the (Habu) line up

Last week at Stitches East I couldn't resist getting some Habu yarn. I snagged two sample bags of unusual and interesting silks, linens and wools, some crinkled, some paper ribbons, some bound, and some with halos. Here they are all in a row - beautiful!

I also like arranging them like a specimen collection. I don't tire looking at them.

These three bundles were not part of the samples. Ideas are floating around in my head as to what they'll become.

But first, I've been crocheting one of the samples, a tsumugi silk, into circular motifs. Now to add another yarn to end up with a necklace.

no more brown bagging it for me...

...now that I made a reversable Japanese inspired bag, perfect for carrying my lunch to work.

From the book, Linen, Wool, Cotton. A free project here.

little things on a rainy autumn day

A few small leaves, another sweet design from the Charming Crochet book.

The green leaf of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes kettle dyed worsted weight in Grasshopper.

The gold leaf of DMC perle cotton #5.

And the kitties? Found long ago amongst nails and screws in a "hardware store in a can" coffee can from my father.

Despite the chilly gray skies, my geranium continues to bloom bright pink . Its hot pink inspired me to pull out some Malabrigo Silky Merino I bought in the heat of the summer last year and begin to turn it into a flowery scarf.

Hempathy's Bounty

A skein of Hempathy is 153 yards. I've found it can go a long way, and that's even with yarn-eating crochet. After I made myself a Comet using the Tea Rose yarn, I still had alot left over. I added a crocheted edge to a gauze scarf. And I still had yarn left so I crocheted a necklace pouch to hold my eyeglasses or iPod Nano.

Even after that I had a bit of yarn left. I could have made a little flower or motif. Instead I crocheted this little bird from the Japanese book, Charming Crochet, that has no function other than hanging sweetly on my wall.

my berry stained hands

The last time I was at Webs I got some Berroco Comfort DK for swatching. When the fall weather arrived, I thought the yarn would be great for transitional fingerless gloves. They're not too hot for this time of year, are stretchy yet keep their shape well, and are just fun to wear. I didn't use a pattern. Using a F/3.75 hook, I just made a long enough chain to fit my hand, joined it for working in the round, then went round and round single crochet through the back loops, skipped some stitches and made some chains for the thumb hole, and continued round. I still have a good amount of yarn left for swatching.

My apologies, here's a really blurry photo of me wearing them. I seemed to have deleted the good photo! Oh well.

And, a beautiful woven cloth I was rewarded with from Missouri Trouble! It sits perfectly on my bedside table. It's a cotton and linen blend and the pattern is called Fig Leaf. Jenny wove a series of these mats in tribute to one of her weaving mentors, who before she died, had asked the weaving group to explore the pattern in memory of her. It's so nice to hear the stories that may be behind what people create.

Sunday's Rosy Hue

Made while watching the US Open. Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, 2.75 mm hook. The stunning cloth underneath was a handwoven gift from my sister, Jenny.

Crocheting the edge of the Comet

Here's a few tips if you're uncertain about how to slip stitch the edge of the Comet cuff.
Step 1: You'll notice some stitches along the edge look like the one below in the photo - a clearly defined crochet stitch. You should slip stitch through the back loop, which really means insert the hook in between the front and back loops to complete the slip stitch.

Step 2: The next stitch will look like a tighter, smaller space, and it won't look like a regular crochet stitch with front and back loops. Just slip stitch in this space.

Step 3: The next stitch will again look like the usual crochet stitch with front and back loops. Again, slip stitch through the back loop. Continue in this manner, which will alternate between slip stitching through a back loop, then slip stitching through the next space. Slip stitching through the back loops makes the edge lay more along the side of the cuff, and I think gives the cuff a neater appearance. Slip stitches through both loops makes the slipped edge lay more on the top of the cuff.