One down, 4,592 to go

Et voila!

This post could also be titled: Reason #1 to worship crochet and the ground it walks on - it's freakin' fast!

I purchased 2 balls of Noro Obi on Monday, cast on a loooooong crochet chain Monday night, was done with ball 1 on Tuesday, and ball 2 on Wednesday. Easy peasy lemon squeezy,  as my children would say.


Pattern: inspired by Ruth's Ravensprings Cowl (also pictured, and also done in Noro Obi, from the RK Retreat)
Hook: US L/8.0 mm
Gauge: 2.5 hdc wide x 2 hdc tall = 1"
Comments: I took Ruth's simple but perfect-for-Noro pattern of casting on and working hdc until you run out of yarn, but did it on a much longer scale, and worked back and forth instead of in the round. I have no idea how many were in my base chain - I basically kept chaining until it wrapped twice around my neck and hung down an appropriate amount.

I originally intended this for my Dad, but Noro is tricky (hello surprise purple! And gold!), and it ended up being not as neutral as he would be comfortable with. Not to worry - there are a number of people on my list who this would be suitable for, so that's one more item done. Hooray!

Next up tonight: warping the loom. For something!

Baby present #2

Some good friends of ours had their first baby six weeks ago, and it's been so much fun to whip up teensey tiny sweaters in a few days. This particular project took a bit longer, but not much...

Pattern: Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket by Celeste Young
Yarn: Stylecraft Life Aran (light blue, 75% acrylic/25% wool), approximately 530 yds, and Stylecraft Special Aran with wool (dark blue, 80% acrylic/20% wool), approximately 420 yds.
Hook: US H/5.0 mm
Gauge: after sending through the washer and dryer, 5 dc/4 rows per 1.5 inches.
Start/finish: 24 August - 9 September 2012
Comments/mods: my second real crochet project completed - hooray! This was a good second project - similar construction to the potholders (crocheting around and around and around and around and...), similar techniques (changing colors), but on a much larger scale - the finished blanket was 41 inches across from point to point.

But...the whole thing is constructed entirely out of double crochet stitches with a few chains thrown in at the points. It was really useful to me to do something that didn't require worrying about different stitches so I could focus on how placement of the stitches altered the shape of the blanket.

The trickiest bit was the center, but after the pattern was established, it was clear sailing.

I don't usually use mostly-acrylic yarns, but having lived through two babies, the ability to throw anything associated with them straight in to the washing machine and the dryer is just too important. This yarn was fine to use - no discernable squeaking! - and softened up really nicely after going through the wash. I'd use it again for baby stuff for sure.

A letter of apology

Dear JoAnna,

I do apologize if my previous post caused you a bit of alarm. I can hereby categorically state that I will always be a Knitter. However,

I might also now be a crochet-er too...(eep!). But I have a few things to say in my defense.

First: I had this pile of Tahki Cotton Classic left over from a baby sweater I knit for a friend when we were in Houston. Said baby is now 8, and I made it for him when he was about a year and a half old, so they've been aging in deep stash for quite a while now.

So I had lots of pretty colors, but not enough to really do anything with. So I put them in a bag together, thinking maybe I would crochet at some point, and I forgot about them. When this silly carpal tunnel thing came up, the bag had somehow migrated to the upper layers of stash, and I found it again. I can only plead absolute desperation as the excuse for my sitting down and actually pulling out a hook.

Second: I have tried to crochet before, on multiple occasions, and failed every, single time.

Apparently, that hurdle has been cleared*. And you know what did the trick this time? I'm crocheting left handed.

OK, to be fair, I am left handed, so it should not be a huge surprise that I can crochet left handed. But besides writing, I do most things right handed - I knit right handed, I draft (in spinning) with my right hand, I do most things in the lab with my right hand. This clearly explains why I also have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand, so the left hand had to step up.

Et voila!

Before you get worried that this means I'm going to be going on and on at great length about hooking in the near future, rest assured that there is still knitting - I even tried a few stitches on the Hemp Monster today, and didn't feel like I needed to amputate my hands. This is a good sign. But for the moment, it's just me, my mercerized cotton, and a little metal hook.

Forgive me, please?

Love and kisses,
Porpoise

PS - Congratulations on the new wheel!
PPS - And on finishing ConLaw!
PPS - And on your awesome new summer sweater! I'm afraid I don't have any other suggestions on the size problem though...and I'm jealous that it's probably warm enough where you are that you can actually wear it.
PPPS - I think I may have found out where tapestry needles go when they disappear right out from underneath your fingertips. They migrate to the deepest, darkest, hidden corners of the stash. See?

I think those two little f*&^ers have been missing since 2005. They've been hanging out in the crochet stash. Because we all know she's never going to do that...be warned my little pointy darlings: there is nowhere left to hide!

* I must apologize in advance if you notice an increase in bad sports metaphors over the next few months. The 2012 Olympic Games are becoming somewhat omnipresent in these here parts...