I ♥ Kitsch

Okay, I'm not a totally huge fan of kitsch, but I do (for some reason unknown to me) have a fondness for toilet paper covers and, apparently, crochet toilet paper (as shown below.) I've had the TP pattern written for a few years, I just haven't brought myself to admit to it until now. Maybe now that the cat is out of the bag I should go for it? ;)

What's the kitschiest thing you've crocheted?

Crocheted Toilet Paper

Cup O' Joe TP Cover

Little Owl TP Keeper

 Strawberry Shortcake TP Cover

Carrot Cake TP Cozy

Speaking of Pineapples...

During my blog travels today I came across the Did you make that? blog which led me to crochetkari.com where Sangeetha discusses her first project of 2013. A gorgeous Pineapple Pouch. I think I may just have to reconstruct one for my new phone!

Some unrelated pineapple eye candy, circa 2002.

What is it?

My latest finished project. It may look like a tote bag, but it's not. Can you guess what it is? :)

Marshmallow Bunnies WIP Update

I've had all of the pieces finished for my bunny marshmallows for a couple of days but needed some thread to sew on the eyes. I picked that up today while in Erie so will be finishing it up this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to post a picture of the finished wreath on Monday. :)

Pineapples, not just for doilies...

I think most yarnies have a favorite stitch pattern. One that they love if for no other reason than it just looks pretty. For me it's the pineapple stitch. I know there are a lot of people who dislike them. They seem to have fallen into the same outdated realm as the granny square. Perhaps that's because too many people think of their grandma's old fashioned doilies when they hear "pineapple stitch."

But with the availability of fresh new yarns in vibrant colors, grannies have become trendy once again. And so I hope will be the case with pineapples. With talented designers such as Doris Chan using them in their awesome creations, they're once again earning their due.

To see some of my projects using the pineapple stitch visit my project page on Ravelry.

I've also used pineapples in a couple of my designs:

 

Pineapple Blossom Square

Pear Trivet

Apple Trivet

I definitely have more pineapple plans for the future, some of which will be original designs.

Out of curiosity, on which side of the pineapple fence do you sit?


Thank you Melani for inspiring this post!

New Phone and a WIP

The kids insisted demanded I need a smartphone. Although I like my old one just fine, my "dinosaur" wasn't up to their standards. I avoided it for a long time. I guess in my old age I've become resistant to change. But I finally gave in to the pressure last week. My new phone arrived yesterday. I've spent far too many hours playing with it and learning to use it, but I must say it's kind of fun to play with the new (to me) features.

My old phone did have a camera, but not quite as good as this one. Above is a sneak peak of my current WIP and upcoming new pattern. Picture taken with my new Kyocera Rise.

The Dreaded Project

When I first started this post I was going to share my favorite FO. While looking through my Ravelry Notebook I realized I couldn't narrow it down to just one thing. I love so many of them for different reasons. The colorful granny 'ghans, the cute amigurumi, the pretty bags, the lacy doilies... the list goes on.

But then I came across this. "The 4 Year Afghan". Started Dec 15, 2008, finished Dec 5, 2012. 10 days shy of 4 years. I'm almost certain that's the longest it's taken me to finish a project.

The colors aren't so bad. Not my favorite, but they are Damian's (the recipient) favorite so I went with them. The pattern, I usually like ripples, and this one looked nice, nicely written, not too masculine, not to feminine, so again, I went with it. Everything seemed right, so why did it take so long to finish?

I think it was the softer, rounded points.The ripples I'd done in the past had a more defined point. It was clear where the peaks and valleys were. With this one it was literally row after row of nothing but increases and decreases. I had to constantly count and keep track of where I was in the pattern repeat. Definitely not a mindless project!

Would I ever make the pattern again? I think the pattern would lend itself very well to a baby blanket, so yes, I think I might, but at another time and definitely in a smaller size.

So my question for you is, what is the longest it ever took you to finish a project?