Chock Full of Crafty Goodness

Goodbye...

2010-04-25T16:19:00.002-05:00

to blogger... And hello to wordpress!

It's time for a change. Future blogging will be at http://kazkitty.wordpress.com/ from now on.

Weekly progress...

2010-03-21T20:05:00.005-05:00

My Gram passed away last Sunday night.. I found out about it on monday (thanks dad, for letting me know while I was DRIVING). I've been sad about it, but she was 92, and had a great life. At least she isn't suffering in the nursing home anymore.
Gram, you will be missed. <3

The funeral was in New Jersey, which meant a 3 hr drive there and back. Gave me plenty of time to work on my Mrs. Darcy Cardi. It's knitting up really quickly and I think I'm really going to be happy with it when it's done. I'm not too thrilled with the pattern itself. It's rather poorly written in my opinion... more like guidelines to what the author did for herself. There's no sizing options, and half the time I have no idea if I should be on the front or back of the thing. I'm pretty sure I did the buttonholes on the wrong side, and I don't think I did the last row of the back correctly. I may rip it out and redo just that last row and bind off. Eh. I'm fudging it and OMG I DID MATH and SWATCHES to make sure it would fit.

And just because I feel the need to say it again.. MALABRIGO TWIST IS AMAZING.

Last Sunday I planted seeds....
Some of my plants have sprouted!

Here's some cute lil tomato seedlings, they're so teeny!

And most of the soybeans have sprouted. Some of them were getting too tall to be in the little greenhouse container, so I replanted them in peat pots. I'm thinking I'm going to have to give some away once they're larger, since I doubt I need that many plants. :) Anyone want some soybeans?

<3

Back on track!

2010-03-14T21:05:00.003-05:00

Hello blog!
So sorry to have neglected you for the past few weeks...

I have actually been working on ONE project fairly steadily these past few weeks. Geared up for the Ravelympics with a kickoff party at Laura's, where I cast on the Aeolian shawl. I tried my best to finish it in the two week time span.. but came across too many mistakes and found myself at Lisa'a cast-off party still working on the edging charts. One month after casting on, Aeolian is off the needles, blocked and ready to go!

I am really happy with the way it came out, and I already want to cast on for a larger one. I'll wait a bit before I start that. No lace for a little while.. it gives me a headache!

Besides, I have some uber lovely Malabrigo twist waiting to be transformed into a sweater. I cast on today for the Mrs. Darcy Cardigan. It should be delightfully warm and squooshy. :D

I have not been up to much else lately... and will not be working on too much else in the near future either, seeing as work is going to be extra stressful for the next couple of weeks. Yay. -_-

BUT... I did buy some cute little seed starter kit things so I can pretend that I am good at growing foodstuffs. I am going to attempt it again this year, and maybe this time I'll have something edible at the end of the season.

I bought this little "salsa kit" with seeds for cilantro, jalapeno, cayenne pepper, roma tomato, and onion. I'll honestly be happy if ANYTHING makes it to be harvested.

And I bought this little pot kit to grow strawberries. It was only $10 and way too cute to pass up.

I know it's not much of a post, but there will be more next week, I promise!
<3

Webs, Guild, and general yarny goodness...

2010-02-07T21:26:00.005-05:00

I finished the Quickie Socks. They're squooshy and delightful and I am IN LOVE with them.

Fastest. Socks. Ever.

I also went to Webs on Friday. I *tried* not to spend too much money since I knew guild was Sat., but I couldn't come home empty handed!

I was apparently in a blue mood.. lol The Di.ve' Zenith is destined for the Beaumont Tam by Jared Flood (which I cast on today). The Malabrigo lace (YUM!) will be a Geodesic Cardi. I think I'll probably end up needing 3 skeins though. Oops. I see another Webs trip! The Arucania is destined to be the Baroness Beret. And the Madeline Tosh was bought just cause it was pretty. I'll find something awesome to make with that. ;)

I also nabbed a stick shuttle for the Cricket loom since I seem to have misplaced one... and a roll of blue highlighter tape for when I start the Aeolian shawl again.

I also found these adorable magnets at the register and they *had* to come home with me.

Guild was Sat. This month was the bi-annual auction and potluck, which is a ton of fun. Last auction I managed to snag a Turkish spindle and a crochet amigurumi book. This year I was lucky enough to nab cotton carders and some Manos wool. :D

I haven't actually spun cotton yet.. but the carders should be good for all the angora fiber I've been collecting.

I also recieved the silkworm cocoons from the silk reeling workshop I went to in Dec.

I visited the Painted Sheep table where Kris tempted me with her lovely wares.. and got a skein of sock yarn in pretty blues, and an alpaca/merino/silk blend worsted yarn which will be another pair of squooshy socks for me.

And then I hit up the Extreme Spinning table and oogled the sparkly batts. Of course I was unable to resist their siren song.

I also bought all of the silk hankies she had left.. about 3.2 oz I think. Me and silk don't get along yet.. but silk hankies I can manage. And I like the shiny yet nubby texture you get with them.

I definitely enjoyed my weekend thoroughly. This coming Friday I have the Ravelympics kickoff party to look forward to... yay!
<3

Farewell January. Hello February!

2010-01-31T21:11:00.006-05:00

I'd like to be able to say that the month went by fast, but it really seems to have dragged. Possibly because the past two weeks have been just shy of awful. Massive amounts of stress at work combined with having some sort of flu sickness didn't help. And there's so much to look forward to in Feb! Guild auction next weekend... another Wolfpack outing is in the works... Ravelympics... Nico's brother's wedding... I think my plate is full. :)

Aside from knitting at SnB on monday, and over the weekend, I didn't do anything during the week. Again. I was too sick to move wed-fri and didn't even pick up any yarn or needles until fri night. I finished Nico's socks that were supposed to have been finished by Christmas... they were SO boring, I just couldn't bring myself to work on them. He specified NO PATTERN. That's what he got. BORING stockinette socks. I used Happy Feet variegated for the base, and a solid for the heel, toe and cuff. No decent pics yet because he won't sit still and let me take any. He did however, put them on immediately upon receiving them, and declare his love of hand knit socks. :D I guess he can have another pair. (he has no choice this time of pattern or yarn)

I also cast on the Quickie Socks from the Joy of Sox book I picked up last month. Quickie socks is right! It's an easy pattern in worsted weight yarn, knit on size 5 needles. I don't know why I don't do worsted weight socks more often. They're going to be so warm and cosy!

I'm using Painted Sheep Lambie in the Mocha colorway. Pattern calls for 200 yds. I have 180. I also have little feet. It should work out, right? *crosses fingers*

Last week I mentioned starting my sock club socks. I haven't really signed up for any sock clubs, although I would like to. Most of them are just too darn expensive. Not saying they're not worth it... just way out of my price range. Someone had mentioned to me that they were part of a group on Ravelry that makes up their own sock club from their stash. They put together the yarn and patterns in baggies and randomly pick one each month to knit. Viola! Instant mystery (kinda) sock club, and no extra cost, since you've already bought the yarn. Also bonus points for using up the stash.

We toyed with the idea at my Monday SnB and took it an extra step. Anyone that wanted to participate was to bring in several patterns and skeins of yarn. Let the other girls know how many baggies you would like, then they would pick out which yarn and pattern went well together for you. Baggies were numbered and you would go in that order. And no peeking!

I only elected to do 4 for myself this round. On average, it takes me 3 months to complete a pair of socks (mostly because I have knitting ADD and cannot focus on any single project!), so I figured this would get me through the year.

My first surprise baggie contained a skein of Cherry Tree something or other I had gotten on ebay a few years ago, and the Spiral Eyelet Sock pattern. I finally got around to starting again last week (first attempt was only past the cuff and I frogged so I could reclaim the needles). So far I really like this pattern. Its easy to memorize and looks pretty, especially in this yarn. I'm loving how the color repeats and the eyelets swirl down the leg. I hope the second sock pools as nicely.

Hope everyone else has a great week!
<3

Multnomah

2010-01-24T21:04:00.004-05:00

... is finally finished!

Multnomah by Kate Flagg
BMFA Silkie Socks That Rock (I *think* it's Valkyrie.. not really sure): 1 skein

I must admit, I really didn't like working on this pattern, especially towards the end. It was just so.. boring. Seemingly endless rows of garter stitch. And I only did a shawlette! I couldn't imagine making a larger size.

When it came off the needles, I wasn't impressed. I thought it was cute but didn't have too much promise.

And then I blocked it.

It's like magic, really. I have new appreciation for this shawl, and while I still don't think I'm going to keep it for myself, I do like it more at this point.

I've had an overly stressful week, so I haven't been working on much of anything.. I pretty much was just making my way home and stuffing my face with food, then crashing. I did restart my "club" socks but no pics yet. More about that in my next post. :)

Here's hoping this coming week is better!
<3

Winter Blues

2010-01-17T21:12:00.004-05:00

Kinda.. but not really. ;)

I really really dislike the cold. Thankfully I have the fiber arts to keep me entertained and warm!

Two more squares for the 2009 blanket are done.

July (Bright and Cheery)

August (Aran Square)

And I did the first square for the 2010 blanket. I'm using Vanna's Choice again for this blanket, but only two colors: dusty blue and chocolate.

January: Ravelry 12" (E-zee V-zee Granny Square)

Also got a little bit of spinning in this weekend. I've been working on this yummy batt from Xtreme Spinning called Chocolate Kisses. It's being spun on the Bird's Eye Maple Bosworth I got at Rhinebeck this past year.

And a close-up.

That's it for the week.. not much, but at least I'm getting some stuff done!

Now, to go back to watching The Office, and hoping that it doesn't snow as much as the weather channel said it would. But of course, random kitty pic first. ;D

<3

WiP's for the Week

2010-01-10T20:44:00.004-05:00

I really haven't done much in the past week.... no spinning or weaving. Some knitting and a little crocheting. I did get to see pretty sky at work though. :)

Last January, I signed up for the 2009 Crochet Block a Month Crochet-a-long on Ravelry. I promptly forgot and continually procrastinated when I did remember. I finally started on the blocks in December! Eek. I have managed however, to catch up slightly and am halfway through the Ravelry 12" blocks. I am only going to do the 12 blocks and make a lapghan... using Vanna's Choice yarn. I'll probably give it away.. not sure yet. The blocks are easy so far and fun to do... I'm going to make sure I keep up with the 2010 CAL. :)

2009 Blocks so far:

January (Mandala)

February (Two Tone)

March (Winter's Dream)

April (Waldo's Puzzle)

May (Hint of Spring)

June (Frilly Flower)

I also cast on for the Favorite Cardigan from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits book. I love this book and want to make almost every garment in it.

I have also been working on Multnomah. I am 7 or 8 feather and fan repeats in.. and I am actually kind of bored with it. I've never done feather and fan before.. I chose this pattern because it looked like a nice simple lace shawl/scarflette pattern. And it is. A little too simple though. I'm going to keep plugging away bit by bit until it's done. There's not that much left to that ball of yarn, right?

Haven't done much else this week other than work... but I can leave you with sleepy kitties!

<3

Sunday Weaving

2010-01-03T20:27:00.003-05:00

What's there to do on a snowy, cold Sunday? Weave of course!

I've been working on this scarf for months.. doing it a little bit at a time.. I love my little Cricket loom. :)

And I managed to finish it while watching random movies. :) Just need to hem it on the sewing machine, and wash it!

Warp: Valley Yarns Alpaca Silk
Weft: Don't actually remember.. bought it at Webs. Dyed it as a color wheel project for a class taken at Webs. Used 10 colors.

I even warped the loom for a new project! I'm going to attempt to make a skinny scarf with a plaid pattern using the merino/tencel I got at Webs yesterday. I'm kind of winging it, so we'll see how it turns out.
(the red and orange yarn is scrap and not part of the actual scarf)

Think I'll get some knitting in before bed... the Multnomah is telling me it wants to be finished soon.
<3

Webs

2010-01-02T23:39:00.005-05:00

First trip of the new year! And it was sweet. They had an awesome sale going on and I got to use a giftcard... so yarn was acquired and no actual money was spent on my part. ;D

I managed to nab two skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sport BFL yarn. One in Jasper and the other is Lenore. I plan on making a stripey sweater with this. Two skeins of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Glow Worsted which will become a cowl and Fetchings set hopefully. And finally two cones of 10/2 Valley Yarns merino/tencel yarn that I want to weave with. I want to try either a houndstooth or a plaid pattern.

