I'm back!

I've finally picked up my crochet habit again. Had to stop for a while (about a year!) due to chronic pain in my neck and shoulders. The pain is still there, but I finally got really sick of not having a creative outlet, and one day last week I found myself on Ravelry again and realized that I wanted to make Martha Stewart "Coming Home" ponchos for my little nieces out of all the Lion Homespun I still have... :)

I'm taking it easy this time around, only crocheting for an hour or less at a time. The first poncho is still coming along quickly, though. My little nieces are ages 3, 4, and 6; the ponchos are sized 2-4, 4-6, and 6-8. I started with a poncho for my 4-year-old niece, and I thought the size 4-6 one would work since, duh, kids grow. However, it seems to be turning out too big for her (and my gauge seems to be right on). I don't know if I should give it to her anyway (she'll grow into it), or give it to her 6-year-old sister instead...My little nieces (I keep calling them "little" because I also have another niece who's quite a bit older than they are) are, well, little. Not so big for their age groups.

If anyone's reading this, what would you do? Give it to the 4-year-old, or the 6-year-old? I'm going to see how the finished product turns out before I make a final decision on this, but any input would be much appreciated!

I've just spent a lot of time updating my queue on Ravelry. I've had to move all the clothing to the back of the line for now, because I've been doing Weight Watchers Online and losing weight! Hooray! I plan to lose about 13 more pounds, and I don't know exactly what size I'll be at that point, so I've got to hold off on making garments for myself.

I have to keep reminding myself to focus on GIFTS. Like, things that aren't for me! I'm such a selfish crocheter most of the time.

On top of the kids' ponchos, I'm hoping to make a shawl for my grandma, a poncho or shawl for my mom, and a bag for my sister. Whether I can get all of this done by Chanukah remains to be seen. I'd like to make some things for my friends, too, but I can get away with giving most of them belated gifts, and they'll still love me (I hope).

Old crochet project news: I am wearing my Abydos vest today for the first time in a while. It fits me again! I'd gained quite a bit of weight since making it, but now I've lost it and then some. It looks good, but the rayon chenille is shedding all over my black outfit. D'oh.

The Java Jammie gets A LOT of use. Here it is in its final form (sorry for the crappy cell phone photo):

Aaaand I still haven't blocked my Queen Anne's Lace scarf. It's difficult to find time and space to block things. I'm hoping to do it this Saturday morning before we go out, because that way it'll have all day to dry.

And that's it for now. If you've read this far, please leave a comment and let me know that you're reading! It means a lot to me.

wearing the Abydos, and working on a hat

I wore my Abydos to work today, and the only compliment I got was one I had to totally fish for (which wound up being along the lines of, "It's nice"). Not even a peep from the friend I had lunch with. And here I thought my Abydos was pretty striking. People confuse me.

I have a ton of projects on the back burner right now. I've had a frustrating week, so tonight, I decided to start on a Gulf Shores hat. It was a good choice for instant gratification! It's coming along quite nicely. I'm using Lily Sugar 'N Cream, in the Shaded Denim colorway. I will take a pic of my progress tomorrow if I get a chance.

Abydos pic

Abydos - DONE
Originally uploaded by saintlex

Here it is! :) I plan to get my fiance to take a pic of me wearing it soon. A few more pictures can be found here, but since I took them myself, I couldn't get the whole thing into the picture while I was wearing it. Still, they'll give you some idea of what it looks like on, if you're curious.

I am frustrated with the Sweetie Pie cami. I did the first 2 or 3 rows, only to discover that it was twisted and that I didn't count right for my starting chain. It took an awfully long time to get even that far along. I'm not sure I'm up for starting over yet. I think I'll work on something else for a bit. I really want to make a Farpoint Topper. Here's the Farpoint, modeled by Doris Chan:



Hope she doesn't mind my using her image here! She is the designer, after all. (The Farpoint is also in "Amazing Crochet Lace.") I want to use Lion Incredible in Autumn Leaves, which is the way the one in the book (not the one pictured here, which is Doris's own) was made.

I can't get started on it just yet, though. I am waiting to hear from Ms. Chan on the Ravelry forums, to find out if I can make it a little bigger somehow. My bust measurement is almost exactly the finished bust measurement of the Topper, which would make it too snug for my taste. I was going to just make it and pray that it would fit right, but then someone else on Ravelry asked a similar question, so I jumped right in. :) It is SO COOL to be able to ask Doris questions about her patterns. She rocks.

Abydos=DONE! :)

The Abydos has been blocked and is drying as I type this. YAY! My first finished garment! I feel so good about that. I can't wait to wear it. The pattern was so easy once I got the hang of it, that now I feel like making them for a few more people. Hmmm.

I started the Sweetie Pie cami. I decided not to use the G hook, but to try the E after all, since the yarn is stretchy. I am a little curious about it, since I am only on row 2 and it appears to be HUGE. I think it must shrink somehow (maybe with the post stitches in the next row?)--if it doesn't, I will be really confused.

