I'm getting quite sick of this photography block... I keep trying things, though, so maybe one day soon I'll have that breakthrough.
Anyway. The other day I was feeling a little jaded about this whole crochet adventure. "What the point in making stuff if no one likes it?" I thought. To be fair, it's not exactly a fair thought because I don't even like crochet stuff most of the time. I know, I know - how is that possible!? It's possible because when I began crocheting, it was more to keep my hands busy than to produce an object. None of that is the point. I was grumpy about no one wanting my cute little cocoon, so I posted on facebook that I needed ideas. Someone, anyone, tell me what to make.
My friend TJ asked for a Dalek hat. If you watch Doctor Who, you'll know what that is. I don't know if she thought she was being obnoxious or if she was sincere, but I surely did. I went to a Yahoo image search, found a Dalek, and hooked it up. I won't lie. It was kind of a pain in the ass. Well, designing it was. In fact, what I made was nothing more than a promising prototype. She loved it, though. I love when people love things. I had to pull out whole sections at a time and redo them. I tried different and odd stitches. I had to figure out how to carry a color through two rows instead of swapping at each row.
My main problem was my own preferences. I don't like the whole 3-D look. I don't like extraneous bits protruding from one's head. So, my hat was more Dalek-inspired, I guess. Because of that, my hat didn't have the lights on either side of his "head." His eye stalk was flush with the hat as opposed to extended. The ridges were made with post stitches and use of back loop only a couple of times. Really, the only modifications I would change to the pattern I came up with would be to "basic beanie" a couple of more times before starting the vents and to work out to 66 or 72 stitches instead of the 60 I used. I was afraid the post stitching would make it too loose. It fit TJ but was a wee bit snug on me.
NOT THAT ANY OF THAT MATTERS BECAUSE I CAN'T SHOW YOU.
Just grrrrr.
Any I'm really not sure about The Rules on this kind of thing. I mean, clearly, I would offer you the pattern free. Is that okay since I'm not gaining from it? Then again, I can't stop you from selling what you would make. Personally, even if I did the craft fair thing, I would not sell this type of hat because I'm not BBC associated. I guess it doesn't matter since I'm not posting it anyway because what's the point if you can't see it?
Moving on. Since my Dalek got so much positive attention, I decided to try my hand (hehehe) at making a TARDIS hat. Now, there are several options already out there. They are lovely. I just don't like following patterns. Is that wrong? It's definitely weird. Plus, I was practicing the skill of working from an image and using it as inspiration. Again, I should've gone out to 66 or 72 stitches - or perhaps maybe used a different count altogether - but my friends were really positive about the one I managed to eke out.
It goes like this. The tip-top is supposed to stick straight up. I just couldn't do it, but I liked the idea of having something light-like on top, so I started with a generic Magic Circle, 12dc. Then I switched to white, used 2sc around, and switched back to blue. Using some post stitches, I worked over the white. That gave me a sort of peek-a-boo circle of "light" at the very top of the hat. Of course, looking AT the hat you wouldn't notice it, but someone seeing from above would get it. Then I used more back loop only to get the ridge or step-down look the TARDIS has. The top isn't level. It has grades. Again, I should've added some depth before beginning the pattern, but I didn't know that at the time.
*Deep breath*
I made a round of black and then post stitched every 15 stitches to create four sides. I planned to use posts to do the lights. I tried it. It never worked right. The photo(s) I had clearly showed significant swatches of BLUE around the windows. So, for the first time ever, I used stranding. Or perhaps carrying. In any event, I would stitch a few dc, running the unused color under the stitches. Then I'd switch off and run over the first color. Look, it sounds crazy, but it's not that complicated. In the end, I wound up with four "sides" and all the windows, plus the "Pull to Open" sign.
It's all rather abstract, of course. I didn't embroider the "Police Box" portion. I didn't fake-scribble the signage. My friends thought it was cool, so I was happy. Of course, I'll fiddle with it again, but for a first attempt, it's pretty nice.
Plus, I figure there have to be some people out there who are like me. People who like things that are inspired-by rather than explicit replications. I have to say, though, even if I do post this one, I'm not sure how popular it'd be. It has some weird stitches and techniques. It's not hard to accomplish, but it was crazy-weird to write it out and not sound like a gibberish spouting psychopath.
Because I can't leave well enough alone, I went back into it and decided to make a TARDIS plush. OH MY LORD! Have you ever tried to make a plush with corners? I'm serious. Have you ever tried to crochet anything, really, with true corners as opposed to rounded edges? The TARDIS is clearly a box. It needs edges. It needs to be square. If I'm going to stuff it, it needs to be secure. To start, I again looked up some patterns. Nope. Those were all clearly rounded. Nope. I didn't want to use special notions. Back to starting from scratch...
I first made a Magic Circle full of hdc. Then I had to figure out how to square a circle. Then I had to find a way to "bring it back in" so it didn't swell from the bottom and send it all wonky. Then I had to Find A Way to Square a Plush. You know my solution by now, right? Yeah. I used a post stitch. I post stitched every corner stitch, which squared things up quite nicely. I do have a set of windows that is a bit offset from the rest because it technically started on an earlier round, but it's not obvious. I played with stranding again. It was actually rather annoying because I would do as few as ONE stitch and then change the color back again. It was only for a few rows, so it was okay.
