Au Contraire

Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.

I am, in fact, still around. I have all my fingers and am just as fiber-crazy as ever. I would try to highlight all the efforts and obsessions that have claimed my time in the last couple of weeks, but I wouldn't want to scare you!

Instead, here's some of what I've been doing:

I started another aran sweater. This one is for my mother. I chose to use the same yarn (Lion Brand - Wool Ease) as the one I did for myself because I also want to show it my CT! group as a possibility for the multi-month project and want to highlight the differences in the patterns, not the yarn. Mom lives in West/Central Indiana and should get great use from it. Here's a peek:

I did another sock. (big surprise) This one is done in the JAWOLL sock yarn from Lang Yarns.

It is available at your LYS, mostly (75%) superwash wool and contains about 460 yards per skein. The yarn is self-striping which is excellent for mindless repeats without an abacus to keep track of where you are in the pattern. All said, I lurv it! While the second/mate sock is still a wip, here's the first, lone sock from this colorway.

Of course, my freeform heart never stays silent for long and I often "experiment" with patterns. Well, let it be known that this past couple months has been no exception where that is concerned! I have once again pulled out my yarn palette. This time, I'm trying to develope an actual pattern - one that can be followed and reproduced by the average crocheter without the assistance of an interpreter.

I decided on a sweater. This one for my sister. (Does anyone else notice a theme here?)

For my sister, I wanted to make something completely original, as she too, defines nice, neat categorization. Shelly has always lived by her own drumbeat and I needed something that complimented that rather than hid it. Having just completed yet another multi-bath dye project, the choice of yarn was obvious. But even though the idea was good, my first attempt at bringing the sweater into reality was... less than desirable:

The color scheme was all wrong for her. And the stitch pattern, while complex, did not result in a garment that reminded me of my sister...at all!

Back to the drawing board and the dye pot -

This time, I made the colors deeper, the hues more rich and the blend more gradual. I wanted a truer "bgp" tone to the yarn and I also wanted to find a better pattern to compliment my sister's girlish figure (and it IS still amazing after 3 grown grown children!!)

For this pattern, I am trying to do a sweater that is flirty on the bottom to show off her flat tummy and still incorporate a modicum of decency "up top." Here is the second incarnation so far:

Now, for those paying attention, you will notice I am attempting 2 different things with this one pattern... an end result to flatter my sister and an end result for "every" crocheter. I became aware that few people want as much of their mid-section to show as this particular example provides. OK then.

Enter project incarnation version 2.1:

For this project, I am attempting a verion of the "Shelly" that can: a) be made with widely available yarn, and b) be of interest to a wider pool of crocheters

Here it is. This is done in Cool Crochet by Bernat:






The "peek-a-boos" are more modest in size and the pattern incorporates crocheted cables. Crocheted Cables!! (Note: Jer LOVES crocheted cables!!) Even though there are hundreds of versions of the crocheted cable, I chose the most simple for this pattern. More pictures of the finished project ... if and when...

Before I close, I have to mention the new fiber I have discovered. Take note! Run!! (Do not walk) to your LYS and grab (read that "GRAB") a new product from Berroco Comfort line. There were 2 different yarn weights available when I last looked, but I absoluelty fell in love with the sock-weight version. Any fiber fiend will absolutley fall in love with this yarn on first touch. But it gets better!! The price is unbelievably cheap. I found this at the Shabby Sheep in Dallas. (Tell Rhonda I said HI.)

This skein contains 447 yards, retail $7. Yes. You read that correctly. 447 yards of fiber bliss for $7 retail. Like I said, RUN!! (Selfish sweater for me to follow...)

Until then~

SDOSAS!

Jer

Pack-o-Fun

While strolling through an antiques flea market with my friend Cher, we came upon a booth offering a rare glimpse at the way things used to be. I say "rare" because the glimpse was not into the way homes were furnished or the way people dressed themselves. This was not even a glimpse into the way folks travelled or the things they collected. No. This glimpse was far more important than that.

