Incoordinations

Onward and Soundward

2009-07-10T08:49:00.005-04:00

Well, I finally finished with my Etsy ad. It was one of the most miserable experiences I've had (other than spending quality artsy time with the bf). I had to submit it FIVE times to Etsy in order to get them to encode it right and now it's really grainy. Etsy actually told me to not submit it again, but if Magnify.net encoded any video other than .avi correctly I wouldn't have had to! GRRR.

Anyway, please view it HERE! You don't even need to rate it, but viewcounts matter.

On another front, I've been on a music kick lately! I'm always on the prowl for good music to listen to, but lately it's intense, almost primal ; ) My bf introduced me to "The Great Lakes Swimmers" who are good, but at the same time I want to rock out to some classic AC/DC - not their new crap, haha.

Last night I listed some classic vinyl in my Etsy shop to help curb this music-hunger. The inner sleeve of this Tom Petty album is to die for!

This sleeve is sweet as well! That guy on the right (Hall or Oates??) kind of looks like Borat... I also listed some Sergio Mendez, Eddie Money and Alan Parsons!

Since I've had summer music on the brain, here's a recent playlist of mine. Most of the songs were free from iTunes, the Urban Outfitters blog or friends. Enjoy!

FINALLY, Updates

2009-06-26T10:22:00.003-04:00

I had a very enjoyable week! My sisters and I went geocaching for the first time on Wednesday afternoon... which was also the hottest, with a high of 95 and VERY high humidity. We were only able to tolerate the sweltering sun for a long enough to uncover three caches, but it was a very fun and rewarding process. I'd like to do some that require some puzzle solving now! Unfortunately, my youngest sister left today to move to San Diego to finally be with her bf... it's not unfortunate, really. I'm very excited that she'll have a new job, a better college program, and company, but I'm really going to miss her!

Last night I listed my new knit necklaces! The above was made with crochet thread that my boss gave me (from who knows when) and cassette tape. The soft brown and white really go well together, not to mention the matte of the thread and the shine of the tape make each other stand out!

The yellow and black necklace was made out of plastic grocery bags, or "plarn". I have a lot of fun making the plarn and then knitting with it. It really gives one a good feeling when you can create all aspects of your piece, from your material to finished product. Plus, how can one not get that warm, fuzzy feeling from keeping plastic out of a landfill?

OH YEAH. I also added a sale section to my Etsy shop. Over half of my vintage items are now at least 25% so I can add new vintage and transition more towards a balance of at least half handmade.

I haven't quite finished my Etsy ad yet, but I'm very close. If I'm able to avoid distraction this weekend (ahem, ahem bf!), then I'll submit it before Monday turns. Wish me luck and have a great weekend!

Updates from Left and Right

2009-06-15T11:43:00.004-04:00

New Brunswick by AMPhotographic

What a weekend it was! The bf and I finished taking what seemed like a million photos for the Etsy ad. This week I'll be editing all of them for the final compilation and hopefully will have it submitted this weekend!

In regards to the shop, I'll be adding a sale section sometime next week (you'll hear about it here first) with vintage goods marked down 25%! It's time for me to clear out space so I can add more handmade items.

Finally, on the blog front I've been feeling very "earthy" as of late, so the next featured Etsy items will be in categories in praise of Mother Earth herself! You'll see items in the following categories: wood (e.g. paper, etc.), clay (terracotta), metal, organic (herbs, leathers, wools, etc.). If you have any suggestions for items that fit these categories, please comment with a link. Thanks!

On the Menu... this Weekend

2009-06-11T12:02:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I was at Meijer trying to decide what veggies looked nice and fresh to munch on for the upcoming week when I noticed how nice their green beans looked. I brought them home and washed them and got to thinking about a link to a Salade Niçoise I had ran across from Simply Recipes.

from Simply Recipes

I returned to the page and was reminded how I did not like tomatoes or olives and how much of challenge it'd be to decrease this to a two person portion. It didn't help that the description of the salad gave me a feeling that the recipe wasn't in the traditional style and for my first Niçoise experience, I want as close to traditional as I can get.

Hopping back to Google, I came up with a couple other recipes - Julia Child's version of the recipe (also with less than traditional boiled potatoes) and the Epicurious recipe which serves eight to ten (yikes!) and involves fresh tuna, anchovies and chervil (double yikes!).

from wiskblog

Finally I came across an article / recipe from The Telegraph in the UK about the "real" Salade Niçoise and apparently "so long as the raw materials sing of the south of France, they fit." Traditional style, check. Unfussy ingredients, check. Recipe easily made for two, check. I think I've found a winner, ladies and gentleman!

The telegraph article describes the ingredients as follows (for four):

Two handfuls broad beans, boiled for one minute

Six large tomatoes, also boiled

One green pepper, sliced thinly

One red pepper, sliced thinly

Twelve radishes, sliced thinly

Two spring onions, sliced thinly

One cucumber, peeled and sliced

Six hard (or not quite hard) boiled eggs

All of this is brought together in a bowl rubbed with a raw garlic clove and anchovy (or tuna!), black olives and basil, then dressed with red wine vinegar aand olive oil. I'm can't wait to put it all together!

from lukehoney

Now... does anyone have suggestions for a fittingly light (French, perhaps) dessert to go with it?

First Treasury Feature!

2009-06-09T14:38:00.002-04:00

Yay! Thebrickkiln on Etsy was kind enough to feature my blue vintage slingbacks in their new Treasury entitled "Cheer Up ButterCup". The color palatte is quite cheery for sure, with red, yellow, and blue as their base colors. There are also a lot of stripes, giving it a bit of a Summery, nautical feel. I'm so honored to have been included!

One more quick point - beginning tonight at midnight (through Sunday) the Yart sale begins on Etsy. I'm discounting all of my vintage items 20% and all handmade by 15%! Check out what I've got listed between now and then and maybe you can own the treasury-featured shoes ; )

Meanwhile, Some Gems!

2009-06-08T07:18:00.006-04:00

As you now know, I've been working on the ad for the Etsy competition. Last weekend was spent knitting my little heart out and sometime this week I'll have completed that portion and move to filming this weekend. I'm really thrilled to see the end result!

This week I've also been mentally readying myself for Etsy's "YART" sale on Wednesday (yard sale + art = yart, apparently). I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to offer yet, but I'm ready to move some vintage, so that's going to be discounted a fair amount.

Because I've done so little crafting over the past week, I can't leave you without at least some sweet handiwork, thus, here are some great pieces of jewelry on Etsy. All of these have a great antique feel, but are beautifully new, resonably priced and handmade!

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Porcelain Blue Earrings by Lucky Packet

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Charlotte by AllEarzJewelry

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Eleanora Necklace by Navare

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Sailors Valentine Shell Pin by MermaidsBaubles

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Button Flower Adjustable Ring by LeBoutique

Summer Cure for the Doldrums

2009-06-02T19:48:00.003-04:00

I have to be honest; I got incredibly excited when I read about Etsy's promotional video contest. I had, just hours earlier, sketched out an idea for a video and was pondering other ideas when I ran across it. I'm not a seasoned or even skilled director, but I do have a few videos floating around youtube. Luckily, my bf has some experience and even thought about entering film school - yay for help!

