Steampunk Crochet

Every once in a while, I like to participate in a good craft swap. Sometimes there's a theme, sometimes it's a random match-up, but it's always fun! My most recent swap was a random match-up, but awesome because I was paired with someone who likes steampunk. Inspired by this theme, I made an epic collar:

I picked a crochet pattern, Hardware Heaven, which always a challenge for me and doubly so because I'm not great at reading written crochet patterns (I'm better with charts). Still, between the awesome design and my skills with wire wrapping, beads, and chains, I could not pass it up. I think it turned out pretty well and my swapee seemed to like it!

It took me a very long time to finish this collar, so I'm really glad to be getting back to knitting again. As fun as this project was, knitting is so much easier for me. So look for more knitting projects on the blog going forward!

Star Bunting

I love having random bursts of crochet inspiration. I never know when this inspiration is going to strike, but it's always fun to take a break from my knitting needles and pick up a hook. My most recent crochet inspiration came when I ran across this adorable "twinkler star" pattern on Pinterest and immediately wanted to make some stars.

First of all, I must say that I love this little pattern. The stars are simple to make, quick to finish, and by my second star, I had the pattern memorized. About the same time I memorized the pattern, I realized that the stars would make an adorable bunting strung along a crochet chain. So that's what I did and hung the results in my previously plain cubicle where it makes me happy while I work.

I should add that I blocked each star to give it nice points, but the stars are also pretty cute in their chubby unblocked version. There may be more crocheting in my future because the blog that published the pattern, Cherry Heart, has me ogling over all types of crochet and wee buntings. I definitely want to crochet All The Things right now.

Mechanics

You can always tell a serious crafter by looking at their favorite electronic device to see if it is covered in yarn or fabric. I'm not ashamed to admit that I designed a knitted cozy for my iPhone, which has turned out to be quite useful, and I now have a crafty cover for my Kindle. Mark me down as a obsessed serious crafter.

I've been wanting to make a cover for my Kindle for almost a year and a half. My previous storage solution, a yellow mailing envelop, kept off scratches but was definitely not attractive. Enter in a felt sleeve and a pattern for crochet cogs. You may recognize the yellow yarn and overall color scheme from my recent project, Mama and Baby Imp. What can I say? I had to do something with the leftover yarn and I have an inordinate fondness for olive green.

I think the crochet cogs add a nice steampunky touch to this modern device. Their pattern was fairly straightforward, though I had problems coordinating the cog sizes to be within the dimensions of my Kindle. In the end, I had to use the existing pattern structure to invent the wee cog at the top right (my pattern notes for the wee cog are here). I'm kind of amazed that, knitter as I am, I was able to BS a crochet design.

Between crocheting the cogs, handsewing them onto the felt, and blanket-stitching the felt together, I really enjoyed putting this all together. The enjoyment of the process makes my joy in finally have an attractive cover for my Kindle all the sweeter.

All Aflutter

I think I'm falling for crochet. The more I do it, the easier and more enjoyable it becomes. And as much as I will always be primarily a knitter, I'm really coming to believe that certain things just work better in crochet. Butterflies, for example, fall into the crochet-is-better category.

I fell in love with this butterfly pattern the moment I saw it in 'Crochet Adorned'. It was originally designed to be a pocket on an apron, but I thought it would also work well as a larger statement piece. It took me a while to figure out the best place to make that statement, but I'm pretty happy with my final choice.

This gray top is one of my favorite layering shirts, but it has a tendency to slip off of my shoulders. Thankfully, a large butterfly is the perfect thing to provide structure to the shirt as well as subtly highlight the shirt's low scoop back. As the butterfly is made from recycled cotton, I now have the perfect thing to wear in all of this newly-arrived warm weather!

While I'm pondering doing more crochet from 'Crochet Adorned', I also got a copy of Linda Permann's second book, 'Little Crochet', from the library and I think it's another great offering from this author. It might just be time to up my crochet skills by attempting a tiny sweater.

Sleep Sleep

I've been sleeping easier recently. A lot of this is because my PhD thesis defense is done and all of my paperwork is submitted to the grad school. The other reason I'm sleeping better is that I found a way to deal with my neighbor's porchlight being just outside my bedroom window--an eye mask. Crafting to the rescue again!


This particular eye mask was made using a combination of hand-sewing, felt-work, embroidery, and a crochet motif from Crochet Adorned. I really love to do projects that combine multiple crafts as they utilize lots of supplies from the stash (so I can tell my husband that yes, I really do use all that stuff) and always make me feel like a crafty superstar for being proficient at multiple crafting techniques.


The other benefit of using so many different crafting techniques in one project is that it excersizes my creativity. Now that grad school is officially over and I'm working more normal hours, I am so ready to be a more creative and balanced individual. Hopefully my creative exercises will translate into some interesting blog posts in the future!

