It was mind-blowing the other day when I figured out that Alex and I have been blogging here for an entire year. It seems like yesterday that over plates of Mexican food (or maybe it was sushi?) that we hatched a plan to create a place online where we could share our crafty pursuits and hopefully make a few friends of like mind. It has been an amazing experience for us and we hope that we have been able to be entertaining and enlightening for our readers.
Over the past year we have covered topics ranging from crafting to cooking to the weird things we geek on, like The Rapture and Pioneer Soap Making...just to name a few. Actually, we have recently archived some of our geeky favorites in the Misc. tab above. Feel free to peruse our weirdness!
Thanks for being a reader. We get just as excited today as we did after our very first post when we peek at our stats and see how many of you stopped by to see what we we're up to. It makes it all the more fun for us...and that's why we do this, for the fun.
We have some really great ideas that we would like to explore in this next year. Tutorials, patterns, reviews, giveaways, and, as usual, there will be lots and lots of distractions. Stay tuned...
We have a winner!
Speaking of giveaways, we have a winner of the corn yarn. Congratulations to emarci! We'll be in touch right away to get your mailing address. We can't wait to see what you end up creating!
All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Check it out! I made two, crocheted washcloths! The square one was simply an exercise in practicing double crochet. I needed to work on rhythm and tension so I did one row of double then one row of single until I got sick of working on it. Then I made a little chain loop because...well... I figured that my stitches were actually nice enough that I didn't have to throw this swatch away so it could actually BE something (like a washcloth).
Washcloth number two... my very first, successful crochet-in-the-round. It's pretty sweet. My stitches look good and there are only a couple of "holes" where I think I may have missed a pick-up. Plus, it lays flat!
Previously, I mentioned that one of the inspirations for me to learn crochet were some free Lion Brand patterns that I'd gotten in their weekly newsletter. Specifically, I really wanted to make this washcloth.
I don't know what it is about this stupid thing that's so appealing to me but, for whatever reason, it was the impetus for my new crafting adventure.
So, attempt number three (attempts 1 and 2 were chronicled in an earlier post) was supposed to be "Alex follows a pattern" and, according to Lion Brand, this is an easy pattern. "Easy" is relative when you don't know anything at all.
My first challenge was with the abbreviations in the pattern. "ch 1", "sl st", and "dc" meant, literally, nothing. So, I broke out my library books and looked up the various definitions and instructions for each abbreviation. Challenge number two was with the language of the pattern. Some of the instructions were easily identified as variations on the language of knitting patterns but some was absolute Greek. "(2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in each ch-1 sp around" might mean something to even the novice crocheter but, to someone who has never, ever read a pattern before, it's complete gibberish - even with the abbreviations defined.
It's in Greek - istg
I sallied forth and attempted to do the pattern with my library books as instruction but I ended up with a morass of crazy that didn't remotely look like the washcloth of my dreams.
Back up and punt. I put the pattern away and decided to try to, at least, make something round. In my mind, if I could get the "round" part mastered, the pattern would be easier. Neither of my library books had a simple round pattern in it so off to the Interwebs I went. Can I just say...thank Babyjesus for YouTube and this woman:
Bthintx1's YouTube channel may become my de facto online home. She keeps it simple and explains EVERYTHING. So, basically, I started the video, paused, did what she did, re-started the video, paused, did what she did... etc. and I ended up with that awesome round washcloth above! Amazing.
Unfortunately, the video doesn't address my inability to read the pattern. For that, I bothered my co-worker, the lovely and talented Lisa, to help me decipher it. She was, in fact, very helpful - for the first few rows. By the time I hit row 4, there was a new instruction I didn't understand. So, I'll be back at her desk this afternoon for more one-on-one guidance. Which brings me to this thought...
When I learned to knit, I took a few classes. I've decided, after this experience, that teaching oneself pattern-based crafting is really an exercise in futility and frustration. It's just better when someone (even an anonymous, online someone) can show you what you need to do.
On a final note, I'd like to talk about the yarn I'm using for these washcloths. Cassandra and I attended the Sheep In The City convention in Milwaukee last winter and found some really gorgeous yarns there. One of the more interesting yarns we saw is made from corn fiber. The company, Corny Goodness, makes yarns of pure corn fiber or a wool/corn blend in some of the most beautiful colors you've ever seen. In the booth, they had a number of items knit with this amazing, hypoallergenic, vegan, yarn - and one of the coolest was a dishcloth. There's something about the weight and texture of the yarn that makes it perfect for this use. Plus, the fiber has some weird qualities, like it's antibacterial and dries extra fast, that make it really appealing for any cloth that's going to be getting wet.
