Socks fever

I couldn't resist, before even finishing my first sock, I've started another project. I found the Knee Striped Socks by Diana so adorable, that I started to make a pair for my sister.


After practicing the 4 needles knitting, for the first pattern, I'm now approaching two new techniques. Which is cool cos' I'm learning so many new things!!

For now I've learn the Turkish Cast On (thanks to the fantastic tutorial by Deby) and the Magic Loop Knitting thanks to Knitting Help.com! And I have successfully combined the two techniques, look at this seamless toe, isn't it nice? I'm proud ;-)


At the beginning everything looks extremely difficult, but after a while it gets easy and very fast!
It's a socks fever!!!!

My First Sock

After such a long period without knitting and crocheting I guess I'm willing to do as much projects as I can right now, I'm full throttle. After the granny pillow, and the felted bag, I've started a new challenge: a pair of socks, my first socks ever.

I'm just exited by all this 4 needles work, the difficulties of the the heel and the toe... I love it!!!!!


Three patterns I like:
I've started with the Sassy Striped Socks, very nice
I'm planning on doing these Knee Socks, so fashionable, for my sister (the pattern looks pretty hard though)
And one day, when I'm good, I'll try these pretty Elfine Socks

I'm so into it that I've made some progress icons, that of course you can use as you like :-)
Sock progressing from leg to toe:

Socks progressing toe up:

Felting mood

Besides the Granny Pillow, I feel I'm in a felted mood and I think I'll felt felt felt... Of course I'll have to knit knit crochet before.
I'd like to make a felted computer bag... I have a lot of wool but no much time... Anyway let's see what I'll do :-)

I have already felted my beloved Booga Bag, but I want mOre...
Look at those projects, they're so cute, I'd love to make them all!!

The French Market Bag by Knitty
The Coco Felted bag, isn't it lovely?
The classic felted tote
and this one with small felted flowers, so cuuute!!!

By the way the picture I posted belongs to this pattern

Granny with a twist

This could be my codename in a few years ;-)
I'm coming back, after all the stress and pressure I've decided to take a break, just focusing on me and my healt. Of course crocheting and knitting are part of the ure, and I've started crocheting a pillow, using the 200 Crochet Blocks book, once again. But this time I'mm make it very fast, I feel motovated :-))) I'll post a pic asap, I'using the "Granny with a twist" square pattern.
Best wishes!

Here's the pics I promised:

Back to knit and crochet

This horrible series of evil events won't stop me. I've stated crocheting and knitting again. Slowly, but happily. I'm progressing on the (in)famous blanket wich will be ready in 4-5 years, maybe! And I've started another poncho, from Viva Poncho! very nice, I'll post a pic asap.
If nothing elese bad happens, I should be back online (and in the US) by the end of september, then I'll come back to visit all your lovely blogs, my friends, I miss you and your fantastic jobs!
Lot's of love to eveybody, see you soon!

sniff

my mom didn't make it


:°°°(

Later than late

Oh yes... I'm still late and I'm even later if possible. It seems that this summer and my crochet aren't getting along very well. Ufff! :-/


Everything seemed to be going fine, and then yesterday my mom got back to hospital. So I kept going back and forth from her house to the city nearby. The results, I'm a bit anxious and I don't have any time to finish my blanket. Actually I should say, to start it, because I'm still at 2 squares!!! How lousy!!! Buuuuuu

Making "the" blanket

Here it comes, along with summertime and holidays: my blanket for the 200 squares CAL (it's never too late isn't it?!). I have chosen the orange/red/blue one at the beginning of the book, because is the only one I can make with the odd skeins that I have inherited from my friend's grandma. I have started with the centerpiece:

and I'm making (very very slowly) my way up to the rest... I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime I came back to France to spend summer with my recovering mum, who's doing great. My boyfriend and I have left California for good and we'll be back in NY in September, right on time to enjoy the falling leaves... And the first snowstorm!!!

Back in California

Here I am again, and by the time I left rain has stopped and the garden has bloomed. How gorgeous!

As promised here are two pics of my home-made booga bag, I'm so proud of the felting! Unfortunately I didn't take any pic of the bag before the process, how silly! But as you can see the results are pretty nice.

I have used 3 skeins of NORO KUREYON #154. While I was knitting it I couldn't help thinking how lousy the wool was. Itchy and irregular. But, after the felting, the result were simply amazing, the texture was softer, elastic, furry. How lovely! I wouldn't recommend Noro Kureyon for a sweater but it is simply great for fulling! :-)

LATE! LATE! LATE!