After I got out of the shower this morning, I came back to my room to find this:

She didn't appreciate being woken up.

<3

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

Here's hoping 2010 is even better than 2009!

I have been seriously neglectful with this blog. I actually had decided at one point or another that is wasn't worth it to keep the blog.. because I am lazy and I don't bother to post anymore. 2010 is a new year and a chance for me to resurrect this blog and actually post on it, whether anyone else reads it or not. It doesn't matter. Since I found ravelry, I kind of lost what I had originally set this blog up for - to document my projects so I could see my progress and what I had done overall. I will still use this blog for that purpose somewhat, but also to just post random pictures and happenings. Why the heck not.

I'll start it off this year a list of resolutions. I had said last night that I didn't want to do resolutions for whatever reason (I honestly don't really remember.. it's kind of fuzzy lol) but maybe we shall call them "yearly goals" instead.

Knitting/Fiber Goals for 2010

Find and frog any project that I really have no intention of finishing and reclaim that yarn.
Organize the stash and weed out yarn I am not going to use.
Knit a lace shawl.
Knit a sweater that I will actually keep and wear.
Finish the Vest of Doom for my mother.
Finish the socks I am test knitting for Carol. Actually, finish all socks I have on the needles before starting a new pair.
Complete 5 projects from my queue.
Spin on my wheels more. And spin from stash or give away what I am not going to use.
Organize my spindles and fiber.
Use the Cricket more.
Learn how to weave patterns on the Cricket.
Finish at least one project for Takarra and finally give her something.
Crochet an afghan.

Other Goals for 2010

Finish organizing and unpacking. I moved out almost a year ago. This is silly.
Cancel any subscriptions to things I don't need/use.
Eat healthier and lose enough weight so my clothes aren't tight anymore.
Eat out less. I spend too much money on this.
Get health insurance. Or preferably, get a new job that will actually give me health insurance.
Post on the blog more often.

Indian wedding day!

2009-04-11T08:07:00.002-05:00

Not me of course! But one of my best friends is getting married today! I have been so busy, I have really been slacking on the posting again.. but tomorrow I will post about guild and the wedding! Pics to come too. :)

Until then, have a great holiday weekend!

Slacker!

2009-03-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

That is what I am! I haven't posted in 2 weeks! Bad, bad Jenni.

I have to get to an actual computer for a decent post.. with pics! Will be showing off wip's and even a fo! Guild is coming up this weekend so there will be an extra long post after the weekend... updates are coming soon I promise!

Now.. to get back to work! Dr's offices are so darn busy!

WARGARBLE

2009-03-14T07:25:00.000-05:00

It's 8:26 am. It's Saturday. I am at work and there are no doctors here. Which means all I have to do is sit here at the front desk and answer phones and direct people to optical if they should happen to come in. My manager has already said today is a "free" day, do whatever as long as patients are taken care of. Which means I can knit. Guess what I don't have with me!!!!!!

The ONE day I run out of the house with nothing but keys and phone in tow is of course the day I can actually knit at work. *sigh* I guess I really should put an emergency knitting bag in my car after all.

Oh well. Just have to make it through 3.5 more hours. Maybe I'll take a nap.

Near and Far Webcomic

2009-03-13T22:46:00.001-05:00

Go check them out!
Great comic that updates 3 days a week. <3

http://www.nearandfarcomic.com/

INTERNETZ!!

2009-03-10T19:30:00.000-05:00

I has them!

Finally! After 2 months of living in my new apartment, I have internet and cable! I am no longer forced to blog from my phone.. which has apparently refused to post my last two entries.. stupid blackberry.

More posts with better pics are forthcoming!

Be prepared. :)

In like a lion...

2009-03-02T13:39:00.000-05:00

I am thoroughly tired of snow! We definitely got slammed with way too much of it this morning. At least I got a day off from work. I've been hanging out at Nico's and knitting. I just may make some decent headway on a project! :D

Coraline

2009-02-27T20:03:00.001-05:00

I went to see this last night with my roommate/ best friend. I left the theater a bit unsure of what I thought,(because it didn't seem like it should be for kids!) but I did like the movie. Creepy, cute, and really well done. I will probably end up buying it when it comes out on DVD.

I won't spoil it for anyone but I will say that it was a really wonderful film and thoroughly whimsical and enchanting to watch as you follow Coraline through the other world. I am completely amazed at the tiny things that were crafted for it. The little knitted sweaters and gloves were so cute! And I adore the designs used for each characters outfits. Of course, this makes me want to attempt making something teeny tiny. But I won't cause it'd make me more blind than I already am! Haha.

Go see it!

What a handsome fella!

2009-02-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

He totally knows it.

Multimedia message

2009-02-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

Random kitty pic!

Resolutions

2009-02-25T21:48:00.001-05:00

It's been 2 months since I've posted anything. I keep saying I'm going to make more of an effort to blog and what do I do? Promptly forget.

I will be using the excuse that I have been busy with moving and that I have no internet at home. It's a sad excuse, but part of my reasoning. I am at this moment, blogging from my blackberry, which has become my sanity saver from being internet deprived. Moving out (finally!) was grand, but having no internet or cable is annoying! I really didn't think I would miss it this much. It pushed me forward with getting an unlimited internet and text package for my phone, which was a bit expensive. Totally worth it.

Anyways. I have titled this post "resolutions" so I might as well talk about what they are for the year. Even if it took me 2 months to think of them. Haha

1. Blog more often.
I know, I know. I keep saying I will do this. It doesn't happen. I WILL make more of an effort to post at least once a week minimum. Someone please kick me if I don't.

2. Keep on track with projects.
I seem to have ADD when it comes to knitting. I throw 10 different projects on the needles, maybe finish 1, frog another 5, then stuff the remaining 4 in the back of a closet or bag. The goal for this year is NOT TO DO THIS. I can't promise that I won't cast on more than one project at once. That would be silly and I can't work on only one project at a time! Who does that, really? (Well more dedicated people than me, that's for sure!) BUT I will make more of an attempt to finish current projects. If I get bored enough to put it down for a few months, it must not be all that captivating and will be frogged.

3. Spin more.
I just bought a ashford joy. Impulse buy. Should not have done it, but I do not regret it. Having two wheels and a handful of spindles on top of pounds and pounds of beautiful hand dyed fiber means I should actually do something with it. I will attempt to spin every day, even if its only for a few minutes.

4. Eat healthier.
I ingest way too much crap food. High fructose corn syrup, fast food, and just plain crap! I need to watch my diet and be healthier. This is not a weight issue thing for be, but an all around awareness that I do not want to be like my family and end up in the hospital in my 30s for angioplasty. I am not going to go all health nut crazy and eat all organic diet-y foods. I will try and cut out things like fast food, soda, and sweets. Well, maybe not too much on the sweets. A gal needs a treat every now and then.

5. Get out of debt.
One thing I really want to do is get my financials in better order. I want to have more in my savings than $0.92 (I do now but there was a sad sad period where that really was my savings) I want to have expendable income and stop living paycheck to paycheck. I want all my debt to be paid off! Starting off next year completely debt free would be a wonderful thing. I have taken some steps already towards achieving this goal, and I am confident that I can do it.

I am coming to the realization that blogging from ones blackberry is tiring and slightly painful for the thumbs. Note to self: type less for next blog post. Which means I am off to continue watching Sleepy Hollow and knitting the February Lady sweater. Johnny Depp + knitting + cuddly kitties = <3

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T14:02:00.001-05:00

And happy holidays to everyone!

Hope santa brings everyone what they wanted! :)

Bunny Update

2008-11-10T23:30:00.002-05:00

Well.. the day I planned on picking up the little ball of fluff, I recieved a phone call. One that informed me that I could not have the bunny.. because she had 6 babies! Apparently the current owner's bf accidentally let her out with the male bunny... and you know what goes on from there. I must admit I am rather relieved that I didn't get her earlier.. only becaus eI would not have had ANY idea on how to deal with newborn baby bunnies. So they should be ready to leave mom by mid december, so I get my choice of one of the babies instead. :D

Merry Xmas to me! XD

Sneak peek at my future bunneh!

2008-10-27T23:12:00.003-05:00

She will be mine soon!

Isn't she gorgeous? I will be adopting her and hopefully picking her up sometime this week.. she's a German Angora.

I love the floofy!

Updates soonish!

2008-10-27T23:07:00.003-05:00

I am SO neglectful of my poor little blog!

ARRRRGGGHHH.

I have so much I feel I need to update on and I'm sure I've forgotten half of it due to my having a goldfish memory.

Anyways.. update soon, I PROMISE. Will talk about future, current, and finished projects and most importantly my new stash enhancers fresh from guild and Rhinebeck. Yay

Now... to find my camera so I can not only take pics, but upload them to the computer. <3

Tour de Fleece 08... Day 3 and 4

2008-07-08T23:11:00.002-05:00

Day 3... last night

Attempted to ply the singles from the brown/rust/blue silk cap I purchased from MA sheep and wool. I only managed to get a teeny bit plied.. it snapped twice on me and I had to splice it back together. It also kept tangling.. which resulted in the snapping. Finally it tangled so much i just couldn't take it anymore. It's being set aside for now. Maybe that will be my challenge fo the challenge day lol.

Day 4... tonight

Having given up temporarily on the silk cap singles, I rummaged through my stash to see what has been sitting for a while waiting to be spun. I unearthed a 4 oz ball of cormo/mohair fluffiness from Foxhill Farm that I had picked up at one the othe guild meetings. Its a gorgeous variegated purpley fiber and I had actually forgotten I had it. I set out to start spinning it. Pre-drafted a chunk of it and discovered it was a batt (or something) that had been pulled into a roving. .so fibers were all willy nilly and it was very fluffy. Wasn't expecting that, but no big deal. What bothered me was that as I spun it, I had difficulty keeping it as consistant as I wanted and there are some slubby spots. Not what I was going for, but it will make an interesting yarn. Also it feels like there is still some grease left in the wool and I am hating the way it feels on my hands. Kinda late to wash it now.. so I guess I will give it a nice hot soak when I am finished. Only got through maybe half an ounce tonight. I realized its after midnight and I have to be in to work by 7:30. Should probably quit for the night and head to bed so I have a chance at getting there on time haha. Will definitely work on the cormo/mohair more tomorrow and hopefully finish the singles. Thinking about making it a 2 ply.. not really sure yet.

Tour de Fleece 2008

2008-07-07T21:01:00.003-05:00

I've decided to join the group on ravelry and try this for the first time this year. I figure it'll give me the much needed motivation to get more spinning in.

I haven't been home since the weekend, thankfully I brought my spindles and some fiber with me so I was able to start on time with the tour. Can't say I've spun much so far though.

Day 1: Spun some more of the red/orange/purple batt from copperpot on my turkish spindle.
Day 2: Worked on some of the alpaca/sari silk batt from loop on my heavier bottom whorl spindle.
Day 3: Today.. haven't started yet and it's 10pm. Will get some spinning on the wheel done before bed. Will probably pop in season 2 of Angel and watch some of that for entertainment. Or season 1 of Gilmore Girls. Not sure yet.

No pics yet seeing as I have lent my camera to the bf. Gee that was fantastic timing.

I'm STILL working on my first pair of socks.. actually I'm still working on the first sock. I got overly ahead of myself and started decreasing for the toe. Finally decided to try it on. Found it to be way too short and had to rip back. Currently getting all the stitches back on the needles and continuing along my merry way. I am determined to finish the first sock by thursday's SnB meeting.

WEBS!

2008-06-30T22:33:00.002-05:00

God I'm slow at posting to this thing. -_-

Soo... I got to go to Webs on tuesday!!! It was completely amazing. We had an overall fun day but webs was definitely the highlight for me. We walked in and I was like ouuu ok.. yarn store. Nice.. big.. lots of stuff to look at. And then. they took me to the BACK ROOM. The warehouse with boxes upon boxes of fibery goodness. I stopped in the doorway and stared. I had heard about it.. but hearing is one thing and seeing is quite another. Totally overwhelming and utterly fascinating. I wandered around for a while, wishing I had had a larger budget for the day. I'll be saving for my next trip! I purchased one skein of Great Adirondak sock yarn in a gorgeous mostly black with splashes of green purple and blue colorway, and one set of bamboo dpns. I am coveting the Misti Alpaca laceweight I saw and the beautiful shawl they had on display. Something for me to look forward to buying on my next trip.

