Using this tutorial I found on the web, today I made my first garment in over ten years.  It’s not going to get me on Project Runway, but for a first try, I think it will be good to have for work in the coming months:

Because I needed yet another hobby on which to spend time and money, I’m learning to spin!  Thanks to Inga for showing me how, and guiding me through this awkward new craft.  My first lesson was at my May stitch-n-bitch.  I was introduced to the drop spindle, and the basic mechanics of spinning, though managing the wool proved to be challenging for me.  I put it down for a few weeks, not sure I was going to continue.

I went with Inga to a local meeting of the Northwest Regional Spinners Association (NwRSA), and spent some more time at it, while observing everyone else spinning with their wheels.  I finished the two samples on the left of natural wool.

Then I went to a spin-in at Weaving Works in Seattle, again with Inga, and Kindel joined us as well.  Things finally started to click, and I finished spinning my sample of black wool (center).  Inga showed me how to make it into a 2-ply, and now I just have to figure out what to make from it – someone suggested a cat toy as a good project for such a small sample.  Next, I’m going to spin the beautiful purple fiber on the right – purchased by Kindel at Weaving Works, she gave me a good chunk of it to spin!  Hopefully in the near future, I’ll take a class, and move on to spinning on a wheel.

The Paint Job

A belated post of the rooms I painted several months ago.  The green room is our bedroom – I left the trim white.  The yellow room is my craft room at the moment, but Baby Sinkula will occupy it later on.

For Bridget’s birthday, we had dinner at a diner called Little Anthony’s.  Mark got a bit jealous of the waiters when they gave Bridget her birthday kisses, but ice cream sundaes all around made up for it.  Plus, we got to channel some Elvis and Marilyn in front of the restaurant before we went home. Somehow after all that ice cream, we still managed to find room for some chocolate strawberry birthday cake!

I was glad to also be able to visit with my friend, Kim, and go for a nice hike through Saguaro National Park.

Mostly I enjoyed the time spent with Bridget and family, watching movies, playing a couple board games and catching up on some reading.

]]> http://www.bettycrotchitt.com/?feed=rss2&p=192 2 http://www.bettycrotchitt.com/?p=172 http://www.bettycrotchitt.com/?p=172#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:52:44 +0000 admin http://www.bettycrotchitt.com/?p=172 Look at my medals!  The 2010 Winter Olympics were not so much fun to watch on NBC, but participating in the Ravelympics did make it better!  I entered two projects in the Ravelympics, and finished both with a couple days to spare.

My first project (actually a last minute addition to the events) was this knit cabled slouchy beret, which I made for my sister Yvonne.  The pattern was easy and fun, and I know there is one of these for myself in my future.  This one is made with 1-1/2 skeins of Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Cobblestone Heather.  It only took a few hours overall, so it’s a good weekend project.

My second project was a Chanson en Crochet for myself.  I made one of these for my mom last year, and the pattern was so much fun I was just waiting for the Ravelympics to make this one.  The yarn was a birthday gift from my Ravelry friend Stitchpunk – a possum wool blend in my favorite color.  With just one skein, I wanted a special project for this yarn, and after making my first Chanson, I knew this was it!  It came out beautifully, for being a little lighter weight yarn than the pattern called for.  I did modify the last few rows by using double crochet instead of single crochet – I wanted to make sure the length was good.  The change also made the edge a bit more ruffly, but I like it.  This is one of my most favorite patterns ever!  It works up very quickly, the lace details are so unique and beautiful – look at the flowers! – It uses a relatively small amount of yarn, and is very engaging.  If you haven’t tried this pattern go for it!  As long as you have the errata, you can’t go wrong!

Yarn: Vanna’s Glamour in Platinum (3 balls)  I used exactly 3 balls, including my gauge swatch, so make it 4 if you plan to increase the size or add sleeves.

Hook: N (9 mm)

Gauge: 10 hdc and 8 rows = 4″

Back: Chain 44 loosely.

Row 1: Hdc in the second chain from hook, and in each remaining chain, turn.  43 hdcs.

Row 2: Ch 1, Hdc in each stitch across, turn.

Repeat row 2 until piece measures 20 inches.  Begin armhole shaping.

