Video blog madness...

I've been spending my time making longer and longer and more and more involved video blogs for one of the yarn stores where I teach. Here's the latest:




You can check more out at the oceanofstitches channel on YouTube: here.

Busy, busy me! I've been teaching my tushie off to make ends meet and I love it, but I get super tired! Mind you - it is a good tired.

Progress progresses

I promised you updates on my ships & seaside cowl. Well, here's all I've gotten done so far - but I've been working on other things at the same time. And here are my lovely colors - in lovely Malabrigo. Clockwise from the top left we have Bobby Blue, Emerald, Azul Profundo, and Vaa. The latter has some of those lovely olive colors that I referenced from the Turner painting, Fishermen at Sea (below). And some of the deep inky blues. You can see the stripes from the bottom two are working out well. The light green is just the crochet thread that I used for the provisional cast-on. No one will ever know it was there (except you, if you are reading this.) I chose the lighter emerald green and the light green-blue to be the brief contrast to the dark colors, as Turner did with the foam and reflections on the waves.
I have altered the original colors of the pattern, as well as reversing the dark and light tones. Because I can't leave well enough alone.

Ships & Seaside

I am starting on a lovely cowl as part of the Tiny Owl Knits group Summer 2011 KAL on Ravelry. The ship & seaside cowl. I chose colors based on this J.M.W. Turner painting - stormy, dark, and mysterious. I'll post photos as I work on it!

Baby Luchadora

This is Rose, in a skull mask, looking like a miniature Mexican wrestler. I crocheted a skull from this pattern, crocheted around it, and my daughter put it on. An idea was born - baby luchadora. I put ties on it and she decided she must wear it to dinner, AND that we should go to dinner at Torchy's - a great taco place here in Austin, Texas. So, being a mother that encourages flights of fancy, we did.

Tying up loose ends...

This is what I spent the last 7 weeks on. Actually, I spent the last 7 weeks making 2 of these. And there is no final picture - because I am a dork and forgot until after I had already delivered them.

The project was to reproduce 2 copies of an existing Christmas stocking that was more than 40 years old, from a pattern that is more than 50 years old. I was given a stocking, a photocopy of an old pattern, and asked if I could make 2 new close copies, with new names for new family members. They were knit flat for part (the leg and instep), in the round for part (the toe) intarsia for part (twin scary Santas,) stranded for part (names on both sides, and weird crossed candy canes,) stripes (the toe again,) and 3 jingle bells each. There was a back seam, seams on both of the heel gussets, a braid in 3 colors covering the back seam, and toes that had to conform to the original stocking, not the original pattern.

The part above is the section of intarsia where I was using 9 bobbins, butterflies, and balls of yarn for something less than 1 foot wide. It would have been 11, but I chose to add the 2 pairs of single stitch eyes in duplicate stitch.

The colors of the original were hard to match, but the person that commissioned them was quite pleased, thankfully. They are odd, but vintage. Interesting to make, but the finishing took about 10 hours - each.

I am trying this month to design 2 more crocheted bodice dresses, but I also am working on restoring an old crocheted afghan (I'm guessing from the early 1950s.) I WILL photograph the process, and I can tell it will be a very interesting challenge. Starting with loom-made daisies, I will be re-making parts of it, and I will then be repairing other parts. I was given lovely wool to match colors with, and I am so excited. Last month, I also worked on repairing another old crocheted afghan. I love repairs. It makes me want even more to go back to school to do textile conservation. We shall see...

In other news, I spent a couple of lovely evenings with a crowd of crochet folk. I was asked if I would be interested in starting up a local crochet guild, and I said yes. If you are in the Austin area, The Knitting Nest on South Congress will be hosting a gathering of people interested, and we will form a local chapter of the Crochet Guild of America. Save the date: Sunday, June 12, at 2pm. There will be food! Call Stacy at (512) 291-8866 to sign up, so we know how many to expect.

I had to cancel the Countdown to Harry Potter classes that I had designed - next to no response. I suspect Voldemort at work here.

I actually got on Twitter (@oceanofstitches) and I find that all of my postings are almost in Haiku form. My brain does not thrive perhaps on the 140 character limit. Or is it less?

I have asked my husband to keep an eye on my facebook and twitter accounts. I need to post more, and it seems easier to tell him what to post than sitting here assuming anyone is reading what I say. Right now, I am doing that but I might have him post soon. This space is mine, however. I may have him put up some photos for quick posts, but probably not.

I am trying to come up with classes to teach at both shops for the rest of the year. I am also trying to come up with whole series of knit and crochet courses. Occasionally, I sleep.

So there are my loose ends for the month. Let's hope I will be free enough to post more often!

In the meantime...

While everything else has been going on, I have managed to design a little sundress with a crocheted top and a fabric bottom - children's sizes 2-8 (US). The pattern includes a full, photo-rich written tutorial on how to measure for and attach the fabric skirt to the crocheted top. This little mannequin is sitting in front of The Knitting Nest in Austin, Texas - looking all calm, cool and collected in the already hot weather here.

You can purchase the pattern from Ravelry for $5: .

I will be teaching a class on making this dress this Sunday, April 10th, also at The Knitting Nest. If you are interested, call Stacy at (512) 291-8866 to reserve your spot.

Just when I thought...

Just when I thought my kids had been through enough, something else gets tossed our way. Today, I got news that my sweet baby, Rose, has scoliosis (not a big deal) caused by a rare congenital spinal defect (quite a big deal.) Butterfly vertebra - never heard of it? Me neither, until today. Sounds pretty, but it is not. Not a stranger to rare spinal defects (a different one runs in my family) this one has floored me all day. We get to see a battery of doctors next week to see what can be done and when. As she is only 2-and-a-half, she might be too little still to do much yet. I am so upset I don't know what to do.

All I have ever wished for my kids is that they have a safe and happy life, and never to have to experience the chronic pain issues and debilitating movement problems that spinal problems can cause. I don't get to give that to her, and it breaks my heart.

I have been super busy crafting away trying to provide for my family. I will be even busier, I have a feeling. I plan to keep blogging away - if only to vent a little bit.