Category Archives: Crochet

So I was messing around with the Monster this afternoon, and I realized something.

The damned thing isn’t ever going to be finished.

Seriously.

I’ll tell you why, too: it’s because in the intervening ten years, I’ve changed too much. I still love the colors, but the way I crochet is totally different now. I don’t have desire enough, or patience enough, to go through the excruciating work of trying to match my former gauge (way too tight), of putting all of those little squares together (or adding on to them), and trying to force the thing to do what I think it should do now, instead of what I’d intended to do then.

I’m going to keep the remaining yarn and find another project for it. That I’m sure of. What to do with the panels I haven’t taken apart? Pillows, maybe? And I have 73 finished squares and some partially finished ones. I’m not sure whether to try to turn those into something else or just re-home them. Anyone interested in 73 tiny granny squares?

(This is the project I’m talking about. Some of those panels have been taken apart now.)

Time to catalog the WIPs again…

Because they multiply quickly, and because it’s fun. Not so much on the pictures this time, though, I’m afraid. The sun, the clouds, and the children have not been aligning favorably. Heh.

Designs: One new pattern is out for testing, another is in the writing-up stage. We won’t count the insanely long list of ideas that are the top page of the notebook that lives on my desk.

Charity: I make rectangles for HAP, which is an ongoing thing. I’d been sending squares all over charity-dom, but I have little time and less money and needed to focus, and this is the organization that I chose.

Other: This is where the list gets long.

On the too-hot-to work-under-because-we-have-no-air *sob* list:

–1 giant granny intended as a gift eventually, perhaps 1/3 done.

–1 spiral baby blanket. I’m unsure whether I’ll even finish this. I’m not completely pleased with how it’s coming out and I’m very much considering finishing it off as a doll blanket and giving it to the kids. They’ll probably steal the FO anyway, lol.

–1 Monster, which I could probably work on anyway but haven’t talked myself into just yet.

On the knit list:

–1 drop-stitch scarf (this one, to be precise), done in sock yarn on size 3 straights. It’s coming out wonderfully. I was going to put it in the big bag of gifties, but it might just have to stay here and live with me.

–One plain garter stitch scarf done in Bernat Softee Chunky on size 10 straights. I love making things I don’t have to look at. And it’s pretty, too.

–The dishcloth that lives in my lunchbag. This one is scraps for something vaguely log-cabin-ish, since I wanted to practice picking up stitches. Yes, I’m aware that my idea of fun is a tad off.

On the hook:

Doris Chan’s All Shawl. I called it the “Immediate Shawl” in my Rav projects because I saw it and immediately grabbed yarn and a hook. *grin*

–I started making granny squares out of my Softee Chunky scraps. Which isn’t a WiP as much as it is me being sort of random, but it won’t take much to have enough for a lapghan, if a delightfully clashing one.

–It doesn’t count as a WiP if I haven’t started yet, right? But I’m fixin’ to get at least one more scarf out of my leftover Red Heart Soft that I’ve been steadily turning into scarves. That will probably get started later today.

First, the new design. Because I work Wednesday through Sunday and I won’t have a better chance. Also, if the light holds, I’d really like to redo the photography for the new pattern. It’s not bad, but I’m not happy with it the way I want to be happy with it. That will be out as soon as testing’s finished and I’ve made the inevitable corrections.

Not a bad list, ‘eh?

I am clearly insane.

The lengths I’ll go to to get time to crochet…I’ve started getting up an hour earlier in the mornings.

I’ve lost my mind.

But I have high hopes that I can lose my mind in a productive way.

You know, all my life I’ve wanted to find a passion, to figure out what it is that I love so much I’d be willing to go to great lengths to pursue it. Color me shocked that this is what it turned out to be. I’d never have guessed it. Never.

Life is amazing.

A little anniversary.

A year ago today, I listed my first item on Etsy.

I could wax rhapsodic over everything that’s happened since I took a deep breath and hit that button to put that first item live (where ohmygoodness someone might see it and buy it and what then?), but it seems more a time for celebration than introspection.

I think I’ll have a sale. *grin*

Holy Granny Squares, Batman!

This is pure 100% unmitigated brilliance! I must go make another granny ‘ghan right now. Oh, who am I kidding? I must go make enough squares that I can’t bear to pass them on for a chairty project, but not enough that I can face the dreaded assembly of the afghan…say maybe 3/4 of what I’d really like. Then I’ll stuff them in a box with the rest of the coordinating skeins and let them marinate for 5-10 years.

*snerk*

Very cool, in any case.

The new dishcloth, it is done!

And I’m sort of ridiculously pleased with it.

Of course, the hard part is the writing it up and the photography. The designing is pure pleasure, the other? Not as much, for me. All part of the game, though.

Phew!

I had almost developed a fresh twitter habit. Thank heavens they went back to being down constantly just in time! Narrow escape, that was…

Today is devoted to the new dishcloth pattern. I’m really excited about this one…it’s a visual treat, IMHO. At the rate the kids are letting me play with yarn, it’ll be done in a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days, and that’s fine. I tend to get far too wrapped up in work and forget how different the world looks to them. They bring me back to their reality, and it’s a pretty cool place to hang out. Today we had a long discussion about mulberries and bird poop. My 3-year-old was delighted to fin out that birds poop. LOL. What’s crocheting next to that?

(Not that I can do without it, mind you, but seriously? The full-force cute is something to behold, truly.)

Thank you!

Had a great first few days for the new pattern. Yay!

I’m into my regular workweek now, so a bit scarce the next few days. As soon as I get a chance, though, I need to take some fresh pictures of fresh works-in-progress, because it’s been too long since we’ve had a picture post around here. I’ve got a lovely drop-stitch scarf on the needles, I’m knitting dishcloths, and I’m trying to decide what to add to the list now that the blanket projects have been put away for the summer. Hmmmmm….

Progress!

Well, the pattern is out there. Now the breath-holding until (hopefully) someone buys it and likes it. I always find this part of the thing rather nerve-wracking.

Other than that there’s not a lot happening in crochet-land just now. I was hoping that I’d get a chance to work on the new dishcloth today, but the kids are acting possessed. So I should probably find something to clean instead. And tomorrow it’s back to work. Um, yay? LOL.

To Do:

–Finish pattern pending.

–Finish design-yet-to-become-pattern-pending.

–Play. Because I’m exhausted and I need to play with yarn instead of *working* with it a bit.

–Housework. Ick.

–Figure out what to do with the HAP rectangles I can’t afford to mail. Thinking I’ll start a bigger box for them and mail them next round instead of this one, when I have a chance of affording it. Then again, maybe I’ll split them up and mail a bit now, a bit later. Not sure yet. I’ll divide them into two packages that can go first-class, and mail one this week and one in ten days or so. Assuming, that is, that I can get ‘hold of the address in time for this week’s post-office run.

–Figure out how to make the shop look like someone actually you know, runs it. Heheh. Poor thing has been terribly neglected while I get the working-all-day thing smoothed out.

–Go through my partially completed projects and figure out what needs to be finished and what needs to be frogged. Got them all into Ravelry, and decided not to frog anything at all. I did put the blankets into hibernation mode for the summer, though, so I wouldn’t be feeling bad every time I signed in and saw them glaring at me. It’s fine now, but before long it’s going to be way too hot to have that much yarn in my lap. Surprisingly few projects I’ve got outstanding at this point. That pleases me, since it gives me justification for starting more. 😉