The Knitty Gritty of Hooking Around

Hexipuff 17-19

2012-03-03T10:20:00.000-05:00

Current Hexipuff craving: 1 1/2 puff a day

HEXIPUFF MADNESS

2012-03-02T23:41:00.000-05:00

Warning: You are about to enter a blog post full of gratuitous shots of hexipuffs.

I am totally addicted and I cannot stop! It's a good thing I didn't give up hexipuff making for Lent!

Oh little hexagons of happiness, why must you be so tempting?

Look at you all, acting cute and innocent. Just hanging out, flashing your six-sided goodness.

What's the total count you ask? Currently, I'm almost to twenty. There are few puffs missing from the family photos. Mostly because they weren't born yet.

I just want to squeeze these things when I'm not knitting them! Is that wrong?

Photos by Ammerican Photography

4 more ounces!

2012-03-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

This is my second incomplete four ounces that I spun up this past month. Say hello to "Jolie en Pink." It's fiber from Spinner's Hill Top in merino that I purchased from The Yarn Cupboard. I say incomplete in that when I started to first spin it it was I think November? Anyway, it's done and I love it! I did not end up Navajo plying it because I was too chicken. My spinning friend Angela, showed me how to do it on a spindle and I even tried to do it with some practice yarn while she helped me at our last spin night. I'm going to continue practicing that way until I feel confident. What was cool is that the method of Navajo plying is almost like starting a crochet chain. So, I shouldn't be too scared, right?

I'm really proud of this skein because I noticed my singles are more consistent and I don't have as much thick and thin areas like I did with my Blue Jay Way yarn. I didn't check out the yarn on my WPI gauge but by eye balling it, I'd say that my two ply merino is clocking in at about a bulky weight and I got about 106 yards in total. What do you think I should make with it? :-)

Next fiber up for this month:

This is Snapdragon from Clover Leaf Farms that I purchased at the Hemlock Fiber Festival this past fall. It's four ounces of merino top. I have already pre-drafted so it's ready to go ...once I can break away from my hexipuff addiction.

Photos by Ammerican Photography

National Crochet Month Effort

2012-02-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

National Crochet Month starts tomorrow and to celebrate, I've made this Crochet Scarf Archived. The pattern is by one of my new fibery friends, Beth Coye.

I used Lion Brand Tweed Stripes in the colorway of orchid. A color shout out to Beth, if you will, since she loves purple.

I decided to make it a skinny scarf that wound up looking like an ascot on me after all was said and done. I'm okay with that and it really spruced up my work outfit quite a bit.

This is not what I wore to work but how I did sport my new, cute scarf. You can also see a little baby bump in this photo. By the way, it's a boy! :-D

Photos by Ammerican Photography

Hexipuff 13 1/2 -16

2012-02-28T20:24:00.000-05:00

Here are my latest hexipuffs. I surpassed the 5% mark on my Ravelry project page so, that was exciting. Only a little under 90 left to go to hit my goal of 100 puffs. Yes, I know, I'm crazy. But I gotta use all those mini skeins of sock yarn for something!

Current Puff Addiction: 1 1/2 a day

Latest Handspun

2012-02-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Details and better photo to come!

Hexipuff 10, 11, 12 and 1/2

2012-02-25T23:47:00.000-05:00

Baby brain stinks. I realized that even if I don't get two full hexipuffs out of one mini-skein, I can still make a half hexi to smooth out the edges of the future quilt. DUH! At least I didn't get too far into messing up my hexipuff mojo!

Current Puff Habit: 1 1/2 a day

Hexipuff 8 & 9

2012-02-24T08:35:00.001-05:00

Loved this yarn! It was Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in the Springtime color way.

Current Hexipuff habit: a puff a day

Ah, vacation

2012-02-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

word.

Hexipuff 5, 6, & 7

2012-02-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

Chugging along with my hexipuffs as that seems to be all I have time or interest for. Funny, even though I'm on winter recess from school, my knitting time has been not as frequent. I grouped these hexipuffs together because the mini skein I was using for the first two puffs ran out half way through the second so, I used another mini skein in a blue-ish color and continued on. Then since I had only enough of the second skein to make one full one, the third hexipuff of this post was born. I'm now on to a nice, pretty green mini skein from Knit Picks named spring.

Current hexipuff habit: one and a half puffs a day

Hexipuff 3 & 4

2012-02-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

Current Hexipuff addiction: a 1/2 a puff a day

Hexipuff 1 & 2

2012-02-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

My obsession has begun after a few starts, stops and ripping. I figured since I bought a few mini sock skeins and the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern a few months ago, that now was the time. If you saw my last post, a fellow Raveler also motivated me into getting started already with almost 50 mini skeins she sent me through the mail! I was pretty pleased with the puff. It took me about five attempts but I did it and I love it. I wish I could tell you more information about the yarn but alls I know is that it's sock yarn from the Yarn Cupboard.

My second puff looks a little wonky. I blame the fact that I was still using the same skein for the first puff and I was getting nervous that I wouldn't have enough yarn left to complete it. I'm not the best at getting gauge so, that was another concern. It also didn't help that I started to bind off and realized, whoa! I have to stuff it! Dang you, baby brain, dang you! I do like how the yarn went from a cool peach to a purple-ish blue though. And, I did have more than enough to finish up the puff. Now that I'm on to my second mini skein, I will try to relax and just enjoy the process.

Current Hexipuff habit: about a puff a day

Looky what I got!

2012-02-14T16:10:00.000-05:00

SOCK MINIS!

Can't stop touching...

How many you ask? About 48.

Two skeins of Claudia hand painted Yarn

BUTTONS!

All this because I made some Christmas gifts during the summer and entered them into a drawing. SWEET! Thank you so much to Olivia, otherwise known as, Zealia on Ravelry!

An FO to share.

2012-02-12T12:01:00.001-05:00

Ok, enough of all these sneak peaks! I got an FO to show you! My friend is having her baby shower next week and I whipped up another one of the granny square afghans but in more of a baby size this time.

I used Caron Simply Soft that was hanging in the stash from my Gram. This blanket is super soft and what's best is that it's washable for all those baby messes that occur oh, so often.

