Hello all, and happy summer! Although it hasn't seemed all that summer-like here, given that it looks like this 99% of the time:Well, I exaggerate a bit--it's just been really unsettled. When I wake up, it looks like it's about to rain. Then in the late morning it clears up and stays beautiful until around 4 PM, when these really black, stormy looking clouds move in. And yet, we are not really getting any thunderstorms either, which makes me a bit sad! (Edit: My whining must have worked because it is starting to thunder as I write this, woo hoo!) One thing I am happy about, though, is that it has been relatively cool--in the 70's almost every day. I am not a lover of hot weather!

I'm still chugging along on my Orchid cardigan. Last week was oh-so-exciting as I blocked out the partially-finished piece and tried it on (it is a top-down construction).It seemed to fit OK so I have separated the sleeves from the body and have started the waistband.
Since this is my first "real" crochet experience (with the exception of some edgings and such), it is interesting to sort of compare and contrast this craft with knitting. Knitting will always be my "true love", but crochet has its good points too. Hmm, time for a little pro/con list...

What I like about crochet:
1) Tends to go pretty quickly (although this cardigan is taking longer than I expected, I think because the yarn is fine and just cuz I'm a newbie).
2) When you have to rip back due to a mistake, you only have one loop to pick back up, instead of a kajillion. Makes frogging slightly less painful!
3) I like the "free-form" feel of crochet--not sure if I can explain this right--it just feels less structured than knitting?
4) At least for now, it's a fun challenge to try to figure out how everything works. It definitely made me realize how second-nature knitting has become to me.
5) Cool textures and stitch patterns!

What I don't like about crochet:
1) This is probably more from being new and not having my technique figured out yet, but it does seem to fatigue my wrist and hands much more quickly than knitting. But, I remember when I first started knitting it took awhile to relax and find a knitting style that didn't wreak havoc on my wrists. So, this may not be permanent!
2) When I am working on it, I have to be looking at the piece almost constantly, unlike knitting which I can do without looking. This makes it harder to read or watch a movie while crafting.

See, far more positives than negatives! I think I will be crocheting, at least occasionally, from here on out.

I just uploaded the Summer of Socks 2008 button to my sidebar. I joined this knit-along on a whim, as I have a small stock of sock yarn that's been hanging around that I'd really like to knit up. It's actually only enough for five pairs of socks but I think that should easily take me through the summer! Yesterday I started my first pair, out of some Regia Cotton Color that G's mom bought me as a gift :)These are going to (hopefully) be Melanie's Twist Socks, which is actually just a stitch pattern, not a whole sock pattern. I really like the subtle wave texture, and it seems like it will go well with those summery blues.

That's about all I have to write about now--hope everyone has a good week!