Felted Nuts

Selma's 2nd grade musical was last night, it was called Nuts and was about the life cycle of a nut--Selma's music teacher, Ms. Bruner did an amazing job herding the almost 150 students on and off the stage as they sang and recited their lines. Parents worked hard on costumes and sets--it was a standing-room-only crowd last night and lots of fun. To thank Ms. Bruner, I helped Selma make this felted acorn necklace (sorry about the poor photo, we didn't get to do a photo shoot before the play.)

Oh, and here's a gratuitous photo of Selma as an acorn. She's front and center with arms outstretched (obviously dreaming of her debut as Orphan Annie).

Regina's Brain

Brain Shawl
Originally uploaded by ladylinoleum

Oh my--I love this shawl--Regina says:

"Using a US size 6 steel hook and size 10 cotton thread (approximately 3000 yards) I created this brainy shawl. Took me about a month and a half to make."

Amazing.

Finished Foliage, catching up...

Finished Foliage
Originally uploaded by plainsight

I actually finished this hat in the evening after Thanksgiving. It was a quick knit, made quicker by the fact that I omitted the last lace repeat and just lengthened the ribbing a little because it looked like it would have been too long.

On Friday, we had the perfect cold and sunny day to test it out, we went to downtown DC, had lunch at the Museum of the American Indian which has the coolest cafeteria ever with different stations featuring native dishes from all over the country--I had a wild rice pilaf, mushroom corn pone and blueberry fritters from the Northwest coast. Selma had a squash soup from the Central Plains. The current exhibit is a historical look at women's native dresses. I didn't get to see it on Friday, but my parents did, and loved it. I'll have to go back.

While my parents were exploring that exhibit, James and I took the kids to the Freer gallery where there was an "origami open house." Staff members were on hand to teach different folding techniques and there were instruction sheets and tons of pretty origami paper. Selma loved making a cat and a fish, we got stuck on a snail, but finished it with help. The picture shows our friends Lisa and Allen with their kids who had coincidentally arrived just before us to the origami event.

Later that evening, we had early cupcakes for Jay's birthday (which was yesterday), because my parents were in town.

Yesterday, I made two batches of cupcakes--one for his school: the kids frosted them with marshmallow fluff and decorated them with sprinkles; and one for home: a recipe for Agave Vanilla cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The cupcakes were delicious and had a perfect spongy, moist texture.

I'd most definitely make them again, but I failed at my attempt to make the recommended frosting, (an agave chocolate frosting, which ended up tasting too much like soy milk powder, one of the ingredients), so I chucked that, and made my old standby, a vegan chocolate buttercream. Mmmm.... Not suprisingly, we have no leftover cupcakes.

DIY Amigurumi Greeting Card

Greeting Card - Amigurumi Owl
Originally uploaded by Pepika

Pepika is selling a hi-res image that you can print out as a greeting card. She has two images featuring crocheted amigurumi on a background she illustrated. I love the idea that you can print them out yourself using your own choice of paper, etc. The image is just $10.00 and you can make as many cards as you want. [Link]

Cute Crocheted Dim Sum

Chinese Dim Sum - Steamed Pork Buns and Pork with Shrimp Dumplings
Originally uploaded by melbangel

Sewing our way through Project Runway

On Saturday night, after the kids were in bed, my mom and I decided to catch up on Project Runway, at the same time, we had a little sewing of our own to do. Mom had offered to make me thermal shades for our playroom which is not insulated, and gets very cold:

I used blanket binding and d-rings from my stash to raise and lower the shades which are just hung with expansion rods because we didn't want to do anything crazy like get out a drill...

At a the Sugar Loaf craft fair, one of the few cool booths was True Blue TC Collection--hand dyed indigo fabric and things made from it. I bought a yard of fabric and I stitched it into PJ sacks for the kids--in a vain hope that perhaps they'll put their pajamas away instead of strewing them about the floor. I'll add them to my mom's usual night-before-christmas present of new pajamas.

