tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-264294182011-04-21T18:30:51.635-05:00Yarn musings and fabric dreamsLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.comBlogger711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-15904858062677584022009-03-19T09:32:00.002-05:002009-03-19T09:37:49.416-05:00

Okay, so I haven't been around in a while. Just preoccupied with life, but still making stuff. Right now the pile of things to snap pix of is out of control. Also, lots of half finished projects due to gauge issues. Enough excuses. Enjoy this:Those crazy Welsh!

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-19663622832813003352008-12-09T16:40:00.004-05:002008-12-09T16:47:26.882-05:00

Well, last year I thought this was kind of funny and silly. My 2 crazy kids decided to decorate the Christmas tree with their p*nt*es (got to keep that crazy away). They laughed, I took pictures and we all had a little giggle. One year later, the didn't forget. The tree went up last night. Just the tree, no lights, nothing. This morning they were looking for a bucket, but it was time to leave for

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-58626870887909213352008-12-08T09:50:00.003-05:002008-12-08T10:30:18.919-05:00

Well, hello there intrepid blog readers. I figure sporadic posts are better than none. I'm sick, don't want to go anywhere, so I might as well update you on what I've been secretly working on. First, my friend Amy has started her own Etsy shop. Amy has been working hard making bags, stockings and tree skirts for a craft fair in town. I don't know how well it went, but I know this. Last Friday,

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-90657461368983308122008-10-29T08:43:00.003-05:002008-10-29T09:36:21.244-05:00

Well, this fall has been a good time to have a birthday and be my friend.First up, Amy. She had requested a hat for her birthday. This was a bit tricky. Amy has very, very sensitive skin (she had a horrible rash from Transformers temporary tatoos once), so wool was not my first choice. I just couldn't risk it. I decided to pickup some silky bamboo yarn. Plymouth Royal Bamboo in fact. The pattern

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-38959057831275419342008-09-19T14:13:00.002-05:002008-09-19T16:15:52.057-05:00

Well, it has been 206 days since my last confession. There's no real excuse. I've just been doing other things. And as I got further and further away from my last post, it became even more and more daunting to come back.I simply seemed to have lost my mojo. Don't take that to mean that I haven't been making things. Au contraire, I have been busy. The kids got lots of capris, skorts, and shorts to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-76452567819240439152008-02-26T13:02:00.002-05:002008-02-26T13:34:01.139-05:00

Ah, the first set of Monkeys is finally done. Unwashed and unblocked in all of their glory. I got the first one done quickly, but then I hit a stumbling block. Grafting. Kitchner Stitch. Sigh. You may remember that I did knit each of my girls a pair of socks for Christmas, but the toes were just awful. I can admit it. I like perfection and they were no where near it. I'm not there yet, but I did

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-6403937781237182232008-02-05T11:23:00.001-05:002008-02-05T11:40:58.677-05:00

Well, I haven't been here, because I've been having lots of fun knitting and crocheting.Example 1:Fetching mitts from Knitty. Cute, lovely, comfy, quick. I liked making these. I could see making these again for someone else. I have 2 more skeins of the Peru DK Luxury that I used on my Purple Haze sweater. Since Baybah snatched them right off the ironing board after steaming, I think she will get

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-46393678600836186312008-01-16T16:24:00.000-05:002008-01-16T16:31:15.180-05:00

It's done. I finished this afternoon and had to wait for my master 5 year old photographer to take a picture. I wanted to go outside, but she didn't so we just ran to the room with the best light and went for it. Laundry in the background, oh well.It still needs to be blocked. I finally have made myself a lightweight, not too hot sweater. The sleeves are just right. The original sleeve

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-37165874713289319962008-01-14T17:27:00.001-05:002008-01-14T17:32:44.500-05:00