Row 1: Sl st in first 3 stitches, Ch 1, Hdc in same stitch and in each remaining stitch to last 2, turn, leaving the last two stitches unworked.  39 hdcs.

Row 2: Ch 1, skip 1st stitch,Hdc in next stitch and in each rem. stitch to last stitch, turn, leaving last stitch unworked. 37 hdcs.

Row 3-4: Repeat row 2.  33 hdcs remain.

Work even (as body row 2) for an additional 4 inches.

Shoulder Shaping:

Row 1: Ch 1, Hdc in 10 stitches, turn, leaving remaining stitches unworked.

Row 2 – 4: Work even (as body row 2), fasten off.

For opposite shoulder, join yarn 10 stitches from end of unworked body stitches, and repeat shoulder shaping.

Front: Work same as for back through row 4 of the armhole shaping.

Work even ( as body row 2) for 2 inches.

Shape shoulders the same as for back, making each side 8 rows instead of 4.  Fasten off.

With right sides together, sl st shoulder seams together.  Seam sides from armhole to about 8 inches from bottom for side vents.  Work one row of sc evenly around each armhole and neck.  Weave in ends, and block to desired finished measurements.  This is a really stretchy fabric – my blocked sizing came out to about 33″ around and 29″ long.

Now, we had several cups of assorted color blends, so naturally we looked for something else to dye.  Enter my leftover charcoal gray Jaggerspun wool.  I wasn’t particularly fond of the blue-gray color, but I had never gotten around to doing anything about it.  Until now.  We mixed a batch of Black Cherry, and colored the yarn as much as possible with this.  Then we took the remaining blends, and went Mad Scientist on the yarn.  Not sure of the outcome until after rinsing, we were thrilled with this deep heathered purple (bottom of picture):

Finally, left with still more unused color (and deploring the thought of dumping at all down the drain), I scrounged around and found a skein of orange Patons classic wool.  We dumped the remaining colors all together in a pot, added the yarn, and (while not purple) now we have this superb color – what is it?  Orange-Cranberry?

Whatever color this is, I love it!  I’m so excited to crochet or knit all of these into special garments or accessories.  The purple superwash is destined to be a wrap, the gray-purple will hopefully be enough for a dragonfly shawl, and the mystery color, well, with one skein, it maybe a purse or a felted hat.  We’ll see.  The color makes we so happy, it may have to be a kitchen doily or something.

The first new one I watched was called North & South, about a country girl moving to an industrial town, and becoming an advocate for cotton mill workers’ rights, clashing with the mill owner while at the same time falling in love with him.  It far exceeded my expectations, and made me realize that Jane Austen is really just a lot of fluff.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore her characters and stories, but to find equally endearing characters in the setting of a meaningful and interesting plot…  Sorry Jane, but you’ve officially become the harlequin romance novelist of the period.

Next up (also watched on my computer) was Bleak House.  Based on the Dickens novel, this story centered on a never-ending inheritance legal case, with plot twists and connections unexpected and brilliant!  I chose to watch this because it had such a high star rating on Netflix, and it featured Gillian Anderson (who was perfect in her role).  I couldn’t have been happier with the whole thing, and wish it could have lasted longer.  I will have to add the book to my short list of must-reads.

This weekend, I’ll have some Jane Austen fluff in Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey, but I mean to follow these with Cranford, another series based on several novels by Elizabeth Gaskell.  I saw a bit of it on TV last year, but I’m looking forward to seeing the whole thing.

In short, my winter (and spring, andpossibly part of the summer) will likely be spent reading and watching Gaskell, Bronte and Dickens, and on the look out for more new stories.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix the cake mix, egg and whipped topping together. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended (batter will be sticky).
3. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls into the confectioners’ sugar and roll to coat. Place cookies onto ungreased baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

I’m experimenting with shades of blue and green.  Using Wiltons, I made one color with a pea-sized blob of sky blue and about 3/4 cup water.  Second color was same amount of sky blue and water, but with 50% amount of leaf green.  I have 3 – 100g hanks of Knit Picks Bare Superwash Wool DK in the crockpot with about 1 cup of vinegar and hot water.  I have two more hanks of this yarn to dye when this batch is done.  I’m going to let it cook for a couple hours, then turnit off and leave it over night.  Good luck, yarn!