New Natural Crafts Magazine

Living Crafts magazine has just hit the newsstands. It's a new magazine with a focus on crafts made from sustainable and recycled materials. The theme of the first issue is crafts for kids, and its full of fund projects with a decidedly waldorf-y focus. There's a cute snail made from beeswax, a town to felt, and a birthday crown to crochet (They've actually posted a free pattern for the crown on their web site.

The magazine has a conventional feel--it begins with product recommendations--but they're cool eco-friendly products like strong, non-toxic kids glue and bio-degratable needle-felting foam, but continues with columns like "Soul Craft," which in this issue is about creating your own prayer beads (and she uses "prayer" in an ecumenical sense), I love the line, "The alchemy that turns 'beads' into 'prayers' is simply the intention behind their creation and use.

This issue has a cute baby doll top designed by Suss Cousins (for adults), and the back of the magazine holds a directory of natural craft supplies. I've already subscribed, and I'm looking forward to future issues.

Finally, a good use for fun fur...

Holiday crafty craziness is well underway, and while I recover from a weekend full of visitors, you can enjoy this x-mas tree from Maryse. [via]

While we're at it, and because I had advent calendars on the brain all day yesterday, Whip Up has a list o links to crafty calendar tutorials... I'm leaning towards the origami snowman. [link]

Oh, and a couple additions to the holiday craft fair calendar, that I will also add to my calendar page:

Nov. 30th-Dec. 2nd: Hidden Springs Farm Sale, Great Falls, VA sale, hours: 12-9 Friday, 10-9 Sat, 12-5 Sun
Directions: From Georgetown Pike, first right after Great Falls Park. 1.25 miles to left on Hidden
Springs Farm. 703-759-2440 Pottery, pewter, jewelry, woodwork, handpainted textiles, quilts and honey.

Nov 30-Dec 2 and Dec 7-9 Countryside Artisans Tour
Tour includes Dancing Leaf Farm (dancingleaffarm.com) and Kiparoo Farm
(kiparoofarmstudio.com) as well as other artists. [link]

Bringing Back Smocking

Clover USA is always coming out with fun new crafting tools. Last night I got an e-mail from the about a new product called Smocking Stickers. Apparently, you put the stickers on the fabric where you want to do the smocking and they guide your needle. I love the idea because its so simple and doesn't require a machine. [Link]

And the winner is...

One day late, I know folks, I'm sorry--somehow Monday passed by without my notice, and I thought it was Monday all day Tuesday.

But anyway, the winner of Knitting Nature is....

Amy of Amy's Babies!

Amy has recently knit a beautiful Spiderweb Shawl.

And in the realm of great coincidences, even though you were not picked because we share the same name, I will be sending you an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Knitting Nature, that says, not suprisingly, "To Amy, Knitting Rocks! Norah Gaughan"

Congratulations, Amy, and thank you everyone for your wonderful comments--I loved hearing about and seeing everyone's nature inspired projects.

In the spirit of nature knitting, I started work on Foliage from Knitty tonight. It's a fun and quick knit, the lace is pleasingly logical and easy to handle. If I hadn't gotten sidetracked by home improvement projects, I might have finished it tonight.

Book Review: The Knitter's Book of Yarn

It's not often that I find books that I know I'll hold onto for a long time--real reference books that I can refer to frequently and use as a valuable resource in my crochet and knitting. Clara Parkes new book, The Knitter's Book of Yarn happens to be one such book.

Clara delves deeply into the science and history of yarn, offering overviews on dying, fiber content and plying as seen by a knitter, i.e. "How do all these details of yarn making affect what I'm going to be making?" As Clara readily admits, any discussion of kinds of yarn is a challenge because brands and styles come in and out of production very quickly, but by teaching the knitter about how yarn is made we're better apt to be able to make changes and substitutions when a much loved yarn dissappears.

While the amount of information is great, I was wishing for a little more detail about the social, environmental, and economic impact of the production of various types of yarn. But I can see why it's not there--this book is meant to encourage yarn use of all types and not discourage knitters from using any one kind of yarn. (I should note there is a short section about organic yarn.)