Well, I'll show you tomorrow, but I'll spill the beans tonight.I opted to modify the sleeve. Keeping the top as is and working out the bottom at the same break. The sleeve originally had 5 pattern repeats of that big shell per row, but the first two rows of the big shell had only 4 clusters instead of 6. I tried dropping 2 pattern repeats, but it was too drastic, and I couldn't get it around my

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-54711227269801978532008-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:002008-01-11T10:16:09.082-05:00

Last week I began making this Gayle Bunn Crocheted Cardigan from the Fall/Winter 06 Nashua Handknits book.I have tried starting this sweater a few times with a few different weight yarns, but never reached gauge. I finally reached for my bag of sportweight Paton's Grace in Azure Blue and my 4.5 mm G hook and I was in business. My gauge is great, row height is a little off, but I only needed to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-42642670923088024892008-01-08T20:32:00.001-05:002008-01-08T20:49:51.435-05:00

Okay, so I should have included this in the New Year Round-up - but I guess it deserves it's own shot. In the summer of 2006, I proposed and had 2 patterns accepted into Get Hooked Again, edited by Kim Werker and published by Watson-Guptill. It's finally here in my grubby paws.I'm excited. Beana is running around saying "My Mom is published." Wonder Hubby is impressed to see my name in a real

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-71166885512000752422008-01-01T18:44:00.000-05:002008-01-01T19:12:28.421-05:00

Sorry blog-o-verse. It's been 2 months since my last confession. I have not been lost, maybe a little misguided, but not lost. The holidays kind of came and sat on me this year. But here's what I've done.I finished the Bean and Baybah's socks. Two pairs of socks for a new knitter - not too bad. These are Baybah's and the heels do match. She wore them all Christmas day and proclaimed them "comfy".

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-81754130104929261592007-11-03T19:49:00.000-05:002007-11-03T20:00:44.050-05:00

Ahhh. It's done.I finished this on Wednesday October 24, but life got in the way. Sorry for the delayed gratification. I have been wearing the sweater and enjoying it. The Baby Hat Ladies seemed to like it. My only struggle now is to find the right clothes to wear with it. Really just the right shirt to wear under it. I have a rainbow of neutral pants, I just need the right top. Do I like it? Yes

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-9279572688438243892007-10-19T08:12:00.000-05:002007-10-19T08:38:37.651-05:00

Well, I got a little crazy on Sunday and didn't quite slow down and check the Cable Socks Pattern as well as I should. Thanks to Sandie on Ravelry for helping me out. I should have only omitted the cable twist from row 52, but instead I ended up omitting a whole pattern row. The pattern is currently uploading to Scribd and will be available shortly. The Bean is home from school sick today. It's

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-73725551061869366682007-10-14T19:08:00.000-05:002007-10-14T19:11:14.777-05:00

Well, Jannel has brought it to my attention that there is a problem in the Crochet Cable Socks pattern. (Thanks, Jannel.) It's not horrific, and if you were crocheting, you probably would have decided that it broke pattern and ignored it, moved on and fixed it yourself. But if all it's glory the link in the side bar now connects you to the corrected pattern. Enjoy.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-30712484785350083372007-10-14T10:55:00.000-05:002007-10-14T11:11:01.658-05:00

Right now I have 3 big knitting books out of the library. Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth ZimmermannKnitting in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson-RobertsA Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara WalkerI have been thoroughly enjoying them all, taking notes, etc. But the thing that helped me the most was a very silly little thing. While making this baby sweaterI followed the directions about a

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-36255111421947209982007-10-05T09:48:00.000-05:002007-10-05T10:05:28.579-05:00

That's right folks. I delivered 65 baby hats from the Mt. Bethel Presbyterian Church Baby Hats group to Durham Regional Hospital yesterday. It wasn't all me, it was a bunch of fine ladies making some adorable hats. I think this is a record for us. I really could have used a 2nd box. It was just stuffed. This is one of the pumpkin hats I was working on. I got 11 hats out of a 12 oz. skein of Caron

