Monday, April 18, 2011

New Designs and Mitred Crosses

Front and center: I hope I'm not the last knitter out there to begin Kay's Mitered Crosses blanket. If you haven't begun, or at least purchased the pattern, or at least become aware of the pattern, check it out. All proceeds go toward the relief efforts in Japan.

In our house, "blanket" means "cat fur magnet," so I decided to make a long scarf instead, either one or two squares wide and many square long. I'm using Noro Sekku, which is a sensitive twiney laceweight yarn that breaks if one so much as looks at it with displeasure, but which also blocks out fabulously and is light as can be. I've accumulated many balls of Sekku thanks to its placement in a basket to the right of the cash register at Windsor Button; it's like a Snickers bar, I can't resist. (Note: It appears that most stores no longer carry Sekku, and that the yarn itself may be discontinued. Working with it, I can understand this.)

Background: A lot of new designs, dark things all. I've committed myself to a new book(lette) that will be available this coming September, as well as several self-published individual patterns, so it's time to get to work. The color palette is dark; the theme is dark. Call it my reaction to a recent overload of "easy femininity."

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Tax and Hotpad Successes

I did it! I filed my taxes to nearly-broke-even results (better than expected for someone who gets a lot of 1099s for random work) AND successfully participated in the POTHOLDER SWAP 2011!

5 hotpads, double-sided. What's odd is that I had to force myself to create something that wasn't at all "work" related. I don't think I would have completed them without my grandma's death, which both rendered me incapable of working on new designs and inspired me to crochet, because she taught me. She was the queen of afghans and taught me to make granny squares when I was 7 or 8. I think she'd be proud.

The pattern: Knowing that I might struggle with the deadline, I went simple with Maurice's Modern Vintage Potholder pattern. However, I did do tiny stitches with a US 1 crochet hook and size 3 crochet cotton! Here they are:

The obverses: Pastels reminiscent of bathrooms with embroidered towels that are not at all absorbent and color stories from recent issues of Interweave Knits.


The reverses: Op art! Eyeballs!


The rings: something Bicycle Boy dug up out of his tool/supply box. Back cog ring spacers or something.


Tags so you know they're from me.


And it's all in the mail, in a repurposed Interweave rejection envelope. Turn that frown upside down, right???