Show and Tell

I just realized that I haven’t posted any pictures for a while - you know, because I haven’t finished anything for a while. But hey - why not - here are some pictures of what I have finished so far on Genevieve. Mom called and said my yarn should hopefully be here by Wednesday, so perhaps I’ll be able to get something done, eh? Anyway, what do you think? How am I doing?

Aaaand a closer view of the neck.

Click the pics for a larger view.

To steal a title - crunch time.

Hiiii, Jana. Crunch time over here, too. Although, I think I do not flatter myself when I say that my crunch time is probably crunchier than most of yours, gentle readers, and perhaps a bit stickier, too. Do I detect a hint of nuttiness?

Yeah.

I’m moving in a week and a half - have I mentioned that before? (Don’t be silly, Melissa, you know you haven’t. *whap self*) I am. This will be our fourth residence in a few months less than three years (about 2 and 3/4, actually) of marriage, so I’d consider myself something of a pro on the subject. Add to that the fact that we’re only moving across town (to a nicer place, closer to Greg’s work!) and the fact that the military will be moving our stuff for free (knew they were good for something…I’m so glad I don’t have to carry furniture this time *whew*) and you may ask yourself, why is she stressed over this? Just sit back and relax as hired, professional movers come in, pack up your things, move them, and then unpack them for you at your new home so you can leave the snotty, profiteering, ant-infested apartments in the past! (They are lovely apartments, by the way. Except for the ants. And that dog that stops by our bushes every morning to poo.)

Well, to answer your question, I’m stressed for a few reasons. First of all, I’m MOVING! I won’t be able to find all my stuff again for - well, probably forever. Every now and again, Greg asks me if I know the location of something and the best I can do is tell him where it was in our last apartment. (Sometimes that helps…) And this is especially bad right now, because in the upcoming month I have multiple projects and packages that need to be finished or sent with deadlines looming and dates approaching…that’s something I really am worried about, losing track of things that I’m going to need soon, plus just not being to find things, in general. I hate that.

Another reason is that I’ve never done a move with military movers before. We could have done it ourselves and made a bunch of money, but we just didn’t feel up to moving all of our stuff ourselves again so soon. (This is looking like a better and better choice today, as Greg went and played football with some friends this morning, and thinks he may have broken his foot. Ha. Hahahaha.) I’m very nervous about having hired strangers handling nearly every item in our home. It feels so…invasive. Greg and I will be moving personal items, (underwear, Christmas presents) perishable items, (food and such) and easily steal-able valuables (DVDs, our Playstation…) ourselves. One nice thing is that we get the key to our new house before our lease runs out, so we have a bit of time when our apartment will be empty of our stuff that we can clean it up, fill nail-holes, and avoid as many exit fees as possible. Our apartment complex is notorious for gouging on the exit. (Fees, dude, fees.)

Anyway, that would be bad enough at any other time of year, but I still have Christmas stuff to do. I have two gifts that still need to be designed, made, written out, photographed, wrapped and sent - along with the pile of other gifts that need to be wrapped and mailed, and a few more that need to be put together and sent. And we have to send notes. Yay. And - and, don’t forget, I need to finish Max’s Christmas stocking, and start on mine. (Greg’s is done, from last year.)

Oh, yeah, plus I’ve committed to write an article with accompanying pattern for the LOVE issue of CrochetMe that’s due January 5th. It’s not hard, I just have to do it. I already have some of it done, I just need to take pictures for the article, and put my design together. (Yeah, I’ve already written the pattern out. If I lose THAT in the move, there will be trouble. I hate redoing things I’ve already done well.) Plus, I’m pining for Genevieve, whose final materials are even now in the hands of the US Postal Service, on their way to me. I think. But since they didn’t arrive today, they won’t until Monday at least, so I should really start working on something else. Yeah.

I have a headache.

Happy ending, after all! *happydance*

My dad and my sister walked into a Michael’s over 900 miles away from me today, and they found an abundance of the dye lot I’ve been trying to get more of for two weeks. That is so amazing!

So, as soon as I get my package here, a day’s work or so will see the completion of Genevieve, at which point I can post pictures and show you all what I’ve been obsessing about!

I’m so happy right now!

Oh, the horror, the horror *updated*

So I’ve learned my lesson. Dye lots are of the devil.
You know, Wool-Ease yarn comes in dye lots. I’ve never worked with dye lots before, although I’ve been warned. I even noticed when I picked up my five balls that they had dye lots, and felt an uneasy twinge, as I guessed I would need at least six. Maybe seven. But then, I figured, how far off could they possibly get with such a pale color?

Oh, far enough.

I bought another two balls at Jo-ann’s on Saturday (since Michael’s STILL hadn’t restocked the yarn - oh, shame on them…), innocently assuming it would be ‘close enough.’ Oh, no. The yarn I have is creamy, almost yellowish: the yarn I bought has a decidedly grayish look. I held a ball of it up against my mostly finished sweater, and there is a CLEAR differentiation between the two colors. Not good, not good.

