The Crochet Side

The Beast, as I not-so-fondly referred to the Interweave Crochet project, was shipped this past week. The box was massive and, due to costs, is likely not going to arrive until today (Saturday) or this coming Monday.

From online tracking, I know the box of yarn leftovers already made it to the Interweave office in Loveland, CO. Now I’m just crossing my fingers that the actual project makes it there safely and that they don’t promptly e-mail to tell me that it arrived a big ol’ mess. Or, worse, that it’s hideous and they would never accept a submission from me again.

There’s a lot of fear in this world of crochet design, let me tell you. No hiding the fact that I’m terrified someone is going to call or e-mail and it will only be someone saying:

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

The rational part of me realizes this is unwarranted. The irrational part of me is looking for a dark corner.

To keep myself from going down that path, let me tell you two lessons I learned during this imposed absence of mine:

1. Never promise to crochet something 10 times larger than the sample you sent in. (Also note the promised 10 times will probably equal 11 times because of 2 below.)

2. Measure, calculate, math, math, math, 4,013 times before you begin. I screwed up my math twice.

The first time I was halfway through the first half of the first side. The second time I was already done with both sides and beginning to seam the blasted thing together. Due to each section of the sides taking 5-6 hours per, there was no way I was going to be able to re-crochet the whole thing in time. So, I told my lip to stop quivering, pulled up my Big Girl Pants, and wrote down where I screwed up. I then padded the pillow to use up the extra space I had to work with.

Here’s a third thing I learned:

3. I dislike large projects. If I can’t finish it within a day or two, I want nothing to do with it.

That could always change in the future, and this may have more to do with having a bunch of merino on my lap in the middle of a Florida summer, but still, lesson learned for the time being.

Having said that, I’m proud of the work I did do. I really hope it arrives safe and sound, and that they’re able to photograph it, highlighting how lovely the finished product can be.

I realize that I’m crochet-crochet-crochet, but I’ve been taking a break since shipping off The Beast. I’ve picked up some circular knitting needles and am just knitting away. I’m not even knitting anything in particular. The freedom is lovely and rewarding, but I can already feel the itch to play with these bad boys…

So, I haven’t heard anything back about my design submissions that I sent to IC a few months ago. Which is fine; I understand the process, and I can’t imagine how many submissions they did receive.

My current swatch/design that I’ve planned on submitting is…well. Okay, I have a swatch done. I kept it on the smaller side (8″ wide by about 7-8″ long) so that I would have time to make a full piece, photograph it on a body, and forward it with the swatch. I may either send the swatch alone, or not submit it for the Spring issue.

I’m so in love with the yarn, but I almost feel like, even at Sport weight, it may still be too heavy for this garment. Perhaps it’s because Spring, to a Florida girl’s mind, equals Summer, and both equal hot.

Also, I wanted to use a lovely cotton blend so that it would breathe, but the cotton is already growing in the crochet-ribbed section. I’m thinking that maybe I should knit the ribbing instead, but would that turn some crocheters off? Which group would be the majority? The group of crocheters that don’t mind a couple of inches worth of knitting, or the group of crocheters who are either anti-knitting or don’t know how to knit? And do I take that risk, as a designer, to incorporate it?

I already am using a size E (3.5mm) Boye hook for the Sport weight, but maybe I should reduce it to an even smaller hook? C (2.75mm, I think) or D (3.25mm)? The body of the top is in an H (5mm) Boye hook so the stitch pattern can move around and be lovely with the drape.

I need to think about this more, but I also need to ship the swatch soon if I’m going to do that. The only problem–if I decide to go with a smaller gauge, then I’ve already submitted it with the wrong gauge yarn. How unprepared does that make me look? Eek!

Perhaps I’ll just keep this one and put it out myself?

I’ve got to be crazy–to put myself on the line like this, as a designer?

Just to get you up to speed: I just printed out the postage label for the priority packaged envelope lying on my desk right now. It’s about to be sealed, postage-stuck, and put out in the mail.

This is it! This is my first submission (well, submissions, considering there are three inside) to a publication.

I know there hasn’t been much in the way of patterns here for the site, but I have been busy, and I have been working toward something big for a while now. One of these submission items is huge for me–a big step in my design career/path.

I hope they like it.

Shit (sorry!), I hope they like all three.

Okay, here I go…I’m about to walk out the door and attempt something huge for me.

Or not, it would seem. It’s too big for the mailbox! Guess I’ll be driving it. In the meantime, have a look at Rowan with the package. She’ll keep it safe for me until I drive it into town just before lunch.

Oh goodness–

My first submission for Interweave Crochet is complete. I’m hoping it’s enough of a swatch. I used an entire skein of Vickie Howell’s Love in “Harold and Maude” for the piece. In podcast episode 11, I mentioned that I started crocheting a design submission with the wool/yak blend that a friend sent me. It started bugging me that I didn’t have a name for the yarn, and I was really worried about using such a lightweight yarn. SO, just as I completed tacking it all together, I passed my closet where the huge yarn rack is, and a lightbulb went off.

A while back, Vickie Howell offered yarn and other goodies to people who helped promote her podcast/site. I was one of the many who received yarn, and what I received was the yarn I used for this submission. I remembered the delicious muted tones of “Harold and Maude” and how much I loved squishing the skein in the palms of my hands, and rubbing it against my cheek (seriously, this yarn is my favorite, I think–the drape, the sheen, the feel, yum). I pulled it out of the stash and immediately set to work on re-making the swatch for the design. I had JUST enough yarn to work the swatch up, and ooooh man, I wish I could show you.

One person outside of my house has seen it, and that’s only because I needed help coming up with a name. So, thank you, darling Melanie. You are fantastic, and the best name-giver ever.

Now that this one is done, I have to complete the other ideas I have.

And, just so you know, any design that’s not accepted, I will eventually offer for sale up on the site. I don’t know if there’s a timeframe that you have to wait after submission and rejection, though I doubt there is, but I’ll look into it before I move forward.

That’s assuming my design(s) are rejected.

Oh dear. I only have 13-14 days before it’s/they’re due. I need to get crackin’!