TAKING BACK [THE KNIT]

I had quite the weekend. Lots of drinking, partying, knitting, vomiting, and promoting my friends' new craft group. I had the hangover to prove it yesterday. (I don't normally even get hangovers, and it takes a lot of le booze for me to get one.) There are pictures to prove all of this, but none are online as of now. Check back with my flickr in a day or two.

 And speaking of flickr and new groups, I started a group for projects from the Stitch'n'Bitch books, because frankly I couldn't believe there wasn't already one. So if you've knitted/crocheted/sewn something from one of those books and it's on flickr post it there! Also, I started one for flowering maples, but I wouldn't really expect that many people to be able to contribute. But you might want to check it out, because there are some gorgeous pictures from amazing photographers.

 

I've been working like mad lately, and managed to finish two projects in the last week. Firstly, the "Fat Bottom Bag" from Stitch'n'Bitch Crochet.

yarn: LB Lion Cotton, in a teal color. I don't remember the name. Heck, it might even be "Teal"! I used less than one ball, which was nice.

hook: whatever the pattern called for. A G/6 maybe?

mods: none. I did the handle flaps a little differently, working into every other stitch instead of SCing across the row. It was easier, as I'm still not sure where exactly I'm supposed to be crocheting into when I do border-type stuff.

The handles are from JoAnn, and I love them.

This purse is going to my sister for Christmas, even though it is a really summer purse. I'm a little late or really early for that. This is the best purse I have made, without a doubt. Simple, and easy to customize.

 

I also finished my mittens. No FO pictures just yet, but here are some almost done in-progress pictures:

I didn't really want them to match, so I just started the second one where I ended the first without even thinking about where I was in the striping sequence. I am really liking mittens, and think a lot of people will be getting them for Christmas.

 I'm working on my first toe-up socks! They're just plain stockinette, worsted weight yarn on #3s. I love tightly knit stuff! I did a lot of work on them while drinking this weekend, and managed to not fuck them up! I don't usually knit under the influence, so I was proud of myself.  

 When I'm hungover I don't so much get the headaches or sensitivity to light, but my stomach does weird things. It's unsettled and I feel like I want to vomit yet really hungry at the same time. It sucks! Then when I do try to eat, it doesn't taste good and I am full quickly. It is pretty much the bane of my existence.

I love flickr. Just the whole tagging thing, and favorites, and groups and all that. For example, I just found pictures from a Highland Games in Japan! I didn't know they had Highland Games in Japan! I am actually considering going pro, which says a lot. Supposedly the new YahooPhotos is supposed to be really rad, and it sounds a lot like flickr. Hopefully it is! Speaking of YahooPhotos, I hadn't really been keeping up with adding pictures to mine, but I went back and added all my old craft pictures. So if there are any old craft pictures you want to see, or you want to laugh at how bad my old photos are, check that out. (I guess I didn't get the memo that pictures that are so dark you can barely see aren't good.) I'm still in the process of adding titles and descriptions, but that's fairly quick. I'm updating all my albums so if you need more weird/boring/highland dance pictures in your life, you can find some there. Link is to the left.

I took another million pictures yesterday. I just do it in bursts, I think. No pictures for a couple of weeks and then pictures of every minute detail of everything. (All the pictures of yesterday's photo sesh are in my yahoophotos. Some are on flickr)

For some reason, I'm all worked up about Socktoberfest today. (That said, I am sitting here with a washcloth in front of me and not a sock!) I joined the flickr group, and put a couple of pictures in the pool. And I got a comment from Lolly herself. Wheew!

 

  

 

 

Older socks and newer ones. Same yarn and pattern, different colorway. A girl can never have too many knee socks! Especially not a Highland dancing girl. And speaking of Highland dance, I have a special something planned for the end of the month for the sock appreciation week. 

 I bought a pound of Peaches and Cream cotton in Daisy Ombre to make washcloths for some of my friends. I've got 2 1/2 so far. Easy peasy. But kind of addicting. The crochet one is just half-double crochet on a size I-ish hook. (It was my great-grandma's and doesn't quite match up with what I's are supposed to be. I think it's way old, when sizing was different!) The knit one is sotckinette with a garter border. I'm doing one know that is bias knit. Fun, but again easy. I finished it in the course of watching the new Law And Order SVU. I don't like the new detective broad ... but that's a whole other story. 

