Out to conquer the world with Teh Cute

Introducing... Sabrina the Pretty Kitty!!

Sabrina (impulsively named a few minutes ago) is actually the first amigurumi I started, but I set her aside while waiting for her eyes to come in. (Aren't her eyes great? I think they make the whole amigurumi. You can get some of your own at Suncatcher Eyes -- they have fast shipping and great prices as well as a beautiful product.)

I embroidered her face, and I think it turned out better than the Big Blue Birdie's. Here's a close-up:

Hi! I see you!

The pattern is Cat and Mouse by Ana Paula Rimoli. If you like it, you'll want to check out her new book, Amigurumi World. I only got my copy last night and haven't gotten to look at it much yet, but I'm thinking it's seriously the best of the amigurumi crop so far.

It's like the Crochet Corollary of Murphy's Law or something

My F hook went missing. I looked in all of the obvious spots and in the meantime used my E hook and finally I resigned myself to the fact that it was gone, dropped somewhere along the way or perhaps ferreted away by No No Bad Kitty (or even Good Kitty, she likes stuff) and I just couldn't keep using the E hook. I mean, I could, but I didn't want to.

So I bought a new F hook, Susan Bates, same color as the last one, totally indistinguishable from the last one in fact. And I said to Eve as I paid for it, "Now that I've bought a new one, I'll go home and find the old one."

Sure enough. Within mere hours, I opened a purse pocket I never use (and I don't even remember why I opened it) and found the original F hook.

The crochet gods are laughing.

Meet the Big Blue Birdie

Over the weekend I decided I really wanted to finish an amigurumi NOW, so I grabbed some yarn and got to work on the first amigurumi pattern I'd added to my queue on Ravelry -- Birds of a Feather by Hannah Kaminsky.

Meet the Big Blue Birdie.

He's a big birdie. That's what happens when you feed your birdies bulky yarn.


He likes sunshine, lollipops, and getting drunk.

Happy National Crochet Month!

As I learned recently from the Crochet Liberation Front, March is National Crochet Month. I had some great ideas for promoting crochet this month, but then I got distracted by shiny things like amigurumi eyes and learning to knit and Vanderbilt basketball and half-price Valentines chocolate.

So I am going to go with one small idea: If you can track me down in person during the month of March, I will do my utmost to teach you to crochet.* I cannot make guarantees as to my skills as a teacher, as so far the only person I've taught is my ex-future-sister-in-law, and I only managed to teach her the chain stitch. I still consider this quite an accomplishment on my part, as ex-future-sister-in-law is as dumb as a box of dumb rocks.

(I just realized I have two ex-future-sisters-in-law. Both of whom have the intellectual and moral fiber of Cheetos. I think I feel kinda white trash. Oh wait. I am white trash.)

So if you've ever thought you might like to learn to crochet, even if only for edgings on your knitting, by all means, hit me up! I even promise not to smack you if you say things like "crochet sucks. Knitting is better." Though since I am the teacher, I might tell you to write "I will not disparage crochet until I finish learning how to do it" a hundred times.

*This offer available on first-come, first-served basis. Bring your own yarn. Offer not open to ex-future-sisters-in-law. No morning classes. Other restrictions may apply. Offer void where prohibited by law.

Something fun for Leap Day

This picture makes me so happy:

Fun with amigurumi

The first meeting of the amigurumi group at Needle Nook was a smashing success. I had worried it would just be the organizers staring at each other, but we had a full table. It was a very fun, relaxed atmosphere (it's hard not to have fun when you're looking at cute, cute amigurumi animals). And bawdy too! I was supposed to blog some of the naughtier moments, but now I can't remember exactly which ones I promised. Two words: willy warmers.

I'm getting close to finished with my first amigurumi -- the cat (but of course!) from Ana Paula Rimoli's Cat and Mouse pattern. I've just got two legs and the ears to go. Of course, I've run out of yarn, but providentially I was using the leftover yarn from my Cupcake sweater. The gauge was off on the first sleeve I made for that sweater, and I almost threw it out a couple of weeks ago, but now I can just frog and finish. For the finishing touch, I'm ordering cat eyes from Suncatchers Eyes, an amazing website I found through the amigurumi group on Ravelry.