In other news, I have officially begun the hexipuff craze that is the Beekeeper's Quilt. I'm halfway through my first puff. Working with double pointed needles is a little fiddly but I'm liking what I'm getting so far. Plus, in one of the next posts, you'll be able to see what I got in the mail the other day to help me with this new addiction.

Photos by Ammerican Photography

Peek-a-boo!

2012-02-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

Finished projects

2012-02-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

These are two pics of the last cowl I made for my cousin's birthday. I used Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in the oatmeal colorway. It used up most of the skein and I was pretty pleased with the end result. This time I was able to do the flower according to the pattern rather than two little flowers from a crochet flower book that I had the last time. My cousin loved it!

And, finally, the first finished hand spun skein of the year! I'm not quite sure about the yardage because I seem to be inept in figuring out how to measure from my niddy noddy. So, I have no details except that I have more than enough singles spun to make a hat for Michael. I learned that I will probably not spin singles again for a long time. They were pretty kinky and calmed down slightly after their bath but not enough for my liking. The next fiber I have is pink and the fiber is from Spinner's Hill Top. The singles on my spindle look so pretty and I am so excited to ply them!

Photos by Ammerican Photography

A little peek...

2012-02-02T07:11:00.000-05:00

Fiber shots

2012-01-25T07:28:00.000-05:00

Almost done!

Work in progress

Playing with photo apps

Hazy and My Blanky

2012-01-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

2 Things

2012-01-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

...that come highly recommended by me:

1. Listen to this podcast. That's an order. If you don't get some sort of yarny, fibery joy out of it - you're crazy!

2. Take a look at this blog. Whoa! That's all I can say!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Shots of Progress

2012-01-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

To frog or not to frog?

Spinning away!

Baby napping = Me playing with Instagram!

Rangling in the cowls

2012-01-15T20:43:00.002-05:00

Here it is! The Gap-tastic Cowl that took my novice knitting self forever and a friggin' day to complete. After ripping and restarting a multitude of times, I was into a groove. I thought I'd get all fancy and go to a couple of knit nights with this project. Unfortunately, while I was chatting away, I messed up the seed stitch pattern and the last few rows looked like crap. Then when I was at the end of the third ball, I took another look at it and saw that my yarn joins also looked like crap. That's when I decided to rip it all out again, and spent all of this past Saturday redoing it. I promised my sister a cowl on Saturday and dang it, she was going to get it!

Judging by the awesome photo, I'm pretty sure my sister loves it! I loved it too. I used Rowan Big Wool that we picked out at the Yarn Cupboard with the help of the owner, Susan. Three balls did the trick for the cowl even though the pattern calls for the cowl to be fifteen inches wide. The finished width turned out to be around 10 inches or so.

Now, I have another order for my darling cousin. I just found out her birthday bash is this Friday so, I need to bust a move on the Martha Cowl Scarf I was planning on making for her. Thankfully, it's crochet so I can really pick up the pace.

And yes, I found some time to do a little spinning today. Very soothing and very satisfying. Pictures to come. I am nearly done with the rest of the 4 ounces!

Photos by Ammerican Photography

First post of the year!!

2012-01-11T15:12:00.001-05:00

Happy new year, people! I hope 2012 is off to a good start for you! I am so excited to post about my Diagonal Eyelet Hand Warmers from a fellow blogger, creativeyarn.

I used some yarn I received in a swap. Knit Picks Capra DK in the colorway of Harbor was such a dream to work with! I could tell right away that this was some good quality yarn. I had barely any splitting and if there's yarn around, I'm pretty good at splitting it! I had two balls of the Capra but I barely needed a whole one to make these. I'm thinking that perhaps with the leftovers of ball one, I could make Hazel a matching baby pair?

I opted to not add any cute buttons on them. To be honest, my button collection is pretty random. Most of them are from clothes I buy that have the extra buttons attached, just in case you lose one. So, I don't have too many pairs of buttons. I'm sure that will change when I go to the Yarn Cupboard retreat where I will peruse, oogle, and fondle the buttons of Melissa Jean Designs.

How's that spinning goal of 4 ounces a month going? Well, I had to finish up the last 12 for me project, as you can see above, plus I'm working on a gorgeous cowl for my sister using Rowan Big Wool. I have been using circular needles, of which I'm not a fan. Next time I will take the advice of my friend Gretchen and boil the needles so that the dang cable stays somewhat straight! After I'm done with the Gap-tastic Cowl, I will finish up the domestic wool blend I bought from Hampton Artistic Yarns. I don't think I will ply this at all when I am finished because in single form it already has an awesome barber pole effect. That will also leave more yardage to make something cozy for my awesome husband. Perhaps a hat? Maybe some fingerless mitts? At any rate, he needs something nice because he's done such a good job sprucing up my blog with his photo skills!

In conclusion, I would like to add that this post marks the 12th item I made for myself (the mitts) and the 12th new knitting thing I've learned in 2011 (my battle with circs). I accomplished my goal - a few weeks late - but DONE!

Photos by Ammerican Photography

Last post of the year!

2011-12-31T13:14:00.002-05:00

Got a ton o' cotton yarn from my aunt for Christmas. This will come in handy for the amount of bibs and washcloths I will be making this year. Everyone and their mother is pregnant! Plus my lovely sister got me three amigurumi books both in knit and crochet. I will talk about those at a later date, for sure.

I made a ninja from the book Creepy Cute Crochet, for my friend which will be presented to her tonight at our new year's eve party. I believe everyone needs a little ninja to help them out when life gets crazy.

Another gift that will be revealed tonight. Gotta keep those arms warm in this frigid weather! I used Lion Brand Amazing yarn in the colorway Olympia and used their Woodland Gauntlets pattern.

And lastly, a Shell Cowl with Buttons for my other friend. I bought these buttons a long time ago and I am so glad they are getting put to use for this. This cowl definitely needed some chunky buttons!

I hope you all have a great New Years and sending yarny/fibery thoughts your way for 2012!

