My So-called Crafty Life

Almost no knitting done this week on my sweater or anything else. I've had quite a bit of inflammation/pain in my left elbow (arthritis), and knitting aggravates it. Crochet doesn't seem to bother it, though, so I've been working on that a bit. I have so far learned single crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet. I had a spot of trouble with the treble crochet, but FINALLY got it learned last night. *yays!*

Before starting the double and treble lessons I started a throw using single crochet, but after about 4 rows I was so bored I ripped the whole thing out. So in addition to learning three crochet stitches, I have also learned that I absolutely cannot do a throw out of all single crochet, unless it has more complication to it with shaping or something. It's kind of odd really, because I don't seem to bothered as much by plain knitting. Weird, huh? Once I get through the rest ofthe CD rom I may tackle a pattern. Hopeully my elbow will feel better soon, though, because I REALLY want to finish my sweater!

Not quite finished yet

Didn't get as much work done on Sweater #2 this weekend... I tried it on again and need to knit a bit more ribbing before casting off and starting the sleeves... I really loooooove how it is turning out, though. I know I've mentioned it, but I really do love it. I'm going to be so proud to wear this sweater, it's really turning out lovely.

On an additional crafty note, I picked up the Coats and Clark CD Rom "Crochet Made Easy"

this week at Joann's with my 50% off coupon. And it really IS made easy. I've tried from online tutorials and from books but nothing has clicked, I always did something wrong when attempting the second row of single crochet. Not this time. By jove I think I've got it! The Coats and Clark "Knitting Made Easy" CD Rom is how I learned to knit more than 6 years ago... it shows the camera angle directly down on the hands of the person demonstrating, so it's like looking down on your own hands. It just seems to be the way my brain needs to see it in order to understand, I guess. Anyway, I've got the single crochet down, so maybe later this week I'll delve into the next section of the cd... In a couple of hours I managed to crank out a rectangle of 6" x 10" using up the entire remnant of "I love this yarn"  and size K bamboo hook I was using for practice...

Sweater #2 "New Wool Boogaloo" coming soon to a body known by you!

I predict that Sweater #2 will be finished by the end of this weekend... I transferred it onto contrasting yarn from the needle last night and tried it on, I still have another couple inches of ribbing on the waist, then just the sleeves and I'm done!  This has been a great pattern to use, and I will DEFINITELY use it again. Stephanie Japel I have just one thing to say to you..... mwah! While trying it on last night I decided I'm just going to knit a few inches on the sleeves and then about an inch or so of ribbing and be done with it. The sweater is quite warm and I prefer to wear wool over a cotton shirt, so I'm think long sleeves might not be the way to go. Oh, and I am still only on the second skein of yarn! Wow.

On a more frightening note... remember the parking lot sale in May when I bought all this lovely New Wool yarn? Um, yeah.... they are having another one the first weekend in November... I mean, I have to go... they might have stuff they didn't have last time... or cheaper than last time... But this time I am bringing less cash and NO credit card.

Ahem.

Sweater #2 (New Wool Boogaloo)

My goal this month was to post more frequently, even if I didn't have a project finished... so here I am!

Currently contemplating 2 swaps... one is a bookmark swap (deadline to complete 3 bookmarks is Tuesday, yipes!) and a Halloween goody box swap.... deadline for that is Friday, so still time there... and only need to fill one box so that's cool too... if you've never done a swap I highly recommend it, as long as the person running the swap is someone you feel you can trust to run things well... both of these are being run by people I know will do a good and fair job organizing, so no worries there... the trouble is just getting the items made and/or packed... that trickster REAL LIFE has been getting in the way of any crafting other than knitting at the moment... so we'll see this week, I guess...

In my last post I mentioned I sweater I started knitting from Glampyre Knits: http://glampyreknits.tripod.com/glampyrephotos/id44.html
Let me just say that I love, looooove, LOOOOOOOOOVE this pattern! It's more a guide than a pattern, really... for instance, I'm not doing a cardigan, I'm doing a pullover... and I'm going to be starting my ribbing soon (as soon as I get past my boobage an inch or so)... I just transferred it from needle to string today to try it on and so far it fits PERFECTLY........ PERFECTLY.  And it's super easy! And as for the Ironstone Yarns New Wool yarn I'm using...

 I love it, too... it's definitely not as bulky a yarn as the ball band indicates... I'm using a size 8 needle for the stockinette and size 6 for the ribbing and it looks perfect for the yarn... the ball band suggested a size 10! No way. At most this stuff is a heavy worsted, NOT bulky unless you use two strands together...  Oh, and get this... When I bought it I thought... "$1/skein? Well, I'm going to get a whole bag of 10 to keep it all in the same dye lot and make sure I have enough for a sweater"... Um, yeah, so I have 10 skeins, cast on with one strand at the neck and am already nearly to below my boobage and I AM STILL ON THE FIRST SKEIN. I think at the most this whole sweater will take 3 skeins, and that's only if I make the sleeves fairly long... what to do with all the rest of this luscious wool?  And to top it off since the price was so low I also have a bag of purple, a bag of lime green, and a bag of ivory in this same yarn... Guess I won't be needing any wool for a while... maybe I should start making hats to sell or something... or at least gifts for family in the colder parts of the country...

After the Brainiac

So Baby Brainiac took much of my life and crafty energy... so much that I didn't pick up needles for many days after it was packaged and gifted. Then I realized the time had come for the premiere of Survivor-Samoa (I am SUCH a Survivor addict!) and decided I needed a nice, uncomplicated "zen-knit" to work on... and dragged out my giant project back with my Scrappy Log Cabin that's been hibernating for months. I threw some new leftover yarn in the bag so I had even more to work with and got busy. It's the perfect TV project with all that garter stitch, and I can pick it up and put it down at will... I do have a bit of "knitters elbow" the morning after, but what's a little pain when the finished product will make me so happy, right?

So then at work they decided that in addition to my weekly timesheet I also have to punch a timeclock. Well, friends, that means definitely taking a lunch break, so I needed something a little more challenging (for me anyway) to work on during lunch. I wanted to knit a vest, but just couldn't find the right pattern for any yarn I have on hand. I started a wool version of the Pretty in Pink Tank http://deliciousstitches.blogspot.com/2006/05/pretty-in-pink-tank-pattern.html (I did a cotton one for my very first sweater, too small for me, but looks great on my daughter) but then frogged... :(

Then I started a top down raglan using Stefanie Japel's pattern from Glampyre Knits http://glampyreknits.tripod.com/glampyrephotos/id44.html . I'm not ready to steek and actually *gulp* CUT my handknits, so I'm doing a pullover instead. The yarn is yummy and knitting up very nicely. I should post a progress pic this weekend, shouldn't I? We'll see... And since I got the yarn at $1 per skein from the Fiesta/Ironstone Yarns parking lot sale, the price is right too... I might actually knit a sweater for less than a storebought one would cost! What a novel idea...
:P