Cindy's Craft A.D.D.iction

=)

2012-01-30T23:09:00.000-05:00

My new job is going well. What a relief! No more hating my life and cursing my job...woohoo!

And here is a FO..my Poof:

I'm Free!

2011-11-30T09:39:00.001-05:00

I look at the last post I wrote 16 months ago, and I am amazed. Yesterday was my last day at said Family Practice job. While I learned a lot in my 16 months there, and grew both as a person and as a practitioner, to say that I am so relieved and thrilled to leave the position would be an understatement. I never knew I could hate a job so much.

Among the things I will miss about the job: the few wonderful coworkers, the free lunches, and the easy commute.

Among the many things I will NOT miss one bit about the job: the disorganization of the office due to a huge patient load and no office manager; the pager, including associated annoying pages at 2 in the morning, pages from patients with non-emergencies such as requesting a medication refill or asking for a damn appointment or asking for an antibiotic without being seen and because they know they need it or asking for advice on what they should do on a Sunday afternoon after they have cut themselves deeply with a knife and the bleeding might or might not have stopped; not having a true weekend, since my days off were Wednesdays and Sundays; doing pharmacy requests and prior authorizations for the entire office; the rude entitled patients; being yelled at by said patients; being yelled at by 1 rude pharmacist at the CVS on Bell and Northern for a mistake THEY made; patients consistently coming in 0.5-3 hours late for their appointment and not being able to turn them down or have them be penalized in any way; not having a scheduled lunch break; gaining weight due to scarfing down food in as little time as possible due to lack of said lunch break, because if you didn't make time to scarf it down, it was likely that you would not eat and would continue working straight through like a friggin robot; looking for old charts for 15 minutes or more and failing to find them, as they are often misplaced or not filed anymore; being behind on my schedule because there are 5 rooms and 3 practitioners, and occasionally only 4 rooms due to the boss doctor lending out rooms to colleagues; being behind on my schedule because the boss doctor doesn't finish up seeing his patients and often has 3 or more of the rooms and is upstairs doing some other stuff instead(1 time, I was without a room for ONE whole hour); being given any random and annoying task by the doctor as if I have nothing better to do; doing work at home for 2+ hours consistently and not getting paid overtime; crazy patients requesting crazy things; crazy patients requesting annoying things and expecting them to be done as soon as they request it, and then subsequently calling every 2 hours to see if you have done it; always getting the short end of the stick since I didn't have seniority; being underappreciated while being overworked.

Needless to say, good riddance, and good luck. I am taking the whole month of December off to relax and recover, see family, craft to my heart's content, and then I start a dermatology position in the new year. Here's hoping that I have better luck with this new job!!

New Beginnings

2010-07-28T17:10:00.005-04:00

Well, this is it. It's been a long journey. After deciding sometime in late 2005 or early 2006 to try to become a physician assistant, followed by 2 years of taking prereq courses while working full-time, followed by 2 very condensed years of PA school - nonstop studying, paper-writing, test-taking (I believe we took 100-120-something tests), rotations, and stressing about hurdle after hurdle - I have made it!

I accepted a position at a Family Practice office very close to home. Should be starting soon too, and I am excited, nervous, happy, and definitely looking forward to earning a paycheck again! It sure has been difficult feeding my crafting and spending addictions as a student!

And the Winner is...

2010-07-07T13:22:00.005-04:00

Alyson V., I've emailed you! For everyone who entered, I am offering a 15% discount off regular price items in my shop. Remind me in the Etsy seller notes that you entered my contest, and I will verify and then refund you the discount. Offer expires on 8/7/2010. Thanks to everyone for playing!

A Contest!

2010-06-29T23:18:00.010-04:00

Hello everyone! In celebration of finishing PA school, new beginnings, and just for fun, I am running a contest for my jewelry shop. The grand prize is a pair of my Golden Swirls earrings with Amethyst Swarovski drops, along with a surprise pair of earrings of my choosing! Here's how to enter: click the "like" button on my shop Facebook page. After you've done that, email me at spamme216@yahoo.com and let me know that you've entered the contest. And for an extra entry into the contest, tell me what your favorite piece of jewelry from my shop is and why. If you don't have a Facebook account yet, you can do the extra step instead to enter. I will close the contest at noon EST on July 7, 2010. Good luck! =)

Hi, I'm Still Alive!

2010-03-27T21:23:00.013-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been more than a year since I've blogged. Here's an update on what I've been up to, if there's any more readers out there. I'm on my 2nd to last rotation of my PA program, and will be graduating May 20, assuming I pass everything. Rotations were kind of rough initially, but I got used to them, and they started passing really quickly, and before I knew it, boom! now there's less than 2 months left of my education! Yikes. I'm nervous about getting out and no longer being a student, but I am excited about working again and getting a friggin paycheck as well! I was initially thinking of going into a specialty, but I am currently leaning more towards general medicine, like ER, Family Practice, or Internal Medicine. However, if there's an opportunity in a specialty that is too good to pass up, I am open for that!

What else am I up to...I started the Isagenix nutritional program for weight loss almost a month ago. It consists of shake meal replacements daily and weekly cleanse days. It's all natural, with no stimulants or anything like that. The program was surprisingly not that difficult to do. I thought the cleanse days would be really tough (you drink 4 ounces of cleanse liquid every 4 hours, and only eat healthy snacks in between; no meals), but I got through them ok. They were definitely easier to do while I was busy. I would be fine during the work day, but then when I got home, I felt more like eating. On Monday, it will be 30 days on the program, and I've lost 12 pounds so far. I do feel better and less tired than I used to, but that could probably also be attributed to me doing some light exercise a few times a week and cutting coffee and diet soda out of my life. I think I will be sticking to the program for a little bit more - I am sick of all the weight I gained since high school. And I'm starting to see a little bit of a more defined chin again, haha. Of course, when I see my friends, I am not passing on eating all the good stuff I like. I'm too much of a foodie! But the everyday food management, I can deal with.

Craft-wise, I'm still knitting and yarn-hoarding. That will never change. I've been on a jewelry-making kick recently though, and actually opened another etsy shop for jewelry, called Sakurah. Here's a collage of some of my jewelry:I've also been making shawl pins, and made these lovelies today, which I adore. I especially love the hammered ones. I want to hammer everything now...and the ideas are just floating around in my head for what else I can make earring-wise with the hammered aluminum wire. But I have to take a break from all the crafting and actually study and do my paper. It was my intention to do some of that today, but the shawl pins took over, and now it's almost 10!

Till next time...I hope that won't be in another 13 months!

Some Crafting

2009-02-21T14:57:00.011-05:00

It's my last semester of classes before a year of rotations, and I am feeling many shades of scared and excited. I know this semester will be over before I know it...and all the times in the previous last semesters where I consoled myself when I didn't know enough about something, that I still had till spring 2009 to learn it....are coming back to bite me in the ass. February has been a month of hell (we have 1 each semester), but it's starting to wind down a little, so I figured I should take some time to blog.

I did get some knitting and weaving done in January - hats and neckwear, which are always fun. Project details in my Ravelry, if you care to view.
As for February, not so much with the crafting, although I am hoping to get working on a latch-hook rug and my Aleita Shell after this madness. I did do some cheapo candlemaking yesterday, as a quick side project to satisfy the craftiness. I melted tealights in a pan I had used for melting beads, added some color, scent, and wicks from Michaels, and poured the wax into cups I scored from the thrift store near me.
Not too bad, although the bubbles kind of annoy me, and one of the cups I poured into sounded like it was cracking when I poured the wax in. I did come across a candlemaking video online afterwards, so now I know the "proper" way to do this. So of course, there is some real equipment and soy wax on its way to me.

My textbook and bed are both calling my name, so till next time!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:42:00.026-05:00

Hello blogreaders (if there's any left)! To say it's been a while would be an understatement. The fall semester was really rough, so that I barely had any time to myself. My schedule for the last 2 weeks of the semester can pretty much sum up how tiring it was...

So of course, after that hell, I had to get away. I just came back from sunny Mexico - Playa del Carmen to be exact. It was fun and much needed, and I'm definitely bummed to be back in the frigid cold.

Chichen Itza - one of the new 7 Wonders of the World

What else has happened in the 3 months since I last blogged...I got a new kitty companion for Nermal! Munchkin is such a cutie! Nermal was a little grumpy toward her at first, but now they are good friends. In fact, as I type this, Munchie is using Nermal's butt as a pillow while they sleep together.

the adorable pic that was Cute Overload worthy =)

Knitting-wise, I've been on a shawl kick...knitted another Woodland Shawl out of Smooshy since my last blog post, and started a Japanese Feather Stole. Which I had to frog because of getting my KP needles confiscated at the Cancun Airport (grumble grumble). Since I have no needles for that shawl now at home in NYC, I'm working on getting my Prismatic done. AND, I finally got a loom! Been pining for that for a while, and decided that I really really really want it now, and it would be great for using up random 1-skeiners in the stash. My bf bought it for me as an early birthday present (thanks again, hun!)...it's a 20" Schacht Flip rigid heddle loom. Can't wait to start playing with it!!

That's all for now. I hope it's not another 3 months or more before I blog again! Wishing everyone a safe and happy holidays! And Happy 2009!

Woodland Shawl Part 2

2008-09-13T21:44:00.009-04:00

So I lied about using the Manos Silk Blend for my Woodland Shawl. I liked the idea of a delicate shawl, so I ended up using more of my stashed Smooshy for this one. I love it! I made no mistakes on this one, and I managed to use every bit of the skein up (had 2 yards left when I was done). More pics and details on Ravelry.

As usual, my school schedule sucks. While the classes this semester are more applied and useful, more studying is going to be required. The first 2 weekends were the only ones where I didn't have to study. From this weekend forward, I will be studying and studying and studying, because I have tests every week from this Monday until Christmas vacation! At least there is no crazy 2 weeks of 9 tests like in the summer, but I definitely have to get used to studying way in advance and I also have to learn to balance studying with having an inkling of a life. I think I would go mad if all I did was study. Which probably explains how I was able to finish this Woodland Shawl in less than a month. That is definitely fast for me!

Going to graduate school, studying all the time, while being away from home and loved ones is definitely the hardest thing I have done in my life so far. I hope it gets somewhat easier, and I hope it is worth it!

14-week Stack of Info

2008-08-21T14:18:00.003-04:00

Woohooo! Good riddance to the summer semester!! I didn't think I would get through it - but I did, and with good grades (after a crappy start). Time for some much needed R & R, and shopping too! =)

My First Completed Lace!

2008-08-17T16:39:00.008-04:00

I had to blog about this, because this is just awesome. I finished the Woodland Shawl I've been working on in between studying. I love how it came out! This is my first completed lace project - and wow, the miracles of blocking! The yarn and the pattern worked together beautifully, and the shawl is so delicate and pretty. The only problem I had was that my cast off was a lot tighter than my cast on, so one end has a lot more points than the other. Also, the shawl is a tad bit too short for me, so I will be giving it to my sister, since she is thinner.

I am totally knitting one for myself, but I plan to knit more repeats. I'm thinking of using Manos Silk Blend for that - yum!

As for school, it has been crazy, but the summer semester is coming to an end in a week! Last week was especially painful, as I had 5 tests in 3 days of class. This coming week is my last week - I have 4 tests, but 2 are not that important, so that's probably why I've been knitting instead of studying! After the summer semester, I have FIVE days before fall semester starts. Crazy little, but I will take what I can get. Planning on going to the beach, so I am looking forward to getting some much needed R&R and maybe some knitting on my Woodland Shawl! =)

Back to studying - take care, everyone!

An Update

2008-07-04T01:13:00.011-04:00

School is still killer (I've had 11 tests since June 2, with 2 really difficult ones coming up on Monday). But I figured I should update what remains of this craft blog with something crafty that I actually finished!

Here is some handspun 2-ply fingering-sport weight yarn! I believe this is the supersoft superwash wool fiber I got from Little Barn at NY Sheep & Wool 2006. I had dyed the fiber and spun a bobbin of it a year ago. I just spun another bobbin of it whenever I had some free moments here in PA and plied it up last week. I love it, although it didn't turn out as uniform as I would've liked - the singles I spun recently came out a lot thicker than the singles of the first bobbin!

I also got around to finally winding off this fairly boring 1-ply yarn from circa 2006. If I remember correctly, this was my first full bobbin of singles I spun (ok, I just checked my blog - it was from March 18, 2006!), and I don't know if I was planning on spinning more, or just too plain lazy to wind it...but at any rate, it is finally off the bobbin! 63 yards of useless, yay!

Off to bed I go - gotta get nice and rested for my weekend of studying. Hope everyone has a happy 4th!

The Pursuit of Higher Learning

2008-06-01T15:21:00.012-04:00

Well, it's been hectic since I last posted here. What have I been up to since the end of April? Packing, moving, unpacking, reading textbooks, and starting PA school. I just finished my 2nd week of school, and it is C-R-A-Z-Y.

Here is what my life looks like nowadays:
Thursdays are the worst - I'm in class from 8-7. I think I'm still used to the much easier and lax schedules of my undergrad college and the comm college I went to recently for prereq courses. I am sooo behind, and my first test is Monday. This third week also kicks off the start of having at least 1-2 tests per week, with 1 or 2 occasional testless weeks mixed in. Needless to say, I am screwed! At least realizing this has given me the motivation to start coming back from class and reading/studying for at least 2 hours each day no matter what. Also needless to say, I have not had the chance to knit or do crafty things lately. Hopefully, once I get the hang of this grad school thing, I will have more time to spare. Sigh.

The only "crafty" (or maybe "DIY" is more the word) thing I've done recently is this:

I made my own butter! It is soooo easy, and the process is way cool. And that bread is from Trader Joe's and was super delish.

Well, back to studying, even though I am having the hardest time concentrating today. And it's not even due to this, which happened earlier in the week:
But, I made a deal with myself that I would reward my studying with some knitting later tonight, so I gotta get on it.

Till next time, whenever that will be.

Back!

2008-04-25T12:52:00.023-04:00

Well, I've been back since Monday, but have been too busy catching up on much needed sleep, and also been feeling generally lazy.