My goal was to get sock yarn and learn how to knit socks. I see hand knitted socks online and irl and I WANT TO BE A SOCK KNITTER. Hand knitted socks are so pretty and there are so many patterns! DivineBird was patient enough to show me how to start a sock and explain what I needed to do. Dpns aren't as difficult as I thought.. I think it's the bamboo.. less slippery. I've been working on my sock every day and I am now done with the cuff, past the heel, and past the decreases! Just another inch and I think I can staet decreasing for the toe. I'm insanely excited and I want to finish before thursday's SnB so i can show it off. :)

2008-06-22T19:50:00.002-05:00

Two more days til I get to go to webs!!! EEEEEEEE!

Ahem.

So what have I been working on?

I started a Round Ripple Afghan to try and use up some of my stash acrylics. I have a ton of Caron Simply Soft, and I'm sure it'll be perfect for a blanket. I'm using my black, and orange, yello wand green in the brites for this afghan and I think I want it to be adult sized. I'm kind of doubtful on the black now that I'm working on it, but I really don't feel like frogging it completely so I will finish it.

Not much else to update on. I had to stop for a while on the afghan since my wrist hurts so maybe I'll get some spinning in while listening to my friends' gamin podcast. ( http://theawesomeapocalypse.com/ )

2008-06-20T19:50:00.004-05:00

So.. camping has come and gone.. and look! Survival with no bear encounters. Yaaaaaaay. It was a good time, although it was bloody hot and it rained when we got there. Also, being eaten alive by mosquitoes for 4 days wasn't fantastic either. But it was fun and I got to experience something new, and I got to show how much of a tomboy I am.. haha. Dunno if that's a good thing! I did NOT get any knitting done, for fear of it getting completely dirty. I know I could have just washed it, but I felt it would be safer in my bag. :p

I've actually been able to make it to the last couple of SnB's, which makes me infinitely happy. Been spinning on my spindles, and working on some superwash on my wheel.. and I've started Wisp from knitty.com as my first foray into lace knitting. It seems simple enough, but I'm about 9 rows in and I have to admit, the the mohair yarn is kiiiiiiiilling me. It's so fine and.. fuzzy. I am going to plow through it a bit more and see if it gets any better, if not, I will set it aside and try something else first, returning to it when I feel more confidant and less like throwing it out the window. One of the girls at SnB suggested I start with the Shoalwater Shawl, which can be done with a worsted weight. I think that might be a better option for me at this point. If I don't like it for myself, it wil make a lovely gift for my aunt I think.

AND!
I will be making my FIRST trip to WEBS on tuesday! EEEEEeeeEEEeeeeEEEE! I am sooo excited it's not even funny. I have heard so much about it and how overwhelming it can be.. can't waaaaiiiiiit. And we'll be going to see Aaron do his stand up thing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield. Should be a good time!

Camping!

2008-06-05T19:06:00.002-05:00

Going to Bradford, Maine this weekend with one of my best friends and a whole bunch of other friends. I haven't been camping since I was like 8 so I don't know how I'll fare.. lol I'm convinced I'm going to be completely unprepared. I like the woods and I like hiking and outdoors kinds of things.. but camping? Where there are no toilets or showers?? What's a girl to do? He's been my friend since third grade, so I couldn't say no. I tried and it didn't work.. lol I have been coerced into joining everyone for fun in the woods. Hopefully I won't be eaten by a bear. Or a moose. Or something of a fierce and angry nature. At least I can bring my knitting and get something done. Maybe with some shiny yarn so if anything chases me I can throw it and distract them. Ha!

Wish me luck!

SnB and spinning

2008-06-02T21:59:00.002-05:00

I actually made it to SnB on saturday! Can you believe it? I'm still in shock about it, especially since I haven't been able to go since roughly december. Work keeps me too late on thursdays and I don't have sat off so I usually can't make it. Or if I can, I would only get to spend an hour there and the drive there and back is longer than that, so it just isn't a great idea for me to waste all that gas. Especially with it being over $4 a gallon now. UGH. I did bug my manager to let me leave earlier on thurs so I can go, since we hired on an extra person and school is over, so the people that would normally leave early won't have to and give me a chance! And I digress.. lol

Anyways.. I had a lot of fun and it was so great to see everyone again and meet new people. I love knitters/crocheters/spinners. They are an awesome bunch of people. And it was the first time I had ever been to It's a Grind. It was such a cute little coffee house, even though I think the coffee was a bit overpriced. At least it was yummy. And I got to work on a simple seed stitch scarf that I've been working on for what seems like forever... I'm finally making some progress on it. I'm knitting it with Paton's Soy Wool Stripes, which I LOVE because of the pretty color changes that appear as you knit. I'm hoping to gift it to a friend, but I'm not sure anymore if she will like the colors... we'll see.

I also got to get some spinning in this weekend while at the bf's place. I love that he's not horrified by my spinning/knitting or whatever, but instead finds it endearing and actually looks interested and asks questions. It's a nice change.. lol Sometimes he even asks if he can help spin, which means he wants to give the spindle a twirl every once in a while, which I find adorable. I figure a few more times and I'll see if I can get him to actually take the spindle itself and try drafting. Muahahaha.. we'll make a spinner out of him.. ehehehee I am absolutely in love with my turkish spindle, and I actually want another one.. perhaps a smaller one. It spins so beautifully and I love the novelty of having a nice neat center pull ball when I'm done.

Which reminds me that I have a little ball that is calling to me to come ply it. I want to see how what I'm spinning will look as a two ply and I am way too impatient to spin up another ball and ply those together.. so i guess I'll end up with at least one teeny skein. Oh wellz. I better go get on that while I have Family Guy to entertain me.

Memorial Day Spinning

2008-05-26T22:28:00.003-05:00

Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone got to enjoy a day off as much as I did! It was sooo gorgeous out... nice and warm.. and no clouds in the sky. I figured it would be a nice day to sit outside with my wheel and play with some of the new fibers from MA Sheep n Wool.

Of course, after 4 hours in the sun, with spf 30 sunscreen, I still ended up burning to a crispy red shade. Yay for being pasty. =(

I also somehow managed to get purple dye all over my hands and under my nails from the silk cap I was spinning. (I swear there wasn't even any purple in it!)

I started with the merino/cashmere from Spunky Eclectic in the mermaid colorway. I'm trying to spin it finer than i normally would. I love the bright hues of the green and blues. Not sure if I want to ply it back on itself or chain ply it. Will have to decide when I'm done.

And while I was working on that, I noticed I had a little visitor. I dub thee Charlotte. Checking out another spinner's work I see. Usually i would freak out and smush a spider. But we were outside and she wasnt' bothering me.. so I let her live. I mean, she was probably there for some inspiration right? Too bad she can't spin in such gorgeous colors.

I took a break from the merino/cashmere to try out a silk cap. It was calling to me, I swear. And look at the color difference in the sun! Yes this is the same dark colored cap I got from A Touch of Twist. (and do you see purple in there? I see blue, but no purple! I'm still trying to figure out how my hands got that color)

It was recommended to me to spin a cap from the end as opposed to peeling off layers like you would do to a hankie, so I attempted to do that. It drafted nicely but after a while I noticed no longer held a cap, I held a fluffy mas off fiber. I wondered if I was doing it correctly, but I figured I wasn't hurting anything if I wasn't and continued.

And just look at the colors that shone out! Ambers and brown and copper.. So pretty!!

While I was working on the cap, I heard voices behind me and a "what kind of animal did that come from anyways?" I peeked over my shoulder and saw both my parents in the window staring at me. "It's from a silkworm!" I replied, to which I got some confused looks. So of course I proceeded to inform my parents of how a silk cap is made. Haha. Shortly after my mother appeared in the yard wielding a disposable camera and began taking pictures. "What are you doing?" I asked. She said, "I want pictures! This is so different.. like in old times! And it looks relaxing..." I laughed at her and said "It is.. when there aren't cameras in my face!" I swear there's a spinner in her somewhere.. she looked too interested. lol

I finished spinning the cap.. it was only.. hmm.. well I'm not sure how much there was.. the label said "weight... 05" I dunno what that means? Its sitting on the bobbin waiting to be plied. I think I'm going to make a plying bracelet and ply it back on itself. I won't get much yardage out of it, but that's ok. Not sure what's going to happen to it yet either.

Now to apply more aloe to my poor shoulders and try and sleep!

MA Sheep & Wool ... part 2!

2008-05-26T21:34:00.002-05:00

So. My day started off with work.. eh. Couldn't be helped. I didn't mind except it meant that I wouldn't be able to get to MA until 2 or 3 since it would be a 2 hour drive. I was hoping that Jenny and Deb would still be there by the time I got there, but I wasn't sure since I knew they would be there since early that morning.

I left with minimal directions and was hopign that I wouldn't get lost on the way. I passed at least two craft stores, several yarn shops, antique shops, and places that boasted maple syrup products. I wanted to stop sooo bad! Anyways. I didn't get lost and I got there areound 2:30. I couldn't get ahold of Jenny due to there being NO CELL SERVICE. Ugh. I wandered around for a while just taking in the sights, also trying to see if I knew anyone by chance. I watched a guy shear two lambs (boy did they seem pissed!) and I browsed all the vendor booths in and out of the barns. I think I walked around at LEAST 3 times before I purchased anything.

( I did get a decent amount of fibery goodness! Look!!!)

My first purchase of the day? 4 silk hankies and a silk cap from A Touch of Twist. Sooo pretty. I have been dying to buy more silk hankies since they are so much fun to spin and I love the shininess of the silk combined with the nubs. And I've been wanting to try silk caps and see what the difference is like.

Next I wandered over to Spinner's Hill and drooled (not literally) over all her gorgeous fibers, but I managed to walk away with only one silk cap in lovely red, oranges and pinks. Reminds me of a sunset. :)

Wandered around some more, ogled the baby angora bunnies (one day when I am better able to take care of such sweet animals, I will get one!) and bumped into Kim at the Enchanted Knoll booth. I wanted to buy waaaay more than I did, and I will be sure to procure more fiber from her in the future. I did purchase some tussah silk and a very lovely batt that was a sw merino/silk/cashmere/angelina mix. I can't wait to try the silk.

Wandered around some more with Kim and we bumped into AGuyThatKnitsinCT and then bumped into Jenny and Deb! Finally! I was so excited to see that I hadn't missed them! They went to browse something else int eh barn and I ran up to Spunky Eclectic to see if I could catch her before she closed. And I made it! Just in time to buy some SW Corriedale in two gorgeous colorways, a merino/cashmere blend in the Mermaid colorway, and a merino/tencel mix in the Black Cherries colorway. I was thrilled to meet Amy and to be able to purchase yet more fiber that I havent' tried yet.

We all left soon after Kim, Jenny, Deb and I stopped by a quaint little restaurant to get our grub on. We were all STARVING seeing as none of us had really eaten that day. Out waitress was uber funny and nice and the food was amazingly delicious and well priced. We're totally going to have to make a little tradition of that and get more people to come!

The car ride home was completely uneventful although I was sooo tired my vision was stating to go blurry.. lol I can't wait to go again next year. And to Rhinebeck this fall! <3

MA Sheep & Wool... Part 1

2008-05-25T08:42:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post.. Look I haven't fallen off the earth!

Went to MA Sheep & Wool yesterday.. it was my first fiber festival experience! It was sooo much fun and I bought lots of lovely stash enhancing fibery things.. (which I am about to go take photos of).

I will post in more detail a little later.. Just wanted to sneak that in because I am still uber excited that I got to go! lol

Pics and details coming in a bit!

It's April Fool's!

2008-03-31T23:39:00.003-05:00

Which means...

Happy Birthday to me! ((and no I'm not joking.. lol))

I got a shiny new Blackberry Curve in RED from my parents.. and my mom made me a delicious looking funfetti cake. Yum. Can't wait to dig in. Guess 26 isn't so bad.. lol

Going to see Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Seether tomorrow.. possibly going to the club on thursday, and best of all.. guild on saturday! I will have to treat myself to some yummy fibery goodness. Hee.

To everyone:
enjoy the day as much as I hope to and I'll cross my fingers you don't get pranked!

BUT
if you have any great ideas for a prank for my boss, that'd be nice of you to share. lol

Concord - A FO!

2008-03-09T14:12:00.002-05:00

Whee!

