the new project

I am workin on the 8 point star afghan from the "100 Crochet Projects". The pattern in the book uses Red Hearts' "Baby Clouds" (I think, it's that very fluffy yarn - hmm, could be "Light and Lofty") which I decided I didn't have the proper colors in that particular yarn. I am using Red Heart's soft yarn (no, really, I think that's waht it is called) and Caron's "Simply Soft" in a blue and white pattern. I am using an H hook (of course, it's a Boye;)) and it is working up quickly. Of course, it won't be finished in 18 rounds - the yarn is not that thick. But I'll just repeat the pattern until it gets to be the size I want. I'll probably make a turtle to go with the afghan (a co-worker's wife is pregnant.)
On the way to work (nope, my younger son drives), I crochet preemie hats for the NICU at University of Maryland Hospital. I like using varigated yarn, but I have to watch it. One time I put "curls" coming from the top of the hat and some parents didn't want their sons to wear a "girl's hat". Well, I thought it was cute.
Despite my protests to the contrary, I did buy more yarn at Wal-Mart. One is something I've never seen before from Red Heart - it's called "Strata". It is a wildly varigated yarn. I also bought a skein of yarn that had 70s colors in it . Yes, I know that's a crazy thing to do, but who said I was sane? I plan to make a turtle pin cushion out of that yarn, and maybe a few more pin cushions.
Oooh, I got to take a photo of the purse I made. It's cute, it's seasonal and probably a bit young for me....

p.s. I do not get a kickback from any of the companies I named. Now if they want to bribe me, they can just send me yarn - a lot of it;)

vital statistics for the socks

I used a discontinued Red Heart sport yarn called "Buckle" for the socks. Each sock took less than 1 3/4 ounces (49.6 grams on the package) or almost the whole skein of the yarn. I bought this quite some time ago, it was on sale. I don't have any other colorways, if indeed there were any different colors.
The pattern I used was "Tutti-Frutti" by Janet Rehfeldt, from the book "Crocheted Socks". The book came out in 2003, so I have had it for a while. But you can probably find it at a craft store. I used the large size, because I have large feet and I acheived gauge without much problem. This is unusual for me as I tend to crochet loosely and normally have to adjust the hook size downwards to scheive gauge.

I also wanted to include this poem. It's not mine (I could only wish!) but it's great because it takes an everyday article such as socks and praises them. Now my socks aren't anything like the socks described in the poem, but it's still cool to see how someone appreciates a handmade gift.

it's called "Ode to My Socks" by Pablo Neruda

http://www.beautifulwords.com/html/body_socks.html

2 Ugly Socks;)

I finished the pair of socks. If they are not the world's ugliest socks, they have to be in the top three of the list. I intend to put fabric paint on the soles so I can wear them as slipper socks.

you might need sunglasses or tada, the first ugly sock

Here it is, the first sock done in all its radioactive glory;) Despite the fact it looks small, it does fit my size 10 foot. If it doesn't look all orange and yellow and green, you may need to adjust your monitor;)
I already started on sock number 2. I doubt I will wear them with shoes as I can feel every stitch and that makes my feet uncomfortable. (I can sometimes do that with store bought socks.) But if not to wear out (which I really should, for the whole effect), I will put puff paint on the bottom and they will be slipper socks. I tried to get the other members of my family try them on, but I think they were afraid they wouldn't want to take them off - or maybe the sock would eat their foot, I don't know which;)

Barbie and Ken

I never had either of these dolls growing up because I didn't particularly want them. I had other dolls (anyone remember "Tammy, the Ideal teen"?) My girlfriends and I would make furniture or cars from anything we could get our hands on. That was fun. But I didn't know how to crochet back then. Later on, I got a Barbie so I could make clothes for her as a gift for my younger neice. I first worked with the very thick chenille for a project for Barbie - I made Barbie a mink coat. (I don't remember how I did it, just making it to fit the doll).

But some people take their Barbie and Ken a little more serious. At this website, Barbie ends up with some cool furniture, some cool clothes and a crocheted doggy.
check it out:

Click here: Threadbared: A Threadbared Epic: "Barbie & Ken - Living In A Crocheted Paradise."

fastest crocheter update

yes, I am slow with the news and I apolegize. But Lisa Gentry is officially the world's fastest crocheter with something like 172 stitches a minute. I'd like to lie to you and say I could stitch that fast, but why lie? I _can't_. I'd like to think if I was about 30 years younger, I'd stand a chance;)
I met M's Gentry at the CGOA conference and she's very nice, very approachable. She currently has a website with patterns to sell as well as free patterns. She even has the pattern for the project that took the prize.
check it out
Click here: Fastest Crocheter

there are some really cool patterns there.

the biology of yarn

I have a theory about socks that go into the laundry. Either the detergent and water causes some to mutate, so you can never completely match up your socks or the heat from the dryer causes the mutations. I can't figure out how I can buy 5 pairs of white socks in a pack and within 3 weeks, they are 11 different shades of white. I expect that won't happen to my ugly socks.