Spain was so much fun! I wish we could've had one more day to eat more tapas and see the remaining sights though. We spent the first 2 days seeing the sights in Madrid: (all pics clickable)

Retiro Park

Prado

Palacio Real

Plaza Mayor

Also at the Plaza Mayor, was El Gato Negro, one of the 2 yarn shops I had planned to hit up. Sadly, I did not buy any yarn at this establishment, due to being in a rush, not knowing how to say "wool" in Spanish, and being scared of buying yarn in kilos. I didn't get the chance to go to the other yarn shop, Lanas Sixto, but I went briefly into Lanas Alondra (which was very close to my hotel) and bought 1 sad skein of Schachenmayr nomotta Extra. I totally regret not buying yarn at El Gato, but the Euro-Dollar exchange rate is horrendous anyways, so that's what I've been saying to myself in consolation.

Other highlights of the trip including seeing flamenco at Corral de la Moreria...

Adrian Sanchez - this guy was amazing!

2 day trips to Toledo and Segovia..

Catedral tower in Toledo

Aqueduct at Segovia

yummy lunch here including roast suckling pig and flan!

..and other culinary delights such as churros con chocolate, bocadillo de calamares, jamon serrano, and tapas con vino!

Nothing beats going to another country, sampling the culture and having great times with best friends!

Feel free to peruse the full gamut of Spain photos! =)

Ye Ol Project

2008-04-13T13:42:00.007-04:00

Much thanks to everyone who complimented me on my Log Cabin! I do love it, although I wish I had enough patience to have made it a bed size blanket.

In keeping with the theme of finishing some of my many WsIP (especially the large ones), I have another FO to present! This one did not take much recent work at all - all I did was pull the yarn through the loop, and weave in the ends.

This is my first (and largest) crochet project. Can we say I was just a tad too ambitious? According to my Ravelry, I started this in January of 2005, which was before I relearned how to knit. I'm fairly certain I did about 98% of the crocheting in 2005, which means it's pretty much been sitting around for the past 2+ years. I had originally intended to make this a bed-sized blanket also, but due to my recent lack of interest in crocheting and also my recent yarn snobbery, I decided to “finish” the project as a throw. I gave it to my mom, and she seems to like it, so I'm happy.

I'm leaving for Madrid on Tuesday, so I won't be posting again until I come back. I decided to take one of my pairs of socks, along with google maps of 2 yarn shops near my hotel, a highly recommended churreria, and several tapas bars. =)

Miles of Garter

2008-04-09T15:42:00.014-04:00

That is what I had after weaving in all the ends on my latest FO. The yarn ends pile would've been even bigger, but I had actually woven in ends at the beginning of the project. And which project is this, you ask?

It's my Log Cabin Throw, also known as my Miles of Garter Throw! I looooove how this came out - the colors, the simplicity, the softness & drape of the yarn. But yeah, no more blankets/throws for a while! That's my Mom above holding the throw for me. She says it's too pretty to leave at home, and I should wear it outside as a shawl, lol. I'm perfectly happy with leaving this throw on my couch to be admired.

Nermal likes it too, of course.

Finishing is Good

2008-03-26T10:32:00.011-04:00

Yay - I can take another project off the WIP list! And I can pat myself on the back for finishing my first sweater! This is the Easy Raglan V-neck, by Stefanie Japel. I used Beaverslide Worsted in Huckleberry Heather. The sweater came out a little smaller than I would’ve liked, but it’s still wearable, and not bad for a first sweater, I think. The pattern was simple and easy to follow. I added a single crochet edging to the V. It got really boring near the end, so my next sweater/garment will be something slightly more adventurous!

As for the yarn, I liked it, although I was none too thrilled with the number of knots in each skein (4 on average). Nermal looovved the yarn though! Everytime I put down the sweater to do something, I would turn around later to find him nestled in it. Hee hee. I'm thinking I should knit him a little kitty blanket with the remaining skein of the Beaverslide.

I have 1 more week left of work (YES!!!), and then I will have roughly 6 weeks before my PA program starts. I'm so excited to get started already, although I wish I had a little bit more time to relax before I start the 2 very intensive years of the program. I have a fair amount to get done in those 6 weeks, including reading a large textbook of medical terminology, finding an apartment and subsequent packing and moving. Not to mention hanging out with everyone before I have to become antisocial!

Oh, and I'm taking a vacation to MADRID! I'm so excited about that..I love travelling to cultural places! I'm pondering what vacation knitting I should take with me. There are so many projects on my Ravelry queue that I want to start, but then I also have a fair amount of projects hibernating. Should I start a new project, such as the ubiquitous Clapotis or Aleita Shell? Or should I bring one of the 3 pairs of socks I started? =)

Wayyyy Overdue

2008-03-14T13:46:00.007-04:00

I have a FO, although not a knitting one. This is from way back in the heyday of my craft A.D.D.iction...way before I started this blog, when I decided I wanted to do beadlooming. I'm guessing I started this project in 2003. I went all out - bought the beadloom off of Ebay, bought $100 worth of beads, bought several beadloom patterns, started this, and then let it marinate, marinate, marinate. And now, only 5 years later...it's finished! =P

I just have to figure out how to take the project off the loom, and then put it into a shadowbox frame. I really like how it came out, and hopefully, the recipient likes it too (even though the gift is 5 years late).

Happy weekend!

Yay!

2008-03-03T19:15:00.002-05:00

ETA: OMG, I missed a call and voicemail from the program at 3:19 - just listened to my voicemail and I GOT IN!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!! WOOOT!!!!!

Well, I finally have some sort of info from the school I've been waiting on since the end of January! I called again this morning, and I found out that I've been put on the pending list, which the admissions assistant said is higher than the waitlist. I'm 4th on the pending list, so if 4 people decline the school, then I have a spot. It's a bummer, because it's almost as if I didn't call, since there's still a chance I can get a spot, but I also still don't have a definitive answer. Sigh...talk about a case of the Monday blues!

But, there are some things that I am happy about - one of them being that I have such thoughtful friends! Remember this post, when I was complaining about how craptacular my cashmere neckwarmer turned out? I was sorta hinting to 1 person that I could use some cashmere yarn (which I didn't get from him, but is totally fine, because I got much nicer and meaningful things instead). But, my good friend Li happened to read my blog a little before my birthday, and so, gave me a scrumptious soft-as-a baby's-butt cashmere scarf in my favorite color. Yum!

Now, as if this wasn't good enough, look what came in the mail on Friday! A lovely handknit buttery-soft cashmere neckwarmer from Marce!

Thanks so much again to both of you for giving me such thoughtful gifts. I've used both of them already...and even though we are having some really nice weather today, I know I will be using both articles of cashmere deliciousness again in the near future (because we just aren't that lucky).

Hey, and guess what?

I taught my mom how to knit! She couldn't quite grasp Continental knitting, so she's knitting English style. Yay - my second successful teaching!

And because this picture totally makes me smile, here's Nermal:

Another FO!

2008-02-25T15:17:00.008-05:00

Hello again!

I finished the Anthropologie-inspired Capelet I was knitting for my friend! I am so bad with sizing. This came out just a little bit small for the recipient, so she can only wear it open and not pinned at the top. And this is AFTER I picked up stitches in the front to make a more substantial garment! I do like how it came out though (minus the sizing issue). And having a FO that's not part of my usual repertoire of knitting is satisfying. I really need to stop knitting so many scarves and knit more sweaters and other accessories.

I do have a scarf OTN that is for my commuting knitting. Check out the horror I discovered in 1 of the balls of yarn. The yarn is feltable, so it was easy to spit-join the ends after cutting out the nasty, but still, what gives?! I feel like my yarn karma has been really off lately (see previous post). Ooo, although on a side note, my dear friend gave me a cashmere scarf (commercially-made) for my birthday, after she read my post. =) Scrumptious, and in a perfect light violet color I love!

I also picked up the V-neck sweater that has been marinating for a while now, and that's my current project I'm trying to finish. After that, I'm hoping to start some type of shawl or possibly another sweater. And hopefully finish up the Log Cabin. I have more time now, but I don't feel like I have more finished knitting to show for it!

Meh.

2008-02-07T10:54:00.000-05:00

I finished my Warmer Republic, and the title of this post is how I feel about it. Blame the yarn. I chose to use the same yarn as in the original... Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere, because I'd been craving some scrumptious cashmere for my neck for quite some time. Oh I had such high hopes for this yarn! I loved the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk I had bought in the past, and cmon, this yarn is 100 friggin percent pure cashmere!

Biggest yarn disappointment EVER. I have touched other pure cashmere yarns before (heck, even cashmere blends), and been awed into a state of I-can't-afford-this lust. When I took this yarn out of the box, I seriously exclaimed out loud, "What the F?" To me, the Pure Cashmere feels just slightly softer than Cascade 220. Malabrigo is softer. Any baby alpaca yarn (including Knit Picks Ambrosia) is softer. And for a price up to $17.95 for 45 yards, that is unacceptable. I bought it on sale for $10.95 at least, although I just saw now that Webs has it on closeout for $8.49. So yeah, my neck is still craving cashmere yumminess. Maybe for my birthday.... =)

I like the buttons I used though. Pretty and cheap.

In life news, I'm enjoying not needing to work and go to school at the same time. I've actually had time to satisfy the craft A.D.D. in me...pics on that soon, I hope. I'm still waiting to hear from the second school - it's been 2 weeks, so I'm getting a little antsy. But the director had told us we should hear within 3 weeks, so I have to suck it up. Once I'm set in where I'm going, I'll have to figure out the whole financial aid shindig, start studying, and plan a vacay!

First FO of 2008

2008-01-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

And it's a Noro Striped Scarf, knit with 3 colors of Silk Garden - intended as a gift, but no specific giftee yet. I love this kind of mindless knitting...so easy, but still enough to keep me interested due to wanting to see the color changes. I will be knitting one for me, as soon as the yarn arrives!

School-wise, I had my final interview on Wednesday. I should be hearing within 2 weeks if I got accepted into this one. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

ETA: Much thanks to everyone who congratulated me on my acceptance to the first school!

Great News!

2008-01-09T20:25:00.000-05:00

I just found out that I got accepted into the PA program that I interviewed at on January 2nd! Yay! I'm soooo happy and relieved. I still have my other interview at another school in 2 weeks, so I have to figure out if I can keep this school on hold in the meantime.

So excited!

More Time = More FOs

2007-12-28T14:06:00.000-05:00

The things I can do now that the Fall semester is over! I've been on a lil bit of a knitting streak lately - haven't touched my resin or Perler or the 20 other crafts I dabble in. Because of that, I can present...TWO *gasp* FOs. Granted, they were both small projects, but so what!
You might recognize this as the Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat. The pattern was very easy to follow, and even though I had to use DPNs, I enjoyed knitting it. I should really try magic loop in the new year. At any rate, the only problem I had with the pattern is the size. I wasn't going to go up a needle size, because then the hat would be loose, holey and ugly. Instead, I (stupidly) added 1 purl stitch to the end of each repeat of the cable pattern. It wasn't until I was a few rows in that I realized that this f-ed up the spacing and symmetry of the cables. I was, of course, too lazy to rip back, so I'm calling it a "design feature". There is symmetry between each group of 2 cables at least, hehe.

But, after finishing the hat, it seemed too short (at least for my honkin' big head). I gave it to my friend anyway, thinking that her head was smaller than mine. Well, apparently, not really. So I had to take it back to tweak it - I added a short garter stitch brim, and earflaps & pom-poms at the request of the recipient. And voila....

I call it my Jazzed-up Unoriginal Hat.

I like it a lot and am quite proud of the finished product, especially since I kind of fudged with the placement of the earflaps. So now I am totally in need of knitting one for myself too.

After I had patted myself on the back for a job well done, I was still in an unselfish mood and craving a simple, fast project, so I cast on for a kitty sweater for Nermal. Getting Nermal to stay still for the measurements was a little bit of a challenge though. And sad to say, this is my first time EVER knitting a gauge swatch, lol. But the knitting itself was very mindless, which worked for me at the time. However, once again, several rows into it, I realized another miscalculation of mine...or to be more accurate, a misreading of the numbers. I didn't knit enough rows at the bottom of the sweater, but there was no way in heck I was ripping it back and reknitting, given that I was using acrylic yarn (you'd think I would've learned by now to stop trying to do that, given how much I hate the experience). So yeah, I made Nermal a Britney-Spears-type belly sweater, and I think it's pretty cute!

Nermal's Sexy Sweater

Yes, cats LOVE sweaters, ha. I had so much trouble getting him to keep it on the first 2 times...he just kept kicking it off. But the third time, he couldn't get out of it for whatever reason, so that's when I snapped these hilarious pics. I think Nermal's expression in the first picture kind of sums up his feelings about the sweater - sort of a "I don't like it, but I'll deal, you evil human" kind of look, hee hee. More pics of Nermal modeling his fabulous sweater can be seen in my Flickr photostream.

Now that I've finished a first sweater (ha ha!), I really need to get it together and finish MY first sweater, and my Log Cabin... Those can be my New Year's resolutions, I guess.

And lastly, another funny pic of Nermal (sans the sweater):

Happy New Year, everyone!

Feels Good

2007-12-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

Yay, the Fall semester is over! I am so relieved and thrilled...that makes 7 courses completed this past year and a half while working. There is 1 more class that I am tentatively planning to take next semester, but that is contingent on how my PA school interviews go. If I make it into a school, then no class for me! If not (I don't even want to think of this possibility), then I would have to take that course so that I would be able to apply to a whole lot more schools next cycle.

Another thing that feels good - I have another FO! Crazy, right? Me, the serial knitter with A.D.D.!
This is the ubiquitous MSCS - my third one! This is my second time knitting it in Malabrigo...I just LOOOOVE this yarn and pattern combination. And this one is for me. Only problem is that since I made this scarf pretty long, the middle part gets a little stretched out. If I make a fourth MSCS, I might go down a needle size to make a thicker and less stretchy fabric.

Of course, true to form, right after I finished the MSCS, I cast on for another project - Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat, in Noro Yoroi. I'm loving this yarn so far... too bad it's discontinued now. The pattern is simple but looks great and complicated to the non-knitter, so I'm planning on knitting a couple more of those as potential gifts...in fact, I'm going on my lunch break to score some more bulky yarn!