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-64477676714310809972007-10-01T19:26:00.000-05:002007-10-01T19:57:36.214-05:00

Well, first of all, today is my nephew's birthday. I didn't call. Sorry Ethan, Happy 2nd Birthday. If it helps I was thinking of him all day. Another month has passed and I haven't blogged. What can I say, the start of school just threw me for a loop. I am still all out of sorts, but I am acclimating as best I can. Miss M had a great birthday bash on Saturday and is now the proud owner of a

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-51631184060981444912007-09-03T19:38:00.001-05:002007-09-03T20:05:49.663-05:00

Sorry if you missed me. You probably gave up on me. What can I say, it was a little crazy. I went to visit my parents. We got back and returned with a lovely virus from my niecey-poo and nephew-too. Yuck. During all of this we had our driveay paved with concrete! When I finally got better, it was time to get ready for Baybah's 3rd Birthday. Which was lots of fun. A little crazy. And to be honest

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-39129228052503146852007-07-31T13:48:00.000-05:002007-07-31T14:53:20.234-05:00

Yes, you can use books to learn to knit. But there's so much else out there, I am just boggled and I need to share. I took a knitting class on Sunday at the Hillsborough Yarn shop. It was a basic cable class. Yes, I could have learned it from a book, but I got more out of it than just cables. Marie, the teacher, was excellent. Of course, she taught me how to cable, but she also had a plethora of

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-62903939893333578042007-07-29T08:54:00.000-05:002007-07-29T09:09:11.035-05:00

Well, last night I finished the right front and assembled the body of the orange knit sweater. I still need to cast on the sleeves, but I'm okay with that. I actually performed the 3 needle bind off, but not before I found a cheater-cheater pumpkin eater save. I actually used a pony tail holder to bind the two slippery needles together. I actually have 2 sets of US 8/5mm needles so I could leave

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-4593974909046083262007-07-27T13:31:00.000-05:002007-07-27T13:37:13.021-05:00

Well, he's coming home to a dirty house, dirty kids and... a birthday cake. (Keep your minds out of the gutter.) Hope you have a great birthday, Wonder Hubby! Love you babe.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-81510876520585591682007-07-24T12:37:00.000-05:002007-07-24T12:58:06.758-05:00

I canned my first round of tomatoes this morning. We finally had a batch big enough. 43 tomatoes yielded 5 quarts. Honestly, it's the perfect amount because I can only process 5 quarts at a time. All the lids have sealed (Yea!) This was my 2nd year canning. Last year I canned, but the tomatoes weren't doing so well. In years past we've pulled out 100 tomatoes every 2-3 days at the peak harvesting

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-85319416477761160652007-07-23T09:36:00.000-05:002007-07-23T09:51:13.825-05:00

It came, I read, I was happy. Wonder hubby is a little disappointed that I read it so quickly. I just devoured the book. Started around Saturday at dinner time and and was finished Sunday around lunch time. I stayed up til 3am Saturday night (or I guess that's Sunday morning) and then got up with the Bean and Baybah at 7:30, long enough to provide drinks, snacks and a DVD. I just needed another

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-56225515124514127982007-07-20T08:27:00.000-05:002007-07-20T09:28:25.876-05:00

Sorry, loyal readers, I've been a bit amiss. It has been too long since I've written, and you must be ever so curious about the sweater and the knitting. Well... The knitting is making some progress, but not as much as I would have hoped. sweater back and left frontI haven't been able to work on it too much, and when I have, I've made a bunch of mistakes which I needed to fix. So, here are the

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-58287915409640072007-07-08T18:55:00.000-05:002007-07-11T15:24:20.657-05:00

Hmm, well this has been a busy week. First of all we had a huge bash on the 4th. Good friends, good food and good fun. Even our 11 year old future neighbor said it was a "great party". (I'm all for impressing the tweens.) We had lots of leftovers, so I had a playgroup on Friday and fed everyone the same food again. Really, there wasn't that much waste at that point. We are eating the last of the

