Barefoot Shepherdess

Coconut Coasters

Remember this yarn?

Looking for a quick crafting fix, I stumbled upon a simple crocheted coaster pattern and thought the yarn a good match for it.  In no time at all, I had a couple of nice, summery coasters...

that soon turned into a set:

Crocheted Coasters from Knit Marché, Vol.3

As for the yarn: I have to admit, I didn't much enjoy working with it-- the yarn was prickly and itchy for my hands and shed an awful lot.  The resulting fabric isn't so bad, but it's definitely more for rustic home accessories rather than for garments of any sort.  My conclusion?  Coconuts are better used for macaroons.

That said, it wasn't at all bad for coasters-- these are a nice way to spice up a cool glass of tea.

A Little Bit O' Luck

We're moving tomorrow-- but the weather forecast is for rain, rain, and more rain.  Perhaps this little clover will bring us some luck and some sun.

baby's new hat, now with a little clover

Because of the move, there's going to be a lapse in our internet service.  That, unfortunately, means no blogging or emailing for the next couple of weeks.  So see you at the beginning of July-- by then, I should have a completed pair of New England Socks to show.  Maybe.

Baby's New Hat

a simple crocheted hat, pattern from this book

This was a quick and easy crochet project that I could pick up and put down with ease.  It's still a tiny bit big because the size is for 3-9 months, but by the time those hot, sunny days roll around, it will be just right.

Since it's a tad plain, I think a little embellishment is in order.  The original design has a little crocheted cloverleaf attached to the front, so perhaps I'll try that.  And as a matter of practicality, I think an elastic band to go under the chin would be a good idea too.

Yamagata Weekend

I sincerely meant to get a lot of knitting done on my trip last weekend.  Really, I did.  But despite not having a whole lot to do except eating and relaxing, I didn't even think to pick up my knitting.  Even on the train ride there and back, I preferred to admire the passing scenery instead.  Japan is a mountainous country with great natural beauty, and it's wonderful to be able to see a bit of that on this trip.

Though no knitting took place, my grandma did teach me how to make this:

A leaf-shaped, crocheted pincushion for darning needles and larger pins (it's not really suitable for sewing needles as they could easily get lost in the lumpy crocheted surface).  She designed it for herself years ago and recently remembered it to show me.  It was a fun little project and a great way to use up leftover yarns, even the ugly ones-- the pincushion is stuffed with bits of scrap yarn.  The needles apparently will not rust if you use 100% natural materials-- in this particular version, we used wool.  The one I made is in the center, and grandma made the other two.

On the second evening, we went out to the Hanagasa Matsuri-- the famous 'flower hat' festival in Yamagata.  To get into the spirit of the summer festival, I even dressed up in my 'yukata'-- an informal kimono for casual occasions:

Here are a few random photos from the parade (sorry they aren't that great-- our camera doesn't handle nighttime lighting & movement very well):

There were all sorts of groups participating in the parade-- school groups, businesses & companies, community associations, special interest groups, clubs, etc.  Some danced the traditional steps while others improvised a bit to give it a unique twist, so it wasn't ever too repetitive or dull.  There were also taiko drummers, both on floats and off to the sides of the parade, drumming to the beats of the Hanagasa song.  If you are ever in the area at the beginning of August, I highly recommend it!   

Stalled

Maybe it's the desire to start another pair of socks; maybe it's the lure of new craft projects.  Or maybe, it's the sudden hot weather.  Whatever the case, I seem to have completely lost the motivation to work on the Peacock Feathers Shawl.  Just the thought of those interminable rows makes me want to stuff the thing into the bottom of my knitting bag.  It's officially stalled at Chart 7 and doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon.

To take my mind off of the stalled shawl, I decided to try something entirely different and made this:

A little crocheted basket made of linen yarn.  It's actually supposed to have a felted ball of fiber set inside to form a pincushion, but I liked it so much as a simple basket that I just left it the way it was.  The pattern was a freebie offered with the purchase of the linen yarn.  It only took 10g of the 30g ball, so I'm hoping to be able to make a couple more.  The linen yarn makes this basket surprisingly sturdy, and they're perfect for holding buttons, stitch markers, and other such notions.

Since I was so pleased by this project, I did a little search on the Internet and found a few more cute crochet patterns here (click on the three buttons directly below '2006' to see them).  Most of the instructions are charted, so if you are familiar with crochet, they shouldn't be hard to decipher.