News flash...!

Shame on me for not updating, I know.  Here is the main point for this post:

I have had to do some shuffling around and there is a new address for Forays into Crochet. It is foraysintocrochet2.blogspot.com if you are still interested in reading/following! Thanks and I hope to see you there!

Impasse!

I don't know if it is the weather, or the fact that I'm pregnant (yep, you read correctly! This time it's for real!!) but I have not been doing a lot of crocheting since my last post.  *holds out hand for a rap to the knuckles*.  I just seem to have lost my motivation.  Or, conversely, I have SO many projects that I'd like to start that I can't seem to choose among them.  As soon as I found out I was pregnant I lined up a bunch of things I'd like to make, mostly tops, to accomodate my belly as I get bigger.  My only problem is my general lack of funds, since I haven't had a job since the beginning of February.

The shawl I was in the middle of is one I have decided to frog.  The yarn (Malabrigo Lace) is very soft and very pretty and I want to use it for something that might do it more justice than that pattern.  I will probably still use that pattern eventually as part of the 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge, but with a different yarn.  So, now, I have to find a pattern that calls to the yarn -- or vice versa.  Sigh.

A lot of my time is spent holding still, as my "morning" sickness has started to kick in at random, unpredictable times throughout the day.  I prefer to lie down or curl up in my husband's easy chair and just hold still...sometimes the motion of crocheting makes me feel dizzy, even though I know that's illogical.  Hopefully I will find my gusto soon and get back to hooking.  I miss it, truth be told.  And I also have a sister who is waiting rather impatiently for her Renaissance Tunic (sp!? I never remember how to spell that one!).

It's fixing to rain outside.  I can even hear thunder.  I have a pattern I need to make for my birthday swap partner, so I'm going to go dig out some yarn, battle my nausea, and get to work!

Keeping me sane.

Here is a baby blanket I recently completed for my cousin, who is having a baby boy later this year.

Gwydion fancies himself a model, I think.

(of course the blanket will be washed and then stored in an airtight container before being shipped/given to my cousin for her bebe!)

My sister likes my tunic so much that she has bought the yarn for me to make her one as well.  She has chosen red for her main color, and brown and a vareigated in autumn tones for her accent colors.  It will be very pretty, I think.  I am also still plugging along on the Malabrigo lace shawl.  I've decided to only use one skein of the two I have, so it may be more of a shawlette, but that's okay.  It's becoming a bit tedious, to be honest!

It's back to hooking for me.

Shame on me!

I know, I know.  It's been a month and a half since my last blog entry here.  I apologize.  It is certainly not for lack of wanting to post...mostly it's a lack of internet.  We no longer have a computer in my house and so I have to come to my mom's house and use hers.  It just makes it more troublesome and gives me one more excuse to be lazy and not do anything about it.  That's not to say I haven't been crocheting.  Oh, no.  I have definitely been crocheting.

Now.  Ever since I got back into crocheting 3.5 years ago, I have had my eye on this:

Vashti Braha's Renaissance Tunic

isn't it fantastic!?

(more of Vashti's awesome designs can be found on her blog, Designing Vashti.  Go check her out!)

Well, I finally felt ready skill-wise to tackle it.  I went with a different color scheme - not that the original isn't pretty, but I wanted something that felt more me.  I picked out Caron's Simply Soft in Dark Sage for my main color, Raspberry for one of the accents, and then I bought some Caron Simply Soft Shadows (on clearance!  Woohoo!)  in Dark Moss to accomplish the striping on the sleeves and bottom of the tunic.  I started this project on February 9th, and finished all the major crocheting and seaming on March 12th. (I finally sewed on the button and snaps yesterday!)  There was a gap of about a week and a half where I stumped myself trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the sleeves (like their length and flare etc).  I managed to overcome that, and then as I was working the peplum (the bottom part) I decided I wanted to add some waist shaping that was not really in the pattern.  I have a figure that does not lend itself very well to empire waists - typically I look pregnant.  While I do want that look one day, I want it when I'm actually pregnant!!  So I simply added a few more rows before I started the increase rows.  The result I got was the one I wanted - the peplum hangs straight to my waist and then flares out gently over my hips.

I have a couple of pictures of the tunic while it was blocking.  They're not the best but they give the general idea of the colorwork and shaping.  I am hoping to get some good pictures of me wearing it today or tomorrow. 

But have a look at these for now...

I've also been busy working on my 3rd shawl for 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge.  I bought my first Malabrigo Lace.  It's interesting to work with - it's very, very soft, but it's the first time I've used a single ply yarn and that has taken some getting used to.  The colorway is Verde Que Te Quiero Verde, I'm working with a C hook.  The pattern was actually a chart by a Russian designer - very easily memorized! 

The way the variegation is working up makes me think of dragon scales...

it's going to look awesome once it's blocked.  I've also got some beads I want to add to the edging, if they'll look right.  We'll see.

Shawl #2 is done!

A testament to the wonders of blocking...it probably doubled in size after soaking and laying out to dry.

I've given this to my younger sister to use in her silent auction - any money she makes goes toward her Chamber Orchestra account so she can go on a really neat field trip to Seattle, WA.  She can set the opening bid and I recommended she set it at $30 - $35 simply because of all the effort I've put into it, not to mention the cost of the yarn.

 

  

  

 

My mom, modeling the shawl with the classic wingspan pose :)  Thanks Mom!

I got a wonderful surprise today!

Ok so you know the shawl swap that I've been talking about?  I got mine from my partner today!!  She lives in England, sooooo my shawl is English LOL.  But really, it's a beautiful shawl!  It's knitted, since I'm not a knitter that makes it super neat.  I can't stop oohing and aahing over it.  Or hugging it.  It's squooshy.

Below are pictures for your viewing pleasure XD

Really...I'm ecstatic!

She sent a nifty matching shawl pin to go with it:

And a pretty silver necklace with wing pendants!

And a very pretty project bag...I love the fabric.

The highlight is definitely the shawl.  I. Am. In. LOVE.

 

Crochet Hooks.

Over Christmas my husband and I did some house sitting for some good friends of ours.  They have a wood shop - they make hardwood kitchen accessories that are just lovely.  It tends to build up a lot of scrap wood though.

For a while now my husband and I have tossed around the idea of turning hooks from these scraps.  Well, over Christmas break, he showed me how to use their lathe and I just sort of took off!  I finally got around to taking pictures, and I wanted to show off :)  All of the heads were shaped to mimic the Boye head, which is the shape I prefer.

This first hook I turned from blood wood.  It measures approximately 13 mm (there's no letter assigned to 13 mm), and is 7.25 inches long.  I wanted to keep it on the thicker end, since I had never worked on a lathe before, and wasn't sure how thin I could take things without it snapping.  The head was shaped (through much frustration and help from my husband!) with a dremel.  Blood wood is very dense, so the shaping took a looooong time.  It's one of my favorite woods though; the grain is beautiful. 

After the shaping was completed, I sanded it with gradually finer sand paper, finishing up with a 600 grit.  The only finish I used was a few good rub downs with mineral oil.  It feels like silk in my fingers!  I love it!

This next hook I turned from zebra wood.  It measures approximately 10 mm (N/P), and 7 & 3/8 inches long.  I was a little braver and went a little thinner this time!  The head was also shaped with the dremel and went much faster this time around since I had all that experience from the blood wood hook! ;)

I repeated the same sanding procedure, and my husband suggested I use a clear, spray-on finish for this hook.  Zebra wood is apparently very porous and it wouldn't do for it to be snagging the yarn!  He applied 2 coats to the hook, with a drying time of about 30 min in between.  The stripes run lengthwise on the hook, giving it a very striking appearance.