In the end, I have a pretty cute little TARDIS. And I made it all on my own, taught myself a few new things, and got some practice with working from an image to create something with yarn.
Now that all of that excitement is over, I have no idea what I'll do tonight. I actually have a couple of ideas - and they have nothing to do with time traveling aliens!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
I really don't know what to do
I've updated and upgraded. I've cleared and restarted. I've searched and troubleshooted. I still haven't the slightest idea why I'm having such trouble getting myself on a level playing field. It sucks!!
What have I done? Well, I've started a new afghan. That's beyond stupid, since I have two on my hook that need to be done (for my oldest and middle godkids), but I almost couldn't help myself. See, I've been making small things for the most part for the last six months or more. My hands craved something substantial. I neeeeeeeed to make something with impact! Something I can hold in my hands and seeeeeee the long hours of work. That doesn't really happen with headbands and hats and flowers. Sure, they're cute, but they get scattered and somehow seem less... I don't know, just less. So, I started an afghan. Wait, it gets better. It's a granny circle/square afghan, so it's also PIECEWORK. Annnnd it has color changes that require finishing off, starting anew, finishing off, starting anew while joining as you go, and finishing off again. It's madness.
Just today I made a Dalek hat. If you're not a Doctor Who person, then none of the rest of this paragraph will make sense. I was bored and asked my facebook peeps what I should make. My friend TJ said I should do a red Dalek (is Dalek capitalized? am I over-estimating them?). So, I did. I actually quite like it. It's not 3-D like some are. It's more "inspired by" than a yarn recreation, I suppose. Still, I dig it. It needs some tweaking before I can really write it down and call it a pattern, but I was quite happy with me.
I made a baby set. It was a cocoon, a two hats, a headband, two clip-on flowers, and a rattle. All of my "you should totally sell this stuff" people flat bailed on me. The very first thing I try to sell? Noooooooo one wants it. Which makes me really quite reluctant to sign up for an upcoming craft fair here in town. I can't move things within my own group of friends - what makes me think I can sell to strangers? In any event, the cocoon is really cute. At least I know it's not because it's ugly. :)
I finally got Tina's things to her. Her mother reports that she's very excited about her goodies and was anxious to wear them to school. I admit I got a little overzealous with her order. Little girls need pretty things, so no harm done. I also made her a little purse which was absolutely adorable. I'm getting really good at this whimsy thing. I am rocking it lately! If only I could show you the photographic evidence... UGH!!!
I made leg warmers that sort of match the corset top I made. I say sort of because one was made for a child and the warmers were made for an adult. I'm thinking I may gift them to a friend who is into such things. It's not like I can SELL them or anything. Ahh, breathe, Jill. My irritation at my computer is eking into other areas of life, it seems. Anyway, I think they're very simple yet very impactful just because of the colors used.
I finished my Louisiana Saturday Night bag!! Oh, my goodness. Y'all - it's awesome. I'm over-using adjectives this morning, but that doesn't make them any less true. This bag is beautiful. That's really saying something since I try to remain neutral about my own creations. It's so pink and purple and pretty. I had a hell of time with it for about a week, though. I could not for the life of me figure out what I'd done on the handle. I just couldn't. I tried three or four times, got angry, ripped it out, tried again, glared at it, the whole bit. I finally sat down with myself and came to the blatantly obvious realization that it could not possibly be as difficult as I was trying to make it be because I WAS THE ONE WHO DID IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. I literally had to go, "if I was in a car and excited about a concert, what would I do to make it look nice but make it as easy as possible?" You've never felt stupid unless you had to get into your own headspace to solve a problem and then DOWNGRADE your thinking process because - oh, yeah - you're not quite as clever as you were trying to make yourself out to be.
I got it, though. I got it and was so excited to finish it. I did a round of sc around the armholes and then crab stitched them. To make it completely over the top, I've been adding pink, white, and purple flowers to one side of the handle. Strap. Whatever. It has a little eclectic garden on one side and I LOVE it. I've been contemplating adding beads to it to make it sparkly. I need to line it and I'm probably going to use an old Keith Urban tour shirt. The whole project makes me so happy. I can recall buying the yarn while on that trip and starting the bag. Now that it's done, it's just a happiness inducer.
It seems like there should be more. Did I already tell you that Casey got her yarn? She's already confirmed that at least one item was a hit. I think it was an extra-bulky Homespun. I wanted to make a slouch hat, but ran out of yarn, so it didn't quite have the brim it should. Still, it was cute if a bit runaway. A couple of bobby pins easily fixed that and voila - cuteness! I like the cuteness.
Oh. I made boot cuffs. They have skulls. They're awesome. I made a skully slouchy hat. I made a couple of tiaras. I tried to get my coworker to make a single crochet and failed miserably. She can do afghans and hats and headbands and such. Can't do a single crochet. Which is odd, because that's what we both started out on. Remember the rash of flower-centered small afghans? Yeah, we both made those flowers. In any event, I'm becoming addicted to roses. They're just so quick and pretty.
