Yet another Christmas gift

For Christmas I made my older sister a bag.  The actual crocheting wasn't too difficult, but it took FOREVER.  I actually began making it this summer.  I didn't expect it to take me so long, but I only had it finished a few days before Christmas.  For the most part I am happy with how it turned out.  I admit, given the amount of time I put into it I had expected it to fold up larger.  Alas.  

The folding part was pretty cool - the bag itself, minus the shoulder strap, was crocheted in a single long piece and then folded to make the bag.  If I had to do it over again I would probably try to find a self-striping cotton yarn - I don't advise making switches between colors.  Or, at least, my OCD tendencies don't like how that turns out much.  

The other problem I had with this, as you can see, are that the lines don't match up perfectly straight.  This was a result, I am sure, of the fact that my stitches probably changed tension over the 6+ months that I worked on this.  So when I sewed it up, they didn't match up as well as I was wanting.  Granted, when there are things in the bag, I am sure that no one but myself will notice.  One of the issues of being a novice and not getting this done in a reasonable amount of time!

Overall it didn't turn out bad.  Sure, there are things I would have wanted to be better and things that I would have changed, but it isn't bad at all.  I am making her a little button loop to go over the top and keep it closed for her - because it wasn't long enough to make the top of the bag narrower it tends to hang open a touch too much.  So, we'll see if that helps it out like I hope that it will.

Tea cozy and slouch hat

These I made for my almost sister-in-law.  The first is a cute tea cozy that has a simple, but pretty, "butterfly" design is what the pattern calls it.  I don't know that I would call it that, but it is pretty anyway.

It doesn't look quite right here, because I didn't have a teapot to put it on, but it fit her teapot perfectly.

She also got a slouch hat for Christmas.  She had gotten one from her family the night before, but mine was homemade, so I claim better hat!  Ha!

Best or not, I was really pleased with how it turned out.  I wasn't sure how the variegated yarn was going to look with this particular pattern.  But I think it actually worked quite well - better than I had expected.  It fit her well, and the pattern and the yarn colors ended up making this a really cute hat.  Can't complain about that!

More gifts

I made some absolutely fabulous mittens for a good friend of mine this Christmas, too!  She kept asking me after I gave them to her how I had broken into her house, found her asleep, and measured her hands because they fit so well.  Felt really cool to have her say those things, though, naturally, I had done none of them.

The pattern was pretty close, but I did add a couple of rows because I know how tightly I knit. I also knit these via magic loop rather than on DPNs - it is quicker and my fingers hurt less afterwards.  Because I knit so tightly, DPNs often hurt my fingers after a few rounds because I have to push the stitches around so much.

 As it was they turned out as well as I could have possibly hoped.  Plus, the color is fabulous!

They are 100% wool, I used Malabrigo's Rasta yarn, so the downside is not being able to wash them easily.  But they turned out really well and are very, super warm.  So I was, and am, thrilled with how they worked up and turned out!

And so begin the line-up of Christmas gifts!

Now that Christmas is over and I have given out all the gifts that I made, I have things that I can post again!

I made my nephew a hat for Christmas, but I couldn't find a pattern that I really adored.  So, I combined two of them to try to get closer.  I started off with a P1K1 pattern.  The pattern calls for me to continue this for the entire hat.  There are a couple of things I dislike about that.  First, I think K1P1 is crazy annoying for an entire pattern.  I like to be a bit lazier than that!  Second, I am afraid that all of the stretch that that creates might actually become a problem as the hat gets worn and slightly older - stretching out TOO much.  So I plain knit every other round, which ended up twisting the p1k1 more than I had anticipated.  Not bad, just not expected.

This was the finished result!

If you look really closely there is a change in the texture.  That was definitely unexpected, but I think unless you are actually looking for it, or if you know what you are looking at, you wont notice it while it is on my nephew's head.

I also knit a hat for my niece.  It is definitely too big for her currently, though she didn't pull it off immediately, which is a good sign.

I thought the points that this forms at the top were just too cute for words!

I will be posting more soon!

Working on Christmas presents

I have been working on Christmas presents lately!  Lots of fun.  I thought I would have a second one finished, but found out that I actually need a lot more of the i-cord than I had.  So, that increased my work load.

