Moving Trucks

Sorry for the long delay since my last post. I'm not being very good with following through with my promises. But I'm turning over a new leaf in an attempt to chronicle my sudden bursts of inspiration, my mis-shapen failures and any surprisingly wonderful successes. I focused too much on citing things that I had made, instead of delving into artistic development, rough designing or the general backgroud of my work... Not that I managed to write about my work in the past few months.

Unfortunately, I'm moving from blogspot. There's something weird with the new format so you can't post comments (excuses, excuses); besides, I think a fresh start would be best.

Please join me over on nushkinathan.wordpress.com

Psshhh!

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

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!!

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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)
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. 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

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??

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

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.