Nushki Loves Crafts

Psshhh!

2012-01-04T22:04:00.003Z

So much for those new-years resolutions... I'm back after one year of mindless crafting (meaning I've been making things here and there, but I haven't been doing anything regularly). Instead of learning from my mistakes, I'm back with another load of resolutions that I'm going to try to keep (but will probably forget about half way through the year).

Blog more than last year. It can't be hard to write more than two posts!
Craft more than last year. Must be done considering my fundraiser (see below).
Study hard. This will eat into previous resolutions, but oh well.

I've almost completed that huge afghan, but it's been put on the backburner for a more important project. My friends and I have been selected to participate in a volunteer trip abroad, in Ecuador during the summer. In Ecuador, I will be helping to build orphanages, conserving the enviornment and aid a humpback whale reservation. It's needless to say that this will be the experience of a lifetime! The only problem is that the trip will cost between £2050-£3000 (depending on plane tickets), the admin fees are already set at £2050.

As a student, this amount of money is way more than I can afford to cover myself. That is why, firstly, I'll be holding many craft sales throughout the year. I'll be making hats, gloves, toys, phone charms and anything else I can think of. I'll already made a few hats and I am have way through making a pair of fingerless mitts. The first sale will probably take place sometime in February.

Secondly, I'll be bungee jumping in April and all sponsorship money will go towards the trip! If you would like to sponspor me, please do so by clicking the button at the side.

Thirdly, (April is going to be a busy month) my friend and I will be bike riding from our current home in Stoke-on-Trent to my friend's home in Manchester. That's a bike ride of over 41miles! I will be spending the next few months learning how to ride a bike (pure horror!) before attempting the ride. Again, if you would like to sponsor, please click the button at the side.

I will be doing my best to update the blog will news about my fundraising, so please subscribe, donate and join me along this experience.

Catch Up Time

2011-01-03T09:03:00.001Z

It's time to catch up on the projects that I've been working on since August. Mainly image heavy, but it's only the first of the month.

My Irish Rose Crochet Square. It was a lot easier to make than it looks. I'm a little tempted to make an afghan using these squares, but it might be too heavy. I'll think about this in more detail after I finish my current projects.

This is a 6 inch March Square. Pretty, right?

This is called Durango, a pretty quick project. I added a few extra rounds because I like my hats slouchy, and I decreased with the white yarn. The pattern calls for a few buttons to add to the hat, but I haven't added any buttons to this yet. I don't think I will add buttons, but I left a long end just in case I change my mind.

If I ever need a matching bag, this is Sao Paolo purse. The pattern was easy to memorise and it worked up really quickly. I've added lining and a button since taking this picture, but I think I'll add a handle to this, I'm not really a fan of clutch bags. I just need to go learn to I-cord now.

This pattern is called Mitt Envy. I completely agree with the name, I've had people asking for a pair since seeing these. I knit these for my mother's birthday, and soon after knit a pair for myself using the same yarn. I was originally a little uneasy about using this yarn: I usually don't have a thing against acrylic yarn but something about this yarn (Creative Yarns (UK) Rainbow Multi Double Knit accoring to Ravelry) made me feel that it wasn't a good yarn to have next to the body. Fortunately, I was wrong. The patten calls for a fingering weight yarn, but this yarn is a DK, so the mitts are really warm. Unfortunately, the pair I knit for myself tuuned out a lot smaller than the original (damn my gauge!) so I sent them as a Christmas RAK. I think I'll knit another pair but with a few more repeats.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T08:04:00.000Z

Happy New Year!!

It's been such a long time since I last posted... I stopped crafting during September and October but I jumped back into it in November. Since then, I've been making slow progress on my two afghans:

The first afghan is made out of Hexagons. I'm using Cascade 220 in a variety of colours so I can use up odd ends and make it as colourful as possible. I know that this will felt in the future, but maybe it'll make a nice rug if it's thick enough. If not, I'll still use it as a blanket.
I'm trying to use up all of my acrylic DK yarns. I'm using the Quad Color Squares pattern to make as many squares as possible and then I'll sew them together at the end. I'm trying to use up each ball/leftover piece of yarn before adding on a new colour.

I tried to make these afghans in time for Christmas, but there was too much left to do. I'm going to try to finish at least one of these before January is over.

Speaking of Christmas, I didn't have much Christmas knitting to do. I opted to either buy presents or to not give presents this year. This has little to do with my current income - I just wasn't in a Christmassy mood this year. Maybe next year will pick up.

