projects set calmly aside in annoyance:
1
by 9:30 this a.m.
but let's not go there.
let's go instead to the ball of louet's "clyde" sitting on my shelf, twinkling at me. got it in vancouver at stitchcraft- i agree with whomever said it's near impossible to go into a yarn shop without buying something, especially a new one or one you'll only be visiting once. (i have vacation sprees at fantastic fibers every time i go to alaska, and hit up nancy's knits pretty hardcore in houston- though julia took me into one that was also pretty cool in the heights.)
so. this stuff. boucle. wool with 5% silk, boucle. i approach this yarn with trepidation and limited expectations, as i've never felted a blend with silk in it before.
wait, scratch that, i've used plymouth boku, which gets really soft but is difficult in my experience to felt. let me google that for you: oh no. it's the same silk content. rats.
(oh and folks, let's quit comparing boku and nuro's kureyon. i have a girl-crush on noro, and my thoughts on another noro yarn follow shortly. to compare the two might lead someone to believe that noro is thin, which it's not. i spent some time last summer working with both at the same time and the boku is thinner. it doesn't have the sometimes psychotically wild color variations, though it has some very pleasing ones- i'm thinking fondly of a boku that reminded me of watermelon tourmaline (do yourself a favor and open that link in another tab- it's pretty there! nice work karengilbertdesigns!) okay. so boku's good, and i have an admitted bias towards noro kureyon (which is also all wool, no silk) but they're not interchangeable. nor really comparable- apples and oranges.
additionally, i have a poor track record with boucle yarns. i can't stand the lack of stitch definition (which i'm thinking will be good for felting) and dislike how difficult it makes counting. i'm too detail oriented - the devil on my shoulder says "too anal" for boucle. i made a small pouch with it and we'll see how it felts before moving forward.
so. lastly we come to the noro. it's the noro niji. fiber wise, it's almost the same as blossom, only with less nylon- which i would imagine contributes the core thread (correct me, spinners?) and the really flashy bits of color in blossom. niji is still 5% nylon, which does not excite me about yarn, but as established, i'm a sucker for noro. i snagged color 86, which to me means golds violet, a little green and a dark pink peeking at me on one skein beneath strands of the turquiose i'm crazy about right now. three skeins, and they're all saying something slightly different.
moving through the skeins- they're soft. they're fuzzy. they are all in agreement on the point "spring scarf."
i was attracted by an etsy forum thread on the topic the other day. and i see a piece that's flexible enough to wear day afternoon night. how some lifestyle-y/fashion-y spread would say something about wearing it with a "blouse and khakis or cute boot cut jeans to meet mom for brunch then transition to with a sweater while walking your golden retriever, then over your shoulders with a little cardigan over a dress over tights for a date with a hunk." or something.
but cyndi lauper's "time after time" on my internet radio and the yarn appears to be giving me meaningful looks. more as it comes.
the stats:
louet "clyde" labeled by stitchcraft as "green summer" color 06, lot 17642
chunky wt/bulky 5
95% wool, 5% silk
boucle 50 g/82 yds
noro niji, color 86 lot a
i'm not sure about weight. it's fluffy like a boucle, but not as dense as the louet clyde. comparable to noro's blossom
45% wool, 25% kid mohair, 25% silk, 5% nylon
2009/01/31
2009/01/30
purses, out and about announcement
i feel knee deep in bags at the moment. i did finish the new kureyon one last night, it's gorgeous and i can't wait to see how it felts up. i honestly can't wait until i figure out a closure for it.
the purse i was working on prior to this mad little fling with japanese wool upset me a little today. i'm using my big long hook- a crazy magenta aluminum one (reminds me of my great-grandmother's aluminum cups that always made water taste colder in the summer time. i digress) to do what is alternately known as tunisian crochet, afghan stitch, railroad knitting, hook knitting and who knows what-all else. it seems similar to knitting, but a hook at the end of the solo stick that's used. and the little stopper, whereupon the size and manufacturer of the hook are embellished, well, it clicks. i love the sound of it.
but this bugabear is woven, i use two colors at a time and am still fascinated by felting it. i did one of my first felted bags for my mom (an unfortunate choice of craft store-available wool- too bad it wasn't patons) in this tunisian/afghan technique, and i want to improve it.