Anyway... I've pretty much put all crafting endeavors on hold until I get this puppy filmed, as it requires some involved crafting skills. In the meantime, I'll try to keep you entertained as best I can! Thus, here are some commercial and vintage items that would make for a great outfit with plenty of cash left for summer fun!

Clockwise from top left:
The Lana Turner Cartigan by Thrush, $28
Pink Hostas Empire Tank Top by Ruche, $35
Rainbow Raffia Bag by Anthropologie, $98
Woven Brown Leather Sandals by lemoncreme, $18
Heart Shaped Leaf Earrings by pinguim, $6
High Waisted Military Shorts by dustyrosevintage, $20

Oh, how bad I've been!

2009-06-01T20:03:00.003-04:00

Is it really so awful to enjoy one's summer? To enjoy the first bit of pleasant weather with the people one loves? I hope not or else I've been naughty! My weekends haven't been all that productive as of late, nor have my weeks for that matter. I've been preoccupied with "gaming" as it were. Although I'm not "hardcore" or anything, I do tend to "geek out" from time to time...

I can say that I've been doing quite a bit of studying up on various crafty techniques and reading in general. Right now I'm studying how to lift rubbings from gravestones, etc. It's a lot more interesting than I would've ever imagined, heh.

Anyway, I bid you adieu so that I may not be productive for some more time and I leave you with an interpretation of Nouvelle Vague's cover of "In a Manner of Speaking". Enjoy : )

For your enjoyment...

2009-05-21T22:22:00.002-04:00

Cibo Matto - SUGAR WATER
Uploaded by zectarien. - Explore more music videos.

My sister is a big fan of Cibo Matto. I never knew a lot about them until I happened across this video on a documentary about Michel Gondry (who directed the music video). Gondry is really amazing. You should watch some of his other works if you get the chance!

On the home front this evening I tried napping, but I must have too much on my mind because it's virtually impossible. I've attempted all week with no avail. I ended up watching a couple of movies which gave me some good crafting time... I should have some more handdmade things finished over the next week or so.

As an aside, would anyone be interested in the purchase of a slightly used Macbook Air? I'm so broke, it's a shame!

Just in time for Spring!

2009-05-20T21:47:00.003-04:00

It's about time I was productive! I got three handknit terracotta planter cozies put on Etsy tonight... I've had them made up forever, I just needed the perfect day to photograph them - and goodness was it ever beautiful today. This may be the first day we've seen temps over eighty and I quite enjoyed it (except for the airconditioning in my car malfunctioning).

I spent part of the afternoon in the library and I can't help but be in love. I've always enjoyed reading, researching and whiling away the hours in those hallowed buildings. My sister and I are going to learn Mandarin, so it's been an immense help. Also, I've been incredibly inspired by a very wide variety of crafting books - I'm even exploring jewelry-making and weaving! Is it just me or do you get this warm fuzzy feeling from learning new things too?

I can't help but be moved

2009-05-20T14:41:00.008-04:00

Every time I watch this I'm mesmerized!

(BTW, vintage updates in my shop... finally...)

Enjoying Vacay Memories Just a Bit Longer...

2009-05-15T11:22:00.002-04:00

We finally got the rest of the SF trip photos uploaded and I couldn't help but want to share them! My bf took all of these in Muir Woods, which is a state park to the North across the Golden Gate Bridge. I must admit that getting there was almost as much fun as hiking through the trees! One follows this winding road almost to the top of what seems to be a mountain and then you get to take it back down (and it winds even more)! The only thing that was a little unnerving was the cyclists that frequent the area. They ride on the road along with the cars and so corners have to be taken VERY carefully.

All of the photos here have sunlight bursting through them, so I apologize for the lack of variety, but they're my favorite! The photos that are more well lit tended to be washed out, so yeah. Regardless, this was a hike to be remembered, even as short as it was. The random springs crawling between the rocks were so neat and the breathtaking size of these trees was... just that!

I have to say I'm thrilled that Friday is upon us; I've only got hours left until my weekend begins. Tomorrow we're going to look for Morels (maybe) and stop by the Farmer's Market! I have been slacking on the Etsy front recently and can't wait to dive back in. I've got both vintage and handmade goods to photograph/list, yay!

Also, I've applied to a position at my company's headquarters that's been my dream job/goal for the past four or five years! I've got a lot of support from co-workers and even some upper management, so I'm hoping this goes well, heh.

Spring sprung while I was across the country!

2009-05-13T11:04:00.002-04:00

On our vacation...

My bf and I just returned from our first (real) vacation together in San Fransisco. Although much of the time was spent with friends or visiting family, we still had some quality time to relax and sight-see. My family were dears and allowed us to use one of their cars whenever we wished, although a couple of times we opted to take the BART (train) into the city.

The Japanese Tea Garden in the middle of Golden Gate Park was most assuredly worth the small fee, although I think it would've been more enjoyable if there were fewer people. Maybe it would've had a more traditional atmosphere in that regard. Although I never have been a fan of misbehaving children...

Another noteworthy item are the giant sequoias that grow in the area (I just have to con the bf into uploading the photos). We took the long loop through the national park near the San Rafael bridge, which was amazing. If you made any attempt to walk and look upward you'd stumble over because their height was simply too much to not be distracted.

In the kitchen...

My boyfriend had extra time to spend vacationing, so he left early for Seattle and then we later met in SF. In the meantime I did some cooking for one (which he was sorely disappointed by, haha). I had picked up an artichoke as they were on sale, but I had never eaten one whole before, so it was quite the experience, but a most enjoyable one! I used a combination of two or three stuffed artichoke recipes as I didn't have any anchovy on hand (and I'm afraid to eat them anyway). The result was delish! I will absolutely make this again for the bf and myself.

I also had a bunch of organic kale. A friend of mine recently told me that whenever she eats it for dinner, she feels like a total powerhouse the next morning as it's packed with those good-for-you vitamins and minerals. I used half the bunch to make kale chips which turned out to be incredible! I used balsamic vinegar instead of cider vinegar as I had it on hand, but it gave it a really great flavor. The only thing I would note is that they were overly salty, so I wouldn't add any salt at all... maybe a dash if one couldn't live without...

What's next for my kitchen agenda? This incredible fresh tortellini and spring vegetable salad, I'd wager. The local farmer's market has started up, so this weekend I'll start watching for the veggies and once they're all in season here, this is what I'll be putting on my table!

Happy May Day!

2009-05-01T15:35:00.004-04:00

I somewhat wish that I could be skipping around the May Pole, but I guess work will have to do for today. Regardless, May also means that you should be thinking of your mum if you haven't been already! It's at the tail end of online shopping for her, but if you've not yet been the thoughtful son or daughter you've always been - now's the time!

Here are a few ideas for mom made by fresh Etsy sellers!

bamboo and button fairweather scarf by remadeshop

Bakers Dozen Cinnamon Spice Cookies by simoneshomebaked

Hamptons Skirt in Cucumber by KatiasLovelies

Lemon Meringue Hand Milled Soap Pie by SavonShoppe

Hand Embroidered Silk Brooch by contemporarystitches

Etsy Artisans: Flora & Fauna

2009-04-28T09:26:00.003-04:00

Spring is (finally) in the air! Ok, well at least it is in Michigan. One can tell because the endless snow has turned to endless rain. Great. I just wish the yard wasn't such a soggy mess so I could do some romping!