I am so bummed by this stupid photo issue. That's literally the only thing I can't make it do, but when the whole medium is founded upon the idea of seeing if what I'm describing is something you want to make, it's kind of a vital piece of the puzzle. In any event, I am still trying things. I'm desperately attempting to NOT be on of those blog-abandoners.
It's nearly 5am here and I still haven't slept yet. And I have a suicide awareness class to present at 1pm, so I suppose I should get at least a few winks in. Have a great Valentine's weekend! Even us single gals can have a great Valentine's - we don't have to worry that our boyfriends will forget or screw it up or buy horrendously tacky things we have to pretend to like. We can sit back and wait for 12:01 on February 15th and get cheap chocolate!!! Hahahaha!
What have I done? Well, I've started a new afghan. That's beyond stupid, since I have two on my hook that need to be done (for my oldest and middle godkids), but I almost couldn't help myself. See, I've been making small things for the most part for the last six months or more. My hands craved something substantial. I neeeeeeeed to make something with impact! Something I can hold in my hands and seeeeeee the long hours of work. That doesn't really happen with headbands and hats and flowers. Sure, they're cute, but they get scattered and somehow seem less... I don't know, just less. So, I started an afghan. Wait, it gets better. It's a granny circle/square afghan, so it's also PIECEWORK. Annnnd it has color changes that require finishing off, starting anew, finishing off, starting anew while joining as you go, and finishing off again. It's madness.
Just today I made a Dalek hat. If you're not a Doctor Who person, then none of the rest of this paragraph will make sense. I was bored and asked my facebook peeps what I should make. My friend TJ said I should do a red Dalek (is Dalek capitalized? am I over-estimating them?). So, I did. I actually quite like it. It's not 3-D like some are. It's more "inspired by" than a yarn recreation, I suppose. Still, I dig it. It needs some tweaking before I can really write it down and call it a pattern, but I was quite happy with me.
I made a baby set. It was a cocoon, a two hats, a headband, two clip-on flowers, and a rattle. All of my "you should totally sell this stuff" people flat bailed on me. The very first thing I try to sell? Noooooooo one wants it. Which makes me really quite reluctant to sign up for an upcoming craft fair here in town. I can't move things within my own group of friends - what makes me think I can sell to strangers? In any event, the cocoon is really cute. At least I know it's not because it's ugly. :)
I finally got Tina's things to her. Her mother reports that she's very excited about her goodies and was anxious to wear them to school. I admit I got a little overzealous with her order. Little girls need pretty things, so no harm done. I also made her a little purse which was absolutely adorable. I'm getting really good at this whimsy thing. I am rocking it lately! If only I could show you the photographic evidence... UGH!!!
I made leg warmers that sort of match the corset top I made. I say sort of because one was made for a child and the warmers were made for an adult. I'm thinking I may gift them to a friend who is into such things. It's not like I can SELL them or anything. Ahh, breathe, Jill. My irritation at my computer is eking into other areas of life, it seems. Anyway, I think they're very simple yet very impactful just because of the colors used.
I finished my Louisiana Saturday Night bag!! Oh, my goodness. Y'all - it's awesome. I'm over-using adjectives this morning, but that doesn't make them any less true. This bag is beautiful. That's really saying something since I try to remain neutral about my own creations. It's so pink and purple and pretty. I had a hell of time with it for about a week, though. I could not for the life of me figure out what I'd done on the handle. I just couldn't. I tried three or four times, got angry, ripped it out, tried again, glared at it, the whole bit. I finally sat down with myself and came to the blatantly obvious realization that it could not possibly be as difficult as I was trying to make it be because I WAS THE ONE WHO DID IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. I literally had to go, "if I was in a car and excited about a concert, what would I do to make it look nice but make it as easy as possible?" You've never felt stupid unless you had to get into your own headspace to solve a problem and then DOWNGRADE your thinking process because - oh, yeah - you're not quite as clever as you were trying to make yourself out to be.
I got it, though. I got it and was so excited to finish it. I did a round of sc around the armholes and then crab stitched them. To make it completely over the top, I've been adding pink, white, and purple flowers to one side of the handle. Strap. Whatever. It has a little eclectic garden on one side and I LOVE it. I've been contemplating adding beads to it to make it sparkly. I need to line it and I'm probably going to use an old Keith Urban tour shirt. The whole project makes me so happy. I can recall buying the yarn while on that trip and starting the bag. Now that it's done, it's just a happiness inducer.
It seems like there should be more. Did I already tell you that Casey got her yarn? She's already confirmed that at least one item was a hit. I think it was an extra-bulky Homespun. I wanted to make a slouch hat, but ran out of yarn, so it didn't quite have the brim it should. Still, it was cute if a bit runaway. A couple of bobby pins easily fixed that and voila - cuteness! I like the cuteness.
