In Two Days It's December :::sigh:::

No matter when you start spinning, dying, weaving, crocheting and knitting, it's never soon enough.  Luckily, this year, I've been so damned busy knitting that even if I don't get the gifts finished that I planned, I have plenty of backups.

I'm not going to be posting a great deal for the next month so here's a quick run-down of what I've learned and what I'll be pursuing next year. 

If you think of any Mad Scientist Experiments you'd like to see me try in 2012, don't hesitate.  Explain it to me so I start thinking about it and who knows.

Beading

I remember, when I was 12,  that I sat over a catalogue of hand-knit, hand-beaded sweaters which could be shipped direct to me from Hong Kong for only -- I don't remember how much but it was probably -- $30.  I coveted those sweaters because it was all I could afford to do. They were breathtaking  examples of bead encrusted knit wear.  Some were glittering dragons draped across a cardigan's shoulders.  Others were complex splashes of flowers, or leaves or butterflies.  

They were out of my reach financially then and now they require more skill and patience than I have for one piece.  But this year I learned how to add seed beads to my knitting and though you can't really see from this picture, they sparkle.  That makes the 12 year old inside me very very happy.

Intarsia anyone?  Non-wrapped short-rows? 

Intarsia and short-rows require concentration and so in the past, have totally pissed me off.  This year, instead of trying to master both techniques while knitting a cover for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I tackled them while making caps.  And the upshot is I learned how to draw an intarsia grid and write a pattern.  I also turned out some fun skull caps and baby bonnets.
 
I also played a little with dying yarn this year and discovered that adding Navy to Violet doesn't make a dark purple.  It makes a dark and muddy Periwinkle.  And because of that, I finally ordered myself a quick DVD course on Color theory. 

While learning intarsia and how to design a cap, I also started using the sculptural qualities of crochet to add a bit more.  The crocheted leaves on the end of the chain stitch draw string take this little baby's Halloween cap one step closer to the Pumpkin Patch.  I'm going to be incorporating more crochet motifs in my knitted and woven pieces.


And speaking of sculpture, I pulled my felting needles out of their box and made myself a lovely pair of Catrina inspired Dia De Los Muertos earrings.  I discovered that I can see a skull in my minds eye, but really don't have the skill to compress one out of a handful of fiber -- yet.  I can, Bwahahaha, make pretty good eyes though.  I'll be adding eyes to this hat, whenever the urge to make little felted balls overtakes me.  So yes, I'm hoping to finally get started on my Wisconsin Brownies mini-terrariums next year ... but I'm going to need a lot of practice to hone my needle-felting skills.  Eyeballs and skulls are what I'll be practicing on.  Hopefully, by next Halloween I will have a hat so terrifying that I won't be required to wear a costume.

I won't bother you here with the lace charts and the cabled snakes.  Those will be pieces for January, but I'd like to leave you with Embroidered Berets -- which you will also be seeing a lot of next year.  I first started embroidering Second Hand Shop Berets because they were stained. I picked them up for a dollar or two and then used embroidery floss to cover the stained felt in iridescent stitches.  One had an ouroboros twisting around the brim, another favorite beret had a collection of flower bouquets.   Over the years I've given them away and I miss them.

Next year instead of floss on felt I'll be using the techniques I learned on my un-felted hand knitted Berets using hand spun yarns.  It should be fun.