Nermal says hi!

Knitting Content!

2007-12-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

Just to remind everyone (including myself) that I do knit, this post will not have all the other craft hub-bub I've been talking about recently! I finished one of my knitting projects over the weekend - while I was studying for my Anatomy & Physiology final...which, btw, I so knew I was going to do. I'm just so sick of studying, I pretty much rewarded an hour of studying with practically an hour of knitting... Anyhoo, the FO is part of someone's Christmas present, and since this person reads this blog, unfortunately, this is all I can show of the FO here:

However, all you resourceful knitty people can see the FO in its glory on Ravelry. ;)

And because I can't resist the urge of casting on, here is the newest project to start on the needles:

It's Sarcelle, and I already know this project is going to take me a while to finish. Something with me and lace just does not click yet...I actually got further than this pic shows (past just the stockinette and increases, lol), but had to rip back because I totally misread a part of the chart, and had not put in a lifeline yet. I have no idea how people can memorize these types of lace patterns. I have never completed a lace FO yet, so keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the one! And if it drives me nuts, then I'll just have to cast on for a simpler lace project - I have plenty of choices from my Ravelry queue!

Hey, and look at my awesome new bag, that I got from NY & Company!
They're my favorite store...cheap and fashionable!

I've got my last final tomorrow - I'll be relatively free afterwards! Wooohooo, can't wait!

Finished Resin!

2007-12-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to everyone for the good luck vibes for my GRE! I didn't do exceptionally well, but it was good enough to get an interview for the school that required the GRE score. Yay! So I have 2 interviews in January that I need to prepare for...nerve-wracking! There is one school left that I have not heard from, and well, the pessimistic side of me is thinking this is looking bad. There is pretty much 1 week left for me to hear from them; after which, it is safe to assume rejection. I'm a little bummed about it, because this last school is one of my top choices, and I really thought I was a strong candidate...sigh.

On a lighter note, I've got finished resin pieces to show!

The last one is my favorite! I've got lots of ideas for the resin, but have also been trying to catch up on my knitting projects, so progress is really slow.

All the yarns I mentioned in my last post have arrived, and it is sooo difficult resisting the temptation to cast on. I'm hoping to have my secret project (you can see it in Ravelry) and another project finished relatively soon, so that I will have an excuse to cast on. Some days, I just wish I could knit and craft for a decent living. I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment. =)

Enjoy the weekend!

Retail Therapy, Yes

2007-11-29T15:49:00.001-05:00

I'm insane in the membrane. I have placed 2 yarn orders in the past 16 hours, in addition to the order I placed on Monday. I just can't help myself. Blame it on my fallacious sense of non-indigence, thanks to having finally received my tuition reimbursement from work. By the way, I've been studying vocabulary words for my GRE, so I had to throw in the 2 I actually remembered. =) And even though it feels nice for this knitter to buy these lovely and scrumptious yarns that already have designated projects (Hand Maiden Sea Silk, Dream in Color Smooshy, Malabrigo, Jagger Spun Zephyr), it also makes me depressed at the state of WIP-affairs. I need to finish something, so that I can justify casting on for yet another project. I'm excited about these new projects too, particularly Sarcelle and the Spring Things Shawl. Help!

I'm also taking the GRE this Saturday, so any good luck vibes and voodoo fingers will be appreciated!

Till next time, when I hope to have some finished resin pieces to show!

Another one begins

2007-11-23T22:43:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! As for me, my T-day was pretty mellow - just ate out with the fam and did some studying for the GRE. I'm still studying for the GRE, but I'm taking a little break from the madness to blog. And frankly, studying for it is making me a little bit depressed - it's amazing...rather, amazingly sad how much math I have forgotten! Case in point: I was working out a problem, and had 6a + 6b = 30, and I thought, "gee, this means that a and b must be equal then!" Lol, nope, not really. And that's not even as bad as the reasoning I had for some geometry problems. Quite sad, yes. But good thing I won't be needing that kind of math to be a good PA, right? =)

So anyhoo, the newest craft that I am becoming a.d.d.icted to is RESIN! Like many crafts I've ultimately tried, resin is one of those crafts that I've admired before but just never got around to actually attempting, until now. And it's fun! I'm still a noob, so my first pieces didn't come out all that hot, but it can only get better (especially now that I have new tools to help me)!

I know, ugly.

Getting better.

ETA: My new favorites, especially the blue one! I'm thinking the hearts will become magnets and the blue one will become a pendant.

All of the resin pieces I've done so far haven't been finished at all yet (sanding, buffing, etc), so hopefully they'll look better when that's done. I have LOTS of ideas I want to try out, but as usual, not much time. In the meantime, I'll just keep hoarding materials and tools until I can craft in peace - lets say after this semester is over (Dec 18).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

A Quick Post

2007-11-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

Because I lent my camera to my sis, I can't take pics of my newest craft fun, so here is some yarn pron for your enjoyment:

This is my latest wholesale order, which is currently on its way to Wool Girl. I'm hoping to get some dyeing done for my shop after my test on Thursday. Gah, can you believe that for these TWO classes, I've taken 8 tests so far, and there are 8 more left to go?! Sheesh!

As NWA said...

2007-11-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

So I had a wonderful end to a long day.

My regular commute from work consists of the bus across the park, the C train downtown to Penn Station, and then the LIRR back to Bayside. So tonight, a few seconds after I walked down to the subway platform, a C train arrived. I need to be at the front of the C train, for ease of transfer to the LIRR platform for my last train back home. I was in a rush to make the 6:25 LIRR train tonight, so I boarded the C as far up as I could before the doors closed and proceeded to walk to the first car of the train. I sat down and immediately noticed a woman across from me knitting. I was just trying to figure out if she was knitting a scarf, when a tall cop came up to me and asked me to "step out of the car".

Yeah, seriously, what???

I think I looked at him with a look of disbelief for a few seconds, trying to figure out what in the world this could be about, because this made absolutely NO sense. The first logical explanation I could surmise was that he wanted to search my bookbag (a procedure implemented post-9/11, but usually done near the entrance to the subway station, not on an actual train).

I got off as ordered, and it immediately hit me what the F this was about. I was greeted by the tall cop's partner on the platform - because, you know, a clearly dangerous lawbreaker like myself needs TWO cops for a proper takedown. The partner informed me that their supervisor had observed me walking through the cars of the train while the train was in motion. Yes, that is prohibited, which I vaguely remember reading on a sign in the past. They asked me why I was doing that, and I told them why...I needed to catch my LIRR train, and the C train came before I had the chance to walk all the way to the front. And I didn't consciously think I was breaking a damn law. The original cop, the taller one, proceeded to ask me why I didn't walk to the front of the platform before I boarded the train. I just told you why, mofo. Who the hell doesn't get on the train until they're on the proper end of the platform?? Especially when I'm trying to catch another damn train. It turns out I missed that 6:25 train anyway, since this whole ridiculous situation took up 10 minutes. I thought about asking them to "let me off with a warning", but since the younger, nicer cop brought up the supervisor so many times, I knew where this was going.

$75 citatation. The nicer cop must've felt really bad, because he apologized twice near the end of the encounter, explaining again that normally this isn't a big deal, but their supervisor saw me blablabla. Still such bullshit though. And to make matters worse, I got teary-eyed while I waited for the cop to finish writing the ticket, and then couldn't stop crying after I got on another C train. I HATE that I have this crying reaction to being angry and frustrated.

Of course, all I could think about during the rest of my ride home was this ridiculous situation. Isn't it hilarious that there were THREE cops around to attend to my "unsafe riding", and meanwhile, I keep hearing about people getting mugged and getting their Ipods stolen, and there is no cop in sight then? And if it's so dangerous to go from car to car, why not LOCK the damn doors then? If it's so damn dangerous, I shouldn't even have the friggin option of moving in between the cars. There are a few subway lines that do have locked doors, but I guess it's too much to ask for some consistency here. Speaking of consistency, for the #1 train, if you want to get off at the last stop, you have to be in the first (or last, I forget) 5 cars of the train because the rest of the cars don't make the platform. So if you're not in those 5 cars, you have to move from one car to the proper one. So let me get this straight, on the 1 train, you're encouraged to move between the cars in order to get off and it's not dangerous, but on the C train, it becomes illegal and dangerous to do so? Well, that just makes a whole lot of sense to me.

What a humiliating and angering experience.

Like NWA said....

On a happier note, I got home and found a letter from 1 of the 3 schools I applied to, for an interview on January 2nd. Hopefully, I will hear from the others soon.

Where has the time gone?

2007-11-06T10:28:00.000-05:00

Woah, I can't believe it's November already, and it's almost the end of the year, and the holidays are coming soon! Unlike last year, I got a head start on holiday knitting, and also thought things through better (courtesy of having a really boring lecture class on Sunday afternoon during which I get a lot of craft pondering done!). Like last year though, I don't have that much time to do much, so I hope those who receive a knit gift from me appreciate it!

I knit this hat using some of my handspun and some Berocco Jasper held doubled. I had to add in the Jasper because it was coming out HUGE, so I would've run out of my handspun, I think. Since it came out so big, I'm going to give this to my mom (I inherited a big head from her). I'm just eh with the way it came out, but I do like that it keeps the head very toasty.

I started another Christmas knit project yesterday, but it's a secret! And before that, I started the Morehouse Merino Art Scarf kit I got from Rhinebeck, also for someone's Christmas present. I hope that comes out nice, because I am not enjoying the knitting process at all. Who knew lace-weight yarn could come thick and thin? I didn't, and I don't like it. Now, thick and thin worsted-bulky yarn, I like.

And here are my latest Perler creations:

Jigglypuff - my favorite Pokemon. =)

She's a ball that sings, and has attitude. What's not to love?

And here's Chococat! I saw this on Flickr and thought it was cute.

And true to form, I have decided on my next craft to obsess over. I've got 3 orders of supplies/tools that will hopefully come soon, so perhaps by the next time I blog, I will have something new to show!

By the way, I'm sure you knew this already, but studying sucks! Especially when you have this next to you, lookin all comfy and content:

Sausage Cat.

Oh, and speaking of, check out my Youtube vid of Nermal being a monkey. Sorry for the crappy quality (Youtube made it darker than the original!), but you get the gist. Heee.

A winner and a FO!

2007-10-26T11:05:00.001-04:00

And the winner of my 2-year blogiversay contest is.....

Thanks to everyone for your new craft suggestions - they were duly noted!

Hey guess what? I have a half FO and a real FO!
Crosshatch Lace Socks from More Sensational Knitted Socks that I'm knitting with my Floret SW Merino/Tencel - 1 down, 1 more to go!

And I finished my Montego Bay Scarf! Woohoo! I like how it came out, although putting on the braided fringe was slightly annoying, and now that I think about it, regular fringe looked fine on it. I probably won't braid the fringe on my next one.

This usually selfish knitter is suprisingly not keeping this. I'm not sure who the lucky recipient will be yet, but I guess it will be determined by what else I can crank out before the holidays!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

My Belated Rhinebeck Post

2007-10-24T19:02:00.000-04:00

I went to Rhinebeck on Saturday (along with 10000 other fiber/yarn addicts). Along for the ride were Sharon, Cathy, Colleen, and blogless Nancy. It was fun hanging with my knitty pals and meeting new ones. And of course, it was fun fondling lots of yarn and fiber. Much thanks again to Sharon for driving us up there!

Picture shamelessly taken from Sharon's blog. =)

This was my second year going to Rhinebeck, so I didn't have my mouth open in awe the whole time. Last year, I went on Sunday, so in terms of busy-ness and elbow-room, there was more of the former and less of the latter this time around. In terms of purchases, I bought about the same ratio of fiber to yarn as last year. I guess there's just not that much yarn that really calls out to me at the festival. But lots and lots of fiber that does. I got a bunch of different roving, such as BFL, Wensleydale, and the usual merino. Yarn-wise, I bought my first Morehouse Merino kits for a shawl and a scarf. My favorite purchase of the day though, was this gorgeous Duet yarn from Brooks Farm. It is much more gorgeous in person. Still debating if I should knit this into a Twin Rib scarf like they had at the booth, or into a drop stitch shawl like I saw on Ravelry. Hmmmm...

And if you haven't already done so, enter my contest - you have a little more than a day left!

Back to studying...but how does one study when this keeps happening?on my book

next page now..

and on my handouts

A Mish Mosh of Things

2007-10-18T11:33:00.000-04:00

Geez I can't seem to blog very regularly nowadays - too much going on. My apologies!

I do have a mini-review of Annie & Company Needlepoint & Knitting. I went last Wednesday during lunch. It was a well-lit and spacious store with many places to sit and knit. There were several small couches lining the length of the store, and a large dining room sized table at the back. The staff were friendly and quick to ask me if I needed any help. There was a decent selection of yarns. I fondled a bunch of cashmere beaded Art Yarns that I couldn't afford, and there were the typical brands that I didn't really pay attention to since I didn't have a project in mind. Like some other blogger said before me, the selection of sock yarns isn't a large as it could be. I did end up scoring some Mountain Colors Bearfoot though. I also bought another yarn I've never used - Berocco Jasper. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I'm a sucker for single-ply soft multicolor yarns! Of course, I have no idea what this will become - another hat?

That article I linked in my last post touted this YS as "New York City´s Largest Knitting Center" - I don't know about that. While it is by no means small, I would say in terms of space, it is very similar to Knitty City, which is of course, big for Manhattan. Knitty City probably has more yarn though. Hopefully, Annie's will add more yarn in the future. And they do have a pretty substantial selection of knitting needles on the back wall of the store.

I do like Annie's though and will probably go there once in a while since it's so close to work. In fact, I went yesterday to pick up the Holiday Interweave Knits. =)

I've been knitting here and there on my Montego Bay Scarf, but no FOs to post yet. However, I did finally get to grouting my mosaic table. I am such a mosaic noob. I figured 2 pounds of dry grout would translate to enough for the table. Um, not really. The whole time I was grouting, I really thought I wasn't going to have enough. It worked out in the end though, but I had about 2 smudges of grout left.

Here's the table almost done - I just have to do the final rubbing off of the last of the grout later.

