Yadda Ya

The yarn I ordered off of Ebay came in on Monday. I ordered it on the 17^th and it arrived on my doorstep 6 days later. Under most circumstances that wouldn't be a too awesome, but did I mention that the yarn came all the way from Hawaii? Yeah...shout out to Deneen for bringing this seller to my attention. She also has a website. Go check it out...after you get done here, of course!

I don't yet have my copy of Interweave Crochet but I broke down and ordered it online. Paying the almost $5 for shipping hurt, but that's less than I would have had to spend on gas to go to the next town to buy it so I guess it all works out. I ordered it on Monday, so it should be here sometime next week, I think.

In the meantime, I've been crocheting again. I worked on a crocheted cupcake pincushion. I didn't use a pattern just winged it. It's taken me longer to complete it than the Chic On The Halfshell did. How lame is that? I thought it would be a no brainer kind of project. Damn it. I think I like it, but I haven't made up my mind yet. It isn't quite what I had envisioned, but it's still cute. It's another gift for my friend Morgan in Missouri. [waves to Morgan]. I'm also thinking about making my version of the Corn Cob seen here. I don't have enough yellow yarn, though. There's still time so it might happen. By the way, I love the ideas in the book I linked to up there...goofy stuff, but it's cute and I love a good laugh!

I would take a picture of my beautiful yarn and silly cupcake, but my motherboard is fried and we haven't yet gotten everything back to normal. on the up side I got my Mother's Day gift early this year...a new computer [sans the monitor...nothing wrong with it, thank goodness] Yay for technology!

Chic On The Half Shell...& Not On My Head

As promised here are the pictures of the Chic On The Halfshell, not on my head. The only modification I made to the pattern was sewing up the edges of the handle, making it tubular. You'll see that in the pictures.

First up here it is just hanging around on a rhododendron bush...its natural habitat.


Here is a close-up of the button I decorated using my wood burning tool. I also attached a smaller button to the underside so that the button would sit up a little higher to allow for the loop to fit.


Finally, here's a look at the lining. The fabric is some leftover from my kitchen curtain making project. It isn't perfect, but it will work, the lining turned out to be a little bigger than it needed to be so it bunches a little on the inside. I may or may not fix that before I send it off to my friend.

I used TLC Essentials in Ranch Red. Great yarn to work with, nice and soft, but still holds its shape in a finished piece when two strands are used together.

Chic On The Half Shell...& On My Head

I told you I've been itching to crochet lately. The yarn I bought off Ebay hasn't arrived so I haven't started on The Vest yet. Well, that and the fact that I still can't find Interweave Crochet's latest. Can you tell that I'm excited/dying to make that thing?

My friend has a birthday coming up in May and I decided to make her a little purse. I used Drew's pattern for Chic On The Half Shell. Great pattern, easy to follow, but I'm not wild about the shaping, but I can totally live with it. I finished the crocheting last night. I lined it and attached a button closure tonight but not before the sun was too low to take a decent picture. I did get in a few pics of it before it was lined...

What? Doesn't everyone wear crocheted purses on their head? Hmmm...guess I'm the only one! At any rate it would make a really warm hat...and one heck of a fashion statement.

Here's a better view of the button. It's a regular ol' wooden button I had lying around. I used my wood burning tool to decorate it. I like the way it turned out.

Tomorrow I'll have pictures of the finished product, and I promise it won't be on my head.

Want To Win A Jimbo Hook?

Most of us in the crochet community have been drooling over the craftsmanship of Jimbo's hooks for a while now. I saw on his blog today that he is having a contest and the winner will win this sweet hook you see over <----there. Click the picture to see it in all of it's heavenly glory....you may want to have a towel handy to catch the flood of drool. Ewww that was a nasty mental image, no? Anyhoo, contest details can be found on Jimbo's blog in this particular entry. Good luck to everyone! I nominated one of my faithful readers....and myself, because I can be shallow like that sometimes and Jimbo said it is totally acceptable.

Do I Make You Cozy, Baby?

Shhhh...I made a cozy yesterday. I used some leftover Simply Soft in "limelight" and "rose violet". The pattern is done in the round with a 1 round double crochet, 2 rounds single crochet. The flap is all single crochet. The button came from a grab bag of buttons and was the only one to match my cozy...it was fate, I tell ya!

