Stitch Marks

Haunted String Challenge

2006-11-28T20:55:00.000-05:00

The folks over at Haunted String are getting things started on their First Annual April Fool Challenge. This year's theme: Well-Known Characters Brought To Crocheted Life. Amy's Sam (you'll recognize him) will give you a terrific idea of what you can expect to see. Characters who were first brought to life through pages, paintings, prose, film, and other creative arts will be depicted in tiny, crocheted stitches, and you, dear public, will be invited to vote on your favourites! Or ... are you up to the challenge?

Freebie Scarf Pattern

2006-11-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

I used to think scarf patterns were redundant ... just choose a stitch pattern, work it over a number of stitches that looks like the width of a scarf, and continue until it's as long as you'd like. That's what I've done and I love this scarf so much that I suddenly see the necessity of a pattern ... it's for sharing! Here's my pattern for a simple scarf that makes up quickly with a pretty design to it - and it's crocheted though looks a smidge like knitting. I used a size 5 Brazilian cotton because I wanted a scarf I could wear for warmth in the winter, and as an accessory the rest of the year. I love, love, love using a super huge hook with fine threads and yarns for different things ... shawls, cowls, scarves, even doilies. Tres shabby chic!

Not sure how much yarn I used but I imagine it's near or about the 200 yard range. Give or take. Maybe.

Winter Oyster Scarf
(Winter Oyster? Who am I kidding?)

Materials
Size 5 cotton thread (I used Anne, by Circulo)
8mm crochet hook

Foundation row: Ch 20, sc in 2nd ch from hook, *sk 2 chs, 5 dc into next ch, sk 2 chs, sc into next ch, rep from * across and turn.

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc in same st as turning ch, *sk 2 dc, sc into next dc, sk 2 dc, 5 dc into next sc, rep from * across ending last rep with 3 dc into last sc and turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc into first dc, sk 2 dc, 5 dc into next sc, sk 2 dc, 1 sc into next dc, rep from * across ending last rep with 1 sc into top of turning ch and turn.

Repeat rows 2 & 3 until scarf is the length the you'd like. 90 (give or take) rows will produce a scarf long enough for an ascot-type look.

(For some reason I can't add the picture here. Check it out here.)

(I'll be back in a bit to post an edging for the scarf. Not sure what I'd like to have on it yet.)

Have You Ever ... ?

2006-11-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

I got this from Sarah. You copy this list onto your own blog and then bold the ones you have done!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Countrified

2006-11-22T22:47:00.000-05:00

I was last here in February? Holy smokes. Time flies like the wind, huh? (And fruit flies like bananas.) (That cracks me up!) I guess you could say I've been up to much ... bought a house in the country, packed up and moved, settled in ... still settling in. Love it all to pieces!

I am sad to say, though, that I haven't knitted a darned thing since way back when. I think I suck at knitting, or rather, I suck at having the patience for it. I hope to knit again, sometime, but in the meantime, I'm back to crocheting and am a happy wee clam about it. I'm dithering about asking Santa for a digital camera for Christmas, but it's possible. I've got a lot to show off if the Big Red One manages a pretty pressie under the tree with my name on it.

... like bananas. Ahhhh-ha-ha-he-ha-ha!

Knitting Olympics Update

2006-02-12T12:25:00.000-05:00

Granny Smith is coming along well. I'm really seeing that knitting this isn't much of a challenge, but I still have to actually finish the pieces and get them sewn together. If I manage to complete my event early, I'm definitely going to add learning to make socks to my repetoire. Homemade, knitted socks is my whole reason for wanting to learn to knit in the first place. As Kristyn said at our last SnB meeting, I really should have chosen socks for the Knitting Olympics in the first place. I was askeered.

I'm setting aside my knitting for Steve's hockey game. I can see it now ... 16 - 0 for us! (Oh, Canada!)

Fruits

2006-02-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

I've finally decided on my knitting project, again. Granny Smith, from Berroco. Got the yarn already so it's definately a go this time. I'll be doing it in off-white and deep wine ... Strawberries and Cream? Instead of a zipper I'll be doing something for buttons, maybe little crocheted strawberries as button flaps.

Check out The Panopticon today! For those who know the story, the cartoon is a hoot!

REMINDER: The Durham SnB meets this Thursday at Williams Coffee Pub in Whitby! Everyone is welcome to join us!

Quick Change Artist

2006-02-04T02:03:00.000-05:00

That would be me, a quick change artist. Quickly changing my mind, that is. I've done it again with my Knitting Olympics entry. I'm going to take some liberty in saying that I'm still knitting lace, but only a smidge. I've decided (finally and forever) to knit the Vintage Capelet from Spun Magazine. What gives? I'm a chicken, that's what! I've watched myself knitting lace over the past week and if I went any faster I'd stop. I know it's all about the personal challenge but really and truly, to finish a project is a personal challenge for me so I'm good to go no matter what I do.

