Frog it or Forget it?

We're asking the tough questions today.

A recent adventure in "Failure to Read the Pattern Closely" resulted in me being fifteen rows into Briquette by Two Little Plums and finding myself with a bunch more stitches than required. Not like, "Oh, I did one extra row of increases, oops!" No. This was more, "Oh. I increased eight more stitches than required each row for the last seven right-side rows." A major boo boo. One that there was no doubt that I had to frog and restart.

As I was pulling the work off my needles, I got to thinking about where I draw the line between frogging a mistake and just forgetting about it. (For those who don't know, frogging means ripping your work out. Because frogs go, "rip-it, rip-it." Yes I know. Puns. But still. That's what people call it.) For me, a project has to be pretty much nonredeemable to inspire me to frog. If I have up to four stitches too many/too few, I just adjust my work in the next round. Sometimes I can put up with a larger margin for error, depending on the project. I am not a Frogger, for the most part. I am a Forgetter.

I have two very crafty and meticulous Grandmothers who don't do things half way, an aunt whose sewing skills are magazine worthy, a sister who enjoys making photo-realistic paintings and doilies with sewing thread, and a mom whose recent major crafting achievement was making an evening gown out of 1" strips of silk from ties. Let's not even talk about my friends who craft. Suffice it to say, precision is all around me.

But for some reason, I ended up in the Forgetter camp. I ended up feeling alright with myself for pushing past imperfections in my work and just loving the finished object. I'm not saying it's wrong to want to "have it right." I'm just saying there are primarily two camps in the crafting world: People who Frog, and People who Forget.

When I look back at early work I've done, be it sewing, crocheting, painting, or knitting, the mistakes stare back at me blatantly. Sometimes, I see the mistakes nobody else sees. We are always our own worse critics. But, I kind of like the little errors.

Maybe it makes me weird, but I like to be reminded that I'm constantly learning. When I see the gap in the first lace I knit I think, "There's a mistake I now know how to avoid!" When I see the missed stitches on the first scarf I crochet I think, "Now I know how to make sure I'm at the end of the row!" Sometimes the mistakes irk me, but for the most part I like them.

I always think back to one statement someone made to me about twelve years ago. I took a beading class with my Girl Scout Troop and had messed up in the color pattern on my necklace. It was just a little goof up, and I was ready to rip the whole thing out. The instructor said, "I always leave my mistakes in. Nobody is perfect. If we were perfect, we'd be God."

Maybe I'm using it as an excuse to be a lazy crafter, but I think of that line every time my bias tape bundles up or I miss a ribbed stitch.

Unless of course, I have fifty six extra stitches. In that case, SO LONG YA NASTY MESSED UP SWEATER YOKE!!!


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Where do you draw the line between frogging and forgetting?

Grandpa's Socks

 Let me set the scene for you: It's the first day of autumn in the colorful Midwest. Trees are just faintly showing traces of the splendor to come. The wind is blowing the smell of dry grass and apples around. The cornstalks shimmy against each other in the breeze making that 'dry bones crackle' noise. It's warm still. The kind of sunset-glow-warm that summer gets as it fades to fall. Warm enough still to wear tennis shoes and no jacket. Warm enough to have ankle socks on.

Enter: Grandma's house. Your face is rosy cheeked from the wind, not the cold. You have no sniffle of the nose from the slight chill. You are the picture of comfort and contentment. You pop your shoes off in anticipation of some cold apple cider and a doughnut. Skating carelessly across the linoleum in your ankle socks, you hear a gasp.

"Why...CAROLYN!! You aren't wearing any socks!!!"

Grandpa stares wide-eyed at your "bare" feet as you pivot to face him.

"I've got socks on, Grandpa."

-insert indignant 'hrumph' here-

"They are socks, Grandpa!!"

"You are going to catch a cold."

"Grandpa-"

"It's nearly winter."

(It's August 1st.)

"I'm fine. I swear."

"I'm getting you some socks."

"Grandpa..."

Grandma gives you a knowing, 'let him go' eyeroll and gets you some cider. Grandpa returns with a pair of his plush, deep-woods, electric orange-topped hunting socks.

"THESE are socks. Put them on."

"Okay Grandpa."

"Isn't that better??"

"Yes, much better. Yes. Thank you."

He smiles, shakes his head, and retreats to His Chair to watch the news again.

