just maryse

WIP Wednesday

i'm usually a one project woman.  at most two (a small project that i can carry around and a bigger one like a blanket made up of a bazillion squares), but for my trip to new jersey, i packed three.  i had three scarves on my agenda and i couldn't pick which one(s) i wanted to take.   

so, first in my bag was the queen anne's lace scarf.  this is the crocheted scarf that has gotten non-crocheters crocheting and i wanted my own version. 

the yarn is aracania magallanes, which almost looks like my own homespun singles. the thick-thin quality of the yarn lends an irregular look to the scarf, but i'm kind of liking it.  it's certainly a lot of fun and a perfect vacation project.

**************************
day 138 -- i started this post with the intention of  showing you projects 2 and 3, but i have to save something for tomorrow.

WIP Wednesday

this week's WIP wednesday won't be about anything i'm working on.  no, this week i'm going to tell you about the fabulous dress that stitchy mcyarnpants is working on.

it's a beer can dress or should i say "gown."

oh yes, you read that correctly.  and it's for an excellent cause. 

anyway, monday night stitchy brought the bodice to knit night so we could check out her masterpiece in person.  here's the designer herself modeling it for us.  gorgeous!  check out the bows at the shoulder.

and diana showing us where she thinks there should be tassels.

finally, check out the versatility of this awesome dress.  even our very pregnant newest member looks beautiful in it.

looks like even THE BIG GUY might approve.  (i swear i heard angels singing).

it's just a matter of time before we see Stitchy on Project Runway.  I can see it now.

Michael Kors:  "This is Classic American Sportswear."

Nina Garcia:  "I don't know what to say.  I'm speechless."

Heidi Klum:  "I love it!  Now I know what to wear to Octoberfest!"

**************************
day 117 -- auf Wiedersehen!

WIP Wednesday

the fiber that i jar-dyed and spun is done.  about 200 yards of 2-ply yarn that looks kind of like animal entrails.  nice, huh. 

so i guess that technically this is a FO and not a WIP.  whatever.

my spinning is still uneven.  i think i'm just not patient enough to get it right.  but on the bright side, it is perfectly balanced.  there's an interesting scarf pattern in the latest Spin-off that i may try. 

**************************
day 103 -- i swear that this yarn looks better in person.  less intestine-y.

WIP Wednesday

just so you don't think it's all about the babette this month, here's a couple of other things that i'm working on.

dyeing my own yarn and fiber made me want to knit and spin them up.  so i did.

my yarn in garter stitch (laceweight on size US 3 needles).

and some of my fiber spun up.

plans for either are still up in the air.

also, a couple of months ago, i joined summer of socks 2008.  unfortunately, this is a far as i've gotten on my first sock.

this is also my only "air" project for project spectrum.  not impressive. 

that's all i've got for now.

**************************
day 89 --  doesn't that sock look like snoopy?  i think so anyway.

WIP Wednesday

i've been thinking about starting a lot of projects but have only been able to obsess about babette.  i've got two more sections to go, but they just happened to be the biggest sections.  i hope to be finished by the end of the month. 

here's one of my favorite squares.

and my garden is progressing.

tomatoes!  see, there's two of them there.  the bigger one is about an inch and a half in diameter. 

and lettuce!  in a week maybe i'll have enough for a salad!

**************************
day 82 -- back to work tomorrow

 

WIP Wednesday

so i've never been much of a gardener.  a couple of years ago i tried my hand at growing herbs, which was fine, but unsatisfying and last year i tried sunflowers and that was disheartening at best.  part of the problem, i know, is that i don't know what the hell i'm doing and i become overwhelmed with the details.  reading up on the topic just makes me feel as if i know even less than before i started reading up on the topic and that makes me realize that i will never know anything and i just want to give up.

and then norma comes along with her garden tutorial "along."  and she promises me that i can grow something in free standing containers, and that she'll hold my hand (figuratively of course, but i'm sure that if i needed her to hold my hand for a second or two -- not too long of course -- that she would.  maybe to make up for the fact that she mispronounces my name sometimes) and tell me exactly what i need to do.

so last saturday i did some shopping at my friendly neighborhood home center and came home with some potting soil, some seeds, and some tomato plants.

i've started small.  some cilantro (i'm all about cilantro) and basil.

lettuces.

and some big boy tomatoes (i accidentally also picked up a big beef tomato plant).

i planted according to package directions.  (they could stand to be a little more explicit by the way, the instructions on the packages but norma says not to sweat it too much.)

so now i'm just waiting for something to happen.  norma promises me that something will.

grow damn it!

**************************
day 61 -- *sigh*

WIP Wednesday

i have a confession to make and i bet i'll lose a few readers when i say this.  but i can't keep quiet about this anymore.  I HAVE TO BE ME, DAMN IT!!!

are you ready?

i may prefer crochet to knitting.

wait!  don't go yet!

let me qualify that statement.

i prefer the physical movement of crochet.  the weight of the hook in my hand.  the wrapping of the yarn around the hook.  the action of slipping that hook through the stitch below and pulling the yarn through ... you get what i'm talking about, don't you?  with only one live stitch,  frogging is a breeze.  zzzziiipppppppppp.  and it's so much easier to "wing it" with crochet.

i'm this close to being done.  and when i'm done, if i can, i'll write up a pattern for it.  and maybe i'll come up with a name too.

**************************
day 35  -- i'm all about winging it.

WIP Wednesday on Thursday

so lately i've been feeling uninspired and i don't feel like knitting or writing blog posts or taking pictures.  this is the 5th time i've started this stupid post.  how do you all find  the time or have the energy to do what it is you do every day?  TELL ME!!!  ( i'm doing that thing that i do.  i've been comparing myself to others again and falling short.  i've got to stop that. )

anyway, earlier in the week when i saw kristen's wonderful crocheted scarf, i thought it might be fun to change things up a bit and do a little crochet  too for a change. 

i looked for a suitable pattern and finding nothing that caught my eye, i just started crocheting.

and it sucked.  like a hoover.  so i frogged it

and i've got nothing.

**************************
day 29  -- a post about sucking and wips that aren't anymore.

WTF Wednesday

so a couple of weeks ago, i started another pair of socks.  green ones, for project spectrum. 

the yarn is Opal Rainforest in Chameleon. so i knit one sock.  put it aside, and started the next one, confident that the second one would match if i started the cuff at the same color repeat.  because opal is a machine dyed yarn and  all that.   and sure enough.  see how the stripes match up?  i'm not normally OCD about striping, being ok with wearing fraternally twinned socks, but this matching made me happy.

la la la.  i'm knitting along ... look how the heels match!  excellent.

and then something weird happened.

WTF!!!  see that aqua colored stripe?  (and yes, i counted and recounted stitches).

my matchy socks RUINED!

DON'T GO THINKING THAT I'M NOT OUTRAGED!  see?  i'm even using double negatives!

but clearly not outraged enough to frog and reknit.  stupid aqua stripe.

want details?  i've raveled them. 

**************************
day 21  -- foiled by a ball of german sock yarn.

WIP Wednesday

i've been having internet problems all evening so i'm getting this in before my connection disappears again.  just a couple of things that i've been working on.

**************************
day 14 -- almost didn't happen.