Trinkets By Tracey

Alright, here's a formula...

2008-06-14T10:41:00.003-04:00

Okay, so it seems that this lace pattern is a mite trickier for many than I had expected. So, I'm going to try to make it a bit easier so that all you have to do is plug in the numbers, and voila! There ya go!

So, the fan begins with an open shell in its first row, no? Then, the next row of the fan is (dc, ch 1) in each dc and ch-1 space of the first row. The third row is (dc, ch 2) in each dc across the fan, then another row of (dc, ch-1) in each dc and ch-2 space. The fourth row is the foundation row for the shells, alternating between skipping dcs and placing scs in every 2nd ch-1 space. Clear as mud so far?

As the fan pattern repeats, the number of each fan should increase by one. The first fan is made at the beginning of the pattern. Then, the next time open shells are worked there are two fans; the next time, three, and so on. Each new fan is worked between two fans of the previous set. Between each fan are closed shells, which finish off the fans below.

The number of shells between fans diminish by one each row, until there is one shell left between fans. The following row should be a whole row of shells, then following that row would be a row that begins with either a half-shell or sc, then an open shell, and ends with an open shell and half-shell or sc (depending on which repeat you are working).

Between each shell (no matter the type) and fan, there will always be an sc placed in the 3rd dc of the next shell (except during the second set of fans, where there is a dc2tog, skipping the sc. This is the only exception).

As I have previously mentioned somewhere in a post on Ravelry in the CAL group, I don't believe in mistakes...That's one reason I despise counting with a passion, as I tend to "eyeball" it and make a guess as to placements. Someone in the group mentioned in her projects page that she's enjoying watching this shawl grow organically, and I think that's the whole point of this exercise. This shawl does seem to be organic, and if it seems "off-balance" on some rows, it will inevitably even itself out on the next repeat. Rest assured, it turns out to be symmetric ( *wink* to those of you who constantly need balance!) despite its apparent tendency to be asymmetric. That's the beauty of this pattern. I've enjoyed putting the whole thing together, and crunching the estimations (if I were to say numbers, it would imply that I'm doing row counts, which I don't do :-P ) has been a lot of fun.

A couple of the gals asked me about an edging, which may not be necessary around the body of the shawl, but may be quite necessary if using a fine yarn such as a lace-weight (turns out, I'm using a light fingering, which is bigger than lace. Since I'm not a spinner--yet--I had no idea. I apologize to those who knew better!! :-D ). You can simply work slip stitches across the top of the shawl, or work scs. I wouldn't use a shell edging due to the shells that are all throughout the body--it would prove to be a bit much.

My goal this week is to put all these notes of the last couple weeks--plus YellowDuckie's charts, if she'll let me--into one comprehensive .pdf, which would be downloadable from Ravelry (once I get set up for that), and I'll also post the link here on my blog, perhaps on a sidebar.

I hope this mini-tutorial helps. Basically, this pattern is more of a guideline, and you may do what you want with it. Think outside the box, per se, and be willing to broaden your horizons. Forget about stitch counts, row counts, etc., and if it looks a little wonky, so what? See if you can balance it out with another repeat if you have the yarn. Once I'm finished with my own shawl, I'll try to post pics of it so everyone can see what it may look like.

Well, I'm heading off now. We are going to attempt to attend the Rose Festival at the Park of Roses in Clintonville this afternoon. Might try to take pictures, but we'll see. We all know how great I am at posting pics here. *tongue in cheek* God bless!

Laceweight Mystery Shawl CAL, Parte Deux

2008-06-05T13:54:00.013-04:00

Hehee...I'm excited! I finished the shawl pattern much earlier than planned, and I'm not going to tell anyone in the Ravelry group...Just gonna see if y'all happen to notice! *grin* Anyway, would you like the next set of instructions? Yes? GREAT!

Here ya go!

Begin repeating rows: (asterisks {*} should only be used on repeat rows, not during the first time these rows are worked)

Row 17: Sc in same st as turning ch, open shell in next sc, (sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 4 times, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, open shell in next sc, *(sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 5 times, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, open shell in next sc; rep from * to last fan segment, (shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell) 4 times, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, open shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, 3 dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn.

Basically, work the shells across in this row until you come between the finished fan segments, where you add an open shell.

Row 18: Sc in same st as turning ch, sk next 2 dc of 3-dc group, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, (sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 3 times, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, *(dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, (shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell) 4 times; rep from * across to last fan segment, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, (sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 3 times, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times,dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in last sc, ch 5, turn.

Row 19: Ch-5 counts as (dc, ch2). (Dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, (shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell) twice, *(dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, (shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell) 3 times; rep from * across to last fan segment, (dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, (shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell) twice, (dc in next dc, ch 2) 9 times, dc in last sc. Ch 4, turn.

Row 20: (Dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, dc in next dc, ch 1) 9 times, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, *(dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell,(shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell) twice; rep from * to last fan segment, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 9 times, dc in 3^rd ch of turning ch. Ch 1, turn.

Row 21: Sc in same st as turning ch, ch 1, sk next dc, (shell in next dc, sk next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc) 6 times, shell in next dc, ch 1, sk next dc, *sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, shell in next sc, sk next dc, (sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc, shell in next dc, sk next dc) 5 times, sc in next dc, (shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell)twice, shell in next sc, sk next dc, (sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc, shell in next dc, sk next dc) 5 times, sc in next ch-1 sp, shell in next sc, sc in 3^rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc, sk next dc, (sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc, shell in next dc, sk next dc) 5 times, sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next 2 dc, 3 dc in top of turning ch, ch 1, turn. In repeated rows, continue making shells across the row in the same manner, ending with the 3 dc in the turning ch, ch 1.

Rep Rows 17-21 until shawl is size desired. Finish off, weave in ends.

Oh, yeah, here's the kicker...Can anyone guess what the following are?

1) The name of the stitch pattern used
2) The name of this shawl. ^_^

Yeah, I know. I'm evil. But, y'all love me, right?

2008-05-30T10:10:00.002-04:00

Okay, there are actually two more rows that I had typed up in this blog, but Blogger was starting to cry at the length of my last entry, so here are rows 15 and 16:

Row 15: Sc in same st as turning ch, ch 1, sk next dc, (shell in next dc, sk next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc) 5 times, shell in next dc, ch 1, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, ch 1, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, ch 1, sk 2 dc, (shell in next dc, sk next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc) 6 times, sk next dc, 3 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch, ch 1, turn.

Row 16: Sc in same st as turning ch, (shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell) 6 times, ch 1, sk next sc, (shell in next dc, sk next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc) 5 times, shell in next dc, sk next dc and sc, ch 1, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 5 times, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, 3 dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn.

At this point, the shawl should be about the size of a collar. Yes, there will be "ripples" in the fabric, as well as a scallop-y shape in the center of the neckline. Another set of curves should be starting.

Until next time...

Mystery Shawl CAL :-D, Part I

2008-05-30T08:23:00.008-04:00

Hehee...two blog entries in two days! How cool is that?! Anyway, there are some gals at the CLF on Ravelry who are literally itching to get their fingers going on this mystery shawl. So, let's get going!!

All you need (so far as I know) is the equivalent of 3 balls of Paton's Lacette (a laceweight yarn), which is a total of 705 yds./645 m., plus a G/4.25mm crochet hook (or, you can go larger if you want an even more lacy look).

Anyway, y'all ready?

Instructions:

Row 1: Ch 5, (dc, ch1) 3 times in 5th ch from hook, dc in same sp, ch 4, turn.

Row 2: Turning ch counts as (dc, ch 1). (Dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, dc in next dc, ch 1) across, dc in next ch-1 sp, dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Ch 5, turn.

Row 3: Ch-5 counts as (dc, ch 2). (Dc in next dc, ch 2) across, ending w/ dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Ch 4, turn.

Row 4: Ch-4 counts as (dc, ch 1). (Dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, dc in next dc, ch 1) across, ending w/ dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Ch 1, turn.

Row 5: Sc in same st as turning ch, ch 1, *sk next dc, 5 dc in next dc--shell made, sk next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp; rep from * across, ending w/ sc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Ch 3, turn.

Row 6: 2 dc in same st as turning ch, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, [(dc, ch 1) 4 times, dc] in next sc--open shell made, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) twice, open shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, 3 dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn.

Row 7: Sc in same st as turning ch, sk 2 dc, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk 2 dc, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, sc in top of 3rd ch of turning ch, ch 3, turn.

Row 8: (Dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, (dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, dc in sc, ch 3, turn.

Row 9: (Dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 8 times, dc2tog--skipping the sc in the middle--(dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 8 times, dc in next 2 dc. Ch 1, turn.

Row 10: Sc in same st as turning ch, ch 1, sk next dc, (shell in next dc, sk next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sk next dc) 11 times, ch 1, sc in last dc. Ch 3, turn.

Row 11: 2 dc in same st as turning ch, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, open shell in next sc, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 7 times, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, open shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, 3 dc in next sc. Ch 1, turn.

Row 12: Sc in same st as turning ch, ch 1, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 3 times, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, open shell in next sc, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) 3 times, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc in same shell, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Ch 5, turn.

Row 13: (Dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) twice, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc, (sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc) twice, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, (dc in next dc, ch 2) 9 times, dc in next dc, ch 4, turn.

Row 14: (Dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, dc in next dc, ch 1) 8 times, (dc, ch 1) in next ch-2 sp, dc in next dc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, (dc in next dc, ch 2) 8 times, dc in next dc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, shell in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of next shell, sk next 2 dc of same shell, (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 9 times, dc in 3rd ch of turning ch, ch 1, turn.

Yay! Second Update in a Week!! Woohoo!!

2008-05-29T08:22:00.003-04:00

Hehee...I'm ecstatic because I finally remembered to come here to update a lot sooner than last time. Just in the past week, there's been a lot that has gone on, so I'll update what I can think of.

I have a friend who is working in India. I've been reading his blog, and he has a couple prayer requests. One is that his visa to India states he needs to be out of the country for a certain amount of time at the end of July or he loses his privileges of being in the country (at least, I think that's how it works). He was going to meet up with friends in China when they were to come and tour certain provinces, but in light of the political spectrum, Americans are having a difficult time meeting their now stricter regulations to obtain tourist visas. I guess it's also more expensive to travel to some of the other neighboring countries, and my friend is lacking funds. Please pray that he finds a way to not lose his visa. Which also brings me to his other request, and that is funding. I'm not sure if he's found a second job to help pay for things, but he has stated in one of his last entries that he could use some financial support. Please pray that funding comes to him, whether by conventional or unconventional means. If you know me (either on Ravelry or Crochetville or IRL) and would like to know more, please email or pm me and I can send you the link to his blog. He has some incredibly beautiful pictures of the Indian countryside and local festivals, and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

For those of you who have been following along this past year, I have continued to copy the Bible. I took a couple months' haitus toward the end of my pregnancy and during the first month or two after dd2 was born, but now I'm back at it. Unfortunately, like this blog, I only get to it when I can. I'm on chapter 21 of Proverbs, and when I need a break from it I've meandered to the New Testament and some of the shorter books of the Old. I don't remember what I posted before, but this is what I've accomplished thus far in my copying: the book of Ruth, the book of Esther, Song of Songs (aka, Song of Solomon), 2 John, Proverbs 1-20, and the Letter to the Colossians. I'm about half-way through Proverbs 21, and only have a few chapters left of Proverbs to go before I do another book. I need to start praying about what book to copy next.

