Still Here... Honest!

It's been ages since I posted - I've honestly been so exhausted that I haven't really been crafting, let alone thinking of craft-related things to blog about *laughs*

I do have a finished object to share, but the size of it does demonstrate just how little I have been doing over the last week ;)

I made an apple cozy. It's for a nerd wars challenge, and I think it's actually pretty cute *smiles* Hopefully it will encourage me to remember to pack apples for work snacks, as they won't get bashed up on my bag (last time I packed a loose apple it ended up impaled on my house keys!)

You know the Friday drill - head over to Tami's and Wisdom Begins in Wonder for some proper FOs ;) 

Be Prolific*

I have a couple of small FOs to share today - both are Nerd Wars submissions and I have been practicing my crochet *smiles* As I tend to do little projects for Nerd Wars it seems like a good place to test out my crochet skills and see if I can improve them.

First up, I made a set of coasters. Not the most thrilling of projects, I know, but they came out exactly as intended and I'm really pleased with them!

Secondly,

I made a little bag/pouch. I made it up as I went along and it worked perfectly *grins*

So, small projects but definite improvements in my ability to crochet things and actually get the desired result. I'm calling it a win *laughs*

It's Friday, so you know what to do... Visit Tami's, Natural Suburbia and Wisdom Begins in Wonder. Have a great weekend :)    


*“Crochet is an accessible art that comes with a license to be prolific”. – Francine Toukou

So Very Orange

I finished my granny square blanket last night *smiles*

The colours remain impossible to photograph sensibly, but I'm pretty pleased with how it is looking. It used up 4 balls of stashed yarn that I had no idea what to do with, gave me a chance to practice a new technique and was kinda fun to make.

Plus, lots faster than a knitted blanket *laughs*

I haven't blocked it, so it looks a bit wonky, but it's a blanket and I'm ok with that ;)

Pattern: None. I made some granny squares in different configurations and then put them together until I liked how it looked ;)
Yarn: Random Sirdar acrylic from stash

It's only a small blanket, definitely more of a lap blanket really, but perfect for when I need a little bit of extra warmth. I made the squares on a larger hook than the yarn called for, so it's really light and traps lots of air.

For my first large (ish) crochet project, I'm really quite pleased with myself *grins*

Slow Progress

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been having a bit of a crafting block, involving far less knitting progress than I am used to...

I do have some progress to show at least... Which isn't really displayed by this close up, but I liked the picture so I'm posting it anyway *laughs*

Ah, this one is a little better ;)

My second Euro Cowl is coming along. It's an easy and mindless knit, 4x1 rib in the round until the yarn runs out. And I'm loving the way the yarn dyed by boyfriend is knitting up :)

And I have assembled the assorted granny squares I had been making *grins* They are now seamed together and awaiting a border. They have become a small lap blanket, because that's the size that came out after I had used up most of the yarn *laughs* I'll show it off properly once it is finished.

One thing I discovered about granny squares (I'd never made any before, so that's why I have only just realised) - there are a tonne of ends to weave in! So many ends. I had to do them in batches so that I didn't lose the will to live ;)

As ever, if you want more lovely knitting and reading content, head to Tami's and Ginny's *smiles*

Knitting Block

I seem to have hit a bit of a knitting block. I have projects, I want to finish the projects, but I don't seem to have the inclination to work on them right now. Usually I knit a lot at the weekends, but I spent much of last weekend working on my scrapbook instead (not that I'm complaining - I really enjoyed it!)

Part of this inertia is probably to do with the fact that I have been watching a lot of the Euro 2012 football matches. And while I can knit without looking now, I get too distracted to actually do it *laughs*

Anyway, this knitting block has a bit of a detrimental effect on blogging - I don't have enough to talk about!

I did crochet these funny little pumpkin finger puppets for Nerd Wars though:

*laughs* Silly, I know, but it's always good to remind myself that crafting is supposed to be fun.

I've noticed that I go through phases, sometimes I'm just not in as much of a knitting mood. It'll come back soon enough, it always does. Until then, I'll carry on enjoying the football (or soccer, for my international readers *rolls eyes and laughs*)

* Nothing Like A Warlock

I mentioned last week that I had learned to make granny squares. Since then, I have really been enjoying playing with them. To be honest, I'm still not 100% sure I actually like them, but I know I like making them and right now, that's the main thing *laughs*

I'm really enjoying the rhythm of the double crochet. And, being that it is so hot out at the moment, the fact that I only have small parts to make at once is definitely a bonus!

I've been playing with different layouts, to try and decide which types of squares to make next, but I have a feeling it'll change with each few I make anyway ;)

I've also made a few larger versions, to make the overall layout a bit more interesting.

As you can probably tell, I still have no real idea of what I'm making (probably a blanket though!) or how I plan to put everything together. But right now, I'm just enjoying the process.

