WIP (Work in Progress)

It's been a few weeks since I started my latest project, the Through the Woods Hooded Neck Warmer, I'm making for my sister.  So far, everything is going as planned. There was a touch and go moment where I thought I had gone wrong somewhere since the piece I had knitted was looking a bit off. But once I took it to my knitting group and showed it to a few of the ladies there, I was assured it was ok and it was just me and my perfectionism/critical eye. Phew! This Sunday, I will be closing up the seam and if all goes well, I should meet the deadline my sister and decided on, mid-December!

This is the hood on the day I casted on, November 18th. And no, there won't be orange in it, that's a different color yarn I used for the provisional cast on. (You cast on a chain of stitches so that you have live stitches to use later.)

Pretty cables! 

Tackling That Yarn Stash!

As most knitters and crocheters know (or deny), we all have a yarn stash that continues to grow and grow, despite our best intentions. There's always that yarn skein we "simply MUST have!" and when we find a pattern we want to make, we never have the right yarn to make it in. Soooo, we HAVE to buy new yarn!

For the last few years, I somehow managed not to buy very much yarn. Living in France and not really have a stable home where I could safely store my yarn stash, I decided I would try to limit my projects to the stash I already owned or only buy yarn when I had a specific pattern in mind. I even took a bag of yarn with me to France and justified the added weight and space used in my luggage by vowing to use it all up during my two year stint in Rouen. Did I succeed? If you're a fellow knitter/crocheter, you already know the answer to this question. A big fat NOPE! Not even close, bud! I did do a lot of knitting and crocheting in France. Only, I always bought new yarn for the project I wanted to make. Last year when I came home, again I decided to only bring one big bag full of yarn to Virginia. And once again, I vowed to use up the whole stash. Well, this time I have been a bit better and have used a lot of the yarn I brought with me. But if I'm being completely honest, it's been about half and half. Half old, half new. And recently, I've made a few new purchases. Still, my goal hasn't changed. I plan on using up the yarn in my stash, dangnabbit! This I vow!

Some of the items I've made with my original yarn stash include: a blanket (still in progress), two dog sweaters, Make that three dog sweaters since I remade one that didn't quite fit the first time around. I've also made two neck warmers (recipients still pending), a bracelet (pictured in my previous post), a coaster (this morning I needed one for my Diet Coke can, so I made one up), a headband (picture forthcoming), and the swatches I donated to the Yarn Bombing. Not bad, if you ask me. Actually, I think I deserve a reward for using up all that "old" yarn. Don't you? How about some new yarn, you say? What a great idea! I think I just might go out and get some!!

See, Want, Make, Have!

I have a cool app on my iPad called Zite and it's like an online newspaper with different sections you can customize depending on your personal interests. My two current favorite sections? Why Knitting and Crocheting, of course! I love coming across interesting articles, ideas, and blogs. I especially like the cool free patterns many people post on the Internet and on their personal blogs. There is a certain kind of satisfaction from seeing something you want and being able to make yourself one ASAP!

A few days ago, I saw this cute little cuff on creativeyarn.blogspot.com and wanted to make it for myself. So last night, I did! Not only do I now have a sweet handmade bracelet but I was able to put some of my newly acquired vintage buttons to use.

This is the one on the blog I found. PS. The blog author is Italian  but she writes her blog in English which I  think is really cool! She has some other really cute patterns on her blog. Check it out!  

I like the bright color she chose and will probably make some, myself, in bright colors come spring/summer. 

Here's mine. I chose a brown for fall. But I'd really like one in red. 

These are two of the buttons I bought while antiquing with my sister in Warrenton, VA. 

Look out, it's a Yarn Bomb!!

Definition: Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, urban knitting or graffiti knitting is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber rather than paint or chalk.

On November 2, 2012, I participated in my first yarn bombing event. The Fredericksburg Area Museum was hosting this event to promote their current exhibit on Fiber Arts. The LYS, Old Town Yarnery, was co-hosting the event and they asked local knitters and crocheters to knit/crochet swatches for the yarn bomb. I crocheted a bunch of granny squares with some leftover purple and green yarn I had and on Thursday, the day before the event, I went to the museum to drop off my swatches and to help sew.

I didn't think I'd be able to participate the following day when the sewn swatches would be installed since I was picking my cousin, Brandi,up at the airport. She was visiting from CA and traffic can be a bear, especially on Friday afternoon/early evening. Thankfully, my sister came home Thursday night and offered to go with me to the airport the following day so that we could take the HOV (Carpool) lane home. We ended up getting back into Fred in time to have an early dinner and for me to participate in the yarn bomb. Yay!

All in all, it was a lot fun and I look forward to more of these types of events in the future. I met some new fellow knitters/crocheters, we brightened up the lampposts and one lucky bench in downtown Fred, and best of all, I felt a sense of pride seeing my color swatches adorning the covered items for the whole world to see!

Installing the sewn strips. That big purple swatch is one of mine!

First lamppost covered. There's another one of my purple swatches. =)

Somebody made this cool swatch that said "Yarn Bomb"!

