COWBOYS FROM HELLLLL

So I got myself a shiny new expensive camera, partially for my upcoming birthday but mostly because I want to take better quality pics of my jewelry and hand-dyed yarn. I had to trick my old digicam into getting the good shots I managed to steal so I thought getting a well-reviewed and higly regarded camera would allow me more control and a bit of reliability.

Unfortunately, the beast just doesn't seem to like me very much. Being self-taught means that my technical photography knowledge amounts to a few pennies and a lot of luck, which is not a setting that my new camera happens to possess. It also doesn't seem to like yarn and that is usually a sign we won't get along. You *WILL* photograph all the yarn on the plate and you will LIKE it!!!

Having high hopes always comes back to bite me in the ass, which is the excuse I give for being so complainy and negative all the time. I was incredibly giddy about this purchase so of course it's failed in a spectacular way. Now I'm back at the beginning, having to learn this whole picture take-y thing anew.

Don't wanna. :( I want perfect results NOW, and it would be nice if it could cook up some lunch for me too. Maybe I'll take some of those free classes that came with the camera but I suspect that they are really lens-selling seminars and instructions on how to press the black button just so!

To be fair, I haven't tried as much as I usually do. I've been prone to give up after just a bit of fail with everything I've been attempting of late. This even includes using the steering wheel with Mario Kart on the Wii! GAH, WHY AREN'T YOU TURNING AT ALL, WALUIGI???? I can't even manage the baby characters with the stroller-shaped go karts. Guess it's back to Guitar Hero one with a couple of margaritas, turned up nice and loud to piss off the neighbors. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, I think I'll go do that! Heeeee..... You want to stomp like a fatty bitch when you hear me watch the Daily Show, well, let's see how you like some PANTERA ON REPEAT!!

No sheep, No wool

No Maryland festival for me... by my own choice. You guys really don't understand just HOW MUCH YARN I really have. Most knitters think they own "too much". I have enough to fill a small store and that's not including what I'm dyeing myself.

I would go for the sake of potentially getting a spinning wheel if I didn't already know that it's bloody hard to try them out when there are hordes of people crushing around you in every direction. I know next to nothing about spinning and even less about wheels... in fact, all I know is that I want one because I fail at drop spindling in epic fashion. I hit myself IN THE FACE in one attempt. Seriously. I still don't know how that happened. :)

My goal is to, you know, meet up with other knitters I've admired on the internets but this too has failed because I'm stammery and shy. I just don't know how to talk to people, even about knitting. KNITTING. That thing I never stop thinking about. GAHHH.

No, I'll stop frightening the general public and just stay home this weekend instead. I am currently working on my first pair of armwarmers ever, which is kind of crazy cause I've wanted to make myself some since I started knitting over 6 years ago. Not that I'll be able to wear them anytime soon... but Spring means that things are knitted for fun around here, not necessity.

PS- Etsy, you piss me off. WHY MUST PEOPLE SELL WORK FROM MY PATTERNS WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST? I never ever give etsy permissions anyway so POOP ON YOU, THIEVING SELLERS. I'm sorry hun but if you're on participating on Ravelry groups wherein my pattern has been posted, you can't pretend you've never seen it before. FAIL.

here's what not to do:

do not tempt the yarn fates by getting cocky and declaring yourself the awesome mistress of alchemical dye genius or whatever-tf I was getting at. You see, when you think you're hot shit, the goddess of color will strike and declare your favorite bestest batches to be only 98 percent goddamn colorfast, leaving you tied to a sink for days with only TRICKERY AS RELIEF.

fuck. :(

A crochet blanket all for mee!

Vacant. Empty. Blowing wind and tumble weeds, that's what this bloggy place has been. When my creative life goes over the top, my internet life goes flop. Seems kind of counter intuitive, really.

For example, I crocheted this blanket in the fall and am just now getting around to putting it on the crafternets. This is mostly due to the fact that out of 5 card-filling photoshoots, I got a total of 3 okay pictures... sigh. The camera and I have not been on good terms. I swear it knows I want to replace it and now it's all full of rebellious mood swings and uncooperative attitude.