I finished the spunky fiber I was working on... Isn't it lovely?

It's called Concord.. appx 315 yds! That's the most yardage I've gotten so far from anythign I've spun.. but then again.. it's the first time I've actually spun up the entire 4 oz without getting distracted and wanting to work on something else..

I've started in on some of the beautiful stuff I've gotten from The Painted Sheep. I love Kris' colorways.. so gorgeous! What I'm currently spinning is 4 oz of BFL in her Tiger Lily colorway. It's so bright and springy.. it's been perfect to work on during the cloudy, rainy weather we've been having. I'm trying to spin it thicker than I usually do. I want to navajo ply it and I'm aiming for a bulky weight.. but we'll see. I always seem to spin thinner than I mean to... Either way, it's going to be bright and pretty! This is also th efirst time I've worked with BFL.. and holy cow.. it's so soft and sproingy. It's like spinning from a cloud!

I also ordered yet more fiber... it's like an addiciton.. I just cant stop! I get paid.. and it's hey! money! let's go spend it on pretty stuff! lol I finally ordered from loop on etsy. I've been dying to order one of her batts for the longest time. I ordered a bamboo batt in a pretty rainbow of colors, and a sari silk and alpaca batt. I can't wait til they get here.. it's going to be so much fun to work with. :)

And here's a gratutitous shot of my lovely new turkish spindle I got at guild with some of hte alpaca fiber I'm spinning..

Aaand now I'm going back to watching The Waterboy and spinning more of that lovely Painted Sheep fiber. But shhhhh! I'm supposed to be cleaning. heehee

Spinning progress...

2008-03-02T16:38:00.002-05:00

Don't have great pics.. I'm too sick to go outside and take advantage of the gorgeous sun I see streaming in through the window... actually I'm being lazy and I don't even want to go near the window to attempt to take proper pictures so the ones I have are just sad.. indoors with flash. Bleah. But I'm excited to show off my progress so far.. lol Especially sinc eI havent' had all that much to show recently.

Anyways.. I have been working on the lovely Corriedale fiber from Spunky Eclectic, in her Rocky Mountain High colorway. I've been spinning it bit by bit for a while now.. and I did get quite a bit done at guild. I split the 4oz of roving in half and spun half of it completely already.. and 'm maybe a little more than halfway done with the other half of it. I plan on plying it together when I'm finished.

Finished bobbin.

2nd bobbin in progress.

Remaining fiber.

I also couldn't wait to start in on some of the beautiful fibers I just got in the mail, so i selected one of the bags from copperpot and decided to break out my louet spindle and start spinning some of it up. I'm currently spinning her Sugar Plum Fairies colorway and omg is it delicious! So soft and fluffy.. and the sparkle in it is to die for. The richness of the purples are amazing together and I love the way it's spinning up so far. I can't decide if i want to ply it or leave it as a single, but I'm sure it'll tell me along the way what it wants to be. ;)

And since I'm still sick i have nothing to do to occupy my time other than tv and crafts, so this is perfect for me to catch up on some of the spinning I have been lacking... so it's back to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and my wheel for me!

lalalaaaaa

2008-02-27T21:45:00.002-05:00

Ugh.
Again I foget to update my blog despite promising too... and despite visiting so I can view other blogs I like to read. Lazy lazy me.

I've finally caught the bug that's been going around so since I'm stuck home and feeling like crap, this seems to be a perfect opportunity to update the nothing that's been happening craft wise.. lol

I didn't even post about guild yet! omg.. I'm sooo behind. I went to my second meeting of the Nutmeg Spinner's Guild the 3 saturdays ago.. and it was soooo much fun. They did the yearly auction which was really fun to watch and participate in and I was amazed at the amount of money that was raised. I managed to score a book on crochet amigurumi which I will have to make for some random people and I also snagged as turkish spindle! I've been DYING to get one for the longest time.. they look fun and the fact that it makes a nice neat center pull ball when you're finished spinning just makes it all the more attractive. What I was bidding on was actually the turkish spindle, a heavier spindle which will probably be good for plying and a wicker shelf unit. I honestly didnt' even see the other two items, all my focus was on the turkish spindle.. which I won for only $22!! What a steal! It's beautiful and perfect and I love spinning with it. I was really confused when the person walked up and handed me a whole shelf with my spindle.. lol Talk about tunnel vision! I also nabbed more fiber from The Painted Sheep.. Kris is sooo sweet and I love her colorways... I bought her Tiger Lily BFL.. it's so bright and springy,
I can't wait to spin it up. I also nabbed some alpaca fiber to try which I am spinning on the turkish spindle and I can't believe how amazingly soft and yummy it is. i just want to snuggle in it! lol And Deb came with her new baby.. so cute! And i got to see Jenny's shiny new wheel... so pretty! I can't wait til the next meeting in April.

Since I'm on the lines of fiber.. I bought some lovely stuff from copperpot and Wooly Treasures on etsy this weekend and they all arrived today! I don't know why i keep buying all this gorgeous stuff when I dont' have the time to spin it! lol

Knitting-wise I haven't really been working on much lately.. just making some garterlac dishcloths for my new bf (who LOVES the fact that I knit and crochet!!) Other than that.. not doing too much.. I set aside the socks that i had started.. I think I'm going to frog thema nd try again.... maybe with a more interesting pattern instead of just a basic sock...we'll see.

Crochet-wise I've been workign on a pretty scarf done lengthwise.. in green, baby blue and royal blue.. striping it randomly.. I'm using a nice merino/alpaca yarn.. I don't rememeber the name of it right now.. but it's soooo soft. I have no idea what I'll do with it when I'm done either.. but it'll find a nice home somewhere.. lol

Not too much else to post about at the moment I suppose. .so I guess I'll get back to watching Project Runway!

Welcome to 2008

2008-01-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

Hrm.
I am a little late.. but hurrah! 2008 is here! I'm hoping (and I say this yet again) to keep up with this poor, sad, neglected blog and actually post once in a while. One of my goals for the year is to post here at least once a week. Starting now, since I obviously already missed out on most of January. *sigh*

I am also hoping to actually finish some of my current projects and attempt to have less WIP's and UFO's lying about. Of course, I have to locate a good many of them and decide of they need to be frogged or if I should continue on with them. I also want to make mroe of an attempt to attend SnB on thursday nights.. or if the Cheshire one changesto a different night.. whenever that is. I've also FINALLY attended the Nutmeg Spinners Guild meeting.. I went in December and I had a blast. I spent more money than I should have.. and I defintiely wish I could have bought more. I'm still coveting those gorgeous turkish spindles.

Spinning is another thing I want to work on more in 2008. Not only learning new techniques, and improving my overall spinning, but I also want to try and spin more.. get in a few nights a week instead of once every week or so. I can't improve if I don't do it after all.. and there's lots of fiber hanging out in my closet just beggin to be spun. :)

No pics or anything interesting right now.. but I will ty my best to keep up here and actually update once a week minimum. After all, I do have plenty of time to do it! lol

I'm still here!

2007-10-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

Really now. I come visit my blog every couple of days so I use the links to toher people's blogs to read theirs.. but can I post in my own? Apparently not.

Well, I havent' been doing all that much. Random fiber purchases, and I do have a few new handspun yans I'd like to show off.. but alas, I broke my camera. *cries* I was in the process fo cleaning a fleece I purchased at the Bethlehem Fair and the camera has a wee mishap and landed in the bucket of soapy water. O_o Awful. I love taking pictures and I spent so much on my camera.. and now I went and ruined it. I'm still mad at myself for that and it happened over a month ago!

Anyways.. not much going on here.. I missed out on the Nutmeg Spinner's Guild meeting I had wanted to attend.. to check it out and see what the deal was with that.. I went to Boston to visit my friend Ruby who moved there for school. I'm hoping to make it to the December meeting. It sounds like a lot of fun. I have to remember to save some money first though.. lol

Oh! I've been working on a halloween costume.. I decided to be a geisha this year.. I actually have a party to attend. Whee! I'm using Simplicity pattern 1080 and i have the most gorgeous brocade fabric for it.. I need the costume for this saturday and while I cut out most o the pieces, It's not sewn together yet. Better get cracking. Maybe I'll borrow my mom's camera so I can take some pics.

Uhh... I guess I don't really have anything els eI can blabber about right now. It's so much harder ot blog without pics! I hate this. :( Here's hoping I can get a new camera for xmas....

Dyeing Fun

2007-08-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

Of course I forgot to post the pictures of all the lovely roving I dyed the other day... I had so much fun! :D

Most of it was dyed with kool-aid.. the rest was wiltons icing dyes and food coloring. Most of the roving was the superwash/nylon mill ends from the Sheep Shed, and the brown mill ends from the Sheep Shed. I also overdyed my hibiscus roving from Spunky Eclectic, and some black and white mill ends from ebay. I have no idea at this point how much I actually did that day.. but it sure was a lot!

I've never done a batch that big before.. and I wasn't sure what to expect from some of the rovings.. I was just keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn't somehow felt some of it.. lol Some of the superwash kind of got stringy and fell apart.. I'll be keeping and spinning that up. And I'll be keeping some of the colors that I just love.. but the rest will probably be put up on my etsy. I do need a way to fund my fiber addiciton! XD

Sheep Shed order

2007-08-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

I recieved my order from the sheep shed on friday.. which was super fast considering I placed my order on tuesday!

I'm in love. I can't wait to order more already but unfortunately I think I have to wait two weeks until my next paycheck. :(

I'm going to keep busy by dyeing most of what I ordered though. Should be fun. I bought a ton of kool-aid to play with and I think I want to try dyeing with the wilton's icing dyes.

And two pounds is a lot more than I thought it would be.. but I'm still trying to figure out how Carol stuffed it in that tiny box! lol And she threw in a little bag with nylon fibers! I don't now if I can just spin it as is or if I need to blend it with something...

There were quite a few long strips of roving mixed in as well as a whole bunch of shorter thinner strips, and some really thick ones in the superwash/nylon bag. I still can't get over all the fiber I have to play with! lol

I'm definitely going to try dyeing some of the brown roving as well as the superwash/nylon.. I'm wondering how the brown will take the dyes...

Roving orders.. and another finished yarn

2007-08-07T12:16:00.000-05:00

EEEEE

I placed an order with the Sheep Shed today! ^^

1 lb of superwash/nylon sock roving and 1 lb of their brown tones rovings. All the roving are Brown Sheep Mill Ends.. I can't wait til it gets here. :D I'm a little nervous to see how much 2 lbs is though... when i order 4 oz it seems like a lot! lol

The sock stuff is all white though so I get to try dyeing. :D Squee. And depending on what the brown and white stuff looks like, I might dye some of that too...

ohhh.. I forgot to post.. here's the lovely rovings I got from Abby's Yarns... so soft and gorgeous! I've already started spinning the yellow and I looove the way it's looking. :D

Yellow - Lemon Spice 100% merino 2.7 oz

Green/Pink - Roses 100% merino 3 oz

Red/Purple - Raspberry 100% domestic wool 4 oz

I also spun up half of the Poison roving from Spunky Eclectic.. and I'll admit I was a bit disappointed with it. Not with the way it was spun.. but still with the colors..

I can't help it.. I ordered it expecting something bright blue and bright green.. and got something that was bright green, a weird purple, and a whole lot of white. *sigh* It is a pretty colorway.. but because it's not what I wanted, I don't like it. I thought that maybe whe I spun it up, I would like it more.. but I don't. Oh well.

GloStick 135 yds 12 wpi 2 ply

Yarn Harlot!

2007-08-06T17:02:00.000-05:00

Man I am really bad at keeping this thing updated...

Anyways.. earlier last week or so, Jenny told me that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka the Yarn Harlot , was going to be at RJ Julia's bookstore in Madison for a signing. And did I want to go?

Of course! And I had just gotten her newest book in a swap recently.. so yay! Unfortunately, I failed to find it befor eI left my house friday evening, so I didn't have it readily avaiable to get it signed.. oh well. I got my mapquest directions and managed to find my way down to MAdison without getiing lost.

And I looked for Jenny when I got there but couldn't find her so I sat in a random avaiable seat and watched all the people around me knitting away. Which reminded me that I hadn't thought to bring any of my knitting with me. I was amazed though.. I had never seen that many knitters in the same room before. It was neat.

