NaBloPoMog. National Blog Posting Month. The goal is to post each day in November for a total of 30 posts. It is a take off on the NaNoWriMo, of the National Novel Writing Month, intended to get aspiring novelists into the habit of writing each day. I thought I would give it a shot this year, but of course I am already starting late, since today is Nov. 4. But ok, my goal is a post a day from Nov. 4 to Nov. 30. There is a lot going on chez Rob in terms of fiber arts, so there will be plenty to write about.
Firts, the Knitting project in process. That's the Ribs and Bobbles vest. My new system of working on each piece, section by section, is working pretty well so far. I am about to finish the first section on the third piece.
The white tags are price tags -- I am using them to label each piece, so I know which is the left front and which is the right front (I also labeled the back). I often use the tags on swatches as well, to have a record of what size needle I used.
By this evening, I will be able to start work on the chart -- the bobbles and other design elements that form the middle third of the vest. It will be a challenge, because knitting Eastern Uncrossed means translating some of the instructions. Standard Western instructions, for example, say k2tog (knit two together) when they mean "create a right-slanting decrease." There are other right-slanting decreases, and knitting two together does not do that in Eastern Uncrossed. So I have to learn to do some automatic translating along the way. In Eastern Uncrossed, you do a variation of the SSK, or slip slip knit -- that is, it is sort of the reverse technque. So this chart will be a learning experience, as my high school teachers used to say.
I have also been working on (re)developing my crochet skills. There are a variety of ways I want to use them, both to create clothing, and to do some creative stuff with it. I like this cardigan, which, in fact, is the Millicent cardigan. My mother's name is Millicent, so it seems amusing and appropriate.
I promise not to stand that way while wearing it. If you are interested in the pattern, you can buy it here on Etsy or on Ravelry from the designer. Anyway, to my delight, a local yarn store, the Yarn Barn of San Antonio, is starting an intermediate crochet class today. A beginner class wouldn't be appropriate, since I know the stitches, but the intermediate class will help me develop some of the skills that are bedeveling me on the project. So tomorrow I will blog about crocheting, and the class.
Or yeah to see some of the creative stuff being done with crochet techniques, take a look at Crochet Concuspicience, Aberrant Crochet, the work of crochet artists, including the work of Bonnie Meltzer, who uses crochet in her "very mixed media" art.
I like that cardigan and I need to learn to crochet. But not right now. I need to get fingerless mitts (multiple pair) knitted for the rescue to sell and also for Christmas gifts. Hope the crochet class was useful.
Posted by: Kim B. | November 04, 2012 at 08:06 PM