Finally! A Finished Object! Also, Updates.

17.03.11 By Raynor in Blog Tags: crochet, FO, knitting, store sample, Totoro, WIP, yarn shop, Ysolda Teague 4 Comments

Gentle reader,

I’ve been a bit absent from my blog lately, but I come bearing updates on some of my projects, one of which being a finished object finally! I’ve felt very much like my attention has been divided. There are many cool things at the yarn shop that I’m working towards that have taken a bit of time, but has been very satisfying, and I’ve also been asked to design a logo for someone else which is also very exciting (I’ll talk about that when I know it’s okay to do so). So, my knitting and crochet has a been a little slap-dash.

However, I now present you my Lucha Libre mask.

Look at those droopy eyes. Wrestler has a sad.

Now, I’m not the best photographer; it looks kind of better in Real Life™ because your angle isn’t so fixed. Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses, but really, it’s true. Here’s another angle.

Fighty McGee!

So, here’s the thing. I don’t want to pooh-pooh anyone’s work, because I am far, far, FAR from perfect. But then, I haven’t published a book that I expect people to pay for. But following this pattern (and I use the word ‘follow’ loosely) was not at all a pleasant experience. For those of you who don’t crochet, when you work in the round, the stitches slant to one side as a product of working into the spaces. The chart included with this pattern was written straight. I thought, okay, that’s fine, there must be directions in the pattern text to accommodate for the slant. Nope. So, I worked the chart as per the pattern and sure enough the yellow face was skewed to one side. I wasn’t happy. Then I decided to take a closer look at the photographed piece in the book, and after some counting up and close scrutiny, I realized that the item they’d photographed and the pattern they’d written were not the same thing.

I felt really grumpy about that, especially because I was making the piece as a sample for the yarn shop. I think it’s a bit unfair to have a sample for a book when the pattern is kind of busted. If you’re a confident crocheter, it’s not a big deal because you can just adjust for it anyway (which is what I did after dragging my sad-sack butt to work and asking my co-workers advice). And perhaps I was just missing some fundamental thing. But still.

So, yes, I had to finagle the rows and offset them so that the pattern was straight. And it looked okay. I crocheted around the edges and added some red trim to clean them up, and the thing is far too small for my head, but truth be told my head is MASSIVE, so it’s on a display head (who I’ve affectionately christened Heddy Lamarr), but would probably fit a normal person or a kiddie. So, that’s that. It shall sit in the Manland section of our store, and It has not maligned me so much that I can’t bear to look at it or anything. And, there are some other fun ideas that I got while making this. Think… Spiderman, or Iron Man. Oh yes.

But now – and more exciting – are my Totoro mitts! (I didn’t gray out the background as I’ve been wont to do lately, since the mitts are gray themselves)

The backhand side - you can see Totoro's belly start to take shape.

The palm side - I'm suppose those are the soot sprites

Stranded knitting, huh? I love it! I’ve got a lot to learn still, but a co-worker of mine is a total pro and she gave me some great advice. I knew my floats were a little tight, but I had been trying to keep them so that fingers wouldn’t get caught. No biggie, it just gives the fabric a slight wave. But, she showed me some great techniques for weaving the working threads at the back which I’ve not had a chance to try out yet, but I’m very excited to do so. I think also that once I’ve got a pair of these done and dusted, that they’ll be a very fun and quick project which I can use for future gifts and the like, and I’ve even been inspired to start making my own stranded knitting charts, but I’ll see what happens there.

These will definitely be too small for myself, but that’s the cool thing! A dear friend of mine from way back when I was still involved in theater messaged me to say that her lovely daughter caught wind that I was making Totoro mitts and was very excited about the fact. So, it was a no-brainer; my little Totoro mitts have a home already! This makes me happy.

And last, but not least, I’ve made progress on my Peaks Island Hood for my Mama.

Peaks Island Hood - The first 24cm

I think it’s going to be really nice, though it will definitely need some blocking. I’m quite pleased with it. I’ve only gotten about 24cms along, however, because I find moss stitch to be a little annoying to do, but I’ll get there. I’m definitely glad I changed the yarn. I love this color so much. I’m not a big red person, but this burgundy-esque color is very nice, and it has a lot of subtle nuances to it which you can see close-up. Thumbs up for Morris Yarns!

But, that’s all for me today, I’ve got to get ready for today’s knit night, but I’ll try not to take too long to post next.

-R

Peaks Island, Take Two (Three? Two & A Half?)

27.02.11 By Raynor in Blog Tags: knitting, learning, WIP, yarn shop, Ysolda Teague 1 Comment

It may be that I’ll have to swallow a few “I told you so”s tomorrow. When I was choosing yarn for Ysolda Teague’s Peaks Island Hood which I’m making for my Ma, I had settled on Heirloom Easy Care 12 ply. When he saw what I’d chosen, he seemed to trying to be dissuading me without coming right out and saying not to buy it.

“Oh, really? I find that yarn a bit weird… it shows up mistakes really obviously.”

He’s a lovely and well-meaning guy, so I pondered for a second, and said “Well, that might actually be perfect, since I’m not a super confident knitter, if I can see my mistake then I’ll know I’m making them and I can be aware of it. It’ll be a good exercise.”

