Knit-along with the library: Falling Leaves Lace Scarf

This is going to be fun. My library is doing a knit-along to go with a class on Creativebug, which we get free with a library card (Yay for EVPL!!!) and after ripping it out a few times, these are the first stitches which I didn't mess up.

Looking forward to finishing this one!













METHOD:
Coming

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Coming

Spring Charity Knit Scarves during Isolation

I am stash busting during our isolation, in the hopes of getting rid of the old to buy NEW yarn when we can safely shop again!

METHOD:
Done in whatever suits my fancy. 

The pink fringed one is leftover Lionbrand Homespun from Jen's Poncho, done in a repeat called "Purse Stitch" which gave it a neat lace look. 

The blue chenille is a skein of Lionbrand Chenille Thick and Quick in garter stitch. I started to crochet a scarf in this, but it's a nightmare no matter how you try to work with it.

The taupe is a basketweave stitch alternating garter and stockinette, extra wide but short enough to tie around your neck, probably wide enough for a man.

The unicorn puke color is a child's scarf done in Bernat boa. 
(I actually intended to make three of these, but Little Bear said he loved the color and the feel and wanted an extra long one for himself. I think I am raising a fabric-oholic.)

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Marie Kondo all your yarn. Seriously. It sparks joy, getting rid of it. 

Nautilus Shawl

Oh my freaking god, this is the most "frustrating and annoying and what the hell am I making here and why" project. 

Let me sum up:

I hated those ruffle scarves and scoured the Ravelry database to see if I could find a pattern that would use the yarn a better way. I found a pretty shawl pattern, both crochet and knit versions, and thought I would try it. 

For three days straight, I kept knitting and frogging, hooking and frogging, looking everywhere for some reason why the pattern just wasn't flipping working. I still have no idea what went wrong, but I found someone who made a Youtube video about it and contacted them and they sent me the pattern for free, which was nice. 

It got off to a rocky start, with some kind of weirdness in the center, but then the spiral started and I was SO pleased with myself ... until I crocheted the fabric to itself and had to pull out about 6 feet of it. I went back to it, and kept going until I reached the edge and discovered ...

... it was tiny. Like, really tiny. Big enough only to drape over an accept table. It won't really go over my shoulders. Thank the heavens I didn't pull out all the scarves, just the pink and gray one. 

What I ended up with is pretty, but it needs to be like three feet longer. I might be able to rearrange it into some kind of belly dance hip scarf, but even then, I don't really want it, despite the color way being exactly what I wear. 

METHOD:
I don't even know. I tried to follow the pattern, but who knows. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Never buy yarn you don't LOVE and never take the pattern dimensions at face value. 

Covid-19 Face Mask for Mom

My mom (who thanks to the virus, I haven't seen in real life for ages) texted me in a panic. "Can you make me a face mask? I have to go to the doctor and they say we should wear masks."

Now, during the self-isolation, I haven't really left the house. I mean, I've taken walks and stuff, but I haven't been to the grocery or been around people, so I had no need for a mask, and DH has a face cover he's been wearing. So while people around me have been making masks, my sewing machine has just been collecting dust. I don't think I've had it out for two years. 

This was the only scrap fabric I had (which is still pretty darn cute) so I thought I'd give her mask-making a shot. I called up one of the video tutorials, managed to get the bobbin thread caught under the needle and in about two hours, I had a cute little face mask for my mother. (Although she didn't like the elastic and preferred the over-the-ear variety, so I don't know if she actually wore this more than once. Still, it's there and it's washable, and it's at least stylish at the pet stores. 

METHOD:
Following instructions. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Sewing is fun :) And my mother was very grateful.

Crochet Headband (Ribbed Headband with Button)

This was the first official project in the "Startup Library Crochet" class both on Great Courses and on Bluprint. I had to take it apart a couple of times because I'm learning to crochet and so the stitches aren't very orderly and uniform yet, but finally I managed to get a piece that looks roughly like what the instructor made. My yarn was thicker than hers so the piece is a little bigger, but I still think it's wearable. I didn't add the button yet because I don't have one I particularly like. 

METHOD:
Done in LionBrand Wool Ease Thick and Quick, from the "Fisherman" color in my stash. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. Single and Half Double Crochet stitches. Yay for me, learning something new (although technically I've tried crochet in the past but it didn't "stick." 

2. This yarn is insanely thick and working with an oversized crochet hook is crazy awkward. 

3. Now I will be able to crochet my own stuff! 

My first Homemade Breads!

I wasn't actually planning on doing a baking blog, but after doing so much baking of banana breads and bread machine breads, I took the plunge, watched a class from King Arthur flour and tried it. It really wasn't hard at all! I put off doing the kneading because I thought that was the hard part, but it was really the fun part and Little Bear did a lot of it. 

There's a run on yeast at the stores right now, but when things settle down, I might end up making homemade bread like this a lot. Maybe retire the bread machine for good :)

METHOD:
Basic White Bread - made from King Arthur recipe, yields 2 loaves

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Bread making is fun! And the kitchen smells wonderful while it's cooking. 

New Classes! And a Crochet Necklace

Because there just wasn't enough to do on The Great Courses Plus (lol) I signed up for Bluprint, since I thought I might actually teach myself to crochet while we're on the self-isolation from Covid-19. I went for quite a while without knitting or doing anything particularly crafty, so it's kind of fun to pick up these old skills and learn some new ones.  

METHOD:
There was a demonstration on Bluprint that showed a long crocheted chain that someone looped and added beads to. I had some spun yarn that I got from Bevin that I didn't know what to do with, so I figured it might make an interesting necklace. I chained all of it, looped it, and then added way too many beads. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
How to do chain stitch in crochet. 

Charity Knit Scarves - Sashay

Okay, this is one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time" kinds of things. While I was in grad school, I ended up getting drunk one Friday and insisted my husband take me over to Michaels, where they had a bunch of this ribbon yarn on clearance. I picked up about 10 balls for 15 dollars and was real proud of myself until I realized I had no idea what to do with the stuff. My first thought was to make scarves out of it and sell them on Etsy. Then I made the scarves. There is nothing about these scarves that makes me think I'd have any luck for selling them at anything over $1 online. People at the craft shows can't even give these things away.

So now that they're all made, I'm thinking I will just give most of them away, unless I can find something else to do with the yarn. I made my mom a blue one, which she likes, and Little Bear cabbaged onto the Christmas red one, so I guess the others will be Christmas charity donations or gifts for the unsuspecting.

METHOD:

This one got frogged.

Done in the pattern on the label, with Red Heart Boutique Sashay multicolor lace yarn. 

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Never buy yarn when you're drunk!