Pictures by Ammerican Photography

Goals for 2012

2011-12-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to go too crazy like I did last year. And to be honest I've not even started my 12th project for me or my 12th learned knitting technique. I'm still on vacation so, it may happen. But I've been inching to post to the blog world my my two itty bitty goals for 2012.

spin at least 4 ounces of fiber a month
try and participate in the Tour de Fleece in July

Did I mention all that spinning will be on my two Ashford spindles?? Did I also mention I have a box of fiber that needs some major attention? It will be a fibery year for me that's for sure. I will still be making projects here and there. I have to make my sister and my cousin some cowls that I'm really excited about but the main focus of the year will be my spinning. I've been just parking and drafting and to help my productivity, I really need to kick it up notch.

As for the Tour de Fleece, I'm not sure if that's a goal that will be set in stone. I'm expecting another kiddo in June so who knows where the productivity and determination will be at that point.

I think the spinning is also going to help me deal with a loss we had recently. My little kitty had to be put down. So this post is dedicated to Chips. You were a crazy kitteh but we loved you!

Photo by Ammerican Photography

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T12:16:00.001-05:00


An unexpected, lovely gift from a friend I made this year on Ravelry

And then...

2011-12-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

...it was my turn in the studio:

Cowl for a co-worker

Lion Brand pattern - Yorkshire Cowl

Yarn - Loops and Threads-Haze-Roving

Photos by: Ammerican Photography

Photo Shoot

2011-12-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

Some of my projects went on a photo shoot the other day....

Shawl from Hell turned Scarf from Hell

Pattern from Lion Brand - Afghan Squared

Pattern on the fly

I think I have a crush on Jill Draper...

Purchase #1 from Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC

Purchase #2 from Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC

Purchase #3 from Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC


Little luxuries...

Thank you to Ammerican Photography for capturing my yarny goodness.

The bend

2011-12-03T11:41:00.000-05:00

http://www.nataliedee.com

I am still here and I am still working on the last of the Christmas gifts! This whole week was spent fulfilling my civic duty as a juror. I got picked right from the get go and I'm participating in a civil trial that will last for about two weeks. The first week just finished and we are at the half way point. Because I am not used to a full day of work, being part-time and all, I am finding it super difficult to have time to do stuff I want to do even at night when the babe is in bed. The whole process is mentally draining and it's all I've been thinking about for the last week. However, I have been managing to get a little crocheting done since my bamboo crochet hook has gone undetected through the doors of the court house. I am using a pattern I used in the past for a blanket. It's going to be way smaller and a little more boyish in color. I already finished another little blanket for my other cousin's son and got bored with the pattern. Don't get me wrong - it looks nice but the next blanket needed something to keep me interested. Once that gets done, I'm counting three more projects to go. Well, two and a half, because half of one is pretty much done.

I hope you are making some head way during your holiday crafting!

BFL, WPI, LYS, and Hexipuffs..OMG!

2011-11-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

Today, I picked up a few things from my favorite local yarn store, the Yarn Cupboard, with Hazel. Thankfully, Hazel seemed to be very into the button containers and I was able to pick out some rainbow-esque blue-faced leicester from the Great Adirondack trunk show. I also picked up the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern by Tiny Owl Knits along with some double pointed needles and a WPI (wrap per inch) tool kit to measure up the yarn I spin! Here are the goods:

Let my hexipuff craze BEGIN!

Some BFL from Great Adirondack

The BFL from another angle..

Whooooo???

2011-11-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

My last swap

2011-11-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

I got sucked into one again. Good thing I had a little extra cash lying around from my birthday or else I'm sure Michael would've been a tad mad at me. It was a round robin swap because there was an odd amount of swappers so I sent to my wonderful friend Denise, in Seattle and I received a gift from Heather in Iowa. Here is what greeted me in the mail yesterday when I got home:

Some nummy gummy bears and chocolate and two skeins of Knit Picks Capra DK in Harbor and six skeins of Knit Picks Palette in Verdant Heather. I have been wanting to try Knit Picks in the worst way and thanks to Heather's ESP, I'll be able to! :-)

November for ME!

2011-11-05T09:44:00.000-04:00

I was debating whether or not to keep this yarn I spun for me or not. Then I realized that I am very attached to it. So, therefore, it becomes my November for ME! This is the first time since the beginning of the year that I've been a little ahead here on this goal. That leaves only one more month and one more thing to make for me. The fiber is from Spinner's Hill Top and I purchased it at, where else, but the Yarn Cupboard. I named the color, "Blue Jay Way," after having a particularly Beatle-y day. This is my second yarn I have ever spun and I am enjoying the thick and thin appearance which wasn't intentional. I also learned a lot from this fiber. Such as, since I don't have a wheel to help me ply, that the method of making a center pull ball is the best when you want to make sure you have an even plyed hank without any wonky little balls left over. Hence the other teeny skein in the background. I don't want to waste any little bits of singles because I have no clue what I'd do with them. I don't have a WPI guage yet so if any of you wanted those details - sorry! But I would consider this a bulky yarn. I love me some bulky!

Oh and let's not forget this hank wouldn't have been made possible without the help of my lovely birthday present from my husband - a Kromski niddy noddy.

Now? On to finishing those Christmas gifts! Tally HOOOOOO!

October for ME!

2011-11-04T15:59:00.001-04:00

Something little for me and to quench my Owl Obsession. This is from Ysolda Teague's hoot! pattern. It took me the WHOLE month to do the cables. Luckily, I have very nice friends at spin night at the Yarn Cupboard who have lots o' patience. Thank you, Julie!

Had to edit to include my learned knitting task of the month and you guessed it; it's cables!

Wasted time..

2011-10-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

After having lost a day of valuable knitting or spinning time due to phone apps such as Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends, I've decided to tackle a little project to get me back in the groove. Unfortunately, this teensy project is kicking my butt. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it! For some reason, my needles get all fiddly and I lose my spot or direction.. arrg! Luckily, I have a few hours today to figure it out. I've got YouTube videos up and ready and my knitting help books surrounding me. I'm equipped with the necessary tools. I've no distractions. Here I go.....!

September for ME!

2011-10-14T17:11:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah. I'm behind. Whatev...

