the blankie done? NOPE. What changed? I need to do the border on the blanket and that just didn't fit with my weekend away. However, a full skein of Kauni, I figured, would be enough to keep me busy. Um, well, I finished this item on Sunday evening and had to switch off to spinning (poor me - LOL).

Speaking of spinning... My spindle collection has grown to five. The two newest are perched atop that lovely superwash merino roving. I bought one spindle from Zebisis and received two! WOOT! The one on the left is Dichroic/Murano Style Glass (the bonus) and the one on the right is Empire Jasper. I haunted her Etsy shop for a good week before clicking "buy" on that beauty. I have an affection for stone, and just could not resist any longer! The Jasper is now busy spinning up that merino.The glass one was pressed into service almost immediately to ply the two cops of lace weight from my True Creations spindle. Since I don't have a lazy kate and did not have a good experience with plying from center pull balls, I tried this:

The two toilet paper rolls were threaded onto the handle of my broom and resistance was provided by laying it on the slick wooden surface of my coffee table. It worked pretty well! I didn't have to stop and untwist the singles and when pausing just snugged up the singles and set down the spindle. By the next time I do this I'll have put together some type of Kate.

And here's where the spindle went next. This is Colonial top that I got on sale from Yarn to Spin. I was curious to see what the striping of the colors would do when spun, and also hadn't tried this fiber before. Two very good reasons to give it a go! Well, the fact that it is purple, blue and red didn't hurt either. The fiber is actually much darker and quite vibrant. Once I got the hang of the less slippery Colonial, it has been a dream to work.

Any ideas what the finished Colonial would be good for making?

Color Play

2009-04-08T17:09:00.002-04:00

The advantage of purchasing three different colors of merino at once is being able to play around with confidence! I'd wondering what would happen if I just lay two colors on top of each other and let the spindle pull the wool pell mell into the yarn. Then, I read about doing just that in Spinning the Old Way, so of course I had to try it.I used bright blue with purple and this is what I got. It is not quite this muted in real life, and I think I like the effect. I'll have to set and then crochet this sample to see how it plays in the stitches before I decide if I want to make some more.

Of course once I tried that I wanted to see what it would look like if I alternated sections of two colors. This sample is the same blue worked with scarlet as the second color. I like the effect. It is also my first Navajo ply! I had seen this done on a wheel two years ago so just dove in and figured it would turn out alright, and it did. =-)

I'm reserving judgement on the Navajo ply until I see how it looks after its bath. Why? The down side to this technique is that if a section is a bit thicker, it gets MUCH thicker when plied together with itself than the surrounding yarn. Still, I like the color section, so I'm sure I'll be doing more spinning this way.

Anyone wondering about the baby blanket whose center is due to be completed today? *Cough* I'm a bit behind *cough*. I have firmly set aside the spindle for the evening until two repeats are done (more if I can manage it). I'm finding it hard to balance these two hobbies.

I'm sure it will become easier as time goes on... right?

Falling Behind and Leaping Ahead

2009-04-05T09:26:00.005-04:00

I have to play catch up on the baby blanket today as I am now two days behind. At one point I was ahead, but then this happened:

Well, to be honest "happened" isn't the right term. This was quite intentional. I wanted some peaceful sleep. Don't laugh! I have been jonesing to make lace weight yarn, work faster than the Spindolyn, and not be stuck sitting down. I was dreaming about spinning...constantly.

So, I gave in and went shopping yesterday. As luck would have it the little beauty above was just waiting for me. It was the only lightweight spindle in the shop. This bubinga topped lovely was made by True Creations and weighs just 4/10 of an ounce. It took a little practice while standing in the shop to get a feel for making a fine yarn, but it just suddenly clicked. I wound off my sample and plied it back on itself. See?

I knew yarn this fine on a drop spindle was possible; I just didn't think I would be able to make it. Ha! I'm learning not to underestimate what can be done with a bit of reading, the right tools, and a strong desire to reach that goal. (Of course, beautiful fiber doesn't hurt. I may have purchased some of that, too. But that is another post.)

As for sleep? I slept very peacefully last night, thank you! ;-)

Scheduling

2009-04-01T22:38:00.004-04:00

I think it is time I do some scheduling...including blogging more regularly!

Why did this come up? Well, I have been doing some deadline crocheting lately and not enjoying the pressure I put on myself. Crochet is supposed to be fun! That's when I realized that part of the fun is seeing the progress.

I considered doing the schedule a few ways:
1) A set amount of time to work each day.
2) A set number of inches.
3) A set number of repeats/rows.