How many times has that scene, or a variation of played out in my Grandma's kitchen? Countless. My cousins, my sister, my friends, even vague acquaintances have had "real socks" lovingly but forcefully applied to their 'bare' tootsies time after time. My Grandpa is very adamant about the virtue of socks. I do not disagree that socks are lovely, in fact, I probably wear socks more frequently than most of my relatives (sparing Grandpa, Sock Police Chief). But there is just something so touching about Grandpa forcing you into a pair of his socks in the dead of summer. Something that says, "I am incredibly stubborn about how much I care about the warmth of your feet." It's silly. It's sweet. I love it. I just do.

Since learning to knit I knew it was required that I make Grandpa a pair of real wool soldier's socks. Months ago I finally set to it: picking a pattern, researching Civil War era socks, learning magic loop, and, at last, knitting them.

I didn't finish them in time for Christmas, but I'm almost happy that I gave them to him late. They weren't lost in the shuffle of other gifts. We were able to have a special moment. Last weekend I stopped over to his house. I had just grafted the toes that morning. My heart always fills when I get to bring my son over to see his Greats, but that day it was about to burst with anticipation of giving the gift of warm socks.

How many pairs of his was I instructed to take home over the years? How many times was I chided for going bare footed? I contemplated those things with each stitch. Delighting in the simplicity of the pattern and awaiting the joy of handing them over to him. When I finally did, the reaction did not disappoint.

"You MADE these!!!"

"Yes. I did."

"And they are...are they? Real? Wool?"

"Absolutely!"

"Well I-" he stood to pull his slippers off, "I gotta put them on!!"

Later that night he called me to tell me he was still wearing them. "If you've got warm feet, your whole body is warm!!" He said they were the best socks he's ever worn. Allow my to have a moment to recollect myself. 

"You gotta make yourself some!! So your feet are warm. You need some of these. You do!!"

 This is why I knit and crochet. To be able to return a favor done to me over so many years. To show care, compassion, and just...that heart thudding stupid-smile-on-your-face feeling of giving someone something you made and having them feel so blessed by it. When it happens, it's so real. So perfect.

I am so happy that I got these done and didn't wait for next week, next month, next year. It would have been horrible to procrastinate on these socks and have Grandpa never be able to enjoy them. Share handmade love while you still have time: don't regret that unfinished object.

A Restful Week

We have been having an enjoyable, albeit snowy week here in the midwest. I've been blessed to be able to spend some time with a good friend. Even got to teach her to sew! Yes, that is a chemistry themed apron she is making. Yes, she is making it on a Hello Kitty sewing machine.

Simple pleasures.

One of the cuter moments today: Mr. E fell asleep to the sound of the sewing machine. My gosh, how cute!! It just made my heart melt. I remember doing the same thing when I was a kiddo. Listening to the methodical hum of the machine and drifting to dreamland. So lovely.

I am getting ever-closer to finishing these man-socks. I need to have them done this weekend. They are for my Grandpa and are already an incredibly late Christmas gift. I was so overjoyed when I turned the heels last week. It felt like a mega accomplishment!! Because it kind of was. I guess.

Stay warm friends!! It's cold and snowy all over, it seems!! Stay inside, drink hot cocoa, and craft up a storm.

Felting an Angora Sweater

My mom has a way of gifting me the most challenging things. I mean that in a good way. She finds things that she knows can be re-purposed, and hands them over to me to get my gears turning. A few weeks ago, while we were chatting on the phone, she mentioned she was "done" with a sweater she'd had for years.


"I took the buttons off already. Do you want it to felt?"

"What is it made of?"

"Angora, I think."

"Ohhhhh yes please."

"Okay, I'll mail it to you."

I actually forgot that she was going to mail it here, so when it arrived in the mail, I was super excited and surprised. As I mentioned before, she's had this sweater for years. It's one that I have lots of memories of her wearing. And all those snuggly/scratchy/fluffy angora hugs. The colors are so autumnal as well, which puts the sweater even higher on my "Yay" rankings. 

I popped the thing in the washer alone on the "ultra clean" hothothot setting. The first time through, it didn't felt much. So I put it back in, stuffed in a pillow case. I even put it in the dryer! Crazy. Though it did not felt down as much as I expected it would, I am very pleased with the result.

It has that beautiful halo of fiber so common of angora. I simply love it. I have a few ideas for what I'd like to do with it, but I'm just going to let my thoughts simmer for a little bit before I jump in to a project with it. I mean, it is full of sentimental value and lovely fiber. Don't want to rush in to something.

