Earrings!

So, I planned to post over spring break, but that didn't happen...  I did do a lot of things, though!  Besides lying around at home, I...

...started working on a vest for my mom!  It's slow going since I'm knitting, and I'm pretty convinced I've screwed up the entire lace pattern.  It doesn't look terrible though, so I'll keep going until it does.  It's the Talia Vest, I think you can find it on Ravelry or just google for the original website.

Also, I crocheted earrings!  Lots and lots of flowers, plus a couple other experiments :P  As you can see, I'm trying out spray starch to make sure they stay okay, and I think it's going well so far.  The first batch will be up on Etsy very soon, so look out for those!!

That's all for now.  Time for class!


EDIT:  6 pairs of earrings are up & more on their way!!!  Check them out here.

How to Knook!

Knooking isn't exactly the most popular/well-known craft around, and I've been asked about it a lot, so I thought I might as well make a post about it :)

First off, if you didn't understand from my previous posts, knooking is knitting (real knitting!) with a modified crochet hook.  The hook has a hole in the non-hook end, where you thread through a string or cord (usually something firm like a shoelace) to use as your 'second needle'.  It's similar to tunisian (afghan) crochet in that you hold stitches on your crochet hook as you go, but you do turn around at the end.  I find it a lot easier to deal with than two needles, and I'm much faster at things like ribbing this way.  Anyway as far as hooks go, I have the Leisure Arts kit (I actually won it in a contest, it was the best day), which comes with three knooks and instructions.  You can now buy it on Amazon and other craft stores.

Anyway, Leisure Arts has some great instructional videos about knooking.  I actually use a different method, but I'm thinking of trying to learn theirs too.  Here's a big video, or you can search youtube for the individual ones.

By the way, whichever method you use (I think there are only two, but no idea really), make sure you use the knit and purl from the same method!  I wanted to mix them too, but it really doesn't work out and your knitting will be a mess.

So, how would you go about knooking a normal knitting pattern, you might ask.  Well, there's a little trial and error involved.  You should probably get an idea of how your knooking gauge compares to your actual knitting - but if you're lazy like me, you'll skip over that.  I usually just approximate the needle size (sometimes you can get the exact diameter, but the needle doesn't always have a hook equivalent) and try doing the gauge swatch as suggested by the pattern (and believe me, I hate watching too, but I suppose it's a necessary evil...).  When it comes to patterning, especially increasing and decreasing, that's a whole different story.  I'll probably do a post about that later, so look out for it.

Lastly, here's a fun pattern for beginning to knook; I actually just finished making my own, so once it's blocked to my satisfaction there will be pictures!  Anyway, this scarf (the pattern came in the kit) alternates blocks of knit and crochet patterns, so it's pretty fun.  Give it a try!

That's all for now.  Definitely send me any questions you have about knooking, and I will try my hardest to answer them (from my whole 6-month experience! haha).

new Etsy listings!

Hellooo there.  More projects to share, and two of them are new listings in my Etsy shop!

This one is a sweater I half-made last summer and finished slowly since then.  I'm still not very happy with the fit (I put on ties at the back, so it doesn't look so terrible in the pics), so I'll have to decide if I want to remake it or not.  Not for a while, though, I have so many projects going on!

Next up is this neckwarmer.  The yarn might look familiar - that's because I used the leftovers from the fingerless gloves I made earlier.  I didn't use a pattern for this, just made it up as I went.  Most of it was knitted on my Knook (G), and then ruffle was crocheted.  (plus the buttonholes - I completely couldn't understand how knitted ones worked >.>)

And last but not least earrings I made a while back but forgot to relist on Etsy.

That's all for now!  I wonder if anyone is actually reading this blog xD

project, projects, and more projects

Hello again!

Back at school now, so everything's pretty busy.  Still finding time to make things, though!  (And watch tons of dramas at the same time... :3).  Anyway, I just thought I'd post a few random pictures.

 This is a hat I crocheted for my mom before winter break.  I think the pattern is called Post Stitch Stocking Cap on Ravelry (I'm not sure why it's a stocking cap?).  The picture isn't that great, but it came out really nicely, I like the pattern a lot.  It's in fingering weight yarn, I forget what but it's on my Ravelry.

 

 Can anyone guess what this is going to be?

...

...

...

 That's right!  It's Kurara!  (aka Clara, from Kuragehime <3)  I hope I have enough stuffing to do the legs, I'm getting low on it...  Anyway, I'm just improvising for this.  I did the head in multiples of 6 stitches, up to 48, and then 6 even rows before the decreasing.  It could have been a little more round, but oh well.

Lastly, my Wool-Ease came in, so I'm knitting a bunch of hats with it to put on Etsy.  This one's not done, it has some cabled braid that goes around the back and down the corners on the sides, but I ran out of the first ball in the middle so I'm waiting to see how much the other hats use.  (Totoro makes a good hat model, right? :P)

That's all for now!

Sunset Ruffle Scarf

Acrylic yarn & cotton crochet thread.  Long!