Yay! I have my flute back! I got it back yesterday, and purchased a new silver polishing cloth to keep it shiny. I'm still working on the cover for the case, and I played with the latches while still in the store and yes, there is a lot more play in them than I originally thought. Good thing I tend to keep it in an attache case with my music and recorders, eh? While at the store, I browsed the sheet music and found some I might get later down the road. There was a collection of flute pieces by Telemann which would be lovely, as well as a Celtic collection, which, while it doesn't appear to be too technically difficult, could be stylistically challenging. Also, there was a fresh copy of the Bach sonatas I have, which I had purchased years ago while in college but is currently falling apart; I might give it a go and restore some of the pages with acid-free tape, or purchase another copy, since it was only $10.95. Oh yeah, a funny about while we were still in the store...We were the only customers there (they're usually hopping in the evenings and weekends), so the salesman turned on an electric keyboard so dd1 could explore it while I browsed the music. As I was returning to her, she accidentally hit the "Demo" button and the music started playing quite loudly. She screamed, and ran to me, crying. Of course, I was laughing so hard, but I had to explain to her it was just like her toy piano at home that her aunties had got for her birthday, which also has a demo button with lots of songs to be played. Once she understood this, she immediately stopped crying and started dancing. Oy. Life with a 2 1/2-year-old is never dull.

For those of you anxious about starting the laceweight mystery shawl, it's coming along quite nicely, though still more slowly than I had originally planned. I just told the CLF group on Ravelry yesterday that my aim is June 2nd, but I don't think I'm going to make that self-imposed deadline. However, for those of you who are also Irish lace lovers, I have issue a challenge to you. In a thrift store, I found a quilt-square pattern book, called Baltimore Bride's Quilt Square Patterns. Basically, the squares are designed for album or friendship quilts, with lots of floral themes. I was thinking that these squares would be perfect layouts for Irish lace. So, I took a handy-dandy spiral notebook and pen, and went through the squares, one by one, and wrote down what my interpretations were for each square in Irish lace. This book has 75 squares, but I only want to focus on one or two to see how they would turn out in I.L. My challenge for my Irish lace loving friends is to attempt the same, or something similar. Right now, I'm merely compiling the motifs, working them here and there, and collecting them in a small box to be placed into their squares at a future time. This is my long-term, on-going project, one which I hope is successful. If the first 2 squares turn out as well as I hope, they may become part of an heirloom for future generations. Once my dds (and other future children) learn to work in thread, they'll also begin their own Irish lace squares to be used in their own heirlooms for their hope chests. I haven't decided whether this will become a bedspread or object d'art, but it's an interesting idea I'm toying with right now.

Also on the home front, I have a massive project I'm undertaking. Dh planted a garden a few weeks back, and wants me to learn how to can the tomatoes that we grow. I thought, why not learn to can other things, as well? Upon researching the topic, I discovered that one can can tomatoes using the same methods one would can jams, jellies, and preserves. Cool. However, you have to use a completely different method to can other veggies, like green beans and such. While I can find all kinds of info on canning here on the 'net, it's a completely different thing to find someone locally who can show me how to do it. It's a skill I know I'd have to learn by doing, not by reading about it. Since I just decided a couple days ago to learn how to do it, I'm going to start with the members of my church and see if there's anyone who still knows the art of canning. In light of this, I started thinking about other skills that modernization has practically made obsolete. Necessary handwork (i.e., knitting, crocheting, sewing, needlework, etc.) is making a comeback, but it's not as "necessary". However, given the fact that rising costs are not so far on the horizon any longer, sewing and knitting one's own clothing may become "necessary" again. Modern conveniences have also made cooking from "scratch" simpler, but with added preservatives and chemicals. We no longer "need" to make our own soaps, but many folks enjoy it as a hobby or to supplement their incomes with specialty soaps. In fact, ironically, handwriting is almost a lost art, since we now use the internet and computers more. Schools have forgone penmanship for typing classes, and some kids don't even know what it's like to handwrite a paper. Yes, I know...You're thinking, but Tracey, you're typing right now. A little hypocritical, don't you think? Sort of, but this is a means of communicating to my online friends without any of us having to share addresses and still maintaining a modicum of privacy. What I'm talking about is that many kids (not all, but many) are learning to type instead of focusing on keeping their handwriting legible. Beautiful handwriting is becoming a lost art. Thank the Lord I taught myself calligraphy in middle school (yes, I'm a bit of a dork, I know). So, here's my memorandum: My longest term goals are to find the lost home arts and learn them to the best of my abilities. I plan to write about my adventures either on a second blog or in a book--you never know. This is going to be more "granola-ey" than I thought I would ever be, but hey, if it saves us money, that's cool.

So, here are my goals for the next few months:

learn to make jams/jellies, and can them, as well as tomatoes and other tomato products
develop a tomato sauce recipe to be used in future canning adventures, maybe for future sales down the line (we're talking it may be a couple years before I'm able to sell)
make cloth diaper wipes. I discovered I could probably save us $170-ish just by making a few dozen flannel/terry wipes and use them instead of the chemical-covered ones. Also, it helps to prevent rashes if used with natural cleansing ingredients (read, water, essential oils, etc.)
maybe start using cloth diapers? I dunno about this...might have to wait until we get a house so we can use a clothesline. Right now, lines are against our association by-laws, and there's more research to be done before I invest in either purchasing or making my own diapers.
continue to make my own bread. Healthier, and soooo much yummier!
continue to make my own laundry soap. I found a great recipe here online, and I'm trying out my first batch. I'll update to tell y'all how well it works.
this fall, make my own soaps. This is just a maybe right now...we'll have to see what the autumn brings. It depends on where we're living, what we're doing, etc. I'd love to make my own, and save a lot of money, but it's a wait-and-see issue right now.

Anyways, if you got this far, I thank you for keeping up with me. If not, I'm sorry. I guess that's what happens when I don't update as often as I should! Lol. I'll update again here in a couple days to start the lace pattern. I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I am designing it!

God bless.

I am so bad at this...

2008-05-22T23:36:00.002-04:00

...but hey, those few of you who really do check in on me once in a while forgive me, right? Lol.

I've been pretty busy around here lately...I've been trying to get the condo cleaned up so we can make an attempt at selling it, but it's been rather challenging. Having two little ones who constantly need you at all hours of the day and night is really taking its toll on me. Don't get me started on our ever-increasing grocery bill, yet decreasing amount of food I'm able to bring home each trip.

At any rate, here's an update on what's going on in my crafting world...

...I'm knitting (yes, my CLF friends, I said it: I'm KNITTING) a cover for my flute case, which (sigh) is not even here. For my birthday, dh decided to have my flute overhauled, which the poor thing desperately needed. So, on Feb. 9 of this year, we took it in to get it done. We were told it might be finished by March 15, which would have been 5 weeks. Heheh. Wrong. It's May and it's still not done. Since I rarely get to play any more, it's not that big of a deal, but, hey, I've been getting the urge to break out my Bach and Hindemuth. It used to relax me even more than knitting and crocheting, so I'm really starting to miss it right now. Anyway, back to the cover. The repairman (who shall remain nameless because I know he does a great job; I don't want anyone to think otherwise) fiddled with it a bit before even examining the flute joints and informed me my latches were bad. Well, I've known that for a while, but just haven't sprung for a new case yet. The one I really want is in the $80 range, but I won't spring for that until/unless I get an upgrade to an open-hole (I'm still using my student model I've had since 5th grade. I used a loaner in college since it was mandatory to have an open-hole flute). I wouldn't mind getting a nice one that would work for about $25-30, but things always come up and the money ends up elsewhere. 'Sokay though. That's why I'm knitting a cover for it. It's in a 2x2 rib, and I'm still trying to think of a good way to close it because the handle gets in the way. Might just make a tab/button arrangment through the handle, but what about the rest of the thing to keep the latches from coming undone? I dunno know yet.

I'm working on a laceweight mystery shawl pattern in crochet. That's right. Crochet. There's been a huge discussion on the CLF about the lack of laceweight shawl patterns available to the general public. I've decided to make mine free of charge. The Mystery Shawl CAL will begin here, on my blog, on or around June 1st. If you'd like to join me in this, all you need is some laceweight yarn (probably no more than about 750 yds., I'm guessing, since I don't have the pattern finished yet O_0) and a G/4.25mm crochet hook. Oh, and the link to this blog. I will post a few rows here and there every week, which should give me the incentive to come here more often ;-). The only hint I can give right now about it is that it will be semi-circular-ish in shape...er, I think...I'm still working out the math.

I'm already thinking ahead to Christmas. Well, I've been thinking about Christmas since last Christmas. Lol. With the arrival of our 2nd daughter a week prior to last Christmas, the gifts we were able to give were fairly sparse, at best. This year, I aim to make it up to everyone. Since I'm not a fan of cheesiness or kitsch, or tp covers or bed dolls, (not that there's anything wrong with any of these things, they just don't happen to be my thing, ya know?) I aim toward innovative things that can be made with the hook and a fiber. However since some of my family members actually look in on here, mum's the word on the gifts (guess y'all will have to wait until Christmas Eve to find out, and you know who you are!! :-D). The only hint I can give is that I'm going to put my own twist on Irish lace. And just what does that mean, Tracey? Wait 'til December, and you'll see! ^_^

Oh! I almost completely forgot! And I would definitely slam my head against the wall if I didn't mention this news in this post! One of my patterns is actually getting published! For real! I still can't believe it! The Crochet Liberation Front on Ravelry is having a book published sometime this summer and my Peekaboo Playtime Chemise was accepted!! Woohoo!! I do need to give credit to some folks who helped me out with it...my dear friend Linda, who helped me make a papier mache dress form (with me as the mold). My testers from Crochetville (I had a few, and I do need to go back to check to see who all did it, and I don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll come back and edit this post with all of your names at once! :-) ), SkyDramini (Julie) who worked up a model within a week and her poor wrist was hurting. Thanks for the awesome pics, btw! And for Laurie, our fearless leader, who is working night and day formatting, cutting, editing, and pasting the whole book together. You are awesome. I hope you all know that, right? When I received Laurie's message saying my pattern was accepted, I was ecstatic. I literally danced around the living room for an hour, and pranced around here for days while calling everyone I knew that would care. Any way, I have a couple sneak peeks of the Peekaboo Playtime Chemise (not the ones that will be in the book, btw) if ya wanna see...Wait, I'll have to upload them later since I don't have my own shots on this computer (I have Julie's, but I don't have permission to use them on anything other than the book, so I'll post my own shots tomorrow).

I'm sure there's more to post, but I'm exhausted. Dd1 decided to wake up dd2 at 7:30 this am after dd2 had me up at 2:30 am to feed her, and between the 2 of them, I couldn't get my nap in today (then again, do I ever? :-) ). I'll be back again tomorrow, I promise--er, today? At any rate, after I have a few hours of sleep, fed the girls, gone to the store for food, and the park for a play date. Ugh. Maybe I should just wait until Saturday. Sounds like tomorrow's gonna be worse than today was.

