Updates on a few things

Weaving~
The loom arrived this week, w00t! Lucky for me the weaving books I bought from the Interweave Hurt Books sale also arrived this week. There's a lot more planning and math that goes into weaving than I realized, but it's still doable. I made my calculations and decided on the yarn. If I have time tonight I'll try my hand at warping the loom. Too bad the video instructions that came with the loom were on a VHS tape! The newer versions come with a DVD. I decided on using my KnitPicks Palette yarn since it was cheap and I've got several bags of it. Even if the project goes blech, the yarn was only $2 a ball. It probably won't take as much yarn as I'm imagining. For 2.33 yards at a width of 15", I'm only going to need 336 yards for the warp, which is about 1.5 balls of the Palette.

I haven't decided on the yarn for the weft yet. I may continue to use the Palette. I may use a different color of Palette. I may switch it up a bit to mix the colors. That may not turn out very good as the only colors I have a red, blue, and green (garnet heather, marine heather, & verdant heather). Why can't I pick out more complimentary colors instead of one color at each extreme of the spectrum?? I may end up using some of the other yarns I have in my stash. I have a bunch of thin boucle & chenille that I bought of eBay several years ago. This could turn out to be a multi-part super-experiment. I plan to keep a detailed journal through Google Docs.

Rag Knitting
Fail fail fail. I tried doing what the book showed...snip a bit into the edge of the fabric and rip straight down. That did not work very well for the first strip as it ended up deforming the fabric because I had to pull too hard. I ended up cutting and that gave me tons and tons of frayed edges. There were lots of little fiber bits all over the place, sticking out of the edges of the fabric and all over the floor. I spent a lot of time cutting holes & knotting the strips together. It was okay to crochet with once I figured out I needed my giant crochet hook. I had just enough to finish the bag with, but I'm not so sure it's usable. There are just too many little bits of thread sticking out everywhere and it looks SO messy. This may go straight into the trash.

Fabric from Japan
So I ordered some fabric from an Etsy vendor in Japan because I knew Japanese fabrics come in all sorts of cute and I wanted something really cute for my crochet hook holder. They got here yesterday! The fabrics are totally awesome and cute. Two of them are a little thicker/coarser than I thought but they're still really cute. A thicker fabric may bulk up the crochet hook holder too much, but uh...good thing I made the ties extra long. :D Before warping the loom tonight I will probably finish up this project.

More Goodies from Japan
I bought some things from another Etsy vendor. I ordered several Hamanaka crochet hooks from her because they came in every size I need, they're double ended so you need fewer hooks, and they come with extra padding in the middle so they're easier on your hands. She also sells tawashi yarn and books, so I bought 1 book and 3 balls of acrylic anti-bacterial tawashi yarn. I also bought some cute little animal stickers and a set of pom pom makers!

Time for another Reorganization

I already went through and organized all my yarn by taking pictures and entering the data into my Ravelry stash. In the process I found a bunch of UFOs (un-finished objects) that I had forgotten about. I took the time to frog a few of them as well as work on some of them.

Frogged -
There was a crochet lace scarf from a Japanese pattern book that I was making out of Red Heart Symphony in Moss Green, a brushed acrylic yarn that looks like a very soft fuzzy mohair. That was a real pain to take apart because it was so easy to crochet through the fuzziness of the yarn.

I also frogged the bulky Clapotis, for which I used some Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Cinnamon Twist. The pattern was made for a much thinner yarn and I didn't properly adjust the number of repeats for the bulky yarn. I also didn't remember where in the pattern I was because it had been so long since I last worked on it...so I just saved myself the trouble and frogged it.

Another item that got frogged was a pair of Endpaper Mitts. Well, actually it was only one of the mitts, but it was already half done. I decided I couldn't really live with the yellow yarn. It was too bright of a contrast with the red. I don't know if I'd ever make anything out of yellow yarn seeing as I don't look good in bright yellows. Maybe I'd use it for toys, but I don't really have any coordinating colors. I'm thinking of maybe over-dyeing it with some Kool-Aid.

