Posted in crochet
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I took a break from my current project this week to make gifts for my book club girlfriends. I joined this book club almost 2 years ago and this year was our second Christmas luncheon. As of a week before our planned meeting at the restaurant I still had no idea what I wanted to give the girls. I had purchased a candle set for our gift exchange game, but I wanted something special to give each of my friends for Christmas. I decided one-week before our gathering to make doilies for each of the book club girls. I enjoy making doilies when I’m in the mood to make doilies. I love the way they look and their dainty elegance. I wanted something for each lady that showed I cared enough to make them something. And so, armed with a stack of patterns from the Internet, I began my quest to make six doilies in seven days. I managed to keep the house clean, and feed my family and only once did I have to declare the day a "crochet only" day. For Sunday’s luncheon I came with a stack of neatly wrapped doilies, each pattern as different as the ladies to whom I would be giving them.
This first doily is called "Blue Doily." It is a really sweet pattern, although at times it was difficult to follow. This is definitely not for a beginner. You must be able to interpret patterns and understand how things should be worded even if they are not worded in the correct way.
The next doily might be my favorite and it is called, "Mom’s Crystal Star." It is a very solid doilies. There is not a lot of open work and so it blocks easily. It reminds me of a quilt pattern, which is why I may like it so much. I’ve always wanted to quilt.
"A little bit of blue" was also a really neat pattern that I enjoyed making. It was a little different with cluster stitches to make the solid spokes of the doily. Again, this was a pattern that needed some interpretation, so it is not for a beginner.
The last three were taken from a pattern I downloaded months ago at http://www.anniesattic.com/free_pattern_day/ I check this website every day to see if the daily free pattern is one I would ever try. Sometimes I print them. Sometimes I save them using File-Save As. I have a Crochet folder full of patterns from Annie's Attic Free Pattern of the Day!
I finished this crocheting frenzy by making a little doily for the outside of the Christmas package used for our swap game. This was also a pattern I got from the Annie's Attic site.
And with that a week of crocheting frenzy was over! On the way to and from church Sunday morning I returned to working on my knitting project, a clapotis. Happily thinking that my pressure-projects were over, I went to our lunch, thoroughly enjoyed myself, ate too much, laughed too hard, and returned home to my wonderful brood of boys. When I came into the house, the Big Dog informed me that he needed me to make a draft dodger for the study door...tomorrow! Ah well, that clapotis will get done one of these days. |
Posted in yarn
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Hello all!!!
I had the most amazing Christmas ever! It truly was amazing. AND there was knitting and crochet involved, too! I've always enjoyed crocheting and, within the past two years, have begun to really enjoy knitting as well. But it entered into my conscious mind in the past few days how much these two skills feed my soul. I am calmer. I get the same endorphins that another girl might get by going on a shopping spree.
One of my first blog entries was about how each year my boys buy me random skeins of yarn and fill my stocking. I received this gift, my very favorite each year, again this year. I spent a lovely Christmas afternoon with my gang hanging out in the living room. But I was flipping through the pages of my one-skein book listing all the great projects I'm going to make with my stocking-full of 8 different skeins of yarn.
THEN I got another swap package. It was divine. There were lots of books and several skeins of beautiful yarn. I was truly pampered by this box.
BEFORE all this, I received a wonderful gift from my BFF of some wonderful wool spun in Price Edward Island. We had aslo just purchased together some gorgeous sock wool to make the Clapotis pattern. (which I've started) On a pre-Christmas outting to our LYS I picked up some lace-weight wool that I've been covetting for months. AND she came over and wound all my new yarn plus the mohair blend I bought in the Fall while on a shopping trip in Lancaster County, PA.
So, my project queue includes a mobius from the mohair; a three-button shawl from the PEI wool; several one-skein scarves and maybe a button bag from the same book; the "Invisibility Shawl" from the Harry Potter knits book (with the lace-weight wool); some crocheted jewelry using the new book and some of the metallic thread from my swap box; AND I need to finish my clapotis! Of course, there is a half-finished dog bed that sits in a box in my living room that should be finished too.
That's my yarn-thread-knit-crochet to do list. Just typing it gets me excited! How many starts do you think I can make in the first month of the New Year? I'll keep you posted... |
Posted in yarn
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Today I received my October swap package. I'm so excited! It makes me want to drop everything I'm working on right now and start a new project using this beautiful yellow Sugar 'n' Cream:
Sorry about the quality of the picture. We broke our digital camera and so we have to take pictures without actually being able to see them. The camera takes pictures but we can't see what it takes. So it is a surprise to see what we get when we off-load them from the camera to the PC!
