Meanwhile in Yarnville

The very very small subtitle of my blog is "A blog about quilting, knitting, and other creative pursuits". When I started this blog, I had started dabbling in sewing and quilting but working with yarn was still a major part of my life. Over the last few years, it clearly fell off the radar completely, and the last post I made about knitting was January 2018, almost 2 years ago!

And it's because I really haven't worked very much with yarn over the past 2 years. But after visiting Stitches Midwest 2 months ago, I decided I wanted to knit and crochet again. Although I forgot some bits, the muscle memories came back quickly. Having done millions of stitches in the past (probably) surely counted for something.

So it's time to make a post, my one yarn-related post of the year. (Otherwise I really will have to change my subtitle.) These are some of the projects I've completed in the past few months. They're all accessories because that's what I enjoy making. And considering that winter is just around the corner, I'm sure they'll come in very handy!

Lac Rose Scarf

I don't crochet that much, but I try to get out my hooks once in awhile, just so I don't forget how! I recently completed Lac Rose, a lacy crochet scarf by Katya Novikova. The pattern is super easy, and I deliberately used a bigger hook and smaller yarn than called for for an even more open look.

I'm really happy with this scarf. I like my scarves pretty long, about 7 feet, so that when I wrap them around my neck once, they still dangle at thigh-length. The crochet lace look is a very different style than a knit lace look. The knit lace look tends to look more delicate, while the crochet type, more hardy. I like both looks, but I tend to wear my hardy scarves a lot more simply because I'm not as afraid of damaging them.

I also really enjoyed the yarn, which is Artyarns Merino Cloud, in a hot pink / fuchsia shade. (It also felts easily, which was great for wet-splicing.) I don't actually own much in hot pink or fuchsia, so this is a great addition to my scarf collection. Despite there being so many holes, I think it'll work well for winter because it is quite big, and hence great for wrapping around my neck, and the yarn itself is insulating. It's also a great big punch of color on my usual black-on-black winter wardrobe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Whew, it's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving already. But this is definitely one of the exciting times of the year, between tons of food, cold weather, snuggling under quilts, and anticipating Christmas.

I made Alvin the Turkey awhile ago, when I was still making lots of amigurumis, but he's never really been out for a photo shoot. The pattern is from FreshStitches.

Snowdrops Reversible Infinity Scarf

Even though I like to crochet, I've mostly stuck to stuffed animals and rarely bother with anything wearable as I tend not to like the clunkier look and feel. However, when I saw the Snow Drops Reversible Cowl, I really wanted to make it. I had recently acquired some gorgeous iridescent blue yarn (Kollage Mirage) and thought it'd be beautiful paired with white.

The pattern produced a cowl that was about 34 inches around, but I find that length to be awkward, so I decided to make mine nearly 60 inches around so that it can be wrapped around twice. That way it'd actually be useful in the winter. The lace side and non-lace side are done separately and joined later, but I know better than to join and then wash / block. I just cannot trust that the blue yarn won't bleed onto the white, I've had far too many sad experiences with something like this. So I blocked them individually and washed all the extra dye out of the blue yarn before I joined.

I think it looks nice, I love how the blue peeks through the white lace. It is quite thick due to being crochet and being 2 layers joined together, but it'd be cozy in the winter.

Amigurumi Showcase

I taught myself to crochet because I wanted to make amigurumi, which is Japanese for stuffed dolls. I was at Stitches West in 2013 when I saw Ana Paula Rimoli's Amigurumi On the Go, and I bought it after a brief look inside, even though I didn't know how to crochet. I was determined to learn it. Soon I was so addicted that I did it nonstop, and my hands started to hurt. I figured I just had to work through the pain, and I kept crocheting. Within days, my hands started cramping up painfully, and I woke up every morning with trigger fingers. I never stopped, but I did switch to more ergonomic hooks and also took more breathers, and eventually (2.5 months later) my hands had completely healed.

If hand pain was the price I had to pay for crochet, it was worth it for all the stuffed animals I made over the last few years. It's interesting that although amigurumi started as a Japanese concept, the dolls that the English patterns made had a very different look and style. Most of the Japanese patterns seem to produce tiny dolls best suited for display and collecting, while the English authors produced dolls closer to stuffed animals that kids can play with. I want to share some of my favorite designers as well as my all-time favorite creations.

First up is Ana Paula Rimoli who was the one that got me into amigurumi to begin with with her adorable patterns, and she's known for giving faces and personality to inanimate objects ... like a birthday cake. I enjoy her patterns despite the extra work that embroidering the faces on require.

If Ana Paula Rimoli is the one who inspired me to want to make amigurumi, then Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches is the one who really taught me how to do it. My very first class on Craftsy was Stacey's Amigurumi Woodland Animals, and through there I really learned how to crochet in the round and how to put stuffed animals together. Stacey's animals have a distinct style. They're simpler with virtually no embroidery, and they're bigger and cuddlier and much more suitable as toys for little kids. Also, her animals look different from everybody else's because she mostly only crochets through the back loop. I made a TON of animals with patterns from Stacey, here are my favorites:

And last but not definitely not least, my favorite designer is probably Little Muggles. Her animals are probably the cutest I've ever laid my eyes on. Yet ... I don't know what her brand of magic is, because I can *never* get mine to look as good as hers. There's something about the magic of facial placement that she's mastered that I have not. Nevertheless, here are my favorite Little Muggles dolls:

While most of the animals I made are available for my kiddos to play with and lovingly tear up (as long as I have a photo of them looking their best ...) I did make a few that are hiding in my closet, that are just for me. Naturally, they pertain to Japan-o-phile side of me. Here I have a Koopa Troopa, Lil Melody, and 2 Totoros.

Finally, I've only made one amigurumi in my life that I designed based on a photo, as there was no pattern available. I made Kumagoro which was a stuffed bunny from the anime Gravitation. It is my most proud creation simply because I used no pattern.

Even though I don't make amigurumi so much anymore, I had a great time making these and who knows, I might make more in the future.

Snowflake Table Runner

Last December when we were decorating the house, I realized that we really needed a Christmas themed table runner. I bought a cheap one from Target to carry us through, but I was determined to make something of my own for next Christmas. I decided to crochet a snowflake table runner.

I was a little scared of the pattern, as my crochet skills are not nearly as good as my knitting skills, and reading crochet text directions is a little like reading a knitting lace pattern in text ... pretty much awful. I knew I had to learn to read charts, but as I'm completely self-taught in crochet, charts were a little scary. What did I do? Craftsy, of course. I found a class on Craftsy that was all about teaching you to read crochet charts, and after that class, I was very confident. I was glad to have a real project to practice chart-reading on, as I wasn't interested in making the project in the class.

And here it is!

I'm very happy with the finished result. However, when I planned this project I had no idea I would get sucked this much into quilting, so the Christmas table runner will likely be quilted instead. But I'm sure I can still find a use for this somewhere in the house!

Here's a link to the free pattern I used: Star Table Runner.