I made the Zen and the Art of Stash Diving scarf from Robyn Chachula in Berroco Vintage. This was the first time I crocheted with a DK weight yarn. It was light and fluffy the whole way through. I just did the row repeats until I could wear it the way I like to wear scarves.

Oh and I'm still spinning up some fiber from Spinner's Hill Top:

I still have a bunch of fiber left to spin. Now I can see how much yardage some people can get out of 4 ounces. Wow! I'm prolly going to two-ply this to have as much yardage as possible. I'm not yet confident in my singles to leave them alone. Again, this is a wool-merino blend. I find that as I'm spinning, I've been dropping the spindle more than I have in the beginning. I'm not sure if my spindle is getting too heavy because I'm getting good and don't need such a heavy spindle (it's the Ashford students spindle) or if it's because wool and merino tend to break more? I dunno but either way I'm in a groove now and there's less dropping going on.

Top 10

2011-10-07T21:06:00.000-04:00

Why I love the Yarn Cupboard ever so much:

1. The owner. She's awesome!!!

2. The location. 10 minutes away from home!

3. mmmm....fiber....

4. SPIN NIGHT!

5. Knit night...which I plan on going to one of these days!

6. The people I've met during spin night

7. The selection of local yarns

8. I get to try out spinning wheels

9. Once I make the final selection for a wheel, I get continued support.

10. Did I mention I just love Susan, the owner?

Here's what I picked up the other day with a gift certificate from my darling sister:

Another Ashford spindle

Some sock yarn minis to join in the hexipuff craze!

Some progress

2011-10-01T13:39:00.000-04:00

Yeah! I finished the drop stitch scarf last night while on a mini 'Roseanne' marathon. So, now, watch out u-neck vest. You're next! I also started my next 12 for Me! project and it's not too bad. Robyn's pattern is easy to read however, my project doesn't seem to matching her photos... gah!

Learned knitting thing of the month: decreasing stitches or was it increasing? Either way, I can do both!

I need a fire under my bum.

2011-09-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

I haven't been doing much of any crafting lately because I've been a little busy and I'm trying to finish up a book for the Ravelry group I am in. There was about three days this week where my wrist was on the outs due to an unfortunate mopping incident (out damn spot!) but it's fully recovered now. I'm also experiencing project guilt. I have to still finish that drop stitch scarf for my friend but I really want to finish that sweater vest for me. Or, I really want to spin but I should continue on with the Christmas gifts. Oh and the 12 for Me! for September is going to be way late! WAhhh! So, rather than feel guilty, I haven't been doing anything.

I'm such a wimp!

Thank goodness it's Friday tomorrow. Maybe I will find some motivation after the school day... and if Hazel lets me have the time!

Supposed to be.

2011-09-24T09:46:00.001-04:00

This was supposed to be my August for ME! project. But somehow, I lost steam. This is the back of the ribbed u-neck sweater vest I'm making from Vogue Knitting Winter 2004/5. This is going to be my August for ME! instead. Wasn't my original plan but I am still keeping with the goal of making 12 things for me this year. To be honest I can't wait for it to be over. I'm already pumped about my 2012 goals which will be revealed at the end of December. As for my September project, I've been eye balling another pattern by Robyn Chachula but hopefully it won't end in heartbreak like the last...

It just keeps going and going and going....

I've come to the conclusion that once I know I can conquer the stitches involved and the shaping, then I subconsciously know it's done in my mind. And so the never ending battle of: am I a process or product crafter? It changes daily but today it seems I appear to be process. But then again I'm still slogging away on that dropped stitch scarf and I am almost half way done! Yea! Product? Oh and my fiber keeps calling to me and I'm feeling torn! Ahhh, process??

Happy weekend!

Night, night!

2011-09-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

Hazey and Foofa <3

Full Moon

2011-09-20T20:42:00.000-04:00

One of the last fiber purchases of the day was at Stone Edge Fibers where I bought 6 oz of variegated wool roving for less than a $1 an ounce! Woot, woot!

A visit to Cloverleaf farms to pick up two braids in the colorway of snapdragon and sunflower was the very last purchase. The last time I bought something from them it was two skeins of pretty purple yarn at Rhinebeck back in 2009!

The crazy pink and blue and this foresty green fiber was the very first purchase that I found in High Bid Farm's bargain bin. I couldn't resist. Especially since I wanted to get something kind of funky and different.

The fluffy, irradescent roving caught my eye at Pear Tree's booth along with some clearanced fiber in my hometown's colors. The roving above the 12 oz bag was so soft that I couldn't tell the difference between where my hand began and the fiber started. So cozy!

My sole non-fiber purchases of the day (besides a sad slice of pizza and a Mountain Dew) were these old issues of Spin-Off for $2 each. I'm very excited about reading the articles and drooling over the fibery pictures... So, how do you think I did?

Game Plan? Ha!

2011-09-19T17:04:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I even set any goals for the fiber fest yesterday. I couldn't find any reasonably priced spindles I liked and the yarn that was on sale wasn't really tickling my fancy. So, I made a few twenties turn into fiber! That, and I got some really cheap issues of Spin-Off for $2. SCORE!

If you're over on Ravelry, pirates have taken over! Shiver me timbers! I will be posting pictures of the booty all this week! But for now the only three pictures I took at the festival because the fiber fumes made me drunk:

Llama!

The Program

Sheep stamp on my hand

Game Plan

2011-09-18T18:18:00.000-04:00

...for Finger Lakes Fiber Festival:

spend no more than $20 on fiber for spinning
spend no more than $20 on yarn
spend no more than $20-$30 on spindles

Will report back but until then take a look at the new roving I bought the other day at the Yarn Cupboard.

Wool/merino from Spinner's Hill Top

Name TBA

Don't I look just fabulous dahhlings???

Figures!

2011-09-17T09:47:00.000-04:00

Just as I clicked publish post from my previous blog entry, I was trolling around Google and found this.

DANG IT!