Oh, and the photos are a bit weird because I took them under the window. The orange is actually all the same colour but I wasn't paying attention so I didn't notice how bizarre it all looked *laughs*

"Carl: A vampire is nothing like a warlock. My granny could kill a warlock." - From the film Van Helsing

As I mentioned on Monday, I have been working on the socks I shall now call my Super Awesome Happy Rainbow Socks (my mum now insists I name all my sock projects as it amuses her, and I do aim to please *laughs*)

In fact, I have mostly been working on these socks - they've still got a way to go because I'm planning to knit as far as the yarn will go to make the most of the yarn, but they're currently my main project

I have made a little bit of progress on my shawl too. A row here and there (and quite a few rows while watching The Bourne Identity - action films apparently make me knit faster!) and it's almost done. Almost.

As you can see from the bottom of the picture, there is something new going on too. After a stressful week at work, combined with the migraine I mentioned on Friday, I wanted something new but different. So I decided to learn to crochet a granny square...

 It actually went quite well *smiles* So I am now making lots of black, orange and black & orange squares. I don't really have a plan for them yet but I'm enjoying the rhythm of the stitches and the hook.

Incidentally, photographing black with radioactive orange is challenging *laughs*

See?!

So here's my little stack, I'm not being too fussy about them. Some have small errors but overall they look pretty good. And it uses up some stash yarn that had no purpose. I'll save deciding what to do with them until I've made a few more I think ;)

As ever, if you want more lovely knitting and reading content, head to Tami's and Ginny's *smiles*

Crafting Goals Update

I thought it was about time I reviewed my crafting goals, and checked up on how I am doing...

Knitting goals

• Colourwork. Check - colourwork hat made, pattern and yarn available for another *grins*

• Socks with an actual pattern. In progress - boyfriend's second pair of socks have a small cable pattern. Not much, but it's a start!

• Cabling without a cable needle. See above, cable pattern on boyfriend's socks is being completed without a cable needle
• Using stash. I'm posting on this one separately ;) 
• Finish up my WIPs. This was particularly directed at my fuzzy ballet sweater, which is finished. I think as a goal this now needs rewording to "don't let WIPs get out of control" *laughs*

• Make more garments. I've nearly finished my Shalom, I've cast on for a vest and I have plans, yarn and patterns for a few more garments that I am keen to get started on. This is definitely something I'm keeping in mind when planning my next projects. 

Non-knitting goals

• Continue with the Cook from Cookbook (or magazines) challenge. I posted about this yesterday, and I really need to pick it back up as I have been slacking a bit on this point lately. 
• Make some projects from my World of Geekcraft book, which will involve new skills and new crafts. Haven't done anything with this yet, but still planning to ;)
• Get better at crochet. Hmmmm, yeah, I'm trying but it really hasn't clicked the way knitting did *laughs*

Striving to Win*

A small finished object this week...

My close friend recently got a puppy, who seems particularly keen on woolen type toys. Having destroyed her latest one, my friend asked if I would be so kind as to make a new one.

It's the first time my friend has really shown an interest in my knitting (save for the obligatory admiring of the things I have made of course!) so I was delighted to oblige.

I decided that dog toys would be an excellent opportunity to practice my crochet skills, so I grabbed a hook and some of the mystery acrylic yarn I was gifted by a colleague.

The red one was my first attempt, as the previous dog toy had been a simple sausage shape. I was pretty please with my version. So, although my friend had only asked for one toy, I was on a bit of a roll and thought I would attempt to make a bone shaped toy *grins*

It actually went surprisingly well ;) In fact, within moments of receiving the parcel with the toys, my friend sent me a picture of the puppy with the bone:

Always nice to have your work appreciated *laughs*


*"Be it jewel or toy, not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize." Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

As ever: Don't forget the usual suspects: Tami. Natural Suburbia. Wisdom Begins in Wonder.Plumslife. 

Angles are Attitudes*

Just a quick FO post today, as I haven't finished anything from my WIP pile yet ;)

More Smoothie Hats *grins*

I have posted about the Innocent Big Knit before (at the end of the post), but in summary - Innocent Smoothies have a charity drive where knitters produce little wooly hats for their smoothies. Each be-hatted drink that is bought donates 25p to Age UK to help keep older people warm in winter.

Obviously it's a good cause, and the little hats are quick and fun to make. Some people go crazy with it and create the most amazing and bizarre hats. As you can see, I have stuck with simple ones *smiles*

The first one in the picture was actually my attempt at a crochet hat, which isn't perfect but was extra quick to make. The 4th one is some wonderfully fluffy blue yarn, snowflake type I think. It was gifted to me by a colleague and seemed perfect for a smoothie hat - although I think it needs little googly eyes - it reminds me of a creature from Sesame Street or something *laughs*

My favourite is the most relatively simple one though:

But it's orange, so of course it is my favourite ;)

And, being Friday, you know the drill: head over to Natural Suburbia, Tami's, Wisdom Begins in Wonder and Plumslife. Have a great weekend all :)


ps, blogger seems to be having a bit of an issue with commenting on here yesterday/today, so I've changed the comment box to a pop up and you might need to click the "post comment" button a couple of times to get it to show up, sorry about that! 


* "Cock your hat - angles are attitudes" - Frank Sinatra

A Thousand Diamonds*

So, after my teaser on Tuesday, are you ready to see my first ever (and so far only!) crocheted FO?

