I’ve been crafting!
Knitting: ohhh, I love knitting! So far I have finished:
- an oddly-sized length of fabric (too short and wide to be a scarf, it could really only function as a little wrap for the big monkey . . . and the yarn was a cheap acrylic that, although soft in the skein, feels scratchy now that it is knitted up. But it was good practice!)
- a “Ribbed for her Pleasure” scarf (LOL!) from the book “Stitch&Bitch” — simple, made with a bulky oatmeal-colored acrylic that is soft enough I will actually wear it. AND, it looks so freaking cool (simple k2p2 ribbing, but I LOOOOVE how it turned out), that it provided great motivation to keep learning.
- ONE of two simple ribbed armwarmers, which taught me some new skills in the process: a couple of good increases, and a little confidence-building when I had to tear apart and rebuild stitches. I’m still in process on the second armwarmer, much delayed because of the stomach bug that ripped through the household a week ago AND because of some late-night knitting that resulted in frogging a solid four inches of ribbing. Argh. Chalk it up to a learning experience, though; every stitch I knit is good practice!
I have so many other projects that are percolating in my head right now. Fancier armwarmers are next on my list (never one for needing warmth or extra layers, I DO suffer from Reynaud’s and deal with circulation trouble and pain in my hands during the winter months . . . so I figure armwarmers are one fashion accessory that would be both practical and fun. Plus they knit up fairly quickly . . .), and I bought a skein of cheap cotton to make dishcloths (I’ve heard that dishcloths are a good way to practice new skills like cables, lacework, etc.). Far off in the distant future, I have patterns for fancy hats and a few sweaters and I am constantly searching for new ideas. Some great inspiration has come from Ravelry, and Knitty, and a website sent by another knitting friend.
Jewelry: I have been fantasizing about starting new jewelry designs for . . . months? a year? Anyway, I finally started the process; pulled out the set of metal stamping letters that have been sitting in a box for ages now, and practiced stamping some letters onto my sheet of practice copper. Looking forward to putting that practice to use later with sterling, but right now I am figuring out the force I need to use, how to space the letters, etc.
I’m also putting together an order with an Etsy seller in Latvia to purchase some hand-collected sea glass, beach pebbles, and raw amber for some wire-wrapping projects. I took a tumbled glass class a few months back and LOVED it, and I’m really excited to incorporate some elements of Latvia. Even though it is V’s heritage and not my own, I have always felt an undeniable pull toward the history and the culture; we still have pieces of driftwood that we brought back from our travels over a decade ago, and I treasure them.
(Speaking of which, DRIFTWOOD! She sells collections of small pieces of driftwood, hand-gathered on the shore by herself and her family members. My mind is awash in ideas for ways to use it in our home . . . More ideas for projects; heh.)
Sewing: I got a new sewing machine over the holidays, a beautiful lightweight beauty that should run quietly and efficiently through projects galore. I say “should” because I have not managed to sew even one stitch on the new machine, despite having set it up, plugged it in, and deployed the presser foot on a project-in-progress. But then the baby needed me, and then the evening got away from me, and then we moved the sewing machine into the back bedroom and then I ended up here, two (three?) weeks into owning a new sewing machine and I don’t even know how well it sews. Okay, that’s ridiculous; must tackle that task by the end of the night.
Speaking of which, what am I doing working on a blog post when I have one child eating lunch, one napping, and actual FREE TIME for the moment? I’m grabbing my knitting . . .