In other news, here's another birthday gift I need to bust a move on:

I'm just doing a drop stitch pattern which is working out nicely but I'm already bored with it! What's keeping me going is the fact that it's going to look hella pretty when it's finished. I am using Patons Ducette in the colorway Maroon Mist. I found this skein a long time ago in a clearance bin in Michael's or Joann's. If you like this yarn, bummer for you, Patons doesn't make it anymore. You can't even find it on Ravelry! Well, I couldn't. And we all know how great my internet searches have been working out for me lately! :-P

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2011-09-16T16:21:00.000-04:00

You may have remembered from a previous post that I had a work in process in pieces. I introduce to you, FOOFA, from the popular kid's show, Yo Gabba Gabba. My daughter loves this show (and so do I, let's be honest!) and her favorite character is the pink and happy character - Foofa.

You may also recall that I'm part-time teaching at my school with no increase in hours in the near future so trying to find a pattern that was free was pretty difficult. Although if you want to pay for a pattern go here. I decided for the love of Hazey, I was going to make this doll for her. I've made a ton of amigurumi so I figured I would be able to find something in all the books and free patterns I have stacked up around my office. The only things I had to improvise myself was the collar and the pupils which were pretty easy once I sat down and thought about it. Here's a breakdown of what I used:

legs: free Lion Brand pattern, Amigurumi Graduation Bear
arms: book, Amigurumi! by Elisabeth A. Doherty
body: Amigurumi World Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli (p. 26 head of the daddy doggy)
head: same book by Ana Paula Rimoli and page number except I went down a needle size
flower: book, Crocheted Flowers by Nicky Epstein page 126 the moonflower
eyes: book, 201 Crochet motifs, blocks, projects, and ideas by Melody Griffiths, I followed the goldfish pattern on page 78 up to row 6 and then improvised a decrease till it looked rounded.

I leave you with words that DJ Lance would say if he were a yarn crafter: "Crocheting Amigurumi is AWESOME!

Spinning it up

2011-09-15T16:00:00.001-04:00

I went to spin night last night at the Yarn Cupboard and picked up this wool/merino roving from Spinner's Hill Top. I didn't see a colorway on the package so I'm channeling The Beatles and naming it 'Blue Jay Way.'

Here's what it looks like so far. This is the first fiber I've spun that isn't a very neutral color or naturally occurring on sheep unless of course these sheep happen to be smurfs. It was interesting to see the color changes as I spun.

I am also still working on this domestic wool blend that I named 'Into the Woods.' I'm really in need of another spindle. Nothing fancy, just a basic one like my Ashford. Luckily for me, I will be attending the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival in Hemlock, New York this Sunday with a few of my friends. I will report back with the booty I've collected and pictures from the event.

Quality Control

2011-09-13T21:09:00.000-04:00

Birthday Gift

Pattern: Warming Trend Wristers from Lion Brand

Amazing yarn in the colorway of Olympia

Rocking the gift in my pjs. Aww yeah.

End of pics that seemed to have come out of a photo booth.

Um...excuse me?

2011-09-10T11:38:00.000-04:00

I was cruising around on the internets when I turned around and saw that someone got into some newly acquired (thanks, gram!) stash... I also have video of her taking my yarn for a 'walk.' I thought about posting it but it clocks in at about a minute and it may just be video that only a mother would love to watch over and over again! And when I say mother, I mean Hazel's mother! :-D

NYS Fair leftovers

2011-09-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

Future Dairy Queen

First ride at the NYS Fair!

NYS Yarncrafters and their ribbons!

2011-09-03T10:09:00.001-04:00

There were a ton more that I didn't take pics of. Congrats fellow NYers!

NYS Fair LLAMAS, GOATS and SHEEP!

2011-09-02T12:30:00.001-04:00

Hanukkah in August

2011-09-01T19:43:00.000-04:00

Day of the Dead Gal and Fellow using Lion Brand cotton-ease in almond, charcoal, and terracotta. I'm enjoying all the characters out of the Creepy Cute Crochet book. I found the Gal's headband to be a little cumbersome to work with so I ended up sewing them together before I sewed the band on her head. This will make a co-worker very happy, me thinks!

That makes me almost halfway through all of my Christmas gifts!

Knitting lesson for the month: how to drop a stitch on purpose... :-D

Kwanzaa in August

2011-08-28T12:03:00.000-04:00

I finished up a Christmas scarf for me... I think. I kinda like it but it may become a gift. I got this done during my garage sale the other day in which I made about $20. Not a great sales day but it's money that I didn't have before.

I really should be working on a birthday gift for a dear friend but, dammit,I got tied into a knit/crochet a-long in my local Ravelry group and each Christmas present or themed item gets an entry into winning some pretty cool prizes. My friend will totally understand... I hope :-P

Crimas in August

2011-08-20T12:15:00.000-04:00

Le Cowl

Free styled the pattern with left overs of Lion Brand Wool-ease in dark rose heather, heather gray, and violet. My favorite are the buttons!

Xmas in August

2011-08-19T15:33:00.000-04:00

Christmas Morning Cowl - going to a very special person.

Christmas in August

2011-08-18T13:13:00.001-04:00

Here's what I got:

Alligator Boutique Bag

There were also two other designs that have the same idea. If you like the look of crocheted clusters check out the other two.

Spin like you mean it

2011-08-17T11:21:00.000-04:00

There's my first spin project all plyed and ready to be skeined and washed oh and also measured. It was a 3 ply/2ply blend (invention of my own). Don't ask, just go with it. As stated in a previous post, I channeled Abby Franquemont and wound three balls of spun fiber into one so that plying on my spindle wouldn't make me go coo-coo. Spin night is tonight and I'm bringing 4 ounces of a domestic wool blend that has some white and gray going through it. I'm hoping to try a different Ashford wheel, maybe the Joy?

Sneak peeks of the week

2011-08-15T18:57:00.001-04:00

You will find out more about the above pics in the near future or not so near future....

.......currently working on future Christmas gifts. I'm crazy but I also got inspired!

Swatching and Spinning

2011-08-05T11:35:00.000-04:00

I have started my August for me project and it is the Ribbed U-Neck Vest from the Vogue Knitting magazine I got from a swap partner a few months ago. Above and below are my two guage swatches.

