Monday, January 30, 2006
This is my first post. Let's make it a mission statement!
The goal of this blog, self-indulgent as it may be, is to track my progress with fiber arts and other crafts, with an emphasis on crochet. Other rantings and ravings such as why I hate school fundraisers, why I hate the current administration, why no one seems to care that the mayor of the tenth-largest city in the country is incompetent at best and corrupt at worst, etc. may also be included. But the real point is to track the crochet progress. Honest.
Yesterday I earned the title of "Fastest Crocheter Who Showed up at the Michael's on Snell Ave. in San Jose." Today the suburbs, tomorrow the world. The gift basket didn't contain much that I'd use except for a new set of hooks, but as my kid pointed out, "At least I got the bragging rights." Didn't want to tell him that beating three others is a dubious bragging right at best, but hey, it was pretty fun anyway.
Works in progress (WIP):
* Baby blanket out of Caron Simply Soft for spouse's employer, who's having us to dinner on Friday. The main body is about 1/3 done, but I noticed an error about halfway into the work so far, and if I frog it back to there, I should really frog it back to the third row where I started doing a puff stitch instead of a cluster like the pattern called for. Woe is me. But hey, I'm the Fastest Crocheter (argh) so I should be able to put it back together again in no time, right? Right? I started it last night (Sunday) and need it done by Friday.
* A garter-stitch scarf for my daughter out of Jo-Ann's house brand of 50 percent wool/50 percent cotton, two strands worked together on a size 8 needle to make it really thick and waffly. Unfortunately, I've misplaced one of the needles, and I don't have another one the right size, so it's in limbo until it turns up, since I don't want to buy another freakin' needle and I don't want to frog my work so far.
* An iPod case for my mother, out of some 50-year old viscose/cotton textured cord she sent me a few years ago. It's shiny and pretty and makes a nice case. The crochet is done; all I have to do is sew it up. But I hate sewing. Too many ways for someone who goes quickly to make a sloppy mistake, and it's hard to undo any errors.
Projects that haven't started yet:
* A tank top and maybe a skirt, or maybe the whole thing as a dress, for five-year-0ld clotheshorse out of Skacel Ocean in variegated pink. I'm holding off on starting until warmer weather since she's growing so fast that it might not fit during the summer if I make it now, but the yarn is taking up too much space. My first outrageously good Herrschner's weekly sale buy that's forcing me to stretch my repertoire to rationalize my purchases.
* A mobius shawl for my mother out of Skacel Fuego mohair in variegated deep reds. The yarn hasn't arrived yet but I have to do something great with it (another amazing Herrschner's closeout) and she'll probably like it, and I can only give her stuff made out of great fiber -- no craft-store stuff for her -- since the worst material she ever knits with is ebbie Bliss; we're in different leagues. Not sure how the yardage will work but I may make one for my mother-in-law as well if there's enough left over. I really need to stop buying yarn because it's an amazing deal without a goal for it.
* A lacy sweater to wear over a tank top for me. No clue what patter, no clue what yarn. Haven't found a pattern I like yet.
* This girl's poncho from Trish Lewis; I need to do more with changing yarn colors. I'm just lazy. I have the variegated yarn, and a matching lavendar for the trim instead of pink, because Amanda has enough pink to gag a Barbie.
* The woven alpaca scarf from the Crochet Pattern A Day calendar, except in Moda Dea Ticker Tape instead of alpaca, and for use as a belt with jeans or a lightweight accessory instead of as a warm scarf.
* Something with the yarn I won from Michael's -- one skein Red Heart Super Saver in multicolor brights (I look at it, and all I see are G-d's Eyes from camp), two skeins Red Heart Baby Clouds that aren't the same colors. Argh! In some stores, the winners got a $25 gift certificate, which would have been vastly preferable to the contents of the basket.
I also need to mail a huge pile of stuff for the Pine Ridge Reservation to "Crafting for a Cause" since it's ALL DONE but I'm lazy, lazy, lazy.
Next time: Things I've finished recently -- striped knit scarf for husband, crocheted cap with cables and ribs that looks knit and is terribly warm for Carlos (YMCA leader) if the cables aren't too girly for him (he's macho, he can pull it off), a thread-crochet pineapple scarf for a summer accessory or belt.
