I am hoping that this blog will help you and me experience the craft of crochet as well as knitting. During times of silence or turmoil, crochet and knitting continuously help me quiet my mind at my own pace, enabling me to find my center. I am also sharing my SECRET persona, Lt. DAX, my life in code while living in Bajor. Maybe fiction maybe not is up to you to decide. Peldor Joi!!!
I will have to say that if you asked me 20 years ago what would I be doing today, weaving would have not been my answer. My main inspiration as far as wanting to weave has been Judith MacKenzie. This lady has such and endearing way to talking about fiber that you actually learn a lot even without looking at what she is doing. She is a great asset to the fiber community. I am do to take a class on the new store of A Verb For Keeping Warm, at their new location in Oakland.
6328 San Pablo Avenue x Alcatraz Avenue
Oakland, CA 94608
510.595.VERB(8372)
Their new store is amazing and it is full of great yarns. Close to public transportation and a lot easier for those of us that want to take it. Anyway this may be my las post of the Year, number 800, wow 8oo journal posts in my blog life, lots of stuff happening in my life and very exciting. Below there is a video of Crafty Andy showing you the loom he got for the Holidays, not a holiday present, but during the holiday season nonetheless. Thanks for stopping by!
There are times when the Status Quo is too much to bear. To live by the rules of others and to live by the patterns others design. It is fun to do something completely wild and unexpected. A beautiful cabled hat becomes your signature hat as you make it your own. Using Ozark Mountain Handspun fun yarn, I gave it a counter culture look. It is the Holidays and I feel like celebrating life in a different way. This is just for the fun of being alive, may you have a Happy Holiday or A Happy New year or may you celebrate in your own unique way the fun that life can be. So Say We All! Merry Christmas Everyone!
Behold here are the Butchart Gardens at 800 Benvenuto Ave., Central Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. We did not know if we were going to make it, because they were experiencing snow in Mainland Vancouver and it was very difficult for Vancouverites to remember how to deal with snow. This place has a mild winter rarely visited by snow. This day which was Thanksgiving was a tough day, the hotel was having problems with the boiler, and I was not in a good mood. Everything worked out in the end, reminding me that sometimes we need to take a break from being upset and just flow with life.
This place was a Winter Wonderland along with a Christmas Wonderland.
I was very thankful we were having Thanksgiving together and enjoying the snow, which we usually don't ever see in Northern California , San Francisco Bay.
The twelve days of Christmas were represented throughout the gardens and we caught most of them. There was so much snow, but it was not that cold, given the fact that we dressed in layers and had a great ensemble of scarves and hats made by Crafty Andy.
A Carousel without any kids was not fun, but the kid in me wanted to take a ride, we had no time for that this day.
This was our day before visiting the downtown Victoria, which will be another posting. We visited everything we wanted and even saw the Empress Hotel.
This is Crafty Andy, thanks for stopping by!
When we first arrived we knew we wanted to come down to this market and get something to eat. It was snowing and very cold. We have taken the habit of making sure we can have breakfast on our own and getting to the market was part of this day's activities.
It was a very long walk and we made it to the center down there. As bridges go it was windy and cold, we were very happy to go all the way till the end of the road and walk. Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in False Creek directly across from Downtown Vancouver's peninsula, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge.
The peninsula was once an industrial manufacturing area, but today it is now a major tourist destination and working neighbourhood. In 2004, Project for Public Spaces named Granville Island "One of the World's Great Places.
From this bridge you could see the other bridge where our hotel resided, that Bridge is the Brurrard Street bridge.
This market has everything that you can think off, fresh produce and locally made stuff. You can find Apples, maple syrup, croissants,soap,chocolates, yarn, books et cetera. Here we were in front of an Ice Cream shop, but we were not that crazy about Ice Cream this day. This Picture is actually from the Sunday before we left. We went to purchase something for breakfast and the n some more souvenirs.