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-2819902646526802312007-07-01T12:08:00.000-05:002007-07-01T12:35:49.062-05:00

She ships! Happily the box is aloft and should be at the publisher by Tuesday - the due date. My poor kids were suffering from "Mommy's ignoring us-itis". I feel bad for them, but great for me. I'm glad to be done. I hadn't really crocheted all week. I pulled the cable socks yarn and started working on a vest idea, but I just wasn't into it. I think I need to put that yarn back in the stash for a

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-85289848740506311682007-06-27T13:04:00.000-05:002007-06-27T13:51:47.007-05:00

I'm still working on my hush-hush projects. Still more work to go, although 1 is completely done. The other is taking longer than I expected. It is a yarn and fabric project and I hoped to top stitch the fabric onto the crochet with my new handy dandy sewing machine. I waited because I didn't have matching thread. Went to the store, purchased something that looked okay (as close to the red as I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-21517646283252328552007-06-22T18:48:00.000-05:002007-06-22T19:01:59.430-05:00

Well, my loyal readers, I'm sure you're all dying to know how Baybah is getting along. (I know, I'm just a self involved Mommy who can't skip out of this realm, but I can't blog about the crochet this week - so you can just skip this post or read on). Overall the week hasn't been so bad. We've had as little as 1 wet accident and 1 poop accident a day. She's starting to make progress getting to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-66868407090658018452007-06-19T09:07:00.001-05:002007-06-19T09:22:37.479-05:00

So, before I had the opportunity to sew the tank-top "lining" into the Empress I had an ephiphany. If it sew it in I won't be able to wear it in the winter under a long sleeved t-shirt. Hmm. This is the quandry. Velcro is a no go - too thick and yucky. Would probably snag too. I'm thinking snaps. Like a hundred of them (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but not by much.) Must procure snaps. For

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-67573748626114850802007-06-17T07:53:00.000-05:002007-06-17T08:23:50.866-05:00

We're finally back from our whirl-wind tour of the east coast. Hours upon hours of driving to visit family. My wonderful Hubby did all of the driving though, so I was able to complete all of the crochet for my super hush-hush projects due at the end of the month (Yes, we spent that long in the car - and I didn't even run out of yarn). Time to get out the sewing machine for step two.isn't he

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-29861918345689415672007-06-08T18:01:00.000-05:002007-06-08T18:04:34.328-05:00

Check out this lovely shrug pattern by Nikki. OMG, I think it just hit my list. So, ironically enough, I'm not a shrug person. They seem to overemphasize the lovely lolas. Is this destined to be my summer of making things that I wouldn't normally make for myself? I may just have to see if I can change my mind for one for this.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-23654056113208864892007-06-08T06:35:00.000-05:002007-06-08T06:56:04.298-05:00

Yesterday, I had the lovely opportunity to crochet all day. We popped into the car after lunch and headed up the east coast to visit family. Almost 10 hours in the car. The first half I spent working with Plymouth Yarn's Royal Bamboo. I love it, it's so silky, but... It splits faster than anything. It has a million plys and those plys are plied as well. I have to slow down and completely focus on

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-86501598255815404952007-06-01T08:45:00.000-05:002007-06-01T09:21:43.240-05:00

The Empress is done. early morning pic by my 5 yo daughter the eldest (not too shabby)Well, except after I took the pictures the left neck looks a little wonky and the ribbon is not final. I also think I'm going to line the bottom instead of actually wearing a tank underneath. (It looks so much better when the lovely lolas are lifted and separated). Yarn: just under 4 skeins of Red Heart

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-9305685319283574672007-05-29T14:22:00.001-05:002007-05-29T14:43:59.352-05:00