The bulk of the book is devoted to patterns that are organized by and exploit different kinds of yarn. Clara has worked with top designers to come up with beautiful, classic patterns. The patterns are clearly laid out and include schematics and stitch charts where warranted. Because of how they're organized, it's easy to substitute your own yarns for those used in the samples. I love Jennifer Hagan's Baby Soft Cardigan and Lana Hames' hemp Girly Tee which has a pretty round yoke and decorative shaping. There's also a beautiful chenille washcloth designed by Clara herself.

Of course, I would love to see patterns and information about how all these yarns are affected and best used by crochet stitches, but since the book is already over 250 pages, I can imagine that would have necessitated another volume.

The book is beautifully produced, the photographs are lovely to look at and natural looking. The pages have a subtle matte finish that feels and looks great. The The Knitter's Book of Yarn truly is what the subtitle says: "The ultimate guide to choosing, using and enjoying yarn."

--

P.S. Don't forget--you have until tonight at Midnight to enter the Knitting Nature book contest.

More Needle Felting

Selma and I were wondering if we could create a little being out of only felt. This is our first attempt. I'm sure more will follow. We used random bits of roving and fleece I had lying around. The head is just roving rolled into a ball and punched a lot. The Ears were made separately, then needle felted on to the head. I may look for a bell to put inside the body, because this would make a nice rattle, I think.

Local Craft Bazaars in and around DC

I'm trying to buy handmade for those gifts that I'm not making this year. My biggest challenge seems to be children's gifts. I'm looking for interesting toys and games, things that are not just another wooden truck or name puzzle. I was so bored at the Sugarloaf craft fair today at the Montgomery county fairgrounds. Sugarloaf was pretty surreal--it felt exactly like the craft fairs I used to attend with my mom when I was a kid--maybe its even the same vendors, who knows? I bought only two things of note: an amazing pair of mittens made from recycled sweaters--unfortunately, the artist does not have a web site, and a yard of fabric from a woman who designs natural indigo-dyed cotton.

Since I'm still on the lookout, I've done a little research to see where in the DC area there might be some fun holiday craftiness going on. If you know of any additions to this list, let me know and I'll add it here.

Nov. 24th: Saturday • November 24 • 10AM-5PM: Bazaart: Artful Holiday Shopping Extravaganza! at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore

Nov. 29: Patton Boggs Holiday Bazaar; Patton Boggs LLP, 2550
M Street NW, Washington DC; 11 a.m. -2 p.m.

Nov. 30th-Dec. 2nd: Hidden Springs Farm Sale, Great Falls, VA sale, hours: 12-9 Friday, 10-9 Sat, 12-5 Sun
Directions: From Georgetown Pike, first right after Great Falls Park. 1.25 miles to left on Hidden
Springs Farm. 703-759-2440 Pottery, pewter, jewelry, woodwork, handpainted textiles, quilts and honey.

**JUST ADDED** Sat. Dec. 1st: Holiday Heap sponsored by the Charm City (Baltimore) Craft Mafia, 2640 St. Paul St, Baltimore, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

**JUST ADDED** Sat. Dec. 1st Holiday Happening, sponsored by the Montgomery County Dept. of Rec., 14625 Bauer Dr, Wheaton, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.



Nov 30-Dec 2 and Dec 7-9 Countryside Artisans Tour
Tour includes Dancing Leaf Farm (dancingleaffarm.com) and Kiparoo Farm
(kiparoofarmstudio.com) as well as other artists. [link]

Beginning December 7th, there's the DC Downtown Holiday Market

Dec 9th: Squidfire's Holiday Pop Mart at the Baltimore Lyric Opera House 12-7 p.m.

Dec 15th: Craft Mutiny Holiday Booty Market.

New Pattern: Selma's Shrug

This shrug isn't new--in fact it barely fits Selma now, I made it when she was four. It was the prototype for my Alpaca Silk shrug, and I've just now finally written up the pattern. Made from one skein of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, it's sized from 4-12, and there are instructions for creating a custom size. The ribbing is worked with the body of the shrug, so there's very little finishing. You can find it on Lulu.

More Reclaimed Sweater Crafting

The result of this project Selma is working on is a top secret gift, but she's also discovered the usefulness of my thrift store sweaters and is applying her considerable needle felting talents to the secret task.