I do think yarn spawns more yarn. I'm always surprised to see how much yarn I have;)
This blog entry

Click here: Mambocat's Knitting Asylum: 07/01/2006 - 07/31/2006
from July 28, 2006 explains how this happens. This is not for the faint of heart - it actually shows yarn being born;) It's pretty cool.

ugly sock update 3

well, I did take the ugly sock apart & start again, I am much happier with the way this one looks right now. I think it would better if I used real self striping sock yarn but this is just for fun. This particular pattern uses slip stitches to build on. FIrst the cuff is created, which is relatively simple - single crochet in the back of the previous single crochet row. Than crochet a row of single crochet along the long edge of the cuff, join with a slip stitch and begin slip stitching around. In the book, it's called "poor man's knitting" but it only looks like knit to me on the wrong side. The test will be turning the heel (eeek!);) I got to get moving on this project, I got 2 baby afghans I got to make by September. I am going to use the star ripple pattern
http://project-angel-kisses.150m.com/roundripple.html.
which worked up very quickly for my neice's baby. Again, it will be blue and white (twin boys, a co-worker's wife) and I will be using stash yarn. I can't really say I am using up my stash. I tend to buy more all the time. I buy it "on sale" as if that makes it all right to continue to acquire yarn. *sigh* But I'd probably be buying something else (clothes, books) if I wasn't buying yarn.
There is a neat round ripple pattern in "100 Crochet Projects" also, but it uses the Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn. I like this yarn, but believe it or else, I don't have the right colors in my stash to create this pattern. I bought the green, but now _everybody_ seems to know the sex of the baby, it just seems appropriate to do the afghan in the traditional colors. I wonder if they sell as much of the green and yellow baby yarn now?
I hit the thrift shop again and got some more of the pink and lavender eyelash yarn. I can only guess that somebody moved or cleaned out their stash and I'm the lucky buyer. They also had granny squares. I didn't buy any of those, I got enough around here for at least 2 afghans if I ever get around to putting them together. I'll just put that on my "to do list" . I just need to learn how to crochet with my feet;) After all, my feet are just under my desk most of the day, so why not? Hmm., I'd probably get carpal tunnel of the feet....

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Scrips and scraps again

I don't know how many of you have seen the fuss regarding this crocheted necklace, but here's the link to it
Click here: Hayden-Harnett Handbags On-Line Store - Reese Handknit Crochet Necklace

it is absolutely beautiful, but it seems something is not quite right with this situation. The woman making the necklace admits it's not her design, it came from the Interweave Crochet magazine, but she still is selling it for $120.

Here's Interweave's link Click here: Interweave Crochet
They are coming out with a new crochet magazine in the fall (nope, I don't get a kickback from them). I think it should be on the newstands mid-September or you could use PayPal to order it. I chose that option because I didn't want to be going all over town wasting gas trying to track it down.

In case you like to crochet in the dark, there is a brand new tool for you - it's a LED enhanced crochet hook
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/led-knitting-supplies-190217.php

It looks kind of cool, but for $40, I don't know. They were on display at the CGOA conference, but I didn't see them at that time. I do think the knitting needles are cool, Barbie and Ken could re-enact "Star Wars" using the needles as Jedi swords;)

On the ugly sock update, I ripped it out (or "frogged it" as some say) and plan to use another pattern. I was so far off on that pattern, I couldn't have saved it. I think it was me not paying enough attention to the pattern, not the pattern itself. I have made errors in other items I've made, I either corrected it or went off in a different direction. But this pattern I just "didn't get".
I think I'll try it at some later date just to see where I went wrong. I like the way it looks, but it definitely wasn't turning out like the photo. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

ugly sock update

I tend to forget that I can't watch tv and crochet a pattern I'm not familiar with at the same time. I am watching "Joan of Arcardia" on dvd (I didn't see it when it was out) and trying to work on ugly sock number one. I keep looking at the heel and think "what is wrong with this?". the heel seems to be getting wider. I do have fat feet, but even _my_heels aren't that wide;)
I think I must have skipped a part in the directions, sort of glancing at it and thinking I knew what was going on with it. Obviously I must take it apart to figure it out. Maybe I should have picked a sock pattern where I wouldn't need to turn a heel.
At any rate, I'll take a closer look tomorrow and figure out where I went wrong. I should study the crochet pattern a bit more and maybe look at the other patterns. I've made socks before, just never used this particular pattern. Too bad they won't let me crochet at work;)