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!
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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.
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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:
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.