Lastly, I turned this hook out of leopard wood.  It's my thinnest yet :)  It measures approximately 7.5 mm (between K & L), and is 11.25 inches long!  I was going for more of a Tunisian style hook with this one.  I received an aluminum one for Christmas, and decided to try one out on the lathe.

Same shaping and sanding process.  This one's head is closer to the Bates style head, but still has some Boye shaping.  This one was also finished simply with a couple good rub downs of mineral oil. (haha ignore the writing on my hand!!)

So there you have it :)  My first three wooden hooks, and I turned them.  I'm hoping to go back soon and turn some more...it's addicting!

Moving right along!

Things are coming along in the project department.  So far I've experienced little trouble with my Blue Curacao...most of the trouble I have comes from not paying 100% attention.  It is not a tough pattern but it does require focus!

I am going to have a lot of free time on my hands and as such, I think I am finally going to try my hand at dyeing. I have a skein of Baruffa Cashwool in white.  I don't know yet what color(s) I'd like to dye it...suggestions? 

I've also been taking notes - mostly mental, which I need to transfer onto paper at some point - of ideas for dyeing that I've had.  I'd like to do some serious brainstorming.  I'm bandying about ideas for names of a yarn dyeing company (selling mainly through Etsy, of course) if I ever managed to get to that point.  I'd like to...but the logistics part of it scares me.  All the technical stuff...getting a business license, tracking sales, making estimated tax payments or what have you...that's all pretty intimidating.  Making a few casual sales here and there though...that might work.  I guess we'll see.

More (better) pictures of the shawls

The shawl for the swap:

The first 2010 shawl:

I left it at my parents house for my sister. :)

First Shawl of 2010 - Lion Brand Yarn's South Bay Shawlette

A close up of the stitch pattern:

An "artsy" perspective shot:

In it's full glory (blocking):

Thank goodness for swatches.

That's right, I'm thanking goodness for SWATCHES.  Having completed my first motif, I determined that it was impossible to get it to lay flat, even after I applied the iron, with the steam on.  I've frogged it and set it aside for later.  I hate to give up on a project but sadly I don't have the time, dedication, or patience to do that lace piece I mentioned a few posts ago.  I am still going to make SOMETHING...but I need a little more practice in thread crochet before attempting something that work-intensive.

I started my first shawl of 2010 Saturday night though, and that is nearly finished.  I used the two balls of JL Vinca that I bought from someones's stash a few months ago.  It's nice to have the yarn do the color work for you.  <3  My sister has taken an intense interest in it and is begging me to sell it to her.  We'll have to see.

Pictures of the progress (large images!!)

First up, the shawl for the swap.  It really turned out lovely.  I'm quite proud.

Blocking photos...the kitties were not happy to be locked out of the office for the 12+ hours it took to dry.  The office is kind of their hang out place.

The obligatory "wingspan" pose.  I want to go take some obligatory "shawl on a bush" photos next.  When I can find the time.  This thing is lighter than air! And SOFT!  And SQUISHY!!

Next up a couple of photos of the starghan-in-progress: (Gwydion 'helped' with this shot...darn cat)

A close-up for colorwork and stitch definition.  Plus it's just a cool shot XD.

I have more than enough yarn to complete it.  I'm hoping actually to finish it today.  We'll see. :) 

Progress

My shawl for my swap partner is done!  I finished it yesterday and blocked it last night.  I've taken a few pictures, I just need to load them to the computer and post them.  It's turned out quite lovely, and the yarn has stayed so soft and squishy.  I hope my partner is as pleased with it as I am.

I picked a pattern for the baby blanket, and I started that last night while the shawl was blocking.  It's going to be a starghan.  Luckily I have quite a lot of yarn left over from a previous baby blanket I crocheted and I am using that. I think it's going to be cute.