What have you felted?

On the Needles Teaser

Been a while since I've done one of these posts.

A little something simple and lovely.

Hat Month

There comes a season of knitting when drastic decisions need to be made. It's go time. There are only -only- a few months left until Christmas, so it's time to crank out gifts and delightful woolies.

The powers that be (aka me and my dear friend Pyper Jean) decided that September would be hat month. All hats all the time. Only hat related projects were made, and it was glorious. Setting aside an entire month and dedicating it to making one type of thing and one thing only seemed a little crazy to me at first. But let me tell you, it is well worth it.

During hat month, I completed ten hats. Unfortunately, I cannot give you a very in depth look at the hats, because a lot of them (read: all of them except 3) are gifts. The hat above is a gift for my husband. I was so excited to be able to rock out the cables on that one. It's a free Knitty pattern. Knit up with some delicious Alpaca.

My husband is so lucky.

 Like my crock? It's my brown yarn/hat crock. I scored it for $2. Cannot complain. Cannot complain at all.

TARDIS hat, another freebie. This one is for me, so I can show it to you. I'm a bit grumpy about the fact that my colorwork floats are tight and wrinkly. But, it looks fine when I am wearing it. Practice makes perfect?

I can also show you this one: it's a hat for Ernest. Delightful yarn to work with. There's so much more of this yarn in my stash, I cannot wait to use it up. Silk and wool. YUM.

And here's a fun little bonus picture of Ernest and I wearing our hats. Look how cute he is!! Lil babu. I think I'll be making him a million more. I love making the tiny stuff.

So, that was hat month! Next up, socks, headbands, and scarves month. Aka October. Let's rock this beast!! Let me know what you are working on!

Hexipuffs: A Dangerous Addiction

Another thrift score: my $2 blue vase for hexipuffs

My dear friend +Kait Murphy introduced me to Hexipuffs right before we moved out here. I did not have any time to start a new project. After settling in for a couple days and completing another, larger project, I decided it would be fair to give these little puffs a try. Kait and I had agreed to do a puff-for-square trade to help both of us make progress on our respective blankets.

Little did I know when embarking on this adventure, how quickly I'd become obsessed with it.

 The puffs are super cute, super easy, and super instantly gratifying. I know quite a few people are on the hexipuff bandwagon. There are whole Ravelry groups dedicated to these lil pillows. Kait is working towards eventually making a Beekeeper's Quilt with all her puffs. I admire her courage, though I could never rival it. I have far too many unfinished blankets in my UFO pile to start a slightly insane one such as this.

But they are fun to play with. :)

Looking Forward: 5LCBWDAY7

Since I did not participate in the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week last year, I have no project aspirations to look back upon. But I have plenty of things the look forward to!

My hope is that in a year from now, I will be a much more accomplished knitter. I hope I will continue taking risks and trying new techniques. I also hope that in a few months, I will be able to say that I have completed (since I have even yet to start) the Christmas stocking for my first child. I want to knit one for each of our kiddos.

For crocheting, and I do hope this gets done sooner than one year from now, I'd like to finish my Hexagon blanket. Because really, it's been over two years since I started it, and that's just sad. It's so pretty, and it's be nice to have it done, so that I never have to do it again. Hahah. I wish I were joking. So many ends to weave in!!!!

Additionally, since this blog is partially about my etsy shop, I'd like to have more consistent new-creations for the shop. I love the challenge of making new things and writing new patterns, and I really want to keep the items in the shop fresh. New stuff is fun stuff.

Some other projects I'd like to have under my belt:

-More knitted socks! I want to feel comfortable making them. Like, "oh I'll just make some socks no big deal" comfortable. Not "oh I'll make some socks and freak out half way through the first sock and have a nervous breakdown about the type of heel I'm going to put on it." That's where I'm at right now.

-A knitted sweater for me. I don't know what kind. I don't know when. I just feel like it is something that ought to happen.

-And I am certain that my babu will inspire me in ways I cannot predict, so hopefully in a year from now, I'll be telling you all about the things I made that my 8-month-old gets the most use out of.

As far as blogging goes, I have absolutely no goals for my blog. I have no idea where my life will take me in this next year: whether blogging will still be a welcome output for creative ramblings, or it will have become more of a chore than a joy. I don't want to plan and push and set limits and goals for this derpy blog, I'd rather see what it becomes as time goes on.