The blanket itself, however? AWESOME. This is my first completed, useable crochet afghan *all for myself* and I want like 12 more. Most of them will also be red. ;D

This is a mix of all kinds of discount, machine-washable yarns in every shade of red I could find (and a few oranges, golds and browns for accent). I tried to stick to superwash wool but there are some cotton blends and a bit of acrylic for filler. I was aiming for a worsted-weight gauge but it ranges from aran and bulky to dk and some double-stranded sock yarns. I even bought some Knitpicks Swish Worsted Bare and dyed my own red with the best combo ever- Cherry, Tropical Punch and Black Cherry Kool-aid. It turned out so well that I loved it more than any of the storebought shades I used. :D

I only made one rule when it came to dictating stripes and color selection: No overthinking it. NOOO obsessing or analyzing or any of that crap. My perfectionism can really ruin the fun of crafting and that leads to many incomplete projects. No, this blanket needed to be finished and it needed to be fun. Check and check!

Now I need to make another out of all the leftover yarn. Unfortunately, all I have is red, dark green and pale blue as my color palette and that will not do AT ALL. Conveniently, I have also thrown myself headfirst into the world of yarn dyeing and should be able to fill out my blanket spectrum in no time as I perfect my food-grade colorways. Hooray!

By the way, anyone that swears that food color or kool-aid isn't wash-fast is DOING IT WRONG. Just sayin'.

Rhinebeck!

I'll be there!!! I loooooved it last year, and have been eagerly awaiting this year ever since! I went camping at a nearby park afterwards last year but it will be too cold for that this time, so a hotel it will be.

I love hotels, heh. I'll never forget the time I went to London, Ontario and tried to stay at a Hilton for the first time ever. It was SO GHETTO omgsh, I had to ask for another room! The paintings were missing from the walls, the wall paper was torn and the carpet was rippled and warped as if a body were hidden underneath. They were re-doing that whole floor apparently... but just WHY THE FLYING FUCK would they put people to sleep there? The worst part is that I paid extra for an upgrade and then found *that mess* instead. HA.

I did get a better room in the end- after complaining about it, we got put up on the Hilton Cardmember's floor... What an improvement that was, for real. I got a great view of the city and a big, fluffy bed... Very nice. I still don't plan to stay in a Hilton ever again, though. I'll save that $$$ for souvenir yarn!

PS~ OH MAN I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! I will be going to all the Ravelry meetups AND the post-party and will either be an over-excited mess or a shy, stammering fool. Either way, be nice, say hi, and try to ignore my lack of social graces please. :) I will be wearing my modified Ravel-shirt for one of the 2 days, yay!

PPS~ The few days after the festival are turning into a vacation, wherein I get to explore Vermont and Maine!! See? EXCITING!!!!

So I've been taking lots of walks lately...

and I saw this, and it spoke to me.



I love this picture. I thought maybe you all would like to see it as well. :)

nothing to see here

The knitting force has been a bit stronger here lately. Crochet is always a comfort if I screw up, too. I have been making stuff nonstop, and it's been fun to just keep working even if it means not taking pictures. It's been extra fun now that my bf has really embraced crochet... we've been collaborating and developing pattern ideas, yay! He's gotten very good, very fast. I'm so proud!

Today it's football day, and just like I got him into yarncrafts, he's gotten me somewhat interested in the game. I'm not really a sports type AT ALL but after a few years of knitting along to it, I've picked up a bit of interest. Not much, though... Just enough to mention. ;D

I have a huge backload of projects to photograph but I think I'd rather just make more stuff. There is a table full of beads calling to me with their shine and potential! Mmmmmm.... shiny.

frustrato

my new mantra:

it is worth it to work through the mistakes. it does not mean i fail, it means i am learning. the yarn is my friend....

i will find peace with this again.

not every project has to be uniquely designed or technically complicated. i crave simplicity, finding escape through freeing my mind.

