Craft Mojo still going!!!

Hello my beautiful people. I know you all miss me. You probably just gave up on checking my blog because there hasn't been any new posts. I am so sorry, but I was busy getting myself into some more crafty stuff. Don't worry... my knitting hands still work. So, let's rewind a bit.


I left for my trip to Trinidad in the beginning of February. Before I left, I tried to attend as many knitting-related events as possible. I figured that I might as well work on my Top Down Raglan Cardigan, because it would be straight stockinette knitting, and easily transportable since it was 1 skein of yarn.


So, here is a picture of it during knit night. (I forgot what night it was, as it is all a blur now)
The next morning, I found this big boo-boo on my Raglan decreases. Ummmm... did they spike my coffee at the shop? Geez!!!

So, the next step was to do this.

Yes, I got pissed off and frogged the whole thing. Since I Spit-spliced the yarn, this is a picture of two full skeins wound into 1 yarncake. I didn't think it would be possible on my regular-sized ball winder, but a bit of pissed-off-ness and vengeance helped to wrap it really tight. LOL!

I met up with Deborah for some knitting therapy and was able to finish this Crochet Scarf for her before I flew out.
Aside from that, I participated in the Knitfiti event on January 15th at the Time Warner Building to help Jamba Juice promote their delicious steel cut Oatmeal. I was interviewed, and here is the VIDEO to prove it. It was so much fun!

So we move on in the time scale to Feb 5th. I am on the plane in Miami, waiting for my connecting flight to take off. There is some oil spillage in the engine, and the plane is grounded for about 1.5 hours before takeoff. Luckily, I had my MMMMmmalabrigo laceweight yarn and some size 4 bamboo needles. 5 days later, this pretty Hemlock Ring exposed itself. I thought it would be difficult, but the pattern is very easy. It is not your typical plane knitting, but I only had 1 mistake and was able to fix it fast. The flight attendant said " you're not done with my shawl yet?" LOL!! A lot nicer than the other horror stories that I have heard about knitting while flying.

So, I put the knitting down for a while, because I decided that I want to make my carnival costume. So before I get into that, I want to explain a little bit about carnival. It is derived from the time of Colonists and Slaves in the Caribbean, and was the only day that they slaves had any freedom. They wore costumes to mock the slavedrivers and danced to drum music. It has evolved into a whole culture of music, food, fabulous costumes, competitions, and a big money-maker for the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. When you "play mas" (short for masquerade) you have the opportunity to pay for the privelage of being part of the parade for 2 days. My particular band, TRIBE, offered us an all inclusive package complete with a gorgeous costume, port-a-potty truck, mobile cool-down unit, premium drinks, breakfast, lunch, snacks, goody bag, the hottest DJ's, and top of the line security. Not to mention a sea of other masqueraders/hotties to dance with. However, it is customary with TRIBE that their band members wear the bikini tops for both Monday and Tuesday. Many people do that without any problems. However, I am a different story. Trinidad is Hot, Hot, Hot, and I sweat if I walk down 1 block. So, I decided to make my own outfit for Carnival Monday.

The theme this year was Birds of a Feather, and my costume was the Hummingbird.... Hence the purple and green colors.

This is what I had to work with.

Starting the sewing.

1 hour later

Finally done

I just want to make one disclaimer. Although the costumes are a tad bit skimpy, what I see when I look at them is the beauty and the art and the craft of Mas-Making. It is such an amazing thing to see the amount of work and intricate detail that goes into making these fabulous costumes. Check out me and this depiction of a Brazilian Macaw

So, who is coming with me next year?

Learning curve.

Knitting and crochet is fun. Especially when you learn new skills.


I just finished the hat portion of the Glitter Alpaca Hat and Scarf Set for Deborah. The best part of it all.... it fits her perfectly, and She LOVES It. Here is a picture of her with it on.


Here is a closeup of the flower that I learned to make today. I really like it. Hmmmm... maybe I will make one to pin to my jacket or my hair. We will see.



But before that, I had to get right back to knitting. I casted on for a pair of Climbing Lace socks made with Lorna's Laces Bittersweet.

Can I just tell you how much I am loving this colorway???

This sock is very special to me, because it is my first attempt at Magic Loop, as well as Two-at-a-time socks. I have read the Two-at-a-time book by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. However, it explains socks with the Cuff-down orientation. I am trying something totally different here with the Toe-Up version. I did the Magic 8 caston technique for the toes. I am currently still in the beginning stages, with many more increase rows to go. Deborah was right there next to me as I tried to get the first rows completed. 2 funny things happened.

1. I knit the tail end instead of the working yarn for one turn, so I had to tink back the front and back of one sock, and the front of the other. The lesson I learned...Don't mess up, because you may just have to take out both socks. If I were working one at a time, I wouldn't have that problem. Then again, I would have the problem of SSS, and I am trying to challenge myself to make as many FO's as I can in the next 89 days..so I don't need that disease slowing me down.


