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| The Sun by ZackLoup |
I am constantly surprised by the sheer quality of Art that there is available on the Interwebz; my own total lack of skill just makes my awe greater.
I was searching for just the right depiction of XIX The Sun because of this post, to reflect the actual sun being out today, the topic of my post, the words on the Finished Object, and my satisfaction - and there it was, this beautiful fox created by ZackLoup. If you scroll through their other cards, one of my favorite creatures, the Wolf, features (as it does in their name) ... this is definitely a deck I'd back if it came up on Kickstarter. Thank you, ZackLoup.
I was looking for the perfect card to celebrate the completion of an overdue project - it was supposed to be a Christmas present for Titch, a popcorn 'word' blanket from designer Jody Pyott.
Yes, last Christmas, not the one before. Or the one before that. I only have one longterm UFO, and this wasn't it - I was derailed by a seasonal retail job which I loved, but the hours were tiring and left little time or energy for crochet.
Anyway. This project had Issues. Firstly, color choice - wanting several yellows that all needed to complement each other meant testing the customer service at the Wool Warehouse: the lovely lady who answered my call physically ran up to the actual warehouse to check that the colors I'd select would actually go together: and she was right.
Secondly, my first time working with Scheepjes Colorcrafter DK yarn - I'd wanted to try it for a while since it's arrival on my radar as it has a great color palette. It is soft, but I found it splitty to crochet with even with a larger hook than recommended. It does wash well so far.
Thirdly, I had gauge issues. Major ones. In a blanket like this one needs the blocks to be very uniform, and using a few different sizes of hook was necessary for me to achieve that. It also highlighted that I cannot handle row gauge: width was fine, height .... not so much. I'd chosen to make it in DK rather than Worsted or Aran, as I wanted a smaller FO than stated in the pattern - but because of the aforementioned row gauge it came out smaller than I wanted, which meant I needed more words, that I had to create the charts for myself ... uncharted territory, ha-ha. And it was also not the right size for Titch's new truck, a MAN rather than a Mercedes.
BTW, that's a whole other discussion. Suffice it to say, the MAN is more Melania than Michelle, rhinestone than diamond, cod roe than caviar. Her one redeeming feature is that she bears the name of a beautiful angel baby.
But I was too close to the finishing line to quit. Having plenty of yarn left meant I could add a generous border ... I completed it yesterday while watching Dwayne Johnson as Hercules: quite apt, don't we think ?
And here is the result of my Labors:
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| Housewives Tarot |
In amongst the electrical appliance disasters, Cub events, cricket matches, committee meetings, the approach of the 10th Anniversary TABI Conference and domestic drudgery goddessery I completed a great little baby jacket, but forgot to share it with you.
I found the pattern when I was browsing through my knitting magazines (I don't buy them often, but over time they do still amass) in Woman's Weekly Knitting & Crochet Special Jan.2011; it actually is a Sublime pattern called 'Little Bertie' - and it was the colors that caught my eye:
Yes, it does say the yarn should be Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK. I know, there are no limits to the crazy, right ? It says it is machine washable, but we need things that a new mum does not have to think twice about, let alone the cost: even the smallest size will be approx.£16/$25. Our Snowflake will be just as Special in spite of wearing ordinary yarn. So here is my version, using remnants from my yarn basket:
Of course, I like mine more. The shawl collar variation was in the magazine. I loved this pattern: loved the design, the colors, the stripes, and it was an error-free quick knit.
But I won't be making it again, because - all. the. endz. You can't really carry the colors up the side because 4 colors make for a sizeable lump in the seams, and it was a real pain to have to weave in all those millions of ends ...
Pop 'FO Friday' into Google and see what happens ...
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| Housewives Tarot |
So I don't seem to have a WIP. Well, OK, there might be one that technically counts somewhere covered in dust. But real live active ones ? Nope.
But I do have all the bits and bobs gathered together to cast on this lovely little baby sweater for a friend of mine who is due in June:
Yes, I've made it before - but it's such a charming and unusual pattern that I'm doing it again - this time hopefully without the unintentional 'design elements'.
For now, I must go cook posh sausages for Belo's birthday ....while you recover from the shock, pop over to Tami's Amis to see what's happening there ....
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| Fenestra Tarot |
As you can tell by the fact that I'm posting, I am feeling MUCH better - I am still totally aware of the dodgy tooth, but there is no pain right now - and please may it stay that way right through my next dental visit too. Oddly enough, I have somewhat lost my appetite for food that needs chewing, and the weather is far too hot for soup, so the plus side to all these shenanigans might be a little weight loss.
I was so discombobulated by the drama, lack of sleep and pain that I couldn't even knit, so I made up for lost time yesterday, with Mini Diva's Grade 6 School Cardigan. She is worried that by the time I finish it, it will no longer fit her as she is growing like a proverbial weed, but I have anticipated this, and added a bit of extra length to the body and sleeves.
Another vintage pattern from the charity shop, it looks a bit dated I think mainly because of the photography and the spot-on length of the sleeves at the wrist:
Sirdar DK 4122 says it is a 'tunic' but I call it a nice bum-warming winter cardigan; and it has the huge advantage of pockets. The cabling detail, which is also on the back, stops this from becoming a totally boring project to make. Grade 6 get to wear cool black instead of ooky jade, which is a little hard on my eyes for totally different reasons:
This is a cheap inexpensive no-name acrylic (£1.00/approx. $1.52 for 100g, no yardage given on the label), but it is knitting up quite nicely, and will of course be better for a soothing wash; I bought 4 balls, and with one complete ball and a bit left, have only the right front, button bands and sewing up to go, so I am pretty hopeful I have enough yarn to complete it.
Pop over to Tami's Amis where I am sure there are no worrisome toothaches slowing things down .....