It appears to me that I have gotten guage both times so... here we go:

This is the wrong side of the work but I do like looking at stockinette a lot. I already made a mistake in the pattern but it will just be a little longer than it was supposed to be which I'm totally okay with. I had to stop about 1 1/2'' before I start to decrease. But I was knitting merrily along, all pleased as punch and wasn't paying attention. Now when I start knitting the front I will have to remember to stop 3'' before starting my decreases. :-P

In spindle news, I have spun up all of my Falkland fiber from H.A.Y (Hampton Artistic Yarns) into three separate balls and will starting doing a 3-ply in a few days. I will be channeling Abby Franquemont while I do it!

March for ME!

2011-07-30T01:47:00.001-04:00

Ok, this is so confusing. But you remember that wretched Ashlar Cardigan I just couldn't seem to figure out? Well, it's been laid to rest and I made this scarf instead:

It's the Neck of the Woods pattern by Vickie Howell from her book Awareknits. I used Loops and Threads Haze in bulky roving in the colorway of faded denim. I used a sweet skull button that was included in one of my swap packages a few months ago.

I still have some of this yarn left and was thinking of knitting me up a cozy winter hat with it. Or some cute little mittens... Either way, I'm still keeping up on the 12 for me goal, whoohoo!

Knitting progress for July: learned yo and k2tog!

Last one for a while...

2011-07-23T11:35:00.000-04:00

A market bag for a kick ass friend :-)!

Spinster in the making

2011-07-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday night, I went to a spinner's meet-up at The Yarncupboard in Jamesville, New York. I brought my little Ashford spindle and bag of Falkland fiber with me. I was also eager to try a wheel because they carry Kromski and Ashford wheels. I've been doing a lot of research on wheels because I'm really wanting one and I have no clue what I should get. I've been looking at pricing and all sorts of websites from etsy to ebay just to get an idea on what a used price should be compared to new, etc. etc. When I got there I was put in front of an Ashford Kiwi. How fun! I didn't realize that two hours had passed and I was left with the above skein. Yeah, I made that (with some help). So, as of right now, the Kiwi seems to be the practical choice. The lovely ladies there said that as long as you know what you're doing; it doesn't matter which wheel you get! Whew! I didn't want to grow out of anything too quickly because I'm convinced I'll be doing this frequently and for a while! There was an amazing spinner there, Beth, who told me that she has a Kiwi and loves it. The next meet-up is in August when I may purchase some fiber from The Yarncupboard's selection and try a different Ashford wheel - for the heck of it.

July for ME!

2011-07-21T21:24:00.001-04:00

The Klamath Shawl with Lion Brand Amazing yarn. Just two skeins for this puppy!

The shawl on the chair.

The shawl with a kitteh next to it. Um, it's 100 degrees kitteh, you so crazy!

Most Recent Swap

2011-07-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

What I got! Swap goodies from Heather :-) Thank you!

I've been a part of a new Ravelry group called Veni Vidi Vixi in the 21st Century where we read literature, have discussions and swap fiber. My lovely Ravelry buddy, Denise asked me to help moderate and I was more than happy to help out! What an awesome group! We are about 60 members strong with a good portion swapping and discussing the books we've read. I joined in when they were reading their first novel but was just in time for Life of Pi by Yann Martel (awesome book!) and now we are starting our summer book, Servants of the Map by Andrea Barrett which is a collection of short stories. The last swap I participated in with this group had us doing a round robin swap of non animal fiber. I received some Hemp yarn which I'm super psyched about. I'm searching for the perfect project at the moment. Does anyone have any ideas for me?

Parking it.

2011-07-05T16:57:00.001-04:00

So it's vacation and I have a little extra time. Thanks Hazel for taking 2 1/2 hour naps! Whoohoo! In some of that "free" time I have been spinning on my Ashford spindle a little each day since my last post. I'm so obsessive that I go to sleep thinking about how I can spin better in the morning. Ah! I'm such a nerd! Anywho, here's a pic of my latest progress:

What I have learned in the past few days is the importance of drafting and I've been watching a boat load of drafting videos on YouTube just to make sure I'm doing it correctly. I also realized that I'm not faster than the spindle yet so I've been doing a lot of parking and drafting. I'm relieved that it doesn't feel as awkward as the first time and I'm trying to figure out what to do with my nubby mess of Falkland Wool Fiber craziness from the first of the month. It looks like trying to untwist will make me go insane and I can't use it for padding anything because it's all sorts of bulgy. Ideas?

All sorts of proud of myself right now!

Kiss my Ashlar...

2011-07-01T18:03:00.001-04:00

So I was moving right along on my Ashlar Cardigan and finally making some major progress as pictured here:

Doesn't it look super cute? I thought so and when I decided to stop a moment and try it on for the first time, I realized the importance of guage. You see, I don't really do guage swatches. It's like I'm all desensitized to the whole scolding of "you gotta make a guage swatch" blah blah blah. Kinda like, you shouldn't watch so much television it will rot your brain. Sorry, I gots to have my "Roseanne" on Netflix. Anywho, it was a tad too big and the sleeve holes had the potential of showing some side boob. Not that I'd wear this without a shirt underneath but you get the idea. Currently, it's back in it's original form of a million little balls of yarn. I figure I have battled with the darn sweater long enough. Fine sweater! You win! That leaves me one short for my 12 for me goal but I'm not going to even think about it now. Especially after this mess:

Yep, those are my first attempts at spinning some fiber. Oh Falkland Wool I'm so sorry about what I did to you :-(. I'm going to just take a break from this crimped up mess and try to make pre-drafting my thing.

In Stitches Trip

2011-06-30T09:08:00.001-04:00

I used my groupon to In Stitches last week! I put it towards purchasing some Noro yarn. Oh. My. Goodness. I LOVE IT!

These 3 skeins are going to eventually become a sweater pattern that I saw in one of those Noro books. I wish I could get a better picture to show on here but it will be an awesome finished product. I'm not a fan of the pattern name but it's referred to as YS506 and the designer is Junko Isaji. I'm want to begin this sweater some time in the fall when I hope to be a bit more confident in making a garment.

It also looks as if I'm shawl bound starting tomorrow. Thanks to my most loyal peeps for voting!

June for ME!

