My first crocheted flower!

Okay, I’m not actually knitting “Branching Out,” but I’m really branching out from knitting to crocheting! After talking about it for a few years (and accumulating quite a few books), I finally decided to take the plunge and tried my hand at crochet! Here’s the very first thing I tried, a little flower. I’m surprised it actually came out looking like a flower!

There are some knitters who pooh-pooh on crocheters, and I’ve had crocheters come up to me and my friends at a cafe and make comments on how crocheting is better than knitting(!). One thing’s for sure – craftspeople sure are passionate about their craft. I guess I am a knitter by nature, but you won’t see me put crocheters down – I think crocheting is amazing! There are so many things you can do with crocheting that just isn’t the same with knitting, and I want to try it all, especially amigurumi!

I’m an equal-opportunity crafter :)

I guess I should start my first December entry with one fun and positive thing that I’ve done this month! I helped start a very small knitting/needle arts group at work. We meet in the new lunch room once a week for an hour to knit and chat. It’s only been a few weeks and we’re only getting started, but I’m getting more stuff done and I feel newly inspired again. Last week I showed my co-worker Meggie how to do a 1×1 rib stitch, and this week she came with a finished scarf! At our lunch today she was putting on the finishing touches (tassles) on the said ribbed scarf. I was so proud of her. :) She was so thrilled about her progress that she is now attempting a lace pattern.

I find it so fascinating how much one’s personality comes through when it comes to knitting or any type of crafting. It took me months to go from knit to purl, and YEARS before I attempted knitting in the round. Only last year did I pick up a lace pattern after having knitted for 3 years. I simply had to do the basics well (and have confidence in the way I work) before I even tried something new. Meggie just picked projects up without fear and ran with it all!

And one of my 2007 resolutions wishes was to learn how to crochet. I bought myself Stitch ‘N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker (it’s such a GREAT book with great stitches, patterns and cute illustrations just like the original SnB!) back in May but never cracked it open because I never had the time. :\ Not being much of a book-learner (yeah I know *some of you* who know me well are snickering), I got as far as making a chain stitch and was pretty much lost after that. But today! My friend Yvonne happened to decide to drop in on our stitching group and gave me a quick demo – and now I know how to do single crochet! Go me! *LOL* She also showed us how to crochet in circle. Now that part, I didn’t quite catch on, but I’m sure once I get my tension and hook wielding down correctly, I’ll be able to do that soon too.

Now I feel totally inspired about needle arts again. I had been working on a lace scarf for nearly a YEAR and feeling quite dejected, but both Yvonne and Meggie were totally sweet and encouraging. Now I need to finish it so I can start a new project!

My Sampler Scarf for J

Ahh, it’s that time of the year again. Around my neck of the woods, the weather is crisp and cool, there’s the smell of a roaring, cozy fireplace in the air, all the Christmas decoration is up everywhere — the holiday spirit is definitely here. It’s time to break out last year’s Christmas list, get those holiday cards written and sent, and decide who’s naughty or nice. ;)

This year, I’m doing a little better financially, so instead of handmade gifts, I decided to get the majority of them from my favorite online shopping site. I bet they love me because I placed about five separate orders in the span of two weeks. I am still making knitting things this year, though. I try to keep myself as busy as I can around the holiday season, because I think as I get older, it gets harder and harder to battle the holiday blues. For me, it’s good to have projects that need to be worked on, things that need attended to, in order to not dwell on the negativity in life that makes everything hard to deal with this time of year. So far it has been okay, and I’m not feeling the sense of dread hanging above my head as much. :\

In my 2+ years of adventures in knitting, I’ve done a few non-scarf projects I’m actually proud of. Other than that I haven’t done much else complicated people-size. Perhaps I’m just up for the instant gratification of small scale knitting, or it’s probably because I like knitting for its relaxing, going on auto-pilot aspects – as soon as it gets to counting stitches, using stitch markers, reading patterns (LOL), I get flustered and give up. I also like knitting things as gifts, and anything other than sweaters get a little more complicated as well. What if it turns out too big/small/loose/tight? What if the giftee hates it? There’s so much time and effort that goes into every project that I would just be crushed if I knit someone a sweater they never wear. So far it’s only scarves for me, thank you very much.