I am mildly annoyed that the knitting/crochet Meetup group I belong to, which is called "The (Insert Name of City Where I Live) Knitting Meetup Group," meets in my city every other week and in another town on the alternate weeks. The alternate location in the other town is a good 20-30 minutes away from where I live. Convenient? No. On its own, that wouldn't make it inconvenient enough for me not to go; but when you add the fact that I don't get off work until 6 PM and would have to go home and eat dinner first since I have a gazillion dietary restrictions, I'd wind up getting there too late. I don't like to stay at these things past 8 or 9, and I'm not about to drive for 20-30 minutes to stay at a place for an hour, then drive home, then walk back from my car in the dark. (There's no available, affordable parking at my apartment building, so my car "lives" at a municipal garage 10 minutes away.)

Whatever...If it's convenient for others, that's fine. It just irks me that my city's NAME is in the title of the group, and yet we can't meet here every week. I am probably just being anal. Wouldn't be the first time. ;P

I should also add that I wouldn't be whining about this if not for the fact that I tried to go to the meetup last week, on a week when we were supposed to meet at the location in my city, and no one else showed. Nobody's fault, I know...but it sucked.

I am done complaining now, I promise! Sorry about the rant.

Abydos: almost done!

My Abydos is now down to my hips. I'm done with the length. I've done the edging on the neck and 1 arm hole; not sure if I'll do the other arm hole before going to bed, or if I'll leave it for tomorrow. After that, I'll just have to weave in the ends and block it.

I'm a little nervous about blocking, having never blocked anything before. Not exactly sure how I'll go about doing it. I had looked into that a while back, and decided that I'd pin the piece to be blocked to a towel on my bed and spray it with water; but now I'm not sure about that. I don't want to give my bed any chance to grow mold. Ick. Maybe if I use 2 towels, the bed won't actually get wet? :-/

Hey readers, any preferred blocking methods?

Got to correspond with some friends today on Ravelry. It was fun. :) Also, my Abydos-in-progress has been marked as a favorite by 2 people! I feel so flattered.

A friend (and bridesmaid) of mine has just returned from a long stay in Israel. Very, very happy she's home (although now she is thinking about moving, but not as far away as Israel, thank goodness!). ;)

Maybe tomorrow I will start working on that Sweetie Pie cami during my lunch break. The pattern calls for an E hook--knowing me, that means a G. Seriously, I think I could only ever use an E hook for fingering weight yarn. I don't ever feel like I'm crocheting that tightly, but I guess that's what I do. *shrug*

I am dying to start using that Bernat Cool Crochet yarn--the Amethyst colorway is so pretty!

Abydos vest (WIP), modeled by me

Abydos vest (WIP), modeled by me
Originally uploaded by saintlex

It's now the length of the "short version," before blocking. I'm making it longer, though (hopefully tunic-length). :)

So happy with it!!

happy Abydos-ing, Ravelry, and Patons Grace

I am now as far along with the Abydos as I was with the other one that I had to abandon due to too-small gauge (I haven't actually frogged it yet, though I will when I need the yarn). It's so funny to me that it took me almost two weeks to get to this point to begin with, but after starting over, it took me about 2 days to get back to the same point (with the right gauge)!

Anyway, so far, so good. I've tried it on, and the gauge is just right with the J hook. And so far, it looks adorable. :) I am very happy. I'm also very proud of myself for starting up again right away, before I had a chance to get too discouraged and abandon it.

Spent some time on Ravelry today, updating my library of books and magazines. It's so much fun to see what patterns others have used, and what the results have been. No, I'm not really having the most eventful 4th of July weekend, at least not where anything but crochet is concerned. ;) That's fine by me. I hope you're all having a good weekend!

I just got a great deal on 10 skeins of Patons Grace in Ruby on ebay. Under $20. I couldn't pass it up, even though my wallet may think I should have. ;) I keep seeing all these nice patterns in Patons Grace--although of course, now that I've ordered it, I can't remember what they are! Heehee. I'm sure Ravelry will help me figure that out when the time comes.

Abydos, take 3

OK, I started over again. This time, I had to use a J hook to get the gauge right--I'd been using an H hook before. Meep. Looks good so far, though. At least, it seems to look more like others' finished Abydos vests. Yay!

Abydos (WIP)

Abydos (WIP)
Originally uploaded by saintlex

I'm starting to think maybe I should've made the size Large after all. I know myself, and I generally don't wear things as tight as this is going to be.

*gulp*


On second thought...I think my gauge is off. Uh-oh. But I don't want to start over again! Arghhhh.

a weekend without crochet, and new yarrrrrn

I went away for the weekend, and I brought my Abydos vest with me expecting to have a little time to crochet, but that didn't happen. Oh well. I had a great weekend. :) Saw a very small piece of PA Dutch Country, then went to see family (also in PA). My fiance was supposed to come with me, but he got sick, so I went by myself. I'm still recuperating from the drive home, but it was worth it.