Here we went to the Silk Weaving Studio, where this young lady was weaving. I asked her if it was ok to take her picture and she agreed. She was very kind and allowed us to see her store.
This is some of the Silk yarn, there was also lots of roving and all the things that silk comes in. Beautiful weaved scarves and the smell of silk was intoxicating. I did not get any silk here, but enjoyed looking and touching it.
This that you see is the Ferry on Hornby Street which takes you across to the market in less than two minutes as you can see by the video at the end. Is not cheap, but it is worth the trip. If you purchase a round ticket you safe about 1 Canadian dollar with the purchase of the round trip or return.
The video was fun to make and it is in the hopes that you get to enjoy the little trip with us. Thanks for stopping by!
We will start from the end to the beginning lol! These were the souveniers from Vancouver and Victoria that we brought with us. There were also some T-Shirts and some yarns which I will show in below this post . Canada was a great country to visit. In Vancouver people are not in a hurry, they have a very easy going way of life. They are very different from Americans, not better nor worst, but they do think different.
At any rate I love the chocolates we found and the Maple and Birch Syrups. Canadian beef is fantastic and their organic burgers are everywhere for a reasonable price. Organic produce is very common in Canada which was something I liked. They have started to recycle, but not as much as we do in San Francisco. San Francisco is hoping to have 100 % recyclable and 0% trash by the year 2020. I think it is possible and I will do my best to make it possible. Our behaviors have to change, we go to the grocery store with our own bags and the same when we go to the Pharmacy.
This yarn is from Sweet Georgia yarns, it is called "Tough Sock Love" and I purchase it at another store. More on the store with pictures later on. This is eye candy for now.
This yarn and more were purchased at "Three Bags Full"
4458 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5V 3R3, Canada
(604) 874-9665
Bus: NB Main St FS E 28 Av
I will leave you for tonight knowing that I have already classified my pictures by folder and that means within a few days we shall have pictures of the trip by venue along with some short videos. Thanks for stopping by.
I have been making these babies during the weekend besides other projects. Diamond Back Mitts by West Knits. This pattern is clver, intelligent and fantastic to make. I changed it a little bit to fancy me of course, but otherwise this pattern rocks by itsel. Mr. West has made a wonderful pattern and taught me a thing or two about slip stitches. This is a fantastic pattern if you want to try and test slip stitches along with cables. I will be making some more of these in the near future. These are being made with Noro SIlk Garden i.e. the SIlk Road to Kobol name, and Lamb's Pride worsted weight. If you are interested in this pattern here is the LINK Below. Thanks for stopping by.
Thermopylae means "hot gates" in Greek. This is derived from the myth that Heracles had jumped into the river in an attempt to wash off the Hydra poison infused in the cloak that he could not take off. The river was said to have turned hot and stayed that way ever since.
Thermopylae is located in eastern central Greece on the only land route large enough to bear any significant traffic between Lokris and Thessaly. Passage from north to south along the east coast of the Balkan peninsula requires use of the pass. Further west the way is blocked by mountains and the Gulf of Corinth. For this reason the area has been the site of several battles.
Just for the Holidays I got this crazy Idea of a scarf in Tapestry Crochet to bring you some warmth and inspired by Greek History. When patterns come to my brain I stopped and write them down, the muses are very kind some times and give me the inspiration from a story. On your Right at the side bar you will find my first Tapestry Crochet Scarf. It is a simple scarf, yet it will challenge you enough to give you a taste of Tapestry Crochet with some intermediate techniques in crochet. There are video links to help you out with color changes and FPdc and the such. I made four in very little time, so I know it will be a fantastic stocking stuffer gift. I hope that you enjoy this pattern and that you get to be playful with the colors and have fun making it your own unique scarf with left over yarn from your other projects. Pattern creation is an honor and I am happy to share this with you, thanks for stopping by.
