Art

Amy, my friend and fellow partner in dissertation-crime, visited us from Buffalo last week. It was really nice to see her...but it was especially nice hang out with an art, craft, museum loving friend (her dissertation work is on art museums. How cool is that). We visited the MoMa, and of course, I had to take some crafty pictures.








From top to bottom: Amy and wool fabric "walls", a Necchi sewing machine (1956 model), quilt art, and I am sure Picasso would have also loved knitting (ok. If there is something out there about Picasso and knitting, my apologies. I know zilch about art history).


One night we ate at DoSirak, a Korean restaurant near Union Square. If I were a foodie critic, I would give this place a 20 on 10. Affordable prices, big portions, great food. From right, clockwise: Shweta, Katrice, Bitsy, Amy, and Julie.


Long blogpost, because you dont just get to meet Amy, you also get to say hello to "B3 Big Button Blouse" aka my version of the C3 Crochet Crop Cardigan. I am so guilty of introducing Big Button so late (you know the UFO syndrome), I almost have the urge to write an apology letter to her. She was finished a long time back, but was packed away in a corner. Because? Because I am terribly lazy when it comes to finishing. So silly. So guilty.


Anyway. About my newly finished project. Monica Brown has written a really easy to read, easy to follow, organized pattern. I really enjoyed making this blouse, especially since it was top down. However, when I started the shell pattern, I found that there was suddenly "excess" fabric at the back. I saw on Ravelry that this did not happen to everyone, so I suppose it is one of those "fix it yourself" problems. You can see what I did in the modifications section below.


I enjoy larger than life accessories, so I bought these big, bright, pink-purple toned buttons from M&J Trimmings. The tug o' war was between these buttons and big, classic looking, mother of pearl buttons. I liked what I finally bought---the mother of pearl were too serious for my personality (but I am thinking that I should have bought them for another project). Special thanks to Ami and Shubh for tagging along with me to button paradise.




Pattern: C3 Crochet Crop Cardigan
Yarn: Classic Elite Soft Linen
Crochet Hook: 3.5mm
Modifications:

1. Though I hit gauge in my swatch, I had to do more rows until the yoke met at the armholes. That was no problem at all--what I I had to really care about was that when I began the shell pattern, I had multiples of 6 plus 1 stitches.

2. When I started the shell pattern (with the suggested larger size hook), the back fabric started getting floppy and had excess "folds" of fabric. After many frogging episodes, I managed to fix the problem. Firstly, I used the 3.5mm hook (the smaller one) for the entire garment. Secondly, I did not work the increase row before beginning the shell pattern. After I separated the sleeves and body, I began the shell pattern (I cheated a little bit in the first row so that I had multiples of 6 plus 1 stitches).

3. I eliminated the 3/4 sleeves. I stopped working on my sleeves once I separated the sleeves and the body.

4. Oh yes. I also increased the body length, until I could wear it as a blouse. I wear it over a tank.

Cupcake

I am back from a conference related trip to Cincinnati. Just three days but it felt like a long time. I am not complaining--I attended one of the best keynotes ever (she also signed a copy of her book. I felt like a star-struck, rock star fan) and met some wonderful people on my panel. But I find all kinds of travel exhausting--the packing, locating, relocating, unpacking.

I got back and guess who had received mail. I am currently thinking of an engagement gift idea for my younger brother (Rayan) and his long time girlfriend (Vaishali) of eight years (pictures here). Mazhalai got wind of my idea search through a ravelry group and she offered to send me these banana leaf (!) place mats for inspiration. If you have eaten off a banana leaf before, I am sure you are part of my excitement of receiving this package. For some South Indian banana leaf trivia, read this. Many thanks to Mazhalai for the "leaves", chocolate, and note.




PS: Rayan and Vaish do not live together and Vaishali will soon be leaving for England for a year long masters course. So I want to make something that is separate (a minimum of two pieces) and yet connected. I have had suggestions, on Ravelry, of making place mats, socks, scarfs, vest plus shawl. Someone at Ravelry also suggested making twin afghans and seaming them together once Rayan and Vaish have a place together. I am warming up to several of these ideas--any other suggestions are very welcome.

More. Suketu's birthday was this weekend. He loves cupcakes. He worships cupcakes. I am sure he also dreams in cupcake language. This was a perfect whimsical thing to make. He totally freaked out when he saw it. He thinks it is the coolest thing....especially the "sprinkles" aka glass head pins. I think it makes a really cute gift for anyone who fancies baked goods.