Dear All,
once again pardon me for my disappearance lately. I've been stuck in northern France to take care of my mom, without Internet connection for the last 2 months (can you imagine it?!). Here everything is beautiful and peaceful, but I missed the whole crochet community and you blog friends!!! I'll be back in Frisco in a couple of days and there I'll be able to post and to share with you my (little) progresses. For now I can tell you that I successfully made a booga bag! :-D and a friend of mine gave me the whole wool stash of her granny who passed away last year. A bunch of wool balls in many many colors. I'll finally be able to make a beautiful blanket, I hope.
Lots of love to everybody!

French Experience

Dear All,
I had to stay a little bit longer in France, because my Mom has been hospitalized. I'm working on a booga bag and I'll try to post something ASAP, but with a modem connection it's not easy!!!
I'll look forward to hear from you all very soon! Miss you!

p.s.
I'm working on a blanket for the CAL!!

Polar hat - pattern

While I was flying from San Francisco to Paris on Wednesday, I was so nervous (or better to say, terrified) that I had do do something... Once again crochet saved me, giving me something else to think about. So I came up with this hat for my aunt who is seriously ill and will need it. I made it with less than a skein of Rowan Polar, leftover from my mom's poncho (previous post). I've started following Sandra Huffines' chemo cap pattern, and then change it as it follows:

Hook: US 11 / 8mm
Gauge: loose



Rnd 1: Chain 4, join in round. Ch2 , work 11 dc into ring, join.
Rnd 2: Ch2, in next st *2dc in ea st* around, join. (23)
Rnd 3: Ch2, in next st *1dc in next st, 2dc in next st* around, join. (34 dc)
Rnd 4: Ch2, in next st *1dc in next 2st, 2dc in next st* around, join. (45 dc)

Rnd 5-7: Ch 1, hdc in every st around, do not join.
Rnd 8-14: Ch 1, sc in every st around, do not join.
Rnd 15: Ch 1, sc in 3 sts, *decrease 1 sc every 4 sts*. Join.

Rnd 16: Work (sc, ch2) in every st around, join.
Fasten off.

From Brussels

Hello everybody,
as I promised here I am from abroad. Here the weather is rainy, so not much of a change from the Bay Area ;-) and I've just received 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon 154 that I had previously ordered on E-Bay UK. Sweet!
Later this afternoon I'll post the picture of the Eleanor Poncho that I have just finished and a coordinate hat I've made while I was on the plane (praying for my safety ;-). Since then here's a nice pic of the Belgian Capital.

Here is the pic, as promised. As you can see, the Poncho still needs to be washed and blocked as to shape it correctly, but I am so bad at washing wool that I'll give it to my mom as it is, and she will fix it. Hope she'll like it anyway.

Out of town...

Just a quick post to announce that I will be out of the country (and in part out of the Internet... ARGH!!!) for a while. I'll be leaving next Wednesday for Brussels, Belgium, to see my dad and then I'll spend the Easter Holidays in northern France with my mom. While in Brussels I'll be able to check e-mail forums and Blogs, but starting April the 8th I will enter a total Internet blackout period until April 29th. I will miss you all!! But hopefully when I'm back I'll have some new project to post. I'm leaving with a suitcase full of wool and 2 books of patterns :-)

By the way, I've finished the PONCHO! I cannot believe it! :-D
I'll post a pic when I'm back! Yuppeeeee! I've also sent my 8 squares to Jimmie Lu for the Amigos project, and now I'm ready to start a whole new set of blocks for the 200 Crochet Blocks CAL !!! :-)

And to finish, I made a couple of tests and I must say they're just right. Look at the pic, it's my favourite pastry ever, Pain au Chocolat! Mhhhhh and guess what's my favourite pie?! ;-)

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous. People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. Those who like you crave security

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Squares that don't get along

Since I got the book 200 Crochet Blocks I've started crocheting like crazy using all the small amounts of leftover yarn that I had, thinking about making some squares for a pillow cover. I chose the squares patterns randomly, just for fun, and here are the results.



As you can see, the single squares are pretty, but they don't really get along one with the other. So now I have 8 squares and I don't know what to do with them!!! :-/ Maybe some potholders...?

If I haven't been wise with my crochet squares, luckily the knitting is going a bit better. I've been progressing a lot with my mom's poncho. While I was knitting it, I've realized why I never star big projects and I usually prefer to work on smaller item. I love to switch from one type of yarn to the other. I'm a single-skein crocheter/knitter. I love changing continuously gauge, hooks, and patterns. With such a big project the creative part is soon over and the rest of the work is just the same, every row... Kind of boring. Said that, I LOVE how the poncho is proceeding. It will be so rich, soft and warm! :-)