Yarn Along 10

Time again for Ginny's Yarn Along.

I finished the necklet I was making for myself last week (after pulling the whole thing out and starting again; apparently that class took all my brain power and I failed to notice I'd made it twice as wide as it should have been). I added some gorgeous vintage-inspired buttons. I love it! It's the first crochet project I've made for myself.

Up next is some fingerless gloves, also for me. Check out that fabulous yarn I got for them! As an added bonus, my friend used this yarn to teach me his mother's technique for rolling a ball of yarn so that you can pull it from the center. I had no idea you could do such a thing! (We got him yarn and hooks for his birthday, and it seems we've successfully recruited him.) I've been wanting some fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm while crocheting outside and to wear when I sit down to work at nap time (if you stop moving, this house is freezing!). Most of the crocheted ones I've seen look too bulky, but these look just right to me. (Wish me luck resizing them; I'm still learning that skill.)

I'm reading One Thousand White Women. (Well, "reading" in the mom-of-toddler sense of the word; I've read one page!)

What are you reading and making?

Yarn Along 9

This is my wishful-thinking morning photo: wishing for a snow day today to read and crochet and drink coffee on the couch. (What do you think are the odds that all the families will stay sensibly at home in the snow today?)

I haven't done much crochet this week, but I did begin a simple cowl for myself (I've made so many crocheted things for other people, but nothing yet for me). (It'll be like this one.) On Saturday, we were in an all-day foster-parenting class, and I'd packed lots of yarn, thinking it the perfect opportunity to do some mindless crochet like this cowl. But it must have been more interesting than I'd expected, because this is as far as I got. (I did finish my sweater from last week; you can see it here.)

I'm reading Home to Woefield, which I'd describe as a fluff read--but a good one. Funny characters, sustainability theme, and the kind of plot that makes you want to keep reading into the night, but completely implausible. Fine--it's just what I need right now, with a sleep-deprived brain and seriously limited time.

Check out what others are reading and making at Ginny's Yarn Along.

Gifts, revealed: more cowls

Apparently, this was the Christmas of the cowls; I made several. Here are some more. This one was made from cotton, for my sister who can't stand wool's itchiness:

It's super soft and comfy, and when I tried it on, I wished I were keeping it for myself. (That's my I'm-too-busy-making-gifts-to-primp look in the photo):

I tried a new stitch pattern for this one--stacked shells--after admiring a friend's afghan-in-progress. It turned out to make a quick and beautiful scarf! So I made more. This one (in wool, this time) for Andi:

And this one for a friend (it's hard to see in the photo, but those are some cool clay buttons that match the color of the yarn perfectly):

As I worked on these, each one came out just a bit better than the last--to the point that I wanted to remake the first ones! I think I've got it down, now, and these are sure to become a common gift from my hooks.

Made by buttons

Here's the pink necklet I was working on last week.

Partway through, I realized I was doing something wrong--I'd had 9 bobbles, then 8, then in "correcting" it, I worked my way up to 13. In frustration, I stopped for a while, and moved on to a greenish-blue one.

That one was wrong, too. Correct number of bobbles, but see that scalloped edge? Not supposed to be there. (That's ok. I like how it looks.) When I returned to the pink one, I had apparently figured it out. From halfway through, it finally started to look just right.

I was disappointed. But then I went to the store and found some gorgeous buttons.

Thank goodness for great buttons. I think they made these necklets.

Yarn Along 4

Yep, I've been "reading" the same book for 3 weeks now. No reflection on the book, which is a good read--I've just been the kind of busy and exhausted that allows for only a page or two at a time.

I'm trying again with the cowl with bigger yarn, and again, it's coming out too small. I mean, seriously, this is half the scarf--look how skinny it is! Nothing like the picture I'd seen. Argh!! At this rate, I may never make a satisfactory Christmas present. I probably should have bought the exact same yarn she mentioned until I know more about what I'm doing. It's too bad, because I really love the color of this yarn, and think the person I'm making it for would, too. I've actually quit working on this scarf and started the matching hat to see if that'll convince me to keep going with this idea.

I'd think I was a big fat crochet failure if it weren't for my capelet, which came out pretty darn cute. I just have to weave in the ends and sew on the buttons, and then I'll show you.

Check out what other people are reading and making at Ginny's yarn along.

Tiny blue cowl

I'm thankful for some time to crochet--enough time to actually complete a project! If all goes well, I should be posting several completed gifts in the coming weeks.

This one didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped. It's nice, but not as the gift I'd intended. It's due to my inexperience with yarn. The pattern called for bulky yarn, so I went out shopping, because I had none in my stash. But what on earth does "bulky" mean? There were yarns labeled "bulky" that looked just as thin as anything else I've used, and some that were as big around as my pinky! How could those possibly be the same thing? I clearly chose the wrong "bulky" in this case, as this cowl came out significantly smaller than I'd hoped. It's modeled here by my wife, but fits my toddler better. I think Andi will be keeping this one (it matches her eyes), and I'll try again with thicker yarn. I do hope the next one comes out cute; I think the pattern has great potential!

Brown birdie scarf

(Please excuse the horrible photo quality. My camera died a sad death this week, so this is my computer's attempt at acting like a camera. Thanks to my lovely wife for modeling.)

Today was the birthday of a good friend, and in what's become my usual last-minute state, I found myself without a gift for her this morning. I had an idea working around in my head though, shifting and changing forms throughout the night. Emily is a big fan of scarves, so that's where I started. Then I thought of this fabric, my first use of this stashs. The little birds, and the color combo, and especially the pink made it perfect for her. I've been wanting to try reverse applique, and also wanted to incorporate some patchwork. I had this lovely brown linen-like fabric I'd gotten once from a tag sale. Then I noticed this polka-dot fabric with all the right colors, and it all came together.

I used measurements for the scarf in The Crafter's Companion, and winged the rest of it. I should have read some directions for reverse applique, though; the fabric shifted around so when I was finished, it bubbled out rather than lying flat and I had to rip it all out and try again. I definitely want to do more--I love the look--but I've got to work on that technique!