Color Me Happy

Though I am hard pressed to figure out what Pantone, Inc. actually sells, apparently they are the authority on color (who knew) and every year they decree what the Color of the Year will be. This can have far reaching effects, from paint companies to couture clothing and now to those of us busily stockpiling yarn for our next project. Are you ready for the 2012 Color of the Year?

Tangerine Tango!Not a huge orange fan myself, but this shade has a lot of red in it and an overall warm and sunny, Spanish feel that I find appealing on these frigid winter days. Lots of yarn companies are adding shades of tangerine to their collections including this stunner from Jimmy Beans Wool - http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/ManosDelUruguay/StriatedDyedWool.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=34311

What kind of projects would look good with this color?

Branching Out

Another crochet goal of mine for 2012 is to stretch my comfort zone a bit. I certainly spent more time in 2011 crocheting than I had previously and mastered a few new things - like simple clothing and such. I think, like Stephany, I really enjoy making afghans the most. Scarves are great for a quick accomplishment, but there's something about looking at the size of a finished afghan that makes me feel like I've accomplished something big. I came across a beautiful pattern for a strip afghan called, Irish Lace and Roses. It's worked in strips, then joined using the looping technique that Donna used a while back. It also has white crocheted roses appliqued over all. I decided to jump in (not unlike me) and quickly needed the Donna hotline. The strips are shells with picots in between and while I had done picots I must have been reading the pattern incorrectly and was chaining across instead of up. Naturally, my shell count was off but Donna straightened me out quickly and I'm off and running. I thought I'd post occasional updates as I go. There are 6 panels of green shells and picots, which I am currently doing. Each panel is 110 rows and I am about 70 into the first one. I'll post again when I start tackling the looping - not before an emergency call to Donna I'm sure :)

Shopping Day

With the holidays over and done with, my couponing king is back. For those who don't know - my DH (Darling Husband) is a bit addicted to couponing. The holidays set him back a bit, no time to devote to his second favorite hobby (baseball ranks #1), but back he is and with a vengeance! He did a number of shopping trips this weekend and I'll post his big haul momentarily, but first I have to show this one...

This may not look too impressive until I tell you that he spent 69 cents for it (95% savings).

• 1 roll foil


• 1 roll plastic wrap


• 1 box of potatoes


• 2 seasoning mixes


• 20 string cheese

Wow! I was impressed. The bigger trip looked like this...

• 9 twelve packs soda


• 4 nine rolls paper towels


• 10 salad dressings


• 4 dishwashing liquid


• 3 boxes Wheat Thins


• 2 boxes dishwasher tabs


• 3 boxes (45 ct) trash bags


• 5 boxes freezer bags


• 4 pouches potatoes
  

Retail was $210 - DH spent $65 - for a savings of 69%!

He's back baby...

Craft Cruise

Is it wrong to ask your husband to spend his 15th anniversary on a crochet cruise?

I really hope the answer is no because after much searching and hoping and letter writing, my wait is finally over - the perfect craft cruise!

http://www.craftcruises.com/ offers some amazing knitting cruises. I have been stalking their site for over a year waiting for a crochet cruise. I even resorted to writing an email to them to ask if they were doing any crochet cruises this year. Well here it is...

A 6 night Bermuda cruise featuring guest host Drew Emborsky (aka The Crochet Dude)! Pink Sand, Afternoon Tea and Shorts! Plus the cruise leaves from Baltimore (an easy drive for us), we've been wanting to do a Bermuda trip and it's over our anniversary - sounds perfect to me. It's on Royal Carribean Enchantment of the Seas (we just went on a Royal cruise in November and it was great). They will have classes on board and yarn shopping excursions - I mean really, what's not to love.

All aboard?

Weird Crochet

I'm pretty much a hat, scarf and afghan kinda girl. Oh sure, once in a while, I'll branch out into an article of clothing to crochet or maybe even something as wild as fingerless gloves, but as God as my witness, not once have I EVER thought, hmmm, let's crochet a chair! Wow, call me impressed as I found this listing on Etsy the other day. And for those who like to put their feet up, yes, there is a matching ottoman. Amazing.

Makes you wonder what other weird crocheted items lurk out in cyberspace.

Still looking for that perfect accessory to hang over the fireplace, how about a crocheted deer?

Looks like a 6-pointer! If you've had some trouble finding that elusive buck, maybe a native American dance would help. If only you had the right costume - well look no further...

And lastly, for your knight in shining armour, his own breastplate, great for duals to the death or just knocking around the house.

It's all a bit much for me, I think I'll stick with a scarf.

Some Why's of Knitting/Crocheting

Well, well, well, you learn something new every day.

Now I've been crocheting for about...wow...17 years. Yet, I never really looked into the why's of crocheting. Why make a gauge? Why am I supposed to use this yarn? Why can't I use another type of hook?

And the big one....WHY are there so many types of yarns and what do they mean?

Well....I'll tell you!

I did some searching and found a great article. It is mainly pointed towards knitters but it's interesting for crocheters too. It explains why the type, or weight, of yarn used matters, why your gauge matters and even how to adjust your pattern and/or needles to accommodate a different type of yarn. This is done via a chart showing the average difference between the yarns in regards to stitches.

Now, all of this still depends on if you tend to stitch loosely or tightly. I always stitch tighter so a lot of times I have to use a hook one size up to get the correct gauge.

Happy Knitting/Crocheting!!!

Inspiration

Long about this time of year you may be looking for a little inspiration in your crafting. What is it that excites you about a project? For me, I think it's mostly color. I simply can't resist those richly colored yarns and end up with stashes of them waiting for inspiration to strike. A couple of fun books I've gotten out of the library recently might help in your quest for something different.



Pop Goes Crochet is a fun book with projects inspired by pop culture icons. Worth a browse.







Yarn Cocktails is a book that Donna got me for Christmas. It draws inspiration from classic drinks like a Brandy Alexander belt or a Raspberry Margarita fingerless glove set.







And last but certainly not least is Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies - I mean come on, who doesn't need a bacon scarf?