Yep, I’m crocheting again. But, first, some finished knitted items.

I finished Aaron’s Wonderful Wallaby some time ago:

He loves it. He especially loves that it’s “electric blue.”

I also finished my Tomato, which I blogged pretty extensively about on the River Knits Blog.

In case you didn’t know, Malabrigo is now my very favorite yarn ever in the whole world.

Now, on to the current project: The Lacy Swing Top from the Sept/Oct issue of Crochet Today!  This is the center square:

See how the very center is kind of wonky? No? Here’s a closer look:

Now you see it. Yeah, I hate that. So I’m trying again, using a smaller hook just for the very center part. We’ll see how it turns out. The yarn is Silk City Silk Denym in a dark green. It’s been in my stash for a while. Honestly, I bought a full 1 lb cone of the stuff, then didn’t have any idea what to do with it. This seems to be the perfect project. I’m anxious to get the second square completed so I can move on the to the next step. Hopefully using a smaller hook for the center will solve my wonky problem.

BTW: I’m also still working on the River Knits Mystery Shawls. Once I get one finished, I’ll post more about the details.

Wow! I thought summer was supposed to be relaxing and easy going. Not a care in the world. Right. I’ve been working quite a bit this summer and, as a result, I don’t want to spend my free time in front of the computer. Thus, the huge gap since my last real blog entry. So, let’s play catch up!

Like everyone else in the civilized world, I spent last weekend reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

To some, this would mean a complete loss of knitting time. However, when you just have something in plain stockinette in the round like….oh, I don’t know…. a Wonderful Wallaby, you can make a surprising amount of progress while reading 759 pages!

I’ve worked on it a little since finishing the book, but the bulk of the knitting was completed while reading. If you choose to knit while you read, I have one word of caution. Pay attention to what color yarn you are picking up when you are ready to knit stripes. If you aren’t careful, you’ll end up with this:

Those aren’t two different dye lots of green. They are two completely different colors. Silly mistake, but at least it isn’t glaring. At least they are both green.

Other knitting I’ve been doing: The MS3:

I haven’t started Clue 4 yet because I’ve been busy reading. However, that’s on my agenda for this weekend.

Yesterday, I started this:

It’s the Stag Bag from the current issue of KnitScene. If you want to make one, but you’re a little intimidated by it, I’ll be teaching a class on it at River Knits this fall. Come join us. (BTW: I’m in love with this yarn! It’s the new Ultra Alpaca Light from Berroco. YUMMY!!!)

Finally, I’ll leave you with something….um……interesting. Last week, I went to the library to pick up a book that was on hold for me. While I was there, I decided to look at crochet books. I *always* look at the knitting books, so I thought this would be a nice change. Well, I found this:

Yes, that’s a man smoking a pipe and crocheting. Inside the book, there’s this picture of the same guy:

Isn’t that a riot?!  The best part is that this book is REALLY great!  There’s tons of good info and excellent illustrations. As well as the standard bizarre garments. (Warning: All of the instructions are British, so if you decide to check out this book sometime, be forewarned. The terminology is a little different than what we use in the States.)

So, that’s what I’ve been up to. Now, I better get back to work! 

I’ll admit it. I’ve been doing a LOT of crocheting lately. Like, almost exclusively crocheting. First, I nearly completed, then completely ripped out the Lacy Leaf Shrug. Then I completed and loved the Chanson en Crochet. Now, I’m working on (and have nearly completed) the Short ‘n’ Sweet from The Happy Hooker, and Victoria picked out several colors of Reynold’s Saucy Sport to become a granny-square inspired halter top.

What’s wrong with me???  Am I ill? Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I’m really having fun with this!  Except for the slight pain in my right hand after I’ve been crocheting for a few rows. Not so much when I’m using wool, but cotton can really hurt after a while. I picked up a Handeze Glove yesterday, but it didn’t really seem to help. I think because the pain is actually in my thumb and forefinger, not my hand. Oh well…maybe it will go away with more experience.

So what does it take to pull a die-hard knitter out of a crochet jag? How about Mystery Stole 3? That’s right! Melanie is doing it again. I had heard of the mystery stole in the past, but never participated until now. After looking at Melanie’s website, I couldn’t resist. Her shawls are gorgeous (and I really couldn’t resist purchasing the pattern for Scheherazade, last year’s Mystery Stole). But, knitting that will have to wait until after this year’s stole is complete. After reading the guidelines and suggestions, I decided on my yarn and knit a swatch:

The yarn is Jaggerspun Zephyr in, I think, Steel. The yarn was given to me, so I’m not entirely sure about the color. I used size 4 Clover Bamboo circular needles. I definitely want to add beads, but I need to make a trip to the bead store. I’m thinking silver. But something darker might be better. We’ll see.

Does this mean my crochet kick is over? Probably not. I will very likely finish the Short ‘n’ Sweet this evening. And Victoria has her heart set on the halter top. However, my excitement about MS3 is a good thing. It means I really do still like knitting.

Two weeks later, here I am with my crocheted Lacy Leaf Shrug nearly complete. Want to know the whole story? You’ll have to visit Tales from the River to find out.

Okay, maybe not completely different, because it still uses yarn. But it’s not knitting.

It’s crochet!  Want to know what it is, what yarn I’m using, and more? Visit Tales from the River, the River Knits Blog.