Friday, January 28, 2011

Ok So I lied and #1

   Yeah I admit it. I lied to you. I couldn't wait until Sunday to start my 100 projects in a year, it was just impossible. So what am I making? Well I'm making the Elise Shawl, a pattern I found on good ole Ravelry. I'm using 2 balls of Vanna's Glamour and an H hook.
   I have to say it's been several months since I've crocheted a project and my wrists have lost the strength they once had to crochet for hours on end instead of knitting for hours on end. But the fluidity of the yarn flowing through my hand and the graceful motions and flicks of the wrists made me remember why I love this craft so much.
   While searching through the internet I discovered 2 things last night. Firstly Bohus knitting, which is beautiful but I'm not sure how to do it (I was really more interested in looking at it rather than looking for instructions). The other thing I've discovered are color work mittens that have a beautiful damask pattern (my favorite) worked with a black background and a veregated yarn. I have to say that it is simply wow and on my list to do very very soon!
   Once I have finished my Elise Shawl, I will be sure to post photos. But for now it's off to many hours of happy crochet time.
Take care and TTFN
Liz

Thursday, January 27, 2011

100 Project Journey

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” -Greg Anderson


     I am going to embark on a journey. I don't know how long it is going to take me and I don't know where I am going to wind up but it is the journey, not the destination that is important. I am taking upon myself a goal of trying 100 different projects and posting them on my blog. Now idealistically I'm going to have this done in a year, but we all know how life goes sometimes and I don't want to feel like cranking 2 projects a week out is a burden more than a joy. 
    Now I have not planned out 100 projects for a very specific reason. I have the tendency to love a finished garment when I first see it and then after a month of the pattern sitting on my coffee table untouched, I know that it's never going to be made. So I'm going to be choosing patterns in the moment and doing them as soon as I pick them. Or maybe I'll pick 2 projects a week on Sunday and work on them at the same time. I sometimes have yarn crafting ADHD so this may be a better option.
    This feels like such a good opportunity to stash bust too. I have, well, as most knitters and crocheters would say, an extensive stash. Honestly I have a problem with buying yarn. I think it's mostly the thrill of coming home with a shiny new ball of yarn that fuels this. Or even worse, a huge bag full of shiny new yarns! The yarn stores around here are all chains and they're yarn selection is pretty blah, so I buy a lot of my yarn online if I can find a good sale. 
   On Sunday I'm going to be identifying the projects I'm going to do that week and I'm very excited about starting this. If anyone has suggestions I'll be more than willing to take them into consideration. Projects I'll be considering will be new techniques that I've never tried, old techniques done in a new way and new and exciting garments. Please add me on Ravelry under the user name MissKatPegasus.
TTFN and take care!
Liz

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Men's Glove Pattern

Well... They're finished!! My babe's gloves are officially done!



They're so soft! Now, as promised here's the pattern.

Size: Men's Large-XL
Materials: 2 balls of Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends
Ebony Colorway
4 Size 9 DPNs
Cable Needle
Waste Yarn for thumb hole in a contrasting color

Gauge: Not really important but around 15 stitches by 20 rows in a 4x4 square.

You can use this pattern for personal use only. Please do not sell the items made from this pattern. It really discourages people to write free patterns when other people are making money off of them. Plus, this isn't your original work. *Gets off soapbox*

Stitches:
CO: Cast On
1x1 Ribbing: K1 P1
C6B: Slip 3 stitches knit wise onto cable needle and hold to the back. Knit 3 then knit 3 from cable needle.

Pattern:
CO 45 and divide evenly onto 3 needles.
Rows 1-18: Work 1x1 ribbing
Rows 19-23: K3, P3, K6, P3, K30
Row 24: K3, P3, C6B, P3, K30
Rows 25-29: K3, P3, K6, P3, K30

For Right Glove:
Row 30: K3, P3, C6B, P3, K3, K6 with waste yarn, slip 6 stitches back onto left needle then knit with working yarn (i usually knot the ends of the waste yarn so they are secure), K21

For Left Glove:
Row 30: K3, P3, C6B, P3, K21, K6 with waste yarn, slip 6 stitches back onto left needle then knit with working yarn, K3

For Both Gloves:
Rows 31-35: K3, P3, K6, P3, K30
Rows 36-40: Work 1x1 Ribbing

Bind off and weave in ends

Thumb Holes:
Remove waste yarn and pick up 5 live stitches on the top and 6 live stitches on the bottom.
Row 1: Attach yarn and knit 6 stitches, using another needle knit up 2 stitches between top and bottom then knit 3 stitches from top needle. Knit remaining 2 stitches with another needle and knit up 2 stitches between top and bottom. This will leave you with 15 total stitches on 3 needles.
Rows 2-5: Knit all stitches.

Bind off and weave in ends.



Enjoy!!

TTFN and Take Care!
Liz

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Working, working, and more work

