I've been hording stuff. Stuff that I've been meaning to share. Stuff that needs blog closure. Stuff that needs to make it's blog debut. Some old stuff. Some new stuff. But stuff, all the same.
Enjoy!
A very long overdue thank you goes out to the Anti Christy who gifted the Christie with this beautiful, sofee-soft, hand-cramp inducing crocheted scarf. She chose me as a recipient in a crafty "Pay it forward". I plan on keeping the movement going and randomly surprising a few of my blogging friends with some happiness in their mailboxes. Thank you Anti-Christy, you made this Christie very happy...and toasty-warm!
We were over at Mom and Dad's on New Year's Day and I noticed her scrubbing her pots with a nifty little croched purple scouring pad. Of course I had to ask, "Mom, did you make that?" She said yes then said she bought random colored tulle, cut it into long 2" wide strips and crocheted a disk. Brilliant. I love my mom. And of course I have to make some for myself.
Avril: Super fine merino
Hasegawa: Silk stainless steelAnother reason to love my mom. She gifted me with Avril Hasegawa, aka Habu Kit-78, aka the Kushu Kushu scarf. I also have to thank my sister for suggesting this gift to mom. The color is perfect and I'm so excited to work with the Habu Silk stainless steel. Of course not until after I finished gf's sweater and some of the Patti jacket.
Backstory
Pattern: Reduction Tote from Magknits
Yarn: Suss Cotton
Hook: Size F
Exposition: Very straightforward pattern, quick and easy. I did not follow the chart for the bottom nor did I make a front granny square pocket. I do plan on revisiting this pattern as it's a quick, easy and very cool gift.
Reduce, Recycle, Reuse! Just say not to plasic grocery bags!
America's Next Top Model Pose
Backstory
Pattern: Notorious from Romantic Hand Knits by Annie Modesitt
Yarn: GGH Safari in light green; 4 balls
Needles: Circular sizes 4, 5 and 6
Exposition: Where to start? This pattern was very challenging for me, and it's still hard for me to be objective about the finished top...months later. It didn't turn out like the I had hoped, which is a bit disappointing, but after the many issues it presented, it's finished and that in itself is a success. I haven't really paid it much mind since finishing in September, other than a guilty feeling about not posting fo pictures. So here you go...
There were quite a few modifications on this baby. First off my yarn choice. The pattern calls for a worsted, but I thought a cute summer top needed to be in something a bit lighter for me to even consider wearing. And while the GGH Safari I used is technically a worsted it's quite a bit thinner. In consideration of Safari's yarny nature, I went down two needle sizes and eliminated the center cable. And since I was making this top a solid color, I eliminated the picot edging. I ran into a few problems with the pattern as written. There was some confusion on my part as to where to start the armhole shaping and how long to make the front. I also had some problems with the sleeves. I really need to seek professional help when it comes to short rows. Since I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around the sleeves, I eventually just improvised.More information on my Notorious journey can be found on the individual Notorious blog entries.
Now while this top is fairly flattering on [despite the chubby girl/ribbing rule], there's some strange puckering going on under the bust. I'm not sure if this is being caused by my changes to the pattern or the "underwire" lacing. I might play around with it a bit more and see if I can't find a way to keep this from happening.Love? Hate? In different? I really can't say yet. I love the originals style and I love the Safari. I think that I'm still a bit bitter about the issues I had with this knit. I'm going to put it away and let it marinate until Spring. By then, water will have gone under the bridge and maybe Notorious and I can be friends.
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