Particle Sweater Dress

The sweater dress that ran out of yarn has been completed! It’s actually really nice. Since there is so much open work, it pairs well with a tank and leggings. I think it’ll work really well for the upcoming chilly air. The temperature is already dropping here in New England, so guess I can start wearing this dress around town.

Seeing the color change from the different skeins is really interesting. I’m glad I made the top first, then the sleeves, and then the skirt. That way the front and back match! Wouldn’t it be odd if the front of the dress was one color and the back was a different color? You can see how different the top and skirt look in terms of the colors. Hand-dyed yarn is really neat like that!

While I did shorted the skirt, I think I really should have shorted the sleeves a bit. It’s really hard for me to tell how the sleeves will fall. I measured my arm, and the sleeves were a decent length, but I didn’t take into account where the shoulder seam ended. That’s an important note for next time.

In the picture of the back of the dress, it’s easier to see the diamond pattern going down the center. But if you look carefully, I think it’s obvious that I used three skeins for the back. It accents my butt better though, so not a terrible thing hahaha.

The pattern is available from Mermaidcat Designs: the Particle. It’s super easy to do and made with worsted yarn, so thick and works up quick. I love her patterns.

Many happy yarns!

Work in Progress Wednesday, Sept 4

Work has been very slow lately. I can feel myself falling into that depressive slump. It’s been a few years since it’s felt this deep. Usually, I do get minor seasonal depression, but it’s a little bit early for that. It’s only just been Labor Day. I tend to get into it when I get bored, I think. Sometimes when I get bored, I start shopping a lot, but since I’m trying very hard to do a low spend month, this is for the best. Shopping, as my therapist used to say, is just for instant gratification, but doesn’t benefit in the long run. Also, it really hurts the wallet.

It’s not like I lack hobbies, because I’m really been progressing though my projects and books. Socially, I know I should go out and do things, but depression does things that make getting out really hard. It’s a terrible cycle. I know what might help push me out of the slump, but my body doesn’t want to do it.

I stopped running races a few years ago because my knees started to hurt, but exercise and social interactions are two of the most beneficial things to get out of the hole. Since socially, it’s really hard for me right now, I’m going to start by doing more exercise. In particular, cardio. Yoga and mediation aren’t what I need right now; those are better when I get anxiety. I need to get my heart beating- the boredom makes me feel like I’m wasting away with nothing to do. Which sounds silly, because I know there’s plenty to do- I just don’t have the motivation to do it.

Since work has been so slow, I’ve made a ton of progress since last week. First, with the the sweater dress, I ran out of yarn. I couldn’t find it online and even called 10 local and not so local yarn stores. That’s what happens when you buy yarn and horde it away for “later” (aka years). Then you forget what you actually bought it for and then you run out. My solution to this problem will be to shorten the skirt. The sleeves are the defining feature, so I don’t want to shorten those. I’ll be sure to show you have it looks!

I love Malabrigo yarn. The colors are so beautiful, but each skein is so different (not necessarily a bad thing). It is hand-dyed yarn, so there can be so much variation, even if the lots are the same. You can clearly see where I made skein changes in the dress. Could you ever guess that they were all the same colors?

Next up, I’ve decided that for the wedding motifs, it is better if all the yarn was the same. Doesn’t it look much better?

The dress will be based on Mermaidcat’s Dimension dress. I love the everything from the waist down on that pattern, so that’s what I’m starting with- the waist motif. However, I want a more conservative top, so I’ll be winging that.

The green yoke sweater from last week has been completed, but it’s much too hot to model pictures. In the meantime, I’ve started another sweater- also green. For some reason, I’m really drawn to green yarn. It’s my most abundant color, which I think is very funny, because my favorite color is PURPLE. Do I mentally avoid buying purple yarn because I think I have too much? Hopefully, now that my yarn is sorted by color and in a spreadsheet, I can better access what I should and should not buy.

I’ve completed the back panel of the new green sweater. I’m calling this the Christmas green sweater, but that’s what the green reminds me of. The color is actually called Christmas Green, so that’s probably why. So far, I really like the stitching.

Here is just a little bit of blocking. So far, so good.

Until next time, many happy yarns!

September Budgets

Today is the last day of August and Labor Day weekend begins! I keep forgetting it’s a long weekend, because then it would mean the end of summer (even though pumpkin spice lattes are already back). Who’s ready for summer to be over? Even though autumn is my favorite season, I’m not quite ready for summer to be over. I’ve been feeling in a bit of a lull lately, like nothing is changing, but everything keeps moving.

