My little swimmers...

It's my first (somewhat vaguely) NSFW post!  Though, I think, if your boss has a problem with these, then he's really just being self conscious and you should make him a happy one!  Also, for someone trying to get pregnant who has a Great sense of humor, these would make an amusing talisman or something...  Anyways, here's my baby, pattern and all!  I'm sorry mine is dead, but I forgot my yarn needle, so he's stuck with this face for now.

Little Swimmer Pattern

Materials:

Hook: 4mm

Yarn: Encore Worsted by Plymouth Yarn (White)

small amount of Cotton-Ease by Lion Brand (Charcoal) or other dark colored yarn scrap

Others: small ball of polyfill, yarn needle

Pattern:

With the White, make a small ball.  You can choose to add the features before or after stuffing.  Begin stuffing the body around the 8th row.

1: Chain 2.

2: Sc 6 into first chain and pull tail tight (magic circle method). (6)

3: 2sc in all stitches. (12)

4: *2sc, 1sc.* (18)

5-7: 1sc in all stitches. (18)

8: *1sc, 1dec*. (12)

9: 1sc in all stitches. (12)

10: *dec*. (6)

11: *dec*. (3)

Chain 20 and then sc in each, all the way back to the body.  Your tension will determine the amount of tail curl.  Cut your tail, pull the yarn through, and use the extra to close up the body.

You can use a variety of faces to give your swimmers personality and character.  For ideas for alternative expressions, see Wikipedia's List of Emoticons.

Enjoy!

-Cristy

Snore, Snore, School's a Bore.

That charming title phrase was introduced to me by my 8th grade English teacher, who was one of the best teachers I ever had.  There was an accompanying line, but I can't seem to remember it...  Anyone else heard the rhyme before and can fill in the blanks?

I know, I've been very remiss in my blogging duties.  I do have two new patterns, so my camera batteries are changing as we speak...  Unfortunately, I've misplaced my example of the first pattern, so it may be a while until you see it.  Again, apologies!

I've also started to plan for summer.  I really should be finding a job to help pay for college but really, the market's not looking very good and I'll probably end up working in the same company as my parents.  Anyways, here's my in-progress list of what I'd like to do:

• Harry's birthday present:  He turns 19 in August, but I got the idea for this months ago.  It's a completely different craft than my usual.


• A shrug for my mother:  I have many, many skeins of charcoal Cotton Ease that I want to use up.  (If you'd like to swap for a skein or two, let me know!) I like the yarn, but the color is hard to work with.  My mother loves light shrugs, especially for the office.  I haven't decided if I'll make my own pattern or use one on Ravelry.


• A bag:  I need a smallish bag to carry daily necessities around, and I'd like to make it myself.  This one needs more planning...


• Some patterns to sell:  As much as I need the positive karma, I also need to support my yarn habit.  (I'm saving for a set of double points too!)  The free patterns will always be free, and I'll never stop making them, I promise!


• A needle/hook roll:  I want a big one to fit all of the doubles, circulars, and jumbos I will ever own.  Is that even possible?


• The Etsy:  I have one, I swear!  This is my biggest goal, to get the shop up and running, which means any feedback from you means a ton to me.

Thanks for letting me clean up in front of company, as it were...  Hopefully things will be back to normal soon.  But I will warn you, until exams and school are over, it's going to be very quiet around here.  I have to study!

- Cristy

In honor of the holiday...

We're five and a half hours into Easter Sunday and, while it's not a holiday I've ever felt any connection to, we might as well get into the swing of things. Easter is about resurrection and, probably since it happens in the Spring, has always been linked to renewal and growth. Right? I wasn't raised religiously, but you pick up certain things, living in the Bible Belt. In honor of the idea of renewal and Spring (and the annual breaking out of the allergy meds), I've worked on the Calendar. See the link in the top right corner? Yeah, it's been there for a while, but I actually worked on adding some Holidays today! I don't want it to get out of hand and start adding all of the National (insert random food here) Days or anything, but I'd like some suggestions. I want it to be cultural and enlightening and useful and give me something to write about when I'm out of ideas! So please, I know it's a bit sparse right now, but comment/email me with additions.

Edited to add: The About Me page has also been fleshed out a bit, and now contains contact information!

All of my candy-filled Easter Egg love,
- Cristy

Currently Listening to: "Walk Like an Egyptian" - The Bangles (courtesy of Pandora Radio)

Links to Inspire

Unfortunately, this week and probably much of the next promise to be absolutely insane, so I'd like to make up for my absence by directing you to all the blogs and sites that I read daily.

The links are vaguely divided into two groups.  The Crafty links are all nice and G-rated, and run the gamut from large-scale businesses to personal blogs that I just particularly like.  I think the two most important are the Recent Posts on Craftster.com and the Recent Patterns on Ravelry.  You'll find I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to following things, so Recent Posts gives me the last 100 posts with pictures.  I see every new tutorial, project, and idea on Craftster and I Love It.  I generally just keep it open all day and refresh every few hours.  Or minutes... depending how boring I'm feeling.  Recent Patterns on Ravelry lets me favorite projects I like as they come up.  Whenever I really need inspiration, I can check my favorites, instead of having to have a project or subject in mind.  I recommend these links because they post consistently and about topics that interest me.  Blogs that lose me generally get the boot.  I only have 24 hours in the day!