i've been feeling guilty for using luxurious hand-dyed yarns in bare bones basic patterns. isn't that silly? just cause i know it's dumb doesn't mean the feeling will go away. i mean, should hand-dyed handspun bought at Rhinebeck really be used up in a garter stitch hat? i liked it best that way but i feel it deserves more.

thoughts like these can take away knitting's joy.

i tried to knit a koolhaas and screwed it up. i tried to make a razor cami and messed up the pattern beyond fixing.. and it was also too big. i can't reconcile the edgings on my attempted followup dishcloth. garter stitch, it is.

i need more than just the feeling of yarn in my hands... i need progress, i need success. if that means brain-numbing stitchery, then so be it... right?

a picture and a gripe.

It's so beautiful here that I watch the windows instead of TV.





I had forgotten what it was like to be weird in a small town. Philly and its suburbs have a way of making you feel anonymous, comparatively. I don't even wear faerie wings any more, my clothes mostly match now (lol) and the industrial black liner has been retired. So, why all the stares? Am I surrounded by neon auras that scream, 'there's something not right about this girl'? It really feels that way sometimes.

It's okay, at home I can just watch the sky. It always makes me feel invited. :)

on hiatus~

My health has gone from crap to worse... and I still don't know the underlying causes. I just don't have the energy to craft the way I'd like and so my knitting has really been neglected.... as well as this journal. It will probably stay that way for a while. I just don't have the mental fortitude to cope with what life has been slinging my way lately and for some reason, knitting has been stressing me out. How's that work exactly?? I dunno.

Sorry for anyone that's interested in what I'm up to, crafts wise. I am pushing towards opening an Etsy shop full of jewelry and stitch markers but as my health worsens, the day of shop's beginning slips further and further away.

Thanks for all the support on Ravelry, everyone. It means more than you can imagine. :)

-noelle

A super late MD Sheep and Wool post...

So, I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool festival back in the beginning of May. I have a good deal of angst about the whole experience so I haven't really written about it until now. I have social phobias, and crowds are difficult for me to handle sometimes. Also, I don't really know a lot of knitters (mostly due to my own shyness) and it was kind of lonely watching everyone else socialize while I was too afraid to join in. This also extends to the Ravelry meetup, where I stood outside the pavillion thingie for a while but I couldn't work up the courage to go inside. Now I am kicking my own butt for that... and other things, too! You see, the Ravelry afterparty was at the hotel I stayed at and somehow I never found that out and spent the whole duration in my room, just a few floors above it!

I am still really upset about that. I know it would have been a freaking BLAST and I am still beating myself up for not paying attention to the info on the Ravelry page. UGH. Next time (Rhinebeck, maybe??) I am not holding myself back and I will meet you awesome fellow knitters! Please don't bite.

On an up note, I did buy some really amazing yarn at MD Sheep and Wool. I think my favorite was this gorgeous handspun sold by a kindly, quiet man who was tucked away in the back of the main hall. I also totally fell in love with all of the Sanguine Gryphon's yarn, and couldn't resist a fat, squishy skein of Sea Sock in the colorway Phoenix while I was picking up some BMFA loots from The Fold booth. (I went first thing Sunday morning to avoid the mammoth lines from the day before!)





Early Sunday morning, I went to pick up some handworked beads from the Oak Grove Studios booth and then I noticed THE YARN. It took me forever to choose between all the inspiringly beautiful colorways but I finally settled on some Opal in the color New Mexico Winter and also on some Gemini, in Peacock. (Pictured is the Opal... isn't the dye job just spectacular???)





I also ended up getting some of the gorgeously unique lampworked beads that originally caught my eye (oooh, shiny!) and I will be making souvenir earrings with them, when I come up with a way to truly showcase their beauty.