Oh. I made boot cuffs. They have skulls. They're awesome. I made a skully slouchy hat. I made a couple of tiaras. I tried to get my coworker to make a single crochet and failed miserably. She can do afghans and hats and headbands and such. Can't do a single crochet. Which is odd, because that's what we both started out on. Remember the rash of flower-centered small afghans? Yeah, we both made those flowers. In any event, I'm becoming addicted to roses. They're just so quick and pretty.
I am so bummed by this stupid photo issue. That's literally the only thing I can't make it do, but when the whole medium is founded upon the idea of seeing if what I'm describing is something you want to make, it's kind of a vital piece of the puzzle. In any event, I am still trying things. I'm desperately attempting to NOT be on of those blog-abandoners.
It's nearly 5am here and I still haven't slept yet. And I have a suicide awareness class to present at 1pm, so I suppose I should get at least a few winks in. Have a great Valentine's weekend! Even us single gals can have a great Valentine's - we don't have to worry that our boyfriends will forget or screw it up or buy horrendously tacky things we have to pretend to like. We can sit back and wait for 12:01 on February 15th and get cheap chocolate!!! Hahahaha!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Music and Yarn
Well, I've made a couple of things that make me happy. I developed a little corset top that ribbons shut. I made a neon Road Trip bag that uses the band from the Go Your Own Way hat. It's kind of nifty in that I can pull a thin chiffon scarf or thick ribbon or a belt or even a small crocheted scarf through it to add interest. I could attach little clippy things or keychains to the posts. I made a prototype tulle skirt, but I'm not yet a fan of it. One problem is that the waist is too large, so I can't really imagine it on a kid I know. Another is that it didn't come off my hook quite the way it was pictured in my head. So while there is probably nothing "wrong" with it, I'm still not a fan of it.
I also caught a show yesterday. I wasn't sold on it, to be honest. I hemmed and hawed right up until about five hours before showtime. Having gone, though, I can say I'm really glad I went for it. 3 Doors Down was my first band to love all on my own - no television, no parents, no friends, no persuasive techniques. I heard "Kryptonite" on the radio and fell in love with the guitars and bass. Anyway, halfway through the first song, I questioned why I questioned whether to go. :) Once I get the tech up again, I will do the full rundown.
Clearly, I'm still not up on my tech. I might try again while waiting for the Super Bowl to kick off. I ran into some problems with my Louisiana Saturday Night bag. Namely, I can't recreate the strap. Which really, really sucks because I quite love the one that's on there. I will be so very sad if I must rip it out - not least of reasons is because the ends are already woven in. I need to complete it though. Um, mainly so I can use it to carry materials to create my TARDIS bag... Yes, I realize my addiction is feeding my addiction. Oh, well. I want my LSN bag done anyway. It so reminds me of that whimsical trip and the whole round of Keith Urban shows in general. It's also so happy and pink and purple and large and pretty. I'm debating if I want to make it regular or if I want to extend the strap a bit and let it be crossbody. I could always line the handle like I plan to line the bag so the strap doesn't go wonky on me.
I'm off to finish my Super Bowl nibbles and try again with this technology thing.
Whichever team you cheer for, I hope they win! :) Hahaha!
(I can say this because my team/s obviously failed anyway!)
I also caught a show yesterday. I wasn't sold on it, to be honest. I hemmed and hawed right up until about five hours before showtime. Having gone, though, I can say I'm really glad I went for it. 3 Doors Down was my first band to love all on my own - no television, no parents, no friends, no persuasive techniques. I heard "Kryptonite" on the radio and fell in love with the guitars and bass. Anyway, halfway through the first song, I questioned why I questioned whether to go. :) Once I get the tech up again, I will do the full rundown.
Clearly, I'm still not up on my tech. I might try again while waiting for the Super Bowl to kick off. I ran into some problems with my Louisiana Saturday Night bag. Namely, I can't recreate the strap. Which really, really sucks because I quite love the one that's on there. I will be so very sad if I must rip it out - not least of reasons is because the ends are already woven in. I need to complete it though. Um, mainly so I can use it to carry materials to create my TARDIS bag... Yes, I realize my addiction is feeding my addiction. Oh, well. I want my LSN bag done anyway. It so reminds me of that whimsical trip and the whole round of Keith Urban shows in general. It's also so happy and pink and purple and large and pretty. I'm debating if I want to make it regular or if I want to extend the strap a bit and let it be crossbody. I could always line the handle like I plan to line the bag so the strap doesn't go wonky on me.
I'm off to finish my Super Bowl nibbles and try again with this technology thing.
Whichever team you cheer for, I hope they win! :) Hahaha!
(I can say this because my team/s obviously failed anyway!)
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Some Updates
Well, I still can't make my computer do what I want it to. One main thing I can't get to happen? Pictures. I have a huge backlog of pictures! No worries - I WILL figure it out!
Like I said, I haven't been idle. So, here's what I've been up to, photo free.
* beanies!
- - They're so simple and such a crowd pleaser. Really, if I'm antsy and just need to make something, I'll make a beanie. Casey dropped off some yarn... oh, forever ago... and I've finally finished with it. She requested some hats for her nephew, so I whipped up a few basics. I also had another friend ask for a gray beanie, so naturally I had to make four in three different shades. :)
* skirts!