The yarn looks a lot more orange than it is. It's really just white, light yellow, and yellow.

 

I've mentioned granny squares and all the scraps I got that were my great-grandma's. Well, I have been crocheting granny squares on-and-off lately. I like that they're small and yet when I finish one I still feel as if I have accomplished something. Anyway, here is the progress so far:

I think I've decided that I'm going to switch to blogger, for sure. This is just not cutting it.

I forgot to put up the picture of my crocheted octopus! Here she is:

   I love her! She's so cute but such a pain. I'm just not a fan of working in such small spaces. However, she's so darling that it's worth it. She's being made with Caron Simply Soft and a size G(? I can't remember!) hook. Pattern from someone on craftster.

 

A couple of really good bead pictures: (If you liked the other one's you'll love these!)

 

The one on the left is all the beads I have made from magazine ads/catalogs over the years. There is a big group of unfinshed ones towards the top, as I've found it's easier to roll a bunch and then Mod Podge them all later rather than rolling them and immediately Mod Podge-ing one-by-one. The close-up is of some of my favorites. I LOVE the brown ones, and I don't even remember what they're from. They're originals, from when I was making these in high school. (Although, the real originals are the ones I made when I was about 10 from the Americal Girl craft book.) A lot of the newer ones are teal and purple out of a Pottery Barn teen catalog. They've turned out well. 

 There have been a ton of butterflies in my yard lately. I took some pictures today and they turned out awesomely.

 

 There a literally a TON more pictures in my photobucket, so if you like these there are more there. (beware that they're not really separated by album or subject so there is random/weird stuff in there!) 

 

There will be some more knitting content soon, I promise!  

You know what I am sick of as a crafter? It's one thing that really gets my goat, or 'grinds my gears', as Peter Griffin might say. I am SO sick of hearing and seeing crafters complain about people calling them grandmas for knitting/crocheting/whatever. YEAH, WE GET IT. There is a stereotype that only old ladies do this kind of stuff. I know it's frustrating, and I often deal with it myself. If you're hearing it so often, shouldn't you be used to it by now?! I just laugh when people call me a grandma when I knit in public. If your grandma knits garter belts, parties every weekend, and is obsessed by Futurama then she must be pretty rad! And I am taking it as a compliment. So why get butt-hurt every time someone doesn't realize that knitting is the hip new thing to do? I just figure in the end, when I'm knitting sweet gifts for everyone but them, they will realize their error. I'll have the last laugh.

 

I did a little photo shoot today. Mostly pictures of paper beads and flowers (of course!). I managed to forget to take pictures of my Betty, which is coming along swimmingly so far. I am in the process of uploading things at the moment, and will add pictures as they come. I'm downloading the new photobucket drag-and-drop thing at the moment, so expect a report on how that works. (It's taking forever! I'm starting to get frustrated.)

 

More about the Betty: I got my package from White Lies Designs in the mail last Friday. Due to an incredibly busy weekend of dance competition and craziness, I didn't get to swatch until Sunday. I got gauge on the first try and cast on. I love the Cascade Fixation! It was awkward to knit with at first, because I didn't quite get whether I was supposed to be knitting tightly, with it stretched or loosely. Then it clicked: hello, this is a tight-fitting garment that is meant to stretch, of course it's supposed to be done tightly. I like that the pattern is very clear. It's obvious when you get to the YO columns and when to increase. Also, the purl rows are all plain, so it's easy to get in the zone and get through them. I love simple and beautiful! Also, I was really happy with how quickly I got the pattern, and that she emailed me about the little delay. I definitely recommend White Lies, and will probably shop there again. Perhaps for some stockings to match my garter belt. And also she's in Sacramento, so I have to support that. I've got Sacto pride!

 

I'm crocheting an octopus. The pattern's from craftster, and it's way too cute. Fairly easy as well. I did a bad job sewing on her legs (tentacles!), so they are awkwardly spaced. We'll see if I can cram the next 4 on without it looking too weird. I don't want to have to redo them. I'm lazy.

 

You know, I really wish YahooPhotos had a way to view the image in its original size. Some stuff just sucks when it's scaled down.

