tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108102562008-07-25T00:44:53.589-05:00Yarn Is My MétierLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-61953886183795099312008-07-19T11:18:00.004-05:002008-07-19T11:45:28.131-05:00Michigan Avenue Photo Safari
There's nothing soft, warm or nurturing in this Coca-Cola can creation displayed on Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But is it creative? Inspired? Of that there is no doubt! From the pull-tab corset to the crimped fan of the aluminum skirt, my mind wanders all about trying to figure out, "What did they do here? How did the artist figure that out? How much ended up on the cutting room floor before thisLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-29583256619805588822008-07-18T17:19:00.007-05:002008-07-19T02:49:32.644-05:00A Fallen WomanNo, your feed reader isn't on the blink. I haven't posted since late June. If it seems I've fallen off the face of the Earth, perhaps it is because I have.
I'm back in the shop for repairs (or something like it). I've scarcely purchased any yarn. The books and magazines that cross my threshold tempt but do not inspire me enough to action. Those projects that do get started sit so long that La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-91118829851975283812008-06-28T07:58:00.004-05:002008-06-28T08:30:45.033-05:00Lacy Crochet Shawl
bellamoden kid mohair and silk lace (Pretty In Pink) + Malabrigo lace merino (Floral)The pattern is called Eva's Shawl by milobo. Always fun to see how others have done this project on Ravelry.
I've stayed fairly true to the directions, though I've simplified them a bit for my taste, as they are written using UK terms such as treble crochet which in the US is really a double. I've also La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-59232251218851726712008-06-25T22:01:00.006-05:002008-06-26T05:37:48.220-05:00FO: Natalia's Moderne Baby BlanketHow right you are! Ripping is much better than the substandard item gifting. Despite the brief setback, I actually finished my crochet version of Mason-Dixon Knitting's Moderne Baby Blanket a few days ago. I've been busy (which I'll explain momentarily) so no blogging. First, the blanket.
The Layout
The Results
Materials
11 skeins of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in 6 different colors (Chicory, La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-81955521024326660312008-06-20T06:50:00.003-05:002008-06-20T07:09:26.456-05:00SpeedI was just cruising along on the Moderne baby blanket, absolutely determined to hit the finish line this weekend. Sometimes, in a rush to complete a project, you consciously or unconsciously overlook things that are less than quality. "Oh, I can block that into shape. It won't be a problem." You know what they say about denial.
It's just that, after nearly 3 inches of this crap, I couldn't let La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-54136226772677697202008-06-17T15:19:00.005-05:002008-06-17T18:34:10.384-05:00Momma Sez...I had a head-->desk moment when I realized that I should have asked the mother-to-be what she wanted with regard to stitch lines or no stitch lines. She agrees with the majority of your comments: no color block delineation, if you please. And so it is. The blanket looks much better in real life, but hopefully you get the idea:
This is a shot of the unblocked crochet version of the Moderne BabyLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-86755853622256329182008-06-15T12:39:00.007-05:002008-06-15T22:14:52.655-05:00Baby Blanket, Stat!I hadn't seen Natalia for months. In fact, up until a week ago, I didn't even know she was pregnant. And not just a little either, as evidenced by this photo taken during the World Wide Knit In Public event in downtown Chicago.
The young squire is due to make his appearance in July. That's why it became imperative that I come up with a gift and a color palette that suited both the mother-to-be La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-13536795150473580842008-06-09T14:22:00.006-05:002008-06-09T14:51:55.993-05:00Not Available In StoresThree cakes of hand spun 2-ply wool. That's what the bulging golden envelope with the beautiful stamps and return address of Nairobi, Kenya contained.
People talk about being environmentally green these days, even when it comes to yarn. This wonderful gift is the real deal: barely processed, loaded with lanolin and vegetable matter, and definitely spun without the consistency benefits of a wheelLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-61023986688584956302008-06-06T08:57:00.006-05:002008-06-06T11:12:17.001-05:00FO: Boteh Scarf
Pattern: Boteh Scarf by Kathy Merrick from Interweave Crochet, Spring 2007
Yarn: 2+ skeins of allhemp6LUX, color: alioli
Hook: 4.5mm (G)
Modifications: 11 triangles instead of 16 called for in pattern yielded a 68" scarf, unblocked.