The yarn for my Sweetie Pie cami has arrived! Bernat Cool Crochet in Amethyst. Purple is my favorite color, but I've come to realize that I don't crochet much in purple. Must remedy that!

I will finish the Abydos vest first, though. I'm really looking forward to having a wearable FO. :)

Abydos progress, and more

I have now finished the top back part and the straps of the Abydos vest, and am getting close to the Joining Row. I am really excited about this, since it looks like I may actually be able to finish this project without losing patience!

Also, I crocheted a swatch in the yarn I'm using, and handwashed it. I was nervous about things I'd heard/read about MCY yarns. The yarn I'm currently using, however, did not bleed dye AT ALL. Even I wasn't expecting it to be quite that good. YAY! I have other yarns from MCY that may turn out to be problematic, but it looks like I'm safe with this one. What a relief.

I am really glad to be getting such a warm welcome back from my crochet blogger friends. I felt bad for being away for so long, but I guess it's not too unusual for real life to interfere for a while now and then. :) I am glad to be back in Crochet Blog Land.

I've also been spending quite a bit of time on Ravelry. Too much fun. I may join a CAL (Crochet-Along, for readers who may not know the terminology) on there for a cute camisole--I think the pattern is called "Sweetie"? I'm blanking on the author's name at the moment. Anyway, the author made it with Bernat Cool Crochet. I'm thinking I may pick up a few skeins of it as a treat for myself, since it's not expensive and I only need 4 skeins for my size. Anyway, I'm not sure what other yarn I would use for this project, out of the yarns I already have.

I've been thinking a lot about things I want to crochet. There are so many! I hope I don't get myself completely overwhelmed! One thing I'd really like to make is Doris Chan's "Somnambulista." It's a little nightie from her second book, Everyday Crochet. It is so cute...and my goal is to make it in a cream color, for my wedding night. *blush* ;) I have time, though. The wedding is November 2.

Abydos vest, take 2

I was able to get in touch with Doris Chan via Ravelry to ask her for suggestions regarding my size problem with the vest (being between the Medium and the Large). She gave me instructions for making the Medium a little bigger! Hooray!!! :) ♥ I am so grateful. She has since posted the instructions, along with instructions for some other sizes that weren't in Amazing Crochet Lace, in her blog. Go Doris!

I had to start the vest over, since I'd initially started making the size Large. I've only done the first 2 rows on my Medium vest now, but I know most of the rest of it will go fairly quickly if I keep at it, since the pattern is an easy one.

I'm a little bit worried about the yarn I'm using, since it's from Mystical Creation Yarns, which, as it turns out, is now out of business under some pretty weird-sounding circumstances. Loads of people have complained about bleeding dye with their yarns. The Sweet Pickle colorway that I'm using is fairly light colored, so I'm not as worried about bleeding dye as I would be with darker MCY yarn; but I am a little concerned about what may happen after the garment is washed. When I get a chance, I will make up a swatch and try washing it. I really hope it'll still be OK. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I'm going to a folk festival today, and I'm seriously debating bringing my crochet with me. ;) I don't really want to carry it around, but how much fun would it be to work on it while listening to good live music?! Hmmmm. I guess I'll go for it.

It's supposed to rain today...Hopefully I won't have to find out about the bleeding dye that way! Meep. I will bring plastic bags to protect the yarn.

Abydos vest

Last night, I started working on the Abydos Vest from Amazing Crochet Lace by Doris Chan. (Picture at left ganked from Doris' Flickr photostream!) I am very excited about it. It took me a long time to figure out what yarn to use, but I finally decided on Rayon Chenille from Mystical Creations Yarn. I then had to wind it, which was difficult. I had to abandon the first skein because it got too tangled, even with being around the backs of 2 chairs. *sigh* Still have 3 skeins, though (2 of which have now been successfully wound).

It's a tricky yarn to work with, since it breaks somewhat easily. I accidentally broke a strand while frogging a stitch, which was annoying. Is this the way chenille generally behaves, or is MCY just talented like that? ;) Anyway, I'm not too worried about that, as long as it doesn't break while I'm wearing it!

I'm a little worried about the vest measurements. The bust measurements for this pattern are 40" bust for Medium, and 46" bust for Large. Seeing as how my bust measurement is 39.5", I wasn't about to make the Medium--a vest that's practically the same size as my bust wouldn't really fit over any of my shirts, far as I know. But I'm afraid the Large will be too big for me. We'll see what happens, though! If I decide to make this fairly long (and if I have enough yarn for that), at least it will fit over my hips.

If I like the way this turns out and want a smaller one, I can make a size Medium in the short version and use a stretchier yarn. I think that would work?