Speaking of mind altering, I've decided not to knit the Shetland Garden Faroese Shawl for the silliest of reasons. Wait till you hear this! I still think it's a beautiful shawl, and though the pattern is ahead of my current experience I've read through it and, sticking to the 'one stitch at a time' theory of encouragement, I know I could eventually do it. But here's the thing: Sivia Harding included in the pattern the story of the shawl's birth. It was made for a wonderful woman as secretly requested by her loving husband. But 4 months after receiving the shawl, the woman passed away. Now, go ahead and colour me superstitious because that's exactly what I am! Half of me comes from a spooky Scottish past steeped in wonky beliefs. I can't knit this shawl for anyone I love, and I'm sure as hell not going to knit it for myself with it carrying that legacy on it's shoulders. Did you catch that? Shawl ... Shoulders. So, Sivia, while I love your work, I'm sorry but I just can't do it.

The Postman Should At Least Ring Once

2006-02-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

We have a strange mailman. He won't talk to any of the people on his route, but he plays with all the dogs. That doesn't mean any of the dogs like him. The fact is, they don't! Carson has an incredibly accurate biological clock so to speak (or he can simply tell time) and he knows that at 12:30pm every afternoon the mailman will be here. He waits for him on the back of the love seat directly in the window. The mailman arrives, puts the mail in the box, and then looks in the window at Carson and barks at him. No, you read that right. The mailman barks at my dog! But that's beside the point. The point of this post is that the mailman looks in the window.

So, after having pneumonia for the past week and doing very little other than lying about like the Lady of Leisure that I am, I ended up with Sciatica, the pain rolling down my legs and into my knees. I know ... "wah". I still haven't met the point though, this isn't all about whining. So, while I was lying on the couch whining, and even though I knew it wouldn't help, I gave the back of my legs a good rub. Well now you try it ... what's the best way to rub the back of your legs while you're lying down? You just lift your legs in the air and your hands reach the back of your thighs smack on. It didn't ease the pain, but it did feel better. And the pain in my butt cheeks? Might as well rub them too. I guess you know where this is going. Yeah, I got caught by the mailman rubbing my ass with my legs flung high in the air. I had no warning that he was even there ... no one barked, at least, not until after I was seen. And I thought Carson was supposed to be my best friend.

Team Hooker

2006-02-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

Kim and Amy have created Team Hooker, a Knitting Olympics team for crocheters who knit. I'm in! I love my new-found knitting addiction but I've been crocheting forever so Team Hooker will feel like home! I still plan on being a loyal Team Canada member at the same time. Share the love and spread the patriotism cuz, well, that's what hookers do!

Swatch Watch

2006-01-29T23:56:00.000-05:00

I'm swatching like a fiend! Okay, I'm not really. Well, I might be. I thought I might try some cotton yarn for my Team Lace shawl entry. It's not icky, it's actually really nice - it's smooth and has a gentle sheen. Anne cotton by Circulo. Brazilian! Aye-aye-aye-aye-aye! Though I love the look of this cotton and may even eventually make another shawl out it, it's not my final decision for the Knitting Olympics. I just had to see if I could knit lace. I never really believe I can do anything until I see it for myself and if I manage whatever it may be, I turn 4. "Look! Look what I made!" I'm shameless in my fishing for compliments. At the moment I'm only a couple of rows into my attempt at knitting with cotton and there isn't enough for me to even see how I'm doing, but I was excited over the fact that I'm not knitting with some cheap acrylic yarn!

Death by Snot

2006-01-29T03:44:00.000-05:00

Snot almost killed me last night. I have the same cold from hell that everyone else seems to have but I'm louder than others when bitching about stuff like this and that makes my cold worse. I'm such a weenie about it that I've actually been moaning out loud. My nose is sore and hanging off my face in shreds so I'm trying to lay off the Kleenex and I don't mind saying, I'm very impolitely ... well, not sniffling, more like gnurgling. Do not try this at home! I did it and cut off my air supply. Panic set in when I saw the light just as everything was going dark. 'Omistars, this is it. I'm going to die and it's going to say "Death by Snot" on my final certificate.' I wouldn't even have the chance to live that down. But somehow, I survived the ordeal.

So, I joined the Knitting Olympics the very second I saw the post at Yarn Harlot, chose as my event the most recent pattern that had given me fits because it was obviously a great challenge, and thought about the whole thing only ... well, now. I'm down for a lace beret. A hat? C'mon. These are the Knitting Olympics! Capital K, capital O! Hats are the things newbie's knit! Okay, so I'm a newbie knitter ... but I wouldn't join the Olympic hockey team as a rookie just to hand out water bottles. I'd want to get a stick and get in the game. I've got sticks! I've got lots of brand new, shiny aluminum, smooth plastic, warm bamboo sticks. So I've changed my mind. I'm still on Canada's Lace Team, but I think I'm going to try the Flower Basket Shawl from Interweave's Fall 2004 issue. This means a trip into the city to get me some real yarn! Alpaca? I'm giddy at the very thought!