Who is this person? And where did the blogs go?

Egad, it's been a busy year. I've been working like crazy at my job, and I've been going out of town for it a lot. And for house sitting. And to visit my family in Florida. And finally, most of that has slowed down, and I actually have a little *gasp* free time. Not that I'm spending it idly, mind you.

Okay, maybe a little. But I've been working on my knitting lately too, especially socks. They are great for car trips or lonely nights in a faraway house or hotel. They're small, and intensive, and they take a lot of time. A friend of mine recommended the book Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. It's a winner. Socks are way easier than they seem, but they take a lot of time. Ankle socks, though...

I'll have more patterns soon. I've got an little owlet in the works, and a ribby little scarf, too.

Tuned Out

I tune things out when I crochet, and I also do this when I blog about crochet. Actually, I do this with pretty much any mildly repetitive task that involves the smallest bit of focus. Tuning things out is great for my projects, because it means that I mess up less often and get things done a lot faster. It does, however drive my boyfriend bonkers. I literally do not hear when he is talking to me. If he needs to tell me something, he will have to actually nudge me on the shoulder. Sometimes more than once. Okay, usually more than once.

This is why I tend to crochet mostly when I'm home alone. I do have a group that I meet with every two weeks or so, which I love. They are a great bunch, and that's why I try really hard to not get super focused. I don't want to tune out any of them. This usually means that I work a tiny bit on multiple projects, spending more time hanging out than doing any serious work. Crocheting at home alone isn't really a bad thing though. I enjoy my time alone, I get bunches done, and nobody is bothered when I ignore the world.

Splittens!

These split-finger mittens are great for cold, wintery bike rides. The split makes it easier to use the brakes, and keeping your fingers together keeps them nice and toasty. They work up pretty quickly and easily, although they get a bit tricky where the fingers join.

This pattern uses a DK weight yarn (Snowflake, by YarnBee) but a worsted weight will work just fine if not better. I used a size H hook. The gauge for this is 9 sts per 2 inches in dc. The gloves come in ladies size medium. They are pretty forgiving size-wise, but I'll add more sizes as soon as I can play with the pattern a bit more.

Big Fingers (make 2)
Rnd 1: ch 5. Ch 3 more (counts as 1st dc), then dc in 4th ch from hook. 2 dc, hdc. in last ch, hdc, sc, hdc. Working on opposite side of ch, hdc, 3 dc. Join. (12 sts)
Rnd 2-7: dc around, joining each round. (12 sts)
Rnd 8: ch 1, 3 sc, 2 hdc, 3 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc. (12 sts)
Fasten off.

Small fingers (make 2)
Rnd 1: ch 3. Ch 3 more (counts as 1st dc), then dc in 4th ch from hook. Hdc. In last ch, 3 sc. Working on opposite side of ch, hdc, dc. Join. (8 sts)
Rnd 2: ch 3. Dc, hdc, 3 sc inc, hdc, dc. (11 sts)
Rnd 3: ch 3. Dc, 2 hdc, sc, 2 sc inc, sc, 2 hdc, dc. (13 sts)
Rnd 4-7: dc around, joining each round. (13 sts)
Rnd 8: ch 1. 3 sc, 2 hdc, 4 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc. (13 sts)
Fasten off.

Thumb (make 2)
Rnd 1: ch 4. Dc in 4th ch from hook. 8 dc in same ch. Join. (9 sts)
Rnd 2-5: dc around, joining each round. (9 sts)
Rnd 6: *2 dc, dc inc. Repeat from * 2 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Cut the yarn, leaving an 18 inch tail (enough for a few sl sts and to weave in). Hold the live stitch in place with a stitch marker (I use paper clips).

Hand (make 2)
Arrange the Major Fingers and Minor Fingers so their tails are next to each other. Join yarn next to the one of the tails, and sl st the middle 2 stitches together.
Rnd 1: ch 3 (counts as first dc). Dc around, including in the 4 stitches that are sl st together. Join. (25 sts, count 'em to be sure. This is a tricky part.)
Rnd 2-6: dc around, joining each round. (25 sts)

Hold the live stitch in place with a stitch marker (paperclip). Remove the stitch marker from the Thumb and pick up the live stitch. Place the Thumb in an appropriate location on the Major Fingers side. Sl st it to the Hand using 3 sl sts. Fasten off. Pick up the live Hand stitch and continue working the Hand.

