Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Strawberry Summer Blanket

Well, the swatching is over. I've found a pattern I really love, and I'm sticking to it (even if I have to buy more yarn...) My handy dandy Harmony guide had a Strawberry stitch pattern that just looks so pretty in the SWTC Twize "Twink" color. It's an open, lacy and feminine pattern in a silky, cool and slippery yarn that should be just right for showing off a beautiful new baby girl. The washing instructions for this yarn are hand-wash, dry flat, which would make any experienced mother cringe. But my nephew and his lovely wife are giddy with the prospects of the new girl in their lives, and are planning only the best for her. So they get a wonderful bamboo heirloom and I get to play with some yummy yarn.


The baby shower is early in May, so I decided I should really give this one a kick into overdrive. The pattern is a pleasure. It moves fast, is easy to remember and changes enough that it never really gets too boring. It is busy enough that the edging will be kept simple. I plan to just go round and round with a single crochet, maybe with a little picot edging on the last round. Then washing, blocking, photos, wrapping... As much as I procratinate, I'll be lucky to finish in time.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Crazy Rabbid on the loose!


BAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
No sooner than I had released this crazy Rabbid from the crochet hooks did it begin juming and flailing and grabbing the paintbrush to splatter paint on any egg it could find! We did our best to contain him, but he chewed his way right out of the pet kennel. It was only with some serious "negotiating" with a plunger that he finally agreed to calm down and have some Peeps with the rest of the family.
Now that he understands the house rules, he has proven himself quite helpful. With his diminutive stature, our under-bed areas have been monster free since Easter Eve. I think he takes a bit of insane pleasure from flushing them out. His only request has been that we find him a plunger of his very own.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Going Rabbid for Easter



This is what the Little Damsel asked for, so this is what she'll get! Recognize him? He's a Rabbid from the game "Rayman Raving Rabbids." We all play the game. We all giggle like idiots. So when the challenge was given, well how could I resist? An insane Amigurumi bunny for Easter? Sure!

So, real work has been in a holding pattern for a bit, while I go round and round on his pudgy bunny belly. I think he'll be done in time, but I'll really need to get going if I want to make his plunger, too. I mean really, what Rabbid would be caught dead without his plunger?

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Etsy Shop :: the first photo shoot

brown_pearl_1
Originally uploaded by
g_stat


My little etsy shop is empty, but anxiously awaiting entries. I've been taking my time, building a collection of products, researching setting up my small business, and most importantly, building a good set of photos for my items. I'll be posting the results on my Flickr photo page under the etsy set. Consider it a tase of things to come. I hope to open the doors to mydamsel.etsy.com by April 1, 2008. Stay tuned and please feel free to critique.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Swatching for a summer baby blanket.

A new baby is on the way, and so the hooks go flashing, trying out pretty patterns to make a summer blanket for a pretty new little girl. I have until June to finish the task, but my fingers were itching to try out the beautiful bamboo yarn that was chosen. The yarn is Twize by The Southwest Trading Company, in the colorway Twink and is made of 100% bamboo. I know it isn't the most practical for washability, but the parents are pulling out all the stops for organic bedding, bamboo sheets, bleach free diapers... So, I get to play with some yummy yarn. Yay!

Unfortunately, I had forgotten how heavy bamboo yarn can be, so I've been swatching, swatching, swatching to find the right balance of lacyness and substance to make an heirloom that doesn't break the bank.


This was my first swatch. I love it. I started it. I put it on the scale, and it would take about 8 skeins to do it properly. NO way! I've got 5 skeins, and I'm sticking to it. But I do love the pattern, and I'm sure I'll find a place for it some day...



This is the second chioce so far, and on the scale it fits the bill. Plus, I like getting the chance to try out a strawberry pattern. But I need to take it to the drawing board and make the starting side and the finishing side balance. The pattern ends with half a strawberry, which just kills me. Plus, I'll need to figure out how to finish off the top to square it off, or I'll need to start in the middle, and work to opposite ends.
Alas, it's back to the hooks for me, so I don't stumble blindly into this project like I have so many before.