I have a huge backlog of FOs that I have to get out there, but in the meantime I know you guys were curious what I was using that tennis ball for.

Sadly it doesn’t really bounce anymore, but I like the definition it has rather than if it was simply stuffed, plus it sits up nicely.

The pom pom for the tail wasn’t really suitable for a 1-year-old who would probably just pull it apart, so I crocheted a quick sphere for the tail instead. I think it came out suitably fluffy.

And here is my hubby’s second cousin with little Emily, who is clutching her new Rabbit so cutely!

To see more recently finished objects, check out Tami’s Amis!

In theory, going by trying to stretch it across my front and the measurements, it ought to fit. I’ve started the back and I’ve finished the waist, and I’ll start the bust increases tomorrow.

Head over to Tami’s Amis if you’re lookin’ to see more WIPs.

I also did a couple gauge swatches for a Shapely Tank Top with that big hank of cotton I got at Maryland Sheep & Wool. One of them came out good, I thought:

But then after I cast on it was way too big. So I did extra decreases so now I have way less stitches than even the smallest size in the pattern (I am doing negative ease as the pattern suggests). I’m a bit worried I decreased it TOO much. I know it will still stretch to fit me but I wonder how much length it will have to sacrifice to do so. It does still seem to fit within some of my t-shirts though, so I guess I’ll just cross my fingers.

Head over to Tami’s Amis if you’re lookin’ to see more WIPs.

This weekend on the bus home from MS&W, I started my first entrelac project AND learned how to knit backwards! I was smart and put a video for it onto my ipad, heehee. It is going to be a clutch. I may have to beg my mom to help me line it.

I’ve got 8 rows of blocks so far, but there is another project that is on a schedule, and now that I finally have a tennis ball for it, I put the entrelac aside and started the new project Monday night.

Head over to Tami’s Amis if you’re lookin’ to see things other people are making RIGHT NOW OMG.

I’ve decided not to bother numbering these anymore because I am unreliable and have been skipping weeks with Mr. Linky, but feel free to still post on Sundays if you’d like.

I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival yesterday, and I came back with mad lootz, yo!

What a haul, what a haul!

Here was one of my last fines, but one of the most important:

A Tennis Ball!

Yes. Yes I DO need this for a project, and hopefully on Wednesday I’ll have that started for when I try to start doing WIP Wednesday again (though I may not Mr. Linky it, I don’t have time to check everyone’s posts so I feel bad about doing the meme as a whole).

I got some interesting-looking size 3 needles for a project that I realized I got the wrong yarn for so that was sort of a waste, but the crochet hooks for fixing oopsies are super cute. Plus they can be used as cable needles. Me likey.

I made my annual stop by Turnstyles for some woodworking awesomeness. Picked up a needle case and a couple of mini styluses. They hook into the headphone jack of a phone and stay there until you need them. Very nice. Will be useful for Draw Something on the phone, since my iPad stylus is way too huge.

And now what you’ve been waiting for: THE YARN!

Just Our Yarn Almaza

This was going to be for the Bigger On The Inside shawl, but then I realized I was mistaken and it takes fingering, not lace. So I’ll probably use it for something done by Goddess Knits.

Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine

This one is marked as fingering, but it’s so thin that I think it might work for a Wispy Cardi. And they have a fingering recommended along with the lace, it seems.

Spirit Trail Fiberworks Decima

This one is most likely destined to become a Little Leaves shawl. May go up a needle size to use more of the yarn. Hoping I have enough gold beads left over from my veil to go with this.

Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino

There was a sweater I was thinking of that would take 10 balls of this yarn as it’s held double, but I only found 9 balls (only 8 made it into the picture, but I assure you I have 9). I found a beaded dress that would be a massive undertaking but leave a few balls of yarn left over for maybe some sort of shawl or something. We shall see.

Cestari Island Collection

I intend for this to become a lightweight and super simple v-neck pullover.

Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi

This is going to become an Entrelac Shawl with Tassels. I’ll probably have to pick up a solid to do the border, though. I think I only have enough for the entrelac part.

Highlands Mercerized Cotton Yarn

This one isn’t even in Ravelry proper. I got it to become some sort of tee or tank top, but I haven’t decided which one yet. I never did find any Hempathy today, so this will do.

Still River Mill Yakaboo

Because Yakaboo, that’s why. Also, it’s really soft, it came with a free pattern for gloves that looked super cute, and also, Yakaboo!

Feel free to post a link to your Squee Sunday post below.

Oh mess, I almost missed the last day of Knit and Crochet Blog Week! That’s what happens when one has a migraine.

I think it was pretty obvious from yesterday’s post (and also from the rest of this blog, really) that I both knit and crochet.