Check this out! Sam over at Crocheting Commuter is working on my Cabled Socks pattern. I can't wait to see how they work up in the STR yarn she picked. Also, go look at this freakin' amazing colorway. Sam found it at Maryland Sheep & Wool. It's Acero by Brooks Farm Yarn. I'm not quite sure which colorway it is, maybe a show only yarn. But frankly they all look amazing. Now to find a project to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-35359618588841345512007-05-24T07:49:00.000-05:002007-05-24T08:01:49.855-05:00

Well, since I stalled out on the other two projects I posted yesterday (still not frogged, what am I waiting for?), I decided to start something new. I pulled out my magazines and decided to attempt Robyn Chachula's Empress Baby-Doll Top. Of course, I am stash busting so I pulled out the 4 + skeins of Hot Pink Lustersheen instead of heading to my LYS for some lovely Bamboo yarn. (I love bamboo

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-10596817196552271722007-05-23T08:07:00.001-05:002007-05-23T08:37:19.716-05:00

So, I've kind of been swimming around, not quite sure what to do next. I always have hats, etc, but I'm just not in the mood. A few days ago I decided to pull out some Noro Silk Garden and my new Birthday Harmony Guides (thanks, Mom & Dad). I got the Noro online on sale last year, but was a little disappointed when it arrived. I thought, Silk! Mohair! Soft! But alas, it was not to be so. I just

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-35710007220605523812007-05-21T15:40:00.000-05:002007-05-21T15:48:15.507-05:00

Okay, so last summer I got some great news that I got a pattern into a real book. I worked diligently and bothered the editor incessantly about small seemingly inane details, but now I can share. I have a set of patterns in Get Hooked Again, edited by Kim Werker. Needless to day I am very excited. This is my first pattern in a real book. Amazon says it will be out on 10/2/07. Woo Hoo!

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-43935969298649309702007-05-13T12:29:00.000-05:002007-05-13T12:32:43.450-05:00

I have finished typing and checking my Cable Socks free pattern. I hope you enjoy it. It isn't an easy pattern, but it certainly is fun.Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there. Okay, now back to swatching and scanning and fabric and things.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-24428693442462879562007-05-09T16:24:00.000-05:002007-05-23T08:32:29.218-05:00

Oh, Jimmy Bean, you tempter you. Rowan Cashcotton 4 ply fingering weight yarn. Yummy shades. Fingering weight. Can't find it on the Rowan site. It seems to fuel the urge to buy, buy, buy. Must. stop. looking. now.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-40529121761030785062007-05-09T13:56:00.000-05:002007-05-09T14:21:06.876-05:00

Well, I finished the socks last week, but of course haven't blogged them yet. I've been skittering around on other projects like hats, shawls and swatching that I don't or can't blog about. (Sorry, but how many times do I need to show you an Operation Toasty Toes hat?) And you know, that thing called life gets in the way. Hubby and Baybah have both been sick. I'm fighting it on my treadmill. I

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-42360878028036545142007-04-29T08:25:00.000-05:002007-04-29T08:56:16.425-05:00

For the last 3 weeks I've been absent. I've spent my time being a single parent while the hubster was in Asia. Ugh. But he's home later today, so I'm considerably more upbeat. The kidlets have been great, even with my crazies. I've certainly been more "yelly" in the last 3 weeks, but sanity is destined to return with my better half.Since I've been gone my Sack Dress Sack has been published on

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-66918972414356471532007-04-09T14:48:00.000-05:002007-04-09T17:02:03.203-05:00

Well, Niecypoo's Lacy Child's Top is complete. Actually, it's in the washer, so no pics yet. I'm hoping for the "twins" pose when we see her later this week. I'm so floored. I used the same brand-new cone of Peaches and Creme Ecru to make both size 5/6 tops. I literally had 2 yards left! (It would have been okay to run out. I still have about 1 ball worth on a cone that I've been using in to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-58988844864633565772007-04-02T15:47:00.000-05:002007-04-02T16:00:08.249-05:00