A Tapestry Crochet Video with some Front Post treble crochet Action, sounds dirty I know, but it is plain clean fun. Some day I will have a different camera that will make it easier for me to make videos, but in the meantime I am enjoying myself with this fun activity. I am hoping that this video helps you understand a bit more about techniques to make your crochet experience the best it can be. One may say that I am in a mission to make Crochet more of an Art Form, for men and women. I hope you enjoy my newest Pattern which is coming out in a few days after this video. Thanks for stopping by!
I have been wondering for a long time what will a Tapestry crochet scarf look like. Here it is, I called it Hercules, there will be a pattern later on, don't know when, but I was able to make this in a couple of hours with the right yarn. Hercules is a Testament to Free Form Crochet and Tapestry Crochet. Thanks for stopping by!
You know by now that I love hats. This hats is amazing , but it is hard on the wrists as it includes twisted stitches and twisted cables. In the end I will say that I will make it again. I don't like long hats, I like to hear around me when I am walking or outside. I made it with four repetitions only, I could have probably used another inch at the brim and fold it if necessary, but the circumference of the hat is perfect. Jared Flood KoolHaas is an amazing project that will guide you through the steps of twisted stitches and twisted cables. This is done in Malabrigo worsted weight with size 6 mm. I started with US 7 DPNs for the brim, yep the other way around as I am contrarian lol! I know how I knit so I figure I need to make sure it goes over my big head. Once the brim was done, I proceeded to make the hat on US 6. Thanks for stopping by.
This is what I am up to , besides working on a Cardigan. It is the time of reckoning as I finally get the rest that I need. My father passed to spirit, and it is no sadness for me, he was a very mean spirited and abusive man. He was abusive in so many ways that you will have to look through this blog to find out, because I am able to finally close this chapter in my life. In my honor and to celebrate my life and the good that I have created in my life, even against all odds from the misery of his abuse and others, I am celebrating life and the love within my heart. Don't be misguided, I could have not survived this long without forgiveness, but not forgetting the lessons is crucial. I say forgiveness is for the victim more than for the victimizer, because you release the hold this person has on you, the anger and the past. I came to this on my own at the tender age of 33 , but this is a process that continues as you continue to live. That was my awakening and when I realized how beautiful life trully was without the burden of hate and guilt in my heart. Today at the Tender age of 50, a week after his body has been put to rest in the ground, 6 feet below,covered with concrete , where he will no longer hurt anyone else. I celebrate the little good I found in my Father and as such I hope his tortured soul rests in peace. May the Lords of Kobol judge him, because I am too biased to judge. The cycle stopped with me and for that I am very happy. Lords of Kobol Hear my prayer of Gratitude for all the good that I have been able enjoy in life despite all odds. I am no longer a survivor, I live because there is a life to life. Thanks for stopping by!
There will be more pictures once is blocked. I started this yesterday, but it is a mindless knit, well not that mindless. I used a lot of my homespun and some of the left over yarns from other projects, mostly sheep and alpaca wools and it is lovely. This is from the Navajo Plied Alpaca that I diud a while ago in three colors and it worked wonders for this shawl. I have a video to make and will talk to you later. Happy Friday Everyone!
This hat is to be made on Aran Weight or DK weight and I went with Cascade ecological wool which is considered a Bulky yarn. Dropped down to US 6 and had to skip some rows. The name of the Pattern is Flintshire and is a Ravelry Pattern for sale.by Ashley Knowlton .
I went by the numbers until row 31 the every other row until row 51,( I did just the odd numbers), I did do line 36 and 52, then did as the pattern suggested.
The result was a perfectly shaped hat, and very soft. I am hoping to make another one in DK weight with some Baby Alpaca with a Twist that I have. Thanks for stopping by!
The bag has been lined with a beautiful red cotton flannel. I was offered polyester and even though there are advantages to that, I really don't want polyester in my bag.It is about 90 % wool on the outside and because I used the Noro Kureyon SOck which has Nylon, that gives it a bit of Nylon in the mix. I lined the bag before I closed the bottom, it was closed afterwards with a kitchener stitched in reverse to give it texture. I am working on the I-Cord right now.
This was and still is a fun project and is a bag I can use to carry some of my works in progress. I will not be ashamed anymore, because I have no store bought project bags to carry my stuff around lol! The I-Cord will be long enough to serve as handles and to close the bag as well. I am going to borrow some of the ideas from the Dice Bag and use one of those thingies to have a nice holder for the straps to hang out. There are holes around through which I am going to thread the I-Cord. Hope to finish the I-Cord today, this was a very fun project and I am hoping to make a vest or two, in the meantime thanks for stopping by!
Entrelac is one of those things that you will eventually get. It is a matter of time and patience and practice.
This pattern that I am using is for a bag that will be felted. This bag may not completely felt as I am using some Noro Kureyon Sock yarn double stranded to get close to worsted weight. I can tell you that I really don't care for Noro sock Yarn, I like the colors, but the materials are not the best. Anyway moving along, I have prepared this video as a guide, I am not a professional teacher nor a professional photographer, so this video has it's limitations. Warner Brothers was buys this weekend lol. I hope you enjoy the video and that it helps you understand Knitting Backwards somehow. Thanks for stopping by!
One of the TV Series that has inspired me more to knit and crochet has been Battlestar Galactica and now Caprica. The Above hat is in the 101 One skein projects is called the In Between Seasons cab. It is done in two parts ,, the band is done flat and then stitches are picked up. My other posts will tell you more about it, here I am showing you the finished object. The hat can be made longer if you continue to knit more than the pattern calls for, but remember this is not a ribbing headband, so it will have to stay like this while you wear it, otherwise you will not look very fashionable, lol!
Here you see sporting my Galactica Tattoo and the Boneyard scarf/shawl and the Windchief Hat, both from West Knits. The windchief is a cowl and a hat in one pattern, so if you are looking for something this fashionable for your neck and head, this is the pattern for you. I don't like cowls much, they tend to make my neck shorter.
Lastly I bought this book today as at my local yarn store, Imagiknit , Debbie will be giving a class on lace and there will be an opportunity for her to sign my books, I am sure, but I will also bring the Son of the Stitch 'n Bitch, which is a book completely dedicated to patterns for guys. I perused lightly through this book "Superstar Knitting" and saw a lot of instructional chapters that will be making people push their limits to the next step with more intricate designs and challenges. She will be giving a class that I am signed up to take on Lace Knitting. I can't wait, it is November 13, 2010 at Imagiknit. Is nice to have the authors come along and spend time with you. I hope you can come if you are close by. Thanks for your visit.
This is the perfect project for anyone wanting to learn two things. A) Twisted stitches, B) Basic Cables. Bonuses are decreases and YO lol! The band is done flat then grafted together, the stitches are picked up and knitted, you can use DPNs or circular needles. The Book is " One Skein Wonders " , which is a great book for those who want quick projects that use one Skein. I have done many a project from here and gotten lots of inspiration. At any rate this hat may be done by day's end at which time I may or may not take a picture depending how warm it is. lol. Thanks for stopping by!
It's a Cardigan and it is from Lionbrand, it is the NorthShore Cardigan and it is a very nice Cardigan indeed. It has no pockets, but that will be a breeze to make , because? Well as you may have remembered, I started the Carlitos Cardigan A while ago. Since then I have seen at least two. Two of my friends were able to decipher the incognita of this pattern, even after it was republished the pattern assumes a lot from the knitter. The Charts are too small for my old eyes lol, but nonetheless you can see them. To make a long story short, I could not get motivated to continue making the cardigan, so I decided to frog it. I don't mind a pattern that is complicated, but I want to be able to make the pattern without having to figure out much. A pattern that requires a lot of garment knowledge is definitely not a pattern that I can tackle, because I know how to sew, but making sweaters and cardigans is a different story. The Carlito would benefit from better instructions or rather chat from the author. One thing I noticed right away from my friends cardigans , is that the bottom part of the cardigan could have been made with smaller needles. It is definitely a tight fit.
