In Which I Discuss Important Things

Friends and stitchers, I have a confession.

I've been craftily blocked.

See, I had a friend that I adored.  She was someone wonderful and smart and funny and sassy.  And I had a bunch of projects I'd been working on for her.  And then she committed suicide.

I cried for a week or two, talked with my therapist about it, cried some more, and I'm working on it.

But . . . every time I look at my stack of WIPs, I remember talking about what colors she wanted for this project, or how I excited I was to try this new craft for that one.  I had no idea what to do with all that stuff, those remnants of someone I loved who decided to leave us without a word about why.

There's a blanket (the one I mentioned here), an infinity scarf, a pair of fingerless gloves, two necklaces, and a sweater.

I've made up my mind on some of them - I'll probably keep the blanket, give the scarf away, finish and keep the gloves.  The sweater will most likely get frogged and rerolled into something else.  The necklaces, who knows?

It's been hard for me to get into crafting again.  I just started making a pillow the other day.  I'm not thrilled with it, but it feels . . . good to make something again.  To know that I'm helping create something, when it feels so often that everything's crumbling . . . .that's good.

Baby things zomg!

So someone's expecting!

No, not me.  One of my coworkers is having a baby!  (Well, really, his girlfriend is, but he's the Person I Know Who's Having a Baby)

So I went ahead and made some really adorable stuff.  I think it's adorable, at least.  You be the judge!

Okay, so it would be easier if they'd uploaded right-side up, but we can't have everything.  Turn your monitor sideways!  (Don't do that - it's a terrible idea)

The two dresses are the same pattern off of Ravelry, but done in two totally different yarns.  The pattern also includes a pair of booties (which I did not make, booties are for suckers!) and the diaper cover (the thing that looks like orange panties).  It's pretty easy to follow, and the blanket is my own, based on an lacework sock I've been working on.  Though I also won't say that there haven't been blankets with that pattern before - just that I didn't use one.

So, Corey, if you're reading this, get ready for baby things to come to you - they will be arriving sometime this week!  Thankfully, the baby will be showing up later.

WIPs and other tidbits

I finally got back to this place!  Woo!

I also finally finished: That collar; the matching hat; another hat; a fashion scarf; a scarf for a co-worker's husband; and a series of non-crochet projects.  I've been sort of on a crafting tear this month so far.

I don't have pics atm, but they'll be up soon - I won't forget.  I won't, I won't, I won't!

I'm also working on finishing one of my most and least daunting WIPs (and no matter how many times I see that abbreviation, I still have to take a moment to remember what it means) - the pattern is sort of similar to this, but it's a little different.  It's just a giant granny square, which is easy, but it's two strands of worsted worked together, with a Q hook (about 15mm).  You start with two strands of one color (in my case, blue) and do about seven or eight rounds with both the same.  Then you change to one of the first color, and one of the second (so I was then doing one blue and one green).  The part I'm on now is two of the green, which I'm sure you can guess is eating up a LOT of my green.

Those pound-size skeins are fantastic, did you know?

I'm not sure I'll be able to make it as big as the pattern wants it to be with what I have (and o.0 on that - there's already about 3lbs of yarn in this sucker), but I think I might call it done when I'm out of the green.  But it's been a WIP for about 5 years, if not longer.

It's actually going to go (with the fashion scarf, as well as another project) to a friend who lives in California.  I like making things for other people, but honestly, if this hadn't been 85% finished, they'd have gotten, like, an ami or something.  I am not fast enough to finish an afghan in the time I wanted this done by.

I need to get to Goodwill soon, too.  I want to buy some sweaters and felt the bejeezus out of them, and make them into a purse.  I have become a crafting fiend, no?

Change of plan!

So my scarf has turned into a collar, of sorts.  I got it to the point where it would wrap around my neck with a little overlap, and decided that I had already made one scarf, this would be perfect.  I decided to make it button to one side.

I didn't realize that this was folly until I started making the buttonhole and realized I had no idea how to make a buttonhole.  This was a problem.

So I punted.  In the middle of the cable twining (the plain space in the center, that is), instead of hdc 4, I chained 4 and worked from there.  The cables obscure the edges a touch, but I'm not overly concerned with it - I figure that should help it be more snug.

The challenge now is finding a button that'll fit that I like.  Those two things aren't always the same.  I'll post pics when it's done and a button has been found and affixed.  Woo!

I learn an important lesson

So, my scarf, right?  It looks neat, I dig it and all.

I've been going through it, thinking how strange it feels when I get to the end of the rows I'm repeating and start over.

Funny story.

I've, um, been repeating one more row than I need to.  Says "rows 3-10", not "rows 2-10".  That makes a difference, dunnit?


*pattern-reading fail*  However, it doesn't LOOK bad, and that gives me a little extra length, so . . . it could be worse.  And we've all made mistakes like that, haven't we? . . . haven't we?

The AC . . .

. . . out . . . too hot to . . . crochet . . . bleh.

That last noise was me dying, in case you were wondering.  There's been talk, you know, of the weather breaking and being less horrific.  I will believe when I feel it.

Also, I've been prowling at craftster, and dear god, all the wonderful, amazing things there!  I want to make. everything.  EVERYTHING.

Need more hours in a day, more money, more cold air.

Don't Do This!

People often ask me what the difference between crochet and knitting is, and I usually give a sort of technical answer (hook vs. needles, type of stitches, etc).  The thing I rarely say is that people are more willing to do crazy, stupid, down-right ugly things with crochet.  Does that mean crocheters are more creative?  Not really.  More willing to take risks?  I think so.

I was browsing around Ravelry today, and found . . . well.  No offense to the pattern maker, because it's a very . . . creative idea.  But, please, lovely readers and friends, don't do this:

I can't imagine why you would want to do that to a harmless teapot.  What did it ever do to you?  and it . . . I get that you want it to look like coral, but . . . no.  It looks sort of like the Yip Yip aliens from Sesame Street decided your teapot was real purty, if you know what I'm saying, and I think you do.

My lovely friends, I encourage creativity with anything you do, but . . . god.  Don't.