Happy Anniversary!

Well, my wonderful husband came through on our anniversary again this year (quit sniggering – I’m not talking about *that* – that would be a different blog, but I don’t talk about that anyway . . .).

I gave him a list of items that I “need”, and he managed to pick the one that I was most interested in:

KnitPick's Harmony Options Interchangeable circular needle set

Wow! so very cool, and I really needed the extra sets of cables in the longer lengths – the set comes with 24″ and 32″ cables, and he got me the next 3 sizes also (47″, ??, 60″). One of the projects I plan to start once I finish a couple more UFOs is a lace shawl that requires at least a 47″ cable.

But even better is what he got for me under his own impetus:

Focal beads from Vacaville

When he was down visiting his mom the week before last, he saw a bead shop and spontaneously went in and found these beautiful glass beads.

How’s that for a wonderful husband? I’m very lucky.

I got him tickets for a Dave Mason concert next week – of course, I benefit from that also, but then Brian gets knitted things from me, so I guess we kind of balance out.

Fewer UFOs by one

Amongst the various projects that I’ve determined to finish (or at least make progress on) in this year of stash diet are/were the following:

1. Thread crochet Pineapple Tablecloth

The story behind this is that about 11 years ago, one of my nieces became engaged, and had set a nice long engagement. So I thought what nicer gift could someone want for their wedding than a crocheted tablecloth? I chose a pattern, bought beaucoup thread, and started hooking. I got 7 squares of 108 done when the niece disengaged, and the project languished. In retrospect, I should have kept crocheting, and I might actually have been close to finished when she finally got married (to someone else) two years ago.

At any rate, I picked up the project, grabbed the hook size that was on the pattern, and made another square with a nearly empty ball of thread to see how my gauge was. Good thing:

Latest on the right

Obviously I had not made notes about what size hook I’d actually been using – it called for a 7, and while I know that I was crocheting tightly and need to loosen up some, not by *that* much. So I’m going to try another square with a size 5 hook; if that doesn’t get it, it’ll be a 4.

Even at the rate I’m (not) working on it, it might still get done by the time my youngest niece, who is around 7 years old, gets married. Or if not, it will make a nice, rarely used heirloom gift for someone when I die (I’m pretty sure it will be done by then, since I have no plans to die for 30 – 40 years, at least. On the other hand, I don’t plan on using that as my project time-plan, because then it *still* might not be ready).

I think I’ll give the small square to a 10-year-old cousin for use in her Barbie doll house – hey! I actually finished a tablecloth! Hee hee hee!

2. Beaded knit amulet bag

This was a nice simple project that was in the dreaded I-cord strap stage – that and seaming the sides were all it needed. But like any self-respecting knitter, I *loathe* I-cord. Besides, I thought I’d be fancy and add the beads in with the I-cord also. So this sat for probably 3 years, forgotten in the mists of easy-to-finish projects.

When I found it in with the other thread projects, I was pretty annoyed with myself. I tore out the I-cord, dispensed with the beads on the strap, and did a simple crochet chain/chain (where you chain out, and chain back in the back loops of the original chain); seamed the sides, and finished it in less than an hour. I can only wish that the rest of my unfinished projects were so quick – some of them are just as easy, but with a lot more work to be done.

Simple knitted beaded amulet bag

and finally:

3. Knitted beaded necklace that magically converted into a beaded macrame bracelet

I had tried about 5 times to accomplish a certain look with knitting and beads for a v-shaped necklace, and had to frog it each time. The last time, it got stuck in a drawer figuring I’d pick it up again after I actually knit something I knew how to do, and then, well, you know, it’s been 2 or 3 years since.

When I found it in the drawer, I decided that I still didn’t know how to accomplish what I wanted to do with the knitting, but that I thought I could do it as macrame. As I frogged it for the final time, and as I got out my macrame project board, pins, and a couple books to remind myself about knots (I haven’t macramed anything for at least 20 years!), I played with ideas in my mind, and the end result is that it morphed into a bracelet from a necklace, changed into a totally different pattern, and became more focused on the beads than on the macrame.

