So you can see the way the hat “slouches,” here’s a better picture of it than when I previously posted about my baby alpaca hat.
June 16, 2012
by Tammy
2 Comments
Better Alpaca Hat Photo
June 15, 2012
by Tammy
3 Comments
Alpaca Slouch Hat Finished!
It is soft and slouchy and I love it! Made from my baby alpaca purchase, this hat is adapted from the Pacific Beach Hat pattern in the Aug/July 2012 Crochet Today magazine. The pattern was designed by Linda Permann. She used a larger hook and different yarn. I ended up having to go down to a size G hook and just used one skein of the baby alpaca, which I was told at the LYS is worsted weight, but honestly, it seems like a thin worsted to me, almost more like sport weight.
This is an intermediate level pattern, so it was a bit of a challenge for me. I stitched and frogged and stitched and frogged and obsessed for three days before I finally got it finished, but it was well worth the effort.
June 14, 2012
by Tammy
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Pet Snuggle for Charity
The Yahoo Crochet List group’s June charity challenge is for Bideawee, which is the Manhattan Adoption Center, a pet shelter that participates in the Snuggles project. Hopefully, I will have time to make more, but I did get one 14×14 pet blanket made, and I think the colors are kind of cool together. This is some old Bernat baby yarn I purchased a long time ago. I got it on sale super cheap, and I kept saying I was going to make a baby afghan out of it. I did start a granny square where I had stripes of colors, but I didn’t like how it looked, so recently I frogged it and used two strands together to make this. The photo doesn’t really do it justice, but the colors look really rich woven together like this.
June 13, 2012
by Tammy
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Frog Alert, Frog Alert
Normally, I only rip out crochet or knitted work when I’ve messed something up, but lately, I have been going frog crazy on stuff that I just did not like, such as the purple wool shawl. Another example, pictured above, was the beginnings of a small afghan I was going to make as a possible present. I thought the yellow and purple yarn held together would look good, and I had some in my stash (so it would help bust some stash). I gave it a good try, but I just don’t like how they look together, so rip it goes!
I also recently took a look at a hat I had started probably two years ago and was really close to finishing. But there were issues. I had decided to use cotton yarn instead of acrylic, which is what the pattern called for, and I was concerned about the yarn over stretching as I wore the hat. There were also some bobble stitches that I thought were just not looking right. I love the yarn (RS eco-cotton) and know I can use it for something nice like a light shawl. So I knew I had to reclaim it! rip, rip, rip again!
It actually hasn’t been as painful as I had suspected. Granted, I guess I lost the time I put into making some of the stuff, but I have to think about like some of that was just learning what works and what doesn’t.
June 12, 2012
by Tammy
1 Comment
Fingerless Guy Glove Success
Per my husband’s request, here is fingerless glove for guys number 1. And it turned out pretty well. Hopefully, number 2 glove will work out fine as well. In fact, if it does, I’m thinking of making a bunch of these for all the guys on my holiday gift list. We shall see. These definitely take more work than loom hats. However, once I make a few I should be able to remember the pattern better, and you can get a lot of gloves off of one skein of sock yarn.
I searched around for a guy specific pattern with no luck, so I used the original one for me (Lion Brand All Season Writers) and made the larger size as well as tried to keep the stitches on the loose side. I had hubby try them on at various stages, and at the end, he asked for them to be longer (you work from the wrist up). This was easy. I just added about another 1 1/4 inches of stitches so they covered his entire palm better.
As it turns out, I have a few skeins of sock yarn in my stash, so I plan to use those up and see how it goes from there.
June 11, 2012
by Tammy
5 Comments
Drool Warning! Baby Alpaca Yarn!
While visiting family in Rockledge, Florida, I took another trip to Knit and Stitch in Cocoa Village. It was a Friday versus a Saturday, so I had hoped the place wasn’t as busy and I’d be able to shop without so much chaos, but the store was still jamming. There was a knitting class going on and lots of other yarn shoppers like myself. At least now I have a new strategy when it comes to trying out yarns. I have at least a few projects in mind and then try to find yarn that I can use for those. This time I had picked out a hat pattern by Linda Permann in the July/Aug 2012 issue of Crochet Today. And I also had planned to make another shawl.
For the hat, I picked out this gorgeous baby Alpaca yarn. It is so, so, so, so soft! The color is blue but with a mix of shades and even flecks of purples here and there. And did I say it is soft? My mom just about passed out when she saw it cost $17 for 100 grams (220 yards), but I pointed out to her that I was going to use it to make something for me (for a change), and I’m worth $17. I guess my previous concerns about yarn costs are mellowing.
I also purchased more Big Trend yarn, which is not new to me any more, but I did pick a different palette. This one has bright colors for a more rainbow affect. I plan to use it to make another ripple shawl, which may be gifted to someone.
June 10, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments
Craft Link Time
Aileen’s Musings
Aileen shows you how to create a junque journal from a Trader Joe Flyer.
Cherie Burbach
Cherie creates a glass garden sculpture with solar lights.
Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a chance to win a copy of the new book Cultivating Your Creative Life by Alena Hennessy, a tutorial on how to make a die cut window card, and a recipe for Frito Pie.
Eileen – The Artful Crafter
We’re having a card party at The Artful Crafter! All are welcome. Link up and share your creations at Card Party Central.
Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi gets to visit the famous Kimura Fabrics…on the big island of Hawaii!
Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
How to transform a plain tank top for 4th of July with Simply Spray fabric paint
June 5, 2012
by Tammy
2 Comments
Peter Pan Yarn, Um, It’s Okay
One of my yarn splurges awhile back was a 50 gram/170 meter skein of Peter Pan Double Knit 55% nylon and 45% acrylic. I purchased it at a yarn store with the idea that I make lots of baby items. Plus, since I’m trying to branch out and use different types of yarn, I knew I could find a use for this. I ended up making a few baby hats with it as well as a doll hat and doll scarf. Even though it is only 50 grams, it has gone a pretty long way, so I have probably gotten my $6.75 cents worth out of it. However….
I have to admit that after working with it a fair amount now, it is okay but I’m not overly impressed. I actually felt it compared a great deal to Lion Brand’s Baby Soft yarn. The Pastel Print (very similar in color to the Peter Pan yarn I purchased) comes in 113 gram skeins for almost the same price, $6.49 retail (if you don’t catch it on sale). It is also a mix of nylon and acrylic: 60% acrylic and 40% nylon.
At least I tried something different, and I have few more baby hats in my donation stash, but unless I stumble onto a huge Peter Pan Yarn sale, I don’t see this as being a yarn I will purchase again any time soon.
June 4, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments
Don’t Shoot Me, More Podcasts!
Yes, I keep finding them. Boy, they are everywhere! I know once school starts up there is now way I will be able to keep up with listening and watching all of these, but I have found that I can download them through itunes on my ipad and then (for those that the sound is loud enough and are audios versus videos) I can listen in the car. Here are some new (to me) video podcasts I just added to my blogroll:
Retro Lemon Studio – She talks about knitting and spinning. She’s pretty new at spinning, so new spinners might like that.
Lemknitcrochet – From the name, it looks like she’s into crochet and knitting, yeah!
Joanie Knits – She also crochets a little, yeah!
Whatchswatching – She’s a knitter and spinner too.
Fiber Nymph – This is produced by another knitter/spinner.
KnitandSpin4Fun – This is a very young podcaster who talks about knitting, spinning, and sewing.
June 4, 2012
by Tammy
0 comments
Squishy, Soft Granny Square Blanket in the Works
After discovering how soft Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn was a few months ago, I decided to make a larger blanket as a gift for one of my young nephews. He loves soft blankets, and this yarn is so squishy and soft that he should appreciate it. Most of the colors that this yarn comes in are baby colors like pastel pinks and blues, but I also found a super bright colorway called Summer Day. It’s got bright green, yellow, and purples swirling throughout.
Since this yarn is super bulky, I decided to do another granny square with it. Otherwise, it would just be do darn heavy. I’ve been working on this off and on for a month or so, but now it is getting almost my full attention and I will probably have it done before the end of the week. When you work with chunky yarn like this, you get super quick results!