It's kinda ironic that I'm so taken with amigurumi right now, considering they use single crochet, my least favorite stitch, and the gauge is so tight that crocheting them is kinda hard on my hands (I'm thinking about making felted thimbles). But all the cute little creatures I want to make keep me going. I'm normally much more of a process crocheter than a product crocheter; I primarily crochet for the pleasure I get from the process, and the finished object is just a nice bonus. But I've always loved cute little toys -- so many times during my childhood, I came up with an idea for some little doll and begged my grandmother to make it for me. I wish I could show her the things I'm making now.

Haven't gotten much crochet or knitting done tonight, but I have a good excuse: I was watching my alma mater, Vanderbilt, whip our cross-state rivals, Tennessee, who just happened to be ranked the #1 basketball team in the nation. Heh. When Tennessee beat Memphis on Saturday night, I turned to the Mad Husband at the buzzer and said "good. That means Vandy will get to beat another number-one team on Tuesday." We'd beaten the last three number-one teams that came to Memorial Gym, so I knew it was just a matter of time. And thank you for indulging me, because I know this paragraph is complete jibberish to most of you.

Mmmmmm, amigurumi

Eve is a crafty yarn pusher (pun intended). She lured me out to Needle Nook's knit night tonight by calling to let me know that the book I've been anxiously awaiting, Amigurumi Worldby Ana Paula Rimoli, had come in today. SO FREAKING CUTE. I think it's my favorite of the amigurumi books so far (though Eve and I are both impatiently waiting for Creepy Cute Crochet.I mean, who doesn't want to crochet a ninja?). Between all the amigurumi books and the needle felting cute animals books,it's a really good time for people who want to make cute animals. Though I must confess some irritation that the cutest kitty cats I've seen are knitted. Good thing I'm learning to knit, huh?

(Speaking of cute animals, Good Kitty is sitting on my feet to keep them warm. No No Bad Kitty is trying to sit on the space heater. No No Bad Kitty is also known as No No Dumb Kitty.)

I hadn't been to the Needle Nook's knit night before and I think I'm going to start making a habit of it, as the location is extremely convenient and Wednesday is the Mad Husband's night for tabletop RPGs with the boys. Everyone I met was really nice and I'm looking forward to learning from them. (Can you learn to knit by osmosis? Because if you can, I'll just handcuff myself to StringTheory2.0 and save some time.) Unfortunately I was running late tonight and just about the time I felt like I was getting a groove on in my sad little learning-to-knit swatch, it was time to leave. Also, while I've felt very little temptation to break my Lenten vow the past couple weeks, there were some beautiful new shinies that turned my head tonight. In fact, I asked Arlene if Needle Nook would be open on Easter Sunday (answer: no). I'm pretty sure that by Good Friday I'll be sitting on the sidewalk outside the yarn store scaring the people coming out with their purchases. "Hey man... can I sniff your yarn?"

Speaking of, now's a good time to mention that Eve and I are starting a crochet amigurumi group at Needle Nook this Sunday at 4 and if you're local, we would love to see you there! Actually, we'd love to see you even if you're not local, but we'll understand if you can't charter a plane to fly you out for an hour and a half.

One down and... how many to go?

This evening I finally made myself sit down and finish the first part of the Mad Husband's now-belated Valentines gift -- the first of a pair of wristwarmers/fingerless gloves. He seems pleased enough with the first one, but I'm not. I know you have to sit down and make things in the first place before you can make them better, but I'm greedy. I want to hit the ball out of the park on the first pitch.

(The Mad Husband is confused. "Weren't you making it up as you went along?" Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm happy with it.)