Anyway, I got three gorgeous skeins of Lily Sugar 'n' Cream, a bag of Lindor Truffles, dark chocolate-my favorite, a pattern book from Lily (I want to make everything in this book, it has such great ideas!), and a cute Halloween decoration. All of this came in an orange handle bag which was packed in the shipping box.
I love swapping. It's like Christmas in the middle of any given month. Sadly, our swapping hostess is taking a year off of swapping after Christmas. I will miss these monthly swaps very much. |
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I get an ezine newsletter called "Keep in the Loop" by Coats and Clark. I love this resource and get some great patterns from it. And this issue is no exception.
Check out this snowflake garland: http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Crochet/Projects/Seasonal/WR1691+Crochet+Snowflake+Garland.htm
I just love this garland. I think it will work-up pretty quickly. I have visions of snowflake garlands strewn everywhere...on the tree, on the mantle, on the book case... This garlad calls for Red Heart Super Saver which I haven't used in years. It's not the softest yarn on the planet, but it is inexpensive. In the pattern it says that one skein makes 4-5 garlands. Coincidentally I have 2 brothers, 1 sister, and 1 set of parents for which I like to make a little something each year. Maybe there won't be garlands everywhere in my living room. Maybe they'll be little boxes of garland under my mom's Christmas tree on the Sunday before Christmas. hmmmmmm... |
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I am nearly finished with an afghan I started to knit a few weeks ago. I began this with yarn my BFF gave me and some giant sticks I won at KDO. It is going to be a sweet throw that is soft and warm. I'm really anxious to finish it because I have a few other projects I really want to cast on. BUT I'm making myself finish this afghan before beginning anything new! Aren't I disciplined? Not really, the yarn doesn't stay on the needles really well, and it is getting too big to easily stash away...SO I need to finish this in order to avoid headaches.
I was knitting today and this pattern is a really simple K1P1. I have not knitted for very long, only a few years avidly. I can make ANYTHING with a pattern, but I don't know the craft well enough to design or know which stiches I can combine to make a pattern. If we were talking about crochet, that would be another matter. I could crochet in my sleep. But we are talking about knitting and I need a pattern.
ANYWAY, I was stitching away on my afghan when I wondered what would happen if I mixed the stitches up a littel, or alternated the rows after 5 rows. That's when it occurred to me that a dishcloth is the perfect way to experiment with stitches like that! So, I may cast on some cotton and play around with my idea to see how the stitches would "work up." A dishcloth is the perfect way to experiment with stitches or a pattern to see if it would come out the way you imagined it.
So, are you dreaming of a pattern? Are you curious about what would happen if you just altered a pattern a little? Get out your cotton and make a dishcloth. It will give you just enough of a swatch to see your dreams in reality. And it will also be functional. Instead of a swatch of some random yarn that you will either rip out, or throw into a bin or box, a dishcloth can be used after it is made. Nothing goes to waste. And if' it's cute enough...you can give it as a gift.
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Tonight, I went into the black hole that is our attic and found our Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations. My very best friend in the whole wide world is a Halloween Fanatic. I'm sure she has boxes and boxes of Halloween decorations. Me, not so much. But I do have a few decorations, some Halloween themed, most Thanksgiving or Harvest themed. As I started to unpack the large rubbermaid tub that houses my decorations, I found some things I didn't even remember I had. Worse than that, I found some things that I didn't even remember that I made!!! So, I want to share them with you. All are crocheted.
I didn't remember this decoration at all. After I opened the bag and saw it, I remembered that I used some scrap yarn to make it. I just love this little checkers set. One side is white ghosts, the other candy corn. I just need a way to weight the pieces, because they do flop over.
A few years ago I made these pumpkins out of some old yarn given to me when Big Dog's grandmother died. I made up the pattern by starting in the round and just increasing until the material started to buckle. Then I began the decrease and got the lovely pumpkiny creases. I have six of various sizes and I'm displaying them on top of my piano in boxes lined with some silk leaves. Another scrap project from a few years ago was this pillow:
And finally, this year's addition to the Halloween box is this cute little spider sitting on a web:
I made one for my dear Halloween-crazed friend and one for us. I had a terrible time finding 10-inch metal rings. I searched every craft store in Central PA to no avail. I had given up hope. I didn't want to spend the money on shipping and handling for an item that would only cost a few dollars to purchase. And THEN I was shopping at my favorite thrift store and guess what they had? 10-inch metal rings!