As I thought about it I realized that #3 was my best bet. Why? Well, since I know how many rows it will take to finish the body of the pattern, I can predict on a calendar when it will be done. Very motivating!

So, this project now has a daily deadline of one pattern repeat (4 rows).

As of this evening I have completed row 52 and should be done with the body no later than Monday the 6th. The pattern is the Nostalgic Wrap by Kay Meadors, a baby blankie for one of my favorite co-workers. Her baby boy is due in June. The Bernat Baby Softee has a really soft texture which I just love.

How's your latest project coming?

Makin' Yarn and Stuff...

2009-03-09T19:07:00.003-04:00

I've been bitten by the bug! As my sister put it, I've got the spins!

About a month ago, I saw one of these at the LYS in the hands of another customer. Hmmmm, I thought. That has potential. Well, it was not long before I'd ordered my own and here she is loaded with a single that I've plied back on itself.Look how consistent I'm getting. This is only my third spindleful. It is so exciting each time I wind off to see what it will look like. (I promise pics of the first, second, and this third skein soon!)What else have I been up to? Well, there is this:and this

for my ISE 7 Pal. And then there are these

February Square

March Square

These are the second and third blocks for the Year in a Blanket! I think the center of the March Block may have to be reduced to make it look more in proportion, but I won't decide until I see the rest of the blocks...

So far so pretty!

Oh, I haven't forgotten the contest. Thank you to everyone who shared a story. I loved reading them all, and hope you did as well.

I put all the names in a hat and pulled a name...

PIGBOOK1

Hey Britt, get in touch... There's a skein of yarn with your name on it!

CONTEST - Feeling the Love

2009-02-14T07:30:00.005-05:00

First and foremost to all my wonderful readers

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

CONTEST:

What are your favorite Valentine's Day memories? Share a story and share some love. =-) Leave your story in the comments and I will randomly select one winner of yarny goodness!

My favorite memories of Valentine's Day don't involve traditional sweethearts.

For example, early in my high school years I didn't yet have a steady boyfriend. For me that year Valentine's day was going to be a bust, or so I thought. I came home from school on that afternoon and headed for my bedroom. As I climbed the stairs I realized there was something in the doorway to my room. I couldn't quite see what it was until I reached the landing. There in front of my door was a Cabbage Patch Doll and a card...from my father. He wanted me to know I was loved. I was so surprised and touched. Even now it makes me smile.

Then there was the Valentine's years later when I was working in an office. I returned to my desk to a surprise. Standing in the middle of my desk was a little printed card leaning on a two inch tall stuffed cat with a silver bow around its neck. The card thanked me for being such a good friend. That was about fifteen years ago. Are we still friends? You bet!

So, what moments will you always remember when Valentine's Day rolls around? Do tell!

Who Could Resist?

2009-02-08T09:10:00.008-05:00

Turns out, resistance was futile! I went to the Superbowl Sale last weekend at my local yarn store. Twenty-Five percent off yarn? Well, I needed some more white Cascade 220 Superwash for the Year-in-a-Blanket. Therefore, I needed to go, right? Support me on this. Everyone say it together: RIGHT.

I was doing really, really well. Browsing patterns, chatting, fondling yarn, and only the two skeins I came for in my basket. (You can see what is coming...)

Manos. Silk blend. Purples with a hint of pink and blue. Exactly the yarn to make this pattern which has been haunting me since I first saw it on the cover of Interweave Crochet:

I even had some silk blend at home in a deep deep purple that matches it to make a great border! It had to be done. Right? When was I going to get a deal like this again?

What can I say, resistance was futile... And I'm thrilled! =-)

In other news...
Remember that plan I made for 4 WIPs? Hmmmm, nice plan, but plans are mailable.

1) Lacy & Lovely Crocheted Scarf: almost done. Just needs fringe.

2) Hexagon Baby Sweater: now an UFO. The yarn is too scratchy, and I'm not thrilled enough with the look to give it away as a gift. It will be repurposed... Besides the first baby is a girl.

2a) New plan? Make this! But leave off the hood. Here's the progress.
3) A baby blanket made from Chris Simon's Star Overlay Squares: Changed my mind. I'm making another sweater. Pattern is in the car because I hope to get the yarn today. Details to follow.

4) Sweet Lorraine Lace Scarf: had grown to over 5 feet long! I love this pattern! =-)

5) The Wild Waves Scarf has seen some action as well. Since it is small, it has become my purse project. People's eyes always pop when I pull it out. This yarn is by the lovely Heather of Sereknity (Wild Side) and it gets raves each time! The colors are much brighter and more intense than in the picture...

Note: Her lovely yarn can also be found at the Loopy Ewe!

I guess that's it for the update. Progress is good!