Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Baby Stuff!

After several requests, my custom baby sweaters and caps are now available through my WePay store.

Here's how this works. Each sweater and hat has a single color image worked into it. For the cap, the image goes all the way around, sometimes linked together, depending on the image. For the sweaters, there is a single image on both the left and right front, and linked images across the back.

For example, here's one that was done with anchors:





When you order one, you choose from the drop-down menu the size, the main color, and an icon from the list. I currently have Set 1 of icons done.

 You can also get these done in icons not listed. I just need an email stating what you want, and a picture/drawing, if possible.

I can do just about anything. However, I will not violate copyright/trademark laws, so please do not ask for anything that someone else holds the rights to.

As a side note, I am working up these patterns all on one long sampler. It's gonna make a very unique scarf by the time I am done!

Look for Set 2 of images soon!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Happy Super Towel Day!

Towel Day is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute by fans of the author Douglas Adams. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their appreciation for the books and the author, as referred to in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The commemoration was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on 11 May 2001.
 
From Chapter 3 of the Guide:
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in "Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is." (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)
Today, May 25, 2012 is SUPER Towel Day.
May (5) + 25 + (20)12 = 42

Why is 42 important, you ask?

42, as all frood's know, is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

So Happy Super Towel Day, and don't forget your towel!

And remember, Don't Panic!
 

Monday, May 21, 2012

Rain

One thing you can count on around here is rain.

After some very nice, and very warm for us, weather last week, it got cold and wet.

Sudden change to wet and cold + my hands = no knitting or crochet. Nor painting, drawing or sewing. Typing is difficult.

My hands are swollen, weak and not very agile.

Which just sucks.

Especially so, as I was inspired yesterday and started on a new illusion. I also found a minor flaw in how I was writing my illusion patterns, and fixed it, so this one should be my best yet. I designed the illusion without determining what it would be used for - tote, pillow, something else - so I won't know until it is finished. It's bigger than my others, though not big enough for an afghan.

When my hands get working again, I'll get back to work.

Leaving you with a picture of Priscilla bathing Gypsy. Just because.


Saturday, May 19, 2012

New Illusion Tote

So I finally completed the Valknut Tote. I am happy with the tote, though I'm just not a good enough photographer to take images where you can really see the details. In the photographs, the color changes is all the eye can see, making the plaiting on the sides all but disappear.

A Valknut is an Old Germanic symbol, consisting of 3 interlocking triangles. Here is one example:


And here it is as an illusion knit:

In this picture, it looks like a color-based lattice pattern to the right and left of the Valknut. It's actually the plaiting. The colors deceive the eye in photographs. (or at least in MY photographs!)

For more details, just click on it at my store above-right.

I have more illusion tote in the design phase. Look for them soon!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Quiet day

Lots of things going on right now, but little craft related.

I'm kinda in-between things at the moment. I'll be finishing up a new illusion tote in tan and black this weekend. I also have a pale green and white set of potholders on the needles as bedside knitting.

But I am thinking that my pile of plastic bags is getting out of hand. So I will force myself to sit down at some point this weekend and make up a bunch of plarn.

Plarn, for those that don't know, is yarn created from the plastic bags that, in some places, you get from the grocery and other type stores.

Here's some of the plarn items I have made in the past.


Not sure that I will make in this batch, though most likely, some sort of hobo bag, book bag or such.

If you have a request, please leave it in the comment section!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Silver Dragon

If you have been following my blog for a while, you know I do more than knit and crochet. I also quilt, sew, draw and paint.

Yesterday, I got my paints out for the first time in months. I wanted to do something a bit different. My SO & I's 2 year anniversary is coming up in 10 days.

One of the video games we play together is Ultimate Alliance, which features many of Marvel's superheroes. The artwork on the load screen is fantastic! My SO really loves this one:

He also loves dragons.

My mind was playing around with those two thoughts, and I sat down to start painting.

Now, while I have sketched some "mythical" creatures, dragons are not one of them. This was my first time trying, and here is the final result.


