Saturday, September 27, 2014

Birthday gift!! Skullisious Shawl



This Skull Shawl is for my sisters birthday.

For some reason this yarn just attracted every ounce of pet hair to it, I have done the duck tape, gone in with tweezers, used the sticky pet hair roller and none of it really 'worked' so I am hoping a good wash will fix it.

The cat seen in the pictures (told you it attracts pet hair like a beacon) belongs to the neighbors she heard me rummaging in the bag I have all the gifts sorted in and ran right over to get in on the photo shoot.

I have worked on this one on and off since June.  I can honestly say I will NEVER make this pattern again with out some realy good incentive.  Its way to easy to accidentally miss count a chain section or forget to start the next skull section in the right row.

I did have to frog it a few times, I failed to start the next row of skulls twice which is adding a long chain section between finishing the top section of the previous skull sections.

My sister seems to love it!!  I gave it to her two months early... she says its because I cant keep a secret, I think its so I wont be temped to torch the shawl for all the pain in a butness it was to make.













Thursday, September 25, 2014

Local to STL and want to learn to make an Octo? (Free crochet leason!)


We will be working from my Octo pattern that I shared here on my blog, I will provide yarn, stuffing, and printed copy's of the pattern.  If you do not have a crochet hook, and dont feel like going to a store to hunt one down I will have a selection you can buy (at cost ie I pay $1.24 I only ask you pay 1.24).

Animeggroll is located at
9254 Watson Road
Crestwood Mo, 63126
Saturday Hours:       11 AM to 8 PM
Feel free to show up eairly and look around you may even catch them screening a show in the back!

I will post again the week of the event as a reminder for everyone.
 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Christmas gifts!! (spoilers for family members dont look if you dont want to know)

 I am happy with how all of these turned out with the exception of the red slippers.

The yarn selected for them wasn't my favorite the pattern I wrote before my husband picked out the yarn.  It would have been a yarn I would have happily done a hat/scarf but not easy to work with on a detailed pattern with a small hook.

I was going to sew in the applique you see on one of the slippers to both but I was not happy with how  they turned out.  They are supose to look like the  Kansas City Chiefs logo but no matter how many times I tried the arrow head shape it just didn't look right.

I am so happy with how everything else turned out it almost makes me want to scrap the red slippers but I dont have an other yarn the right weight (super bulky) to make them with out making some major adjustments to the pattern.
 From top to bottom--

Infinity Scarf -- done with the basic tunisain stitch with a Q hook.  The yarn was a mystery yarn that was set to me by a very generous Redditer from the r/crochet as part of a Fiber Therapy care package.  I realy love that yarn depending on the lighting you see different shades and colors.  It has dark blues and purples, with felt bobbles in light blues purples and a few sections have tiny tuffs of gold.

Skull Dice Bag-- Gift for one of the people I game with every week
Divine Hat-Pattern found here
Evil KC Red Slippers
 Ribbed Blue slippers pattern can be found here
Lattis Hat-Made from this pattern with a few small ajustments


Sunday, September 21, 2014

Trying out something new....

So I am doing some more tunisian crochet.  This time I am also working on a tapestry like stitching, while carrying the none working strand.

This will be a christmas present for one of the guys I game with on Sundays.  It will be turned into a dice bag as soon as I finish up the back piece.  You can see at the bottom of the pic where I picked up the bottom stitchs to start the back.

I think when I did my color changes I tightened it up way to much as the section where I start color changing the piece gets narrower even tough I keep my stitch count even. After the last row with color changes it started to  flare out again so I will have to keep that in mind for the next time I do a tapestry style item.

Oh also, the front ie skull side is done in the tunisian knit stitch.  I choose to do it that way to make the 'teeth' portion look neater.  I am just doing the back in a normal tunisian stitch.  I plan on finishing it with a row of ribbing  around the top with a draw string closure.

I eyeballed this from photos of the Punisher's logo. 

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

New hat (wip)

I am starting a hat using this pattern.  It has been kicking around in my head for a while now what it would look like with a chroma colorway and a solid color lattic worked over it.

I am not a fan of the way they choose to do their acronyms and terms for post work.  I am accustomed to seeing it as FP/BP then the stitch (ie fpdc) but the pattern uses the stitch first and the post second (ie dcfp).  They also refrance working in a space between post work, which I am taking as just working into the stitch only going around all 3bars instead of just the top 2.  The black is my main color (A in the pattern) and I am using Chroma in Mesa (a discontinued colorway) as the backround color.  I am also using a H hook as alot of the responces I have found from people who work this pattern say it comes out small so I am hoping going up a hook will fix that.     

I am loving the color on the Mesa but its constancy wavers from lace to ww which I am not loving.  I have worked with chroma before but in fingerling weight and didnt have as much of an issue with its constancy so it might only be present in their ww line.

Ok I have procrastinated enough I will get back to working on this and post more shots and the finished thing later!!