I started a motif for that top and haven't done much past that.  I'm a little intimidated but the pictures of the finished ones are so lovely...I just have to keep on working on it.  I think I will focus just on that for the rest of January and start my 10 shawls in February...if I can resist my start-itis.  I may not be able to, lol!

Caution: Swamp ahead!!

I need a signpost that says that right now haha!

Here's what I have (mentally) committed to for 2010:

~a lace KCAL (Knit-/Crochet-Along, for my casual readers).  Pattern is my choice, yarn and yardage is my choice.  I will be crocheting this (I ganked this pic from the Finished Object gallery for this project) in black crochet thread, size 10:

and quite possibly lengthening it into a knee-length dress.  The skirt would have more motifs gradually added to create a flare effect.  The pattern itself is in Portuguese but it is fully charted.  It will be my first time crocheting from only a chart!

~I currently have in progress the shawl for my swap partner.  It will look something like this:

but in that light pink color I posted a pic of a few entries ago.  I am about 1/4 done with that project.

~two of my cousins are having babies sometime this year.  One is having a girl, the other they don't know the sex of yet so I am waiting to hear so that I can make blankets.  I am in the process of selecting a pattern for the baby girl I know about.

~I will be crocheting 10 shawls in 2010.  I found a group on Ravelry and so help me I joined and am going to do it.  I have not yet picked all 10 shawls but some of the candidates in the race are:

 

and last but certainly not least, and this will DEFINITELY be in the 10 that I make this year, this beauty:

I'm sure there will be more shawls appearing, too as the year goes on and more patterns are designed.  But whew, I need to get myself a little more organized than I am now, and get my nose to the grindstone so I can finish everything!

The ins & outs, ups & downs.

I'm in a worldwide shawl swap on Ravelry.  I know I've mentioned it here before.  Well, it got started and I totally thought I had everything picked out.  I got it started and it wasn't...it didn't feel right, working up.  I don't know how else to describe it.  So, I scrapped that one (thank goodness I wasn't very far into it) and have been hunting and hunting and HUNTING for a good pattern/yarn combo. 

Finally found a good yarn...

Okay.  Personally, I abhor pink.  ABHOR.  But it is my downstream's favorite color.  And this shade isn't too obnoxious.  Plus the yarn is maddeningly soft and squooshy.  In short, while I don't love the color, I love love love the base.

Now to hunt down a pattern.  There is a disgusting shortage of CROCHETED lace shawls...and a disgusting overage of knitted ones!!  Don't get me wrong, they're absolutely lovely, but I feel like us crocheters have been left out in the cold when it comes to lace shawls.  Maybe...maybe I'll screw my courage to the sticking post and try to design one. 

I know I just posted yesterday, but...

Now I have pictures!  Here is my nephew's vest, completed.  Sorry for the wash out, the flash on my Powershot is obnoxious.  The pattern is actually for a hoodie, but I finished a few rows of it and finished a skein and thought, it looks darn cute this way!  So I left it.  I found the perfect wooden buttons for it that match the tan shade in the variegation.  It was my first time sewing buttons onto any kind of crocheted garment!  I was proud of myself.

This vest is actually quite versatile, as demonstrated by my sister (who is 21, I could not believe she actually got it onto her body):

and my cat (he tried it on before I washed it.  Notice the peeved expression.):

Next up is a picture of my commission!  Overall, I'm pleased.  I omitted the ruffles along the bottom of the jacket because I ran out of yarn and didn't want to charge my friend for a 3rd skein of yarn of which only a few yards had been used.  The picture is blurry, my apologies.  If I used the flash, the purple looked blue/indigo when it's really closer to that lovely shade, just a tad darker.

I'm hoping the sleeves aren't too ridiculously long.  I had to play with the sizing because the pattern only went up to 12 mos!  Here is a close up of the nifty buttons:

In all probability it will be shipped tomorrow.  I'm glad it's done and I hope the people for which it's intended will like it!  Maybe I'll even get a pic of it being modeled!  That'd be nifty XD