With Earth Day just in passing and the change and weather, I've been thinking about the flowers peeping out of the ground and trees budding. So I've gathered some fine art from fresh Etsy sellers featuring nature.

Enjoy!

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LILY by MaggiesStudio

Eucalyptus Leaf - India by GreenManShop

INTO THE TREES note card 5 pack by photoamato

Rain Drop Chibi Girl Print 8 x 10 by LiPeony

Ethereal (8 x 10 print) by lifeinsugarhollow

Little Forest - Hand Carved Stamp by outoftheblues

Etsy Store Update!

2009-04-27T22:07:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll have an update with some vintage goodness before the week is through! This time I've got both housewares and womens' accessories! I'm pumped to post these, so I'm sure it'll be before the week's through.

I'm off to do some more knitting, so have a great evening, all!

Earth Day Should Be Everyday!

2009-04-23T14:24:00.012-04:00

I know we all try and be conscientious of how our existence impacts the environment, but it's even easier when we make it our routine rather than just a random occurrence. Here are a few buying tips and Etsy items that can make this task an easier one!

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1.) Buy upcycled:

Etsy seller paperama informs, "This fabulous wire bound journal is made of all kinds of papers, scraps and envelopes that I have been collecting over the years. The cover is bound in natural kraft paper and decorated with a paper cloud on the cover. Inside there are ~ 50 pages as well as several envelopes in different colours, weights and sizes to make writing lots of fun."

Beige book of scraps by paperama

2). Buy organic:
Etsy seller curleycreations tells us, "Grown without toxic chemicals or pesticides, organic cotton is healthier for the earth’s soil and water, animals, farmers, manufacturers, and finally, YOU. Conventional cotton production uses 25% of the world's insecticides and 10% of the world's pesticides (including herbicides and defoliants), despite using only 3% of the world's cropland."

Organic Cotton Napkins Leaf Print by curleycreations

3.) Buy recycled:

Etsy seller GreenPost describes, "These 100% recycled paper pulp buttons are hand fabricated by yours truly! I created these specifically to find a good way to re-use all the useless bills, receipts, tags and other "junk" paper that comes into my life."

Woodland Stripes (set of 7 eco buttons) by GreenPost

4.) Buy vintage:

Etsy seller ZaqsVintageAndDesign says, "I try to make every suitcase, purse, or bag unique. Each piece is distinctively vintage, holding a story from each previous owner. Aside from the suitcases, purses, and bags I try to find other pieces that would normally be over-looked or thrown away, carelessly. I like giving new life to things that would normally end up in a landfill."

Upcycled Vintage Very Small Suitcase by ZaqsVintageAndDesign

5.) Buy items to reuse rather than discard:
Etsy seller LucyBlaireCreations describes her item, "This handmade bag is perfect for trips to the grocery store or shopping mall. Its made of two layers of water resistant oilcloth with an orange floral pattern on the outside and a green gingham pattern on the inside. The double layers work to contain spill or leaky foods and the two layers also add strength and make the bag nice and sturdy."

Large Orange Oilcloth Bag by LucyBlaireCreations

Fellow Etsians' Handmade Jewelry!

2009-04-20T19:53:00.002-04:00

Alright, Tax Season is over!!

It's hard not to be thrilled when your bf has to work every Saturday for three and a half months. We finally got to spend an entire weekend together and celebrated in Ann Arbor. We had a great time wandering the shops and eating some awesome Lebanese food that we wish we could eat all the time!

Since I had such a busy weekend traveling with the bf (and last week I was busy on the "career job" hunt), I decided it's time to spread the word of the awesome work of jewelry-making Etsians that I adore. With no further ado...

Otis's Mistress by BrassPearlCaravan

Miniature Clay Diorama Ring by claypatties

Sunrise, Sunset Pendant by BitterMoon

Scarlet Earrings of Vintage Red Glass by PenelopeAndAnastasia

Turquoise Tree of Life by EarthtonesCreations

New Vintage Gear Coming to my Etsy Soon!

2009-04-09T19:55:00.002-04:00

I must say I had an amazingly productive day (maybe because I wasn't at work)... and it's not even over yet! This afternoon I was able to enjoy the 50 degree and partly sunny weather in the backyard taking photos of vintage items I'm getting ready to list on Etsy.

I'm thinking these'd be great for a wardrobe update - especially in combination! The red clutch is simple but in great shape and don't even get me started on those shoes... They're my size, but just a smidge too small, so I know I wouldn't be able to wear them for more than 20 minutes before wincing in pain... at least I know they'll go to someone who'll love them just as much as I!

Look for shop updates over the next couple of days, woot!

Spring Headbands in the Shop!

2009-04-06T19:38:00.004-04:00

If these headbands are as hard to resist wearing by myself, I hope they draw some attention on Etsy! I finally convinced the boyf to take some photos last weekend and they turned out alright, but hopefully it's warm enough that I can do them outside without freezing!

These guys are put together using (mostly) recycled or vintage materials that I've picked up locally. I loved knitting all the little leaves (a lot more than I enjoyed tearing up all the sweaters to get the yarn, haha).

This is the guy that started it all! I picked him up and finally decided he needed to be worn on the body, not shoved into a planter in a dark corner! He's really quite soft and I just hope he finds a good home where he's worn a lot ; )

Just a little Taste!

2009-03-31T22:57:00.003-04:00

I've just finished a round of headbands to list on Etsy; now all we need is good weather so I can take photos! I'm afraid it might not be until next week however... what a shame.

A bit about the headbands themselves... the majority of the bands themselves are super skinny matte black (metal). I guess I prefer that style because with thin hair you realize how silly a really thick band usually looks, heh. The backing is made from 100% natural cotton or 100% recycled plastic bottles (depending on the color).

All of the materials used to make the headbands' additions are vintage or at the very least reclaimed. All of the yarn used was from sweaters that I unraveled (which took FOREVER, but was fun). I also used vintage lace and random vintage crafty items (like the goose in the photo above).

These puppies wear really enjoyable to make and I've still got some leftover headbands, so I'll be making some more in the near future!

Yay, Etsy Update Numero Deux!

2009-03-26T23:31:00.002-04:00

It's been a long week since my vacation ended, but at least it's been a productive one! This evening I was able to make and utilize (somewhat haphazardly) a light box and then listed some cute vintage items for the kitchen.

How freakin' adorable is this birdy glass?! I want to keep it for myself... tempting...

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm actually being productive, hahaha. Whew, goodnight and a happy Friday to all (in eight minutes)!

Rested and Rarin' to go!

2009-03-24T22:16:00.004-04:00

Early Monday morning I returned from a relaxing, yet thrilling vacation in Jamaica! My spring break has been a long time coming since I started my MBA nearly two years ago, needless to say. I wish I had read and knit more on the trip, but the sleep was well worthwhile....

Now that I'm back to work full-time, I'm also back to crafting endeavours and more anxious than ever to get some new items cranked out. I haven't done a whole lot so far, however, I did get my first items listed on Etsy! All four of them are scarves and most I've had stored for quite some time, but I never found the right person to gift them to... at least now I'm doing something useful with them! Check back often as I hope to be updating weekly. All my best!