The really special thing about these gloves is the yarn -- it's Road to China by the Fibre Company. Well, I really should have contained myself and practiced these in crap yarn first, because now the lovely lovely yarn has fuzzed. And the more it fuzzed, the less willing I was to frog and try again, because I didn't want to mess up the beautiful yarn any more. This is a problem. It's no good to have beautiful yarn if you're too scared to use it. I'm so bummed. Also, the thumbhole is too big and looks unwieldy. I might have enough Road to China left to make an all-new pair once I get my pattern figured out, but I'm not sure.

I made pattern notes, so I guess now it's time to get out some crap yarn and fool with it until I feel like it's refined enough for another try with the Road to China. I might also look at some other wristwarmer patterns to see how various designers handle the thumbhole. I thought about it earlier but really felt it would be cheating. I still kinda feel that way but now that I've tried it myself, I want to learn about better ways of handling it.

I may have to walk before I can run, but I don't have to be happy about it.

Waving the white flag

I have spent far too much of the past week involved in various knit vs. crochet arguments on Ravelry, ranging from... ridiculous to more ridiculous, but it's okay. I've worked through it now, and I can even show you how.

The Five Stages of Grief Over the Relative Unpopularity of Crochet

Stage 1 -- Denial. "There must be other crocheters out there... somebody said somewhere that there are three times as many crocheters as knitters. I don't know who said it, but I've heard it everywhere so it must be true!"

Stage 2 -- Anger. "What is wrong with all these knitters? Why don't they like crochet? Why do some of them make fun of crochet? What's wrong with them? Is the Mad Crocheter going to have to choke a bitch?!"

Stage 3 -- Bargaining. "I can show people! I can get knitters to love crochet too! I can crochet really cool things and learn to design and then they'll all see that crochet is cool too!"

Stage 4 -- Depression. "This sucks. I'm going to quit Ravelry. And hide under a rock. A really big rock. No wait, screw that. I'll just hide under my yarn. It's softer."

Stage 5 -- Acceptance. "Ah well... now I have more time to crochet!"

T-minus 45 minutes and I think I give up.

The current challenge over at Stitch Stirrers is "Crochet Your Valentine." When I read it, I thought "what a great idea!" I'd had a project in mind for the Mad Husband for some time and figured it would make the perfect Valentine's Day present.

I just frogged the whole thing.

I'm not sure what keeps going wrong with this one, though I'm starting to suspect it's the short deadline. First I forgot to take it to knit night, then I kept missing up my stitch count, then I found out I don't know nearly as much about crocheted cables as I thought I did, plus the yarn is fuzzy so fibers started sticking together, and I think that's the part that made me decide to let 'er rip and come back to it later with fresh eyes because honestly, that yarn is too nice (and too expensive) to screw around with.

It's times like this when I really wish I knew more local crocheters that I could turn to and ask what I'm doing wrong. My knitting friends and I can coo over each other's projects and discuss yarn and snark on bad patterns and all that, but while they can turn to each other for stitch advice, I'm on my own. While in some ways I think it's been good for me to have to figure things out myself, I can't help but think I could really use some help right now. I visited a really awesome crochet meetup recently so I think that will change soon, but it's not much help tonight.

If I can get this concept out of my head and onto my hook, I think it'll be my best piece of crochet so far. The problem is getting it out, but I guess there's only one way to learn that. In the meantime, I've still got a Valentine to take care of. I wonder where I can get a copy of Ocean's Thirteen at this hour?

Look! In the sky! It's a ...FO!!

After recent frustrations, I spent the weekend getting my crochet back to basics and it's been a good change of pace. And rather than stressing over what I haven't finished lately, I'm going to show off what I have finished.

This is Laurie Rossbach's Cold Shoulders Capelet, from Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. I'm generally not big into capelets, but I was really taken with this pattern, and I'm really, really pleased with how this one turned out. I was afraid the Suri Dream from KnitPicks might be too heavy to be a good substitute, but I think it worked out just beautifully. The alpaca is light but very warm. The pattern is clearly written and very easy to follow; I think it would make a good first garment project. I plan to keep this at work for days when the air conditioning is just too chilly.

