FO: Lorelei April 25, 2007

Pattern: Lorelei, from the book Yarnplay, 32″ size

Yarn: Cascade Pima Silk #1544 and Noro Silk Garden #205

Needles: US 6, size G crochet hook

Notes: I love this sweater!  I used the yarn I frogged from Sahara, and I’m so pleased that I can finally wear this lovely color.  I used the blue and green portions of two balls of Silk Garden - since I can’t really use it for big projects (it hurts my hands) I didn’t feel too guilty using up some stash yarn.  My only mod was to skip the round of slip stitch around the neck and hem, and just do single crochet instead.  I found it too difficult to crochet into the slipped stitches.  The hem and the armholes do have a slight tendency to roll, but it’s within tolerable limits.  The yarn makes a very comfortable and cool fabric.

I wore this sweater to work this afternoon and received compliments!  I think the garter lines being where they are is very flattering.

I’ve been swatching for several sweaters, trying to decide what I want to make next.  I’ve finally decided that I want to make the short sleeved lace cardigan in the current Vogue Knitting.  Unfortunately, I had no cotton yarn in the correct weight, so… I bought yarn.  Shocking I know.

That’s Debbie Bliss Stella, which is new for this Spring.  It’s a silk/rayon/cotton blend.  It feels very soft in the skein, I hope it knits well!

I also recently found this cute embroidery transfer set, and I’m going to make myself some towels!

I like the choir member cat on the bottom.

See? I do other crafts! September 19, 2006

Well, make that I used to do other crafts, before knitting took over my life.  I am working on “Spring in my Garden”, although I will admit that it’s been a month since I worked on it.

I probably have 4 or 5 cross stitch WIPs, and lord only knows when I’ll finish them all.

This is Mouline Rogue, which is lovely but not even half finished.  What you see is easily two months work, and this is coming from someone who is a really fast sewer.  It’s stitched over one thread instead of two, so basically what would normally be 1 stitch becomes 4.

And finally… the crochet project that converted me to knitting… Ladylike lace gloves

I know it isn’t the best picture, but I think you can tell that it’s sort of floppy and loose, and the lace pattern isn’t clearly defined.  And I made the smallest size and got gague. (with Knitpicks palette in Bark… I have 7 balls of this stuff, any suggestions?)

Compare with the set of Voodoo armwarmers I just finished (hey, I have an obsession with fingerless gloves, ok?)

I love the way that the knitted fabric stretches to fit my (incredibly skinny) wrists.  I do still like crochet for some things, due to its sturdiness, but to be honest I’m now a total knitting convert.  I don’t have any crochet WIPs, and no plans for any.  Well, I might make an afghan… we have radiators for heat here, and I expect it to be chilly in the living room come december.   And knitting an afghan… no way.  Crocheting is so much faster.

I feel bad now, like I’m dissing my other hobbies.  I hope they understand - and I promise to eventually get around to finishing my lovely lady up there.  I have a goal of making the whole set (there is a pattern for every season) and hanging them all together.  And they aren’t too bad… I’ve finished designs that were much larger.

My crafting history August 11, 2006

When I was a little girl I was in the Girl Scouts.  My Mom was our troop leader, and we were always crafting something or other - mostly weird things, like cats made of out bowling pins.  I can recall how badly I wanted to be good at making things - but somehow my crafts never turned out as well as anyone else’s.

In middle school I went through a period of wanting to be an artist, despite my total lack of drawing ability.  Since I was already a hopeless dweeb, drawing a portrait of the most popular girl in class wasn’t really helping my street cred.  Particularly when I made her resemble Hilary Clinton.  So I gave up, and comforted myself with the thought that I was at least good at music (and I was - I’m still a professional musician at age 27).

My freshman year in college I was saddled with a roommate from the tiniest town in Indiana, who liked to say things like “Wow, I’ve never seen a black person that wasn’t on TV before.”  So yeah, not my best friend, but she did teach me how to do counted cross stitch.  She was mostly into dorky samplers that included lots of duckies and teddy bears, so I wasn’t certain it was for me… but then I looked on the internet and found a world of gorgeous sophisticated designs.  I quickly surpassed my roommate in skill, much to my surprise.

A few years later, I was moving into a new apartment and I thought “I’d love to have some real paintings for the walls, but I can’t afford them.”  I love geometric type modern art.  And I thought “Well, why can’t I make some myself?”  And I did, and I was amazed at how easy it was.

Now I’ve made everything from chalkboards to the ubiquitous record bowls.  My home is like a giant testament to my crafting spirit.  I kept up the cross stitch too, learning lots of beading and specialty stitches.

I was getting bored with it though, so I decided to teach myself to crochet (I was scared of knitting due to an aborted attempt a few years ago.)  I bought “The Happy Hooker”, and made a scarf within days.  After that I was hooked.  I made around 5 projects from that book, and then started thinking about knitting again.  I bought Stitch n Bitch, and taught myself American style knitting, but I wasn’t happy with it.  I kept dropping stitches, and I felt like it took forever to do anything.  I nearly gave up, but then I tried Continental and it was like a light switch going off.  Now knitting is my primary hobby.  I’ve even started a stash (well, mostly knitpicks because I’m still scared of the price of yarn.)

So… yeah.  That’s my path to all my old lady hobbies.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  There’s something so special about creating something yourself, that I have a very difficult time ever buying anything in a store.