Not having done any macrame for such a long time, it’s taking me a while to get my technique back – I’ve also never worked with such small thread before, so I had to get my magnifier out. But it’s all coming back to me, and I’m pleased at how it’s turning out.

Sorry about the lack of detail - camera not very good!

So I’m down one UFO, with progress on at least two others. I’ve managed to stave of the startitis by converting the necklace into the bracelet, at least for now. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out!

Finished Objects and Startitis

Well, I’ve finished one project that was on my list, and one that wasn’t, but was still a UFO, ON (on hook, really).

I remembered that there were two more sets of small drawers where there were some balls of crochet cotton, spools of ribbon, beads, etc.

When I delved in, I found an unfinished doily, the very beginnings of an unfinished crochet cotton tablecloth (5 squares of 108!), a beaded amulet bag that just needs the neck strap done, and a piece of orange perle cotton with some orange beads strung on it (I think I was planning on knitting a necklace).

The doily had quite a bit of thread pulled out, presumably I pulled back to a point where it was correct; so I decided that it looks as if it might be the closest thing to done, and pulled it out. I finished it during some of my insomniac nights, and here’s some photos of it:

all floppy off hook

pinned and blocking

in use

I haven’t done any thread crochet for I can’t even guess how long – probably the late 90s, so it was nice to have it come right back, but at the same time, I blame that for any flaws seen here.

I also finished Oncology Hat #2:

Ready to wear

I’m really jonesing to start something new, but I want to get a couple more UFOs out of the project bins into the FO pile before I start something else. Maybe now is the time to start weaving in ends on all those scarves I made last year; or the baby top that needs seaming; or finish that baby-afghan-turned-cat-blanket-because-of-the-huge knot-of-fiber-that-is-making-it-unsuitable-for-human-consumption. But instead, I have picked up the cabled pillow top. I haven’t gotten to a cable yet, but I’m not having the problems I had before. The next row will be the moment of truth. . .

Stash Diet

I really am on a stash diet – this time for sure!

I’ve been telling myself for months that I really need to quit buying new materials and starting new projects. Each time, I would finish up a project or two, but then there is always something new that calls my name. Not even quiet little whispers – it’s like constant yelling.

But this time, I mean it. I sat down this weekend and started wading through all the yarn, beads, and fabric I have (not to mention all the partially done projects), and decided that I have at *least* one year’s worth of projects of various kinds to make. The first part of the plan is to finish up the following:

1. Topdown sweater (gift for April birthday; status: done but making hood cord, sewing hood for cord, washing/blocking, wrapping, mailing (OK, sounds a lot worse than it is – I’m nearly done with the cord))

Sweater - entire

Sweater - detail

2. Crib quilt (gift, originally due in late December; status: pin-basted, ready to quilt, nervous about quilting it)

Crib Quilt update

3. Knit hat (for chemo suite general stock at my oncologist’s; status: still needs about 9″ of ribbing, 3″ of decrease) – I’m trying to make one of these a month using Lion Brand Homespun. The first one actually went to Brian, because I could see him eyeing it lustfully as I was finishing the ends, and he *just happened* to mention that his old watch cap was too short to cover his ears twice.

Oncology hat

4. Orange/black Irish Chain quilt (for quilting class ending this Thursday; status: top pieced, back pieced, need to pin-baste, pin basting on my living room floor kills my back and knees, need to get over to quilt store to use their wall, unless:

Irish Chain Quilt update

4. a. I can get this “wall” finished. Brian and I got the chipboard home, but we had a piece of soundboard that we were going to glue to it that had a transportation disaster on the way home. We obviously didn’t do a very good job of tying it down. But the soundboard seems as if it will be a perfect solution to stick T-pins in to hold the backing and batting in place, while one pins the top; so I hope to get another piece (we’ll probably have Home Depot cut it in half so we can transport it *in* the car) this weekend, maybe get the gluing done too.