Two Crochet Books For Knitters

I don't consider myself a crocheter, though I do know how to crochet. It's something that I do when I find a pattern I like, need to reinforce an edge, or want to use up leftover yarn. While I enjoy the act of crocheting, I always approach it from the viewpoint of being a knitter. In this context, I've found it very helpful to have a few crochet reference books on hand and there are two in particular that I cannot do without.


The first is Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, which offers very clear diagrams on how to crochet in addition to 40 modern crochet patterns. The how-to section at the front of the book is particularly nice, covering everything from crocheting in the round and stitch patterns to making extras like buttonholes and pom-poms. I always reach for this book when I start a crochet project to double check that I'm doing things correctly.



The second book I recommend is Crochet Adorned, which centers around using crochet motifs to embellish everyday items. I like this book because it has a bunch of small projects, meaning that instead of worrying about screwing up, I just try things for the fun of it. The patterns themselves include earrings and pins, dress/coat/shirt trims, and a beautiful starched lace bowl. Plus, the book has a nice stitch dictionary in the back that includes different trim ideas, flower motifs, and granny triangles and hexagons.



Perhaps the flexibility of the motifs is why I like Crochet Adorned so much. For example, I made elbow patches for an old sweater using a motif that was originally intended for a table mat. Overall, the book really encourages me to explore different uses for crochet that, as a knitter, I would not have otherwise realized were possible.


I hope my book recommendations encourage my fellow knitters to take another look at crochet!

Rippling Away The Blues

Thank goodness it is the end of February. While it is the shortest month, it always seems to be my least favorite. Poor February, it can't help its place as the last full month of winter--the month that everyone gets sick of the cold and just plain sick. The combination of cold and snow, along with a busy work schedule, gave me the February blues this week. Though it turned out to be nothing that a little sunshine, a mug of tea, and cozying up in my ripple blanket couldn't cure.


I made this little afghan almost two years ago, when the ripple craze swept the internet. At that time, it seemed like you couldn't look at any crafter's blog without seeing yet another of these afghans. As the pattern was so simple and yielded such cute results, I could not help but start one myself. For yarn, I used blue and green oddballs and scraps from my stash. Unfortunately, I only had enough to make a small lapghan, though it has served me well enough over the past two years.

So there I was this morning, sitting on the couch underneath my big picture window soaking up the sun--just me and my small ripple (and the mug of tea, of course)--when I realized that I must have accrued more blue and green yarn scraps in the two years since I worked on this blanket. A little digging through my scrap bag proved this to be true and I decided it was time to expand the ripple into a properly sized afghan.


I don't know how much farther I will get on this before my current yarn runs out. It is possible that this will become the never-ending project, usable but always waiting for more yarn to be truly finished. I do know that I am really enjoying to crochet each additional stripe; it is an easy pattern and the frequent turns keep it entertaining. So even if I do run out of yarn a while from now, it promises an enjoyable crochet experience in another two years.

Messenger Owl

Having already discussed my mild obsession with Harry Potter, it may not surprise you that I will be employing an owl to deliver all of my love notes today (Valentine's Day). Muggle post simply cannot be trusted with such an important task. Instead of dealing with the hassle of the live version, however, I decided to go with a little amigurumi owl based on the pattern found here. She may not be the largest owl, but she certainly makes up for it in cuteness.


The drawback is that she cannot be trained to carry letters like a normal owl, i.e. using mice. After a day or two, though, I discovered that whispering a few kind words into her ear will get you in her good graces. At this point she will open her beak, allowing you to put your letter inside.


Unfortunately, she has absolutely no sense of direction whatsoever, so I fear that I will be delivering all of my love notes by hand this year.

Mithril Shawl, Finished

If I missed some of the subtlety of my Mithril shawl in the first post about it, this picture should show it a little better.


I just love how this shawl turned out. It worked up surprisingly quickly and the pattern shows very well after a quick overnight blocking.


The only issue I had with this shawl was that it turned out much too long after blocking. I had originally used about 1.5 skeins of KnitPicks Shimmer, but frogging the extra half a skein resulted in a much better length. Now I have a whole extra skein to make a second shawl!

Mithril Shawl

If I embarrassed myself in my last post due to the long delay between finishing and photographing/blogging about my February Lady Sweater, I'm going to try to make up for it here. Today I'm posting about an actual work in progress!


The pattern is the Crocus Bud Shawl and I am making it with the dreamy alpaca-silk blend, Knit Picks Shimmer in the Cumulus colorway. The yarn is hand-painted in a subtle mix of grays--some lighter, some darker, a tint of brown here, a touch of icy blue there. I just love the resulting combination of the beautifully simple crochet pattern with this gorgeous yarn! I can't help but think of Mithril, of which Tolkien saud:

"[The shirt] was close-woven of many rings, as supple almost as linen, cold as ice, and harder than steel. It shone like moonlit silver."

Light and delicate, beautiful and subtle, all made into a clothe of many loops and chains. Thus the Mithril shawl.

(And don't you just love the corner of my arm the photo, as I attempted to stretch out the lace to show the pattern?)