Narrowing down the UFO pile

So, I got the Dove Vest finished and delivered.  It’s pretty, but not something I’d wear myself.  I loved the stitch pattern though, so I’m kind of toying with the idea of trying to modify the pattern to better flatter my shape.  I probably won’t act on that thought, but I wouldn’t be opposed to making this up for someone as a gift…now to find the friend that actually has the right figure for this.

I also finished my stash buster kitchen towel.  I even got it washed and put away with my other kitchen towels, so it is now ready for a true test.

I’ve got one baby blanket waiting to be mailed off and another waiting for the baby shower.  Thankfully, both are finished and one even got washed!

So, at this point, I’ve down to three projects that I really should finish before starting something new.  One is the Spanish Moss Coat that I’ve been working on forever!  I really should focus my attention on that, since it will be perfect once spring really does start.  I currently have the back finished, one side of the front, and half of the other side.  There is still a lot to do, since the assembled coat also gets a knitted edge, but if I quit getting distracted by other projects, there’s still hope.

I am very close to having the Veronica sweater finished.  It still needs the clasps sewn on; that sort of got put on hold as I tried to race through the Dove Vest and then a major sewing project, but I should be able to get that done as soon as I have an evening free this week.

Finally, I frogged my one Ambrosia sock and started knitting the yarn into a Mojo sock.  It’s not that I didn’t like the Ambrosia pattern–I just didn’t like it with that yarn nor did I like the modifications I made to it.  (While the mods looked fine on a flat sock, they did not look fine on my fat calf.  I ended up with saggy socks that were that annoying “almost” knee length.  So sad.)  So, while it kills me to have all that leftover yarn, I’m sticking with a shorter sock length this time.

March 1, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Project Distractions

I’ve got way too many projects going right now.  The good news is that the Veronica sweater is nearing completion, though I will have to stick with short sleeves.  I found the perfect hooks to use as closures for the front and even started sewing then on only to decide that I want to reverse them.  Oh, well.  I’ll probably sit down and finish that up sometime in the coming week.

Today I finally managed to finish winding that 900+ yards of yarn for the sample I’m supposed to get finished in a couple of weeks.  I’ve actually got another skein of the stuff, but I’m not even going to think about winding it unless I absolutely have to!

Then there is the hoodie baby blanket that I’m still plugging away at.  (Why, oh why, do I fall in love with the knit baby blankets?  This is what I’m supposed to know how to crochet for.)  At any rate, I think I’m just going to knit to the end of my current skein before binding off and starting on the hood part.  I’m hoping that will go quickly because I know for sure that the border will take forever.

And finally, I’m working on knitting a kitchen towel out of leftover cotton yarn from my Log Cabin baby blanket.  It’s actually looking kind of cute for something I’m just winging, so I’m feeling a little proud of this project.  (Plus, I just got passed the halfway point, so it’s starting to look somewhat finished, which always feels good.)

At this point, I can pretty much pick up a project no matter what room I’m in, which keeps me wonderfully busy, but it means that my progress on all of them is starting to feel a little slow.  Fortunately, after this coming week, I have a week off of work.  I’ll be using some of that time to work on a sewing project, but I’ll at least get some pictures uploaded of all this other things I’ve been working on.

February 6, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Crochet, Knitting  No Comments

I’m a very bad girl

So, I went out and bought yarn for my own Veronica sweater.  Yep, I couldn’t resist.  Besides, my sample was completely on hold until finding out what pattern to use.  (As it turns out, she wants not only a different pattern but also a different yarn.  I’m now in the middle of winding over 900 yards of yarn for the new project.)  In the meantime, I’ve been chugging away at my Veronica sweater.

I bought Cascade’s Venezia Worsted, which is a little heavier than the pattern calls for, but it was just too lovely to pass up.  A blend of wool and silk, it has a beautiful sheen with a lovely hand.  I’m absolutely loving it.  I’ve got the fit in the shoulders and armscye perfect, but it’s a little tight around.  To compensate, I’ve done about four rows of sc down each side of the front closure (that pattern only calls for two rows down one side in order to create the button holes), and I’m going to use hooks instead of buttons.

I also did the collar before working on the sleeves, because I want to see if I can make them full length.  I now have one sleeve half done and have just started on the second with about two-thirds of a skein left.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I’m also continuing to make progress on the hoodie baby blanket.  Slow but steady wins the race, right?

And then, as if I don’t have enough projects going on right now, I’ve also started knitting a kitchen towel with the leftover yarn from my Log Cabin baby blanket.  It’s turning out kind of cute and should also be nice and functional since the yarn is 100% cotton.