Oh, and after several days of cleaning and organizing, I've finally reclaimed my Studio as a workable space. It started to become a storage area during the crazy Summer of Book Writing, but now it finally has useable space.

The project you see on the couch is one I started in 2004. I had completely forgotten about it. It doesn't have much left to do, and it will become a Christmas present. How's that for planning ahead?

Look, my work table actually has workspace:

But most dramatic is the pile in the back room that's now destined for Value Village:

I've resolved not to renew many of my magazine subscriptions because I'm not one of those folks who actually use back issues. I've gotten rid of lots of craft supplies, books and yarn, but probably held on to too much. The yarn is the hardest. I can't let go of the feeling that I'll need it someday. But looking it all over periodically and re-sorting it does let me know what I have, and its given me some ideas for gifts.

Today, with a clean office I was able to blast through my to do list, including some things that had been on the back burner for ages, like renewing my passport which is due to expire next spring.

Handmade Gift: Craft Kits

Julie, over at SkaMama has a great post on creating your own craft kits to give as gifts. Julie teaches a lot of kids' craft classes and is full of fantastic ideas.

Lara Miller San Francisco Trunk Show

If you're in San Francisco this Saturday, consider checking out the Lara Miller trunk show at Azalea Boutique. I interviewed Lara for a recent Veg News article on sustainability in fashion. Lara uses exclusively plant materials in her designs and her new line features soy and bamboo (Lara says the manufacturer of her bamboo recycles the chemicals used in its processing so its more like the earth friendly Tencel, then its evil step-sister Rayon). All her manufacturing is done in Chicago. Here's a bit from the Veg News article:

Lara Miller finished design school without any exposure to ecological design. She’d been vegetarian middle school, and vegan since she was a teenager, so she never really thought about using animal products in her work. She says, that as a child, animal welfare was the driving force behind her food choices. But it wasn’t until she interned with laurenceleste, a line of organic cotton baby clothes, that she saw how she could extend that passion into her design work.

Miller’s collection, made from bamboo, organic cotton and other earth-friendly materials are inspired by her childhood fascination with refashioning and repurposing her hand-me-down clothes. A child of the 80s, she fondly remembers the “Units” craze—stores filled with interchangeable mix and match knits—and as a kid would go wild using safety pins to alter her clothes.

Miller has an analytical mind; she loves to work with the geometry of a garment to create a piece that can be “flipped” around to create new looks. “Wearing the [pieces] in multiple ways fits into my sustainable design philosophy.” Miller loves how a versatile piece can be used more and how it allows the wearer to consume less.

Thrift Store Re-fashion Step One (or two)

Thrift Store Re-fashion Step One (or two)
Originally uploaded by plainsight

I bought this fair isle sweater at the thrift store (it was huge). I had planned on felting it and making pot holders out of it, but when it was felted, it looked like it might fit me. I fulled it and dried it in the dryer for good measure, then removed sleeves, waist and neck bands and cut the front open. The fit is great--now I just need to do some fun finishing... Pinking shears to neaten up the edges, and a closure.

Lizard Gloves

lizko
Originally uploaded by me si

I love these lizard gloves that Flickr user Me Si crocheted. I haven't seen many with half-fingers like these. She stitched in the front loop only which gives a more flexible fabric to the gloves, and I'm sure the recycled angora yarn she used makes them exceptionally soft.

On a Dare...

Says die-hard knitter Jennifer:

Dared by [Amy], I have made a crocheted item!

Saw the shop model at the store (A Tangled Skein), and liked it, so Amy dared me to make it. And I have! I think I will get much use out of this!

What I actually said was, "I'll fall down if you actually make this."

I think the hat looks adorable. I haven't held up my end of the bargain yet, the floor at the bar where we knit is concrete, and I didn't want to hurt myself!

Here she is last night working on it, so you know she did it herself:

For a non-crocheter she has quite the collection of pretty hooks, hand-turned wood ones, the new Kollage are ones, and even a Clover light-up one! She's wearing her newly finished Adamas shawl by Miriam Felton.

