Knitting Disaster and a New Project

I currently have one wool jacket - it's a wonderful jacket that nets a whole whack of compliments and "I gotta get one"s. It keeps me comfortably warm in temperatures ranging from -5 to -30 (Celcius, mind you). There's only one draw back - it's red and black. Which means that half the sweaters in my closet either clash or make me look like a Christmas tree. 

So, I decided to get a black wool jacket - it'll be a bit longer, but it'll be solid black. That means it's a more professional looking jacket with more colours to match with it. In light of that, I wanted to make a new scarf - a thin, stockinet-stitch scarf. For those unfamiliar with stockinette stitch, it's a stitch in knitting (it looks like a whole bunch of little 'v's).

After watching some amazing videos from Howcast - a great little website with a whole bunch of how-to videos for everything from crafting to relationships to life hacks - I caught up on my knitting and grabbed my knitting needles and the spare yarn I had from my first ever scarf (a long, wide black-and-white block scarf). 

How to Knit the Purl Stitch - Howcast video by user Chez_Kimberly

(I highly recommend her videos if you are just starting out knitting. They are so well-made and the instructions are clear and simple.)

I thought that I had quite a lot of yarn left over - I mean, it was a huge mass of yarn, but it turns out it was far from enough.

My new thin black scarf ran to the end of it's string about three-feet in. It's long enough to make a really stubby scarf, but I want to be able to wrap it around a few times, so I'm going to have to scrap it. However, that gives me the chance to pursue another project!

Project Details

Name: Simplistic

Type: Knitted Armwarmers

Needle Size: US 10

Yarn: Red Heart Soft Touch Black

Complexity: Basic

The inspiration for this project is The Running Yarn's Free Pattern - Punk Rock Corset Gloves. But because I only have a bit of yarn, and I'm not yet experienced enough to attempt to make those awesome looking gloves - I'm going to experiement with the stockinette stitch. 

While I was knitting my unknowingly-doomed scarf, I noticed that the stockinette stitch curled inwards. I had read that it would happen, but I thought that it would simply roll up and in on itself. Instead, my scarf rolled into a sort of thin tube. As I was knitting the scarf, I stumbled on the Corset Gloves, and I was struck with an idea.

I would make simple stockinet armwarmers - with thumbholes! Everyone loves thumbholes, right? Yeah! And then I saw the corset style stitches on the Corset Gloves and I was sold. So, the basic plan is to knit only one armwarmer (I've only got that much yarn) and knit it in all stockinette so that it has a natural curl to it, leave a gap on one side of the warmer and stitch in the corset stitches to make it look awesome - and to secure the warmer.

Here's to hoping it works! I'll post the entire process to The Presses once it's finished - I promise pictures!

Ah, then I can do my Knitting Squidoo Lens at the same time! Yes!

Waste Not, Want Not!

Cheers,

Clarise

Newest Project: Oky Linocut!

So, I'm sorry I haven't updated recently - school happened. But worry not, fair crafters! I have returned fairly unscathed!

I'm happy to report that I have a new project - well, it's not really new...

A friend of mine's birthday is next Saturday, and seeing as I'm rather strapped of cash at the moment, I decided that I'd make her a linocut print - a one of a kind, one print only linocut. Now, seeing as I'm as far removed from famous as I am from tall, that probably doesn't mean much.

However! I'm hoping that what I lack in certain artistic talent and fame, I make up in at least a bit of heart. My friend's hedgehog died about a year ago, and she's still not over him yet. He was a cute little guy, to be sure, and I can understand how she feels - I'm so lucky to still have my dog with me after all the stuff my family puts her through (namely leaving her out in the cold a tad too long - she's never been hurt, though!). So I decided to make a simple, cute-sy linocut of him. I'll update with photos later on, but so far the project is all primed for printing.

Project Details:

Name: Oky (the hedgehog)

Surface: Speedball SpeedyCut

Transfer Method: Pencil Sketch

Cutting Tools: Speedball Handheld Cutter

              Tips used: No.s 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Total Time Cutting: Estimated 1 hour

Picture to come! This will expand as the project goes on. The next project I do will have all the carving pictures in it, too.

So far, the plan is to print it on thick cardstock. There are little details I might hand-colour - it depends on the look of it once it's printed.

A Gift From The Heart Is Better Than A Gift From The Wallet.

Namaste,

Clarise

Do You Mind if I Tell You a Bit About Myself?

Thanks.

I'm Clarisse - yep, the one from Seventeen Going on One Million - and this is going to be my attempt at a rocking craft blog! Wohoo!

About three weeks ago, I feel crashing into mad love for Linocut. On Boxing Day - amid my unfortunate sickness-period during *sigh* Christmas - I went out against my better judgment and my dad bought me a whole whack of linocut supplies.

I was extremely excited. With a bag from DeSerres in hand, I waited patiently - and with a growing sense of dizziness (not a good idea to go to one of the largest malls on the face of the Earth when sick - and on Boxing Day) - for us to finally say that it's time to leave the mall and go home.

Once at home, after a bit of rest and food, I sat at my desk and attempted to transfer a photocopy of my first design to my SpeedyCut block. That didn't happen. I was not told that alcohol-marker blenders do not react to carbon, and therefore, do not transfer photocopies. But, that was alright. I drew up another design and went over it with pencil like a madwoman. I rubbed that onto the SpeedyCut block and it worked!

A few hours later, I had finished my first ever linocut block. The next day, I printed off eight prints of my design on various paper. I was ecstatic. Still am. And so, here I am.

I'll be posting some of my designs, pictures on my process, my experiences with various linoleum blocks and other supplies and my general impressions of linocut!

So, thanks for popping in, I'll be sure to update this pretty regularly.

Joys of Life Lie in Little Things - Find Them.

Namaste,

Clarisse