:: aavrooman ::

Wee Robot

I saw a book on amigurumi robots and figured I could come up with a wee robot without having to splurge on a new book. So, here’s how the first one turned out. I might add a button on his tummy, but like him being minimalist. Fear my robot army! (:

Tags: amigurumi, crochet, robot

It’s time to CREATE again!

Yes, folks, it is CREATE South time ! It seems like it has sneaked up on all of us once again. Sadly, I will not be able to attend this year and am quite disappointed as there are so many wonderful speakers and activities!

CREATE South in Kicks! 2010

What am I rambling about?
CREATE South is a conference held each spring in Myrtle Beach, SC to bring techies of the South together with artists, bloggers, educators, videographers, photographers, and creative types of all kinds. The best information is available on the CREATE South web site.

This will be the first CREATE South I’ve not attended and I’m quite sad to be missing out. Each year, I’ve met wonderful people who have become friends, learned something new, and feasted like a king on BBQ and sweet tea!

Aren’t tech conferences a dime a dozen?
It’s true, there are many tech conferences to choose from, but CREATE South stands out for its welcoming nature, willingness to be flexible, and (of course) the BBQ lunch. (I’m asking for a plate of BBQ to be brought back to me because missing that alone is torture!)

CREATE South is a networking mecca. You’ll find cartoonists, publicists, photographers, crafters, knitters, authors, social media mavens, realtors, gallery owners, and just about everything in between. In the past, people who met at CREATE south have teamed up to work on various successful projects.

If you’ve been reading my blog the past week, then you know I participated in Knitting and Crochet Blog week. I would have never known about this event if it weren’t for a fellow CREATE South attendee, Vera of Vera’s Crafty Blog. She’ll be hosting a crochet with me session this year! I can’t believe I’m going to miss out on some awesome crochet!

Details please?

CREATE South
April 9, 2011 from 9am-5pm

Horry Georgetown Technical College
Convention and Business Center
950 Crabtree Lane
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Registration: $10 (includes BBQ lunch or veggie option)

I hope people within the South Carolina community will make an effort to attend. There are so many talented people in the SC area who don’t get the wider recognition their projects deserve. Find out how to market yourself and your creative talents as well as just have a great time! (It isn’t all about the food.)

But wait, there’s more!
There is a pre-CREATE get together sponsored by MB Scene and The Tavern in the Forest on Friday night. Last pre-party was a blast, so I’ll guess this one will be even better.

Even MORE!
The end of CREATE South is usually a group of people hanging around the parking lot deciding where to continue their conversations through dinner. So, this year they organized a post-CREATE party. Come out and join us for the after-party on Saturday night sponsored by ListenUp Myrtle Beach and The Boat House. Music, food and drink – what more could you want?

Details for the pre and post parties are on the CREATE South web site and their Facebook page.

Tags: conference, create, CREATE South, crochet, Myrtle Beach, party, sc

When and Where to Crochet

Crochet is the best appetite suppressant in the world! If I can crochet in front of the TV, my hunger magically disappears. I really love this side benefit, so almost all the crocheting I do is in front of the TV. On the other hand, I don’t like to just sit in front of the TV for hours on end. Well, I do, but try really hard not to. So, my crafting time is limited to Saturday and Sunday mornings and the rare weekday evening when I don’t have a million other things to do.

Crochet on the Road
I’ve tried to crochet in other places—long road trips, while at a ballet rehearsal, at crafting nights—but none of those really work for me. I like to be entertained while working on a project, but not distracted. TV is perfect since most of the shows are entertaining enough without actually watching them.

Anyway… it is possible for me to crochet on long road trips, but one has to be driving during the day. I tried to crochet at night (with a wee reading light) and it worked, but not all that well. Oddly enough, I didn’t have to rip out any of the row I managed to complete that way.

Crafting Parties and Social Crochet
When at other events or with other people, I find myself needing to pay attention to whatever is going on around me even if it is a craft specific get together. I might get a row done here or there, but find much more of my time is spent figuring out where I was before making a few more stitches and getting distracted again. I love being around people and learning from others, and love finding out about their projects. I never get very far when people are around, so I feel like I would have been better off ONLY listening to the conversation.

This brings up a question I’ve often contemplated. I’ve had people bring knitting projects to parties I’ve thrown. They’ve been informal, but definitely not crafting parties. Is this something you would do? Do you think it is rude to work on a project while at a social function? Does it depend on the knitter’s ability to knit and pay attention?

It isn’t something I would do, as I honestly don’t think it would even be worth it to try, but I can’t say I felt my guest was being rude either. She really does have a knack for knitting and socializing. In addition, she was working on a small unobtrusive project and not a giant afghan or bulky sweater. The idea of someone trailing a huge project behind them at a party is hilarious to me though. I get a great mental picture of the person being so engrossed in their work that the project is dragging on the floor, tripping other guests, collecting spilled food, and generally acting as “the blob” while the knitter works diligently.

Back to the TV
Even one person is too distracting for me unless they are completely engrossed in something themselves. Minor conversation ruins my stitch count which results in much ripping and frustration. So, I prefer to stick to a little light crafting while watching TV. It may not be wild and exciting, but not everything needs to be.