And so that's the tour through my crocheted Halloween! I love having handmade items around the house and to have them at the holidays makes it that much more special. |
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About a year ago, I made a fat bottom bag from the "Happy Hooker" book. I used some brown scrap yarn and it is a beautiful bag. Because I have such a loathing for finishing, I did not line the bag. So, as I walk along with my lovely handmade bag dangling from my elbow keys and pens are sticking out of the holes made by the double-crochet pattern. I still love the bag, but it's not REALLY functional. That's when I started to think about adjusting the pattern and using wool. I would felt a fat-bottom and solve the holes-problem!
It took several starts and stops, but I did come up with a workable pattern. The entire bag used almost 3 skeins of wool. They were maybe 50 gram balls. I made one mistake in not making the flaps big enough to wrap around the bag handles. I used some grosgrain ribbon to put a facing on the bag and sew it around the bag handles. You can't see it from the outside of the bag and it gives the inside of the bag a big of sassy detail. I also added a thrift-store pin to the front which I love!
So, here's my version of what I call a Felted Fat Bottom. The pattern originates as the Fat Bottom Bag in the Happy Hooker Book.
Chain 34. Row 1: HDC into the 3rd chain from hook. HDC into the next 9 chs. 2 HDC into the next chain. HDC into the next 10 chs. 2 HDC into the next ch. HDC into the last 10 chs. Turn Row 2: Ch 2. HDC into first 11 stitches. 2 HDC in next st. Place marker in last stitch made. HDC in next 10 sts. 2 HDC in next st. Place a marker in the second to last st made. HDC in the last 11 sts. The pattern will continue in the following manner: Ch 2 HDC to the marker, put two HDC in the stitch and move the marker into the last HDC just made. HDC the next 10. 2 HDC in the marked stitch, move the marker to the second to last stitch. HDC to the end of the row. There will always be 10 HDC between the markers and you will be adding a stitch on either side of the marker. Continue increasing in this fashion until you have 90 stitches. Next: Ch 2, HDC in every stitch for 14 rows keeping your markers in place and moving them up on every row. Begin Decrease Row: Ch 2, HDC to one stitch before the marker, HDC the next two together. HDC the 10 middle stis. HDC the next two together. HDC to the end. Continue in this decrease manner until your last row has 32 stitches. Do not fasten off. Handle flaps: Working in the sides of the rows, SC two rows together by pulling up a loop in the first row and then pulling up a loop in the next row, finish the SC. Work across the row end until you've reached the first ROW of the bag, turn. Next row Handle Flap: Ch 1, SC first stitch, SC next two together. work in this fashion: sc then SC next two tog. until you reach the end of the row. Next 6 rows, ch 2, HDC in each ST across. Last handle flap row, ch 1, SC in each stitch across. Fasten off. Flip the bag over to the opposite side of the first handle flap. Attach the wool into the first row and begin handle flap number 2. Complete this side in the same fashion as the first flap. Fasten off. NOW felt the bag. It always takes me three washings in my machine before I get it felted the way I like it. When the bag has been felted, place the purchased handles at the handle flaps and fold them over the handles. Sew this flap around the handle and do the same on the opposite side. Find a cool Thrift Store pin and you too could have a sassy bag!
Hope this makes sense, if not, give me a comment and I'll try to correct my errors. |
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I'm a big gal. I'm working on it, trying to walk every day, but I'm currently a big gal. Have you seen or heard of these shrugs? They're like cardigans, but just the sleeves. There's no lovely material to cover your belly, it just hangs out over your waist if you're wearing a shrug. This is not a good look for a big gal. Know what I mean?
So, why would you, a big gal, want a shrug, you ask? Well, let me tell you. Lately, I've been banished to my room more often than in the past. Big Dog and the boys like to watch movies and TV shows that I just don't enjoy. The truth is, I like my room. I love to sit in bed and watch TV while knitting or crocheting. One thing I DON'T like is being cold. I have a comforter (polar fleece lined), a crocheted throw (stitched holding 3 yarns together while stitching, so it's really thick), and another polar fleece blanket the boys bought me for Christmas years ago. ALL of those blankets are on top of me when I'm in my bed. Did I mention I don't like to be cold?
