Has it really been over two months since my last post? How embarrassing. I seriously was considering just walking away from this thing but today I suddenly felt the urge to write something. So, here I am (even if no one else is still out there reading).

The good thing about not posting in for so long is that I have lots of finished objects to show you! First up is a Hoover Baby Blanket that I made for my friend Kelly, who is due any day now with her first (for all I know she might be having the baby right now, lol).This was knit with Louet Gems Worsted (one of my desert-island yarns) in Cream and Champagne. I ain't gonna lie, this was a horribly boring project, but the end result is so squishy and comfy that it was worth it. Plus, the nerd in me cannot resist the history aspect of the pattern.One annoying aspect is that the garter stitch border takes up more length than the double-knit center, resulting in the ripply edges you see above. Strangely, the pattern recommends you add more rows to the borders which I thankfully did not do, but this still did not fully alleviate the problem. However, I think it came out fine overall and the recipient seemed to like it, so I'm happy.My next finished object, which I really don't want to dwell on too much, is the Orchid cardigan. While the piece came out quite well, it just does not fit me...not even close...as evidenced by this photo:Eek! I am pretty sad about the whole thing :( Where I went wrong was with the gauge swatch--I pinned it out much harder than I would be able to block the finished piece (this is one thing I hate about one-piece/in-the-round items--they are so awkward to block). Since the sizing is based on your gauge swatch and personal measurements, it was doomed from the beginning. The worst part is that I could see it was too small when I would try it on as I progressed, but I figured it would block out OK. I also wish I'd used a bit larger hook, as the fabric is not as drape-y as it should be. I guess for my first crocheted piece, it's not too bad, but obviously it's not what I was hoping it would be either. Actually, if there is anyone out there who this might fit, I would love to send it to you because it won't be getting much use here. I think it would fit some one with a 32" bust. Feel free to email me if you're interested (my email is in my profile).Pattern notes: "Orchid" by Lily Go.
Yarn: Rowan 4ply Cotton in "Bloom", on 3.25 mm hook
The pattern lovely--clear and clever. It basically has a whole worksheet to calculate how many motifs you need for your size based on your gauge swatch, etc. I thought that was pretty neat (maybe that's normal for crochet patterns? I dunno.). The yarn is one I've used before and liked--very high quality and the color is gorgeous. I'm only sad that I wasted it on something I can't wear. But there's no way I'm unraveling this thing. Can you imagine the kinks? ;) Maybe in a couple years I might try to make a new one that actually fits.

I'm super-close to finishing something that's been hibernating for quite a while--G's Sapporo (Rav link). I notice that I last blogged about it in March--yikes! I also started what will hopefully be a quick project for Christmas for a friend's son, Raglan Swater 15206 (Rav Link) from Dalegarn 152 (it is the cabled sweater in the first to last row).Whew, I guess that is enough catching-up for now. I'll leave you with a picture I took on Veteran's Day (which we had off, yay!), when we took a walk on a place near here called Mackworth Island. The colors of the ledge are really interesting:Take care, and I'll try to be back sooner rather than later!

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!

This past week was filled with those "short/long" days...y'know, where you're so busy that it feels like the day flies by, but once the end of the day comes, you feel soooo tired and you realize it was kind of a long day? Yup, that describes my week perfectly!

The best news is that Thursday night was my last final, and I think I did good in both my classes! Yay! I think this calls for ice cream cake and ale, don't you?Now, I didn't buy ice cream cake just to celebrate the end of the semester. G turned 30 on Thursday so now he is officially "old", LOL! I know you all are going to make fun of us for saying 30 is old, but it's just a running joke we've had--since I am 5 months older than him he loves to remind me about how "old" I am!This cake is adorable, but I was pretty sad because I could not find one of my beloved Carvel cakes :( There isn't a Carvel franchise in this state but at least the grocery stores were selling the cakes. I guess no more! One store I went to even had the special Carvel cooler but it was empty and unplugged. I guess that will be just another thing I have to make sure to get when I'm in Connecticut! The one I bought is a Friendly's one, and it was pretty good but they use hard ice cream rather than soft serve. Also, the icing is just different--there's something about Carvel frosting that I love!

In the rush of studying and the crazy work-week, I did not get much knitting done. I do have a new project to show, though...and it's crochet! Gasp! I had a bundle of a deep pink Rowan 4-ply cotton that I thought would make a nice crochet top. I ended up picking this design:This is the Orchid cardigan from LilyGo--who really has some cute designs! I am also eying the Sunshine Top for a future project. Orchid was probably an overly ambitious choice, since I am a total amateur at crochet (only used it for edgings), but I'm up for the challenge. Here's what the stitches are looking like so far:Not bad, huh? The pattern is so well written and definitely worth the price. I don't know if it's typical of crochet patterns, but I find it neat that there isn't standard sizing with this, you basically make a swatch and she has you do all the calculations to come up with a custom fit. Cool!

In other good news, Sapporo has been beaten into submission and I'm just about ready to start the color work of the main body. Unfortunately, with warm weather coming I probably won't be in the mood to work on it for much longer. So, it may have to hibernate until fall!

Thanks for your sweet comments on the bear I made--I didn't even think about the fact that he doesn't really look knitted, but everyone pointed it out. I accomplished this by having the reverse stockinette side as the outside, so you can't really see the rows of stitches. Plus, it was just a really thick boucle that hides stitches well!

Just in case you were wondering:Yeah. Don't be coming to Maine any time soon! ;)