The Decorator Crab

On to the next thing...

As the Larger Than Life Bag languishes in the stages of finishing, I am already deep into the planning of my next project, the Hexagon Granny Blanket.  I don't have a photo to insert here, but you can check out my inspiration over at Moonstitches - her hexagon granny is simply amazing.  The pattern was hard to find, but I finally ended up ordering it from Japan two weeks ago.  It is due to ship out in a couple of days.  I am eagerly anticipating its arrival, but once it arrives there remains a language issue.  The pattern is in Japanese, and I am banking on the hope that I can figure it out by using the images and the block chart (for example).  Considering my limited crochet experience, this ought to provide some entertaining blog fodder!

I bit the bullet on the yarn for this project, and splurged (for me) on some superwash merino DK, specifically, Jaeger Matchmaker found on sale at Jimmy Beans Wool.  They have a decent color selection, and you can't beat $5/ball (except on eBay, where they charge shipping and stuff).  I tried my LYS, but they only had one superwash DK yarn, and it was too rich for my blood.  I also ordered a color card for KnitPicks Swish DK, but the colors were totally uninspiring.  [BUT!  If you need any EZ books, go buy them from KP - they are 40% off.  I got three!]

Anyhoo, here are the colors that I ordered:
[Not shown is a set of four balls of dark brown yarn that I ordered from eBay, that are now on their way from England.  I scored four balls of Emu Superwash DK for just over $12, including priority shipping from the UK!] 

The pattern apparently calls for seven colors (from what I can gather from Moonstitches' post about it), but I am going to use the same approach that Moonstitches does by choosing groups of colors for each single color in the pattern.  So, you can see that I have three different greens instead of three balls of the same color green.  I thought that these would be a lot more fun to work with rather than just seven colors, especially given the absolute riot I had with the [relatively] few colors in the LTL Bag.  There won't be as much *pop* in my blanket as in the "original", but I do like the colors that I ended up choosing, and am dying to see them in person.  I also feel like I need to be more adventurous in choosing colors, and this was a good exercise for me. 

It is rare that I spend so much money on yarn (ooooohh - $89 - what a spendthrift!), but I really surprised myself by how much I enjoyed working with the colors in the LTL Bag.  So. Much. Fun!!  I reserve the right to buy a few more balls if I need them for the project, and I won't feel guilty about it!  90 bucks is peanuts for the hours of entertainment that the yarn will provide, let alone the usefulness of the finished blanket. 

I also really really like the modular aspect of the granny square, since it gives you definite starting and stopping points, and progress is easy to see (and even quantify!).  The hexagons are joined together as each one is made, so the finishing boils down to weaving in a kabillion ends.  I'm sure I'll complain about it at some point...

All in all, this project is shaping up to be a lot of fun, and with the yarn and the pattern due to arrive shortly, I am beside myself in expectation. 

Seattle Mariners Stitch and Pitch 2007

Last Thursday night I went back to the place that started it all, Safeco Field, for the Seattle Mariners Stitch and Pitch 2007!  I was at the first annual Stitch and Pitch two years ago, but missed it last year because I was out at sea.  I got my (sadly blogless!) knitting friends together once again, and we headed to the field for $8 beers, knitting, and swag.  SnP has grown so much since the first year!  I could hardly take it all in.

The sock posed on the big mitt outside of the home plate gate:

After visiting the many vendor booths, I ended up with a free Stitch and Pitch needle case (love the free swag!), a skein of Socks That Rock Heavyweight in colorway "Little Bunny Foo Foo," and a kit for a beaded Koigu beret. I've never used beads in my knitting before, and this seemed like a modest starting project.  I don't have any idea what I am going to do with the STR, but as usual with this yarn, I just couldn't resist the colors (Tina so totally RAWKS!). Check it out:

The colors are a little washed out in the bright sun, but you get the idea.  Irresistible!

Here you can see some of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle from one of the booths.


I saw at least one Seattle Knitblogger, but was too shy to say hello (dumbass!). Maybe next time.

And, finally, here we are, knitting and [not] watching baseball:

I don't know if it's the light-colored pants, or because I am in front, or because I am an Amazon, but I look freaking huge in this photo.  Attack-of-the-50-Foot-Woman-huge, not Orca-huge.  Ah well, at least you get a WIP update on the second Jaywalker.  *Sigh*  Check out the pink hair on the girl behind us!  It so rocks - I never had the balls to get that extreme, even when I was all pseudo-angsty in high school. Also note that we are one row away from literally being as far away from the field as possible.  Nice.

