Rock my socks...

Thanks to an incredibly lucky find in a destash style swap box, I have indeed been bitten by the sock bug.
Two, count 'em two, full skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock, in Flamingo Stripe...

Just begged to be turned into my very first pair of foot coverings. How could I resist?
I just started them tonight, and already I'm loving them. The yarn is striping so nicely (but will probably end up pooling later...don't care though ;) ), and I'm really liking the simple pattern I found (which you can get to here). We'll see what happens, but so far so good. (And that may mean Haytham gets a pair of brick red socks made with the Berocco Ultra Alpaca Fine I got a few days ago.)

I also finished another BAMCAL block tonight.

Sorry for the crudtastic picture, but that's the best I could manage tonight. It's a lot prettier in person, I swear. Done in RHSS Dark Orchid and Soft White (mostly because I'm trying to use up the last of the purple), and even though the flower is bulky as all get out, I like it. :)

Now, I'm going back to my SIP (socks in progress).

BAMCAL on my mind...

Just finished the first of three blocks for March.



Done in RHSS in a light sage green color. Still have two more to go.

But, instead of jumping into another one tonight, I'm starting again on my design to submit to CLF's book 3. I won't tell you what it is, just know that it's pretty sweet. ;) (At least, I hope it will be. It looks sweet in my head.)

NatCroMo is off to a decent start.

First, I finished that blasted popcorn hearts square.

I can't tell you how much I hated that pattern, and finished it only out of sheer determination. It ate up over half a skein of Red Heart Super Saver. Over 100 yards of yarn for one freakin' square. Yeegads. And if I never do another popcorn stitch it'll be too soon. But, I finished it, and it will be part of the bedspread o' love.
Second, I finished my Retro Rings Tam. Completely the opposite with this one. I loved the pattern, and I was absolutely right about using the 9mm hook with the Blue Sky Alpacas cotton. Came out perfectly, fit just right, and I absolutely love it. :D

And, just because I love it so much, I'll model it for you.

Now, off to start the first of three March squares and work on my freeform project for the IntNatCroMo party group. Yay! (Sometimes, one can accomplish much when one is sick in bed, yes no?)

Happy NatCroMo!

Yes, indeed, it is the first of March, and the beginning of National Crochet Month. Sweetness. I've got a ton of projects lined up to celebrate. (Hey, what else did you expect from me?) So... list time!
1. Start and finish 3 squares for my BAMCAL afghan. (This doesn't include the one I'm working on tonight, which is almost done, but was a part of February's patterns.)
2. Finish my submission for the Milkweed Project.
3. Retro Rings Tam (and this time not get so frustrated by the gauge problems I had last time I tried it).
4. Finish my design for CLF's book 3.
5. 2 Sweet Pea shawls from Stitch 'N' Bitch Crochet for my mom and Mama Nariman
6. Knot Ugly Shrug from Stitch 'N' Bitch Crochet for me
7. Some simple little things for the Etsy shop.
Man, my hooks will be flying this month, ha! I doubt I'll finish them all, but danged if I'm not going to give it a shot.
Now, off to finish the last 2.5 rows of the square, and maybe get started on that tam. (I think my Blue Sky Alpaca dyed cotton will work perfectly. :) )

Ouch.

Today, while getting my oil changed (in the car, sillies) and grocery shopping for work, I scampered by the yarn aisle at Wal-Mart (forgive me, Spin A Web, but thou hast not what I wanted this dayeth). I thought I'd be a smarty pants and grab some bedspread cotton and a steel hook, and then I'd be making beautiful lacy stuff in no time.
Wrong.
Dead wrong.
That dad-blamed teensy tiny hook is killing my hands. Using thread is killing my eyes. I think I may have found a worse enemy than them pointy sticks.
Still, I trudge onward. Mostly because my mother loves doilies and schnit, and I'm dying to make her one. (Even with her glasses on, she couldn't see well enough to make one out of this stuff.) I'll conquer it, or it'll kill me. We'll see.
I've also decided to buckle down and get to work on my piece for the Milkweed Project, even though I have no idea what I'm going to do, what yarn I'm going to use, or how I'm going to do it. I'll figure all of that out as we go along, I suppose.
Also, gotta finish a third square for bamcal this month. Started it tonight when I got annoyed to the point of no return with the thread. Just gotta finish it.
Gack.

Yay, more... um... stuff.

Since this past weekend was Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share this BAMCAL2009 filler block. I finished it today, and so far is my favorite of the four I've completed. It's done in my beloved Simply Soft Eco on my J hook.


This is a hat I finished for my friend/secret lover, Kitzen. Done in Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick 'N' Quick, and can you believe it's only six rounds big? Crazy stuff, that super bulky yarn. I luff it, though. I'll post the pattern, which is so simple a braindead monkey could've come up with it, in a seperate post.

Speaking of patterns, anyone know of a crocheted men's thong one? Haytham has dared me to crochet him some underwear, and I've decided to make him a banana hammock for our anniversary (which is Feb. 28th). HA! He'll love it, though. Heh. (I know, I'm a naughty girl.)

Becoming even more poly-craftual.

First, a new block for my BAMCAL2009 afghan:


Done in my good ol' Red Heart Super Saver in Real Teal and Linen. As always, I had to upsize my hook, but my trusty J didn't let me down.

Second, I've decided to learn to knit. Well, re-learn. I actually could at one point in time, but those damned pointy sticks and I just didn't get along. They were slow, and felt clumsy to my eighteen-year-old hands. Ten years later, I've decided to give it another go, mostly because I get so tired of seeing these awesome projects on Ravelry that i want to make...just to learn they're knitted. Trust me, I'm not putting my beloved hooks away. Far from it. I just want a few more options of patterns to choose from. But I doubt I'll ever make those silly sticks move the way I can make my hooks dance.

Wish me luck.

Sweetie Pie top, take one

So, today I've started working on the Sweetie Pie Cami designed by Angela of Lavonne's Knot Just Knits, and I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew comfortably. Still, I've been looking for a crochet challenge and I think I may have found it.

I've also finished two squares now for the 2009 Block-A-Month Crochetalong over on Ravelry, and I'm pretty pleased with them both. They need blocking, and the first one is going to have to stretch a little bit to be 12", but I think I did all right.


Chris Simon's Mandala Square (pattern is here


Chris Simon's Esther Square (pattern is here.

Both of these were done in Red Heart Super Saver (the first is in Williamsburg Print multi, the second is Dark Orchid solid), and done with a J hook as I crochet much tighter than Ms. Simon. I like how they look, and intend to make them again in different colors to make my finished BAMCAL2009 afghan into a bedspread at the end.