--
I have gotten past the first row of treble spike stitches, and am about to start row 11 but the pattern seems to be slightly off, I am seeing a spiraling affect starting ever so slightly the black is twisting clockwise.  I am hoping row 11 offsets this as its the last row in the repeat section of 8-11.  If it doesnt I will need to frog it and just start making up the pattern as I go, it should be as easy as working a stitch in my back color instead of starting right off with the lattice color.


___________

Almost finished!

I still need to do an other round of ribbing on the bottom and it will be all ready to be throw in the christmas gift bag with my other finished gifts.

This one is going to Jordan, it came out toddler/child sized when I fallowed the pattern.  I knew it was working up small even though it said adult.  I am using the right size yarn so I guess my tension is just very tight or the chroma that I was using was to thin even though it was labled WW.

I will have to work up and other hat for the person this was originally meant for.




________________________________________________

Finished


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

One down... I forget how many otheres to go.... (Pattern)

Blue Ribbed slippers.   

Christmas gift for someone.  I may wind up having to remake one of them as they are not quite the same size.  I did everything exactly the same but as I was working the second one my tension was apparently tighter and its just a fraction smaller >.<    they are made to stretch so this size can fit   8-10 (woman's) ((about 10 inches with stretch)).
                           

I am debating on if I should add a strap, or something else to the slipper. I dont want them to look so plain the giftee thinks I didnt want to spend the time on them, but I am afraid of making them to 'busy' looking as I love the way the rib texture looks. They are meant to be worn around the house and not on outings but could easily be adapted with some felt or leather soles.

Slippers- 

Make 2 (or one if you only have need -.o of one) depending on your yarn (mine was some where between ww and chunky) you will use a different hook, different hook will also mean a different size so keep that in mind.  Its easy to adapt this pattern to smaller/larger sizes while working the sole.  These where made for someone with wide feet so if your making them for a normal or slim foot only do one increase section in the sole.

Starting with the sole- work 2 so they come out the same size o.-


r1-Ch 8, In 2nd chain from hook hdc, hdc across (6) --This will be the heel
r2/8-ch 2 turn and Hdc all (6) --- (if your making them smaller only do 4 to 6 rows)
r9-Hdc inc in first stich, hdc to last, hdc inc in last st (8)
r10- Hdc all (8)
r11- Hdc inc in first st, hdc across, hdc inc in last stitch (10) --for normal/slim feet just HDC all and do not increase.
r12/19-Hdc all (10) --If your making them smaller again only do 4 or 6 rows
r20-Hdc dec in first st, hdc across till 2nd to ast st, hdc dec last st (8) --Toe shaping- end of sole
Cut tail and FO weave in ends or you can crochet over them when you work the body round


Body of the slipper 

(Front Post Half Double Crochet=fphdc   Back Post Half Double Crochet=bphdc)

r21-Work a standing HDC into the 3rd stitch (middle of the heel) of the heel ((if you dont know how to do a standing HDC you can just slst and chain 2 it will count as your first hdc)). Hdc all the way around the sole---Mine broke down to 6 st along the heel, 8 at the toe, and 23 along both sides equaling 60 hdc (or 59 hdc and your starting chain 3)
r22- chain 2 (counts as first BPhdc here and threw out) world alternating Fphdc and bphdc around, slip stitching into the first fphdc at the end (not the chain)
r23- chain 2, repeat the fp/bphdc pattern by Fphdc around the fphdc of previous row and same for bphdc.
r24- Start off by grabbing some stitch markers, we need to mark off the toe section.  In the middle of the toe section count out 7 FPHDC in both directions and mark it so you now have 28 stitches of the toe section marked off.  Now fallow the Fp/Bp pattern till the marker, across the toe ONLY WORK the fphdc skipping all the bphdc till the second marker.  Then go back to the fp/bphdc in fp/bphdc till end. Slst into first fphdc.
r25- Fp/Bp in Fp/Bp till toe section. Fphdc dec twice, fphdc 6, fphdc dec twice.  Fp/Bp in Fp/Bp till end
r26-Fp/Bp in Fp/Bp till toe section marker. Fphdc 2, fphdc the next 3 together twice, fphdc 2, then go back to the Fp/Bp in Fp/Bp pattern.
r27-Finishing trim row, I just did a simple slst around and FO








Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Handspinning

I got this wool roving in a Heathered Saphire.  I hope I can spin enough of it up in time to make a gift out of it before birthdays/holidays hits.

Now this is only the third time spinning my first two came out super chunky, I am hoping my consistency will be more stable on this spin.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Princess Crowns!!



Beth, a friend wanted me to help her learn crochet, she normally knits but wanted to try something new.

She had shown me a picture of a crown that she wanted to make for two very lucky girls so tonight while we did gaming and had  bbq I made one and she made one.           
                       
This was her first go at crochet and I think she did an excellent job.
 
We worked from this pattern only with a few tweeks to make it more friendly to a new hooker to make.  Now I did not buy this pattern I got it for free using the coupon code 'Happy Birthday' for there birthday weekend 'sale'.