2011-06-29T16:05:00.001-04:00

Afternoon Breeze Shawl pattern from Lion Brand. I used Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in the colorway of walnut. The first time around my hook was too small and the stitches too tight so I frogged the whole thing and decided to use a bigger hook and a more relaxed grip. I am on summer vacation after all....

Oh and I also did a 1x1 basic rib. It's a little loose but it's there! Knitting progress is AWESOME!

A little help from my friends...

2011-06-27T22:24:00.002-04:00

Ok, people. I need a little help about what to make next for my July for ME project. Where is my June project? You will see that within the week here and I'm pleased to say that I'm making great progress on my March for ME project.

So, here is what I'm thinking:

The Klamath Shawl

Neck of the Woods

Put your vote in the comments even if you aren't a follower or have been waiting all this time to comment on my blog ;-). Polls will close on June 30th!

Motif meltdown

2011-06-23T15:56:00.001-04:00

Here are my last couple of contributions to the motif CAL.

Knitting has taken over my mind.

I find that I can't seem to deal with the motifs...they appear to get a little more annoying to do every time a new one gets posted. Plus, I'm just not very into crochet right now. I used to feel bad for those new knitters who dropped crochet like a bad habit..and now i am becoming one of them. So here it is, I am breaking up with the motif CAL. I found someone new... I hope we can still be friends!

The booty or CNY Fiber Festival Part IV

2011-06-21T15:52:00.001-04:00

Some Alpaca Tweed hanks from A Touch of Twist...

Soon to be swap gift...

Two hanks from The Fiber Factory...

And representin' the 'Cuse! I had to get some roving from them. Here is the Corriedale fiber in and out of the bag!

obsession

2011-06-18T11:22:00.001-04:00

Got the pic here.

So, yeah. I just queued 21 owl inspired patterns to my Ravelry. You could say that I'm slightly interested in owls at the moment...

childhood memories

2011-06-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

Oh man... I loved little ol' Lamb Chop!

To market

2011-06-16T16:05:00.001-04:00

One of my duties as being a teacher is to supervise the cafeteria (other wise known as the loony bin) throughout the school year. Kids have to ask you to leave the cafeteria to go to the bathroom, nurse, locker, etc. Then there are always kids that think they have carte blanche and do whatever the heck they want. Um, excuse me, I am trying to do my job here. I have done lunch duty for the majority of the time at my school district and I would always get stuck with other teachers that weren't on the same page as me... like following the basic rules of being a supervisor. Well, I got lucky this year to be in the duty from hell with like-minded people. In such an unpleasant atmosphere of kids throwing food or straight out talking back to us, it was nice to spend that time with two pleasant ladies. I decided to make them each a little market bag as a token of my appreciation. Each were made with Lily Sugar N' Cream in the colorway of Lotus Blossom. The blue one's label got tossed before this post and after a little research I found it's colorway - Faded Denim.

In other news, I'm working on a shawl for me, am way behind on my motifs, and wondering which knitting stitch I'm going to try and do for June.

CNY Fiber Festival - Part III

2011-06-13T15:32:00.001-04:00

mmm..yarn

some fiber fondling with my friend

felted goodies

some corn husk dolls

felted alpaca? llama?

felted teddy bear

wool - my first love

CNY Fiber Festival - Part II

2011-06-12T11:57:00.001-04:00

The new mill coming to my city! (sorry so blurry)

Bought some local Corriedale from them!

So curly and so pretty!

Make your own baggie of fiber

Fibery orbs of goodness

Loved how they included a sample of how the roving spins up

Sheep skin, anyone?

Skirting demo

One big ol' sheep!

Nice color from this guy!

CNY Fiber Festival - Part I

2011-06-11T20:50:00.001-04:00

Baa! I'm jealous of the cute baby goats!

Little baby goats

Baby alpacas

Llama - dama- ding -dong!

I'm a very regal llama!

Teddy Bear Sheep (sheep with a smile)

Feeling kinda corporate

2011-06-10T23:01:00.001-04:00

My third corporate zombie. I think I got this guy down!

Bouckville tomorrow for the CNY Fiber Festival!

in my fortune cookie

2011-06-07T07:01:00.001-04:00

May for ME!

2011-06-04T09:33:00.001-04:00

My first knitting project!

The pattern: Wham bam thank you, lamb!

Excuse the fly aways in my hair. It's growing out at the moment...

Hazel's Toy Box

2011-06-03T14:57:00.001-04:00

Fellow knitter...

2011-05-30T14:18:00.001-04:00

Fellow blogger became a blog of note recently! Whoohoo, congrats to you! Now to catch up on all your past posts!

I'm still here!

2011-05-28T13:45:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I posted some words rather than pictures. First off, so sorry for not posting! My life is crazy busy with the end of the school year, looming budget cuts and life at home with a pretty baby who has ants in her pants. No, not walking yet...but she's very close! I've also been engrossed in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Just when you thought you read everything there was on the Holocaust... I'm mostly reading this to help one of our Mexican students better interpret it and mostly because the book has sucked me in and I have to finish it!

In yarn crafting news: I have finished a motif that is currently being used as a coaster on my desk (pics to come). Unfortunately, I remain two motifs behind, as usual. I've joined a group on Ravelry called Veni Vidi Vixi as per mon amie Denise and I'll be helping her moderate. If you're a Ravelry member take a look and see if this group tickles your fancy. It involves optional fiber swapping and reading some 21st century literature and discussing it. I have to admit, having Denise ask me to moderate couldn't have come at a better time. Since little Hazel has been born, I've prioritized yarn crafting over my other past time of reading so, I plan to give equal time to them both. I'm also still chugging along on my Wham Bam Thank You, Lamb cowl. Although I haven't been practicing any new knit stitches this month, I did learn the long tail cast-on from this project, which I'm counting for this month. I'm also totally in love with this cast-on. I find it slightly hypnotizing when I watch a video of someone doing it quickly. Lastly, I am starting a countdown to the next fiber festival I'm going to in the central New York area. Here's the link with some more information. Of course, I'm super psyched about it!

14 days 'til Bouckville!

Flea Market Finds

2011-05-24T21:14:00.001-04:00

Around town sightings

2011-05-18T23:50:00.001-04:00

The good...

The fab...