The first sock is complete. I think. There's no cuff at the top of the sock. I'm trying to decide if it looks unfinished or not. I won't be working on the 2nd sock next though. (uh, oh, here comes the syndrome, that would be the 2nd sock syndrome, e.g. it never gets done.)But I have good reason. I need to make my niecy-poo a Lacy Child's Top sweater to match my daughter's sweater. We'll be

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-78021846921369632342007-03-31T21:52:00.000-05:002007-03-31T22:03:44.459-05:00

Well, it should be, because I have never posted twice in a day. But I was click through the blogiverse and happened upon this little gem. A few folks have asked me how I took the sweater apart to recycle the wool.Instead of stumbling through the process with a bit of general knowledge like me, here is a photo tutorial about how to take a knit sweater apart. This is quite useful for the crocheter

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-65648396383009718982007-03-31T09:14:00.000-05:002007-03-31T09:24:03.529-05:00

Two days ago I worked up the foot of the sock and began working on ideas about the heel. I managed to increase the number of posts at each side to accomodate my large instep and arch. I think it looks quite decent and not too obvious.I knew the general direction I was going with the heel, but it took a few tries to get the translation correct. Last night I hit paydirt, but I did have to turn off

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-53143664253343083802007-03-27T08:28:00.000-05:002007-03-27T08:54:02.771-05:00

Well, I left the sock toe alone for a week. I knew I had to chart, but I wasn't quite ready to get down and dirty with it. And I had a little tickle in the back of my brain. "What if I didn't like walking around on all of those posts and cables?" Hmm. I needed to find my comfort zone. I needed to take a small step back.The 52 stitches in the toe are just perfectly divisible by 4, which would

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-45177209655669553862007-03-25T20:53:00.000-05:002007-03-25T21:06:45.444-05:00

Some one over on Crochetville asked a question about the weight achieved by doubling fingering yarn. I posted a reply there, but felt the need to include it here in case I lose my notebook. Also, check out Amy O'Neill Houck's post Down to the Yard all about figuring out how much yarn will be needed for each size of a garment you design. I think I got this handy crib sheet from Knitting into the

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-23225090445820098012007-03-20T11:11:00.000-05:002007-03-20T13:19:24.449-05:00

Well, the yarn store was closed yesterday. But that's not the saddness. I decided to pull out the only UFO I have left and see if I could get it going again. My alteration of Robyn Chachula's Ballet Sweater from Crochet Me. I haven't touched it since May 29, 2006 (yes, I noted it). I had a new plan. First, I should explain. I really like this sweater. I think it has a nice shape and would be

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-86093046864534496382007-03-18T19:29:00.000-05:002007-03-18T20:05:11.406-05:00

This weekend has been a weekend of question marks. Friday night I worked on a sock in plain old cotton thread. Now I knew this didn't have the stretch I needed, but I decided that I at least needed to sit down and ensure that I liked working on such a small scale and that I was willing to push through. Not bad. After a while I was trying it on after each round making sure it was shaped properly

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-61749835661046346972007-03-16T16:06:00.000-05:002007-03-16T16:58:29.092-05:00

Sometimes things just hit you like a ton of bricks. Today I was clicking through several sites and I came across See Eunny Knit! Eunny Jang is the new editor of Interweave Knits. Wow, based on the work she shows on her website, she deserves it. Her Bayerische Socks make me want to knit (it would take me a while to get up to speed to make these socks) and make me want to make socks (I've always

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-55505989979498871882007-03-13T07:40:00.000-05:002007-03-13T07:54:00.800-05:00

Here's my little model. I saw this pattern on the Lion Brand site on Sunday and just had to make it. My oldest desperately wanted one. My youngest said, "That's not my sweater." So it looks like only one for me to make this time. Thankfully she wanted the same color as the picture. I have a ton of Ecru. Unblocked and unwashed the sweater is headed to preschool this morning. I need to fix a few

