Saturday, April 19, 2008

Bootie-Blocking!

This design for baby moccasins by Sylvia Schuchardt is just delightful. It's available on her Etsy store. But:

How do you block a bootie? Being of inventive mind, I just devised this method:


1. Cut a bootie-sized potato in half lengthwise.


2. Shape cut half of potato to desired shape of bootie sole.


3. Cut top of potato to desired shape of bootie upper.


4. Insert potato in plastic bag. Important: do not omit step 4.


5. Insert potato in bootie. Spray lightly with water and let dry.

When these are dry I'll report back and show you how they turned out.




They turned out like this! Blessings on the humble Potato!
ETA:

7. Dice and fry up potato.
6. Remove potato from plastic bag. Important: do not omit step 6.

Thanks Amy!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Veritas, Equitas II, FO


Good. Now I can wash the other ones.

Actually, I have a sinking feeling about these. My best friend Meng has threatened to confiscate them for her own use, and I'm seeing Meng this evening. Which is why I had to take this picture one-handed and not wait till tomorrow when Mr.Croft could do some proper ones. If I do manage to hold onto them, I'll add more pics tomorrow.


And here they are. Farewell, Veritas Equitas II - you're going to a good home!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Vaasa is up!


Today the Spring issue of Black Purl magazine came out, and the pattern for Vaasa is in there, free for anyone with the courage to try it! There's a pretty melange cardigan by "LaVonne" Angela Best(seeing my name beside hers was worth the whole dpn ordeal!), and one of Wanda Blount's (funkycrochetdiva on ravelry) very funky hats. (Carol Ventura has a blog post about this fantastically creative tapestry crocheter, don't miss it.) There's also a good article on Korsnäs sweaters, and another one on the ethnography of Haitian ceremonial flags. This is a really interesting magazine, both scholarly and fashionable, and I have a great deal of respect for L'Tanya Durante, the editor. It's a privilege to be a part of it.

I really do feel for the poor brave souls who take on Vaasa. So I promise 2 tutorials here, one for knitters and one for crocheters. For knitters we will discuss how to do Crochet Jacquard with 3 strands: this is a lesson in Zen self-mastery, as Sriyana who works with 8 strands (!!) recently pointed out. For crocheters we will discuss Double Pointed Needles, Knitting Thereupon. It will be called "dpns and their puta madre".

This is what my blue Veritas, Equitas looks like to date before weaving in. And I still don't quite know how to explain the thumb gusset decreases in a written pattern.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

All my green clothes are in the wash.


So I need a pair of Veritas, Equitas gloves to wear with jeans. I've been wearing the green ones practically every day, and they're now filthy dirty from driving while eating sunflower seeds. Anyways, I can't wait to have these done so I can finally wash the first ones. The thought of living for a couple of days without them is unthinkable. In passing, I'm rechecking the pattern for mistakes, and using up my crochet energies while waiting for my yarn to arrive from England...for my secret project. My secret project is a secret because if I can't pull it off I'll be embarrassed forever for having raved about it.