In Progress -
I have an amigurumi elephant I never finished. I sewed the front legs on in the wrong place, so I never touched it. I was able to find the yarn ends and take the legs off, but I actually ended up unraveling part of a leg. I'll need to look at the instructions again before I re-sew it on. OH, and I just remembered another reason I never finished it. At the time I didn't have snap-on eyes. I thought I would just glue them on, so I sewed the head to the body. I'm going to have to take that apart to put eyes in.

I've still got an argyle golf club cozy to finish. There are wayyy too many ends on the thing. I kind of feel like frogging it and redoing it without the small lengths of yarn and just using the yarn while attached to the skeins. I could use the small frogged lengths on some sort of scrap blanket project.

Ela's scarf is still not done. By the time I finish it, he'll be back in Hawaii and will have no need for a scarf until next winter.

I started working on my Demeter Camisole again. I've just barely started the waist-to-bust increases, but this may go on hold because I want to put in bust shaping.

The Athenian scarf is waiting for me to feel in the mood for broomstick crochet again. I wish I didn't make it so wide.

The "My So-Called Scarf" made with Paton SWS needs more yarn. I don't know if I'll keep it in this scarf. It's a little too thick and spongy feeling. I was thinking about doing some felting with it. I have some SWS in a solid color that would match. I've also got 2 more balls in pinks/greens. Maybe that would make for some interesting contrasting stripes. My only problem with felting is that you have to knit a lot bigger than the actual size because it can shrink a lot!

On Hold -
The aran braid socks I'm working on using the KnitPicks Gossamer in Red Hat are currently on hold until I dig out another hank and wind it into a ball. I ran out of the first ball while working on the heel flap of the 2nd sock. That's pretty good for what amounts to about 220 yards of yarn. That means a pair of socks probably takes just a little bit more than 300 yards of fingering weight yarn.

The original aran braid socks I started several years ago will probably be frogged. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I don't have a plan for the sock I'll make with the self-striping yarn either.

I finished crocheting a pinwheel doily, but it needs to be starched and blocked.

The Butterfly Wrap needs to be washed & blocked before I can tie the ribbons.

I'm waiting on the purse handles before I finish up the Hawaiian Motif Purse. I also need to find a button to use for the closure, and some "purse bottom" material to keep the bottom stiff.

Learn from my Mistakes

1) Check for gauge. Even if it's not a garment. Even if it's a purse because you might end up with an over-large purse and not enough yarn.

2) Read the directions and know what materials you need (and bring them with you) if you're working on a project away from your supplies.

I was up to row 13 in the body part of the Hawaiian Motif purse. I decided to take compare the yardage & gauge of the Berkshire Bulky I'm using with the Karabella Aurora Bulky the pattern calls for. It turns out that I was getting 12.5 sts and 13 rows per 4" when the pattern gauge called for 17 sts and 19 rows per 4". That's a big difference, and would account for why I would have run out of yarn. My purse was turning out roughly 4" longer than it was supposed to, and to match the pattern purse's height, I would have had to stop at 23 rows for the body as opposed to the 35 rows called for in the pattern.

I decided to frog the whole thing and start over. For one, I'm using a hook size I when the pattern calls for a G. Maybe H would be doable, but an I hook is probably making the fabric too loose anyway. For another, even if I started adjusting the pattern for my gauge, I'd only be able to affect the height, and that would change the overall shape of the bag as well as probably still leave me short of yarn. Thus, it's rip rip I go! It makes me sad, but this is one of the things that knitting and crocheting teaches you. Sometimes you have to be able to distance yourself and start over for a better quality result.


