shawl #2 for the eatsleepknit kal, inspired by a really pretty shawl called 5190 miles by melanie berg. i had to re-write this one completely, using different stitches, to get it to workout in msd size. it would also make a lovely scarf for my sd doll (who won’t be modelling it as she has no clothes 😉 ) or an american girl doll if i had one that size.
i’m going to block them all this weekend i hope in preparation for photos next week
Displaying 171 - 180 of 536 entries.
a tale of two cities
winter quarter kal
the eatsleepknit kals are wonderful this year. since they are vaguely freestyle and we can combine projects to get the required yardage, i’m able to do lots of doll knitting/crocheting and have it qualify. i’m hoping to join all the kals, will have to see whether the flash kals work out too. this is going to help me get lots of yarn knit up this year. yay!
the winter season has two kals, melanie berg patterns and persian dreams. i’m knitting some nice warm winter shawl-scarves for my minifee girls for the first one. so far the patterns are more “inspired by” than actually following 😉 but that is always the way i knit and they are coming out quite nicely i think.
back at last?
please forgive me for my long absence, these last few months have been challenging to say the least. my middle child has had some serious health issues that have taken up most of my time. we are hoping/praying that he is stable right now and i may be able to get back to making doll stuff and checking in to my various forums on the net, at least a little bit, anyway.
so one of my favorite yarn stores eatsleepknit is having their yearly yarnathon, and this year looks like a winner as far as i’m concerned. they are allowing us to add projects together for the kals, cals and booster club prizes, so i can work on my doll stuff and actually have it count! 🙂 🙂 🙂
i’ve started a new blanket for the girls couch. i’m only being cautiously optimistic ’cause i started a christmas one O_O. and i’m working on some shawls that will hopefully get done in time to wear before summer hits. everything is being done in malabrigo lace so far. its the softest lace yarn i know of that doesn’t have cashmere in it, and eatsleepknit has tons of colors!
here’s a sneak peek at my christmas blankie.
i worked on it over the holidays, so took my “on the road” pic already in hopes that they have that badge again this year. if not it seemed appropriate anyway to do a snowflake afghan in the snow.
insanity
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
perhaps not. i’ve been madly crocheting little hats and elf slippers, working my way through my mohair stash. even though the yarn is supposed to be the same size and i use the same hook, my results seem to vary a considerable bit.
i did read somewhere that you should always knit the sleeves of sweaters at the same time because your tension will vary depending on your mood, specifically how relaxed or tense you are. i believe it, because it certainly seems to hold true for me. i’ve had to be careful to finish both slippers at the same sitting and i try each hat on as i go to make sure it works for the size intended.
nevertheless my smallest hats vary from form-fitting beanies to slouchy over-sized tams. not what i’d originally planned, but they all look cute, so i’m not going to worry about it…..
still does that mean i am insane because i get a different result each time, or am i crazy for expecting them all to match? hmm, i wonder 😆
on the other hand, i think i have a bigger concern than my doubtful sanity. i’m beginning to be convinced that i am allergic to mohair. at first it was just being stuffed up and mild asthma symptoms, both common enough that i could mostly ignore them. however now i think the suspicious rash that appears and disappears on my arms may have a direct correlation to my use of mohair yarn. since i have a significant stash left in some truly gorgeous colors, this could be problematic. but will i stop using it? probably not. it is winter right now so i will try to finish it all up this winter while i can yet wear long sleeves. then the trick will be avoiding getting more, unfortunately i’m seldom that sensible about my stash building.
what’s blooming in my garden right now
i’ve spent most of the month working in my garden instead of on dolls or crafts. it’s been a major overhaul, since the garden was badly overrun with grass and other perennial weeds, and had choked out most of my flowers. a lot of work, roundup and dozens of bags of mulch later it is getting under control and my roses are flourishing again. most of the rest of the plants had to be replaced so it will be a while before i have anything to show for them. today i took some quick cellphone snaps of some of the prettier roses in my garden.
never alone roses
campfire roses
and some older pink roses that for living trellises for my clematis’
that’s what faith can do
“What Faith Can Do”
Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes
And make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you’re stronger
Stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason
For someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
Overcome the odds
You don’t have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That’s what faith can do
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise
kutless
a long haul but i’m finally done….maybe
i’ve been working on this afghan for a couple of years, including a stop when i ran out of yarn and had to order more! i really wanted to do at least one blanket in a really fine scale, so this is done in cobweb weight yarn using a 1mm hook.
now i’m just trying to decide whether it is done and can be blocked as is, or do i need a border to really make it look finished.
what do you think?
realfee houndstooth dress
i saw a picture of a black and white herringbone knit blanket with a red ruffle and it instantly inspired me to make a dress using the same colorway. i decided to do the bodice and sleeves in solid red since the increases in the houndstooth would look kind of “smooshy” and then do the skirt the plaid and add a narrow band of paid near the cuffs to tie it together. doing the ruffle on the skirt the same as the neck/sleeve ruffles caused the skirt to curl too much so i ripped it out and did a mock pleat using a 3×2 rib instead…. much better!
the bodice and sleeves are knit on 1.5mm needles. i switched to 1.75 mm when i started the houndstooth skirt, to add fullness and counteract the natural tightness of the slip stitch pattern.
i had all 24 ends sewn in and the sleeve seam sewn, when i suddenly decided i didn’t like the cuffs after all.. too floofy! so i carefully cut the right one off and re-knit it in the round, since i didn’t want to even try and unstitch that whole seam without wrecking it. now i like it much better. i will be doing the same to the second sleeve.
and here it is with both cuffs re-done. the pile of yarn at the top is all the bits of cut off/unravelled yarn from the original cuffs.
may cal complete!
i finished up my may cal. it went together pretty fast in spite of being laceweight, probably because i loved the colors and couldn’t quit working on it.
here is meg lying under it for scale on my bed.
can you tell those are some of my favorite colors?
do you crochet when you travel?
i am a somewhat obsessive crafter, so i always have a bag of stitching to take with me on a moments notice. we went on a day trip to jasper and banff and i took along my current cal to work on in the car. here we are stopped at abraham lake where i a took a “beach shot” on the shore line. i love the contrast of the bright clear colors against the misty background