This is the biggest thing covered. Can you pick out my swatches? Hint, one of them is green. And yes, I'm very proud of them. =)

This was in the local paper. 

Some of the lovely ladies who put the event together.

My Next Project

I'm happy to announce I will be beginning my newest project tomorrow, Sunday November 18, 2012. This will probably be my most advanced project to date and it's a special one since it's for my lovely sister, Aracelly! She has picked out the pattern, the yarn, and the color (a beautiful charcoal grey) herself and will be supplying her own buttons too. I'm sure I will be receiving lots of help from the various experienced knitters I've met over the last few months. A special thanks already goes out to Moira, who works at Old Town Yarnery. Moira helped me with my gauge swatch and determined which yarn would work well. Since I've become a regular at the OTY knitting group on Sundays from 1pm to 5pm and at Knit 2 Unwind on Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm, I've been lucky enough to get to know some great ladies who will no doubt be helping me while I knit this pattern. So wish me luck and stay tuned for regular updates/pictures of my progress!

Hurricane Sandy Relief Baby Blanket

I've recently started to knit and crochet for charity so a few weeks ago when I was out shopping for yarn and I came across a great deal on a pound of yarn, I thought it would be perfect for charity projects.  I was surprised at how soft and pretty the yarn turned out to be. I thought it would be perfect for a baby blanket and that's exactly what I used it for.

One of my favorite LYSs (Local Yarn Store), Old Town Yarnery, put out a call for knitted or crocheted hats, gloves, and blankets last weekend. They will be shipping off the items to New York and New Jersey for people who have been hit the hardest by Hurricane Sandy. Right away I thought about the yarn I'd just bought for this exact purpose and so with only a week to spare, I got to work. I decided to crochet the blanket since I'm a much faster crocheter than I am a knitter. Plus, I had an easy pattern for a granny square blanket who's square pattern is easy to remember.

The pattern is from Crochet Today, Nov/Dec 2008 and it's called Soft & Comfy Throw. The squares are 9"x9" and they crochet up fairly quickly, especially once you've memorized the pattern. Since I used a "mystery" yarn, I won't be able to give you any information on it but I recommend a Red Heart Soft Yarn (this is a pretty and inexpensive yarn that has a nice sheen to it and comes in lots of pretty colors). I would use a size J or K crochet hook since the bigger the hook, the lacier the square. You can obviously use different colors in your granny squares to crochet a colorful blanket but using one solid color gives the blanket a bit more sophistication. You can also choose a few different colors and crochet each square in one solid color and then sew them all together.

There are 9 rows in each square. 

Sewing the squares together. I used a simple whip stitch and the owner of Knit 2 Unwind (my other favorite LYS), Robin (who is one my current knitting yodas), suggested I sew into the back loops only to give the edges a pretty ridge look. I really liked this effect. Plus, it helps to keep the blanket supple and flat. 

The completed blanket with a shell border. Since this is a baby blanket, I only crocheted 12 squares. For an adult sized blanket/throw, I would do at least 20, although, the pattern calls for 30!

I've recently started sewing labels onto my finished projects but since this is a donated item, I wasn't planning on putting one on. A friend of mine convinced me to put one on with all of the info you see here. She thought the family who ends up with this handmade blanket will be happy to know who made it, where, and when. 

Bundled and ready to go!

A Personal Craft/Work Space

I can't stress enough how important it is to have your own personal work space.  Not only does it help keep you organized and your things are all in one place, but it also helps with productivity, efficiency, and inspiration.

This is the first time I've been able to have an entire room dedicated to my crafts and work. When I moved into my sister's house last October, my brother-in-law was generous enough to give up the front living room which he had been using as his computer room. He thought my sister and I could use the room for something and right away we decided it would be a great Craft Room/Study. Over the next few months I began to make some changes to the room and to organize the shelves to maximize the work space for my sister and I. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that my sister just didn't have time to use the room. Once I decided to stay in Virginia for another year, I decided to make use of the room myself and recently, I've made some changes. It is now set up with two long tables. One is my craft area and the other, my desk. I bought some cork boards to serve as inspiration boards and voila! The space is now fully functional. Naturally, since I'm only here for a limited time, I've had to keep things to a minimum and most of the organizational objects (boxes, bins, shelves, etc.) actually belong to my sister, but hey, something is something!

It truly helps having things all in one place and at arm's length.

Now, whether I'm knitting, crocheting, reading, writing, or working, I'm content knowing all of my tools and necessities are in one room. It's a cozy and comfortable room that really does inspire me to get busy. I just hook up my iPad to my mini speakers and get down to it! It also reminds me of one of my favorite lines in Pride and Prejudice, the movie. It's when Charlotte Lucas welcomes Lizzie into her new home and takes her into her own private sitting room. "We shan't be disturbed here. This parlor is for my own particular use.", she beams with pride. Whenever I've ever watched the movie, I've always thought how wonderful it would be to have a room just for you and your own "particular use". =)

What about you? Do you have a personal craft/work space? If not, do you want one? Remember, it doesn't have to be a whole room. It can be a little corner you carve out just for you anywhere in the house. Here are some pictures of inspirational craft room/spaces.