Lastly, I have been so out of it that I forgot about my 2 year blogiversary. My first blog post was on October 14, 2005. This blog started off just as somewhere for me to keep track of all my craft projects (I was too lazy to make an actual website using the little HTML I know). It has blossomed into much more, and I'm grateful for that. I love reading about other people's adventures and I love being able to share my own craft A.D.D.iction with others. I've also met some awesome fellow knitters through here, and I hope I continue to meet more! Thanks to everyone who continues to stop by my blog and offer me compliments, encouragement, and greetings!

To celebrate, I'm holding my first contest ever! The prize:
A hank of my Cherry Blossom Fibers Floret Superwash Fingering weight sock yarn in tonal "Blueberry". Sorry the pic isn't the best. I'll throw in some stitch markers too, which I will make later.

Leave me a comment with a suggestion for a craft that I should try that I haven't yet (as evidenced by my blog). People with valid entries will get your name placed twice into the hat. Yes, I'll be doing it the old-fashioned way. =) You can leave a regular comment with no suggestion too, but you'll get entered only once then. Deadline to enter by is 10/25/07 at 10PM. Feel free to link this post to your knitty friends too. Have fun, and good luck!

ETA: I realized that there are a few crafts I tried before I started blogging. Also, there's so many I've tried in general, it gets kinda hard to keep track. So here is a list of crafts/DIY I've dabbled in: knitting, crochet, spinning, dyeing, cross stitch, plastic canvas, paper-cutting, soapmaking, mosaic, glass-etching, beading, bead-looming, bead-melting, beaded flowers, filigree-wrapping, earring-making, basketweaving, backstrap weaving, polymer clay, precious metal clay, Perler, marble magnets, pottery, and quilling. Whew, I think that's it!

Cindy is drooling

2007-10-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

>OMG OMG OMG<

I've always said to myself it would be cool to have a LYS near work, and now there is! Must check it out tomorrow!!~

ETA: Study ties marital strife to heart disease
I'm sure we all knew this already, but it's always good to see it published.

Song of the Moment

2007-10-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

I'm holding on your rope,

Got me ten feet off the ground

I'm hearin what you say but I just can't make a sound

You tell me that you need me

Then you go and cut me down, but wait

You tell me that you're sorry

Didn't think I'd turn around, and say...

It's too late to apologize, it's too late

I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

This Week's To-Do List

2007-10-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

~~study for Anatomy~~ & Physiology test
grout mosaic table
~~dye yarn for~~ ~~Dream in Color shrug~~
skein yarn to dye for shop
~~go to Old Navy~~
~~send out UMDNJ application~~
~~finish editing followup manual~~
start studying for GRE?

Lists are good.

Go fill out one of these lists, if you're inclined! Link me somehow if you do! (the linking process doesn't seem too user-friendly...and is there a search by name or e-mail function??)

Startitis

2007-09-25T14:54:00.000-04:00

Boy, do I have a bad case of startitis! I know I said a few posts back that my next knitting goal was to finish my Log Cabin, but sadly, I have not touched it since then. Instead, I've been casting on for multiple projects as if I have all the time in the world to do them. I think the craft a.d.d.ict inside me is in denial that I have 2 classes, applications, and GRE to worry about. Take a look at what I've started recently:

Yes, it's another My So Called Scarf. I can't help it..I just love this stitch too much, especially in yummy Malabrigo. I got smart this time and ordered 2 hanks to make a longer one than the MSCS I gave my SIL. The colorway is Oceanos, and I loooove the way it's coming out. After every couple of rows, I have to stop and admire it.

I also whipped out my Fiesta Boomerang to start some River Rapids Socks. This colorway is probably too busy for the pattern; plus I'm not too fond of the slight pooling that's going on there. It's not the worst pooling I've seen though, so it's relatively standable. And the base yarn is great! (btw, that lovely bag in the background is a cube bag from Schrodinger's lovely shop - isn't it pretty?)

So you'd think these 2 new projects, in addition to the Montego Bay Scarf I started in late August, would tide me over with the knitting a.d.d.iction. Um, no. I was "studying" last night, and look what made it's way over to me:

Some of my handdyed Floret SW merino/tencel yarn. I named this colorway "Grape Poupon" - I love the different shades of purple I have in there.

Here's what I cast on for - some Crosshatch Lace Socks from More Sensational Knitted Socks.

I tried a different method of dyeing for this yarn, and am pretty pleased with the results.

Lastly, check out Nermal lounging on the windowsill, while I was dyeing said yarn. Awww.

If only I could fwd this to my schools

2007-09-24T19:14:00.000-04:00

makes me feel all warm inside... =)how do u compare?*warning - at the end of the test, there are ads and things to sign up for - click pass/cancel! (unless you want those things)

Perler Perler Perler

2007-09-17T16:26:00.000-04:00

I love me some Perler.

The evolution of Yoshi - hee!

Mario

Megaman

Those cute thingies from Bust-A-Move.

I gave the 2 Boos I made previously 2 companions.

And Pikachu - not done entirely by me.

Perler is very addictive - can you tell? And can you blame me?

Pixelated Craft Fun

2007-09-10T15:23:00.000-04:00

Perler is so fun! It's slightly embarassing, because it's more of a kid craft (eBay postings say "Great kid fun"). But it's not so bad, because the cool/nice stuff I've seen on the net is done by adults. =) I was a little limited in the things I could make, since I'm still waiting on my 2nd shipment of colors, but here's what I made over the weekend:
A simple and bright coaster...

Mario mushrooms! 1-up!

And my favorite...

Boos! These make me laugh (and also make me want to play some Super Mario World!).

And that's not all I did this weekend. I also did some mosaic on my Ikea table. I had wanted to do this cool design, but alas, I didn't have enough of any 2 colors. Doesn't look like that many tiles, right? Well, that's 625 tiles, to be exact. I ended up just using what tiles I had to make this random design. I hope it looks great after I grout it.

And here's what my hand looked like after squeezing out 625 glue drops out of 2 stubborn tubes. See the redness?

Beading Bug

2007-09-06T13:04:00.000-04:00

I've caught it again. I realized that I have a substantial bead stash (typical of me, of course). My favorite things to make are earrings, especially with Swarovski crystal beads. I haven't been in an earring-making mood recently, but I did make some stitch markers the other day. Here are my favorites (all available at my shop):
I especially love the left ones - those blue beads are sooo pretty. And as you might be able to see from the set on the right, my new craft obsession is with Perler beads. It's amazing the cute stuff you can make with them, such as game sprites - I'm especially enthralled by the nostalgia of Mario, Kirby, and Pokemon. I bought a bucket of Perler beads at Michaels, and am waiting for the single color packs I bought off of eBay to arrive. That should be a fun weekend crafty activity!

ETA: 1 of my shipments arrived. Here is my color palette so far!

Could it be??

2007-08-28T15:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, I finally finished something on my WIP list!

Pattern: Simple Socks, from Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles
Needles: two size 1 KP circs
Yarn: Zitron Trekking XXL #104
This project was my train-knitting, so took me a couple of months to finish. Am I just that slow of a knitter, or do I just read too many blogs of speed demon knitters? I guess my knitting polygamy doesn't help either.

Speaking of knitting polygamy, I started the Montego Bay Scarf, using my first ever Hand Maiden Sea Silk. Love the easy-as-pie pattern and the luxurious yarn. I've also been buying yarn like the world is about to end - mostly sock yarns and some yarn for specific projects, such as the Lotus Blossom Tank. I should probably also start some scarves for Christmas presents, knowing how long it takes me.

The next WIP I'm targeting for finishing is my Log Cabin. Jeebus, I don't even have an updated photo for it! It's much bigger than that now, and I'm planning to knit until I run out of yarn. While I'm at it, I should just call it a day on Ye Ol Crochet Blanket too, since I have no desire to touch the newbie acrylic yarn I used.

Till next time.

School School School

2007-08-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone for their comments on Belize and welcoming me back. It really was fun and I wish I was still there!

My week in Baltimore shadowing my sister's PA was very helpful, and I learned a few things about medicine that I had no idea about. Plus, I got to see 3 surgeries - pretty cool. The ironic thing is I wasn't queasy at all when I saw the brain, but I felt a little ick while watching the surgeons suture up the scalp. Strange, right? Also gave me a passing thought of becoming a vegetarian, lol.

I did get to go yarn-shopping while down there. Scored these babies at Cloverhill Yarn Shop. The bottom is some Wool in the Woods 50% llama/50% wool yarn. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the one hank, but I had to get it. I'm a sucker for pretty colors and 1-ply yarn.

Classes for fall start on Monday -gah! I feel just slightly consoled that I'm not taking any Chem this semester... I will be taking Bio and Anatomy & Physiology. The latter will require a LOT of memorizing.

What I'm up to at the moment? Putting together PA program applications and getting some yarn-dyeing done before school engulfs me again. I started writing my narrative and I'm definitely feeling some writer's block. Did I mention that my sister found a white hair at the back of my head? =( Thank goodness I have some yummy yarn coming to me soon!

O yeah, and so much for having an FO to show. I think I need to start some quick and easy knitting projects. My WsIP are seriously languishing on the needles. I vow to have a pair of finished socks to blog about next time!!

You Betta Belize It!

2007-08-08T17:43:00.000-04:00

Well, hello - long time no see. I came back from my vacay late Thursday night, and it has been a bummer getting back into the swing of things. Good thing this week is very short, as I am off to Baltimore next week to shadow my sister's PA. Here are some pictures from my vacation in Belize:

A view from the plane...

Beautiful beaches and aqua waters...

Colorful houses...

Xunantunich, one of the ancient Mayan sites in Belize - to quote a saying I saw on a shotglass, It was unbelizable!

Eating tree nuts from the rainforest - tasted just like coconut!

Sunrise...

There were a few hiccups such as AA losing 2 out of our 3 checked bags, and missing one of our boat rides back to Belize City, but all in all, I had fun in the sun with great friends. Ironically, I did not burn in Belize, but rather when I came back home to NY and went crabbing. Go figure.

Till my next sporadic post - I hope to have some knitting progress to show (or at least some new yarn purchases).

Late Glee

2007-07-17T14:02:00.000-04:00

...but still glee, nonetheless.

My summer class of hell is OVAh! I got my grade Saturday morning, and was VERY pleasantly surprised to find that I had gotten an A! I had totally done below average on my first test (thank goodness one test was dropped), so I was feeling very crappy about the class, but I guess I pulled it together. This was, quite possibly, the most difficult class I've taken. The material is not very easy, although it is possible to learn it. However, the fact that it was an accelerated summer course AND my professor was not exactly very good at explaining things did not help. But it's over and done with, and the next thing I have to worry about is starting my applications. I'll still be taking 2 courses in the fall, but shouldn't be too bad, since it's Bio and Anatomy & Physiology - anything but Chem is fine with me!

I've done some dyeing over the past 2 nights, but no pictures yet. Knitting-wise, I've done a few rows here and there, but no major progress on anything. I've started the Ribbed Lace Bolero and added a gajillion things to my Ravelry queue. Like many others, I'm feeling a little bit of the startitis aka knitting A.D.D. aka knitting polygamy.

2 things I'm excited about:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out this Saturday!
my vacay to Belize in 12 days!

Woot!!

Home Stretch

2007-07-08T01:20:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist blogging, because I actually have some stuff to blog about, even with very little knitting activity.

Schoolwise, I'm down to the home stretch. 3 tests done, 1 final to go. 10 Chapters of material, with 8 questions on the final, each worth 25 points. Yikes! Talk about STresS.

To keep my sanity this week, I took a break from studying to dabble in a little basketweaving - one of many crafts I've always wanted to try. I bought the kit from V.I. Reed & Cane on eBay. This is the beginner's basket kit, but I made it much wider and shorter than pictured. I like it though! However, I'm still on the fence as to whether this is a craft I would do more of in the long run. I think my craft a.d.d. problem is that I go buck wild and buy tons of supplies before I actually establish that I would enjoy the craft in the long run. I didn't do that this time with the basketweaving, but um, my supply of mosaic tiles comes to mind. I haven't given up on mosaics yet though - hopefully I will have the chance soon to dabble in it again.

In other news, I finally got my Ravelry invite on Friday! I was so excited - I saw the invite e-mail at work, and totally wooped out loud. My coworker thinks I'm nuts, of course. Need I say that she's a non-knitter? Ravelry is awesome...and I've been on it pretty much nonstop for the past day and a half. Any regular blog-readers or lurkers - feel free to add me to your friends list!

I've been working on getting my stash organized and entered, which is no easy feat, even though my stash isn't as large as I've seen. I took my first stash photo ever...

Not so bad, right? It looked a lot larger in person, though. But hey, I'm not ashamed - it's not a stash..it's a collection! Looking at all the yarn in one place makes me realize that I need to expand on the colors I buy more though - I see a whole lotta purples and blues!
And lastly, because I'm liking my purchase, here is an earring rack I got yesterday. I've always wanted one of these. Like my yarns, I don't like my earrings all cooped up in a container. =)

S.S.S.

2007-06-21T13:05:00.001-04:00

Summer school sucks. I'm not even going to bother going into detail about it, cuz the important thing is that I study my arse off and get a sufficient grade in the course. Or else my career plans will be held off another year. So yeah, definitely need some good luck vibes or organic chemistry brainwashing/tutelage sent over here!

So lets see, what have I been up to since the last time I posted, besides working and going to class? I did (of course) buy more yarn for the stash, both in person at School Products and also online from Wool Girl. Sorry, no pics of those cuz I was lazy. The School Products trip was unintentional - I was in the neighborhood and had some time to kill, so I perused and bought some default KPPPM for probably a Chevron scarf (from LMKG). The Wool Girl order was intentional though. I bought mostly sock yarn from fellow dyers, and I was not disappointed! The yarns are gorgeous, and they were so nicely packaged by the Wool Girl, Jen. I got a cool sheep stitch marker for free too. You'll just have to take my word for it that all my recent stash enhancement was drool-worthy.

Speaking of Wool Girl and what I've been up to, I did some yarn-dyeing and processing whenever I had a spare minute for another wholesale order. These will be on the way to her soon, so should be in her shop beginning of July.