This is my first foray into working with hemp and it won't be the last. As mentioned, I did not block the scarf because it seems to have maintained its rounded, La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-50482236616677672292008-05-31T10:29:00.006-05:002008-05-31T15:02:05.852-05:00Give It AwayWhat I've got you've got to give it to your momma
What I've got you've got to give it to your papa
What I've got you've got to give it to your daughter
You do a little dance and then you drink a little water
~ Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Give It Away" ~
The band claims their Grammy award winning song was their frenetic, musical take on love and the proverb, "It's better to give than to receive."
La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-80951803538888409792008-05-27T14:55:00.005-05:002008-05-27T16:07:13.069-05:00Crochet In ProgressI tried knitting a little bit. You know, just to test the shoulder stamina. Bad idea. I can't keep my hands still though, so I found an attractive, simple pattern and some surprisingly soft hemp yarn and kicked things off with a 15-stitch chain.
Shake your Boteh!
Although the pattern calls for a skosh over 400 yards fingering weight yarn, I'll have to make do with 280 yarns of DK weight La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-48290386540924824712008-05-22T08:32:00.014-05:002008-05-24T21:29:22.689-05:00Say What?Saw: Today I grew a new person
Says: Today I, the new person,
Saw: Gifts of contemptuous jewelry
Says: Gifts of contemporary jewelry
Saw: Light was in the glitter guild meeting
Says: Last night was the knitters guild meeting
Saw: Plenty of time to execute the guy thoroughly.
Says: Plenty of time to evaluate the guy thoroughly.
Could it be that I have some wires crossed in the cerebral cortex La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-24869170706480809072008-05-14T15:59:00.006-05:002008-05-14T17:13:26.335-05:00Meanwhile...I'm sorry if my last post gave the impression that I'd dislocated my shoulder. I did not. Instead, I suspect I aggravated the already torn ligament that keeps the ball joint in the socket. I thought I was doing myself a favor by sticking to small projects, however the intensity applied to completing them proved counterproductive. Time for a good, long rest of the right arm.
There must be La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-49596344371523384382008-05-09T11:54:00.006-05:002008-05-09T16:31:08.302-05:00Pop Goes The ShoulderIt's a disconcerting sound and feeling, that "Oh, crap!" popping twinge of something anatomically out of place. When you're this|close to finishing another little doodad, you just suck it up and deal with the consequences later. I might have been pushing a bit too hard but I think this headband was worth it.
Specs:
10 grams each of light blue (2137) and navy blue (2625) Cascade Fixation
La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-41187998513738458652008-05-06T16:36:00.007-05:002008-05-06T17:11:03.258-05:00Something Is AfootHail, hallelujah and a chorus of angels! I have finally finished something after a what? Three, four month drought? It's a good thing you don't stop by here for the finished items as a good friend recently said because you'd be darn thirsty.
In any event, I thought I'd start small and achievable as I mentioned in late April. Here we have my version of the purl bee's Pom Pom Peds; not on my feet La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-22934156162719360222008-04-27T08:45:00.007-05:002008-04-27T10:23:31.669-05:00Any Random SundayDid you know that the last Sunday in April is World Pinhole Camera Day? Basically you eschew the glass lens in favor of a light-tight tube with a tiny hole in a piece of cardboard, a Quaker Oats box or a Pringle's potato chip can. Although this is the most primitive possible camera (at least I think it is), the pinhole camera, with its potential for infinite depth of field, produces images that La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-9647244756448776142008-04-25T13:34:00.006-05:002008-04-25T16:48:21.848-05:00Something NewYes, I am well aware that my projects-in-progress bags and basket overfloweth. After reading your advice on how to best manage that situation, in the end I decided to not view it as a problem in need of resolution. Call it the chumps way out, but I can't let the very thing that brought me joy become a burden. That would make me want to avoid it altogether which, to my mind, is most undesirable.
La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-37099154842464808222008-04-20T16:38:00.007-05:002008-04-20T17:53:52.593-05:00Just Like Starting Over
"It's been too long since we took the time
No-one's to blame, I know time flies so quickly
But when I see you darling
It's like we both are falling in love again
It'll be just like starting over, starting over" - John Lennon
I'm working on rediscovering my love of crafting and the pure pleasure of seeing and feeling beautiful yarn and patterns. Like many things, it's often a course of La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-5431148214862614602008-04-08T10:11:00.003-05:002008-04-08T12:39:31.913-05:00Smooth OperatorNot too long ago, I needed to make a few swatches of worsted weight yarns. Size 8 US is my usual tool of choice for tasks like this. Although I'm not exactly suffering from a dearth of circular needles, I find the stitch consistency of the straights are key when gauge swatching. If you're dealing with wool or similar fiber, in my opinion aluminum straights seal the deal.
Easy-peasy, right? UnzipLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-82915364864913906112008-04-06T16:33:00.005-05:002008-04-06T17:28:01.697-05:00A Weak ExcuseWhat do a partial Monkey number 2, the beginning of another sock and about 5 inches of a red raglan cropped sweater all have in common?
They all spell a weak excuse for at least two weeks worth of knitting. Sure, I started new projects despite my protestations on too many WIPs which, by the way, I totally appreciated your thoughts on getting those under control. Then I decided it was less about La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-28572399386843623232008-03-30T02:08:00.004-05:002008-03-30T03:05:51.321-05:00Dye Tripper!*Picture heavy post*
I never really thought about the whole colorful, messy business of dyeing and distributing yarn. I learned a thing or two during the Hyde Park Knitting Guild's behind the scenes glimpse into life at Lorna's Laces. It was exciting for me to see how yarn moves from color concept
to realization
to a yarn scavenging frenzy. We got our pick of mill-ends, one-of-a-kind and theLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-57750857282958563102008-03-27T10:08:00.004-05:002008-03-27T11:34:02.127-05:00Review: Silky Wool ShowdownI'm always on the lookout for a good blend of quality, luxury and taste - whether it's my coffee, my clothing or my yarn. The two yarns reviewed here are the latest silk / merino offerings from two yarn companies you already know: Cascade and Malabrigo.
Because of the slippery silk content and my desire to maintain some control of my stitches, I knit both swatches on a size 8 US bamboo circularLa Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-1387640871457939312008-03-26T10:06:00.004-05:002008-03-26T10:58:39.021-05:00Wanted: The Will To Finish What I StartI know some people who say that any more than two or three works in progress (WIPs) would drive them completely around the bend. Before starting one more item, those things would either be finished or frogged. Would that I were so disciplined. Witness the following items in varying states of incompleteness:
There are two single socks, the beginning of a cotton blanket, two sweaters, one hat, La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-75044809211853920042008-03-21T10:23:00.005-05:002008-03-21T10:43:13.751-05:00Ah, Spring!
Can't you just hear the birds sweet songs and feel the warming sunshine upon your face as it beams through crystal blue skies? Welcome to the first storm of Spring '08, where some areas to the north of here expect upwards of 8 inches of snow.
While I wait for things to clear up, I'll continue to beaver away at my second Monkey sock. The hand rash has cleared by and large, thanks to a La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10810256.post-12827530131620212242008-03-14T12:32:00.005-05:002008-03-14T13:55:47.961-05:00Loops Over LoopsAt its most basic, that's all knitting really is, isn't it? Loops over loops. Only when we apply these under-over-through actions to the loops in a consistent, uniform way do we begin to see the loops build upon one another into a cohesive fabric.
This is something that has fascinated me of late. Just how differently designing for knitting varies from creating patterns for sewing which you then La Cabeza Grandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06316752959658920142noreply@blogger.com