Right now I'm debating whether I should make any new years resolutions. I think I'll have too many to keep and then give up on all of them thinking that since I can't keep all of the resolutions, i won't keep any. Hmmm... no, that's not a good idea. I can already feel my inner sloth creeping through my fingers to make me stop writing.

I'll press on with the resolutions. Whether I keep them or not is another story, but having them written down will be a good reminder.

Top of the list: STUDY!! I have exams in two weeks but i haven't looked at my books yet. This is ridiculous. I've got to try harder with my studies and graduate with a good mark. How about after my exams I spend an hour per day going over my class notes (I'll do a little more on the weekend) so I don't get buried under messy scribblings when I'm trying to revise.
Lose weight. I'm not going to put a timeline on this. I'd just like to be in better shape this time next year, whether that means I lose 2lb, 2kg or 2okg. It's my birthday in February - I'll be turning the big two one! - so I'd like to be thinner, if only to look better in the pictures. Plus, a smaller size means less yarn for that sweater! (I'm currently craving to knit Snow White by Ysolda Teague)
Finish my UFOs (which currently include my previously mentioned afghans). I didn't think that I have that many UFOs but once in a while I find a project hiding under a pile of dust bunnies. Maybe I should go on a UFO hunt soon.
Knit my first pair of socks. This seems doable since on the Stash and Burn Groupies board on Ravelry, there's a new thing called the Sock Stash Knitdown 2011. Basically, people are planning to knit (around) 12 pairs of socks in 2011 to use up their stashed sock yarn. I joined but only signed up to do 6 socks considering I have never knitted socks before. I said 6 'socks' rather than 'pairs' since I'm still debating which to commit to; I might cruise through these socks (and find my new forte) but on the other hand, I might get stuck after the 7th row. Plus, I need to take into account Second Sock Syndrome: I might end up with 2 pairs of socks and 4 single socks. Anyhow, knit a sock!
Post more often on Ravelry. I think I spend more time than I should on Ravelry, but most of that time is spent lurking. More time spent socialising on Ravelry means less time knitting... so maybe this resolution is optional.

Can I keep these resolutions? You'll be the first to know.

Seductive Little Blighters

2010-08-13T18:48:00.003+01:00

Three words, three outcomes.

Traditional Granny Square.

In an assortment of delicious colours, I am seduced by the ease and simplicity of the Traditional Granny Square.

Flower whaa??

2010-07-30T12:14:00.000+01:00

I'm back at them...

It's like an alcoholic falling off the wagon and ending up drinking his sorrows away in a rundown bar in the middle of a bustling railroad town, complete with a rickety piano, poker games in the corner and two cowboys comparing gun sizes a little too loudly. No one notices you're there and you're left to drink in peace but there's a hollow sensation in the bottom of your stomach - you feel guilty but you're too drunk to wonder why.

Okay, I've spent the past week watching old Westerns but the point is the same.

I've fallen off the wagon and I'm back at making granny squares!!

This is called Flower Grannysquare, it was the 6" square for the July BAMCAL. I changed the last round to dc to bring the size up to 6".

Miss Luna

2010-07-19T19:11:00.006+01:00

I finished a crochet project that isn't granny squares!!

I made the Luna Lovegood Scarf, based on a scarf that the character, Luna Lovegood, wore in the fifth Harry Potter movie. I used a purple acrylic yarn. I'm not a yarn snob and I regularly buy acrylics, but I really didn't like using this yarn... it wasn't squeaky or overly shiney, as with some acrylics, but I didn't feel happy while I was working with it. I'm not sure what the brand is as I received the yarn as a RAK, but I'm pretty put off by acrylics as a whole right now. Maybe time apart will allow me to rekindle my love for it.

Anyway, on to the pictures.

I haven't blocked it yet hence why the picture above looks so scruffy.

I'm not sure if I'll ever wear it... Maybe I'll RAK this off during the winter.

Long Time No See

2010-06-23T12:53:00.005+01:00

So much for my knitting/crocheting plans. The last month has been hectic for me, but now that it's all past, I can concentrate on my neglected WIPs. My afghan plan has been deterred, but I'm still planning on making an afghan... just not any time soon.

I don't have much to show for myself right now, except for two granny squares. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I've only been making and showing granny squares since the start of this blog. I am working on other projects (like my Aestlight shawl), it's just that granny squares are so quick that I can update fairly regularly. I'm almost done with the Aestlight shawl, so expect an update on that fairly soon.

On to the granny squares.

This first square is the Raspberry Medallion Square. It is the 6" June square for the Block-A-Month Crochet-A-Long. I added an extra round of dc to bring the size up to 6". I'm not liking this square that much: I'm not sure why, perhaps it would look better if I had used worsted weight yarn instead of DK.

