December Madness

I'm sitting here and looking at my calendar in disbelief. It can't be the 3rd of December. Only a mere 22 days to figure out what I'm buying, what I'm making, and, well, MAKE it. Note that I count right up to the day--can you guess what I usually spend my Christmas Eve doing? Last year I sat in my mother's guest room, starching snowflakes (OK, that wasn't Christmas Eve--it was the first day of our post-Christmas visit. I spent Christmas Day crocheting!). It seems like every year I'm finishing the last item in a set of something. This is going to be a belt-tightening year, so I feel a bit of necessity when I say that I guess I need to get started on this stuff.

For the record, I'm still working on the Afghan from Hell. I'm just not finding much zen-style peace in a repetitive pattern right now (although, I have made progress). However, even with that on the back burner, nagging me, and the memory of LAST Christmas refreshed in my brain, I woke up this morning thinking SNOWFLAKES. I'm going to a gift exchange party later in the month, so I will make a few for that. They are easy and, having lived through my first starching experience last year, I think I can hack it. While I'm at it, maybe I'll make a few for my sister to tide her over until she gets her afghan.

Then there's my mother-in-law. She visited for Thanksgiving and declared that she wants nothing but "hand towels that don't require ironing." She has dozens of the old-fashioned linen kind. I enjoy using them when we go there--the are reminiscent of a quieter time--but I guess I'll appreciate them more now that I know I'm soiling an ironed hand towel. Of course, when I've made her many things over the years, actually going out and purchasing hand towels seems rather meager. It is what the sane shopper would do when it's already December 3rd. But, I've never professed to being sane at this time of the year. So, it comes down to choices: crochet or cross-stitch. I'd love to try making some lace-embellished towels. However, personally speaking, I've found washing hand-crocheted lace to be a royal pain. It has to be reblocked while drying, and you can't just toss it in the washing machine, which rather defeats the purpose of the requested gift. You have to be a little careful with color selection when doing cross-stitched towels, but, all-in-all, they are quick and you can make the pattern suit any style and color choice (in this case, blue and white).

I also have a great pattern for fingerless mittens. I made a pair for myself, and all the kids wanted them, too. Both older boys have come home from school saying that people have asked where they got them. They take only an evening to make, so I think I'll make several adult-sized pairs to give as gifts to sundry people on my list.

OK, that's enough for now. Time to get out the pattern books and inventory the yarn. Christmas is comin', fast and furious!

Rip It, Rip It: When to Throw Your Work to the Frogs

frogging

needlework slang for the massive ripping out of a section of--or of each and every lovingly made stitch in--a project.

Repeat after me: Rip it...rip it...rip it...

Earlier in this blog (you know--last February when I last bothered to post more than one day in a row), I made mention of the Afghan From Hell. This was my pet name for the large afghan I was (am) making for my sister's wedding, which was on October 11, 2008. Note that I say "am," because it is still not done.

Now, I've had projects that I haven't finished before that were intended to be gifts. I still feel guilt over them, but the person wasn't expecting a gift from me, specifically, so no harm done, right? (My name is Judy, and I'm a Myers-Brigg P.) This is the first time I've ever failed to finish a gift that had a definite do-or-die due date. Hopefully it won't start a trend. But, I digress...

The afghan is in a classic cream (Plymouth Encore 75/25 Knitting Worsted, Color 0256). I was looking for a classic pattern to go with it, something in a fisherman sweater style. I finally settled on a pattern (Leisure Arts #100318, "Afghans for All Seasons," pg. 72), bought my 20 balls of yarn, and got started.

I was on the second or third row of the pattern when I jokingly dubbed it "The Afghan from Hell" because it was a perfect case of take two steps forward and one step back. Now, don't get me wrong--it's a gorgeous fabric that looks very similar to a knitted design. But, it was all done in single crochet or slip stitches, front loop only or back loop only. To the uninitiated, this means that it was IMPOSSIBLE to do it without paying total attention. The few times I allowed myself to be distracted by, I don't know, trying to talk and crochet at the same time (imagine, wanting to do that!), I messed up the pattern, didn't discover it until halfway through the next row, had to rip it out, and there went an hour's work. Yet, I persevered, until it resembled a wide scarf (I'd done about 35 rows out of 230-something). At which point summer came, and I kept finding other things to do.