I also took a stab at making a shawl pin, with some silver wire I had bought for that purpose. Very simple, but I like it!

So that's what I've been up to. See you in another 3 weeks! I'll be much happier then.

Somewhat Sheepy Escape & Yarn Gluttony

2007-05-31T16:35:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I went to the Sheep to Shawl craft show at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. While I did see sheep (including one getting sheared!), I did not see any shawls, or anything knitted. I did see woven placemats though, so maybe they should've called it Sheep to Placemat. =) Among the other things I saw were Model A Fords, a farm with various animals, a schoolhouse, a hatmaker (did you know hats are made of wool felt stretched and shaped over hat forms?), typical 18th century houses, 2 looms, and a few ladies spinning on gorgeous antique spinning wheels. It was very interesting to see the old world life and old world crafts and I enjoyed it, but I think the Sheep to Shawl name misleads people into thinking that it was more fiber-related.

Check out the lil piglet's dirty snout, and his brothers' tocks! Hee! A very Cute Overload moment.

This 1 year-old sheep's first ever shearing! Poor fella did not enjoy it AT ALL. This pic was before the shearing began.

During... (isn't his expression funny?)

And after! A blessing in disguise, I say.

I've been definitely enjoying the time off before summer school. Definitely dreading the school/work month of hell (Part Deux), but it can't be avoided. Retail therapy sure helps me deal though. I have been buying a whole lotta sock yarn as of late. Up till now, I've usually said no to sock yarn, since I dye my own. This is what happens when I repress the desires!

Socks That Rock in Love in Idleness, Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Cosmic Dawn, Koigu P436, and non-sock yarn Malabrigo Laceweight in Verde Azul. I've also got some Trekking and Tofutsies on the way.

Besides working on my Log Cabin (pictured), I've been dyeing another wholesale order, and also found some time to spin up a bobbin of singles for...more sock yarn. I think it has something to do with me discovering the fun of 2 circulars sock-knitting.

I'm free. Damnit.

2007-05-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

A quote from my favorite show...anyone know which?

Ahh yes the relief...my test month of hell is finally over! There is a lot of knitting, crafting, and dyeing to be caught up on. And the fact that the end of spring semester coincides with a long weekend is just GREAT. So why the damnit? Well, sadly, I have just ONE week off before summer session starts. Um yeah, talk about no life. Monday-Thursday 5:30-9:15, after work. Fun times. At least the subject is ~~Biology, so it will be a lot more interesting to me than the oft-mentioned Chemistry.~~ Organic Chem (Bio is all full already - doh!!).

I celebrated today by buying yarn. Not too much though - I controlled myself because I already bought some celebration yarn online prematurely on Tuesday. Not to mention more online yarn shopping today for the shop.

So I finally went to Seaport Yarn - picked up a hank of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock and some bamboo circs for my plane ride in July. No way in heck I'm risking getting my KP circs confiscated!

Looooove the colorway - it's even prettier than in the photograph (I was too lazy to get out the light box). I just hope it doesn't pool like the last hank of CTH I got. I hate pooling.

Seaport Yarn was very interesting. I'm glad I read about it online so that I had an idea what to expect. They did have a lot of yarn, somewhat organized in different rooms, and the environment was spacious and friendly. It was a trip to see people's offices in the middle of the halls and shelves of yarn! It sucks that they don't accept credit cards though, cuz I forgot to go to the ATM before I went. But yeah, I would go there again, if I had a specific project in mind. For some reason, Seaport didn't inspire me to buy random skeins of yarn, like other YS's I've been to.

Nermal and the Mashimaros wish you a happy Memorial Day weekend!

Because..

2007-05-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

I'm pooped by a crazed day at work, and I need a mental break before doing my studying for my last final tonight, so here's a little knit-related list I got from Roxtarchicknits:

Mark with bold the things you have knit (or are knitting)/crocheting, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan (zippy hoodie)
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

My Yarn Pron Friday

2007-05-17T23:57:00.001-04:00

The countdown of tests left is at 2. To say I'm stressed out would be an understatement. To take my mind off things/avoid studying, I reskeined the yarn I dyed a couple of weeks ago. Plus, nothing lifts a knitter's spirits more than looking at yummy yarn (besides buying yarn, that is). Am I right or am I right?

Here's the whole batch - some are on their way to Woolgirl, and some went into my shop.

I don't know why Blogger won't show the centered photos up close - very annoying. But if you want to see em up close, check out my Flickr.

Happy weekend, everyone! I'll be back after the finals.

Musings

2007-05-13T10:39:00.000-04:00

Only 3 more tests to go (2 finals and 1 regular). Gosh I can't wait to be done with this semester...of course, I have to take a summer course, but at least that will be a relatively easy and useful course. Not like the Chem hell I've been experiencing...I mean who needs to know how to calculate the rate of entropy and equilibrium constants? Not me.

In the midst of my test month of hell, I mentioned to finish my Rainbow Road ankle socks.

Pattern: Simple Socks, from Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles
Needles: two size 1 KP circs
Yarn: Cherry Blossom Fibers' Rainbow Road
Notes: my very first time using 2 circs!

And Nermal being an attention hog while I was photographing the socks... his big butt cracks me up, heee!

I think I'm getting very into knitting socks...I ordered some STR the other day, and I already know I'm using this yarn I've had in my stash for my next pair.

Socks definitely make good commuter knitting (I know, duh). I should really work on my DFS, but that is just way too complicated and attention-needing for knitting on trains. I want to start some other projects too, but I'm feeling anxious to finish my easy v-neck first. I am getting a little bored of all the stockinette though, and also the fact that the Beaverslide isn't as soft as say, merino or baby alpaca is not helping. My next sweater will definitely be something softer.

I also ordered a backstrap loom to dabble a little in weaving to see if I like it. Here's the ugly progress I made in about 10 minutes of weaving.

And of course, this lil bit o weavin got me thinking about looms again, gah!! It's this ongoing debate within myself - loom or sewing machine? Obviously, I'd rather have both, but even I think I need to limit myself just a tad.

Lastly, I miss living by myself in Elmhurst. BUT, if I were still there, I wouldn't have the chance to see these beauties..

Boohoo

2007-05-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

Because I can't go to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival this weekend....

I've been dyeing yarn to make myself feel better.

I also bought a Power Assist Skein Winder, which should help with the little yarn business.
I feel only 50% consoled. Will have to make up for it at Stitches East, and also next year's Maryland S&W. =)

Care for my autograph? ;P

2007-04-23T23:06:00.000-04:00

I had a looooong day at work. But nothing fun to blog about there, so I won't bore you with the details (this time). =)

One thing that is definitely awesome and definitely worth blogging about:

Lime & Violet Episode 33

I got mentioned in their latest podcast! I feel like a yarn celebrity, hee! I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but I had never listened to one of their podcasts before. I knew of them, but just never got around to actually listening to one of their podcasts. I know, I know...how can I call myself a knitter? But I have definitely started getting more obsessed with knitting as of late (just recently subscribed to Interweave Knits)...and now, I am officially subscribed to (a.k.a. - hooked on) the L&V podcasts! Great job ladies, and thanks for the mention! I'm flattered that you gals like my products!

The mention starts around the 55.26 mark, so check it out!

On a related note, I am seriously itching to get some dyeing done. I've got some superwash merino/tencel and bfl on the way - can't wait to get my hands on those! I haven't dyed yarn in about a month, due to packing, moving, & unpacking... and now due to my 8 tests in 4 weeks. Yes, EIGHT tests in 4 weeks. For TWO classes. *shakes head* Hopefully, I can sneak some dyeing in somehow...

Live in COLOR

2007-04-18T23:01:00.000-04:00

What I've been working on....
From the brightest sock yarn I've ever dyed, which I named Rainbow Road (colorway inspired from the map in Mario Kart of the same name)...
Definitely makes for some cheery socks! I'm knitting them using the 2 circs method for the first time, and I'm totally converted! Now what to do with all them DPNs.... *doh!*

I'm totally coveting some Crown Mountain Farms handdyed superwash merino roving, but I controlled myself a bit, since I have a pound of superwash merino roving sitting in my fiber stash. I've got to get to dyeing some sock yarn and roving and then some spinning, before my "test month from Hades", as Marce puts it, hee. I know I'll only be able to accomplish a small fraction of what I want to do though.

What yarn diet?

2007-04-12T15:11:00.000-04:00

*Disclaimer* The following post is not good for those on yarn diets!

Remember way back, when I mentioned I was working on a wholesale order? Well, the person I sold the order to has opened up her new online shop! Go check it out!

http://woolgirl.com/

It's owned and operated by a very nice lady named Jenny, and her focus is on small fiber artists (such as myself), handmade accessories, and one-of-a-kind yarns. She also carries a few larger-name yarns such as Malabrigo and Noro. USPS Priority Mail Shipping is a $6.05 flat rate for orders that total from $1.00-$75.00. For purchases over $75.00, shipping is FREE to US addresses.

So go shop! I, for one, plan on placing an order very soon. =)

***

2007-04-11T16:26:00.000-04:00

To say it's been a while is an understatement. I am finally finished unpacking and setting things up, which is a relief. Of course, now that I am done, spring break is over, and it's back to the toil of work and class/constant test-taking. (um, yeah, 6 tests in the month of May for TWO classes)! So that means very sparse blogging. Which is fine, since all my projects are pretty much on hold at the moment (with the exception of the easy V), so nothing to share anyway.

I do have many cute photos of Nermal I want to post, but that'll have to be next time. Studying, sporadic knitting, and playing my new Wii are what's on my mind! =)

Yum.

2007-03-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

That is all.

Ok not quite - but I am keeping it short. Been busy busy - studying and packing. Fun stuff. =T

I've had very little to no time to knit on my easy V-neck raglan, but it's coming along. More to share and blog about once I get moved and situated back home. Toodles till then!

Awesome

2007-03-22T16:14:00.000-04:00

Can you guess whose arse this is?

(scroll down for answer)

If you guessed Mr. JT, you are correct! I went to his concert last night at Nassau Coliseum, and it was sooo good! Parking and colisem traffic was crazy, but it was worth it. He's not one of those artists that sound terrible without "studio magic" (*ahem* one of his exes come to mind?). I left the concert really wanting to buy his CD and also really wanting to watch Black Snake Moan. I've got some videos of his performances too, but I gotta figure out which website to use for that.

And yeah, he aint only about the voice and the moves!

I <3 Earrings

2007-03-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

What can I say? I was in an earring making mood last night (and the necklace was a fluke). =) The first earrings are the only ones I'm not too fond of. I'm not a big gold/gold-look person anyway...silver, white gold, and platinum for me! But I do occasionally like gold jewelry, such as this. The first pair of earrings here though..nope. 3 of the pieces I made last night were done using the filigree wrapping technique. I'm not even sure if that's what it's called, but it's basically the technique where you take a brass (usually) filigree stamping and wrap it around a gem, stone, or another brass stamping. I saw beautiful pieces on Etsy that inspired me to learn, but there is seriously very sparse info about it on the web. It's easy enough to figure out with experimenting though. The more difficult thing is to find gems/stones in sizes that fit the filigree.

104%

2007-03-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

I have excessive brain...

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (32%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain.
Left Brain (72%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.
Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.
Overall you appear to be Left Brain Dominant.

Long Overdue

2007-03-13T12:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, I finally switched my Blogger template over to the new one where you can easily add and rearrange sections. While it IS easier to add stuff, I'm annoyed that I ended up losing something (which is why I was reluctant to switch templates, hence the long delay) - my knitting tracking bars. Otherwise, everything else went over ok...well except for the fact that I had to put "welcome to" in the header, since a header was a requirement. But that's trivial compared to my knitting tracking bars! I'll have to look into some sort of html/javascript that will work for the new template. I also signed up for Haloscan, which is why my old comments are no longer visible (though I can still see them in my Blogger dashboard). That should make it better, so comment away!

Something else that is long overdue - a pic of my finished mosaic frame from wayyy back at the end of February. The papercut that's in the frame doesn't really fit the mosaic, so I'll have to change that. And no, I didn't do that papercut myself - I wish I was that skilled! I bought it off of Ebay for like a dollar and change from a seller in China. It still boggles my mind how different the economy is over there.

As for the clock mosaic, I decided to go with green grout, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I will sometime this week, before I get overloaded with stress again! I've got 2 tests coming up at the end of March, and they coincide with my moving out of my apartment and back home. Yep, I'm moving back home...too broke to have my own place AND save for graduate school & graduate school life expenses.

Isn't this cute? I had been knitting my easy v-neck raglan while waiting for something to install on my computer, and Nermal totally stuck his head through the neck of the sweater to rub his cheek on mine. So cute!! I was unsuccessful at catching a pic of that, but this is what I got afterwards.

Speaking of, while the Beaverslide yarn I'm using for the sweater is gorgeous in color, I am hating the knots! In my first hank, there were 4 5 knots in total... 3 of them coming all together in a short expanse. I've been felt-joining the ends, which is easy enough, but the knots are still quite annoying. I should be joining a new hank of yarn soon - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there aren't so many in this one (although while I was winding the yarn, I felt 2 knots for sure)! Gah.

Holy Mackerel!

2007-03-05T17:15:00.000-05:00

Could it be... another FO? And finished in a week! I mean yeah, it's just a hat - but for me (a person with 2 projects OTN that are older than 6 months, 1 older than 3 years!), that's a big accomplishment!

This is the Fake Isle Hat, and it was my first successful attempt at fair isle. I used Patons SWS and Lamb's Pride Worsted. The stranding itself wasn't difficult, but I did have some bumps along the way... First of all, the pattern calls for 16" size 6 circs, so it really sucks that KP Options shortest cable length is 24". I had to use DPNs, which made the whole knitting process even less fluid. And since there were so many stitches, I had to use 5 needles in total (4 metal, 1 bamboo). Also, I was not a fan of one of the yarns I used, that being the SWS. I love the colors and the fact that the yarn is affordable, but the splitting....OMG the splitting. I've never had a yarn snag so much before. The yarn is spun quite loosely, which I guess is why the yarn is pretty soft. But to me, the softness is not worth the tradeoff in snagging. As for the last problem, well, the hat came out a little tight (I do have a big head though). But the reason for the size problem was my own stupidity. AFTER I finished the hat, I noticed that the 1 bamboo DPN looked a little bigger than the 4 metal DPNs I was using. So I decided to measure the needles. And it turns out that I was using size 4 needles, instead of size 6. TWO whole sizes off!! And the bamboo one was a size 5. I think the lady I bought the DPNs off of must have had them classified wrong. Note to self: measure unmarked needles BEFORE putting them in "correct" spot in needle case!

