fabric/crochet circle scarf!

wow.  i did it again.  dropped the ball on blogging.  for the record, i manage a good amount of blogging for my work over with Fifth House Ensemble!

anyways, in my defense (again...) i was in a wedding in august and moved apartments.  i can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to be living on my own.  i loved my roommates, and still do, but i finally live in my very own apartment.  a super cute little studio in rogers park.  i'm in love with everything about it...the neighborhood, the building, the apartment, the location, everything.  it's definitely a 100% upgrade from my situation in uptown.

anyways, i've got a new FO & WIP to share with you!  allyson at the sweatshop of love put out a tutorial for a crochet/fabric infinity scarf pattern.  i got super excited to make myself a notre dame scarf with the pattern, and while allyson can't support my choice in colors/teams (look, she's a michigan fan), she totally supported my project on the twitters!  thanks, allyson!  we'll just not talk about it...or saturday's game...which almost killed me.

anyways, here it is!

Go Irish!

And here's the next one.  I may or may not be obsessed with this rainbow yarn. 

Another FO! Window Pane Scarf!

I bought this yarn from my momma's & my favorite LYS in Indy back when I was home for 2 weeks in May.  Ok, fine.  My momma bought it for me.  One skein for me to make something for my cousin Megan, and one for me to make something for me :).

I finished Megan's window pane scarf a while ago...I just haven't gotten in mailed yet.  Her birthday was this week, though, so I think I should probably get it sent...

The middle picture was taken with flash & is more true to the color of this yarn.  Anyone who knows me (and my cousin), knows that everything I own is blue.

FO: Giant Granny Afghan!

Bailey Dog loves the blanket :)

I can't believe I'm becoming a once-a-month-blogger.  How embarrassing...


For the record, however, I've been doing lots of blogging/blog managing with my new job as Operations and Marketing Director over on the Fifth House Ensemble website/blog.  (5HE is a chamber ensemble located in Chicago that specializes in innovative and mixed media performances.)

In the mean time, I finished my second adult sized blanket!  This Giant Granny Square afghan is my wedding gift for my second BFF whose wedding I'm in this summer.  Her wedding isn't until August, but her shower was a couple of weeks ago back in our hometown-Indy.  Since she and her fiance live in Brooklyn, and the wedding is in Cleveland, and they are asking for gifts to be mailed instead of brought to the wedding, I decided (with approval from the bride) to get the afghan finished & give it to her at her shower.  (Also, then I didn't have to be crocheting a giant afghan in the middle of the sweltering summer in my non-AC apartment...)  It actually worked out wonderfully...she mailed all of her shower gifts back to NYC and was able to use the blanket for soft packing.

Also.  She loved it.  We both teared up a little when she opened it.  It is TRULY an amazing feeling...giving something you have hand made with love & devotion to someone who is one of your closest friends in the world who really loves and appreciates your work.

Me, August Bride, May Bride

I used 3 skeins of Caron One Pound yarn...it's not super soft to begin with, but HOLY COW when it's washed, it is unreal soft!  And a J/10 hook.  I decided to treat myself to a Tulip ETIMO hook for the last 1/3 of the blanket.  It was TOTALLY worth it.  I'm in love, and I hope to purchase more of these hooks in the VERY NEAR FUTURE.

Lots of Jobbing!

Man, it seems like I say this every time I post.  I have been obscenely busy the last few weeks!  I told you about my new job with Fifth House Ensemble here in Chicago, well in addition to that, I got another new job as a barista, too!  (If you're in Chicago & want to know where so you can visit me, let me know & I'll share!)  And, of course, still running my last show at VG.  I thought I wouldn't be starting the barista training/job until after my show at VG closed (yesterday), but I was wrong.

So, for the last few weeks, I've been working 3 jobs.  But, now that the show is closed, I can focus on repping Fifth House on the interwebs (that's right, I run their blog, twitter, and facebook!) & making lots of coffee!  Check us out!

I did get to spend Memorial day laying in the sun, reading, and riding my bike out at Montrose Harbor!  Included pictures are from that gloriously relaxing day.

As far as crocheting goes, I'm working on cranking out Wedding Afghan #2!  This BFF's wedding I'm in isn't until August, BUT her shower is on 6/25, AND I was able to get off work so I can go.  So I'm trying to get it finished to give her at the shower.  We'll see how that goes.  It's hard to crochet an afghan when you don't have AC...

Wedding Crochet & New Yarn!