Let's see are there any other specs I'm forgetting here? Hmmm... Oh! What is the cozy cozying up to you ask? Well, that I'm not going to say. It was a gift from my frequently absent husband. You see if I told you, grandmothers everywhere would blush and promptly fall over dead from a heart attack and you don't want that hanging over me, do you? I'll tell you this much...it's color matches the "rose violet" and it came from the manufacturer with the name "Doc Johnson".

I wanted to make the cozy with the "limelight" and some yellow fun fur-ish yarn I have. I wanted it to look like the anatomically correct nether regions of a male, but done in alien colors. But I had forgotten how much fun fur hated me so I went boring instead. Oh well.

Yay For Yarn!

While the search for the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Crochet continues, I have already made my yarn purchase! Deneen recommended SPINCITYARNS, a seller on Ebay. I can't wait for the yarn to get here...hopefully I'll have a copy of the magazine in my hot little hands by the time it arrives....I hope.

Poopie Caca

I just returned from a late-night, spur-of-the-moment trip to WalMart. I went in search of the latest Interweave Crochet. I know the last time I bought a copy was at this same store, but there were none to be seen, damn it! I also went to two different grocery stores yesterday looking for a copy and came up empty handed. I'm turning into a mad woman. I'm completely obsessed with that vest pattern! Gah! Sometimes it really sucks to live in a rural area when gas prices also suck and you're obsessed with a crochet pattern!

photo courtesy of corbis.com

Seafoam Dreams

So the Spring issue of Interweave Crochet hit the stands a few days ago. I haven't yet had my hot little hands on a copy, but I have been drooling over the patterns online. One in particular really has my motor running. It's the Seafoam Vest designed by Chloe Nightingale ... I'm also in love with her name! ... Here's a picture along with the supply list for the project that came directly from the Interweave site....

Seafoam Vest
Chloe Nightingale

*Finished Size 32 (35, 39, 42, 46)" bust circumference. Vest shown measures 39".

*Yarn Rowan Summer Tweed (70% silk, 30% cotton; 118 yd [108 m]/13⁄4 oz [50 g]): #513 dew (pale green), 5 (5, 6, 7, 8) skeins. Yarn distributed by Westminster Fibers.

*Hook Size G/6 (4 mm). Adjust hook size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

*Notions Yarn needle; removable stitch markers (m).

*Gauge 13 sts and 16 rows = 4" in sc; 14 sts and 61?2 rows = 4" in dc-flo patt.

*Skill Level Easy.

This will be the first wearable...other than a scarf or hat...that I will make for myself...and damn it, I will make this! Unfortunately, .. and I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but .. I have never worked with a yarn of the same quality as the Rowan. I've been a mostly acrylic and some cheap kitchen cotton crocheter. Don't shoot and don't hate me because I'm cost-conscious. Ok, now that that skeleton is out of the closet, I need some input here. While I love the yarn and selection of colors, I don't really want to spend the 60+ bucks to purchase and ship the Rowan. I would like to find a natural fiber yarn similar in weight and somewhat fuzzy so that the stitches aren't very noticeable, like in the picture above, and most importantly a little less expensive. Yarndex says that the Rowan is worsted, and that the gauge is 16, that much I think I understand. I just can't find a yarn I like instead. All the worsted yarns over at Knit Picks are either made from wool, or they're not "poofy" enough and look like they'll show too much stitch definition in the finished piece.

Here's a picture of the Rowan Summer Tweed...see how it's kind of "poofy". I know that is not a technical term, I think the correct term for the yarns texture is "slub".

So, any suggestions?

Every Girl's Crazy 'Bout A Sharp Dressed Chef

I'm still alive, just lacking in the creative department. I did finish the apron I mentioned, oh...a month ago! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Of course being the perfectionist I sometimes am, there are a few things I think are a little off, but I can live with them. The neck strap is too long. I wanted to attach some "D" rings so that the strap could be adjustable but I couldn't find any. I also wish I had made it a little wider so that it would wrap around Geof's waist a little more.

As you can see, the apron is reversible. I got everything sewn together when I realized I forgot the damn pockets. No biggie. I cheated and used a double-sided, iron-on adhesive like this one. Geof likes and will actually wear his new apron and that's all I ask for.

I was most impressed with the fact that he was very eager to help me with all the sewing, ironing, and trimming. He did a really great job and was pleased with himself, too. So with Nathaniel teaching him to cook and fix things, and me teaching him to sew, crochet, and clean...we may just have the makings of a little Renaissance Man!