Knitting Nature Contest

If you read Robyn's blog or the Craft blog, you'll know by now that Norah Gaughan has a new blog. Isn't it great timing that, in cleaning out my studio, I discovered I have not one, but TWO copies of her much acclaimed book, Knitting Nature?

You can win my spare copy.

Leave a comment here on my blog telling how you've been inspired by nature in your crochet or your knitting. Bonus points for links to pictures! The contest will be open until Monday November 19th at midnight, EST. Make sure your comment or your blog profile includes a method of contact, or your entry will not qualify. Good luck and have fun!

Technorati Tags:
book, norah gaughan, free, contest

Garter Break

I'm cheating on my current crochet project with some mindless knitting with stash yarn. Due to a few nights of movie watching and some waiting in line today, I've made pretty good progress on this vest, which I'm making to throw on in the house when its cold.

I'm having fun playing with the concept--a simple hem to hem one-piece vest based on Lloie's Jerkin a pattern in Knitting Workshop that have only seen one version of on the web. So far, I've added waist shaping, I may put on a belt, and I'll see if I'm going to mess with anything in the front--I may make a v-neck. I thought at first about a wrap, but I don't think I'll do that, too much knitting. The description of the pattern has no armhole shaping, but the picture clearly does. I'm leaving it out because I'd like a bit of a sleeve cap. I may add the shoulder short rows that EZ suggests.

I've never done applied i-cord before, so I'd like to finish it with that, but I'm concerned it might make the very stretchy garter stitch too rigid around the edges. What do you think?

I adore knitting with Malabrigo, but its very obvious where one ball ends and the other begins, even though they're the same dye lot. If this weren't for me, I might stripe the balls, but I'm not going to worry about it.

Book Review: New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1

When I first met Cat Bordhi, she was deep in the process of creating her new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1 She had projects from the book and ideas were already brewing for future books in the series. Her passion for knitting socks (knitting any unusual shape, really) is contagious. I took more sock classes from Cat over the next year or so, and each time, she'd reveal another "secret" or two about the book making her students even more eager for its release.

It's not surprising that the book quickly sold out of its first printing. It begins with two baby "learning" socks that teach, not only the new knitting concepts, but also how to read the patterns in the new way they're presented. The book is then divided into eight different "architectures." Each approaches sock construction in a new way. Throughout each chapter there are beautiful sock designs each taking full advantage of the unusual construction being presented. Each chapter also has a "master" pattern which allows the knitter to create their own sock design using whatever yarn and gauge they'd like. (Search "new pathways" on flickr to see examples of socks being made). You can also try your hand at a one of the patterns in the book--the Coriolis sock which is offered on the Knitty Gritty web site.

New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1 has a clear and easy to understand layout and a novel, lovely design. I have yet to knit one of the new socks from the book (tho I have made a few baby socks in classes, and already incorporated some concepts into my crocheted socks) but I've spent hours reading about them and haven't tired of it a bit. I can't wait to dig deeper, and as Clara Parkes is quoted on the back of the book, "This is just book one. I can only imagine what'll come next."

Technorati Tags:
book, cat bordhi, knitting, knitty gritty, socks

Starting over...

Creating crochet fabric with straight even edges is a skill that often challenges beginners. If you don't start and end rows in the right place your rectangle can take on just about any shape (amoeba, perhaps?). Last night, I discovered my edges were too straight. By working straight edges, I created a "tight point" in what otherwise would be a very stretchy fabric. Add to that the fact that I want to block the heck out of this and there's only one solution: begin again. I can't have the center of the fabric blocking tons bigger than the edges.

Normally, I work the final stitch of a row of double crochet into the turning chain from the row below to get a nice, even (but inelastic in this case) edge. There are a few options if you want to avoid working the turning chain:

1) Don't chain-3. Lily Chin prefers this method of starting double crochet rows. Instead of a chain 3, she elongates the loop on the hook at the end of the row so its the height of the double crochet. Then, yarn over, pull through to secure. Work the first double crochet in the first stitch of the row. This elongated chain does not count as a stitch. This method is great for solid fabric, but it won't work for me with this stitch pattern.

