Posted on

valentine’s day gift for me

20130214-112808.jpg

I’ve been looking at this book for a long time. It was originally published in Japan. You may have seen it around the Internet with this cover.

I’ve been trying to cut back on impulse craft book purchases, especially those from Japan (expensive! long delivery times!). When I saw it on amazon in an English version, well it didn’t take long for me to click purchase!

I don’t know what it is about Japanese craft books. Even if I never make a thing from them, I love looking at the beautiful pictures for inspiration. I hope Kazuko Ryokai is planning to translate the second book in this series.

Seriously, this was a better treat than chocolate for Valentine’s Day!

Posted on

granny cowl gifts

I guess it’s safe to say that I’m addicted to double crochet clusters. Is there a 12 Step Program for that? Here are two more gifts I made for the holidays.

purple granny cowl

This is the one that started it all. The yarn is from my stash. I’m not 100% sure of the brands, but I can tell there’s some merino wool in there. It is so soft!

blue granny cowl

I have had this single skein of Manos del Uruguay in my stash for a few years. You know how sometimes you just have to wait for the yarn to speak to you? It finally said “granny cowl” and turned out beautiful.

Coming up: the möbius and a fabric cowl.

Posted on

finished: granny stripe scarf

I’ve got a lot of finished projects from December and thankfully I remembered to take pics before sending them off. The other day a reader asked for an update on the pink and gray granny stripe scarf so let’s start with that!

pink and gray granny stripe scarf

I love, love, love how this scarf turned out. I even considered keeping it. Instead, I followed it up with three granny cowls, one of which is here, the others I’ll post soon. What is it about clusters of double crochet stitches? So pretty and fun to make.

stash: Pink is Lion Brand Wool I picked up on a crazy clearance sale years ago, gray is Lion Brand Woolease gifted to me by a friend.

Posted on

trying very hard to finish this project

20130106-000307.jpg

I started this cowl just before Christmas. After packing up and sending off gifts for everyone else, I decided to make something for myself. It’s a möbius granny cowl using wool from my stash.

It’s almost finished. My new yarn is calling. I just can’t have one more work in progress. Hope to have final pics soon.

The book in the background is a vegan Indian cookbook. It has lots of slow cooker recipes. Looking forward to trying a few.

UPDATE: The book is Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes. (amazon link)

Posted on

pink and gray granny stripe scarf

20121129-131045.jpg

I’ve been wanting to try a granny stripe scarf for awhile. When a friend asked for donations for the United Way Helping Hands Auction, I decided to give it a whirl.

It goes by really fast and is as addicting as a square. My color scheme was inspired by the Two-Color Crochet Cowl over at the Purl Bee. Also, hot pink and gray were the colors for my high school class. (Pink and Gray! All the Way!)

This is also the first time I’ve used a hook with a handle. I’m not sure I like it. Any hook-with-handle lovers out there?

I took this picture last week and spent some time working on it at the craft retreat. I’m almost finished and will share post-blocking pics soon.

Posted on

a little halloween crocheting

20121008-145011.jpg

I’m not one to wear bats or skulls as jewelry during the month of October, but when I spotted this little bead in my daughter’s collection, I knew I had to make it into a necklace. I have been thinking a lot about mixing yarn and beads lately, and this finally convinced me to sit down and get to work. I’ll post a pic when it’s finished.

Posted on

second scrappy crochet scarf

scrappy crochet scarf

I’ve started another scrappy crochet scarf, with colors inspired by my current landscape: brown, yellow and faded green.

It’s been a rough summer. Cornfields have been dry for a few weeks and the grass has been a lost cause since the major heat wave in July. Fields filled with soybeans look great from a distance, but when you get up close, they’re withered and wilting.

I took this picture last week because I couldn’t believe that the playground was so incredibly dry. The colors have stuck in my mind, and I found myself pulling similar shades out of my scrap bin the other day. I’m curious to see how they look together.

website notes: If you clicked the playground picture, you’ll find that I’ve been playing around with tumblr. I like it to keep track of little bits of inspiration. I’ve also decluttered the main navigation and sidebar. You’ll find links to my tumblr and flickr there as well. If you have a creative space on either, let me know. I’d love to check your stuff out!