Well, when you're sitting up in bed to watch TV and knit or crochet, you are warm from the waist down because the covers are there. BUT your arms and shoulders are not covered. This is a problem for me. The solution to my problem? ...a shrug! So I'm going to cruise for patterns. Something easy, doesn't have to be very ornate. The only beings to see me in this shrug will be the dogs, the cat, and maybe the boys and Big Dog as they come to kiss me goodnight.
I feel a new project on the horizon! I need a shrug. |
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I mentioned in an earlier post that I just started participating in a crochet/knit swap. Well, this is my second month swapping. I did my first swap in July and then the swap organizer took a vaction in August. (How dare she! lol) So now I am participating in the September swap. I am a little behind in my shopping. I've purchased the yarn and pattern, I just have to get the extras that go with this month's theme.
I wanted to share with you what I received from the person who was assigned my profile for a swap:
I was in the process of conquering Mount Laundry. We had spent the weekend in Williamsburg, VA and I was still trying to recover the house from that trip. Then, there was a knock on the door. The UPS man had a package for me. It was like a ray of sunshine on a stormy day. My oldest son asked if he could open my package and I said, "No way!" This was MY ray of sunshine.
The contents of my swap are displayed for your enjoyment above. There were some homemade items and some purchased items. The woman who drew my name for the swap told me that she tried to think of me while she was shopping. That's when it occured to me that the fringe benefit of doing a swap is that someone else is THINKING about you. Sometimes as a mom, I feel as though I get lost in the crowd. Between taking care of the children's needs and meeting my husband's needs, I'm last on the list. Unfortunately, the other members of my family are also consumed by their lives, so I'm not really high on their list. Insert a lovely lady from another state who draws my name and buys a few swap items for me, and suddenly, even if only for an afternoon, I am considered! Someone else is thinking of me!
There's much more to this swapping than some yarn in a box, I tell you. Many of you know the connection of sisters born to another mother. We all have those girlfriends who love us even better, sometimes, than our own families. I am suggesting that even these swaps among women with common interests who have never met, are connections that run much deeper than an average acquaintance.
And speaking as one who has been blessed this week by so much more than yarn in a box, I'm grateful for the connection. |
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Today I took the boys to a movie. We drove to the nearest city/metropolitan area (more than 30 miles) for a viewing of "Space Chimps" at the cheap theater. Movies are only $2 a person, it probably cost more in gas than it did to see the movie! BUT I digress...
While driving, a license plate caught my eye. I thought it said, ARTQUILITY, but when I looked again it said ARTQUILT. My misreading of the plate made me think. When I knit or crochet, I do get a calm feeling. I love that feeling. It's a sort of tranquility...an ARTQUILITY.
I think I'm turning a new phrase! Let's use it together: ARTQUILITY It rolls off the tongue doesn't it?
Here's the definitioin, in case Webster's calls: ARTQUILITY n. the sense of peace or calm that overtakes one while creating or being creative.
So, quit reading this blog. Go get your knitting needles, or your crochet hook, or your scrapbook materials, or your beads, or your paintbrush, pencil, sketchpad, sewing machine, needle and thread...practice your ARTQUILITY! |
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I am working on the cutest bag right now! It's a crochet bag made with two strands of Lily Sugar 'n' Cream worked at the same time. It's a little difficult to work because the stitches are thick and tight but I just love this bag and can't wait for it to be finished. I really am a sucker for a new bag. Want to see it? Click here.
But that's not what I'm writing to you about today. I started working this project which consists of several rectangles single-crocheted together. If I follow the pattern as written, I will end up with lots of loose ends to sew. Finishing is NOT my favorite thing. The pattern is written to make both sides and then make both ends and then stitch them together. When I gave this som thought, I realized that if I made one side, finished off, and then made one end, I would not have to finish off the end. Instead, when I got to the end of the end-piece, I attached it to the side I had just made. Then I moved on to the other end-piece. When I finished this end-piece I did not finish-off as recommendd in the pattern, but stitched this piece onto the completed side. Again, this leaves me with one less set of ends to sew at the end of the piece. NOW, I'm working on the second side. I will stitch it to the previously stitched side and ends when complete. That will leave me with just one seam to stitch.
