Victory Is Mine

I've been out of the circle for a while here, and I'll tell you why: because I've been buried in a pile of 1970's knit/crochet magazines. Such a treasure is mine because my boyfriends' dear mother has been an enthusiast of the craft since that day, and has saved ALL HER STUFF. And I mean ALL of it. Patterns, magazines, probably yarn.....and she let me borrow it! (Gave me a knitting lesson, too, bless her patient heart.) And in this mass of loveliness I found the perfect sweater pattern-it's easy, quick, and involves grannies without complete tackiness. Behold:

It took me two days of work and it only got a little bit tedious. It's worked from vertically from the center out to the sides, so it's stretchy, and it's in a big v-stitch. This one is from McCall's Sweater Book 1975. It's a magazine, not a book, and has a lady in a big gray sweater coat on the front. It's also online for free! http://web.archive.org/web/20011203111937/www.cei.net/~vchisam/groovy/10-11.html
So I exhort you all to ask any veteran crocheters you know if they still have pattterns hanging around. These things must be preserved! Fix them up and use them and pass them on!

Before the two days of sweater-making, I started and stopped half-a-dozen design projects or so, which will get finished sometime....the only thing I really completed was this vine panel here.
I started it for a sweater, that's the green one in worsted weight; but I quickly learned that your first sweater should:
1. Be from someone else's pattern. You don't know what you're doing.
2. Not be in godsdamn single crochet. It is not worth it.
But it would still be a nice sweater top if I could finish it. The panel itself could be used for so many things. I made a bookmark out of thread, as you can see; and it could be an edging, or whatever. It can be as long as you want it to be. I'll post the pattern in a bit. It's random, not repeating, that's the only way to get that asymmetrical vine look, but the principle can be taught.
I have a half-finished Chinese New Year Dragon, and a few squares of an Irish Rose Scarf done. So those will definitely be up, too.
Oh, and my Nonnie asked me to design her a 2-D flying pig for her door, and he turned out adorable, but I forgot to take a picture. I'll make another one and post the pattern. He'd make a good potholder if you were inclined to burn his poor little tummy. But mostly he's a door hanging.

P.S. My artistic brother just started up his own blog about his 3-D stuff, and I bet if you beg him really hard, he'd consider making a few gratis blog banners. Because college doesn't give him enough to do. =)
http://pointlessmalarchy.blogspot.com