I have approximately 10 projects to finish between now and Christmas.  Aside from the bunch of i-cord I need to finish for that hat, I also need to just seam up a second present.  Most of them are knitting projects, I think I only have a single project that is crochet.

My little brother asked for a hat that is, sort of, like a knight's helmet with the visor that comes down. You know, the stereotypical helmet like you might find on a suit of armor.  Like the ones in Beauty and the Beast!  In any case.  The only patterns I have found online are patterns that I would have to pay for.  Since I am not interested in paying for that, I am making it up as I go.  It is just a basic beanie without the embellishments to start.  So, I am starting with that and I shall go from there and see if I can't come up with something that looks relatively close to what he is after.

Other than making up a pattern as I make the hat, I think all the other projects I have already have their patterns.  I just need to get to it!  So, with that...off I go!

Etsy?

There are days that I would love to open an Etsy account.   But then I recall how little time I have, how many other projects I have going on, and my fear of not being able to fill or fulfill expectations and I never end up getting anything set up.  About a year ago I started thinking about making a profile to sell from - I bought the yarn for a particular pattern, the first pattern I had ever successfully completed, but the yarn is still sitting here in my home.

I did just pull out a skein, while writing this, and I would start, but I have to be at work in half an hour.  Perhaps I can at least get my beginning chain done so that when I come home I am more tempted to work on it - rather than having to start it.  Yes, I realize that a beginning chain is not really a "start" but sometimes it helps to get me motivated if I can say that I have already started something.  I know, that makes no sense either.  No one ever said I would make sense on my blog!

Spoiler: Christmas gifts!

So, this is my most recently knit toddler hat.  I used DK at the bottom and then a boucle yarn for the top to make it fluffy and soft.  My niece is currently at the in-between stage of hats - too big for a baby size but too small for an adult.  This, technically, fits over my  head.  It just looks odd and not very pretty.  However, I think that on her it will give it a nice slouch and gives room for any hair things she has going on that day! I haven't seen her since I made it, but I am hoping that it will be about the right size for her, plus some stretch for her to grow this winter.

This next piece is actually for her mommy.  She drinks a great deal of tea and asked if I could make her a tea cozy.  So I found a very cute pattern that has detail but nothing crazy.  This pattern works flat and you make two sides.  Now that I am this far in I was wondering how difficult it would be to adjust the pattern to work in the round next time.  It would save from having to seam, and it might give it a cuter look.  As well as being easier.  For now, though, I will complete the pattern as written and I should have it done in plenty of time for Christmas!

This is the chainless half double crochet that I was talking about the other day.  It has a tendency to twist and I am not sure if that is normal in these types of things or not.  I am hoping, and guessing, that as I add more rows it will even itself out and not be too much of a problem.  Anyone have experience with these and know if this is a common occurrence?  Or did I do something wrong?

And my final picture for the day.  This is just a straight double crochet piece.  I am making up the stripes as I go, mostly to add some interest.  Eventually it will be folded into a shoulder bag for my older sister.  The "Masa bag" pattern on Ravelry is what I am pulling it from.

That about covers what I am working on right now.  I have other things that I am thinking about starting, but I want to make sure that I have time to finish these items before I really get into too much else.  I would love to make a baby cardigan for Christmas, but I don't know that I am a fast enough knitter to start that now and have it finished in time.  But, who knows.  We will see where I get to on the tea cozy and the bag and I will play it by ear from there!

I need to knit and crochet faster!

So I think I have finally figured out the chainless foundation half double crochet stitch!  I think this has been one of the harder skills that I have learned, mostly because even with the great videos that are out there it is hard to see exactly where the hook is going in those videos.  I am certainly no expert at it, but I think I have a good enough understanding of it.  And if not, by the time I am finished with the 47 stitches that I will need for the flower that I am working on I should have it down pat!

I have been working my way through Christmas presents and my yarn stash.  I am in the middle of two Christmas presents, I finished and gifted one super early, and I have finished a couple of toddler hats in the past two weeks.  It is hard to see a noticeable difference in the amount of yarn I have, but reason tells me that by making these items and giving them away that I am, in fact, working through it!