I learned to crochet when I was a teenager (I think, it could possibly have been a bit younger), and so I have more experience with it and I can finish projects much faster than I would be able to with knitting (which is why I have never knitted a blanket). But since I like knitting for some projects and crocheting for others, I really loves me some knitting, even if it takes me longer.

I like to have at least one knit and one crochet project going at the same time. This is because the different crafts affect my hands in different ways, and switching between them keeps my hands from aching from repeating the same movement too long.

Still, though, sometimes I’m bad and I finish a crochet baby blanket in a week, and then my wrist hurts and I have to take a break from raveling all together. Tee hee. So naughty. :)

So, today I’m supposed to talk about how I feel I am doing in my knit and crochet skillsets.

Most of you know I can crochet like a champ. I’ve made tunics, blankets, skirts, and toys, and I can do them pretty quick if I feel like it. But there’s still some areas I either don’t have a lot of experience with or haven’t tried at all. Some of the ones I’d like to at least try or improve within a year or two are:

• Broomstick Lace
• Hairpin Lace
• Tunisian Crochet

I’m a lot worse at knitting than I am with crochet. I can fudge a crochet pattern and get it to fit me, but I’m not really good with fixing my gauge at all in knitting. This is why I have not yet knitted myself a sweater.  I can knit lace like a champ, but if it has to be a certain size, fuggatabouddit. Here’s a list of things I need to do and things I suck at doing and have to fix in knitting:

• make a sweater
• entrelac
• fair isle
• double knitting

There’s more, but if I make the list too long, I’ll never do any of them.

Oh, and here’s a couple recent achievements – one each for knit and crochet – that I haven’t gotten around to posting the FO information to this blog yet. :)

Juneberry Triangle Shawl

Crochet Spiderweb Skirt

I did a RageGuy comic for this post last year, so I decided to do a more traditional comic this year.

Before you become too impressed with me, I traced pictures in photoshop with the pen tool for this. Though I did change the hair to be my hair. :)

Anyone else’s cat do this?

If you’re still impressed with me, feel free to go nominate me over on the Creative Post Nomination Form. :)

I made this when it was still a bit warm. Look at the sleeves on my shirt, hahaha!

I’ve heard some people say, “It’s too hot to knit.” NEVER. IT IS NEVER TOO HOT TO KNIT. That is what air conditioning is for! Granted, sometimes my fingers sweat and it will be impossible for me to work with yarn in any capacity, but in general I am knitting or crocheting all year round, and often without regard to the season.

I’ve knitted hats and scarves for myself and others in the summer for when it got warmer. I don’t really like making scarves, but hats? LOVE IT. I also make fingerless gloves all the time, too. They’re useful for work.

When it gets warmer, I do tend to make shawls. They go nice with dresses and keep my shoulders warm in the office, and help prevent sunburn when I’m outside. Around Christmas, I tend to crank out some nice winter-wear for all the ladies in my life who love my crafts and I exchange gifts with. I make toys pretty much all year round, because toys, that’s why!

I want to try to start a sweater or cardigan this summer. It will be my first one, and I figure I have to start it in the summer so I will have it finished for when it gets colder. I’m not worried about it being too hot to make it, either. Like I said, NEVAR!  If I couldn’t knit or crochet I’d probably end up vegging out in front of World of Warcraft all the time, not doing anything else. And that would be sad.

If you don't think this Birch shawl is gorgeous, I think you're poopy.

When I saw this topic, I had to think about it for a little bit. There isn’t really a single pattern writer or yarn-dyer that I admire so much that I’d say they were my raveling hero. I don’t aspire to be like most of them. Sure, there are a few amigurumi pattern writers that are awesome and I wish I could write patterns like them, but that just didn’t seem like enough.

And then, it hit me: who makes the most projects that I wish I had the skill and attention span to make? Of course it is Colleen from my knitting group! Also known as Sit-Stay-Knit on Ravelry. She almost cried when I asked permission to post about her. She’s so cute!

A fabulous double-knit Rainbow Scarf.

There seriously hasn’t been a project Colleen’s brought to knitting group that I didn’t wish I could make. I basically want all my knitting to be like hers someday. I also basically want to sneak into her house and steal all of her entrelac projects. =D

Can you really blame me? Can you? Her project page is full of awesome like the ones I’m using in this post, and she just pumps out the projects, too. I mean, she does have some long term projects, but it seems like the ones that take longer are because she sets them down to work on other things for a bit, and she also makes less-complicated projects.

But what Colleen’s known for in the group knitting-wise is bringing in WIPs and FOs  that make the rest of us goggle at her enviously for being brave enough to try the pattern (a recent example is the Color on Color scarf).  I hope someday I can inspire someone the way she inspires me. I definitely didn’t start queuing entrelac until I met her and saw her shawls and scarves! And now when I finally start one of those projects, Colleen will know it’s because of her!