Hookin' on Hump Day: 12 Times a Frogged Hat

My friend Kellen told about a job posting for a newspaper blogger. I told her I would apply as long as she would be my accountability buddy and made sure I kept up with a blog. Then she brought up the idea that we should have a Facebook group where some of my closest friend (kindly) harass me into starting a blog.

Then she made the group. And it worked.

Background: I'm in recovery for this debilitating disease where if someone awesome tells me it's their birthday, I don't say "Happy Birthday." Instead, I offer to make said person a hat. I sought treatment to moment I realized this was causing an endless project queue and when people were asking me about hats I had promised years ago. There has been some progress, but I'm a long way from cured.

Even more background: In September, I quit a soul-crushing call center job and started my retail experience as a cashier at Target. With the recent data breach and our performance being measured by how many people we get to sign up for our store card, this job has become it's on special brand of soul-crushing.
I have amazing co-workers, though. Some of us have bonded over our experiences at the call center. One of these amazing co-workers is Christine. She was the GSA in charge of me for my probationary period.

One day at work, I learned it was her birthday. Her boyfriend (who work in the store as asset protection) bought her the Bullseye plushie as a present. I ran into her in the break room and I just couldn't resist. I offered her a hat.

I asked her what color she'd like, she said purple was her favorite color. But then she changed her mind and said red (to go with our work uniform). And in that instant I said, "I'll use both. RED AND PURPLE GO GREAT TOGETHER. WHY AREN'T WE BEST FRIENDS RIGHT NOW?"

That was in December.

I've taken so long because the first pattern I found didn't work to well with alternating colors. And then I started to regret my fiber choice as well. Like winter in the South has been pretty tame, but now it's pulling out the big guns. I wanted Christine to have a hat that could transition from Southern winter to Southern the rest of the year. (There's really no difference. Wild card weather all day, everyday.)

I appropriated some wool that wasn't committed to a project just yet. Dyed it with some Kool Aid. In a Crock Pot. With this method of dyeing, you can smell when the dye is just about done.

Several failed pattern attempts later, I finally buckled down to finish it today. I had her try on a half-hat to see if it'd fit. It did. Then I decided the perfect finishing touch: A few repeats of a lace or shell pattern before working the brim.

That section of the hat got ripped out at least 12 times. Tonight.

After settling for an easily doable granny square pattern, I wound up with this:

 

 

I'm okay with it. To be honest, I had a slouchy hat in mind. Tomorrow we'll find out if I decide to rip it once more.

My name is Karla and I can't imagine how many things I'd actually get done if yarn didn't get in the way.

My name is Karla and blogging is not my forte.

Looking at the archives you can see I've been trying this blog thing since 2011.
Two years later, all I have to show for it is a handful of posts and an accurate example of my lack of commitment.

Maybe this blog is an extension of the half-done project box. You know, the projects you get super excited about, buy enough yarn to finish it, make sure you have all the necessary notions in stock to make sure nothing is delayed. And you start with this unstoppable momentum, picturing how great the finished project is going to look on you or how much your friend will love you for making a coat that looks like their kid's favorite Yo Gabba Gabba character. Nothing's going to get in your way.

Then it just stops. The same project that called, "Make me. Make me," a few weeks ago is now begging to be put down. It doesn't tell you why. Maybe it needs some space or things were moving to fast. Maybe it's you. Maybe you've gotten bored with the pattern repeats and a new sexier pattern has caught your attention. Maybe you're just not ready to make this kind of commitment, but you had to dive in before you knew how you really felt. 

Some of these stories have a happy ending. Sometimes after a small break, you reconnect with your work in progress and remember all the things you loved about each other. Once you finish off the last stitch and admire your new completed piece, you remember all the excuses made that delayed this gratification. In few cases they are legitimate reasons to press pause. In most others, you look back and ask, "Why didn't I just man up and finish this?"

Other projects might not have the same luck. In this break time you probably learn about for your disdain for short rows and swear off any projects that us them extensively. But good yarn should never go to waste and re-appropriate that yarn for some other project you can love the way a good project should be loved.
Not following through doesn't make you a terrible person. In fact, you should pat yourself on the back for making yourself try.

My name is Karla and blogging is not my forte along with certain craft patterns. But I do enjoy blogging when I'm doing it. Hopefully one day McCording to Karla will be a household name in the craft blogosphere. Until then, I'll keep trying until it grows on me.