I finished 2, count them TWO, more projects last night for the wedding this weekend.  The first was the ripple shawl I made to keep me warm while bridesmaid-ing.  My dress is strapless AND cocktail length (and super pretty!), so there's a pretty good chance I'll get chilly in the cathedral style church or at the reception.  I used Caron's Simply Soft, an I/9 hook, and the Sarah London Ripple Chevron pattern (modified in length & width for my purposes).  I used three colors: purple, turquoise, and a really light cream.  I alternated them 2P, 1T, 2C, 1P, 2T, 1C three times to make some cool stripes.

in progress last night on my parents' porch

finished & folded!

My mom and I went to Oberlin, OH this past weekend to visit my Grandma.  When I agreed to go, I said "ONLY IF THERE'S A YARN STORE IN OBERLIN!"  This was my first trip back to Oberlin (where my mom grew up) since I learned to knit & crochet; and yes, I still would have gone had they not had a yarn store.  Luckily though, Oberlin has a LYS!  It's a generations old Furniture & Floor Covering store that the current owners brought yarn into.  The front half of the store is FULL of yarn & notions & stuffs, and the back half is floor covers, etc.  Pretty awesome!  I got some Sidar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK weight yarn in light blue, turquoise, and bright peach.  It's 80% bamboo & 20% wool and SUPER SOFT.  Sure it's "baby" yarn, but I fell in love with its texture and the colors, so whatever!  It was my first time crocheting with bamboo yarn, too.  I loved every step of this scarf. 

It took me a while to figure out exactly what to do with it, but I knew I wanted a springy, open weave scarf.  I finally remembered a pattern I had seen on the CRAFT blog for a Window Pane Scarf.  Perfection.  I used my H/8 hook for this guy.  I plan on wearing this one with my dress for the rehearsal dinner on Friday. 

And last but not least, mom and I visited our favorite Indy LYS last night.  We got some yarn for family members for some super secret projects.  But I love the yarn so much, I have to share it!

FO!!! Granny Square Afghan!!

I did it, guys!  I finally finished the granny square afghan I was making for one of my BFF's wedding gift!  AND I finished it with 12 days to go!  So I mailed it to the beautiful couple yesterday!  It took me months.  I got the yarn in October and started knitting squares.  Then I learned to crochet.  And then I learned to granny.  So I switched to granny squares.  And then I took lots of breaks from working on the blanket.  But, here it is!

My Current Yarning

What's been keeping me busy on my crochet hook recently?  Aside from crocheting up washcloths for my Etsy Shop, this stuff:

 A shawl for the weddings I'm in this summer.  The first one is in May, so there's a chance it will be chilly.  Using Caron Simply Soft (with which  I have a love/hate relationship).  Bridesmaid dress #1 is a champagne/beige color & dress #2 is purple.  So basically this ripple shawl will be perfect.

The other floor manager on my current show has a 11 month old son.  Sunday will be his first Easter.  She saw me making some Bunnies & Chickies for other people, and she requested one of each for Charlie's First Easter Basket.  She already had some yarn for me to use.  I had been making these with Vanna's Choice Baby, so worsted weight.  These little guys are in Bernat Softee Baby, which is significantly thinner.  So these guys are a little smaller.  But equally as adorable!

And the wedding afghan for BFF bride #1.  I took quite a long hiatus from it...look, I just needed a break.  But since the wedding is on 5/14, I've got to get my rear in gear!  I've gotta make 17 more granny squares, finish stitching them all together, and then crochet a lovely granny border. 

So clearly, if I'm working on anything but the shawl or afghan between now and their May 14th due date, slap me, k?  Once you're done reading, check out my Etsy Shop, deeter's yarnings, for some awesome washcloths!!!

Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 2

Whoa.  A long day of tech.  The other floor manager and I did a taste test between Samoas, Caramel DeLites, and Coconut Dreams (Keebler) on our dinner break.  A photo recap to come soon.

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP
Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

This is an easy one for me.  I learned to crochet this year.  I learned to knit over Thanksgiving 2009, and I was pretty much a simple knitter (square things in garter stitch) until this summer.  In summer 2010, I learned to make a diamond with my garter stitching, and my roommate and I made tons of them for a baby blanket.  Then, in September 2010, I FINALLY learned to purl.  WHOA! 

But the most important thing I learned?  Crochet.  I had wanted to learn how to crochet from the beginning, but my roommate taught me to knit because that's what she knew, and it was free. 

