The_Virginia_Hooker's Parlor

Wal-Mart Yarn Petition

2008-11-22T12:07:00.001-05:00

Knittted Prayer Shawl

2008-11-22T11:25:00.006-05:00

This shawl, i've been working up on and off for about a year, a CAL (crochet-a-long) at http://www.crochetville.org/ gave me the motivation to finally get the blasted thing done. It's for a woman i used to work with, who wanted a shawl, but didn't know how to knit or crochet. I tried crocheting it first, but it was a pain. Because of the yarn and the color of the yarn, i couldn't tell where i was or how many rows i had done, so i frogged, and started over knitting instead. This was freehand, just plain knit stitch, because i wanted something a little more durable, with no 'holes'. I used 5 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun (SCREAM!!!!) in Tudor, Addi circular Turbo needles in US Size 10 1/2, and also Susan Bates Size K Silvalume crochet hook to crochet the border. The shawl still needs washed, and the pictures aren't that great since 1) I had no model 2) the shawl needs washed badly. .

Anyway, on with the pictures. Here's the first model i found, my dining room chair with my coat covering the back of it:

I tied it on this shot because it kept wanting to slide off of the chair:

Close up of stitches:

This picture shows the striping effect of the yarn, which i had no idea it would do:

Canine models (i needed something with a neck lol):

Knitting

2008-11-08T13:52:00.002-05:00

Only took a year and a day, but thanks to Knitting for Dummies, i FINALLY figured out why and how to keep something that is one row knit and one row purl from curling, and also how to purl a stitch after knitting a stitch. So now my second Special Olympics scarf will turn out decent.

Front:

and the Back

3 Strand Q hook Baby Blanket

2008-11-02T10:04:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite things to make, because it's functional, wash and wear, and warm :) Here's the full shot:

Closer shot of one side:

Border:

Thickness detail:

Stitch detail:

Made with 2 strands of LB Pound of Love in Lavender and 1 strand of LB Pound of Love in Pastel Green. Just three skeins needed.

Wal-Mart, what's up with the yarn???!!!

2008-09-28T08:58:00.002-05:00

I am getting REALLY sick and tired of watching the yarn supply at Wal-Mart getting red tagged. It's inevitable what'll happen next: get rid of the Bernat, Caron, and Lion Brand, keep only the Red Heart Super Saver, which means the supply of yarn is halved, pitch the fabric dept. That's what happened at the Staunton Va Wal-Mart, and now the layout of the whole store (except grocery) is ALL bass ackwards, has NO logic to it, it looks like a bunch of people took some hits from the bong, and decided to move whatever to wherever. The 'crafts' section there looks like an afterthought. Although if you scrapbook, you should be OK.

The thing that Wal-Mart administration needs to get clued in on is that while scrapbooking IS a craft or hobby, not EVERYONE does it. Not to mention that their fabric and crafts section is sometime THEE closest and affordable place around to get yarn and fabric, and some people's livelihood depends on the craft section, since they might sell their finished product for household income. Or even a supplier for charitable items! When i lived in Beckley, WVa, Wal-Mart was the closest place you could get yarn (there's a Hobby Lobby there now so i've heard), the next closest place was South Charleston, 1 1/2 hrs. away. By the time you blew the petrol to GET there, you didn't HAVE any money to get anything once you got in the store.

I'm still researching this, and trying to come up with a form letter to DO something about this crap. Till then here's a few links that's i've bookmarked, and sharing, in case this might be a cause or concern for other crafty people.

Save the Fabric Centers in Walmart Stores A Care2 petition site gear towards the fabric dept. of Wal-Mart. The closing of the fabric depts. seem to go hand-in-hand with the yarn depletion.

Walmart Craft/Fabric Departments Closing A ipetitions site, after signing, you'll have a prompt for a donation afterwards. A DONATION IS NOT REQUIRED TO SIGN THE PETITION.

Is Wal-Mart Listening? This is a post in Debbie Colgrove's sewing blog that provides a few numbers, ideas, and links to act on this.

And last but not least the good ol' Wal-Mart Corporate Website.

If any of those links do not work for you, please let me know. I clicked on them and they worked for me, but i'm also not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to stuff like that.

My plan is to create a petition specific to the yarn BS. I will post the link for it once i figure out how to create one.

If anyone would like to help?

2008-03-12T11:54:00.003-05:00

I am starting my charity crocheting, FINALLY! Had to get organized, between moving and sorting, i had to get my yarn gathered up, and take stock. Still deciding on the name for my charity, though. Some finished items will go to a local domestic violence shelter, some items will go to U of VA Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. If the locations of my donated items change, i will definitely update on it. I will also be taking photos of finished items and posting on a blog as well. It will be a slow proccess at first, because this is all new to me, but i feel that speed will come with experience. :)

I will be making:

Hats for adults, preemies, and probably for children, once i find an easy quick pattern for a child's head size
Scarves for children and adults, fringe-free
Maybe neckwarmers for adults and kids
Booties for preemies
Blankets for preemies, maybe children

My goal is to make items that are comfortable and easy to care for, wash and wear kind of things, that are comforting and warm,. Which is why I’m skipping the fringe on the scarves. Any color, any fiber is great, the only thing I’m looking to avoid is the novelty stuff. Leftovers, scraps are fine as well, it doesn’t need to be the whole skein or hank, I can find a use for it all. If anyone is interested in donating, PM me. Thank you

Simple Hat

2007-09-21T07:25:00.000-05:00

I made this hat in one day (on Sunday). I actually have a scarf to match (somewhere). I used a Leisure Arts pattern, size J Bates hook, and Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn in Autumn.

Brown Fringed Scarf

2007-09-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

I just finished this fringed scarf a few minutes ago. It is single crochet throughout. I used 3 skeins Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Wood, and Red Heart's Crystalites crochet hook in size M (9.0 mm). This scarf will go to a friend of mine. It'll be an early Christmas present.

Caterpillar

2007-09-16T10:47:00.001-05:00

This is the first stuffed animal crochet project i've done. I got the pattern from Leisure Arts Creative Crochet. This is yet another one of those i-screwed-up-but-learned-from-it projects, completed March 1999. I didn't realize that when you do single crochet, you go through both loops, unless the pattern specifies otherwise. So i went through one loop for every single crochet, and the caterpillar turned out twice the size that it was supposed to, but it's still cute. I used scrap yarn for the eyes and nose, because i didn't want any sort of small detachable parts.

Broomstick Lace Reading Shawl

2007-09-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

This is the second broomstick lace project i've ever done, completed February 1999. I finally got the rows right this time. I used the same size 35 knitting needle, and by this time i had found a Susan Bates size H hook, and became a Bates devotee after that. The yarn i'd bought at Big Lots, it was a 5 skein bag of mill ends for $3. i wish i remembered what the name and brand of the the yarn, because the color is just gorgeous.

Newborn Broomstick Lace Cover-Up

2007-09-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

This was the first broomstick lace project i've ever made, took a week to do, completed January 1999. Half of the broomstick rows are backwards, so that's how i learned that you have to do a row of single crochet in order to get all of the lace rows in the right direction. I used a size H Boye hook and size 35 knitting needle, and Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Pale Mint.

Slipstitch Afghan #2

2007-09-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

This is the second afghan i've ever made. I worked on and off for 2 years on it, completed it in January 1998. Silly me, i thought i was doing single crochet, when in fact i was doing slip stitches, so no wonder it took forever and a day to finish it. But the mistake made it look like a knit-purl thing, though. I used scrap yarn and bought black yarn, and size J Boye hook. Each strip represents a past project that someone else had made out of yarn, so even though this afghan is technically ugly, it has sentimental value. :)

Virginia Tech Q hook afghan

2007-09-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

Pardon the dog hair on the blankie :

And here's the source of the dog hair...

Day off

2007-03-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

It's nice to have a 3 day weekend. I've worked a lot for the past month, and while the extra money is nice, the sanity is more important lol.

I'll work a little more on this page today, add some more links and such. It might be awhile for the pictures, though. The house is a mess, from the boxes and clothes. I hope that this will be the last time that i move for a long time.

First Post

2007-03-25T13:57:00.000-05:00

This site is still under construction, thank you for your patience in advance. :)