Bron's Blog II

Oh, Yeah - I'm A Seriously Happy Hooker Tonight

'Cause I just got my copy of Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet The Happy Hooker this afternoon.

If you're a crocheter or want to become a crocheter, run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore, LYS, or nearest mouse to order this online.

I love this book.

And this from a woman who couldn't have cared less about the Stitch 'N Bitch books for knitting.

But this one....this one.....truly does make my hook happy. :::wink:::

This is too cute:

I'm making one for myself & at least 2 as Christmas gifts. This book has it all - cute hats, cute mitts, cute tops, cute baby stuff....and cool skulls (it has skulls!!!):

Honestly, I need a skull potholder. More than one...maybe three.

Honestly!

For anyone considering using this book to help them learn, the crochet instructions are clear and the diagrams are easy to follow.

And, if you've been wanting the pattern to The Baroque Jacket from Stitch Diva Studios, that's included too. Such a deal!

Seriously: BUY THIS BOOK.

All that and I'm not even getting paid. :::wink:::

Knitting? You want knitting? I give you the Ribbing From The Black Lagoon:

It just keep going and going and going....after I finish the button band, I still have the armhole ribbing AND the pocket edge ribbing to do. Then comes crocheting up the side seams & button contemplation.

FO pic tomorrow - promise!

For those of you who don't know Kimberly, she's a sweetie - take my word for it. :) The other day she sent me an email with some goodies she had discovered in her internet travels. This is the best, most complete site I've ever seen for French/English knitting term translation. Everything I'd ever think to ask & quite a few I hadn't! Wowowowow. Plus, she found lots & lots of free patterns on the Bergere De France site. Mouse over to the left on the top bar, to "Tricotheque" and click for "Femme" (women), "Homme" (men), etc. Lots & lots of gorgeous patterns, all free for the translating. :::grin:::

Thanks again, Kimberly!

There - 'nuff food for thought for one day, eh? I'm off to watch a new NCIS (woohoo!) and the premiere of "Amazing Race."

Life doesn't get much better. :::wink::::

I'm Sensing A Theme Here

A color theme: purple & pink.

A project theme: everything's in process.

A picture theme: nothing terribly exciting to show.

An emotional theme: I'm anxious for Keyhole & Hot Pink Vest to both be done. I'm decreasing for the armholes in Keyhole's back:

And, having finished the right front, I'm working on Hot Pink Vest's left front pocket:

I added Cables & Lace as a backdrop, even though I haven't gotten much farther with it. I just figured it would liven up the pic a bit. :::wink:::

Yep - Waterlily is calling me and I want to get that white crocheted No-Name Cardi finished up too.

But this week is busy...the kids have testing & get out early a couple of days, then DH goes in to get all his remaining upper teeth pulled on Wednesday. Yes - it's denture time. Obviously, he's NOT looking forward to it! Even though it'll be better for him in the long run, in the short term it's going to be a real (literal) pain. He's already got a partial, but still...it'll be a huge adjustment.

So - I'll go knit & crochet what I can & be back with (hopefully) some decent progress soon!

Congrats to all the Olympians out there - whether you won gold or not, you deserve a wave of the flag & a pat on the back.

Next time: Let's talk a little more French. :::wink:::

Semi-Brain Dead But Functional

Yesterday was....interesting. I judged children's books, prose writing and "teen life" short stories: junior division, for 5 straight hours. Saying I was merely "tired" would be the understatement of the century. Dylan & I left the house at 7:15 and got home precisely at 3. It was fun, in a weird sort of way. Dylan didn't medal, but he said it was a good experience over all. And, in a rare chance to play God, I choose 8 of the medal winners myself. Heady stuff, that!

When I got home I didn't trust myself to work on anything complicated, so I crocheted:

I have the back finished to the midline, now I go back & crochet the front. This sweater has an interesting method of construction and it really goes fast. :)

Because I've almost finished one front on Hot Pink Vest (see the pocket?):

I decided to (gasp!) swatch to see if the Austermann "Ciao" would work for "Waterlily:"

I think it will do remarkably well. Because the ribbon yarn is 55% cotton, the feel is much nicer than 100% acetate/acrylic/polymide stuff. I think I'm more or less getting gauge (never one of my big priorities) so I'm basically good to go. This even looks like the Colinette in the magazine so I'm satisfied I'll get something close to the original. If any of you are looking for an inexpensive alternative for that pattern, it might be worth checking out. Although there are no variegated colors offered at Elann, you certainly can't beat the price!

Considering it's going to be 70 degrees tomorrow, you don't know how tempting it is to drop Hot Pink Vest & pick up Waterlily. Sigh.

Since I got 11 hours of sleep last night, I feel confident enough of my knitting (and brain!) abilities to go work a bit on Cables & Lace.....happy Sunday, all!

Life-us Interruptus

You know - life happens & knitting falls by the wayside for a day or two.

I've been running around doing stuff that I really can't blog about (we all have stuff like that!) but I can share that life took another unexpected turn regarding our move.

It probably won't happen in a year....more like 4 to 6 months.

Plans are still being debated, but it really, truly looks like things are moved up several notches.

No stress here...nosirreebob! I can handle it! Nooooo problemas!!!!!!

Ahem.

Just to make your checking in worthwhile, here's another yarn acquisition to show:

8 balls of lovely sage green "Ciao" by Austermann from Elann of course. A close-up to show the color a bit better:

$28.00 worth of this, certainly beat $80.00 to $100.00 worth of Colinette to make this:

Once I saw the pic in shades of pink & green, I couldn't get that out of my head. It was a tough choice, but sage green finally won out.

I'll be starting this as soon as my Hot Pink vest is complete. That's incentive, eh?

No knitting tonight - we're off to a friend's for dinner (leaving the children at home to fend for themselves....or burn the house down. Whatever.)

No knitting tomorrow either - Dylan is competing in English Expo. He's been practicing after school for months & will be doing two events - "team dialog" and "sci-fi fantasy." All written examples, no speaking. It should be interesting to say the least...considering I volunteered to be a judge. :::grin::: But our day starts at 7:15 - we need to be across the city by 7:45 to sign in. We should get home about 3:00, but by that time I'll be ready for bed! Sheesh!

Hope everyone has a calmer weekend than I.

And can I just say....I'm sooooo glad the Olympics are almost over. The pettiness on the part of some athletes, the jingoistic rantings of some in the US, and the negativity of commentators (:::cough::::Dick Buttons::::cough:::) have made this Olympics one to forget.

I agree with several editorials I've seen. Back when the Olympics was every 4 years, it was special...an event in every sense of the word. Now it's more like, "Eh - another Olympics? Didn't we just have one?"

Indeed.

Frankly, My Dear....

....brown is not your color.

So - I go to Old Navy yesterday & pick up some tank tops & a couple of short-sleeved thin knit shirts to either wear together or under one of my knitted/crocheted something-or-others:

When I show DH, I lift up the shirt on the far left and he says, "That's ok, but it's not really your color."

HUH?

"Honey, I've always worn brown."

"Yeah, I know, but I've never thought it was your color."

In almost 16 years of marriage, you think the man might've said something a little earlier, eh?

As a conscious backlash against all this color stuff that's dogging my every step (and every word I write on this blog lately!), I decided to make something white. Pure white. As the driven snow. You get the picture:

(The irony of the brown carpet is not lost on me.)

Waaaaaaay back when I started this blog, I crocheted a sweater just like this for a friend and it provided me with quite a few blog entries. I used a mottled tan yarn and (I think) she liked it. I'd always intended to make one for myself but other patterns got in the way - you know how that goes. :::wink::: So with thoughts of spring and pastel sundresses and picnics in the park dancing in my head, I made my first chain loop this morning. It's crocheted from cuff to cuff, so you're looking at one completed sleeve and the beginnings of the front & back. Whew! I feel better with a crochet project in the pipeline once again - I was starting withdrawals. :)

Before I forget - a close-up of the stitch (with loose ends behind):

It's nothing special, but it looks quite nice when complete. :)

 

Here's a little colorful yarn P*rn for ya:

This is my Cascade Sierra Quattro that I ordered from Sealed With A Kiss. I'm a very happy customer, by the way. I ordered this Sunday and with a holiday on Monday, receiving the package on Thurs. was very fast shipping indeed.:) I ordered the "Santa Ana" colorway and it's much more vibrant in person - my camera really washed out the color. Anyway, there are 6 skeins to go in my stash, happily awaiting some sort of long-sleeved sweater as yet to be announced. ::::grin::: (Psssst....it's ON SALE. I didn't find it cheaper anywhere on the 'net. Ahem. Just sayin'.)

Speaking of "just sayin'", let me "just say" that Erica is making me very jealous. While I stuffed my "Somewhat Cowl" back in the stash, to be completed sometime in the misty future, she's almost finished hers and it looks great! It's even done in light blue yarn like mine so I can really see what might have been for me.

I'm so tempted to put mine back on the needles, you wouldn't believe!

Just sayin'.

Random Bits & Bites

Big bites: The love affair continues.....

With Keyhole Top too...

And Hot Pink Vest:

I'm working on the pocket right now. Another 10 rows & I'll put these stitches on a holder, pick up the ones being held, and knit on up for the second pocket side. (Those stitch holders remind me strongly of my mother's hair rolled up, ready to be permed....with shades of Pac Man thrown in. :::wink:::)

Random Bit: I picked up Knit.1 in Barnes & Noble...and returned it to the rack. The only thing I really liked was the skull sweater & it's not worth buying the magazine for one pattern.

Bet you didn't know that when you get black horn-rimmed glasses, you can suddenly wear sunnier colors too:

Ok...yeah...it's orange. But amazingly enough, I didn't think I looked traffic-cone-ish in it. (Must be those black rims balancing out that bright color.) Which makes me look at this:

In a whole different light.

Hmmmmm.......

A Doily For Milady's Shoulders?

Or, with my new "teacherish" glasses, it's more like...."School Marm stripper - 100 bucks per hour, party rates available." (Can't wait to see the Google hits I get from that one! hehehe)

But I'll leave that to your imagination - faces have been cropped to protect the not-so-innocent.

Seriously - I'm not really sure where I'd ever wear something like this. It just screams "Easter Sunday" but since I don't "do" Easter Sunday (or church for that matter), that takes care of that. I'm thinking if I made this in black, I'd be more inclined to try & wear it....perhaps with long black gloves to a midnight showing of "Rocky Horror Picture Show?" ::::grin::::

As it is, this goes on my gift shelf to await....whatever.

My pink vest's back is complete & I've started a front. The pocket construction looks interesting in this pattern so I'll take progress pics for next time.

I started & ended the day with Cables & Lace Cardi so I'll bet there'll be another picture of that too. :::wink:::

People Will Say We're In Love

But I don't care....let them talk. I've gettin' my knittin' groove on with the loveliest of patterns and I'm not ashamed to say it....

Above is the first 16 row pattern repeat. Here's a close-up of the lace pattern:

The pattern instructs you to place markers....well....everywhere, but you don't really need to. It's a fairly easy pattern to anticipate & I only screwed up once getting used to it. I ripped & tinked & everything was fine again. :)

I love this color - Sugarplum. I love the yarn - Cotton Ease (duh!) I truly love the pattern - from Vogue Knitting Designer Knits. This will be a great spring sweater.

I've been making progress in other areas too:

Yes - this is actually my hot pink vest back nearing completion! I was seduced away by Cables & Lace Cardi, but hope to get this finished up & a front cast on today. I'd like to wear it just once before it's too warm. It'll hit 60 today (again! ....always!) so my heavy vest-wearing days may be few & far between. (Knit faster, Bron, knit faster!)

Most knitters are multi-crafters, and Nat is no exception. I got a couple little pressies in the mail from Australia and look how cute those cards are!:

They are blank, all-occasion cards & I really love them. :) I'm terribly card-challenged, as in I never have any on hand for anything, so I'm always so grateful to receive them! How Nat found time to make them with her busy schedule I'll never know, but they are much appreciated!

The book is full of terribly amusing political satire and social commentary. I keep it in my knitting bag for a good chuckle & a view into an Australian sense of humor. Thanks again, Nat!

I'll soon have a bit of yarn p**n to show you: I've ordered the yarn for Waterlily and 6 more skeins of Cascade Sierra Quattro - I found a place that has it for $4.48/skein. At that price, I felt justified in stashing. :::wink:::

Happy Monday/President's Day/Whatever you'd like to celebrate. :)

Sometimes Knitting & Crocheting Is Like Climbing A Mountain

You do a pattern just because it's there.

Case in point, Chanson En Crochet. I've seen several finished capelets at Crochetville and the pattern looked interesting. So I decided to give it a whirl & bust a little stash at the same time. Granted, I'll probably never wear it (I'm just not a capelet-type person - too big & too broad-shouldered ::wink::) but it was fun to make & I can always put it on my Christmas present shelf.

First, I thought I'd use Classic Elite "Rain":

Tell me I'm not the only person who thinks that looks like a toilet seat cover....at Psycho Granny's house! hehehe

I decided once again that I dislike the yarn, so I discarded it in favor of the Katia Pisco I had left over from my "Tapestry" sweater. With Arnold's diligent help:

I crocheted the capelet in about a day. Once finished, it was a wee bit lumpy:

So I blocked it out...strenuously. It'll take awhile to dry since I had to block through two thicknesses. But you can already see how much better it looks:

(Arnold just can't get enough of that capelet!)

Lest you think I forgot my knitting and my poll, I started Keyhole on Thursday and I'm through the waist decreases, starting my increases on the way up:

Let me just say that I love this yarn. I love the colors, the feel, the weight - everything about it. :) I'm sorely tempted to buy another few skeins in a different color...just to have on hand. ::::wink::: After all, our tax refund came in on Friday. Surely that means more yarn, right? hehehe

The pattern is fun too. For the first time I'm going solely by cm rather than bothering to convert to inches & I like it. :)

I've also started on Cables & Lace cardi - I'll save a pic of that until you can actually see the pattern emerging. Right now there's a couple inches of knitting & a mess o' markers on the needles. Here's a joke on me: After spending a couple of years complaining about patterns using charts for lace & cables rather than written instructions, I'm back using a pattern that just has words & it's slowing me down! I really wish this was all charted out since there are four different pattern stitches/designs. Sigh.

Irony, thy name is knitting.

The Secret Garden Revealed

Why wait until morning, right? Since the bust finished out right at 37", I'll be wearing this open for the time being. :::wink:::

But here's a closed shot, just to show you the stretch & strain:

I could probably wear it closed, but the buttons have an unfortunate tendency to pop open at will. (The stretch is the reason the fit looks a little wonky too - the fronts really are symmetrical. I just didn't get it tugged into the right dimensions before Colin snapped the pic. :::Grin:::)

What really trips my trigger about this vest are the buttons that I found at Jo-Ann this morning:

I usually don't go in for splashy buttons, but these were just too perfect to pass up - a garden of flowers in every one! (For a "Secret Garden" vest, don't you know.) I found another set of really cool ones - real lavendar buds/stems under Lucite. I was tempted to stash them, but decided I had plenty at home & $7.70 was enough to spend on buttons for one day!

Stats:
The Secret Garden Vest - White Lies Designs
Size 10 1/2 Denise needles
4 1/2 skeins of Araucania Nature Cotton

 

I'll probably be outa here for a day or two while I try to get another project far enough along to show. Have a peaceful Friday everyone. :) To those of you still knitting & crocheting madly for the Olympic challenge, I wish you peace.....and a few extra hours in every day. :)