He tried again to divert me to another yarn; any yarn but that. I laughed. “You just don’t like this yarn, do you?”.

“Well… no.”

But, in spite of his best efforts, I ploughed ahead. I’ve ripped out parts at least twice and started again with the same yarn once. And today, I stand before you, with my work frogged and two new balls of yarn ready to start again. To be honest, I love this color a lot more; especially for my Ma. And I’ve used Estate 8 ply before and it’s very nice. So, I think this will be great.

Morris Estate 14 ply

But, even after all that ripping out and starting again; I won’t say a bad word against the Heirloom. It -does- show mistakes very apparently, and I’ve definitely learned a lot about my knitting from using it. I’ll probably use it in a crochet project a bit later, because I think it would look super nice crocheted. Perhaps an amigurumi.

As for now, I’m keen to get started on the hood yet again with the Estate. And after my second or third time working the beginnings of it, I’m still not sick of it. I’m such an Ysolda fan-boy now.

Knittin’ & Crochetin’! All Systems GO! (Also, Games)

25.02.11 By Raynor in Blog Tags: book, crochet, knitting, photo, store sample, Street Fighter, Totoro, video games, WIP, Xbox, Ysolda Teague 1 Comment

As I had mentioned before, my craftiness had come to somewhat of an impasse. The koala didn’t get any more work – which no one seems to mind cuz it turns out heaps of other people hate koalas too; so pleased! – and my socks just had dribs and drabs here and there whilst on transport. I started a crochet sock; pulled it out. I started a beanie; pulled it out. I just wasn’t feeling it.

You wanna what I was doing though? Video games. I was definitely feeling that.

Sakura! Street Fighter IV for the win!

In the last month or so, I’ve finished Dante’s Inferno, Fable II, Mirror’s Edge, Bayonetta, and Devil May Cry 4. I wasn’t really sure what else to play, so I hooked up the Wii and started Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Which was garbage. I mean, it might have been alright a few years ago, but on a pretty vast HD LCD screen, the graphics looked like dookie, the controls were clunky, and it was just. so. BORING. So, I was like “I’ma trade in some games, y’all!” And I did! I now have Street Fighter IV and Alan Wake for Xbox to get through. I’m so obsessed with SFIV; the art direction is so yummy, it’s totally seducing my eyeballs. The picture above is Sakura, one of my favorite characters! Sure, she’s a little Japanese school girl in a sailor-style uniform, but she’s not overtly sexualized like other game characters, and her personality is so happy and fun.

I know, I know, I’m bad. The thing is, when I finish a video game, I get the same sort of satisfaction as when I finish a crochet project, so I feel like I haven’t wasted my time. And in that sense I suppose I haven’t, I just don’t have anything to show for it. But there is good news for all of y’all who don’t care what I’m yammering about unless it’s something yarn-y. Cuz I’m back in the zone, y’all! First of all, I had earmarked some patterns on Rav to get my inspiration going, and I found these gorgeous Totoro mittens by Brella.

Totoro Mittens!

I cast them on with some Lincraft brand DK acrylic and another nameless acrylic that I had lying about. I’m not the most confident knitter yet, and stranded knitting might be a little ambitions, so I figured I’d start with some acrylic and if all goes well by the halfway point, I’ll start a proper pair in nice yarn

Kooky. Indeed.

Then, while I was at work on Monday, I was flipping through a book called Kooky Crochet by Linda Kopp. I use the word kooky all the time, partially because it’s so versatile, and, well, this book does use the term faaaairly liberally. However, a lot of the items are quite fun, and it’s just refreshing to find a crochet book that isn’t all blankets and tacky singlet tops. I might review it later, but I won’t go too much into it now. Anyhow, I asked my manager if I could make the Lucha Libre you can see on the cover for the section in our store we like to call “Manland”, and the chicks for Easter, as well as some cool felted fortune cookies; the answer was yes! I’m pretty excited. I’ve started the mask, but I won’t show you pics of that yet; it’s just a blue disc. I would definitely make some changes if I were making it for my own benefit, but since it’s a sample, I’ll just to the pattern to the letter for now.

Peaks Island Hood by Ysolda Teague <3

And finally! I had made my Ma a beret for her birthday, but I was really unhappy with how it turned out. It was too late to make her something else in time, so I just gave it to her anyway. She said she loved it, but I guarantee she’ll never wear it. In fact, I hope she doesn’t. I’ve been determined to find something else to make her anyway, and I found this beautiful pattern from Ysolda Teague, who I absolutely adore. It’s called the Peaks Island Hood, and it’s a scarf that converts into a hood as well. I was umming and ahhing about it for a ages, but I finally bought it and today I bought some new needles and yarn and cast it on. I’m up to about row six I think, and I’m loving it so far.

I can already see a few mistakes I’ve made with twisted stitches and a few weird things, but nothing I’m concerned enough about to rip back. It’s a learning experience, and I’m just trying to accept that. It’s definitely making me think a lot more about the architecture of stitches and patterns, and that’s really great. I’m just frustrated that it’s not as easy for me as crochet, but I’ve been doing that for years, and I’m just picking up knitting for the first time since primary school. Just breathe, Raynor… chillax!