Fiber Arts

[Christina]

We have a lot of people here that can sew, knit, weave, crochet and embroider and most of our threads about it start out on one subject and end up encompassing all of them. Maybe it's easier to follow if we keep most of it in one place.

I crochet and my latest projects that I haven't already posted pictures of have been a sweater and a cashmere scarf for my mom. I'm not sure if I like the sweater or not. It came out very well by technical standards but it's really loud and I think that I'd like it better as a rug or wall hanging. Someone has already asked me if I'd sell it to them so I might. It was fun to make and as long as I recover the cost of the yarn I don't care what I get for it. It has at least 30 different kinds and colors of yarn but it didn't use all that much of any of them. The picture came out weird because of the angle I took it from. It looks short and wide but it comes down to the middle of my calves and has a narrow silhouette and not the oversized one that the picture creates. The scarf was very simple and it only took a few hours. I used a simple edging because tassels often tangle and can be hard to separate again without fuzzing up the yarn. There's probably about 50 hours of work in the coat sweater.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g132/KGpictures/2-28-10038.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g132/KGpictures/2-28-10040.jpg

[Daydream]

Very nice work! I haven't crocheted in many years but I use to make a lot of afghans, scarves, purses and bookmarks for family and friends. Crocheting is a soothing activity but I have to be in the mood to do it.

[Christina]

I do it a lot in the winter while I listen to audio books. I'm usually busy with other projects in the nice weather and it gets too hot to want to have anything made of wool sitting on my lap.

[Anne]

beautiful!

I just sent out my third exam in surface work. I don't have high hopes.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii287/jessebison/100_1049.jpg

[Christina]

Wow. Do you do it all freehand or do you start out with a design backing? I couldn't do that in a solid color even with a drawing to work from. Why don't you have high hopes? It's great.

[LoneWolf]

There is a part of me that would really like to give it a try. But I fear it would be bad for my man cred.

;)

[scraparcs]

If loud isn't in style now, it will be in a few years. Hang it now, then wear it a few years down the road :)

[Daynna]

Which is the easiest to learn? Knitting or crotcheting?

[scraparcs]

I've tried to learn knitting for over 20 years without success, but got the hang of crochet at age 8.

[Christina]

If loud isn't in style now, it will be in a few years. Hang it now, then wear it a few years down the road :)

Sometimes I just have to look at it for a while and wear it around the house a few times and then I start to like it. I think that part of it is that it's hard to look at it from any objective distance right after I finish because I notice every little mistake at first. Joe says that it isn't too loud at all and that it looks good with jeans. I don't know. I don't care what's in style but I don't want to feel uncomfortable if it draws too much attention.

Daynna, I think that the basic stitches are easy to learn in both but it seems much easier to pick up and apply advanced techniques in crochet than in knitting but Cath or someone who does both would know better.

ETA: What scraparcs said.

[Anne]

Lone Wolf--- yeah, because this guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosey_Grier) is a pansy:
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/88664.jpg

:D

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jeSuLa5ZscU/SuGgaV9EWYI/AAAAAAAAX4E/XrMX-DvspbU/s400/roset_grier.jpg

Christina, I baste the design on, and snip it away while working. If it weren't for the exam, I'd have drawn it on with a perm marker, but you get points off if they see the marks. So it's basically a rough sketch on te fabric I can be free with while stitching.

The rose doesn't have enough definition between petals, and I'm afraid some of my stitching may look sloppy. The colors aren't balanced very well, and I think the design could have used tweaking. It was long hard work, and I didn't do my best. but it's out. Hopefully I'll get a good critique and do better next time.

I listened to a bunch of audio books doing it as well! 4 of the Artemis Fowl books, I Am Legend and the entire Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio show. I'll never stitch without an audiobook again!