I hope this makes sense. Sometimes when working a pattern we just blindly follow it. Quite often I can find other ways to complete a pattern with the same look but with less finishing or effort. Read through your pattern and try to think through it in a logical way. You will often be able to see a more logical sequence to piecing it or finishing it. ...think about it! |
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I spent the afternoon with my stash, yesterday. I feel so inspired I was feeling in a funk yesterday, I didn't want to work on anything. Now, after seeing and listing (more on that later) all of my stash I don't know where to begin! I've got so many projects in my head, I'm not sure where to start first!
As I was sorting through the many piles I pulled out a plastic bag with several small balls of yarn. The balls are even too small to make a scrap afghan or granny square. I contemplated throwing it into the trash can. I cannot, however, ever throw away yarn no matter how small! So I put the bag to the side. As I continued to clear out the large rubbermaid tub that held my yarn and accessories, I found another bag with some old elastic ponytail holders in it. I no longer used these because they had metal clasps on them that tore my hair. That is when I realized how I could use these scraps. I could make ponytail holders!
Last night, in the 10 minutes I had before my boys returned from Vacation Bible School, I picked up one of these elastic bands and a small ball of Sterling Silk and Silver and proceeded to single crochet around the band. I had almost half the ball remaining after making almost 100 sc around the band, so I sc in the first sc and then made 3 chains and sc into another sc skipping 2 or 3. I did this around the entire band before I ran out of yarn. Now I have a really cute pony tail holder.
Working with this yarn again, reminded me of the scarf I made for my sister last year for her birthday. I loved working with it and its drapey (is that a word?) feel. Making this ponytail holder brought back great memories, gave me a feeling of accomplishment, and made me feel good for using my scrap yarn in a functional way.
I'm sure I will keep a bag of pony tail holders at the ready all the time so that I can make use of even the tiniest scraps. I started a new band last night using some Lion Brand sock yarn. I made two pair of socks in Febrary and had a small ball left over from each. The color way is in pinks, greys, greens and yellows. It's fun and festive. This will make beautiful "hair bammers." (that's what my boys call hair bands.)
About the "listing" portion of my stash. I actually took pictures of all the yarn I own and posted it in my "stash" section on www.ravelry.com. I have 27 yarns stashed at ravelry right now. I'm so proud of it! By having my list pictured on the stash page, I am able to organize my thoughts about patterns and projects. I need to list my threads next, but I have a basket just as full of threads as I do of yarns, so that will come another week. And now, the piles are gone from my bedroom. If you go to my side of the room you will see two lovely large baskets briming with yarn and thread. It's such a nice homey look. It was an afternoon well spent. |
Posted in yarn
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I'm in a funk. I've been trying to make a scarf out of some left over cashmere/silk that I got for Christmas. I made one scarf for myself but have enough for another. I want to make it for a friend who has been wearing a heavy and hot chenille scarf I made for him this summer! He needs something lighter for summer. But every pattern I try just isn't "it". I spent part of yesterday working two different patterns, one knit and one crochet, and ripped them both out. I even lost some yarn in the ripping. This yarn is very delicate.
I have another sock to make, but I don't really feel like working on that. I finished the backpack purse I was making and lined it on Monday. I don't feel inspired to work on anything right now. And hence, the funk.
What I want to do is go shopping! Not good for me or my pocketbook. Of course, living rurally, the only shopping I can really do is Goodwill thrift shopping, but it's still getting more stuff I don't need and spending money that would be better spent on other things.
So...where does that leave me? I've decided to spend my afternoon with my yarn. I keep my stash in the bedroom, and I also have two shoe boxes of patterns. Most have been printed from the internet, but I also have some magazines and pattern books stashed in those boxes as well. So, I'm going to watch 7th Heaven re-runs on the Hallmark Channel and sort through my stash. I'll put certain yarns in bags with the pattern I intend to use. I'll take other yarns and sort them by type to keep them organized. I'll lay everything on the bed and enjoy what I have. Then, if I'm feeling really ambitious. I'll sort through my patterns and start organizing them by type.
Just thinking about this little project lifts my funk. I can't wait to feed the boys their lunch so that I can get started! I'm glad we're just having BLTs for supper so I won't have to quit early to get cooking! |
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I recently found this GREAT crochet/knit swap blog. I'm so excited to be a part of it. Check it out: http://crochetswapblog.blogspot.com/ And thank you busymom2girls for the suggestion/comment!