2) Chain, but don't work the chain. If you work your chain-3, but then don't count it as a stitch (i.e. ch 3, dc in thefirst st of the row, do not dc in the turning ch at the end of the row, as for a half-double crochet), then all of your fabric should have equal elasticity. You have a little extra fabric on the edges from the chain, but I think it can look decorative, and it disappears easily if your adding any kind of edging. Again, this works best for solid fabric, but won't work with my stitch pattern because the off-kilter shells mean I'm skipping several stitches at the beginning of the row.

3) Change the placement of the final stitch. The solution for me was actually quite simple (the hard part is, I had crocheted over a foot of fabric before waking up to the problem). If I work the final stitch of the row in the chain space from the row below, instead of into the chain itself, then that final stitch will have just as much stretch as the rest of the piece, since all the shells in the fabric are also worked into chain spaces.

So there you have it. Now I just have to get started ripping and re-crocheting.

I just got cheered up by my inbox. Also, I see from the Craft Blog that CraftyPod has a nice review of my crocheted hat tutorial in CRAFT: 05. And, the Knitty suprise is up, and Miriam Felton has another gorgeous lace shawl pattern available. I imagine needles dropping to the floor all of the world as folks scramble to cast on for this instead. Not me tho. I'm following Futuregirl's lead and I'm being good about starting new projects. She has tied her copy of the Crochet Me book shut, so she won't start any of the projects in there until she's finished some of her other works in progress.

Crochet and Gagging Amoeba

First the crochet.

One of the things we recovered from my mother-in-law's house after she passed away was this blanket. It's wool oversized grannies made in natural colors of chunky yarn. It's heavy and warm. I love the big blocks and simple color combination. I don't know if she made it, she was a highly skilled crocheter so she certainly could have. It needs a good airing out and a little repair. There are a couple of moth holes. I think I can repair using the broken yarn around the holes themselves.

Then there's my new project bag.

Last spring I bought Selma some flannel sock monkey sheets from the bargain bin at Target. They sat in the closet until it was cold enough for flannel again (yesterday!). I realized when I opened the package that the sheets were in this little flannel drawstring bag. Somehow, Selma didn't protest when I said I'd like to keep it.

Now onto the amoeba. Yesterday when I was procrastinating examining my blog statistics, I discovered that people find my blog when they search "brain-eating amoeba" because of a post I wrote back in September. How funny to imagine the people looking for information on parasites find a crochet blog instead! I told my brother the programmer who of course, couldn't let it rest there. He discovered by playing with google, if you type in "gagging amoeba" my site is top-listed! He says I'm also the top for "amoeba crochet" and suggests it might be time to crochet an amoeba. [ETA: John wants to make sure I say he specified a crocheted ameoba HAT--hoping it might provide some protection from the real thing... hmmm... he does have a birthday coming up]. He says I should be proud of the google rating. A dubious distinction, I think.

How the swatch was won

Here's the final stitch pattern from my yarn battle yesterday. While I was frustrated at not quickly finding the right stitch pattern, I have to say, I loved working with the yarn. It's Fil de La Mer from Tilli Tomas. It's 70% silk and 30% Seacell (which is a combination of lyocell processed wood pulp and 5% seaweed). The yarn has a cabled construction which gives it quite a bit of bounce for silk, and the Seacell makes it have all of the shine and softness, but none of the squeaky chalkiness that silk sometimes has. (It still smells like silk, especially when blocked. The yarn is dyed as a subtle semi-solid and the slight variation in blues is lovely to watch as you crochet.

So, I had a lot to consider when swatching, and it took me almost an entire ball of yarn to figure it out. I already knew the shape and construction of the garment, so the fabric had to work for that construction. I loved the look of the yarn in a more solid fabric--I tried linked doubles and trebles, I tried alternating rows of double crochet and single crochet, and it looked nice, but I felt that a solid sweater would a) be too heavy, and b) use too much yarn. I tried more intricate lace motifs, but they seemed too "retro" and reminded me of the lace cotton crocheted sweaters of the 1980s. Not what I'm going for. I tried stacked and simple staggered shells, but they seemed too, well, symmetrical.