Doubly Sweet Baby Blanket

2008-04-10T14:10:00.003-04:00

As I promised on Ravelry and Crochetville, here is the pattern for my Doubly Sweet Baby Blanket. Unfortunately, I don't have pics yet, but I hope to soon.

This blanket was inspired by an afghan my great-grandmother made as a wedding gift to my parents some 34 years ago. It is pale blue on one side, and navy on the other, and edged in navy. It took my a couple years to figure out how it was done (then again, I wasn't trying very hard) and once I figured it out, it was like a "Duh!" moment! The pattern below is for a baby-sized blanket, but can also be made much larger (like my parents' blanket, which fits a full-size bed) simply by making a longer foundation chain. Of course, the larger blanket will need a lot more yarn. ;-)

Materials:

Lion Brand's Pound of Love--2 skeins, 2 colors of choice (or mount equivalent of)
Size K/6.5mm crochet hook
About 5 yds. 3/4"-1" wide satin ribbon in coordinating color
2 safety pins, optional, or other item to "hold" sts in place

Instructions:

With MC, ch 102 (or if doing the swatch, to about 18" plus 2)
Row 1: Dc in top loop of 4th ch from hook and in ea ch across. Pull loop up and use pin to keep last st from falling out. Do not turn. W/ CC, start at 1st dc and join w/ sl st to opposite free loop of ch, leaving back ridge of ch free. Ch 3, dc in next ch and across to end, ch 3, turn. At this point the two colors are not joined at the top and will try to fold outward and away from each other.

Row 2: Continuing with CC, dc through inside loop of MC plus both loops of CC (MC will be facing you at this point w/ CC facing away from you). Continue in same manner across to end of row. ch 3, place stitch holder. Do not turn. Remove holder from MC, ch 3, dc in free loops across to end of row, ch 3, turn.

Row 3: W/ MC, dc in inside loop of CC--which should now be facing you--and through both loops of MC in next dc and ea dc across, ch 3, place st holder. Remove st holder from CC, dc in free loops in next dc and ea dc across. Ch 3, turn.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until blanket is size desired. Finish off CC and weave in ends through CC side.

Edging:
Rnd. 1: Ch 1, sc in ea st around through all four loops on top of blanket, working 3 sc in ea corner, alternating 2-3 scs down the sides of the dc posts of ea row working through posts of both dcs of front and back of blanket, and work in remaining free back ridge of original foundation chain on bottom. Join w/ sl st, ch 4, turn.

Rnd. 2: (Sk next sc, dc in next sc, ch 1) around. In center sc of corners work (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc). Join w/ sl st in 3rd ch of ch-4 at beg of rnd., ch 1.

Rnd. 3: Sl st in next ch1 sp, 2 sc in ea ch-1 sp around, working a ch-3 on either side off center dc in ea corner. Finish off, weave in end.

Rnd. 4: W/ CC, join w/ sl st in any sc of previous rnd. Ch 1, sc in next sc and ea sc around. In ch-3 sps, work (sc, ch3, sc). Join w/ sl st, finish off, weave in end.

Rnd. 5: W/ MC, join w/ sl st in any sc from previous rnd. Ch 1, sc in ea sc around, working 5 scs in ch3 sp of corners. Join w/ sl st, ch 1.

Rnd. 6: Continuing w/ MC work reverse sc in ea sc around. Join, finish off, weave in end.

To finish blanket, weave satin ribbon through Rnd 2 of edging. Sew ends or tie into a bow.

If you're making a larger blanket, and don't want to do the edging above, simply work in rounds of single crochet, or pick an edging you would prefer.

Happy hooking!!

Woohoo!!

2008-02-19T09:58:00.002-05:00

Yay! It's that time again at Crochetville!! The Spring Secret Pals Swap began this past Friday and will end in April. Can you tell I'm excited? I have a great Known Secret Pal (KSP) who is pretty dern cool. I can't tell you much about her just in case she happens to stumble across my blog. However, I can tell you that I'm going shopping today for a very special project for her. I just hope I can get it done in time! *grin*

My Unknown Secret Pal (UKSP) has already sent me a couple really sweet emails, plus a pretty cool e-card. She says she has a yarn stash the size of a small store. Hmmmm...I wonder what that must look like? Is it like this? If so, I'm insanely envious! Lol. She said she has a special project in mind for me...I wonder what it is? Anyhow, I look forward to hearing again from "Mrs. Crochet." :-)

On Friday, I went to Big Lots and they had 6 skeins of Patons Brilliant in Sparkling Rose for only $1!! What a steal!! I of course grabbed all 6 and brought them home (well, after paying for them of course! ;-) ). I searched on Ravelry for just the perfect pattern. I decided to make the Luna Moth Shawl found on Elann's website. I'm using size 6 straight knitting needles, and discovered that I'm also going to need a circular as well. *sigh* Oh well, that just means that while I'm out shopping for my KSP, I can pick up an inexpensive one at JoAnn's (where I'm going, anyway).

I've also been researching interchangeable knitting needles. I've discovered that the Boye set I was considering has a lot of bad reviews...Not only that, but it doesn't come with the smaller sizes. Neither does the Denise set (I hate plastic, anyway!) or the KPOptions or Harmony, which pretty much covers most of the interchangeables. I think I'm going to save up and get the Harmony set down the road, and purchase the smaller needle tips separately to go along with it. I really enjoy lace knitting, so the smaller pieces are important. Not only that, but with two little ones in the house, the smaller needles will help make lots of socks and hats. I can't use the Options or sets similar to it, nor can I use any Addis (unless they're bamboo) because of the whole nickel thing. It stinks, because the Options set is less expensive and it looks cool. Oh well. Maybe one day I'll just make my own. (Don't put it past me, because I just might! Lol.)

Well, time to get cracking on the shopping. I have to get the little ones ready so that the baby can eat when we return. I hope not to be out too long. Yeah, right! Rofl. I know myself too well! :-D

2008-02-14T11:51:00.002-05:00

Okay. So I totally suck at updating my blog. I keep telling myself that I need to do so more often, but I just never get around to it. Ugh. Anyways, I'm here now so I'll share what's been going on in my world.

DD2 was born on Dec. 18, 2007 at 3:41 am. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night, or that morning. ;-) Since then, I've been kept on my toes between her and DD1, trying to give the both of them the attention they need and deserve.

In the meantime, I haven't had much time for needle work. I made a Halcyon Shawl (found at Crochetme.com) in October to take with me to the hospital, and I love it! I used Bernat Super Value in various colors, as well as their Denim Style. I'll post a pic later.

I also made a bunch of slippers for my mom's side of the family for Christmas; I only got half of them done before the baby was born, and I couldn't finish them before Christmas, so I finished more afterwards when I had time (which means, no, they're still not done! :-P ). MOost were made in Lion Brand's Jiffy, and they were so soft and warm, that I'm going to have to make myself and the girls a couple pairs.

The Anona Christening dress pattern is finished!! My personal prototype isn't, however, one of my testers finished hers last week, and once I talk to her and ask for permission to link to her photos, I might be able to share what it looks like. I'm excited!!

I've taken to knitting more lately. No, I haven't forgotten my first love, Crochet, as I have a few projects going on there, too. My newest WIP is Clapotis, found on Knitty.com. I started one in a light fuzzy variegated mohair on size 2 needles, and it was going well, too. However, things got busy, and now I forget where I was in the pattern. Ugh. Now I have to go through the fuzz and figure it out. I know I was in the 1st repeat of Section 2, but I don't remember where. *scratches head* Anywho, I started another this morning using--gasp!--Coats' Royale Crochet thread in Pumpkin on size 6 needles. It doesn't look bad, either. Orange isn't my first choice, but I was going through what's left of my stash (I'll explain later!) and all I have left suitable for this project is thread. Oy. so what's a girl to do? Use it!! Heehee...Oh!! And I'm so proud of myself!! I finally--after 3 years of trying--figured out how to use dpns! I'm making a hat. It was originally for the baby, but it's now too big for her so it's going to dd1. I'm using an unknown white acryllic worsted (my wool is gone or I'd have used that). I also started a sock for DD1, and hopefully it turns out well.

Crochet-wise, I'm working on a huge afghan for a friend using a boucle yarn from JoAnn's, Etc. Love the colors, hate the yarn. If you mess up, it's very difficult to frog. Yikes! I had to start all over and I have to frog about 8 rows of this stuff--not pretty at all. I'm also working on 2 baby afghans for 2 of dh's co-workers. One is due in March, and we're not sure when the other is due. Each baby is also going to get a pair of booties to match its blanket, and I have one bootie done of one pair, and I'm about halfway done with its mate. These are for the baby of the couple who want to keeps its gender a surprise. The booties are being made in Royale's Ocean with a white trim. Very cute!! The blanket is going to be double-sided, with white on one side and green on the other using a technique my great-grandmother used to make a blanket for my parents' wedding gift. The other blanket will be yellow and white, but I'm waiting to hear from dh to see what that baby's gender is before I decide what booties to make.

Oh! Last week, I had the neatest idea for another lingerie project! This one is going to involve Irish lace. Since I haven't lost baby weight yet, I'm so glad I made my dress form last spring to use as a model for placement. This will be another custom-fit piece, and I'm sure that those who enjoyed my Peek-A-Boo Playtime Chemise will love this one--well, when I have it done. I haven't even started on it yet, not even a drawn-out schematic! I have to do a little "research" (ahem!) on sizes so it's going to take some time. Unfortunately, I can't get started on this until my friend's afghan is finished--well, I could probably keep balls of thread and hooks in my purse for those waiting times at the doc's, lines at the grocery store, post office, etc. Hmmm...I'll see what I can work out! Heeheee... Tell me what you think of the idea of lingerie made in Irish lace! I'd love to hear from you, positive or negative.

Well I must go. It's time to feed the baby! Hopefully I can update again soon!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2007-09-11T15:15:00.000-04:00

I definitely have a "bump" now, since I'm almost 6.5 months pregnant (Friday). We found out we are having another little girl, so Tegwin's quickly going to have to learn to share. Lol. My appetite is increasing, and up until this month, I hadn't really gained any weight, but when I went to my OB appt. yesterday, I had gained 6 lbs.! Ack! No wonder nothing fits any more!

Crochet-wise, I've also been quite busy. I started my mom's Christmas present, but I can't say what it is since she might read this, and I started a bed spread for Tegwin for when she's a little older. I have one block done, and I've almost finished the second, so I'll be connecting the two shortly and perhaps posting a picture of them together. My latest Christening dress design is FINISHED!!--well, excepting a few details on the bodice, but otherwise... :-) I'm very excited about this piece, but it's taking forever to finish working it up because it's a sack dress, worked bottom-up, in size 10 crochet thread, using a No. 9 steel hook. The skirt is in the pineapple stitch pattern, and the bodice is designed out of serpentine lace (just have to work on fastenings, sleeves, and the collar to finish it). Unfortunately, I do have to purchase more thread to finish it, which will have to wait until Friday on my monthly trip to Hobby Lobby. Within the MONTH I will be asking for testers on my forums to see if anyone's willing to tackle this extensive project. If someone were to purchase the actual finished dress, I'd ask for no less than $150, because of the amount of time I've put into the thing. If they're looking for just the pattern, I'm probably going to ask for about $5-7, due to the complexity of the pattern and the length of time it's taken me to design it. This pattern will be available for testing as of October 1st, and available for sale--hopefully--by New Year's or Valentine's Day (depending on the speeds of my testers ;-) ). A bonnet and bootie set will follow, hopefully by the time testing commences (I have a neat idea for the bonnet/cap, but am still working on the booties). I can't wait to share with the world this design! By far, it's my favorite. I just don't know if I can make this dress again, no matter how beautifully it's turning out to be!

