blanket or bust!

Omg! Yes! I am there! I have 72 circles done, plus some extras (for a total of 88 circles). I'm starting to join these as squares now, and so far, it's going faster than I thought. I may just have a finished blanket in the next couple of days. Let's see, though. I may be overestimating my abilities/quickness here. Also, there is the fact that the squares are a little bit smaller than I thought they would be, which means the overall size of the blanket may be smaller. That's not a bad thing, but it means that I may have to add another column and row to get the size I was originally aiming for - 32 x 36 inches. Anyhow, I am obsessed with these. It's blanket or bust, people!

head-over-heels for handspun

Do you have a hankering for some handspun yarn? Have you seen Stacie's shop yet? No? Go there. Now. You will love it. Stacie spins some amazing stuff, and dude, she is a prolific spinner. She has spun tons of fiber (gorgeous stuff, too, like Hello Yarn & Spunky Eclectic & Southern Cross Fibre) and has decided to make it available for us non-spinners to buy and to have and to hold and to love and to cherish and to use for knitting awesome stuff. The yarn in the photo above is some fantastic Hello Yarn Corriedale that she spun in a sport weight in a colorway called Thrive, and it is all mine.

because every little bit helps, right?

I don't know what to say about the tragic events that occurred last week that hasn't been said a million times over already and far more eloquently at that. Following ravelry's lead, I am donating the proceeds from all pattern sales until the first week of February to help with the Haitian earthquake relief effort. The full proceeds from all pattern sales at my etsy and big cartel shops will be donated to Partners in Health, one of the smaller groups out there but one that has been extremely active in helping bring modern medical care to Haiti for the last 20 years.

Also donated in full will be all finger puppet set sales at my etsy shop. So please have a look.

sometimes it's a flop

And boy, what a flop! A flippity-floppity-flim-flam-flop. I'm not listing the details for this because later tonight I am frogging the hell out of it. I actually finished this monstrosity late last year and have been meaning to blog about it, but you know, what can you say about a project that's best described as an asshat? I wanted to make a slouchy hat like this one at the purl bee. The thing I failed to take into account is that their hat is textured. I did straight up stockinette for mine which means I should have done the maths to make it fit a little less loosely. But it's just a hat, and I was too lazy to do the maths for it. Now, it is eating my head. That's what I get for not doing something as simple as making 1 stitch every 12 stitches instead of every 6. (See? Math is not hard - I'm just lazy.) Derf!

It doesn't look too bad from the back, though. It's just the front, where I look like the Purple Pie-Man, that's a problem. Even when I wear it "normally," it's a bit much. Sooooooooooo, you think I have enough yardage in there for a baby sweater? Maybe a baby vest? We'll see.... This yarn is begging to be something else.

more beginnings

I'm doing it. I am starting that blanket. You know, the one I have been gushing about here, there, and everywhere. I know I said I would begin once I finished my other crochet project, one I have set down for far too long, but you know what? I tried. I honestly gave it a good go. I brought it with me to Stacie's one afternoon, and all I could muster was joining one of the squares to the rest of the scarf. I just couldn't sink my teeth into it. I'll pick it up another day. I promise. For now, I'm going to focus on this blanket. Besides, I've got a little bit of a time-restriction/ deadline with this one whereas the scarf is for me so there's no rush. I'll get it done when I get it done.

It feels great to crochet again. I totally forgot how fast it goes and how wonderfully squishy and dense the resulting fabric is. And playing with all these colors feels like coloring with a brand new pack of Crayola - the possibilities are ripe and ready. For a while, I was considering joining the Giant Granny crochet-along on ravelry. I was seriously tempted since it looks like so much fun and people are whipping out some beauties. I've been meaning to make this blanket for a long time, though. Now's as good a time as any to finally do it.