I received my order of yarn from Knit Picks yesterday! I was so excited because then I could start all those cute tops from Sensual Knits. But then...I took forever trying to find my Addi ciriculars, the only circulars I have smaller than size 3. I have a regular Addi Turbo in size 0 and a Addi Turbo Lace in size 2. I tried the size 2 on a gauge swatch but it was coming out too big for the Pink Sundae Camisole. I tried the size 0 circulars and that ended up too tight. That means I need a size 1, which I do not have. So, I looked at the other patterns and decided to start on the Demeter Camisole, which took a looser gauge. It was already too late at night by then. This morning I wound the yarn for the camisole into a ball, grabbed my size 2 needles & the Sensual Knits book, and left for work. I take a look at the pattern and remember that it calls for a provisional cast-on. The only other yarn I have on me is my Berkshire Bulky. I have no other needles, just crochet hooks.

I guess I get to just sit on the train today.

Busy Weekend.

For such a busy weekend I actually got a bit of stuff done. Well, not "completed" done, but progress nonetheless. I finished up the first ball of Patons SWS for my "My So-Called Scarf". I finished a couple more rows on that Athenian Scarf. I even finished 3 rounds of my star shaped blanket! Sure, that doesn't sound like much, but each of those rounds get progressively bigger and the blanket feels pretty big already.

Here are some pictures of these projects. They aren't the most recent, but better than nothing. :P

"My So-Called Scarf" using Patons SWS


Athenian Scarf in Bernat Alpaca Natural


Star-Shaped Blanket in Lion Brand Homespun


AND, as a bonus, here's a picture of my first lace project (started last year), completed and blocked. I gave it to my mom when I went home over the weekend.

New projects out of old[ish] yarn

It's so sad that as a crafting/knitting/crocheting blog, I have a distinct lack of photos. I even have a digital camera now....what can I say? Call me lazy, I guess. :P

Anyway, as my star blanket reached critical mass and became too large/bulky to carry around with me in my [new] purse, I started thinking about how to use up the yarn in my stash. Actually, I started out by looking at the patterns in my Queue and thought about what I could make with the yarns already in my stash.

Athenian Scarf in broomstick lace

I've been wanting to make something in broomstick lace, and even if I couldn't start the Hourglass Jacket, there was an Athenian Scarf that looked very nice and basic. To figure out a yarn for this scarf, I thought about the qualities of the original scarf that I liked. What was it that drew me to the scarf?

• Bold stitch definition
• The way the broomstick part crosses
• Solid coloring

With this I could determine what yarns in my stash would be able to fulfill these qualities. I wouldn't use any of my laceweight yarn. I wouldn't use any variegated yarns either. I wouldn't use the fuzzy yarns. I also had to make sure I had enough to make a scarf with. In the end I decided to use my Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends in Peony (pink). I had 2 balls of this, in case I needed that much. Each ball is rather large to begin with, and the yarn is a bulky 2-ply. Although slightly fuzzy because the plies are loosely spun, it's got a very nice luster to it and has nice definition. The effect is slightly different from the original Athenian Scarf in which an 8-ply yarn was used (Debbie Bliss Cathay).

My only issue with the way it's turning out so far is that I would prefer the broomstick loop part to be a little more open. The holes seem a little too small right now, but I don't have a knitting needle large enough to achieve this. I may stop by Michael's today to pick one up. Alternatively, I could create my own "broomstick", loop holder thingy out of paper taped together to be stiff. I do have plenty of that lying around on my desk.

My So-Called Scarf, a slip-stitch pattern

I've wanted to create something that utilizes a slip-stitch based pattern. Slip-stitches show off variegated yarns beautifully, and they add texture and stitch definition while still looking refined. I could be pulling all of that out of my ass, but it sounds better than saying "slip-stitch purty!" It's actually a stitch pattern from a pattern book, repeated in scarf shape, but distributed by the people at the store, Imaginknit, in San Francisco. The pattern can now be found on their website at here.

Looking over everyone else's photos of this scarf on Ravelry, I came up with a few guidelines for myself regarding the yarn for this scarf.

