Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Buttoning Up

Sorry for neglecting to post for so long. Between school work and crocheting, I just didn't have the time! How do you all find time for such regular posting? I'm getting backed up on all the things I want to post about!

With the temperature creeping down, more coats being buttoned up, and me stalling on sewing on my first buttons to a project!, I though I'd show off my first button hole!

You may recognize this. It's my first knitting project, rearing it's ugly head again. So sticking with the idea for a scarflet, it came time to learn button holes! I followed this wonderful tutorial. Having it only on one row kept it from messing with the pattern too much.

If you are wondering why I have a random piece of orange yarn through my work, may I introduce you to the wonders of a lifeline! I am very glad I came across this before I got to my button hole because it really did come in handy. My first button hole was not centered properly so I had to rip back. I decided to keep it in there just in case I change my mind about where I need it or something. You can also insert a lifeline further down on your work too if you find a mistake.

In other news, I did get some work in on that CAL. The pumpkin is done, I just need to work out the decorations, which I have less than a week to finish if I want to make it into the contest. ~.~ Also, the lovely designer of this pumpkin is hosting another giveaway for this super cute dust kitty! You have till the end of the month to enter!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Joining In On The Fun

I'm planning on joining my first CAL! And we're making pumpkins!


I already signed up and got the pattern. I just need to find time in between all my other projects to make it. :[ I already have a cute idea for how to decorate it too!

I also joined in on some giveaways. They're not really crochet related though I did find out about them through one of the amigurumi blogs I follow, berrysprite. She is hosting it for modeS4u, who sells lots of cute little items. And while entering, I found out they are offering another giveaway through this other really cute blog, hawaii kawaii. She has some much cute stuff to look at!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Quick Gifts to Soothe the Soul


I mentioned this bookmark in an earlier post. This came about one day when I discovered crocheting can be quite therapeutic. I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that day. I was in a crumby mood and kept snapping at my boyfriend for no reason which just made me feel worse. So I locked myself in my room and felt I needed to crochet something new (instead of finishing a wip unfortunately). I decided it should be something quick for my bf and remembered he had been using a stray receipt for a bookmark. Since he is reading a sci-fi series and I had some extra yellow yarn, this star pattern was perfect! And I must say, crocheting this really turned my mood around (I'm sure it also helped that it was a special gift)! Remember this next time you need a pick me up, if you haven't already discovered this magical power of crochet. :]


Also on the topic of gifts, I recently gained a new furry friend!

He decided to drop in right before my trip out to NY and I just HAD to leave him a present before I flew out. So all in the ride to the airport, this lovely Squiddly was created:


This was my first experience with Homespun and never will I ever try to crochet something with this using a small hook again! It was just snag after snag! Luckily, since this would be getting torn into later, I decided to just do some pretearing of my own and rip my way through it. Never fear, while I may have not loved making it, it is truly loved now:


Also on the topic of gifts, christmas yarn shopping has been completed and christmas gifts are underway!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Dont fall Asleep, She's Armed and Ready!


Well, after much procrastination over her felt features, she's finally here! And I dont think me or my friend could have been happier with her! Of course she has flaws but lets not worry about that and just focus on not succumbing to her song cuteness. I am just ecstatic over my sharpie idea working so well! There was a perfect spot in her hand for the clip to go through and it's just the right size.

The pattern was very easy to follow, up to the ears. I think some ch1, turns were left out. At least that was my interpretation. I also used a different pattern for the curl that I got from a japanese pokemon pattern book, which of course means I got to try out reading a chart! Not sure I have an preference over written or charted, I find them both easy to follow for the most part.

The felt I had some trouble getting nice, even circles cut out and of the exact same size. This is where one of her flaws come in but, surprisingly, I dont think its very noticeable. Just a little too late, I remembered I had some circle templates from my drafting class. An oval template helped me out with her mouth as well. To attach the felt, I used Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac. It definitely holds well. I think I did a quick test hand wash on a scrap piece and it held up. I'd recommend it!

More pictures can be found on my Ravelry project page!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Progress Update

Quite a bit has been going on since my last post. Still got a ton of wips but I got a few things finished!
Here is one current wip, one of the culprits to my "finishing amigurumi sydrome." He is supposed to be a cute piggy. But probably for the last 2 months, he has been a little tooth starring at me from the window sill, pleading to be transformed into the cute piggy he knows he was meant to be.

Here is the second culprit. Luckily, this one stays in a box, otherwise I might go crazy from his cute face starring my down to finish him. I actually did get almost all his limbs made up but have yet to sew him together.

This belt got started as a plane flight project for my flight down to LA. It's currently hibernating until my flight over to NY which is in just a couple days! I love the basket weave look and the change from just doing sc over and over and over...

This next one is my first completed flower of 3 for my mom's birthday. I originally started this for a mother's day gift but that didnt work out. It took a lot longer than I thought since I ended up making a custom petal design. The original petals were coming out too thin for my liking. I did complete a full yellow daffodil with the original pattern but I have yet to get a back on it. For the third one, Im gonna try out this pattern.