Pinning wall pieces

5. Cabled pillow cover (for us; status: started it, hate doing the cables, but hope that perseverance will get past the really annoying part of it – I’ve cabled plenty before, so I think it’s just the width of the cables plus I may be working too tight. May frog it and start over, but modify the cables, making them more slender but adding another one in or something…)

Cabled Pillow cover - Jo Sharp pattern

6. Zigzag bead necklace (for me; status: need to add some more fringe, may add a strand with some fringe wrapped around the herringbone tube, need to add cones and clasp.)

ZigZag necklace w/o findings

ZigZag necklace - bead and fringe detail

7. Painted Hummingbird quilt wall hangings (for us; status: one top pieced, need to piece second top, etc.)

Painted hummingbird quilted wall-hangings

Now, don’t get me wrong – this is not by any means a complete listing of every project I have started, but this is a good representation. There’s the Brian sweater, the cougar cross-stitch (oh, boy, is *that* one ancient! but I really love it, and really want to finish it, but it keeps getting shuffled down the list), the half-finished socks (half meaning one sock less some Kitchener is done), the anniversary “Love is. . .” cross-stitch (hey, I figure I can have that one done in time for our fifteenth anniversary), the needlepoint chair covers to replace the upholstery on Granny’s dining room table chairs and the piano chair, and, well, you get the idea.

I’m not going to limit myself to simply finishing existing projects, however, because that would probably make me break my resolution a lot sooner than might otherwise happen. I’m also going to make new projects, as long as they come from my stash. If I find I need just one little thing to make something using mostly stuff from my stash, then I may go ahead and buy that one little thing, but generally it is going to be stash-only. Most of the new projects will be gifts, although I may have to be more creative about who gets what based on what I already have. I have already identified a couple projects that I want to start later this year that will require some new knitting needles – I don’t have any circulars long enough. I will be giving Brian my “particular” gift list for birthday, etc., so hopefully he will buy some of those items ;-}

The year started as of January 1 – even though I started the quilting class in mid-January, I already had all the materials (fabric, batting, thread, etc.) for that quilt, and I’d already started cutting strips when I first started taking the class in 9/07; so technically, it was already a WIP.

And here I am, I’ve already finished one hat, nearly done with the sweater, and cranking out the next hat; the Irish Chain quilt is probably going to be fairly easy to quilt, once I get the pin-basting done. So I’m encouraged at already making progress; and seeing all the sorting I did, getting projects together, I’m going to be able to pick and choose what to work on next very easily.

We’re almost two months into it, so I’m 1/6th of the way through the year without buying more materials – still plenty of potential, but I’m feeling pretty firm about sticking to this diet.

“Variations on Bonnie” loomed bracelet

This bracelet is a loomed piece, with beads strung on the warp threads, and an “endless” warping. The class was taught at Beads at Dusti Creek by Lynn D. A picture of the class sample is below:

class sample

The bracelet went fast – we warped the loom and completed 3/4 of the looming during a 4 hour class (including lunch) – I finished the looming and pulled the warp thread in an additional hour.

The problem is that either I misunderstood what Lynn said about which size to make, or else she forgot that she modified the pattern. Following the pattern repeats to get the largest size, which was supposed to be the same size as the class sample (and would fit someone with a medium to large wrist), my bracelet came out so that it was at least an inch-and-a-half too long. Looking at my version and comparing it to the class sample, I see that mine has 3 extra rows of bugles, as well as the corresponding loomed rows in between.

Oversized!

The plan is to put the button on one end and add a netted loop to fasten the bracelet. Since it is so long, and unlooming it is out of the question, I’m going to add netting to each end, use a beaded bead and loop to fasten it, and put the button smack-dab in the middle, and convert it to a choker.

Next time, I’ll know better – I’ve already got the beads and buttons to make another one, so I’ll fiddle with the pattern repeats until I come up with the right size to make a bracelet that fits ;-}

p.s. sorry about the picture quality – I’m working on improving my photography. . .