- - What a monstrous pain. Ugh. I don't know if it was because the pattern was a little wonky (I went with the "White Russian" pattern on Ravelry. I'd link it, but I'm afraid it'd lock up my computer like pictures do). The end result is pretty and well worth the effort, but let me give you a couple of pointers if you try the item. One, the count is 14 (plus 1 for base). That means chain in multiples of 14. When you have your desired length, add one chain so when you single crochet that first row you keep your multiple. Two, she doesn't give you a number when starting the second row of motif work. "Find the center" is just too vague and weird. Would it really have taken too much time to count? As a result, mine was staggered rather than offset. Three, know that this is NOT worked in one piece. You will have to break off and reattach. It gave me fits for two full days. I wound up with at least five should've-been-waistbands-turned-headbands because I would get angry, pull it back to the third row, and cut it.
- - In any event, it was a great learning experience. When/if I get my mojo back in full, I will explain how I managed to get this pattern to work for me. If you try it and are fairly proficient at modifying patterns on your own, I suggest beginning with the single crochets rather than the chains.
*bags!
- - I don't know why, but I've come back to purses, bags, and totes. I think I'm trying to get my courage up to figure out lining and sewing and such. I have some experience in sewing, but I'm not as good as I'd like to be. Plus, I just really like crocheted bags and playing with the possibilities. I can be a little more experimental since it doesn't have to sit right or fit right. It doesn't matter if a certain stitch feels funny against skin because it won't be. And, of course, I'm still trying to prove my handle technique works.
*granny squares!
- - In an attempt to use up and get rid of the neon Amanda bought, I tossed it all together in a random-like granny square. It kept my hands busy, ate up the yarn, and even wound up looking better than I thought it would. Yay for successful experiments!
*different yarns!
- - I buy Red Heart, Caron One Pounder, and clearance. Really, that's it. My reasoning is this: it began as my hobby. While I'm hoping that one day soon I might be able to make some money with it, I saw no reason in the early days to splurge on a hobby. In a previous life, I was well known for my hobby hopping, so buying yarn at $8 a skein and needing 4 skeins wouldn't have worked. These days, it's what I'm used to. I'm also one of those few people who genuinely prefers acrylic. It's soft, it's flexible, it's warm. It doesn't pick up colors. It doesn't absorb odors quite so badly. I don't have to worry about allergies. It's easily washed - just toss it in a standard washing machine. I know other materials have other benefits, but why change what works?
- - Well, Casey brought me some Homespun, some Hometown, and something that was really super chunky. After all the griping I'd heard about Homespun, I was really dreading working with it. Turns out, I didn't have a problem with it. To be fair, I used a large hook and worked into the spaces as opposed to the stitches. Yeah, it has it's stretches of oddity. Sometimes, it's very uniform and tiny. Sometimes it looks like set off tiny TNT into it and blew it up. Sometimes it's not wavy like it's supposed to be. For me, it just adds visual texture. In fact, my brother saw the Homespun scarf and immediately asked for one.
*ideas!
- - I want to try my hand at my own skirt patterns. Now that I understand a bit about how Irish crochet works, I'm anxious to try it.
- - I want to make a couple of tops. I especially want to make a loose poncho/shawl type thing. It sounds ridiculous, but hopefully my execution will come out a bit better.
- - Ruffled diaper covers. I know, those are kind of everywhere. I don't even have a baby girl in my life right now. It's just that every time we shop, my mother will find a girl's outfit and the butt will ALWAYS have ruffles. So now the idea has crawled into my head.
- - A buffalo? This isn't very high on my list, but Mom likes buffalo. I need to figure out how to make this happen because those things have weirdly shaped heads.
- - A March of Dimes afghan. I'm thinking to either find a pattern that incorporates footprints... or... and I do so hate to say this... I might revisit the Purple Blankie. As much as I hate the piecework in it, it looks really nice. I would then auction/sell/fundraise it. I'm not sure if I would do a silent auction type thing or sell raffle tickets. If anyone has ever done both, please let me know which you think worked better.
- - I'm trying to clear out my mental cache at the moment (hence the completion of Casey's items, Tina's headbands, Ryan's beanies, Amanda's neon) so that I can finally work on something I've been DYING to try since I found the wonderful world of online crochet - the TARDIS bag. It's on Crochet Dynamite. I caught a Caron One Pounder sale at JoAnn's. I immediately grabbed the Royalty. It's been patiently waiting in my yarn basket for a month now. I want a week where I can put everything aside and FOCUS on getting the details of this particular project juuuuuuuuuuuust right.
So, that's what I've been up to. I wish I could prove my industriousness to you, but maybe tomorrow I'll have that power. For today, thanks for stopping by!
Like I said, I haven't been idle. So, here's what I've been up to, photo free.
* beanies!
- - They're so simple and such a crowd pleaser. Really, if I'm antsy and just need to make something, I'll make a beanie. Casey dropped off some yarn... oh, forever ago... and I've finally finished with it. She requested some hats for her nephew, so I whipped up a few basics. I also had another friend ask for a gray beanie, so naturally I had to make four in three different shades. :)
* skirts!
