2KCBWDAY2 - Gettin' Skillz

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

I have been knitting half my life.  Yes, that's totally strange to me! I haven't done anything as much as I've knit - except maybe eat, sleep, breathe, or read.  I'm at the point where I'm really happy with my skills, but there are a few milestones that I see that I've met looking back last year.

• My first published, for-sale pattern
• My first lace shawl
• My first FO for myself!

That third one is the best one! As far as knitting skills, there's nothing I really want to master - I've done pretty much everything.  Entrelac? Socks? Lace? I feel like I'm on a high mountain of knitting mastery.  And the things I haven't mastered like spinning and crochet, I don't really want to learn!

For the next year, I think I'll try to fit in a lace shawlette with cobweb lace, and maybe some dyeing - but no hurry.  I just want to enjoy the ride and knit what I feel like.  If I need to learn a new technique, by George, I'll just do it.

KCBW2 - Day One

I'm super excited to participate in the 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog week! Today's theme is "A Tale of Two Yarns:"

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

My two yarns today are both part of a mystery! For one the mystery is solved, and for the other the case file is still open.

Maybe I need to give a bit more back story.  My stash is pretty much all over the place, with yarns that I need to figure out a use for sitting out on the counter, or on my desk, or on the back of the toilet.  This yarn has been on my desk for the past eight months, since I got it at a festival:

I blogged about this gorgeous skein from Black Creek Farms on my old blog, here.  It the most beautiful, saintly yarn, but it only comes in 100 yards! And, I didn't want to make some doll or a baby item because... why would you use luxury alpaca for something like that? It just seems impractical to me.

Well, I got a great tip from someone on Rav - make a faux-lacey cowl.  Cast on with large needles, and just knit in garter stith until there's no more yarn.  What an awesome idea!! It will look great with the hat I just finished:

Which leads me to my next yarn... I thought I could make two tams out of this yarn (one for my mom and another for me) but it turns out I only have 36 g left... so, what to do!?

Hopefully I'll eventually be able to solve this mystery, too.  It's a worsted weight yarn, so I could always pair it with others in my stash and make some gloves, or incorporate it as color work into a future project...

NaKniLaMo?

In the middle of NaNoWriMo, I noticed a group had started on Ravelry dedicated to knitting lace during the month of March - NaKniLaMo.  I thought it was an awesome idea, joined, and cast on earlier this month to make my first shawlette.

I dunno about anyone else in the group, but I've been the only person to post in it. Regardless,  I finished the shawlette on Monday.  And I love it.  Really, truly, deeply. 

The pattern is Bitterroot by Romi Hill, from the Winter 2009 Knitty. I used yarn that Ash got me for Christmas in 2008, and I absolutely love it.  It's Knitpicks Kettle Dyed sock yarn, in a very bright yellow that just seems to brighten every outfit. They don't carry it anymore on their website :(

Anyway, even though I don't know of anyone else that knit lace in March, for the KAL, I thought it was super fun.  I'm really happy with the result and want to make more!

One thing that surprised me was how big the finished product was - here's a picture of it on the back of my couch.  Hard to believe that all those stitches fit on my 14'' circulars o_o;

My favorite part of the pattern?  The last four rows.  The lace between the leave motifs looks crocheted! when I took it to club, everyone was asking me how I made the edging.  I felt very smug and smart!

For my next lace shawl, I definitely will use some sort of wire (maybe armature wire or a coat hanger) because the pins were so painful to do! I hate pinning things, and if I were to use wires I could hang the shawl up on a wall and not have to worry about people stepping on it as it blocks on the carpet.

Now that I have my shiny shawl, my next question is - how do I store it?  When I'm in the shower or sleeping, I'm not wearing it, so do I hang it up on a hanger?  Fold it on a desk?  Right now, I've been draping it over my couch :)

Perpetuating a Stereotype

I like Charlotte Russe.  Really, I do.  Enough to get their emails every day, and, once in a while, look at their gorgeous clothes.  Today I found this.

Here's a picture:

And another picture:

Do you see what I see?

This "crocheted" wrap is obviously knit.  It's enough to make me write a strongly-worded email.  Crochet is not knitting.  Knitting is not crochet.  They are two.  Different.  Crafts.

What's worse is people just don't understand my angst. I understand, if you do neither it may not seem like a big deal. But to me, semantics is an incredibly important aspect of intelligence.  It just seems like an incredibly 'DERP' moment.

(Note: I do not own these images, nor am I claiming ownership in publishing them here.)

Lost, then Found

A while back I whined about losing my mitten - they were given to me by my mom two years ago, and I was so proud of not losing one... until earlier last quarter.

Good news, though! I found it in the parking lot by my apartment! You can tell that one has travelled a bit more than the other (that would be lefty) but I'm sure after a few more cycles through the wash you won't see a difference.

Just a little thing to brighten my rather irritating week.

Late > Never

So, I know it's a few days late, but can you blame me? I was away from my TUSAL jar, but now I'm back and ready to start a new quarter!

I have all those baby hats to thank for the influx of ORTs.

In Like a Lion...

Well, I missed my own goal to publish a pattern each month thanks to a horrible flu, exams, and starting a new job. But I promise, I have a very good one (and a cute one for March, too)

The sad but true story is I may not design at all anymore, because I will be starting this job in May and it is very demanding.  All I can say is - if you know someone who wants a career, they should definitely look into EHS because there are great jobs. :)  I've gotten quite a few job offers in the past few weeks, and this one is very exciting. 

So, it's not really an end.  Just putting my dreams of being a full time designer on the sidelines.  Maybe permanently, maybe not, because you never know. I will still blog (probably more often, since working takes considerably less time than school) just maybe more simple projects, maybe going back to one at a time.

But anyway, thanks all for your support - sorry I haven't really read or commented on any of my friends' blogs in over a week! Life has been strange and beautiful.