Though you can't tell from the journal silence, I have been crafting non-stop and designing like a madwoman. I will be posting a completely revamped Swiffer pattern s-o-o-n and I have a new dishcloth in the works that goes super well with my Clover Tweed pattern... and that's just the beginning! I've gotten a ton of positive feedback about my work lately and it's lit a fire under my butt (in a good way) so THANKS everyone!! :)

FREE PATTERN: Clover Tweed Dishcloth

I like my dishcloths to be on the modern side of classic. I chose to use black and natural here but the color possibilities are endless! The stitch pattern is easy to remember and even simpler to knit. No purling necessary!





My gauge is 5 sts per 1 inch with size 7 needles and my resulting cloth is exactly 8" x 12". Your mileage may vary!

Begin by casting on 39 stitches. With Color A, knit for 2 rows. (I started off using the natural as my first color.) Now, onto the stitch pattern:

**Always slip stitches as if to purl, with the yarn in back.

Garter Stitch Clovers (multiple of 4 sts + 3)

Row 1 (Color B) K 3, *Sl 1, K 3* until end.

Row 2 Knit across.

Row 3 (Color A) K 1, *Sl 1, K 3* until last 2 stitches, then Sl 1, K1.

Row 4 Knit across.

Just repeat these 4 rows until it's almost as long as you want it to be, ending with Color A. In my case, it was around 11.5 inches from the needles. Finish the cloth by knitting 3 rows with Color B and then bind off as usual.

EDIT:: Just to clarify things a bit here- The pattern as written will give you a different colored stripe at each end. I wanted a little bit of funk and asymmetry in the original dishcloth but this may not be to your taste. If this is the case, just knit your final pattern rep with color B (or, end with row 2 of the stitch pattern) and then knit the final border rows with color A. This will give you a more traditionally lovely cloth. :)





(I should stick to natural light for my pictures, heh.)

Voila! You now have an awesomely stylish new addition to your kitchen! I'm sure your dishes will enjoy it quite muchly. :D

Bye Philly!

EDIT: This was a totally different entry but I reread it and it came off bitchy in a way I never intended. I am moving and am beyond excited to leave, but I am so not hating on Philly.

*********************

I grew up in the middle of nowhere and couldn't wait to get out to Somewhere, instead. Now I have learned that Somewhere is expensive and dirty with none of nature's beauty. Now don't get me wrong- I love the gritty industrial filth that makes up the heart of Philadelphia scenery. I dig that vibe, if you feel me. Also, the historical treasures hidden in nooks and crannies are also a real gift. I love to imagine the ghosts of Philadelphia past.

But it isn't the home for me. I am a shy girl, crafty and anti-social. Too much pavement scares the fairies away, doncha know, and I have a thing for camping and trees. I like empty roads and taking the long way if I can swing it. Stress has been making me sicker and I think some small town peace will do more than all the doctors I've seen so far.

I really loved coming of age here, as I learned so much about myself and met some truly amazing people. I am just not cut out for city life at this point in my life. I crave calm and quiet as I seek to rebuild my life with a stable foundation. This cannot happen when my neighbors make me want to strangle them with my bare hands. I loved living in Philly (and Jersey) but I can't wait to put Bensalem behind me. Lancaster County, here I come!

I just can't help myself.

I have this compulsion, you see. And I think yarn dyers have figured it out somehow, because all of a sudden I'm surrounded by temptation and DAMNIT MY PLACE IS ALREADY FULL OF YARN!

What am I going on about this time? It's goth yarn, folks. I need it like blood and oxygen. I see fibers dyed red / black / gray and ITMUSTBEMINE, price be damned. Finding it used to be a pretty unusual thing, but either I'm not so alone in this or yarn companies have picked up on the fact that freaks dish out just as much cash on the good stuff.

Honestly, color wasn't even a factor in my wardrobe until I fell in love with fiber play and discovered the boredom that is nothing-but-black yarn. Now I even wear brown (something I swore I would never do) but my love for red and gray will never ever die.