I need to get myself together enough to get some more pictures taken and up.  With the number of things I am working on or that I have completed recently I have no good excuse for not having pictures!

I can't do just one project at a time!

So, here is the progress I have made so far on my socks.

Admittedly not very far along.  This portion has been very easy, though the tiny needles still vex me sometimes.  I am just doing a simple pattern - I figured learning sock techniques was enough without mixing in a fancy pattern.  So far they seem nice and stretchy - I am looking forward to getting one done.

Part of the reason I have not worked on them much is because I have been working on hats for my niece, as well as Christmas presents for various family members.  And some fingerless gloves that a friend asked me to make for her.  It was actually one of my very first projects a year ago, and I am finally getting to the second glove.

Both still need thumbs added, but I feel good in getting this pair worked on and, hopefully, completed soon.  

I am still working on whittling down my yarn stash, too.  Though I did buy some sock yarn for the socks, the gloves are yarn I have had for a year, and the couple of baby hats that I have been making are all from things I have had for a while.  So, that is making me rather happy, too.  Feeling like I am cleaning up my home while at the same time making fun and cute things that people will wear is a feeling that I like.  I didn't get a picture of the hat that I made for my niece this weekend.  I had to tear it out 3 times on Sunday and I finally finished it yesterday when I had free time again.  I think I just crochet too tightly - meaning that patterns written for normal crocheters don't fully apply to me, so I end up adding extra rows.  But, I learned that lesson well this weekend, so hopefully I can just begin adding rows sooner and making sure to measure circumference so that I don't have to rip out hats three times!  Measure twice and crochet once?  Something like that.

Lacey difficulties

So, this is the baby blanket that I have been working on, on-and-off, for quite a while now.

For my first project that has intentional holes it hasn't gone horribly.  However, I do struggle with keeping the proper number of stitches because it calls for 145, but the pattern V shapes look like their should be 12 in each, plus 6 on each end of the blanket.  So, I often get myself into trouble with that.  Exhibit A of that is here on the second row up, the really wonky section that looks nothing at all like a V shape!  This was pretty early on in the pattern and I still hadn't quite figured out what  I was doing.  I could have ripped it out, but chose not to.

Later, once I had the pattern in my head better, things went quite smoothly, though, as you can see below, there were still some hiccups.  On that row third from the top you can see the bottom of the V pattern is not done correctly.  Once I realized why I was messing up, the 145 stitches vs. 12 per pattern section, I quit from frustration.  I am sure I will get back to it here soon, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to make sense of this in my head?  http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/precious-baby-blanket is the pattern that I am using.  Am I just missing something that makes this more difficult than it should be?

Socks!

So, I have taken the plunge.

I haven't really seen a cause to knit my own socks.  I don't wear socks that often and I don't have a thing for cute socks, so I just never saw a need.  However, while shopping at the Loopy Ewe a couple of weeks ago, I had purchased enough this year to make the Loopy Groupy minimum and I got a free skein of sock yarn.  So I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up a cheap set of needles and while there they had some sock yarn 50% off, so I grabbed some.

All of that to say I have started my first pair of socks. And that I plan to do at least a couple of pairs of socks. I have settled on a very simple pattern of k3p1 just so I can get the hang of making heels, turning the work for the shift from leg to foot and doing toes.  I have some other much cuter patterns that I want to try, too, but I figured I would start simple so that if, and when, I do mess up those new pieces that I haven't ever tried before, the sock will still, hopefully, look ok.

I know that socks are the staple item to knit for some knitters out there.  It isn't so much that I have had anything against making them, but I do insist on making items that I am going to wear.  I know some people who have made tens of shawls but they never wear shawls.  Though I understand the fun of making something like that, I just can't bring myself to make lots of something and spend hours of time making things that I or someone I know is not likely to ever use.  However, the new job has me on my feet for 10+ hours a day, and come winter time I understand that it can get rather cold in our building.  So, aside from the yarn being on sale or free for these, I also think that I might have cause to use them this coming winter.  The pair that I am starting with is a variegated super wash wool with some polyamid, hopefully meaning that I can wash these when they are finished without a problem.  I will take a picture as soon as I get a couple more rows done so that you can see the color.  I only have two rows finished at this point, so you can't really see much coloring yet.  I will get working on it!

