don’t hate me

I don’t have any crochet to share with you today.  I know, I said I don’t like to do this (and it’s true), but I’ve got so much to share with you toady that I just can’t hold it all in!  So much has been going on!  There is yarny stuff, though, and other awesome things!

my non-yarn hobbies:

Friendship bracelets might seem like something for middle school girls at summer camp, but I still like them, and so do my friends!

          

The first one’s on me, the second on my boyfriend, and the third is in progress!

My next artsy thing is an impression of an impressionist (Monet), done by fingerpainting!

It’s less detailed than the original, of course, because I didn’t use a brush and I didn’t mix as many colors, but I think it turned out pretty cool looking.  My dog, above, was not impressed in the slightest.

the yarny stuff:

I know I showed you the knitted hat I made that was patterned after a hat Hermione wore in one of the “Harry Potter” movies.  I messed it up though, by skipping about 10 total rows throughout, so the hat was too short.  I’m doing it again, hopefully in time for my England trip this winter.  Here’s what I’ve got:

So far, so good.  It’s slow going though — it is knitting, after all.  I wish there was a crochet version!  I was trying to make one myself, but apparently I’m no good at complicated pattern writing, so there’s nothing to show for that.

Thanks for reading this post that was distinctly lacking in crocheted items!  I’m just excited to share other crafty things in my life with you.  I’ll get back to crochet asap, I promise.

slow going during finals week

First off, thanks to everyone who responded to my last post about color palettes!  I was glad to hear from you all!

Secondly, I must tell you that I have not been very focused on crafting this past week, because it’s finals time!  While I don’t have any actual finals, my graduate classes have piled on the projects and papers, so I’ve been busy.

Even so, I’ve got some bits of progress to share with you.  Firstly, my blanket (pattern here) is coming along.  Like I said in a previous post, it is kind of tough on the hands, so I’ve been spacing it out.

It was hard to get a good shot of the whole thing laid out so I just folded it and hoped you could still see how it’s progressed.

 

And secondly, I’ve been working on this scarf for what seems like ages already.  It’s knitted, as you can see.

So that’s all I’ve got for now!  Hopefully I’ll see you soon with lots more progress!  I have a couple of weeks off of school before I start summer school, so I’ll hopefully have some time to craft to my hearts content.

gonna be toasty

I finished the cardigan!  I think it turned out pretty well.  Ready for pictures?  I must warn you, nobody was home with me so I had to take them in the bathroom using the mirror.  Sorry about that.

It fits pretty well.  I just need a big button to hold it together in the front and I’ll be ready for the cold English weather!  Or more ready than I was, at least.

I’ve also been working on my first knitted sock, and after much frogging and re-doing, I finished the provisional cast on toe:

I must say I’m pretty proud of this, considering it took me hours and hours of video watching and frustration.  Hopefully it will go smoothly from here on out, although I have some nervousness about the heel.  And as slowly as this is going, I’m not really sure if these socks will be keeping me warm this Christmas or not…

Well that’s all for today!  Thanks for stopping by!

the end of break

I’m so sad that my spring break is almost done, especially since I wasn’t nearly as productive as I thought I would be with my yarn crafts.  I visited my parents, had a few days of doing nothing, and watched both existing seasons of Downton Abbey in the past 3 days.  It’s been great, especially with the wonderful warm weather!  Hard to believe spring is already here, but the 80 degree weather is proof!

Today I went to my favorite yarn store and picked up some new things!  First off is a new book:

This book is all about knitting socks, and I’m super excited to get started on something!  I’m a little concerned that the patterns will be too difficult for me before I get some more knitting practice in, because none of them are very basic.  They’re all so pretty though!  Here’s the Amazon link if you want to check it out.

I also got some gorgeous, soft new yarn:

This gorgeous soft stuff is Merino 5, made of 100% merino.  I got the fall herbs color, even though it’s spring now, because I just loved the brightness.  I got 2 of them, so I think if I have enough of it I’ll make a knitted hat and  a crocheted hat, just to see the difference in them when placed side by side.  I hope there’s enough of it!  If not I’ll be really sad.  It’s just so pretty!

I’ll leave you now — I must go to Wal-Mart and look for some gardening things with the boyfriend, who wants to make some planter boxes and grow different kinds of peppers on our back patio.  I’m excited!  Tata!

spring break is already productive

I’m off to a good start as far as being super-crafty over spring break!  This weekend I’ve already made a hat!  Now before you get too excited, I must say it’s a knitted hat, not a crocheted one.  It’s my second knitted hat ever, and I modeled it after something I found on Ravelry the other day.  I think it turned out well.  It was made with the remaining yarn from the two cushions I recently made, and I feel a couple more knitted hats coming on from those same leftovers.  Anyway, here’s the hat on top of my stuffed new craft bag:

You know, I think I like knitting partially because it takes more time and less yarn than crocheting does, both of which save me money on yarn (and for a struggling grad student, that’s awesome).  I do apologize, though, for not having any cool new crochet things to share with you today.  Hopefully there will be something in the works soon!