Almost Prepped

2009-03-09T22:55:00.003-04:00

I finally have gotten some items photographed and I'm nearly ready to list some in my Etsy shop... I'm afraid since I'm about to head to Chicago this weekend with my family that I'll have to switch the shop to "Vacation Mode" almost immediately, but at least I'll be able to maybe get some views in the meantime. (Did I mention that the following weekend I'll be in Jamaica with my friends?!)

Here's some tastiness that I'll be listing in the next couple of days:

Thanks to Sam and Whit for modeling on the beautiful Friday afternoon...
I'll be sure and update my blog whenever I list items, that I can assure you!

Anyway, hopefully I'll be making good use of this from now on and post some favorite Etsy sellers, as well as crafting endeavors (as always). Wish me luck!

Back to Basics

2009-02-09T20:03:00.004-05:00

You may have noticed a slight hiatus over the past year or so... that can be explained. I took fifteen months to complete a master's degree. That's right. I now can place the letters MBA behind my name... how thrilling!

Anyway. Before I dive into the insane number of projects I've got brewing, I thought I might let you in on a bit of baking. I ran across Baker ella's blog not too long ago and decided I just had to try her Sweet Potato Bourbon cupcakes.

I quite honestly had never cooked sweet potatoes in my life (as I'm not fond enough of them to do so), but when blended with cake who can say no?

The pecans are amazing! I (somewhat accidentally) used a great amount of sugar and they weren't too intense. I admit I used a different recipe for the candied pecans as I don't have a deep fryer. I found a few oven roasted varieties and combined them to form this:

Candied Pecans

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. raw pecans
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and grease bakingsheet. In a medium-sized bowl, whip the egg and water into a froth. In another medium/large bowl mix the sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pecans to the egg white and stir, then toss the pecans in the bowl of sugar mix. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

I also amended the vanilla glaze somewhat as Bakerella mentioned it might have been better off with burbon added directly to the vanilla glaze, rather than adding the Bourbon Syrup/Glaze/Frosting Concoction. Instead of adding 3/4 tbs. of milk to the glaze, I added 2 1/2 tbs of milk and 2 tbs of bourbon. This amount may make the glaze too thin as I believe I added a bit more confectioners sugar than was suggested - but you get the idea!

Overall, these were delicious and although my father didn't like them (he's not much of a drinker, haha), everyone else enjoyed them quite thoroughly!

Woo sock...

2007-09-02T18:10:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I picked up a skein of Online Supersocke 100 in the "Tropic" colorway (a superwash wool-blend) from a local yarn shop... I believe I attempted at least three other patterns before I finally settled on Grumperina's Jaywalkers . I must say that the pattern is very simple, yet makes for a fun zig-zag type striping effect. I've found a new love - self striping yarn!

Jaywalkers-In-Progress

I've also been working away on a vest for a yet to be named recipient. The Notting Hill Vest (by Kathy Zimmerman) from Knitscene Magazine is worked up in Knitpick s' Shamrock, which can be purchased for quite a low price online. I've been knitting up the smallest size of the vest in the "Doyle" colorway, which features shades of blue, offwhite and a somewhat peachy tone with a brown base. Hopefully I have this puppy finished before Autumn chills us all!

Notting Hill Vest

Yarn Acquisition or Goodwill: How do I love thee?

2007-08-11T10:52:00.000-04:00

The other night I made a stop to Goodwill... and stumbled upon this:

That's right. A huge bag of yarn... all for five dollars! Let me give you a description of the contents...

From the bottom left going clockwise:

12 Full skeins of Bernat Frosting (in Ruby Frost)
4 Full skeins of Reynolds Suzie
3 Full balls (and 6 partials) of Anny Blatt Magnolia
1 Full skein of Caron Cotton Terry (in Mint Green)
1 Full skein of Phildar Ondiameche
2 Full skeins (and 1 partial) of Bernat Frosting (in Pearl Frost)
2 partial skeins of different purple yarns

Oh, Goodwill, I do love you so!

Recycled!

2007-07-30T20:20:00.000-04:00

I told you I'd use the freezer paper again! This time I picked up a green t-shirt from Goodwill and decided to use the green for what only made the most sense.

Aaaand I finished the Reduce Reuse Recycle bag from MagKnits comprised entirely of Meijer grocery bags! The knitting went rather quickly... however, cutting up 22 bags took a fair amount of time. I'll admit that my spiral cutting speed greatly improved over time though.

C'est quoi?

2007-07-07T17:56:00.000-04:00

And what do we have here? Could it be a new project??

Possibly Plastic-y

A linen turtleneck?

The world may never know.

Recommencing Posts!

2007-06-27T23:08:00.000-04:00

However unrelated to knitting this is... my sister recently suggested I make a shirt stating her feelings concerning the Paris Hilton happenings. I couldn't say no! Luckily I finished just in time... for Paris to skip off to her mansion, that is.

Partially cut out freezer paper template (with plastic side down)

Fully cut template ready for ironing!

Thriftstore t-shirt with fabric paint

Ta-Dah!

Most steadfast in her standpoint

Now... what do I make next with freezer paper?! I'm horrific with the iron and was afraid I'd melt the plastic to the shirt, but it was just enough to keep the paint from spreading. It also peeled off the shirt (a rayon/spandex blend - gotta love Old Navy) very nicely. This was a fun and fairly simple project (except for the exact-ish cutting of the letters) and I can't wait to do more!

Orangina-ish/Katja

2006-08-06T20:11:00.000-04:00

Finally some FOs! Orangina was at the top of my (and my mom's) list to complete. The backside seemed to go much more quickly than the front (because I finally stopped messing around and memorized the stunningly easy pattern). The ribbing in the waist was somewhat horrifying, but I got through it in the end...

I also managed to knit up Katja from Knitty.com for a friend of mine. The pattern was simple, so I did all the ridges in an alternate color to brighten(?!) the outfit up. I wish I'd gotten a hold of the yarn the pattern called for, but was short on time and cash so I used leftover Sugar 'n Cream.

Unfortunately this is one of those situations in which gage really matters and I happened to not check it. Alexia's outfit was twice as wide as I had orginally intended... In order to compensate I just affixed a few buttons on either side (so the inside edge had to be buttoned first) and added some makeshift button holes to either end of the outfit. It was a disaster on my part, but hopefully it makes the overall clothes putting-on/removal process a bit easier for mom and dad...
Happy first birthday, Alexia!

My sister and I made a trek to Salvation Army the other day in search of a tall cake platter - we found a gorgy silver one - and I found a beautiful worsted to bulky weight cotton J Crew sweater. I couldn't help bringing the poor lonely thing home to take care of... (This photo of my sister modeling is representative of the warm, light green color.)

I dismantled the body in hopes to attach the sleeves together in shrug/mini-sweater form, as I don't want to lose all of the beautiful cabling. I've played around a bit with ideas, so hopefully it turns out to be wearable! The yarn splits horribly, but I'm still in awe of the softness of the cotton and the soothing green color, so it'll just have to do!

Oh - who can resist a bit of yarn pr0n? I picked up two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport from Lily Lane Knits in Midland. (Try saying that five times fast!) I'm excited to knit socks, but I'm having a difficult time with laddering where the needles meet... any suggestions? I'm working on a pair of ankle socks in Cascade Fixation, but I'm ashamed to show them because of the horrible laddering... meh.

Why is using blogger so difficult on a Mac?! I just got myself an imac and now when the photos upload they do so in html and I can never remember which image is which. (I usually just leave the images coded by my digital camera.) I also lost the option to justify my text. Sure I know enough html to bolden or italicize, but that's about the extent of my skills... At least it will let me spell check and insert photos, but I need my automatic justification and hyperlinks!! Really - I need help!

Yarn Harlot coming to Ann Arbor!

2006-07-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

I've been a pretty big slacker as far as knitting goes, but Stephanie Pearl-McPhee deserves a post all to herself anyhow. It's kind of old news, but I wanted to make sure all the lower East side Michiganders knew she's coming, heh. So, July 30 at the Ann Arbor District Library from 2 to 3:30 pm you'll find my mom and I gawking at the Harlot herself.
Early on I suggested that mom and I make the two hour trip down together as a kind of bonding excursion because I'll likely be visiting the boyfriend for a few weeks the following weekend. She gladly and rather quickly agreed as she is reading Yarn Harlot and is just as enchanted by Stephanie's sense of humor as I.

Hrm. Just because I feel guilty about posting sans pictures - here's a quick project I just completed:

I purchased a rather cute tote from a garage sale (for pennies, yay) and was annoyed to discover the handle only allowed the bag to go as far as my elbow.

Just a few hours later I whipped up two I-Cord handles made with Sugar 'n Cream in Ecru I happened to have lying around. The bag now sits on my shoulder with no problem!

(Thanks to Cola for being such a gorgy hand/arm model!)

Back from a break!

2006-07-05T19:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished up my last two classes last week and topped it off with a nice four day weekend. I'm thrilled to be finished, but I'm still anxious to find a job. If anyone has a lead on a marketing research position I might love you forever and shower you with yarn for the rest of my existence...

One of the lys in Saginaw went out of business (it was my favorite!) and I picked up some gorgy yarn at 50% off... (That's my favorite kind of yarn, heh.)

Berroco Quest, Plymouth Spazzini and Charles Ritratto

A guy a work with was at a garage sale and happened to think of me (thank God!) when he saw this gargantuan box of needles for $2! There are a couple of circulars and maybe a dozen sets of both dpns and straight needles hiding in there, heh. I have a feeling I won't be buying any for some time...

At a family gathering not too long ago my (only knitting) aunt gave me a couple of copies of Vogue Knitting, which I'd glanced at on Barnes and Noble shelves, but never purchased. She'd saw a summer tank which she thought I'd enjoy making and I agree that it's pretty cute, heh. (For those of you that have the Spring/Summer 2004 issue of Vogue Knitting, it's on page 46 - Jordana Paige's Slanted Opinion.)
I fell in love with Vogue's Stitchionary and thusly felt compelled to purchase Stitchionary 2 once it came out. The cable work is so beautiful and complex, however, I don't find myself making a lot of "traditional" knits. It's been suggested that I make an afghan featuring various cables and as soon as I catch up on the rest of my projects, bien sur!

I might have traded a certain knitting book for two balls of Cascade Fixation and a set of dpns... (Did I mention those dpns are Brittanys?! Birch is my favorite to work with, heh...) Ankle socks, here I come!!

Through whipup I got involved in a Magic Yarn Ball Swap and loved it! I had a great time searching for items to wrap up and I loved the yarn I received. I'd thank whoever sent mine, but I'm not exactly sure who sent it... I've always had a hard time reading handwriting and this is no change. Thank you (Au.....)!

Beautiful ribbon, stitch markers and Rowan Print

I haven't had a lot of time, but I'll flash a couple of quick projects I completed. (I'm still drudging through Orangina though it's moving much more quickly and I've still got a Father's Day sock on the needles...)

A small (semi-felted) skull pin in honor of Death Cab for Cutie...

A very quick drop stitch scarf knit with a Be Sweet Magic Ball in African veldt. I got this yarn for half price and couldn't have been happier with it. I would like so much to purchase a ball in every color... and it's for a good cause, so why not?!

Meh.

2006-06-18T22:46:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad, bad girl, I know. Working full time and having 12 hours of classes are really tiring me for some reason. I've had some FO's, but most were small and I just don't feel up to expending the energy to talk about them... Give me 'til the end of the semester so I can get my act together, please?

I don't want to talk about it.

2006-06-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

The Bird's Nest had a sale. Everything in the store was 40% to 50% off. Meijer also has som major clearances on random yarn... That's all I have to say about that... you just gawk at the damage...

Mod Dea Cache

Tahki Jolie (angora!) and Tahki Cotton Classic

In no Particular order: Zarone (for the cable footies in weekend knitting), Renolds Lite-Lopi, Lion Homespun (super cheap), Tahki Bunny Prints, Plymouth Yarns Sockotta, Sugar 'n Cream (for the Mason-Dixon Warshrag)

Oh and not to mention I've picked up an Addi Turbo, a set of Brittany DPNs (my new favorite!), a pair of straight Clovers and a set of US 1 DPNs to make socks with the new Sockotta! I believe I'm going to do the Pom Squad pattern off of Mag Knits (minus the poms). I need a nice pair of ankle socks...

Can one purchase too much yarn in a short time frame?

2006-05-08T18:24:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't photograph it all, but I picked up a bunch of random skeins of yarn on sale/clearance... I got two skeins of Patons' Grace (100% Mercerized Cotton) in Champagne as well as two skeins of Patons' Classic Wool (in a light blue and a buttery color). You'll see the rest below...

Orangina has made a bit of progress, I've finished the first side and have cast on and completed a few rows of the second. At this point I can definately say I'm not going to make the Mother's Day deadline... but I know she'll understand...

Not quite updated photo...

The Tube-y scarf with the new Tosca is coming along bit by bit... I've got one I-Cord finished and one and three-quarters left...

Aww... they're friends...

Lion Brand Landscapes
Pastel Meadow
(on clearance!)

Random Craft Yarn from the Dollarama in Montreal...
100% Polyester

Katia Kena
45% Wool, 35% Acrylic, 13% Nylon, 7% Alpaca
Burnt Orange
(50% off from Rupunzel's in Frankenmuth)

I showed mom the incredibly soft (and rather expensive) Sari Silk I picked up from Frankenmuth and she suggested I make a pillow out of it. I know I can finish a pillow in less than a week, so Orangina is put on halt for the pillow. I already got about 2.5" into it and realized my pattern was rather indistinguishable so I ended up frogging the entire thing and am going to opt to use needles larger than US 8... we'll see how that works out.

Mango Moon Recycled Silk
100% Sari Silk

Exams are cutting into my knitting time!

2006-04-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

Well this week I have to face the drudgery of exams... but after that it's off to Montreal for an extended weekend! I was planning on making the 11 hour drive alone, but after words of dissaproval from the parental units I opted to fly. Thankfully I got a good deal through Yahoo(!)'s last minute getaways, even though we're staying in a tiny (or as Fern says, "cozy") room. The hotel is in Old Port though and I'm thrilled to be so near the cobblestone streets and horse pulled carriages. I'm even more excited about being able to knit on the flight rather than having to attempt to knit and drive!!

I've made a bit of progress on Glampyre's Orangina for the Sexy Knitters Club KAL. Well, actually a lot since I last posted... I've finally gotten the pattern down and have been clipping along at a more tolerable pace...

Yay, skein two of six!!

Kitty helps me track my progress...

A more detailed look....

Whipup.net started their weekly whiplash competitions last week and I thought I'd take a stab it, but unfortunately I've been so busy I didn't finish in time! For the fist comp I decided to knit up some beads with leftover wool I had. (The purple is handdyed by me, the grey is Patons and the black is Cascade 220.) At least I had fun doing it for the heck-of-it...

The beads with an insane number of ends to be weaved in...

Stuffed, slightly felted and stringed up!

In tribute to Montreal yarn aquisitions I figured I aught to show off my half-done scarf. Last summer I picked up a skein of Lang Tosca from A La Tricoteuse. Little did I know I would fall in love with the softness, the striping and the beautiful double seed stitch pattern! I've put off buying another skein online to finish the scarf I designed, so Fern's going to take me back over to A La Tricoteuse to get another. I plan on getting more than one skein let's just say...

See the stripes?!

Dangling and the barren field

A close-up of the soft and slightly elastic stitch...

Finally, for the Stitch My Square lj community I'm working on a couple of squares due at the end of the month... I don't want to show the squares in case the recipients are reading, but I'll show off just a little bit... Here's a flower I'm putting in the center of one of the squares... I got the pattern here, though mine didn't turn out quite as well... I still love the Araucania Magallanes wool I got from Lily Lane Knits!

GAH.

2006-04-04T22:02:00.000-04:00

EDIT: Skacel shipped a new Addi today and I should receive it by Monday! Thanks to everyone who helped me in my time of need!!
^_^

Well, last week I started Orangina and I've ripped out more rows than I've finished... I really don't mind, just as long as I finish before Mother's Day, that's all I ask... Even more horror yesterday afternoon... I was working on it in my statistics lecture, put it in my bag and sprinted through the icy wind and rain to my car. I had a few minutes in between my next lecture so I got it out and to my horror... THE ENTIRE ADDI TURBO BROKE! Who breaks an addi turbo?! Seriously! I bought the US 3, 24" circular like the pattern called for and I could only find an addi in that size so I paid 3x the normal amount of a needle for the addi, hoping I'd be able to finish faster, justifying that it was for my mom and so I could spend a bit more, etc. I can't find the package to find out if there's maybe a warranty or something... You'd think that if it breaks (completely off) in less than a week they'd send you another or something.... If ANYONE has any idea of how to curb my rage, please let me know! I've already made an emergency stop to pick up another (much less expensive, but 16") needle, so I can work on it, but I really want some money back or something... eesh...

Oh, the pain!!

I might have picked up two skeins of Lion Brand Landscapes to console myself... I love the colors and it was clearance!!

Lion Landscapes
50% Wool, 50% Acrylic
"Country Sunset (?)"

Flashing my Stash: Around the House

2006-04-01T12:12:00.000-05:00

It's April 1st and time for the Annual "Flash Your Stash"! This is my first year of participation, so I tried to be creative with a bit of a theme....
I'm a poor college student so I just have random skeins of yarn I really like... Hopefully in a few months I'll start generating some larger funds so that I might participate in "total stash enhancement"!!

These are my brightly colored babies... some Berroco, Butterfly, Plymouth, etc...

My soft and fuzzies, just lounging on the couch with the similarly soft pillows....

My vintages with some photographs of my parent's younger years...

My dark 'uns hiding out in my bed.... sneaky, sneaky...

The free ball of Bernat Disco: Is it doomed to stay in the jar for the rest of eternity?!
(Until I need a clothes-pin, yes.)

These are my favorites... like rich aged wine.... Silk Garden, Filatura Di Crosa, Tahki...

A stash of needles....

My poor leftovers... it's only a matter of time before I find you a home!

Almost forgotten: Four skeins of wool I dyed last winter! I hid them in an empty drawer in my sister's room with lots of incense so they smell like sandalwood instead of Kool-Aid!

Finally, my project stash! (Isn't that sad...)
Clockwise from top left: Diagonal Floating Stitch Scarf,
Kyoto Sweater, Grid Floating Stitch Scarf,
Orangina (which I'm pretty sure I messed up already...),
My Tubey Scarf (featuring the beautiful Lang Tosca!!)

A Scarf Rut

2006-03-29T20:58:00.000-05:00

So, I've been keeping pretty busy with scarves for selling purposes this winter, well at least I was. I all of a sudden had the incredible urge to make something more thrilling... I switched over to Sarah's fingerless mittens and finished those. How boring!! Garter stitch for-ev-er... blech. It was much worse than the scarf scenario...

Oh yes, and she already lost one of them!! GRRR!

I then returned to scarves and finished that knotty-bark-thing. It looks a rather hideous green below, but it really is a nice shade of green...

For the sake of being productive I cast on (another!) scarf using a diagonal floating stitch. I really seem to like the look of floating stitches I guess, because it seems that's all I'm ever doing...

Oh, and my second original floating stitch grey scarf I've totally been avoiding... Unlike the first it's nastily curling inward. I know that will soon be cured with a bit of blocking, but it's so hideous and my eyes just can't tolerate another scarf at the moment...

There is some good news though. I finally found the new lys in downtown Midland, Lily Lane Knits. It's a quaint little shop with a good number of rarities that can't be found in Bay City, Saginaw or Mt. Pleasant. It's rather sad that I don't actually have a "local" yarn shop, just three or four in cities from 15 to 55 minutes away... ah well. (There's more of a selection that way...)

Araucania Magallanes
100% Wool
(Beautiful rich blue to golden yellow)

Numei Jubilee
90% Extra Fine Merino Wool
10% Nylon

Just this week I joined several KALs, including the "Sexy Knitters Club", which I'm rather thrilled about. This month they're doing two beautiful sweaters: Orangina and the Somewhat Cowl. I've already ordered six skeins of Rowan's light blue 4 ply cotton for Orangina, which I'm hoping to finish for mom for mother's day. I'll most likely tackle Somewhat Cowl later on as a gift to myself (yay)!

A Completed Ocean-Dweller

2006-03-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

So this week was seemingly much more productive, likely only because I actually finished things, but that's besides the point... Next week is spring break and other than working business hours I won't be doing much of anything... besides knitting, of course, heh. I always get excited when I don't have plans because I know what I'll be doing...

The jellyfish is finally finished and re-dyed. I'm giddy over it, to tell you the truth, heh.

Pre-dying round two...

The drying process, post-dyeing round two...

Lucky Kitty hangs out with Jelly...

I also finshed Howie's scarf, which really didn't take that long at all. I'll be able to get it to him over spring break next week, yaaay.

It's got pretty good length...

The front of the tag Fern designed for me!

... and the back!

One last view (and my freshly-made bed).

Here's my current scarf:

I'm using the Icelandic jewels yarn I got from Hobby Lobby on sale and for being an acrylic it's pretty soft and pleasant. It is also wound with a rainbow-striping ribbon that has frayed edges, which adds so much to the poor frumpy acrylic, ha! I'd like to call it a knotty scarf because the dropped stitch areas remind me so much of tree knots, but I don't want it confused with my making knots in the yarn (which I always try to avoid!). 'Bark-Scarf" just might have to do...

My Spooka looks rather shocked by the craftsmanship (or something like that)...

A Slow Week...

2006-02-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what my problem is this week, but it seems as though I havn't gotten anything accomplished! Last weekend, however, Ms. Jenny and I quite literally "trekked" down the backroads of Shepherd to Sweetwood Farm. Earleen is one of the friendliest and most helpful women I've ever met! She has a great yarn selection that's really well organized. Anyhow... I picked up two skeins of yarn! Be excited! ^_^

Berroco - Medley
75% Wool, 15% Acrylic, 10% Nylon
(rainbow colors and varies in thickness)

Ironstone Yarns - New Wool
95% Wool, 5% Polyester
(a whopping 292 yd skein!)

I happened to be glancing through a BCBG catalogue of my sister's and noticed this sweater-type wrap. I want to put that on my list of things to do! I don't think I could pull off the exact pattern, but maybe substitute with a lace pattern, or even some drop-stitching... hrm... I also have the incredible urge to make felt beads to put together a necklace for myself... we'll see when I get time to to that though!

Jellyfish Progression and Vintage Yarn Aquisition!

2006-02-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

The jellyfish is coming along quite well. I picked up some dpns and they worked quite well. At this point I only have two tentacles to finish and then it's off to the final dye-job for Mr. Jelly! I am overally pleased with the look of it and especially the slight curvature in the tentacles that wasn't intentional, but look good.

Last week I had some extra time and stopped into the Goodwill in Bay City. It was there I picked up three sweaters to feed my appetite for recycled yarn... woooo. I'm excited to rip 'em apart once I finish the jellyfish...

From left to right: 100% wool, ??? (bulky blue cotton?), and 100% polyester ribbon

I also decided to wander about the store to kill time and happened upon some vintage yarn! Who would've thought I'd find it?! There were numerous balls of leftover yarn, but a few skeins still had the packaging with them (although all are acrylic). The brown and beige are Mary Maxim Starlette and I found a maroon colored one from JC Penny. Any idea when JC Penny sold yarn?! It's been that long, heh.

I also saw some cute-y brown shoes on my way out... normally I don't get shoes from Goodwill, but these had obviously never been wore before and are most definately from Target (Mossimo). I need brown dress shoes and who can pass up brand new $3 shoes??

Finally, but most importantly, Fern finished a design for my tags. These will be attached to any knitting I sell, likely by hemp or some neutral tone of embroidery floss. The scan below is not the finished product, I'll have to update with the final copy soon. They now say "Knitting Fiend" not "Knit Fiend" and there's an awesome logo of my initals in the corner. I can't wait to sell things just so I can put these things all over it!

A final note: Are these new?? You can't tell what generation they're selling to... My parents wouldn't tell their friends to IM them... lol. I was just amused by them and thought I'd share...

Mittens!

2006-02-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

So. My first attempt at the mittens wasn't a complete failure. Sarah requested I make a pair for her friend Jeff, and myself being so nice decided to go with it... ha. I used one of the longer skeins of yarn Sarah and I dyed earlier, a blend of orange, red and pink. I just found the pattern through an online search and it required no knitting in the round, only side seaming at the end. It was pretty simple and straightforward; basically, all I had time for. It was also suggested that I attach a string from one cuff to the cuff of the other mitten to string through the coatsleeves (just for secure measures). Of course I couldn't pass that up!

Jeff and his mitten puppets!

I'm working on a pair of fingerless mittens (again, ugh) for Sarah. I plan on avoiding those suckers for awhile because the three needle binding off really kills me. It's got to take me waaay longer than it should... but oh well. For these I'm using another skein of the Kool-Aid dyed yarn that was specifically claimed as Sarah's own...

Unfortunately I'm losing my needles left and right, so it seems and I had a choice of either US 5 or 10.5 to work with... I went with 5 and eesh those stitches are a bit tight. At that stage it's hard to keep it loose. This is also making the size small more like an extra small so I've had to add a few rows because I refuse to rip the entire thing apart... Sorry Sarah... but they will fit I assure you!

Finally, in my quest to begin to avoid using patterns I started what I thought was an excellent idea. Really, it may only ever look good on paper... This is intended to be a squid. Seriously. I think I'm going to go with a jellyfish instead, HA. I like jellyfish better anyway... This was the largest skein Sar and I dyed and God are the colors the most hideous thing you ever saw?! I'm going to do an all over re-dye in purple or something upon finishing....

Part of my dilema is never having used dpns before. It's impossible to knit in the round that small with just circular needles, so I attempted to do an i-cord type deal and then move to knitting in the round. Let me tell you it doesn't work. Not at all. I ended up with a huge hole in the top because it was too many stitches to cord and too few to do in the round. Before I continue any further I'll take up dpn work...

Rainbow Colors

2006-01-30T23:16:00.000-05:00

I'm incredibly tired after my "dyeing fest" last night so I don't feel like commenting much, but here are the results (with help from Sarah, bien sur)! We had a total of eight skeins of off-white wool all dyed with Kool-Aid. I got a lot of reddish-fushia-ish tones for some reason, so that's what dominated. It's too bad some have really big white spots... if I was really worried about it I'd do some touching-up, but for the first time I let it go... I'm excited nonetheless!!

Rolling in Sweaters!

2006-01-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

So last weekend I made a couple of stops to Goodwill and one to Salvation Army. Jenny and I hit up the Mt. Pleasant location, so no stone was left unturned! We took them back to her apartment and I showed her the basics of ripping them apart. She took to it like a cat to uh, cat nip and had that nice red wool cabled sweater ripped apart the same night! I also left her with a couple of stitch patterns, so we'll see what she comes up with next time I'm out, heh.

In total I got my hands on four wool sweaters (plus a co-worker brought me one from Salvation Army this week). The three that are white/off-white I'd like to take apart first so that if I have time this weekend I can begin dying!! If you have any suggestions for colors (Kool-Aid flavors!) let me know!

These two sweaters I'll probably get to later, but they both have some nice cabling, which'll give me a lot of yardage.

This is the result of the last sweater I took apart (my second), a mohair/wool/acrylic blend, that was somewhat cumbersome in the disassembling portion. The color isn't that nice, but it's quite fuzzy at least.

During my disassembling of sweaters I havn't been knitting a whole lot, but I at least finished off one fingerless mitten. I planned to make a size small, but the yarn (Lang Bloom) just didn't want to knit more loosely, so it's more of an extra small now... I think even Sarah's tiny hands had a hard time fitting.... ah well, an owner will be found.

Well, if you need me this weekend you know where I'll be and what I'll be doing! Yesss, at home throwing a disassembling/dying/washing free for all!!

First Skeins of Recycled Yarn!

2006-01-19T16:25:00.001-05:00

Sucess!! Today it was beautiful out (though not all that warm). I took advantage of the sunshine and went digging through the shed to find a two by four and nails in order to measure out skeins of the recycled yarn from the (granny) sweater I pulled apart.

I ended up with seven different skeins with yardages of:

60 (one knot)
28
16
14 (one knot)
12 (two skeins)
10

It's all still a bit wavy... I'm not sure if they're supposed to go away, but I rather like the texture it has, so I'm not too worried. It's also quite delicate (I pulled a strand in half while untangling it once). It's a 50% lambswool, 40% angora and 10% nylon blend. The yarn has a bit of elasticity because of that nylon, I believe. If you're interested in it, let me know, though I bet it'll make something cute for baby Alexia... hee hee.