I used all my normal resources--The Harmony Guides, Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet, but I also had two new stitch guides at my disposal. Sasha Kagan's beautiful Crochet Inspiration, and The Complete Book of Crochet Stitches by Linda Schapper. Both books have stitches not present in my other books, and what's more, even seeing "old" stitches presented in a new light can give me ideas.

When I'm trying a stitch pattern from a book, I don't usually follow the line-by-line instructions. Because I have to really learn the stitch both physically and intellectually, I'll work from the picture and deconstruct it. When I'm not following someone's written instructions I feel more free to make changes and alter a stitch pattern to fit my needs. Later, when I've decided on my stitch, I'll chart it, by hand, on graph paper to figure out repeats and if necessary, work out how I'm going to make increases and decreases.

Last night, I blocked and measured my swatch, calculated my foundation chain based on the stitch pattern and the size of the pieces which I had already determined with a schematic, and I started the sweater. I got about 6 inches done.

What the yarn wants...

I've been struggling with a swatch all morning, and I'm having a hard time letting the yarn speak for itself--I keep imposing my ideas, which are not working. I'm taking a break, and I'll come back to it later.

Yesterday, I did get a start on organizing the buttons.

There are so many, it will take a long time to get them all organized. The prettiest ones were sewn onto cards decades ago, and I'm going to leave them on the cards, so I'll have to find a new way to store all the carded ones. (They're mostly single buttons, not sets). Maybe a file box would work.

But there are bags and bags (that used to be jars and jars) of other buttons, and when we start sorting through the bags we find lots of sets of three, five and more buttons. Here's where the little drawers are coming in handy. Selma and I are stringing the sets onto thread and then organizing the buttons by color. We got through one gallon ziploc bag yesterday, I think I'll do another one tonight if I ever finish the swatch that's been bating me.

Technorati Tags:
buttons, antique

Handmade Holidays

In the spirit of the big online push to buy handmade this year, as well as my hope for less consumption overall this holiday season, what did I do? I went shopping. Namely to the DC Craft Mafia's holiday craft festival. It was a lively, friendly event, with some beautiful things, but not a lot that caught my eye. I did get a couple of small hand-sewn gifts, but I was really hoping for innovative handmade toys--there was nothing.

I also was hoping to see more made from recycled, reused, or repurposed materials. There was very little of that. My favorite was UglyKitty who makes neat address card boxes where the address cards are recycled reply cards from magazines.

There were a couple of crocheters:

This is Needle Noodles, I especially loved her play food.

I can't find the card for this vendor, but I think it's Oh Dear.

Heidi Roland had some unusual earrings featuring her photography. I loved that idea, but wished I could have earrings with my own photographs in them.

I was hoping to see some new trends in the design of indie crafts, but there were still a lot of themes that I'm pretty bored of: monsters, sea creatures and birds. Also, each monster, sea creature and bird seems to look like every other. Also, there are A LOT of aprons! I do love aprons, but the market seems to be saturated. What's next?

Overall, I can't believe that people can even cover the cost of their materials because the prices are so low. I think if crafters don't charge what their crafts are worth, then their audience will never understand the time and effort that goes into creating them. I used to be part of this circuit, selling crocheted scarves before I started designing for publication, and even though I was charging far more for my work than the prices I saw yesterday, I was barely breaking even. But that's a rant for another post.

Last night, I finished my Calorimetry.

It's super-comfy, tho I think it doesn't look as cute on me as I think it would on someone with bangs, but I love the yarn (still haven't figured out what it is), and I love how it covers my ears and lets me keep the pony tail.

The button is from my grandmother's collection. I recently inherited a lot of antique buttons from my mother-in-law, and today I bought a box at the hardware store full of 64 little drawers to organize the buttons. I'll get started as soon as I get Jay down for his nap.

Technorati Tags:
crochet, dc, dc craft mafia, craft

Book Review: Vintage Crochet

Normally, when you here the words "vintage" and "crochet" in the same sentence, your mind is drawn to the crochet kitsch of the 1970s. I have nothing against 70s crochet, but this new book, Vintage Crochet by Susan Cropper is something entirely different. She took the concept of "vintage" and asked several designers to apply it to crochet designs "for home, garden, fashion and gifts." The book is beautifully presented and the photography is well styled adding to the vintage feel.

