Cross-stitchery

Lately, I've turned my attention to cross-stitching. It gets so darn hot here in Texas that knitting can become a sweaty hobby! I don't care if you are using a silk or cotton yarn, it still gets toasty when you have that much fluff sitting on your lap.

My latest project is a super fun pattern I procured from Subversive Cross-stitch. This is definitely not your grandma's cross-stitch, but I find some safe sayings on here from time to time.

The thing I love about cross-stitching is that it really doesn't require any talent whatsoever. Basically, I separate some embroidery floss, thread a needle, and get going. Granted, this is counted cross-stitch so I attempt to find the middle of the canvas before starting. Besides that, I just follow the pattern and color guides. Good times!

Cross-stitch projects also really seem to fly. I can speed through a sampler in no time. That means I can cross-stitch a gift much more quickly than I can knit a gift. After all, I can't keep all the goodies to myself. This most recent prize stays with me, though!

Lavish life sampler

Busy grrl

I've been swamped! I'm not sure what is swamping me. Oh, yes. Our house DID flood in September. With that mess, so went my intent to blog more. Fear not, I am back!
I just finished a hat for my father's 74th birthday. I used wonderful Debbie Bliss Cashmarino Aran in Charcoal. It's a gorgeous yarn that looks almost tweedy.

Debbie Bliss Cashmarino Aran in Charcoal.

The hat came out great, but my dad refuses to wear it as it is designed to be worn. It turns out only the top of his head gets cold. I wish I would have known before I bought a second skein and made it super long so he could turn up the cuff! :/
Regardless, I got him to pose for a picture wearing his hat appropriately.

Dad is subdued momentarily.

Moments later, however, he rolled it up and hammed it up! Gotta love him!

Dad always cracks us up.

Leg warmies

I started on some infant leg warmies last week. Well, to be truthful, I started a while back and had to frog my work. Some lady at the yarn store told me that Puffin fleece yarn would work great for leg warmies and that she had already tried it. All I have to say is that she must have a baby with strange legs. This yarn does not stretch at ALL! It's soft and lovely, but not stretchy.

Now, I am using what I set out to use all along...Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. The problem was that I couldn't find it up in my part of town. I eventually got two skeins at Hill Country Weavers. I am doing a striped pattern and things are going along well. I am using the Magic Loop method.

Leg warmies

Wow, I am a blogging slacker...

However, I have been knitting up a storm! The most recent nifty item I knitted is a lace bookmark. In fact, I have done it twice. The first yarn I used was a mixture of cotton and linen. It came out really soft and nice, but I wanted to try something that is made for this type of work. I went to Joann’s and found some interesting #3 yarn. It is 100% mercerized cotton and seemed to be easier to work with on the #1 US needles.

Lacy bookmark

At this point, I am waiting on my lace blocking wires from Knit Picks. Once I get those, I will be able to try my hand at this mysterious thing called blocking. Once I do that and maybe apply some fabric stiffener, my bookmarks should look much better. In the meantime, here is a kinda wacky picture of the first bookmark I completed.

Original post: 3/16/10

Knitting, eh?

I started teaching myself to knit about a month ago. I learned by watching some great YouTube videos and just getting some basic tools of the trade. I also got several books. My favorite is Stitch ‘n Bitch by Debbie Stoller. Not only does she have a fun, lively tone to her writing, she can also really teach knitting techniques! Huzzah!
After tackling knitting basics with my buddy Dawna, I went to a Knitting 101 class. The teacher, Becky Joiner, was awesome. She works great with all personality types and has a true love of knitting. I went full speed ahead after class and even signed up for circular knitting, which I took just this past weekend.
Here is a picture of my completed scarf. It’s called the Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf and the pattern is from Stitch ‘n Bitch.

Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf

Original post: 2/17/10

Crochet-a-Rectangle?

I decided a good starting project in crochet would be to Knit-a-Square for AIDS orphans. (I am crocheting it, not knitting it, smarty!) So, I picked up some Red Heart Eco-ways recycled blend yarn. I figured going green while doing volunteer work is doubly-good karma, eh?
Unfortunately, I really hated using this yarn. It was so slippery! I am going to try a bamboo hook and see if that helps.
Anyway, I finished my project today and ended up with a rectangle. Can orphans use a rectangle? I kind of doubt it, since the squares are meant to all be sewn together to form a blanket. Tomorrow night is when I can turn this in, but I am not sure it is even worth it. I hate to toss out my work, but maybe it is just a lesson learned. I am not sure what I learned, though.

Original post: 1/12/10

Bach the Zombie Cat

I feel a bit like the undead today, as I work on my zombie cat cross-stitch. It's actually a pattern that I adore called Bach. I refer to Bach as a zombie because I have only finished one eye. In fact, I lost the pattern for the other eye. So, poor Bach may continue to look like he came back from the pet cemetery.

Bach cross-stitch

 
This is only my second attempt at cross-stitch. The first is also unfinished, because I didn't know working on a black background would be such an eyeball breaker. It's also a large piece, so I decided to give it a rest until I get some more experience under my belt.

I am excited to finish Bach the Zombie Cat. At that point, I can move on to something new. I want to try knitting a scarf, even though I find it a bit intimidating. I bought Knit Aid by Vickie Howell today, and I now feel more confident delving into this craft.