July 2, 2009
When it comes to crafting, I’ve discovered that I prefer somewhat immediate gratification. I prefer smaller projects that go quickly. If I were to knit a sweater, I’d most likely choose one that I could knit with thicker yarn and larger needles, figuring it wouldn’t take as long.
Which is why I can’t quite wrap my brain around this:
That right there is a cross-stitch recreation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. And it only took an hour a night – FOR EIGHT YEARS.
I cannot get over the tenacity it took to get through a project like that. It makes my 2-month sweater slog look speedy.
Posted in Out and About 
1 Comment »
June 29, 2009
I updated the look of Almost Crafty today! Not a huge change, I’ll admit, but I added a sidebar over there on the right to house some ads. I hope you all don’t mind – I’ve tried to keep them out of the way of the major content, so feel free to ignore them if you so choose. Or, if you see something over there you like, feel free to click it. Whatever works for you.
The reason I’m adding the ads is purely selfish – I want a new camera. I’ve been working on my Flickr 365 project for a little over three months now, and while my point & shoot has done an admirable job, I’ve begun to notice its limitations.
In fact, last week my awesome co-worker Brooke (who is an incredible photographer AND she reads this site – everyone say hi to Brooke!) let me play around with her fancy-pants Canon DSLR. Isn’t it pretty?
We work downtown near Riverside park, so I took a quick walk and took a few photos, both with the fancy-pants camera and again with my trusty point & shoot. I really didn’t think there’d be a huge difference.
Oh, but there was. Check out these black-eyed Susans:
Perfectly lovely photo of perfectly lovely flowers. This is the point & shoot.
Wow! Look at the colors, and the depth of field! See how the blooms just pop!
That second photo was taken with the fancy-pants camera with the kit lens, everything set to automatic and without any post-processing (as in, no Photoshopping).
Playing with the DSLR camera for the afternoon convinced me. I’ve decided that I’d really, really like a fancy-pants camera. And while it’s not exactly in the budget right now, I think I can swing it if I sell some yarn and make a few cutbacks here and there.
You know what that means – stash sale! Stay tuned for the announcement, I’ve got lots of gorgeous yarn that would love a new home.
Posted in Stash Busting 1 Comment »
June 22, 2009
I couldn’t hold out. I tried. I told myself I wouldn’t cast on for Ishbel until I finished the Tulips cardigan. But the call of the shawl (ooh,that rhymed!) was too strong.
So I cast on yesterday, using the Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in “Beach Glass.” The initial cast on took a few tries (picking up the stitches was a bit awkward for me), and I had to tink a couple of rows because I thought I missed a YO somewhere.
I hadn’t. I just didn’t know how to add 3 to another number when I was couting. This was very embarrassing for the self-proclaimed “numbers girl.”
But so far, I’m loving the yarn, and I can’t wait to get to the lace portion. I’m making the smaller size, and I’m really, really hoping I have enough yarn left over to make the matching Ishbel hat. Because that would be so adorable, I may not be able to stand myself if I wear them both.
OK, getting ahead of the game. Must keep plugging along with the scarf, first.
Posted in Knitting No Comments »
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