U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi

You ugly! (Hup hup!) You ugly!

The Oddments Scarf is not turning out the way I had hoped. Where is the Bohemian flavor? Where is the rusticity? Where is the beauty?

It sure as heck isn’t here. I think I made the color repeats too long while winding my oddball, so I got fat stripes instead of whimsical flashes of color and texture (oh, I was so optimistic!). It looks like a failed tribute to the girls’ apartment in “Too Close for Comfort”. I hate how the garter stitch shows of the color changes so dramatically – smack in the middle of a row too.

This project is making me nauseated…I think I am going to be sick…

Oddments

(Pssst…Welcome to the new home of my crafting blog! I’m pretty excited. There is still some tidying and unpacking to do, but I’m pretty much moved in. Isn’t moving fun?)

Back in the early days of my knitting life, Michael’s craft store was THE place to get yarn. I collected balls of Lion Brand Wool Ease (Ravelry link) in just about every color available, usually without a specific project in mind. So I still have some of the OG* balls of Wool Ease lying around the house. Added to the Wool Ease are thrift store balls of unknown vintage, origin, and content. Can you tell I really wasn’t picky when I started knitting?

These loyal balls of yarn moved with me from Everett, Washington, where I first learned to knit, to Southern California at my mom’s house for a few summer months, to New Orleans for grad school, back to Southern California for Mr. Hipp’s grad school, and finally into our snug little condo. They have been waiting patiently all these years, sometimes pulled out to provide bits of color for a project here and there, but never completely disappearing.

Their time has come. It is time to unify these oddments into something useful, perhaps even gift-able. Enter the odd ball stole pattern and article of encouragement from Knitty. My mother-in-law told me about seeing – and admiring – a scarf like this on a friend a few years ago. It didn’t really click how it should/could/would be done until I saw this article. So now I have a ginormous ball of yarn, soon to be a ginormous (but hopefully pretty) scarf.

But there is still so much yarn left! Ack!

* You know how I roll.

What’s Going On

So despite the dearth of posts on this supposed log of my crafting adventures, a fair amount of crafting has actually been going on.

Evidence #1: Baby Thorpe Hat

This knit is not technically done because I can’t decide if I want to add the braids at the end of the ear flaps or not. Here are a few examples with the braids. But it looks kind of cool without. Since this hat is intended for a baby, will the braid be a safety problem? What do you think?

Evidence #2: Birthday Tote Bag

It is my first sewing project in a long time and OMG! I love sewing! I’m going to have to incorporate more of it into my crafting time. Sewing is near-instant gratification compared to knitting.

I spent a few hours on my birthday to indulge in making this project and it was pure bliss. The fabric is from Purl Warehouse, purchased during this blog buddy visit, and the pattern is adapted from this tutorial. Nothing but good things to say about this finished object. I’ve been using the bag everyday and it makes me proud and happy every time I pick it up. If that is not the point of crafting, then I don’t know what is.

Evidence #3: My Current Work in Progress…The Flutter Sleeve Cardigan

Smooth sailing so far. I am determined to finish this before starting another project, so thank goodness it only has three pieces!

So let me know what you think about the braids on my Baby Thorpe Hat. Otherwise I’ll be forced to flip a coin! Decisions, decisions….

Greetings from St. Lucia

Just a quick drive-by post while I’m on vacation in St. Lucia (oh yeah, and attending my brother’s wedding). It seems like nowadays the only time I have to focus on crafting and my blog is while I am on vacation. Free time has been a rare luxury.

Our first full day in St. Lucia was spent on the beach. As we ate ate lunch, a young vendor came by with palm frond bookmarks for sale. He demonstrated the making of this lovely little fish in 2 minutes flat. It was a quick and beautiful example of craft. I don’t know if this craft or this design is particular to St. Lucia, but I do know that I enjoyed watching him make it immensely. It will dry to a faded tan and be quite sturdy in a few weeks. Now it is green, flexible, and quite delicate.

Some catch up and more St. Lucia crafts after I return next week. I spent quite a bit of time planning and packing for my airplane knitting. What do you suppose I’ve been working on? (No fair peeking at my Ravelry site.)

Hope your week has been as sunny and relaxing as mine. Until later…

Just Right

Today is a government holiday so I had the day off. Sometimes it really is fabulous to work in the public sector. It has been a rare freedom lately to have the day off and not be sick, so with Mr. Hipp busy on schoolwork, I took full advantage of the time to finish something for my long-suffering mother. She may not have her guilt socks yet (they’re coming, I promise!) but at least her hands will be warm.

Project Specifications
Pattern: Evangeline from MagKnits January 2008 (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints. My mom picked out this yarn herself when I dragged her to The Woolie Ewe during our Thanksgiving visit with her.
Needles: US7 KnitPicks Options 40″ circular (magic loop) and a nice little wooden cable needle that I got from Mr. Hipp as a Christmas gift (sweet man).
Modifications: Did two extra cable repeats before the thumb and an extra 10 rows of ribbing at the top for extra warmth. Picked up extra stitches (16 total) for the thumb because the first try was just too darn tight.
What I learned: Cabling without a cable needle! It is fantastic. I didn’t trust the technique enough for the 4/2 cables (six stitches off the needle at once! eeek!) but it worked like a charm for the smaller ones.

It took me a long time to decide on a pattern for these mitts. For months, I waffled between these (too bulky for the yarn) and these (too fussy). Then I saw Tiennie’s post on her million and one Evangelines and it was like Goldilocks and Baby Bear’s bed…just right.