This square is the Moon Granny Square. This square was a little confusing at first, but it turned out beautifully. I really like the black and pale pink combination, though it does remind of French lingerie.

I've lost my photographing mojo. And my camera is broken... forgive me for the lack of inspiration, but I tried to take a picture of the Moon Granny Square from the side.

Somewhat pretty. Or perhaps I should just stick to my crochet and knitting instead of trying out photography.

Breaking Up The Silence

2010-05-28T17:39:00.003+01:00

Sorry for being MIA; I'm stuck in the library with books and notes until mid-June.

I have yet another granny square to show you today. It's the Garden Granny Square, which is the 6" May sqaure for the Block-A-Month Crochet-A-Long. This was quite easy to make, I managed to finish it within minutes of starting, but I didn't have time to take a picture.

Sorry for the bad picture, I've lost my photography mojo. *tears*

Exams

2010-05-11T18:18:00.007+01:00

Ah, school...

I've yet to complete my education and leave those dreaded end of year exams behind, but there's one type of exam that I'll always love: OWLs! On Ravelry, there is a group called the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup, where you're sorted into a house at the start of the term (I've always been a Slytherin) and then choose various lessons to complete. Each lesson, hosted by a 'member of staff', is a take on the original Harry Potter traditional lesson with a crafting twist.

Each completed lesson earns your house some house points, which are tallied up at the end of the term. The winning house doesn't receive a prize but various projects are picked each month to receive a prize depending on its awesomeness. Not only are there lessons, but you can take part in the Quidditch Tournament (now split by the different years), Detention (where you finish WIPs) and OWLs (a particularly long and challenging project that'll take the term to complete).

Us Slytherins, have a list of 'quests' that we can do for fun. One of them is the 'Ultimate Quest' where you complete all the lessons, two OWLs and Quidditch - which, essentially, is the maximum amount of things that you can do. At the start of the month I was actually considering doing that, however my insanity has passed so I'm now aware that it isn't possible right now. However, I do want to complete as many lessons as possible (this will probably be easier after my exams) and one OWL. As for Quidditch... meh. Maybe next time.

I know what you're thinking. Why is she babbling on about Harry Potter? I don't even like Harry Potter...

Well, I have decided to make an afghan for my OWL. I'm intending it to be 80" by 80", using 8" squares. So that's 100 squares in total. In three months. Wow, that sounds crazy even to me...

I'm sure that in normal circumstances, I'd be able to finish that within a few weeks... However, it seems that right now I'd have to be crocheting in the library; not good.

This is another one of those squares I made a while ago. I'm expecting my afghan squares to be made out stash scraps with only 8 rounds. I guess I'd better get to it. Don't expect to hear from me soon ;)

Guess Who's Back

2010-05-05T09:08:00.004+01:00

As soon as I start getting into the groove of blogging, I disappear. What is up with that?

The past month has been really hectic. May has just arrived, which means late night revision sessions in the library and fearsome exams. It's just one month that I have to deal with, because come June, I'll be on the beach with my yarns.

So what have I been working on for the past month?

Nothing. Nadda. Zilch.

I don't have any FOs to show off, but I do have a granny square that I completed a while ago. Yeah, a granny square...

I'm sorry...

I Knit, Therefore I Am

2010-04-06T13:32:00.005+01:00

I'm knitting.

Yes, I am actually knitting. No, this isn't a joke. April Fool's Day was over a while ago. I AM KNITTING!

I'm making Aestlight. I recently received the pattern as a gift and after my sudden epiphany the other day, I just cast on the first stitch and let my hands take over. I'm working on the garter triangle right now, so this isn't mentally stimulating, but at least it's a change from all those granny squares I've been working on for the past few months.

The pattern calls for a fingering weight yarn but I'm using my Crofter DK, that I bought back in January. This yarn is relatively thin compared to the usual DK weight yarns so it seems to suit the pattern so far. I didn't even do a gauge swatch for this - the gauge was spot on when I started knitting it up.

Well, don't I feel like a knitting prodigy ;)

What Now?

2010-04-04T12:34:00.000+01:00

I was bored yesterday so I decided to bust out another Traditional Granny Square.

I'm making these for a stash-busting square swap on Ravelry - I need to send two squares per person - but right now, these are becoming really tedious. I suppose it's due to the lack of thinking required to create it.

I've just realised that even though I've learnt to knit in 2006, I've yet to complete a knitted project. I taught myself how to crochet a year ago, and I haven't given knitting a second thought. I guess it's time to dust the cobwebs off my knitting needles and put a little more variety into my crafting.

Family Friendly Square

2010-04-03T08:51:00.000+01:00

This month's square for the Block-A-Month group on Ravelry is the oh-so wonderful Friend Family Square.

I got a little confused with this square - particularly when it came to the front post dc - but I persevered till the end. The square was smaller than six inches (since I used a 5mm hook instead of a 5.5mm hook) so I changed the last round of sc to a round of dc. That brought the size nicely up to six inches.

I'm considering sending this with my Haze square. This has some hot pink so it'd fit in with the swap's theme.

Swap Square

2010-04-02T12:54:00.003+01:00

Happy April! I hope no one got any big scares yesterday, considering the general concensus during April Fool's Day.

I'm back with another granny square (big surprise!). This one is called 'A Square Called Haze', or just simply Haze. The pattern can be found here. I only used two colours here with a 5mm hook, and I changed the last round to some simple single crochet to bring the size up to 6 inches.

The theme for the swap this month was supposed to be 'Pinks and Purples'. Unfortunately, I only fulfilled one of those criteria. I might make another square in pink to make up for the fact that there's so little purple in this square.

Feeling the Blues

2010-03-28T10:25:00.003+01:00

Another 8" granny square.

My blog is seriously beginning to look like yarn porn. There's just a whole bunch of pictures without much content. Then again, I guess the pictures can talk for themselves...

Anyway, I've decided to put a bit more content into my posts from now on.

*author prays that something witty and intelligent will come into her mind by the time she writes her next post*

Yarn Porn

2010-03-27T17:53:00.003Z

Yarn porn... isn't it great? You get to enjoy the visuals (*wink*wink*) and it doesn't put a hole in your wallet.

I bought a skein of Rainbow Multi DK in a varigated purple-ish colour. £2.99 from Baron's Wool in Uxbridge, Middx.

This is Marble Double Knit, also in purple, but this colour is lot lighter... It seems like a colour I could use for a toy for a baby. Also from Baron's Wool, but this cost me £1.99.

Oh My...

2010-03-26T18:23:00.003Z

If I hadn't mentioned it before, I'm taking part in a gr anny square swap on Ravelry (different from the 8" stash-buster square swap). This swap has a monthly theme and the most recent theme was the March Easter theme.

My swap package was absolutely amazing!! My swap buddy this month was the wonderful littleknitmissy.

Awesomeness doesn't need words.

It's Done!!

2010-03-24T08:14:00.003Z

It's finally over! My Summer Garden Blanket is finished, all ends are tucked away and with a pretty border to match.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't what to use my afghan... I just finished it and it seems too precious to use. Maybe I need to start on more bigger projects so I can fully appreciate the work that goes into it and enjoy the loving that comes from using it.

Yet Another One...

2010-03-22T13:48:00.002Z

I'm popping these out without even thinking now...

I know that this swap is all about stash-busting... but I'm not liking the colours here.

Hmmm...

*post trails off while author is in deep thought*

Another One...

2010-03-21T12:38:00.002Z

Here's the second 8" Traditional Granny Square. This will be sent off to the first person on my swap list, along with the first one I made. I'm thinking about throwing in something extra... but I don't know what yet. I'll have a think about it before I send off the parcel.

Six Inches of Love

2010-03-20T16:32:00.003Z

I made a 6" version of the Traditional Granny Square. Why am I making a 6" square, you ask. I have no idea...

I used a DK weight yarn in a peachy colour, doubled with a DK weight yarn in yellow. It's a little too thick for my liking =(

Hooked on Hooking

2010-03-19T15:51:00.002Z

What have I been doing?

I've been making granny squares, of course!

I've joined the Granny Squares group on Ravelry and I'm now participating in a swap that's lasting for a year (yay! That gives me a reason to keep crocheting). The swap calls for a stash-busting, unfussy, 8" Traditional Granny Square using DK or worsted weight acrylic yarn. Which is perfect for me because I mostly have DK or worsted weight acrylic yarn in my stash.

Here's my first square. I'm sorry for the bad picture... I need to find the time to take a picture during the day...

Lookie Here

2010-03-07T14:15:00.005Z

Look at what I bought~

Hobbycraft has been taking a lot of my money lately. I don't have any green yarn though, so I guess my purchase is justified. Plus, I started using it right away!

I made the March 6" square for the Block-A-Month group on Ravelry. The pattern is called SmoothFox's Celtic Granny 6x6. I added an extra round to get my square up to six inches and then I made up the final round. I think the original calls for repeated sc and chaining, but I just used sc.

What do you think?

Paper Trails

2010-03-02T12:16:00.005Z

I bought a couple of things today.

