Nearing Completion

So that Hey Teach! cardigan I was working on, it's almost done! I put all of the pieces on the blocking board last night. I was kind of hoping they'd be dry this morning, but I knew they probably wouldn't. Maybe they'll be dry tomorrow. I'm anxious to sew everything together and get this thing out of my hair.



I stretched everything to the max. It was looking a little small, and after all that work, it better fit! I'm finding the sleeves especially worrisome - they were a bit tight compared to my upper arm, but I think Grammy has small upper arms, so they might work out.

I've already been thinking about my next project. Although my queue is loaded with stuff, and I've got hot pads and hats on order, I kind of want to try my hand at this Vinage Crochet Pineapple Doily. I'll probably finish up the hot pad that's on the hook right now and then start start the doily. I know, I'm bad.

Well, I can't end this post without updating you on the snails. I took another picture of them. I REALLY need a new camera. This one takes awful, blurry pictures. With no point of reference, it's difficult to tell that the snails doubled in size, but they did.



I bought them a new house a couple of days ago. I'm almost positive they'll be able to squeeze through the slots in the lid, so the big move will have to wait. I've seriously considered decorating their new abode with artificial plants - for aesthetic reasons. You know, because a snail habitat MUST be aesthetically pleasing.

Resurrection

I've decided to resurrect my grandmother's cardigan. Since it's been a while, I'll remind you of the pattern: Hey Teach!

I am SO bored with this, but I need to get it done. I'd like Grammy to be able to wear it during the warm weather. (That is, if it fits.) If you were hoping for some lovely unblocked progress pictures, today is your lucky day!

I've completed the back, right front, and part of the left front.


A shot of the lace up close. I took this picture in ISO mode, so the color is off.

I love the color of this yarn. It's very rich, and I think the cardigan would look nice with some gold buttons.

Oh, and remember my snails? Well, they're crawling a whole bunch!


Here's one little dude. I wish my camera took better pictures. The details aren't too clear.


And here's a picture of the jar. They've been very active - the slime doesn't lie! :)

They grow up so fast!

Meret Beret

I completed the Meret Beret today. I made it for my friend, Melissa, since she requested a "slouchy" hat. It pains me to report that this hat may not be slouchy enough. I knit the size small, but I added two more pattern repeats for extra slouch. When it was fresh off the needles, I tried it on to gauge the size. It's kind of snug on me, but I'm hoping that the blocking will stretch it out. I soaked it in a vinegar/water solution (Doing so sets the dye - at least that's what I've heard.) and placed it over a dinner plate (Not without much effort!) to block.

This hat was done on size 6 needles. I used one 120 yd skein of Sugar n' Cream in "Light Blue."

I've got two more berets to go. My cousin, Jacqueline, wants one in white. I'm leaning towards the Baroness Beret for her. I plan to do it in an ecru cotton yarn. My friend, Anne, also expressed interest in a beret, and I picked the Lace Tam for her. (It's only available through Ravelry.) The Lace Tam will be done in a DK black cotton yarn. I bought a whole cone of it from Peaches and Creme with a certain lacy top in mind. Actually, a bought quite a bit from Peaches and Creme. I'm going to start doing thread crochet sometime in the near future, so I ordered a bunch of crochet thread.


Counterclockwise: I bought three cones of size 10 cotton crochet thread in "Queen's Lace" for a tablecloth, one ball of size 10 cotton crochet thread in "Light Lavender," one ball of size 10 cotton crochet thread in "Black," one cone of size 10 cotton crochet thread in "Antique Lace" for place mats, and one cone of DK cotton yarn in "Black."

Yes, I'm still stocking up on yarn. At least it was cheap!

And, before it is forgotten, I present to you the Purple and Cream Crochet Flower Hot Pad:



This pattern was unbelievably quick, easy, and used practically no yarn. I see many more of these in my future.

Hatchlings - Day Two

The babies moved a little bit! Although they still seem to be hanging around the clutch area. They've darkened a tad, but I doubt it'll be noticeable to anyone who hasn't seen them in person. Here's a picture of the babies on day two:


You should click on the picture to get a better look. I'd LOVE to get a really good close-up of them, but my camera won't cooperate. It's on its way out, I'm afraid.

I'm contemplating offering the babies a piece of carrot. Kai's mother told me that they'll eat the peat moss while they're young, so I'm not sure I should start spoiling them just yet. I plan to get them a really big pickle jar (or a critter keeper if I can get one past Kai) in the near future. They have to grow a little, though. I don't want anyone getting lost in the move!

In other news, I started a purple and cream Crochet Flower Hot Pad. I'm making it to go with my mom's birthday gift, if it turns out okay. The design is really attractive, and I especially like the examples on Ravelry that have orange centers. I think I have a skein of orange cotton around here somewhere, so I'll probably be attempting that next.

Hatchlings!

I think my snail eggs were okay after all. I thought they were looking brown, but as it turns out, the brown I was seeing was the babies' shells. They are much lighter than Gary. Wanna see??


I'm still a little concerned because the babies haven't moved away from the clutch area. I read that newly hatched snails eat eggshells and any unfertilized eggs, so I'm hoping that's what they're doing. I haven't witnessed any movement, though.

New Knits!

For a blog that is supposed to be about knitting, crocheting, and other handcrafting, it has sure turned into a rant circus. This entry will focus mainly on some recently completed knits. First up: the Ribbed Lace Bolero.