In the Beginning...

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to my new blog! I'm very excited to launch this blog about all things Knit/Crochet. I reserve the right to add/blog about other crafty things I may pick up in the near future since I just learned how to embroider and a lovely friend of mine has offered to teach me how to quilt.

It's funny how life works. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead doing something as domesticated as knitting and crocheting. As many of you know, I've always been a tomboy and doing anything "womanly" was always out of the question. And knitting? Crocheting? Ha! Those were grandma's past-times. So it's pretty ironic that here I am, almost ten years to the date I learned how to knit, blogging about these two crafts. Even then, in the summer of 2003 when my aunt Pattie taught me how to knit, I never thought I'd actually keep it up. "It's really relaxing." she said. Yeah, right. It turns out I was (and probably always will be) a tight knitter/crocheter.  And after that first initial lesson my shoulders and neck were sore for days. Fortunately, I soon got the hang of it and knitting and crocheting have definitely become a way to relieve stress.

As I said, I didn't really think I'd keep knitting when I first learned. I was visiting my aunt in Montana during the summer and although she generously gave me a ball of yarn and a pair of size 9 knitting needles (which I still own and take pride in them being my original pair of needles), I thought I would go home and forget about the scarf I began. Only, I didn't. I kept knitting the scarf that I intended to give to my best friend, Chad, who had recently moved to Utah.  I figured he would need a scarf for the cold winter. That and the fact that I don't like to leave things unfinished, propelled me to complete my first knitted scarf. And boy was that thing ugly! LOL I have since knitted Chad another scarf. This one is a beautiful cabled scarf made out of a nice cashmere yarn. Chad told me he still has the other scarf and that "It's not that bad." More proof of why he's such a treasured friend. =) Actually, I think I'm going to ask him to email me pictures of both scarves to show the evolution of my knitting skills.

After I finished that initial project, I began to take pride in the fact that I had actually made something with my own two hands. I continued making scarves. The same scarf, over and over again. Some were misshapen. I think my cousin, Desi, might still have a scarf that I made which resembles a snake that swallowed an egg! Still, I doggedly continued to teach myself to knit. I bought books, I watched videos online, I struggled with new patterns like hats. I still remember being on the phone with my aunt Pattie, being frustrated as she tried to walk me through making a hat. But somehow I kept at it. My usual tendency of being impatient never materialized. I was extremely patient and diligent. And it all paid off. A few years later, my aunt taught me to crochet and a new passion was born. As a matter of fact, I dropped knitting for my new love: Crochet. I found it easier than knitting. Especially reading patterns. So, for years I crocheted. Until 2009 when I moved to Normandy, France. In Rouen, I sought out the local yarn store. I became friends with Marie-Thérèse, the owner of the shop who reintroduced me to knitting. My new challenge? Reading knitting patterns in French! And the love between me and my old love, Knitting, was rekindled.

Since then, I have done both crafts, going back and forth between the two. I finally realized there was enough room in my heart and in my life for both. Actually, being able to do both crafts has improved my skills in each. Over the years I've lovingly knitted and crocheted many gifts. Blankets, scarves, hats, bags, and recently, a pair of socks! It's rare that I actually keep a project for myself. I enjoy making things for people. I'm a giver by nature and I find that it makes me happy knowing I have given someone a forever gift. If you've ever been a recipient of one of these gifts, please take a picture and email it to me. I'd love to be able to share it on here.

On this blog I will share my current projects (WIP - Work in Progress), I'll talk about patterns I'd love to try, I will post pictures of my finished projects (FO - Finished Object), etc., etc. Here's a list of what I'll be posting about:

• Yarn - I loooooooove yarn. I've been very good about not buying a lot of it these past few years since I've been traveling. Now that I'm somewhat settled down, it's getting harder and harder to resist. 
• Projects - WIPs, UFOs (Unfinished Objects), Planned Projects, Finished Projects (FOs)
• Charities and Events - I've started to get involved in knitting/crocheting for different causes and recently participated in my first Yarn Bomb ever. 
• Magazines and books I've bought.
• Patterns - I've recently written two patterns.
• Inspiration Photos
• Cool Knitting/Crocheting sites on the Internet
• Local Yarn Stores (LYSs)
• Interesting Articles
• Retreats, Cruises, and other Knitting/Crocheting leisure activities. 
• Knitting Groups (I currently attend two different groups a week)
• Pictures of nifty new items, tools, and organization stuff, including my craft area/space.
• Reviews on yarn, magazines, books, patterns, tools, etc., etc.
• Knitting terms, glossaries and helpful hints I've discovered. 
• French/Spanish Knitting/Crochet related tidbits. Let's face it, I'm first and foremost a language geek. 

All in all, I hope my passion for these crafts will inspire all of you to either pick it up for the first time or continue to hone your own skills. Over the past 9 years, I've had the pleasure of teaching some of you to knit and or crochet. Please feel free to email me pictures of your own FOs and WIPs. I'd be happy to post them on here to share. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading this blog.

Happy Knitting and Crocheting! 

XOXO

Rose