I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to this project because it was the first thing I brought to knitting group that got passed around the table and cooed at. Though I dare you to pick up some Suri Dream and not coo. It's so soft.

Thanks to the co-worker who volunteered to model (the shirt I was wearing would have clashed horribly).

Whose sisterhood is it anyway?

In my last post, I mentioned coming across a rather negative online discussion of a crochet pattern. I said I had no problem with that, and I want to elaborate on why, because I think it's an important issue. And because I feel like ranting.

I've said in the past that there seems to be an attitude in the yarnosphere of "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." To a certain extent, I think that's a lovely idea. After all, what can really be gained from snarking on a brand-new crocheter's first lumpy finished object? Nothing. It just leads to hurt feelings, and I can see how in a worst-case scenario it could turn someone off the fiber arts and/or blogging. We all have made projects that didn't turn out like they were supposed to -- that's why Ravelry has UGHs! Saying someone is smelly and fat just for shits and giggles may fly on some parts of teh intarwubz -- that's the main reason I've never started an NBA blog. But it isn't acceptable in the yarnosphere, and I think that's a good thing.

However, I am extremely skeptical of people -- who often also happen to be designers -- who carry on about how fiber artists shouldn't say anything bad about anyone or anything because fiber arts are a "sisterhood." If you are going to put a pattern out there and charge people money for it, then you should know that people will discuss it, up to and including "OMG this pattern sucks I cannot believe anyone would have the gall to charge money for this." If designers cannot deal with this, then IMNSHO, designers should not charge for their patterns. Or at least should not go looking for criticism and then get bent out of shape about it (I know, easier said than done, but there's a reason they tell the American Idol contestants not to go on the message boards). As for designers who rely on the "sisterhood" claim to avoid criticism, all I want to know is, if fiber arts are such a sisterhood, then why are you trying to make a buck off your sisters?

Grrrrr. Arrrgh.

So I put the finishing touches on the thing I was going to offer up as my part of the Bloggy Giveaways Winter Carnival, only to discover mere moments later that I was too late, as spammers had forced an early end to signups. It was like a metaphor for my current issues with crochet. And by "current," I mean "last night." It seemed like a really big deal at the time.

I was winding some Alchemy Bamboo in hopes that I could get started on the project I wanted to submit to the first Crochet Liberation Front pattern collection -- a lacy nightie. I'd had it in mind ever since I first saw the yarn in another Ravelrer's destash list. It was going to be so pretty.

But in the process of winding, the yarn got tangled, and one of the Mad Cats (the younger one; we'll call her No No Bad Kitty, as she probably thinks that is her name) started trying to eat said yarn, and then I realized what should have been a short project had taken two hours, and then I realized that I had no clue how I was going to make this beautiful nightie in the first place, let alone adjust the pattern for different sizes and whatnot. And then I thought about the discussion I'd seen online yesterday savaging a new designer's pattern (and I have no problems whatsoever with this, for reasons I'll describe in another entry), and I thought about how I really didn't want to put bad stuff out there and cause people to think I didn't care about doing it right. It was all enough to make me think I should give up on designing.

And then the Mad Husband got home and I told him all of this (well, most of this summarized in the interests of not putting him to sleep), and he said, "Your problem is you want instant gratification."

StringTheory2.0 not only agrees with the Mad Husband, she's kinda astonished that I, the instant gratification junkie, ever got into fiber arts in the first place.

It does give some perspective on why I'm so bad about buying yarn, though.

So, after talking to our Fearless Leader, I feel better about revising my goals for this go-round from a lacy nightie to something simpler. You've gotta walk before you can run and all that. Man, I wish I could think of a way to end posts that doesn't involve invoking a cliche.

Stitch-Stirrers: Crochet Resources

From this week's prompt at Stitch-Stirrers:

If someone new to crochet who had never really picked up a hook or someone who wanted to advance their skills were to ask you for some good materials for learning, what’s the best resource(s) you've found on the subject of crochet, on-line or otherwise that you would suggest?