It was a glimpse into the way folks expressed themselves through their most personal of revelations - their crafts!

Sitting on the floor near a corner of the booth was a box of crafting magazines. While flipping through the books, I knew I had found a new source of inspiration when I saw this:

What the...? Could it be???

That's right. It was a copy of Pack o Fun featuring the "Crazy Hat Show." Woo Hoo!

Now, don't get me wrong. Everyone knows I'm a stickler for details and have even been accused on more than one occasion of being a perfectionist. But nothing makes me feel better about a project going wrong than seeing someone else's project going wrong-er. I mean, the obsessive concern of getting a cable on a sweater to twist in just the right way pales when compared to finding the right grated cheese for a new hat.

(The crafting gods were smiling on me and giving me a sign to not take myself so seriously.)

The lady on the cover looked so proud! Why, she even wore her best brooch for the photo shoot!! Even though I'm sure it made her nosy neighbor just green with envy, it was definitely the accessory when wearing a sandwich on your head.

A quick flip to the credits page inside the cover confirmed my greatest hope. Just looking at the editors, I could tell this magazine was going to rock! Seriously, have you ever seen a picture that so instantly conveys creativity?!?

And I was holding the "Merry Month of May" issue! OMG!!

The magazine is just chock full of fascinating tips and useful hints, but my favorite part has to be the readers' comments page. But even among those jewels, one in particular shone brightly like a diamond among charcoal briquettes.

Rocket Fins? Rocket Fins?!? ::sigh::

That Cappuccio household must have been a blast. Wish I could have known them...

SDOSAS!
~Jer

Dusty Miller

The vertical cardigan is now completed. The pattern is Dusty Miller from "Crocheted Aran Sweaters" by Jane Snedden Peever. This is the first of several patterns (including a couple of my own) that I am testing in order to make a recommendation to my local guild for the multi-month project class I will be teaching the last half of 2008. Although there are a few things I would change the next time through the pattern, I followed the written pattern very closely. [This, alone, was a feat of cosmic proportion! Not that I have trouble following a pattern, but more like that I often think I know a better way. Sometimes it does work better. Sometimes not. But I digress.]

Overall, I found the pattern to be very clearly written and chock-full of detailed guidance. The sizing was spot on with guage and in the end, the required amount of materials was precise. (I did add an extra button, making a total of 7 instead of the suggested 6. That's just personal preference/belief and shouldn't affect fit at all.)

The sweater was made in 5 pieces. After the pieces were sewn together, I had this:

After finishing the seaming, the ribbing/faux ribbing is added incorporating the button holes as you go. Simple as can be. And the end result is like a steal. The pattern works up very fast (it is worsted weight, after-all).

That's all for now. I have to go locate the yarn for the next sweater, an Australian superwash.

Yeah. That should be easy...

SDOSAS!

~Jer

All Noddied Up

The aran cardigan I started last week has progressed nicely. I have the back, both fronts and a sleeve and 1/2 made and should have it completed and ready to wear this weekend. (Just in time for cooler weather to find us again in North Texas!) I forgot to note on the last post that this sweater is crocheted vertically rather than the customary horizontal rows one normally uses to build a garment. So far, I think the construction will allow for a nice drape without being "clingy"... but like everything else, I'll weigh in on that once it's all put together and I've had a chance to wear it.


Speaking of 'wear it', the Dallas Morning News is coming to a meeting of Crochet Texas, our local chapter of the CGOA. Supposedly, the representative will talk to the members and take some pictures. We've been asked to bring 2 or 3 items that we have made, particularly if it is an item that has won a ribbon in the State Fair of Texas. Problem is, I only have one ribbon winner that I actually made for myself, a sweater. (Here's hoping for chilly weather that day.) The other ribbon-winning items were either things I made for others (sweater, jacket, etc) that have now gone to the recipient or are items that may raise more than a few eyebrows should I try to model them personally.


Case in point: the freeform shawl. Although it won a blue ribbon this past year and I'm proud of it, I'm not sure I could pull off a green and black freeform ruana. Then there's the handbag, also freeform. Again, I could not really model it - I haven't the proper shoes to match!

