Sunday, March 05, 2006
Gee, I completely forgot to blog for a month. Uh, whoops. February was mostly the month of aborted projects. I didn't make a mobius shawl from the mohair for my mother because I never got it to look right; instead, I made a very small openwork triangle shawl for her, which I think is better, for a number of reasons. First, the color pattern on the mohair was odd. No transition between colors, and very small blocks of color so you never get a run of more than five or six chains without a change. Second, shawls can look ridiculous on petite women. So, I made a very small triangle in a net pattern (started with a long chain that was a multiple of five, chain-5ed all the way back, slip stitched in to the previous net to decrease, chain-5ed in the middle of each ch-5 all the way across, etc.) It turned out quite nice; I've never seen a shawl that dainty before -- it's about the size of a nice square scarf, really -- and I think my mom can actually wear it around her shoulders without getting lost. I'll need to get a picture.
Spent a week in Houston, staying with in-laws for four nights and my parents for the rest. Went through my mother-in-law's stash, and boy, does she LOVE acrylic: tons of Red Heart Super Saver in Aran. Scored something like 40 afghan patterns, but I don't really care for any of them -- they're all old-fashioned, homey, or cute -- except for a single-color ripple, which I started to make in the aran, but then got discouraged three skeins into it because it's heavy and itchy and I don't like acrylic and I don't even feel like finishing it for charity. I've never given up on a project like this before and I really have to do SOMETHING about it because it's huge and undone and taking up space in the corner.
I think that I will buy purse handles and make one of those cute cable-style purses out of the aran, which takes care of maybe 5 percent or less of the stash. Need to go to Beverly's or Michael's with the coupon and see what they've got, handle-wise.
Made it into Hobby Lobby, which I wish would open on this side of the country. Bought a lot of Moda Dea Dream at half-price and made a soft fluffy scarf in openwork V-stitches for Bob's Aunt Edith, who is 84 and susceptible to drafts. I don't know if she'll like the fluffiness but it keeps the scarf warm even though it's lacy, and I made it lacy so it would drape nicely and be comfortable indoors as well as out. Oh, well; that side of the family really appreciates handmade stuff in any case.
Returned to thread to make doilies for Phyllis (mother-in-law) and Althea (her sister, who lives in Houston and with whom I have always gotten on famously). This is the one I made Phyllis. It was a new challenge for me because of the oval shape. I really need to learn to trust patterns and do what they say before I start winging it on my own.
Since I've been back, I made the scarf for Edith which doesn't photograph worth a darn, and spent a lot of time on the not-to-be-finished Super Saver afghan. Made a hat for Amanda last night from Chelle Grissom's free pattern (www.luv2crochet.com) in Lion Brand Cotton that was leftover from my knitting lessons. (The DVD has you making a dishcloth as the first project, with increases and decreases and a pattern border, which is a GREAT project because you learn a lot but I really don't like handmade dishcloths.) Anyway, she looks like a little flapper. For some reason her face keeps looking weird in the photos -- sometimes she looks gorgeous and sometimes just plain odd -- but the hat looks about right. Sure wish she'd stop doing that "angel face" thing with her hands all the time. If I make the at again, it'll be with fewer rows -- this one is so long that it looks like a little cloche helmet on her.
So, where am I? Current list of things that I want to do:
* A white Moda Dea Dream scarf for me because all my scarves are weird colors that clash with my tan coat. This is a fast project.
* A cable purse out of the Super Saver aran. I think that'll be a fine use of it.
* Got three spools of Omega Espiga crochet nylon at Hobby Lobby in Houston (Amanda's suitcase was jammed full of yarn on the way home). Will make a purse out of this. It's not the color I wanted -- they were out of stock on the neutrals -- but it should still be pretty nice.
* Eventually, Amanda's pink tank top but she's growing so fast that I don't want to start it until we're closer to summer.
* Still want to make myself a sweater as a personal challenge but still don't like most of the patterns I've seen. Almost everything in the book "Crocheted Sweaters" sucks except the Surf and Turf sleeveless hoodie, which I think I'd make in Sugar N Cream cotton instead of expensive Takhi.
* Liz has two nephews coming on each side of the family (her brother and Scott's brother) and she may commission some hooded baby blankets in bright colors. I spent the BSG hour on Friday knocking out swatches in tan Simply Soft to indicate the variety of possibilities (bad color but it's in the house). I think I'll go with Simply Soft because it's soft and washable. Interested to hear what she thinks.
Non-crochet stuff so that I don't lose track of it. Zeum in San Francisco is completely awesome as long as you go on a weekday when the kids are all in school. There are not enough workstations to support normal weekend traffic. But, we went on a SJUSD staff development day so most kids were in school, and we had enough time to do what we wanted without being rushed. The kids made a great claymation which I hope to be able to link to, and Amanda did a music video for which Alex was the "special fx" guy -- he changed the background a million times while she danced.
The Silliman Family Aquatic Center in Newark, about 20 miles from San Jose, is amazing and worth the drive. Three separate indoor pools and a big hot tub. The first pool is zero-depth entry with a great play structure. Second pool is a "lazy river" and two decent water slides. Third pool is just a regular pool that's about 4-5 feet deep. All nonstop kid happiness and fun, and it's INDOORS so you can go year-round and not worry about sunscreen.