The tutorial I am using for this blanket is this one here. There's another excellent tutorial over here which is pretty much the same thing. Six of one; half a dozen of the other, really. I think one uses a couple of extra stitches at the corners of the squares, and one has you chain 4 for the center ring as opposed to the the 5 stitches the other recommends. Really, you cannot go wrong with either tutorial. The only change I made was that I used a magic ring instead of the chain for the center ring because I prefer a tighter crochetnus. That's just me. Heh. Also, I charted it out. I work better with charts than with written instructions. I'd be happy to share the chart with you all once I spiff it up a bit. Right now, it's a mess of scrawled symbols but still perfectly intelligible to me.

I've only got 18 circles done so far, but the night is young, my friends....

really? really???!!!

Hello! And welcome to the Anal Retentive Crafters' Corner. I'm Picky Fussybottom, and I'll be your host tonight. Oh my! We have quite the snafu here. See the three fabrics in the photo above? Please feel free to click on the photo for a better view as a weird pattern emerged on the fabrics when I shrank the photo down to fit within this format. Well, let's start with the one on the right. That's a piece of Kona cotton in "Natural" left over from several yards I bought in 2007. It's what I am using for my "Little Houses" quilt. Unfortunately, I've run out of it, and all I have left is that piece, which is probably about 10 x 24 inches. "Not a problem!" I thought and went to my stash to get another, much larger piece of Kona cotton in "Natural." That's the piece in the lower left of the photo, under the 2007 "Natural." I bought that piece in 2009 to supplement that older "Natural" when I ran out of it. Only thing is, as you can see, it wouldn't be a good idea to use both in the same project because they are totally different shades of "Natural."

I forgot that Kona is dyed in lots, like yarn. Now, let's take a look at the one peeking out from under all the others in the upper left corner of the photo. I purchased that piece about a month ago with a specific project in mind. It's a good thing it has already been committed to one particular project, because there is no way I could use it for my "Little Houses." It is a completely different shade from the other two. I would never have assumed from looking at the photo that it was supposed to be the same colorway as the others.

So fuck. I was going full-steam ahead with these blocks, and now I have to stop and figure out how to resolve this Kona quandary. As it is, I ordered a few more yards of "Natural" both at the 45" and 60" widths to see if maybe I can get a shade closer to the one I'm currently using. Then there's the possibility that I mislabeled it oh so long ago. Maybe it's some other color. Maybe it's some other shade of off-white, like "Snow" (not the Canadian rasta-rapper) or "Ivory." I thought it was "Natural" since it has the little freckles that are the only thing all three pieces of fabric have in common. I can only wait for my order of various shades of off-white to arrive so I can find the best match. Good thing Hancock's is having a sale on Kona. Until then, I guess I can continue to cut & sew more trees and houses. It's more productive than banging my head against the sewing machine, I suppose.

taste the rainbow!™

See this? I cannot wait to dive into this. Oh yes, it will be mighty.

building blocks and villages

One house at a time.... Just finished blocks #3 and 4. Only 20 more to go. I am taking my crazy enthusiasm for this project and running with it. I haven't sewn patchwork in what feels like forever, and working on this feels like something I have needed to do for a long time. I'm enjoying the spontaneity of it - grabbing scraps and strips, piecing them together like a puzzle, and making it work. My goal is to have at least 4 more blocks by the end of this week so that I am done with the blocks by mid-February and can start quilting it immediately. I've been thinking about how to quilt this, and so far, I have no clue. We'll see what develops in the coming weeks.

little house on the patchwork

Lately, I've been greatly inspired by the adorable "It Takes a Village" type quilts with sweet little trees and houses that are all over Flickr, like Amanda's Scandinavian-influenced beauty here and this amazing quilt and these adorable houses by krom mama and this supercute house by Rashida/i heart linen. I could go on and on - there are that many beautiful little house quilts being made. I adore them and have been meaning to join in and make one for the longest time.

Well, I'm finally making the time to do it. I'm not using any particular pattern. I'm just winging it, making it all up as I go along. I do believe I need a refresher on how to properly sew triangles, though. Some of mine are a little sloppy, and my trees entailed a lot of pruning to get them just right. The end result is far from perfect, but I am enjoying the process immensely. I have missed sewing something other than softies. I've missed collaging with fabric. I feel so free making these blocks, using tons of teeny scraps as I would crayons and pencils.