Anyway here is the NorthShore which is a beautiful pattern that I know I am enjoying making, no matter how much I hate purling , lol, it is still worth it to see the beauty of this pattern coming alive. I am using Wool ease in the mushroom colorway and I am hoping to have this Cardigan done by Halloween. Thanks for stopping by!
The day was beautiful for the Fleet to be here. We walked from the Embarcadero to the Pier 27 where we stood for almost two hours in line to tour a ship. Was it worth it? You bet, this was the first time that I have done this on Fleet Week! Happy Fleet Week!
The original yarn, the way it look from the skein before all the transformations.
Out to dry after an overnight overdye job. For reds and blues, patience is definitely something to cultivate.
In a matter of a day I was able to make this scarf-shawl, what is more amazing is that this pattern is simple. Stephen West , fromwww.Westknits.com has made this pattern available for free on his site and on Ravelry. It is a simple stockinette with simple increases, but you can increase anyway you ant, by pick up a stitch or by Making 1 Stitch left or Right. A shawl will take about probably 200 or so yards and if you use big needles like US 8 or US 9 you will get a nice size shawl. I used US 9 and bound off with US 10.5. MY bind off is very stretchy as I use the bind off from the Herbivore. I was very pleased with the two overdyes I have done with this yarn. I first overdyed this variegated green yarn with blues and yellows, then with Black Cherry Kool aid And Jacquard Cherry. This is the Burgundy I like and I know that I will wear this ensemble lots of times. I hope you have a great Sunday, I have some more fun to get into. Thanks for stopping by!
As a Stash Buster I am making this Windchief from WestKnits aka Stephen West, but I used two yarns that I fused together and overdyed them in greens, but did not like it very much. Here comes the Black Cherry Kool Aid and Jacquard Dye Cherry.
Below is the Start of the Boneyard in my hand, once it is finished I will overdye it with the same recipe and will become burgundy as well.
I used 1/4 teaspoon of Jacquard dye and 2 packs of Black Cherry Kool Aid per 50 grams to get this beautiful Burgundy below and will be the same recipe I will use to overdye the Boneyard, another Pattern by WestKnits. The shawl is in the works and will be the same color as the hat, I think the Burgundy is delicious, Black Cherry none the less. Thanks for stopping by!
I am Stash Busting and in the Bust I am making Stephen West Windchief with the colorway I made the other day of overdyed yarn. It is going to look fantastic. I am hoping to make a small triangular herbivore kerchief with the left over yarn. Westknit has a Westknits.com website and a book for the taking. The book will entitled you to a Ravelry download of the book, Wicked isn't it?
I also frogged the Carlito, I just got bored and it was not fast enough of a project to keep me interested, instead I got this project from Lion Brand that I am already loving. I will make this Cardigan and will have after thought pockets added to it.
In my stash busting mood I am working on a In Between Seasons Cap with this fantastic Yarn I was gifted last year. Yep, I am stash busting , gifts, and charity. I am also going to start a Stash Busting with socks soon, as soon as I finished the Cardigan, I may start a vest or two. I do want to make a Vest and a Scarf for XMAS gifts. Anyway have to go and get some physical exercise besides Knitting and crocheting. Which by the way I have two Crochet Projects on the burner as well. Multitasking is great, I also have some spinning cotton that I need to do, but that will have to wait for November . Thanks for stopping by.
I wanted to share this video experience with you for some time, but I needed to get my videos together. LambTown was a very positive experience and I can tell you that it was very different than the garlic festival. I guess Knitters and crocheters, spinners and weavers when it comes down to it know how to have a good time, no problems at all unless someone screams cashmere for free. Going to this show again opened my eyes at how this animals are treated and the live they have. If it was up to me they would have open space all the time, but then when I want their fleece I will have to run after them. Seriously you will see where your sweater comes from or your gloves and how human or inhumane they are treated. I really can not judge that, I guess shearing sheep is a very old tradition. They know what they are doing and I take that what is being done is ok.
