Good Idea: Taking your knitting on a trip and getting it 90% done in the airport/on the airplane.
Bad Idea: Leaving 3 of the dpns you need to finish off said project tucked into seat pocket.
D’oh!! Now I need new size 10 1/2 dpns.
It seems like its been forever since I last posted here. It’s not like I haven’t been crafting either. Oh well. I have a few projects underway, but I wanted to complete something so I made the honeycomb hat. It’s made from Malabrigo Chunky I bought at Down Cellar. That stuff is soft and gushy! It cried out to be made into a hat.
This is a pretty simple cabling pattern. Since you did about 16 cables in a row every 4 rows I just cabled without a cable needle and it made it much faster. I made this in 2 days. Shaping the crown took a little creativity since I didn’t want to just go straight stockinette until I had to.
I will have to give this hat to someone with a small head. I can fit it on mine but everything gets stretched out. I cast on 64 stitches on 10.5 circulars so if I make one for me I’ll do at least 72. And I’ll write up a pattern.
All the honeycomb cables should make this a very warm hat.
So the rumors were true: AC Moore is closing down. My mom told me this morning she saw a sign that said they “lost their lease”. Damn.
I know it’s been quiet here of late. I’ve been working on a lot of household projects, but I spent some time last night winding yarn for a new project so there will be updates soon!
I mentioned recently that I was making some pasties and a lot of my readers were curious as to why and who was I making the pasties for. Well here they are.
I made these as a gift for my friend Christina’s bridal shower. She really enjoyed them.
The pastie is crocheted using pearl cotton and small steel hook. I forget what size. I just made a basic circle doing some non-increasing rows so that it would be slightly cupped. Then I sewed on the lace and beads at the same time. At this point I wondered exactly why I was hand beading a gag gift. At least it looked nice. I made tassels out of a skein of DMC embroidery thread and sewed them on. Voila! Pasties.
Christina enjoyed them and even modeled them for the guests.
I’ve been checking out the local (to my work) yarn shops during my lunch. Last weekend I went to Accent on Knits in Morristown. I hate driving in Morristown; I know where I want to go but never seem to be able to get there on my first (or second) try.
Accent on Knits is on Speedwell Ave, a block off the green. The owners were very nice and you get 10% off if you are a new customer. I went there to buy some Berocco Peruvia so I can make the sweater that’s on the cover of Intraweave Knits Fall 07. I had called ahead to make sure they had it. They have the store organized by color. I find this very annoying. I knew what yarn I wanted but I had to wander around trying to find which colors they had. I guess to business owners this may seem like a way to get customers to buy more, but personally it makes me want to shop elsewhere. The store itself seems a little messy and rundown, especially compared to some of the newer posh places. I walked out with 8 skeins of peruvia in chipotle for my sweater.
I’ve decided I wanted to knit the Hemlock Ring Blanket for a wedding gift. I don’t have anything stashed that’s appropriate so I decided to look for some Eco Wool. There are 3 yarn shops nearby that stock Cascade. Knitting Lab (cute logo!) is closed mondays. Angelfire Studios is on the other side of town and their website says they don’t carry Eco-Wool.
So I went to Down Cellar which is on the main street in Basking Ridge. Jean was very nice and helpful and after I perused the store, she gave me some suggestions on yarns to use. They did have Eco Wool but it wasn’t that soft and while everyone online sells it for $15 they were charging $24. For that amount I could get something nicer. I ended up picking Cascade 128 Tweed in a taupe color. That was $12/skein and I got 4 so it was $48 – the same price that a similar amount of EcoWool would cost. I also bought a skein of Malabrigo Chunky in variegated greens and browns.
Down Cellar had some really unique yarns and some brands I’d never heard of. Sheep Shop has some lovely soft yarns that are hand painted. The colors remind me of some Manos yarns, but spun in a more refined way and with softer materials. I’d definitely go back there. One thing does bug me, I got back to work and looked online and the list price for 128 Tweed is $9.50. That’s a $2.50 markup and more than I really care to stomach. I’m generally ok with 50cents or a dollar but over 25% is pretty ridiculous to me. I guess that’s why I end up buying online so much. I would like to support local shops but I can’t see why I should be paying a premium to do so.
My mom showed me an article in the Daily Record that said they might be closing the AC Moore in Parsippany. BOO! NO!!! That would leave me with only Michaels and I hate Michaels.
On a side note I went to AC Moore last night for my pastie making supplies and for some reason all of the takumi bamboo crochet hooks were on clearance. They were about $2.65 which I believe is 50% off. I have one bamboo hook and I love it so I bought one of each. When I went to pay they rang up full price, so someone had to go check and they overrode the price.
I was ever-so-innocently searching for diy instructions for making pasties (with tassels!) when I came across the craigslist ad for a Burlesque Craft Class. It’s taught by You Show Girl! Burlesque.
the august 15th class…
Pasties, And Sparklies and Feather Fans OH MY!
Tonight is a true DIY T&A crafting class!
Miss Beretta gives you the basic supplies to craft your own pair of pasties!
We will also cover rhinestoning 101, re-upholstering a bra and making luxe shimmy belts.
Part II of class we will make our own basic “shake dancer fan” using
Bella’s tried and true formula for non-collapsing feather fans.
It sounds kind of fun. If I lived in LA I think I’d go check it out.
I have a ridiculous stash. Seriously. Like bins and bins of yarn. I want to get rid of some of it so I’ve decided in my spare time to knit/crochet hats. I’m going to put them on etsy or take them to a craft fair. I just started a few days ago and I’ve already got 2 done and I’m starting a third during my lunch today.
I picked up some fall knitting magazines last week. Interweave Knits looks really good and there are some cute things in KnitSimple. I think I’m going to knit myself a vest or two. I flipped through Vogue Knitting and was unimpressed so I skipped it.
When Rag Shop closed its doors recently I didn’t really lament the loss. I had long since become a AC Moore convert due to their better prices and selection. So I was sad to realize this weekend that when I needed a zipper for a dress I am making I would have to drive all the way to Ledgewood. That’s a good 30+ minutes. Our local Rag Shop was 5 minutes.
Then I realized I did have an alternative – albeit a choice I didn’t want to make. Yesterday I broke down and went to the Land of Evil (aka walmart)Â to buy my zipper. I hate Walmart. I guess they won this battle.
I’m participating in Mystery Stole #3. It’s a knit-a-long where you don’t know exactly what you’re knitting. Every week a clue (aka bit of the pattern) is released. There is plenty of discussion as to what the theme is.
Anyway this is my first shot at real lace knitting; I’ve done little bits of lace before but not a whole project. I’m using Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 in lilac that I bought from Sarah’s Yarns for much less ($6.75/2oz) than anywhere else. Other places 2oz was over $11! They are in Brooklyn so I got the cheap first class shipping and had my yarn in no time.
I am still on clue number one as I have had to unknit a few times when my stitches didn’t add up. Damn yarn-overs! I’m going to be traveling next week so I should be able to get plenty done in the airport.
There’s also a week off from clues for the Harry Potter book release. I don’t read Harry Potter so I’ll be free to catch up on my knitting.