I do like how the hat came out though, problems and all. And considering the needle discrepancy, I'm pretty lucky it still fits! You can see from the 2nd picture, that the hat puckers a little, due to the long floats, but for my next fair isle project, I'll figure out how to carry the yarn along to reduce the puckering.

My Beaverslide yarn came, and it's gorgeous!! I'm ready to tackle my first sweater - as soon as I'm done studying for my first Chem test on Thursday!

Peekaboo!

2007-02-26T15:32:00.000-05:00

Peep my Peekaboo mitts! These were a really fast knit, and very easy. The cuff is a little shorter than I would've liked (because I wasn't really reading the pattern when I started) and the fit is kinda loose, but I still like them a lot! And they totally make me feel like a kid...I was tempted to put some i-cord ties on them, heh.

Still don't have a finished mosaic project pic to show you, but I do have some in-progress shots:

Since this pic was taken, this frame has actually been grouted. Isn't Nermal such a hoot? What a bum!

This will become a clock for me. Still deciding what color grout to use for this one - all I have at the moment are black and beige, but I'm thinking this might look good with a green grout. What do you think?

The C.A.D.D. continues

2007-02-21T17:17:00.000-05:00

I found myself in an earring-making mood last week. Because like many many other craft supplies clogging up my apartment, (Knittinreed, my apt is decently spacious, but I still manage to make it pretty brim-full of crafty goodies) my jewelry-making supplies were gathering dust. And that made me sad.
First up are my Mandala earrings. I love the focal earring component, especially since it makes it unnecessary to add a lot of stuff to it. I gave these to my friend Jane for her birthday.

These earrings are unnamed, but I love them anyway. They're not my design, but this pair is for me!

On the knitting front, nothing really to report. However, I do have a yarn acquisition to report. (are you suprised? I'm not.) I was catching up on some blog-reading, and saw Cara's beautiful Central Park Hoodie and the gorgeous Beaverslide yarn that she used for it. Between seeing Cara's post and Marce's CPH progress in person, I was sooooo tempted to officially put the CPH on my list. Ultimately, I decided that I couldn't do seaming on my first sweater (what can I say - I'm a chicken). BUT, I could not say no to that yarn. Those macros of the sweater really got me - the blues and the violets...YUM. So I bought the yarn for Glampyre's easy V-neck raglan. I vow to cast on and work diligently on it as soon as the yarn gets here - quick, before it gets warm again! And if I fail, I have Soleil to work on. Can you tell I'm a little sick of knitting accessories?

What else has been on my mind.... mosaics. Ahh the possibilities! I have 2 end tables and the top of my yarn stash organizer that I want to mosaic. I've got 2 more mosaic supply orders coming in. Still nothing to show yet, as my first somewhat successful attempt is curing at the moment (plus it's ugly). In my 2 attempts, I've learned that premixed grout sucks, and that just using fingers to spread grout is not a great way to learn how to mosaic. So I'm off to get some hardcore grout and a trowel from Home Depot after work. Yay!

Till next time.

Cindy's Craft A.D.D. Part LXXIV

2007-02-13T12:05:00.000-05:00

If I knew how to make an infinity sign in the post title, that's what it would be. I think I won't rest until I've tried every DIY craft that piques my interest. And there are a lot! At least I haven't accumulated any new crafts lately in the spur of the moment, like in other instances in the past. It's all stuff I've been contemplating trying from time to time. The new craft of the moment is mosaic. I had a bunch of links saved already, so I didn't need to do that much in terms of homework. No photos to show of my first mosaic attempts, because I'm waiting on the supplies I ordered, and even though I bought some basic supplies at Michaels too, I ended up horribly butchering my first attempt. I blame it on getting the wrong grout.

I did, however, succeed (somewhat) in making a shawl pin from a pretty mosaic tile and a birch dowel from my supply of dowels back when I thought it would be a good idea to make knitting needles for fun and profit.
I stained the birch with a deep wood stain and used some polymer clay from my unused/unloved/abandoned supply. I like how it came out on the "public" side, but the back is a little crude-looking. The pin would probably look better against a solid dark background, but I have no shawls or scarves like that! Such a bummer too that the colors of the scarf come out all orange tinted on macro.

I found out over the weekend that my good friend got me the sewing machine on my wishlist for my upcoming birthday! Thank you so much! So yeah, more Craft A.D.D. is upcoming. I've already got 2 sewing books on the way, and thank goodness I have some fabric lying around already. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I will gain a fabric stash as soon as I get better at sewing!

I finally finished rehanking my wholesale order and also updated my shop. Just gotta get some labels on the yarn and send them out this weekend.

Not a moment too soon, as Nermal was rockin the crazy/yarn-looks-deleecious stare.

First FO of 2007

2007-02-08T11:56:00.000-05:00

Yep, my first FO of the new year was completed in February, because I'm just that slow, and I have that many simultaneous projects. This is MY So Called Scarf, knit in the Manos that my SP gave me. After washing/blocking, it felt a little bit softer. I like how it came out, but I wish Manos was as soft as Malabrigo (or Malabrigo had colorways that contain more colors). The Corriedale in the Manos makes the stitch definition more crisp though, which is great.

I haven't had much time to work on any other projects, cuz school is making me not have a life again; and the little free time I have has been spent dyeing yarn for my first wholesale order, for a new online yarn store opening up in March. I will, of course, let you know more about that when the time comes.

I've also been spending a lot of time obsessively pining after looms. While I want both a sewing machine and a loom equally, I've been looking at looms more because they require much more of a financial investment (thus, the pining). Gah, this darn fiber obsession of mine! I don't even have enough time to use all the equipment I have, and yet I still have this crazy desire to try everything crafty that piques my interest. Maybe after I get to carding the fiber I have, I will sell my drum carder, and use the money for a loom.

By the way, does anyone know what this cake/cookie? is called? I was inspired to dye some yarn in these colors after eating some of it, and I realized I had no idea what the name was.

P.S. - The colorway was too bright for sock yarn, I think. But I overdyed it with blue, and it looks much better now.

Hooray for Wormspit

2007-02-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not talking about some Harry Potter character (although ironically, I just saw this bit of HP news - woohoo! although whether I can wait that long is another story). I'm talking about my newfound appreciation/love/obsession with 100% silk yarn. I had been browsing the Branching Out KAL on KH, and saw a version made using Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. That led to going on Ebay, finding this seller offering the yarn for $8.50 a hank, buying it, forgetting I bought it, and then being very pleasantly surprised to find it in my mailbox on Tuesday. This stuff is seriously scrumptious. So shiny, so soft, and so pretty. I abandoned my multiple projects OTN yesterday to cast on for Branching Out. Finally! That pattern has been on my list for ages.

The subsequent things that happened after my discovery of 100% silk yarn: bought more DB Pure Silk from Little Knits in a celery-green color that's even more fitting for Branching Out; bought some Crystal Palace Breeze for Soleil, and Araucania Atacama Alpaca for unspecified project, cuz I don't have the willpower to buy only a small quantity of yarn, nor do I have the willpower to turn down yarn on sale; and now I am totally refusing to work with the KP Gloss for my Diamond Fantasy Shawl, and have already decided that I NEED to use softer yarn for that (Frog Tree Alpaca). Yep, the power of wormspit! =)

ETA: Wow, technology is soooo awesome. I came across this on Lolly's blog. Now you can read my ramblings in multiple languages! Check it out - on my sidebar, under "Stuff"! Apparently, there is no word for "scrumptious" in Chinese, Korean, or Spanish. Heee!

My Wonderful SP9

2007-01-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

It's the end of SP9, and I've had a great experience being spoiled by my very thoughtful and generous pal, Mary! Thank you so much for everything. You are the best! I've nominated you for best SP, so I hope you win!
I got my last package from her this weekend, and look what she made me - Mosaic Mitts! It's funny, I've been thinking I need some fingerless gloves, since it's impossible to take out my Metrocard with gloves on. And now I do! They're beautiful, and so very warm. I've already banished my regular gloves, and worn the mitts the past 2 days. Mary also gave me a gift card for Starbucks. Talk about keeping me warm this winter! Thank you so much! <3

A reason to watch American Idol

2007-01-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

Past the funny bad auditions episodes anyhow. =)

delicious

I promise, my next post will be something craft-related, hee.

Bored.com Fun

2007-01-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

I'm killing time before I go see a movie. I am normally bored at work anyhow, though. =P

click

me

Spell much? I got 5 wrong

Spell? 3 wrong on this one

May?!

2007-01-23T20:24:00.000-05:00

Fun with Fiber

2007-01-18T14:08:00.000-05:00

I have totally had fiber OCD this past week. And that's a good thing, considering how much fiber I have, and the amount of $ I've spent on equipment and the like. I finally got around to trying my hand at washing the Romney fleece I scored off Ebay in December. The washing itself wasn't exactly thrilling, but it was kind of cool to be able to appreciate part of the process wool goes through, from off the sheep to something knitted/crocheted/woven. And though time-intensive, it is definitely cheaper getting the fleece and processing it yourself. Of course, you have to deal with sheep poo, grease (aka sheep sweat), and who-knows-what-else, but that's what gloves are for, right? However, how people spin "from the grease" - I have no idea.

I mean, look at this scummy water. And I don't think my fleece was necessarily extremely dirty (although when I opened the box, I was greeted with a sheep brownie smack dab in the middle).

After washing and picking out vm, I dyed the locks. Here they are, on my makeshift drying net. They're ready for carding, which I hope to get to tonight.

Speaking of which, I did some carding last night. Blending fibers with angelina is fun! And the result is so pretty. I didn't take pictures of that yet, but that's going in the shop soon.

Besides fiber prep, I also did some spinning recently with some handdyed targhee roving, also from Ebay.

Singles...

...into 210 yards of 2-ply worsted yarn. I loves it!

Happy Friday indeed

2007-01-12T00:16:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! Blogger is finally switched over! Now I can have labels for my posts...and the obsessive-compulsive side of me will be designating labels for all my old posts. *grin* Advance apologies to those with bloglines (I don't use that, but I'm assuming all the changes will show up?).

I'm in a chipper mood due to many reasons - I had fun last night (more on that later), it's Friday, ETA:I get to leave work early, it's a long weekend, and I get to hang with my favorite people this weekend & play some fun board games that I haven't played in ages. Pictionary, Cranium, and Taboo are all on the agenda. My favorite games with my favorite people - can't go wrong with that!

Last night, I got to see my knitty buddy Marce again and also met her knitty friend Kathy. On the agenda was, of course, yarn-shopping/enabling and face-stuffing. We went to Knit NY, at Marce's suggestion. It was my first time there (woohoo, another NYC YS crossed off the list) and I liked it a lot. I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy fondling all the yarns and deciding what to get for my SP. But I would definitely go there to do some social knitting. The only other NYC YS that I know of for that is The Point, but it seems to be very popular, so it would probably be too crowded.

After much agonizing, I left with these products and a very hot credit card - the most I've spent at a YS (and I didn't even get that much!). Which is why it bugs me when people think that they got a knitted present because it's cheaper. Nice non-acrylic yarn is not cheap; not to mention the time and effort it takes to knit something for someone. But anyway, I digress. So from 9:00 to 3:00 positions are things going into my last package for my SP: 2 hanks of Noro Cashmere Island, 1 hank of Malabrigo, 1 hank of Misti Pima Cotton/Silk, and a Vogue Baby Blankets pattern book. The 2 lonely hanks of Cashmere Island at 6:00 are for me. As usual, I have no idea what to make with them, but I just loved the colors too much to pass them up. Marce scored some lovely Noro and sale Araucania (?) too, and Kathy (who is not as obsessed nor as uncontrolled as us yet) bought the baby blanket pattern book and the stitch a day calendar.

I think I'm going to start some socks today with some of my own handdyed yarn, so that I can learn the 2 circulars method. It's time to get rid of those ladders!

Have a great weekend!

Handspun Beaugly

2007-01-09T16:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have some handspun to show off! Woohoo!
First, the handspun ugly:
My glam shot actually makes it look halfway decent. The true color is more of a bright green-yellow with a little bit of pink barber poles. This was spun from merino roving I dyed (no idea why I chose those colors) and carded in my drum carder. Anyone like it? If you do, I'll be happy to give it away if you pay $2.50 for shipping. I didn't measure the yardage, but it's 2 hanks and weighs 3.5 ounces. ETA: U.S. addresses only - thanks!

Behold the handspun beauty (excuse my arrogance, hehe)! I really love how this came out, and I think it's my most even spinning as of now. It's 2-ply worsted spun from merino/tencel blend from Copper Moose. I started spinning the singles with the intent of making some sock-weight or sport-weight yarn, but didn't realize I was using the wrong flyer until I was done. Worked out for the best anyhoo, since this fiber isn't superwash.

I've started the Diamond Fantasy Shawl - my first lace and first shawl. Should be fun now that I've gotten over being an idiot (as in I started knitting, got to a row and realized that I was 1 st off; frogged, reknit, counted and was still 1 st off the second time; searched the internet convinced that there was a pattern error, didn't find any; started a 3rd time and counted st after each row AND put in a lifeline, and finally got it right). Thank goodness for lifelines, because I get the feeling I'll be making a few mistakes, and lace is definitely not good for mistakes.

Etc

2007-01-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

"Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination."
- Roy M. Goodman

I'm looking forward to making this new year a good one!

I will be back to school in 3 weeks (d'oh!), so I'm trying to have a little bit of a life and get some crafting in while I still can.

And because I haven't done this in a while....
Song of the moment: I Go Crazy Euro Madness Mix by DHT
Can't get enough!

Knit On

2006-12-30T20:38:00.000-05:00

Ah, it's so nice to have some me-time again. I got some much needed knitting done for Christmas.