2. I was yapping to Deborah, and I said "As long as I don't knit them together". I look down, and I see siamese socks. LOL!!! She could not stop laughing at me. As soon as I said it, I realized what I had done. I got so wrapped up in the knitting process, that I continued with one strand of yarn instead of switching to the next one. You think I could have paid attention to the colors??? Of course not. That was a classic moment.

Happy knitting everyone!! More updates later.

Temptation is calling.. I've been wanting you so bad I could cry!!!

OK, let's be real. I said that I would not buy yarn for 100 days, about 10 days ago. So, I am 10% closer to my goal, and I get my first bout of temptation.

It all started with my mom (the woman who doesn't want to learn to knit, but wants me to always knit stuff for people). Her coworker had a baby girl and moved out of the state. Another coworker will be visiting her in 2 weeks, so she asked me to make something to send with her. Since I have the 2-at-a-time sock book, I said "hey, why not?" I saw a nice pattern for baby socks in there, and I have been dying to open my Knitpicks needles, and learn the technique. Wait.. did I mention that I joined a secret sock swap and the sock must be completed by the end of April, and I have not cast on yet??

Anyway, back to the story. So, I decided to go to the Point before my mom came up with this yarn-buying excuse. If my memory serves me correctly, I though I saw the tickled pink colorway there, which would be perfect for the girl. My mom said that she would give me the money, so technically, I was allowed to buy it. I get there, and there is no tickled pink. :-(
I searched the store and found tofutsies in a nice pink color. Then I was told by all of the women in the store that knitting baby socks was pointless, and tofutsies would take forever on size 0's. So I just gave up the baby sock-knitting idea altogether. But I had this whole sour grapes emotion going on, because I didn't get what I wanted. Ahem... when I get pregnant, I am making matching socks for baby and mommy, dammit!!! Ok, I have vented, and I am calm now.

So, I stared back into the Lorna's Laces section. I fell in love with two colorways. Irving Park (I wanted to use that to make the Wicked sweater, but there was not enough yarn at Modern Yarn a few weeks ago, so I didn't buy it), and Hawaii (I just loved how the turquoise and purple played off of each other). On a side note, the father of the baby girl is from Hawaii. Anyway.... I was finding a million reasons to justify buying it. Then, I looked at the crochet hat that I was making for Deborah, and I just thought of what she would say if I broke my vow. So, I left yarnless. :-(

I drowned my sorrows in a large Pinkberry Yogurt treat.

I have another picture to show you. I bought a scale last weekend to help enable my two-at-a-time sock knitting. I love this scale because it tells time, and measures in both ounces and grams. Deborah's hat has a few more rows to go before completion. I hope I can start on those secret swap socks tomorrow.


So, I decided to make a baby hat with some leftover Cascade 220 Superwash that I have in my stash. Aren't you proud of me?

Hooked on Glitter Alpaca

I decided to frog the hat from the previous post, and start all over again. This time, I followed the instructions properly. I would like to thank Chante for watching my every move and making sure that I did everything correctly. I am sure that Deborah is excited as well. So, here is my progress. I completed all of the increase rounds, with a perfect stitch count of 96. Woohoo!! So, now I just have to knit 6 rows as the pattern states, plus an extra 3 as per Deborah's request. She wants the hat to cover her ears, and I don't blame her. New York is still experiencing a little chill.

Also, I did a little shopping. I was trying to keep this a secret but I couldn't. I bought sock yarn from Seaport Yarn. A friend of mine had a negative experience there, and I told her that I would just look and for her sake, not buy... because I would vicariously hold her grudge for the malady that had occured in the past. But..... the yarn fumes swarmed me, and I couldn't breathe... the next thing I remember, I was leaving with a shopping bag. Sorry....I just couldn't control it. It was overbearing.

Acquerello, a new addition at the Seaport. Wait does that tag say 436 yards?? Do I see really high socks in my future that I can wear with my boots next winter? Any pattern ideas??? I am thinking "Queen of cups", but I feel that I may be able to get away with something a bit longer.

This is Raphael. I have been looking at him for a long time, and I just had to have him in my stash. Not sure what pattern he will be paired up with just yet, but I know that he is a keeper.

Next up, is my Knitpicks stash addition.

Since I bought the 2-at-a-time sock book, I figured that I would buy 40 inch circulars from sizes 0 to 3 just in case I have to make an emergency sock. I do have a lot of sock yarn in my stash, and need to get rid of it. I also got the needle tips in sizes that I was missing. One will be used for my Gathered Pullover once I decide to cast on (hurry up and get other sweater off of the cord).

Here are some more skeins of sock yarn. I plan on making some Jaywalkers. The pattern can be downloaded from Ravelry, since Magknits has ceased its operations. Thank GOD for Ravelry!!! The colorways are Mixed Berries and Firefighter.

I always wanted to make a variegated pink shawl. Now I have just the yarn to do it. Not sure what pattern it will be just yet. I love this colorway, and the fact that it was on clearance makes it even better.

Here is a blast from the past. My Central Park Hoodie #2 WIP. I am almost finished with the back. Just a few more rows to go before the shoulder shaping. I want to try to wear this before it gets too hot in New York. I know, it was supposed to be completed by last Thanksgiving, and I was on the monogamous knitting road for a while, but my Knitting GPS wasn't working, so I had to reset the battery. Now I am somewhat on track again.