• Single ply
• Shine factor (from silk, soy, bamboo, etc.)
• Multi-colored (striping or variegated)
  

I decided on using my Paton SWS. Since I only have 1 ball of Natural Crimson left, I may turn that into a skinnier scarf. People seemed to typically use 2-3 balls of Paton SWS for their scarves. I may use my Natural Pink with this pattern as well, alternating the rows to create a sort of mixed up striping pattern.

Star Blanket

This is my first stashbusting project. I'm making the Chromium Star Blanket out of my various skeins of Lion Brand Homespun. It's crocheted so it's slightly annoying because the texture of the yarn makes it difficult to see stitches. This star is already turning out totally cute so I'm feeling good about how this is going to turn out. Plus, 3 out of 3 people I asked like this blanket over the other ones I was considering.

3/31/08 update: Here's a pic of my star blanket so far!! :D

Stash busting project ideas

I didn't want to make any clothing items because most of the yarn I have stashed is not so great for wearing. It's cheap big box store stuff, and I don't have enough of any one nicer yarn to make a garment. So, the alternative then is to make home decorative items. I don't know why but I've been feeling big on home decor lately. A while ago I bought the book, Simple Sewing (by Lotta Jansdotter) because I liked the simplistic, contemporary style of the designs and fabrics in it. Even if I don't specifically use the patterns, it's a good source of inspiration. I'm actually planning to make the wall hanging pocket organizer. However, that means I need to actually buy some cloth, so it won't really be conducive to reducing my stash.

While using the Ravelry pattern browser, I came up with a few good ideas for potential projects. The problem is that it needs to be something on the large side, but should not be in only 1-2 colors. First of all, because I probably don't have enough of any one color to make a large project with, second some of the yarns I have would not look good by themselves. For example, I have several skeins of Lion Brand Homespun in a solid forest green. I have a couple skeins in a heathered teal. I think there's more in a lighter heathered color too.

While the yarns in my stash come in many colors, I did not consider coordination when choosing colors. Thus, a lot of the yarns would not really go together well in many instances. Luckily, while looking at patterns I saw some creative color solutions.

In terms of project types, I looked mostly at blankets/afghans, rugs, & pillows. Quilt-inspired patterns seem to provide the best color combination solutions. Examples would be log cabin-style blankets, modern deco-style blankets, and various geometric pattern repetitions. Although I did not specifically find a plaid design I liked, I saw one that inspired me to use the Tartan Designer web tool to design my own plaid considering my color and yardage limitations. I would get a rough idea of how the resulting color combinations would look before I even cast on!

Busting through the Stash

Using up the yarn in my stash is something I need to do before I can seriously justify buying more things. I'm looking for ideas on Ravelry. I would do something like use extra large needles and knit a bulky blanket with multiple strands....but I think the end result would drive Lawrence batty. He'd toss it out before I'd get a chance to use it. I'm not sure I want to do a project where I'm not sure I'd have enough yarn...but that may be my only opportunity to create something worth keeping.

Hourglass Jacket

It's out! The Hourglass Jacket is a fitted jacket made using broomstick crochet, a crochet lace technique that uses a 'broomstick' (or super large knitting needle) and a crochet hook to make these cool looking open loops. I must add this to my 'to make' list. Maybe it can be a stash busting project.

http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SDS-044


(image from the StitchDiva website, it's not mine)

Reorganization

It feels like it's time again to get organized!

Budget:
- Yarn swift
- Ball winder
- Kitchen scale
- Yarn for new projects (sweaters)
- Books: Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters
- Hairpin crochet lace tools
- giant needles (for large-sized knitting & broomstick crochet)
- floor mats for blocking
- giant hooks (for large-sized crocheting of blankets)

Tools:
- Categorize stash yarns
- Organize tools
- Make a needle holder pouch
- Add yarn photos on Ravelry
- Update needle information on Ravelry

Projects:
- Scarf/belt holder (crochet with yarn around brass rings)
- Blue bunny slippers for Cameron
- Hemlock Ring blanket (finish putting in life line and rip back to fix mistake, finish more rounds, and then bind off)
- Frog & re-knit Vogon socks
- Finish 2nd Zephyr sock
- Finish bulky Clapotis
- Finish 1 Womb
- Finish Ela's scarf

Future:
- Sayuri Sweater
- Deep V Argyle Vest
- Endpaper Mitts
- Pink Sundae Camisole
- DNA model
- FSM plush
- WoW-themed, horde symbol? BElf swirls?