Being part of this blog swap requires me to answer the following "wish list" so here goes!
Are you a knitter or crocheter?? Both. My husband likes it better when I crochet, but I enjoy both knitting and crochet.
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Last Saturday, we went yard-saling. In some areas these are also called tag sales. We had seen postings for several near our home and decided after breakfast, to travel and see what treasures we could find.
Of course, our boys (ages 9 and 11) found LOTS of treasures, but my husband and I were a little more discriminating. I hadn't found much until we stopped at a church who was hosting a multi-family yard sale. That is when I got a bag of yarn for $2!!
I was so thrilled with my purchase. I didn't even know what I was going to do with most of it. (I still don't know what I'm going to do with some of it!) It's so much fun to have something new in my stash to inspire me. I began with the Sugar 'n' Cream worsted weight cotton which is great for dishcloths. I've already made three blue dishcloths of varying shade. Today I started on a baby afghan.
No one I know is having a baby. But there was enough yarn in my new bag to make the pattern pictured on one of the skeins. Even though I have a second sock to make (I made one of the pair a few weeks ago, started the second, and have lost interest.) I felt more inspired by this new yarn and that's ok! I will eventually get back to the other project.
I had another inspiration about my baby afghan today. Over the past several months, I've made a few scarves, hats, dishcloths, even a pair or two of socks, that have no purpose. I didn't make them FOR anyone. I just made them because I wanted to make them. Right now, they are in my bedroom taking up space. BUT, and here's where I applied this afternoon's inspiration, I'm going to gather all those items and keep them together in a box or bin. When I have a need for a gift or donation of some sort, I will go to my completed projects box and pull out just the right hand-made item. That's where I will lovingly place this baby afghan that I began this morning. I will wash it, fold it, and place it in a plastic zipper bag ready for gift giving.
That brings me to another idea I had this afternoon. If you're making a gift for a baby shower and you want to wash it before giving, but a bottle of baby laundry detergent such as "Dreft." Wash your item in the special detergent and then give the slightly used bottle of detergent along with the gift. Just tell the new mommy that your item has been washed with this detergent and she can use it for all of that washing she will be doing when the baby arrives! |
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Today I want to share with you my favorite crochet web site (other than Ravelry.com) that I visit EVERY day.
Every day, Annie's Attic offers a free crochet pattern here: http://www.anniesattic.com/free_pattern_day/index.html The patterns are different each day and come from many of the great books that Annie's Attic has to offer.
I check every day to see if the pattern is one that I would ever make. I can usually look at a picture or a pattern and know if it is something that I would enjoy making. When I go to this website in the morning, if I decide that I want to keep the pattern, I hit the link to the right of the page that says, "Printer Friendly Version." This causes another screen to pop up with a less-graphic version of the pattern. Then I go to the top of my screen and hit the "file" option on my menu-bar. From that drop-down menu I hit "save as". Then I save this pattern in a crochet folder that I've created in the My Documents folder. I have lots of patterns there that I browse every now and then when I'm looking for inspiration.
Every few months, I take these patterns and move them to a CD-R. This gives me a new open crochet folder and space to save even more patterns!
So, check out the Annie's Attic Free Pattern of the day. You'll be glad you did! |
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When I began this blog, I wanted to share wtih you my love of crochet. I also have a love for knitting. But in this aricle, I want to share with you another love... tote bags. I am particularly in love with the canvas variety. Give me a good canvas tote bag and I'm in heaven. I have several tote bags stashed in my bedroom. Some of these bags were given to me, but some, I must admit, I picked up for myself, knowing that I already owned other canvas tote bags. I told you I love them.
Recently, I found a way to combine my love of crochet with my love of tote bags. I was sorting through my stash and pulling out a few projects that needed finishing. A long time ago, I made the base for a cute bearskin rug and now I need to piece it together and add the "fur." I bought brown yarn already cut into 3" pieces that you would use for rug-hooking to make the fur of the bear, but I was not ready to begin this finishing. So, I found an unused tote bag and placed all the pieces to this project into the bag. Next, I came across a shell-stitch afghan that I began using scrap yarn. If I have a few yards or a small ball of yarn left from another project, I use it o make a row on this afghan. I have several skeins of off-white, or aran-colored yarn that I am using to break up the multi-colored rows. Every sixth row is in the off-white color. I put the off-white skeins and the unfinished afghan in another tote bag.
