A Little Crochet Surprise

Right when the Spring semester ended I decided I would reward myself and do nothing but crochet for a week straight. I had been taking six classes and working two jobs (something I will not be repeating this semester) and seldom found crochet time in the recent months. So after finals I sat down and crocheted this...

This is Dora Ohrenstein's Drapey Vest featured in the Mar/April 2010 issue of Crochet Today.When I saw this vest in the magazine I immediately fell in love with it. The silhouette is a very popular and trendy one right now. Also, I had been dying to try anything from Debbie Stoller's new yarn line. So I crocheted this in Bamboo Ewe in the same colorway as the pattern,  Twilight. I have to say this yarn is great. I loved working with it. It is so soft and very drapey (duh!) and a dream to hold in your hands and crochet with. It also offers just enough warmth to be a great layer in Spring and Fall.  Here's another...

Also, I can't say enough about the pattern. It is well written, easily executed, and great construction. The pieces are crocheted together (as opposed to sewn) and I love that about it. This pattern is everything that crochet-haters say crochet can't be. Flattering- this vest looks great on all kinds of body types. Check it out on Ravelry. Non bulky- it features a sc through the front loop only so it is not bulky like most people believe crochet garments to be. Trendy- no grannies here! And the grand finale.....DRAPE! This vest has amazing crochet drape. Five stars for this pattern and a big thanks to Dora Ohrenstein.

I entitled this post "A Little Crochet Surprise" for a few reasons. I was surprised at how much I loved making this and love wearing it. Also, I planned on blogging all about it but never did so it's a little surprise for my readers. Surprise! Finally, I almost never post FO's here for some reason.....so, surprise!

A Little Update

Well I'm back from Mohegan Sun. Wait, did I say Mohegan Sun? Oh.. well I meant Foxwoods. Silly ol' me. It was interesting. Being only nineteen there wasn't a ton for me to do but I did play in the arcade a little, spend some time in the pool, and got a little quality time with my yarn and hook. Andrew, on the other hand, was so excited for his first gambling trip. For about fifteen minutes at least. After leaving me to my own device in the arcade for about twenty minutes he came back in and said it was very boring. He spent a majority of that day and the next dominating the games and winning enough tickets for a lava lamp.

My Floral Motif top is still at Grammie's waiting for me to try it on before sewing it all up. Hopefully I can stop down there this week and have a new top by the weekend. In other news I started the Southbay Shawlette like I said I would and let me tell you something. Malabrigo is great to knit with but I am loving how it is to crochet with. Especially with my new (and first ever) bamboo crochet hook. I am enjoying this project so much.

I Did It!

Although I am little late on the upload, here it is! Completed on Friday night at about 10:00pm. This incredibly poor photo was taken in m Grammie's bathroom with my phone. As we speak she is sewing on the bodice!

Next up on the list? Southbay Shawlette with that beautiful skein of Malabrigo I bought a few months ago. I'll be winding the yarn tonight and bringing it with me to Mohegan Sun tomorrow!

Happy Sunday!

Day Three of Summer Crafty Challenge!

   On day three of my self  imposed summer crafty challenge I have a confession to make. I had secret motives all along. I was hoping that jostling myself out of the craft funk would also jostle me out of the blog funk. So here I am only one day after my last post. I have some fun photos of progress for you. Here, to the left, is a lovely little pic of the first four motifs post-blocking. Aren't they pretty?  

 After yesterday's post I searched for Madarin Petit on ravlery and on there it is categorized as a fingering weight. Uh-oh. I personally think it is definitely thicker than that but still a little skinny to be a DK. So I did my best to block those babies to three inches like the pattern calls for. I think they almost made it, although they are little more lacy than the one's in the picture. Luckily though they are positioned high above any area that shouldn't be exposed and I think they will be nice for a summer top. They yarn is actually very lovely. It is a nice crisp cotton yet very soft. At first it was a little splitty but once you find your ground it is very easy crocheting. I am working my motifs up on an F hook (like called for in the pattern) and they are lacy but not flimsy, which I like. Today was a lovely day for picture taking. For comparison I took another photo of a blocked and unblocked motif.

Pretty cool, huh? Blocking really does make a huge difference even for little tiny motifs! Currently all eight motifs that the pattern calls for are crocheted (yay progress!) and the last four are blocking outside in the sun. It's not too too hot out today, which is nice. I went to breakfast with my dad and then I took him to see Grown-Ups at the theater I work at. It was good to spend a little time with him. He drives a truck all through Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and some times Connecticut. He can be gone for two or three days at a time and even then I still might not see him if our schedules might not match. It isn't an easy job but after being laid off for about a year and half he's just glad to be working. So it was good to steal a little time this morning with him. Well that's about all today. I'll leave you with a little photo of me enjoying the morning sun.

Yeah, I'm really freckly. That's summer though!

A Little (Crafty) Challenge Never Hurt Anyone...

....Right? As I'm sure was obvious from the lack, or complete absence, of posting I have been in a bit of a funk lately. Sometimes in Summer when there is too much time to do things I like, I don't. It isn't like I get sick of my favorite things I just get in a funk. Seems lately anything I try to crochet, anything I try to knit just isn't doing it for me. So I started reading Harry Potter again. I'm reading the Prisoner of Azkaban now ,but as much as I love them I can only read so much in a day. So I have decided to give myself a little crafty challenge to (hopefully) send me flying out of my funk. What have I chosen? What are the guidelines? I'm glad you asked.

Elise's First Ever Summer Crafty Challenge

The Subject: Linda Permann's Floral Motif Top from Crochet Adorned

The Materials: Two balls Mandarin Petit in light pink colorway

and one yard and a half fabric

The Challenge: Finish the motif yoke by Friday, just in time for Grammie to help sew the bodice.

So there it is. I purchased the yarn and fabric yesterday at Saflter's and I am challenging myself to have all the crocheting done by Friday when we go down to visit my Grammie for a few days. Now I'll bet you wanna see the yarn and fabric, eh? I don't blame you.