Completed - Encore Une Fois

2006-01-14T16:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished the infameous purse. The sewing was annoying though, so I plan on avoiding making another one if possible. It's true that my boss said she wanted one... it's pretty horrible to say no to her, but tough love in the sewing department. I'm pleased with the overall look of the purse, but it's very delicate feeling as well.

Last week I stopped into the quaint little shop called The Bird's Nest on the corner of Tittabawassee and Kochville roads. It had some really nice antique-y furniture upstairs and in the basement (if you can call it that) there's a good amount of yarn. There's less than the shop I ususally go to for specialty yarn on State Park Drive, but I think it's more expensive and a little more rare. I'm not in need of any yarn at the moment, but they had a basket of single balls for half price and well... that can't be passed up. If I happen to find a specific project for either I can buy more online anyway.... heh.

Plymouth - Firenze
30% Wool, 30% Acrylic, 40% Nylon
Italy
aqua and sage

Filatura Di Crosa - Batuffolo Print
35% Polyamid, 30% Wool, 20% Acrylic, 15% Alpaca
Italy
grey boucle-ish with brown fuzz and random stripes in rainbow colors

I also read an article on recycled yarn and got really anxious to try it so I stopped to goodwill... I found this (granny) sweater in a lambswool, angora, nylon blend and it had all "good" seams, so I took it home and began to cut... Unfortunately, I'm missing my brand new sharp, little scissors, so the cutting didn't go so well and now I can salvage only small pieces of the yarn. Next time I will take more care in that portion of the process....

The yarn looks to be two ply, though it's not really plied, they just used two strands next to one another when they made it. Sigh. I also pulled of some of the pearly beads and kept them. For what I'm not sure, but you never know... I'll stop to the one in Saginaw sometime and look for more. It's likely that I'll have better results in the summer since it's so chilly here. If I get some salvageable pieces from a wool sweater I'd like to dye it. Seems easy enough and kool-aid works for me...

I'm late, I know

2006-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

It was a long holiday season, I know, but it also was a productive one!
I went to a concert at a small coffee shop in Saginaw and was asked by the owner if I would like her to sell scarves and such next winter! I was working on a scarf and she just pulled up a chair and sat down with me... It really is an honor, before then I never had considered selling my work. I'm thrilled and seriously plan on taking her up on that offer...

First and foremost I'd like to show you my Cascade yarn shrug from ages ago. I still didn't feel like modeling, so I made my sister... heh.

A month or so ago I started a scarf for my boyfriend in "entrelac" style from knitty.com (except without the random purple squares, heh). This uses Patons Classic Marino wool and is a lot of fun, not very challenging, really.
I'm only annoyed that I can't remember the number of stitches to pick up (each of the five squares/triangles are different in their own ways) so I'm always referring to the directions. This makes for a bit more lengthy process, but is overally pleasant. While my bf was here we picked up a very warm and soft double-sided (black and light grey) fleece to cover up the messy looking back side. Because I'm covering it up I also decided to slack off a bit and just tie and cut off all my end scragglers from changing colors at the end of each row... don't do as I do!

I also started, and am nearing the completion of a coin purse from knitty.com (my bestest friends in the world, lol)! I first made cables here; I've always wanted to start a cable project. The yarn is supposedly 100% cashmere and I just picked it up from a hand-dyed store on ebay. Let's just say it was about 1/4 of the price of the Joseph Galler Pashmina that the pattern called for... Hopefully I finish this week and I'm looking into picking up some material for the inner lining, as well as beads. I've already got the clasp at least...

Finally, this weekend I made a pair of fingerless mittens. My mom got me Weekend Knitting for Christmas , so I decided to tackle these little buggers. They were really simple, only took about two and a half hours a piece and because I used 10.5 size needles, they didn't use a whole lot of yarn. I had some Red Heart Symphony lying around in earthy brown to use anyway. They're delightfully soft and warm, I only wonder how the fuzziness will last in snow... My sister loves them and is requisitioning a pair. I might consider making a pair in each size and a few colors to sell... we'll see!

A Quick Completion and an Aquisition

2005-11-26T15:16:00.000-05:00

So a few weeks ago I finished my shrug (lets just say I've been a little bit busy). The whole process only took a weekend to complete. If you're looking for something quick and easy, by all means, this is it.
The in thing seems to be seqins right now, so I searched the local Jo Ann's and Michael's for black sequins to no avail. I'll post finished pics as soon as the weather gets above 50 degrees... in eight months!!! (HAHAHAHA) Oh dear, I'm going to cry now...

On a more thrilling note I made an excursion to Montreal last weekend. My boyfriend and a couple of friends of ours trekked out to the Mount Royal metro and over to A La Tricotese. I got a tad bit excited and purchased five wonderful skeins of yarn (all of which I have no projects in mind for...). I havn't seen any of these in the vacinity, so I took the opportunity to get a few different types to experiment with.

Istex - Alafloss Lopi
Pure New Wool
Iceland
(my tribute to Bjork, haha)
shades of green (sage to nearly black)

Herwool - Kurdan
37% Kid Mohair, 33% Alpaca, 23% Wool, 7% Nylon
Italy
black with random white fibers

Lang - Bloom
42% Acrylic, 32% Nylon, 26% New Wool
Italy
shades of Periwinkle, Orange, Rose, Black and Creme

Lang - Tosca
55% New Wool, 45% Acrylic
Italy
burnt sienna and black gradient to vivid red and black

Noro - Silk Garden
45% Silk, 45% Kid Mohair, 10% Lamb's Wool
gradient in brown, blue, grey, purple, lavender and pink!!

If you have any suggestions of projects, please let me know! I really don't have anything in mind...

Oh! and Fern so graciously told me that if I need more skeins he'd ship them to me.... sigh, what a man...

Point of No Return!

2005-11-06T20:58:00.000-05:00

I reached mid-point of the "Everyone's Doing It" shrug last night. I'm quite thrilled, really. I would've been done by now but I kept getting these big holes in the dropped stitches. I must have a hard time remembering what row I'm on... ah well.

Also, it seems as though I made two thick lines in a row. Notice the nice thick/thin alternating lines running vertically? I have two thick lines... I almost ripped it out, but just couldn't bring myself to do it... Ah, the pains of knitting....

Welcome

2005-11-03T18:24:00.000-05:00

I'd like to welcome you to my knitting blog. Here I hope to keep you all (and myself) up to date with my knitting projects, as well as various other crafty endeavors.

I can tell you right now that I'm not very good at much of anything, so it is likely that this blog will be more amusing than awe inspiring... Perhaps you may be inspired to do something in a similar fashion though... heh.

_______

As of now I'm working on Kyoto from knitty.com which is my favorite site for patterns.

Really what I'd like to discuss more is a new project, a shrug for my trip to Montreal in a couple weeks. I stopped to The Stitching Well on State Park yesterday and picked up a skein of Cascade Yarns peruvian highland wool; I hope it will serve it's purpose well.

I started a bit last night begining with 10 rows of seed stitch and then adding and dropping stitches. (The first time I've gotten to drop stitches intentionally!!)

Unfortunately the coloration is odd in this picture, but you can get a feel for the type of stitching, at least.

If you have any suggestions on how I can make this blog more exciting/interesting, don't hesitate to let me know!