- - What a monstrous pain. Ugh. I don't know if it was because the pattern was a little wonky (I went with the "White Russian" pattern on Ravelry. I'd link it, but I'm afraid it'd lock up my computer like pictures do). The end result is pretty and well worth the effort, but let me give you a couple of pointers if you try the item. One, the count is 14 (plus 1 for base). That means chain in multiples of 14. When you have your desired length, add one chain so when you single crochet that first row you keep your multiple. Two, she doesn't give you a number when starting the second row of motif work. "Find the center" is just too vague and weird. Would it really have taken too much time to count? As a result, mine was staggered rather than offset. Three, know that this is NOT worked in one piece. You will have to break off and reattach. It gave me fits for two full days. I wound up with at least five should've-been-waistbands-turned-headbands because I would get angry, pull it back to the third row, and cut it.
- - In any event, it was a great learning experience. When/if I get my mojo back in full, I will explain how I managed to get this pattern to work for me. If you try it and are fairly proficient at modifying patterns on your own, I suggest beginning with the single crochets rather than the chains.
*bags!
- - I don't know why, but I've come back to purses, bags, and totes. I think I'm trying to get my courage up to figure out lining and sewing and such. I have some experience in sewing, but I'm not as good as I'd like to be. Plus, I just really like crocheted bags and playing with the possibilities. I can be a little more experimental since it doesn't have to sit right or fit right. It doesn't matter if a certain stitch feels funny against skin because it won't be. And, of course, I'm still trying to prove my handle technique works.
*granny squares!
- - In an attempt to use up and get rid of the neon Amanda bought, I tossed it all together in a random-like granny square. It kept my hands busy, ate up the yarn, and even wound up looking better than I thought it would. Yay for successful experiments!
*different yarns!
- - I buy Red Heart, Caron One Pounder, and clearance. Really, that's it. My reasoning is this: it began as my hobby. While I'm hoping that one day soon I might be able to make some money with it, I saw no reason in the early days to splurge on a hobby. In a previous life, I was well known for my hobby hopping, so buying yarn at $8 a skein and needing 4 skeins wouldn't have worked. These days, it's what I'm used to. I'm also one of those few people who genuinely prefers acrylic. It's soft, it's flexible, it's warm. It doesn't pick up colors. It doesn't absorb odors quite so badly. I don't have to worry about allergies. It's easily washed - just toss it in a standard washing machine. I know other materials have other benefits, but why change what works?
- - Well, Casey brought me some Homespun, some Hometown, and something that was really super chunky. After all the griping I'd heard about Homespun, I was really dreading working with it. Turns out, I didn't have a problem with it. To be fair, I used a large hook and worked into the spaces as opposed to the stitches. Yeah, it has it's stretches of oddity. Sometimes, it's very uniform and tiny. Sometimes it looks like set off tiny TNT into it and blew it up. Sometimes it's not wavy like it's supposed to be. For me, it just adds visual texture. In fact, my brother saw the Homespun scarf and immediately asked for one.
*ideas!
- - I want to try my hand at my own skirt patterns. Now that I understand a bit about how Irish crochet works, I'm anxious to try it.
- - I want to make a couple of tops. I especially want to make a loose poncho/shawl type thing. It sounds ridiculous, but hopefully my execution will come out a bit better.
- - Ruffled diaper covers. I know, those are kind of everywhere. I don't even have a baby girl in my life right now. It's just that every time we shop, my mother will find a girl's outfit and the butt will ALWAYS have ruffles. So now the idea has crawled into my head.
- - A buffalo? This isn't very high on my list, but Mom likes buffalo. I need to figure out how to make this happen because those things have weirdly shaped heads.
- - A March of Dimes afghan. I'm thinking to either find a pattern that incorporates footprints... or... and I do so hate to say this... I might revisit the Purple Blankie. As much as I hate the piecework in it, it looks really nice. I would then auction/sell/fundraise it. I'm not sure if I would do a silent auction type thing or sell raffle tickets. If anyone has ever done both, please let me know which you think worked better.
- - I'm trying to clear out my mental cache at the moment (hence the completion of Casey's items, Tina's headbands, Ryan's beanies, Amanda's neon) so that I can finally work on something I've been DYING to try since I found the wonderful world of online crochet - the TARDIS bag. It's on Crochet Dynamite. I caught a Caron One Pounder sale at JoAnn's. I immediately grabbed the Royalty. It's been patiently waiting in my yarn basket for a month now. I want a week where I can put everything aside and FOCUS on getting the details of this particular project juuuuuuuuuuuust right.
So, that's what I've been up to. I wish I could prove my industriousness to you, but maybe tomorrow I'll have that power. For today, thanks for stopping by!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Still Alive
I did not, contrary to all evidence, drop off the face of the planet and decide this whole blogging thing was stupid. I could do my usual list of excuses, but it's not important.
I am going to go back and standardize my patterns so that they make sense. I quite like the routine I've found of story, title, particulars, special stitches, pattern, notes, and mods.