So, the day I made my last yarn purchase was on April 2nd. I will attempt to go 100 days without buying yarn. My stash needs to be trimmed, and I don't feel like giving anything up, so I will be knitting like a fiend, as long as time permits. So far it has been 8 days. OMG!!! I feel like I am on one of those 12 step programs. LOL!!! How many FO's can I have in 100 days?? Let's see.

My new addiction is Pinkberry. My favorite concoction this week is original with pineapple, coconut, and mango. It remind me of fun times in Trinidad swirled with healthy goodness. I have made a knitting date with Saunielle to go to The Point this friday. Now, I feel as if no trip to The Point is complete without a short walk to Pinkberry. I can't wait!!!

Guess who I met today??

Stephanie Pearl McPhee, otherwise known as the Yarn Harlot. She made us think today about how to finish the sentance "Knitters are......." I would have to say "a fun bunch". I had a blast today at the book signing.

I finished the I-Cord bindoff on the A-line baby dress, only to realize that in order to continue with it, I would have to have a very flexible Knitpicks circular needle, or some size 4 double points. The Boye kit that I have just wasn't doing the trick to get around those corners on the straps.Well, I had neither when I was outside of my house today, so I proceeded to crochet. Here is my progress on Deborah's hat.

Just a few more inches to go. But on the flip side, I have a little problem.

I knew it looked a little bit weird, because I have never seen a hat with those spaces, and it is BOTHERING me till no end. Chante was nice enough to point out that I have been crocheting wrong this whole time. And the pattern is not that hard...it is just a bunch of Double Crochet and Single Crochet stitches. So what's my beef??? The placement of 3 darn Chain stitches on each row. Chante explained that you are supposed to chain 3 for height, and then join it into the same stitch, continuing to work the round as usual. She tried to show me on another piece of a crochet project that she was working on, and I thought I got it.... but now I feel like a dummy because I still don't understand what to do. Deb, I am sorry that I am clueless to the operation of this confusing easy pattern. I even checked for an errata and found nothing.

Deborah expressed to me that she didn't want me to frog it, because she would just use it as a decorating element in the hat. But, it is still bothering me. So Deb, if you are truly not happy with it, I will take it out. Anyone else have an opinion that they would like to share?

More Cotton Candy!!!

I recently looked at the stash that is taking up space on my clothes closet, and it is overflowing. I can't even contain all of the yarn in the cubbyholes that I built. Yes, the yarn from my last yarn crawl does not have a real home.... sad to say. So, I decided to do some projects to de-stash. I started with this A-line dress for a baby girl. The yarn is Jaeger Baby Merino DK in the color "Yoyo". So, far it looks like 2 skeins will complete the 12-month size of the dress. The pattern is from "Knits, Knots, Buttons and Bows: Projects for Babies", by Lynda Schar. I got the book from www.wowio.com . The site is sponsored by different companies who pay for publishing rights, so you can download the books to PDF free of charge. However, please remember that unauthorized duplication of the PDF is illegal.

Anyways... back to the knitty gritty... Here is the dress with the front complete. I was supposed to do a scalloped edge on the bottom of the dress, but I didn't so of course it started to roll. I plan to do an I-cord edging to get it to lay flat. Although it is tedius, the results are gorgeous, as you can see in my vest from the previous post.
I also made some progress on a crochet project for Deborah. At this point, I have 1 more row of increases to do before working the length of the hat from the crown. It is coming along very nicely, and quickly. My only slight problem is the fact that the yarn is a bit more slippery that I am used to, since it is fingering weight alpaca. But, I have managed to figure out how to crochet without having the yarn split on me. Cherry Tree Hill Glitter Alpaca still gets brownie points in my book. It is super-duper soft.

Cotton Candy...and Some Glitter Cakes

My vest is finally finished. Someone mentioned to me that it looks like Cotton Candy. Well, I am really glad that I finally completed it. It is my first FO for the year that I can say is all MINE!!! How sweet it is!!!

Check it out!!! I like the way it fits. It is a little roomy in the waist, because I did not do any waist shaping, but that is just fine. Just in case an after-dinner belly pouch develops, I have some knitted insurance. LOL!!


So, I am on to my next project. A very sweet and loving friend of mine was looking for someone to crochet a hat and scarf set for her. The catch is, she wants to wear it before it gets too hot to wear it. This woman, as sweet as she is, has put me up to a Crochet challenge that I gladly accepted. She really is a good friend and deserves to get what she wants, so I can see her smile more. The pattern is from a Vogue Knitting magazine from Winter 2004/2005. Thank goodness for the holiday weekend. I am trying to at least complete the hat by Easter Sunday. We will see how I do. I have to use a size 3/D (3.25mm) crochet hook. Wish me luck!!

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill's Glitter Alpaca in the Old Rose colorway. It feels soooooo soft, and the color is gogeous. These pictures really do it no justice at all. So, here are two Glitter cakes!!