The yarn has a slight sheen that is really appealing and the colorways are incredible. My one complaint is that working with it is a bit of a chore. It's "sticky" - kind of like the way cotton feels sticky after working with wool, but 10 times mores so. And it tends to be a bit splitty, which is only really a problem because I'm still learning how to use the crochet hook properly. The skeins aren't cheap - $14 US per - but they're huge. The DK weight comes in around 100 grams or 240 yards of yarn. That's a LOT of washcloths.
So...I have two skeins of Corny Goodness DK weight in colorway Orville's Ocean Light (see above) and I'd like to give one away to you guys. If you'd like to be entered into a random drawing for this skein of yarn, simply comment below before 3pm CST Friday August 19.(Comments now closed please see here for winner.) All eligible names will be put into a hat and we'll do a random drawing to see who wins. If you enter, please remember that we need a way to contact you so, if you aren't registered with Blogspot you'll need to send us an email so we can let you know if you won.
Recently, we've enjoyed an influx of new readers thanks to being mentioned on two really fun sites - Craft Gossip and Friend-Stitch. We're thrilled to have you all with us and hope to continue to offer relevant and fun content that keeps you coming back.
We love hearing your comments and encouragement. As a matter of fact, based on some feedback we received from one reader, we added more instruction and a color/stitch chart to our embroidery patterns. The only way we can improve is when you all tell us what works!
So, today, we'd like to let you know about some of the things we plan to cover in upcoming posts. This is not a comprehensive list by any means and, of course, we're sure to get distracted and write about whatever floats our boat in that moment (as usual.) Without further ado, here's some of what you can expect from Mighty Distractible....
Upcoming Distractions
As you all know, we can't seem to stay focused on a single thing. We have noticed, however, that most of our crafts include some manner of needle work or fiber - including the new skills that we want to try.
Cross-Stitch - Alex is fascinated with samplers, mostly when they're really edgy. The dichotomy of a sweet handicraft turned on its head is really appealing.
Quilting - Cassandra caught the bug when we made quilts for the earthquake victims in Japan. She's working on some ideas for kid-sized quilts for Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Needlepoint - Years ago, Alex saw needlepoint squares used to upholster the seats of dining room chairs. Every since, she's been obsessed with the idea of covering her chairs similarly. Specifically, she wants to use some ridiculously intricate William Morris-style patterns. This is why the project hasn't left the ground yet.
Only slightly complicated Wm Morris design
More crochet - Alex has already started down this path. Now it's Cassandra's turn. She's taken one of the library books home so expect to hear about her foray into hooking pretty soon.
Serging - Both Alex and Cassandra love the idea of using a serger and are dying to get their hands on one and see what can be done with it.
Upcoming Free Stuff
As promised, we will continue to offer free downloads and tutorials as often as possible. On our list of things to give you are a variety of patterns in different disciplines. We're in various stages of creation on these - writing them up, testing the patterns, etc. - but know that we'll have plenty for you to enjoy soon.
Love this wavy stitch
Knitting patterns - Alex is working on a set of three patterns - a scarf, a hat, and fingerless gloves (aka: wrist warmers). All of them use a unique stitch that she learned from a stranger at a protest knit-in at Madison's Capitol back in February.
Sewing patterns - Cassandra recently spent some time learning to lay in zippers and, for practice, developed a pattern for a simple, but very pretty, zippered pouch. They make great notion bags and are so easy you can make a few in an afternoon. Additionally, Alex keeps threatening to make a pattern for a knock-off apron that she saw at a trendy store.
Embroidery and cross-stitch patterns - We like to thank everyone for the warm reception to the first two patterns in the Woodland Series. There will be two more to come - Bear and Fox. Also, Alex is excited to design some cross-stitch patterns so, yeah....we'll see how that goes.
Upcoming Giveaways
We've done one giveaway so far and would like to do more. Basically, we're interested in reviewing things - books, supplies, etc - and then giving the reviewed item away to you! We think the easiest way to do this is to have people comment within a certain time frame and then we'll do a random drawing from qualified names.
We'd love your feedback on this idea. What items would you like us to review? Does the "random drawing" process seem fair or can you suggest a better way to pick a winner? Any advice would be appreciated!
So...that's a little bit of what we have in store for you. We hope this sounds intriguing and that you'll stick with us on this journey. We're having a BLAST and hope you are too. Don't forget, we love hearing from you and can only improve from your input.
Cassandra and I are proud to announce our very first give-away! One skein (140 yards) of Shelter yarn by Brooklyn Tweed in the colorway Woodsmoke, Lot 02.9902.
From the label of the yarn:
100% American wool. Grown in Wyoming. Spun in New England.
Shelter is an artisnal, woolen-spun yarn made from the fiber of Targhee-Columbia sheep grown in the American West. The yarn - spun in the historic mill town of Harrisville, NH - has been meticulously crafted to suit the needs of the passionate knitter. We hope you'll love working with this yarn as much as we do!