Off topic a bit!

So, this is a knitting and crocheting blog.  However, there are times when I think it is appropriate to talk about other things here.  I have done so in the past related to Doctors without Borders and the like.  I have no intention of making any political statements here.

This link is something I think that all people should read and attempt to understand because it says a lot about US culture, which shares many traits with other European and other English speaking nations.  This blog certainly made me cry because I, as a female, have felt some of the feelings that the woman being written about likely felt.  And that is sad, pathetic, and shouldn't have to happen.  So, without further ado http://chrisbrecheen.blogspot.com/2013/07/changing-creepy-guy-narrative.html?showComment=1378351934605#c753277507354885442.

Pulling out projects

Well, hello lovelies!  I hope all is going fabulously in your knitting and crocheting worlds.

I have been doing my best to get back to doing at least a little bit of knitting or crocheting on a daily basis though, of course, there are days that it just isn't going to happen.  Last night I ended up completely pulling out the first about 8 rows of a lace scarf that I had started on a while ago.  It just wasn't turning out nice and evenly.  I am not sure if I was doing something wrong or if the long breaks between rows and working on it were just creating inconsistency in my work, but in either case I couldn't handle it.    I find that sometimes I have to start a project, work on it for a bit until I understand what is actually happening in the pattern, then pull it all out so that I can start again.  That visualization helps me a lot even if it means I have to pull out most projects.  Time consuming but my OCD tendencies appreciate it long term.  Plus at the end I feel like I have a better and more professional looking product.

I was thinking last night that I might try to start working on some items to sell on etsy.  I bought some inexpensive yarn last year and my very first completed crochet project was an ear warmer/headband.  It is something that is super cute and I love wearing it.  I bought more of that same yarn and I might try to make the same pattern.  It is simple but cute and warm.  I wore it when I rode my bike to class during the winter.  Doesn't mess up my hair as much but kept me nice and warm.

Mostly I have been working on larger projects that I don't yet have pictures of.  I am about half way through the baby blanket that I started months ago.  I haven't touched it in probably a month because I just needed a change of pace.  Perhaps I will work on getting pictures of it taken today, including the parts that I really messed up on.  I wouldn't mind just being done with that.  I want to see how it washes up, too.

Oh, something I did do was buy a shelf that has 9 little cubby holes.  I have put most of my yarn (it doesn't all fit) into that so that I can easily see what I have.  Plus it is up off the floor and makes for a cleaner look to my apartment.  I am working on paring down my stash because I really don't need NEARLY the amount of yarn that I have.  I have been good about not going and looking at more yarn for quite a bit - I have probably only purchased about 4 skeins of yarn in the past 6 months or so.  So at least I have stopped increasing my stash, at least!  I will get a picture of that shelf to put up here, as well.  I just need to knit and crochet faster so that I can work through all of this at a more reasonable pace!

I hope all is well in your worlds. I will work on getting some pictures taken today of the various things happening in my needle-art world!

"Chemo" blankets

I have been meaning to post for a while but I am still trying to figure out how to balance my new work schedule with having time to myself while still getting a chance to go out with friends, so I apologize!  I did take quite a break in my crafting - again, I just had too many things on my plate.  I am starting to get into a rhythm of things and I am trying to be better about doing some of the things I love, which includes posting here!

I have to admit, I am posting today because I have a complaint.  I was looking through Ravelry last night and today and I ran across more blankets that have been called "chemo" blankets.  Now, I understand the need for a blanket during a chemo session - my mother died of cancer when I was 21, and I often took her to these appointments.  She had been going for years.  So I am not attempting to minimize the purpose behind the blankets.  However, by calling them chemo blankets, when, from all that I can see they are simply throw blankets, it seems like a call for attention and sympathy.  And that honestly drives me nuts.  It makes people comment sympathetic things, buy a pattern simply for the sympathetic overtones, or use a pattern because it is a throw blanket with another name.  There are millions of people around the world with cancer and most of us know someone who is or has gone through chemotherapy.  Again, I understand the need for a blanket during those sessions.