Anyway, fun was had by all, and this will surely be an annual event for this gal.  Who's coming with me next year?!

Grrrrr....

Ripping out intarsia is a real pain in the ass.  Go ahead - ask me how I know....*sigh*

Choose Your Weapon

Since no one wants to see the same piece of crocheted bag binding over and over as it gets longer and longer, today I talk about crochet hooks.  I am a total newb to crochet, but I've already tried out a few kinds of hooks to see what works best for me.  Surprisingly, I have actually found that I much prefer certain hooks over others.  Here are what I've tried:

From L to R: Susan Bates Quicksilver Aluminum, Susan Bates Crystalites, Addi Color Coded, and Clover Soft Touch. They are posed from my favorite (Quicksilver!) to my least favorite.

I bought the Soft Touch and Addi hooks thinking that the handles would be more comfortable, and that the smaller heads would be easier to get into loops and stitches. Experience proved me wrong on both counts! I found that the Soft Touch was just too bulky, even for my lanky man hands.  The Addi hook was comfortable enough to use, but without a flat edge anywhere, I found that I had to re-adjust my finger position on the handle more often. Though the heads are smaller, and seemingly better suited to slipping in between stitches, I found that the roundedness actually made these hooks more difficult to insert into my crochet. They would sort of slip off the stitch instead of diving into it. That was a real surprise.  Kudos to Addi for the color coding - I am totally down with that kind of organization - but I did not love the need hook as I whole.  (I keep typing "needle" instead of "hook"!  Dang the knitter in me!)  These two needles, the Addi and the Clover, are not what are called "inline" hooks (see here), like the two on the left. Maybe I am an "inline" gal? 

I found that the two Susan Bates hooks were the easiest and most comfortable to use.  I started with the plastic one, but moved to the aluminum hook pretty quickly.  I like having a little more heft in my hand, and I find that the Quicksilver finish is nice and slippery, but not too slippery.  I guess I should have started with the SBQ, since they are actually among my favorite needles for knitting. The knitting needles are nice and pointy, and again, I like the finish on them. I also like the flat, contoured thingamajig for my thumb - it is a really comfortable, smart design. 

So, in summary:

What kind of hooks are your favorite?  Do you actually care? 

Next time, photos of actual crafts.

On the Side

After a little inspiration from the LTL Bags on Ravelry, I'm now working on the sides and base of my bag.  Here is a glimpse of how it's coming along:
Isn't it fun?!  I had originally planned on doing the sides and base the same color as the trim around the blocks (creme), but after seeing a striped version, I decided to go with that idea instead.  Since this bag is going to be colorful and fun anyway, I figured that I might as well go ahead and take it to the next level! It's a huge pain in the ass to change colors so often, but it'll be worth it when it's done. I hope.

Since I don't have a random bone in my body, I am using Kissyourshadow's Random Stripe Generator to obtain the color and line thickness variation.  I selected all eight of my colors, and then chose stripes with thicknesses of 2, 3, or 4 rows.  I am implementing the rows as follows: 2 rows is one double chain; 3 rows is one single chain, one double chain; and 4 rows is one single chain, one double chain, one single chain. I'm knitting crocheting over my ends as I go, so that'll save me beaucoup time in the end. I guess that there won't really be a right-side/wrong-side when I reach the end - does that matter?

Next post topic - Ravelry!  I finally got in!  I haven't uploaded many projects yet, but I will slowly get to it.  Anyone out there want to be my friend?  Please?  ;)

A bit of diversion...

I don't have anything to show for the weekend (too much wine, not enough crochet), so go take a look at my next crochet project...  LINKY.  Trust me - go look - it's totally worth it.  I'll wait. ...  Wish I could post the photo directly, but it's not mine to post.

The pattern is from a Japanese crochet book, which I just ordered from Japan.  That's my level of commitment to the project.  I am totally smitten!  In the mean time, I am hoping that I can learn to read crochet charts - it must be easier than learning to read Japanese...

We're outta here!

Happy 4th of July, everyone.  We are off to Southern California to visit family over the long weekend.  Thanks to you all for the warm birthday wishes - it made my day!

This is all that I have to show for the last couple of days, but I'm hoping to have an assembled bag for you when I get back.  Enjoy the holiday!