      So I finally bought the yarn to finish my boyfriend's fingerless gloves yesterday but I spent most of the evening shopping for a new coat and doing my taxes. I must be the only person in the world that anticipates when you can get your W2 because I love the extra money. I'm getting quite a bit this year so this year's the year I'm finally breaking down and buying a laptop. Dell's website has special discounts for students so I'm going to be getting a tricked out dell complete with a custom skin on it. I'm so excited!! The rest of the money is going towards my trip to California in October. California's one of the few states that I've never been too so I'm very excited. My boyfriend has only been to 3 states and being 20 years old I think that's just wrong. So I'm on a mission to get him to go to as many states as possible in as short of time as possible.
    In May we're driving down to Tennessee to visit my best friend for a week with some friend's. She's flying into Akron and we'll take the 45 minute drive to get her so she can see me graduate. That's right. I said GRADUATE!! I'm so excited to be done with school. I'm thinking I may be going back very shortly but until then I can bask in the fact that it only took me 4 years to get an associates of arts working full time. Not going to be raking in the big bucks with an associates of arts but it's a start.
    It's my dream one day to open a local yarn store but my problem is I have no idea on how to go about this. And I'm also not living in the most financially stable parts of the US so I would need to move somewhere where businesses seems to be closing every week these days. My sister worked at a place that closed its doors last fall and it was heart breaking.
   My boyfriend and I really want to move to Govenour, NY, which is where he grew up and start an alpaca farm so I can spin my own yarn. We would also have sheep and angora bunnies. Doesn't that sound like the life? Spend all day spinning yarn and taking care of animals. Sounds sleepy and comfortable.
  Well on to more yarn related things. I'm currently working on a hot rice bag that you put in the microwave. I'm making out of Red Heart Soft. And before you think poorly of me for using Red Heart I must say that a lot of yarn that Red Heart makes is actually pretty decent. They do the Stitch Nation Yarn and they have a lovely yarn called Shimmer that I just love. All of these yarns have a great hand and I have to say that the Soft has a wonderful sheen to it plus, it is extremely soft, just like the name says.
    I have to say that it is an extremely common notion that crocheters are cheaper about buying yarn than knitters are. Well, I have to say on the most part this is true. I've never spend more than $40 on any single project, which was an afghan. Why is this? Well I have a theory: crocheters tend to make smaller projects that should be washable and the easiest yarn to wash is acrylic. Acrylic yarns tend to be cheaper and more readily available than nicer yarns.
Well, it is time for me to head off too school. TTFN and take care!
Liz

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Book Review Sunday

      Ok in my attempt to share my fiber art enthusiasm with the fiber community, I'm going to review a book every Sunday unless other arrangements are made. This week I'm going to review Crocheting School: A Complete Course by Inc. Sterling Publishing Company. This book is a wonderful reference guide that gives step by step directions on every type of crochet stitch you can imagine. It starts you out with the basics, then shows you stitches that are variations of the basics. It even works you through Tunisian crochet, which I am admittedly a novice at, and different types of lace. There are a bunch of edgings in the back too! The full color photos to work you through the stitches. Now as I am left handed, they're not particularly useful but you learn to get the general idea.
     Now being in with true reference style, there are no actual projects in this book but I think it will give you plenty of inspiration to make projects that you wouldn't have had the confidence to make before. If you've read this book or used any of the stitches in it, please give your opinion on the usefulness of this book. I would recommend this book to any beginner personally and even some more advanced crocheters would benefit from the techniques that are discussed in this wonderful book.
    Ok now onto randomness. Last night I had a hankering for 2 different sandwiches. A grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich (a favorite of the King himself) and a fluffer nutter. So, well, I combined them. I put a blob of fluff on one side, but the bananas on top of that and then put a blob of peanut butter on the other slice of bread and buttered the outsides and grilled it. OMG was it good! I was licking the plate because alot of it fell out and I didn't want to miss any of it. My friend and I were thinking it would taste good battered and deep fried. Yeah, that will be good for my crohn's!
Well, another day to say TTFN and take care!
Liz

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Sleepy Saturday

Hello everyone, welcome to another sleepy Saturday in Cleveland. This blog is orientated to all things yarn related and, well, whatever else I feel needs discussed. I think a run down of all my current projects is in order, in case anyone really cares.
Today I started on the 2nd of a pair of gloves for my beloved and, alas!, I had enough yarn to knit the first 2 gloves and the first thumb and them I ran out of yarn. Since I was not feeling motivated at all to go to JoAnne's (which is the only place around here to get that particular yarn) I decided that I'd finish up a bag I've been working on. I was knitting the gloves in Bernat Alpaca Blend in a dark gray colorway. Bernat Alpaca blend is soooo soft and super warm. It's my first time working with it and I must warn you now, the fibers from the yarn come off and stick to your clothes when you're working on it so don't work with it if you're going to be going somewhere where you don't want to look like you're covered in dog hair. I'm going to put up the pattern for the gloves as soon as I'm done with them. They're very simple but I must say there is a great need for men's patterns that they would actually need and fits them.
Now for the bag I'm working on. I was at first going to make a fat bottomed bag out of Lion Brand's Amazing yarn, the colorway being Aurora. This was all fine and dandy until I waited a week to make the 2nd panel and I completely forgot how may rows was between the cables. Oh well. So I folded it in half and did a single crochet up 2 sides on the wrong side to make it a small bag. I'm going to weave in some ribbon for a drawstring.
Just a note on Lion Brand. I'm obsessed with them. I'm not going to lie, they're pretty much amazing. The yarn they put out is top notch and the LB Collection yarn. Don't even get me started on that. I would be so broke if I lived anywhere near the studio in NYC. Thank god I don't!! If you haven't already, you should check out their website and their podcast. Also the Knit Picks podcast is quite entertaining. I just discovered it a few weeks ago and I liked it so much that I downloaded all of the episodes and I've been listening to them at work. I think I'm like on episode 60 something and there's 151 so I have a bit of catching up to do.
Oh yeah, we were talking about my projects. I'm also currently working on a Harry Potter scarf for a friend, 2 afghans that were supposed to be graduation presents for last year (oops) and I'm learning how to knit socks.
I'm a fairly new knitter but I've been crocheting for almost 15 years. I think my main issue with knitting has always been trying to think of crocheting solutions to my knitting issues. I've been having a hard time with picking up stitches on the heel of a sock and it's been really frustrating. I had to put it down for a few days so I don't break any needles.
Well I think I've talked your ear off enough so TTFN!! Take care.
Liz