Blogger doesn't seem to like my browser, so I'm going to have to look into that soon. I don't know anything at all about computers and web things and how those connect and work and whatever. I'm probably the least tech-savvy twentysomething who grew up around computers. It's sad. But here I am anyway.
Don't think that my lack of online activity has translated into an idle hook. No, no, no, no, no. I'm on a hat kick at the moment. I'm sure one day I'll switch back over into baby blankets or purses or those random trays I kept making. I just like hats right now. It's such a versatile medium!
Since I can't seem to even get pictures to load at the moment, I will focus primarily on the standardization of my patterns and probably even changing the whole look of the page. Looking back on my own posts, I am irked by the rambling style of the pattern presentation. So please know, if anyone is out there, that I am not one of those people who just up and quit. I just can't get technology to work with me. Trust me, I have such a backlog of patterns it's ridiculous.
Thanks for checking up on me! I will do my best to get things back on track soon. Have a lovely day!
I am going to go back and standardize my patterns so that they make sense. I quite like the routine I've found of story, title, particulars, special stitches, pattern, notes, and mods.
Blogger doesn't seem to like my browser, so I'm going to have to look into that soon. I don't know anything at all about computers and web things and how those connect and work and whatever. I'm probably the least tech-savvy twentysomething who grew up around computers. It's sad. But here I am anyway.
Don't think that my lack of online activity has translated into an idle hook. No, no, no, no, no. I'm on a hat kick at the moment. I'm sure one day I'll switch back over into baby blankets or purses or those random trays I kept making. I just like hats right now. It's such a versatile medium!
Since I can't seem to even get pictures to load at the moment, I will focus primarily on the standardization of my patterns and probably even changing the whole look of the page. Looking back on my own posts, I am irked by the rambling style of the pattern presentation. So please know, if anyone is out there, that I am not one of those people who just up and quit. I just can't get technology to work with me. Trust me, I have such a backlog of patterns it's ridiculous.
Thanks for checking up on me! I will do my best to get things back on track soon. Have a lovely day!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Two Cowls and a Hat
First, some Nashville pictures.
Pretty lights
Great music
Keith Anderson (2nd from right) and his band
Christmas tree inside the Gaylord Opry Land
The pretty sky on the way home
I'll give the full run down another day. I think Mom has the pictures needed to do it up right.
Now, let's get to some patterns. I've decided, by the way, that I am just a sporadic, dump-it-all-at-once type. As much as I'd like to be a well-paced, regular, reliable blog person, I am not. In the spirit of that ruling, here are some patterns. They're all fairly quick-make and reasonably easy.
Bit of Flair Infinity
-Red Heart Super Saver Black
-J Bates hook
-size 18 tapestry needle for ends
-any multiple of 2 to in/decrease
Round 2: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. (124)
Round 3: chain 4. tr in next stitch. tr in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to top of chain 4. (124)
Round 4: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. (124)
Round 5: chain 4. tr in next stitch. tr in each stitch around. do not connect. (124)
Round 6: sc around chain 4. chain 6. (skip one treble, sc around next, chain 6) around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. chain 2. connect with slip stitch to top of chain 4. (62 sc, 62 chain spaces)
Round 7: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. (124)
Round 8: chain 4. tr in next stitch. tr in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to top of chain 4.
(124)
Round 9: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. (124)
Round 10: chain 2, dc in same stitch. dc in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to first dc of round. (124)
Notes:
*Be careful about which rounds start in connecting stitch and which ones go to the next stitch.
*Be careful of how each round ends.
*Round 6 is the fiddliest. Once you get the hang of what you're supposed to be doing, it's quite easy and fast.
Modifications:
*I meant to do chains around the top and bottom rows as well, but lost interest in the project.
*If you want looser "fringe" you can simply chain more.
*You can easily add chains to each treble row if you wanted.
*Nearly any "cowl" pattern can become an infinity scarf if you simply make it longer.
*** My cousin reported that this came out smaller than what I expected, at least for her. To remedy this, simply chain more at the beginning.
The seam
Trying to show you the texture added with Round 6
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Curved Cowl
- Red Heart Super Saver Navy
- H Bates hook
- size 18 tapestry needle for ends
- multiple is entirely irrelevant
Round 2: chain 4. tr in next stitch. tr in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to top of chain 4. (120)
Round 3: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. (120)
Round 4: chain 5. (tr, ch 1) in each stitch around. connect with slip stitch to 4th chain. (120 tr, 120 ch 1)
Round 5: chain 4. tr in tr. tr in each tr around. (120 tr)
***You're skipping the chains and working into the stitches.
Round 6: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. (120)
Round 7: chain 4. tr in next stitch. tr in each stitch around. (120)
Round 8: chain 1, hdc in same stitch. hdc in each stitch around. (120)
Notes:
* Rounds 4 & 5 create a pouch or curve. Can be worn as a small hood or a cozy cowl.
Modifications:
* If you made your initial chain longer, you could make it an infinity scarf.
* If you made your initial chain shorter, you could make it a form-fitting headband.
* As usual, you can play with your stitches however you like. As long as Rounds 4 & 5 are in the middle and kept the same, it should work.