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-92019423097265659362007-03-09T09:23:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:39:11.062-05:00

Allow me to introduce the $1 purse. If you want to get technical, it's actually about a $.50 purse since I still have half of the wool left. Yes, the sweater has finally evolved into a purse. The free pattern is available in my PDF Depot. Click here to download. To be honest, the wool sat bagged in a closet for a few months (as I was distracted by other projects and commitments) and didn't come

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-49845755992965995972007-01-15T17:27:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:39:51.526-05:00

I've begun making prayer shawls for parishoners in need at our church. So far I have made two out of homespun. They were simply rectangles of double crochet so I didn't bother to post them. I've finally made peace with homespun. My trusty P hook (boye plastic 10mm) and I have tackled it and come out victorious. Above is a Window Pane blanket that I just finished. It's approximately 55" x 52".

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-63065701593848487282006-12-12T23:22:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:40:03.255-05:00

Today, my lovely younger daughter and I were cruising through our local Dollar Tree and I struck gold. Yarn gold that is.I happened upon this:100% wool, handwash only Abercrombie & Fitch sweater. It was even my size, but that wasn't the point. It is 100% wool!!! Handwash only!!! It's screaming to be taken apart and felted. Because honestly - who wants to wear a wide horizontal stripe right around

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-15502433940996847292006-12-06T09:32:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:40:21.295-05:00

Well, I have not been slacking, just crazy busy trying to get projects done again.My latest and most complicated pattern has just been published on Crochet Me. Purple Haze is a sweater with lots of variations for adaptablity to taste and body type. I'm quite excited and proud of the work I have done. I've had some nice compliments on Crochetville, including someone who started work right away!And

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1161706915009525062006-10-24T10:31:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:40:42.203-05:00

Ah, posting again. My infrequency is not actually due to slothfulness. Just my inability to sit down at this darn computer and take the time to make it happen. It also helps a little that I was waiting to give this purse to my sister-in-law for her birthday (even though I don't think she looks here).So here's the funny story that goes with the purse. I began this purse while we were headed north

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1157913918813276482006-09-10T13:42:00.000-05:002006-10-12T16:30:31.070-05:00

Well, I guess I missed the month of August. No major excuses. Just a little project here and there. We got caught up in Rachel's christening and then her second birthday two weeks later. I've been crocheting to beat the band - mostly gifts. We have a lot of August birthdays to celebrate.And now I've missed September too. It's now October 6. I started to draft an entry a month ago and the previous

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1154193818972535632006-07-29T12:09:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:40:59.919-05:00

I have had the best secret pal ever! Crochet Fanatic is super wonderful. I can't believe her. She is truly amazing. Look at this...and this...On top of everything else she has sent me, and as you have seen she has been completely generous, selfless and tireless in creating these wonderful packages for little old moi, she sends me this incredible final package.She must have seen my post on

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1152817486759207402006-07-13T13:35:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:41:16.226-05:00

I just received my reveal package from my Crochetville Summer Secret pal, Theresa. She has been hard at work. Look at all of the wonderful things she sent to me, and she said that there will be another package!!!! Her generosity astounds me, and I am so happy that she was my secret pal too, so I got to spoil her back (not so anonymously, but we've gone over that already). I'm saving the best for

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1152648269144556242006-07-11T14:59:00.000-05:002006-09-25T21:44:27.506-05:00

I made this lovely stole for my Crochetville Summer Secret Pal Crochet Fanatic. It's made with 3 1/2 skeins of TLC Cotton Plus. I pulled the flower design from page 131 of Crocheting School (Sterling Pub), and then made the body of the stole fit the width of 4 connected flowers. The stole is about 22" x 72". Amy thought it would look great over her new dress, but I told her it just had to go to

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1152511427177782402006-07-10T00:43:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:41:37.107-05:00

