Archergirl's blog

That's one thing I really like about the yarny arts, there's always a lesson to learn, a new technique to figure out or a creative way to make a new stitch.

I finished my continuous crochet baby blanket and I was perplexed about its pinwheel pattern.

I finally got tired of not being able to knit or crochet properly this past week. For the past while I've been doing a one handed crochet with my left hand that is very slow. I finally figured out a comfortable position that allows me to crochet normally and almost at the speed I'm used to. I was having serious yarn withdrawl and started a baby afghan to ease it. Now the shakes are going away and I'm feeling like myself again!

I complete patterns faster that I'm not making for anyone. I started an afghan because I had the perfect yarn for it, and all my other projects fell to the wayside. I sped along making the afghan, it was like a compulsion. I finished the afghan, put it away and went back to my other projects, like nothing had happened.

Shortly after that I injured my arm in kickboxing class.

My current favourite knitting needles: Short tipped interchangeable needles from Knitpicks, they are portable, and easy to use for small projects.

I also like the regular length interchangeable needles from Knitpicks. I've had my set for 8 years now and they're only just starting to strip and need replacing.

I find that straight needles with the nub at the end poke me while I'm knitting. I have a friend who uses the long needles and sticks one under her arm and knits freely with the other. I've tried knitting that way, but it felt too awkward and bulky.

This is loosely based off of Frankie Brown's Ten Stitch Blanket.
All her patterns are available for free but she collects donations to the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation www.justgiving.com/frankiesknittedstuff , please consider donating if you enjoy her patterns.

Five Stitch Dishcloth

I chose this week to visit some friends in Toronto and almost melted into a puddle on the sidewalk. Of all the weeks to visit them, I HAD to pick this one. The trip up was quite enjoyable, I took the train and knit most of the way there. It was my first time knitting on a train and it went pretty smoothly even through turbulent sections.

The way back it was way too warm to work on my ten-stitch blanket so I opted to play on my 3ds instead. (I'm not entirely sure the a/c was working on the train, I was sweating bullets the whole ride.)

I love instant gratification projects, a few hours work (or less) and tada....a finished project. So I'm trying to figure out why I keep working on blankets. They are as far from 'instant' gratification as you can get, they're more of a 'long-suffering' gratification. I officially started another blanket today, it's become a bit of an addiction I think.

I really dislike summer, I'm not made for heat. I sweat like a man and have the complexion of a vampire.

However season changes make me want to make things, because I'm the most polygamous yarner ever. I can't stick to even 2 or 3 projects, I usually have 5-6 on the go, sometimes up to 10. Of those, most....some....will get completed? It really depends on my attention span. My blankets have fallen to the wayside because working on a heavy blanket when it's 80 degrees inside is not my idea of fun.

One of the things I like about knitting and crocheting is there is so much to learn and I feel there are so many 'firsts' I can experience.

The other day, I came across a sock loom that I had bought a few years ago. It's the Prym Knitting Sock Loom-Large, I've been avoiding it since I bought it because the instructions made sock-making seem difficult. The instructions are in 7 different languages, so it's a bit of a challenge to locate and follow the english instructions. I cast on some dark grey sock yarn (Always use a dark colour when you're trying something new, it's so easy to see! /end sarcasm)

I always get excited when I see someone crafting in public, it gives me the warm fuzzies. It honestly hasn't happened that often and mostly I've seen it at fibre fests or craft shows. I knit anywhere and everywhere that doesn't seem inappropriate. Usually I'm met with curious glances and the occasional 'My grandma used to knit.' Very rarely another yarn-er will come up to me and we'll get into a discussion about what I'm making, the pattern, the type of yarn, etc.