But I really want to take something freeform. As far as I know, they are the only 2 blue ribbon winning freeform items in recent years (except for my friend Cher's freeform bag, also a blue ribbon winner, but it was felted - so different in a way from these) and this is an excellent opportunity to promote a unique, wearable artform. I don't know. I'm sure there will be an afgan or two and I doubt the creator will try to wear it like a burka, but who knows. Maybe there will be a few items made for a baby. Those always illicit appropriate oohs and aahs, but again, I seriously doubt they will be modelled by the maker.


Maybe I think about these things too much! I can think something to death if given the chance.


That's why I love diversions.

My latest diversion was the niddy noddy. After a short discussion on-line with other crafty types, I decided to make my own and presto bango, pvc and me, I had this:

I cut four separate lengths (in 9" intervals) to be used in the center to allow me to hank up different lengths of yarn. My first project with the new toy was a fingering weight, 100% wool yarn. Shown above is the yarn hanked at 3 yards per round. (I can also do 1, 2 and 4 yard rounds - more on that later) This allowed me to obtain longer color repeats when dying at home.

After a night with the trusty kettle on the stove top, I awoke the next morning to find a dream come true... the tree in my back yard had produced hand-dyed wool!!! Wow!!

But then, after rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I realized I had actually hung the yarn out there to take advantage of the warm and breezy weather. (Dang! So close!)

But then my momentary elation vanished when I remembered: The yarn had to fit onto my swift without falling off so I could ball it up! Oh No!! What if the hank was too big for my swift to hold it? What would I do?!? How could I be so careless?!?!

Luck was on my side, though. The swift, although stretched to the limit, held the hanks... barely.

(I guess this means I need to re-think those 4 yard length hanks, though, huh?!?)

After balling up the fiber (nearly 2700 yards) I had this:

I plan to use it to make a sweater for my sister. The pattern will be my own and I am currently experimenting (read that 'playing') with the color pattern to find a nice stitch that will show it off best. But for now, I hear a cold front is coming and I have a cardigan to finish!

SDOSAS!
~Jer

PS-
Instructions for making your own niddy noddy can be found here.

A Light Lunch

With the Holiday gift-making rush over for another year, I decided to use the next few, precious weeks of "down time" and make something for myself.

I started this a few months ago in another (increasingly rare) lull between self-imposed deadlines. It's about 40% completed and I love the colors I chose. Although I still remember the concept of the piece really well and know what I wanted the end result to be, it did take me a little time closely examining my previous progress on the piece to remember just exactly how I was plotting it all out.

Of course, I couldn't be satisfied with only one major project at a time, so along with the above piece I am doing from my own pattern, I am also making a sweater for myself, this time using a published pattern from another designer. The pattern is from "Crocheted Aran Sweaters" by Jane Snedden Peever. You may remember that the purple sweater I made for my Aunt Barbara from this book won a blue ribbon at the State Fair of Texas last year. Of course, that sweater was substantially altered from the pattern, but I am doing my very best to follow the pattern for this one, including even -(get ready for it) - using the recommended yarn! ::gasp:: I know. It's shocking.

Here's a peek at the wip using Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn, color: Wheat:

With this worsted weight yarn, the sweater is moving alot quicker than I am used to one growing. Still, I want a nice thick cardigan that can double as a jacket in the Texas seasons, so I figured the yarn would be appropriate. I'll let you know what I think when I've worn it...

All is not just cables and posts, though! Afterall, what is Jer without a little whimsy?!?

Several months ago I made the "killer tomato" that I found on this web site. A co-worker so enjoyed it, I made a mental note to myself at the time to also make him one. Taking advantage of the "down time," I whipped out a (smaller) companion to my original so he could enjoy the strange in his office. Here's a pic of "Quincy" next to his original brother, "Sammy." Each one only took an evening to make and what fun!!


Who knows? Maybe there's a whole psychotic salad in my future!



SDOSAS!