I have recently begun making baby hats for our local regional hospital where both of my girls were born. Their goal is to send every baby home with a hat, about 250 babies a month. I can't say that the ladies I have been working with can make that many in a month, but we do what we can. I had some trouble finding a hat pattern that I wanted to make that worked up quickly. I did like the rectangle

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1152510182715244832006-07-09T23:58:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:42:08.071-05:00

Okay, you can call me a slacker, but I was really just working on spoiling my secret pal. It turns out that I revealed myself from the get go - Pay attention Lauren - but she was so kind and gracious she just let me go on thinking that I was such a good secret keeper. And it turns out that my secret pal is my secret pal, as in, we were sending things to each other. Kind of cool, dontcha think?So

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1150481932999019022006-06-16T12:55:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:42:20.541-05:00

Look at all of the goodies my Super Secret Bud sent me. I picked up this box at the post office this morning (I had to wait all night!) and took it with me to the playground where we were meeting friends. We all had fun looking through everything. Ooo-ing and Ahh-ing over it all. Everyone picked out things they wanted to make or wanted to receive, I got tons of ideas.First and foremost, my Super

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1149640047073658622006-06-06T19:05:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:42:38.774-05:00

My Super Secret Bud does not know how much I needed this today. My first package came from my Secret Pal today and it was the best feeling in the world. It completely absolutely positively made my day. Look at this great box of birthday goodies.She made me a BEAUTIFUL WOOL SCARF. I don't even have a hand-made scarf. It will look great with my jacket. This was something I told my self I would get

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1149638727820395232006-06-06T18:51:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:42:59.029-05:00

So my Dear Friend Amy made me this lovely TP cover for my birthday. She seems to think I don't like it or I am embarassed by it, but that is not true. This is because I would like to make her final home in the girls upstairs hall bathroom.She is so adorable. The buttons totally make it for me. She has been living on my island for all to see. I fully intend to keep her out and about in my kitchen

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1148344995721293112006-05-22T19:41:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:49:42.021-05:00

Well, here's the first of two new purses that I finished over the weekend. It's been a flurry of activity, because I needed them as gifts today. Me and my crazy last minute ideas.This is my first felted project. I like the way that it turned out, even if it still wasn't quite dry when I put it in the gift bag this morning. It's only slightly damp, but I should have gone to the store sooner to get

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1148342123781395632006-05-22T18:54:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:49:54.649-05:00

This bag reminds me of the LL Bean canvas tote bag. I think it's cute.The bottom was formed using the Lion Brand Baguette pattern for Chenille. I used TLC Cotton Plus again, Kiwi left over from Kristen's bag and some Cream I had hanging around. I got about 20-25 rows in and didn't like the shape of it, so I frogged it back down to the first 15 rows and continued straight up from there. I believe

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1148129021685862542006-05-20T07:13:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:50:09.841-05:00

I suggested this on the Cville Summer Secret Pals blog, so I realized I had better get going on this.1. Which yarn is most like your personality?I would love to say some cashmere or alpaca or something else fancy, but to be honest I can't bring myself to buy the stuff. Since we live on one income, I could never justify spending $5/oz on something. Way too decadant for me. I think I am more like

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1147547682347426822006-05-13T13:43:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:50:29.109-05:00

Last month I finished this bag for my friend Kristen's birthday. It was inspired by several things. First and foremost, I never would have done if I hadn't seen Nina_Kate's post on Crochetville. She left a link for these fancy pants Margaret Nicole knit bags. And of course I made a gagillion Crochetgarden.com winter hats this year for Christmas. So the wheels started turning and it all came

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26429418.post-1145403332445866102006-04-18T18:01:00.000-05:002007-03-09T13:50:51.031-05:00

Hello and welcome. I intend to be a very bag blogger. I feel the need to get that out of the way right away. This is a place where I intend to show off some of the things I do and share some of my patterns or pattern modifications with you.

Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400081082358794323noreply@blogger.com1