January 31, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Crochet, Knitting  No Comments

Doomed

So, the Veronica sweater is now a no-go.  I’m so sad and am thinking that I’ll need to buy some yarn soon to make it for myself.  Probably something that will crochet up a little lighter, or else I’ll need to make it long sleeved to be a truly cold weather sweater.

Still don’t know what pattern I’ll end up using this yarn for.  I’ll have to just wait and see.  We are already cutting this so close to the deadline that I’m not sure I’ll be able to get anything made up on time.  This was supposed to be my UN-stressful hobby, completely free from deadlines.  Not sure I’ll do this again, now.  Last year went so smoothly, but this is starting to frustrate me and stress me out, something I really don’t need right now.  So, this will definitely be the last time I crochet a sample unless I have LOTS of lead in time and VERY clear directions.

January 22, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

And then sometimes everything goes right.

Instead of sewing today (which was my original plan), I sat on the couch watching hulu and working on my Veronica sweater.  Yep, for the entire day.

Well, except for the lunch break I took with my husband to go get dim sum.  But other than that, yep, all day.

But that means that I’ve made fabulous progress.  I’d probably still be working on it right now except that I’m out of yarn and won’t be able to get more until next weekend.

I kind of wish it wasn’t turning out so perfectly.  Not only does it look beautiful, but it’s fitting me perfectly, and without even trying.  Granted, it’s not quite as snug as I usually like to wear sweaters, but since this one buttons up the front, it will need a little bit of positive ease.  I wish things would go this smoothly when I was making something for myself, or that I didn’t have to give this one back to Shane at Sheep City USA.

Oh, well.  Like I said before, I can always get the same yarn and make this again, but I’m afraid that it just wouldn’t work out quite the same.  I mean, lightning doesn’t strike twice, you know?

January 18, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Crochet  No Comments

When it just ain’t working…

…then it’s time to frog and start over.

I ripped out my progress on the Cappuccino Cardigan and switched to the Veronica Sweater.  The Veronica has a much more structured look, plus it calls for a hook that is two sizes larger.  While that still doesn’t get me the right gauge, I’ve decided to stick with the hook size and continue to crochet a smaller size in order to get the correct size garment.  This gets me a much softer look and feel out of the yarn than going down a hook size would, and I think getting the right feel in the fabric is more important than having spot-on gauge.

Besides, since it is a top-down pattern, I can check the size as I go, making sure that it isn’t ending up way too large or too long.  So far, I almost have the yoke done, and it’s looking pretty good.

January 18, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Knitting  No Comments

Busy Little Bee

Don’t let the lack of posting fool you…I’ve been pretty busy knitting and crocheting this month.

My Sólás Caomh blanket is just about finished.  I just need to weave in the ends.  It turned out beautifully–just as I’d imagined.

I started another baby blanket for yet another friend that is expecting.  I’ve got a bit of a tight deadline with this one, so of course I’d choose to knit it.  Yikes!  This will take me forever, but it is going to be so darling, while still looking simple and boy-ish.

And finally, I’ve taken on a commission (sort of).  I’m acquainted with the owner of a LYS near my mom’s office.  Last year she asked me to crochet a sample for her to display at her booth at Stitches West.  The sweater was a huge success, and I enjoyed making something that wasn’t just for myself, so I offered my services again this year.

I just got the yarn yesterday, so I got started this afternoon.  While the yarn is very beautiful (the owner of the store does wonderful dying), it’s been a bit frustrating to work with.  The twist runs very thick and thin, which gives the fabric a wonderful texture, but makes the stitches difficult to see.  I’m also not crazy about how thick and stiff the fabric is turning out.  It would probably be better if I went up a couple of hook sizes, but then the gauge would be WAY off.  It’s already off enough that I’m crocheting two sizes down from my desired size and I’m eliminating some rows.

So, I’m not sure what to do at this point.  I’ve gotten about half the back done and am just really worried about how it will fit and look once it’s done.  Like I said, it’s a great yarn, but would be much better suited to something structured.

January 16, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

New pictures for a new year

I’ve continued to make quite a bit of progress on my projects this week.  Plus, I’ve got a few pictures uploaded, so I get to make this post colorful!

First off, I’ve gotten my first Ambrosia sock finished:

DSC04270

I didn’t have quite enough yarn to make it long enough to get past the largest part of my calf, so I may need to get a bit of elastic to put in the top to keep the sock up.  Other than that, the fit is pretty good.  Again, I really do feel like I’m starting to get the hang of socks.

