Saturday, September 5, 2009

More crochet mishaps

Still workin' on the Java Jammie. I think it's coming out too small. :( I should've gone up a hook size. Here it is being stretched out on a cup:

stretchin' the Jammie

Itching to start something new, I decided to try out a Lace Cap from the free pattern by Kim Piper Werker. I used black Caron Simply Soft. It seemed to be coming along fine, until all of a sudden there weren't enough stitches left in a row for me to do what I was supposed to do...Now I don't know if I should attempt to find whatever the mistake was, or start over. I think my gauge is too small (as usual), anyway.

Lace Cap argh

And, last but not least, I am trying to make a scarf for a friend using Cherry Tree Hill Zebra Caribe yarn. I'm using the Surreybelle Scarf pattern by Sarah Cooper, available as a free Ravelry download. Anyway, it's not really coming out like the one in the picture in the pattern, but it is pretty. Beautiful, in fact. That's not the problem. The problem is that this mostly cotton yarn is not soft. Now who wants to give their friends scarves that aren't soft?! *sigh* I don't know what to do. Any way to soften this up? Anyone?

Surreybelle Scarf argh

I will probably continue on with this scarf, regardless, if only because I don't know what the heck else to do with this yarn (and it is very tricky to work with)!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Jammin'!

It looks like I may finally get my Java Jammie! After a few more unsuccessful attempts, I think I've gotten it started the right way. Didn't even substitute SC for slip stitch. It looks like it's coming out right. I can't wait to start adding the little flowers. Heehee!

QAL scarf - pre-blocking

It's done! Except for weaving in the ends and blocking, that is. :) Hope I will get to block it this weekend. What a wonderful thing to be able to wear this Fall! I should call it my Back-to-School Scarf, since I'm about to start grad school after having been out of school for a long time.

I still have a decent amount of yarn left even after making the scarf...not sure what I'll do with that yet.

Still wanting a Java Jammie. I think I will try it with round 1 as sc instead of sl st, since I can't seem to get it right with a row of slip stitch.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf

I had a little trouble getting this started the other day--I messed up joining the first and second motifs, and wound up having to frog. After re-starting, though, it's coming out well. Hooray!!

I love working with this yarn. It's the Handmaiden Double Sea Silk I got in Toronto. I guess I'd better enjoy it, because it was so @#$% expensive! The most I'd ever paid for one skein of yarn, but I think it was worth it. It's so beautiful and soft. I love the colors--this pic really doesn't do them justice. Different shades of purple, and some brown.

The pattern is so easy once figured out. I should be able to work on it in front of the TV...I'm about to go test that theory now. ;)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Hello! It's been quite a while...

I took some time away from crochet again, and now I'm back. Or trying to be, anyway. I've had some seriously frustrating crochet "issues" lately.

First, there was the lovely Java Jammie. I've been wanting to make one of these for years now. Literally. I had the yarn, so I finally gave it a shot. The first few rows looked weird, but I kept going...and it was coming out really cute! Then, I realized I'd screwed up around the flowers and hadn't increased where I was supposed to. So much for that ever fitting a coffee cup. I frogged it...and haven't been able to get it started the right way since!!! :(

The problem: Rnd 1: Work 1 sl st in each ch around.

A row of slip stitch? How's that work, exactly? Seems like, in my case, it doesn't. Did the designer really mean sc instead? Or am I just missing something? HELP! (Please?!)

Next, I tried to work on the Zen Scarf I'd started and left to hibernate for a while. I got it started up again, or so I thought; but it kept coming out wrong, with really strange edges. I ended up frogging it because I just couldn't figure out how to continue the pattern the right way. I also didn't like working with the pattern very much. It was incredibly difficult to keep track of which row I was on (I suppose I should've been writing it down, or checking the rows off, or something; but I hadn't when I'd started out, and maybe that was the entire problem). Maybe I'll try it again sometime, but for now, it's in the frog pond.

Then, I tried to make a Tunisian Lace Ascot. That didn't work out, either. I think maybe Tunisian crochet is not my thing. I eventually got the first row done, was all excited, and messed up the second row and couldn't figure out how to correct it without starting over. Then I couldn't even get the correct number of loops on the hook again.

GRRRRRRAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH.

I have finally decided to try out a Queen Anne's Lace Scarf. I hope that turns out to be easier; it certainly is pretty. (No working pics with the pattern, but there are a ton of projects with pictures on Ravelry.) I want to make it using some beautiful Handmaiden Double Sea Silk yarn that I bought last week in Toronto at Lettuce Knit, while my husband and I were on our (delayed) honeymoon. :) (Honeymoon was fabulous, by the way!!)

I hope the QAL Scarf is a quick project, too, because I will soon be starting graduate school and probably won't have much time for the yarny goodness. *sigh* We'll see, though; I may still be able to fit in my crochet habit somewhere, now that I've picked up my hooks again.