And here is an update on my catan afghan progress. I've made up all the white disks for the centers of the hexagons and have finished all the meadow spaces. Those needed to get done first because I had rolled the yarn up to feed both ends out the center-pull ball and needed to rewind it for my next project asap.

And that project would be this! He is a birthday gift for my brother. This project was a little adventure. It used a lot of strategically placed inc and dec to create the shape of the head and a little in the body and legs. This is very good experience for if/when I try out designing my own amigurumi!

I also made a quick bookmark for my bf which I havent uploaded pictures of yet. I am also quickly working on finishing a jigglypuff for a friend's birthday before my flight to NY! She involves some felt embellishments which I am hesitating on but I know I must take on this adventure with open arms!

Soon I will have to get started on christmas gifts. I have one, maybe 2 blankets I want to make which will take quite a bit of time. Im hoping I can finish these wips before then!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

WIPs

Had to keep myself away for a little bit since my classes were ending with finals and stuff. I did still get a bit of progress done on the afghan though. Here is the one blue one I promised a picture of:
So currently I am at 6 hexagons completed out of a total of 37. Ignoring the amount of work still ahead of me, this project is still driving me crazy! My perfectionist side is getting the better of me over this. The first headache happened when I was trying to figure out if I should be leaving a long tail for joining or not. (I actually still have not cut the blue one...) Then I finally found out why Ravelry has RHSS listed as Aran weight instead of worsted like the label states. Some of my hexagons are coming out larger than others since I mixed brands. Lesson learned! Luckily, the larger ones are just about the same size with one row less than the others. I also keep experimenting and discovering new ways the join rounds. Almost every hexagon so far is just a little or a lot different than the others. It's a good thing this isn't a gift or there would be a lot more frogging going on. I notice I get extra anal over gifts.

My WIP pile is starting to grow and I am not happy. When I started crocheting, I said I have to make sure to finish everything before I start something new because I just know it will not get finished. Right now, it's mainly two amigurumi which might be the problem. I wonder if anyone has made up a name for this syndrome I think I may have fallen into. It's like the Second Sock Syndrome, I've noticed a few other sufferers on Rav. This is where you start your ami's body and head but then it sits there waiting for it's appendages you keep putting off. One person's solution was to make sure to do the small bits first. Very shortly I will have to put down the afghan and start a new ami for my brother's birthday gift due early July. If I notice myself stalling on the small bits for this guy too, I may have to take up that solution.

Lastly for this post, here is that knitted scarf I mentioned earlier:
I found these needles in the basement. They are a size 6, a bit small for the RH but it's what I had so I'm making due with it. This site was the most helpful for me. As with crochet, watching a few videos was sufficient for getting me going. I got the hang of the knit and purl stitches pretty quickly and I definitely prefer the English method. Since all that seemed easy enough, I went off to find a simple pattern to work into my scarf. Quickly ended up deciding on the Garter Stitch Steps. (I must have been in an impatient mood because now I see a whole bunch I almost like better!) I wanted a thin scarf, mostly so it would work up faster. (Knitting really goes so much slower than crochet, at least for me right now!) I divided the pattern in half pretty much so each "step" is 2 stitches long instead of 4. I used the single cast-on and made it 12 stitches long. My stitches started out really tight making the beginning bit quite stiff. If throwing it in the wash doesn't fix it up enough I might find out exact what happens when you "kill " acrylic. Yay another adventure! I am finally loosening up though. I'm also thinking of just making if a scarflet (again this takes too long!) and working in some button holes. Right now, it's just barely long enough to make it around my neck. My edges are pretty horrible too but Im gonna ignore them. I did find some tips on how to fit that a bit for my next project though.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Full of New Adventures

So the reason I finally sat down and started up a blog today is: I have done so many new things in the last few days, why not add something else!

I think the biggest one is a started knitting. This is why the title of my blog does not only say crochet. I hope I can learn and improve my knitting alongside my crochet! Right now I just have a small bit of a scarf. I'll try to get a picture up here so you can all laugh at it!

Another adventure I had just yesterday was I wound my first two center-pull balls. Probably my most fun adventure, I used the thumb mention and what could be more fun than having a huge ball of yarn coming out of your hand!


The reason I wound these two balls up also leads to some new things for me. One is I will be crocheting with doubled yarn for the first time. Two, I will be joining rounds instead of spirals for the first time. And three, I will be making my first afghan! I already got the first piece made up. I wish it was light out still so I could get these pictures taken but I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

So let it Begin!

I've been considering trying out my own blog for some time now. There are so many great blogs out there, and it seems like a great way to share and connect with people. I am a mostly self-taught crocheter, starting in January of this year. As my knowledge of crochet grows, I feel the need to share my little adventures along the ways. Like documenting a baby's first steps! While I am not as well versed or apt in photography as some of my favorite bloggers, I hope someone out there may enjoy my little blog! Right now, it would be my dream to be able to design my own amigurumi and start a little shop on etsy. Baby Steps! <3