 

I knit under the influence for the first time the other day, and I'm glad to report no major mishaps. The next morning while working on Betty at some friends' house, someone asked me what I was knitting. When I showed her the pattern her response was, "That's a project!". Agreed. It is a "project". The real "project"-y part will be sewing on the ruffles, rosettes, and attaching the hardware. Anyway she went on to tell me she knits, but only scarves because they are so repetitive(!). That's the reason I dislike scarves. She's a prospective member of my prospective knitting group, though. I just recently re-taught a friend to knit (she learned as a kid and just needed a refresher) and we are thinking of starting a group. However I also just recently joined the Sacramento SnB group, so I might be going their instead. Or maybe as well. My point is, it's exciting to find out friends are knitters! After seeing the Betty pattern and hearing our conversation, her boyfriend commented, "I think someone's going to be the president of the knitting group!" and smiled at me. Hilarious!

 

I was my own 100th comment on this blog. Kind of lame.

I am really considering switching to some other hosting service. I am so unsatisfied with blogspirit, and although it hasn't shit out on me lately I am sure it will soon.*** I just don't want to go through the process of transferring everything over. What a pain!

This drag-and-drop thing is going well so far. It seems faster, and I like the browser. Of course, this is after only about 20 minutes of using it.

 

With no further adieu: BEAD PICTURES!

They're way blurry. Apologies.

    

The paper these are made from looks like this:

   

Some more made of scrapbook paper:

  

While looking for paintbrushes, I found a bunch of these I had made in middle school using magazine ads. Here are some that just got one coat of Mod Podge and strung simply onto elastic cord:

     

There is a tutorial for these over at being natasha fialkov (link at left.) More pictures should be up or in my photobucket soon, but I am DEAD as it is 2:40 am.  Sleepy time!

 ***Just asI thought, blogspirit lost part of my post as I was working on this. While I now have the drag-and-drop awesomeness, if I hadn't and had been doing it by hand I would have been rather upset.

I am kind of having on of "those" days. Just when everything starts to get better, everything turns to shit again. blah. It happens. I feel like I want to take a week-long nap. I just feel drained.

 

Anyway, life goes on and this post will too. Off to a land I have not ventured before. Crochet! Here is what was then my first crochet WIP and is now my first crocheted FO! (pictures of that in my next photo shoot, haha.)

It's the "Boy Beanie" from the SNB Crochet book. So easy it was unbelievable! It looked like a yarmulke after the first few rounds, and made me laugh. A lot. I'm not sure why, even. It was a breeze, and I am surprised I got through it so quickly and easily. I am so excited about learning to crochet! (That was obvious when I took a moment after every round to try the hat on and monitor

 

Cutesy story time: I had a terribly hard time with crochet, at first. Then, I got a bag of yarn bits and leftovers that had belonged to my late great-grandmother Hazel, an avid crocheter. (She had ten kids, and 30 grandkids. She would crochet all the grandkids slippers for Christmas.)  My great-aunt had it for years, and it had been just sitting in the garage. She'd actually been meaning to sell it at a yard sale but after seeing something I knit for my mom (or maybe grandma?) she decided to give it to me! It had a lot of hideous colors like yellow-orange and this horrid lavender and everything was acrylic. Thank god I am not a yarn snob! Acrylic is fine by me, as long as the finished project doesn't absolutely have to be blocked. I decided to give crochet another go, and this time I got it! It's weird to not really understand how things work, and when I am making mistakes. I know knitting to well now that I can tell a mistake a mile away, but crochet is new and I am not used to the mechanics of it. Anyway, I decided to practice reading crochet patterns by starting with the classic granny square. And ended up with these:

     

See what I was talking about with that orange?! I'm thinking I might make a ton off differently colored granny squares to stash-bust this yarn, and turn them into an afghan for my grandparents (Hazel's son, and daughter-in-law). They would love it, I'm sure. But then again they're my grandparents. They love everything I make! (I knit my pop a beanie and he not only wears it when it is not cold enough for one, he has worn it so much it now has holes in it!)

 

Also on the crochet front, I crochet a single crochet edging around the afghan I knit for my mom. I forgot to take pictures, and should sometime soon. It only took me a year!