For this week, I made a new bag. It’s so pink, I LOVE IT! For the details, here it goes…

Yarns:
1 ball Katia Calipso (color/dyelot: 14/39960; yardage: 71 yards)
1 ball Katia Calipso (color/dyelot: 2D/39122; yardage: 71 yards)

Tools:
crochet hook, size N
tapestry needle/yarn needle

How I made it:
Basically I used a certain motif which I got from one of the Japanese crochet books I bought recently. I wanted to try making motifs, just because. Anyway, I wanted to make a quick project which would take me less than a night so I used my Katia Calipso yarns which are 60% cotton and 40% acrylic. I thought acrylic yarns would’ve been fine but in worsted weight, it might take forever. And if I was going to make it using acrylic yarns, I’d most likely have to line it, which is something I am too lazy to do so… yeah. :p I wasn’t sure how big the motifs would be considering the size of the yarns and the size of my hook. I ended up making two big squarish motifs. Maybe around 8×8 in. Then I made a rectangular side panel using alternating rows of double crochet and single crochet. I attached the panels together using single crochet. It was fairly easy The strap came last because, of course, I had to make sure I had enough yarn for the main body! I practically used up the entire balls of yarn for this bag.
I’d definitely want to make some motif-based bags again soon. It’s just that I’d probably need more money for this kind of yarn. It’s easy to work with and it’s not so heavy when you use it. Really really cute shades of pink too!

Thanks to Mimi Alelis, I now have my first crocheted piece of clothing. I’ve been wondering what to wear this summer because there are insanely hot days especially when commuting. So here it is, my finished shrug. The pattern isn’t so hard to follow, considering I am not an expert at crochet. It primarily uses single crochet and double crochet.

The amusing thing here is that with a 4/0 sized hook, my gauge is double than what’s on the pattern so I tried making the sleeve part already based on the small sized directions and it worked just fine. I had a problem with the shoulders though so I was fitting the shrug as I went along. As for the edging, that’s another tricky part. I am not sure if I will totally redo this part one of these days or make another one from scratch. Why? I find the edging a bit loose but the thing is that I need a stretchy enough edging to wear this. I am also not that familiar with how shrugs should really fit me. Ah well. I am hoping to make a cropped cardigan with this pattern as basis. Unless I find another pattern. It might look like it’s knitted but it’s not It took me a week, more or less because of the edging issue I had.

All in all, I found cotton to be a good kind of material to work with and the resulting shrug is lightweight. Perfect for summer.

Things I learned:
1. If you’re bigger, maybe you could adjust the pattern/adapt the pattern using a different gauge. In this project’s case, the gauge I had was double. Aside from being able to use the ‘small’ sized instructions, the shrug looks more lacy which makes it cute and summer-y.
2. Edging is not always easy to make/decide on. Because I used a bigger gauge, I couldn’t directly use the recommended edging. Also, I needed a stretchier edging that would let me wear the shrug.
3. Cotton thread is not scary to work with. I actually enjoyed working with cotton thread. Even if it was Monaco that I used, I think that having a bigger gauge also made the resulting garment have a softness to it.
4. There are really great patterns out there which might look overwhelming but if you really want to make them, you could if you are very determined. Being used to making hats, I mainly work with sportweight or worsted weight yarn. Everything with thread looks overwhelming. Maybe I just really needed this project to overcome my fears.

I am looking forward to the crochet along by Interweave using the Moth Wings Shrug pattern by Mimi Alelis. Maybe I will have fun the way I did with this one.

By the way, her patterns are available as print outs from VC Trading in Farmers Plaza Cubao and other crafting stores. They’re sold for 70-100 pesos each. Or you could buy them online via Ravelry.

Via Flickr:
Posted via email from eclair on posterous

For those of you who are not familiar with Totoro, you have to watch the animated feature Tonari no Totoro! (Well, it is also known as My Neighbor Totoro.) Totoro is an interesting creature and there’s even a catbus. Join sisters Mei and Satsuki as they go and have adventures with Totoro. XD

I used acrylic yarn for this project and mostly double crochet stitch. I originally thought of making it with single crochet but I thought that it might be too hot for comfort in the Philippines. Single crochet would give it a fabric that’s more dense but I thought that maybe a more loose type of crocheted fabric makes more sense. I’d have to try wearing it on regular days to assess that. For the ears, I used a soft kind of wire so they don’t always fold down right away.

Will I sell Totoro hats? Possibly. If I have enough grey yarn, that is.

Headphone earpiece covers.  It’s going to be silly to wear earwarmers and mufflers in the Philippines.  Our cold January weather doesn’t really justify those things XD Been wanting to make them for the longest time.

Anyway, I still have to redesign this because the earpiece and band are too connected: part of the band is on top of the earpiece T^T  It looks a bit awkward or maybe I should have made a large sized rose instead of a medium one. ~_~ I don’t know.  Well, at least I know what it’s like to make these things.

Dia, an improved version.  This is what I can make now.

It’s been a little over a year since Jonette taught me how to knit.  It was during a sleep over that we talked so much about life, crafting, pets and food. XDDD  I met her pet Tweed, such a handsome cat.  And she taught me how to knit despite having a different dominant hand.  She’s a leftie.  I’m a rightie. XD

Being shown how to knit made it easier for me to learn it.  Jonette was a patient teacher because I was asking a lot of questions.  And as early as that time, I was a tight knitter ~_~  Up to now, I still haven’t got the hang of tension yet (ahahaha now that sounds weird!) — because too much tension (or the lack of it) makes the stitches either too loose or too tight.  Well, at least I am a relatively consistent tight knitter hahahaha.  I was shown the English method of knitting and purling.  I was supposed to make a scarf as my first project but somehow, somewhere along the way, I stopped learning how to knit because I thought I should make a smaller project.  Now the smaller project was supposed to be a headband with crochet edging  but I ended up learning how to crochet, so I had more crocheted projects.  But I did pick up knitting again soon after learning how to crochet.  And I was crocheting and knitting different stuff, mostly hats, because I LOVE HATS! <3  I’ve created an account on Ravelry and I lurk in the different forums of that site for knitters and crochet fanatics.

I started with knit and purl.  I started with straight needles.  Now I have several needles, some straight, some circular.  And I actually want more circulars now that I realize that they are comfortable to use whether in flat or circular knitting.  They are also portable, which is a very good thing.  I’ve knitted flat and in the round.  I’ve knitted with mostly worsted weight yarn and sport weight yarn.  I’ve knitted stockinette, ribbing and now meshy stitches.  I love it. ?

At this point, I’ve made several scarves and hats which may not be the most perfect items in the world, but I took time to make them with care.  And there are people who appreciate them a lot too.  This is thanks to that one sleep over last year.  I was inspired and I am still challenged up to now to improve my craft.  Today I can make hats, scarves, pouches and headbands.  I still have a long way to go before I can knit socks.  But I don’t mind.  It’s fun and worthwhile.