Yesterday: really good mail day!

I got the most wonderful things in the mail yesterday. Here's a picture:

The goodies: Ravelry Design Contest Project Bag, Selling Your Crafts Online by Michael Miller (which I'd been wanting for a long time after seeing it at the bookstore), The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square (which I'd been wanting for a long time and just taking out of the library over and over and over again!), and a ceramic turtle business card holder from StrokesofMadness. All are things I ordered for myself, but it was so much fun to get them all at the same time! The business card holder looks great with my cards.  

WIP Wednesday

Here's what I'm working on these days (and probably will be for a while): a garter stitch lap blanket in bulky cotton chenille yarn by Yarntopia Treasures in the "Turtle" colorway (which I found in their Etsy store). When I first saw this yarn, I knew it was meant to be. It's called "Turtle," and it's got purple in it! It practically had my name on it. (Well, actually, it did have my name on it--part of my business name, anyway!) I'd been wanting to make a blanket for myself, and this is the perfect yarn for it.

Of course, in the past week, it's gone from about 20 degrees (F) to about 50. That's what I get for starting to make something warm. ;) I'm sure the temps will go down again, though. It is January, after all.

 
And there's a close-up. Look how pretty this yarn is! I kind of hate working with it, since it has no "give" whatsoever and that makes my hands hurt, and my stitching looks kind of sloppy...but the end result makes me so happy that I can't stop!

Hello out there!

Happy New Year! I realize it's been a really long time since my last post. I was crocheting up a storm for a while there, and I'll try to post about that another time; but now I've returned to my other passion: making things with beads. The Etsy store is open again. Here's a little sample for your viewing pleasure: I've been making loads of stitch markers. The spoons are my latest. They are a nod to The Spoon Theory, a wonderful article by Christine Miserandino about living with a chronic illness. Spoons have come to symbolize awareness of diseases such as lupus and fibromyalgia, which affect many, including some close to me. I plan to make spoon earrings soon, and maybe some other spoon jewelry if the customers want it. Also, snag-free spoon stitch markers just for knitting are in the works. (I may yet try to do snag-free ones for crochet, too...Keep an eye out!)

I've also been working on selling a bunch of things on eBay (click here if you'd like to see). I'm selling my father-in-law's amazing collection of vintage hand-carved pipes--he hasn't smoked since the 1970's and has no place to display them, so it made sense to sell them. They are worth a look at my eBay items just to see the beautiful craftsmanship. I have a new admiration for pipes now! I've got 3 up for auction at the moment, with many more coming in the next few weeks/months. Also available are a vintage 1980's Lando Calrissian (Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back) action figure, unopened; and a few other items.

There are 2 knitting projects that I want to start: a Cloudsoft Cowl with some amazing Filatura Di Crosa Superior yarn in a gorgeous lavender color that my mom gave me over the summer, and a basic garter stitch blanket using Yarntopia Treasures Bulky Cotton Chenille in the "Turtle" colorway (not pictured, but it's got green and purple and oh boy is it yummy!). I want to start the cowl at Stitch & Bitch so I can get some help, but I think I'll start the blankie on my own. I just hope I'll actually do it soon. I've been so busy with the Etsy and eBay shops and various other life stuff.

I now have a Facebook page! Please go "like" it if...well...if you like it. ;) I post Etsy and eBay stuff and some other fun things including cute turtles and funny stuff that's relevant. Please remember to "like" each update so they'll keep showing up in your newsfeed. Thank you!!

And that's it for now. Time to drink more coffee and make more stitch markers!

The blues

My knitting and crochet projects of late have been very blue. I love blue. It is my husband's favorite color. It is my 2nd-favorite color (my first, of course, is purple!). I finally started the Seraphina's Shawl for my mom. Here is what it looked like when I started out:



And here's what it looked like the last time I took a picture of it:



It has grown since then. I hope it will get big enough for my mom by the time her birthday rolls around--I have a little less than a week, but it's progressing quickly. I'm very happy with it. The first 10 or so rows were a pain in the butt, but once I got the hang of the pattern again (this is the second time I've made a Seraphina), it became much easier.

The Lion Homespun was a different story. Homespun, I love you, but every once in a while you give me a bad skein...In this case, 2 bad skeins in a row. Not cool! The bad skeins are the ones in which the yarn gets all bunched up when you try to work with it. I've been using them anyway, because I don't really have a choice, since that's what I have and I don't have the receipt (I bought it at least a year ago!). That's made it much harder to work on this shawl than it was on the last one.

On to my knitting...I'm still working on Wingspan. I'm now on the 5th "triangle," but this pic was taken when I'd just started the 4th:



My cable cast-on for the 5th triangle was not very good. Too loose in places, so it's made my knitting a bit uneven and the shape of the triangle isn't as, well, triangular. But I didn't correct it, I just kept going. This is my first real knitting project and I am in love with it and I will look at it someday and say "Wow, I can knit so much better than that now!"