And it was rather exciting for me to actually be able to sit there and hear an author speak. Stephanie is very funny and witty and had lots of great stories... and some stories that made me want to hit people.. but it was a really fun evening. When she finished speaking and everyone got up t get in line for the signing, I saw Jenny and her hubby Matt across the room and went over to meet them. And I got to meet some of her friends.. and new people! I love meeting new people.. especially when they actually have similar interests.. lol

We hung around at the back of the line so that we could hopefully aske Stephanie to take her pictue with us.. and she did! Not only did she take a picture with us, she also came out to eat with is at a little pizza place down the street. Way cool. She's just a really awesome and funny person and I'm really glad we got to hang out with her for a bit. It pretty much made up for not getting my book signed. Hee.

Everyone pretty much filtered out and went home after we ate.. and I made it home around 11:30.. and what was the first thing I noticed when I went into my room? The book I had been searching for. Gnomes. I swear I have gnomes.....

First wheel spun yarns

2007-07-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

I had so much fun trying to figure out my wheel.. I can't wait to tackle the rest of my roving. :D

I decided to use of the rest of the green roving I got from mainewoods yarn on etsy and spun up a bobbin full of that. I also spun up a bit of the white roving that came with my wheel and plied it with some of the green. The rest, I wound into a center pull ball and plied on itself. I was doing pretty well with the ball.. but maybe 3/4 of the way through, it tangled so badly I got frustrated and stopped where I was. I still have the rest of the ball sitting in a bin with my rovings.. eventually when I'm no longer mad at it (is it normal to be mad at a ball of wool?) I'll attempt to untangle it and see if I can do something with the rest of it.

Here's yarn #1... Starlight Mint. Appx 68 yds, 10 wpi.. worsted weight. green-100% wool white-80% wool, 20% mohair

and yarn #2... Frog's Breath. Appx 130 yds, 12 wpi... DK weight. 100% wool.

I got a spinning wheel!

2007-07-28T16:35:00.000-05:00

It came in the mail on tuesday.. I've been too busy playing with it to blog about it.. lol

Here's the package!

And despite the fact there's a big 'ol sticker on it that says "fragile".. it was dented and had a hole in one side.. *sigh* And the inside wasn't packaged super well.. but it appeared to be pretty unscathed.

Here she is! My Babe Double Treadle Production Wheel!

Handspun silk hankies

2007-07-28T16:31:00.000-05:00

I really have to get my hands on more of this stuff.. it's hard on my hands to draft.. but I'm in love with the way ot spins up. And it's shiny! :D

These were purchased from drivebyknitting on etsy.

Appx 64 yds, 20 wpi.

ConnectiCon.. more spinning.. and more swap goodies.

2007-07-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

So I went to ConnectiCon this past weekend.. and I had a blast. For those of you who have no clue as to what ConnectiCon is.. it's an anime/sci fi convention that's held in CT yearly.. and it's been going on for about 5 years now I believe. This is the third year I've gone and like always, it's a lot of fun. I was fortunate enough to meet some spinners and a dollmaker! And the kicker was that I had already "met" two of them on devianart a few months ago. Too cool. Anyways, not only did I get to watch D and J spin, J brought her spinning wheel on sunday and I was fascinated with it. Of course that just made me want to buy a wheel even more.. I may convince my brother to lend me the money instead of trying to save up. teehee. Anyways, J also informed me of the spinning guild that exists in CT and gave me info on the meetings and such. I'm totally going in October when the next meeting occurs. I can't wait. It's so amazing to meet people IRL that share my interests. The closest I have right now is two people at work, and all they do is crochet. Knitting is so far out f the box for them, and when I mentioned spinning, they looked at me like I had a cow growing ou tof the side of my head. I had always though crafters in general we more open to hearing about and trying new things.. guess I was wrong.

Anyways.. I bought some gorgeous handspun yarn from J, beautiful greens, blue and purples plied with black. I'm currently knitting a Calorimetry with it. I can't wait for it to be cold, (did I just say that?! ME who HATES the cold and snow?!) so I can wear it. It's looking super spiffy so far. :D

I had forgotten to take my silk hankies that i had spun off the niddy noddy before I left for the weekend. Oh well. I set the twist (blocked it, whatever) when I came home sunday. I loooove it. I only got about 64 yds.. and I really want to keep this for myself. I just don't know what I can knit with 64 yds.. no pics yet.. there hasn't been good sunlight and the pics I took inside look awful. Trust me when I say that it's soft and shiny and pretty. :)

I've also been spinning up the black and green batt I purchased from stickyfingers and I think it's coming out nicely. I'm aiming for thin. And it's spinning up pretty darn fine. I'm just hoping I don't make a tangle mess of it when I try to ply it. I'm about halfway done with the batt so far (it was tiny, only about an ounce) and I think I'll be able to get all of it on the spindle. *crosses fingers*

And I've recieved another square for the Knit/Crochet Blanket Swap.. this one is from chibie elphie. So pretty!

And I've also recieved from superhooker for the Knit/Crochet Goodie Bag Swap.. still havent' had a chance to send yet.. I really need time to get to the PO. I adore everything. She really spoiled me.

Knitted beach bag from my wists, a cute mini journal/sketchbook, and two containers of body butter.

Three skeins of sock yarn, two sets of dpns, a cute metal tin to keep the dpns in, and a sheepie tape measure.

Sponge capsules that grow in water, a cute binder to keep patterns in, a beginners sock pattern, and Stephanie Pearl McPhee Casts Off!

AND I recieved from WYOKrista for the Heroes Swap. Another fabulous package. I'm trying to get all my projects done for monday's send date.

What's this? Breakfast?

Nope.. it's Heroes swag! ^^ Punch embroidered hat with heroes symbol, and a Hiro t shirt.

Denim purse.

Awesome magnets.

Notecards. (I really don't want to use these.. they're just too cool!)

and here's some links to closeups of the notecards...

Peter: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Jestique/crafts/DSC04855.jpg

Nathan: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Jestique/crafts/DSC04853.jpg

Hiro: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Jestique/crafts/DSC04854.jpg

Claire: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Jestique/crafts/DSC04857.jpg

Sylar: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Jestique/crafts/DSC04856.jpg

Heroes: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Jestique/crafts/DSC04858.jpg

Spun batt...

2007-07-11T08:15:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to recieve those uber pretty batts from stickyfingers on etsy, that I couldn't resist spinning at least one of them. :D

I started with the white one and spun up a little more than half of it. I was aiming for a thick and thin single... and while I didn't achieve what I had set out to do, I'm still happy with it.

It's slightly thick and thin, appx 36 yds and super squishy and soft! XDI seem to have truble spinnig thick singles for some reason... *sigh* I'll get it eventually...

Well.. anyways.. check ou the squishy goodness! :D

I also finished spinnin gup the silk hankies.. and I wound up with 64 yds! (I know that's not a lot of yardage.. but it's an accomplishment for me!) It's currently sitting on the noddy, and I'll set the twist later tonight. :D Pictures soon!

Fiber goodness

2007-07-09T16:47:00.000-05:00

Whee!

I ordered two batts from stickyfingers on etsy last week and they came today! And they're both so much more gorgeous in person. Super soft, colorful, and sparkly! I can't wait to spin them. Of course, I've never spun from a batt before, so this should be a fun new challenge for me.. :D

And she also sent me a cute felted flower hairpin! So sweet of her!

This pic just really doesn't do these batts justice.. my camera just can't seem to catch the colors well enough...

The darker one is black and green with sparklies.. mohair, wool top, angora and firestar And the lighter one is white, pink and blue with sparklies... mohair, wool top, angora and angelina.

Closeup of the super cute hairpin:

PVC fun

2007-07-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

I convinced the bf that going to Home Depot so I could get some PVC pipe today was a good idea. Of course, he wanted to know what I wanted it for.. and when I tried to explain what a niddy noddy was, he looked at me in that "I have no idea what you're talking about and you're really weird" kind of way. Then I explained that I HAD to have one and if I purchased one of fthe net, it was going to cost me $40-$50. Apparent;y it doesn't cost that much.. but I wanted a cheap one durnit!

And he was gracious enough to cut the pipe for me too, :D I may be crafty, but I am most definitely not handy. So, me using a saw.. out of the question. I have trouble even wielding a hammer correctly.. although if I really have to, I can.

Anyways.. here is my lovely new PVC niddy noddy (so I don't have to wind skeins onto a chair or my feet anymore!). And it only cost me $4! And I still have some pipe left over. :D

And I think one of the things I like the best about it (aside from the cost) is that I can take it apart for storage. :D Sweet. I may make a simple drawstring bag to keep it in.. hmmmm

I also decided to spin up the rest of the silk hankies I purchased from drivebyknitting on etsy.. and I'm about halfway through them. Drafting the silk hankies really hurts my left index finger after a while, so I gave up for the time being.

I drafted one thin hankie layer at a time, and I spun it as I went along.. mainly because I get bored doing nothing but drafting. Usually I wouldn't do such a thing as spin while the bf is over, but he was playing Guitar Hero 2 so it was ok.

I absolutely LOVE the way these hankies are looking all spun up.. and the colors are GOREGOUS. And it's shiny. God, how I love shiny. XD

And I see that my benedryl is kicking in and I'm starting to get that "dizzy, I should lie down and go to sleep" sort of feeling.. so I suppose I should give in and just go to bed. Although the spindle is calling to me... maybe just a little more.. XD

Anime Swap Goodness

2007-07-05T18:47:00.000-05:00

Gerrijo finally recieved from me today so I can post pics.. yaaay! (sshe only recieved late caus eI am a stupid silly girl and I sent super late and she is super duper sweet for understanding!)

Anyways.. here are the awesome goodies she sent to me...

the whole package (and my kitty inspecting it, hoping there's something for her in there)

A fabulous little pouch with a handpainted pic of Sailor Mars...

A felt sushi roll...

Some awesome sushi stitch markers...

Shrinky dink necklace charms featuring InuYasha and Kohaku and Koryu from the manga "Wish"...

And some yummy japanese candy!

And here's what I sent her!

-three Ranma 1/2 mangas (vol 1, 2, and 3)

-a little canvas bag with Jiji the Cat drawn on it

-two bookmarks (featuring Kodama and Totoro)

-3 different crocheted sushi rolls

-Totoro earrings

- and a collaged frame with different anime characters

the whole package...

closeup of sushi...

closeup of earrings...

I really enjoyed crafting for this swap and I'm glad I had such a great partner! :D

Second blanket square recieved!

2007-07-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

First of all.. Happy Furth of July everyone! :D

and now on to other things...

My second square came in the mail the other day.. from DisneyFan.

She was my swap partner from the Pirates of the Caribbean swap and remembered my love of all things skully.. so check out the square she crocheted for me!

It's uber soft and I looooove the skully in the center. And the two blues she picked out are pretty.

I'm currently working on my next set of squares to send out.. and hopefully I'll be done in time to ship them out on friday. I was planning on spending most of today crafting for these fabulous swaps I've signed up for.. but failed that miserably. And I was going to try and make an apple cake this morning. Scratch that. I woke up with the most awful headache and I couldn't even move without my brain pounding against my retinas for a few hours. I sat there with a heating pad on my neck and an icy cold bottle of water on my head for the better part of the morning until it went away. There went a few precious crafting hours right out the window.

And then the bf called wanting to go to lunch. Who am I to say no? So away to lunch it was.. and then I proceded to drag him to JoAnn's so I could buy fabric. I only spend $25 which is like.. AMAZING. But that was inly because of the male influence that came along.. lol

Anyway.. the fabric os for another project I have to get done sometime this weekend. My friend Bryan decided to make the world's greatest beer pong table.. and I want to make a bag to keep it in so it'll be protected while it's in storage or transit. Not something to carry it in, because it's damned heavy and has a handle of it's own.. just something to cushion it a bit. And I want to add pockets for towel and the ping pong balls... We'll see if I can manage to whip something up.

I'll have to post pics of the table at some point... it's absolutely gorgeous and I can't believe the craftsmanship that went into it. Well.. I can.. but I'm still in awe every time I see it.

I'm annoyed that I couldn't find fabric in the right color blue though for the bag.. *sigh* Black will have to do...

And while I should be wandering my way to bed soonish, seeing as I have work in the morning, and I have a feeling it's going to be abother stressful day like yesterday was, I think I'm going to go crochet a little more and see if I can't finish up that square.

More Swaps...