Stealie

It's exciting being able to write about a finished project from the queue minutes after I posted about the queue. It probably won't get posted till a few hours later. (28 wpm! I need Mavis Beacon in my life.)

Further ado I present Stealie:

I made sure the tag was visible when I took this picture.

The idea

I had a friend ask me at the beginning of summer for a Grateful Dead hat. At the time I was backed up with baby items and had no idea what to do for such a hat; so I didn't really commit to anything. 

After spending 90% of my summer making baby things I decided enough was enough. I'm making grown up things. I tried getting started on other things on the queue but something would come up. I wasn't able to buy the yarn for Mangyle when I intended. And the socks, I had no feet to make them for yet.

Around the time I turned my back on all my friends' offspring, the friend who requested the hat had gotten sick and was starting another round of visiting the hospital and seeing new doctors. Ever since I began talking to him he's had the same problem, but it seemed to have gotten worse the further into summer we got. And the last round of doctor visits only resulted in, "There's nothing physically wrong with you that we can find. Here are some pills for they symptoms." So this hat happened in hopes to brighten things up a little bit. And to keep his head warm.

Chart

The process

I was at a loss what to do with this hat. Google search was employed to help me come up with an idea, and that's when I found the logo.  Only to realize this was the same logo I spotted several times in his room. (I stared at the banner for like fifteen minutes one day trying to figure out what the hell I was looking at.  I'm such an idiot.)

The next day I went out and bought graph paper to make this happen. Chart making couldn't be that hard, right? Wrong. It took me about 2 hours and few pieces of paper to come up with something I could work with. I was ready for bed afterwards, but no, I had to go to Wal-Mart, buy yarn and start that night.

It only took two days to make. And I learned what good yarn bobbins are for. Having to unbraid skeins every five minutes was quite the pain. If you look closely, the blue side of the circle slants a little to the left. I thought it had something to do with me wanting to work over loose yarn. Turns out I had lost 10 stitches between the beginning of the hat and the end of the logo.


The being done with it

I felt better when my roommate's boyfriend assured me the logo was coming along well. Also the progress reports I sent my friend got great reviews. And I also learned a lesson. In all the messages I sent, I referred to the logo as "he/him." Then I was told his name was "Stealie" as in "Steal you face."

Happy crafting!

Project queue

This makes blog attempt number I've lost count.
Maybe I'll keep this up this time.

I certainly have the time to keep up a blog.
On to the post!

Project queue - The beginning

At the beginning of last school year I brainstormed a list of projects I absolutely wanted to get done. In middle school I was constantly told that writing down goals would help you achieve them better, so I thought, "Why not."

I posted the list on Facebook. It didn't really get any feedback. Right around March, I went back to it and checked it out only to find out I had completed pretty much everything on the list (the last one, still a work in progress at the time).

I felt quite accomplished. This was a big step for a non-committed crafter like myself. Sure there were side projects and items were put away for months at a time. But I finished everything I had set out to do three months before I intended to finish them. It was a gold star moment for me.

This year I will make...

I came up with my project queue for this year about a week ago and I've already got one thing crossed off! Here's my queue for 2012-13:

1. Mangyle-An ambitious goal. I've never really dealt with intarsia before. And I still tie knot to join yarn when knitting. I decided that I would have to work up to Mangyle and do practice intarsia swatches to get the hang of it. I've also started exploring the option of translating the pattern to crochet, since I'm more comfortable with it. This will most likely be the last projects I attempt. This is for Alex who graciously agreed to receive an onslaught of hand crafted goods from me until the end of time.
2. Socks- Still debating if I want to knit or crochet these. I even paid for a sock loom. I can't start these until I get a foot measurement. But I feel I'll start on these soon. These are also for Alex; only because the sock yarn I picked up screamed him.
3. Something for my friends Sami and Shelly- I'm not sure what they'll get,  but these two ladies have earned it. Despite them being in different corners of the country, these ladies have always been a phone call away whenever I really needed them. I've got colors and pattern ideas picked out for Shelly. For Sami, I would like to make her something that has a very comforting feel.
4. Runners- I've only made one thing for my sister, so I granted her a space on my queue this year. She too have been a wonderful support resource for me this summer. She requested I make runners for her table and dresser. I'm excited about these because they might give me the chance to break into lace making.
5. Something commissioned. I need to start marketing myself. This is on the list to make sure I do it.
6. Grateful Dead hat- Already completed. I had a friend request it at the beginning of summer. Then  he got sick, so I figured the hat would make him feel a little better while he's visiting doctors. This was my first venture into color work and a great introduction to what I might encounter #1 on the list.