*** Oh...my gosh. I kind of think my cousin may have actually gotten this... which would explain why it fit so snugly on her! That's what I get for making things so similar so closely together. Anyway, as already noted, your chain controls what this eventually comes to be. It just depends on what you're trying to get.
Trying to show you how that middle bit curves out a bit
Also, the seam
It's a bit open, but when worn it's quite warm.
**I apologize for lack of "when worn" pictures, but my vanity got to me. In the midst of a stress breakout that is particularly attractive under fluorescent lighting. Normally not so weird about it, but it just wasn't happening today.
* _ * _ * _ * _ * _ * _ * _ * _ *
Wonky Posts Hat
(you come up with something clever, you are my hero)
- Red Heart Super Saver Navy and Carrot
- H Bates hook
- size 18 tapestry needle for ends
- modified fpdc: fpdc around stitch two (Rd 13) or three (Rd 15) rounds down (mfpdc)
(Basic Beanie for 12 rounds. Increase for 6 rounds. Static for 6 rounds.)
Round 13: chain 1, sc in same stitch. dc around second stitch of Round 11. (sc, mpfpdc) around. connect with slip stitch to first sc of round. (36 sc, 36 mfpdc)
Round 14: chain 1, sc in same stitch. sc in each stitch around. (72)
Round 15: dc around first stitch of Round 12, sc in next stitch. (mfpdc, sc) around. connect with slip stitch to first dc of round. (36 mfpdc, 36 sc)
**Your post stitches should "push" the Round 12 stitches forward. They'll also go between the other set of posts.
Round 16: chain 1, sc in back loop of same stitch. sc in back loop of each remaining stitch. (72)
**This round is to control some of that curl that comes from post stitches.
Notes:
* This isn't as complicated as it sounds. I tend to do that. It's quite easy to fiddle with things. It's quite a different matter to write them down.
* I've found I like my hats to hit me right about mid-ear. If you like yours longer, grab a different hook or do another static round.
* I messed with this a bit and do believe you need Round 16.
* The brim/band/edge bit is quite thick and thus quite warm. It's a lovely, cozy thing. :)
* Color Scheme: 5 navy - carrot - navy - carrot - navy - carrot - navy - carrot - 4 navy
Modifications:
* As you can see, it's just a basic beanie that's been fiddled with. Mods are all up to you.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That'll do for now, I think. I have two more I could (and should) do, but I'm sleepy. I'll leave you with a photo of all I've done today. Oh, and I FINALLY got that blasted monkey worked out!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Winter Soul Vacation
My friends, by the time this is posted, I will be out of Oklahoma and heading to Tennessee. I am so very ready!
Honestly, I meant to get you a pattern ready. I should probably even have one or two just hanging around my brain, but I didn't get any prepared for you. I presented my suicide alertness class today. It always wears me out, but I expected to do this one solo. On the one hand, I had my usual helper (my mother. well, actually, I'm her helper, but whatever), so that was nice. On the other hand, pretty much everything else went wrong. Trying to keep up and doing the class and wearing heels for 3 hours standing and dealing with such a heavy subject and racing to get to my real job after has all just beaten me up. I was so exhausted I had to slip my boots off at work and pinch myself a couple of times to stay awake.
I did play with yarn, though. I made a white Go Your Own Way hat and protoyped a chainy stitchy scarf but I didn't like it. I love the white hat, though. It's adorable, if I say so myself. I'm actually supposed to be packing for Nashville right now, but I really just needed a moment to be away from the madness.
It's very likely I will come up with a new pattern during the hours in the car. I will try to keep habit going. I can't think of anything that would make me happier right now, really. I did my class, which I am so very passionate about. I'm heading to Nashville to see it Christmased out. I'm going with my mother, who is amazing and a great road trip buddy. We've rented a Dodge Charger, so we'll be traveling in style. We'll be catching a show, so music will be involved.
Honestly, I meant to get you a pattern ready. I should probably even have one or two just hanging around my brain, but I didn't get any prepared for you. I presented my suicide alertness class today. It always wears me out, but I expected to do this one solo. On the one hand, I had my usual helper (my mother. well, actually, I'm her helper, but whatever), so that was nice. On the other hand, pretty much everything else went wrong. Trying to keep up and doing the class and wearing heels for 3 hours standing and dealing with such a heavy subject and racing to get to my real job after has all just beaten me up. I was so exhausted I had to slip my boots off at work and pinch myself a couple of times to stay awake.
I did play with yarn, though. I made a white Go Your Own Way hat and protoyped a chainy stitchy scarf but I didn't like it. I love the white hat, though. It's adorable, if I say so myself. I'm actually supposed to be packing for Nashville right now, but I really just needed a moment to be away from the madness.
It's very likely I will come up with a new pattern during the hours in the car. I will try to keep habit going. I can't think of anything that would make me happier right now, really. I did my class, which I am so very passionate about. I'm heading to Nashville to see it Christmased out. I'm going with my mother, who is amazing and a great road trip buddy. We've rented a Dodge Charger, so we'll be traveling in style. We'll be catching a show, so music will be involved.
Thanks for dropping by!
I hope you find something to soothe your soul today.
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