Hats hats hats!

Hello there! In preparation for the fall (and because I've been trying to plow through my yarn stash) I've gone absolutely nuts for hats. I particularly enjoy making ones with ribbons in them. I think the combination of the fuzzy, soft yarn, and the shiny, smooth ribbon makes for one adorable, awesome hat! I've really enjoyed using different types of yarns, and seeing how they come together to form a hat. For variagated yarns, I love seeing how the colors pool together, and with plain colored yarn, I enjoy the look of plain old cables or knit stitches! I made these hats pretty simple because I wanted to add ribbons to them, so I didn't want them to be too busy! Plus, the hats are GREAT stash busters! They all took just about a skein each...and I've actually got 2 more hats on needles right now.

So, without further ado, here are a preview of my hats! I'm so glad I finally have something to list in my shop. it's been a long time since I've created anything I thought was worth putting in there! The last hat is already listed, which you can check out if you click on my banner to the right! The other hats I will list over the next few days!

Delightful Dinos

So, I am a self professed dinosaur lover. I don't know what it is about them, but I absolutely love em! I think they're cute (okay, well some recreations are cute, I'm sure the real things were terrifying!). I've been seeing a bunch of dinosaur stuff popping up lately, to my delight, so I decided to share a few of my favorite dinosaur items with you!

This is an image from chetart. I love the colors in the image, and despite the fact that the dinosaur looks scary, I would still totally pop a quarter in and ride him (although as an adult, I'd probably break a children's ride!). Check out all of his other images. They're a mix of funny and awesome with some great colors.

Isn't this just the cutest miniature you've ever seen? He's a dinosaur named Basil, from the seller Blossom Hill. Unfortunately for us, he sold awhile ago, but if you love him as much as I do, maybe the seller could recreate a similar one if you say please!

This dinosaur is all kinds of awesome. You can't tell from the picture, but he's about the size of a Hershey kiss. He's a build-your-own tiny triceratops from kfarrell. Check out her shop for some other equally awesome build-your-own dinos!
And last, but certainly not least, this is Mulch the Mint Green Dinosaur, from talkproof. I think he looks absolutely squeezable, and I know he's just dying to go to a good, dino loving home! Check out talkproof's shop for some other adorable plushies (I'm personally in love with the hippos, too cute!).

Alright folks, that's all for now! Have a great Friday and happy trails!

Annnnd I'm back!

Okay, so I've been on a bit of hiatus from blogging lately, mostly because I simply haven't had time. But I'm going to try to blog more, since I will have more stuff going on!

I've been hat crazy lately. I've made like 4 hats in the past 2 weeks. I'm hoping to photograph them and take pictures after I move to my new apartment. I've come up with a relatively easy pattern that I can use for some slouchy berets, and it will fit a bunch of different patterns and stitches. And I'm super excited because I've started my first wearable knitted item! I'm knitting Ysolda Teague's Cloud Bolero, and the pattern is causing me all sorts of trouble, but I guess I can't complain since the pattern is free and relatively easy! I really love her designs. They're all so romantic and dreamy. I saw a version of the bolero that someone else made, and I knew I had the PERFECT yarn for it. I had bought it last winter at a yarn store in Cleveland. It was thick and think and had the same colors as a peacock. I didn't know what to do with it until I saw the bolero! It's a perfect match :] I just can't wait til winter until I can wear all of my new knitted items.

I've also started my Christmas knitting, since I have a TON to do this year! I've finished an easy striped scarf for my boyfriend's sister. It's pink and black and made from Lamb's Pride yarn. I just have to add the fringes to it. I'm doing another striped scarf for his other sister, same yarn, same pattern, except in yellow and blue. They're going to be really cute, and I hope his sisters like them! I have yet to start the scarves for his 2 brothers (one in Steeler's colors, and one in his fraternity colors), and my stepmom's purple lace scarf (still need to find a pattern for that one). I have no idea what to make for my mom, dad, or 2 brothers. I think I'm going to attempt a zip up sweater for my boyfriend, but that'll probably end in rage and tears. He's worth all the frustration though, and I really need to expand my knitting repertoire!