Last October, I bought a budgeting book and started really budgeting.

Before I had a notebook where I would just track my spending. It was a simple money in and money out book, much like the pages they give you at the beginning of a checkbook. I realized that I really needed a better system. Since the budget book, I’ve been using a zero sum budget, so all the money I make in a month gets distributed into a different category/envelope. It has been really helpful, because I realized that sometimes I have hundreds of dollars leftover that doesn’t get distributed! I started this because:

1. After I bought my condo, I used pretty much ALL my savings for the down payment.
2. If I lost my job, I wouldn’t be able to cover expenses. I needed an emergency fund.
3. I wanted to pay off my mortgage faster. If I pay an extra $350/month, I could cut my mortgage down from 30 years to 15, and save over $40k in interest. That interest really kills you.

I will have saved for my emergency fund goal by the end of September! Other funds/envelopes I’m working on are “vacation,” “general savings,” and “clothes.” At the beginning of summer, I started a “weaving” fund. I saved $1000, and I invested in a 4-shaft loom!

I thought about it for a long time, but decided that for the things I want to make, a 4-shaft loom will be enough. I certainly did not want a floor loom or anything too big. This is the Louet Erica Table Loom.

For a 4-shaft loom, it’s considered affordable. The only thing is you have to assemble it yourself, which is probably why it’s “cheaper.” (As if $555 is cheap….) Assembly took me about 4 hours, and I was so happy when I finished! I can’t wait to start something on it.

Since this is not a rigid heddle loom, I also needed to get a warping board (which hasn’t arrived yet, but when it does I’ll be sure to show you!) and I signed up for more weaving classes with my LYS, which is where I bought all this stuff though. All in all, the total price for everything came to about $800, so saving $1000 was a good call! And that extra $200? I just moved it to the emergency fund. Isn’t zero sum budgeting so fun?

With such a large spend in August, even though I did plan and budget for it, I decided to try something different for September. I’m going to practice a low-spending month. “Spend Less September” will have the following rules for me:

1. “Housing,” “utilities,” and “grocery” are all okay spends.
2. “Dining out” and “entertainment” is only allowed with other people. Since my job is on the road so much, I tend to buy lunch a lot, so this is kind of a difficult thing for me.
3. SO! The 21 Days of Ulta does take place in September. I know, I know- “do you really need more makeup, Elaine?” Why, yes. The savings will be worth it. Anyway, I’ve limited the spending to $75, and I looked at the calendar, and there are really only two things I want (phew).

Wish me luck!

Many happy yarns!

Work In Progress Wednesday

There are a few things going on right now. Making that yarn spreadsheet really helped me see what I could make with the yarns I had, and helping me more through my yarn faster.

First, this is Vicki’s Sweater from Celtic Cable Crochet. I love it! It’s so easy and the fit is great. It’s really hot right now, which makes trying it on really difficult. (I am sweating in this picture….) I’ve completed the body, and half of a sleeve in this picture. What I like is, most of the time, when you crochet something, it’s see-though, but with this sweater, I think I will be able to get away with just wearing it as is. No need to layer. The yoke was what really drew me to this pattern. I’m using a thicker DK yarn, so the yoke is bulky, but nice and warm. This is going to be great in the winter!

Next up, I’m starting a fun autumn dress with this beautiful yarn! It’s Malabrigo Rios yarn in Cielo y Tierra. I love the colors from Malabrigo.

Lastly, while things aren’t set in stone yet, I figured it might be a good time to start planning… my wedding dress! But don’t tell my mother, because she might get too excited. I saw this Berroco Mixer yarn, and while I have worked with it before and wasn’t a big fan, I thought maybe I could try again.

A few things about this yarn:
1) An absolute nightmare to wind.
2) Looks terrible with this motif.
3) Heard it was being discontinued- it’s that unpopular!

So, back to square one- literally! 😛 It might look better without such variegation. I’m going to do it was a more solid yarn, and save the Mixer for maybe some lace?

Many happy yarns!

I Just Read a Book About Nothing

Anne Tyler’s Breathing Lessons won the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. This is not my first Anne Tyler book; previously, I had read A Spool of Blue Thread. Tyler’s themes of family and marriage once again are showcased here, so I was ready for it. Or so I thought.

While nothing really happens in A Spool of Blue Thread either, I found Blue to be a much better book. Maybe it was because Maggie, the main character in Breathing Lessons, is so annoying. She jumps to conclusions, over dramatic, and slightly insensitive. She sees things one way and it’s hard for her to see it any other way. She’s a busybody. I just couldn’t stand it.