On the crocheting front, I’m almost finished with the Sólás Caomh baby blanket.  I found out that my friend is expecting a girl just in time to make the trim color pink.  I don’t have a picture of it with the trim yet, but here is one that shows the body pattern in progress:

DSC04267

The flash washed out the color a bit.  It’s a much brighter yellow.  Hopefully, the mistakes early on in the center knot pattern are only noticeable to me.  The pattern had a very lovely chart to follow, so after getting started with the written directions, I went straight to the chart.  Unfortunately, the chart was not entirely accurate in showing which stitches were supposed to cross over and which behind.  I managed to find and correct the mistake, but not before I’d gotten far enough that I didn’t want to rip back.

Once I get the blanket finished, I plan on starting on the second Ambrosia Sock and maybe getting back to working on my Spanish Moss Coat.

January 1, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Crochet, Knitting  No Comments

The Alluring Call of Tunisian Crochet

The new issue of Interweave Crochet arrived in my mail box on Christmas Eve…what a fantastic Christmas present!  On the first pass through the issue, however, I was a bit apathetic.  Nothing really jumped out at me.  Lucky for me, that’s sort of how my brain works; things need to grow on me sometimes.

And I must say, the Sunset Ruana is definitely growing on me.  I tend to not be immediately drawn to shapeless garments; I’m just too curvy for them to be flattering.  But then I started thinking of all the mornings that I’d wished I had something I could just wrap around me for the quick trip in to work.  I have several crocheted sweaters that I absolutely love, but the sleeves are too bulky to wear under any of my warm coats.  (My rain jacket is the one exception, but it isn’t heavy enough for me when there is frost on my car windows!)  I’m starting to think that the Sunset Ruana would be the perfect solution.  Well, maybe not “sunset”, more like twilight or dusk for my skin tone.

So, now I’m in the position of needing to learn Tunisian crochet.  (Of course, that is if I can afford the yarn for this project in the next few months.)  I’m kind of hoping that I can swatch it with crochet hooks I already have, especially since my gauge is always off and I don’t want to start spending money on a lot of Tunisian crochet hooks if I’m not going to do much of it.

However, if I am going to stick with it, maybe I should just invest in one of those interchangeable crochet hook sets.   It’s a bit of money, but there are some other projects I’d like to make someday…like the Spice Market Tunic in the previous issue of Interweave Crochet.

December 29, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: Tunisian Crochet  No Comments

Carrying It All

December is a pretty busy month for my family.  My father-in-law and I both have birthdays at the beginning of the month, and my husband and I have a close friend with a birthday at the end of the month.  Our wedding anniversary is just two days before Christmas, then we have several family gatherings to attend.  By the time we get to New Year’s Eve, we’re pretty much partied out.

Of course, the nice thing about being a teacher is that I get two weeks off of work this time of year.  So, even though we are really busy, I always find time for my hobbies.  As I mentioned in my last post, I spent the better part of our vacation knitting and crocheting.  I’ve slowed down a bit since we got home, but there have always been a few moments of down time to pull out a project.

One of the best gifts I got this year was a sturdy velveteen project bag that my mother made for me.  It’s big enough to carry around even my largest projects, though I tend not to work on anything larger than a baby blanket these days.  in fact, just yesterday, when we went to my in-laws to celebrate Christmas, I put the Sólás Caomh blanket in my new project bag.  I only had time to crochet a couple of rows, but babies take awhile to arrive, so a few rows at a time should still get this blanket done with time to spare.

When space is an issue, I also have a little cloth purse that I can throw my smaller projects into.  (Another bag that my mother made for me made of two layers of cotton/linen.)   The tightly woven cloth means that I can put my double point needles in there without worrying that they will work their way out through the fabric.  I’ve currently got my first Ambrosia sock in that bag.

The added benefit of keeping my projects in these bags is that my yarn tend to avoid getting tangled.  No matter how careful I try to be, when my skein is sitting right next to me, out in the open, the end of it always wants to tangle up.  When the skein is in a bag, the fabric shelters the skein and keeps the yarn from shifting as it loosens up from that perfectly formed ball, which means I can knit or crochet to the very end of the skein without having to stop to untangle a knot.

If you don’t sew, and don’t know anyone who does who could make you your own project back, fabric shopping bags work just as well.  I’ve developed quite a collection of canvas bags as well as those other lightweight bags that stores are now selling as a substitute for fabric bags.  (Most places I’ve seen sell them for just a $1–a much better price than the prices on official “project bags”.)

Every one of my projects gets its own bag.  (See, I told you I had quite a collection!)  Then, when I’m on my way out the door, I can just grab what I feel like working on.  I know that everything I need is already in the bag…hooks, needles, yarn, pattern instructions, stitch markers, and a small pair of scissors (the kid ones that you can buy by the dozen that have a blunt nose so that they don’t puncture the fabric of the bag).  I find that I do a lot more knitting and crocheting when I don’t have to go hunting for everything I need.

December 28, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments