Weekend Wind-Up

Well, I managed to finish the crochet shorts!

They fit perfectly over a large prefold. I still have to lanolize them, but I'm quite happy with the result.
These were made from the Little Fire Crochet Pants pattern (Ravelry pattern page is here). I typically knit wool diaper covers, but decided to try out this pattern in honor of both NatCroMo and the Earth Day CAL I'm doing.
One thing I liked about this pattern is the lack of short rows for shaping - instead, half-double and double crochet stitches are used to give extra length on the back side.

It's especially nice as it doesn't cause obvious patterning changes with variegated yarns. This yarn is fairly monochromatic, so it wouldn't be as noticeable anyway, but on some colorways it really shows.

Shortly after I finished these, we had a crazy dust storm. I went outside to secure everything on the patio, and snapped a picture while I was out - it was crazy haze.

Seriously, there is no filter on this. Here's what it normally looks like (from a slightly different angle)(ignore the weeds, please, it's an ongoing struggle):

We didn't lose power, but I did lose a few branches off one of the rose bushes. And our welcome mat got flipped over. And there was dust everywhere. But otherwise, we're fine.

I had another bout of startitis, and just had to begin making a shawl.

That's one of the yarns I got at Vogue Knitting Live, I've already hit the first color change (you can see the last row is green instead of yellow), and I'm loving how this is working up!

Finally, I have some garden news. I have a carrot sprout!

 And a strawberry!

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

Weekend Wind-Up

I did manage to get some crocheting done this weekend! Nothing is finished yet, but that's ok.

Remember this market bag I made earlier in the month? Well, I'm making another one. This is out of KnitPicks Dishie, which is so much nicer to work with than Sugar & Cream. The cotton is a bit thinner, so I'm using a 5.0mm hook instead of 5.5mm. This will also make a slightly smaller bag, but that's ok! The mesh will stretch quite a bit. 

I'm also using this project to trouble-shoot the notes I made from the prototype. If I can actually nail down the challenges and solve them, I'll have a workable pattern to share. 

And I'm working on a pair of shorts for Grant. It's starting to warm up, and in the hot weather I'd rather use a wool diaper cover than a plastic one. Wool is breathable, he stays cooler. I haven't made this pattern before (I usually knit diaper covers), so it's interesting to see the different construction. 

The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in Comfy Junkie, and I'm using a 4.0mm hook - my gauge was spot-on with the first swatch, which is always a nice feeling! It's like the pattern just wants to be made, right away!

Hopefully, I'll be able to finish at least one of these before Friday, so I can have more than one completed project to wrap up National Crochet Month!

The Yarn Haul

Today, I visited the Marketplace at Vogue Knitting Live. It was in Las Vegas - right down the street, actually, at the Red Rock Resort & Casino.
I initially wanted to take a class, but the schedule just didn't work out for me. But that's ok! I still got to shop for yarn!

All the goods!

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

After a couple rounds of browsing the various booths, I ducked into 3GreenSisters to look at bags. Yes, I know, I have plenty of project bags. So what? This gorgeous bag was calling my name.

See? It's orange! My favorite color! And it stands up on its own. (Nevermind the tilted tripod - I was too excited to get pictures, I didn't want to waste time.)

And it has pockets inside, too!

Next, I found myself at Mimi's Needle Basket, looking for a new circular to knit socks. I really like the Chiagoo circular I already have, so picking up a second was a no-brainer. And I saw this nifty sock ruler, so I thought I'd give it a try. One of the knitters in the booth showed me hers, along with the sock she was working on, and it looks like something that come in handy.

At this point, I popped over to the Fitting Station to get my current measurements taken. I received a card with the measurements, plus a schematic to remind me which numbers are which. (I'm not about the share that, though...let's just say, the baby weight hasn't gone anywhere.)

And then, yarn. Wonderful wooly fibers in all sorts of colors! I could have gone a bit crazy. I almost did. But, I'd like to actually knit (or crochet) with everything, so I tried to be conservative.

I found this gradient pack, and paired with black it should look absolutely gorgeous. It's from Greenwood Fiberworks, and if I were a spinner I'd have gone nuts in that shop. So much roving, so much color! As it happens, I prefer having my yarn ready-to-knit.

I may need to re-shoot these pictures; it decided to rain this afternoon, so the light just isn't the greatest. The gradient pack is called "Tiger Lily", and it is the same base (Star Dust) as the black.

I stopped into Invictus Yarns, and fell in love with this so so so soft merino-silk blend, fittingly called Poetry.

It is destined to be a shawl(ette). The colorway is "Charred", and it is a lavender-gray.

Of course, I stopped by my LYS to show support! If you're ever in Vegas and want to shop for yarn, visit Mirage Fiber Arts. I picked up a skein of Hedgehog Fibers sock yarn in "Copper Penny", and a cake of Freia Ombre Fingering in "Aloha".

And, yes, I intend to actually knit socks. That's a story for another post, though.

Oh, and I did pick up a few freebies:

A couple of pinback buttons (currently residing on another project bag) and a snag-free stitch marker.

And, finally, I spent some time in the Forbidden Woolery booth, chatting about Captain America, Marvel movies, and where color inspiration comes from.

Two skeins of Fortitude (a fingering-weight merino) in "Veiled Scandal" - how could I pass up a name like that? And a skein of Justice (a fingering-weight Merino/Cashmere/Nylon sock blend) in "Water Bender" - yes, that's from Avatar.

One more thing I want to share - this amazing installation by Gina Rose Gallina.

Everything is crocheted! The dress, the wig, the flowers, the bees and bugs, even the fence posts.

All in all, I had a lot of fun. I would definitely visit again - hopefully I'll manage to get a whole weekend, and take a class or two.

Weekend Wind-Up

I didn't get much time with a hook or needles this weekend. Instead, I planted some vegetables. 

Rather than build raised garden beds (Tim would never agree to that, anyway), I'm trying my hand at container gardening. I found this planter box at Lowe's, then visited Star Nursery for the potting mix and seedlings. I have bush beans, cucumbers, and basil and oregano in this box.

If I get one cucumber, I'll call it success. 

These are carrots. Or at least, they will be. I hope. 

Strawberries. I have very low expectations for these, but the notes at Star Nursery said this variety is well suited to containers, so I'm hopeful.

And then, I decided I wanted something ornamental for the patio. 

Eventually, I'll build a stand for this one. 

Who knows how this will turn out. Gardening in Las Vegas isn't the same as gardening elsewhere, but then again I haven't really gardened elsewhere. We'll see! 

Finished a project, woo-hoo!

That market bag I started on Sunday? It's done.

I should have paid more attention to handle placement, and I totally will with the next attempt. But this will still work to carry home some groceries.
I need another six or so, I think. I have a few already, and I use them when I shop at Sprouts and Trader Joe's, but I seldom bring them to Smith's when I do my heavy grocery shopping. I don't have enough to fit all the groceries, yet, and I've noticed that if you bring two reusable bags, the bagger attempts to fit all the groceries in those two bags - even when it is painfully obvious that it just won't work.
This was made using three balls of Lily Sugar'n Cream, and I think that cleared out the rest of my stash for cheap dishcloth cotton. Thank goodness. This stuff wears like iron, but crocheting with it is not fun at all.
I'm still writing up the pattern for it, stay tuned!

Weekend Wind-up

So here's what the weekend produced:

This scarf, which is pretty short but very colorful.

It's the Lizard pattern by Jasmin Räsänen, which is easily adjustable to any gauge and works up very quickly. The yarn is Premier Yarns Serenity Garden Sport, and I used a 5.0mm hook. 

Yeah ok the scarf is barely long enough to wrap around my neck once, but have you ever been to Las Vegas? I was planning on this being my "keep cool" scarf this summer (the kind of scarf you either wear to mop up your sweat, or dip in water to keep your neck cool). It doesn't need to be long, it just needs to be cheerful. 

I've made considerable progress on this filet crochet project. I think I'm about 20% through it by now; when it's finished, it will be either a wall hanging (if I ever manage to mount and frame it) or (more likely) a doily on top of the sideboard. I'm using KnitPicks Curio crochet thread, and a 1.75mm hook.

And finally, I've started on a market bag.

The inspiration to start this one came from the Earth Day Crochet Along in one of the Ravelry groups I belong to. (Please note: if you are not a member of Ravelry, you won't be able to view any of the forums. The website is free to join, though, and is a wonderful database of yarns, crochet/knit patterns, and projects.) 

Anyway, the CAL is not a particular pattern, but more of a general theme. Reusable items, like market bags and dishcloths, or recycled/upcycled items such as plarn (yarn made from plastic bags) or reclaimed yarn from old sweaters. 

I've been meaning to make some more market bags; I would like to make a shift to reusable bags when grocery shopping, and my local Smith's gives me bonus loyalty points when I bring my own bags. So I decided this CAL was a perfect reason to design one! (Wait, did I say "design"? Why, yes I did!)

So it's started, and (hopefully) I'll have it completed by next weekend, and once it's completed I'll have a pattern to share. 

Stroller Blanket

I was perusing one of my (many) stitch dictionaries the other day, and for some reason this pattern jumped out at me and said "hey! Make me into a blanket!" As fate would have it, I had two skeins of acrylic yarn that was purchased specifically to become a stroller blanket. A few evenings with Netflix (currently watching Supernatural and Parks & Recreation), and we have a new blanket, perfect for keeping Grant warm on our walks around the neighborhood. (The other stroller blanket is red, green, and white, and was adorable in December, but now that it's March...it's time for something a bit more spring-like.)(Although, if the weather continues as it has been, we may not need any extra layers outside.)

Finished size is 27" by 22" - perfect lap size for a toddler!

Here's a closeup of the stitch pattern:

The color isn't coming through very well, it's a spring green. The yarn is Big Twist Baby in "Baby Sweetpea".