And finally, I have stayed ALMOST true to my yarn diet! I haven't bought ANY yarn for myself, but I have bought yarn for the Christmas knitting I'm doing. I was so, SO tempted when I went into my LYS, but I managed not to buy everything in sight! I'm trying to use up my stash, which is why I've been making hats; easy, and don't take up much yarn!

Alright folks, that's it for now. I'm off to watch True Blood and do French homework!

Peace and bacon grease!

Bonjour from sick land!

I have been sick for the past week or so. It has not been fun! But today it was raining cats and dogs so I decided it would be a good day for a blog update! I'm absolutely terrible at updating, grr. Well actually, it had stopped raining for a bit, but now has continued again!

I've been taking French for about 3 days now, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't grasp it as well as I did Spanish and Italian. To me, a lot of French words sound exactly the same. I can't figure out what they are until I read or see them to know how they're spelled. Only about half the letters in a French word get pronounced, and this has made it difficult! It doesn't help that I'm a very visual learner, so learning any kind of new language based solely on sound is really hard for me! But, having a cold has certainly helped me pronounce the nasally "un bon vin blanc" or "a good white wine!" I love hearing the professor speak French, but when I try and talk it doesn't sound nearly as pretty. Well it does when I'm alone practicing, but I seem to get stage fright in class because EVERYONE in my class has already had some French! Well uh, what are you doing in Elementary French 1! I keep wanting to pronounce things in the Italian way also. In Italian, every letter gets pronounced; in French, it seems like you just drop off half of the letters. Haha, oh well. I've done well on quizzes so far (we have one every day, ick!) but we have our first exam on Friday! I've labeled everything in my room in French! There are little sticky notes attached to all my things and clothing, telling me what they are in French. Eh, it sounds silly, but it certainly helps me!

Lately I've become enamored with thrift shopping. I go through little spurts where I'll want everything BRAND NEW, or I'll go through little bouts where I just love sifting through all the thrifty goodness at the thrift store! I've been to ours twice so far, and managed to pick up some old sheets, which are going to be refashioned into a quilt, some popsicle moulds, and some shirts! I'm now on the search for things for my apartment for the fall: cups, mugs, plates, etc. Ooh, and also things for my room, like a cute little lamp, light, pillows, shelves, anything!

So that brings me to trading! I've been trading a bit lately, and I think I maaay be addicted, haha! I joined a trading street team, but I thought I would mention it on my blog too! I have a box full of fabric that I'm trying to trade away. I just don't sew as much anymore. So if you're interested (you can take a look at my shop too if something there interests you!) send me a convo at the shop address. I'm interested in trading for vintage home items, hand made soap, and photographs/art/prints right now!

Alright everyone, that's bonsoir for now! The rain certainly has kicked up in the last couple of minutes, and I've got to get back to conugating verbs!

Hola!

Hello everyone! Just a super quick update, I don't really have much time today. Oh homework and school, you're ruining my life!

I am now offering hand spun yarns in my shop! Along the side of this post so you can see a few of my favorites, but don't forget to check out my store to see all of them! I particularly love (and am proud of) the one directly to the left, called Super Fun Yarn Explosion. It's spun from 5 different mini batts. I'm pretty proud because it's my first yarn spun from a batt. I have another beautiful, green batt waiting for me in my 'To Spin' box, but I simply haven't had time to draft it all out :(

So, I have an uncanny ability to kill all living plants around me. I don't do it on purpose, but I can't seem to keep any plant alive :( My poor, potted herbs. I was gone over the weekend, and I thought they'd be able to make it. I watered them right before I left, but they were pretty dry when I got back on Sunday.