FT clogs knit in KP WOTA for my Mom. These came out a lot fuzzier than my first pair... no idea why.
My So Called Scarf knit in Malabrigo Little Lovely for my SIL.

Ribbed hat knit in Malabrigo Paris Night for my bro.

What am I currently working on? All stuff for ME.

Talk about a knitty desktop wallpaper (feel free to steal). This is another MSCS, except this one is in the Wildflowers colorway in Manos, which is what was used in the original pattern. The colors don't look a whole lot like the original, eh? I still like it though.

Other fibery goals to get to: washing, dyeing, & carding the Romney fleece; spinning the oodles of fiber on hold; & perhaps learning how to weave!

Hey look - new striping yarns! Me likey.

98....99...100! Ready or not, here I come!

This cat is so funny. He's currently on my bookbag snoozing, but he was totally sleeping in my lap before, UPSIDE DOWN. I was sitting sorta Indian style, and he crawled in the little nook and tucked his head underneath his body, so it was like he was sleeping on his head. Hee hee!

Happy 2007 everyone!

Euphoria!

2006-12-20T22:46:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to report that I nailed both my Chem and Bio finals. Thanks for all the science voodoo fingers and good luck wishes! I'm pretty confident I got A's for the courses....I'm such a nerd now. Mom should be proud. But most importantly, no school for a month!!!

After the Bio final tonight, I was planning on getting myself a nice dinner. Um yeah, this is what I ended up going home with:
It might be a little overload, but I figured, 1 bottle of alky per person (me and my 2 drinking buddies), and 1 little bottle for Nermal. =) Sounds good to me!

That yummy alky is for Saturday. I spent tonight rehanking new yarn and watching Knicks game. Good stuff.

Preview

2006-12-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

Post-dyeing, pre-skeined (hanked?) yarn to be listed post-Bio final. =)

What type of alcohol shall I get for my end-of-semester celebration?

And FYI, I do get the Asian redface while drinking. This is how I looked on Saturday, post-Chem final. Yummy Sangria though!

Wow

2006-12-14T18:59:00.000-05:00

I'm totally thrilled that I've been getting pretty good business lately with my Etsy shop. I wish I had been more prepared for the holiday season. Under my old name, I had sold 67 items starting from end of January up till end of October. Under my new name, I have sold 59 64 items from end of October until now. Of course, I've been dyeing a little more yarn than before, and am also offering roving and batts. Hmm, and I wonder if my new and improved photos have helped any... At any rate, it's awesome to open up my Cherry Blossom Fibers Gmail account every day and see that items have been sold. Thank you to all the strangers AND knitty friends who have supported my little shop!

P.S. - The Nermal yarn sold! =) Someone wants socks that look like Nermal! hee~

P.P.S. - I am strangely calm and unalarmed about my Chem final on Saturday. That worries me.

Kitty Yarn Pron

2006-12-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

I tried to dye a colorway that matches Nermal's fur.

Not bad, eh? Although to be more accurate, I should've left some white spots in the yarn to represent his paws and face. Hee hee.
And cuz I love sharing pics of Nermal.... Here's another instance of Nermal resting on my arm while I was typing. Hilarious, but of course not as hilarious as when he smushed himself into a box that was way too small for him!

And lookie how small he used to be (excuse the bedhead and unflattering pic of me)! I got so nostalgic looking at his kitten pictures...

LOL, btw, he's on my left arm again as I type the end of this post.

Off to fake study/knit/watch tv. =)

Hello again

2006-12-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

Blame my extensive absence from this blog on school! The semester's almost over, so that means fun tests crammed in at the last minute, and of course, dreaded finals. I did manage to do decently well on my 3rd Chem test, so I'm happy about that. Just gotta get through my 2 finals, and I'll be free to relax and craft for a month! Wooohoo!

The week I spent sorta studying for that 3rd Chem test really put me in craft withdrawl. So that's what I've been up to post-Chem test. Been trying to dye as much as I can for the holiday season, but don't have a whole lot to show for it. I just don't know how other people manage to work full-time AND still whip up lots and lots of yarn to sell. Granted, I do have school now, but still.

Besides dyeing up some yarn, I also made some stitch markers for the shop. I love the green/turquoise beads! I seem to be a sucker for glass and swirly designs in glass. Which is why I would love to learn how to do lampwork and glassblowing. Ah the craft A.D.D. Sometimes I really miss beading and related crafts....but I'm just way more obsessed with fiber crafts. In fact, I'm very tempted to take a weaving class at F.I.T. next semester. It would be at the time slot my pottery class took up, so it would be so totally doable.

Speaking of my fiber obsession, I made 3 fiber/spinning purchases during that week of studying. And I've finally picked up all of them! I got some lovely multi-color roving from Copper Moose, some superwash merino wool mill ends (gotta find some time to spin up some sock yarn), and my VERY FIRST ever wool fleece. Why did I not buy a fleece when I was at Rhinebeck? Cuz I'm stupid (and I guess also cuz I didn't have a drum carder at the time). There's always next year. :D

Anyhoo, I got a Romney X fleece off of eBay, and I think I got a pretty good deal. I was actually initially interested in another fleece the seller was offering, but I totally got caught up in a conversation with my coworker and missed the end of the auction. I hate it when that happens...and it sold for SOOO much cheaper than the fleece I won. But I still got a good deal, so I'm happy. Will hopefully be washing/dyeing/carding the fleece sometime soon...although it's getting to be time to study for my Chem final now... crap!

Lastly, it's finally my turn to be featured on the Special Perks for Secret Pals blog! Cool, huh? Much thanks to Heatherly for taking the time out to feature the vendors participating!

Cat or Dog?

2006-11-26T11:17:00.000-05:00

Top 3 reasons Nermal might have been a dog in another life:

He is VERY expressive with his tail. Not just the usual up-down, but also side to side. This whole weekend, I did not see his tail still once - it was waggy the entire time he wasn't sleeping.
He eats EVERYTHING. This cat rarely turns up his nose at anything with even minimal nutritional content. Some interesting things he's eaten include: soy sauce, tails of shrimp, bread, melon popsicle, noodles, green tea ice cream, toothpaste, cashews, corn chips, and cheese. He's also eaten some questionable random things on the floor that have gone unseen.
And the #1 reason Nermal might have been a dog in another life: I caught him last night drinking out of the toilet. All together with me now.... EEEEEEEEEWWWW! He also drinks soapy bathwater. But he has fresh water in his bowl!!! I totally don't get it.

Bad News Good News

2006-11-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

Bad news: I woke up sick today. Well actually, I already felt a little under the weather yesterday. I get this weird feeling the day before I get sick, so I knew it was coming. Ironic thing is I was just discussing with my coworkers whether or not to get a flu shot. I'm hoping this is one of those 1-day bugs I seem to have the few times a year I get sick. Also bad news: getting woken up by incessant and annoying bell ringing at 10 in the morning, which turned into...

Good news: because it was the postman with a package for me! Who knew that USPS delivers on Sundays? Not me. He brought me a package from my SP9!! I seriously have the best SP9 - what a spoiler!
Christmas in November! I loved how everything was wrapped up so prettily. And the little notes had me guessing what was in each package. My SP9 is so thoughtful - she included something for Nermal! Nermal knew right away that there was something for him...I opened the box, got up to get my camera, and found Nermal had already stuck his head in, all sniff-happy.

It was a very potent catnip toy, as you can see from Nermal's thorough enjoyment:

Tuckered out from the catnip high.

And look at the goodies for me:
Yummy cheese twists & raspberry cordials, vanilla coconut soap, knitters' hand balm, kitty post-its, One Skein book, a hank of Silky Wool, and 2 hanks of Blue Sky Melange. I love it all! Thanks again Secret Pal!

Bad news: So I got my 2nd Chem test back - didn't do so hot (although I did get a whole bunch of extra credit, which definitely helps the score). Furthermore, we were just told yesterday that we're having our 3rd test
when we come back from Thanksgiving. O, and the material is sooooo f-ing difficult.

Good news: No Bio class Wednesday, no Chem class Saturday, and I get 4 much needed *full* days to relax, see family & friends, and craft. But then I also have to study. Gah.

Bad news: One more month till Christmas, and I have not knit everything I wanted to make for family and friends. I guess some will have to settle for getting them later.

Good news: I finished my sister's FT clogs! I felted them last night, and they're still drying. Now I just need to make a pair for my mom, and then a pair for me.

That's probably enough bad news good news for now.

Thanks everyone for all the compliments on my pottery! I'm exhuding the Big Head Syndrome again.

By the way, I have a package to send to Abu Dhabi:

How much postage do you think I need? :Þ

This should be on some sort of ironic Garfield site or something, hee hee.

Cindy Potter (insert British accent here)

2006-11-15T00:33:00.000-05:00

Yay! My 10-week pottery class is winding down, and I finally have something to show for it! Pottery is one sloooooooooooow process. These are the best of my thrown shapes, but my first attempts at glazing - so I like the shapes, but not super thrilled with the glazing!

This is supposed to be a candle votive - some of the holes I made were too small though, so I totally got some glaze stuck in them.

Here's a little bowl - very earthy. I'm not skilled enough to throw fine porcelain-type clays. And I'll just say I meant to

leave the rim and the foot minimally glazed.

This is the piece de resistance (of this batch anyways). What I'm especially proud of is the bottom of the piece. That was NOT easy for me to trim. And it totally gave me a neckache while I was trimming it. But I like it a lot!! And makes me look skilled. =)

Yep, so as you can see, it's still a learning process! I've got 4 more pieces getting bisque-fired soon, so hopefully I can finish those up by the time the class ends. And one of them is a noodle bowl that I HAVE to make pretty, cuz I will definitely use it!! And I definitely need to use a glaze other than blue and green (I was playing it "safe" with the glazes that the instructor said go well together)! Pottery is fun, but very time-consuming. I have too little time and patience at this point in my life to become a devoted potter, but perhaps later on in life...

Going to end this post with the obligatory yarn p0rn and a cool little tidbit...

Handdyed commercially-spun merino. Will be going in the shop as soon as Etsy finishes fixing all the bugs in Etsy V2!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
17
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Knitting? What knitting?

2006-11-10T12:17:00.000-05:00

Ok so I lied. I'm posting a little earlier than I said I would, but I needed a break from studying Chem. Seriously.

I realize that I have not posted any knitting in quite some time (specifically since the end of September). And the reason is I haven't really had much time to knit, with juggling work and school. Plus, I've been on dyeing and spinning kicks lately, so when I do have time, I'm doing those.

But to prove that I HAVE been knitting (just not a lot):
My first FT clog. I'm making a pair for my sister's birthday - I hope I can finish them by Thanksgiving when I see her!
My Gryffindor scarf - I'm about halfway finished. It is sooo thick. I think I coulda made a sweater out of the amount of yarn I'm using for this scarf!

Reminds me of ketchup and mustard. Yum, I kind of want a burger now.

By the way, I finally received my drum carder. I had to send it to my parents' house since I can never pick up UPS/Fedex/USPS packages. It arrived at my parents' last Friday, but due to said studying, I didn't get it till yesterday. I had no idea the drum carder would be so big. If this is a "petite", the normal sized ones must be gigundo! I carded some bright neon merino roving I had dyed a while back...

I must say, the carder blends the colors really well. And the resulting batts are very light and airy, so should be very easy to spin.

And if bright yellow and pink ain't your cup of tea, enjoy the new colorway I dyed up last week.
O yes, and also enjoy the Lorna's Laces I couldn't resist ordering while buying some Noro Cash Iroha for my SP9. This is my first LL, and I just love that Bittersweet colorway! This will become some pretty socks, since I can't afford the 3 skeins of Lion and Lamb for a Clapotis.

And lastly, Nermal being silly again.
I think you're a tad too big for that box, Nermal. Just a tad.

Of course, my opinion didn't stop him from curling up and taking a nap in that box. Hilarious cat had me cracking up for a few minutes. Totally reminded me of something I had seen on Cute Overload a couple of weeks back. Hee hee.

Back to studying. My sister sent me link of best jobs in the U.S. Physician assistant is #5 in best jobs, and #1 in fastest growing fields! Gotta remember the big picture when I'm trying to get through classes (especially Chem).

First Manos

2006-11-02T19:26:00.000-05:00

My SP9 is awesome! There was a package in my lil tiny mailbox (poor yarn all scrunched up), containing 2 hanks of this lovely stuff!!

My very first Manos ever - in color 113 - Wildflowers. I had put this on my wishlist so that I could finally knit my so called scarf. The colors are so pretty!! Thank you so much, Secret Pal, for a lovely end of the day gift that helped turn my eh- day around!

And look, the smallest hank of yarn ever:
(I "made" it from the 2 pieces of yarn tying the 2 hanks together!) Cute, eh?

I'll be back to blogworld after the 11th. I'll be unhappily studying for my Bio and Chem test in the meantime (starting after Grey's Anatomy tonight). =)

What's in a name?

2006-10-30T01:32:00.000-05:00

A lot, I tell ya. I had been disliking the "Sunset Yarns" name for my Etsy shop for a while, but didn't get motivated to change it until 5 days ago. I have been pondering and pondering names and name combinations for like 3 days. I wanted something that was prettier and more product-encompassing, especially since I will soon be offering handpainted roving that is easy as heck to draft and doesn't look like some weird caked noodles. O yes, and that's because I bought a drum carder on Friday. And THAT is because I've been spinning the roving I got at Rhinebeck, and they were soooooo much softer and easier to spin with than the roving I've dyed before...and I realized that is because their roving was probably drum carded. Hence, my making another large fiber-related purchase that I don't have the money for. But I don't regret buying something that is good for my hobbies and my shop.

Anyhoo, so I've been obsessing about what to rename my shop (and bothered a couple of friends regarding possible names). It was fun and funny testing out the possibilities in Etsy. One of my possible names was "Pink Lotus" and lo and behold, there was already an Etsy user with that name. I was also going with "Ming Fibers" for a bit - Ming being part of my Chinese name, but then I decided it didn't flow too well and didn't sound all that pretty. After 3 days of riding on the subway with a vacant expression on my face, thinking about possible names, here is what I finally decided on:
I've always thought cherry blossoms were pretty (who doesn't?), and even thought about getting a tattoo of cherry blossoms. It might have been solidified in my mind to use this name while I was spinning up that luscious pink roving with streaks of plum and red I got at Rhinebeck. The background for the new shop banner is a pic of the yarn I spun up with that roving.