Before turning some of my totebags into "project" bags, I had the yarn for these projects in among the rest of my stash. As I would rifle through my stash looking for yarn for a particular project, this yarn, already dedicated to something else, would get shifted around and possibly mixed-up with other skeins. Now, my yarn is sorted and if I want to work on a project all I need to do is grab the handles of my project bag and go! It's a great tool for organizing my yarn AND my thoughts.
I think I've told you in the past that this year I am really focusing on working through my stash. Many years ago I received several garbage bags of yarn after my husband's grandmother died. I'm still working on the yarn from this stash but it is dwindling away! When I buy yarn for a particular project now, I create a new project bag. Sometimes I use a canvas bag, or a large zip loc to store the yarn for each project. I also put a copy of the pattern I want to use in the bag with the yarn. This is a great way to keep my yarn sorted. When I need some other yarn I know which yarn is already dedicated to a particular project. When my stash was larger, I had groupings of yarn that I knew I wanted to use for certain projects. I wasn't ready to start these projects, but I wanted to keep the yarn together for a time when I WAS ready to begin. Organizing yarn into project bags, kept my large stash in a manageable condition. Now that the stash box is considerably smaller, I still have project bags so that when I finish what I'm currently crocheting, I have the next project ready to go. All I have to do is grab the bag and get started. So, I get to combine my love of yarn and all-things crochet with my passion for tote bags! It's a great way to use two stashes, and it keeps my bags fuctional and not just sitting on a shelf in my closet. |
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I love shawls. I love making them and I love wearing them. I've made them for others and I've made them for myself. I love the triangular shape and the rectangular shape. I have no preferences, I just love them.
One of the gifts I like to give to a new mother is a shawl. It is convenient when a new mother is in the hospital to keep her shoulders warm while sitting up in bed. It is also useful when breast feeding. A triangular shawl is great for modesty while breastfeeding if you picture it thrown over the shoulder.
Last summer I knit a rectangular shape wrap for myself when we were planning our summer vacation to Northern Minnesota. The evenings in N. Minn. get very cool. Having something to wrap myself in while sitting outside visiting family was very convenient.
I actually now own three shawls. One I made, one made for me and one we purchased. I first purchased the rectangular wrap when we were outlet shopping in Lancaster, PA. I love this wrap because it has pockets near the end seams. I can throw it over my shoulders and tuck my hands into the pockets. It is burgundy in color and very versatile.
I already mentioned the throw I made myself this summer. But I have not told you about my prayer shawl. A woman at our church has made it her mission to make a shawl for every woman in the church. She picks colors based on what she thinks about that woman's personality. My shawl is a triangular-shaped crochet shell-stitch shawl in green, white and yellow. It reminds me of Spring and sunshine. Attached to the shawl is a little card explaining that while the piece was being crocheted I was being prayed for! This is a very meaningful shawl to me. It makes me feel warm when I wear it on my shoulders in the evening and I think of the prayers offered on my behalf while it was being made.
Currently, I'm working on a shawl using some more of my stash yarn. The pattern is called "Seraphina Shawl" and can be found here: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/donisfuff/croshawl.html The pattern can be a little confusing so take your time getting into it, but once you have the first 12 rows, it is very repetitive and works fast. I am making it using pastel-colored fingering-weight yarn with a size f hook. This is making a very beautiful lacey pattern.
A few days ago, my family and I visited Daniel Boone's homestead outside Reading, PA. We spent a few hours in the afternoon exploring the buildings on the grounds originating in the 17-1800's and visiting with many re-enactors. I was interested to see how the women were wearing their shawls. It was a cool late Winter/early Spring afternoon and most of the women, even when inside, were wearing shawls and capes. Their shawls were tied around them in an interesting fashion. They put the triangular shawls on their shoulders and then cross it across their chest. The two corners that crossed their chest were then tied behind their back to secure the shawl in place.
These shawls were simple but gorgeous. They were knit in solid-colored wool. It was simply a garter stitch (knit row upon row) triangle. I have a dishcloth that starts at a corner and increases each row building to the center of a triangle and then decreases to the end corner. The dishcloth itself ends up being a square when finished. SO I was thinking that I could use that pattern to make this garter stitch triangle, and simply not do the decrease side.
