Hey look, I’m being all creative and stuff!

I made this partly for the shop, and partly because I wanted to make a cute, easy crochet pattern. I’d like to get myself designing more stuff, particularly in the crochet department. I’d love to make more charted patterns, but I have NO idea how to make charts on the computer. :/ I’ll figure it out someday.

You can download the pattern on the pattern page linked on the left. Or you can find it on Ravelry.

I have been knitting and stuff. Really.

Proof:

Octopus Cephalopod Amigurumi

Cactus

They were made for the shop as samples. We started balling up Ella Rae Classic into mini balls of yarn (about 73 yds) to sell as our own little version of small balls. The yarn just wasn’t selling, as people tend to gravitate towards Cascade 220. So Suzanne asked if Brenda could crochet up something to help sell the yarn and generate more interest in crochet. I took over and made some amis. I think they’re pretty cute!

Now I’m back on a crocheting kick and want to make every ami pattern in my queue. And I may just do that, too. They are so quick and easy to make!

And if you couldn’t tell from the top of the page, I have re-embarked on a Season 12 scarf, this time around following the directions from WLK. It’s going swimmingly, and I have to admit, it’s getting to the point that its difficult to transport comfortably. Which is unfortunate because it has been my go-to bus ride project.

I’d say more but I’m pra tired. BYE.

Sometimes I feel like crochet is a lost art. I mean, people still crochet, but it has this unshakable association with Grandma’s 70s color preferences, brightly colored sweaters that get stuck on the corners of desks, and flowery afghans you hide away in your closet. I mean, granny squares are called granny squares for a reason.

But I’m determined to not give up on crochet. There are some incredibly beautiful and wonderful patterns out there for crocheters, and not just amigurumi toys. (Of which I’ve made my fair share.) I’ve found that the most intuitive and aesthetically pleasing crochet patterns are Japanese, which may be off-putting to some crafters out there because Japanese patterns are always charted and never written out word-for-word. But charts aren’t that bad! Really! I actually find they make a lot more sense than prose.

This doily is a pattern from the Pierrot yarn company in Japan. I found it randomly on Ravelry and decided to give it a whirl. I totally love it.

Anywhere Mat

Anywhere Mat, detail

Anywhere Mat, detail

I used Gedifra Korella, which is a 53% linen/47% acrylic blend in a light worsted weight, worked up with an E/3.5mm hook. The yarn was a bit splitty, but was the right choice for this doily. I wanted it to be sturdy but washable and pliable. After soaking in some Eucalan and pinning it out to dry it softened up quite a bit and now lays out nice and flat. My only modification was on the sc edging; I did the sc through the back loop instead of through both, which created a nice ridge around the edge. If I did this pattern again I would do the decreases of the petals in between the posts of the stitches rather than through the top like usual. It’s probably not noticeable to anyone other than me, but the petals seem a bit lopsided as they decrease. I’m a bit OCD about symmetry in increases and decreases.

Score: A
Yarn: B+

I may make another one in a different color so that the intended receiver will have a pair that match. We’ll see!

ek

Here is proof that I can actually get stuff done. Really.

cafe kurage (jellyfish)

Pattern from Leisurely Amigurumi 「あみぐるみでゆるり」by Sachiyo Fukao (深尾幸世). Knit with hand dyed Lion Brand Fisherman’s Yarn.

Just Enough Ruffles

Just Enough Ruffles

Pattern by Laura Chau. Totally rockin’ and fast to knit. Knit up with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Candy Apple.

I love this time I have to do stuff now. Summer! Now I just need to get this job situation sorted out. *sigh* Also I seem to be going through a red phase right now. That may just be because I have lots of red yarn in my stash for some reason.

Oh! And I have declared this summer DeStash Summer. No new yarn. Ever. I can only knit with what I have. We’ll see how resourceful I get.

I’d like to personally thank the amazing weather in Austin, TX, for the speediness of the drying of my yarn babies. Here’s how they look all skeined up:

Pomegranate

Colorful

I have about 212 yards of the Pomegranate, and about 90 yards of the random colors yarn. I have no idea what I’m going to do with them yet. But I definitely want to knit them up into something.

I spent another five hours over at HCW spinning, and ended up with about 150 yards of worsted weight yarn. That stuff is outside drying out right now, so I’ll take some pictures tomorrow.

At some point last week I decided that I’d crochet a basket for an Easter present. It’s finally dry and photogenic, so check it out!

Felted Basket

Felted Basket

Felted Basket

Felted Basket

The pattern is loosely based on Red’s Goodie Basket from Uncommon Crochet. I didn’t do as many straight rows, I used a thicker yarn and bigger hook, I didn’t really follow the handle instructions very well, and I felted it. Basically I just used the pattern to figure out the best way to shape the basket. I’m pretty sure I could have gotten less stitch definition out of the felting, but our hot water heater in the house is not very reliable. About once a week one of us will get a hot shower, and then it’ll be lukewarm the rest of the time. I might try felting it again if I can get the washing machine to give me hot water. But for now I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.