The collar is slightly turned up in this picture. I actually prefer the collar unturned.


Getting a flattering "back" picture was nearly impossible. Especially since I wasn't the one taking it. :)

I knit this bolero with size 8 and 10.5 needles. The yarn - 2 skeins of Lion Brand Cotton Ease in "Violet." This yarn has great stitch definition, and it was very easy on the hands. My only complaint is that it stretches dramatically with wear. Because of this, I knit the lace portion shorter than called for in the pattern. Also, instead of seaming 3.25 inches on each side, I just seamed 3 inches. (I didn't feel like trying to seam the lace.)


The other project I'd like to showcase is the Spring Beret. The pattern is only available on Ravelry, so you'll have to search for it if you're interested. I knitted this hat with size 8 and 9 needles. I used 2 skeins of Sugar n' Cream in "Cream."


Blocking on a dinner plate.




An aerial "action" shot of the beret.


The beret as viewed from the back.

I like this beret, and I think I'll wear it often. I have one gripe, though. I think the ribbing around the brim is too loose. If I were to knit this again, I'd do the ribbing with a size 6 needle.

In other news, I celebrated my 24th birthday a couple of weeks ago. I mentioned a visit to Kai's parents' house in my last post, and I thought I'd elaborate here. We did all of the regular birthday stuff - dinner, cake, singing. I was presented with three very cool gifts. First - Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel. I've already got my first project picked out, but I'm not going to mention it here until I actually cast on the stitches. I'm notorious for changing my mind.

Second - I got a beautiful rose plant. Here's a picture:


I'm trying my hardest not to kill it!

And last but not least - SNAIL EGGS!



Kai's little brother found the biggest land snail I've ever seen a couple of years ago and decided to keep "him" as a pet. He named the snail Gary, and one day Gary laid some man eggs. Those eggs hatched, and now Gary has about a million clones living with him. Anywho, Gary's been faithfully laying for a while now, and because of that I became the lucky recipient of one of Gary's man-clutches. I've been watching the jar like a hawk since I first got it, and so far there's been no signs of life. In fact, just today I noticed that the eggs are beginning to look shriveled. That can't be a good sign. I'm a bad snail mother! I hope Gary is having lots of fun with himself because it looks like I'll need another batch.

Murder Next Door

I bet it comes as no surprise that I am NOT happy with my current domicile. I could list all of the things I hate, but that would take hours, and it would probably make me very upset. (I don't like to stir up anger-inducing thoughts when it's not absolutely necessary.) Anyway, a proverbial cherry plopped onto my hate sundae a couple of Fridays ago - March 26th, 2010 to be exact. Kai and I had spent that evening at his parents' house celebrating my birthday. I got lots of cool stuff, which I'll save for another "happier" post. We ate dinner, had cake, and watched New Moon (don't waste your time - it so wasn't worth it). Upon returning home, we pulled into one of the parking lots at our complex at 10:27pm (I looked at the clock, so I remember!) to find about 15 police cars, 20 or so cops, and crime scene tape draped on the stairs to our apartment. Much to Kai's dismay, I freaked out. My dogs were in the apartment, and I was concerned for their safety! Kai made a u-turn and parked in the next parking lot. I rushed out of the car and saw that the crime scene tape extended to my neighbor's entrance, but not mine. I found my dogs safe and sound inside of my apartment. Whew!

I took Xerxes outside to pee, and I tried as hard as I could to figure out what was going on behind that tape without looking nosey. I suppose I could have walked over and asked, but I doubt anyone would have told me anything. I took Xerxes back inside and brought Darby out for her turn. Immediately she gave me that "I'm-not-going-past-the-door-there-are-people-and-scary-lights" look. I dragged her out anyway. When I made it to the grass, a girl approached me and asked me what had happened. I told her I didn't know, and she then informed me that she lived in the apartment that had garnered so much attention. (Is it a shock that I don't know what my neighbors look like?) She walked over to the police officers, and I overheard them interrogating her. They wanted to know who she was, where she was coming from, and everything she could possibly tell them about her roommate. I went back inside after about 5 minutes. I couldn't pretend that I was out there so that Darby could pee anymore. It was pretty obvious she wanted nothing more than to go back inside.

I spent about half an hour looking up news stories and searching police blotters via the internet. The sheer amount of police officers told me that something really bad had taken place. I found nothing on the internet, and nothing played on the news that night. I woke up the next morning desperate to know what had happened. A neighbor that I sometimes chat with was outside with her dog, so I walked out to see if she'd heard anything. She's always full of information, and I knew that if anyone could tell me anything, it would be her. Luckily, she knew exactly what happened. In fact, she'd heard it! She said that a girl had been shot in the head around 10:15pm, and that the assailant was on the loose. (Her description was a bit more detailed and gruesome, but I'll spare you the details.) Boy did I feel better. Not only was he on the loose, but he had run right through the area that I would have been standing with one of my dogs had I gotten home ten minutes earlier! At this point more witnesses showed up to join in on the conversation. They saw everything unfold - the assailant jumping from the shadows, the shooting, and the escape.

As we all went our separate ways, I saw that a crime scene cleaning crew had arrived. They stayed for most of the day, removing what was left of the poor girl. As night fell, it was like nothing had ever happened. I saw no flowers, no mourners, no nothing. I couldn't help but think about how strange it was that not a shred of evidence was left where a girl had lived and died not 24 hours ago.

I can't get out fast enough...