Thursday, March 5, 2009

You Spin me Right Round...

...baby, right round, like a record baby right round, right round. I totally dated myself by quoting that song, but you have to admit you like it. :)

I finished the purple round ripple I was working on a few days ago, but only got to taking the picture today. It measures 36" across and was soooo fast to finish. I love me some instant gratification. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing better than actually finishing a project.

Its made with Bernat super value in purple, Joann's rainbow boucle, and a J hook. I used Aggie May's pattern from Crochetville. You have to e-mail her directly for a copy of the pattern. Its worth the effort though, as the pattern is simple and has no problems laying flat, like some other RR patterns.




The purple is richer in person than it shows in the pic, but this was the best I could do with the drab winter light. The blanket went to a co-worker. I've got a sweater set in the works for the same co-worker.





I also finally sat down to figure out the frogging with my knit scarf. I inspected the stitches as best I could, determined where I thought a pattern repeat started, held my breath, said a prayer or 12, and let 'er rip. Pulling the needle out and frogging a few rows was scary. Like gained a few pounds on the scale type scary..aka really scary! It worked though and I was able to continue on with the pattern with no noticeable mistakes. Woot woot!

In the process of learning everything I could about frogging knitting, I discovered something called a lifeline. This could have saved me loads if trouble if I'd known about it before. Granted, it seems like common sense, but I don't always have that.


Also, I need help from you sewing peeps. I've been doing some research and I think I'd like to go with a Kenmore sewing machine. I didn't even realize Kenmore had sewing machine until SubwayHooker mentioned it. The reviews I've been reading have been better than for most Singers or Brothers I've been looking at. I don't want anything fancy, but don't want to go completely bottom of the barrel either. So I was thinking about THIS one.

Give me your opinions pretty please! I could use all the help I can get!

8 comments:

Laura said...

Ha, ha, I remember that song too! Now it's going to stuck in my head all day! : (

The blanket came out so pretty! I'm amazed at how quickly you crochet. I feel like I'm terribly slow. The Rainbow Boucle is so pretty, but I have a terrible time trying to crochet with any boucle-type yarns. Too hard to see the stitches.

I can't help you with the sewing machine advice, but if you're planning on ordering online from Sears, go over to www.ebates.com first, and sign up for a free account. If you shop through links on their website, you can earn cash back (a percentage of what you spend, varying by store). There's no catch - every three months, if you have $5 or more in rebates earned, Ebates will send you a check for your earnings, or you can have them deposited to your Paypal account, or donated to a charity you choose. Before I buy anything online, I always check to see if the store is in Ebates first. Even getting $5 back every few months is great - a little extra money to use towards yarn!

Andrea Moberly said...

Love the RR! I know you say its "fast" but anything large usually scares me off, even if it is quick! There's something about carting around a large project that just turns me off ;) Sorry, no real advice on the sewing machine, but all i can say is you probably won't regret your choice, no matter what you get cause it will be better than the ancient one! Good luck :)

Kristina P. said...

I love the ripple and the beautiful purple color.

Anonymous said...

I love the round ripple!

Ally said...

That is a beautiful RR, I'm still working on mine(same pattern) & it is progressing SLOWLY!

I never knew Kenmore made sewing machines either. I'm no expert at them. Mine is a simple Brother, bought it a walmart, so far it works just fine. I didnt need anything super fancy and I liked the price. Here's a link to mine:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4764724

Nikki said...

That looks like a really good beginners sewing machine. It's got pretty much what you'd want (a decent stitch variety, a button holer, etc.) and it's a fairly good price. I say go for it. :D

Kelly said...

I have a Kenmore and I like it. I'm not real experienced sewer and I don't sew all that often. But the machine is pretty easy to use.

Subway Hooker said...

Go for the Kenmore!

Seriously, last I checked, the parts were still mostly metal inside and that makes a huge difference in the lifespan of your machine. Plastic parts make the thing lighter (which is not a good thing unless you carry it everywhere) and they simply don't hold up to any kind of workout. You want to sew a denim bag out of old jeans for Pi? You need a machine with metal guts and a decent motor. If you want to get other opinions, ask a sewing machine repair guy who makes the best machines for the money. It may not be a Kenmore (though it might be), but I can promise you it won't be a Singer made in the last 20 years. For that matter, you can always consider a refurbished older machine. Several of mine are.

I don't know tons about the Brothers at this point, but I can tell you that I am very happy with my 45 year old sewing machine and my 15 year old serger from Kenmore. Definitely do your homework on it, though, as things do change. But Kenmore has a great reputation and gives a lot of value for your dollah.