Anyway, one of the reasons I haven't been back here since spring is that, when I wasn't working on The Afghan from Hell, I wasn't working on anything else, either. I totally stopped knitting and crocheting, mostly due to the guilt. I knitted a bit on a trip to my hometown because I bought the materials there and couldn't have taken the larger project with me anyway (the bride was there), so the guilt didn't get in the way that weekend.

So, finally, I made the decision. I could not motivate myself to work on The Afghan from Hell. And I still wanted to make an afghan for my sister with that large quantity of yarn I'd purchased for a large quantity of money. So, I spelunked in my books and on the internet, and came up with this. I'm about a third of the way through it, the fall leaves are falling, the wedding trip is behind me, and the costumes have to be done by Saturday. So, after that, it's crisp fall air and afghans for me! I confess that I have NOT frogged the original afghan, yet--if I need the yarn, I will. If I don't, I guess I have a really pretty scarf!

Moral of this story: If you don't like it--if it isn't fun to make--then don't make it. There's too little time, too many patterns, and too much yarn out there for that!

So, sister dear, it's not done, yet. I hope you are enjoying the thread crochet doily I gave you for your bridal shower (I did finish that!). I promise to have your beautiful, cozy afghan finished before the winter winds bring chilly weather to southern California!

Creativity for the Uncreative

People tell me that I'm creative. But, the fact is, I don't think I've ever made anything up from scratch in my life. In the 1950's, a man named W. Edwards Deming went to Japan to teach U. S. manufacturing techniques to Japanese automobile manufacturers. The Japanese took this basic structure and ran with it, and we all know how that went, don't we? Well, I do the same thing--I decide what I want to make, I find a pattern that closely matches the form of my end-product (any pattern, even a not-so-good one, because it's a "look" I'm going for, rather than perfection, and some basic guidelines on how to achieve that shape), and then I go from there.

Take the armor: I made this armor for my son when he was about six years old. (As you can see, it still fit him when he had to dress up for medieval faire at school last year.) The benefit of hand-making something like this is that it has held up to six years of usage by three boys and, really, the helm took an evening and the gauntlets another. I started off with a basic pattern for an acorn cap (no longer online, as far as I can tell, but I'll keep looking), and then, using an open dc pattern that resembled chain links, extended it down his face and neck. I started working back and forth at the section with the face opening, and, then, when it was the right size, chained across, joined, and continued working in the round until it was long enough. The gauntlets were a mitten pattern--I made them fingerless, and then attached to the wrist end and worked my chainlink pattern until they suited me. I got fancy and edged the helm in gold crochet thread (he was King Richard from Robin Hood in the orginal rendition of this costume).

Don't ask for specifics--it was a stream-of-consciousness thing! And, really, that's the point--even an advanced beginner can do things like this when you have a basic foundation to work from. If it doesn't look right, you pull it out and redo that part (which is what I like about crocheting--knitting is still very scary to me in that respect!).

Echo...Echo...

OK, yes, I *know. I've been naughty. No blog posts for months and months. Yet another blogger gone bad. Perhaps it's guilt (still haven't finished the Afghan from Hell, which I frogged and started anew). Perhaps it's that I've just been busy actually knitting and crocheting (yeah, that's the ticket!). Perhaps it's that left-handed needlecrafts observations are few and far between. Perhaps it's just that I haven't developed a following and no one cares whether I post or not!

Let's see? What nugget of wisdom can I pass on to get the ball rolling? How can I move into the big picture side of my whole "right brain" concept? OK, here goes...let's try this:

I recently got a Palm Centro. I haven't had a Palm in a while, but I was excited to find that the program Handy Shopper is still available. Handy Shopper is more than just a shopping list. It's a flexible database that allows you to assign a "Store" and a category to each list item. But, hold onto your (knit) hats...a "Store" can be ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE-- from rooms in your house (for cleaning or decorating projects) to people (for gift-giving or family trip-packing) to :::insert drum roll here::: NEEDLE SIZES.


Yes, Virginia, there is a cure for the disorganized needler who likes to buy projects on the spur of the moment and now has a half dozen size H crochet hooks just because she can't ever remember if she already has one!

Oddities

I belong to a community orchestra (I play the flute, right-handed!). I stopped to chat with the mother of one of the other members, who happened to be crocheting. It isn't often that you catch another crocheter in public. We are obviously a stealthy bunch, and it was nice to come across a like-minded soul who is brave enough to admit that she does something other than knit. As I chatted with her, it struck me that something looked wrong. Awkward. Odd in a way I couldn't put my finger on.

Finally, it hit me--she was RIGHT-handed!

So, righties, now I realize why you always think we lefties look odd. Back atcha! :)

Project Linus

Yes, I know, I'm all feast or famine!

Project Linus is a charity that collects blankets. They want clean, new, hand-crafted (crochet, quilt, sew, knit) blankets for donations to children's hospitals and charities. I'm trying to fit some of my acrylic stash into nice, child-friendly blankets that I can donate. This one is finished. I'd started it for one of my boys, but decided that it was too girlish. I'm sure a girl will love it though!














Here are the other ones I'm working on (yes, I admit to being nuts!)

Update

OK. The more I do this, the more I realize that I need a new camera. But, we'll persevere. Here is the blanket I was making for my son using the Lamb's Pride wool. It was pleasure to make, and this picture simply does not do it justice.

It was made in mostly double crochet with the occasional triple crochet embellishment, using the pattern "A Child's Very Own" in Leisure Arts Presents Afghans for All Seasons. Lamb's Pride is simply a pleasure to work with, and I splurged on a Laurel Hill Forest Palmwood hook for this project (and, really, I'm addicted to these hooks now--I'm making the Afghan From Hell using one).

I Know, I Know

I swore I'd post often, and well...such is life. I can happily report that I have completed quite a few projects since last posting. I'll take a few photos and get them up. My knitting has improved, though still slow. I am currently working on quite a few child-sized afghans, trying to plow through my stash of cheap acrylic and move it on out. I've also started a wedding afghan for my sister (made with Encore wool/acrylic, which is, so far, an excellent yarn to work with--which is good, since this has been dubbed The Afghan from Hell).

Rippling Along

Crossposted to the NEIS Ripple-Along .

This morning I tried to take a picture of the progress I've made on my ripple. Unfortunately, my two "helpers" wanted in on the action. My 4yo is my Official Random Yarn Picker. He is extremely adamant when he chooses, and he's made a fuss a few times when he thought that I wasn't going to use the "right" yarn next ("Mom, WHERE is the magenta?!?! Why isn't it here?!?!")

The other "helper" is my cat, who eats yarn for dinner. She is very intriqued by the huge pile here that I am needing for this project, and by the sorting and digging that has gone on in my stash as I gather what I need.

As for the ripple itself, I had slowed down partly due to the above-mentioned 4yo's birthday, and partly because I was very dismayed by the section with the dk blue, lt blue, and peach. It was looking very lively up until then, but my "Flower Power" ripple wilted on me. The bright green and magenta have revived it, though, and I've decided that, despite the demands of my Official Random Yarn Picker, I need to ensure that there are no more than two pale colors in any 5-segment section (in between the recurring 2 rows of "Flower Power" variagated), and that each section includes mostly brights and darks, like the first one.

