New Year's Resolutions

Okay, I'm not usually one for resolutions, and I didn't actually think of this one until a few minutes ago, but I think I want to have a new year's resolution.

Basically, I want to expand my knitting repertoire. I want to make my first sweater. I want to actually tackle some of the patterns in my Ravelry faves! I want to knit more for my Etsy store (which I haven't made anything for in a few weeks :( ). I NEED to use up some of my yarn. I want to make a baby blanket for my friend who is expecting. I want to spin more yarn and become better at it. I want to start writing out all my patterns. I want to advertise more. I want to do a craft show. I want to GO to a craft show! I want to visit an alpaca farm and buy some yarn/wool :]

But mostly, I want to connect with other knitters on a personal level. I don't know many people that knit...actually, I only know one, and I taught her. She ended up being the person I drew for Secret Santa so I'm getting her some nice yarn (not acrylic stuff, which is what she's mostly been using), a 16 inch circular needle, some DPN's, and a hat pattern so she can try something besides garter stitch scarves! I think I might join my LYS's knitting group, but my LYS isn't really that local to me since the closest one shut down :(

Any hoo...just a quick update. I'm in the middle of knitting a hat, and I thought of my resolution, so I'm getting back to mah hat now! Peace!

Erin

I am the world's worst blogger!

So, I've been completely and absolutely buried in school work since the beginning of the semester in September. I haven't had much time to knit, or blog, or work on my shop (yet somehow, I've managed to increase my yarn stash...oops!). Since my midterms and presentations are over, I've had a little time to relax (well, until finals), so I thought I'd just do a small update on some of my projects!

These are some socks I'm knitting for my boyfriend. They were supposed to be birthday presents for him, but since his birthday was the 11th, and I didn't even start them until yesterday, they're going to end up as birthday/Christmas presents. They're my first project on size 1 needles, and it's going frustratingly slow :\


This tam is my first colorwork project. The section you can see turned out okay, but it started going all wonky towards the top. I made it (and a few other tams) for a private swap on Craftster. The colors in the picture are pretty true to the real thing. I'm thinking about using the leftover blue and black yarn to make an argyle/diamond patterned scarf with some fringe!


I LOOOOOVE this yarn! I had it for a long time before it finally told me what it wanted to be! It's Malabrigo, which is my favorite yarn ever (so soft and squishy!). I just love the way the colors pooled together; it looks like it's tie-dye (even though it looks kind of washed out in the picture)! It's a beret for myself (since I haven't actually made anything for myself in awhile) and I'm going to add a pom-pom (erm...after I figure out how to make them).
Last, but not least, this is my Woodland Scarf. It's based off of a lace stitch, and the color/pattern remind me of a meandering path through the woods. I hope to put the pattern for it on this blog soon! The picture doesn't really show the color well. It's a chocolate-y brown with pretty gold specks in it. I spread it out for the picture, but I still have to block it (among the 293857293857 things on my to-do list!)
I've also managed to add a few yarns to my stash in the past couple of months. Unfortunately, one of my LYS has gone out of business, but they had a really good closing sale, so I bought tons of yarns. Yesterday I picked up a few more for some project's from Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits 2, which I bought for myself for a birthday present! I'm going to start with Veyla and Damson!

Well, ta for now, I'm about to go knit my little heart out!

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!