I kinda hate to give such a cliche answer, especially with the whole Son of Stitch 'n Bitch debacle still fresh in my mind, but I really have to give it to The Happy Hooker: Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet by Deb Stoller. The how-to-crochet instructions and illustrations are simply the best I've seen anywhere, and I had been looking for instructions I could grasp for years. Maybe it's the bright colors, or maybe Stoller's just speaking my language. Concepts that I just couldn't make sense of when they were accompanied by grainy pictures in my grandmother's tattered crochet booklets suddenly made sense. The book also provides fun patterns that were good choices for my first garments (though check the errata).

As for other resources I'd recommend as absolutely essential (at least for myself), I have trouble resisting any stitch guide, but my favorite is The Crochet Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden. And I know I say it all the time, but for stitchers, Ravelry is the best thing since... ummm. Maybe ever. It's that good.

In the interest of full disclosure...

I have seen a shrug pattern that I like.

This is the Maui Shrug by Jennifer Reeve (pattern available at CrochetMe with registration). I think it's way cute. I also feel a little embarrassed that I have to eat my words on shrugs that quickly, but still, it's one cute shrug against dozens of not-so-cute shrugs, and I did say I liked lacy little bolero jackets, and this is one of those, even if it is called a shrug.

It's cute though, and I have to give credit where credit is due. Now I think I should make a post complaining about the lack of crocheted sock patterns in the hopes that I'll suddenly start finding those once I've publicly stated that I can't find them. Might as well work the eating of words to my advantage.

I'm the Goldilocks of yarn.

I'm hoping to put my first pattern out in the world this week, via Ravelry and this blog. Well, at least I was. After tonight's stitching, I may have to revise that estimate.

The pattern is for a men's scarf, subtle, with clean lines. It's just seemed to me that there are very few scarf patterns designed specifically for men, and most of the crochet patterns for scarves are so frilly and/or lacy you wouldn't think of a man wearing them. (Of course, if the gents want to, more power to 'em. I support everyone's right to wear outrageous crochet, as long as they respect my right to go to What Not to Crochet and snicker. Come on. You know you've all done it at least once.)

I originally started this scarf in Louisa Harding Kimono Angora, but gave up on that yarn pretty quickly once I realized the fuzzy texture of the angora was going to obscure the subtle design I was trying to incorporate. Then I tried Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK from my stash and got a bit further in before deciding the alpaca was too drapey and the design was unlikely to show up. Then I was thinking merino, something with good stitch definition. So I went to the Needle Nook (I needed more Panda Silk anyway) and asked for recommendations on a nice smooth yarn, not too much drape, and good stitch definition, and the one Arlene recommended that I liked best was Wool Bam Boo.

I really, really like working with the Wool Bam Boo, don't get me wrong. (Hey, between the Wool Bam Boo and the Panda Silk, I think I'm having a wild fling with bamboo. Man, I hope alpaca doesn't find out.) But now I'm thinking there's yet another factor I forgot to consider: yarn weight. As much as I believe in DK-weight for the average crochet project, this one might benefit from worsted-weight or even bigger. So now I have to come up with a worsted or bigger yarn, smooth, not too much drape, and good stitch definition. And then I have to buy it. And then I have to keep the Mad Husband from becoming the Really Mad Husband once he realizes how many different types of yarn I've bought for this one project. And in the meantime, what do I do with the Wool Bam Boo? Do I continue on or frog it? Finish it and stick it up on Etsy just to see what happens? Dude. The smallest part of energy I've expended on this one is the actual designing of the pattern. The devil's in the details.

Sock stress

So last night I finished the second cuff of the Looks Knit Great Fit socks. Then I stared at them in delight for a while because they're just the same size. Then I looked at the next part of the pattern and that's when I started getting nervous. Heel flap? I'm not even sure what a heel flap is, exactly, and I've been wearing socks my whole life! This is going to be the hard part, I can tell already. I've kinda lost the gauge because I had to make the cuffs bigger to fit me, so I'm not even sure that the directions will hold water now.

