Squeezing in one more 2009 post

Thanks to a new laptop, I can end 2009 with a quick (and not terribly exciting) note. Christmas was spent in Florida's warmth visiting my mom and brother, and his family. My traveling project was a crocheted shawl that perfectly fit the bill - it was pleasant and quick and just needed some blocking when I got back home.
Pattern: Blue Jeans Shawl by Knottie by Nature
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Lace in Celery

My insect-loving nephew received a Rhinoceros Beetle, which spent a little time frolicking with some garden gnomes before being tagged and mounted.
Pattern: King of the Forest Rhinoceros Beetle

Happy New Year to You!

Happy Thanksgiving to you

Have a nice holiday if you're celebrating and safe travels to you.

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.

New Comet Arrives

According to an old American Heritage Dictionary, the comet is “a celestial body having a solid head surrounded by a nebulous luminescent cloud and an elongated curved vapor tail arising when the head approaches the sun.” In the Middle Ages, the comet caused both fear and wonder.

In 1986's modern times, Halley's Comet swung by for an exciting visit.
In today's blogosphere, the comet arriving is a versatile wrist cuff. It's crocheted using a sportweight linen blend yarn and can be worn two ways. I'm sharing the pattern if you'd like a Comet to wrap around your wrist. (I'll be adding it to Ravelry shortly.)

Comet Wrist Cuff
Materials:
Berroco Naturlin, or similar sportweight yarn, scrap amts.
Hook size: F (3.75mm)
One 1 ½ inch jewelry ring-style bead, or O-ring, or washer
Two ½ inch buttons

Finished dimensions: overall length: 12.75 inches; width at widest point: 2 inches
Fits sm. to med. wrists
Gauge is not critical but work crochet tightly.

Set up row: slip stitch onto ring. Ch 1. 11 sc around ring. (carry tail behind and crochet over). Turn.
Rows 1-29: Ch. 1. Sc in each st. Turn. (11)
Row 30: Ch 1. Sc2tog in first 2 st. Sc in next 7 st. Sc2tog last 2 st. Turn (9)
Rows 31-33: Ch 1. Sc in ea. st. Turn. (9)
Row 34: Ch. 1. Sc2tog in first 2 st. Sc in next 5 st. Sc2tog last 2 st. Turn. (7)
Rows 35-37: Ch. 1. Sc in ea. st. Turn. (7)
Row 38: Ch. 1. Sc2tog in first 2 st. Sc in next 3 st. Sc2tog last 2 st. Turn. (5)
Rows 39-67: Ch. 1. Sc in ea. st. Turn. (5)
Row 68: Ch 5. Skip 4 st. Slip st. in last st. Fasten off.

Correction Update: If you printed out the pattern, please make sure your version lists Row 38 with sc in next 3 st. (originally stated 5-oops!)

Edge: With right side facing, join with slip st into 1st st. at ring’s edge. Ch 1. Slip st. through back loops evenly along edge to button loop. Slip st into ch sp. 5 sc into ch sp. Slip st into ch sp. Slip st through back loops evenly along other side to last st. at ring’s edge. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Finishing: Sew buttons onto right side, approximately 2 and 4 inches from start of crochet at ring end.

Modifications:
Wrist size can be increased or decreased by adding or deleting rows in the 11sc. section (Rows 1-29)
If you only want to wear it one way, you can eliminate one button and decrease the length of the tail section (Rows 39-67).

© Betsey Sennott, 2009. For Non-Commercial, Personal Use Only.

You can see more views of the Comet Cuff on my Flickr photostream.

I'm into Metal

Not the heavy kind (although I do like Van Halen's Jump, but is Van Halen really heavy metal?). In any case, I seem to be attracted to the shimmery stuff lately. I think it makes for some cool-looking hyperbolic crochet.

The yarn is Berrocco Mica in the Abalone colorway. The motif is from Edie Eckman's Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs. It looks pretty good as a brooch also. I expect I'll be a metalhead for awhile. Sorry, Ma.

flowers and flames

I've been enjoying some vibrant summer colors in flowers from the farmers market. The tote I crocheted recently came in handy. It carries alot, yet doesn't overstretch.

The past week's ten minute hooking sessions have yielded good results. The flames are finished and the pencil bag is well on its way and I'm happier with the different colors.

Ten Minutes A Day

I joined in on the 10 Minute Rug Hooking Challenge that April started on her blog. It seems like a great way to commit to more rug hooking. A plus is that the 10 minutes often becomes more minutes and you've made more progress than you anticipated. So far I've filled in some of the flames in the J. Cash Thorn Tree rug and have completely re-worked the design of a pencil-style bag I'm hooking with the mini punchneedle. I'm pretty sure that ripping out time can be included in the challenge time! I'll be posting weekly with updates on the outcomes of my 10 minutes a day.

Adding another notch to my craft belt

The shaker tape stool I bought a number of years ago at a sale at work was in need of refreshing. Recently when I brought it into work to have it retaped, Mr. G., the Industrial Arts teacher, let me try my hand at seat weaving the stool myself. The first step was to freshen up the wood with danish oil. With his expert help and using the web-based tutorial he's developing, I rewove the stool using a narrow shaker tape in a modified herringbone pattern. I'm really pleased with it! It was really enjoyable and I'd love to try it again. Thanks, Mr. G.!!

Today at 5:28 pm I was...

I was reading Textiles Today, an interesting and varied survey of contemporary textile/fiber work from around the world. This particular image from the book is an interactive installation by New Zealand artist, Ani O'Neill. My wagon wheel coaster made from leftover Merlin linen/wool yarn seems to happily fit right in.
And today I was wearing a freshly-made Julia cuff, design by Robyn Chachula. The yarn is Berroco's Seduce, soft and lovely. But black sure is a real pain to photograph sometimes.

Word of the day

Benign, adj. 1. Of a kindly disposition; gracious. 2. Not malignant. 3. A good word to live by for the day, and year. And next half century.

(a mini collection of birthdays and in progress crochet cardigan)

Pollen Season

Pollen under the electron microscope is fascinating, even beautiful. I like to browse Pollen: the Hidden Sexuality of Flowers when I'm at the library. This time of year, however, I am not fascinated by pollen. Instead I dread, dislike, and complain about it.

So I crocheted a pollen scarf. Well - it looks like it could be a form of pollen. It doesn't, however, cause headaches or complaints.

I'll even wrap it around my neck. Seeds: Time Capsules of Life is another plant life book that's enjoyable to leaf through. No complaints about seeds, though I suppose I should because seeds become those birches and maples that bring forth the pollen I dread.