i've got some better wool this time, in these colors that make me think, for some reason, chocolate truffles. one is a faded reddish pink that for all the world looks to me like some strawberry cream inside a truffle, a chocolate brown of course, a pretty wheat gold blonde color that looks like faintly caramelized sugar and a soft green that makes me think of matcha powder and this wasabi filling i had in a truffle over the winter holidays this year. (that truffle was an unfortunate disappointment, i fear, being crafted of white chocolate, which fails my chocolate test. the test? q.1. does it have chocolate in it? answer re: white chocolate is NO therefore it is dismissed from further consideration. once again, i digress.)
so the truffle bag has come along, and is still coming when i notice there's something off about the shape. i dutifully count stitches (made easy as each row has a contrasting color post running across it vertically) and determine yes, at some point (half the bag's progress up to now, a stinking like 8 inches!) i did indeed drop a stitch. curses. blue smoke comes from my mouth and foul thoughts cloud my brain. i undid it, then took a walk. it was the only solution.
fortified, however, by a delicious weekend night breakfast at supper (whole wheat garlic cheese biscuits, eggs cooked up with anaheim chili and caramelized onion supplemented by some fantastic roasted russet potatoes) i am feeling more optimistic.
ADDITIONALLY:
an out an about announcement that pertains to this tuesday, february 2.
hillsboro, OR just to the NW of portland (accessible via max as well) First Tuesday ArtWalk (forgive as the link's a little outdated).
this isn't a walkathon or anything that requires pledges, as instead, downtown business owners host artists (like me!) in their spaces and we all hang out for some art, and supposedly a little wine and chatting. it's free and i'll be at Styledbaby Designs, at 230 E main street.
the new purses should be there, as will be several bangles and a few other things that aren't even in the shop yet.
SUPPORT LOCAL ART!
the purse i was working on prior to this mad little fling with japanese wool upset me a little today. i'm using my big long hook- a crazy magenta aluminum one (reminds me of my great-grandmother's aluminum cups that always made water taste colder in the summer time. i digress) to do what is alternately known as tunisian crochet, afghan stitch, railroad knitting, hook knitting and who knows what-all else. it seems similar to knitting, but a hook at the end of the solo stick that's used. and the little stopper, whereupon the size and manufacturer of the hook are embellished, well, it clicks. i love the sound of it.
but this bugabear is woven, i use two colors at a time and am still fascinated by felting it. i did one of my first felted bags for my mom (an unfortunate choice of craft store-available wool- too bad it wasn't patons) in this tunisian/afghan technique, and i want to improve it.
i've got some better wool this time, in these colors that make me think, for some reason, chocolate truffles. one is a faded reddish pink that for all the world looks to me like some strawberry cream inside a truffle, a chocolate brown of course, a pretty wheat gold blonde color that looks like faintly caramelized sugar and a soft green that makes me think of matcha powder and this wasabi filling i had in a truffle over the winter holidays this year. (that truffle was an unfortunate disappointment, i fear, being crafted of white chocolate, which fails my chocolate test. the test? q.1. does it have chocolate in it? answer re: white chocolate is NO therefore it is dismissed from further consideration. once again, i digress.)
so the truffle bag has come along, and is still coming when i notice there's something off about the shape. i dutifully count stitches (made easy as each row has a contrasting color post running across it vertically) and determine yes, at some point (half the bag's progress up to now, a stinking like 8 inches!) i did indeed drop a stitch. curses. blue smoke comes from my mouth and foul thoughts cloud my brain. i undid it, then took a walk. it was the only solution.
fortified, however, by a delicious weekend night breakfast at supper (whole wheat garlic cheese biscuits, eggs cooked up with anaheim chili and caramelized onion supplemented by some fantastic roasted russet potatoes) i am feeling more optimistic.
ADDITIONALLY:
an out an about announcement that pertains to this tuesday, february 2.
hillsboro, OR just to the NW of portland (accessible via max as well) First Tuesday ArtWalk (forgive as the link's a little outdated).
this isn't a walkathon or anything that requires pledges, as instead, downtown business owners host artists (like me!) in their spaces and we all hang out for some art, and supposedly a little wine and chatting. it's free and i'll be at Styledbaby Designs, at 230 E main street.
the new purses should be there, as will be several bangles and a few other things that aren't even in the shop yet.
