Happy Halloween!!

Can you believe I have never carved a pumpkin before?! Well, all that waiting paid off and I finally got to carve my first pumpkin!! (it's the kitty cat below...the Dia de los Muertos is Scott's)



My favorite part was definitely scooping out the pumpkin brains!! Luckily my fingers didn't freeze outside while carving because I found a warm gap in the day between the winds and the chill. Oh wait... lighting the candles inside the pumpkins for the first time might be my favorite part actually =)))

I owe great gratitude to Scott for being the know-how man on this project. It's always nice to have someone experienced help you out, especially as I kept bending the saw blade... <3 thanks goose!

Our Halloween festivities (besides carving pumpkins) included a party with Scott's coworkers, and perhaps a night downtown tonight...costume city, baby. I'm a flapper fortune teller (mostly because I didn't have all the garments for a fortune teller) and Scott is a fate master who reads tarot cards. If we go out tonight I'll definitely post a picture =)

What a week

I don't have the link...I'm not sure where this came from...

hehehe I love this one! WTF Jesus?! hehe

To sum up this week, I eked through my classes and put off a lot of homework for today. I did, however, prepare fairly well for Native Am Lit and History of Crit and Lit by reading the texts. Heck, Heartsong of Charging Elk will have been the only book I've finished in Native American Lit so far. And it's been, by far, the best one we've read too. James Welch is an awesome writer and I would love a class that only focused on his works.

Homework today?
- write two midterm papers, 3-4 pages per essay
- letter addressing poem
- read Immanuel Kant's essay
- finish Heartsong of Charging Elk
- possibly write my reading notes on the end of Heartsong
- think of midterm presentation for Storytelling

I'm also washing clothes.
And trying not to watch Netflix.
While drinking spicy Earl Grey with milk... yumm!!! ^-^

Berny in a basket!!

Adieu!!

Zoinks!

The leaves are already changing colors!
I haven't worked on any homework this weekend!
Scott received his diploma finally!
I can't wait to eat an enchilada for lunch!
It's supposed to rain tomorrow!
I can't stop buying crochet/knit books!

...all thoughts that have been in my mind this morning.

All my life, when something peaks an interest in me, I go nutso for it. This is evident in my spare bedroom, my parents' shed, my closet... for awhile I was really big into bead work and making my own beaded jewelery. Then it was, and still is off and on, photography. Of course, you can't just snap the photo without displaying it artfully...so I got into scrapbooking. Majorly. That interest lasted quite a long time, and I still dip into my big box of paper from time to time, but not to scrapbook...to make cards. Now that I'm back into crochet, all those previous hobbies have taken the back burner. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to be a person who just has to delve into every art and craft, with no real reason to, just because. The problem with doing this, is that I never get super experienced at said craft, because I don't devote years to it. Perhaps crochet will be the first craft that sticks with me, that holds my interest.

I got off on a tangent, but when I am obsessed with something, I have to completely immerse myself in it. This means buying knit and crochet books, magazines, and checking out knit and crochet dvds and books from the library. It means spending hours on the internet poring over blogs and forums, cutting and pasting and printing patterns.

Those are my feelings on this subject, and they needed to be written. I am still working on the colorful granny square afghan, and I just started a pointed afghan, which looks really neat and will be a birthday present for my friend, BL. Pictures soon!!

Time to do some homework.

Happy Sunday!

Go Griz!

Today we celebrate, nay, go 100% berserk, for college football. It's homecoming for the Grizzlies and every year a parade closes down one of the busiest streets in town for hours. Almost impossible to detour around, you have to connect to the interstate and then pop back into town two blocks away from where you originally were, all because of this silly parade. School spirit is one thing, fanaticism is another.

Unfortunately, this past week I have been sick. I think it started with a sore throat/sinus thing which worsened over the weekend of camping and campfire, added with not enough sleep plus school and work strain. During the week I probably wasn't drinking as much water as I should have been, but now that it's the weekend and I'm doing things leisurely, I'm trying to drink a lot (of water).