The only thing that bugs me is that the background wash colors were not quite what I was going for. I was looking for more of a true red instead of the red-purple that I ended up with. I think part of the issue is that the black I had on hand was too close to dark blue. But I'm still happy with the result.

Not my usual work, but I am satisfied, none-the-less.

Happy Wednesday!

Monday, May 14, 2012

New Kitchen Item

Today is a very busy day for me - more so than normal. I recently changed my internet provider. During the change-over, I used my "smart phone" to do a bunch of internet postings. I have discovered that much of what I sent from my phone did not arrive where it was supposed to. From emails to Facebook, my phone says it was sent, but it just ain't there. So going into meetings today, I do not know what information people received, and what they have not.

It's Monday. lol

I did manage to finish up a very pretty kitchen set over the weekend. I'm glad the colors do not match my kitchen, or I think I'd be keeping this set for myself!

It's a simple kitchen towel and matching wash cloth. What I love is how the yarn looks like a watercolor wash in blues.


With the basket-weave border, the towel lays flat. Both are completely reversible.

I also created a few more flower pins. I still need to update the photos, but the drop down menu now includes a metallic red, and yellow and orange blend, and a royal purple rose. The updated photos will hopefully be completed today.

Another set of pot holders is in the works. This time, a pale green and white variegated.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Sunshine, new Colors and Proud to be Ugly

I previously posted about a single sock that was a custom request from my weird father. He requested that it be as wild as I could make it. So I made this size 13 sock from a bunch of scrap sock yarn. I do believe it is the World's Ugliest Sock.





I have received great feedback about my scarf pins. The one request was that I offer more colors. So I added three more today:
 And finally, I finished the Sunshine Afghan.

I started it several weeks ago. The calendar said it was Spring, but it was still cloudy, rainy and cold here in Oregon. I wanted to bring in some sunshine, despite what the weather was doing outside. It was made in several different yellows, oranges and peaches. The center panel has the Norse symbol for Happiness.


As always, the pins and afghan are available through my WePay store. You can see what is currently available on the upper right side of the page.

For things like that obnoxious sock, please drop me a line.

Have a great sunshine day!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Washcloths

I love washcloths made from kitchen cotton.

Like my potholders, I always add a crochet loop for hanging purposes. It's one of those, "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it," type of things.

I make them in a standard stockinette stitch. This way, one side is flat and smooth for sensitive things, like washing your face or glass, and the other is rougher for scrubbing pots or feet. They are all edged with crochet for smoothness and a finished look.

Like all my kitchen stuff, they are easily washed, both in a washing machine or your dish washer. No special care needed.

I currently have three different sets available here . I can match most kitchen and bath color decor. Except black. I have a heck of a time finding this yarn in black.

More kitchen items, including some very pretty towels, coming as soon.

Final note today - I am a klutz sometimes. I managed to slice open the top of my right thumb on the inside of a cheese grater the other day - right on the part of the thumb that I use to guide my needles/hook. So I am behind on my item creation right now.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

New Items

If you look to the right side of the screen, there is now a "page 2" button for my WePay store. That's because I added a few new items today.

First is a fashion scarf. It was hand knit with a white acrylic yarn that has a thread of metallic running through it. It sparkles under the lights. It's over 6' long, so you can wear it a great many ways.

It was done in a lace pattern, and is very light.


My teddy bear Fred is the model for this scarf. Fred's a good sport about such things.


In this image, Fred is modeling the scarf along with another new item today - scarf pins.

Winter scarves are meant to keep you warm. Fashion scarves, on the other hand, are an accessory. I like to play with wearing them in different ways. Scarf pins are designed to hold the scarf in place.

I currently have 2 pins ready to go - a medium sized white rose and a large sized white rose. These were done in the same yarn as the fashion scarf.


The medium are roughly 3" across, and the large are roughly 4" across.

 I will soon have more done in a red yarn with a red metallic thread running through. Stay tuned for those!