I’m Still Out Here….

… just feeling a bit frazzled.  As I’m sure is the case for many, we’ve been working hard to stay above water, so niceties like blogging got put aside for a while.  Still more or less in the same position (thanks, BP! -.-), but we’ll get there, and in the meantime, I’ve decided to come back to blogging and pursuing creative outlets in an effort to stay sane. o.O Anyway, so – to bring things back to all things creative and crafty – here’s a new (to me!) concept I’m looking at trying out – crocheting with poptabs from soda cans.  Check out these great links (links pulled from (and adapted from) a fab thread on Ravelry):

Pop Tab Wrap

• Tutorial for making a large crocheted pop tab purse.
• Here you can find has instructions for making pop tab flowers (which you can use as motifs for larger items).
• “This one is in Portugese, but the pictures are pretty self-explanitory and could be used as a guide for designing your own (she does rows instead of flowers).”
• “This ebook has patterns for making purses, baskets, vests, bracelets, skirts, and dresses. I don’t know if it uses crochet, though.”

I also found:

• http://poptabpurse.blogspot.com/
• Pull Tab Crochet / Crochet com Lacres – Flickr set from a lady who specializes in creating Pop Tab crochet pieces.  The photo in this blog entry is from this set.

A Smattering of Granny Square Inspirations [NaBloPoMo]

In keeping with my quick little post yesterday (NaBloPoMo keeps me posting, but antsy and short on time, some days. XD), I thought I’d share some of the web based inspiration I’ve found as I continue my quest towards granny-square-throw-FO-ness.

First off, check out this *KING SIZE* granny-square blanket over at YarnHog’s blog:

I’ll leave you to explore the blog entry, but a couple of points – it’s about 10 pounds, she figures, and it’s 9 feet square. 0.O

To go in a completely opposite direction, check out  Kirsty’s Granny Square ring over at her blog, Kootoyoo:

Other inspirations have been PurlBee‘s blog entry “Joelle’s Giant Granny Square” and of course Attic24.  Here’s a fab pic of a WIP for her:

I highly recommend her site.  She has some nice tutorials, including granny blanket edging,  joining granny squares as well as joining granny squares as you go.

On that note, PurlBee has a good basic tutorial.  I am also pleased to have Bev’s Country Cottage‘s page on granny squares.  Lots of pattern links and some sizing tips (“how many squares of what size do I need?”) here!

Considering Yarn… [NaBloPoMo]

I have to say, as I approach my first Holiday Season as a crocheter and proto-knitter, I’m struggling a bit with veganism and yarn.  I’ve been a vegan for more than 4 years, and I don’t buy wool – with the *possible* exception of second hand.  However I really do like a good wool yarn.  I don’t know if that’s a side effect of having a mom who knitted with wool when I was a kid or what.  Maybe so.

There are a lot of synthetics out there, but then I worry about the environmental impact their creation makes.  On the other hand, cotton is a very water intensive crop for most farmers.  It can be done “dry” but then one is looking at organic yarn, which is a bit beyond my budget at the moment.  Actually, a lot of better yarns are beyond my budget at the moment. o.0  So I’m mostly stuck *wanting* to get fancy vegan yarns (bamboo, soy, etc.) but actually purchasing affordable synthetics.

Today I’m going hunting for affordable yarn I can use to create the Delicate Web Wrap from Hooked Throws.  You can see the pattern at Lion Yarn (it’s free) or at Ravelry.  (I was a bit freaked out to see errata at the Lion site – hope that’s not par for the course for my chosen projects from this book!!)  I have some ideas, and I hope I can find what I need – I’m hoping to make this for a relative for Christmas!  Wish me luck! ^_^

Little Update

Just a quickie – swamped by RL, as usual:

• I’ve been teaching myself granny squares.  I’ve read here and there on the ‘net that they’re addictive – and I can certainly attest to that.  Currently, I’m trying to destash old yarn picked up from Goodwill way back, plus odds and ends left-overs, so I’m making squares for a pastel throw.  I’m using the instructions from the Klutz Crochet book, and the squares are turning out to be roughly five inches a side.  I’m gathering this is a more unusual size?  The book uses them for a scarf, so perhaps? Anyhoo – hopefully soon I can take pics of the pile I’ve made so far – I have about 20.  I need a lot more! XD  In the mean time, blog entries like this and this are inspiring me, ‘tho I wonder if my skills would do such blankets justice at this point….
• Via twitter, a confidence-boosting look at substituting yarn in patterns.  Pretty straightforward info, but some good reminders here.  This is something I think about a lot, especially as a vegan.  Wonder how many knitting and crochet vegan pattern designers there are out there….
• On that note, right now golden bird knits has a giveaway for a really interesting yarn:  Ruca by Araucania.  It’s made with 100% sugarcane.  It looks like really interesting stuff.  Elsewhere on the web I found this description: “Araucania Ruca Multi is an interesting new fiber made from sugar cane! It has an absolutely lustrous sheen and is incredibly soft. It is reminiscent of silk. The colors are gorgeous, and Araucania Ruca Multi would be perfect for socks or an absolutely stunning shawl.”  I’ve got my fingers crossed on this one, but regardless – I’ll be considering picking some of this up.  Anyone else have experience with it?
• A couple of charity crochet/knit projects:  Warm Up America! and Knit Your Bit – Knitting for Veterans.  Check ‘em out!

That’s it for me for now – hope you’re having a fantastic day and the rest of it goes even better!!!!!  ^_^

Telling a Good Yarn, and a Tiny Project

Howdy, y’all – hope this finds you well.  It’s lovely here – very temperate.

So, I finally got back in the swing of doing a little crochet – doing a very simple project, as I’m such an abject beginner.  I’m making a thin little scarf, not measuring or anything.  Gonna give it to youngest son, as the blue of the yarn will match his lovely blue eyes. ^_^  I’m using this pattern from Adventures in Crochet as inspiration – kinda obsessed with moss stitch right now….  Not gonna take pics right now – I’m sure they’d be horrifying, lol – I keep having to start and stop my work, then there’s just the fact that this me attempting to crochet, haha!  ^_-

Speaking of ha-ha’s – I’ve been having fun exploring the blogosphere of late – via Flying Pig Knits, which I love to visit, I found The adventures of Gladys and Harold Quimby, which I’m absolutely adoring – her latest two posts (3/7 and 3/6) had me in stitches.  (No pun intended! o.0)

The Local Yarn Shop

Well, I finally got around to going to my first yarn shop in a very, very long time last week.  Meant to blog about it between here and there, but life’s been busy….

Anyhoo, got a little late birthday pin money from my MIL, so off I went to hunt down my very own LYS:

Destin Yarn Shop

And there it is!  ^_^  I am *almost* too embarrassed to mention how excited I was when I realized I’d found it.  And what fun it was – lots of colors and textures…

LYS Goodies

Anyway, I controlled myself and bought some size 9 needles and two types of yarn.   Gonna make a potato chip scarf, a free pattern from owner Carol Williams that I’m sure most have you have seen before.  It’s supposed to be easy.  Guess we’ll see, lol.

One Reason I Want to Knit:

Is so I can knit stuff like this:

Men's Norwegian Mittens @ the Knitting in Color Blog

I love stranded color knitting, and Knitting in Color has beautiful examples.  What an inspiring blog! ^_^

Fruit from a New Obsession…

As I’m wont to do with a new/refreshed interest in something, I’m going hogwild with the internet research!  I thought I’d share some of the interesting links I’ve found, hopefully both for other’s interest, but also for future reference for me.  ^_^

Firstly I love the free patterns page over at BitterSweet, the blog of My Sweet Vegan author Hannah Kaminsky.  I totally gotta crochet a toast purse, just for fun, ya know.

On a more practical level I recently discovered these knitted fruit cozies in an old Vegan Lunch Box post.  Protecting fruit in a lunch box or briefcase is practical, but these are really cute and fruit-specific.  She’s included a link to the banana cozy design she came up with.

Along those lines, I’ve recently discovered Amigurumi.  How could I have missed that?  Seriously, ask my sister – I shouldn’t have missed that.

I can totally see creatures from the oddball to the kawaii manifesting themselves on the end of my crochet hook.  Hurrah!  New goal!

Oh, and speaking of kawaii, I’m really looking forward to making kitty beds.  We’ve got kitties, my sister has a kitty, my folks have kitties….And then there’s always my local kitty rescue groups.  Ah, but as that’s in the future – I mean I’m nowhere near ready to knit that sort of thing, I will have to settle for this awesome page full of happy cats experiencing knitted bliss.

Margaret's Kitty, from the Gallery. Click da kitty to go her blog....