tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30608733159214834072024-02-20T21:11:32.765+01:00Crochet CodexLara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-59313849427834893342010-01-11T22:04:00.009+01:002010-01-14T23:54:49.726+01:00Laracroft and the Korsnäs Raiders!I had the holiday of my dreams this New Year's. A crocheter's dream! I was allowed to teach 2 groups of utterly delightful fibrephiles. I was treated like royalty and generally made much of.Mostly I coughed at them. I think I might have shown them how to do lined jacquard, between hacking attacks. The day after arriving in Toronto I developed a hideous cold, which I suppose I then shared with Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-62351642718023426732010-01-11T00:22:00.004+01:002010-01-11T22:00:13.042+01:00In their Natural HabitatNamely, Ontario and snow. These are my sister's Ontario mittens.What a pretty design! I didn't actually design it, as a matter of fact. It was inspired by a pair of mittens by a brilliant Swedish Raveler called EvaL8, actually her name is Eva-Lotta and I suspect that if you say "EvaL8" in Swedish it sounds like "Eva-Lotta". Here are her "Svantar" mittens on her blog.I have to say it again: theseLara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-7743006857365756722009-12-27T12:38:00.021+01:002009-12-27T23:35:48.424+01:00My HOT little handsThey look like mittens, right? But what they really are, is little ovens for fingers. If you have cold fingers, make these. Hidden within, unsuspected by all, is a thick, warm and indescribably soft lining.There are very few things that make me wish to live in Toronto again. But these mittens are definitely one of them. Here there is no call for wearing mittens of any kind, and much less these Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-23440253092228415862009-09-02T13:41:00.003+02:002009-09-02T14:02:42.642+02:00Go Gryphon Go!Fine, I'm a rock star. I have to admit it. Remember the Gryphon For Gryphon Cowl? Well, Gryphon in her modesty changed the name to Cloister Cowl, made up ten (ten) kits at 60$ apiece and posted them for sale on her website The Sanguine Gryphon, at 8pm on Aug.31st.At 8:05 PM they were all sold out!!!!!! No no no, I say, this is obviously a mistake, a server error. Would that it were true! I went Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-17823187863614101342009-08-31T14:59:00.002+02:002009-08-31T15:36:04.503+02:00The strand that connects usMy mother knitted this little frock for my own DS when he was born 17 years ago. I'm pretty sure she designed it herself, she was a whiz. It's knitted side-to-side using short rows. I loved it and as you can see it is still much stained with milk and baby mush. It was so easy to put on the little guy. It goes on from the front, then crosses over at the back with one strap passing through a Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-11394560609114195582009-07-21T10:38:00.004+02:002009-07-21T12:18:24.723+02:00A Fully Clothed TroubadorScheherazaad, thank you for providing the title for this post! Scheherazaad, my friend on Ravelry, commented on this vest as follows: "Congratulations. You will eventually fully clothe this troubador." In my lively imagination, I am the troubador of course, and I get to wear all this stuff.The point is, after what - 2 years? The Secret Project is no longer a Secret. This is it.It's published in Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-45052524096462435192009-03-16T09:56:00.009+01:002009-03-16T10:44:48.689+01:00Further AdventuresI also managed to finish another project without a deadline. This one took me about 6 months. It's the pattern for the Cloister fingerless gloves, and I uploaded it to my Ravelry pattern store yesterday. The charts are cool, look:I made 2 more pairs, for the purpose of writing this pattern. One pair for Iolanda, who teaches violin at my school and is also my academic secretary and great friend. Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-43985669488027120762009-03-16T08:57:00.006+01:002009-03-16T09:53:40.877+01:00Secret Service CrochetI'm so sorry I've been away from this blog for so long. I've been crocheting like one possessed all this time, but the bulk of it is top secret. I don't think I'll ever get used to this not being able to share my pretties with the whole world.But not all of it is top secret. I finished Gryphon for Gryphon. What, after 3 months? Didn't you get that yarn back in October, for Chrissake? Well, the Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-80379142685664589642008-11-21T10:34:00.005+01:002008-11-21T11:05:36.499+01:00Veritas, Equitas pattern for sale on RavelryI'm not sure how the wondrous Camanomade manages to be so wondrous. She created this awesome book which boasts about 30 fabulous patterns and articles. My Veritas, Equitas fingerless gloves have the honour to be in there. And somehow she has given us all permission to sell our own patterns individually as well. I was very loth to do this for a long time. To me it seems this practice can only hurtLara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-13048095796292679402008-11-05T20:02:00.005+01:002008-11-05T20:25:36.055+01:00Tracery FO!They're both done at last and I'm thrilled with them. They are such a perfect fit! One day I'll try to write a pattern for them. I have to say that this is the most difficult project I've done to date. The fingers are very fiddly to make. But worth every fiddle!Now that my hands are warm, I'm ready to start making the Gryphon Cowl out of that awesome liquid gold yarn from the Sanguine Gryphon. I Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-36269565942183045302008-10-31T15:09:00.006+01:002008-10-31T15:25:35.254+01:00Quintessence of DelightComparable only to the aroma of baking bread. My Gaia DK from Sanguine Gryphon arrived. No photograph can capture the magic of this yarn. Touching it is like kissing the top of a baby's head. The colours are infinitely complex, deep and compelling. And it shines like gemstones. O come, let us adore it!Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-12530571171482758232008-10-22T13:51:00.004+02:002008-10-22T14:01:01.049+02:00Love of GloveI am over-the-moon in love with this glove! It has fingers! And they fit PERFECTLY! And it's pretty, and soft, and green! Don't laugh guys, but I've been working on this for months. I've tested 4 or 5 different methods for making fingers and thumbs with jacquard before achieving this. Sideways, backwards, intarsia, jacquard, fingers-first, cuff-up...and the winner is: cuff-up, intarsia.Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-41422704429170830092008-10-11T14:33:00.003+02:002008-10-12T11:25:01.288+02:00Holding PatternWell, this is the pattern for people who have no time to invent patterns.1. Ch 108, join to form a ring. (or however many sts goes over your head comfortably)2. Work whatever motifs take your fancy.3. Fasten off.And there you go, a Cowl. I got the graphics from this great book, Celtic Charted Designs by Co Spinhoven. Also a must-have for people with no time left to think.Before I leave you, Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-32950525922043406782008-09-11T13:02:00.005+02:002008-09-11T13:20:10.826+02:00GryphonHere's the finished cowl, and I've christened it "Gryphon" after Sanguine Gryphon Yarns. If all goes well, I'll soon be making it again out of her incredible Gaia in silk/cashmere. And then if everything continues to go well, she'll be selling the pattern and kit on her site! I'm so impatient to get started, and having hissy fits every time the postman fails to bring my samples. This is such an Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-16172346211227922692008-08-31T15:35:00.005+02:002008-08-31T15:49:40.511+02:00Last ProjectTomorrow I start work, and so this is it. School starts in 2 weeks and things will go very badly for yours truly if all is not in place on the 15th. I'd better not even think about crochet. I have to finish this today or forever hold my peace.I've made a couple of other things which will have to remain a secret until further notice, but this cowl is a prototype for many more, I hope. I love it Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-25205919784061736992008-08-25T18:12:00.012+02:002008-08-26T00:27:28.443+02:00Cloister GlovesI was in the cloister of Santa Anna in Barcelona the other day at dusk. I love these gloves, but I promise the cloister of Santa Anna is more beautiful.Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-12499139961100102292008-08-02T15:24:00.003+02:002008-08-02T20:47:57.128+02:00Homage to BlueberriesSo here I am in bright, bleached Spain, but my mind is still filled with images of Georgian Bay: dark river, lichens and mosses in a thousand greens, blueberry bushes and the sweet smell of forest. And a whole month of crochet time ahead of me! Joy! I've started working on patterns for mittens to send off for submission, but this is not one of them. This is a laboratory of experiments, some of Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-59873096481124266462008-07-25T18:17:00.013+02:002008-07-28T17:21:31.273+02:00Holiday SnapsThat was so fun. I have a great sister. I keep mentioning my Mom and how extraordinary she was, but did I mention that I have an equally extraordinary sister? All the women in my family are awesome. Brilliant, beautiful, creative...extreme cooks, artists and gardeners . We invented the Stash Expedition decades ago, and although our mother has been gone for 15 years, we're still keeping the faith.Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-30102407227965795272008-07-09T17:16:00.005+02:002008-07-09T18:18:27.237+02:00The Queen's Work.Now then, would anyone like to make Laracroft really and truly angry? It's not easy, but if you have what it takes, I will show you how. Are you armed with righteous fervor? Have you girded your loins with disciplinary zeal? Are you wielding your rod, and not afraid to use it? Then come along, for there is the Queen's work to be done.Where are we going, you ask? To PicasaWeb, also sometimes Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-20467362306737307712008-07-05T13:03:00.003+02:002008-07-05T14:28:55.203+02:00SriyanaIt's not for nothing that we Tapestry Crocheters love Sriyana. Personally, I would lay down my life for her. She won my heart the first time I saw this:How to win the heart of Laracroft: beauty, geometry, thoughtfulness and phenomenal technique. How to further win the heart of Laracroft:With a light heart - of the kind that makes Portraits of Hens - and phenomenal technique. I hope you all Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-50086806882730630362008-07-04T18:13:00.002+02:002008-07-04T18:26:33.215+02:00Paradise RegainedDid I mention that I love holidays? I finished up at work on Tuesday at 2pm, and by 3pm I was working on this secret project again, on hold since Easter. This is the life. A little food, a little walking, all the rest is crochet. I can hear my sister's admonishing voice: "Have you crocheted yourself a cocoon then, dear?" Hah. She's just jealous.Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-48857953865323003762008-06-07T15:54:00.006+02:002008-06-07T17:25:08.643+02:00Arrows by Annette Petavy, and I've been tagged!Arrows is finished and I'm in love with it. It was so interesting to make, and the Malabrigo was so soft, the colours so dark and intense, that I'm considering making another one just like it. But no: one more week and I'll be free to work on my own stuff again, which I miss terribly.But wait! I've been tagged by Skamama! That was over a week ago, so here goes:The rules; Each player answers the Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-41117784334720622962008-05-25T13:25:00.005+02:002008-05-25T19:35:56.026+02:00Stayin' Alive?By a thread. But Lord, what a thread! This is Malabrigo Lace in the VAA colourway. It's so perfect.Life these days is simply horrid. Yes, it's just my old whinge about this job and its attendant stomachaches. What is a musician doing waging war against local politicians? Like this has something to do with me? The world of local politics is revolting, boring, shocking, and under normal Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-31733707790568939912008-04-19T14:11:00.008+02:002008-04-20T12:36:46.627+02:00Bootie-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 Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3060873315921483407.post-56477397565290219962008-04-12T18:27:00.005+02:002008-04-13T17:28:16.984+02:00Veritas, Equitas II, FOGood. 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,Lara Crofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07206351181570075600noreply@blogger.com4