I brought my grandma's sewing machine out of retirement (my parents' shed) and started sewing! I found a bunch of shirts at YWCA Secret Seconds for only $1 apiece (score!!) and altered them so they'd fit me. Several fit me already, but the entire experience makes me feel incredibly creative and thrifty. When I wear an item that I've adjusted, I just feel good ^-^ Originally I planned on shooting before and after pics, but these items are mostly just taking in the sides and kind of boring. If I have an outfit that requires a lot of cutting and sewing, I'll definitely post.

I will post update pictures on my afghans soon!!
Happy Weekend!

Hi ho!

Happy Labor Day! This is probably the first year since I was 16 years old and had my first job, that I actually get Labor Day off of work ^-^ Unfortunately, Scott still must work...

This three day weekend has been great and something I could definitely get used to! I was hoping to break out my sewing machine and start some sewing projects, but I'm not sure I'll get to it. I started early this morning on my ode, and have a decent start on it. I still need to finish the first part of Momaday's The Names and write a two-page response to it, as well as think of a powerful story to tell in my Storytelling class tomorrow.

N. Scott Momaday

via carynmirriamgoldberg

I miss my old apartment, where I lived by myself and could veg out all day watching The Golden Girls and drinking coffee. Today, however, reminisces those days as I've had the apartment almost completely to myself ^-^ but now I really do need to get cracking on this homework. I did take a break to work on my Granny Square afghan and eat some pretzels. No more slacking!!

If I have time today, I'll take some photos of the dresses I want to alter and maybe even start working on them!

O boy!

As Hank Hill says, "I'll tell ya what" you can't keep me away from this computer today! Take blogging from a girl for a few months... Well really, here's what happened since first posting this morning:

I tried to write my ode, and couldn't. For hours, and with a lot of web surfing and side tracks, I couldn't produce a worthy poem. Luckily! I checked my email (out of procrastination) and found my poetry prof emailed everyone saying poems aren't due until tomorrow night, thanks to Labor Day!! Hallelujah!! So with this slight extension, I decided to use my time productively and upload photos of yarn projects (since, obviously, doing anything school related at this point is futile, as I have no motivation for it)


So.............

Harmony's Baby Afghan

This happens to be the only afghan I've completed thus far! Granted, it's also teeny tiny for a baby so... it still took me a week to complete.

The afghan consists of 24 double crochet blocks sewn together. The yarn I used was Red Heart's Baby Clouds in various colors (the momma wanted to wait until the baby was born to find the gender, so unisex colors all the way! although, now I know I could have used more blue.... ;) ) This pattern is from Crochet Today's May/June 2010 issue.

To tell the truth, I'm not entirely happy with the outcome. It was supposed to be 25 blocks, making a 5x5 square rather than a rectangle. But I goofed, and well, here you go. I also didn't like the yarn so much, as it was hard to see stitches, especially when it came time to sew blocks together. So it ultimately looks uneven and cinched in spots.

Ginormous Granny Square!!!
oh my gosh. I 100% LOVE granny squares!!! Especially gigantic ones where I don't have to change yarn color after only a few minutes of crocheting (with this one, three rows of color requires about half a skein or more!). The great thing about granny squares is you can use up extra yarn, which is exactly why I started this afghan. You can even see in places where I ran out of the "extra" yarn and needed to start with a new color mid-row.

Mostly I just love the colors! And it's at the point where it covers me waist to leg when I sit on the couch, so it's already keeping me warm ^-^

Since I never have to go through a stitch (except at one corner) I sometimes get lonesome for "ordinary" crocheting, so I started up another afghan:

Knit and Crochet TV sampler afghan
This picture turned out rather dark, but can see I have eight blocks already! Even though I swore off block afghans after the baby afghan, I thought this would be an excellent and beautiful afghan, and that I need suck it up and work on my sewing ability, because someday I want to alter dresses, and I'll need to sew for that. Plus, someday I also want to make a real life Granny Square afghan, not the fake ones that I've been getting away with.

Checkerboard:
This square is way easy and I'll probably make one in every color!


Seascape, Starshine, or something like that:
This one was an absolute bugger!! It doesn't even look like a square, does it? I love the pattern, but it looks like I kept missing a few stitches on the ends, which makes it angled. O well. I think it'll still look nice when it's all said and done.