I made a ripple baby blanket *big grin*

Ok, so my tension was all over the place, the ripples aren't actually evenly spaced, the sides were supposed to be straight but aren't (thanks to some inadvertent increasing and decreasing) and there are a few dropped/missed stitches... but I made it and I am really pleased with myself *grins some more* Besides, look how cute it is all folded up:

I mentioned on Tuesday that I decided to practice my (non-existant) crochet technique on some mystery chunky acrylic, before trying to master crochet on a smaller scale. I also decided that I wanted to make something properly, so that I would have something useful to show for my practicing. Two colours that luckily worked nicely together, plus a youtube video on how to do a ripple stitch and off I went ;)

I have improved how I do things - now I hold the yarn in the correct hand and use the hook to make the stitch. Last time I tried, I couldn't get my knitting head out of the way, so yarn and hook were held in the same hand and I would wrap the yarn rather than using the hook *laughs*

I think I mentioned that I got a little engrossed, and spent the majority of last Sunday making and finishing the blanket (my finger has now recovered, but it was really sore for a few days!), enjoying the rhythm of the stitches. And although I think that I generally prefer the look of knitted fabric, there is no way that I could have knitted something of this size in the same timeframe, which made it very satisfying.

Talking of the size, as requested by my mum, here is a photo with a second object to show how big the item is:

So, can you tell I'm pretty proud of my first crocheted item?! For all its faults, it is perfect to me. Plus it used up two bulky balls of yarn from my stash - never a bad thing ;)

So that's it from me, but head over to Natural Suburbia, Tami's and Wisdom Begins in Wonder for your usual Friday fix of crafts and creativity.


* - "The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds, strewn across a blue blanket" - Incubus

Crochet Take Two

After my last post on my attempts at crochet, I put it down for a little while before deciding to give it another try this weekend.

Thanks to the lovely and supportive comments on that post, we determined that I was in fact stitching through the back loop, which was helpful to know. I also stopped trying to be clever and figure it all out myself, and watched a few youtube videos as recommended.

I am happy to say that my second attempt was slightly better. I'm trying to make amigurumi (well, that's the eventual aim anyway!), because I want this robot:

He's so cute *grins*

So after a couple of practice attempts, I started working on his face. I tried to take a decent picture, but thanks to the lovely grey skies outside, the colours went a little crazy. I had to tweak the picture quite a lot so that you can actually see the stitches, so please forgive how washed out it looks *laughs*

It certainly looks a lot more like the picture than my last attempt! This may be due to the fact that my double crochet before did not actually include all of the relevant steps to make the proper stitches ;)

Anyway, I decided I wanted to practice a little more, on something chunkier, to get the hang of it before trying to follow the rest of the pattern. So I grabbed a couple of balls of unidentifiable chunky acrylic that a colleague had given me and got to it...

I got so addicted to the rhythm of the stitches that I spent all of Sunday working on it *grins* As a result I now have a really sore patch on my finger, and a finished item. Which means you only get to see a sneak peek, as I'm saving it for Friday to show off properly!

It's pretty far from perfect, but on Friday you will discover just how pleased with myself I am!

So, Crochet Huh?!

I mentioned earlier in the week that I'd had my mum staying over the weekend. Well, aside from our misadventures in trying to find a yarn shop on Friday, we had a pretty fibre-crafty time on Saturday too *smiles*

I was helping mum with her pattern. She hadn't done any knitting in 25 years, so felt a bit rusty. It was quite funny when she first picked it back up again - she was the one who showed me that I was knitting into the back loop of every stitch (and taught me to purl) and I had to remind her how to cable *laughs*

Side note: the pattern mum is using is the most badly written pattern I have ever seen. The instructions make no sense at all. I appreciate I'm not an expert, but it's pretty hideous (the pattern, not the garment of course!) But we've been trying to make sense of it together.

Anyway, while mum was working on the short row shaping (that she was sure she'd need my help on every row, then sailed through it as soon as I'd demonstrated wrap and turn once), I decided to try my hand at crochet, so that I can start working on things from my new book.

These are the fruits of my very first attempt.

They are not very good.

*laughs*

The very first one was clearly wrong, as it came out looking like sideways knitting (interesting, but not quite the intention!)

My second attempt looked a little more like it (I think), but the laciness demonstrated that I was clearly using the wrong size hook for the yarn. As I only have 2 hooks (one large-ish and one small) I switched to a different yarn...

And decided to get a little ahead of myself and start crocheting in the round. After all, that's pretty much the basis of amigurumi, so I figured that was the more important bit to learn.

I made a circle with yarn.

Not quite sure it is right, and having done a bit of research I think I am crocheting into the back stitch *laughs at the parallel to my knitting beginnings* I also hold the hook and yarn entirely wrong, so I definitely won't be doing any in public! I think it comes from being a knitter, because I hold the hook like a needle and move the yarn rather than the hook. This is a lot more laborious than necessary, so I am going to try again. I can just about make the foundation chain when I hold everything "properly". which I suppose is a start ;)

I've heard some people say crochet is easier than knitting - is it true? Because I was having terrible trouble with it *laughs*