The only way I was able to finish this book was because I listened to it as an audiobook. Sometimes the best way to power through is to listen to the audiobook, especially since I spend so much time in the car.

The entire book takes place in one day. This really is just a day in the life of a married couple. There’s backstory about how things got to be the way they are, but mostly, there’s no plot. There’s no resolution.

A Rigid Heddle Loom

Two years ago, I was doing the local yarn crawl. Don’t know about you, but I always tends to spend more money than I expect to during crawls. How can you resist the sales?

Of course, besides sales, the main point of yarn crawls is to build a yarn community and show what these shops have to offer. One of them had a list of classes, and one of them was weaving a hat. It seemed interesting, and I was bored. I needed to try something new.

It was a 3 hour class, and I was able to warp the loom and finish weaving the hat in that time! It was so quick. After the class I thought, “This is so easy. Why not keep going?” So, I bought the loom. This is Schacht’s 15″ Cricket Loom.

It’s very neat, because woven fabric looks much different than knitted or crocheted. Sometimes two colors look really good together, but when you weave them, it looks so ugly. The color contrast is too strong!

On the loom above is a bunch of leftover yarn, and I picked colors that I thought would all look good together. Below is what it looks like after I took it off the loom. As you can see, the colors look different based on what the warp colors are (i.e. the light green center and the brown edges on the loom picture above). The weft (the dark gray pictured on the loom) looks different when it is against the green verses the brown. Color and weave is probably my favorite thing to play with.

The main problem I have with weaving is that all you can do is make flat, rectangular fabric. After that you really just have to sew. I am absolutely, positively not good at sewing. Most of the time, I make scarfs and kitchen towels. I have yet to find an appreciation for table runners or place-mats. Who uses them besides at a dinner party? I do not have dinner parties.

About making a garment to wear, it would require a serger to cut the fabric into shapes to then sew them. You know, like how you’d buy yards of fabric to sew a dress or something like that. It is the same idea, except now you can make a custom fabric.

Recently, though, I found one project that I could do without having to use a sewing machine! It was a one stripe bag, in which you weave a long piece of fabric like a scarf and then, without cutting the fabric, it can be manipulated and sewn into a bag. This is how mine’s turned out.

A simple pink bag! It’s very sturdy. I didn’t want to cut and sew the fringes, so I kept them and added some beading for fun.

Just a fun new hobby to try! If your local yarn shop offers classes, I would definitely recommend taking them. I am the youngest person in these classes, but it’s still a joy meeting people with my interests.

Many happy yarns!

Let Me Reintroduce Myself

Hello everyone!

I debated a long time if I wanted to come back to blogging. For starters, I don’t know anyone who blogs anymore. It was also a lot of work from what I remember. I just couldn’t think of things to write about all the time. It seemed like having a consistent schedule is best. Then I figured, why not? If it goes into the void of the internet, then there is goes. Sure, I consistently post updates of projects on my Instagram, but there’s just something about long form writing that is really appealing to me. So, here I am. We are going to call this an experiment (after all, I am a scientist).

I’m Elaine, 31, lover of yarn, books, guinea pigs, burritos, and Lego.

Last time, in 2016, I was kind of in a rut. I was in job that was okay, but the hours were terrible. It made me feel incredibly isolated, because I could never see my friends, who all worked normal 9-5 jobs. My relationship with my partner was also wavering. And really the lesson of the story is: talk to people. I’m definitely an introvert, but I’m an introvert that needs social interactions and strong relationships. So, in these three years, I got a new job, which I love. Moved to a new place. Started dating again a bunch. (Tinder is like a really unexpected, fun party.) Met a nice new guy. My beloved guinea pig passed. Got a new guinea pig. Life keeps happening, and I’m moving though it as best I can.

Although, you know what hasn’t changed? My yarn collection. Here it is, in all it’s glory:

Yes, that shelf is much larger than the last shelf. The yarn collection might have grown a bit.

What Great Yarn Purge of 2016?

Recently, I organized it into a spreadsheet. There are columns for brand, weight, fiber, yards, and color. I have a total of 112 yarns. 112. 112. 112! Does that shelf even look like it can hold that much yarn?! Well, on the plus side, the spreadsheet is much more helpful in determining what projects I can do. This might help to “purge” my yarn quicker. (We can take bets if the amount will actually decrease if you’d like.) I told myself I wouldn’t buy anymore yarn until I get down to 60-70 yarns on the spreadsheet. Sixty to seventy still seems like a lot, sure, but there are a lot of single skeins on there. Not sure what I can do with them, but it’ll be a fun puzzle.