Granny Square:
Honestly, what sampler afghan is complete without one of these? I'm not too pleased with the color combo, so I'll definitely crochet another one with my darker purple.


Ribbed:
Weird, I didn't take a photo of the yellow rib I have... but I also have a yellow ribbed square. This one is ribbed also, but I decided to shake things up with rows of color! Believe it or not, that's a subtle shade of yellow and not white. The thin rows look white in the photo.


Knitted Square *gasp!
Yes, sigh... I've picked up my knitting needles again. Knit and Crochet TV has both a crochet and knit sampler afghan, and they are both so beautiful. I looked at the knitted patterns, and omg I'm not even going there. So I thought a nice stockinette stitch among all those crocheted squares would neat! Plus, I can handle plain Jane, stockinette!


And I realize I didn't take any photos of the shell squares... which in the picture of all squares are the light and dark purple ones. O well. I'm not too fond of them anyway, but they give a nice diversity to the afghan.

Believe it or not, I'm still crocheting away at the brown and cream striped afghan that I started months ago...actually I'm not "crocheting away" per se, as I haven't looked at in since June. But I haven't given up on it yet!!


That's all for today. From now on, I'd like to get in the habit of posting everyday, but not necessarily about crochet.

Happy Sunday!

Ohisashiburi desu ne!!

It's been a long time! (at least in my head) Honestly, for a while blogging was a bit unappealing to me, partially because I was without an internet connection for a few months. But I was also undergoing a bunch of stress from moving into a new apartment and trying to shake off the old landlord (who I had a scary dream about last night...something to do with a past due bill... *shudder). Recently, however, my faith in blogging has been somewhat restored as I reread over my past entries and found them to be, surprisingly, interesting. I like the fact that I recorded my projects with pictures and tribulations. Boy, do I have a ton of pictures to upload of my new projects! I will get on that this weekend, as I have a nice and long three-day weekend! (unfortunately, even though I have Monday off from both work and school, I have to work Saturday >=P )

Also, I found such a cool blog, New Dress A Day and not only has it repeaked my interest in sewing, but I love the blogger's dialogue to her readers. She takes garments found at garage sales or thrift stores and tweaks them on her sewing machine so they fit and are fashionable once again. If a fabric was initially well-made, then it seems like the most just thing to keep it in action rather than simply throw it away. The great thing about New Dress A Day, is that she makes it seem so simple to alter garments, with lots of photos and descriptions of what alterations she made, and the reasoning. Once I find a bit more free time, I'm definitely going to alter some things! I already have a few pieces in mind =)

I took this photo one late night with my boyfriend, during a lively session of bubble-blowing. The soapy water (in Tupperware) was sitting on top of this business card from Mariposa Studio in Missoula. I like the bubbles over the image.

I'm not going to lie, another reason why I decided to blog this morning was to help get my creative juices moving, as I need to write an ode to an everyday subject, and submit it to my poetry professor by seven pm tonight, so it can be reviewed, critiqued, and discussed with my classmates on Tuesday evening. Gah. My in-class ode was to my crochet hook, but it didn't look very promising as a real poem.

Brr!! It's chilly today! The five day forecast said this weekend was supposed to be in the 80*s!! More like the mid 60*s with a chilly breeze. Well, it looks like my roommate is getting busy moving his new bed in today, so I better start my day officially (with outside clothes. And I should probably brush my hair too). Today I'm driving to my parents house to wash clothes, and grab/drop a few things off. Hopefully I'll find inspiration there to write an ode. And read the first half of N. Scott Momaday's The Names for Native American literature.

Jaa ne!!

Too long!

Oh man, it has been much too long since I've been able to access the internet to write a new post! I considered writing them in an off-net blog sort of way, and then uploading later, but I never got around to doing so. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time though!

Since my last post, I've moved into a new apartment with a new landlord and hopefully never, ever have to work with REMG again; it is such a relief knowing that. It is also very nice living in a larger space! Also, I recently found a new job and quit Subway (yes!) My new job will surely challenge me, if not the work itself, at least the daily commute at 6:30 am will (by bicycle)! Especially as the mornings become colder while the bed remains warm.

