Done: Spindolyn Bean Bag

Remember that Alpaca yarn I dyed, and redyed because I hated how it came out the first time? If not you can find that post here.

Maybe I was a bit harsh on it. It looks good with those white places!

Bottom is filled with wax pellets.

 So dramatic the scene outside my window!

Kitty 1: Ring in the New Year

Time to admit how much I weigh (in kg) to the internet world. My weight loss for 5% is 108kg, for 10% it is 105kg. My first Weight Watcher's goal is 106kg then 100kg and we shall see from there what I feel is my next weight goal.

I survived my Mexican New Year and I am not too ashamed of how it turned out. I did not break the bank. I get soo many points I have trouble eating enough. That sounds strange for a diet doesn't it? Well that's because WWs is not a diet, it isn't a fad, nor is it a quick fix. As you go down in weight your points you get go down as well (not by very much I must say). Anyways, let's see the kitty!

Isn't that just the cutest thing ever?! Look at that cute crocheted hat.
Happy New Years!

Dust Kitten Pattern

WIP: Gossamer Lace Scarf

This project is turning out better then I could have expected and goes fairly quickly. I have many things in the air right now because of all the crafts I was doing for Christmas, so hopefully I can finish some off and work on this one on the plane ride back to scotland in January!

Done: Mom's Presents

I have one more not shown here but I will get a photo of it later. It is a small cord for her angel pendant that I made using my french knitting doll (spool knitter).

Here are the ones I have pictures of:
Using the Manos Del Uruguay Maxima, colorway 6411 Valentine

This Bobble Hat, adapted from a pattern.
I figured out how to do a seamless decrease and tailored it to fit her head.

I call this the Bobble-Mesh Scarf

Want the Pattern? Why not, it is Christmas.

This was done with Manos Maxima using a 6.0mm hook

I have UK terms as (UK: )

Puff Stitch: Yarn over (YO), put hook through stitch indicated, YO, pull loop through (3 loops on hook) *YO, put hook through same stitch, YO, pull loop through* x2 (7 stitches now on hook, for a bigger puff do it one more time for a total of 9 stitches on hook), YO, pull loop through all but the last loop (2 loops now on hook), YO, pull through the 2 loops. 

Sounds complicated but it is easy when you do it.

Pattern:

1. Chain even number of stitches until desired LENGTH. Mine was probably 150 stitches for a nice wrap around scarf. (Foundation row)
2. Ch-3, puff stitch in last chain from foundation row (4th ch from hook at this moment), ch-1 *skip 1 ch, puff stitch in next ch, ch 1* repeat until end. TURN.
3. Ch-3, dc (UK: tr) into ch-space (chsp), ch-1 *dc (UK: tr) in next chsp, ch-1* repeat until end, then dc (UK: tr) into the chsp at the end (the space created by the ch-3 instead of the top stitch of the ch-3). TURN.
4. Repeat Step 3 until desired width.
5. Repeat Step 2. Finish off and weave in ends. Fringe is optional but looks nice.

Next is the gift made with Manos Del Uruguay Lace, colorway 8597 Ariel:

This is my ALL THE TECHNIQUES I COULD THINK OF Scarf.

In this one picture is knitting, lace work knitting,
tunisian crochet (the top and bottom of the picture in the scarf),
filet crochet (the heart), and crochet half-basket weave
(the bottom near the fringe) and fringe. Phew... a lot of techniques.

This is a one off. You can see the other filet crochet
that spells "MOM" and that end attached using a mattress
stitch to the knitted scarf.

Do you want the pattern for this? No... I don't blame you. How about the filet crochet? How hard could it be? I will work on that for a later post!

WIP: Gossamer Lace Scarf

I am working with my Belle Epoque Yarn making PlanetJune's Gossamer Lace Wrap. I am only doing one repeat to make it a smaller scarf.

The pattern allows the colors of this yarn to really be displayed.

WIP: Mom's Scarf

This is version 1: The Filet Crochet spells MOM and I was doing the half basket weave for the ribbing.

Here is the final version: The one mentioned in my Injury post.

Saturday fun

So I went to the Edinburgh Farmer's Market today. But from 11:30am to 4:30pm I was spinning and knitting at my local yarn shop! I had tons of fun and got to see the shop be really busy in this time of recession. Plus I got ALOT of spinning done today. Now, I swear the wool looks like a wine color in my flat but in the shop it is a reddish brown.... Odd.

I have got more done on the pink scarf, which is knitting up really quickly, I am soo happy about that. So... I bought a new book... Please spare the sighs until you see what it is:

I love this book. It may not have 250 different stitches
but it does have GREAT step-by-step instructions on the basics!!

Done: Stitch Markers!

Home-made stitch markers and stitch marker holder!

Two different sizes of tiger's eye and colors of amber.

All ten showing the slight variations in the purple/blue beads.

Add in a funky stitch marker holder....

There you go! Wonder what I could get for these on Etsy... they are not for sale.

WIP: Teal Bag

So this is from my hand spun teal wool!

WIP: Squares Scarf

This is the assembly and squares of the poor new wall hanging scarf.

WIP: Squares Scarf

A bit of sad news... I know when one tries to do things that it is exciting until it all goes wrong!!! My yarn is acrylic (since I threw away the label for it long ago I had forgotten). All dyers out there now have that cringe of pain on their faces as they know what happens... The dye doesn't stick on the yarn and to my dismay they washed away white after 2 hours of soaking... Thankfully I only did that to 1. Always the optimist I just squeezed them out to dry in their less then potent color arrangement... My scarf will now be a wall ornament. Since I am afraid that even after they dry they will still go white when they get wet. Well... They do look really pretty in their current state and strangely enough the crocheted experiments for the fuzzy dyeing did actually take up color.

On a positive note, my hand spun yarn did exactly what it was suppose to, turned a lovely lightish-medium brown. Once dry I will take a picture of it all.

Goes to show sometimes panicking doesn't help and staying level headed can save a project! Good luck all with your designs.

WIP: Bag

This bag has taken on a life of its own... I am now doing circular sides. Yea, I am crazy. Thankfully I wrote down what I did so I can make the other piece...

It is like doing a sewing pattern where I have to make the fabric myself.

Done: Plarn Shopping Bag

And, here it is in its glory! There is an olive oil bottle sitting in the bottom of it to allow it to "remember" the shape since I don't want to try to see what happens if I was to block this the normal way. It has a nice closure that is a bit fun.

This is the front and top views. 

Side and bottom views.

WIP: Plarn Shopping bag

The next post will have it done but I have been slow on adding the WIP photos. So here it is still not done!

You see, I didn't go across the rows at the bottom. At this point I was like uh oh. But I folded the piece in half and managed to salvage the project! This is why I do WIP photos, for those who get discouraged with a little hiccup.

WIP: Plarn Shopping bag

A shopping bag made of... shopping bags!

The different stages of the plarn process!

The start of the shopping bag.

Detail view.

Poor Beginnings

I messed up the bag I have been making 3 times. This is the 1st attempt.

WIP: Bag and Scarf of Doom

I have now merged the scarf of doom with the bottom of the bag attempt 3 and blocked it so it lays flat.

Merging of the scarf of doom with a strange trim of green

Detail of the join.

Done: Green Basket/flower pot cover

This may become a cover for a flower pot (inspired by my mom). It was attempt 2 for my bag.

Love this little jewel.