My Grandma Deeter was a champion crocheter.  She crocheted my coming home from the hospital sweater, booties, and blanket (I asked my mom why there was no pants...she said I wore a diaper, and that was all the answer I got).  She made hundreds of afghans over the years for my parents and I, and her other two kids & their families.  Rumor has it that before she lost her ability to crochet b/c of arthritis, and before she died, she made a baby blanket for each of her grandchildren's first born.  When I learned this for the first time, damn straight I cried.  Honestly, some of my most cherished items in life come from my Grandma Deeter.  

I spent summers and holidays at my my Grandma and Grandpa Deeter's house as a kid.  She tried teaching me to crochet a couple of times, but all I had to show for my effort was a super long chain.  Let me tell you, I kept those chains of yarn for YEARS. 

So, sometime in November I found out that Allyson from The Sweatshop of Love was teaching a free crochet workshop at one of the libraries really close to me.  I JUMPED at the chance to go, got myself out of bed EARLY on a Saturday morning, and headed to the library.  It was wonderful.  Allyson is so unbelievably talented and PATIENT.  She was able to juggle a big table full of first time crocheters, and I came out of the class feeling like it had been a one on one session.  AND she emailed extremely detailed notes out to us to boot! 

In the class that day, I started making a black beanie for backstage.  Let me tell you: it gets COLD backstage at a lot of theatres, and I didn't own a black hat (we wear all black) to keep me warm.  So making a black hat was at the VERY TOP of my yarn-to-do-list.  Priority number one.  And today?  Today I got to wear it for the first time for its INTENDED PURPOSE.  I mean, yes, I wore it all winter outside in the snow.  But today?  Today I got to wear it to keep my head warm backstage in the freezing dark.

Now, I consider myself an avid crocheter.  Sometime later this year, I plan to try making my first sweater.  And last week, I opened up an Etsy Shop -- deeter's yarnings. 

To relate this post to today?  I spent my down time backstage (which, let me tell you during tech [and ESPECIALLY during THIS tech], there's a lot of it) today crocheting up some cute little Easter Bunnies & Chickies for both my shop and for a personal order from my Aunt/Godmother for her granddaughters. 

Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 1

So I read about this over on The Sweatshop of Love's Blog -- Allyson, the knitter/blogger who runs said Sweatshop -- is the wonderful, talented lady who taught me to crochet!  I took a free workshop she was offering at one of the libraries here, and I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for her class!  And she's a brilliant designer/knitter & wonderful/hilarious writer!

I will say that I begin tech tomorrow for my next show at VG, so if I don't get my posts in on time, that's why.  But I do plan on responding to all of them!

So, without further ado: The Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.
Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

Well.  Where to start.  Honestly, picking yarn is ALL ABOUT the way it feels to me.  I literally walk around yarn stores touching every possible skein or hank.  I'm a very tactile person to begin with, so for me to use a yarn, even if it's for a project for someone else, it has to be super soft.  If I come across the prettiest, most perfect yarn ever and it's rough & scratchy?  Nope.  No way.  Sorry, but it's not going to happen.

That being said, there are some yarns I turn to time and again.  Berocco's yarns are some of my favorite.  They're pretty decently priced for quality and how much you get in a skein, and they're soft!  Some are softer than others, but in general, they're all pretty great.  Berocco does a lot of yarn blending -- currently I'm making a cowl for my BRAND NEW ETSY SHOP using their Vintage yarn, which is 50% acrylic, 40% wool, and 10% nylon.  It's machine washable, and is still amazingly soft once it's washed!

I also love Lily's Sugar n Cream yarn.  I loveLOVElove making wash cloths with this 100% cotton yarn.  Some of it is softer than others while you're working with it, but once it's washed, it's all soft and feels so good on your face!  I'm making tons of wash cloths for my Etsy shop & for a friend of mine in Indy who is selling them in her home & garden store!  Oh yeah, and it's super cheap!

Yarn number last for this post, is Plymouth Yarn Company's Baby Alpaca Grande.  This is the softest of the soft & coziest of the cozy in my opinion.  And it's chunky.  Who doesn't love a good, chunky yarn.  Two down sides?  It has to be hand washed.  And it smells kind of funny when it's up by your face (I've made a cowl & a neck warmer out of it).  Oh yeah, and it's kinda pricey.  But generally worth it if for 1 or 2 skein projects.

Well, there you have it!  See you tomorrow for day 2!