To win this skein, simply read our reviews below and then correctly answer the question at the end by leaving your answer in our comment section. Each correct answer will be an entry to win. You can also enter by following us on Facebook and Twitter. If you already follow us, leave us a comment on our Facebook wall or send us an @reply and mention this review. Each new follow and each comment from an existing follower counts as one additional entry. Winner will be chosen by random drawing from all the qualifying entries on Friday, May 6 at 3pm CST.
Cassandra's Review:
The Yarn Score: 5 out of 5
When I first opened the mail package containing the yarn for this review, I have to admit to being a little wary. Not sure what I expected, but, this yarn seemed way too lofty and had the appearance of being frail. I am a big fan of Jared Flood’s style and taste and so I put my reservations aside and pressed on. So glad that I did. I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Yes, it was lofty...and that meant it was a dream to knit. And I lost nothing in stitch definition, as you can see from my knitted sample. And frail, no way. I actually gave it some hard tugs to test it out. I had some trouble understanding the pattern I was knitting and had to rip out a couple inches about 5 times (in the same spot). The yarn sprung back each time. Strong!
This yarn is gorgeous. I am making a sweater at the moment (with another yarn purchased before I discovered this) that I wish I was knitting up in Shelter. It would have a wooly appearance but I think is softer and wouldn’t itch the wearer. Oh, and I haven’t even talked about the color. All of the colorways are so tasteful, you really can’t go wrong. This yarn is lovely, go buy some!
The finished product speaks for itself on this pattern. It turned out as cute as I hoped that it would. Sure, I had some painful moments at first (refer to the ripping above), but once I got it I cruised along nicely. The ripping I had to do was not a reflection on this pattern... total user error! As a matter of fact, I messaged the pattern author on Ravelry for help and she got back to me right away. How sweet is that? This was a free pattern, it knitted up quickly and it only took 1 skein of Shelter. Love! The one thing I might do to change it is to thread a grosgrain ribbon through the eyelets to cinch it up instead of the crocheted yarn chain. I think the bows at the handle would be sweet.
Alex's Review:
I had some trouble choosing a one-skein (140 yard) project for this yarn. I knew that, whatever I made, I wanted to keep it so it had to be a hat or scarf or something. I ended up choosing – of all things – a Jarod Flood pattern to go with my Jarod Flood yarn!
The Yarn
Alex's Score: 5 out of 5
When Cassandra brought the yarn in and handed it to me, my first reaction was that it was oddly springy and not soft but not coarse either. I couldn’t decide whether I really liked the feel of it or not. The color Cassandra chose is a wonderful, earthy mushroom color that, of course, appealed to me right away.
Once I went to work with it, I fell in love. The springiness I felt makes for a great “feel” while you’re knitting. The fibers held together beautifully – no splitting AT ALL – and it was much softer than I’d originally thought. The yarn is just a tiny but “rustic” in that the spin isn’t slick and even all the way through. I like this because I think it lends a more interesting look to a project but one slightly off-putting thing was that I’d occasionally hit a bit of something scratchy or hard in the spin. I have no idea what this was. I’ve worked with wool that was spun on farms and found bits of straw or hay in them but this didn’t seem to be barn-floor-debris. I just left them in there. My finished project – a really cute hat (see below) – came out beautifully.
I will definitely be buying more of this yarn in the future.
The Pattern
Alex's Score 4.5 out of 5
I ran through the one-skein choices on Ravelry and, oddly enough, ended up with a Jarod Flood pattern called Quincy. This hat has an interesting Mobius strip design that makes it look like a cloche when worn a certain way. The image on the front of the pattern is what attracted me.
The pattern was easy enough. It required a few techniques I’d never done so I got to break out my old pal, The Knitters Companion. Basically, you do a provisional cast on (thank you Knitters Companion) and then you knit a 144 row “scarf” with a built-in I-cord on either edge. Once that’s done, you flip the band in the middle, fold the thing in half and Kitchener stitch (thank you Knitters Companion) the seam together. Once that’s done, you pick up stitches from the inside of the I-cord and knit the crown. Easy-peasy! Of course, my Kitchener stitch seam is REALLY crappy but, overall, I really love the way this came out. I did find that I had to reinforce the crown “join” at the point where the Mobius strip meets but, otherwise, this was a solid pattern, well written and easy to follow.
So that's our review of Shelter yarn by Brooklyn Tweed. Now... answer the following correctly in our comments section and you'll be entered to win one skein of this yarn!
What observation did both Cassandra and Alex make about this yarn that led them to assume the yarn might be problematic?
Comments are closed. Please see May 6, 2011 post for winner.
Good luck and thanks for reading us.
- Alex (and Cassandra, of course)
* Mighty Distractible is in no way affiliated with Brooklyn Tweed or Jarod Flood (although, we're pretty big fan girls and would love to be!.) Neither Brooklyn Tweed nor Jarod Flood are aware of or participated in this give-away.