I have decided to start knitting (gasp!) a baby blanket for the new little one. I was discussing this with an online friend (ExtremeKnitter), and I decided to knit the center in garter stitch (easy enough, I suppose), then crochet a pretty border around the edge to help it keep its shape. Hopefully, I can find another skein or two in the same colorway (pink, blue, and brown tweed) so I can finish it. I have two rows done (yuck! acryllic on plastic needles!), and it's going very slowly, but turning out nicely. Hopefully soon I can post a pic of my progress once it's a bit bigger. I was able to crochet 2 blankets for Tegwin, so i hope to be able to make at least two for this little one.

Well, I must go and take care of some business around the house before Tegwin wakes up from her nap. I hope my next update won't be too far behind!

2007-08-07T16:10:00.001-04:00

These past few weeks have been fun. I can now feel the baby moving a lot more, and see it bumping up from the inside--I had forgotten how much I missed that feeling! On Thursday, we find out what gender this little critter is, and I am really looking forward to it!

Last Saturday, dh bought a pre-seasoned cast iron set for me--a skillet and a dutch oven. I've only used the skillet so far, and I LOVE it!! It's also much healthier to use than stainless steel or non-stick pans.

I think dd may have been bitten by the fiber bug, like her mommy. When I'm not crocheting, I set down my project(s) in a place where I think she can't get to them--she shortly proves me wrong, and grabs the hook and begins twisting it, making a jumbled mess out of my work! :-) *sigh* I can't wait until she's 4 years old, when I can teach her how to use a knitting knoddy.

My Bible-copying has progressed considerably. So far, I've copied: Ruth, Esther, Song of Solomon, 2 John, and I'm currently on Chapter 8 of Proverbs. This is such slow, tedious work, but it's very satisfying when I reach my goal of a chapter each day. When I tell folks about it, they look at me like I'm weird, or something. I'm just trying to encourage others to do the same, at their own pace. A chapter a day is not an unreasonable goal, nor is even half a chapter per day. I just want to be able to set a good example for my children, since they're also going to be charged with doing this for their homework once they're 12 or so (or at least during the school year that they turn 12).

Over the past few weeks, I've found some tools to help keep me organized while I copy. I have a binder with plastic dividers which I purchased from the Dollar Tree (THUD), and I always keep a couple black-ink pens and a pad of perforated spiral notebook paper with it. Since I didn't have my own KJV bible but an NIV, I bought an inexpensive one for about $5 at Meijer (also, THUD). I keep all these things together as I work, and stack them together when I'm doing other things.

Progress Update

2007-07-12T08:11:00.000-04:00

Belly starting to show quite a bit...I don't think I was this big until I was about 5.5-6 months along with Tegwin. That's okay, though. ;-) It's all worth it. Energy levels still rising, walking more, can't tell if I'm still imagining the flutters from the outside or if it's gas. Never could tell with Tegwin, either, until she really started kicking. The tiny flutters do feel like gas bubbles, so I don't know whether it truly is the baby or if I'm going to--ahem, you know.

A second tester has finished her chemise. Again, rave reviews from another happy hubby. Yay! When I read her post in my google group, I was ecstatic. Today I am going to write to all my chemise testers to tell them to go ahead and post pics of their finished work on Crochetville (see sidebar for link). I want/need to see the reactions of others before I take it to the next step. Hopefully, I can finish mine and hang it on the dress form my friend, Linda, and I made. (I had forgotten about my "double" when I previously posted. *embarrassed grin*)

As far as my writing the bible goes, I haven't exactly stuck to the plan I originally laid out. I googled "Bible reading plans", and picked one that is a .pdf which is a 3-year plan. It has each chapter laid out individually (except Psalm 119, which is broken up about 44-48 verses/day for about 4-5 days), with little boxes right next to each one. I printed out this plan, and when I finish a chapter, I fill in the box. It's working quite well so far. It has been taking about 30-60 minutes to write just one chapter, but it also depends on the time of day (if it's naptime for Munchkin, I get it done in record time!) and what's going on--how many interruptions I get during the time I write. When B's home during the day (weekends), I try to get it done in the morning and have the rest of the day to clean, play w/ Teggy, whatever. If not, it's naptime.

So far, I have the first two chapters of Genesis done. Needless to say, I'm easily daunted by the amount of work required to accomplish this task, no matter how much time I've allotted to do so. After I printed up the reading plan, I took a look and examined what some of the "easier"--meaning, shorter--books might be. Mind you, I did not start with a single-chapter book/letter. I began with Ruth, then 2 John (a single-chapter ;-) ), now I'm on the 8th Chapter of Esther. Basically, I've been focusing on what marriage truly is, and how to be a good wife (yes, I know all about Proverbs 31, but I'll be getting to Proverbs after I finish Song of Solomon/Songs, which is going to be right after Esther).

Cool part is, since I've been doing this, I've been focusing on getting one more new task done around the house. I have purchased and potted a cinnamon basil plant (mmm! My favorite! Spicy, yet a bit tangy like regular sweet or Italian basil). I've been able to remember to do more of the things B has asked me to do (trust me, it used to be a long list, and that list is continuing to grow shorter--at least, it feels like it). I feel more "on top" of things lately, and I really think God is working through me with this. I'm keeping up with doing the laundry (though I still need to work on putting it away *rolls eyes*), washing the dishes and running the dishwasher, making bread, making the beds, watching the grocery budget (not buying pre-processed "junk", but actually buying natural "staples" like the typical milk, eggs, cheese, meat, and produce, and the only times I go into the center aisles is to get baking goods like flour and sugar, paper products, frozen veggies, things like that).

We've also started to eat a bit healthier, too. I've been trying to make wheat bread--unfortunately, it turns out to be either wheat goo or wheat crumbs in the bread machine. I might have to just start making it by hand so I get the correct consistency. B loves my veggie bread--I take a white bread base and add diced tomato, green bell pepper (which, God love him, B calls 'mango'), and freshly-shredded Swiss cheese. I make the dough in the machine, and I kneed a little amount of flour into it (it's very sticky, otherwise), form it into a round loaf and bake it for 40 minutes. Mmm!! Yummy! I made this loaf on Tuesday night, hoping it would at least last until the weekend. Nope...B finished it off last night. *sigh* The perfect compliment to the chef, I guess. This bread is wonderful if sliced, and each slice cut in half, then added with a couple thin slices of roast beef. Pop into the microwave about 15 seconds, and oh, my goodness! So divine! Y'all should try it!

Well, gotta go. Munchkin is about finished with her breakfast, so it's time to get her dressed for the day. God bless!

Whew! It's been a while!!

2007-06-26T23:48:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been since February that I last posted. I'm sorry for not doing so sooner, as I have great news!! Brandon and I are awaiting our 2nd child, who is due to arrive right around December 21st of this year. I'm just starting my 2nd trimester, and I'm feeling great. My energy levels are beginning to pick up, I'm feeling tiny flutters in my abdomen, and the nauseated feeling is finally gone!! Woo-hoo!!

For those of you who are finding out about this for the first time, I just wanted to let you know that I had to wait until after the first ultrasound. Some of you I have tried to telephone, but as I never received a call back, I couldn't arrange to meet up with you and tell you in person, nor did I wish to tell you via e-mail. So, blogging was the next option. I hope you all will forgive me.

There has also been a lot of other great things happening in the past few months. My first lingerie/clothing design is almost ready to be posted on my site, tracey.mccorkle.googlepages.com. It's still in the testing stages, but it's almost done. It's a very cute chemise/camisole, which is designed for a custom-fit (the crocheter takes the measurements and makes it accordingly). It can be left unlined for a wonderful chemise (I already have praise from one tester whose hubby just loved it! *grin*), or it can be lined to be worn over a pair of jeans alone, or under a nice, tailored blazer. I'd show y'all a pic, but I don't have my sample done due to the new--ahem--"developments", and it won't fit. *sigh*

Brandon and I attended the CHEO convention this past Friday and Saturday. Jonathan Lindvall was one of the keynote speakers, and he gave us a very interesting challenge. When his children became 12 and 13 (the same age Jewish children are considered to be "of age"), he gave each of them a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. When his oldest daughter was 12, they threw a Christian Bat Mitzvah, and charged her with the responsibility of handwriting the Bible. This was something, he thought, which would be a nice gift for her to give to her future husband on their wedding day. Hmmm...So, I felt compelled to do the same. I would like to have my copy finished by the time Tegwin reaches the age of 12, so that I can set an example for her, and challenge her to do the same. At this point, I have 10.5 years to accomplish this task. I haven't asked Brandon if he plans to write a copy, himself, but I'm borrowing his KJV (my reading bible is an NIV Study) to copy down. I have the 1st chapter of Genesis finished, and when I've completed Genesis, I'll move on to Matthew, then to Exodus, then back to Mark, etc. Is anyone with me? I know it's a huge undertaking, but I'm going to plan things out so I can aim for 1 chapter per night, so many books per year, so that my goal can be accomplished by the time-line I've set. Please let me know if you decide to do this so we can all pray together that we can accomplish our goals. You don't have to begin with Genesis. You can start wherever you're currently reading, or with the next book you begin. This can be used as your Quiet Time/Bible study, because as you are reading and copying things down, the words get stuck in your head, and you'll meditate on them longer. Also, you'll memorize scripture you never knew you could.

Well, I need to go. It's after midnight, and Tegwin will have me up early in the morning. God bless!

Death in the Bathroom....Foul Play Suspected

2007-02-21T09:23:00.000-05:00

Last night, right after my hubby came upstairs to go to bed, we heard this thumping crash downstairs. He went back down, took a look around, and didn't see anything. He came back up and went to bed. This morning, while he was getting ready for work and I was packing his lunch for him, I opened the door to the downstairs bathroom and turned on the light. This is what I saw:

An autopsy revealed that the poor little snowlady had taken a fall from the top of the toilet tank where she had been standing and perished on the bathroom floor. She died immediately on the spot, due to blunt force trauma to, well, her entire rotund body. The "blood spatter" analysis was inconclusive, and her death was ruled as a possible suicide. I, myself, didn't buy the story. After the authorities left, I took a second look around.

I'm not sure, but I really don't think it was a suicide attempt on Snowlady's part...The Snowman on the other side of the tank looks just a little too happy, to me...In fact, Snowlady's hat is still on the tank!! If it were a suicide attempt, wouldn't it have landed on the floor with her?

Just to give you a little bit to chew on.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2007-01-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's, like, the end of the 2nd week of January already, but still, it's my first post of the year. I'm sorry it's taken so long!!! We've been busy here with the holidays, church, and I've also been madly hooking away (crocheting, that is! *wink*). I've finished off the Sock Monkey Hats, and now I need to make and finish just one more and make a scarf to go with it for a friend's daughter...that's what I'm working on this weekend.