I've been crocheting almost everyday, sometimes morning and evening. Some days when I don't feel like crocheting, but pick up the hook and yarn anyways, my fingers feel happy to be in that rhythm.

Is it over yet?

My last post was a bit angry and frustrated. But I think, I hope, I'm over the worst. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed as hell about everything, but at least I'm not feeling that horrible dread and sense of worthlessness that Lambros makes their tenants feel.

The best part about this ordeal is being able to handle it with Scott, which he showed me today. Even though we're both super stressed, we're able to cope with it and talk together. I mentioned in my last post that it would be more stressful if we didn't have another place lined up. Well, a few years ago, that's exactly what happened and our lease was running out. I remember having a terrible fight with him because we were both so stressed that we couldn't see through it to comfort the other. But now, comparing both situations, I feel great relief and happiness =) We have definitely grown.

Yesterday was a pretty bad day with both announced and unannounced showings, plus work. But, through all the showings, I just sat on my couch and crocheted... and I've made some good progress! It's almost two feet long!! and three feet six inches (roughly) wide.

Well, I've got a few things to do before work, so... here's to good people and a sunny day =) Cheers!

Happy Father's Day!

I had a huge brunch with my family today, blackberry pancakes with raspberry syrup, eggs, and bacon =) I helped my dad repot a mysterious flower bulb that I've been growing for the past month or so into a larger pot, and hopefully under his care, it will finally blossom.

I've been neglecting my afghan the past few days... I just haven't been feeling it lately. Truthfully, I've felt really stressed and anxious between work and this whole moving hullabaloo. Lambros is really making this the most inconvenient and unorganized move out I have ever experienced. It's not the most stressful, though, because that was when we were moving out and didn't have a new place yet. I honestly don't know how that business continues to run with their level of disorganization. It's as if each "manager" has decided to take the property into their own hands to see who can rent it out the fastest, and the ones who really get the short end of the stick are us. It makes me sick to see a business take so much advantage over desperate people who need affordable housing. I mean, how the fuck is this fair or ethical? Because from what I've seen of them, they are miles from being far and ethical. How do you take pride in your work when you just make money unjustly off of people? It really makes me disillusioned of the world.

Afghan!

About five hours in, and I'm not even close to being halfway done with this afghan!! Twelve hours my ass. However, I am using a hook two sizes smaller than the recommendation. Even though my last post was about hating gauge, I decided to try it for this afghan, especially since my hook is so much smaller. In conclusion, gauge doesn't really matter for an afghan like this one, at least not to me, because the number of stitches isn't reliant on pattern, or whatever. The pattern called for 101 stitches, and I used 160.

Like I said, I'm not even halfway into this scarf, more like one fourth of the way:


I'm also thinking about finding a mannequin to photograph my scarves on, I think it would give a better idea of how they look. Now I just need to find a mannequin.

Forgo gauge?

Apparently the gauge is very important when crocheting or knitting, but I've always ignored it. I think it would be crucial if someone was making a sweater or socks, but since I mainly only crochet scarves, I just don't see the purpose of it. So I googled the importance of gauge and I found a helpful site. Here's one gem:

If you think that making a gauge swatch is unnecessary, think again! Each one of these single crochet gauge swatches was made using the same yarn and have the exact same amount of stitches and rows. The swatch on the left was made using a hook that was only one size smaller than the swatch on the right. Just imagine how this would impact the overall size of a sweater. We hope this convinces you not to take shortcuts!

and:

Don’t be influenced by other crocheters who say they never bother making a gauge swatch. Just keep in mind that professional crochet designers—those creative artists who design the projects that you will be making and wearing—have to make a gauge swatch before they are able to calculate all numbers of stitches and rows needed to form a garment.

Bah!!! I hate that they threw in "professional crochet designers" and "those creative artists" ... makes me want to vomit. Hey kids! I know your parents said to stay away from drugs but what do they know? Listen to the high rollers! You want to be cool right? Yay to drugs!

