A Project Just For Me

Every once in awhile (about once a year), I have an itching to crochet something just for me. When I saw the cover of the Spring 2014 issue of Interweave Crochet, I knew the top shown was going to be this year's project. I literally could not stop thinking about it!

The Convergence Top pattern calls for Noro Taiyo Sock yarn, a yarn I have never worked with before. It is a blend of cotton, wool, polyamide, and silk. Because it is pricey (around $20 per skein) and the pattern calls for 3 skeins, I shopped around until I found a shop that offered about 25% off and free shipping. Yay!

The yarn arrived, and I almost panicked that they had sent the wrong colors! The skeins all look so different! But I checked the labels, and all 3 skeins are the same color mix (color #39) and the same lot number.

I'm trying to adjust to the weight of the yarn. I usually work with worsted weight, and this sock yarn is rather fine. I have had to adjust the hook size from the pattern (which concerns me greatly) because the piece I'm working seems big. BUT it does match the gauge I'm supposed to use, so cross your fingers! The colors are gorgeous, and the more I crochet, the more shades of beige and green appear.

I can't wait to finish this and wear it! Stay tuned! :)

The Accidental Gardener Strikes Again....

Saw this happy little sign of spring the other day:

The significance? Well, I thought we lost the passionflower that we enjoyed all of last year. It bloomed and bloomed and bloomed some more. It also attracted a mess of butterflies, so we literally had continuing cycles of caterpillars turning into chrysalises (or chrysalides, according to dictionary.com -- who knew?) turning into butterflies. We even took some of the chrysalises to school for our favorite teacher, Mrs. K. (She teaches the children in the gifted program and kept a butterfly house in her room.)

Anyway, we ended up with a pretty harsh winter for South Texas and the passionflower appeared to have suffered the worst for it. But now, it has three little sprouts coming up from the ground! Can't wait to see the blooms and the butterflies again!

No news on the afghan front for now. I did take a break from the three (yes, three!) different blankets that I have in various stages of completion to make something for me -- a top designed by my fave designer (and crochet genius!) Doris Chan in one of my favorite yarns ever -- Spa, an acrylic/bamboo blend.

DS2 took this photo of some stranger posing in my top. Ok, I confess, it's really me, but I think he must have had a dozen cameras pointed in my direction. You know, because one camera adds 10 pounds. Anyway, I love, love, love this top and thank you, Doris, for such a terrific pattern. (The pattern is available free on NaturallyCaron.com)

I'm planning on making a second top in yellow. The only change I'll be making is fewer rows on the body. Because the yarn is so drapey, it turned out longer than I thought it would. I may even get up the courage to make this gorgeous top, another Doris Chan design: