Yaaaarn!

That's a combination of yawning and crocheting, because I'm tired and I love the craft. Mrs. B. was talking about other blogs and how they have themes, and I've actually been reading knitting and crocheting blogs for a few years now. I don't follow any particular ones obsessively, because that's creepy when you don't know the people, but a lot of people post patterns that they have created, and don't charge for them! People also post updates on how their projects are going, and then people leave comments when they need help. A particularly cool design of a knitting blog had the names of the projects on the side and a status bar, much like when a webpage is loading, that said what percentage of the afghan or sweater or whatever was completed. Pretty innovative, huh?

Right now I'm crocheting a pair of hobo (fingerless) gloves. Someone in my calc class asked me to make them for him. My standard answer for when people ask me that is 'only if you bring the yarn,' because I'm pretty busy and probably wouldn't have time, but at the same time I don't want to say no. He's the first person to ever actually bring the yarn, and gloves are pretty quick, so I might as well make them. The pattern I'm using is http://www.woolcrafting.com/crochet-gloves-pattern.html. I've changed it a little bit, so the fingers aren't convertible. I also didn't turn the first four rows of the main part of the glove, so it makes a little stripe. The yarn I'm using is a standard four-ply worsted in a charcoal gray. It was given to me with no label, but it looks like Caron or something basic. I've finished all of the first glove except the thumb, and have done three or four rows of the cuff of the second glove. This pattern is very straightforward and easy to understand, which is nice.

Also lately I have been experimenting with amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting small, cartoonlike animals. I discovered this art in a book I found at work, and thought the author had made it up. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amigurumi) My mom told me that she knitted a panda when she was in high school, and apparently it really didn't turn out very recognizable. She warned me that I might get frustrated, but so far I'm very happy with the results! I've made a turquoise robin and a gray mouse, and have yet to sew together my lime green and yellow dodo bird. The fun part about the amigurumi animals is that they are really quick and use up scrap yarn. I have three huge Rubbermaid containers full of yarn, but most of it is in too small of a quantity to be useable. Next I'm going to make a cake from this website (http://www.normalynn.info/chocolatecakemenu.html) but I can't decide which one... thoughts? They all look so appetizing, it makes me almost want to cook instead of crochet.

I've also been meaning for some time to make a binary scarf. I found the pattern on www.knitty.com. It's black and has green 1's and 0's in random patterns like a computer screen. The only issue is the fact that it's make on pretty small double pointed needles. The rounds are huge and it looks like it would take forever! I also don't have any sets of five dpns, just sets of four, and only in sizes 1-5 (yikes!) leftover from when my mom knitted socks and a baptismal gown out of some really shimmery white baby yarn. This is going on my list of things to make this summer, when I no longer have homework or other things that need to be done. People keep telling me that the summer is going to feel really nice because I won't have a ton of demanding activities anymore.

Also on my list for this summer is to stop making green things and to start making maroon and gold things, starting with a simple striped scarf, and probably a hat and mittens too. If I'm really patient, and yarn goes very on sale, I might crochet a granny square afghan too. The granny square ones that are made all in one piece, instead of a bunch of little squares sewed together, go really fast and are really easy to get even.