Rnd 7: dc around the Hand and Thumb, including in the 4 outermost stitches that are sl st together. Join. (32 sts, count 'em to be sure. This is a tricky part.)
Rnd 8: dc around. Join. (32 sts)
Rnd 9: *6 dc, dc dec. Repeat from * 3 more times. Join. (28 sts)
Rnd 10: *5 dc, dc dec. Repeat from * 3 more times. Join. (24 sts)
Rnd 11: *4 dc, dc dec. Repeat from * 3 more times. Join. (20 sts)
Fasten. Weave in any ends.

Cuff (make 2)
Join yarn to the end of the Hand. Ch 7.
Row 1: starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc across. Sl st in 2nd Hand st from the join. Turn. (6 sts)
Row 2: ch 1. Sc across in back loop only. Turn. (6 sts)
Row 3: ch 1. Sc across in back loop only. Sl st in 2nd Hand st from the last sl st. Turn. (6 sts)
Repeat rows 2 and 3 around the rest of the Hand. Sl st the last row to the ch to join the two ends of the Cuff. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Happy riding!

The Holiday Hiatus

...is over. I work retail, and Christmas is like the final exam for it. No matter how much you prepare, it's never quite enough. You do get a paycheck instead of a letter grade (and instead of paying tuition) and that's pretty nice. Anyway, I've been busy, busy, busy. Over the past 2-3 weeks, I've been working my little (ch 4) tail off. I live in Austin, but I've gone to Houston and San Antonio both before Christmas, and a house-sitting gig in the suburbs during and after Christmas. So I haven't exactly been Posty McPosterson, but egad, I've been a busy little bee.

I've picked up on the boyfriend Christmas socks, which are now boyfriend birthday socks. Hopefully. I'm a slow knitter. I've got some crochet patterns in the works. I need to replenish my stash, but the patterns should be up soon. I've got a neato pair of mittens coming up, and a brand new critter for the menagerie. Keep checking in! The patterns will be up soon.

Project Fail

I've had quite a few stinkers in my day. The first (and only) bolero I tried to make for myself wouldn't fit a toddler, I've got a half finished cardigan that looks more like a rug, and today I tried to make stash-busting coasters for our coffee table. Tried. Failed. It looks like a box of Crayolas exploded. For every nice thing that I make, I've probably got ten or twelve (or more) stinkers waiting to be frogged.

Those few nice projects give me hope. I know I can make nice things. I just have to struggle for it. The struggle is good, though, even if it feels terrible at the time. In every horrible project hides a lesson, even if that lesson is that you can't make those colors work together, or that you really should check the gauge more carefully. Or, sometimes, the lesson is simply that not everything that looks nice on the model in the picture will look good on you. As for people who don't struggle, well, I've also learned it is okay to despise them. It's okay though. People like that don't really exist anyway.

Recommended reading: Bird by Bird, by Annie Lamott. True, it's about writing, but the same wit and wisdom goes for any craft that breeds frustration.

Happy Okapi

These are one of my favorite animals! They look like some kind of zebra-horse hybrid, but they are really closer to giraffes. The legs on this pattern use a technique of working in spirals that seems scary at first, but is really simple and quick once you get the hang of it.

Body
Make the basic body.

Legs (make 4)
Rnd 1: starting in black, ch 2. 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. (6 st)
Rnd 2: work in a spiral. Sc 6 times. (6 st)
This is where things get fun. take your hook out of the black yarn. Use a stitch marker (I recommend paper clips) and place it in the loop to hold the stitch in place.
Rnd 3: in next st, join white. Ch 1. Sc 6 times (the last stitch will go into the held stitch). (6 st)
Rnd 4: remove marker from black yarn, and place it in white yarn. Using the black yarn, 6 sc (in the white stitches). (6 st)
Rnd 5: remove marker from white yarn, and place it in black yarn. Using the white yarn, 6 sc (in the black stitches). (6 st)
Rnd 6: repeat Rnd 4 (black). (6 st)
Rnd 7: repeat Rnd 5 (white), but sc 3 times. Sl 1, and fasten. Leave some tail for sewing.
Rnd 8: (black) sl 1, fasten.

Head
Rnd 1: starting in black, ch 2. 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. (6 st)
Rnd 2: work in a spiral. *sc, sc inc. Repeat from * 2 more times (9 st) Sl 1, fasten.
Rnd 3: join white into sl st, ch 1 (counts as first sc). Sc 8 more times. (9 st)
Rnd 4-5: Sc. (9 st per rnd). Sl 1, fasten.
Rnd 6: join brown, ch 1 (counts as first sc). Sc, sc inc, *2 sc, sc inc. Repeat from * 1 more time. (12 st)
Rnd 7: *3 sc, sc inc. Repeat from * 2 more times. (15 st)
Rnd 8-9: sc. (15 st per rnd)
Rnd 10: *3 sc, sc dec. Repeat from * 2 more times. (12 st)
Rnd 11: 6 sc dec. (6 st)
Fasten, leaving a tail for sewing.

Neck
Ch 10, join in first ch.
Rnd 1: sc. (10 st) Work in a spiral.
Rnd 2-3: sc. (10 st)
Rnd 4: 4 sc, 2 sc inc, 4 sc. (12 st)
Rnd 5: 5 sc, 2 sc inc, 5 sc. (14 st)
Rnd 6: 6 sc, 2 sc inc, 6 sc. (16 st) Sl 1, fasten. Leave some tail for sewing.
The increases form the front of the neck.

Ears (make 2)
ch 5. Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sl 1, hdc, tr, hdc. Fasten off.

Bike Helmet Ear Warmers

Brr! Biking in winter needs some special gear. You usually can't wear hats under a bike helmet, and cold ears are a pain in the...ear. I've seen some patterns for similar things around, but they are all knit. I tried making some, but I think my aluminum dpns were covered in grease or something because I would just settle in to a row and all of a sudden I'd feel the plunk of a dpn falling out of all of the stitches and onto my lap.

After turning those dpns into pointed projectiles, I pulled out a crochet hook. Here's what I came up with:

Ear Warmers (Make 2)
Change colors as you wish. Since gauge is a little bit important here, go with 4 dc per inch.
Rnd 1: ch 12. join into first ch, ch 1. Sc into each ch. Join. (6 st)
Rnd 2: ch 3 (counts as first dc). 11 dc. Join. (12 st)
Rnd 3: ch 3. dc in same st. Dc inc, 4 dc, 2 dc inc, 4 dc. Join. (16 st)
Rnd 4: ch 3. 2 dc inc, 6 dc, 2 dc inc, 5 dc. Join. (20 st)
Rnd 5: ch 3. dc, 2 dc inc, 8 dc, 2 dc inc, 6 dc. Join. (24 st)
Rnd 6: ch 3. 2 dc, 2 dc inc, 10 dc, 2 dc inc, 7 dc. Join. (28 st)
Rnd 7: ch 3. 3 dc, 2 dc inc, 12 dc, 2 dc inc, 8 dc. Join. (32 st)
Rnd 8: ch 3. 4 dc, 2 dc inc, 14 dc, 2 dc inc, 9 dc. Join. (36 st)
Rnd 9: ch 4. 2 dc, 2 hdc, sc, 2 sc inc, sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 6 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, sc, 2 sc inc, sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 5 tr. Join. (40 st)
Rnd 10: ch 1. 18 sc, ch 4. starting in next st, 22 sc. Join, fasten off.
Make 2 monk's cords and thread them through the back of each ear warmer at the top center. This will make ties that you can use to attach to your helmet. After securing, thread one end through the front loop and tie the two ends together.

If you need extra rows, or if you don't feel like counting your stitches, make your increases into the 2 center stitches of the increases below. Dc everywhere else.

Happy (warm) riding!