There are a total of 30 patterns, beginning with Fashion. There's a classic filet tunic, and a Rickrack Kerchief that I just love. It's crocheted in a simple shell pattern, but simple color changes give a rick rack feel, then it's finished with an eyelet row and ribbons. At once vintage and very current. Some of the garments seem boxy or like they were done in too heavy a yarn like the "Millie Cardigan." But others have a sweet old fashioned feel like the "Nico" dress with it's Irish crocheted skirt.

In the gifts section, there's "Syd" a sweet looking stuffed rabbit, and beautiful pattern for crocheted hanger with flowers (I have a soft spot for crocheted hangers since my grandmother used to make them, and there's nothing better for hanging slippery clothes).

There are no schematics or stitch charts for the patterns--a definite detractor in my opinion, but the book has such style and whimsy that it may be worth reading for the photos alone.

Cool Warmth: Craft Pattern Podcast

Originally published on Crochet Me, the Cool Warmth scarf set has been reformatted as today's Craft Magazine Pattern Podcast. You can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

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crochet, free pattern, scarf, craft magazine

Soctoberfest, a shawl and a hat...

By the time I sat down to knit last night, I was exhausted but determined to just work on something fun. I cast on for Calorimetry. It wasn't until I started working it that I realized it's sort of a giant, stand-alone short-row heel! I'm sure it would be fun to crochet one too--I'll probably try that next. I loved scrolling through the finished versions on Ravelry before I got started. Due to the caveats from previous knitters, and due to the fact that I was using unlabeled mystery yarn from my stash (maybe fleece artist?)

I took the time to swatch. Good thing, because I needed to cast on only 108 stitches instead of 120.

I realize I have a couple of FO's that I haven't posted about. I actually did finish a pair of socks in time for Socktoberfest, but didn't get to post them until now. They're for Selma:

It's a toe-up crocheted sock with a short-row heel. I worked linked doubles for the sole of the foot which gives a thin but solid fabric. I've been using linked stitches a lot lately, and was thinking about posting a tutorial about them, but remembered that Robyn has a great one on Crochet Me. After the heel turn, I woked a couple of extra rows back and forth to give a bit of a "heel flap" look. The yarn is Panda Wool from Crystal Palace.

They are a wee bit roomy on her, but she says they're very comfortable. James now wants socks too--I'm thinking hiking socks since he does a fair bit of traipsing around in the woods in the winter, and that would allow me to use a slightly heavier yarn.

Just before Rhinebeck, I blocked a crocheted shawl that I began and finished sometime in June. It had been lost in the bottom of my workbasket for months.

I wore it to the Ravelry Party.

On the way to Rhinebeck I cast on for a Hat made from SeaColors yarn that I bought last year at Rhinebeck (It is actually the only Rhinebeck yarn I have used from my 2006 purchases!). I had chosen the yarn last fall to make a hat for my friend Molly, and since she was going to be meeting us there, I thought I ought to actually knit it!

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calorimetry, crochet, crochet me, knitting, knitty, socktoberfest

Halloween Roundup

It was a warm night and all the ghouls, and goblins, witches and wizards had a great time wandering the neighborhood. Our neighborhood is teeming with kids, and the roar of giggles and conversation was quite loud if you were standing outside. Preparation for Halloween on Minter Place is a neighborhood affair--we raid our collective closets and costume stashes, we plan and sew and glue together, so it's always fun to see the results!

Jay dressed as Spiderman.

Selma was Bunicula

We bumped into Emerson on our rounds, who had borrowed the kids' old bumblebee costume.

Our neighbor Molly was a dog

Her brother Jefferey was Harry Potter in Quidditch Robes.

After Hair and Makeup.

Jeffery's dad got into the act dressing as Snape.

Oh yes, we did spend the early afternoon decorating the cookies, which are delicious:

After I got tired of walking around, James came over, and I spent the rest of the evening with sitting in the Rocking Chair on my porch handing out treats and crocheting.