I don't often actually knit with my angst-tastic stash. At first it was just because I was afraid I couldn't find more, but then I got all sentimental about it. To be fair, I didn't knit with this stuff either- it's crochet, lol. In my mind, sock yarn is perfect for hooking. I think a lot of knitters would agree! ;D

Anyway, on to the visuals. I made another hat, guys! OMG! I'd show you how it looks on me but I gots a chronic zombie cold. Scared myself with my own pictures! I'll spare you though.



Yarn (doubled): Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK in colorway Foxy Lady. Hooks: Clover Bamboo sizes I (for body) and H (for edging). Pattern: DC in the round until it fits, with a crab stitch border. Can I gush about how well that works as a hat edging??



All of my favorite crochet hats are 2 strands of sock yarn held together. It's soft and cushy, works up SO fast, and the best part? It breaks up color pooling, or makes it prettier anyway. I keep using all the yarn I bought for practicing sock knitting to crochet hats instead!

Monster Teepee : A Scarf

This little babeh came to be after several ideas decided they all liked each other a whole lot and decided to hang out together, as a scarf. First came the desire to knit the Toilet Paper scarf. It had to come from the stash, but I don't have a lot of pale yarns and they were either too bulky or itchy. Some serious closet spelunking led to the discovery of my old Kidsilk Haze skeins- 3 of which happened to be a lovely, changes-with-the-light shade of pale called Pearl. I instantly recalled the recent urge to knit a fishnetty mohair scarf, replacing a well-worn old favorite. You say it will match everything I have? Oh look, it practically started itself.

There was only one thing still stumping me- what kind of expression would I add to the scarf? I wanted to keep the sweetness and innocence of the original pattern but I needed something a little edgier, with a bit of a dark twist. Then it came to me- it's fuzzy and soft, so why not a monster?? YES! I love monsters! I kind of am one, ha ha. So here is Monster Teepee, who has a weakness for nibbling upon your butt when you're least expecting it.





I just drew on the picture with the 'shop to get an idea of what he could look like, and I love it!!! I don't want to actually add the face until it's finished because it will probably need to be (gently) ironed flat. I'm thinking amigurumi-style plastic eyes but as for the mouth, I've got no clue yet!









The yarn is double stranded, on size 9 Valley Yarns bamboo needles (they have the perfect sharpness of tip for this project). It doesn't exactly scream "Hey, that's toilet paper!" but when I add the roll (for which I'm using RYC Soft Tweed) it will be much more apparent. That's right, this buttwipe creature is all made from Rowan yarns, dude. L O V E~ :D :D :D

Hearts for everyone!

Hearts for all my friends on Ravelry!
Go on, add a favorite to every friend you have.
Spread the love, and happy Valentine's!



Cause Whitey-cat says so, or else you get no cookies!

I'm FREAKING OUT man!

Dude, bug paranoia is a rough thing. You can see those things *anywhere* if you look hard enough. I'm too busy peering intently at my yarn to play with it. I'm despairing too much over finished projects falling apart at the moment of completion and the idea of eggs running through my fingers to enjoy the rhythm of stitches. Though I still haven't actually found anything, I can't stop looking.

Knitting is supposed to *help* soothe the stresses of looking for trouble everywhere. When my comfort from yarn is gone, I'm not quite sure just what to do with myself.

Maybe I'll go make jewelry instead. Beads aren't yarn but shiny is a powerfully uplifting force around here! It's been a little while since I made something I was happy with- since Christmas, actually. These are a few presents I kind of wanted to keep.





I'm soooo making a pair of these for myself.




These were mom's favorite!




See, a bit of sparkle makes everything a bit better. Maybe I will make some more!

THE BEAST AWAKETH~

My two skeins of Artyarns Supermerino were completely ruined by some sort of fiber munching critter. I don't see any signs of moth infestation (WHEW!!) but it's still unsettling what happened to my pretty pretty yarn. I had finally figured out the perfect use for it but it turned out to be decoreating the trash can and making me very sad. :(

All the other yarn I've checked is intact. My giant wooly blanket is pilly, but no bugs. (Thank goodness!!) I'm going to sort through everything tomorrow, once I can fully calm down / brace myself. Wish me luck and no pestilence, people!!!