Crochet Along (CAL)…Week 2 Completed

The Week 2 CAL assignment had a few ‘options’. They are listed on Inner Hooker’s CAL blogsite as the following:

“Week 2 Assignment

there are a few options

1.  continue working 1 round per granny (complete through round 3 on all) **I will probably do this one

2.  work 10-12 complete grannies

3.  if you get bored working the same round work rounds 3 and 4 on 44 of them (you will do this again next week)”

I chose to hook all my centers to Round 3 on ALL. I wanted to see what they would all look like done up in full color.

All lined up like this, you can see how the colors will play out in the final line up. I’ll have to move them around a lot after the next few rounds to figure out a good placement for the color combinations. That one there in the middle, with the orange as a NEXT round was my first sample. I think I will pull the orange off the edging and make the next round all white. If the next round is white, my circles will stay ‘circular’ …if I add another round of color, the color blocks will appear ‘square’.

While trying to photo this set, I was met with clouds and a sneaky hiding sun. I thought you might like to see my challenge.

I thought I’d sidestep and take a few photos while waiting for that cloud to pass…

Once the sun peeked out around that cloud, I could see my line up across the yard.

Yay for Round 3 and catching up to Week 2! All in all, the colors are bright, deliver a fun, festive, happy feel, and will work well on a white background for the most accent.

You can still join along! Grab your hook and get some yarn…even if you just make a few…it’s fun to compare with all the other crochet hookers out there doing the same Crochet ALong. If you join in, be sure to leave a comment or link so we can all see your progress too!

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –

smiles,
alicia in Hawaii

Link for Pattern:  http://web.archive.org/web/20011226081401/members.aol.com/lffunt/sunburstgs.htm

Link for CAL (crochet along):  http://oxfordfam.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-along-week-1.html

Crochet Along (CAL)…Week 1 Completed

My hook has been crazily swinging, catching and pulling to get this far this quickly.

These 90 or so centers have been done to Round 2! It’s been a giant logic puzzle as well…trying to think up the combinations of colors and setting them up so that they don’t repeat.

I’m really liking the colors! So bright and cheery and fun!

These colors need full sunlight to show them off for the camera.  I waited for the clouds to pass…

to set them up … on the grass…

If you’d like to join along, please follow the links, grab your yarn, your hooks and your pattern! Post a comment here too if you decide to ‘hook up’.

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –

smiles,
alicia in Hawaii

Link for Pattern:  http://web.archive.org/web/20011226081401/members.aol.com/lffunt/sunburstgs.htm

Link for CAL (crochet along):  http://oxfordfam.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-along-week-1.html

Crochet Along (CAL)…A Jump Start on Week 1

I recently posted about The Crochet Along with Inner Hooker. I’ve been hooking like crazy to try to catch up with the Crochet Along (CAL) that has been in progress without me.

Mad like a spider, my weaving and webbing has produced these in a day or so:

This is part of Week 1. We were supposed to finish 88 centers up to Round 2.  I made 90 centers… only through Round 1.  Now, I have to add the second color round on this one to catch up completely with Week 1.

Join along with us.! If you decide to do so, leave a comment and say your joining up.  Check out your stash or use this CAL as a great springboard to go yarn shopping.

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –

smiles,
alicia in Hawaii

Link for Pattern:  http://web.archive.org/web/20011226081401/members.aol.com/lffunt/sunburstgs.htm

Link for CAL (crochet along):  http://oxfordfam.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-along-week-1.html

Crochet Along (CAL) with Inner Hooker, Sunburst Granny Squares

My plurk friend, Amy,  posted that she is hooking along in her friend’s  “crochet along” and it just seemed too good to pass up.

Yes, like I need to START yet ANOTHER project.

I dug around…and this is what I’ve lined up.

I’ve decided to enjoy the ‘start’…even if the finish doesn’t ever come to fruition, the excitement and fun of the start will be worth it of itself.

I know that Red Heart yarn will not be some people’s first choice of yarns, but for me it’s durable and washable,  a must for a blanket or throw. It’s durable, it’s readily available out here where I live, it’s bright and it’s FUN!

From what I understand, we are using this pattern and we will keep to certain rounds for certain weeks.   I have to catch up a bit… so let’s hope I can get up to speed with a quickness.

Off to print my Sunburst Granny Square pattern by Priscilla Hewitt, gather my yarns and grab my HOOK! Must catch up!

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –

smiles,
alicia in Hawaii

Link for Pattern:  http://web.archive.org/web/20011226081401/members.aol.com/lffunt/sunburstgs.htm

Link for CAL (crochet along):  http://oxfordfam.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-along-week-1.html

Wendy Knits Lace and Knit-a-While WIN!

What a way to rejuvenate!

This appeared in the mail:

And this wonderful surprise treat was in it!!!

After being in a creative slump of sorts for a year following my friend, Jo Ann’s passing, this has been a fantastic jolt back into my creative world!

Ida, at Knit-a-While, ran a wonderful Give-Away of Wendy Knits Lace. And guess who won!!!

Mememememememememe!!!

The amazon link has some sneak peek pages and I clicked off  a few photos here for you to drool over for your perusal.