THEN, when I have this lovely shawl, I can throw it across my shoulders, cross it in the front and tie it in the back. It will keep my shoulders warm and be out of my way as I go about my day around the house. I always say that I am just a little Laura Ingalls at heart. I think that's why I love knit and crochet so much. It's the pioneer in me! This idea of wearing a shawl in such a functional way speaks to my Laura Ingalls Wilder heart. Of course I also love the more modern rectangular shawls that women are wearing now. I love the way you throw one side of the rectangle over your shoulder and look very cosmopolitan.
I hope you can see the word picture I've tried to paint for you. Maybe you'll cast on a shawl of your own? |
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I wrote to you earlier this week about my love of www.ravelry.com I hope you've had a chance to check it out. Today I received a very flattering message when I signed-on to update one of my finished projects.
On Ravelry you can send messages to other ravelry members. I've sent and received messages from friends from my knitting group, but I've also received messages from knitters and crocheters whom I've never met in person. These are usually related to projects I've posted on my "projects" tab. Today, the message was about a project.
A few weeks ago I finished a beret and pocket scarf pattern that I found on Lion Brand's website. I took a picture of my 11 yo son, Big Mac, in the beret and posted it as the main picture for that project in "my projects." Well, today I got a message that ravelry wants to use that picture for the "Beret and Pocket Scarf (Knit Version)" pattern on Ravelry! How flattering. I couldn't press the "Yes" button quick enough.
So, my boy will live in infamy under "Beret and Pocket Scarf (Knit Version)" LOL.
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Have you been there yet? I'm addicted to it. I know I shouldn't but I can't help it. I have to check it several times a day. I just can't stay away.
What am I talking about? ravelry.com of course!! On Ravelry I'm also crochetlu. If you'd like to see what I'm stitching, check out my projects.
Two months ago, I went to my knitting club night at Border's bookstore and asked the girls in the group, "So what's so great about Ravelry? How do you use it?" I had been a beta member for a few weeks and I just didn't get what was so exciting. As so often happens when a group of women get together, our conversation vered off-course and I never did learn why ravelry was so special. So I went home and decided to figure out what all the fuss was about.
Oh my...I began by listing my needles. In Ravelry, there is a section where you can fill in a chart and list all the needles and hooks you own. There is a separate section for circular and straight knitting needles as well as crochet hooks. The crochet hook area needs work, but I'm sure that will come. So, I sat down with my needle cases in hand and began to fill-in the chart. You can even print out a little card to place in your wallet listing all your hooks and sticks. I thought, "Oh my goodnes...this is so cool!" A few days later I wanted to begin a new project. I checked the needles required and quickly zipped over to ravelry.com to see which sizes I owned and which I would need. Yes, cool.
Well, after spending a few months on ravelry, I'm completely hooked. My latest passion is entering my projects. Since we are without a digital camera right now, I use the camera on my phone. the quality is not great, but I am able to post the pictures of all the projects I am making or have finished. You have to post your pictures to a flickr.com account which is managed by Yahoo. But once you've uploaded pictures to your flicr account, placing them in your ravelry projects section is EASY! This past week, I was stitching away and posted four completed projects! I love having a catalogue of all that I make. When I'm spending a lot of time working on projects and many are given as gifts, I have no idea what I've made over a period of time. THAT is no longer the case! I now have "My Projects" in ravelry where I can see at a glance what is in progress and what is complete. And I have pictures and reference to the pattern on my projects space. Oh, for the love of Ravelry.
But that's not all! There are groups. Oh yes, groups. If you have an interest, Ravelry has a group. I'm in six or seven, I think. I don't spend lots of time reading posts on each group, but it is still nice to know that there are others with common interests, many not knitting or crochet related, using Ravelry. Some of the groups I'm in are "Homeschool Yarnies", "Christian Book Club", another Christian group, and "Central Penn" which is for th area in which I live. When you are part of a group, you simply go to that groups area and read what others are posting. You can post replies to others or post new subjects that relate to your group.
Ravelry has a very extensive pattern section which makes you wonder why you should ever buy another pattern book again. I do find the site to be a little knit-heavy, but that may just be because of areas I've investigated thus far. All-in-all I have no complaints. If you've not signed up for your free log-on, do it! what are you waiting for? |