The C Side

It has been a while

jessyz — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:17:59 +0000

I caught one of those evil flu bugs. Which I am still trying to wrestle into submission, so I haven’t been knitting or crocheting so much, instead I have been reading in bed, something I hadn’t done in years. Read books until my brain felt it was going to explode from all of the characters. So this little post is to make up for the missing Friday’s FO and Wednesday’s WIP posts.

I knit a little t shirt for the little one. I like it, but I want to make some modifications and try again.

And in a crazy moment of sickness I started crocheting squares. I want to crochet 400 of these little babies. Yes 400, because obviously when I am sick I come up with crazy ideas. I dream of having a bed spread that I made myself. I am going to make these in batches whenever I have sock yarn leftover because I can’t stand leftovers. I feel that the project is not really done if there is still yarn left. It is also easier than having to make the whole thing in one go.

{Friday’s FO} pants, washcloths and more

jessyz — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:36:32 +0000

Last week was a tough one, the little one and I were sick all week. She only went to school Wednesday and Thursday. So there wasn't a lot of crafting going on. But I did finish my dishcloth/washcloth.

I also did a bit of knitting on the hitchhiker.

But my favorite project was making these Hosh pants.

The iPad met the floor.

I also started something new.

{WIP Wednesday} Hitchikers and towels

jessyz — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:25:25 +0000

Well yes, I have cast on the Hitchhiker. I think I was one of 10 knitters in the world who still hadn’t knit one. And I have one word to say about this pattern GENIUS. It is the squishiness of garter stitch combined with the simplicity of the pattern itself. At first I was counting rows in my head, then I did a little ravelry digging and found that knitters were using a stitch marker to count the rows. So my advice is ALWAYS check out the projects when you cast on a pattern, you might find some really bright ideas. The yarn I am using is Strumpf-und Sportwolle 4 fach by Peterle Wolle which I had bought in Egypt a couple of years back and had actually started a shawl, frogged, cast on socks then frogged again. The colors just weren’t working with it. But it is actually looking much better on the Hitchhiker.

I am also knitting the Spa Day Washcloth, but I think mine will be more of a rectangular towel shaped thing. Which is perfect for the little ball of Debbie Bliss Cotton Eco I had. I originally bought the yarn to swatch for a cardigan but it just wasn’t giving me the drape I was hoping for. Yes I know cotton doesn’t drape so well, but trust me with the right gauge and right stitch pattern it can be great, especially for people who live in really hot places.

Day Seven {4kcbwday7 Looking Forward}

jessyz — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:15:14 +0000

Where do I want my crafting to be in a years time? Or the actual question which has been driving me up the wall recently, where do I as a person want to be? My crafting is not separate from myself. It is not an extension that is not affected by who and how I am. It is who I am, it is what I do. Crafters are people who will look at things and automatically think I can make that, or how did they make that, and actually go out looking for an answer. Even if they never make the things, that is how their brains work. They are intrigued by details, they look for signs of workmanship and finesse. If you sew, you will turn garments inside out and look at how seams were finished. If you knit, you will make your friends stand still while you look at the stitch pattern on their new cardigan. I digress.

So, back to the main issue at hand. I have been improving my technique. I can now knit without really tensioning my yarn. This for me was a game changer. My hands would cramp up after an hour or so of knitting or crocheting. I hold my yarn the same way for crocheting and knitting, it just hangs there. If you have cramp issues try different ways of holding your yarn it might help.

I believe that if you can knit and purl you can do all kinds of knitting. Everything else is just another variation of that. The things I do want to improve are my photography, pattern writing and my design. I want to design bolder things, write them out better and take amazing pictures of them.

I want to lose weight so I can model the things I make without feeling subconscious. That is related to my crafting in a round about way, I will sometimes shy of certain things because of fearing they might make me look bulky or boxy. See what I mean, about how everything is related. I might even shy of certain colors because I feel they will attract too much attention.

I also want to get better at cables, fairisle and intarsia. And maybe even learn to spin properly.

That is it folks, the week is over, it was a lot of fun.

Needles and Yarn, the yarn store in Kuwait {an Interview}

jessyz — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 07:15:47 +0000

Last week I discovered a gem in Kuwait. A little yarn store called Needles and Yarn. The first thing you notice when you walk in is how sunny and bright it is. With a huge window, the natural sunlight makes all the yarn look magical. If you have ever bought yarn at a store that had no natural light, you probably went home and discovered that the colors were not what you thought.

I found out about Needles and Yarn thru instagram. I asked the owner if I could interview her and she graciously said yes.

If you were expecting her to be an older woman then I am sorry to burst your bubble, Balqees is a young lady in her twenties who is also a software developer, obviously energetic and very passionate about yarn and the things you can make with it. Originally she was taught how to knit by her grandmother and then how to crochet by her mom and when she decided to start her own business she felt it had to be something she was passionate about so she opened a yarn store.

If you live in Kuwait and have tried to buy yarn you will already know that mainly Turkish and Chinese yarns are available. When I first started buying yarn you couldn’t even find the Turkish yarn and it was mainly acrylics you could find. While acrylics are great for some things, high quality luxury yarns really do make your fibre experience so much different. And this is exactly where Needles and Yarn fills the void. They stock Debbie Bliss, Adriafil and Louisa Harding yarns. As for the needles in stock, they have Adi needles and hooks which are not available anywhere else in Kuwait.

“My yarns are not available anywhere else in Kuwait” Balqees says, and she is absolutely correct. The colors are just divine and the white shelving makes them pop even more. A selection which is obviously curated by someone who loved yarn and enjoys using it. They also offer free classes.