2007-07-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

Eep.. I've gona and signed up for three more swaps... I just can't help myself, they're so fun! XD

I've signed up for the Knit and Crochet Blanket Swap, the Knit and Crochet Goodie Bag Swap, and the Heroes Swap (all on crafster by the way).

I've already sent out two squares for the blanket swap and I recieved one from one of my partners. :D I'm excited for thefact that at the end of this swap, I'll be able to make a blanket! And I'll have proven to myself that it IS possible to make a blanket in only 6 weeks. :D

Anyways.. these are the two squares I've made already:

This is for danceisthenewmosh.. crocheted from LionBrand Microspun, pattern is the Teenie Dream Square from crochetpatterncentral.com

And this one is for DisneyFan.. crocheted from LionBrand WoolEase, pattern is the Wheel Lattice Square from crochetpatterncentral.com

And this is the one I recieved from danceisthenewmosh! I can't believe she used 3 different colors! It's so pretty.. I absolutely love it! And she sent some sour jelly belly jelly beans and a candy necklace with it.. plus she tied it together with a gorgeoud blue ribbon, which I'll have to use in a future project. :D

Spunky Eclectic order

2007-06-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

Whee!

My first order from Spunky Eclectic arrived the other day! I say first, because I'm already plotting on buying more as soon as I get my next paycheck. Of course. ;)

I must admit, I was a little disappointed for the first few minutes after I pulled it out of the box and began to inspect my prize.

The colors on both my orders were not what I had expected at all based on the photos that were on the site. Buyer beware I suppose. I know that the photos are a close up of a portion of the rovings after they are dyed, but I still figured they'd be a little closer... it doesn't help that I was in a fairly bad mood when I opened the package either... ><

I ordered 4 oz of wool blend in the hibiscus colorway...

That picture is defintiely not the best representation of the true color.. indoors, poor lighting.. flash.. ugh

Anyways.. I expected it to be more.. pink.. not peachy as it seemed to be.. and I really expected there to be more white. I decided to spin a little up to see how it was.. and I did a 180. It's one of the almost solid series, so it's supposed to be tonal in color.. and after I drafted and started spinning, I could start to see that. There was more white and darker areas hidden in the compacted roving. So ok! Happy with this one!

And here we have 4 oz of wool blend in the poison colorway

Now.. again, not a good representation of true colors there... I had expected this one to be bright electric blue and neon green .No white. That's what the picture looked like.. why would I expect something else? The green is defintely that bright green I thought it would be.. but the blue... Is almost purpley.. and defintiely NOT the electric blue I was expecting. And I didnt think there would be white anywhere in the roving. Ah well. It's still very pretty. I can't wait to spin it and see what it turns out like.. I was just expecting something completely different is all...

Also, both my rovings had teeny bits of other colors on them.. like they maybe bled on each other? Maybe they weren't 100% rinsed or dried or something.. no biggie.. I'v ebeen picking out the pieces as I find them. Just another thing ot annoy me, But again.. bad day and all.. *points to 2 posts ago* I still want to order more fiber from there.. I figure I'll ask for each colorway sto be in it's own baggie...

2 more skeins spun up!

2007-06-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

I recieved the silk hankies I purchased form drivebyknitting on etsy.. and man, were they gorgeous! The colors were even better in person. I was really pleased and I immediately spun up one of the colorways.

I got appx 48 yds of a single with 17 wpi. It's such a lovely green color. And so shiny!

I also spun some of the roving I had purchased from mainewoodsyarn on etsy a while back and I plied it with 100% mohair that I won on ebay. After I spun each individually, I wasn't sure how they woudl look together, since the colors seemed kind of.. well.. not matchy.. but I was happy to se that they did indeed go pretty darn well together.

2 ply, 33 yds total, 12 wpi. I had to break it up into two smaller skeins because the mohair was spun too thinly in some spots and broke.

Goodbye Aunt Ronnie...

2007-06-10T23:49:00.001-05:00

Rest in peace Aunt Ronnie... we'll miss you.

You'll always be in our hearts...

Spinning

2007-06-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

After not touching my spindles for a couple of months, I decided it would be interesting to reconnect with them and the tons of roving I still have lying around begging to be spun. I had all intentions of purchasing a wheel.. but that when down the drain when my car demanded to be fixed for the cost of appx $800. Bye bye wheel. One day....

Anyways... I finally FINALLY! learned how to spin for real and not just do that park ad draft.. thing. You have no idea how freakishly excited I was. I was browsing spinning sites online and I says to myself.. "Self. We're going to get back to spinning. And we're going to do it proper, yes we are. NOW." So I tried it.. and surprisingly, soemthing must have clicked. Because ther eI was.. spinning! And not having to tuck the spindle in between my knees just to let the twist creep up into the drafting zone.

Now, mond you, it was coming out suuuuuper thin. And it took me a while to figure out how to draft a bit more and thicken it up. But I am happy as a clam with the results.

I broke out the pretty roving I got from mainewoodsyarn in the erin colorway and spun up a small single. Only appx 19 yds and 22 wpi. Merino/corriedale

I also used up the rest of the silk hankie I had lying around.. I adore the way this stuff spins up. It has great exture. Even if it does tend to stick to you when spinning. XD

I used all of what I had and plied it on itself.. appx 12 yds 12 wpi

Of course this prompted me to go and purchase MORE roving and hankies. Caus eI need them .They call to meeeeeee.

Ahem.

I bought these lovelies on etsy.. and I got them today! So of course I can't wait to start spinning them .:)

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=5553446
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=5553447

AND I bought a total of 8 oz of roving from Spunky Eclectic. 2 different colorways, 4 oz each .I absolutely cannot wait until those ge there. Squee!

Tee Recon

2007-06-07T21:28:00.000-05:00

So... I was going to a Godsmack concert with the bf and some friends.. and we kinda know some of the members of the opening band, Fear the State. Of course we wanted to supposrt our local bands here in CT and we were going to wear their t-shirts to the show.

As a craftster, could I really leave mine as just a t-shirt? I think not. It was just begging to be reconned, I swear it.

It started life like this... a normal men' s tee.

close up of logo:

I hacked it to bits.. not really having a set plan in mind is always fun. I added a black strip at the bottom with random fabric, black stripes on the sides, and I stole a tie from an old halter to make the neck tie. I used grommet tape for the back and safety pins to hold it together.. just cause I could. And of course, red thread for the stitching for that extra. .something.. XD

I got a TON of compliments on it (I was really surprised!) and people kept asking me where I got it from, which was really nice to hear. The only thing that bothered me was that I had to keep pulling it up a bit since the t-shirt fabric stretched a bit with body heat. Overall, I'm pretty darn pleased with it. and at least I'll be asble to get a few uses out of it before it falls apart. ;)

Pirates of the Carribean swap goodies

2007-06-07T20:48:00.000-05:00

Grah.
I've been forgetting to post. Again. Surprise, surprise.

Well.. not like I have that much to show off anyways... Might as well start off with the completed Pirates of the Carribean swap...

First.. here's the loverly (yes I just typed loverly) goodies that DisneyFan sent me. I was so amazed at the work she put in and of course I felt bad by comparison... But I hope she liked what I sent her anyways! :)

She sent me...
- a gorgeous skull and crossbones crocheted purse
- comfy skully slippers
- cute votive holders
- a journal/notebook
- a Captain Jack t shirt

Awesome, yes? :D

And I sent her...
- 3 different piratey fabrics
- 2 mini journals
- painted photo frame
- mini wooden trunk with gold chocolate coins and embroidered heart inside

self inflicted eye injuries.. what?

2007-04-24T11:05:00.000-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that if I were to post things other than crafty goodness in this blog, I might remember it more often and be more inclined to post and keep it up.

Perhaps I shall.

Either way, since I was a complete, and I repeat COMPLETE moron the other morning, I feel that I should post it, if not for any other reason than to entertain someone else out there in internet land.

So.

Let's keep it simple for a second, shall we?
I got hydrogen peroxide in my eye. Ohhh. fun. NOT.

Longer story:
And just how exactly did I manage to accomplish this crazy feat? Well, I kinda put it there myself. Wait, what? It's actually the solution I have for my contacts, If you put it in a specual container, it turns to saline after 6 hours. But straight from the bottle? Hydrogen peroxide. I have that and also a plain saline solution to use when Iwant to rinse my lenses before I put them in. So what did I do? Rinse my damn lens with the peroxide solution and I PUT IT IN MY EYE. And it burned. Like hell.

I shrieked and screamed and finally managed to rip off my lens, whix I threw on the counter somewhere and then what did I do? Grabbed the same damn bottle and tried to flush my eye with it! Yes. I am officially a moron. Of course I started shrieking again, actually looked at the damn bottle and smacked myself for realizing FINALLY what I did. And then I flushed it with water and regular saline. But seriously. Complete dumbass.

My eye is completely fine except it's a bit red. Fortunately I work at an eyecare so I knew what to do.. kinda. One of the doctors looked at it and said I was fine.

Note to self: ALWAYS put the bright red cap back on the damn solution.

Oy vey.

It's bad enough I have a tendency to obtain craft related injuries.. but this? Takes the cake.

Recent plushie goodness

2007-04-18T21:45:00.000-05:00

Huh.. forgot to post these earlier.. of course.

I made this Domo plushie for my friend Vinny... I was supposed to have made it.. last year? Whatever. It got made! XD

chillin in my bathroom...

rawr!

hangin in Vinny's van.. go Domo go!

Bad Domo! Leave Takarra alone!

And I made this ninja plushie for someone else.. they showed me a link to one of these guys on thinkgeek.com and asked if I could make one of rthem.. so out of the godness of my heart (and caus eI was fairly bored) I did.

mmm.. ninja....

Newbie Swap goodies

2007-04-18T10:06:00.000-05:00

Jeebus.

I am a lazy lazy slug. XD It's been almost a month since I last posted.. my swap that I was waiting on to post goodies is long over.. and I've gone on vacation and been back for over a week already. Well.. I guess it's time to update. :D

First off.. the newbie swap. I recieved the most fabulous goodies from my swap partner, Summer. Each item was well crafted and the details were amazing. And as a bonus, the whole package was pirate themed!

The first item was a felted eyeglass case, the most gorgeous red (I adore red) and has an eyepatch made from felt sewn on, and a skull and crossbones embroidered onto the eyepatch! And she even ebroidered my initials on the back, so ha! No one can steal it on me... Definitely the coolest eyeglass case I've ever owned. :D

Next, I discovered a knitting needle roll! Which I've been dying to have. And the funniest thing is that she made it from a pattern I had been eyeing recently.. and she never even knew! It's like craft ESP or something.. lol The needle roll was also felted and in that same gorgeous red, with cables on the inside to hold the needles, and a pocket on the inside to hold notions. She also made some fab shrinky dink buttons. Andsee that little Captain Jack Sparrow button? She used a drawing I did from my deviantart to make it! How cool is that? I of course immediately hunted down as many of my stray needles as I could find and stuffed them in there. They look very cosy in their piratey roll.

And last, (but not least!) she made (MADE!) a swap journal! And the entire thing is pirate themed! She embroidered a map on the cover and it's awesome. I was stunned at the embroidering and I think I stared at it for a ful 10 mins or so before I even dared to open it to check ou tthe inside. And inside! The most detailed pages ever. I love it. I'm so excited that I now have a book to record future swaps in. :D

And.. as for what I sent her.. I of course, was nervous that it wouldn't be good.. or that she wouldn't like anything. Silly me. She said she loved everything. :D I sent her two calorimetrys, one obviously Ravenclaw themed, one wannabe Ravenclaw (it has Ravenclaw-ish colors), a little felt owl stuffie, a tree of life pendant, some orange shell soaps, and some flower hair barrettes.

It was a fun swap. And I'm hoping that Summer and I can do a personal swap sometime. She's an amazing person, and I'm glad to have met her. :D

I've gone and signed up for two more swaps, and I volunteered to swap angel for someome, so I have a ton of crafting to do within the next few weeks. hehee This'll be fun. I can't wait to be creative. XD

I went to Arizona with the bf for vacation. We stayed with his aunt and uncle and it was awesome. I despise CT and it's cold winters and humid summers.. and AZ is so fabulous, I'd love to move there one day. We went around Scottsdale and Phoenix and did a number of things.. I won't bore anyone with details. I'm dying to go back, especially since it's rainy and chilly here.

A FO.. finally! And some randomness...