Broomstick Lace (Crochet)

I've been wanting to try this technique. There are some awesome patterns and instructions on the Stitch Diva website including a new pattern for a great looking broomstick lace top that's coming out soon.

I've got a cameraaa!

Lawrence got me a Canon PowerShot digital camera for Christmas! :D Yay! I can now take pictures of my projects without having to go to him for his Nikon! I still have a problem...the default memory card that comes with the camera is way too small. It only fits like...8 pictures.

I've ignored my blog for the past month because of the holiday season. It's nice to not be in so much of a rush anymore, and even though so many people say that they learned to not craft Christmas gifts....I guess it takes living through the hell to really learn the lesson. I stayed up (almost) all night and worked all day to finish gifts. Even then, I have some that I haven't completely finished:

• 1 baby duck and a mommy duck (lily's sugar'n cream)
  
• crochet striped scarf (vanna's choice)
  
• bunny slippers (bernat cashmere/moda dea dream)
  
• argyle golf cozy (red heart)
• scarf for philip

I admit I've been putting off some of these. The ducks because I don't like sewing pieces together. The crochet striped scarf because I've actually already finished it (I had to give it away for the Christmas gift exchange and I now need to make a replacement). The bunny slippers because I need more Moda Dea Dream yarn. The golf cozy because I used too many loose pieces of yarn and I'm going to have a hell of a time weaving the ends in. Philip's scarf because it's a scarf and scarves are evil and long and can get really boring.

I also have a bunch of projects that are not gifts, but are still works in progress:

• hemlock ring blanket
• clapotis
• amigurumi elephant
• womb
• lace party scarf
• butterfly wrap

The hemlock ring blanket is getting closer to completion. I am on round 93 (out of 121) and there are 440 stitches per round (600 by the 121st round). The clapotis I'm still not sure how long to make it. I'm not sure if I have enough of the yarn either. I'll get around to it again I'm sure. The amigurumi elephant I've been avoiding because the head & body are already sewn together and I will need to take them apart to get the safety eyes in the head. Or, I could just hot glue them while sticking them in. Even then, I probably have to take apart the legs because I put them in the wrong position. The womb just needs the pipe cleaners and stuffing. The lace party scarf is getting near the ideal length...maybe another 6-12 inches. The butterfly wrap still needs to be blocked and needs the ribbons to be properly tied. I also need to find some occasion to actually wear it.

Lawrence said he wouldn't mind giving me $200 for me to buy yarn. I don't remember the context that caused him to say it and I hope he means he would give me $200 to buy $200-worth of yarn if I wanted to. Actually I'm thinking I should buy a swift & ball winder.

Doh, still no pictures

Lawrence left the camera at work yesterday...tonight I'm going to my parents' place. Bleh. I did finish the bulky socks, so that's pretty cool. I'm going to give them to my grandpa tonight instead of waiting for Christmas. I've started a pair of Dashings for my brother, which I had to frog and re-knit because I did NOT check the gauge (bad!). I started crocheting baby ducky parts for the duck amigurumi. I really don't like working with the pure cotton. The non-stretchiness is tough on my hands and the fiber splits really easily so it's hard on my eyes too.

My list of things to finish:

• puffy slouchy hat (tweedle dee cinnamon twist)
  
• dashings (nashua creative focus) - 25%
  
• 3 baby ducks and a mommy duck (lily's sugar'n cream) - 10%
  
• triforce scarf (vanna's choice) - 40%
  
• crochet striped scarf (vanna's choice)
  
• bunny slippers (bernat cashmere/moda dea dream)
  
• shrug (black shimmer snowflake chunky)
• argyle golf cozy (red heart)
• baby booties (bernat be mine)
• basketball (orange yarn)
• amigurumi/fetching
  

Wow, that's still quite a bit. Most of these aren't difficult...just time consuming.