Autism Shines image from ItsyBitsySpiderCrochet pattern available there too (just click on the image)

Their next workshop is on Monday the 29th of April is for Autism Awareness you can call 66699996 to reserve your place. For this yarn store, community is a very important factor. Because after all, a yarn store is a great place to meet people who enjoy your hobby. And the hobby we all share is a great way to give back to our communities.

Like I said, the yarn is just gorgeous. I could spend hours just petting the yarn. When I asked Balqees what she knits the most she said “Scarves, lots of scarves.” And later she said how a wonderful yarn with a simple pattern can make something amazing. And with the yarns she has, she is right.

Needles and Yarn is a great example of the entrepreneurship in Kuwait, young people who are deeply passionate about something and turning the passion into a business. It is not just about a yarn store, it is about people stepping out of the box and doing something awesome.

I think if you are in Kuwait you really ought to give them a visit, even if you don’t knit or crochet. You might be inspired to learn, and with their free workshops, you really have no excuse. Here is their location:

View Needles And Yarn Store ابره وخيط للاقمشه in a larger map

The store is open Sat to Thurs from 9:30 – 1:30 pm and 4:30 – 8:30 pm

Day Six {4kcbwday6 A tool to covet}

jessyz — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:00:42 +0000

A tool to covet? One tool? That is not fair. I love my tools. ALL OF THEM. And when I don’t love them I can’t use them.

But my number one tool is my iPad.

I use it for so many things. I use it to browse ravelry, pinterest and flickr. I find inspiration in these places. I use it to sketch designs using Paper . I use Evernote to keep notes on ideas and stitch counts when I need to, it is awesome that it is all in the cloud so I can access my notes from any device. I use Knit Counter to count stitches and rows. I use it to read my knitting magazines and knitting ebooks. I use both Kobo, iBooks and Kindle because sometimes you can’t find a book in one, you can usually find it in the others. I have the craftsy app and I use it to learn new techniques and take really interesting classes (they have an awesome Pizza making class, it is not knitting, but you can’t knit on an empty stomach can you?). I also use the Blogsy app for blogging. And I watch movies while I knit. So it is an all around great tool. It is almost always with me, so I can do all of these things on the go. I use GoodReader to keep my pdf files and patterns, it also connects to your ravelry library. If you don’t have an iPad but have an android tablet you can still do all of these things, just find the alternative android app.

I also had to mention my nostepine because it is the most awesome thing ever. It is just a wooden round thing. Right? Wrong! I hate messy yarn balls. I love pretty looking yarn. I sometimes wind yarn just for fun.

Day Five {4kcbwday5 Something Different}

jessyz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:40:58 +0000

Today’s post should be a new thing. Perhaps an audio post or a comic. But I am going to do something totally new. I HAVE NOTHING and IT IS GOING TO BE OK. I am not yelling at you. I am yelling at myself. I have a terrible case of crafter’s block. I have been getting them more frequently lately. And I usually fight back by trying to look for inspiration or knitting swatches. But today, I will do nothing. I will accept it as a fact of life and move on. I craft because it relaxes me and makes me happy. If it is going to stress me out then it is not going to work for me anymore. So today I invite you to embrace the moments your crafty inner self refuses to cooperate and do something else instead.

Me? I am going to read a book.

Day Four {4kcbwday4 Color Review}

jessyz — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:23:37 +0000

The time has come to talk about color. I have a color problem. I used to think I didn’t like color but the truth is I love colors. ALL THE COLORS. I don’t wear a lot of color, I am usually in black or navy blue. I hate that. I wish I wore colors more often. But I definitely never think that my yarn selections lack colors.

I notice colors and patterns when I look at stuff. I take pictures of things just because I liked the pattern or color and think it might look cool in my knitting or crochet.

I love colors that contrast, match and totally clash. At the end of the day it is only knitting, if it is totally horrid I can always frog it and start all over again. I love bright colors and neutrals. I love reds, pinks, blues, purples, black, grey. I love them all. If you don’t beleive me here are my projects. Almost all the colors, and a couple of rainbow projects too.

Day Three {4kcbwday3 Infographic}

jessyz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:28:32 +0000

I am an infographics nerd. I love them. I love looking at statistics even when I have no idea what they really mean. I have been meaning to organize and look at my projects on ravelry for a very long time.

I finally organized my projects according to type. What I found out was interesting.

I already knew that bags (this includes clutches and pouches) would make up a huge part of my projects. I had no idea I had knit so many things that went on feet, hats and shawls. This means I need to knit some more gloves and things that go on hands. Hair accessories are too low because I know I did make lots of them that I never posted to ravelry.

Finally I looked at projects by craft.

Now this came as a surprise, I know there are lots of projects that I never added, but I always assumed I had more crochet projects than I had knitting ones. It is a close call by all means, but still. I am glad I can do both and I am glad that my projects are numerous and varied. I would still like to learn more things and make more things (ALL the THINGS). It was a lot of fun doing this. I am pretty certain I will want to do this again in a year or two and see if anything has changed.

Day Two {4kcbwday2 A Mascot Project}

jessyz — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:13:02 +0000

While I did choose the house of Monkey I don’t think a monkey could be my mascot. No offense to the monkeys.

My mascot is an octopus. First of all he has 8 arms. Imagine all the knitting I could do if I had EIGHT arms. I would be knitting sweaters in a week. He is blue. Blue is my favorite color. Who doesn’t love a blue mascot? He squirts ink! I love ink. The squirting is really cool but it is also a superb defense mechanism which makes him even cooler. And this octopus is even cooler because he is a crochet one. I made him in an evening and he is very well loved by the 5 year old. He has no mouth so he will not drive me crazy with needless chatter (I have two VERY talkative people living with me, and while I adore them to the moon and back, a little less conversation, please).

So there you have it, I already have a mascot and while I do not own him, I think he rocks.