Feb 21, 2012

: Yelling at You Tube :

Monkey see- Monkey able to do...

Thats my motto.

Written instructions and I are not copacetic. I read. I re-read. I not understand.

Give me 'insert tab A under slot YC' and you have me muttering and flinging the directions into a dark corner and wishing for a cigarette and a refreshing beverage.

So... my Latest pursuit (as mentioned in my previous post) is grasping the Easy Beginner Simple Crocheted Granny Square.


LinkI turned to You Tube.
And found a Lovely Woman with Saintly Patience... gently showing s.l.o.w.l.y. the way to start a Granny Square.



-Just a slight aside: That Granny Gal must have been a genius to figure this stuff out !!

So, hook at hand. Yarn all loosely rolled. Deep calming breaths. Nice and well lit craft area (actually hunched over the keyboard).

Begin to watch the video...

And therein my sanity begins to Un-Ravel... and granted my Sanity was only loosely attached to begin with...

I see her method. Understand the hook and flip and yarn over etc.

So after several tries I find my self- Quite Hysterically-

Yelling at You Tube.

This marvelous woman whose deft fingers show me how to proceed... being screeched at "Wait-Stop-Slow Down !!!"

"StopStopStop"...

Doesn't help that I am one of those who sees much better without her bifocals that with... but need the bifocals to see the computer screen. So, there is also quite a bit of whipping my specs off and back on, thus losing yarn, crochet hook, mouse to click Pause, sight of where she is in the video , and thusly I am tipped into unhinged bewilderment...

The Girls were starting to watch me out of the corners of their eyes. And Move ever so slowly closer.
Poor Darlings.

Kuchi...

Here is the first ever partially re-done gobs of times all stretched out slightly grubby crusted with salty tears Greenish Granny Square...
And somehow I got a blister...


Not too bad iffin I do say...


My Second "First-Ever" Granny Square...

So Here are some examples of what I am hoping will be the first of Many (okay... A Couple... Maybe...) Crocheted blanky-throws...








Besides, I Must keep this hooky needle busy and flashing with ever lovelier coverlet creations - BeCause I Keep Buying Yarn !!!



Just my First Yarn order...

Baa Baa Black Sheep... Three Baskets Full !?!
xoxo

Feb 1, 2012

Learning Womanly Arts...

...and other strangely brained things I have done recently.

Finished off the knitted wrist-warmers/French Cuffs (as I prefer to call them- it sounds more posh).
Project Number One.
They are nice and cosy.


I added on several rows on either end beyond what the pattern called for as my arms are long-and rather pudgey- and my hands are a nice 'being able to grasp a basketball' size.
I also added the lacy frill around the top to feminize them a bit.



So--- naturally after having gotten them off the needles--- what does the weather do ? Pop up into the hi 50's !! No need for keep the wrists warm now, is there ?
Sigh...

Onwards and awfulwards... With my second project fixing to Commence.
There was a great bundle of yarn that has been tucked in a basket for eons- literally- as the receipt I found at the basket bottom was dated 1991 ~~

Procrastinator... thy name is Karen.

I just wanted to definitively use up all that I had before venturing into my bright soft new skeins. So, just practicing my V.E.R.Y. rusty crochet skills, I attempted a small throw.
Nothing Fancy. Just a straight crochet stitch.
A flat rectangle of super-saver yarn for the girls to snuggle on.




As I Discovered as the Throw lengthened... and Hopefully you can see in the pic- that for some undefined reason (ie; my crochet skills had regressed to the point of Non-existence) that there is a Ruffle.



A RUFFLE.

Where there was no ruffle planned.



See above-> '...flat rectangle...'.

Determined to keep my skills pressed against on the whetstone of keeping on keeping on... I worked my way thru the itchy acrylic yarn from circa 1991. Made it almost to the ending point of being able to say "No W.I.P. for Me !! No Siree Bob".

So what to do with the 'Ruffle' ? The beginning wobbly rows. Miscounted stitches- when I did re-remember how to count stitches.

Gah !!

Do you know how interesting it is trying to M.A.K.E. a Ruffle to match another Ruffle when you aren't completely sure of which wave-length you were tuned into when the first so called Ruffle was created ?
Have you noticed that when you say the word 'Ruffle' repetitively it begins to take on its own personality ?
Ruffle Ruffle Rufffle....

UN-digressing and Back to The Story...

Opposite end Ruffleing haphazardly, oh so casually, trying not to Peer into those confusing Yarny depths, Cast Off !!
Oh, that is a official crochet/knitting term.
I prefer it to Bound off.
Feels more like Cast Away tho... he he...

Now, how to wrap this project up ?
Trying so earnestly to have this one of a kind ' flat rectangle' (see above) appear as tho "Honestly, this is Exactly the Look I was aiming For. An Artiste' piece of Fibre' Art".

Hey!! Lets slap an edge around it.
'Otay..

And so the edge... So Now All FOUR sides now has a Ruffle.




Exactly as I had Planned !!

snarkple... blerckis... pflatt...

Does my Artiste' nose seem to be doing a Pinocchio to you ?
(Wood I lie to You?)

All done tho... no more super saver Itchy-Itch-Crunchy yarn. All Gone.
I have been leery of letting the Girls test snuggle it tho.
Cause I have to sleep sometime... and Geeze- if they don't find the itchy crunchy crispy Throw to their liking...

They Could Be Consequences...
Gulp.

Dah-Dum...Dah Dummmh Dummm...


Alices "Mother I Am Not Pleased Nor Am I Amused !!" face.



Alice with her "but I am a Good Girl Mama !!" face on...

But really I do know How to get one of the Girls to avail themselves of the flatish Throw...

Simply put it up somewhere that I hope they can't get to...

Works Every Time !!

xoxo

p.s.
The next Post:
Our Admirable Endeavour with Newly Delivered Yarn !!