Fulfilling Every Knitting Cat Lady Stereotype
By Susan | February 4, 2010
Recently, I bought some yarn. This in and of itself is not any great news, as I enjoy buying yarn, and try to do it as often as possible as the budget permits.
But this yarn was different. I bought yarn that I normally wouldn’t have purchased. Yarn that was in a color scheme that normally doesn’t appeal to me.
Why? Because the yarn had the same name as my cat.
This is a hank of Mama LLama Perfect Sock, in the colorway “Zelda.” That’s right, Zelda, which is the name of one of our cats. Here she is:
And because I couldn’t buy yarn named after just one of our cats, I made a point the same day to purchase yarn for our other cat. Here it is:
This is Sundara Sock Yarn in the colorway: “Ruby Most Sought After.” Which I thought was appropriate, because of our two cats, Ruby is the one that hides more often, and we’re always trying to figure out where she’s hidden herself. This is Ruby (not hiding):
Yup, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve turned into a crazy knitting cat lady. It was just a matter of time, I suppose. But aren’t they (the cats and the yarns) just gorgeous? I think so, but then again, I’m probably biased.
Topics: Stash Building | No Comments »
Fair Isle Hat – Complete!
By Susan | February 2, 2010
It’s been awhile, so you may not remember the fair isle hat I was working on in December. To refresh your memory, when we last saw the hat, it looked like this:
That was way back on December 10th, when the knitting was done. I washed and blocked it, and then promptly shoved it in a drawer, finished except for hemming up the cotton band.
This weekend, it a fit of “finish it up” frenzy, I finally did sew the cotton hem. So now, I have a finished hat:
Pattern: Traditional Hat by Bea Ellis (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Cascade Pima Tencel (for hemmed band) and Dale of Norway Heilo (for hat)
Needles: Size #3 and #5 circs/dpns
Knit: December 2009, Hemmed & Completed: January 2010
Mods: Absolutely none. I followed the pattern exactly. However, if I make this hat again, I will do the crown decreases a little differently, as the dome of the hat has more pucker than I would normally like.
Verdict: I wore this hat during some very cold weather this week, and it was very, very warm. The cotton blend felt soft on my forehead and ears, must softer than the wool would have.
The fair isle knitting was not difficult, as long as I could work on the circular needles. I think attempting colorwork on double pointed needles would still be difficult without more practice.
But all in all – a success! The best part – it fits my melon head, so I’m thrilled.
Topics: Hats, Knitting | No Comments »
Crafty Fail: Giant Granny Square Afghan
By Susan | January 28, 2010
The latest project that’s been popping up all over Flickr is the Giant Granny Square Afghan. Basically, crochet a granny square. Then keep crocheting around and around the giant granny square, until you have a lap blanket.
Easy enough, but it’s the colors people are choosing that are making the simple granny square look fantastic. Here are just a few:
I mean, how gorgeous are those colors? A lot of folks are making them from the scraps they have left over from previous projects. Seriously, how amazing is that?
I figured I’d give it a try. I have a few skeins of acrylic in my stash from a mega-sale at Joanns, so I figured they’d work for something like this:
Pretty, bright colors! So much potential!
Here’s the problem: I have no sense of color. None. I have the WORST time putting colors together in multiple color projects, and this granny square afghan was no exception. Want proof?
Here is a big square of “meh.” So much potential, so little reward.
I posted this on Flickr, and Flickr friend Anne mentioned that it might be easier for me to choose a color family to work with, like all blues or blues and purples, rather than the entire color spectrum. This makes sense, but unfortunately I don’t have a large enough stash on hand to make a full lap blanket.
Oh well. It was worth a try. For now I’ll just admire the beauty of the virtual afghans, and plan on another project to work on instead.
Topics: Crafty Fail, Crochet | 1 Comment »