Granny Squares and Photography Lessons

Carnival Giant Granny Square Throw

The Marble Baby Throw pattern, offered for free from Lion Brand is now one of my go-to patterns. Not only is it quick and easy, it also looks great with lots of different yarn combinations. I've been experimenting with color choices lately. I call this color combo Carnival, partly because it reminds me a little of Hot Dog on a Stick, and a friend mentioned clowns. It makes me think of a county fair in the summer.

Carnival Throw in a Basket

One thing I'm learning about this wonderful world of yarny goodness is that you can make the world's most beautiful handcrafted item, but if your photographs aren't of good quality, it won't matter one bit how great your work is. So, I decided it was high time I learn how to take a better picture. I am quite proud to say I took the above photographs. I don't expect to start entering photos into galleries,but it at least has some semblance of quality, and it's the truest to the colors of the yarn of any picture I've ever taken.

I owe most of my newfound ability to a fantastic website I found via a blog I follow. Thank heavens for a friend on Pinterest pinning it. Fresh Stitches Blog - Photography Tips. Because of this site, I'm now carrying blank poster board in my car because I know I'll only remember to take pictures with the right daylight when I'm out and about, so now I will have the tools needed.

To show I'm progressing in my photography skills, here are some of the pics I've taken in the past, starting with the most recent.

The Queue

Free Lion Brand Pattern: Marble Baby Throw

I have so many projects in queue right now. And a lot of them are things I have started but not finished. This is the baby throw I'm working on. I'm using Lion Brand Jamie yarn, as that's the yarn used in the pattern, though I'm pretty sure if I make it again I'll go for a softer yarn selection. The colors of the yarn are fantastic though. It's hard to tell in this picture, but it a gorgeous combination.

I'm not currently sure who this is for, and I may end up keeping it for myself since I've not kept any of my blankets so far.

The Sticks Matter

In my attempts at knitting I have learned a very important lesson. Using the right needles is important! So important, that using the wrong needles will make the whole knitting process intensely more difficult. When you're crocheting, as long as you have the same size hook, really, you can use any hook. Some people swear by wooden or bamboo hooks, but really if it's the same size, it'll work. With knitting...not so much. (Or at least, not for me.)

For me, bamboo hooks (which I started with) stick to the yarn. A lot. My knitting was really really tight (so much that my friend commented that my needles were squeaking) and it was pretty much a painful miserable experience.

Then, I tried a friend's nickel plated needles and the loops wouldn't stay on the needle it was so slick.

So, the other day I went to an LYS (Local Yarn Store) called Yarning For You. It's nice and everyone was so helpful and nice. I picked up some Knit Picks Interchangeable Circular Needles. And I looove them. They're wood, but it's super polished wood, so it's really smooth, but not so slick the loops fall off. They're also really pretty because of the different colors.

They inspired me to start another project. When I get to a point that I'm happy, I'll share it on here. So far, (fingers crossed) it looks really good. :)

2012 Resolutions

I'm officially behind on a couple of my resolutions this year, but, so far I haven't broken any completely. So that's better than 2011. One of my resolutions is to expand my horizons by learning to KNIT. I'm finding there are A LOT of differences between knitting and crocheting, but I'm also finding that there are a lot of similarities.

People frequently comment on how even and tight my crochet stitches are. This is because I am a yarn control freak. Seriously, I have what is basically akin to a death grip on my working yarn. I loop it around my pinky, then weave between each of my fingers. Most people that I've seen barely hold the yarn at all. (I'm sure it's something I should change, especially because I have tendinitis and it's painful.)

So, I'm finding that my yarn control issues are making learning to knit a little on the difficult side. My loops (no clue if that's the right term) are so tight on the needles it's hard to get the other needle inside them.

Another thing I'm finding, is that there's no indication that you've done something wrong until it's too late to do anything about it. In crochet, it's really obvious when something isn't right...or at least it is to me now that I've been doing it a while. The following photo shows the piece I discovered a big hole in.

But, on the bright side, what I currently have going looks pretty good...I think.

2012 Pay It Forward

The Pay it Forwards are complete! Now I just have to finish making my cards to attach to them and get them mailed/delivered.

 

To give some size perspective, they fit pretty perfectly in a gallon-sized storage bag.

Tic Tac Toe: Spring Edition

For my second Pay It Forward gift, I made the same Tic Tac Toe board, but because I hated making the X's I needed a new theme. The flowers and butterflies make it very springlike and I absolutely LOVE the color combination for this one. It's just gorgeous.

 

A closeup of the flower applique piece

 

A closeup of the butterfly applique piece

Details: The board: Ch 35, sc in second ch from hook and each chain across. Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across. Repeat until the board is approximately 10" x 10". Using contrasting color, evenly stitch lines to make the squares. Join two stitches from a corner, sc across to corner, sc 3 in corner sc, repeat for each side, joining with a slst to first sc. Pattern for flower applique is here. Pattern for butterfly applique is here.

Tic Tac Toe

Here is the first of my Pay It Forward projects to be completed. Tic Tac Toe! I got the idea from a Lion Brand pattern, but it seemed so complicated and there was so much sewing involved I got nervous. I looked on Ravelry at some of the other people who had modified and went with an idea they had given me. In the end, it's all improvised by me. The "board" is approximately 10" x 10". I'm not satisfied with the X pattern, so for the next project I plan to change it.