Friday, February 29, 2008

another one...

Here is a finished ball of "Beyond the Realm" (as mentioned in a previous post). Spun thick & thin but mostly a bulky worsted, plied with gold metallic thread. I hope this cold goes away so I can feel more up to spinning the rest of the batt soon!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

first worthy yarns!

100% Merino, in "Magic Mirror" colorway by Freckleface Fibers. About 70 yards, but that's a guess as I lack a real niddy noddy (this skein was wrapped around my dear BF's forearm). It's bulky to dangerously thin, with some kinks. But it is awesome.


This is "Beyond the Realm" in progress (from Copperpot Woolies). Also merino, but much slicker, so it's a bit of a challenge for a newbie like me- but oh so pretty!

Friday, February 22, 2008

yarnz

Yes, it is 11 PM on a Friday night, and I am buying, drying, & spinning wool. I just finished my first consistent non-freakshow bundle of single-ply, and it is drying in the bathroom. I started up on the "Beyond the Realm" batt I bought from Copperpot Woolies. Spinning is so freakin addicting! As is everything I take up, it seems... Pictures of the goodness tomorrow!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Valentine's Day

So this year I decided I was perfectly capable of making something for my boyfriend's Valentine's Day present, instead of going out and buying a t-shirt/movie/CD/whatever. I decided on the below: a baby seal, pattern by Amy Gaines on Etsy. I bought it in December when I first started crocheting, intending it to be a gift for a coworker (I ended up making her some slippers instead.) BF thought the seal was super cute (he has a weakness for stuffed animals) so I made a mental note to save it for later. I added a little crochet heart to his flipper, and voila! He loves it.

My next amigurumi adventure will be making a penguin out of some of that fun fur/eyelash yarn/whatever it is. I think I'll make one for myself and one for a coworker who is expecting a baby girl in April.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Hats!

After a couple of rectangular things and some slippers, I decided to try crocheting hats next. It turned out to be so fast and easy that I made the first in one night, and then did one for my boyfriend and some for the girls at work. They are all made using basically the same simple pattern with minor adjustments based on yarn weight and head size:

The first is mine, made with Bernat Black Lites in Cherry Chill- such an awesome color combo:

Next is Wool-Ease thick-n-quick in charcoal and sky, for the BF (first time trying out a color change):

And one more for a girl at work, using JoAnn's Sensations- Licorice, with a red heart patch:


OK, there's my hat spammage. I made another like the above using the same yarn but in a pink/purple color combo instead. I think I was a little off-put by the thick-n-thin nature of the yarn, especially while trying to make something dimensional like a hat, but it mostly just meant that the straps were a little kinky.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Yay blog!

I decided a blog would be a great way to keep track of all the stuff I'm working on and have finished. I only started crocheting at the end of November, and I am already knitting and spinning and hoarding yarn & fiber like a fiend. It's slowly spiraling out of control, but I love it because I am constantly busy with a project, and learning as I go. Hooray!

This is my most recent completed project. I started it maybe 2 weeks ago, and the only reason it took that long to finish was because I was waiting on yarn shipments from my mom (I got the stuff in Kansas over my New Year's visit there- mom's Christmas present to me!) Anyway, it's a stupid simple blanket done all in single crochet with a Q hook, two strands held together. I used Lion Brand's Homespun in Baroque & Tudor. I made it to go with my dark purple couch, so I thought the combination of the baroque and creams & multicolor of the Tudor would compliment each other nicely. If I grab more yarn, I might put a border around it, but here it is:


And here is a picture with helper cat, Gus: