First, there was Dark Lord [...]]]> I’ve been trying to wrap up a few things in anticipation of a fast-approaching knit and crochet hiatus.  At the same time, I’ve also been spending some fun time with friends over the past couple of weeks.  Walking, sampling some very fine craft beers, shopping and making new friends along the way.

First, there was Dark Lord Day.  Sounds ominous but it’s the one day a year when Three Floyds Russian Imperial Stout is made available to the public. Eight-thousand or so lovers of brew descended on the brewery in Northwest Indiana.  Good times, good times.

Dark Lord Day 2010

Next, my foodie pals from Chicago Bites stopped by the French Market on the day the Mayor of Paris paid a visit.  This prompted a search the for the best croissants in Chicago dubbed CroissantQuest2010.  I have fond memories of my first time on Paris, living on the cheap.  Freshly baked, flaky and buttery croissants along with cheese and a piece of fruit served as a great way to start the day.  I want to relive at least that part of my youth, calories be damned!

Since I had to walk along Michigan Ave on my way to the first bakery, I stopped to take a few pictures of the tulips dressing up the flower beds between the Tribune Building and Water Tower Place.  Aren’t they lovely?

White Tulips

Stacks

In between the outdoor fun, I did manage to finish 24 crochet squares for a baby blanket to be donated to charity.  The squares are laid out and just waiting to be crocheted together in the next few days.  Look for a post detailing that later in the week, at which time I will also show you a DIY project involving neoprene, flowered fabric and Velcro.  You will be wowed at my ingenuity (::tongue -> cheek::).

The everyday stuff

I took my car in today for an oil change and tire rotation.  I was surprised to see the place so empty.  Then again, it was the middle of the week around the time that most 9-to-5′ers would have been at their posts.

Since I was the only one in the waiting [...]]]>

Baby blanket squares

The everyday stuff

I took my car in today for an oil change and tire rotation.  I was surprised to see the place so empty.  Then again, it was the middle of the week around the time that most 9-to-5′ers would have been at their posts.

Since I was the only one in the waiting room, Jimmy (the manager) tried to hand me the television remote, telling me I could watch whatever I wanted.  When Oprah’s opening credits rolled across the screen, I told him I wasn’t much of a fan of the typical daytime TV fare.  Besides, since I wasn’t sure how long it would take, I’d brought along some crochet for a  baby blanket in progress.  He looked surprised and said, “Wow.  You’re the third person this week to bring your knitting – or whatever it is you do with sticks – in here.”

I quickly replied, “This is crochet. And we’re everywhere.”

Jimmy is a slender, freckle-faced redhead who must be all of 25.  He tilted his chin up a bit, pointed a work-stained finger in my direction and laughed.  “Well at least help yourself to the coffee,” he said.  “It’s fresh.”

"La Cabeza Love" Yarn

The gift of kindness

A while back, I did a random comment yarn giveaway.  Anyone who knows me understands how happy-making it is for me to give the gift of yarn.  There is never any expectation of reciprocity.

Imagine my surprise when I returned from the auto shop to discover that what I’d given had come back to me.   Behold my gorgeous new yarn, courtesy of Jen at Knitting Like Crazy.  She even named the colorway after my nom de plume, “La Cabeza Love,” my first ever eponymous yarn.  I tried really hard to capture the soft steel-gray blue shade, but the daylight is pretty meager at the moment.

It’s always a pleasure to open the mailbox and find something like this.  Makes the bills that were tucked underneath seem not quite so important for the moment.

What can you do with 100 yards of Aran-weight yarn?  Why, make a pair of fingerless mitts of course.  These should be the perfect complement to the legwarmers I recently completed for my friend Lu.

I based the mitts on the same alternating round stitch pattern of K2tog, YO, K1 and K1, YO, [...]]]>

Matching mitts for Lu

What can you do with 100 yards of Aran-weight yarn?  Why, make a pair of fingerless mitts of course.  These should be the perfect complement to the legwarmers I recently completed for my friend Lu.

I based the mitts on the same alternating round stitch pattern of K2tog, YO, K1 and K1, YO, SL1, PSSO.  For the rest, as is my wont, I decided to wing it.  I took some cryptic notes along the way so that I might be able to reproduce mitt number 2 just as I’d made number 1.  Despite my “chicken scratch,” I was able to read enough to replicate in such a way that any difference is barely noticeable.

By the way, the pattern is still in beta but if anyone is interested in trying it out before I add it to the list on the right (and to Ravelry), let me know.  I’ll send you the PDF straight away for a quick test knit.

Other business

It’s National Crochet Month (or NatCroMo as some have dubbed it)!  Find out more about this March event at the Crochet Guild Of America or join the party on Ravelry at an even jointly hosted by the  Crochet Liberation Front and Crochet on Ravelry.  If you just want to follow the action on Twitter, look for tweets tagged #natcromo.

Lastly, let me end the “which yarn for Citron” conundrum.  I went with All Things Heather in the raspberry color.  Butter Peeps ran a close second but the intensely-hued deep pink just said “Spring” to me.  So who won the random number sweepstakes for some lovely yarn?  Congratulations to #8,  Jen from Knitting Like Crazy.  I’ll contact you via email to nail down the particulars.

Once it clicked [...]]]> I was mere inches away from finishing the first of a pair of Lisa Gaskell’s Les Cables de Faux (Rav) legwarmers for a frosty friend in Calgary. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I was. Though it is a simple pattern easily memorized, my Swiss-cheese memory seemed to keep getting erased after each 3-row segment.

Once it clicked that I was over-complicating things by merely thinking I couldn’t knit without referring to the instructions, I was on cruise control. Then I re-read her email with the sizing information and discovered something that the back of my monkey brain stored but refused to acknowledge: calf circumference is 14 inches. Fourteen. And I was on my merry way making a 9 inch circumference legwarmer. I know she asked for snug but that size could impair one’s circulation.

Ripping ensued until I realized I could cheat rewinding to smooth out the bumps by re-knitting as I unraveled. It’s not like I was making a different pattern that required smooth stockinette. There will be bumps. I may not enjoy having to play do-over but I think this instant recycling could catch on. Details when I’m actually done. Maybe she’ll even model them for us (hint, hint!).

Remember crochet?

I was hoping I’d have a chance to do a few squares from “200 Crochet Blocks” compiled by Jan Eaton. When I originally got the book, I went through it like a mad woman, placing sticky notes on every page that I thought might possibly, remotely be used for some future something or other.

Then the call came in early January. I finally had the chance to break out my Clover Soft Touch hook (size F / 3.75 mm) and get busy. Not sure what I’ll make but oh-you-kid, I’m loving the simple tactile experience of Textured Bluebells.

There is downside, and that’s the fact that my hands are so out of practice with the hooking and whatnot that they cramp up after working too long. The only way to get past the cramping is to get back into crochet on a regular basis. Until then, it’s rest ‘em and rub ‘em.

They apparently have an [...]]]> Your needles move me.
Secret poem, coming alive
One letter apiece. - Karen B.

Thanks to Mason-Dixon Knitting, I came across The Poetry Society’s “Knit a Poem” project. According to the site, letters are being knit and crocheted by hundreds of hands, with the hope of being assembled into a still-secret poem by October 2009.

They apparently have an urgent need for F, M and U and are still recruiting participants. Kind of interesting, no?

All the mother-to-be asked for was a kelly green hat. I thought to myself, “A hat’s not nearly enough,” and that’s how a quick [...]]]> It took me months to complete and I had to battle back against the boredom slog through every stitch in the middle, but I am pretty pleased with how things turned out.

All the mother-to-be asked for was a kelly green hat. I thought to myself, “A hat’s not nearly enough,” and that’s how a quick little knit morphed into a 28″ x 34″ blanket.

I was a little overwhelmed as I tried to narrow down my blanket options with Ravely’s pattern search: must be knit using chunky yarn and freely available. One pattern really stood out for its flexibility and adaptive nature: Thrifty Knitter’s Hooded Baby Blanket.

I decided that 400+ people couldn’t be wrong. You should see the variations in the Ravelry project listing! One that really caught my eye substituted a 4 x 1 flat ribbing instead of an endless sea of stockinette.

The other thing I really liked was the use of seed stitch for each color change stripe, much like the pattern used in the Dream in Color Tulip Sweater. This lends a subtle, elegant texture element to what could be an otherwise bland swath of knitted fabric.

Despite all the time and effort put into the blanket, I still thought something was lacking. I almost always make a hat and this time was no different – except for the fact that I actually followed a pattern for construction. Yep. Jennifer Braico’s Fixation Newborn Hat (Ravelry). Substitute leftover Berroco Comfort Chunky for Cascade Fixation and we have a striped hat with an inch of 4-stitch I-cord on top.

Determined not to make socks this time, I listened to the handful of voices who, in the past, have urged me to take the path of least resistance when it comes to easy-peasy baby gifts: the bib. I have finally seen the light! The bib is your friend – especially if you crochet – because you can knock one of these out in under two hours. Seriously.

The Coats and Clark pattern is called the So-Simple Baby Bib which requires size 3 crochet thread. So not the equivalent of chunky yarn, which is why I reworked gauge to create a bib roughly the same size as the one in the original pattern. If I hadn’t, I might have cooked up something suitable for a sloppy adult (like me) who’s always wearing tiny bits of food on their shirt. If you’re interested in the details for the pattern modifications, just email or PM me.

With the help of needles, hooks and patterns, I turned 7 skeins of chunky yarn into something the mom says she’d be proud to put on her baby. Funny how it took four months to make someones day. I’d do it again, too.

My handspun sock yarn version of Laura Chau’s kerchief turned out even better than I expected. Since I knit in the slow lane, it took an entire week for me to finish and pin to the blocking board (thank Jeebus for blocking wires!).

Recall that I used two 200 yard skeins of Crown [...]]]> FO: Blue Garter Kerchief

My handspun sock yarn version of Laura Chau’s kerchief turned out even better than I expected. Since I knit in the slow lane, it took an entire week for me to finish and pin to the blocking board (thank Jeebus for blocking wires!).

Recall that I used two 200 yard skeins of Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop yarn (held double) to create a kerchief that ended up measuring 40″x 28″ x28″.

My version includes “k2tog, YO” pairs on every 7th wrong side ridge row. By adding an additional yarn over to either side of the last 7 ridge rows, I was able to create elongated ends suitable for draping or tying. Blocking really opened up the yarn overs, both within the fabric and along the edges.

Add Laura’s Kerchief to your Ravelry queue.

Easy Glamour Neckwarmer pattern

Just as the seasons are changing, what do I come out with finally? An actual pattern for the neckwarmer portion of the Easy Glamour duo that debuted in February ’08.

The Easy Glamour Crochet Neck Warmer (PDF) is crocheted lengthwise using a variant of a shell or fan stitch. While you’ll need a couple of buttons to fasten the neckwarmer, you do not need to make buttonholes, thanks to the open chain stitch.

By the way, the pattern includes “how to” stitch information and a construction schematic to assist in finishing your creation. Once the piece is complete, you simply sew those buttons on the left side and there you have it: Easy Glamour in less than two days.

Want to add Easy Glamour to your Ravelry queue? Clique ici.

Relevance? I’m simply trying to draw a parallel between a coincidence [...]]]> The Chicago Marathon was held this past weekend. This fall tradition brought over 45,000 runners of all skill levels right past my home. See, I happen to live along the last leg of the 26.2 mile course. You reach my pad, the race is almost over!

Relevance? I’m simply trying to draw a parallel between a coincidence of habitat location and the difficulty I’m having in drumming up sufficient motivation or stamina to go the distance on three half-finished projects.

One of the items in question is a sweater for this little guy, barely one month old. I already gave his parents the hat, thinking that would spur me toward the finish line having made the commitment and all. This crocheted gem will be over-sized to ensure longer wear opportunities. Or maybe, it’ll be a perfect fit by the time I actually finish it. Laugh with me.

I started the toddler mitts (also half done) months ago – like it wasn’t even summer yet – because I observed how another neighbor’s child likes to put socks on her hands like mittens sans thumbs. I figured I’d just knock out a pair of fingerless mitts so she’d be able to pull something on but still do fingery stuff which is sort of a problem when you’re using socks. She’s almost 2. I’m aiming for Christmas. Yes, Christmas THIS year.

And wouldn’t you know it, another neighbor had a baby around the same time as the child above was born – same week, in fact. In my head, I’m already thinking about which Debbie Bliss patterns would best showcase the peachy colored cashmerino in stock that was just waiting for a little girl. Argh! Must. Stop. Wheels. Turning.

I’m out of control, of that there is no doubt. It’s not that I buy yarn and patterns with wild abandon. My major flaw these days appears to be project paralysis. So tell me, my peeps: is there a cure?

By the way, have you heard about Aspen, a yarn new this Fall from Classic Elite? The yarn is temptingly soft as a baby’s bum super chunky wool / alpaca blend and it comes in a small palette of tasteful, subdued colors. I already have a couple of ideas for cute designs…