Yarnification

You’d think with a sprained ankle (mostly better now) I would’ve gotten tons of crocheting done the past week, but it didn’t quite work out that way. I am almost entirely done with the Polish star potholders, though. They’re finished but need blocked because each one has one corner or two that’s being fussy and doesn’t want to be quite square . I know I said I wasn’t going to post a picture until they were both blocked, but I’m going to put one up anyway. You’ll see them blocked later on when I have the entire gift basket done, anyway.

But first, since I forgot to immortalize it when I was doing the first potholder, the mess that is this project before weaving the stars together. This is why I had a few doubts that it would come together.

And here are the finished-but-not-blocked (and therefore slightly un-square) potholders. Note: They’re blue (Sugar ‘n’ Cream cornflower, actually) and white. Not sure where that funny tint to the white came from.

In my quest to become a Crazy Hat Lady, I’ve started on another hat, in blue this time to match a cute new sweater I found for $7 at on the clearance rack at Old Navy.

I’ve also started another thread bookmark (Denise Augostine’s Mrs. G’s Bookmark). I think I need some bigger steel hooks. This pattern says that gauge isn’t terribly important (and it’s not, really, since it’s a bookmark), but I’m using the size hook (size 7) called for and it’s coming out little-bitty. It’ll be about an inch shorter than the pattern estimates the finished piece should be. I started out doing it with a size 6 hook since I figured that would happen, but I had the worst time working into the chain, so I started over again and did the chain with the #6 hook and the rest with the 7. I don’t have anything bigger than the 6 except a 00 that I use to fix snags in sweaters and have never actually crocheted with, so I’m thinking I need to pick up a #5, maybe a #4, too.

I finished the hat last night—woohoo! The one drawback to that pattern is that it’s hard on my fingers for some reason (the only pattern I’ve ever used that gives me calluses!), maybe because it uses a smaller hook than the yarn really calls for in order to make such a dense fabric. I solved that problem by wrapping half-inch wide bandage tape around my fingers in the spots that were getting rubbed wrong. That and some moisturizer and all is well now. Here’s the finished product:

A while back I mentioned a pouch I’d done one night when I was itching to do something small. Last night I finally got around to taking a picture of it:

At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I think I’ve decided that I’m going to keep Crash’s collar in it. Crash was my bestest buddy, and he died last winter. This is him (please do not look at the part of the photo that has me in it because I look perfectly awful. Also my thighs are not that big anymore. I thought about cropping myself out of the picture, but that would’ve left a giant thigh in there behind Crash, which probably would’ve been worse.) He usually was much shaggier than that, though; he’d just been to the groomer to get sheared for the summer when this picture was taken.

Anyway, I’ve hung onto his collar, but it’s just sitting on a shelf next to my bed. I think I’m going to coil it up and keep it in the little pouch.

Last night Don and I went to the movies and then to the mall. I hit JoAnn’s to see if they had any yarn on sale. They didn’t, but all the Leisure Arts crochet and knit books & leaflets were on sale, so I picked up a copy of Easy Rugs to Crochet for $4.20. We’re planning on ripping out our wall-to-wall carpeting at home and just living with whatever condition the hardwood floors are in (my guess from what I’ve seen when we’re replaced some carpet in the past is iffy but livable) because we hate, hate, hate carpeting (carpeting, allergies, and multiple furry critters aren’t a good mix in my book—our house is hell on vacuum cleaners) but aren’t in a position to be refinishing floors at this point. Of course this means we’ll need about a hundred thousand throw rugs all over the place, and there are some really nice ones in that booklet. I’ve also got a couple that I printed out from the web a year or two ago that look good. I’m figuring that after the holidays are done with I’ll a rug-making fiend.

At home I’m working on a hat, which I expect to finish within a few days. No pattern to link to—this one comes from the 1979 version of the Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. It’s in the crochet section; I think it’s entitled “Hat with Brim”—it’s an adorable hat with a curled brim. It’s done all in single crochet without joining the rounds, so it’s pretty mindless and easy to do while waching TV.

That pattern was the first thing I successfully completed when I learned to crochet a few years ago (not counting a few practice squares and a badly misshapen potholder). I made a green one then, a burgundy one a year or two ago, and now I’m making one in fisherman. I want to make a zillion of them in all different colors so I’ll have one that matches whatever I’m wearing.

Photo soon when I get it finished…

In other news, here’s a finished (but not blocked) potholder. I’ll post another photo when I’ve got both of them finished and blocked, but in the meantime:

Got some work done on the potholders this afternoon. I meant to take a before pic of the loopy mess, but I forgot. I had my doubts that this would really come together, but here are two so-far pictures:

After weaving the loops together:

And after putting the last few rows on the front:

I’m about halfway through the back, then just need to join them and make the hanging loop. Oh, and make a second one.