Speaking of which, I've been spinning indeed! I love the multi-colored roving I got at Rhinebeck and wish I had gotten more. This is the yarn in the new shop banner background. It's 1 ply bulky, and I got about 117 yards out of 4 ounces. It reminds me of cherry blossoms, but more so of candy canes. And it is soooooo incredibly soft. Softer than Malabrigo, I dare say.

Of course, Blogger stopped letting me upload pics halfway through this post. Figures. Anyway, this one is 2 ply worsted, and I got about 94 yards out of this one.

I also have some new handdyed sock yarn that I am loving! Too bad I don't have any patience for knitting socks at the moment.

I love this one so much. But the background is driving me nuts...don't know why it keeps coming out this way for just this colorway.

Much better!

As usual, have a great week everyone!

Fun at Rhinebeck!

2006-10-22T22:19:00.000-04:00

Hello there!

Today, Ebony, Trina and I woke up bright and early and headed over to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. We also met up with Sharon and Cathy there for lunch and to gab about our festival scores. It was nice to meet you, Cathy, and good to see you again, Sharon! Anyhoo, this was the first trip to Rhinebeck for all of us, and I think I can speak for all of us in saying that we loved it! There was just so much to see and touch, and stare at, and drool over. The first 30 minutes was, as Sharon put it, "complete sensory overload". Roving, yarns, woven scarves, spindles, spinning wheels, alpaca & sheep toys, felt kits, needles, slippers, rugs, sweaters, hats, mittens, brooms, soap, fudge, buttons, jewelry...and soooo much more that I can't name. And the colors...the colors....so inviting and pretty. Besides my wallet, my eyes and fingers got good workouts!

The expression on Ebony's face? It means "46 bucks for this?! But it's so pretty..."

Look at the serious fluffitude of this angora! Cute rabbits on sale everywhere. It would be cool to own one, but I don't think Nermal's havin that.

These 2 sheep (forgot the type) were sitting in identical positions and doing everything in unison. Chew chew chew swallow chew blink. Very amusing to watch.

Alpaca - how I love thee! This was another funny sight - see how the smaller alpaca is using the big one as a head rest?

Happy but tired faces.

Curious to see what type of goodies I bought? Surprisingly, halfway through the day, all but one of my purchases was roving! I left with a whole bunch of roving and definitely not enough yarn. I just couldn't bring myself to buy the handdyed yarns, since I can do that myself. And I didn't see a lot of handspun yarn that was soft, pretty, and affordable. Trina bought a skein of merino/silk that was buttery soft and pretty, but I didn't want any more blue/turquoise yarns.

Aren't these luscious? The middle one is a merino/silk blend, and the other two are 100% merino.
I also got some solid color roving - a bag of beigish tan baby alpaca somewhere, and then 3 bags of great roving at the Little Barn tent. Great choices here, and affordable. Got some teal baby alpaca, undyed superwash wool, and undyed CASHMERE! I can't wait to try that stuff! The only buyer's remorse I'm having is that I didn't buy more of this stuff!!

The 2 lonely skeins of yarn I bought. Both mohair - the left will probably be a scarf, and I want to knit a shawl with the right one, but have no idea what pattern. I have the Diamond Fantasy Shawl pattern on the way already, but I don't think that would look good in this yarn. Any suggestions?

All in all, it was a fun day. I still had $40 left over from my funds, which is good. If money was no object though, I would've bought a WHOLE LOT more. I think I'll be making Rhinebeck a yearly thing. Next time, I want to spend more time checking out the workshops and demonstrations. I also have to check out the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival too....

I'm as pooped as Nermal is, so it's off to bed! If you don't see a blog post from me in a while, it'll be because I'm busy spinning all the great roving I bought! O yeah, and studying too. Riiight.

Squeee!!!

2006-10-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

Today I picked up a package from my Secret Pal. She wasn't kidding when she told me to get ready to be spoiled in her greeting e-mail to me!! It felt like Christmas opening up the box and pulling out item after beautiful item! I love everything and am so touched that she gave me not just one, but TWO handmade items! Thank you soooo much, Secret Pal!

Look at all the goodies!!!

2 skeins of Italian merino wool in blue, teal, & white, and 1 skein of Lion Brand Magic Stripes in purple, blue, & white....
Various goodies - a cool purple Halloween skull dish, some yummy candles that smell like Grape Bubblicious, a sheet of Halloween stickers, a mini tape measure, and my favorite Lindt chocolates!
And look - the 2 things handmade by my Secret Pal!!!!! On the left is my SP's version of the Knit2Go bag in a pretty blue floral print. The inside fabric is a different but equally pretty blue print. Needless to say, I'm jealous of the sewing skills of my SP! I love it~ I can't wait to get a small project on the needles and carry it around in my new knitting project bag! And there on the right is the Ballband Dish Cloth handknit by my SP! My very first knit dish cloth...it's so pretty, I really don't want to use it for actual washing...

As you can see, I'm definitely being spoiled. I hope my SP giver gets as spoiled as I am right now! I just sent my SP recipient her first package, and I'm feeling inadequate! lol. But I'm going to Rhinebeck this weekend (more squee!!!), so I can definitely get some goodies there.

And because I'm loving the light box and my new and improved pics so much, here ya go:

SP9 Contest Questionnaire

2006-10-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

My SP9 hostess Heatherly posted a contest with a short questionnaire, so here goes:

1. Where is your favorite knitting spot? on my couch watching TV
2. If you suddenly could never knit again (shudder) - what would you do instead? Take up (again) all the other crafts I've been neglecting, such as scherenschnitte, earring-making, polymer clay, plastic canvas; and also try some new ones on my ever growing and changing list of crafts to try out.
3. If you could travel anywhere in the world - where would you go and why? EVERYWHERE - I love being in new places and seeing & experiencing different cultures
4. When you were little - What did you want to do "when you grew up?" Are you doing it? I didn't have any childhood aspirations.... I wanted to be an interior designer when I was in h.s. though...and I'm not doing it. I wish I could craft for a living and be able to live comfortably, but sadly, that's not really possible.
5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? That's hard to choose (my parents own a Baskin Robbins)...but I guess if I absolutely had to pick, it would be Cookies 'N Cream. Pralines 'N Cream is good too, yum. I also love Haagen Daazs Pineapple Coconut, but it's really rich, so can't eat too much of it.

As you can see, I have trouble picking just ONE answer - variety IS the spice of life! =)

1 year 1 song

2006-10-15T20:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my blogiversary (I thought it was actually today). It's funny to see how different things were just one year ago - Nermal was still a baby, I had just rediscovered knitting via KH, I was still crocheting, I was obsessed with Kool-Aid dyeing.... Now, Nermal is bigger (though his head is still tiny, hee hee), I'm less of a knitting novice and definitely more obsessed (just look at how my stash has grown!), that crochet blanket is still unfinished (has grown only about, oh 3 inches in a year), and I have my own Etsy shop with acid-dyed AND handspun yarns. Very cool.

What better way to commemorate a year of blogging than to blog about my usual favorite topics: life, Nermal, and knitty craftiness!

Yesterday I had my big anticipated Chem test. I have Chem only on Saturdays, from 8-4:10. I didn't have the test until 2:20, since we have lab in the morning and short mini-lecture periods the rest of the time. It was such torture going through those 6 hours. But the test came, I took it, and thought I did decently well. Done finally! I was soooo happy that it was over. But, the added bonus was that the professor marked the tests as soon as we handed them in, so I already know what I got. And I got a 97!! I could not believe it - I thought the best I could've got was a 90. Did I mention that I hate Chemistry and Physics? I did horribly in both in high school. I think I didn't even know how to balance equations in Chem back in high school, and now here I am getting a 97 on a Chem test. What a trip. It must have been because of all the good luck wishes everyone sent me! =)

And Nermal...well Nermal is such a hilarious doofus. He must've not wanted me to do well on my test, because while I was studying Friday night, he jumped up onto the table and proceeded to lie right across my Chem textbook and not move. I shooed him off and proceeded to study. 10 minutes later, my living room light went out. No, it wasn't a power outage, it was Nermal flipping off the light switch! I'm not joking here - he's done that before, but it's been a while.

And here's Nermal sleeping in some yarn - what am I knitting him a kitty bed for? Don't worry, I gave him the yarn willingly - I had felted it by accident while I was washing it.

And to conclude, here are some yarn p0rn pics for your enjoyment. All are available in my shop except for the first one.

Have a great week everyone!

Etsy V2

2006-10-13T19:40:00.000-04:00

Ooooo, Etsy V2 is coming soon - how exciting! It looks great, and I can't wait for its debut. The new version should definitely make it easier for both the buyer and the seller.

Back to studying, yuck!

P.S. - For those of you wondering how the letter to my upstairs neighbor went, it went ok (no response, but there was noticably less noise for a whole week, wow) until today - the day before my big Chem test. Of course. Kid's been sporadically stomping around even louder than originally since 7. If it continues on, I might just have to attempt the confrontation thing again. Ugh. I need to move to Canada.

Lessons in light

2006-10-08T01:48:00.000-04:00

Photographing my yarn has always been difficult for me - some colors just did not want to show off their true forms in photos. I used to believe that sunlight was the best light for photographing my yarn, but then I realized that for darker colorways, sunlight was too bright and washed out the different hues. Then there was the dilemma of too little light using just indoor lighting. Using flash would produce a very bright sheen on everything, and not using flash made yarns look very dull and crappy. Very frustrating indeed, let me tell ya. I'd be oohing and ahhing over a colorway I achieved and then when I posted the photo, it would be completely different from the prettiness I saw while dyeing. Well, no more of that bs!!

I had seen the instructions for this light box a while back, but didn't get around to building one until today. I was also considering making this light box of PVC piping and bedsheet, but cutting pipes? Heck no. So I made the one with the foamboards. The construction didn't take long at all, which is good since I have less patience than usual lately. Materials came out to be around $30, but it's worth it to get much nicer pics for my shop and for plain ol enjoyment.

Here's a photo using the first setup I had. Not too bad, considering what kind of crap photos I've taken before. But then the yellowish light was really bugging me, especially since I bought special "true color" bulbs instead of plain ol normal bulbs. (Btw, that's some scrumptious Patons SWS I couldn't resist at Michaels today while I was buying the foamboard for the light box.)

It's a good thing someone having the same problem had left a comment on the tutorial website, and another person had responded with the solution. A very simple one indeed. I set my camera to indoor settings, and voila!

So, which one looks better to you? For the left one, I pointed the lights on the yarn; while for the right one, I reflected the lights off the ceiling of the light box. But both of them are definitely great improvements over that first pic, shoot!

And you know what this means. New and improved yarn p0rn pics soon to come! =Þ

My Secret Pal 9 Questionnaire

2006-10-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

2 posts in one day - you might think I'm really bored, but in actuality, I'm just delaying my studying...which IS boring, but not in the twiddle-your-thumbs way. Anyhoo, SP9 is my first swap ever, so I can't delay the answering of the questionnaire any longer (1 day was enough!).

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I like to knit with any yarn that is soft, especially merino & baby alpaca. I love handspun too..if I could spin all the yarn I use without driving myself crazy, I would! I absolutely do not like novelty or acrylic yarns (I'm a yarn snob).
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I've got the KP Options needles, so that comes in its own case, and my straights and DPNs are in a large custom needle case I bought.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting for 1.5 years - the first .5 year was way back in high school when I first learned (English) from a friend. I got frustrated with the slowness and my general crappiness so I stopped for a long while, until about a year ago when I stumbled upon KH, and relearned knitting (Continental). I would consider my skill level to be lower intermediate.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, you can find it here.
5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I like fruit scents..yum.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? YES, especially lately. Lindt Lindor Truffles White Chocolate! Omg, I just salivated.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I am the queen of craft a.d.d.iction, so I have tried a substantial amount of crafts. My favorite ones so far are knitting, spinning, scherenschnitte, and earring making. The latest craft I'm trying is pottery, and I like it very much! I envisioned a pottery studio of my own after the first class, lol. Yes, I often have delusions of crafty grandeur!
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Variety is the spice of life, so my taste in music is the same. Looking at my playlist, the majority of my music is R&B and hip hop, but I also have pop, light rock, dance, country, oldies, and Chinese music on there. Yes my computer plays MP3s.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? My favorite colors are violet/lilac/purple, sky blue/turquoise/blue. I don't like dark greens or browns much..I used to joke that I didn't like the puke and shat colors, hehe.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I'm single and lonely (Chris Rock joke)! I have my crazy/stupid/funny/cute kitty Nermal.
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes, yes, yes, and no (but I would if I had a nice one).
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Scarves - they're simple to knit and make great gifts
13. What are you knitting right now? Log Cabin throw, Gryffindor scarf, handspun (not mine) bag; gotta start 3 pairs of Fiber Trends clogs soon
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? YES! Especially since I'm usually the giver of handmade gifts!
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? For comfort, probably circular needles, but I like the aesthetics of straights, especially if they're pretty ones, like the pair of Lantern Moon ones I have. Aluminum needles are like drugs to me - I just say no. They're part of the reason I didn't like knitting when I first learned...so uncomfortable and painful to use! I was so ignorant back then. Bamboo and nickel-plated hollow brass - I like.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both.
17. How old is your oldest UFO? Knitting-wise, Jaywalkers that I started earlier this year, and will never finish. Crochet-wise, a blanket that I started more than 2 years ago!
18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, because it's long and I get to see family.
19. Is there anything that you collect? Hobbies. I'm laughing, but that's not really a joke! O, and of course, yarn!
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Just the yarns on my wishlist that I haven't indulged in yet cuz I'm trying to pull myself out of debt. I don't have any knitting mag subscriptions.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Knitting a sweater and fair isle come to mind.
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, but not as often as I'd like. I'm a size 8.5 shoe, so that's about 9.5 inches in length.
23. When is your birthday? 02/16/82