The yarn on the floor is not on the spreadsheet. The yarn on the floor is leftover. They’re all from previous projects and now here they sit- partially used, not enough to make a hat with, but too much to just throw away.

Luckily, about two years ago, I discovered weaving at a local yarn crawl. I purchased a rigid heddle loom, and it has been great for using up scrap yarn. Yarn is just so versatile, isn’t it? I’m always open to suggestions on what to do with scrap yarn!

I’ve also taken up knitting, but I’m still a novice and prefer crochet.

For this blog, while I do live for the yarns, I don’t have much of a plan. I just missed long form writing. So, for now, let’s just say, it’s me navigating through life with a yarn addiction. (Unless I just drop it immediately after this post….)

Many happy yarns!

Great Yarn Purge of 2016

Back in January, I read this book, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kando. It’s life changing.

Afterwards, I began the 3 week process of tidying up my apartment. I donated a ton of clothes and things, and tossed a lot of what couldn’t be donated. All these things that we think hold some sort of “sentimental” value… years later you realize they hold no meaning. Who gave this to me again? Where did this come from? Why did I buy this? It was nice to go through all these things and actually keep the things that mattered. If they still hold value now, then it was worth keeping.

During this process, I also got rid of some yarn. Mostly colors that I had no idea why I had or those single leftover skeins from large projects. I was left with this:

This is a bookshelf and a large plastic tote. Oh wait, there’s more! To the right of the bookshelf, you’ll see a bag, which is filled with yarn, and if you look closely, it’s on top of another bag of yarn (also filled with yarn), and finally, they’re both on top of a box (that’s right, also filled with yarn).

With some encouragement (Boyfriend: “There’s too much yarn around here.”) I have decided to go on a yarn cleanse.

Since I’m not doing any craft shows this year, from now until November 1 (start of Christmas gift time), I’ll be trying to use up as much as possible making hats, scarfs, and gloves. These are all quick projects usually. Then I’ll just DONATE ALL OF THEM. If you know any good places to donate in the US (I’ll definitely pay to have things shipped), please let me know in the comments below.

I probably won’t post all the project here, but my Instagram will have things (#greatyarnpurge2016). I might do a recap post though.

Until next time, happy crocheting!

Would People Wear This?

I recently found a pattern in my Amazing Crochet Lace book to make a dress. It’s called the “Heat Wave Mini-Dress.” (For some reason, the hardcover version of that book on Amazon is OVER $1000.00! O_O!)

It looks cute, but as with my original fear with making a yarn based dressed, it’s not tightly knit. I would most likely have to:
1. wear nude colored underwear or,
2. learn to sew, and sew some fabric underneath or,
3. hope the dress over pants trend returns. (Wait, is it still a thing?)

(But, seriously, if anyone wants this dress, it is a size small, email me or leave a comment below. You’ll have to figure out the above mentioned problem on your own.)

It’s also warm, because I used wool. Hm, I need to think about my fabric choices better in the future.

This is a seamless dress, which means it is all made in one round, and I didn’t have to sew anything together. You start with the halter top, followed by the open crossed mid-section (your belly is showing! Gasp!), and finally, the skirt. The pattern has the skirt to be MUCH shorter, but I’m not that bold.

Overall, I’m satisfied with the end result. Not too bad.

Happy Independence Day for those in America! Until next time, happy crocheting!

 

 

Beaded Cadfael Shawl

Around Christmas time, I got a kit to crochet a shawl from a Secret Santa. It included a pattern for the Cadfael Shawlette and enough yarn to complete the project.

I started the project on my trip to China. I was really tired, super jetlagged, and trying to read a pattern. Honestly, the chart is much easier to figure out, but I did not figure that out until after I had returned home and became well rested again- months later.

It’s a very simple and repetitive pattern, and it was moving so slowly on those 16 hour flights. When I picked it up again a few weeks again, it moved much more quickly!

The pattern does not mention anything with beads, but my Secret Santa included them, so I decided to add them in. Crocheting with beads is a lot easier than people make it to be. It can be tedious to string them to on. The end result is so shiny- how could one resist!

I’ve never made anything this large with fingering weight yarn. As I usually avoid sock making, the most I’ve ever made with fingering yarn was some bracelets. This shawl turned out really nice though!

At the longest part, it is 50″ across and 18″ down. Blocking is really important for this project! Otherwise, you can’t get these little details, especially at the edges.

I’m really pleased with the end result, and hope to be able to wear it around this summer and into the fall. 🙂

Until next time, happy crocheting!