~Jer

Fa La La La La

"Tis the season..."

I don't know about you, but for me, that means "Tis the season to run around like crazy with too many things on your agenda to possibly get them all done and keep a smile on your face while doing it..."

To catch you up, my friends, on the last three weeks of my life, I offer the following as an explanation of my absence:

3 full sized throws, 6 pair of earrings, one necklace, 1 pair of socks, several lots of sock yarn dyed, one sock pattern written and printed, gifts purchased and gifts shipped, a holiday fund raiser, a couple of Holiday concerts, several holiday parties and countless Christmas cards sent. This is all in addition to the "usual" things in life that lay claim to my time (you know, like eating, sleeping and a full-time job.)

I know all that is not a good excuse for not posting during the process, but I'm sure most of you reading this have encountered similar experiences in the last few weeks and can relate...

"Hello. My name is Jer and I'm a fiber-holic."

Actually, most of the crochet time in the last three weeks was spent making the throws for three special friends. Those three guys have helped me alot over the past year, in ways too complicated to go into here. Let me just say it in terms to which you can relate... each throw was more than 18,000 stitches... that's alot of love right there. Sorry, no pictures yet; I can only show you pictures of the gifts that have already been given to the recipients.

This is "Mayan Jungle," a crochet wire and bead neclace with matching earrings.

Here are a couple of the latest sock yarns:

I call the second one with coordinating toe/heel yarn "Pep-TOE Berry." The variegate was specifically set in lengths to work with my pattern, "SDOSAS Sox" which is being tested by another crocheter as we speak. (I could also use a couple other volunteers to work the pattern to help me check for errors. Any takers?)

For the gift exchange at the holiday party for my local crochet group, I included a copy of my sock pattern, along with some yarn to make a couple pairs of socks. Here's my first pathetic attempt at creating a label of sorts for the yarns.

I like the fonts and the color choices for the label, but clearly the light-weight paper and the scotch tape have to go! (Be kind, this one is still a WIP.)

With all the activity and seemingly endless barrage of deadlines, it would be easy for me to forget what all this is really about. Luckily, though, I've had little reminders along the way. Whether making Rachel Ray's five-minute fudge for our dinner party at home with friends or seeing the thrilled look of surprise on loved ones' faces when receiving gifts, the simple joys remind me to cherish each moment in life and enjoy the special times with loved ones.

This holiday season, when things can often be hectic and complicated, I wish you something more. I wish each of you the comforts and joys found in the simple things.

SDOSAS!

~Jer

If I Only Had a Brain

These last few days since my last post have just flown by in a blur. Luckily for me, the blur included lots of woolen colors!

I dyed up some more sock yarn. This time, I stuck to (mainly) 2 colors so I could experiment with pattern. One lot was designed to "self-stripe" in contrasting colors and the second was an experiment on "heathering" the usually bright colors that result from KA. Here's a pic of the yarns all dried and hanked up...












...and all balled up, ready to play...

...and here's a couple pics of the patterns that revealed themselves.
















Some of the other items that have kept mind and hands busy must remain a mystery since they are gifts destined for family and friends. With the gifts due in a little over three weeks... (is that possible? Only three weeks left?!?!) I have WAY more on the to-do list than I could complete if I were to forego sleeping, eating, and showering - not to mention working at that other job, the one that insists I show up regularly.


So why am I not focussing all my available energies on the gifts? Why have I picked up an earlier project that was not completed - an experimental project - a project with no real deadline? Afterall, I put the project down because is was tediously slow in its progress and now is not the time to be working on items that don't do their part by growing quickly! I need items with maximum result for each stitch!


You'll recognize this as the item that inspired "Crimson Breeze." After all the self-imposed pressure and lace-weight nightmares I experienced on that one, you would think I would run screaming from its earlier version. But not me. No siree! I have faith that the fiber gods and goddesses will somehow smile down on my perserverance and reward me by stopping the forward progress of time. Or maybe I'm just a littled touched, you know... "up there."

SDOSAS!

~Jer