fo: Crochet Beret

Yay! It's done! I'm so excited when I actually finish something.
That's why I love crochet... it is so fast. So I can be excited on a more regular basis :)

Modifications:

• I cut rows 9 and 10. It was getting too big. I think the shape would've been better if I had them in there, but I don't feel any remorse for my actions :)
• Row 14 (cluster) I alternated 2 skip two clusters, 1 skip 3 cluster (sk 2, sk 2, sk 3...). This was an effort to reduce the circumference some-- I ended up with a 54 cm circumference, which is fine. Still large. The pattern calls for a 51 cm circumference.

Now I can look even more like the mushrooms I love.

More dreaming

I want to make okonomiyaki. Or pajeon.

I want to go out for dim sum.

Fro-yo... the new bubble tea. I could go for that too.

So many food yearnings during the quarter.

Dreaming

Right now I'm pausing before going on to the last question of this beast-like take home test. I hate this class.

I dream about starting new projects quite a bit in the middle of the quarter. This time it's been pretty bad because this quarter has probably the worst midterm area we've ever had in our program thus far. Fortunately, it's only a two-weeks of the underworld, then out to fieldwork in the community for a week, then a somewhat breezier (but not easy) way to the end of the quarter. And this is supposed to be the most work intensive quarter of the program, so I'm looking forwards to a good spring.

The harder school gets the more my mind goes on excursions, thinking up things I would rather be doing.

Ravelry helps me do this quite well!


On the needles and hooks

Slouchy crochet beret - Crochet. I made this once too large, frogged it, and am back at 50% currently. I've been venturing forwards a row or two, then ripping back because I'm experimenting with the sizing as I go. Today I decided to cut two rows from the pattern, so I hope the hat turns out ok.

Lace ribbon scarf - Knitting. I had been using two size 3 dpns to knit this originally, but the stitches fell off while in my bag (an absolutely horrifying moment for me, because this is a lace scarf-- meaning there double yo's in there that are so friggin difficult to pick up if the stitches slip off!). A classmate, who is also a knitter, told me it was a requirement that I had to get size three circulars to finish the project. I got some and put the stitches on the new needles rather sloppily. I am incredibly indebted to her for "knitting" backwards to pick up dropped stitches. She's got so much more experience on me-- I have trouble thinking and working backwards on projects-- I would rather just rip everything and start over. Thanks to her, I can keep going forward on this project! She's got her own lace scarf going now, so it's almost like we've got our own KAL (knit along) group in the OT program :)

Flap top mittens - Knitting. This one is on size 6 dpns. I'm doing lice stitch. It requires so much coordination between the two colors (and I'm new to colorwork) that it is definitely restricted to my desk. I have also decided to do several other mods to the pattern, including resizing the mitten and partial fingers. We'll see how it turns out! I already wish I did the cuff smaller, but it's too late now and I'm too lazy to go back.


Dreaming

Japanese turban hat - Knitting. A brioche stitch hat that is basically a scarf that is sewn into an origami-like configuration and magically becomes a really cute hobo hat. There's another one I saw called "N. cap" which I would have to figure out own my own from looking at pictures. Both are super cute... better start with the one I have more instruction for! I have tweedy O-Wool balance yarn that I'm eager to use.

V-neck sweater vest - Knitting. From Classic Knits by Erika Knight. Looks really cute and a relatively short project for an actual item of clothing. I've never attempted anything beyond a shrug, but this looks like it might be a safe advancement. The pattern reviews on Ravelry say the pattern is ill-written... surprising to hear, since this author has written so many books. I'm still willing to venture, perhaps over spring break. I could splurge on Rowan Big Wool (but its been said to pill badly) or just go with the economy of Wool Ease Thick & Quick... quite a dilemma.

Wham Bam Thank You Lamb Neckwarmer - Knitting. A quick asymmetric cowl in purl stitch. I'm not sure whether I should actually do this, because I'm not completely sure if I'd wear it. But it looks like such a quick knit, it looks cool when other people wear it, I've seen nothing like it on my friends, and I actually have Wool Ease Thick & Quick in my stash, so this is very tempting indeed...

January knitting

First post of the new year! I hope to start it off with some good knitting :)

Over the break I accomplished a couple of my December goals:
--Finished the "little silk shrug"-- I wove in the ends on the day before school began again. It looks pretty good, IMO. I'll have to take some pictures of it sometime. I feel that one danger of me wearing a shrug like this, however, is that if it isn't properly stretched across my shoulders, I could come off as having football-ready shoulders. Also, the bottom back edge is a little too wide, so I must keep pulling the shrug forward so the edge doesn't bend out strangely. All in all, though-- good for a first non-mitten, non-scarf project!
--Finished the felicity beanie. Now that was a quick knit! I really want to do this one again. I saw several really cute projects people did using hand-dyed yarns on Ravelry. Felicity is a really good candidate for displaying amazing yarn because it's all plain stockinette with an interesting shape-- great canvas for special varigated yarn.
I like how the back bunches up like that. I had serious doubts about how this was going to look on me, but it turned out okay! Note to self: on M1, be sure to knit through the back of the stitch. That way, you don't get holes.

In the January/Winter 2009 queue:
--Japanese slouchy crochet beret: I have to frog this baby and start over. I accidentally increased way too rapidly and even though I then attempted to slow the growth early on with each row, it grew out of proportion. Now when I try it on, it looks like an animal is engulfing my head. So... it must be destroyed and remade.
--Lace ribbon scarf: my first time working with fingering weight yarn. I'm a bit intimidated by size 3 needles and it'll probably take forever. I've done about 4 inches since Friday (2 days), so if I think this is going to be 60 inches long, then it'll take me at least a month to knit (and that's assuming I work on this everyday).

Love the color, don't you? Too bad it's called "prune." My first time working with an alpaca mix. It's good but it can be a little splitty on difficult stitches. Also a turn off was that I had to rewind the skein into a ball of yarn so I could actually knit it pain-free. I wish all yarn companies wound their yarn into usable skeins so that customers could start knitting with the stuff immediately.
--Flap-top mittens: I've tried this pattern (in Melanie Falick's Handknit Holidays, by Kim Hamlin) before but always got stuck at the "prepare flap" instructions. Thanks to user eleanorw for clarifying them for me! So now I've gotten past that step and am thinking about knitting fingers into this instead of just ending at an open mitt.
I'm looking forwards to knitting in class this quarter!