When in doubt, always go back to the tried and true. After a slow weekend with no projects and nothing but boredom threatening at every turn, I found myself flipping through Stitch and Bitch Nation, one of my absolute favorite books around. Okay, let's face it; Anything by Debbie Stoller is probably one of my absolute favorites.
I thought that the wrist cuff by the name of "The Bead Goes On" looked pretty cute and simple, while still having some attitude. It's not honestly something I could see myself wearing, but… Well… As embarrassed as I am to admit it, the approach of June makes me instantly switch into the holiday-gifting mind set. Yes, I do start that early! I always procrastinate like crazy, and it takes so long to make to figure out what would truly be appreciated and then make it… With a solid 6 months to alternate between obligation crafts and things I want to make for myself, it makes the whole ordeal so much more tolerable and even enjoyable! I really do love making things for other people, but not when I have to rush throught them and do a hap-hazard job, just so I have something in hand on the 'big day.' It's just gotta mean something, and it's got to be from the heart. That's what I thought when I saw this pattern, as something my little cousin would get a kick out of.
While I love making intricate designs through knitting by use of lacey patterns and things, I hate intarsia. It almost never works out well, and my piece is either lumpy and irregularly shaped where colors cross, or I somehow screw up the pattern, but don't want to go through the pain of tinking all the way back to fix it. Using beads for the first time was a really fun adventure, and I think I'll have to do much more of it in the future! The only slightly annoying bit was pre-stringing on all 172 beads at the very beginning… Just to discover, 3 rows away from the end of the design, that I had somehow miscounted and was now about 11 beads short. Augh!! No matter, I just cut and restrung, reattatched, and moved on. All ended well, despite the fact that a 3-needle bind off on #0 needles is like performing brain surgery under a microscope…
Now, the real trick is stashing this little goodie until the colder months… Without forgetting where I put it!
I get the punk. Where does the pink come in?
I have the problem of only making things for other people throughout the year. Whenever I bring a new project to my knit night, they ask, is that for you? I sigh, and so No…
One of these days, Alice, one of these days, I’ll actually finish the black and red striped purse that’s almost done and start a second project for myself. After I make the three baby hats I have planned for knit bloggers who are expecting or have little ones, and finish the two scarves I’m making for teachers I work with, and get started on the acrylic double-stranded blanked for afghansforafghans…
But reading your little projects is definitely an inspiration. I would love to have a bowl of knitted/crocheted fruits and veggies. And I’d love to make some little crocheted animals. Luckily I happened to stop by my LYS a few weeks ago to work on Branching Out and the owner was giving this woman an intro to crocheting class. I watched and listened…and now as soon as I take the time to find some yarn in my stash that’s good for crocheting and fits my size G needle (no, I’m not going to start with the size B one) I’ll get started.
I have Stich n’ Bitch, and one of the first (and only, actually – I haven’t knitted anything in forever) things I made from it was a wristband that said “geek.” Awesome. I love this – I have to admit a weakness for all things skull and crossbones. It satisfies my pirate love and my anatomy love at the same time. Though I have to say that this one, having no lower jaw, would enrage my anatomy teacher. So funny.
I’ve always wanted to try knitting with beads. I agree – intarsia is a bitch and a half. I made some pac man wristbands once, as my first try doing intarsia. They came well enough in the end, but it’s a miracle I got through them at all. Ugh.