SUPPORT LOCAL ART!
2009/01/29
goals
goals today:
would it be too much to ask of myself that i manage to finish this purse (loving it already)
-ended up using the k hook, i'm just used to that one right now.
to me the purse looks big though. i keep having to remind myself that i wanted to be bigger than my old one. i find small bags useful, and they compel me to travel a little lighter, but some people want some room in their purse. and trying to figure out the pocket idea, because a lot of people seem to prefer pockets/dividers, etc, in their bags.
another issue that's different from my perspective- i don't mind no pockets because i put stuff in pockets and go through them rarely. i am personally more disciplined about keeping my bag clutter-free when i know i have to reach through it for my keys. and i never designate a "key pocket" in bags with several pockets (beloved, well traveled green satchel, i'm looking at you dear) so i always dig for keys anyway.
so. that's part of the creative process there, these rationalizations/problem solvings.
the colors are excellent- there's a teal color that i like, some nice navy warm type blues and plummy purples. but all muted, as opposed to the completely wild kureyon i was eyeing yesterday- i'm going back to get it when it's a little closer to spring.
oh, the other goals?
right.
determine if a late winter/early spring carrot plant is a reasonable idea or not.
(i'm no expert gardener, but learning eagerly.)
grocery store. which would be less thrilling but as we're going to have bean taco salad for dinner tonight, i'm a little stoked.
it's the small things, people.
update pictures on the new bag to come.
would it be too much to ask of myself that i manage to finish this purse (loving it already)
-ended up using the k hook, i'm just used to that one right now.
to me the purse looks big though. i keep having to remind myself that i wanted to be bigger than my old one. i find small bags useful, and they compel me to travel a little lighter, but some people want some room in their purse. and trying to figure out the pocket idea, because a lot of people seem to prefer pockets/dividers, etc, in their bags.
another issue that's different from my perspective- i don't mind no pockets because i put stuff in pockets and go through them rarely. i am personally more disciplined about keeping my bag clutter-free when i know i have to reach through it for my keys. and i never designate a "key pocket" in bags with several pockets (beloved, well traveled green satchel, i'm looking at you dear) so i always dig for keys anyway.
so. that's part of the creative process there, these rationalizations/problem solvings.
the colors are excellent- there's a teal color that i like, some nice navy warm type blues and plummy purples. but all muted, as opposed to the completely wild kureyon i was eyeing yesterday- i'm going back to get it when it's a little closer to spring.
oh, the other goals?
right.
determine if a late winter/early spring carrot plant is a reasonable idea or not.
(i'm no expert gardener, but learning eagerly.)
grocery store. which would be less thrilling but as we're going to have bean taco salad for dinner tonight, i'm a little stoked.
it's the small things, people.
update pictures on the new bag to come.
2009/01/28
a brand new blog
that still requires some tweaking. to what should i/we look forward?
fiberwork, pictures, food, gardening. sundry commentary.
however, of first importance are these three juicy balls of kureyon i got at yarn garden today.
they want me to make them into a purse and then felt it. i ought to comply as it looks like they mean business.
materials:
kureyon in 92 q (i've gotten several q dyelots of kureyon, an odd coincidence.)
i think i'll be going with an l hook
and some lah-di-dah, doot dooty doo.
not that i have any shortage of things to work on or inspiration. or events for which these should be made.
but it will mostly all stop by here first:
www.amyambros.etsy.com
fiberwork, pictures, food, gardening. sundry commentary.
however, of first importance are these three juicy balls of kureyon i got at yarn garden today.
they want me to make them into a purse and then felt it. i ought to comply as it looks like they mean business.
materials:
kureyon in 92 q (i've gotten several q dyelots of kureyon, an odd coincidence.)
i think i'll be going with an l hook
and some lah-di-dah, doot dooty doo.
not that i have any shortage of things to work on or inspiration. or events for which these should be made.
but it will mostly all stop by here first:
www.amyambros.etsy.com
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