It's Not Just Knitting Anymore!

That's right bitches. As of last Thursday, I am officially a crocheter. I took a class at Eleganza Yarns, where I made this sad little coaster:

Which really isn't all that bad for a first attempt, but perfectionist that I am (hahahahahaha!), I went straight home and tried it again. My second attempt went way better- it actually looks like it's supposed to!


Then I went balls out and tried an Amigurumi elephant:



Just look at that little fucker! He's awesome! My next project is going to be a dishrag, so I can see if crocheting really is faster than knitting. If it is, I could see never knitting another scarf for as long as I live, but knitting still has a lot of advantages. The crocheted fabric is thick and more holey- I don't see using it for sweaters. It seems like they'd make me feel fat and drafty. I think crochet is better suited to blankets, wraps, scarves, and anything else that doesn't necessarily need to have awesome drape or the ability to cover a bra (see prime example here). I would like to try crocheting a shrug, though. I got some cheap yarn to try it out; I need something for walking the dog at night, when it gets a smidge chilly:



Speaking of knitting... I have been churning out a few dishrags. Guess what everybody's getting for Christmas this year?


And I ordered some sock yarn from Lion Brand, because I'm really curious to see what's it's like. If I ever knit socks again, I'll find out!



The colors don't suck, and it feels soft. My biggest concern is that it will pool funny. Maybe I'll use it for the Knitting Olympics! I've tentatively decided on making socks. Possibly the Pomatomus socks from Knitty. It's still sort of up in the air.

OMG I Finished Something

I actually finished something! And not just one thing, but TWO. Two whole things! First I finished the Obama hat:

The logo came out a little oval, but it's not too bad. And the duplicate stitch really holds the shape, so it doesn't stretch way out of shape when I put it on. I tried to take a picture of it on my head, but I didn't like the way they came out so you only get it on the table.

The scarf I knit up from my handspun is done too. I like it bunches. There was some creative yarn measuring toward the end, in order to make sure there would be enough yarn to make the ends match. It was close, but I didn't run out!


Last Monday, Scott sold one of his bikes and gave me some gifty cash to blow on yarn. I decided to try out Keep Me In Stitches, another local yarn shop in Frederick. They did not disappoint. I'm not sure how the owner crams so much yarn into such a tiny shop, but she does. And it's a good range of yarn- I saw a bunch of budget-friendly yarn, and also noted the display of Jade Sapphire. Mmmm... Jade Sapphire...

I decided gifty yarn money should be spent frivolously, so I got a couple skeins of silk. Schaefer Andrea (colorway is Margaret Mead):

And Blue Ridge Silk Shimmer in Ocean Wave:

I also got this Wool In the Woods (color is Uptown) on sale... it's hard to see in the photo, but there's the slightest bit of sparkle in the yarn. I love the muddy, earthy colors paired with a smidge of glitz- like it can't decide between swanky or rustic.
And last but not least, I got some Cascade Heritage sock yarn. This may become socks for my stepdaughter. I've wanted to make her socks, but wasn't sure about what color she'd like. Blue seems pretty safe, right?I've been churning out a few dishcloths too. They are great for instant gratification, and for knitting on the deck. Small cotton things are much more pleasant to knit in the heat than large wooly things.

My next task is to pick out a project for the Knitting Olympics. The idea there is that you pick project that will challenge you, cast on when the Olympics start, and finish by the time the Olympics are over. The Venture Bros fan group on Ravelry, The Guild of Calamitous Intent, is starting a team for this which should make it interesting. A small bit of research tells me the games are from August 8-24, which isn't a lot of time. What the heck can I do in just over two weeks that will be challenging?

Freaking Hot

According to Weather.com, it is 96 degrees outside right now and it feels like 104. With that sort of heat, the idea of doing anything with wool becomes ridiculous. But who can resist? So I started two small projects:

A scarf from my handspun

And an Obama hat

Since the yardage is low for the scarf, I'm knitting it on size 15 needles, and threw in a few rows of elongated stitches and yarn-overs. I've got about three feet done, and it looks like there will be enough yarn to make a scarf of respectable length. The hat is going to be knit all in navy, then I'll use duplicate stitch for the logo. I can't figure out how to do it any other way and still knit it in the round. That's all I can give you, the heat has begun melting my thoughts.