Archive for the 'crochet' Category
Tweed Coat Collar Tutorial: finished
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
Here’s what the collar looks like when it’s all finished. You can see how it curves around the neckline and even has a little height to the fabric at back neck.
TA-dada-DA.
Sorry if my rugged patio is distracting! I took the photos for today’s post outside because now that it’s nice weather, Mazie wants to be outside ALL THE TIME. I’m encouraging it!
AND…Here’s where I am on the crochet rug. It’s only about 2 feet long, so I need to keep going. I’ve got a lot of these fabric strips, but they may not all go together colorwise. We’ll see.
The whole point of crocheting this rug is to get rid of junk lying around (fabric strips) and save $$. BUT. I’m looking at the colors in this rug and wanting a new set of towels for the big bathroom. Hold me back. Maybe I can somehow add some of these colors to the towels we already have?
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It’s cloudy here!
Monday, March 9th, 2009
…and yes, that deserves a blog post! It’s title-worthy!
We get about 360 days of sun in this part of NM, so I really relish these cool, cloudy days.
I’m making a chicken / black bean / rice / tomato / cilantro / onion / garlic soup in the crock pot and doing laundry. Mazie’s taking a little nap.
It’s quiet, cloudy, cool, and the house smells of soup and clean clothes! I’ve got the windows open and there’s a breeze and lots of birds are chirping. I’m so effing COZY I can’t stand it. It’s cozy with a little tinge of rainy-day melancholy.
I started working on a new rug for the bathroom. The one we have now is made of recycled saris, and little threads of silk are everywhere. (It’s been through the washing machine many times.) Mazie has been spotted eating these threads…so I’m putting it elsewhere.
The new rug is (going to be) crocheted. I used to make a ton of braided rag rugs, and have lots of strips of fabric. Crocheting seems like a more direct method of construction. No braiding. No sewing huge braids together.
This is about an hour’s work.
I don’t have a pattern, I just chained about 10 sts, then dc and turn, sc into each st of chain. Then at each end, I do 2sc in every-other ch, to turn the corners smoothly. (In other words, I’m winging it.)
My hands are a mess right now, aren’t they? I’ve been stressing the last few days and my eczema is in full effect. And I’m biting my nails. I can stop biting them for months at a time, then something triggers it again. If I file them down all smooth, I can usually stop. I read someplace the nail biters are perfectionists. Which is why we / they bite. Can’t stand any jagged edges. I think it’s nerves, more than anything.
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I want to learn to crochet
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
…so that I can make things like this. Even though I am nowhere NEAR that level, I’m getting this book (crochet me).
ETA: I also want to make pretty much everything on the preview page here.
Ii know LOTS of the designers in this book! That makes it even more fun to think about making these clothes!! 
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MEATBALL SUB
Saturday, June 30th, 2007
I took some photos today of some weird crochet-like projects I’ve been doing. I’ve found that crochet (at least the kind I’m doing) is something I can do while I’m lying down trying not to throw up…unlike reading which induces a sort of carsick feeling.
I’m sort of mentally blocked and I keep thinking that I just need to play with yarn for a while and the gears in my mind will unstick. So a few baby projects have found their way into Hugo’s closet. The top one is all alpaca (various brands) and the bottom one is various Merino wools. I think I want to add more to the bottom one, it’s pretty small.
When Tonya was here after her graduation, she taught me how to crochet. My sister’s a really good teacher. She’s like me in that she’ll look and say, “oh yeah, that’s fine” if I feel weird about something. She’ll just say, “do it however you want, it looks great!” And I like to do things however I want, so it’s perfect for me to learn from her.
Since she had to eventually go back home, I’ve been using:
Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting
(Buffy DVD for scale.) I learned to turn corners! Next I want to try something with a stitch pattern. I’m thinking maybe I’ll granny-along, or do shells. Something not TOO hard or brain-using. AND…YES that rug that the blankies are lying on IS crochet, but I BOUGHT it. BEFORE I thought crochet was something I’d ever be able to do.
Sometimes when I want to start doing something new, I’ll buy one of whatever it is and see how it’s done up close…then try it. I have a hard time learning from books.
Oh my Gosh! I am so hungry for a meatball sub right now. (in re: nothing.) When I do feel like eating, I *MUST* have whatever it is that tripped the hunger pang.
I’ve been checking websites of various restaurants in town to see who has one…and unfortunately it looks like Quiznos or Subway for me. (we’ve talked before about how Las Cruces businesses are not really web-focused…and I don’t wanna drive around all day looking for a sandwich!)
I just woke up from a nap in which I was starving and really angry at everyone. And nobody else was hungry! Nobody would go with me to get a pizza! What the heck is wrong with you guys that nobody wants to go EAT!?
So I woke up and asked Nate to go with me for meatball subs in real life, and he said yes. (WHEW!) So he’s in the shower and I have a few minutes.
LATER: We’re back and have also gone to the bookstore, the grocery, AND watered the plants. Look at this!