2 weeks left...

What am I doing starting a Hemlock Ring Blanket (modified from a doily pattern by jared of brooklyntweed)?

I started the socks for my grandpa. It's pretty awesome for my first real attempt at a sock. I'm doubling the Tweedle Dee, so it's knitting up super-chunky at 3 stitches/inch. Unfortunately I didn't have enough yarn. I had to get some more from Michael's last night (they only charged me $1.50 because the ball band was missing!). I can see myself finishing it up fairly quickly...I may even be able to get the 2nd sock done tonight at Zephyr.

Saturday I made a slouchy hat in blue Dolcetto. I gave it to Peggy to try. If she likes it and will wear it, I'll make her another one so she can give that one to her sister. If not, she can just give it to her sister and I'll make her something else - like the argyle dog sweater she sent me a picture of. :) I've learned my lesson from last time and will do it flat.

Yesterday at the Subaru dealership I was able to finish several more inches of the Triforce scarf while waiting for Lawrence's car to get tuned. It may be about half done now.

Will I finish in time??

I didn't spend my Saturday knitting/crocheting as much as I would have liked. I did play WoW and my Ravelry-guilded hunter is now level 19.

This weekend I finished the cat sweater, and it cracked me up so much as I was making it because it's just the most ridiculous thing. I'm glad it didn't take too long, just in case the cat won't let us put it on her. I also finished sewing together one baby duck.

I need more Vanna's Choice yarn for the flower scarf. I think I'll just be perpetually buying the red or yellow as I run out of one and then the other every time I make this scarf.

I've been trying to decide which yarn I should use for the bunny slippers. I'm thinking maybe the Bernat Alpaca. I decided to use my second ball of Tweedle Dee Blackberry to make the socks for my grandpa. The baby booties, using the $2 ball of Patons Be Mine my mom found, are now on the needles (KnitPicks Options, hell yeah).

The triforce scarf is in progress, this is my biggest worry because I decided to knit this tubularly. It's going to be around 60 inches of tubular stockinette fun. I don't know how long it will take. I have about 4 inches done from last night and this morning's commute. That may be about 1.5-2 hours-worth of knitting. That means I may need 30 hours to finish within 3 weeks. Piece of cake! Right? Right?? :( I dunno...we'll see. It is going faster than I expected it to. I attribute that to my switching over to continental knitting. The yarn isn't helping, though. The Vanna's Choice isn't really stretchy with my knitting (maybe my needles are too small) and I have to readjust and tug often, slowing my knitting down a lot.

Looking at my list, it's so obvious why knitters have such large stashes.

• crocheted basketball plushy (need yarn)
• fetching (for bro, haven't decided on yarn)
  
• golf club cozies (need yarn - cheap acrylics)
  
• gray/blue bunny slippers (have yarn, not started yet)
  
• triforce scarf (in progress)
  
• bulky socks (have yarn, not started yet)
  
• flower scarf (on hold pending more yarn)
  
• basic booties (in progress)
  
• soft amigurumi for baby (need yarn)
  
• amigurumi (need 2 more babies & 1 mommy, need more yarn)
• slouchy hats (for 3 friends, pending yarn)

Other Photos

Ok, I guess it just felt like I had a lot of pictures. There aren't really that many new finished projects.

Mommy Duck from Anapaulaoli's Mommy Duck & Baby Duck pattern
Lily's Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn - yellow & orange
polyester filling, black snap on eyes


Saartje's Bootees
Bernat Satin Sport Solids in Aran and Wine, buttons from JoAnn's
- nice spare booties for last minute baby gifts, probably going to my erhu teacher, Karen Han


Ela's Scarf (finished at last)
Vanna's Choice in chocolate, olive, & honey
- doesn't look that much different from the last picture of it I put up. There's more brown...but it IS done and being shipped to its recipient this week.