I woke up with a miserable cold, unrelated to the above, but it was still a great weekend. Also, saw a new kind of pain guy -- a physiatrist -- who's sending me to a new PT who might have something useful for me to do, and -- most important -- who started me on a new medication (Lyrica) which, despite being similar to Neurontin which didn't help me at all, actually SEEMS TO HELP! I didn't wear the Lidoderm patches at all yesterday and I didn't have the horrible muscle aches that I usually do in such a case, and the twisting pain in my hips was barely noticeable. So I'm crossing my fingers that the effects of this new med will actually last.
This was long, but it makes up for a month of not posting.
Spent a week in Houston, staying with in-laws for four nights and my parents for the rest. Went through my mother-in-law's stash, and boy, does she LOVE acrylic: tons of Red Heart Super Saver in Aran. Scored something like 40 afghan patterns, but I don't really care for any of them -- they're all old-fashioned, homey, or cute -- except for a single-color ripple, which I started to make in the aran, but then got discouraged three skeins into it because it's heavy and itchy and I don't like acrylic and I don't even feel like finishing it for charity. I've never given up on a project like this before and I really have to do SOMETHING about it because it's huge and undone and taking up space in the corner.
I think that I will buy purse handles and make one of those cute cable-style purses out of the aran, which takes care of maybe 5 percent or less of the stash. Need to go to Beverly's or Michael's with the coupon and see what they've got, handle-wise.
Made it into Hobby Lobby, which I wish would open on this side of the country. Bought a lot of Moda Dea Dream at half-price and made a soft fluffy scarf in openwork V-stitches for Bob's Aunt Edith, who is 84 and susceptible to drafts. I don't know if she'll like the fluffiness but it keeps the scarf warm even though it's lacy, and I made it lacy so it would drape nicely and be comfortable indoors as well as out. Oh, well; that side of the family really appreciates handmade stuff in any case.
Returned to thread to make doilies for Phyllis (mother-in-law) and Althea (her sister, who lives in Houston and with whom I have always gotten on famously). This is the one I made Phyllis. It was a new challenge for me because of the oval shape. I really need to learn to trust patterns and do what they say before I start winging it on my own.
Since I've been back, I made the scarf for Edith which doesn't photograph worth a darn, and spent a lot of time on the not-to-be-finished Super Saver afghan. Made a hat for Amanda last night from Chelle Grissom's free pattern (www.luv2crochet.com) in Lion Brand Cotton that was leftover from my knitting lessons. (The DVD has you making a dishcloth as the first project, with increases and decreases and a pattern border, which is a GREAT project because you learn a lot but I really don't like handmade dishcloths.) Anyway, she looks like a little flapper. For some reason her face keeps looking weird in the photos -- sometimes she looks gorgeous and sometimes just plain odd -- but the hat looks about right. Sure wish she'd stop doing that "angel face" thing with her hands all the time. If I make the at again, it'll be with fewer rows -- this one is so long that it looks like a little cloche helmet on her.
So, where am I? Current list of things that I want to do:
* A white Moda Dea Dream scarf for me because all my scarves are weird colors that clash with my tan coat. This is a fast project.
* A cable purse out of the Super Saver aran. I think that'll be a fine use of it.
* Got three spools of Omega Espiga crochet nylon at Hobby Lobby in Houston (Amanda's suitcase was jammed full of yarn on the way home). Will make a purse out of this. It's not the color I wanted -- they were out of stock on the neutrals -- but it should still be pretty nice.
* Eventually, Amanda's pink tank top but she's growing so fast that I don't want to start it until we're closer to summer.
* Still want to make myself a sweater as a personal challenge but still don't like most of the patterns I've seen. Almost everything in the book "Crocheted Sweaters" sucks except the Surf and Turf sleeveless hoodie, which I think I'd make in Sugar N Cream cotton instead of expensive Takhi.
* Liz has two nephews coming on each side of the family (her brother and Scott's brother) and she may commission some hooded baby blankets in bright colors. I spent the BSG hour on Friday knocking out swatches in tan Simply Soft to indicate the variety of possibilities (bad color but it's in the house). I think I'll go with Simply Soft because it's soft and washable. Interested to hear what she thinks.
Non-crochet stuff so that I don't lose track of it. Zeum in San Francisco is completely awesome as long as you go on a weekday when the kids are all in school. There are not enough workstations to support normal weekend traffic. But, we went on a SJUSD staff development day so most kids were in school, and we had enough time to do what we wanted without being rushed. The kids made a great claymation which I hope to be able to link to, and Amanda did a music video for which Alex was the "special fx" guy -- he changed the background a million times while she danced.
The Silliman Family Aquatic Center in Newark, about 20 miles from San Jose, is amazing and worth the drive. Three separate indoor pools and a big hot tub. The first pool is zero-depth entry with a great play structure. Second pool is a "lazy river" and two decent water slides. Third pool is just a regular pool that's about 4-5 feet deep. All nonstop kid happiness and fun, and it's INDOORS so you can go year-round and not worry about sunscreen.
I woke up with a miserable cold, unrelated to the above, but it was still a great weekend. Also, saw a new kind of pain guy -- a physiatrist -- who's sending me to a new PT who might have something useful for me to do, and -- most important -- who started me on a new medication (Lyrica) which, despite being similar to Neurontin which didn't help me at all, actually SEEMS TO HELP! I didn't wear the Lidoderm patches at all yesterday and I didn't have the horrible muscle aches that I usually do in such a case, and the twisting pain in my hips was barely noticeable. So I'm crossing my fingers that the effects of this new med will actually last.
This was long, but it makes up for a month of not posting.
# posted by EKM @ 10:46 AM 