2007-03-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

I finished my first entrelac dishcloth! Yay. Lighting totally sucks in my room right now, so pics in the morning I suppose. And I have to locate that darn camera still.. hmmm...

I'm pretty pleased with this. And it was such a quick knit! I'm amazed I finished it within a day.. lol
I started it last night while I was out with my friends. Me and Vinny waited in the van while Takarra ran inside to change. Since the yarn and needles were in my bag (of course!) my hands were itching for something to do so out comes the yarn and away I knit. Karra's sister comes out to say hi and she peeks in.

"What the heck are you doing? She peers in and get a closer look? "Are you playing with string?!"

"Why yes, yes I am. I'm like a cat. I love string."

Somewhat confused stare. "huh?"

"I'm just kidding.. really. I'm knitting."

"Huh? Ok whatever" Gives me a funny look and trots off back into the house.

Karra comes out a few mins later and gets back in the vehicle. She looks over at me. "Oh geez. Are you knitting?"

"Yes ma'am I am"

"Whatcha makin'?"

"A dishcloth"

Pause... "Why?"

"Well.. I dunno.. Why not?"

"Well, why would you make a dishcloth? You can't use it!"

"uh.. why?"

"Duh. It'll get all dirty and gross if you wash dishes with it! Then you'll have to throw it away in a couple of months."

"So what? I'll make another one."

"But that's a waste!"

"No it's not. That's it's purpose! It's SUPPOSED to get used. You wouldn't knit a sweater just to let it hang in the closet and not get worn, would you? Well, I wouln''t knit a dishcloth just to stare at it."

Pause. "Riiiight"

I think I just need to teach her to knit. Or I just need some craftin' knittin' firends... then they wouldn't look at me like I was crazy.. lol Or maybe they would, I dunno. I am a little weird at times. XD

Updates

2007-03-25T14:02:00.000-05:00

So.. not much going on I suppose. Although I'm guessing I've been forgetting to post again. Silly me.

I have recieved from my super awesome partner Summer for the Newbie Swap on craftster! But no pics yet! Iwant to wait til she recieves my package so I put everything in one big super fantastic happy post. :D

I've been working on smallish projects.. stared some entrelac dishcloths to introduce myself to the lovely world of entrelac. And I've started crocheting the triangle motif purse from Easy Crochet magazine.. I'll post pics eventually. Got to figure out where the camera went frirst. Darn camera. Always wandering off when I want it.

DDR and swap progress

2007-03-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

So after playing DDR at the arcade last night, I've come to the conclusion that not only do I need to a) get in shape, and b) practice a heck of a lot more, but also c) I really need to make a DDR quilt! Wouldn't that be awesome? I think so. :) I must go find my pad of graph paper and map this thing out. And then get properly motivated to sew it. lol I still owe the bf a quilt that I uh.. havent' worked on in at least a year or two.. >_<>

Well, I'm appx halfway through with project numbah one for the newbie swap on craftster.. and hopefully I can finish it tonight.. .I have all the materials set up for the second project, but I have to do it in the garage so I don't die from the E6000 glue fumes... XD

Well.. not much else to update on... no FO's at the time being.. and I can't post project shots.. hopefully soon!

Random updates.

2007-02-28T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well.. I need to post more often! I'm on the stinkin computer every day, so I really have no excuse!

I signed up for the Newbie Craft Swap on Craftster. I'm so excited! My parter seems awesome and I've already started on my first craft for her. :) But no previews! I won't post or give away anything I've made until she's recieved her package. :)

I have been doing some more spinning although not much.. I did a couple of practice mini skeins and another navajo ply.. I'll get pics soon.
Hmm.. what else? I STILL havent' picked up my Sahara t continue on it yet.. and I've been playing with Sugar n Cream cotton yarn lately trying to make dishcloths.. why? I have no idea!

Eep. I have to rescue the fluffy kitty from a box now.. lol Don't ask how he got stuck in there, I dont even know!

Another cute kitty pic!

2007-02-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

Cute kitty pic!

2007-02-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

She really sleeps like this!

Things that happen when I get bored...

2007-02-21T19:56:00.000-05:00

I make hats for the cat. Oh yes. Well.. A hat technically...

Actually, there's a crochet challenge on craftster for animal themed hats. You can either make a hat with an animal on it, in the shape of an animal, or for an animal. I had nothing to do today so I made one for Kilala.

She's thrilled, really she is.. lol

Ramblings and spinning practice

2007-02-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

Bleah.

I tired and I really should get to work on some projects. Actually what I want to do is spin some more.. but I really need to get to work on a baby blanket I'm crocheting for my aunt. It's actually for her to give to a friend as a gift.. She doens't know how to knit or crochet and asked me to do it.. so I said yes. I wasn't going to say no.. that would have been rude. Anyways, it's just a giant granny square (or will be once I finish it!) in alternating stripes of pastel green and pale yellow. I think I'm using some kind of Bernat's Baby yarn.. and I knwo it's being crocheted with a G hook.. other than that, I'm kind of lacking in the specifics area. And no pics yet. It's not really big enough to validate picture taking yet. Or maybe I'm just too lazy and the lighting's really bad right now.

I also really REALLY need to get back to knitting my Sahara .. I still haven't touched it and I really want to finish it. I keep getting distraced by other things. But I'd like to be able to say that I finally finished a sweater. And perhaps I can finish it before it's too warm to wear sweaters anymore? What I should have done was start it in the summer so it would be completed by winter and I'd actually be able to wear it. lol This is assuming that it'll be wearable by the time I'm done. XD

So what have I actually accomplished since my last post? Not that much to be honest. lol I played with some of the lovely mohair I got off of ebay and spun appx 40 yds of laceweight yarn. And I also spun up a small bit of the Brown Sheep mill ends I also got from ebay . Only got about 13 yds of a single from that. I just wanted to see how they would spin up. I used my new Louet spindle for both of them. I really really need to look into getting a wheel....

mohair (colors are off.. bad lighting and all..)

mill ends (still more bad lighting.. *sigh*)

First Navajo Ply!

2007-02-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

Wow.

I'm tired. I should actually be in bed.. especially seeing as I have work tomorrow morning.. but what am I doing instead? Watching "Good Eats" of Food Network and posting a blog. If you hadn't noticed, I'm not all that bright sometimes... lol I know the second my head hits that pillow, I'm going to be wide awake anyways.. oh well.

So I managed to spin my first navajo plied skein yesterday! It's only about 30 yds, but I'm just so darn excited. Roving came from mainewoodsyarn. I really love her rovings. :D I used the pretty blue one and I am absolutely thrilled at how the colors spun up. It's just so pretty!

I can't wait to spin more of this so I have enough finished yarn for a project. :D

And I can't wait for my tax return! Cause I really REALLY want to buy a wheel.. just have to decide what my budget is going to be and what I'm going to want. And where I'm going to be able to put it.. lol Hopefully the cats won't chew it either. One seems to be utterly fascinated with my spindles.. when they're sitting on the desk. And the other is having a grand time chewing and drooling on my balls of pre drafted roving when I set them aside. I swear, I can't turn my back on them for a second! lol

Two more finished Calorimetries.. and more spinning.

2007-02-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

One of the girls at my work really liked the Calo I had knit for myself and asked if I could make her one since she doens't know how to knit, only crochet. She's awesome, so of course I said ok.. but I ended up making two for her instead of one, cause I couldn't decide on which yarn I wanted to use!

Both of them together:

Calo #1

Knit from Filatura di Crosa 127 Print yarn.

Alterations: 88 sts co instead of 120, 11 short row repeats instead of 15.

Calo #2

Knit from JoAnn Sensations Casual Elegance Collection Celebration yarn,

Alterations: 92 sts co instead of 120, 7 short row repeats instead of 15.

I've also finished my mohair and plied it. I love the way it feels. And it's super fuzzy. Unfortunatly I wasn't bright enough to write down the yardage I got and I can't remember. It was either 27 or 37.. lol I'm a dumbass sometimes. I wanted to do more, but my tiny spindle just wasn't having any of it. So I didn what I could and I still have slightly less than half of the fiber I originally started out with. And I won more from the same ebay seller so that'll be coming in the mail soon.. I can't wait to play with it. :D

I also got my silk hankies in the mail the other day and dove right into those. They're a little difficult for me to work with, but they're fun! And I loooove the colors. The only thing that really drives me nuts is that they stick to my hands like crazy! I spun about half of the pink ones I got and I'll probably do the rest later this week. I managed to get appx 13 yds. I couldn't believe how soft it turned out to be! Now if I could only get the drafting right....

Knit from your Stash 2007

2007-02-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

I found this nifty site... and it's like it says.. knit from your stash for 2007.
http://wendyknits.net/stash2007.htm

I'm totally in for this since I obviously uh.. have a *coughs* spending habit... or something...

I fI can stick to this, I'll be ok! lol And I'll be able to ge thtough my 6+ bins of yarn. Oy.

The rules on the site are:

Knit From Your Stash 2007:
1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.
2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:
2.a. Sock yarn does not count. What? You think we are made of stone?
2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, we may buy yarn to knit that gift.
2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project.
2.d. We each get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- we are each allowed to fall off the wagon one time.
3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn.
4. Trading stash is allowed.
5. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt.

The only thing I'll change is the date.. so I'll start mine feb 1 and go til oct 31.. O_o What a challenge!

More rovings to add to my stash!

2007-01-31T12:22:00.000-05:00

Yay!

Although I really need to stop spending money, I couldn't help but buy some more roving.. I wanted to play with different colors darnit! All I had was the pretty green/yellow roving, and the red/black one.. and some mohair which I've been working on using up... so I've been anxious to get something new. And of course I havent' even come anywhere near using all of what I already have. XD Silly me.

I bought two more gorgeous rovings from mainewoodsyarn.etsy.com Lovely shades of purple and maroon on one, and pretty blues osn the other. I can't wait to play with those. They're so fluffy and soft!

I also got 4oz of mill ends on ebay. It's a wool/mohair blend in white/grey and black. Lovely stuff. :)

And I also bought some silk hankies from ebay but I havent' recieved them yet. Just paid for them yesterday! I'm actually a bit timid on trying to spin the silk, but it looks interested, and I figure if I can try mohair which is super slippery to me, then why not the silk?

Here's the progress on the mohair spinning if anyone's interested.... I love it so far! I'm just trying to decide if I want to ply it when I'm done..

A finished yarn I'm proud of!

2007-01-27T00:31:00.000-05:00

Yay!

I finally managed to get my thickness more even when spinning! How excited am I? Drafting is becoming easier for me too, the more I practice. All I have to do now is upgrade from this parka nd draft method to actually drafting while the spindle is going... lol I tried it before and I kept screwing it up, but I think I'm ready to try it again.

Anyways. I spun some roving I bought on mainewoodsyarn.etsy.com and managed to get appx 24 yds in a 2 ply yarn. :)The roving was a merino/corriedale blend I believe.. I love it. I wish I had been able to do more so I could actually make something with it.. although I supposed I could whip up a cuff at least. heehee I'm tickled pink! XD

the roving

on the spindle

the yarn!

I also won an auction on ebay for some mill ends so I can't wait for that to come in ther mail, and I also bought more roving from mainewoodsyarn. Her colors are just so pretty!

First trip to the LYS!

2007-01-20T16:07:00.000-05:00

I've been dying to find a local yarn store and check out what they're like.. I'm tired of the same selection of yarns you find at Jo-Anns and Michael's.. So I went looking online and found what semed to be a nice one in Woodbridge. Ok.. only 20-30 mins away.. shouldn't be that bad drving to find it. So Away I went. Found it with no problem. I was a little apprehensive going in only becaus of the horror stories of "yarn store snobs" that I've seen.. but they were super nice! It wa sa cute little store but the selection was AMAZING. So many yarns I've heard of but never actually seen in real life.. and so many new ones. I walked around the entire store three times before selecting a few yarns.. I picked up so many yarns just to squish them! lol And the lady working there came up to me a few times just to see if I needed any help and asked if I was overwhelmed yet.. lol Awesome. I've decided that until I have a complication there, this shall be my LYS. I don't want to drive around and try and find another one hen this one seems to be fantastic already.

I unfortunatley spent appx $60 on 5 balls of yarn though.. *sweatdrops* I was eyeing the Rowan Kidsilk haze and didn't realize it wa $15 a ball so of course I picked up 3... ><>

And yesterday I went to Borders and picked up a stitch dictionary.. finally! It has over 900 stitches for knitting and crocheting in it! And I had a 30% coupon so yay!

