Miscellaneous Design Studio

Category: crafting

  • The Plod

    As a crafter, I go through fits and spurts of “excitement”. Mentally, the beginning and end of a project are the most compelling as the maker. The middle just plods along; particularly large projects. Right now, I have the beginnings of two baby blankets. I started one on Saturday, and one about an hour ago.…

  • Experimental Sock

    This isn’t some avant-garde theater production or a “sock” for an appendage of a mythical creature. Its me using some new to me techniques in addition the old stand-by sock construction I frequently use. The yarn is from AT Haynes House Yarns, the Barefoot Base in “Pumpkin vs. Sweet Potato” and “You Say Yes?”. Can…

  • New Yarn!!

    This past week I’ve been working on the small version of the Spring, Sprang, Sprung Cowl. I think I’m going to leave this version with just the edge created by the pattern itself, since it’ll be so much smaller, I don’t think it will need the extra stability of the additional border. Now that I’m…

  • Deep Winter Pattern

    After what feels like an ETERNITY I was finally able to complete the editing and formatting for my latest pattern! The biggest hurdle in moving from designing-my-own-projects to Publishing-my-own-Designs has been the FORMATTING. Frijoles. SO MUCH FORMATTING. I’ve templated as much as I can. But just the line-by-line numbers adding up properly, centered, justified, and…

  • Missing: the Sun

    Seriously. February has been gray and rainy here. Which is only made worse by the fact that I haven’t been able to get good outdoor pictures to add to TWO patterns I have ready to launch. I guess it gives more time to make sure EVERYTHING IS EXTRA PERFECT. And more time to make a…

  • Furls Streamline Wood Hook Meets the Easiest Hat Ever

    I’ve been hearing the hype around the Furls hooks for a while. To be honest, I have enough redundant hooks and spending money on hooks I already own seems a bit wasteful. I have a ton of the Clover soft touch ergonomic hooks in the sizes I use most, and they work just fine for…

  • Deep Winter

    It is the first full week of February. Normally, we would be in the throws of some very cold weather, at least a couple snow storms with accumulation under our belt, and a desire to see spring. Yet the week started with unseasonably warm temperatures, and the only winter precipitation we’ve had has been slush.…

  • Project Hangover

    I recently finished up my Spring, Sprang, Sprung Cowl. I worked on it daily for a couple weeks. It was a design project, a mindless knitting project, and a stash-busting project. Now that its complete, I feel a bit lost on what to do next. Like a Project Hangover. I have a few WIPs to…

  • The Lost Knits File Part Three

    Also: Finish it Friday! I am goal-busting like a fiend over here! My goal to finish or frog *most* of my WIPs this year is off to a BANNER start. I’ve finished 3 old WIPs this year, and its ONLY JANUARY. The dubbed Frankentop was started 2012, the Estes Park Shawl started 2013/2014, and the…

  • The Lost Knits File Series Part Two

    One of my 2020 crafting goals was to manage my stash and manage my WIPs. The WIPs are all Finish or Frog (rip out). I have a sizable amount of languishing projects, somewhere between 10 and 20. With about half on Ravelry currently (with the intent to own up to the rest in the next…