What about you? Where’s your favourite place to work on your knitting or crochet projects?

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Tags: 2KCBWDAY7, crochet, Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

Whatever Happened to Project X

I am the master of incomplete projects. When sorting through my old yarn, I came across several scarves that were too short to be finished, but too long to want to rip. The thought of all that time gone is painful. So, I split the difference, two were ripped out so the yarn could be used for something better, and one was left intact. It too may be ripped out if I don’t pick it back up in the next year. Besides, only so many friends are willing to smile and say thank you through gritted teeth while looking at a lumpy scarf in a hideous color.

The Red Scarf

The first project I ever completed was my Dr. Who long scarf in a bright red. (Do you see the project pattern here yet?) I knitted this scarf while I was in college. It is nothing fancy, no stitches other than knit knit knit, and I wasn’t sure what to do with the trailing ends of yarn so instead of tucked away neatly, they’re pseudo tassels. I have no idea where I got the yarn but it’s got to be half man made something plastic and horrible and half world’s most itchy wool. It is a hideous, scratchy scarf and I love it.

I can tell you what CD’s I listened to while working on the scarf. I can tell you which subjects I avoided studying while working on the scarf. I remember conversations with friends who I no longer know that were had while I was working on the scarf. I remember deciding it really was long enough and I could probably just stop now, but what the heck why not make it a wee bit longer. And, I remember coming to the end of the yarn and having to stop.

After I finished the red scarf, I wore it EVERYWHERE. Living in New England at the time, it certainly did keep my neck warm (and made it red from irritation). I loved that it was super long and I could wrap it around my neck three times and still have long ends dangling to my thighs. Even now, I cannot stand short stubby scarves. I may have pulled it out to wear once or twice since college and I can honestly say I doubt it’s ever been washed (yes, EW!, I know.) It lives in my closet hung with the rest of my scarves. I can’t imagine ever getting rid of it because it reminds me of “the good old days” and being SO confident that I was proud to wear this hideous thing prominently. It reminds me of feeling like there were infinite possibilities in life and that the whole world was in front of me, ready to bow to my whims. So, I keep it and love it and will probably try to wash it after this is posted! (:

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Tags: 2KCBWDAY4, crochet, Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

Yarn Disorganization vs. Needle Mania

Knitting Bag

I have yarn from college. I have yarn that I inherited from my grandmother. I have yarn snatched from my mother. I have way too much yarn recently bought as part of this recent rush of stitch mania that has come over me.

The good news is, there’s a lot less of it than the above sounds like there is. The bad news is, I have minimal storage space.

A few yarn over-purchases ago, I decided to go through all the yarn I have and organize it. Luckily for me, it hasn’t gotten too much worse since then. Right now, everything is sorted into bags. Some are yarn bags, some are just the giant plastic bags in which I brought the yarn home.

The most recently purchased yarn is in a giant plastic bag because it is going to be made into an afghan as soon as I finish my current project (which I can’t really talk about because it is a present and a surprise). This makes sense to me because I can easily keep all the yarn for that project together in one place, pull it out as needed, and generally keep it corralled. The afghan is going to be large, so the large amount of yarn won’t fit into any of my knitting/crochet/sewing bags/baskets.

Bakka Bag

Current project yarn is kept, along with relevant patterns, in my Bakka Books bag from Toronto. Love this bag! It’s thin and light, the perfect size, and easy to carry.

Old and ancient yarn. When I was in college, I went through the second of my knitting and crochet phases. At that point, I basically just bought a bunch of yarn and played around with it. I made up stitches and generally had no idea what I was doing since I didn’t remember all that much from my lessons with Grandmommie and Auntie Nel. All that yarn is now sorted in a knitting bag.

There is a bunch of bright red for some reason. I even completed a loooooooong red scarf with it. There is also some purple 100% wool yarn that I’m really not sure what to do with other than keep away from moths. I used one of these skeins to begin a scarf, which is still not finished. And, of course, there is the red, blue, and yellow multicolour yarn I bought from Acme Surplus for 50cents a skein. This too was started into a scarf, but never finished.

Needles. When I got into crochet, I bought a set of 5 hooks. I keep these in my current projects bag. Each hook is in its place in the plastic pouch in which they came with the exception of the working hook, which usually is stuck or falling out of my current project.

My older needles and crochet hooks are all stored in the knitting bag I inherited from my grandmother. I like knowing that they are all together in one spot since many of them have sentimental value.

And, that’s my entire yarn hook and needle inventory! This post would be a whole lot longer if I added in the rest of my craft supplies, most of which are semi-organized. I’ve got a nice list of projects and hope to just pick them off one by one until the old yarn (especially the bright red and multicolor stuff) is used up.

Future Projects

• Afghan for R
• Robot One
• Robot Two
• Alternate Panda
• another Wee Cthulhu
• Monkey Monkey Monkey
• Grey Scarf

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Tags: 2KCBWDAY3, crochet, Knitting and Crochet Blog Week