Yummy

I'm working on three acrylic afghans right now--one for a friend's baby (born a year ago--yes, I am bad bad bad); one large granny for my bedroom (started 10 years ago--yes, I am bad bad bad); and a Flower Power ripple for the No-End-In-Sight Ripple-Along. So, when my almost-4 yr old declared that he wanted me to make him an afghan, what did I say? You guessed it. I am sunk into another one.

So, off to the yarn store I went. I decided that, since it was a smallish afghan (only 3 ft x 3 ft), I'd indulge myself, er, my child, in yummy yarn. Lamb's Pride Worsted was the winner. This stuff is almost edible, it's so much fun to work with. And, the colors, while bright, are a totally different, more muted and textured, hue from the Red Heart that I usually use to make projects like this. In celebration of my delicious yarn, I also splurged on a wooden crochet hook (Laurel Hill, Forest Palmwood, size H).

By the way--NEVER, EVER mistakenly leave your pattern at the yarn store. It means you have to go back the next day to fetch it. Uh oh. I'll show you what I bought on clearance another day, when I figure out what to do with it.

Going Continental

When I originally taught myself to knit several eons ago, I learned right-handed. It seemed comfortable enough, and I was able to use the same yarn carry that I use when I crochet (left-handed). So, last winter when I decided to relearn how to knit, I tried various yarn-carries in Sally Melville's book "The Knit Stitch." Amazingly, the left-handed carry (AKA Continental knitting) is what is suggested for lefties, and I COULDN'T DO IT. So, I kept on keeping on with my crochet carry, and was happy.

Here is how I knit:

And here is how I crochet:

Then I tried knitting with two colors. Oops. The ability to use a left-handed carry suddenly increased in usefullness. Still, I couldn't do it. It just felt awkward. Every book I read says that this is the way lefties should learn. Apparently, they were written by righties because this lefty just doesn't get it.

Then I found this:

YouTube: Continental Knitting Demo

If you've ever tried to figure out Continental knitting, this is the most amazing video. I sat here at my computer one day, yarn in hand, and the lightbulb turned on. It still feels awkward but, then, so did knitting, period, a year ago.

Transporting is Cool

An administrative note:

I decided to transfer the entries on my little-used LiveJournal blog over here. So, this marks the first "real" entry in this new--hopefully oft-used--blog. So, Beam Me Up, Scotty--I'm here now!

I've been busy this winter improving my knitting skills and using up a voluminous, yet el cheapo, stash, mostly on my children (like the crocheted stuffed animal backpacks that their "pets" needed in order to go to school). I just requested to join the NEIS Ripple-Along, so, hopefully, that will take care of the rest of my boxes. Then I can start guiltlessly indulging in the products featured by my local non-big-box yarn shop. Goodbye Red Heart! I loved you!

(B)logging In

Call me lazy. I've been doing nothing in the needlework department. OK, well, not lazy, so much as outsidewardly-oriented. I've planted a perennial bed of lilac and ornamental grasses; I've walked; and I've started to exercise (a bit). I'm a Renaissance Girl, what can I say?

A friend did tell me about double-sided crochet hooks, and I am hoping to get out and buy them in the near future. I am always game for a new form of torture...er, yarn-based fun. So, I'll post an update when that experiment comes to fruition.

Catching Up and Dishing It Out

So much for keeping a journal! Due to a month of kiddie birthdays, I hadn't done much of any stitchery, so nothing to muse about.

We went to PA for a long weekend a few weeks ago. When we were there at Christmas, my mother-in-law had a knitted dishrag that had been given to her, and she seemed to like it (its reappearance on the counter immediately after we'd decontaminated it in the washing machine confirmed this). So, I had decided to make her another and had bought the yarn and a book. Didn't like the book once I got it home (all of the nice-looking ones were knitted, rather than crocheted), so I turned to other projects. Fast forward, and, while packing for the trip, I found a booklet on dishrags in a pile of crochet books in my closet. I'd had it all along. So, into my "in the car" bag went Leisure Arts #2666 "Lots More Wash & Wipes."