Is there any purpose behind calling a blanket a "chemo" blanket other than someone seeking attention or playing the sympathy card?  I am interested in hearing responses and part of me expects that there will be some backlash about it.  I am genuinely interested in knowing if there is something different about these blankets/patterns that makes them different than other throw blankets and deserving of another name.  I realize that this is something silly to be annoyed about, yet every time I see these blankets I am annoyed.  I'm not a fan of needless and obvious grabs for attention from anyone.

Slow time in my crafting...

It has been just about forever since I last posted!  I had my little sister's wedding soon after my last post, then I was ending and leaving a job.  Then I took a week stay-cation and today I started my new job!  I'm staying with family because my training is happening about an hour and 15 minutes away from my home, but only about 20 minutes away from where they live.  I am working 47+ hours a week.  So, for now, I am trying to figure out a temporary schedule and, very unfortunately, that doesn't leave a whole heck of a lot of time for knitting or crocheting!  Once I get back home I hope that it will settle down and that I will have a more consistent schedule that I can keep to.  Don't get me wrong, I am having lots of fun hanging out with family, the past 7 years, but especially the past two, I haven't had much of a chance to just spend time with them on a regular basis. So this is kinda making up for lost time, it's good!

I have a couple of patterns that I am still working on, and there is a crochet hat that I would like to make.  I'm not sure that I have yarn for it with me, so it might have to wait until I get back to my place.  On the up side, now that I am talking about it, I am feeling in the mood to get some of my projects worked on.  The magic loop project is still going well, though it is somewhat slower than I would prefer.  I know that some of it is just the need for practicing the technique and just becoming comfortable with it, so I am not too upset about it.  Perhaps I will work on a project or two tonight!

I haven't done any crocheting in quite a while, perhaps I need to get back into that for a bit.  I seem to go in waves where I do all of one or the other types of projects - either all knitting or all crochet.  Not that that is a bad thing, I just want to make sure that I don't get so into one that I lose my skill in the other.  So, maybe to get working on my older sister's Christmas gift!

Magic looping

I am continuing with my magic loop project.  I am making this (and I can make a plug for a fellow blogger) http://100percentmadebyme.blogspot.com/2012/12/ballet-shrug-free-pattern.html.  I am going to have to modify the sleeves some because my wrist is certainly not the same width as my upper arm.  Even with the stretchyness of stockinette, I am quite sure I will need more room, so I will be doing some increases as I get farther along.

Part of what I love about magic loop now, given that I have to figure out where and when to put in increases is the fact that I can put the piece onto the long cable and try it on easier, by far, than I ever could with DPNs.  So that part is really nice.  I know I wont lose stitches and I can get the item to fit me exactly how I want it to without having to guess.

I admit, there is a learning curve.  It isn't so much that it is difficult to use magic loop, I just have to remember where I am in the work and where I need to move the active stitches so that I am not just going back and forth over the same side.  Basically I just have to pay attention to what I am doing and where my yarn is coming from.  It is not difficult, I just have to pay attention.  Getting the yarn where I want it after moving my stitches is also a trick that I am still working on.

Overall I like the technique.  I think once I get used to working with it I wont have many long-term difficulties.  As long as I am paying attention to what and where I am knitting it is turning out great so far!

I really enjoy learning new techniques, especially when they work!  I will have to work on thumb gussets more, since they didn't turn out how I wanted.  But this, so far, is going really well for me!  I will get a picture up of this, but it will probably be after the weekend.  Family stuff going on that will keep me super busy!

New projects, new techniques!

Sorry it has been so very long!  This month has gotten out of hand for me!  Weddings and birthdays and job stuff and everything!

So, lets just jump right in!  I have gone a couple of times to knit night, which has been FABULOUS!  Last week I finished up a fingerless glove for my niece, and over the weekend I managed to finish the second one.  I had never done thumb gussets before this.  They turned out alright.  I am trying not to beat myself up over them too much.  I have holes where they connect to the main body of the glove.  I do have some yarn still connected to the piece to sew those up a bit.  I know that it is normal to have some hole between the two, but these are excessive.