Also on my hook this week are the two sweaters for my Sisters-in-law, a table runner for my dining room table (adapted from a pattern at Celt's site), a secret project for my aunt which she asked me to design (shhh!! don't tell anyone!!), some doilies for a CAL at Crochetville (my goal is to make all 18 from PK's "Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies"), a yellow thread dress for my bff who's expecting a girl!! (Yay, Meron!! Gotta know some name ideas soon! ), among a myriad other things. I'm also trying to get a head start on this year's Christmas gifts, like some dishcloths, bath cloths, etc., some really nifty scarves I found at Garnstudios.com, and I also want to design some matching mittens for the scarf-recipients. . . Among other things, I also want to join the Secret Pal Exchange at the 'Ville next month, so I'm working on some special gifts to send to whomever I'm assigned, as well as some random RAOK's I'm delighted to fulfill...

One major goal this year is to start a ministry at my church to 1) teach people to crochet, and 2) make things from newly-discovered talents for charity and for those who need a little extra comfort. I'm hoping that a prayer shawl ministry springs up out of this, and I might be able to get some donations of yarn and hooks for the people participating...the yarn needed can be expensive. Still working with the church leadership on this one...in fact, that reminds me, gotta call Brenda...

The Sock Monkey Hat challenge at the 'Ville is still going strong!! I originally set the deadline as Christmas Eve, but folks are still coming up with ideas...Come check it out if you can...

Some more ideas I'm working on...and still playing with in my head...

Irish Crochet fairy wings for the Renaissance Festival coming this fall...wondering if yarn would be better, and a giant butterfly motif would be good...(If anyone has any ideas on how I can make this happen, please let me know--the wings either need to stand out as in real life, or I can just make them into a shawl...)
mittens and a sweater to match the Sock Monkey Crochet-Along...*wiggles eyebrows*
modifications to my aunt's idea...
exploring more with the felting/fulling process...
learning how to spin...I have some raw huacaya alpaca fleece in several different colors (brown, white, gray, mottled, lilac, maybe some black), and I'd like to learn how to make my own yarn and save some cash...maybe earn a little extra, too...

I think those are what I have to work with so far...as you can tell, I'm already very busy taking care of my 1-year-old!! I also hope to open an etsy store soon, perhaps next month, to help de-stash (yeah, right! don't tell dh, but the more I sell, the more yarn I get to buy! *wink*) and earn a little extra cash to help us out a bit...

Well, readers, I should go. Today is going to be a busy one, and dd and I have to get on the ball and go. Hope to hear from you!

Busy, busy, busy!

2006-12-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

Things have been quite busy around here. Last week, our dd had her first birthday, and we had her party on Saturday and my MIL and FIL's house. Strange kid, didn't like the paper or the boxes...she actually went straight for the toys inside! Lol. We had pizza for dinner, and she ate 1 1/2 pieces all by herself. Then, when we went for the cupcakes, she just wanted the frosting. She took her fingers and scraped off the frosting and put it in her mouth! She didn't even want to eat the cupcake itself! *sigh*

Of my hook this week have been: Several snowflakes. I've been making them for friends and family, and my pile keeps getting bigger and bigger. I've also been working on my challenge to Shelleden at the 'Ville, making Sock Monkey Hats whenever I'm not working on something else. I also need to keep working on my SILs' Christmas gifts...I'd say what they are, but you never know when they might be reading!! Shhhhhh.....!

So far, for the challenge, I have a pirate sock monkey, a ponytail monkey, a preemie monkey, a regular sock monkey, and in my head I have a few more... I'd say what my ideas are, but the recipients of these hats might be reading, and I don't want to give them away just yet! ;-) I also have a matching scarf that I've been trying to work on with the scraps that won't make a complete hat, so I hope that it comes out okay.

Oh yeah! It finally snowed here today!! My friend, Meron, would have loved to have seen it! We got about 1/2-3/4", and it stopped around 10:00, which was when dd and I finished eating breakfast. Since she has never played in the snow before, her daddy wanted me to take her out in it, just to see what she does. Well, I get her shoes on, and she's okay. I put on her mittens (she'd never worn them before) and she starts screaming because her hands disappeared! Then I put her in her coat--which she hates because it's still just a little too big for her, but it's the warmest thing she has right now--and that made her scream even harder. So, I don my own coat, grabbed my keys, put on my shoes, and opened the door, which made her quiet down. We go outside, and she starts walking toward the grass, only to fall down into slush. By now, I feel really bad for her and as if I'm the meanest mommy in the world by making her do this! She started to scream again, and tried to crawl, her coat making it very difficult. I sighed, picked her up, and tried to set her on her feet. She wanted none of that! So, we went to check the mail, and then came back inside. Again, my kid's weird! *sigh*

Bittersweet weekend...

2006-11-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving went by without a hitch. The table was beautifully set, the house cleaned and scrubbed, and the food was delicious. We had family surrounding our dining room table, and we had a nice visit afterward.

Friday, we received some terrible news. . .Brandon's grandmother--who was just here the day before, helping me cook and then clean all the dishes (the dishes had to be hand-washed)--had blacked out and fallen down her basement stairs while carrying her vacuum cleaner. Turns out, she had anemia (no one knew, not even she!) and it caused a brain aneurysm, making her black out. Her fall caused severe neck damage, and she never regained consciousness (as far as I know). A few hours later, she was gone. It was such a shock, since she was the healthiest out of all of our (mine and Brandon's) grandparents combined. The uncertainty we have now is, who will continue to take care of Clair, her husband? Right now, her sister is taking care of him. We are to drive to Bellefontaine tomorrow by 1 to be with family for the viewing times, and then again on Wednesday for the funeral.

In the midst of all this, minutes after receiving the first telephone call, I received a call from one of my dearest friends...she's expecting! Yay! A new baby to spoil! (Her name is withheld because not everyone knows yet...If you think you know who it is, try guessing again because I have several friends who might possibly fit the bill!!)

Needless to say, Friday was one of mixed emotions. I've been helping Brandon adjust to his grandmother's passing, and I've had to really restrain myself from truly bouncing off the wall over my friend's good news.

Despite all this excitement, I've been working on various gifts for the next few weeks. I finished my FIL's afghan for his birthday (yippee!), which he's been waiting on for a while now. I started both of my SILs' Christmas gifts, and began several sock monkey hats for my cousins and various friends for Christmas. Also on my to-do list are snowflakes, dishcloths, and another afghan for a friend who purchased the yarn. I keep praying that I get everything done and fast!!

I borrowed some Gooseberry Patch books from the library, and one of them had a great idea for recycling felted wool sweaters--you know, those sweaters that seem to shrink every time you wash them, only for you to discover they were wool and should have been hand-washed? Turns out, you felt them even more, turn them inside out, and cut out a stocking shape, using the neck of the sweater as the cuff of the stocking. You sew the sides together, turn right-side-out, and embellish as you desire. I think cabled ones would look wonderful! I think I just might use this idea for next Christmas, gathering up wool sweaters from thrift stores over the year and felting them for stockings. Hmmmm...

Well, I need to go. Since Brandon's off for bereavement leave, we're going shopping to find him some appropriate clothing for the next 2 days--his suit no longer fits!

Broccoli Bobble Bag Pattern

2006-11-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, I decided to post the pattern here, so it goes along with the pics of the bag in my previous post. A couple of my friends and I were looking at it during the OSU Buckeyes vs Michigan game, and decided it looks like an upside-down broccoli spear, and since we like VeggieTales, I thought, why not? Hence, the name. Remember, since this will be felted, it will be HUGE as it is being worked up. I believe mine was about 2 1/2-3' long and about 4-6" wide.

You will need:

100% wool yarn--I used maybe 3 skeins of Bear Brand "Town 'n' Country" 2-ply which came in 2-pk 1.5-oz. skeins, and the other color came from a cone of Peruvian wool. I had purchased them from a thrift store on separated occasions, so some of them were used. I think different color mixes would make a great felted bag!
US Size P hook
Washing machine w/ hot wash/cold rinse cycle
Cotton pillow case (not flannel, because it will pill)
3 yds. 1"-wide gross-grain ribbon

Directions:

Ch 42.
Rnd 1: 2dc in 3rd ch from hook, and dc across, 3dc in last ch, dc across on other side of foundation ch, join to top of turning ch. Ch 3, do not turn.

Rnd 2: Dc around. Join in 3rd ch of turning ch, ch 3.

Rnd 3: Dc in next 3 sts, *work a 4-dc bobble [(yo, insert hook, yo, pull hook through, yo, pull hook through first two loops) 4 times, yo, pull through all 5 loops on hook--3-dc bobbles will have one less] in next 2 dc, dc in next 4 dc. Rep from * across to where the the piece begins to curve around to the back. There should be 7 groups of 2 4 dc bobbles. Dc around to beginning of round. Join, ch 3.

Rnd 4: Dc in next 3 sts, work a 4-dc bobble in top of next 2 bobbles, dc in next 4 sts, (work 4-dc bobbles in top of next 2 bobbles, sk next dc, dc in next 3 dc) 4 times, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 dc, dc in next 4 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 dc, (dc in next 8 dc, dc2tog) to end of rnd. Join, ch 3.

Rnd 5: Dc in next dc, dc2tog, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, sk next dc, dc in next 3 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, (sk next dc, dc in next 2 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles) 4 times, sk next dc, dc in next 3 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, (dc in next 6 dc, dc2tog) to end of rnd. Join, ch 3.

Rnd 6: Dc in next 2 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in bobbles, sk next dc, dc in next 2 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, (sk next dc, dc in next dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles) 4 times, sk next dc, dc in next 2 dc, work 4-dc bobbles in next two bobbles, (dc in next 5 dc, dc2tog) around to end. Join, ch 3.

Rnd 7: Dc 2 tog, work 3-dc bobbles in bobbles, sk next dc, dc in next dc, (work 3-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, sk next dc) 5 times, dc in next dc, work 3-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, dc across to end. Join, ch 3.

Rnd 8: Dc in next dc, work 3-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, sk next dc, work 3-dc bobbles across to dc, sk next dc, work 3-dc bobbles in next 2 bobbles, dc across to end. Join, ch 2.

Rnd 9: Work 3-hdc bobbles [(yo, insert hook, yo, pull through) 3 times, yo, pull through all loops on hook] across to dc section, hdc across to end. Join, ch 2.

Rnd 10: Rep Rnd 9, only w/ 2-hdc bobbles. Join, ch 1.

Rnd 11: Sc around. Join, ch 4.

Rnd 12: Sk 1 sc, dc in next sc, (ch 1, sk next sc, dc in next st) around. Join, ch 1.

Rnd 13: Sc in ea ch-1 sp and ea dc around. Join, fasten off.

By now, the bag should be about 2 1/2-3" across. Place your bag into a cotton (not flannel, as it will pill) pillow case, and place in your washing machine. Do not put anything else in there with it, as I found out the hard way! (I'm still picking of the thousands of little 'fuzzies'!) Throw a little laundry soap in (I just used my Tide), and set your machine on the longest setting with a Hot Wash/Cold Rinse. Once it's finished, you just take it out, and lay it on a flat surface to dry. You may even try hanging it on a plastic coat hanger, and hanging it for a day on your shower rod.

