Baby sweater is finished! or at least the crocheting part of baby sweater is finished. I am about to block it right now. and buttons will have to wait until i go through my mother's button stash. my own button stash, though vast, did not turn up six matching buttons that would work.
After blocking this and handwashing my sweater submission for the fall issue of crochet me, swimming at Sakonnet point is definitely in order. it is HOT outside!

I have so many ideas for projects that i want to start! I really need to finish the baby sweater so that I can get working on other things.
I just found a really interesting website. since i'm always inspired by different uses for crochet, i am tickled by these designs: http://www.siriusspace.com/clothing2.html. Siri crochets chunky lace collars and accents for handmade clothing which definitely strike my fancy.
while browsing crocheted items on flickr last night i came across this image of crocheted trims in the "inspiring images from craft books" group.
they're excitingly vintage and different and would make lovely accents. Then I found an image of empire waisted dresses from a Japanese craft book, and a new idea was born! I want to take some skirts that I don't wear anymore and crochet them into empire waisted nighties. I've been on the prowl for cute little lingerie dresses and what's at the thrift store has been pretty depressing. I can't believe I hadn't thought earlier about creating my own!
Now I am having one of those moments where even though I have three projects in progress (okay, maybe it's more like thirteen) and three projects on deck, I want to start working on my crocheted lingerie immediately.
Speaking of lingerie, This village in poland is known for amazing thread crochet doilies and has recently started branching out into the business of sexy underthings. this site has an amazing gallery of panties, tees and bathing suits crocheted by hand from cotton thread. They are lacy, delitcate and beautiful. (although, what's up with the image of the model in an amazing sexy crocheted lacy outfit with a belly pack? aside from the fact that it is _so_ unsexy, what could she possibly need to carry around while she's wearing her underwear? is she out on the town wearing her skivvies and needs someplace to carry her wallet and keys?) The website is http://koniakow.com/galerie_koni_art.php
How can I find an entire village of little old ladies to start crocheting my ideas?

yesterday baby sweater and i went to the beach. it was pretty gray out, but the water was warm (for the ocean in july) and the sand was soft. we enjoyed ourselves.
babysweater is about halfway done! a few days of riding the bus to work this week instead of driving will make it go faster, and it seems like the weather is willing to cooperate.
mom got me a nifty gauge to measure the size of knitting needles, crochet hooks, and gauge swatch. i learned that the antique bone hook that i'm using for the baby sweater is actually a size c/2. the pattern calls for an e/4, but i couldn't get anywhere near the gauge with that one. i'm even crocheting too big with the smaller hook i'm using, but i think it's okay.

my first post!
i have been obsessively crocheting the icelandic baby jacket from the book "adorable crochet for babies and toddlers". i need to have it finished for the 19th of august when i go to the baby shower. baby una is due at the beginning of september. (okay, i admit that i have plenty of time, but why not get it out of the way early?)
i'm really excited about how the colors have turned out. I ripped it out at one point and removed some very un-baby colors, and now i love it. although if it doesn't end up being a girl baby then my sweater will be a little less exciting for everyone.
the white yarn is italian wool from the salvation army; i found a huge bag of it there for six dollars (i've also made the draped bed jacket out of it which i would include a link to if i knew how to do that!) and the pink and blue and green yarns are all tapestry needlepoint yarns from the savers (i can't pass up even small amounts of nice wool for cheap, and being able to use them in this sweater makes me glad that i have them!)
of course i am changing the pattern a little bit, but the format is inspiring me to make my own "icelandic" crocheted yoke sweater next in my own size with one of my new yarn purchases. It seems like it would be a fun pattern to write.
It's pretty seldom that i buy new yarn (as in "from the yarn store" new as opposed to "at the thrift store where it is only new to me" new.) The Yarn Gazebo in Smithfield is going out of business and she's having a 50% off sale. I don't really feel guilty going crazy on yarn there since it is discounted. I have money coming to me for some recent crochet projects and more opportunities await for paid crochet in the future. besides, isn't yarn what money is for?