The food was fantastic. The town loves girls in Pink and Lavender and it loves ballet. The entertainment in this venue was fantastic and very nice, the food was even better. There was plenty of parking and it was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy this video, it is done with a new software and it has almost all the horns, clacksons and and whistles it comes with. Thanks for stopping by.
Last night I was inspired after the Lambtown visit to overdye some yarn in my attempt to have a destash . This yarn is actually a combination of two brands of yarns that were similar in look, but I had left overs. I fused the two skeins together and started the planned overdyed. I turned to blueberry Kool Aid for the first touch of dyein. I made the bath water blue, then I opened some packages and put it directly on the fabric, is was a very direct hands on overdyed to give it a kettle dyed look. Once the KoOl aid was poured I gave it a minute or so, then mixed the yarn carefully as not to make it felt. I used neon green food coloring and some yellow food coloring in specific areas to make it blend, without agitation for a minute or so. I have a brand new yarn. The yarn I started with was closely similar, but with some areas of little or no dye on them. Perfect go this job in my opinion. Enjoy your Sunday , thanks for stopping by!
The Monday Night Knit Group went on tour to visit Lamb Town in Dixon, California. This was a wonderful experience with lots of entertainment, good food and wonderful company. There were lots of fleeces and rovings and beautiful combed tops to buy. I got two Christmas gifts , two objects already made which will be adding to my comfort and my partner's comfort. The food was fantastic, the music was really good and so many creative people. I think this is something I would enjoy going every year if I had the opportunity to go. Enjoy the slideshow of the Album. Thanks to the Monday Night Knit group.for getting this together and thanks to those who did the driving which made it easier for all of us to have a great time. There are some videos , but I am very tired to process them today, hope you have a great night. Thanks for stopping by.
I have always loved hats, even when I had lots of hair. There is something about a hat that is intriguing or even sexy. It covers your head so it is a hair replacement in my opinion, lol. A hat is also a protection against the elements. This Beret is the MOSS STITCH BERET by Kent Turman. The pattern is fantastic and my favorite part is that it has a beautiful fold. I started the provisional cast-on with a crochet cast on, then when I was ready to have the live stitches, I pick them up with a circular needle and I knit the fold together as I went along one stitch from each edge. I started with dpns, then when I was getting close to finish the brim, I switched to two circular needles.
I like this pattern because this beret is very versatile and can be adjusted easily. It calls for US 3 when you begin then you switch to US7, but I know how I knit , that would not have worked. As Elizabeth Zimmerman would say, the stitches after the brim would have been sleazy if I did not use US 6 instead.
This pattern is not demanding, but you do have to pay attention to your knitting. A person gives you a pattern to follow, but you are responsible to make adjustments as needed. I ended using US 3 as I was about 4 rows away from finishing the crown as I wanted a very tight top, the little I-Cord stub was done with the US3.
The Beret is very soft due to the use of the Kid-Silk mohair strand along with the superwash Cascade Merino. I am hoping to make more Berets in the near future. This was a very quick knit , less than two days, I guess I am a quick knitter some times. When you shave your head or have no hair for whatever reason, a soft hat like this one is a sensual indulgence. I was very happy with the way it turned out and with my photographic adventure. I could have done a bit more to make the photographs more Catalog, but hey I have to get ready for my trip to LambTown tomorrow. There will be pictures and maybe I will get some yarn, we shall see. I hope you enjoy the pictures and the Beret and if you are not on Ravelry, go and sign up, it is a fantastic resource for knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers. Thanks for stopping by!
" , which is a great book for those who want quick projects that use one Skein. I have done many a project from here and gotten lots of inspiration. At any rate this hat may be done by day's end at which time I may or may not take a picture depending how warm it is. lol. Thanks for stopping by!
