New Piece: Meandering Moss Scarf

Meandering Moss Scarf | Webster Fiber Arts

November 12, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

The last week has been very itchy for me. Last Thursday, I worked in the yard, cleaning out flower pots and birdfeeder, planting mums, and collecting our various gnomes, birds, and gazing balls for winter storage. I had a couple of bug bites that started itching that night, but Friday morning I woke up to discover my chest and neck covered in bites. I tried to count them a couple times, but they were all swollen into each other, so I lost track. I’m guessing there were about 50 of them.

The itching was terrible. I went to the store Saturday and bought Benadryl and spent most of the day sleeping, which meant I wasn’t scratching myself, which is a good thing. I covered myself in Calamine lotion, but after a couple of days, my skin got very dry and even itchier—so annoying!

Things are much better today. My skin is still dry in spots, but the bites are no longer swollen. I just have little bursts of itchiness now and I am feeling like a much happier person. I’m feeling so good, I am even up to posting a new piece today. Yay!

This is the Meandering Moss Scarf:

This is yarn I dyed myself, then I crocheted it into this frilly little scarf. I love the look of these kind of swirly, coral-like pieces. There are just so many stitches crammed into the space. There are artists out there doing really cool things with hyperbolic crochet. Look at the photos in this Google Image Search for “crochet coral reef.” Amazing!

With all of the curls, this scarf can be worn in a number of ways. I like it wrapped a snug around the neck a couple of times to get a flouncy collar.

See more photos and purchase on Etsy.

Until next time,
Annie

New Piece: Smoky Mountain Rain Infinity Scarf

Smoky Mountain Rain Infinity Scarf | Webster Fiber Arts

November 4, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

I just added a new piece to the shop, the Smoky Mountain Rain Infinity Scarf.

I worked on this infinity scarf during my recent trip to the Smoky Mountains. It rained almost every minute of our trip, and if it wasn’t raining, it looked like it was going to start. We still spent a lot of time outside, we just got wet.

I think the rainy chill I felt as I worked on this piece kept me crocheting past the point I would usually stop length-wise. I just wanted a big mound of fabric, and I that is exactly what I got. When I finally ran out of yarn, I realized I had something enormous—and I love it! The yarn is soft, which makes this one kind of like wearing a big hug. It wraps you in coziness.

See more photos and purchase in my Etsy shop.

Until next time,
Annie

New Piece: Sunset Waves Scarf

October 30, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

I’ve felt yucky this week. I have had a cold. Fortunately, it hasn’t been a bad one, but it has sucked up all of my energy and left me wanting to do nothing but sleep and watch TV. The watching TV isn’t unusual, but the sleeping during the day is. I’m feeling less dizzy today, but I am doing more coughing and sneezing.

I did have enough energy to add a new scarf to the shop today. This is the Sunset Waves Scarf:

This scarf is very similar to my Hills & Valleys Infinity Scarf. I made these two pieces around the same time, but I am just getting around to posting Sunset Waves. It was in the “completed” stack, but I hadn’t photographed it. Ooops!

I used my beloved Noro yarn for this piece. Wooly wonderfulness!

See more photos and purchase at Etsy.

Until next time,
Annie

New Piece: Scoops Cowl

October 19, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

Back when I posted my Smooth & Melty Cowl, I mentioned that the yarn reminded me of ice cream. Specifically, it reminds me of both Neapolitan and Spumoni ice creams. There is the chocolatey brown, the golden vanilla, the strawberry and cherry pink, and the pistachio green. I crocheted this cowl from the yarn I had leftover from that Smooth & Melty Cowl.

I really like the way the thicker parts of this yarn create the little puffs in this piece. Those are the “scoops” of ice cream in the cowl.

See more photos and purchase in my Etsy shop.

Until next time,
Annie

Blah Days Need Cool Yarn

Tapestry Rainbow Mandala | Webster Fiber Arts

October 15, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

I’ve been cranky today. I know it is from being tired—I couldn’t sleep after watching the Royals win last night. I was too excited to sleep, just like the kids in this Disney ad from years ago.

If those kids were half as cranky as I was today after being “too excited to sleep,” then they had a miserable time at Disney World the next day.

I decided I needed to crochet something just for me today. I had some yarn that I wanted to use: Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in Tapestry Rainbow. I got this yarn by accident (I ordered two Intense Rainbows to finish up a project, but ended up with one Intense and one Tapestry). Craftsy fixed the mistake right away, and let me keep the skein of Tapestry. Woo-hoo!