Pattern: Quick Cupcake
Yarn: Sugar N Cream
Crochet Hook: 5mm

Just call me Elfie.

Happy World Wide Knit in Public Day! Big day for us crafters--a political act of how we have come to view this world. A group of 70 odd people knitted at Central Park, courtesy our wonderful knitting group, Sit N Knit. I got to hang out with some of my most favorite people, did some progress on my version of the cropped cardigan, and solved one big casting off mystery. More news in the weeks to come. And oh, the last picture. I was too buzy eating the lemon bars that Amy (left) had made. Not one, not two, but three lemon bars.



Today's featured project is Elfie. Yap... you can "just call me Elfie". My colleagues at school had an almost impromptu baby shower for our friend and fellow dissertator, Rachel. I now live in NYC and miss all the school related gathering-celebrating (and whining-crying-"why is my life so sucky") fun; Anyway, I had to mail something handmade for the baby-to-be. And I had to come up with it really fast.



So I decided to make a baby set with a hat and booties (baby booties--I never seize to wonder who in the world could wear such small shoes?). I found the pattern on the Lion Brand website and I was done in under three hours. I took another hour or so figuring out how to embellish the gift, but that is just me, Ms. "I really want to drive myself crazy before I commit". I have a small button collection, mostly comprised of the extra buttons received with Suketu's shirts, buttons snipped off "undonatable" clothes, buttons found in forgotten corners of drawers and dressers. Basically, "vintage" quality buttons. I think they are special--each button has a story...something to say. With all its chipped corners, it wants to tell you where it came from and where it is going to go.


This is also my personal philosophy about handcrafting (and about many other things in daily living). (Maybe I am thinking more about this today given the nature of the day). Every handmade project is alive (forever) with a story. Every handmade project, filled with imperfections, split stitches, signs of frogging and frogging again, wants to tell you something. Anyone who is seeking something "perfect"/store bought (aka "superior") is missing the point--it is perfect because I made it. It is perfect because I was thinking of you while making it. It is ours forever because it has something of you, and something of me.



Getting back to Elfie. This would have worked in less than three hours if I had enough sense to first check Ravelry. Many complaints that the hat works out too small, even with gauge. See modifications below.





Pattern: Just call me Elfie is inspired by the Baby Elfin set, Lion Brand website.
Yarn: Bernat's Denimstyle in white
Crochet Hook: 4.5mm
Accessory: Neutral colored buttons from personal collection
Modification for hat: By the time I finished all the rows before the flaps, something looked terribly wrong. Not even a cat's head would fit that. So I changed plans and continued to increase. Stopped increasing when the diameter was about 2.5 inches less of the goal diameter. Continued without increases until desired length. No flaps. Hat done.
Modification for booties: I am a "visual" knitter. I need a photograph (yes, it helps me wing things too). Anyway, by the time I was done with the first set of increases, I could visualize it. I was getting a sole length of more than 4 inches, so I skipped a few rows here and there, and made it approximately 4. I skipped the cuffs and single crocheted the bootie opening. Added buttons for extra happiness.

Summer

Giveaway Happiness is packing its bags and heading to Switzerland! Juanita is the proud winner! Congratulations--I emailed you for your address. Thank you to everyone who took part.


News highlight. Guess who started a blog. Ami! You can visit her at whimkit; if you stop by, please say hello. You can expect many creative escapades--and much quirkiness. Lovely, pretty, I cannot get more of, quirkiness.


Summer is here. So wonderful. It is 100 degrees today and hey can you hear me complaining. Summer is here, and just by coincidence, so is my brand new tote bag. When I was in India earlier this year, I began learning how to sew; after getting back to NYC, I signed up for a beginners sewing class at Purl Patchwork. I do believe I have a serious urge to sew--I think a lot of that has to do with the kind of sound/rhythm a machine in action makes. It is so---soothing.




Moving on. This is what I made in the class. It is a squarish tote bag with a lining and a small pouch with a zipper. I can now say that I now understand the science behind cutting fabric and seam allowances. And yes--I can now sew in a straight line. Finally, though I loved the old school machines, the automatic machines are a modern miracle. Smooth, with no acrobatic moves necessary.


Sewing is way different than knitting/ crochet. There is no looking back after you cut the fabric. No frogging, no ripping. Sewing (especially cutting fabric) creates anxiety in me--but I think that is because I am still figuring out things. I am not sure if I am going to remember many things from class. For instance, how to add a zip. I am hoping this stuff is just "going to come back to me."





Patterns: From the Purl Patchwork class manual for beginner sewing class
Fabric: From Purl Patchwork