Day 34: how many times have I re-crocheted this cowl?

The answer is......as many times as it takes to get it right.  I made the entire thing last night and this morning realized my VERY FIRST ROW was too tight.  The thing was 10" long.  So, first thing this morning I unraveled the entire thing and started over again.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this yarn!  This isn't a great representation because it's not such neon glow colors, but I LOVE the colors.  I had a request from a friend at church to make her a cowl; she would buy the yarn and pay me for my labor.  I have a counter offer: I love this yarn so much and she bought two gigantic skeins, if she agrees to let me keep the remainder of the yarn I will gladly give her the cowl for free.

Rainbow Classic Multi Fun Bright

The picture on the right is a better representation of the actual color.  Now all I need to do (after I finish the cowl which won't take more than two hours) is to find the perfect baby blanket pattern.

On to the re-crocheting: I'm using a K hook, which is pretty damn big.  I don't have one any larger.  I tend to cast on in a larger hook than what the pattern calls for so I don't have the problem like I did with this.  I don't have a larger one, so I decided to use a wooden crochet hook of my mom's.  I don't know what size it would relate to, maybe an N size.

So, for my 2nd attempt I casted on & crocheted the 1st round with the Nish hook, switched to the K hook and worked a few rounds.  The base round was TOO loose.  Sheesh.

3rd attempt: casted on again with the Nish hook, this time not so large.  Also, less stitches.  Crocheted 1st round with Nish, and switched to the K hook.  Base row is still too loose and looks awkward.  Also, the entire thing is too large around.

4th attempt: went back to the K hook, casted on and proceeded as normal.  Made the initial chains too big this time, so it still looks awkward.  Also, it's too large around.

5th attempt: started again, decreased base row by 6 or 7 stitches (I'm not actually counting).  Tried to find a happy medium for my beginning chains.  They need to be uniform size, and loose enough to allow stretch but not be so large as to be completely gappy.  So far, things are going well.  I'm 8 or 9 rows in.  I've decided to crochet in the round and not worry about joining rows, so it's a lot smoother.  Also, as a bonus, the WIP in the bigger picture shows how funky it's working up!  The colors are just right so that they are spiraling up like a corkscrew.

I'm indulging Baxter because I want to be the popular aunt!

And to end this blog post on a happy note, this is why Baxter loves me the best at work: I secretly let him lick my empty bowl of Spaghettios.  Turns out Baxter's mom wasn't so thrilled with that.  Neither was he when I tried to clean the evidence off his face.

Day seven: earrings = mission accomplished!

Day seven!  Made earrings to match the bracelet I made yesterday.  Just for scale, the left picture shows the project against a ruler in millimeters.  Yep, it's that small.  I may need a magnifying glass and/or reading glasses to keep this up.  The bracelet was well received.  Looking at the earrings, the middle isn't the same.  Snap, I may make a 3rd earring to try to match one of the already made ones!

Day six: working on some new projects

Day six is a day of new projects.  The crochet thread I bought goes well with a bracelet pattern from PetalsToPicots: flower bracelet.  This one is for a co-worker who could use a bit of happiness in her life.

I'm going to make earrings to match.

This bracelet is for another co-worker.  This is for her daughter.  The picture is pretty crappy.  The yarn is a dark denim blue.  The pattern is from Felted Button:
Trek Bracelet pattern.Crocheted with cotton yarn, it has the flexibility to enlarge or shrink depending on the situation.  All together, it's been a productive evening, and I can say day six has been a success.  If I can keep from freezing on my way to work tomorrow, I have two items to give away which makes me smile.

Day five recap: I tried to knit.......

Day Four recap: shopping with intent to craft

Day four: Saturday, January 4, 2014.  My mom's retirement party!!!  This is great because it means she has more time to devote to crafting!!!  On our way to the party, I stopped at JoAnn Fabrics.  Rich and I had discussed me crocheting a basket to keep our winter scarves/hats/gloves in, instead of them being thrown on the shelf inside the door.  I showed him a pattern from MooglyBlog: Birch Bark basket, and we went yarn shopping.

the crate of holding

size 10 crochet thread

Well, we opted to buy a pre-made basket (50% off and already made), and I bought a basket to hold my current crafts......and I bought two different yarns.  I couldn't help myself!  I don't even have anything planned for the crochet thread but I loved the color combination!

crochet cotton for coasters

The sales were just too good to avoid.  And did I mention I had a $25 gift card that I got for Christmas?  Yep, I didn't use it all up.

I didn't actually create anything Saturday, but I did repair my niece Harmonee's necklace.  Sometimes planning to craft is as enjoyable as crafting.  Actually, sometimes it's moreso, because during the planning phase you can pretend you will finish your craft on time!

Day one recap

Top: I must organize:
Bottom: eyelash scarf

So, 2014 begins.  Rich & I spent the last night of 2013 at home watching movies.  I chose Tombstone with Kurt Russell & Val Kilmer.  Rich chose Pathfinder with Karl Urban.  It was a nice quiet night at home.  We stayed up until well after midnight.

The Christmas tree didn't come down until 1/1/14.  After that process, I had room to reorganize the projects & yarn I want to keep at hand, because I find that I am much more productive when it's literally right next to me.  This picture is only a small sample of what I have for goods.



Malabrigo yarn in Rios

After making some sense out of chaos, I settled in & worked on two things.  I finished weaving in the ends of an eyelash scarf I had finished a month ago (duh), and when that was done, I worked on the crocheted shawl I'm making with Malabrigo washable wool.  My parents bought me two skeins while on vacation in New Orleans, but I quickly realized I needed at least one more so I placed a call to The Quarter Stitch in New Orleans and ordered one more.  It wasn't the exact same lot number as my original two, but the yarn is so heavily varigated that it looks fine.  Here's the pattern I'm using:

Kristen shawl pattern as seen on Fiberflux.blogspot.com

So, this is how I ended 1/1/14.  I'm one for one with my resolution!  Yay for consistent crafting!

inaugural post! 2014 will be the year I craft EVERY SINGLE DAY come hell, high water, or Hitler!

OK, so Hitler may be a bit drastic, but you get the point.


My cat has laser beam eyes

I spent much of 2013 knitting & crocheting & beading.  There were several reasons behind this. 

The most obvious is lack of finances.  I can spend my free time and less money crafting with raw materials than I can buy the finished product.

The second most obvious is that I'm vain.  Let's face it, I'm a great crocheter.  I'm a great knitter.  I'm an AWESOME beader.  I'm terrible with humility.

2013 has been a trying year for me.  I've tried a bunch of stuff, but not everything has stuck.  I've tried balancing work and home with iffy success.  I've tried new crochet & knit patterns with better success.  I've tried to maintain my sanity with a crazy home life (unsuccessful fertility treatments) and a crazier work life.

Through all the insanity, all the joy, all the madness, the one thing I kept coming back to with the expectation of some normalcy has been crafting.  The click of the needles is comforting.  The feel of the yarn between my fingers is better than the feel of the silky of a blankie woven between my fingers at bedtime. 

I have many reasons for appreciating the crafting arts.  One of my goals in 2014 is to share my love and where it comes from.  It's only 7:30 p.m.; I think I have time to work on my shawl.  Stay tuned; I will post every day!