Three rubber stamps, 50+ sticker sheets and a bag full of foam 'Love' shapes.

I guess I'll be working on some paper crafts as soon as my crochet craze quietens down.

More Squares, Squares, Squares

2010-02-27T11:49:00.005Z

Sorry for disappearing again... This time, it wasn't due to my internet connection, or anything technical. I was busy crafting!

I've completed 64 Summer Garden Squares! I'm going to join the squares using this method.

I hope I don't run out of yarn before the end of this...

Squares, Squares, Squares...

2010-02-11T13:19:00.007Z

I have a bunch of acrylic DK yarn that I bought for about £1 per skein of 100g back when I first got into knitting and crocheting. The skeins I bought are called Premier Value DK (I can't find it on Ravelry) in baby pink, light yellow and light green. With regards to the colours, it only seemed suitable to uses these skeins when I came across a pattern called Summer Garden Granny Square.

I've been churning these out at an alarming rate! I think I'll be making an afghan out of these - I'll try to finish 50 squares by next week and take a picture.

Life Without the Internet?

2010-02-08T19:20:00.006Z

I'm so sorry for disappearing suddenly! My internet connection went down at home, so the little precious time I spent at the library was spent on doing assignments rather than blogging. Since I'm new to the blogging world, I didn't have any sort of plan in case a situation like this occured, but for the future, I'm planning on prewriting a lot of blog posts - I don't want to dissappoint anyone, especially not myself since I don't want to become one of those bloggers who disappear off the radar without any notice. So rest assured, I won't be making any disappearing acts any time soon.

Anyway, enough of my rambling.

I joined the 2010 Crochet Block-A-Month CAL on Ravelry and at first I was really pumped up to get started. I thought that I'd try my hand at making the 6" square, the Ravelry 12" square and the Craftster 12" square every month. Ambitious much?

Yeah, I agree. I only finished the 6" square, which is called Little Dahlia, though the square is around 5" for me (I really need to work on my gauge). I might try the 12" squares when I have time.

In other news, it was my birthday two days ago (yay me!) which means I have birthday money that I can spend on yarn. I think I'm going to trawl through Ravelry to decide on what to buy.

Also, I've recently become addicted to Jenny and Nicole's Stash and Burn podcast! It's a little strange because I'm listening to the podcasts from the newest first, but seriously, listening to these two talk about yarn is like how me and my girlfriends talk!

Saving The World

2010-01-17T15:46:00.004Z

I have a couple of knit sweaters and cardigans that I don't want any more, so I'm reclaiming the yarn.

I'm up to my ears in to-do lists. But before I get started on the things on those lists, I'm going to weigh the yarn and calculate the yardage.

Look... Another One

2010-01-07T21:41:00.003Z

I've completed my second ever grannie square! This time I swapped the colours around. I'm somewhat pleased with this. Even though it's still impossibly small and misshapen, it looks a lot nicer than my first try.

Here's a comparison shot of my two squares. The first one looks really messy...

What a Grannie!

2010-01-07T09:25:00.004Z

This is my first grannie square! Sure, it's a little rough around the edges and the corners are curling up, but I'm super proud right now!

I used a pattern called Quad Color Square available here. I was supposed to used worsted weight yarn (or aran yarn for UK-ers) but I used DK yarn. It shouldn't have caused that much of a problem except that DK yarn seems to be getting thinner and thinner nowadays. I added two extra rounds (I repeated the double crochet round and the single crochet round before starting the final two rounds). The square was supposed to be 8 inches, but my square barely hits 6 inches. I'll be blocking this soon, so hopefully I can stretch this out a bit.

I haven't started my swap square yet so I have to get started soon. I have a load of other projects lined up too but my brain isn't working right now. I'll write a list of everything asap.

Shopping Syndrome

2010-01-06T23:09:00.005Z

I don't go shopping often. But I do go shopping way too often than necessary for a poor student.

But it was important! I was all out of aran yarn that I need for square swap on Ravelry. But, seriously, Hobbycraft stock an abysmal variety of yarn so there wasn't much to choose from. There were plenty on DK yarns and chunky yarns, but hardly any in the middle.

Anyway, onto my purchases...

Two gorgeous skeins of a multicoloured DK yarn in blue tones. (Okay, this was for me...)

Aran yarn in cream and red. I'm going to use these for my square swap.

Crochet hooks in 2.5mm and 5mm. I'm trying my hand at amigurumi so I needed a smaller hook. Not sure what the 5mm hook will be used for yet. Maybe a few hats?

Hemp cord! Curse my new addiction to Chinese knotted jewellery!