Spinning

2007-01-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

I decided to play with my tp whorl drop spindle again yesterday.. and I used the roving that I got in a kit from mainewoodsyarn.etsy.com Such a lovely color!

I only spun up a little bit of it sinc eI'm still practicing and I ended up with appz 7 yd of 2 ply yarn. :D

Next I really want to be able to use my bottom whorl spindle.. I'm still having trouble with it. But I've begun predrafting a lot more and it seems to be helping me draft the fibers out.. so maybe I can attempt it again.

The roving:

Single on the spindle:

Single in a ball:

Plied yarn!:

Another finished Calorimetry

2007-01-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

This one's for ME this time! :D

I finished this yesterday and I'm pretty pleased with it, although I want it jut a hair longer. It;s just a teeny bit snug. But holy cow! It's super warm! XDD

I knit it from Patons Shetland Chunky yarn in the High Plains Varg colorway on size 8 bamboo needles. Same Calorimetry pattern from knitty.com. I adjusted the pattern slightly in that I only cast on 80 stitches instead of the 120 it called for and I only did about 10 short row repeats instead of 15. I like the width much better than the first one and I really like the colors in this yarn. They're yummy. :D

Flat (and yeah it looks all wonky but it's not that bad I swear!)

Side view

Top view

They should ban me from Jo-Ann Fabrics already....

2006-12-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

'cause I shop there WAY too much!

I decided to uh... splurge a bit yesterday... Now. I don't NEED anymore yarn since I have tubs and bins full of it... but of course it HAD to be on sale which meant that I HAD to buy some. Right? Of course.

So... I came home with this:

*coughs*

4 skeins of Patons Classic Wool Merino in Rosewood

3 skeins of Caron's Simply Shadows in Opal Twist

2 skeins of Lion's Brand Landscapes in Country Sunset

3 skeins each of JoAnn Sensations Sophisticates Collection Fever in Purple and Posy

Plus I bought two cable needles (I really want to learn how to make cables!) and some more stitch markers.

AND

I bought the Stitch 'n Bitch Page a Day calendar from the calendar store in the mall.. I can't wait to see what all the patterns are!

Plus I've been working on my Sahara sweater some more. I picked it back up two days ago with 52 rows.. and now I'm up to 63. Yay! I know I didn't get very far, but I'm a sloooooooow knitter. I am going to finish this sweater darnit! lol

Merry Christmas Eve!!

2006-12-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to have two days off from work! lol

I've been watching christmas movies all day and I can't wait for A Christmas Story to come on TBS tonight. I watch it every year.. lol Best christmas movie ever.

I also made another Calorimetry today.. but wasn't really paying too much attention to it and it's way to tiny for me.. lol I could wear it if I attached ties instead of buttons.. but I might frog it and start over. It's not like it takes too long to knit one up anyways.. If I knew someone with a kid, I'd give it to them.. it would fit a child's head perfectly. :D

Ah well.. I wanted to use more of that red and black roving so it's back to spinning for me for the moment. :D

Roving yaaaaaaay

2006-12-23T00:34:00.000-05:00

I just got some lovely roving from eBay .. and it came in the mail yesterday! How excited was I? :D 10 oz of wool roving (not sure what kind specifically) that's colored a gorgeous deep red with a black stripe down one side.

The ball (with kitty inspecting)

I couldn't wait to start spinning of course.. lol My second attempt is coming out way better than the first and it's super skinny! I plan on trying to ply this when the singles are done so I'm tying to put the extra twist in it. I found a website with way better instructions than what I used last time, and it's so much easier for me to see what they're explaining now. Plus I think this roving is of better quality than what I previously had since the fibers slide better with less effort.

What I have so far...

Closer shot

x-mas soaps

2006-12-20T23:57:00.000-05:00

My mom loved the soaps I made the other day so much, she wanted me to make some for some of the people she works with.. lol I bought two more candy molds (and cracked one already!) and made enough for 8 people. I bought different extracts to scent them with and they smell divine... This time I made banana, cinnamon, chocolate, peppermint, and orange. Yum!

I put them in little glass votive candle holders that I bought from Jo-Ann Fabrics (4 for $1.50!! yay clearance!) and wrapped them in green and red tulle tied with pretty x-mas ribbon. :D She loved them and even gave me $30! Sorry but no pics.. :( The lighting is horrible... but they look pretty I swear!

I've also rolled the Patons yarn I dyed into a ball and started making a simple drop stitch scarf with it.. and I LOVE the colors. The wool ease I dyed came out a horrid shade of pink and my cats got ahold of it and now its a big tangle dmess.. *sigh* I managed to untangle enough for three tiny balls but I have a loooong way to go before I get through it all. :(

Today's soap experiments...

2006-12-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

(( all soaps have been added to my etsy shop! Check it out at http://craftsbykaz.etsy.com ))

And here they are! Pics!

First are the chamomile bar soaps. Each bar is appx 4oz and not only has chamomile fragrances added, but also has chamomile right in the bar itself. :D

And the candy shaped pumpkin and chocolate soaps. I used cocoa powder and no coloring for the chocolate ones, and cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and orange coloring for the pumpkin pie ones.

And last but not least, the orange ones! I used orange coloring, orange extract, and dries orange peel in these. :D Aren't they fun?

I spun my first yarn! And other projects of the day...

2006-12-17T19:25:00.000-05:00

And I'm proud darnit!

It looks kinda like a lumpy mass of .. well wool.. lol but I'm happy that I managed to get it done! :D

I only got appx 12 yds out of 1/2 oz of roving from the kit and it's anywhere from worsted to bulky I would say... it was hard to keep it even...

I dyed it with kool-aid and I really like the color it made. But what can I knit with only 12 yds of yarn? lol

I've also won an auction for some roving from eBay and I can't wait til that comes so I can try spinning again!. :D

I also made some more melt and pour soaps today. And they actually smell good! I did some larger Chamomile bars, and then some smaller shaped ones that smell liek chocolate, pumkin pie, and orange. Yum! My brother came down and thought they were candy! lol I'll post pics as ssoon as I get them out of the molds...

I also kool aid dyed some Patons Merino wool and Lion's Brand Wool ease yarns. I wasn't sure if the wool ease would dye since it's mostly acrylic, but it did although it didn't come out as nicely as I had hoped. The paton's came out beautifully! I used red, orange and yellow, and left some of the white of the yarn show through. I can't wait til it's all dry so I can wind it into a ball and use it for something!

Spinning Kit

2006-12-15T17:43:00.000-05:00

So of course I need a new hobby, right? I'm an idiot. XD

I bought a "Learn to Spin Kit" on eBay and it arrived in the mail today. I dunno... learning how to spin your own yarn looks like fun. I see all these posts about people spinning and dyeing their own yarn, and the results are often stunning. Of course I don't expect to magically be able to dive right in and get it right the first time (or three or five! XD) But it looks like a neat thing to be able to do.

So be expecting future postings with my first attempts at spinning! :D

Gotta get my butt in gear!

2006-12-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

I haven't touched Sahara in a few days now.. it's looking rather lonely over in that tote bag. Just thinking of all those rows on circular stockinette is making me cringe right now. I really really want to finish it... maybe later today I'll pick it up and do at least a few more rows. Bit by bit, it'll get done, I swear! XDD

Of course I've gone and started something else in the meantime.. *sigh*

I found this Universal Toe -up Sock Formula on Knitty and decided that maybe i should try to knit up a simple pair of socks since I've never done socks before. I've also never knit on dpns before, so it's been interesting although I haven't gottn very far. I'll have to post pics when I get a little further along.

I also want to either revamp my etsy shop or make a new one.. I'm not too happy with the name/shop banner/etc... My friend Takarra is helping me come up with a new name right now. Expect to see a shiny new shop in the near future with new items! (hopefully)

finished Calorimetry

2006-12-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

I actually finished yesterday.. just didn't have a chance to post. :D

I really like the way the striping and colors came out using the Patons SWS. I've been dying to use this skein caus eht ecolors are so pretty. I'm actually pretty happy with how this Calorimetry came out except for the fact it's too wide for my liking. I'm going to be giving it to my friend Takarra, and hopefully she'll like it. :D

Laid out on my bed:

On me: (ignore the messy room!)

Back detail: (love the button!)

And side view:

Knitty: winter 2006

2006-12-09T00:22:00.000-05:00

Is up!

Yaaaaaaayyyy!! It chock full of awesome patterns too.. I saw the thread for it on craftster and went to check it out a little while ago.... I've already cast on and started the Calorimetry pattern. :D I'm using Patons SWS (Man I seem to have a lot of that yarn lying around! lol) and I'm loving the way it's turning out so far..

I'm only 14 rows in (out of 40).. and since I'm such a slow knitter, this is actually working up pretty quickly for me. I can't wait to show off the FO! <3

Melt & Pour Soaps... 1st try

2006-12-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

I had purchased some soap making supplies a long time ago.. and never got around to making any. Of course. I had the afternoon off from work today so I figured I'd play with it and see what I could come up with...

I made a total of 6 soaps, all with what was SUPPOSED to be an orange vanilla scent... they don't really smell like anything other than.. well soap... lol

I'll have to try something different next time....

The whole lot:

Closeups:

Feline Dim Sum

2006-12-07T23:53:00.000-05:00

My fluffy kitty Moki decided he really liked the leftovers of my Patons SWS (the rest of the skein from the armwarmers and the felted coasters) and was playing with the yarn WAY too much, so I figured I'd make a cat toy for him and my other kitty Kilala to play with.

I chose to make the wonton from Knitty's Feline Dim Sum pattern... and while I think i overstuffed it a bit, it came out ok.

I knit it on size 6 needles, using the SWS and did a horrible job at seaming it.. but then again, it's only going to my kitties, so who cares, right? :)

Well, Moki LOVES the thing. He snatched it the second I put it down and I had to steal it away from him just to nab some pics... lol Which is why it looks ratty already... my knitting isn't that bad, I swear!

Well, at least I know my efforts were appreciated!

Multimedia message

2006-12-07T19:15:00.001-05:00

And the scarf slowly progresses...

Multimedia message

2006-12-07T11:18:00.001-05:00

Sleeping kitty...

mrrow?

2006-12-07T01:04:00.001-05:00

kitty!...

simple scarf... WIP

2006-12-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

Started working on a simple ribbed scarf with super bulky yarn on size 13 needles.

Carrot animals

2006-12-06T22:54:00.001-05:00

Aren't they cute? I went to a sushi place with my friend Matt and they made these little guys out of carrots. They look like they were carved from one carrot each. I want to learn how to do this one day! lol

More jewelry....

2006-12-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

Apparently I forgot I had a blog.. again.. >_<

I've made a few things since my last post.. these are available in my etsy shop.
http://craftsbykaz.etsy.com

Gold and Black sprialy bracelet and matching earrings... and two random bracelets with beads.... I also cracheted a bath puff using Lily's Sugar & Cream cotton yarn. (not available for sale) and while it looks super cute, it's not really practical since it takes FOREVER to dry... :( I might make another one in microspun yarn or something that might dry faster. Not sure yet.

I've also started knitting StitchDiva's Sahara sweater . I'm only up to the part where you joint the front and back.. My goal is to finish it before next wednesday so if it comes out ok, I'll wear it to my work's xmas party. :D No pics yet.. it's too curly and weird looking at the moment to get any good shots. More updates soon though! <3

Fun with Beads!!

2006-10-24T12:20:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to dive into the crazy world of beading and try making some jewelry... I had a field day at JoAnn Fabrics and bought a bunch of supplies that I thought I'd need. Ignoring the fact of course that I have tons of beads at home tht I've bought previously and still haven't touched.. *sheepish look*

I made one necklace last night.. I think it's kinda nifty. It's pretty simple...

Pink and blue tye dye beads strung on blue wire...

Closer view

Modeled on me!

2nd round of felting

2006-10-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

.. for attempt #2 coaster..

and I think it looks a LOT better now!

It's now appx 4 1/2 " in diameter and felted enough so that the stitches don't show all that much... It feels pretty dense, and I'm not sure if it's small enough yet... What size are coasters anyways? I'll have to look that up.. lol

I like it so far! I want to buy more wool yarns and make different shapes like stars and flowers to felt into coasters to sell on my etsy.. but we'll see.. :D