Cut your ribbon into three equal pieces. Weave one of the pieces through the eyelets of the bag and tie it in a bow. Take a second piece of ribbon and tie it around the post of one of the eyelets, with the tail leading downward, and tie the other end to the opposite end of the same side of the bag. Repeat this step with the third piece of ribbon. If you like, you can just weave the first ribbon through the eyelets and sew the tails to the inside of the bag and attach a pretty pin to the outside. Line your bag, if you desire, and you can even add a zipper (this will be easier to do if you line your bag at the same time!). Voila! Enjoy your new toy!

My Latest Creation!!

2006-11-17T14:59:00.000-05:00

I started this last night at bible study (I can't just sit still...My hands have to be doing something, and I was praying with every stitch!). I plan to give it as a Christmas gift. It's my first felted project, and I will have the pattern typed up soon. I really like this bag so much, that I'm going to have to make one for myself when I get the time!! (I really have too many WIPs to work on at the moment!!

I used 100% wool yarn that I bought at a thrift store, working with two shades of green at the same time with a P hook. After I finished it, I felted it and let it dry flat (there really wasn't any other way to do it). I wove the fuchsia gross-grain ribbon through some beading at the top, and also used the same type of ribbon for handles. When I make my own, I might use a different color of ribbon, if I can find some in the color I'm imagining (I'm thinking a chocolate brown grossgrain, in a 1" width).

Wow! Two Posts In One Week!!

2006-11-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

I haven't done this since my first couple weeks of writing this blog!! I must laugh at myself, though, because even though I am a SAHM, I would have thought I'd have more time to blog...*smacks forehead* What was I thinking?!?! I'm running after my 11-month-old, cleaning, cooking, crocheting, etc.

I started on the tunic for the bishop christening gown...Not sure yet what to call it, though...The sketch I drew looks quite pretty (although I'm no sketch-artist) and the squares are coming along quite nicely. I found two compatible pineapple squares at Celt's Vintage Crochet, which, when worked in #10 thread, come out to 3" and 6", respectively. They line up fairly well, too. Needless to say, I was rather excited about the match. Once the tunic is finished, I'm going to have to ask my mom to show me how to make a decent pattern with an existing garment. As I said before in a previous post, I found a couple vintage bishop-style dresses at a yard sale. The dresses are short (probably come to the knees or just above on a 1-yr-old), so I need to make the pattern quite a bit longer. The dress has smocking on the top, so maybe I could design a simple crocheted bodice? I don't know...We'll have to see. Perhaps soon I can work up a simple pattern for testing, but I don't know how that works since they're someone else's squares I'm using. Maybe I can just make the garments myself and sell them that way, or give credit in a short bibliography either at the beginning or the end of the pattern. I hope my dh has a program here on our pc that will allow me to "draw" the schematics for the dress...that or do some fancy rigging and repeat the squares in order that someone could duplicate the pattern as well in case I need assistance in making more for sales.

I hope sales pick up soon...I had to remove my Garcelle dresses from Rue de Lily in Powell because Karyn needed more room in the shop for her Christmas items. I want to sell dresses and also sell the pattern, but I need to research some more in order to establish a lulu or an etsy account. I've had encouragement from Drew the Crochet Dude to work with lulu.com because the publishing is easy and they don't charge much...I also probably need to get a ProPay or PayPal account so I can collect fees for the patterns, but I'm not sure I want to do that...Right now, I think I'd rather just have people send me the money via snail-mail, so I may just stick with that for the time being.

My Journal

2006-11-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

Alright...I made good on my idea to make a WIP journal...It's also my design journal...Although, up until today, I haven't put in any dates. *embarrassed grin* Lol. So far, I have my design of the Anona dress, plus, I found a bobbin lace tunic online...shouldn't be too hard to duplicate with crocheted motifs. I plan to miniaturize it to make a lace tunic for another Christening dress design I have in mind...perhaps make a bishop-style dress out of muslin, and work the tunic to put on top of it? We'll have to see. . . I found the perfect pineapple square for it, though! My dd and I went to a yard sale at a local church a couple weeks ago, and found some vintage little girls' bishop dresses, complete with smocking...I was thinking of using them as guides for the underdress pattern, making them with long sleeves instead of the short sleeves they have, while the tunic would have short sleeves with a couple pineapple motifs going around them. The pineapple squares would be the bodice, and hem of the skirt...Oooh! Wouldn't this also be pretty made with an organza or tulle skirt? Hmm...

I also have in it my Garcelle patterns, my outlines for the Stargate afghan pattern I'm also currently working on for a gal at Crochetville. It's amazing what one comes up with while watching television!! I also have in it schematics for other things, like the teapot pattern I've been working on for almost 2 1/2 years (still can't quite get it looking right), among other things.

This journal I hope to pass on to my children someday...all of them (once they're born and old enough) will learn to crochet, knit, and sew--even the boys (much to the chagrin of our more masculine friends). I also have probably about 1,000 or more patterns I've pulled off the web or J-hooks at stores, as well as many books that I have to pass on. My dd is our only child so far, and she seems to be interested in the yarn, thread, and hooks Momma 'plays' with all the time...in fact, she helps me out by pulling it out of the skein or off the ball...Sometimes, she even helps me FROG my work, even when it doesn't need it!! Lol.

Well, my friends, I must go... the thought of the bishop dress is intriguing, so I'm going to work on another square to see if I can put them together!!

Wow...

2006-10-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

Many things have happened the last couple of weeks. I ran out of the Autumn Red yarn I needed to finish my FIL's afghan, so I'm trying to finish it in black...I'm hoping it turns out okay. Dh and I are Stargate fans, SG-1 and Atlantis. The other day, I was inspired, and I have started to design a Stargate Afghan...No, it's not the charted kind like someone else has made (I can't remember the lady who designed it--if you're reading this, please speak up!! :-) ), but it's going to be pieced together, much like a granny afghan. As soon as I can figure out some of the specs, I'll post the pattern here, that way I can share with other fans. (Hey, since the show's ending soon after 10 years, wouldn't it be neat to send each cast member a Gate-ghan? *wiggles eyebrows* I think it would be pretty darn cool, but I don't have the resources to do it myself. :-( )

I have completed the sweaters for my dd and niece, now I'm working on a sweater jacket for myself, which I hope to wear Sunday to church for my dd's dedication ceremony. It's the Baroque Lady's Jacket, available at Stitchdiva.com, and also at Annie's Attic. I didn't have the funds to buy the yarn they recommended, so I used Bernat's Super Saver in Medium Antique Rose. It's turning out quite nicely, and I can't wait to wear it!!

I finally designed a bonnet and bootie set to go with my christening gown, which I've named Garcelle (it's French for "blooming"). Here are some pics, in which the complete set is modeled by my new doll:

If you'd like a copy of my pattern, feel free to email me at trinketsbytracey at yahoo.com (spelled out to protect from spammers) for more information. This will not be a free pattern, and I will give you the info necessary--right now, I'm trying to see what kind of response I would receive for it.

I must go now; I need to continue cleaning up before dh comes home from work. I hope to hear from you, readers, very soon!!

I don't know what to do now!!

2006-10-02T09:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, I've posted before about all my WIPs. I've finished a sweater I started last week for my dd or for my niece (they're both getting matching cardigans from "Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies"--it's the V-stitch hoodie that's toward the back of the book) to match the matching dresses I bought for each of them at Wally-World (even though both babies have opposite complexions [dd fair, dn darker], the colors in the dresses look good on both! Yay!! *happy dance*). I need to finish the sleeves, hood, and trim on the second sweater. I also started a CAL at Crochetville with the Skipping Stones Circular Afghan by Priscilla Hewitt. The plan is to make two of these--one for my FIL, the other for my dd. So far, the one for my FIL is coming along beautifully!! His is being made in Mainstays (a brand formerly carried by Wally-World [THUD]) Autumn Red. The one I want to make for my dd is going to be in purples, greens, and blues from an old UFO I started four years ago that I've decided to frog. I also have another WIP that is a ripple afghan for a friend. He picked a bright neon green Rainbow Boucle from JoAnn's, Etc., and even though the coloring is 'interesting', to say the least, the afghan is turning out quite well--better than I expected, actually. Then, there's also the Anona Christening Dress I'm designing. *sigh* I'm taking a break from it for the moment, because I need to finish dd's dedication dress I started months ago, took a break from, and is only half-way finished! *puts hands up to head, shakes head* I have so many things going on, I don't know what to finish first! I do have to admit, though, that the circular afghan being worked with two strands has been a nice change for me. Going from size 10 thread to double worsted has been fun. It's not as much of a strain on the eyes, know what I mean? Well, readers, I must go for now. Hopefully, soon, I am able to update with pics...I'll admit that I've been quite lazy about that lately. Time to get some breakfast!!

More Ideas!!

2006-09-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I took my daughter to a local mall to play in their play space. Well, after lunch, she crashed in the stroller, so I decided to walk around a bit and let her sleep. I found a store called "Strasburg Children", which is a really expensive special occasion store for children up to size 14 in girls. The lady working in there offered me a catalogue to take home and share with my dh (haha), and I accepted it. I brought it home, and boy, did I find all kinds of neat ideas to include in my own designs! Readers, if you aren't familiar with Strasburg Children, all their clothes, for the most part, are hand-made or hand-decorated with lots and lots of smocking, tasteful embroidery, and using high-quality materials. Each item has French seaming, piping, etc. Absolutely gorgeous! Of course, I didn't tell her that I design baby clothes (well, Christening dresses), but I did get a lot of ideas with various pieces of styling they use. (If you want to see a sampling of their items, check out www.strasburgchildren.com) After I sat down and thought about it, I was able to figure out how to 'copy' some of the ideas and I was mentally able to 'see' the stitches required to do this.

I began writing down my ideas on some paper, and realized that if someone else were to try to follow my directions, they may need to actually see an example of what I'm talking about. So, I've decided to put together a designer's notebook. I've seen all kinds of knitters' notebooks, quilters' notebooks, and seamstress notebooks, but never have I seen a crochet designer notebook. So, I've decided to make one. Hmm...what should I put in it?

Let's see...

basic stitches
pattern stitches
sizing directions
sewing directions translated into crochet patterns (which is what the premise behind this thing would be)
graphs
decoration implementation (i.e., bobbles, beads, faux-smocking, etc.)

I'll have to think about it some more...As I work on it, perhaps I'll publish it here online to share with everyone...I'll have to see what kind of response I get.

Tata for now!!

WIPs and Chains and other things...

2006-09-20T14:42:00.001-04:00

The work on the Anona dress is going quite slowly...then again, I keep going back and forth between working on it and working on a doggie bag. The bottom row of pineapples is almost finished, and I've decided I don't like my #10 hook. I think I prefer my #9, which is just a hair bigger, and, as it is an older Boye, much smoother. The 10 is a little too pointy.

The doggy bag I'm making is going to be used by my daughter when she goes trick-or-treating this year for the very first time. She's going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and the dog I'm making is Toto. "Toto" will be her treat sack, if all goes well. If not, I'll use the extra gingham I bought yesterday to make her a matching sack to go with her dress. I can't wait to see how it comes out. I'd offer up a link to the JCPenney's catalogue to show you a picture of the bag I'm talking about, but there is not yet a picture available--at least, not until the 11th of October. They are very, very cute bags, and I hope my variation on them does just as well.