The goal of this blog, self-indulgent as it may be, is to track my progress with fiber arts and other crafts, with an emphasis on crochet. Other rantings and ravings such as why I hate school fundraisers, why I hate the current administration, why no one seems to care that the mayor of the tenth-largest city in the country is incompetent at best and corrupt at worst, etc. may also be included. But the real point is to track the crochet progress. Honest.
Yesterday I earned the title of "Fastest Crocheter Who Showed up at the Michael's on Snell Ave. in San Jose." Today the suburbs, tomorrow the world. The gift basket didn't contain much that I'd use except for a new set of hooks, but as my kid pointed out, "At least I got the bragging rights." Didn't want to tell him that beating three others is a dubious bragging right at best, but hey, it was pretty fun anyway.
Works in progress (WIP):
* Baby blanket out of Caron Simply Soft for spouse's employer, who's having us to dinner on Friday. The main body is about 1/3 done, but I noticed an error about halfway into the work so far, and if I frog it back to there, I should really frog it back to the third row where I started doing a puff stitch instead of a cluster like the pattern called for. Woe is me. But hey, I'm the Fastest Crocheter (argh) so I should be able to put it back together again in no time, right? Right? I started it last night (Sunday) and need it done by Friday.
* A garter-stitch scarf for my daughter out of Jo-Ann's house brand of 50 percent wool/50 percent cotton, two strands worked together on a size 8 needle to make it really thick and waffly. Unfortunately, I've misplaced one of the needles, and I don't have another one the right size, so it's in limbo until it turns up, since I don't want to buy another freakin' needle and I don't want to frog my work so far.
* An iPod case for my mother, out of some 50-year old viscose/cotton textured cord she sent me a few years ago. It's shiny and pretty and makes a nice case. The crochet is done; all I have to do is sew it up. But I hate sewing. Too many ways for someone who goes quickly to make a sloppy mistake, and it's hard to undo any errors.
Projects that haven't started yet:
* A tank top and maybe a skirt, or maybe the whole thing as a dress, for five-year-0ld clotheshorse out of Skacel Ocean in variegated pink. I'm holding off on starting until warmer weather since she's growing so fast that it might not fit during the summer if I make it now, but the yarn is taking up too much space. My first outrageously good Herrschner's weekly sale buy that's forcing me to stretch my repertoire to rationalize my purchases.
* A mobius shawl for my mother out of Skacel Fuego mohair in variegated deep reds. The yarn hasn't arrived yet but I have to do something great with it (another amazing Herrschner's closeout) and she'll probably like it, and I can only give her stuff made out of great fiber -- no craft-store stuff for her -- since the worst material she ever knits with is ebbie Bliss; we're in different leagues. Not sure how the yardage will work but I may make one for my mother-in-law as well if there's enough left over. I really need to stop buying yarn because it's an amazing deal without a goal for it.
* A lacy sweater to wear over a tank top for me. No clue what patter, no clue what yarn. Haven't found a pattern I like yet.
* This girl's poncho from Trish Lewis; I need to do more with changing yarn colors. I'm just lazy. I have the variegated yarn, and a matching lavendar for the trim instead of pink, because Amanda has enough pink to gag a Barbie.
* The woven alpaca scarf from the Crochet Pattern A Day calendar, except in Moda Dea Ticker Tape instead of alpaca, and for use as a belt with jeans or a lightweight accessory instead of as a warm scarf.
* Something with the yarn I won from Michael's -- one skein Red Heart Super Saver in multicolor brights (I look at it, and all I see are G-d's Eyes from camp), two skeins Red Heart Baby Clouds that aren't the same colors. Argh! In some stores, the winners got a $25 gift certificate, which would have been vastly preferable to the contents of the basket.
I also need to mail a huge pile of stuff for the Pine Ridge Reservation to "Crafting for a Cause" since it's ALL DONE but I'm lazy, lazy, lazy.
Next time: Things I've finished recently -- striped knit scarf for husband, crocheted cap with cables and ribs that looks knit and is terribly warm for Carlos (YMCA leader) if the cables aren't too girly for him (he's macho, he can pull it off), a thread-crochet pineapple scarf for a summer accessory or belt.