The Amusing links vary...  You may have realized that some may not be suitable for young children, but I try to keep a balance of educational and fun.  If you've got any suggestions, email/comment because I'd love to add more!

The Others:  These aren't sidebar links, but I like them...  The first is the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Day.  It's my favorite dictionary, especially since I read The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester.  The next is more adult.  It's still in Beta testing, and there're tons additions I'd like to see made, but I really think the premise is interesting.  For those of you with an interest in your own sexual health, check out Bedpost.  It's completely confidential and free, and the designers seem really willing to interact and take suggestions from their customer base.  Besides, who's not curious about how many times they've gotten nookie in 2009?  This is, of course, no recommendation to begin sexual activity, especially if you're a minor.  If you want to be an active minor, talk to your parents; get informed; and, as always, get tested!  If I had a pet issue, sexual health would be the one (or flagrant comma/semicolon use...).

I think I've finished my spamming for the day week year.  Please give them a look-see, and remember I was not paid in any way for a recommendation! (such a shame...)

Cheers,

-Cristy

Knit Graffiti

I'm quite sure everyone's heard about this by now, as it's been around for a few years.  People disagree whether it's littering and should be punished or if it's amusing and harmless, but I think it sounds pretty damned fun, so I've decided to try graffiti-ing Chapel Hill.  Besides, what better excuse to practice some techniques and stitch patterns?  You can crochet or knit (I'm getting back to crochet with this, thank you very much) and join me in the comments or on the Flickr!  And there's some more links below...

Other People:

The Originators: Knitta Please

Masquerade, a Paris-based group

Micro-Fiber Militia

Fun Stitch Sources:

Mypicot

Free Knit Stitch

Crochet Pattern Central

Knitting Pattern Central

Good luck!

-Cristy

Too Hot to Knit, Too Bored to Crochet

Well, maybe bored isn't the right word... But I am feeling decidedly unmotivated and uninspired.  Welcome to spring/summer in North Carolina.  It's too hot (and will soon be too muggy) to even consider touching yarn, and the lazy weather has my brain neurons transmitting a little slow.  I'm also feeling the post-project ennui.  Every time I finish something large, I have no idea what to do next.  Inspiration anyone?

Being the brilliant person I am, I also left my crochet thread at home.  When my mother was pregnant with me, she spent her prescribed bed rest making crocheted ornaments (like the kind that come in a kit and you stiffen with a glue or starch).  My mother is absolutely notorious for never finishing anything (she says so herself!) so there's still a lot of crochet thread hanging around the house.  Unfortunately, it's all white, except for one thing of orange, and none of it's labeled. (Grr..)

~*~

After a quick tour of my favorites on Ravelry (my best source of inspiration), I've decided to give Sheldon a try.  I've been meaning to since I saw him, and this is the perfect moment.  I'll be using my trusty US 6 double points and some of that Vanna's Choice Baby I have left over.  I have the feeling that, if it doesn't get used soon, it will Never Go Away.  And, more accurately, I'll be using Three US 6's and a 4mm crochet hook because I managed to lose 2 double points.  Argg.  I really need a needle/hook roll.  Really.

Anyways, if you're willing, how about giving it a try with me?

Good Luck!

-Cristy

Currently Listening to: "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die" - Jethro Tull

Swap I: I Want to Learn to...

I completed my first swap! (Okay, I haven't received yet, but patience is a virtue I need to practice.) And so we don't have to link back and forth to Craftster, I'll post the basics here. She wanted to learn to knit so...

Knitting Needles:


Yarn:


Scarflette:


Transformers Washcloth:


Stitch Markers (Repo themed):


Stitch Markers again (Jayne Cobb themed):


As well as chocolate and an instruction booklet with some patterns. I'm trying to make the book available online, but we're having technical issues... I also think I'm ready to do some personal swaps along the same vein, so if you're well acquainted with spinning yarn or cross-stitch and like my stuff, email me at cristy99@gmail.com and make me unbelievably happy!

Cheers,
-Cristy

My Baby Blanket, Complete!

Today, at approximately 2pm EST, I finished my baby blanket! It really only took me about a month, but I have the kind of personality that is incapable of devoting my time to a single project at one time. Of course, posting all those recent crochet patterns has really helped. (There's not a lot of photos right now and I just took them, so they're indoors and poor quality. I'll try to replace them with something better tomorrow.)

Anyways:



That's Harry holding it up for me. He doesn't craft, but he does like watching me. And yes, look at those edges curl... I tried crocheting the first and last row to try to straighten it out but with little effect, clearly. Serves me right for using acrylic, huh. Now would I have this problem with cotton..?



This picture shows the stitches a little more clearly. I actually intended to keep the number of rows of orange and yellow the same, but I didn't realize the error until I'd already bound off.

Again, I made a few changes to the original pattern, including using size 8 US needles and casting on with 114 stitches (for 7 pattern repeats). I also held only one strand of yarn, instead of the two the pattern called for. Yes, I like making things harder for myself! I think that's it... Time to get back to crochet!

-Cristy