Nancy's scarf

DSC04516.JPG, originally uploaded by coribug.

My friend Nancy (pictured here with me) requested a scarf (the one she is wearing) she could wear with a red coat she has. I had been wanting to try some Noro Kureyon sock yarn, so I borrowed her coat and took it in to Twist so I could match the yarn.

I found a lovely skein that looked like it would work well, then set out to find a pattern that I liked. No luck. Finally I decided I would have to make my own. I have only done a little designing, and pretty much never write down what I do. Well, this time, I was working in the same manner (from my head basically) and had several people ask for the pattern. Rats. That meant I had to re-create and write it down. Sheesh.

Well, I did, and I actually have it posted. Head on over to ksmystitch.blogspot.com. You'll find the pattern posted there with detail pictures as well. I also actually have the pattern saved as a pdf. Once I figure out how to post a downloadable link to it I will. Meantime? Post in the comments that you are interested in the pdf and I will contact you.

Best new bag ever (well, maybe)

I picked up the most amazing bag at Twist. Cass, one of the shop regulars and an amazingly gifted stitcher, makes these terrific bags from recycled sweaters. She cuts the sweaters up and uses the fabric to make the best crochet/knitting bags. She lines them with a coordinating fabric (and she's great at choosing pairings because of her quilting talent), and adds all kinds of little pockets.

They have strong web handles and are incredibly roomy. Mine is a great orange wool with a funky, retro pink/orange/white lining. I so love it!
And I now have been able to add pictures as you can see! Thanks, Cass, for making a bag that feels like it was made just for me!

A hat for a friend

I have a lovely friend at work who had a birthday recently. And sadly, she also had a grandmother pass away just before her birthday and the funeral right after her birthday. Kind of stinks. So, a few of us got together and decided to help her have a happy birthday. This is my contribution:

An adaptation of the non-hair-smashing hat in my previous post. This one is also a lovely soft alpaca (Alpaca with a Twist if you are wondering). I used a smaller hook to make a denser fabric. And in a solid color, it just needed a little dressing up, hence the flower.

It fits her just right, and I love it so much that I intend to make myself one and promptly went out and bought more of the same yarn so that I can. I have to say that I really do love the little button in the center of the flower. It's such a cute hat. Happy Birthday Lynette!

Non-hair-smashing beret

This was a super fast, easy pattern for a hat that doesn't completely smash my hair. I love hats in the winter, especially because my head gets cold easily because of my really short hair and ears that are always uncovered. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and a size 4mm hook (Addi Turbo). You can find the pattern on Ravelry.com (Simple Beret by Suzanne M. Barrow) or you can find it on her blog here.
It does a nice job of keeping my head warm (unless the wind is blowing hard). I do think that I will make another of these, and I think I will size down the hook to get a tighter stitch.
I LOVE the colors and how they work together. And this yarn is a dream to work with and relatively inexpensive as well. I picked up my three skeins for $5 apiece and have plenty left to make a cowl or another hat.
I made one adaptation to the patter, and that was to crochet 2 together in each stitch around before beginning the green single crochet border. I needed it to hold its shape better to get the fit I needed for my slightly smaller than average head. I think that this actually helps the hat hold its shape and makes a better fit. I just learned about knitting elastic, and I may find some and weave a row or two in to keep a slightly closer fit. Overall, I love this hat!

Wavelength update

It's finished! I handed it to Shelly at the store the day before Thanksgiving.

A picture you ask? Well, I am just so lame that I completely forgot to take a picture of the completed scarf. I was so excited to have it finished and get it out of my possession and into Shelly's that I just didn't take a picture.

I will take one next time I'm in the store and get it posted here.

The wavelength scarf

So I finally started the Wavelength scarf for Shelly for the store. It is so slow! The yarn is Noro Silk Garden sock weight. I love the colors and I don't even mind the yarn (it isn't nearly as scratchy as I've heard tell) but the pattern is so tedious! I feel like I make no progress at all on it even if I can manage an hour or two. It will be lovely when it is finished, and I will be so happy when it is!
It certainly isn't a difficult pattern, it's simply chains and single crochet after all, but maybe that is what makes it so tedious. One of my least favorite parts of crocheting (I now know) is working into the chain.
I just keep plugging away and hoping I will reach the end of the skein. It will be beautifully soft and quite lovely when it is washed and blocked. Oh, and can I say how great the Fibersphere has been for this project? I am so happy I bought it.

In Evan's basement

So we found this box of 20 Mule Team Spangles in the basement of Evan's house. We couldn't find a date on it anywhere, but I'm guessing it has to be at least 40 years old. We laughed so hard. So hey, he could have a dance and make his basement floor a dance floor! Look how easy it is to use: Simply sprinkle them on the floor and start dancing!There's no work to the application, you can even wear your tuxedo while sprinkling them on the floor. And in one place on the box it lists all the places you can turn into a dance floor with them. Places like garages, sidewalks, patios, basements, streets and other things. Too funny. But we couldn't ever find what they were made of either. And if you look at the picture above, you can see that you don't want to get them on your soil!

I won . . .

First prize in the Yarn Shop Hop drawing! I couldn't believe it. The shops put the names of all the people who visited all eight stores during the hop into a drawing. The grand prize was a big bag full of goodies. And this was the first prize:

A fabulous Amy Butler knitting (well, obviously crochet for me) bag and a couple of patterns you can see below. I love this bag so much. I of course ran right down to Shelly's shop to pick it up as soon as I was notified I had won. And sweet, sweet, Shelly, she went through the pile of patterns for prizes and picked out a couple of crochet ones for me. I love her! And I can't wait to make one or both of these. The blanket I especially love! And that sweater would sure be great for work.

More great yarn stuff

Here are a few pictures of yarns I've added to my stash lately. I love them all and look forward to crocheting them up into wonderful items.

Mmmmmm, Noro Matsui cotton blend. This yarn is so soft and luscious. The shop had it on sale for 50% off, so I bought several. This bunch will be for a capelet or shawl. It's black with gray and green and purple. Kind of Halloweeny, I guess, isn't it? But it's the colors I wear!I love the Sockotta I used on a scarf, and fell in love with this warm pink/orange/green and purple blend. The yarn is so soft, and the cotton blend makes it perfect for a summer scarf.
Here's another few balls of Noro cotton, with a little texture. I thought this would make a fun scarf. Again with the greens and purples. I find myself adding a lot of them to my wardrobe.
This is a great collection I picked up at the shop in Salina. It's a mix of warm pinks and golds. I just bought a couple of petal pink sweaters, and this will make a nice accompaniment to them.
Yarn. The shop in Hutchinson had these terrific bags. Who can't use another project bag?
Yes, my love for fall colors betrays me at every stop. This Blue Face Leicester just called to me, and I couldn't resist. It's a beautiful, large hank and will be so warm and cuddly.

This is a skein of hand-dyed Andes and while the picture doesn't show it very well, the skein is a wonderfully soft lavendar and sage blend. Beautiful!
And this is a treasure from Idaho Falls. Of course, when I arrived for the conference and had an hour to kill, the first thing I did was find the yarn shop. Conveniently, it was across the river from the conference hotel, and a comfortable walk. This is a gorgeous soft pink sock weight and I think it will make a lovely shawl.

Yarn Shop Hop

So, the central Kansas yarn shops had a Yarn Shop Hop on October 24, and eight stores participated. The stores ranged from one in Minneapolis (yes, there's a Minneapolis, Kansas and it's not even close to as big as Minneapolis, Minnesota!) all the way to Wichita. I happened to have the day off, so I decided to spend a day by myself and see if I could hit the six that are out of town in one day.

I drove up to Minneapolis and started there, hoping I could hit it, Abilene, Salina, Lindsborg, Hutchinson and Newton before the shops closed. Then I could catch the two shops here in town on Saturday. It worked! I had a ton of fun just driving and shopping on my own schedule, and I collected some great stuff. A little sock yarn, a little hand-dyed, and some Addi Turbo hooks!

Here are some photos of some of the great stuff I scored on this trip:
Organic cotton from Heritage Hut here in Wichita. I think it will make yummy washcloths.
Kind of blurry, but I got this Fibersphere in Salina. I love that it keeps my sock yarn neat and clean.
A collection of hooks that I bought: Addi Turbos, including a thread hook that has a cover (so cool!), a Brittany hook (and I'm not sure I like it), and a smaller bamboo hook (I know I like bamboo for certain fibers).
Some Lorna's Laces DK weight I picked up in Newton and I think I will use it to make the La Mer scarf in the fall (I think) Interweave crochet magazine. It's Tunisian, and I have not tried Tunisian before, but the scarf is beautiful. The shop had one made up and on display out of this yarn.

Stuff to share

I have been quite neglectful of this poor blog over the past several months and I apologize. I could make excuses, but I just haven't taken the time.

I am teaching one class at WSU (a business and professional speaking class) and have managed to hold on to my job as McClatchy has cut jobs at The Eagle over the past six months. I am now co-host of a new pets Web site the paper launched in September, WichitaPaws.com.

And I have tried to keep up with some crochet projects and of course, stash-building!

I have many pictures I'll be posting, as well as sharing some photos and thoughts about the NFPW conference I attended in Idaho Falls in September.

See you back here soon!