The first scarf I completed this year is the Sampler Scarf (see above). It was a fun way to practice different stitches and to get a handle on tension and stitch size. The yarn I used is the Peach Dolcetto yarn from Jo-Ann’s Sensations Bellezza Collection. I highly recommend it – it’s a wool/cotton blend, non-scratchy, incredibly soft and easy to knit with, plus it’s Italian-made and sold at a great price. Trust me, you can’t find much Italian wool for $5 a skein! The stitches I used are seed stitch, double seed stitch, and box stitch – and plain ol’ garter stitch as dividers. I really like how it turned out.

Biggie Print Scarf

I had purchased this Rowan Biggie Print yarn in Giddy about two years ago after seeing Winnie’s Troll scarf. Using the basic garter stitch and only six stitches across, this was hands down the fastest knitting project I’ve ever done – on sz 35 needles, I finished it in one sitting on Thanksgiving evening at the in-laws. It’s definitely a conversation starter too, everyone from B’s grandma to his cousin’s 8-year-old boy took an interest to my huge knitting needles and super-thick yarn. And they all went “WOW!” when I did my binding off two hours later. If you’re into some quick & dirty knitting, this is definitely a fun one to try.

I also knitted two scarves using Karabella Puffy yarn in color #50. It’s a deep, rich red and perfect for the holidays. On size 15 needles, I could do one scarf in two evenings. The Puffy yarn is Italian-made merino wool, super soft with a warm, luxurious feel, and not scratchy at all. It is also a bit on the pricey side (it takes two skeins to make a scarf), so choose your recipients wisely (AKA people who appreciate $15-a-skein Italian merino wool)! I didn’t get a chance to take photos of them because I was in a rush and had to give them away, but I hear they are well-loved and worn often. Yay!

Seeing fellow knitters’ work has certainly been very inspirational. Maybe I’ll even attempt something 3D and people-size soon, and for myself! There’s just so much more to learn and try, it’s going to be an exciting crafting endeavor indeed. I also received a crocheting kit for my birthday earlier this year and it’s something I’d like to try (and master) in 2007!

my sis is getting this wonky-knitted scarf whether she likes it or not :P

i remember about a year ago, quite a few online craftsy gals were knitting all these beautiful and amazing creations. as envious and awestruck as i was, i thought knitting was just not my cup of tea because it just took too long. being used to making jewelry with beads and wires, i can make a finished piece in less than an hour, and being a person with little patience and attention span, i figured if i was to ever try knitting, i might as well knit things like coasters or tea towels which wouldn’t take as long!

but as much as i tried to avoid it, the knitting bug bit me. after seeing everyone get into it and how much enjoyment they were getting out of it, i decided to pick up my first pair of knitting needles and give it a go. it was very unsuccessful to say the least, because i picked a very thin, hard-to-see yarn and was using a pair of slippery aluminum needles. after a few weeks, i abandoned my half-finished towel scarf and declared defeat.

a few months later, i decided to give it another try, this time using plastic needles and a yarn that was much easier to see. i had a goal too, which was to give the scarf to my sis for her birthday (in july, haha). i was doing okay despite having picked thin yarn again (it’s a very soft acrylic because she doesn’t like the itchies), but it soon got too warm to knit, so i stopped again. it really got quite discouraging when i would sit there for hours and only have an inch or two added on to my scarf.

when winter came around, i picked up the unfinished scarf dejectedly. it was only about 6 inches long. would i be able to finish it before the holidays and give it to her for x’mas? i was about to give up again and stop knitting for good, but my friends encouraged me to keep at it. it was about 12 inches long around thanksgiving, and now it’s approximately 30 inches long. this is the longest i’ve ever done a scarf, and aside from it being good practice, i also learned a few lessons. next time, i would definitely make the scarf a lot less wide. when casting on, i totally didn’t think about how much it would look like all knitted up. and of course, i would use a yarn with more hefty weight and stick with needles no less than sz 10. i’m currently using size 7 needles and i believe it is 32 stitches across. :O as i keep on knitting, i realize i still have so much to learn about the fine art of knitting. i especially need to work on my tension control as my stitches are still very uneven and novice-looking.

i know it’s still a very slim chance i’ll finish my sister’s scarf before the holidays, but she is actually going on vacation and will spend christmas with my Grandma overseas and won’t be back until the 30th. i’ve come too far to give up now. think it’s possible to do another 2.5 ft before she comes back? ;P