I’m done with the taxes, so I expect to be making regular updates again.

I don’t have any pictures at the moment, but in the past few days I’ve mostly been working on the Polish star potholders in what spare time I had. I need to take a before picture since I’m at the point where I’m supposed to weave the loops together. I’ve never made anything with Polish stars together, so I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or not, but right now it doesn’t look like much. Presumably it’ll come together once I sit down with the instructions for connecting all those loops.

I also made this cute drawstring bag the other night with a ball of yarn that’s been around the house for ages—I’m pretty sure it’s Wool-Ease Light in Autumn Print. (Shame that’s been discontinued. It’s really pretty.) I couldn’t figure out how to make the twisted cords for the drawstrings (maybe I’m missing something there, but the directions were pretty non-specific), so I took the 3-yard lengths, cut them into one-yard lengths, and made two braids for the cords. Wove them through, knotted them, and then teased the plies of the ends apart to make a tassel-y end for them. I keep meaning to get a photo of it. Soon.

The beaded shawl hasn’t gone anywhere lately; I’m still stringing beads. I’ve been putting it off because I’m afraid I’m going to screw it up, which is stupid really since if I screw it up I’ll just do it over again.

More later, and pictures, too, maybe. Though I won’t be putting up a photo of the potholder mess until I have an after photo where it’s more together!

I haven’t abandoned the blog. I’m crazy busy at work right now. Back in April we got an extension for the business taxes, and I swore I wouldn’t wait until the last minute.

Well, last week or so, it became obvious that the last minute had more or less arrived, and the taxes still weren’t done. I’m slogging through them right now and not finding much time for blogging.

I’m getting some crocheting done during the times I’m watching the register, same as usual, but I just haven’t had time to post about it this week. I’m hoping by tomorrow I’ll be finished. Wish me luck!

I finished the lacy bookmark last night. Here’s a picture of it:

Um. The ribbon on the left really isn’t insanely crooked; I just haven’t managed to convince it to lie down and play nice yet. Still, I definitely wouldn’t say this is my best work. It was a little more challenging than the last bookmark, but I plan to keep trying to get it right so I can give one or two as gifts.

That’s all for now; right now I’m halfway through stringing 966 beads before starting the beaded shawl.

Thought I’d post the current list of projects while I’m at it. Need to update the sidebar as I get going on these.
Polish star potholders (PDF file) — with many thanks to Tiff at Tiff Crochets for helping me with a confusing instruction and to Donna at Yarn Tomato who found a link to the pattern for me. (I’d thought it wasn’t online anymore, but I guess I just wasn’t looking hard enough.)
Nylon mesh dish scrubbies (a handful of these) — this is the new pattern I’m trying since I wasn’t happy with the way the other one turned out for me
Suzetta’s scrubbie (a couple of these, I think)
Beaded fishnet shawl (PDF file)

These are all gifts. (The potholders and scrubbies are going into a gift basket.) I’m also still working in the neverending ends on the scrap yarn rug, and I’m in the middle of making this bookmark (note to self: buy ribbon) to give myself just a little bit more practice with thread before I delve into that shawl. I’m a little bit intimidated by the shawl. Just a little.

I can’t believe I never posted about the finished shawl! I’ve been crazy busy at work finishing the taxes before our extension expires on the 15th.

I ended up being short of yarn—oops!—so I left off the last six-row repeat and just put the shell border on. And you know what? I’m glad I ended up doing it that way. It’s the perfect size for me this way. If I’d made it to the size the pattern called for, I likely would’ve tried it on and then yanked out those last six rows anyway.

I heart my shawl. It’s comfy and cozy.

So anyway, on with the photos. (Someday—probably not anytime soon, but someday—I will own a digital camera that takes decent pictures. But this one is good enough, even if it is a bit fuzzy. Also, do not look at my frizzy hair.)

The whole thing:

and a detail shot, which is blurry so I don’t know why I’m posting it, but here goes:

First, I wanted to say thanks for the compliments on the shawl :) Progress is going a little slower on it than before since the rows are getting longer, but I’ve only got about ten rows and the edging to go. I can’t wait to have it finished!

I was getting really, really bored with doing practice squares in thread but didn’t feel quite comfortable enough with it to start right in on that shawl, so yesterday I went looking for easy-looking thread patterns to get some practice on.

My first choice was Priscilla’s Lacy Bookmark but since I had no ribbon around the house, I decided on this one: Victorian Memories Bookmark. Last night I made that one while watching the debate on TV, and here’s how it came out:

I’m happy enough with it seeing as it’s the first thing I’ve ever made in thread. It’s definitely far from perfect though; it’s not quite right in a few places. Still, it was good practice and I feel more comfortable with thread now.