Wingspan progress, secret and not-so-secret crochet

Well, here I am again. Hello! :) Since my last entry, I've started making that Wingspan scarf/shawlette. I've finished 2 "triangles" so far and am starting on the 3rd (they are all knitted as one piece, but look like separate triangles, and for each one you have to cast on some new stitches). It's a really fun project. Here's a pic I took when I was still working on the first triangle (note the handmade stitch markers! I love my coffee bean and butterfly):



Sorry it gets cut off at the edge there. Please click on the picture if you'd like to get the full effect. I tried to do the cable cast-on after the first triangle, when the pattern says to cast on 16 st. I did it wrong, but it still worked! Anyway, yesterday at S&B, another member very kindly taught me the correct way to do it. I am really glad, and I really hope I remember how to do it when it gets to be time to cast on new stitches for the next triangle!

I caved and bought my own set of interchangeable circular needles. I wound up getting the Trends Acrylic Deluxe Set by Knitter's Pride. I actually got it from an ebay seller so I could get free shipping. I got a really good deal. I am not in love with the needles--I find the acrylic to be a bit "sticky"--but they are fine for my first set. I'll get wooden ones when I can, but for now, these will do.

I lined my Spring Bag with the scarf, as planned. Here it is:



I've been using it as a project bag, and I absolutely love it! The lining is not strong at all, so I have to take care that my needles don't punch through it (I'm using it to hold Wingspan for now).

I have a few secret crochet projects to work on at the moment. I'm itching to blog about them, but won't be able to till...probably June. Shhhh.

The one not-secret crochet project I need to start is a Seraphina's Shawl for my mother, whose birthday is May 30 (!!!). Gotta get going on that. She requested it, hence the not-secretness. ;) I've had the yarn for it for a while (Lion Brand Homespun in Windsor, a pretty blue colorway). I should probably be working on it now, but instead I am blogging. Oy vey.

I bought a lovely sleeveless lavender dress for a friend's rehearsal dinner later this month. I am so excited about it. I really, really want to make a shrug to go with it, but I have neither the time nor the right yarn. I've actually bought 2 black boleros, but one is too big and the other seems a little too informal. I don't know. I'd rather return those and make my own. I wish I had much more time!

I leave you with this photo of gorgeous lilacs blooming in the courtyard of our apartment complex:

Spring Bag almost done, new knitting, and love for the S&B Group

I am finally almost done with the Spring Bag. I just have to add a lining. Here it is, with the old scarf I plan to use for lining it:



I got a lot of help from an online friend for this one. I modified it a little by adding a few rows of double crochet and a simple edging, and I only did one drawstring. I tried to do 2 and have them going out the sides like the pattern says, but the bag didn't close right that way. Anyway, I'm pretty satisfied with it. I will have to find tutorials on lining bags, since I have very little idea how to sew into crochet using regular thread, let alone how to line a bag to begin with.

I've started a new knitting project. Nothing amazing, just a very simple garter stitch scarf using Caron Spa yarn. I'm using it to practice my knitting. I found that I couldn't practice seed stitch or stockinette or ribbing or anything like that while watching TV or being otherwise distracted, so I needed a simple project.



We had a wonderful Stitch & Bitch session today. We went to see an art exhibit at a local town hall that 2 of our members had artwork in, which was really fun. Then we invaded the town hall cafeteria.

I had forgotten to bring lunch, but others had generously brought some food that I could eat! Gluten-free multigrain tortilla chips and spinach hummus, and an iced green tea. I am so spoiled by these ladies. I love them so much.

A friend is lending me her size 4 circular needles so I can make a Wingspan (that's a Ravelry link) scarf/wrap. I am so excited. I'll be using some Yarntopia Treasures Bamboo Cotton yarn in this colorway (Poseidon) that my husband got me a while back. Wish me luck! ;)

And another of my knitter friends is such an enabler: she gave me yarn. PURPLE yarn. How could I possibly resist?! *drool*



I am so lucky to have this wonderful S&B group in my life. I also have way too much yarn...although I'm not convinced that there is such a thing. There are so many things I want to make!

Gifties for my 6-year-old niece

My niece's 6th birthday was last Saturday, and her party, which was supposed to be that day, got cancelled because her sister got sick. Poor kiddo. The up-side of this, though, is that I get a little more time to work on her presents. This is the hat I wound up making for her:



It's the Shell Brimmed Cloche by Cathy Phillips (free pattern), made with Lily Sugar 'N Cream cotton yarn in Robin's Egg. I did the crown through Rnd 6, then the straight rows (Rnds 9-14), then through Rnd 19 (2nd row of 7 dc shells), skipping Rnds 20 and 21. I didn’t want the hat getting too long for her. I also did the sc edging with the G hook (Rnd 22). It looks great. I hope it fits well.

By the time her actual birthday rolled around, it looked like she was going to be getting this hat and a few other things we picked up for her. However, when the party got cancelled, I decided the hat needed a flower. I made it a barrette, so it can clip onto the hat or she can put it in her hair.





I'm still working on the Spring Bag I wrote about in this post. It's caused me a lot of frustration, but I think I've finally got it. I was going to give it to my niece, but it's taken too long, and I want to send her gifts out right away. Also, if I give her a bag and a hat, I will have to do both (or the equivalent) for my other nieces' birthdays, and I'm not sure I'll have time what with all the other projects I plan to make.

I've decided to keep it for myself as a project bag, and line it with an old scarf. (I've never lined anything in my entire life, so this will be a new experience.) :)