But I will persevere. Because socks may be intimidating, but the Panda Silk is worth it. The socks, they will be mine. Muahahahahahaaa.

Shrug, I don't get it.

Can somebody please explain to me what is the deal with shrugs?

Oh, don't get me wrong. I love the look of crocheted cardigans, crochet and cardigans go together like peanut butter and chocolate, and even I can appreciate a lacy little bolero jacket to cover your shoulders in an evening gown or spaghetti tank. (Though I hope we're talking about two different boleros for that, since I haven't seen many that would go with both.)

But shrugs? The solid ones that look like regular sweaters that you cut off and tied together right under your boobs? I just do not get those at all. To me they look like the Daisy Dukes of sweaters. For one thing, they generally look like you were making a regular sweater when you ran out of yarn. And what would that missing yarn have covered? The stomach! It's like addition by subtraction -- my eye just gets drawn to what's missing. And I may be fairly comfortable with my body, but that doesn't mean I want to walk around wearing a flashing neon sign that says LOOKIT MAH BELLY!!

And even for those of us who would like to show off our tummies... Daisy Dukes, man. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

As for the shrug patterns that avoid the belly issues by not having a front part and just being sleeves connected in the back... those just don't look comfortable. Wouldn't they get all twisty and stuff?

Maybe I'm just missing something, but I don't think so. Otherwise I'd be seeing shrugs on the other addicts at the yarn store, and I can't remember seeing a single one. Yet there seems to be a rule that every crochet publication -- book, magazine, what have you -- must include at least two shrugs. Someone must be making them. Or is this some rule I don't know about, that every new designer has to crank out a shrug pattern? Kinda like hazing? And then once you're in, you sit around and drink beer and laugh at all the shrug patterns?

I wondered if this was just irrationality on my part, so I pointed the Mad Husband to a couple of particularly bad shrugs (no, I'm not posting them here, I'm the Mad Crocheter, not the Bitchy Crocheter Who Calls People Out) and he said "yeah, they're trashy." However, you shouldn't take his word for it because I'm pretty sure when it comes to crochet, he just agrees with me. I just asked him if I did a 180 and made a shrug, would he claim he liked it because he'd be worried if he said otherwise, I wouldn't make dinner? His response? "Ding ding ding."

The joy of sox

I'm really starting to understand why so many of my knitting friends are obsessed with socks:

• They're portable.
• Sock yarn comes in all sorts of wild colorways that might be scary in sweaters, but are fun in socks.
• You can splurge on the good yarn because you only need a ball or two.
• You get hundreds of yards out of that ball which will keep you busy (and hopefully not buying yarn) for a while.

While I admired my friends' socks, I didn't think I was interested in making them myself, because for me socks are boring and utilitarian. I don't even really have my own socks -- the Mad Husband and I share a large stockpile of black socks because they match our shoes. But now I get it. Handmade socks are beautiful little works of art.

The Looks Knit Great Fit socks are made in the opposite direction of most of the socks I've seen knitters working on -- you start with the cuff. Luckily I'd learned a lot about how important to try socks on as you go by watching those knitters, so that didn't come as a surprise. Camanomade suggested making the two cuffs first so I could make sure they're the same size, so now I'm happily hooking away on cuff #2. I was so excited when I reached the point where I understood how this big flat piece I was working on would become the cuff. It sort of clicked and now I'm all sorts of excited to see how these turn out.

Though frankly, even if the pattern weren't making sense to me, I'd still be enthralled because of the Panda Silk. I might marry this yarn if I weren't already taken.

For all the Hello Kitty fans...

Ravelry users are totally the best.

Recently I saw Dustinthewind's adorable kitty on Ravelry, and followed the links to find the pattern she had written in French. I noticed her profile was in English, so I took a chance on being called an ugly American and wrote her to ask if she was going to translate the pattern. She responded very graciously and here's the pattern in French and English:

Kitty en tuto

I am just blown away by her generosity and creativity. Check it out!