Tying up some loose (yarn) ends.......

There are some FOs that I have mentioned once or twice during their inception, but never showed a completed pic of. The pillow cover that I was making for my dear Aunt Ethel is one of those projects. I single-crocheted the King Charles Brocade front to the stockinette back, a method that Aunt Ethel, a master crocheter, would appreciate. I made a coordinating card by scanning the fabric of the pillow and using the resulting paper inside the card for a handwritten note (not shown). I made a flower by knitting a short chain of triangles and gluing them in a circle. I poured some seed beads over hot glue in the center. I didn't like the look at first, but once I drew the vines, I liked it so much better. Aunt Ethel liked everything and that is really what mattered.

Yarn: Plymouth Encore, worsted, 75% acrylic, 25% wool; Lily Chin's Park Avenue, 60% merino, 40% alpaca

Needles/Hook: Size 8 Denise; Size G crochet hook

Notions: Pillow form, 12 x 12 inches

Completed: June 2007

Skills Learned: single-crochet around corners

Auden said it well.........

Alas, not too recent events have left aquamarine without a beau-not so tragic an occurrence in these times, but one worthy of posting an excerpt from W.H. Auden's poem O Tell Me the Truth About Love. The excerpt can be read on those MTA Poetry in Motion posters that I like so much. I think it captures the essence of a feeling that I and many others have (although I will vehemently deny ever picking my nose. Nunca jamás!)

When it comes, will it come without warning

Just as I'm picking my nose?

Will it knock on my door in the morning,

Or tread in the bus on my toes?

Will it come like a change in the weather?

Will its greeting be courteous or rough?

Will it alter my life altogether?

O tell me the truth about love.

Beginnings

Spring is a time of new beginnings. Last week the sun shone with new warmth, the cherry blossoms are nearing their high season, and I am looking forward to my first picnic in the park with a book and a new project. This week I am on my long-awaited Spring Break and am about to begin knitting my first garment. The weather is not cooperating with my plans to sit by the lake in Flushing Meadows Park, but some time spent at a knitting cafe working on Ms. Marigold will surely suffice.
The Knitpicks package whose impending arrival gave me something to look forward to during the stressful pre-break period of midterms and lab reports is finally here! I suppose that Ms. Cornflower would be an appropriate name for my sweater; I chose that color blue of Knitpicks Elegance, the exact yarn type that the pattern calls for. I decided that it would be most wise to eliminate any possible issues with gauge and to make the knitting of my first garment an enjoyable experience in hopes that Edna, a garment knitter, would strike again. Wish me luck!

Although I haven't been blogging for some time, I haven't exactly lacked productivity in the creative department. I have finished beading and knitting the first mitt of the Fingerless Garter Mitts as seen in the book One Skein. I am using the Louet Sales Gems sportweight yarn that was originally meant for the defunct Spring Fling. I must say, these mitts will be the first FO that will be worn as often as weather allows. I love the beads and the color of the yarn is very me. If I can get them done this week, they will be perfect for the spring weather ahead.
I have also made a card for a friend I have not seen or heard from in five years. In response to a birthday card she sent to me on my 30th birthday, I made her a thank-you card with a knitted leaf whose tail ends were used to close the card with a bow. I found the leaf pattern in the book The Knitter's Bible and have since fell in love with the idea of making embellishments that take 5-10 minutes to knit. My hot glue gun came in handy again here and the yarn I used is from half a ball of what feels like fine, mercerized cotton. I found the sweet little green treasure at a Christmas flea market for $ .25.

Today I am busy, with a kind of busyness that I adore: I am going to The Stroll in Fort Greene, Brooklyn to take a free beginner's crochet class. I don't ever think crochet will become my "main thing", but it will certainly come in handy when finishing some knitted garments like Ms. Marigold. Hasta luego!

Aquamarine Bakes!

Although I had classes until 9:40 that night, my beau and I were able to share a few stolen moments on Valentine's Day and I was able to present him with this:

A handmade card...

and a batch of chocolate chip cookies made from scratch.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Yes, it has been awhile since I posted. December, finals, and the holidays have come and gone and winter break is nearing its end as well. I have been knitting, but not posting. What could possibly keep me from attempting to share my creativity with the knitting web community? Laziness? A probable excuse. Rejection of any activity that remotely resembles typing a lab report-i.e. sitting at the computer writing posts? A likely excuse. Indulgent revelling in being able to relax, watch DIY, knit at will, and embark on a New Year cleaning/organization of my apartment? Bingo!
I did manage, however, to knit the Kittyville hat for my younger sister. She requested this same hat about a year and a half ago when my fledgling skills would not permit me to knit it. She also requested that I put a skull and cross bones on the front. Originally, before I knew any better, I bought some light pink (her preferred color) Plymouth Encore whose label quoted the right gauge for the project but turned out to be waaaayyy too thin. I have since learned that standards can vary amongst yarns and had to combine the Encore with some light pink Park Avenue by Lily Chin and.....obtained the exact gauge the project called for on the exact needle size the project called for! What luck! The hat turned out warm and the swiss darned skull and cross bones are recognizable.

Project: Kittyville Hat, Stitch 'n' Bitch, Debbie Stoller
Yarn: Plymouth Encore, worsted, 75% acrylic, 25% wool
Lily Chin's Park Avenue, 60% merino, 40% alpaca
Completed: January 2007
Skills Learned: I-cord, poms-poms, swiss darning

So Arwen and I Are a Match Made In Heaven!

Your Ideal Pet is a Cat

You're both aloof, introverted, and moody. And your friends secretly wish that you were declawed!

What's Your Ideal Pet?

First Booties!

I have just finished knitting the booties from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. According to the pattern, the booties can be knit under an hour each. Since I believe the patterns in the book were all designed and test-knit by pros, I allotted myself two hours in total for each. A few weeks later, I have knit five booties for the same pair of baby feet; the first pair and a half I called the prototypes. I liked the double-knitting technique used in the pattern, but found that it leaves ladders up the sides of the booties if you are not using 100% angora that will cover any holes with fuzz and more fuzz. I also found that when the pattern instructed me to knit two extra rows of ribbing on the back of the cuff before picking up the stitches for the front of the cuff, I ended up with holes in the 1x1 ribbing, holes that would probably be covered by the fuzz of 100% angora. I did not buy 100% angora for the hat or booties because I thought that shedding fuzz could get into a baby's eyes or mouth. I also wanted the hat and booties to match exactly, so knit the booties in the same 50% angora, 50% wool Classic Elite Lush as the hat. So what did I do about the holes? Well, after experimenting with the prototypes, I was able to alter the pattern so that there would be no holes in the ribbing, while I simply seamed the ladders on the sides. I picked up stitches evenly all the way around the cuff and knit ten rows instead of the prescribed four to allow for any pull by a wee heel. The final pair were knit in about four hours total on the same day. Not bad. Here is a complete picture of the final present for the new baby: a bamboo box from Pearl River (with tiny roses glued with a hot glue gun-loooove that glue gun!), tissue paper that I stamped with bunnies, and a precious card handmade by aquamarine's beau! Click for larger pic.