So. My plan is this. I’m going to go to Michael’s, sweater in tow, and on the off chance they have restocked the wool-ease, I’m going to hold a ball of it up against the sweater and see how close it is. Well, I also kept the bands around my yarn (see, I’m not totally hopeless) so if, perchance, they have the same dye lot then all of this will be but a happy memory, or maybe I can ask if they can order some from that dye lot. But back to my plan - they have to eventually produce yarn that, even though it’s of a different dye lot, is close enough that I can integrate it into my sweater. There are only so many color variations that can be produced (well, only so many that are discernable to the human eye) of the same COLOR yarn. Even if I never see another ball of the same dye lot, eventually, I’ll find some that’s close enough, right?

Right?
Oh, anyone know a good project for 2 balls of wool-ease?

*UPDATE*
Well, I went to Michael’s again. They’re having a SALE on Wool-Ease (good price, too, at 1.79 a ball). A sale? I thought. Perhaps they’ve restocked for the sale.

But no.

After picking up some nice, Christmasy bows, I went to the checkout, where I brought up the fact that their yarn has remained unstocked for the past two weeks. At first the cashier looked puzzled, but then understanding lit her face and she said, “OH! You know what? Our yarn lady hurt her back.”

Now, I feel bad for the woman who hurt her back so badly she’s been off work for two weeks, but I’m a little confused by the fact that no one in this craft store noticed that the yarn was not being stocked for at least two weeks. Or correlated the fact that Yarn Lady was gone with the idea that someone else might have to do her work for her. I mean, obviously someone went around taping sale-price flyers to the yarn bins. Did they not notice that a third of them were empty? Or do the pricing people and the stocking people work opposite hours, each assuming that problems will be fixed during the other’s shift?

Lest you think that I, too, was guilty of making foolish assumptions to let this go on so long, be assured that I asked questions at each visit. First it was, ‘do you have any more in the back?’ Then, ‘when does your next shipment come in?’ I’ve learned that Michael’s is generally restocked twice a week, but during the Christmas holidays only one of those trucks carries their usual stock, the other being laden, I suppose, with trees and wreaths and garlands and such. I asked about the timing of the various trucks, but since I was never there on the day of restocking, I assumed for a while that someone else using the same color was clearing them out before I got there.

This time, however, I made the situation clear, even displaying my poor, half-finished sweater so she would understand my urgency. I was somewhat placated when she called the back (I guess someone is covering for yarn lady, after all, although I don’t think much of the job they’re doing), then took down the brand, type, color, and lot number of the yarn I needed, had me leave my name and phone number and assured me that they would call around to other Michael’s stores looking for more, and if that failed, attempt to special-order the dye lot I needed.

So perhaps this story will have a happy ending, after all. For now, however, I need to find another project to work on so I don’t just sit out here, staring at my poor Genevieve and wishing that I could work on her again, NOW! *sigh* So close…

Oo, I’m cresting the fashion wave!

Well, for once - I’m not chasing the fashion trend with my crocheting! I’ll admit it, I made my first poncho after the things had been “in” again for a year or more, and even my sarong (hardly a new idea) was completed only AFTER CrochetMe had published a pattern.

But now, now these shawl-collared jackets/cardigans/shirts are just beginning to appear in catalogs and stores. At least, I haven’t seen them around much before. (Although I wasn’t looking…) But still! I searched in a few places, and they are eeeeverywhere. Here are a few examples, and I’m only showing a small fraction of what was there (the ones that most closely resemble the sweater I’m making).

Laurie B ‘Pin Up’ Sweater
Shawl-Collared Sweater
“O” Shawl Collared Sweater
Luxe Shawl-Collared Sweater - Shell
Trina Turk Shawl Collared Sweater
Kimchi and Blue Crochet Cardigan
Kenzie Shawl Collar Cardigan
Miss Lizzy Sweater
Dulce Sweater Jacket
Maritime Cardigan

Assuming Michael’s chooses to restock their Wool-Ease within the next two weeks…I should have my shawl-collared jacket, Genevieve, finished by December. Yeah, that’s right, baby, I’m gonna be stylin’ at church this winter! I -

Note to self: Find more reasons to dress up while cool weather lasts.

One more thing. I was looking for shawl-collared sweaters when I stumbled across THIS:

SHRUG-A-LICIOUS?!?!? Is that you? (Okay, it’s not exactly the same, but dang, it looks close!)

Three cheers for us, everybody - hip, sexy crocheters, our hour has COME!

Harry Potter-ness

If you don’t already know that tomorrow is the day that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is released in theatres….well, then the rest of this post probably won’t interest you.

In honor of the imminent release of Harry Potter 4, I decided to share with you a list of my favorite links to Harry Potter-related fun and humor. (Be aware some links are PG.)

Snape in “I’m Too Sexy” - one that’s sure to leave you either laughing till the tears roll or saying, ‘What on earth…?’ Maybe both. *edit* Let me just clarify…I don’t think Snape OR Alan Rickman are that sexy, which is why this cracks me up so badly… */edit*

Potter Puppet Pals, “Bothering Snape” - heeheehee

Potter Puppet Pals, “Trouble at Hogwarts” - Stop frame when Voldy zaps Snape and click backwards and forwards till you find the star, and click on it for a fun extra.
NEW! PPP’s Snape in “You Cannot Put a Stopper in my Pain” - I saw this for the first time today! Aaaaaah! Funny.
NEW! Potter Puppet Pals - Naked Time - also new to me, a funny little clip.