...and the UGLY!

Mini Swap - What I got

2011-05-15T10:05:00.001-04:00

This package smelled LOVELY!!!

Thanks, Whitney!

Some more motifs..

2011-05-14T07:56:00.001-04:00

Birthday

2011-05-13T23:12:00.001-04:00

Happy first birthday, Hazel! Mommy loves you even if you like to tangle her yarn and empty the contents of any project bag laying around. XOXOXO

Charity

2011-05-07T20:00:00.001-04:00

These were the three squares I did for the Lion Brand Swap group on Ravelry. The squares will go to make a blanket to be sent off to Project Night Night. The theme of the blanket was, colors you would find in a bag of Skittles. I used Vanna's Choice yarn in Kelley Green and pretty much just winged the squares on my own... If you're on Ravelry and want to add some squares to the blanket, go for it! Search for Lion Brand Swaps and start yarn crafting away!

Hampton Artistic Yarns

2011-05-06T08:40:00.001-04:00

My final purchase of the day was at the Hampton Artistic Yarns booth. As you know, I've been wanting to get a spindle and my goal at this fiber fest was to obtain one. Rather than just buy a spindle separately, I wanted to get some sort of package deal. H.A.Y's booth was exactly what I wanted and more. For $30, I got a hip, reusable bag and inside were the following:

An Ashford spindle...ummm can you say QUALITY?

I love it and I would sleep with it every night if I weren't afraid of my cat nibbling on it...

Some domestic wool to practice with...

...and some Falkland wool to play around with.

What I like about H.A.Y is that included in the bag were also some basic spindle use instructions. Very cool. They also included a card with every possible internet social site you can find them on. Again, very cool. Heading over to Ravelry now to join their group!

...into the whirled

2011-05-04T19:11:00.001-04:00

...into the whirled was the first booth we stopped at and I must say, "WOW!" I loved the packaging of the fiber and the colors were amazing. I don't use the term 'amazing' to describe just anything. I got quite a bit of Bluefaced Leicester. Which according to my research is a good fiber for first time spinners.

I loved these little trial size fiber samples. For a quarter of an ounce, I can try out new fibers and not feel bad if they don't seem to work out for me. Wanna see more? GO HERE NOW! There's also a group on Ravelry called ...into the whirled and you'll see me there as one of their newest members!

Last knit stitch for April

2011-05-03T15:41:00.001-04:00

My other newly learned knit stitch pattern of the month (I swear I finished the mini swatch for it this past Saturday!): alternated smooth stitch and tier!

What I learned: use my damn row counter. I bought it for a reason! :-D

Scarecrow Farm

2011-05-02T14:12:00.001-04:00

Scarecrow Farm, in Hollowville, New York, is a small family farm that is known for their livestock, vegetables, garlic, jams and preserves, eggs, their own honey, wool yarn, and local crafts. This was the only booth at Chancelor's Sheep and Wool Festival where I actually bought yarn. I loved the color and feel. One of the women at the booth suggested to me that once I'm done knitting up the yarn to soak it in very cold water to smooth out the stitches and make them lay more flat. My plans for these hanks are to make myself some sort of hand wear for the winter. I'm thinking fingerless mittens with a flap. If there is any left over, I was thinking of making a real basic winter hat with a simple rib pattern on the brim.

Another convert?

2011-05-01T16:51:00.001-04:00

Mini Swapping Part Deux!

2011-04-30T19:15:00.001-04:00

Here's my little Chuthlu made with Lion Brand cotton-ease in the colorway of lime. Yep, that's my iPhone leaning near the little guy too! If you're wondering, what the hell is a Chutlu, check out this link. It may clear things up or create more questions, as it did in my case.

The pattern came out of the book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden. The tentacles gave me a slight problem but I managed to figure it out with my crochet buddy Katie. Unbeknown to me, there's a tutorial from NeedleNoodles aka Christen Haden out there. Now you may also be wondering, why did I make him? Well, my partner from our last swap wanted in on the mini-swap, unfortunately, there weren't enough people to get her a partner so I sent it to her as a surprise! She loved it! Whoohoo! I love surprise crocheted stuff in the mail!

Mini Swapping

2011-04-29T19:07:00.001-04:00

For the last swap in the Lion Brand Swap group on Ravelry, there have been a couple of mini swaps posted. I signed up for both, of course. This was an amigurumi swap and my partner enjoys teddy bears and the color red. I think I nailed it.

The pattern was from Lion Brand. It's called the graduation bear but opted to just not make the graduation garb and make a little double crocheted scarf for him instead!

April for ME!

2011-04-28T20:02:00.001-04:00

Masa Bag in crochet.

I used Lily Sugar 'N' Cream Solid (Robin's Egg) and Stripes (Country Stripes) and double crocheted a rectangle of about 30x90 centimeters.

Here are the directions on how to make the Masa Bag.

I really like the color combination. It was a happy accident really that I needed the third skein of yarn in Robin's Egg. I changed the original size to be slightly bigger so that I could carry more stuff around. I thought the original size dimensions were a little too small and could possibly get me all sorts of angry when the time for folding and seaming the bag together came around. I decided not to line the bag because whenever I use cotton yarn, my stitches don't really allow anything to break through. So, a potential crisis averted! Other people's projects added buttons but I thought the button would get in my way of trying to reach in the bag. The strap isn't super long because even though it's cotton, I was still afraid it may stretch out. When worn around my shoulder the bag bottom hits just at the top of my waist. Perfect!

Happy 200th post to me!!!

Something new

2011-04-27T20:34:00.001-04:00

Got a free trial issue of Spin-Off in the mail today. Very excited to read this. Now to just find a quiet moment in which to do so....

A moment of silence

2011-04-25T20:33:00.002-04:00

Do not be alarmed.

You may have noticed something different about my blog.

I changed the title! I thought my original title was super trite and a tad cheesy. So, while I was driving to work my brain went back to this ongoing dilemma I've been having of wanting to change the title...and voilà it came to me. Hope you like it. I've got a new look but have the same great taste err... well, you know what I mean.

RIP

"Hooked on Crochet"

Born March 23, 2009

Updated April 25, 2011