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!)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)