Sunset Ruana Revealed

OK, I didn't post a "sneak peek" but if I had, it would have looked like this...



And you may have seen this on Ravelry already, but I'm officially talking about it here now. The Sunset Ruana (Ravelry link for queuing purposes ;D)...



It's a really big comfy ruana using Tunisian Entrelac. That's right, it's CROCHETED!!!!! Why should knitters have all the fun? LOL I've always loved the look of knitted entrelac, but haven't quite figured that out yet, so I wanted to do something in crochet. Most of the patterns I found using Tunisian Entrelac were for pillows, afghans or bags. But I wanted to do something more like the knitted projects I'd been drooling over on Ravelry since joining.

I submitted the original idea to Interweave Crochet way back in February and waited with baited breath to find out if my first attempt at submitting to a major publication (and only second ever piece submitted anywhere!) would be accepted. I was elated and lost my voice from screaming with joy when I got the e-mail that it had been accepted...with a few little changes (more about that later). Of course, I had no problems with the change and was excited at the possibilities. It was so hard not to talk about it though!

Then Christmas came early, in the form of a box of super soft Limerick yarn from Wisdom Yarns (distributed by Universal Yarns). I hadn't known what color they would send for the sample piece. The colorway reminded me of fall leaves and I was so excited to get started! It took me about a week to work out some of the immediate changes that we made to the design before I could really get started working on the piece. I then spent the entire month of July working on the piece or the pattern every single chance I could. I had stupid injuries that occurred during that time as well that took some time away and I was down to the wire in getting the finished sample to them in time. But it was well worth it!

I was so excited just to be in the magazine. I mean, a pattern of mine, published in a magazine with all those other amazing designers that I admire so much (like Doris Chan, Danielle Kassner, Julia Vaconsin, Marlaina Bird, Ellen Gormley and Kim Guzman...just to name a few)! WOW! You couldn't wipe the smile off my face all summer long!

Then I got the most amazing, very best birthday present EVER!...albeit a day late. ;) Someone on Ravelry posted a link to the pre-order website for the Winter issue. Imagine the shock and amount of screaming and jumping that occurred when the link pulled up a picture of the cover with my piece on it! The kids were convinced I'd absolutely lost my mind and I couldn't calm down long enough to tell them. Jitterfrog (my 8yo son) came over to look at the screen to find out what was going on. And finally I screamed, "I'm on the cover!!!!" HOLY COW!!!!! And yes, I lost my voice again. LOL

I don't even know what to say! Never in my wildest dreams (well, OK, maybe my wildest dreams) would I have thought that would happen! It is unreal!

Now I guess I'd better get off my butt and go design some more! LOL In the meantime, go get a copy of the Winter 2009 Interweave Crochet...order on-line or find it on stands December 29th!!!!

Happy Crafting! :D

Resolutions Update

I know, I know...it's been another month I've been away. But I had a reallllllly good reason! In fact, I took most of July off from the computer...or the internet at least. Between injuries, bad reactions to meds, work, kids and regular stuff, it was a super busy month. And yes, that's right, I said work! I was busy working hard on creating a new pattern that will be released later this year. I'll tell you more about it later, but for now, I'll update those resolutions. :D

My original fiber resolutions for this year were:

• getting my WIPs under some sort of control
• make a least one sweater/cardigan thingy for Me ME MEEEE!!!! And crochet/knit for me more in general
• learn knitted fair isle/stranding or at least attempt learning it.
• start Christmas gifts now
• spin more
• write and offer at least 3 new patterns

So where am I on this list? Let's see...

Thanks to Cast On Mania, I'm afraid there is no hope for getting my WIPs under control...unless I have a HUGE FrogFest! Which may actually happen. There are several projects I've reevaluated. It seems like there has to be something wrong if it's taking so long to complete it right? Some of them, I love the yarn and the project, just not together. And others, I've just completely lost interest in all together. But I'm trying to repurpose the yarn before I completely give up on it. Somehow it seems like I can justify the yarn purchase still if I find a use for it before frogging it's original purpose.

I have at least started more projects for myself this year. Doubtful how many will see completion though. And I do have a Hey, Teach! cardigan about half way done. Hmmm...guess I should get updated photos of that one. Maybe that will help motivate me to finish it.

Knitted fair isle...well, I had a reason I wanted to learn this, but I've run out of time this year for that, so I think it would be safe to put this one off till next year. I have so much other stuff going on now and school is about to start back up, so I'll save this one. But I did learn at least one new knitting technique this year...lace! So that sort of counts...right? :D

I did start Christmas gifts in February this year. Or at least, I started one. It's still a long way from being done though. So much for good intentions! Now, I'll have to kick it into high gear to finish it in time and I still have several more gifts to get started on...anyone know a good tutorial for Turkish cast-on?

I haven't actually spun anything yet this year, but I hope to remedy that soon! After seeing all the amazing yarn created during the Tour de Fleece, I've been inspired! I've ordered a beautiful new spindle for myself from Butterfly Girl Designs and I cannot wait for it to get here! I've drooled over this spindle for nearly a year, but it's always sold very quickly. I was absolutely elated to catch one the very day she put it up! Can you hear me squeeing with delight?

And that leads me to the patterns. I've already self-published one pattern this year. And I've just completed the second, which has gone to the publisher and will be released later this year. And there are at least 2 more I plan to self-publish this year. And boy did the ideas start flowing as I was working on this latest piece! I may actually have enough ideas for a book now! Though, for the moment at least, I think I'll stick to one at a time. LOL But safe to say I should meet this goal this year.

All in all, I'd say I'm not doing too bad! Does that mean I set the bar too low? ;-)

Happy Crafting! :D

Temptation

Since I can't show you what I'm working on now, and I'm really trying to be better about posting, I thought I'd just share some loveliness and try to spread the temptation that is Malabrigo!!!!! ;-)

My first ever Malabrigo experience lead to the purchase of this gorgeous skein of Mal Lace in Buscando Azul...

Then, as part of our Village Hopelessly Overcommitted MYB Swap, I received this beautiful skein of Mal Worsted in Sapphire Green...

And my newest lovely aquistions are Mal Lace in Stonechat...

and Mal Sock in Impressionist Sky...

Tempted yet? :D

It is every bit as soft as the stories you've heard! And I haven't even worked with it yet...I just keep petting them! LOL

I don't know what these will become...except the Mal Worsted is destined to become a Faberge Neckwarmer (Rav link). And I'm thinking something non-sock for the others, cause they are just so gorgeous, I want to show them off as much as possible. Got any ideas?????

Happy Crafting! :D

More FOs!!!! :D

Can you believe it? I have even more FOs to show you! :D

Here's one I thought I had shared with you before, but apparently didn't. It's the baby afghan for my DD, Thing 1. I started it while pregnant with the twins, but just got around to finishing it in March. Sad, I know. And I haven't even started one for her brother yet!

The pattern is Fenced-In Daisy by Mary Lamb Becker and comes from the Leisure Arts Book #2853, Our Best Baby Afghans. I had seen this pattern years before and loved it. I just had to wait till I had a girl...and fortunately I did! :D

I also finally got a photo of that Scouting for Food Bag:

I'ts not a great photo, but at least it's something to show. ;-) The pattern is The Green Shopping Bag from RecylceCindy and is made of plarn that was recylced from leftoever Scouting for Food bags (hence the name). And there are LOTS of other great recyling projects on her website too...even a baseball cap made from plarn!

And then I had a quick project this past week. My oldest went to Cub Camp and I got to work staff one day too. I got to teach the boys how to make a foam water bottle holder, but of course, I had to show off crochet too...so I made a crocheted water bottle holder for myself. It got a lot of compliments and was verrrrrry useful! :D

The pattern is Girls Water Bottle Holder by Chelle Grissam (rav link). I used all but about 11 yards of one skein of Lily's Sugar'n Cream Stripes in Country Stripes. I made a few changes too. I made the strap slightly longer, since I'm a woman, not a "girl". It does stretch a bit with a bottle in it and perhaps I should have made it not quite as long, but it still needed to be longer than the pattern stated. Also, instead of finishing off the strap and sewing it on, I continued and attached the strap with a chain stitch through the back loop and just continued on with the crab stitch edging through the front loops. This way it was all one piece and I only had one end to weave in. :D

I also started another new design that I was hoping to finish for Cub Camp. But the kids weren't cooperating with letting me work on it, so I didn't finish it. And this way it gives me more time to play and tweak the design. Maybe I'll even try submitting it for a Spring or Summer edition somewhere. Hmm... ;-)

That's probably the last of the FO's I'll have to show you for a little while. I'm going to be super busy the next month working on a project that I'll get to tell you more about later. But knowing me, that probably won't stop me from starting at least a project or two. LOL

Happy Crafting! :D

FO's for fogiveness?

Will you forgive me for not blogging like I should be if I give you some FO's? :D I've completely lost track of my yardage and mileage, but my FO's are up to 16 now! I'll work on trying to recalculate the others...in my spare time. LOL

Anyway, I'll start with the most recent FO. I just finished it last night!

It's a mini North Roe Shawl (Rav link) that I did as part of Village Hopelessly Overcommitted's ongoing Lace Shawlette Study. We're learning lace without the committment of a fullsized shawl. This one will be a present for my DD's 3rd birthday next month. It's made from less than 1 ball of J&P Coats Royale Classic Crochet Thread (Size 10) in a vareigated pink.

And I must say, I now have yet another addiction...lace! It's so amazing the difference blocking makes and it's like Christmas seeing what you get! :D This is what it looked like right off the needles...

Amazing difference, huh?

I also finished 3 elephant themed projects as gifts for my friend Lykkefanten and her son, but unfortunately, got so excited about sending them, I forgot to take pictures. LOL And I still need to take pictures of the loveliness that she sent me too! I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do with it all yet, but DD has claimed the pink yarn for herself! LOL

I also made a mini Chauncey (Rav link),

and crocheted sock bookmark

for my Magic Yarn Ball swap partner MePlz. It was only my second ever swap and I'd not heard of a MYB prior, but it was so much fun putting it together! The sock bookmark is based on the idea of some knitted sock bookmarks I saw on Ravelry. I used this pattern (Rav link), made two socks then connected them with a ch 100.

And Jen (MePlz) sent me the most amazing box too!

That beautiful green ball is my first Malabrigo Worsted!!!! :D I cannot wait to knit it up! It's going to be a lovely Faberge Neck Warmer (yep, Rav link). And the adorable Egyptian sheep card (which if you know me, is sooooo perfect!) and the beautiful painted shale are displayed behind me right now! I just love them! Thanks again Jen!!!! :D

I also finished my Dragonscale Socks from the Crochet Liberation Front First Ever Book...you know, that one I'm in. ;-) I accidentally put my own little mark on them by putting in one of the heels inside out. LOL But I still love them! :D I used almost all of 2 balls of Knit Picks Palette in Tidepool Heather.

I also finished my first project using my own handspun yarn, but I don't have an FO pic yet cause I don't have a coffee mug that fits it. So I'm looking for a new one...just for my mug cozy! LOL

And to get completely caught up, I also finished a reusable shopping bag made from plarn recycled from leftover Scouting for Food bags. But alas, I don't have pictures of it yet either.

Sounds like I need to get busy taking pictures to get everything completely updated! LOL I have other news to share soon too, but not just yet...you'll have to stay tuned for that. ;-)

Happy Crafting!

Here Comes the...Bat?

I made these little guys in June of 2008...yes, that's right nearly a year ago and I'm just now able to share them with you! :D

My Dad got married this past weekend! These cuties were made for him and his new bride.

They've had this thing for bats since their first date (or there abouts). It's one of those inside joke things. And when I saw the Little Bat pattern by Shala (Rav link here) come up on Ravelry, I knew I had to make it for them. Then when they were talking about getting married, I thought it would be funny to adapt the pattern to a bride and groom bat. They LOVED them!

I was also very happy to make the cake for them. It was a yummy dark chocolate cake with my best ever dark chocolate buttercream icing and topped off with dark and white chocolate shavings. YUMMY!!! And since they didn't want any "wedding-y" kind of decorations *on* the cake...I thought the bats were perfect to sit next to it! I think it worked rather nicely! :D

And because I really like my new StepMom, I wanted to do something really nice for her for the wedding too. So I made a Crocus Bud Shawl (Rav link here) for her. She's allergic to wool, so I found a really pretty bamboo thread (you know I have this thing for bamboo anyway!) to use for it. It has a really nice sheen and drape and is realllllly soft! And I was thrilled that she liked it so much she wore it for the wedding!

I don't have those pictures yet to share, but I will as soon as I can ... presuming she's OK with it. ;-)

It was a GREAT weekend! They were really happy and looked fantastic! My brother came to visit and I got to spend more time with him this visit than I normally do and it was great! He's my kids favorite new toy! LOL We all had an absolute blast!

Congratulations Dad and StepMom! :D

Hmm...I'll have to talk to StepMom about a blog moniker for her. ;-)

Happy Crafting!

FO's and Cast On Mania!

Oh my! Didn't I say I was going to try to post more often this year? Clearly, I'm not doing so well with that one! LOL

Well, let's see...what's happened since the last post...OH! I know! I finished the Daisy Sweater for Thing 1 ANNNNDDD I finished the Provence Cabled Sweater for Thing 2!!!!!! :D Yep! 2 FO's and BOTH are sweaters!!!! :D I appologize in advance for the poor picture quality...neither the sun nor the kids have cooperated with me on getting good ones taken.

Here's the Daisy Sweater:

And here's the Provence Cabled Sweater (it's really a blue color not grey or purple):

Then, as a reward for being so good about not casting on new things for a month and a half (OK, I wasn't that good), the Village Hopelessly Overcommitted decided to make February Cast On Mania month! We are free to cast on daily with abandon! Completely guilt free project starting craziness!!! Obviously, this does not help me get my WIPs under control, but it has gotten me started on Christmas presents already. LOL

Feburary is also me me ME month! Another guilt free opportunity for us to make things for ourselves instead of others...for a change. I have not done as well with this one, but I'm working on it. :D

So care to see the list so far???? I've not cast on daily, but I did start with 2 BIG projects, so I think that kind of makes up for it. Let's see...

Feb 1: a BIG Christmas present ...so I can't say much more, but it's BIG! :D

Feb 2: Burridge Lake Afghan (Rav link) I'm past the first cable repeat on the first panel. Very slow going, but better since I took the time to chart it! Here's my progress so far...

Feb 3: Fetching (for ME!) Finished one mitt and realized I didn't have enough yarn left to finish the other, so I had to order more. The new ball is a different dyelot and so slightly different color, but being on a different hand it shouldn't be too noticeable. I haven't had the chance yet to get back to this one, but here's the progress so far. (The ball in the pic is the new one.)

Feb 4: Super Secret New Crochet Design (more on this another time)

Feb 6: Crochet Dragonscale Socks (Rav link) (for ME!) from the Crochet Liberation Front First Ever Book...you know, the one I'm in! ;) This one, I got past the heel and halfway up the leg before it dawned on me that it was tooooo long! And that was after having to start over once cause my gauge was off and the larger size was even larger! LOL The marker in this shot shows where I have to rip back to :( and start the "scale" pattern to make it fit. I'm thinking I may just go ahead and start the second sock first before ripping out all this work. You know, just to make sure my plan for fit works.

Feb 7: Phoenix Mitts (Rav link) (again, for ME!) another from the CLF book. Really only started the cuff and put this one aside for now. Doing too many things with small size yarn and little hooks/needles and my eyes are paying the price! Probably won't be able to get back to this one until after I get my eyes checked. But I'm making it in a really luscious, super soft, pretty pink baby alpaca. :D

Feb 8: Cast On Mania Project My plan for this one was to cast on one "small" (ie. miniature) project a day for the month and then at the end, put them all together into something. So far, I've done 3...again with the eye strain.

Feb 9: Playing with new to me crochet techniques I'm trying a few things, first up is Tunisian Entrelac using up some old vintage stash. :D

Feb 11: Hand Springs Fingerless Mitts (another one for ME!) Love these! I'm almost halfway through the second pattern repeat and even though it hurts my eyes, I still try to do a couple of rows a day cause they're so pretty and I LOVE the yarn I'm using (Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Stream)

Feb 16: Hey, Teach! (you guessed it, for ME!) OK, I'm really just starting to swatch for this one...and not getting gauge yet.

So, been a busy month and I'm still working on another super secret project that HAS to be done before the end of the month too.

And you may have noticed my Stashdown 2009 ticker on the side. The goal is to complete 52 projects in 2009 or use 100 skeins of stash (whichever comes first). I'm only counting yarn from finished projects and I need to go back and add mileage too. Village Hopelessly Overcommitted is trying to help one of our members (LittlePenguin) reach the moon using yarn from our FOs! :D

Anyway, so far I've completed 4 projects now and used 8.39 skeins and 1362.3 yds! Boy, that makes it sound much more impressive! LOL

Happy Crafting!

2009 Fiber Resolutions and an FO!

OK, I'm normally not so good with sticking to New Year's resolutions, but maybe, just maybe, I can stick to some fibery ones. :D

So here's my list:

• I’d like to get my WIPs under some sort of control.
• Make a least one sweater/cardigan thingy for Me ME MEEEEE!!!! And crochet/knit for me more in general! LOL
• Learn knitted fair isle/stranding or at least attempt learning it.
• Start Christmas gifts NOW!
• Write and offer at least 3 new patterns.
• Spin more!

Seems totally doable...right? :D

I'm even off to a good start! I've already published one pattern for this year! YAY! And, I've recently completed my first official FO for the year...my first pair of adult sized socks (and they're for ME!).

The pattern is Garter Rib from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. I used 1.45 skeins of Moda Dea Sassy Stripes in the Crush colorway and 3.25mm (US 3) DPNs and made these socks 2-in-1. I wasn't even trying to match stripes, but I got pretty close! :D They're a little big (apparently I have odd sized feet) but I still LOVE them! They are really comfy!

I've also been working on the Daisy Sweater for Thing 1 (my 2 yo DD). It just lacks one sleeve (they are knitted on) and taking care of some ends. The sweater for Thing 2 (my 2 yo DS) also lacks one sleeve...but it also needs to be blocked before I can assemble it. Hopefully, I'll make LOTS of progress on these and maybe even have at least one more FO to show next time! :D

As always...Happy Crafting! :D

New Pattern Available!

I thought I'd start my blog off this year by releasing a new pattern! Daniela - Spiral Rib Crocheted Fingerless Mitts is now available for purchase from Ravelry. If you're on Ravelry, you can go here. If you're not on Ravelry yet, there is a way you can purchase it too...I just haven't figured that part out yet, but I'm working on it! That's part of why this post is a few days late. I'm having troubles figuring out how to make the linky things work on this blog.

Anyway, here they are...

The pink ones are done in DK weight Naturallycaron.com Spa. The others are done in worsted weight Naturallycaron.com Country. All are nice and squishy, comfy and warm. :D

I consider this an Intermediate level crochet pattern. It requires skills with post stitches, spirals and chainless foundations and is written using US crochet terms.

Included in the pattern are instructions for both DK and worsted weight yarn and a tutorial for the chainless foundation. The pattern is written to fit my hands, which are 7.5” around the palm and 6” around the wrist, because they were the only adult female hands I had available at the time. However, the pattern is adjustable and I have included notes for how to easily re-size them to suit your needs and preferences.

The pattern itself was inspired from last year's Pretty in Pink Swap over in the Village Hopelessly Overcommitted (on Ravelry). None of the patterns I wanted to do for my partner worked out, for various reasons, so I took a shot at designing my own. I loved the result of my very first attempt! I contemplated submitting it for publishing in a magazine, but realized there was no way I could wait till next fall or later to show you, so I decided to make it my first self published pattern available for purchase!

I'm excited about it and I hope you enjoy it as well! :D

Happy Crafting!