The blocks are 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches each. So far I have 2 down and 2 more on the way. I am hoping to make this 4 across and 6 deep, so finished it would measure 4 x 6 feet. Does that sound like it's about the right size for a crib quilt?

i want your socks!

pattern: Through the Loops Mystery Sock '09
designer: Kirsten Kapur/ Through the Loops
yarn: Madeline Tosh Sock in Sequoia
needles: Addi Turbos #1
modifications: none

For the first time ever, I decided to join in the Mystery Sock knitalong. As Kirsten of Through the Loops posted her clues, I was knitting along at steady clip. I finished my first sock maybe a day or two after she posted her final clue and cast on for the second sock right away. I thought I would have a finished pair in a matter of days. Then, well, I had to play catch up with the softie machine, and the socks, along with just about everything else in my life, fell by the wayside. Once life settled down a bit and I had some quiet time after the holidays, I was finally able to finish them up. And just in time for Matt's birthday!

Here is doing what he called a "manly pose." I have no idea what that means, but it does display the lovely heel. I am a fan of heels that are a continuation of the pattern. Ideally, you want to look good whether you're coming or going, right? Also, I have to say, I love knitting socks for Matt, even if knitting eight or more repeats for the foot makes me a little twitchy towards the end, just because he appreciates them so much. The fact that he is wearing them now makes me all warm and fuzzy.

well, fiddle-dee-dee! look at my mittens!

pattern: Fiddlehead Mittens

designer: Adrian Bizilia/ hello yarn
yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca for the main color of the shell, Cascade 220 in black, charcoal, red, orange, and light blue for the contrasting colors, and Still River Mill 2-ply cashmere for the lining
needles: Addi Turbos #2
modifications: none - the pattern is perfection; I used a lace weight yarn for the lining instead of sport weight

It feels great to start off the new year with a finished project, and this is the kind of project that just keeps on giving. I was never one for mittens until we moved to New England. Now, I can't imagine not having several pairs on hand to choose from or to lend to friends. Not to mention how much I love knitting mittens. They're always such a satisfying knit.

Recently, several of my crafty/knitty gurus on Flickr and in real life have been cranking out Fiddlehead Mittens, a pattern I have been meaning to knit since Adrian first published it way back when. First, I saw Chawne's beauties on Flickr. Next I saw Caro knitting away on her first of the pair at knit night. The final straw was seeing Stacie's amazing handspun Fiddlehead. It was love - pure love. Or actually, perhaps the final straw was Matt picking up the Fiddleheads that Stacie test knit for Adrian and asking me to knit a pair for him because he was so smitten with them. Either way, I had been pushed over the edge. I figured since everyone was whipping them out so quickly, maybe I would be able to do the same. What I didn't count on was my gauge being a bit smaller than I expected. As I mentioned before, the mittens were too small for Matt, but they were perfect for me. Lucky me!

Let's talk about the linings one second, because they are really lovely. I used a super-soft and squishy cashmere; to say they are lovely is almost an understatement. They are heavenly. Anyway, I knit the first lining just a bit too long, and it bunches a little at the top of the mitten. The second one is just the right length. I am going to not be an anal retentive freak and rip back to fix it. I am going to just relax and accept the fact that I knit the linings two separate lengths. It's a good thing I can't see the difference in length once they're stuffed inside the mitten shells. because when I think about it, it does my head in a little. I'm going to focus on the warmth and coziness they provide. In fact, I have no idea how I have been knitting mittens without linings for so long. I have seen the light, people!

One last thing - using the Berroco Ultra Alpaca was snap decision. I was going through the stash picking out any DK/light worsted yarn available to me and just grabbed it because I figured the color would make a great base for the others. What I hadn't considered was the fact that it would give the mittens a nice fuzzy halo which I love. There's nothing like a little bit of knitting serendipity!