happy december!

good morning everyone!

i thought i'd let you know that all the hats i posted last week have been UNlisted from artfire, and they're now at the prairie chick in red deer.

AND there are more to come!

in other news, here's why i've been crocheting so much lately:

NEW HATS! YOUR FRIENDS WANT THEM FOR XMAS!

here's what's new at my artfire store! go check it out!

free "shipping" within red deer!

new listings over at artfire!

click HERE to make my day!

accountability

my friend marianne had an awesome idea (over at her livejournal, in a locked topic) about starting an accountability group. somehow. i'm not really clear on the details, but IMAGINE if i had to explain to someone WHY i procrastinated my way out of updating this thing for the last two weeks! that just might inspire me to work on NOT procrastinating.

imagine the things i could accomplish in life if i only just DID them!

olivia's birthday present

our friend olivia turned 6 on tuesday. i forgot (as i usually do with birthdays/anniversaries/name that holiday), until i talked to her mom on wednesday and she invited us to olivia's birthday party on saturday.

so i thought i'd make her something and i thought she'd like this.

amanda beach, sorry for the spoiler. i couldn't wait to post. (ps. i added the glitter just for you. now it's EVERYWHERE).

olivia's birthday ©2009 sh

artfire

http://www.artfire.com/users/skelectica is my new online store.

there's not much listed there yet (i can't seem to find any of my re-sized pics on this dang new computer!), but there's more to come.

as usual, custom work is available - just comment here, email me, convo me on etsy, or, apparently, "chatterbox" me on artfire. if you can figure out how. i can't.

hello, everyone! i've been busy!

so, now i'm back, after a bit of a vacation. from the internet, at least.

yesterday was remembrance day here in canada, and when q went downtown to the cenotaph, i stayed home and listened to utah phillips' cd called "i want to know". twice. i think it's my new remembrance day thing. i don't want to get into politics here, so i'll just say, if you can find that cd, it's DEFINITELY worth a listen.

also, i have a piece of my art in a show that opens at the harris-warke gallery here in red deer. the show is a fundraiser for the gallery, and all the pieces in the exhibit are selling for $30. doors open for buying (and socializing, and i heard something about drinks and snacks) at 6pm sharp, on friday, november 13. there's a "name that tune" theme, so all the pieces' titles are (i think) song lyrics, and there's a guessing game for a $50 gift certificate to sunworks (an AWESOME little store here in town).

here's a pic, but you should really go check out the show - this piece, i'm really proud of in person, but it's not AT ALL photogenic.

(this is what ~650 dime-sized spirals looks like. i counted.)

"would you love me through the winter?"  ©2009 sh

we spent a lazy weekend at my friend lise's house, and while i was there, i made her a scarf and a hat, and i finished this scarf i'd started last week for another friend of mine.

it's a variation on the charcoal scarf i posted about a while ago, only this time, with moda dea "tweedle dee" in i forget what colorway. some kinda purple, anyway.

is anyone interested in a pattern? i could probably work out what i did - i did write it down, sort of, somewhere.

in other news, i'm working on a "how to tie a pretty bow" tutorial, possibly for tomorrow. it seems i possess a skill that a lot of people haven't picked up, so i'd like to share it here.

ATTENTION INTERNET!

i'm looking for a couple of crochet pattern testers. as you know, i've been working on the oz gang for the last couple weeks, and i've got dorothy and the witch just about done.
this is an unpaid position, aside from a free copy of the pattern that will eventually be sold over at my etsy shop.
comment if you're interested, and tell your crochety friends if you're not!

how-tue, first in a series.

EASY SC MITTENS

*gauge is important, but this pattern is so versatile, i usually just use whatever hook and yarn i feel like, and call the first 10 rows of the pattern my "gauge swatch". it only takes a few minutes to get to 25 sc in the pattern, and by that point, you'll be able to tell (by trying on the "mitten") whether it's shaping up to fit you.

<< see, this is how i do it.
(when i first drafted this pattern, i was using bernat "chunky" and a 6.5mm hook almost exclusively. those sizes of yarn and hook are usually my jumping off point when i'm picking new yarn for this project).
as long as you use the same hook and yarn for the hand and the thumb, this pattern should work beautifully, AND be useful for a variety of sizes.


all that said, this pattern is also very easy to modify. unless it's not big enough (or too big) around. then, you'd pretty much be drafting a new pattern anyway, so when that happens, i usually just change yarn. or hook. the path of least resistance.

if you think your hand is longer (or shorter) than mine, add (or subtract) rows between R9-20. same deal for the thumb. actually, the thumb in this pattern is a little on the long side, so i'd recommend leaving out maybe 2 rows of 8sc (between R 4-9).

i'll work on some thumb and ribbing variations for this pattern, and post them later on, too.


MITTENS
6mm hook
sean sheep "maldon"
(this is just what i could find, and the mitten fits my hand, well, like a glove. without fingers. but the stitches are pretty tight. i think the yarn's a bit too big for the hook, but whatever. comment if you're looking for yarn substitution ideas, or if you have questions about this pattern at all. i'm here to help!)

***work in a continuous spiral until instructed otherwise - for the ribbing. also, get yourself a stitch marker. they help a LOT.



MITTEN

R1      5 sc in magic ring, pull tight (5)

R2      2 sc in each sc around (10)

 R3      1, 2 sc around (15)

R4      1, 1, 2 sc around (20)

R5 & 6      sc around

R7      1,1,1,2 around (25)

R8 - 20      sc around (25)

<< i decided to add a stripe of white by changing color when i started R12, and switching back to green at the beginning of R17.

R21      sc in first sc, ch 10, sk 3 sc, sc in next sc, sc around

           (total of 22 sc, plus 10 ch = 32 stitches)

<< this is immediately after R21.

R22      sc in each sc and ch around (32sc)                                               

<< immediately after R22. this is the beginning of your thumb hole.

R23      sc in first sc, sc2tog, sc next 6 sc, sc2tog, sc around (30)

R24      sc in first sc, sc2tog, sc next 4 sc, sc2tog, sc around (28)

R25      sc in first sc, sc2tog, sc next 2 sc, sc2tog, sc around (26)

R26      sc in first sc, sc2tog, sc2tog, sc around (24)

R27      sc in first sc, sc2tog, sc2tog, sc around (22)

R28      sc around (22)

R29      sc around, join with sl st in 1st sc, ch2 (22)

<< thumb shaping.

R30      dc around, join with sl st in top of ch2, ch2 (22dc)

R31      fpdc around, join with sl st in top of ch2, ch2 (22)

R32-34      fpdc around, join, ch2 (22)

R35      sl st in each dc around, fasten off, weave in ends

THUMB

R1     4 sc in magic ring, pull tight (4)

R2     2 sc around (8)

R3-9     sc around (8)

R10     1,1,1,2 sc around (10)

R11     2,1,1,1,1 sc around (12)

R12     put the thumb and mitten together, and sl st each sc in thumb into the hole in the mitten, both pieces right side out.

it's awkward (both to do and to explain), but it can be done. alternatively, you could do a final thumb row like this:  [R13   sc around (12), fasten off] and just sew the thumb and mitten together the old fasioned way, but i've been getting really into NOT sewing, but actually crocheting stuff together. you'll see, when i finish the wizard of oz gang.

<< i'm not really a fan of how this looks. i'll work on fixing it.

so. get crocheting! the cold weather is coming! and don't forget to post pics of YOUR mittens! and remember - if you use this pattern, please give credit where it's due, and mention me!