Bertie Bott’s Bean Machine - click to see what flavor you get!

Remembering - Contains Book 6 Spoilers and takes a bit to download, but worth it, I think.

Harry Potter in Editorial Cartoons - Many of these are in the same vein…

Little Known Facts about Harry Potter Cast Members (from MAD!) - roll over faces for these snide snippets…

50 ways to annoy Lord Voldemort - ’nuff said.
And, finally,

You Can Tell You’re Too Big a Fan when: You know it.

Anyway, enjoy (I did!), and everybody go see the movie! Although I have no idea when I’ll get to see it.

Go say hi!

My little sister Emily got her very own MyCrochetBlog crochet blog, Making Magic. Go say hi, leave her lots of comments, and link to her.

Here, you can even steal this lovely button I made for her.

I’m in love…

Love, thy name is Genevieve. I think about her all the time: I can’t wait for my son to go to bed or my husband to leave for work so that I can spend time with her. When I’m with her, I often forget to eat. Sometimes I put off leaving her for the night so long that I’m literally falling alseep where I sit, and even then I can hardly sleep, because I can’t stop thinking of the things I want to do with her. I’ve even considered waiting until Greg falls asleep so that I can sneak out of bed and spend just a little more time with her.

Genevieve is a sweater, and she is mine.

It all started last Friday, when - no, that’s not true. It started more than a year ago. I had just gotten back into crocheting, improved some of my poor technique that made my finished pieces look amateurish, and I was riding the high of a new cable internet connection, scouring the web for new and interesting patterns to execute. (That was before I started designing.) I don’t remember how I got there, (I think it was actually a link from the CrochetMe forums) but all of a sudden, I was staring at this.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was knitted, (someone had linked to White Lies Designs to say, ‘Why don’t we have patterns like this in crochet?’ Why, indeed…) and it was the kind of knitted design that makes your throat close and your eyes blur as you go blind with a mad, mad case of knitting envy. I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I blame Angelina (that’s her name, the name of that sweater) for making me so willing to let Greg’s grandmother teach me to knit that Christmas. Then of course I got distracted by other things, but I never really forgot her, lurking in the back of my mind, just waiting for a chance to spring up and consume me.

Her chance came last week, after the sucess of the Green Man Sweater. If you can create that, she whispered, you can create me. Give me liiiiiiiife…. Of course, my ability to design a baby sweater does not in any way imply (to me) that I’d be capable of creating something like Angelina, but I swear, that’s what she said to me.

I toyed around a bit, looking for ideas on how she might be accomplished, and I found a few. Just enough that I started to believe her. Maybe I could do it, after all. The final blow came when I found the perfect name for her. Genevieve. It means ‘white wave,’ and has all of the feminine, romantic connotations that I could hope for. It fit perfectly.

Once I had a name for her, and a plan of attack, I don’t see how I could help it, I really don’t. An innocent grocery-shopping trip on Friday somehow led me past Michael’s (which, strangely enough, is in the opposite direction from the grocery store…weird…) where I petted the wool-ease (my chosen medium) and somehow ended up with five skeins at checkout. I would have bought more, too, but they only had five skeins in fisherman. I’ll probably be back there sometime this week.
Then, using Super Saver and a dc/ch mesh pattern, I made a mock-up of the sweater, something else I’ve never done before, and the results were good enough for me to start the real work yesterday. I’m so excited, I can’t wait to show her to you. I don’t know how much Genevieve will end up looking like Angelina, but you can bet that she’ll be just as beautiful in her own way.

I guess we’ll see.

I designed a sweater!

Please, excuse me while I - w00t! w00t! *happydance* :D Yaaaaaay!

Ahem.

I designed a sweater! It’s for Max, of course, and I <3 it, in the <3-iest sense of the <3. Click on the pic for a larger (albeit slightly fuzzy - the sun’s not out today) view.

Aaaand a closeup of the detail:

I’m calling it the “Green Man” Sweater, as the design was inspired by both the yarn itself and Someshta, the last known Nym in Randland. Uh, you can look here if you’re confused.

Here are two shots of the sweater (jacket?) being modeled. It’s a smidge big on him - it reminds me of a huge, bulky, green fur coat.

Greg says that it looks like something an elf would wear. Heehee. Hopefully, a matching hat will follow…

I made a scarf today!

Problem solved, people. I made my mother-in-law a scarf. Nice and fuzzy, made from some Red Heart Light & Lofty that my mother gave me last Christmas, (thanks, Mom!) it only took me a couple of hours to complete. Which is good, because if you haven’t noticed, Christmas is approaching, and I need to get a box put together and out to my inlaws before I forget and we are doomed forever.

So here’s the pattern, simple but nice, for your last minute gift-making pleasure.