This book has beautiful, beautiful, beautiful lace scarfs, cowls, stoles, shawls, mitts, gloves, SOCKS, caps, and a beautiful lace cardigan,  cami, and sweater. Instructions are very detailed and charts are given for the lace pattern.

It’s a beautiful book, filled with beautiful things.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  to Ida at Knit-a-While for such a generous gift/give away! I’m so happy!

Please go to visit Ida at Knit-a-While, she has a fantastic blog of knitting hints, projects, books and patterns.

And give Wendy Knits Lace a go to! You’ll LOVE this book!

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –
smiles,
alicia in Hawaii

ReVamp and ReNew

It’s been a while since posting and blogging.

Most of that is due to my memorial post of a dear friend that passed away last May. She left me her entire bead collection and, although I did not post here, I did make up A LOT of her items. She had 9 rubbermaid tubs of beads to create beaded angels. I made up over 500 of them. Beaded Angels were EVERYWHERE and we gave away A LOT of Guardian Angels over the last 6 months to people who themselves in their everyday lives are Angels themselves.

Once taking a side path to beading, sewing, embroidery and other crafts stepped to the side. And with a need to do some other chores, I diverted my creative talents to baking.

With all this diversity, I suppose the name CURIOSITIES is a good one since it encompasses all aspects of creative goodness.  I feel it is now time to step back into the documenting/sharing blog world with whatever diverse creativity is happening as it happens. I birthed this site out of the love of embroidery, so if you’ve come on board because of embroidery, I hope you can hold on through the baking, sewing, painting, and other artsy crafty things I will now build here as well. Eventually, I know posts will circle back to touch on embroidery and it’s sister crafts.

Maybe you are like me and dabble and indulge in many creative avenues. If that is the case, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the many CURIOSITIES that will appear here and the stories that will accompany them!  :)

Enjoy the changes! Let’s embark on some new adventures together!

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –

smiles,
alicia in Hawaii

Tutorial ~ Nostepinnes: How to Wind a Center Pull Yarn Ball and Yarn Parking

The Nostepinne

I like all kinds of creative avenues!  Yarn fun, like, Spinning, Dyeing Wool, Knitting, and Crochet are part my adventures. Woodworking also is in there, and my woodworking creations lend many hands to tools.

I thought that people might like to see how I use my tools with yarn.

A Nostepinne is useful for winding a center pull ball, especially when the yarn/thread is thin or the total amount of yarn is not enough to make a ‘jumbo’ ball. However, even an abundance of yarn can be hand wound, if necessary, and with a Nostepinne, the job is much easier than using no ‘core’ or center to keep the middle section open for the ‘pull center’ to freely flow from the yarn ball.

Here I am using my ‘mini Nostie’ to wind a mini handpainted yarn skein for a mini sock.

Hold the Nostie, working end out.

Hold the end with thumb, this will be the center pull start so do NOT lose this strand. It is important to keep hold on this end. I have lots of slack beyond my thumb, to ensure that this end does not get lost.

Wrap around the end of the Nostie for an inch or two. This is a mini Nostie making a mini ball, so I wound it just about an inch.

To start the crosswise winding, wrap the yarn up to the top right of the straight wraps, bring the yarn around the Nostie and back to the lower left of the straight wrap. This makes a diagonal line across the straight wrap.

Continue to wrap the diagonals, while turning the Nostepinne around so the the next diagonal sits on the top of the previous diagonal.

Continue those diagonal wraps as the Nostepinne turns to let the next wrap rest above the previous one.

Voila! The ball is done. All the yarn is wrapped. There is the ‘center pull ball’. However, the ‘pullable’ side is facing the handle, and I want it to face off the ‘end’ of the Nostepinne. So, I slip it off the end and turn the ball around, then slide it back onto the point of the Nostepinne.

Here it is, turned around so that the ‘pullable’ side is facing the end of the Nostie, ready for that side to get on the needles or hook.

Here is the center pull ball, parked, ready to use!

———————————————————

I also use my Nostepinnes to “park” my yarn.  ;)

I’m knitting a pair of Kilt Hose for my son. I’ve got 2 socks on 2 circulars, the ball of wool is a natural color, and I’m working it from both ends of the ball. The ball is parked on the Nostie the center pull yarn is attached to one sock, the other yarn that unwinds from the exterior of the ball, is attached to the other sock. When it is time to ‘flip’ the needles, I simply ‘flip’ the Nostie…the yarn never tangles.

Here, I have set up 2 balls of yarn, each on its own Nostie. I am currently working a swatch on the one shown here. To work 2 socks from 2 different balls of yarn, park each ball on their own Nostie. The center pull is attached to the knitting work.

Here, I have a commercial yarn ‘parked’ on a Nostie. (Yes, I sometimes have commercial yarn to work with)
I was swatching with the needles, so I had them detached already from the work, but you can see that the pull center is coming off the working end of the Nostie, going to the needles and the project.

With all of these, when I need to clean up or put any of this away, I simply lift the Nosties and the project and place them all in a project bag. The yarn never tangles or collapses in on itself. The projects are kept neat and simple.
My hubby and I have so much fun making the Nostepinnes. We have our one of a kind handturned Nostepinnes in my ArtFire store. www.curiosities808.artfire.com

Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun! –

smiles,
alicia in Hawaii