Parade of Photos

And so it starts. I shall separate them into groups. Here are the pretty puff slouchy hats (I must've posted it a few times already, but for consistency's sake, pattern here).

Slouch Hat #1
JoAnn Sensations Bellezzo Collection Dolcetto in Dolcetto Blue


Slouchy Hat #2
Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Blackberry


Slouchy Hat #3
JoAnn Sensations Bellezzo Collection Dolcetto in Dolcetto Yellow


Sorry the angle on these pictures is so boring and repetitive...but I suppose this is the only way Lawrence sees me since he's 9 inches taller than me. Can you tell I like this hat? :) Someone on Ravelry was able to find me some more balls of the blue Dolcetto at her local JoAnn's, so I will be making at least one more hat in the blue. One goes to JoJo and the other to Ally. I would make one for Peggy but she never puts her hair down. I think I will make one in a darker color for Becky.

gimme teh slouchies!

That Pretty Puffs Slouchy Hat is so cute, quick, and easy...I see myself making lots of them for people this Christmas. I'm keeping my Tweedle Dee one, but the light blue Dolcetto is going to Ally. I'm currently making one in light yellow Dolcetto for JoJo. I want more Dolcetto! I now really regret not buying them when I saw them on sale at JoAnn's. :( :( So much for being good and not splurging on yarn I don't have an immediate need for....this is why we need to follow our instincts and buy yarn when we feel the urge to! :D I now need another cheap option for these hats, something that will give me a wider choice of colors. Actually it probably doesn't even need to be that cheap since I'll only need one ball and maybe just a bit over 100 yards. I suppose this is where Ravelry's stash feature comes in real handy.

When I saw my aunt this weekend she said that she wouldn't really wear scarves, but she really liked the Garden Scarf I made and would wear that if I made it, because it's more of an accessory than a scarf. That means...I'm frogging that cat's paw scarf. It's funny how knitters say sometimes you knit something and it just doesn't feel right so you can't finish it. In the case of this scarf, it's so true! There's just 2 things I don't like about it....the garter stitch for one. Secondly, it's not very symmetrical - in the pattern at least. I don't think you can tell so much by looking at it, but I couldn't get into the groove of it. It just didn't make sense to me on a logical level. That's okay tho. The cashmere probably would have been wasted as a lace scarf. I think the yarn would rather be a pair of wristwarmers. :) Perhaps I'll make a Fetching out of it, or just use that pattern for the WoW wristwarmers - arctic gloves of the wolf or something. That'd be cute, with some beads in it for added sparklies. :D

Finishing

I think I have a problem with finishing my projects. Or maybe it's just that I'm starting so many.

On Thanksgiving I went to my parents' place and I made a Pretty Puffs Slouchy Hat using the "Bellezza Collection Dolcetto" yarn I got for $1.97 at Jo-Ann's. I had to modify the pattern by not doing one of the increase rows because the yarn I'm using is chunky and it would have been way too big. Yesterday I made one out of my Tweedle Dee in Blackberry, following the instructions except for one sc round. It is wayyy too big. I'm going to have to frog it back and remove the last increase round. x_x That means doing 3 rounds of puff stitch over again. GAH.

The party lace scarf & clapotis are now on repeat status...repeat until desired length. I don't have the cat's paw pattern memorized yet so that one is reserved for periods where I can devote undivided attention. Ela's scarf still needs one more row of brown I think. Today I'm going to go visit my grandpa in the hospital so I suppose I'll have some time to work on finishing these things.

Finished my Garden Scarf

Here it is! :D This is the Garden Scarf from The Happy Hooker. I made a 2-leaf chain using instructions I found here. To keep the scarf in place, I merely cross the ends and stick one of the leaves through 2 overlapping holes. Instant wearable cuteness! :D