The Tapestry Rainbow is a pretty yarn. It is more muted than I am usually drawn to, so I’m glad I ended up with this one. I decided I wanted to make a mandala today. I hunted through my patterns to find one and chose the Gemstone Doily from Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The original version of this doily is done in a single color, which is lovely, but using the striped Tapestry Rainbow, I got something more mandala-looking:

I’ve not done any blocking on this piece yet, so the edges are still curling up a bit.

I’m really happy with the way this one turned out, and, more importantly, I felt much more relaxed and much less cranky when I finished. Hooray!

Until next time,
Annie

New Piece: Falling Leaves Scarf

Falling Leaves Scarf | Webster Fiber Arts

October 13, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

I just added a new scarf to the shop, the Falling Leaves Scarf:

I wrote about this piece a few weeks ago when I was about halfway through the scarf. I fell in love with this yarn as soon as I saw it. It’s part of the Isaac Mizrahi Craft collection from Premier Yarns, and the colors are glorious.

The leaves are only beginning to change colors here in Kansas City, but on my trip to the Smokies I saw some beautiful colors, especially as we drove into higher elevations. There were beautiful golds and oranges, with a few vibrant red leaves thrown in for good measure. When I got home from the trip and started taking photos of this piece, I was reminded of those leaves. I am hopeful that we will soon have those glowing colors here at our house.

See more photos and purchase at Etsy.

Until next time,
Annie

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part II: New Stitches

October 10, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

I am having a really difficult time concentrating this week. I think I am suffering from vacation hangover. After Mike and I got back from our trip to Arkansas, I did some laundry then headed out again on a trip with a couple of girlfriends. We spent a few days in the Smoky Mountains and it was wonderful—the leaves were just beginning to change there, and the rainy weather made the waterfalls we saw really beautiful.

I have seen so much great artwork and crafts over the past couple of weeks and I feel very inspired. There is so much that I want to make and do and try that I am having a hard time focusing and saying, “I am doing this today.” I am also covered in mosquito bites and hives from spending time outside planting mums since I have been home, and all of the itching I am doing might be contributing to my distracted feelings, too.

One of the things I have managed to accomplish since returning home is labeling all of the stitch samples I made while I was in Arkansas. I’ve been skipping around in The Big Book of Crochet Stitches for a while now, but I’ve decided to try to conquer all of these stitches in a bit more organized fashion.

I took my book and a pound of Caron yarn with me and started at the end of the “Easy Stitches” section. After spending days wandering around in parks and shops, I spent the evenings trying out stitches. I skipped a couple that didn’t make sense to me right away (I’ll come back to those later).

I used all of my green Caron yarn on the trip. I did a few more between my two trips, but I switched to a white Caron Simply Soft yarn that I had at home for those.

I also did some of the stitches in the “Bobbles” section of the book.

So, there you have it. I have many, many, many more stitches to work on in this book, but I find the learning exciting, and I like having those physical samples to refer to when thinking about new projects—it works better for me than just seeing a picture in a book

Until next time,
Annie

On the Hook: Gray Chevron Scarf

October 2, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

This scarf has been in my unfinished pile for a while.

I think it is pretty. I like the pattern and color, and yarn is a soft acrylic that feels really nice. It’s those color changes that make me pick this one last when I am grabbing pieces to work on. It isn’t so much that the colors change, it’s that all the ends of those colors need to be sewn into the piece.

You might notice that there are a lot of un-sewn-in ends on this one. It isn’t one of my favorite things to do. I would much rather create actual crochet stitches, so I usually get in a groove and keep making those stitches, and the ends to be sewn in just keep adding up.

I stopped adding new length to this one until I get the existing ends sewn in, thinking I could then adopt the practice of sewing them in as I go. Instead, this scarf just moves to the bottom of the pile as I find new yarns and stitch patterns I want to try. I’m hoping that by posting this piece here, it will serve as another form of motivation.

I really do like this one. If I didn’t, I would just rip it out and use the yarn for something else (This yarn was going to be used for a Fair Isle piece, but I found it to be a tedious process. I may give that another go someday). I need to refine my making process when it comes to pieces with a lot of color changes so it goes more smoothly for me.

Until next time,
Annie

On the Hook: Don’t Overthink It Scarf

Don't Overthink It Scarf | Webster Fiber Arts

September 25, 2015January 30, 2017 | Annie

Hi folks,

Oh my goodness, this yarn is fantastic.

Look at those colors! Sometimes you don’t need intricate stitches to make something really lovely. I felt that was the case with this piece that I am calling “Don’t Overthink It.” I’m using simple single crochet stitches for the whole thing, and I love the result!

Until next time,
Annie