These have not been washed or blocked.  I am hoping that that will help some with the curling and the small sizing problems that exist.  I used DK weight superwash wool, so I think they are going to turn out just fine.  Overall I really like the pattern.  I did modify it and only did 7 rows of increases rather than the 9 called for because with 9 rows of increase the end of the gloves that fits around my arm seemed too lose.  So 7 rows did the trick and seems to have worked quite well.  The way she has the increases done - by lifting the bar between stitches, does leave a hole.  I decided I was alright with it because it does add a decorative element to it.  I'm not positive I will use it in the future, though.  We'll have to see.

I did these completely on sharp DPNs.  For that reason they took me a while.  It was less the difficulty of using them rather than the fact that I felt it was quite annoying to use them - if that makes sense.  They also hurt my fingers after a while because I knit so tightly that I sometimes have to work to push the stitches off the needles.  I think I am going to make my next pair using magic loop.

Speaking of magic loop, I randomly decided to try it last night.  I was looking for a nice one-skein pattern and I found one that I have been wanting to make.  But, it called for the same size DPNs that I had used to make the gloves.  I was tired of them so I set the pattern aside.  Then it dawned on me that this was the perfect pattern, because it is few stitches but a long stockinette pattern, to try the magic loop on.  I have only gotten about 2 inches into the pattern, and there is a small learning curve to doing magic loop, but so far the stitching looks uniform and nice and it doesn't hurt my fingers nearly as much!  It is fabulous!  I think I will use this for most of my small circular items in the future - hopefully it will make them go much quicker for me because I don't procrastinate!

The pattern for the fingerless gloves I found pretty soon after I started knitting last fall.  I decided I wanted to make them for my older sister for Christmas.  I started the pattern but I did not finish the first glove until a month ago, when I decided I had to finish these red glove for my niece because she would be visiting from across the country.  So, I might try to do the next glove in this same magic loop, we'll have to see!

Mindless projects

I have been making even more wine bottle carriers, I have 3.5 left to do.  Then I think I am going to quit these for a while.  I haven't worked anymore on the baby blanket, though I think I will soon.  Same with my niece's fingerless gloves.  I just haven't been feeling like actually thinking about or focusing on counting.  So I have been doing the super easy no-counting-needed wine bottle carriers.

Do you have a favorite pattern that you turn to when you don't want to think?  When you just want to feel like you are accomplishing something but don't want to work on a new pattern, or count, or whatever the case may be?  If so, list it here!  I'm interested, and I am sure others are, too!

Hooray for completion!

So, I finally finished my little shrug!  I ended up having to frog an entire row because it was just too big.  I also attached the arms slightly differently because it was still too big around my arms.  I think if I were to do it again I would stop the increases at the end of the rows earlier.  I think that that would solve the problem, but I didn't want to rip out 5 or 6 rows and have to redo it all.

The other night I was also working on the baby blanket that I am knitting.  I did screw up pretty big time on that, but I don't know how, and don't want to, frog back to that to get it to work correctly.  Luckily it is just a repeating pattern so when I have finished this section I can get back on track without a problem.  It will just have to live with being rather imperfect.  It will annoy me forever, I am sure,  but I highly doubt that most people will even notice unless I point it out.   So, I won't point it out, except maybe on here! Perhaps someone can tell me if this mess up is fixable or not.

I am also working on fingerless gloves for my older niece.  I promised them back at Christmas, and I am finally getting around to making them for her before she comes out for my sister's wedding.

A super cute basketweave-type pattern on the front.  And on the back just plain stockinette:

As you can see I am using DPNs to make them.  I am not a huge fan, and I might eventually try this in a magic loop.  The needles in this just seem to always be in the way, and I have sharps, so they often hurt my fingers after a bit.  It would be interesting to see if the magic loop makes this an easier pattern for me to complete and finish.  

Ah, such a slacker!

I have been slacking on here!  I finished my shrug, but right now I am feeling too lazy to go take a picture of it.  I am also working on a pair of fingerless gloves for my niece that I promised her at Christmas, oopsie!