Today, i went to Toys R Us to look for a model for my dresses. (I'd have used my daughter, but she was too big for them already.) I found one for $21.99, and I think it was on sale. It looks a lot like my daughter, as well, so I just had to buy it. The first thing my daughter did when I took it out of the box was crawl on my lap and take the doll's bottle. She wouldn't get near the doll, nor would she let it touch her! Lol. I believe she felt threatened by it, not understanding that it was just a doll and not a real baby--probably because it was only a little smaller than she is! Don't worry, readers, I didn't tease her with it...I'm not cruel like that. I just held it up to her to see if she'd talk to it, like she used to 'talk' to other babies or dolls she plays with. I guess it just freaked her out. *shakes head*

Well, dear readers, I must bid you adieu, for now. I have to attend to my laundry and reorganize my projects so they don't drive me nuts.

WIPs and Chains and other things...

2006-09-20T14:42:00.000-04:00

New Inspirations...

2006-09-18T14:00:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend, aside from the flea market, I also had a few inspirations for spring craft shows. I was going through my baby name books, trying to find a name for my first christening dress, when I ran across the name, Anona, which means 'pineapple' in Irish. Hmm...which got me thinking. The last time I went to Rue de Lily, Karen asked me to make a dress which had elastic in the bottom, kind of like a sleeper-sack. Hmm...combine the two together...Hmm...Great idea! So, my new WIP is a pineapple christening dress that is a sack and it will be named Anona. I have the skirt figured out, but as I'm writing down the pattern as I work, it may be a while. I have no idea how I am going to work the bodice yet, but it will come in time. I do have an idea for the bonnet. Get this: there is a pattern for a pineapple potholder somewhere here online. I will work several of these pineapples in thread, work them together like Irish lace motifs, and make a cap remeniscent of Anne Geddes-style hats. If I do this, the dress is going to be kind of frilly...I hope it won't look ridiculous, because I can't stand a lot of frou-frou. I prefer simpler, classy things, which appeal to wider audiences.
I also have two other goals which I hope to have completed before March.
Goal 1: Design and work a boys' christening outfit. Perhaps with knickers and a vest? There is a sad shortage of crochet patterns for this genre, and I realize the difficult task of making a crocheted item not look too girly. I feel I'm up to the challenge!
Goal 2: Design and work a doggie bag, inspired by this year's JCPenney Christmas catalogue and a chihuahua pattern I found online. I got a great deal on fun fur yarn at a local store, and thought, "hey, I can really try this!" Hobby Lobby also has purse straps which could pass for leads/leashes, and to disguise the opening, I would work in a sweater for the closure, using a standard magnetic snap. It sounds kind of corny, but it isn't, really. I saw so many people carrying their little dogs in purses, and actually pushing them in baby strollers!! *raises eyebrow* You never know...the idea could take off...

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!

New Inspirations...

2006-09-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

Taking Back the Art!!

2006-09-18T13:34:00.000-04:00

Okay, okay...It's time to start a new movement! To all the crocheters out there, I'm speaking to you!! We need to take back the art of crochet! Why do knitters get to make more money on their items (if they sell them) when we use even more yarn, take just as much time (especially if we work with thread) making the items, yet make barely more than the cost of the materials on our work?! THIS IS NONSENSE!! Okay, I'm venting. but there is a very good reason for my vent. I was a vendor at a flea market yesterday, and there were a few other vendors who had either crocheted items, or knit items available. The knit items cost more, and people were willing to pay those prices, yet I had heirloom-quality christening dresses available (made of thread, using 16 hours of work, and lined with hand-stitched linen with French seams, no less!), and I had people gasping at my prices, saying they weren't going to pay $25 for a hand-crocheted dress (mind you, readers, this was my least-expensive dress, no less!) that was lined with 100% linen, hand-stitched! Granted, I know my venue was a poor choice for showing off my wares--although I was able to generate some interest from a select few who understood the amount of work I put into my Tiny Trinkets Garments--but still, HOW RIDICULOUS! (I was selling off my entire Coca-Cola collection, as well, and was very successful at it) I was so steamed at the comments I heard! (One old lady said, "who does she think she is, charging that much? I ain't payin' that! That's made of sewin' thread! Why should I pay $25 for something I can buy for $2?" !?! Does she not realize that time is also valuable?) I do know of a few craft shows I'd like to enter in the spring, and I'll probably have better luck there.
I just had a thought...perhaps people at flea markets don't realize how long things take to hook together? But then again, I even tried to show the lady my portfolio (which had approximate time-tables next to each garment) when she asked what else I make, but she wasn't interested. Oh well, win some, lose some. Not only this, but also crocheting is a common liesure art. It is so common, in fact, that when you tell a non-fiber person (one who doesn't work with yarn, string, thread, etc) that you crochet, that person--more often than not--immediately thinks, toilet tissue covers, tissue box covers, towel toppers, etc. Stuff that takes less than an hour to make and thereby costs less than $5. It's so bad in my area, and in the town where I grew up, that anything crocheted is devalued unless it's a garment from a department store. I have to go to higher-income areas where most people don't do hand-work (especially with thread) and sell to a boutique, and even then it's iffy.
For those of you who knit, as well, please don't misunderstand me...I knit, also. I'm not great at it, but I do appreciate the beauty of the hand-knit item. However, crocheted items can be just as beautiful, and just as valuable. I don't know of 1 fiber artist who does not take pride in his or her work.
What are your experiences with this, readers? I'd like to hear from you!

Yay!!

2006-08-25T13:31:00.001-04:00

I took in my second of Christening dresses to Rue de Lily in Powell, and Karyn LOVED it!! Woohoo!! It looks a lot like the original one I designed, only I added a few more inches to the skirt, added long sleeves, and made it with white mercerized cotton thread. I hand-sewed the skirt lining, using French seams on linen fabric. It's gorgeous!! I also made an adaptation of the Baby Ankle Ties listed in Book 2 of Priscilla's Irish Crochet, making them a little more modern-looking, yet antique. Now, all I have to do is make white booties, line them with linen, and take them back up to the shop once they're done. Also, while we (my dd and I) were there, another lady who works occasionally for the shop owner suggested offering my wares to a little shop in Dublin, Ohio called Create, or something like that. Hmmm...I'll have to see...Perhaps I'll try after the Gahanna Flea Market next month. I really need to focus on products for that event first, then see how things go.

I made 8 more pairs of knitting needles yesterday for the Flea Market. The fobs range anywhere from roses, to circles, to berries, and such. I have a limited color supply of polymer clay, or I'd also try to make animals or even animal prints if I had only thought of buying oranges, browns, and yellows. Oh well. Out of that size of skewers, I only have 9 pairs left to make. Then, I'll start on the size 3 skewers, sorting them, sanding them, dying the bamboo, then I'll make the fobs to go with them, as well. The size 6 ones are turning out to be very cute, and I can't wait to see how well they do at the flea market. I can't decide if I'll display them in a milkglass vase, or in a basket--perhaps I'll do both? Hmmm...maybe I'll ask my CP friends to see what they suggest...

Tata for now...Next time, I'll try to write a tutorial on how to pick just the right doily patterns to make a doilyghan...It's very simple, but I have had people ask me how I know which ones are the right ones, or how to adapt a doily pattern to not have quite so much openwork.

Make Your Own Knitting Needles

2006-08-24T10:59:00.001-04:00

I figured out a way to make bamboo knitting needles without a lot of expense!! Woohoo! Unfortunately, it can take some time. Want to know how I did it? Great!! Here we go!!

Materials:
Bamboo skewers (these can be found in your local department/kitchen store. Sometimes grocery stores have them with the kitchen utensils)
Really fine sandpaper
Your choice of polymer clay
Foil
Baking sheet
Oven

Optional: Kool-Aid, water, distilled white vinegar, old cup

Directions:
1. Make sure you find two skewers that match in diameter--they're usually pretty close in the package, but watch out for warping, as well, although it doesn't affect the knitted piece.
2. Using the fine-grain sandpaper, carefully smooth out any roughness, paying close attention to the tips of the skewers--you don't want your needles to be too sharp!
3. (Optional) In the old cup, pour about 3/4 -1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a package of Kool-aid in the color of your choice. Stir until Kool-Aid is dissolved. Place your chosen skewers into the cup of Kool-Aid mixture for several hours. The bamboo will soak up the coloring. If desired, flip your skewers so the bamboo can soak up coloring on the other end, as well, leaving kind of a tie-die effect in the center of the skewer. Once the color is as you desire, set out to dry in a color-safe area. Once dry, follow with the proceeding steps.
4. Line the baking sheet with foil. Depending on how many pairs of knitting needles you're making, take more foil and make an accordion pattern with it. Place this on the foil-lined baking sheet.
5. Set your oven to the appropriate temperature on the package of the polymer clay.
6. (WARNING: DO NOT USE AROUND FOOD PRODUCTS OR WHERE FOOD IS TO BE CONSUMED OR PREPARED.)Using the clay of choice, make whatever type of fob (piece that fits on the end of the needle, opposite of the point) you like, making sure there are no bubbles in the clay. Tip: I take a tiny bit of clay, roll it into a worm, flatten it, then adhere it to the end. Then I add whatever design element I like. If you desire, add glass beads to your clay design.
7. Place your knitting needles into the slats of the accordioned foil on the baking sheet. Repeat step 6 as often as desired or until baking sheet is full.
8. Bake, following directions on the polymer clay package CAREFULLY. While baking, wash your hands to remove any residue. Do not allow children around the oven while baking, because the clay gives off harmful fumes.
9. Once baking is finished, allow your needles to cool--usually about 10 minutes or so. Now, you're ready to start knitting!!

I need to start...

2006-08-24T10:54:00.000-04:00

a WIM journal...I got the inspiration from a book I'm reading about how to invent things, and how things were invented over the years. It talks about fantasy inventions...perhaps I could do Fantasy WIMs? Like, for instance, I've been playing with the idea of making crocheted versions of wedding cakes, using a combination of a hat pattern, and sewing/crocheting Irish crochet motifs to it. Afterwards, perhaps adhering each piece to a papier mache box and voila!! Instant gift!! Sure, it would take more time than what I imagine anyone would ever pay for it, but if done correctly, what a fantastic piece de resistance!! Hmmm...I wonder what else I could put in my journal? *stares off wistfully into space*

Gaaaa! I Can't Believe It's Been 2 Months!

2006-08-22T13:58:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry, folks, for not updating a lot sooner!! My daughter is teething, and a lot has been going on lately!!

Let's see what's been going on in my world...

I finished the dress and took it in to Karen at Rue de Lily...she LOVED it!! Now, I'm working on a white version with long sleeves, and I'm making the skirt longer before taking this one in to her.

I'm also working on items to sell at the Gahanna Flea Market on Sept. 17th. It runs from 9-4:30 in Gahanna, Ohio. I'll be selling a bunch of little cupcake bags, homemade knitting needles (made with bamboo skewers, polymer clay, and Kool-Aid), my Coca-Cola collection, and a bunch of other items I've made. My crochet-along items have been put on hold, just until after the flea market, because I'm going to give them away for Christmas gifts.

A friend of my husband is getting married on New Year's Eve. I'm making her a Star of India doilyghan (pattern can be found under the topic, "Doilies" at Celt's Vintage Crochet), which will be made in a bright red and trimmed in gold metallic thread or yarn--haven't decided which, because it will depend upon what I can find that isn't too expensive.

