Stitch Markers!

Last weekend I embarked on another cross-craftual enterprise: beaded stitch markers!

I basically followed the instructions from here, but used a jump ring to connect each beaded pin to a toggle closure loop.

I used two different sizes of toggle closures.

I'm now using these markers on my two main projects: the purple wheat tank and the gingham bag.

The bag is turning out quite thick; I'm not sure what I'll use it for (but I'll find something.)  The tank overlay seems to be having some issues -- issues with me failing to read the pattern properly.  I'm not overly worried though.

I'm getting itchy fingers to start a new project.  I'm considering the Ivy League Vest or the Boogie Vest.

A Bevy of Projects

I've been so busy crafting I haven't posted!  Yeah, right.  Anyways, I do have some stuff to show off.

1) Spinning

I attended a Roc Day hosted by the local handspinners guild.  I decided to try my hand at drop spindling and bought the tools to create this:

Top: undyed Cotswold, purchased at Roc Day.  Bottom: hand-dyed "Smokestack" Bluefaced Leicester purchased online.

All yarn is 2-ply: the Cotswold ranges from worsted to bulky weight, and the BFL from sport to worsted.

I don't have any idea what I'll do with the Cotswold; the BFL may become a shawlette or pair of slippers.

I enjoy spinning a lot but drop spindling is too time consuming for me.  I want a Hitchhiker!  Well, it'll go on my list of stuff I want but don't want to pay for quite yet.

2) Crochet

My brother- and sister-in-law are expecting a boy in a couple of months.  I'm working on another Lion Baby Bath Wrap for them:

3) Knit 

 For me, I've got a tank top

(need to finish the straps and knit the wrap overlay)

and my purse project is a little bag from a book my mom gave me for Christmas:

Ok, not so exciting.  There's a picture of the finished item in the above link -- and I've made a bunch of progress on mine since I took this picture last Friday.

Three posts in one day... the sky must be falling...

Just because I cooked last night for the first time in a while, I decided I'd share the recipe.  I got this from my friend J when we lived together for a summer a few years back.

Honey Mustard Chicken Pitas

2 large or 3 medium boneless chicken breasts
olive oil
1 large red bell pepper
a few tablespoons of brown French mustard
a few tablespoons of honey
pita bread
sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced

Trim fat and gristle and dice chicken into 3/4 or 1 inch cubes.

Saute chicken in a tablespoon or so of olive oil (in batches if the pan gets too crowded) until cooked through.

Add a large dollop of mustard and one of honey.  Stir into the chicken.  The mustard should thicken up the pan juices; if still runny then either cook down the sauce or add more mustard and honey to taste.

Seed and dice the bell pepper into 3/4 or 1 inch pieces.  Add to the chicken and cook until heated through but not soggy.

Cut a pita round in half, open up one half and line with 1-2 slices of sharp Cheddar cheese.  Spoon in chicken mixture.  Eat.  Repeat until it's time for dessert.

Frogging... I hate it.

I'm not a big fan of frogging.  If I can find a way to fix the mistake or gloss over it, I will.  I'm very good at dropping stitches in knitting to fix problems rows back (try fixing a miscrossed 6-stitch cable two crosses back sometime... it's quite exhilarating when you succeed).

I've messed up this part of the lion towel before, and I just bought more yarn and made the towel part too big.  But when I considered the problems:

• Not increasing enough, so the towel would be too long,
• Not having a lot of yarn, and not wanting to buy too much, again...
• and a very odd and abrupt transition between two dye lots of yarn,

I decided to be "fearless" and redo the whole sucker.  This time I'm taking the offending differently-colored ball and alternating every two rows between the darker and lighter shades.

My re-started towel bottom point.

This time I've double-checked my stitch counts while the numbers are still small and I'm ignoring the fact that it looks wrong and bad (fan-shaped, not triangular -- must have faith, must have faith...).  Now for some more endurance crocheting.

Grr... from the frog pond.

Someday, I will learn to count properly.  In the meantime, I'll continue to do 88 rows of single crochet, increasing only 1 stitch per row rather than the 2 I'm supposed to... and continue to visit the frog pond.

Since I had to grab my swift anyways, I realized I'd never posted about it, so instead of ripping I took pictures.

Inspired by Crafty Diversions' instructions.

My swift.  Homemade for about $20 and a few hours.

 
The swift consists of two hardwood 1x2's, mitered in the center, sitting on a purchased lazy susan.  I used a long eye bolt, the eye to tie the end of the yarn to when necessary, the length so I can fold the two arms together without unscrewing the whole thing.

I use 4 bolts sitting in holed drilled through the arms to keep the wood parts from sliding off the lazy susan.

Four dowels hold the yarn.  They fit into holes drilled about halfway through the arms.

Sigh.  Back to ripping.