So I watered them as soon as I could, but um, now there's some kind of white residue on the outside of my terra cotta pots. And there was a teeny bit of mold growing on the bottom of my pepper plant's pot (say that 5 times fast!). I figured that the white residue on my other pots was the same kind of mold or spore and was seeping through the terra cotta. Questions: will this kill my herbs/plants? Are they okay? How do I get rid of it?! Any help you guys can offer is much appreciated!

I'm also in the middle of an experiment with my plants. I'm document the stages of their growth. Out of the 13 plants on my windowsill (I have a large windowsill!), I've picked 4 plants to take pictures of as they grow. I'm fascinated by the way the plants change and their leaves get bigger and they get taller and bear fruit, etc. So I've taken pictures of these 4 plants every single day to show their growth. Towards the end of the summer/beginning of fall, I'm going to take all of the pictures and put them into a slide show in iMovie and the fastforward it, so you can see an entire summer of growth in a mere 5 minutes! It's going to be really cool, I'm sure :]
Any way, that's about all the time I have for now. I need to get busy reading my cultural ecology book, reading an online article, cleaning my room, finding a job, and rolling change! Oh, and a nap. I definitely need one of those!

In an attempt to be healthier

I have bought a bicycle! And fruit! Yaaaay! I hardly ever eat fruit, but I'm planning on changing that! I had a nanner for breakfast today (nanners=bananas) and I'll have another tomorrow for breakfast! I plan on using my bike to ride to the local farmer's market on Saturdays when that starts up (ooh, this weekend, I think). That's the exact bicycle I bought (pictured) though mine has a few dents on the fenders. I think brand new it's $170 (yeesh!) but I found someone selling theirs on Craigslist (my new favoritest thing ever) for $130, but I offered $110, and they accepted! They were very nice and let me come try it out first. I'm very short and it's pretty difficult finding ANYTHING that fits me, let alone a bicycle. So the nice guy let me ride it around the parking lot for a bit and adjusted the seat for me (it's on the lowest setting right now). Then he helped me get it into my car and everything. How awesome!

I took the bike out for a ride for the first time yesterday and I was not expecting to hurt so much! I haven't ridden a bike in yeeears (probably since I was 14, and I'm 21 now :\ ). But I want to be healthier and I want to use my car less. Everything in town (I live on campus in a college town right now) is pretty close by, so there's not really a point in using the car, but walking is too far and boring! So voila, bicycle! But yeah, my legs started to hurt after about 20 minutes, and my butt got kind of numb. I have to go to the post office today, so I'll try it out again. I'm determined to ride my bike for a bit every day until my legs get stronger!

Speaking of the post office, we have a winner for the giveaway! I know, I know, signing up for the giveaway ended a WEEK ago, but I've been extremely busy moving from dorm to dorm and with finals and family stuffs (excuses, excuses, I know!). And the winner of my lovely hand spun yarn is...drum roll please...

Rosalie of UglyBaby! Yaaay! I hope she really enjoys her new yarn. Also, her stuff is really cute, so make sure to check out her shop!

Well that's all for today folks! My boyfriend left his phone charger in my car while moving, so I've got to head for the post office and send it home to him ASAP! Have a great weekend! I'll be spending mine at a fiber festival in Wooster, Ohio!

GIVE AWAY! WOOOO!

Alright guys, in celebration of 100 views of this blog (though I have a sneaking suspicion that most of those views are mine :\ ) I'm giving away this ball of yarn that was hand spun by me! It was my 3rd or 4th try at spinning, and I'm really proud of this yarn! It's made from merino wool, and is approximately 51 yards long. It's a pretty even yarn, though it is a little thick and thin in some places! The colors remind me of a sunrise, including pinks, oranges, and magentas :]

You have one week before I pick the winner of the giveaway! All you have to do to participate in the giveaway is to comment on THIS blog post (I won't count comments on other blog posts) before next Thursday, May 14, 2009. Make sure you include a link to your Etsy shop or an e-mail or somewhere I can reach you. I will then put all the names/emails/Etsy shops into a hat and draw out the winner!

So get posting, and good luck!