Shrug

The yarn for this shrug was totally an impulse purchase, as a result of going to the craft store with my mother and my sister (they're such enablers!). The yarn was kinda awesome, though, so I couldn't pass it up. I'm generally a fan of Caron Simply Soft because it's pretty nice and very cheap, and I came across their Shadows line, and decided to go with the dark neutral Opal Twist.

And I actually followed the pattern on the package this time! Well, almost... since I'm broader in the shoulders than many women, I added some extra rows of stockinette in the center of the shrug to make it wider. Other than that, though, I followed the directions. It's not really all that flattering on Rosie, unfortunately, but it's quite nice on a real person. Plus it's soft, and the black/brown neutral color means it can match pretty much anything.

30 Prom!

So my awesome parents and friends threw me a surprise party for my 30th birthday, which was... well, awesome! :)

I'd always joked that, if I wasn't married by the time I turned 30, that I was going to have a "30 Prom" so that we all had an excuse to buy cheesy prom dresses like we had (or, in my case, didn't have) in high school (yep, I wore a little black cocktail dress to both my junior and senior proms...)

Anyway, I was disappointed when I didn't find anything that leaped out at me when my friends mysteriously took me "fancy dress shopping" back in early May. In desperation, my friend Michelle gave me an old bridesmaid's dress she still had and said "go nuts," so I did.

Here's what it looked like before I got to it:



And here's the results of a week of cutting, sewing, and listening to loud music:



Pretty prom-tastic if I do say so myself. Now I need to go to the goth prom next year or something, so I have an excuse to wear it again...

Mother's Day Purse

While I was trying to decide what to get my Mom for Mother's Day, I wandered into Michael's craft store. Since she shops there often, I figured if I wasn't inspired to get her something more creative, at least I could get her a gift certificate. Instead I found this great yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky, in Tawny Rose Twist.

The pattern on the package was for a crocheted purse, but since I was lazy and didn't check the gauge first, it came out much larger than intended (this was the first thing I'd crocheted in a LONG while). Then I decided to not follow the pattern at all, and just make something up. What came out was a nice-sized tote bag (great for the woman who carries everything including the kitchen sink in her purse) which I lined and gave a button closure.



The entire bag was crocheted half-double around the post. The main body is just one big rectangle sewn up the sides. The strap was made separately and sewn on, and the tab for the button was created by picking up stitches along the top of the body, and then using chain/skip to create the (horizontal) hole. Then I went to Joann Fabrics and bought the World's Largest Button.

If you're curious to see the original pattern, it is available for free on Bernat's web site. I won't post a link, because you need to sign up and log in to see it, but you can get to it using the link to the yarn posted above.

Serious Haul

My lovely family took me to Mohegan Sun for my birthday this weekend, and we had a great time. I even won $70 playing the Star Trek-themed penny slots!

... Which I promptly spent on yarn.

Actually, to be more accurate, we had also gone to Mystic earlier in the day on Saturday, and when I walked into Mystic River Yarns I literally started salivating. Sad, I know.

I was going to post pictures here, but I'm lazy, and anyway I'd rather wait until the yarn actually looks like, you know, a garment before posting. But I got some nice teal linen/cotton blend, a super-soft chunky organic cotton in heather-y purple, and some neat sparkly blend something-or-other that I don't know what I'm going to do with yet, but when I figure it out, I promise it will be epic.

Yeah, I know, I'm not supposed to buy more yarn until I finish all my unfinished projects. That just isn't going to happen, but I swear I'm trying to be good! This was a special occasion! ;)

Fingerless Gloves

This is a pair of fingerless gloves that were inspired by another pattern I found online, but modified to (a) be longer (elbow-length), (b) have alternate-twisting cables down the center, and (c) be gloves rather than mittens. So I guess they're really not quite like the original pattern at all. Maybe "inspired by" is more accurate.

Anyway, they are quite warm, and I think they look delicately bad-ass:

One of these days I will post the pattern, but I need to clean it up a bit first (so that it will make sense to someone other than myself...).

Baby Hats and Craft Shows

I finally finished several baby hats that had been a long time in the making. Not that they take very long to do... I admit I just kept getting distracted. But alas, they are done, and their recipients are still babies, which is a plus. :)

There are a few other things in this picture as well, including some crocheted fingerless mittens and tote bags. My plan is to hit up some craft shows this summer, hopefully including the Heritage Festival in Lavallette in July. With luck, I'll be setting up a table with my aunt, who makes really nice crystal jewelry (necklaces, watches, bracelets, etc.). I have some ideas for more seasonally-appropriate items, but for now, this is the picture I had to submit. Hopefully they can use their imaginations and envision people buying winter hats at the beach in the middle of July...

Taking Inventory

As part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge list, I set the goal to take a full inventory of all the supplies I have, including unfinished projects. I knew there would be a lot, but wow... I'm way behind. I'll spare you the entire inventory (I've only completed the yarn so far anyway, not the material), but here are the whopping 13 projects that I have the materials for but have not finished. Also on the list is "finish all unfinished projects," so I definitely have my work cut out for me.

Brown Shadow : Simply Soft : Shrug - DONE!
White : Thick and Fuzzy : Baby hats - DONE!
Red Bamboo : DK : Lacy sweater
Multicolor: Magic Stripe Sock : Baby socks
Multi : Worsted : Knitting bag
Black : Cotton DK : Stockings, headbands
Light Blue : Fuzzy : Cowl neck sleeveless sweater
Blue Multi : Worsted : Open sleeve sweater
Olive Green : Merino Wool : Military-style button cardigan
White Heather : Worsted Acrylic : Aran hooded cardigan
Slate Blue : Simply Soft : Sweater vest
Black : Simply Soft : Textured shrug
White & Silver : Heavy : Cowl neck sleeveless sweater
Blue Stripe : Magic Stripe Sock : Socks
Dark Red : Thick & Quick : Purse