5th Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

 

I just heard about this exciting crafty blogging event, thanks to Cyprienne over at Big Knitting Trouble, and I cannot wait to participate!! Maybe I'm a bit behind the times, as this is the Fifth Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, but better late than never, eh?

For those of you who have not heard of this spiffy event (don't worry, you are in good company; like I said, I only JUST found out about this deal) it's pretty nifty. There is a topic to write about for each of the seven days during this week (May 12-May 18). There are also special tags to use for each day to make your post pop up amid Google searches for the event. Knitting and Crochet Blog Week is all about meeting other crafty bloggers, as well as being involved in a community-wide event.

It's going to be a fun, new, interesting way to blog for a week, all while celebrating what makes fiber bloggers special. The topics are creative and enticing. I seriously can't WAIT to get writing, or to see how other people interpret the writing prompts. I'm a big fan of writing exercises, and this is exactly the sort of brain-juicing, bloggy, creative thang I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

SUPER EXCITED.

It's like creative writing class. But for bloggers. Bloggers who crochet and knit and junk. So glad I found this before it started!! Wanna join in? It's pretty much a free for all. You can read more info on Eskimimimakes's blog. She's the genius behind this fun!!

Springtime Socks

Since I tackled socks over Christmas, I've been pining to make myself some. Handmade socks are by far the most best things you can put on your feet. My poor feet were jealous of all the baby socks I've been making lately, so I decided it was indeed high time I whipped out myself a pair.

It's a little bit nutty that I just now got to making myself some socks, considering the weather has finally turned spring-like only within the last two weeks. Why didn't I make some when I'd really need them? Like when it was 50 degrees below zero? Because. I'm insane.

Clearly.

Regardless of the seeming lack-of-timing in making myself socks, it's really not all that crazy. After all, it'll be winter again someday, and I have chronically cold feet so thick, cushy, handmade socks are not out of the question until perhaps July. And even then, if I'm inside, I'll probably still wear socks.

My concern about not having enough yarn to make two whole socks drove me to shorten the cuffs of these a little. I really love tall socks, but my yarn-use-calculating skills are still getting re-calibrated for knitting. It's crazy how little yarn knitting uses!!! I'm still in awe!! But my miscalculations this time left me with a little less than 60 yds of this yarn, which means: MATCHING BABY SOCKS!!! 

I may be a bit obsessed with socks.

Check out my Ravelry project page for all the yarn-nerd stats on these socks.

Windschief Hat & Snow

Remember way back in December when I visited Yarnology in Winona? I scored a sweet skein of black and white twisted wool and the Windschief hat pattern by Westknits (who I adore, btw). In the hustle and bustle of holiday crafting, I never got around to making myself that hat. Then, before I knew it, we were packing and moving and crazy stuff, so the hat got put aside again, before I ever cast it on.

Well, after the sadness of my Baby Sophisticate sweater fail, I decided I needed a little distracting happy project. So I dug the Windschief pattern out and got to work. After four hours of dedicated knitting with watching Law and Order SVU on Netflix, the fruits of my labor were ripe for harvest.

Or....binding off and weaving in ends. Since....you don't really harvest hats.

 Now, this is not the yarn I purchased to make this hat. No, no. I was silly and decided that since it's Spring time here, I ought to make this hat in cotton. Creamy colored cotton. Because cotton is warm enough to fight off the breeze, but breathable enough to keep my head from sweating. Because in springtime, it gets warm out.

HAH.

It snowed yesterday. At least I have a cute hat.

 I've also been on a "sort stuff and make a mess while pretending to be cleaning" spree. It's like Spring Cleaning for crazy people. The down side is you make a bigger mess than you started with, but the plus side is you find some random pink cotton flowers you crocheted who knows how long ago and are able to make a cute pin for your new knitted hat.

My head will be bloomin', even if it's snowing in APRIL here. BLARG.

 I really really enjoyed the pattern. It was easy enough to do while watching Olivia Benson kick some bad guy butt, while still being interesting enough to make me feel like I was doing something clever with yarn. And it looks hipster-tastic when it's done!

Dat twisted rib section. Mhhhmmhmhmhmhhh.

So, here's hoping your week is less snowy than mine is so far!! BUH. WINTER. Needs to be over. I want flowwweeerrrsss!

Okay, I promise I'm done whining.

STUPID SNOW.

LOOK AT HOW EVIL IT IS!!!

Okay, now I'm done.
Happy Tuesday, yo!

The Windschief Pattern is also available online.