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I thought about titling this post “Waxing and waning” to show the periodicity of my blogging, but then realised that would be misrepresentative. The moon finishes its cycles in a month, whereas WordPress tells me I haven’t blogged in well over a year. Hence the reference to another periodic celestial object.
My last post but one showed a knit lace project, but sadly I haven’t knit a stitch since then. Crochet has got a look in, thanks to the giant granny blanket (not a blanket meant for or composed of an oversized female ancestress, but one large blanket composed of many small granny squares).
I have developed a theory about the use of colour in projects. Throw in enough of different hues and the eye can no longer be bothered to look for harmony. Hence most of these will look good.
Although I acquired a couple more looms (a Japanese rigid heddle loom and an American computerised 24-shaft loom), the very steep learning curve on the latter has bought out my cowardly side and I have been paralysed into not weaving much.
I have been sewing a lot, though, which is the reason for my attempt to revive the blog, since there is no Ravelry for sewing where I can neatly enter all the details for future reference. I hope to use this blog for that purpose.
See you all soon!
The whole of June was dry. In terms of rains in Mumbai as well as words from me on this blog. The rains have finally arrived here with a vengeance and I decided to come back and talk.
My stash is in a garage, corrugated cardboard wrapped and clingfilmed. I spent one month working on the little I’d packed for that chimeric granny square bedspread, then I was one month haunting the Weavers’ Centre in Hyderabad and learning about floor looms. After returning to Mumbai and limbo-land, my fingers got itchy. So off I went to the LYS (there is actually one, more a Local Craft Store, and very near by this city’s standards) and picked up some thread to knit a doily. I forgot my half-formed resolution to use thicker fibre for lace, and got the usual #20 equivalent.
Got a few rounds into it and then decided my daughter and I needed head gear for the sunny walk to and wait at the bus stop. So off I went and got some acrylic yarn and matching thread. That turned into this:
But I realised my gauge is much looser than the LYS owner thinks, and I ought really to have bought a hook a couple of sizes smaller. So I quickly went off the second hat, but miraculously, perhaps because I was making sun hats, the monsoon settled in. Now I don’t need a hat anyway.
Then I forget how, but I got itchy to crochet a doily. This time I made sure to get a thinner hook, and double the thread. I’m happy now and have got about 33 rounds done of a Japanese pattern, despite having to undo several rounds and redo them. I’m thinking this might turn into another parasol, which would be about as much use as a doily in my house. Not that I have a house at this point.
Any traveller on Indian Railways will know there is crochet on the train. Bottle holders in the AC coaches are made by hooks. As I travelled to Hyderabad last night, I noticed this:
I think that phone camera photo is too dark, but that holder can no longer hold a bottle. It is, in effect, bottomless. And thus, paradoxically, filled with nothing.
Before leaving, I managed to pick up that final (as in currently available to me) hank and managed a few more squares. When I stopped, I had this:
Likely if I had started a little earlier, I’d have finished this too. This square and half of another, I reckon.
Question to my readers. I’m writing these posts on my iPad. And uploading smallish images. What is the quality of these pictures that you see on your screens?
We moved a month ago. In Bombay we haven’t got a house yet, so most of our luggage is cling film wrapped, corrugated cardboard protected and in a garage.
I fully intended to carry my ASIL with me, but in an evil moment, gave it to be packed. I only have some 4-ply acrylic and a crochet hook. And have been making relentless grannies. So much so that ennui has hit. And I decided not to do anything about finishing off the last hank. Nevertheless I shall not be carrying the project with me to Hyderabad, where I am going tomorrow.
The project began with this.
It does not feel very harmonious yet. I wonder how it will turn out.
It will be mostly a join-as-you-go project, but for portability I decided I’d make all the squares from four of the hanks. Which I’ve almost done. Except I ran out of steam on the last hank, and made only three or four.
I bought some weaving videos from interweave, and watching is making my hands itch and my heart burn to get weaving. No idea when that will be.
I decided to see if having an app would make me blog better.
In the past year or more I’ve become obsessed with weaving, helped along by some ennui in knitting and crochet, plus an odd sort of pain in my left forefinger, the one that tensions the yarn when I crochet. Which served as an excuse to do more weaving.
I now have three looms, and have been waffling about getting a fourth.
Stay tuned. In the meantime, admire these.
Franklin has just written about this.
We have a Question of the Week thread at the South Asian Crafters forum on Ravelry, and someone asked for our favourite three projects, that make us proud. I couldn’t offhand think of any and had people jumping on me because I said so. I feel I am a Process knitter (or crocheter or weaver) because most of the time the things I make are irrelevant to my location/situation, but I make them anyway, because the process interests me. How about you?
On Ravelry there is a group which began in 2010 for people wanting to make 10 shawls in 2010. I’ve bee a member since then, but never have managed to make 10 in ’10, 11 in ’11 and so on. I did have a narrow miss last year, when I achieved 11 in ’12. That was disappointing. The rules are strict, you can’t pass off a scarf no matter how complicated or yarn-consuming as a shawl or stole.
To showcase and sell what I make, I’ve opened a new page on Facebook. Do go over and take a look when you’ve got the time.
The whole of last year went by with only one real post. I’m thinking perhaps I should try and do better this year?
So here are my two last projects from 2012. Both are for a friend who is currently at MIT and so will find use for woollen stuff.
Yes, I know. I last posted here on the last day of the last year. And to be perfectly frank, I was considering whether to mark this blog as dead. I have too little to say which I haven’t already said on Ravelry.
However, this is by way of being a test post. A friend was asking why her blog posts aren’t showing up on the South Asian Crafters group page on Ravelry and I had to confess I hadn’t blogged this year at all. As moderator of said group, I thought I would post here and see if my post shows up.
One of the small projects I finished this year was a set for a friend with a new baby. I tested the frock pattern for the designer and then made the booties to match. Wool sock yarn, since the things were for a London baby. And the yarn (squooshy!) was from a sock yarn club I (bought? took? participated in?) as one of those “Try everything once” things.
The dress happened to be the 300th project I’ve entered into Ravelry. The designer has cute girls of her own, so I get to try out lots of girly stuff when testing for her. They’re usually quick projects, plus she lets me use whatever yarn I have on hand.
The booties were in my queue for a long time. I’m always attracted to things with brioche stitch in them. I entirely forgot to send the leftover yarn to my friend, though. I’m told the baby liked them.
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