I know I have my work cut out for me, but I think I can get through my list. The original point of the queue was to challenge my inability to finish projects in a timely manner. Now that I've made to that met that challenge, why not challenge myself with new techniques and more open ended project that require a design element from me?

What projects do you hope to get done? Are you wanting to master a new technique, or do you want to finally get around to making something that ties your winning outfit together?

Happy yarning!

I had a dream about a blanket.

I had a dream about a blanket and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I bought some yarn and started working on it.

It's a baby blanket. An Auburn baby blanket to be specific. With nine squares and "war eagle" on it. Originally I wanted to have orange, blue and white squares. But my newfound obssession with quilts hs me thinking I can go with a nine patch pattern and then dedicate one color to the lettering. We'll see, we'll see.

Why an Auburn blanket? A) Not too big on the football thing. B) I 'd like to work with a square. "war eagle" fits in a 3x3 with a square to spare for a tiger or somethng. (I want to make a Bama one, but "roll tide roll" would require a 3x4 and that is not a square. Also it came in a later dream, so it'll be realized later.)

I'm am going to try my damndest to work this as fast a possible. I'm also going to try something new and rcord the time I spend working on the blanket. This way I can get an accurate measure of how fast I work.

And that's what's new in the world of Karla. Keep on the look out for updates and crude sketches.

Work log:
So I'm recording how long I work on this project. There will be a lot of short time increments because I like to get distracted. I mark an end time if i anticipate my "break" to be longer than 15 minutes. I will also be marking when I begin and end a square cause I want to.
9/6: (sq #1) 0130-0200; 0234-0248; 0303-0307; 0316-0402; 1450-1515=1h. 59 mins.

9/10: (sq #2) 1030-1208= 1h. 38 mins.

9/11: 0032-0049= 17mins.

Maria Conchita has been restored to her former glory

I am proud to announce that Maria Conchita is full functional thanks to the helping hands at Apple. :]
After a couple of weeks of traveling (heading to Vegas on Sunday, back to Texas the week of the 20th) regular updates shall come. Promise.
Craft updates:



So as you know Tuscaloosa was ravaged by a tornado in late April and a group started up to provide blankets for little ones who survived the storm. I've managed to donate 4 blankets. 3 were w.i.p.s that were intended for friends that I never managed to finish. And one was made with yarn donated to the cause. I have 2 more on deck.

I realize I've completely deviated from my original craft goals. I'm flexible, it's what I do.

broken computer. bears. needles. goals.

Spring Break, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Broken computer, BOOOO!!!!!!
I'm hijacking my mom's computer for the rest of the week, but when I'm not on the Facebook I'm keeping my hands busy.

Bears:
Introducing Graham

Graham was completed last week. He is going to be my first contribution to the Mother Bear Project.  Mother Bear sends crocheted and knitted teddy bears to kids affected by HIV/AIDS in developing countries. This is the second item I've made for a charity in my life (The first was a blanket I made for Project Linus way back in the 6th grade.). I started working on a girlfriend for Graham Sunday, I'm close to halfway done.
Mother Bear link

Needles:
I've also found a charity that hits close to home: Blankets for Deployed Daddies.I'm a little iffy about it cause I'm not sure if it's still active or not. But it's such a cool idea. They collect blanket and send them to expectant father who are deployed. The dad sleeps with the blanket for a few weeks so it can absorb his scent. Then the blanket is sent back to the new arrival. Newborns can recognize their parents by their scent.They know their mom's scent from the amniotic fluid, but they have to actually learn their dad's scent.
They have an easy knit pattern that I tried out and after 6 or 7 tries I got it. I can't wait to get started on my first real blanket.
Blankets for Deployed Daddies
I also found CareWear. They provide a list of hospitals looking for crafted goods like blankets, toys and hats. They also have patterns  that I can't wait to try.
CareWear

Goals:
I have a foot locker overflowing with yarn under my bed. I'm hoping to downsize my stash with the help of all these charity projects. I'm hoping to make 6 bears and 3 blankets by the end of summer.
I also want to venture into making clothing. I hope to knit, crochet and sew skirts by the end of summer. Wish me luck <3