I'm also making my daughter's dedication dress...I can't remember where I found the pattern, but it uses a double-knot stitch...I don't like that stitch, so I'm using an open-shell, which is a lot easier. It looks really cute, too.

I'm also learning about Irish crochet motifs, and putting them together. I adapted a pattern I found in a Priscilla book that has baby booties (I think they're called "Baby's Ankle Ties") and made them look a little more modern. I think they'll be really cute with the christening dress I designed. I have one finished, and as soon as I finish the other, I'll upload the pics. I might even design a bonnet or a hat to match...hmm...another WIM, just what I need. Lol.

A few weeks ago, I went to a thrift store and lo, and behold, they had a huge bag of wool for less than $4!!!! I couldn't believe it!! Of course, I bought it. :-D There were 4 balls of lavender wool yarn that was made in England, 2 full cones of dark green Peruvian wool yarn (luscious to work with!), and an unlabeled skein of lime green (feels like wool, not acryllic), and one skein of this creamy-greyish-tan, also wool. One of the cones of green I'm making into a pineapple shawl, based on the infamous graduated pineapple table-topper. It's turning out to be quite lovely. The lavender I am making a knitted lace stole or shawl, haven't decided which, yet. Or, I might combine the other green cone, the lime, the tan, and the lavender, and make a Seraphina shawl, or some other butterly-wing shawl--perhaps the Halcyon? I dunno...haven't decided.

I'm still waiting to hear from other yarn addicts...I'd like to make an entry on "You Know You're a Yarn Addict If..." You can either finish the statement, or you can share a story about why you think you are a yarn addict...We already have a couple responses, but I'd like to hear more!!! Keep them coming, folks!

Eureka! It's Finished!!

2006-06-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

Haha!! I've finished my first real design!! (well, actually, the first of real substance, at any rate!!) *Happy dances* The christening dress is finished, and I am very happy with it!! Now I just have to reinforce some stitches, block it, and then take it in to Rue de Lily. After that, I can start on my daughter's dress. There's nothing more satisfying than when something you worked so hard on finally gets finished, especially when it's your own creation. Here are front and back pics of the dress. Now, I'm off to desperately clean my sadly neglected house!!

Pics and Updates

2006-06-13T09:46:00.000-04:00

Yay! I finally have some pics! Here is one of the white Nosegay Doilyghan. I haven't worked very far on it--only halfway through round 5 (I got a lot further on the Limon Sherbet one, though!). Kind of looks like a squid or an octopus if you hold it up by the center! For those of you who have expressed interest in crocheting along, on round 4, I only chained 23, and skipped the dc in between the picots--I slip-stitched there instead. This was to decrease the size of the openwork so that if a baby were laying on it or playing with the blanket, he or she would not shove an arm or leg through it (like mine would! *wink*). If you are crocheting along, you may send me pictures of your progress and I'll post them here for everyone to see. I'd love to see the different variations, as I'm sure others would, too!

Also, I have been working like a mad woman designing a christening gown to take to Rue de Lily. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week. I plan to line the dress with linen, and weave ribbons through the bodice for smocking, as well as for a tie in the back. So far, here are pics of the bodice before I started the skirt last night.

It took me forever, but I decided on an openwork lace skirt with flowers and trellis. I only have part of two rows completed, but I'm going to continue it until it's about 18" long. Then comes the daunting task of deciding whether or not I will work up a simple trim for a hem, and then figuring out how I want to do the sleeves. Since this dress is working up fairly quickly, I might make one for my dd if there is time before her dedication next month.

Right now, the dress is being worked in 100% mercerized cotton, natural color. I forget which brand it is, because I bought the thread a year or so ago to make a different christening dress for a friend's daughter, and unfortunately the label was thrown out. I had not yet discovered it is best to save labels and place them in a notebook with my patterns so that I know what it was and how to launder it! *sheepish grin* Oh well. My next task today is to go to JoAnn's, Etc. to find suitable buttons and about a yard of natural unbleached linen to make a liner for the skirt of the dress. If it turns out the way I expect it to, I might make the pattern available for sale--but I haven't decided on this yet. I need to pray about it, and if there's enough interest in the pattern--well, we'll just have to wait and see!

Well, readers, I must go. I need to type up the pattern so I can read it a little better as I'm working...I like to scratch things out a lot when I rectify my mistakes, and it makes things a little illegible as I try to read it again. Hopefully soon, I will return to update. My goal is to update at least once per week (I originally wanted to update every day, but with a teething 6-month-old, that's a little unrealistic! *grin*), so if I update in a couple days, we'll be set! Good-bye for now!

Oooh! The Agony!

2006-06-09T10:17:00.000-04:00

It's been a few days since my last posting, and for that I apologize. I've been trying to update since Wednesday, but the blogger site was down. However, I do have exciting things to share!

If any of you ever visit Powell, Ohio, go to Trends @ 21 on West Olentangy St. They have lots of delicious, yummy yarns, and they're phasing them out! They're getting rid of all of it, and right now, it's 50% off! They carry Tahki, Great Adirondak (very difficult to get around here!) and a few Italian lines I cannot remember! There's even a beautiful Cashmere, but since it's $82 for a skein (or $41 on sale), there's no way I can afford it right now. I wanted to spend hours just rolling in the stuff! Most of the fibers are hand-painted, and there are some synthetics there, too. *sigh* Hence, the agony of it all!

Also, in a couple weeks I will be returning to an adorable little shop on the same street called Rue de Lily. Karyn (the owner) is interested in seeing some of my work, so I'm working on a couple christening gowns (one of my own design) and doilyghans to see how they do in her store. I hope she likes them! Unless my best friends read this, I'm going to surprise them if Karyn does accept what I'm offering. A few days before we have a girls' day out, I will deliver my packages to Karyn, and then take my friends in there that weekend and just "happen" upon the items! I can't wait! I'm praying with all my might that my work sells, because dh and I could really use the money. When I get the bodice done of my dress, I will try to upload pics...

The Nosegay doilyghan is coming along nicely...I've started one in white (the yellow and green one is on hold) so I can take it to Rue de Lily and try to sell it with the dresses. I've had to make a few changes, so for those of you who are crocheting it with me, I'll update in a bit how I altered it to make the openwork just a tad smaller to make the blanket safe for little ones.

Well, dear readers, I must bid you adieu for now...I need to take dd to the grocery store so we have something for lunch! Wish me luck!

YAA (Yarn Addicts Anonymous)

2006-06-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

For those who are reading this, I'm compiling a list of "You know you are a yarn addict when..." and will publish the entire list here on my blog. If you would like to add to the list, just comment and I'll put them together.

As far as my challenge is going, I have two takers. Anyone else?

My update on the challenge: I am almost done with round four. After this, I'm changing from pale yellow to lime green for a couple rounds. I can't wait to see what it will look like when it's finished!

I am also working on a hard copy crochet portfolio to take to the craft show/flea market in September. I didn't realize how many photos I still have to take! Yikes! I was reading the October Archive of CP yesterday, and found many wonderful ideas on how to display items for things such as that. When I get paid for my second baby doilyghan, I will invest in some baby hangers (green and white), as well as some adult-sized plastic hangers (again, white) so I can crochet around them for display pieces, as well as parts of the packages when folks take them home. Anyone else have ideas?

Challenge...

2006-06-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

Okay, so this is the most I've ever blogged in one day...I know y'all will forgive me, right? *wink* Anyhooo, I have a challenge for those who are up to it. If you've read my previous posts, you'll already know that I take certain doily patterns and make them into blankets by using yarn instead of thread, and a large hook. As I read someone's post in the October 2005 Archive at CrochetPartners, I was inspired by a certain French Crochetalong. It seems that a doily pattern was given out to members of a forum, and each member was to make something wearable with it--it didn't look like it mattered what the garment ended up being. What the results came to be were fantastic, such as gorgeous shawls, ponchos, skirts, collars, wraps, etc. Therefore, I am issuing a similar challenge, only it doesn't have to be something wearable. I am currently working on a Nosegay Doily doilyghan, making it into a baby blanket using shades of greens and yellows. What can you, dear readers, make out of this particular pattern? Please respond to let me know if you are taking me up on your challenge, and I will send you an email addy to which you can send pics, or you can respond with a link to your online photo album. Happy Hooking!

I must be a moth...

2006-06-02T14:45:00.000-04:00

The last couple days have been interesting...bees (either the honey variety or the hornet type) have invaded our home and are nesting in between the 1st and 2nd floors of the condo. We had an exterminator out yesterday, but before that, Dh had dd and I stay with his parents overnight. While waiting for the okay to go home yesterday, dd and I went to the local thrift store and I found two knitted silk shirts...WOO-HOO! And these are the kind I can frog, too! One is 100% silk in lime green, and the other is a grey/tan tweed in 70/30 silk/cotton. Both are out-dated in style, but the feel of the fabrics are heavenly! Perhaps after I frog them both, I'll add them to my angora-flavored ramen and make a luxurious shawl with them all...Let's see...soft baby pink, bright lime green, and grey/tan? Hmmm...sounds odd, but you never know. I hope I find a fantastic pattern for all that yumminess!

First Post

2006-06-02T12:45:00.001-04:00

I hope I am better able to keep up with this blog than the last two I have started. The first one, I was not permitted to post photos unless I paid for the feature, which I did not have the money to do so. The second was a members only site. Neither of these is good for my budding career. You see, I am trying to become a crochet designer, and without photos and public access to back me up, it makes things difficult. I have patterns on another page but I cannot post pics of the finished product without funding, and if I post on the other site, not everyone would have access to it. Hence, my dilemma.

I have been crocheting for 20 years, now. My mother taught me the basics when I was just a kid, and I taught myself how to read patterns while I was in college and needed a stress relief. I recently began writing down some of the things I created myself, and, while time-consuming, it has been very rewarding.

This year, I am attempting to start a craft business. I am going to offer classes in crocheting once I am certified through the CYAA (hopefully, this fall!), and I will also be selling finished items at various craft shows in my area. I also plan to do special orders, which has been my main business so far.

I am a member of CrochetPartners (howdy, y'all!), and a few weeks ago, I had this inspiration to make doilyghans for baby blankets. I shared this idea on the board, and the idea just took off! A doilyghan is basically a large, blanket-sized doily made of yarn (that, or a doily is a doilyghan that has shrunk in the wash). I look for patterns that do not generally have a lot of large pieces of openwork, although netting and filet are quite nice for the projects. Celt's Vintage Crochet has a lot of nice, free-to-the-public vintage doily patterns which many of them are just perfect for blankets. My first two doilyghans were made from the Plate Doily pattern. The first, I made for my 6-month-old dd, and the second I made for a gal I know who ordered it for her new grandbaby who is due to arrive any moment now. Above is a pic of the finished doilyghan I made for my dd. The next doilyghan I am working on is called Nosegay Doily. I'm making each section a different shade of yellow and green...perhaps I'll call it Limon Nosegay? Anyhow, this one I started Wednesday night, and it seems to be rather time-consuming, so I may have to charge a bit more for the finished products as I sell them.

In September, I plan to take part in a local annual one-day flea market, trying to sell my wares. I will feverishly work on various pieces and expand my portfolio so that if folks want to special order something, they will be able to.

First Post

2006-06-02T12:45:00.000-04:00