I made pattern #12 in the leaflet for my MIL--quick and easy, and it, unfortunately, didn't even manage to kill half of the drive, despite the distractions from the back seat (the kids were strangely interested in the dishrag, and insisted on inspecting the finished product).

I decided that another one might be the ticket for the drive home, so I headed to Michaels and bought another ball of cotton yarn. While there, I considered buying the materials to make a summer poncho. However, I was saved from myself by the fact that I couldn't find both a pattern that I liked AND the yarn to make it. :::whew:::

Anyway, to get to the point of all of this (didn't you realize there would be one?), I made pattern #7 for myself on the way home. It includes a stitch called Cross Stitch, as follows:


"To work Cross St, skip next dc, dc in next dc, working
around dc just made, dc in skipped dc."


There are two figures drawn to show the stitch being done by a right-handed crocheter. Oooooo. Journal fodder! Frankly, I'm glad that I had to figure this one out on my own because I cannot see how the stitch could be accomplished per the drawings--it shows the second stitch being done around the first dc on the crocheter's side of the piece. Frankly, this would require the stitcher to basically stand on her head to accomplish. My wrist certainly doesn't turn upside down. I tried to do it right-handed, as shown in the drawing, simply out of curiosity to see if I was missing the big flick somewhere. Nope. So, I did it behind the post of the first dc. Smugly, I was pleased that my "backwards" left-handed stitches looked just like the drawing, since I'd totally reversed not only the direction of work, but the direction in which the stitch was crossed.

So, what's my point? Even right-handed stitchers get obstacles thrown in their paths sometimes, courtesy of less-than-clear directions, bad drawings, and awkward "made up" stitches. The most important aspect of completing a project is to keep your eye on the big picture--what the finished product is supposed to look like--and then figure out how to reach that "look," using the instructions and photos given, with a healthy dose of your mind's eye thrown in for good measure.

A Back-Handed Explanation

In considering what to include in this journal, I've been thinking back to the times when I learned new needlecraft skills. If you do an internet search, you can find a lot of material out there on learning left-handed. However, while the basics are there for us lefties, there's no information on what to actually do when we progress past our first potholder or scarf. You could take a class, but, unless you luck out, you're going to have a right-handed instructor. I remember trying to learn to crochet from my right-handed grandmother--an experience even more exasperating than teaching my right-handed son how to tie his shoes. In the end, many "How To" books and websites advise you to "simply learn right-handed" if you can't figure out how to do it left-handed. Hmmm...I wonder how those right-handed people would like it if their left-handed instructor told them, "Oh, just learn left-handed. It doesn't really matter anyway"?

So, now that my children are old enough to leave me in peace, and the kitten has learned that messing with yarn in motion is not the way to win my heart, I'm going to start reexploring the art of knitting; venture into some more difficult crochet projects (asymetry, here I come!!); and may even get out those tatting supplies that I just had to have NOW NOT LATER--three years ago. As I do, I'll revisit my own learning process, and discuss problems I run up against.

Starting Somewhere

Well, you have to, don't you? I've been wondering about the craze of journaling, so I decided that I'd give it a try. I recently started knitting again, and, as a left-handed person, I thought that a journal of my left-handed attempts at various needlecrafts might be an interesting foray. I know that, in the past, it's been an adventure of sorts. Well, at least keeping the yarn away from the cats has been a challenge.

I've been crocheting since 1996 or so. I crochet left-handed. Since my main products tend to be blankets and potholders, this has only ever one caused a problem (a pair of slippers for my son, where I had to reverse the instructions, after swearing like a Sailor didn't fix the mess that had formed). That said, when I taught myself how to knit many moons ago, I learned right-handed. It works for me, and it's a little less confusing. I recently got back into knitting (after a 16-year hiatus), and picked up Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch. So, while I'm still knitting right-handed, I'm exploring various ways of carrying the yarn.
And, for the rest of the run-down:

Cross-stitch/Crewel: Left-handed
Tatting: Left-handed
Let the games begin. :)