Ok, ok. So gauge and drugs are nothing alike, at least on the exterior. But isn't the principle the same? Until gauge proves me otherwise, it's just an imitation and unnecessary.

I haven't finished my yoga socks yet. Well, if you count the fact that I have two different yoga socks finished but for two different pairs, then I have completed one pair =) I think I burned myself out on them. So what's the best way to motivate myself to finish them (besides feeling boyfriend's freezing feet at night)?? To stack a new project on top of it!! Hopefully it will motivate me to finish the socks so I can start MY FIRST AFGHAN as soon as possible!!! The pattern is from a free pattern card from Michaels. It's called a Crocheted Textured Stripes Throw and it's going to be great!!! Only, the completion time on the card says 12 hours... hahahaha yeah right. But, just because I like to challenge myself, I'm going to time myself when I crochet. I can't imagine anyone would actually sit and crochet for 12 hours solid...

This will be the largest project I've started so far and I'm really excited!

Scarves Update!!

Beware! Long post!!

I haven't been as busy crocheting or knitting as I'd like to be, but I've managed to finish a few of the scarves I was working on:

Granny Square!!

As you can see, I still have some loose ends to weave in, but it's finished for the most part. I love the look of Granny Squares, but boy I hate sewing them together! I think it's the starting then stopping, starting then stopping that I don't like. I would rather crochet nonstop.

This was kind of an experiment to, one, have more practice crocheting Granny Squares, and two, see how it would look as a scarf.

Ribbed Scarf!!

I started this last week after deciding to practice the Front Post Stitch. While I absolutely love the texture and warmth from it, it's a bit thicker and wider than I'd like. Also, my choice of yarn is a little too scratchy for my taste, at least for around the neck. But I love the colors too much! (leftover from Granny Square)

Close-up of ribbing:

Irregular Rib Knit!!Haven't worked on this one as much...knitting just isn't really my thing I guess. One thing I don't like about knitting scarves is my needles aren't long enough to hold the entire length of a scarf, so I have to knit the width instead. Ultimately it takes a lot longer in my head because I have to turn the work much more often. I ran into this problem with the Ribbed scarf as well. It feels like it's taking forever!

Pink Scarf!!

I finally finished it! And I absolutely love it! I love the yarn and the texture, and the color! But I think I will give this to Scott's mom, because I started it with her in mind. I hope she likes it =)


Another Granny Rectangle!!

Let's see....I think I crocheted this right after I finished the black and white Granny Rectangle (which I gave to my grandma for Mother's Day). This turned out a little Christmas-y, but I used up extra bits of yarn that I had.


My Yarn Bag:

It's ginormous so it holds A LOT OF BALLS =) I also like the design on it. I purchased this bag probably five years ago at a store downtown which has since gone out of business, sadly.

Biggest Ball Yet:

This is the largest ball of yarn I've ever purchased!! By itself, it's practically a pillow. And it's so soft! Unfortunately, it's very difficult to crochet or knit with. It's from Jo-Ann's Fabrics: Rainbow Boucle, "A soft and versatile tonal boucle."

I know it will make a lovely scarf or hat, or even a blanket, but it's super hard to see the stitches since it's like little loops are intertwined with a thread. But I'm not giving up on it yet. Because it's a big ball of yarn.

Actually, when I purchased the Boucle yarn I had a specific project in mind for it, a Chevron scarf. But that's really out of the picture with this yarn. So I might still make a Chevron but with different yarn. My grandma crocheted me an afghan with this stitch and it's beautiful! That's not the reason why I want to try the Chevron stitch, because I know it won't come out nearly as perfect as my grandma's, but I want to try it nonetheless.

Rest in peace, Rue McClanahan

via US News

I know this is a day late, but when I tried to write this post yesterday, I wasn't sure what to say. I'm not sure what to even say now, except that she was a great actress, and I'm sure, a great person. As I type, I'm watching the Golden Girls <3

I always turn the Golden Girls on when I need comfort or familiarity, or sometimes just for background noise. I've seen every episode many, many times, even then, I still hear or notice something I hadn't before. And each time that happens, it makes the girls feel more alive.