State of the me

[kerravonsen]

I have sent my SSHG Exchange story to the mods! Yay!

I'm thinking I might do naarmamo this year after all, since vilakins suggested that I didn't have to stick to really small projects, just so long as I did something every day and posted about it. There's certainly a lot of art-y stuff I am itching to do after buying all those craft books earlier in the year. Like teaching myself crochet. And then bead crochet. And wire work. So I might do that.

Still havent seen HBP2. So I'm avoiding discussion of it at the moment. Planning to see it with my brother on Sunday.

Comments

[vilakins]

Crochet is surprisingly easy, and there are good YouTube vids. The only thing is, UK (and ours) and US terms for the various stitches differ so now I'm going with the US ones because most of the online patterns and vids are. And (for once) the US terms are more logical. ;-) Their yarns aren't but you can find conversion tables.

I haven't done bead or wire work though you can apparently knit or crochet it. I can't figure out how you get the beads on unless you're working with a short length.

And anyway naarmamo might be moot if we can't run it on LJ. I hope they set up a comm here too and people can come across--and DW sort out their memory problems. Sigh.

[kerravonsen]

I can't figure out how you get the beads on unless you're working with a short length.

Basically you have to put all the beads on before you start knitting/crocheting. Or do it in sections and sew them together.

[vilakins]

See, that worries me: working out the length I'll use, and not so much help if it's a hat or scarf. I've seen some gorgeous beaded scarves but I might settle for adding beading to the fringe. I've seen that and it's both stunning and useful for weighting the scarf down in the wind.

And hey, DW was quick this time!

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Well done!

And vilakins suggestion is a good one. Hadn't thought about that. Even fewer excuses not to join!

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I'll be there, iconing as always... :)

[sue-bursztynski.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the craft! I've always wanted to try crochet myself, but as a left-hander I can't really learn from my right-handed sister. Amazing what you an find on YouTube, I actually found an instructional ivdeo on doing crochet with your left hand - when I have time I know it's there.

If you ever want to try bead looming, let me know and we'll get together. No harder than cross stitch and very effective if you want a bracelet or a belt. My young niece, who's good with her hands, learned it very quickly - I showed her one day and next time I visited she was weaving a name bracelet for a friend!

[kerravonsen]

I've always wanted to try crochet myself, but as a left-hander I can't really learn from my right-handed sister.

I didn't realize you were left-handed. I'm left-handed too! The book I'm learning from ("Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet") has instructions for both hands. And I haven't found it too difficult to mentally reverse directions when looking at right-handed instructions; I had to learn such mental juggling when learning potting in high school from a right-handed teacher.

I haven't actually knitted any patterns yet; I'm teaching myself stitches and practicing them on a "sampler" scarf. I figure that once I've done a ball's worth of stiches, my muscle memory should have picked it up. So, first ball: single crochet; second ball: double crochet; and I'm about to start the third ball and triple crochet. (using the American terms, here).

My main problem is that I tend to have the tension too tight; I think it's a habit I developed from years of doing macrame.

If you ever want to try bead looming, let me know and we'll get together.

Bead looming was actually what got me interested in beading when I was a teenager! I was given a bead loom as a present, and I never looked back. I haven't done any looming in ages, though.