A Pinterst Service Post...

I haven't written in a really long time and I don't really feel like writing too much now.  I just can't deal with all the pink and pastel nurseries out there in Pinterest-land anymore, so I thought I'd write this so I could pin it and help everybody out.

 

If you're going to be lazy, you had better be creative.  This room was originally the office.  That's why it's green.  Really green.  British racing green.  I had a bunch of green and white fabric left from a queen-sized quilt I didn't like and decided to see if I could get away with being too lazy to paint.  I think it worked out.

That's scrapbooking paper (that was on clearance, by the way) in square frames.  That's it.

 

 

Add some yellow and some white and presto!  You have a nursery that doesn't look like it was painted in Pepto. 

The remains of the former queen-sized quilt became the wall hanging.

Wooden letter + Mod Podge = Filler for smallish walls.  The paper is from the same set as what's in the square frames.  Easy peasy.

I'll admit it.  It is difficult to find the perfect green rug.  It mimics the back of the wall hanging and the quilt.

The curtain that was also once a quilt.

And, of course, the actual quilt.

There you go.  A very not-pink girl's nursery.  You're welcome.

Still Water

This is it. It's officially done. Let's take a minute to bask in the glory.




Ok. That's enough. Now, on to the lace.

Grand Rapids

It's finally finished. This is the first knitting (maybe the first anything) that I have completed without having started anything else in the middle. Attention deficit crafting is just how I usually roll.

This time, though, I couldn't wait to get it blocked. I think it's because I like the way it looks flat.


As before, the full effect of this scarf cannot be felt in one picture. I'm not even sure that eleven do it justice, but I'm willing to try.












It stopped being a scarf awhile ago. I think that it has become some sort of wall hanging. Once I figure out how to stabilize it. After it dries.

In the Red

Well...almost. The yarn is getting redder.



It's getting there...


I've spliced the orange back together and it's not noticeable. It was a lot harder than it should have been with 100% wool yarn, but it went together pretty well. I'm actually looking forward to finishing it and getting it blocked...which is highly unusual for me. I often put off finishing things because I like the process more than the thing. Hmmm...

Orange You Glad?

I'm finally getting into the orangish part of the yarn. The next trick is figuring out where to splice the yarn. It cut off at the orange and, although I can just re-attach it to another part, the yarn changes so gradually that it's difficult to tell where to pick back up again.


It's pretty much impossible to get the full impact of this scarf in a photo no matter what you do...so I figured that I'd try five.






If I can manage to finish it without starting something else, it will be the first time that has ever happened. That's not to say that I haven't been looking...

Rapid Release

Things were going very well on t he Fair Isle Rapids scarf. I was starting to get into the yellowish end of the green part of the yarn. I blocked it. Took a few pictures. Felt pretty good about it. This is the back.


This is a picture of the big mistake that I made. If you're like Ryan you can't see it, but the top center diamond is missing two rows. That shortens the black part between the outer diamonds and messes up the outer black portion, too. The best part is that it's 30 rows back.


So, because I'm one of those people, I ripped out the 30 rows. All the way back to the last row that was right. I got not one, but two strands of yarn back on the needles and started knitting again.



I guess I should be happy that now I know I can successfully rip out stranded knitting without losing the whole thing. But even though I have re-knit the 30 rows (and then some), it hurts a little .

White Water Knitting?

While browsing my new favorite social networking site, Ravelry (it's like FaceBook for knitters, but way more helpful), I came across a photo of another knitter's interpretation of this pattern.

I had to make it. So I got yarn for Valentine's Day. Pretty, rainbow colored, wool yarn. I already had the pretty black merino/silk yarn, but had to buy an extra ball (actually, I might need a little more...ugh!)...and some needles. Darn.


So far, so good. It's definitely a pattern you have to block before you feel the full effect. It must not be too bad since the gentleman (yes, gentleman...from Ireland) who designed it asked for permission to use my photo on the Ravelry page for the pattern. This is the first repeat or so. You can see why it's Fair Isle "Rapids."


The beauty of this, besides it being a fairly clever pattern...the increases and decreases are what make the straight lines look wavy...is that this yarn is variegated. It's colors change very slowly, too. When you knit it, you barely realize that it's changing until you set it down and take a good look at it.


I'm waiting for the lighter colors. There will be a much better contrast between the black and, say, the yellow or the red than there is with the purple.