Just left of normal

Ok as promised, an update with added visual stimulation of my newest arrival. When i received it i was so excited i didn't even think about taking pictures before i tore into it. Thankfully it was double enveloped, the outer one had a little snag but no further damage. The roving itself was rolled up in cute tissue paper and secured with a sticker. To be honest i was really impressed with the welcome gift and overall presentation. We purchased it from exclusivelylindalee.etsy.com, she also included a Customer to Friend certificate which included a discount for all future purchases. I defiantly recommend giving her shop a look.

Here is the welcome gift spun (and my eye popping leader yarn) i wasted no time, i even kicked sam off the phone to do so. And let me tell you it is so lovely and soft you almost can't feel it. I am working on building up stock so i can reopen my etsy shop. So i'll keep you posted, for now i will leave you with a few more pics.

I think i contemplate posting a lot more often than i actually post. I think if i had a lap top, being that it's portable then I'd post way more often because i could bring the computer instead of having to bring the stuff upstairs to the computer.

I got the roving Sam bought for me yesterday. I was so excited i opened it all up before i even thought about taking pictures. The shop owner included a 'Welcome Gift' of some extra roving soooo pretty. I kicked Sam off the phone and spun up the extra roving right away. It wasn't a lot a small ball maybe just enough for a hat or a small neck warmer. I did much better on one but that in part is due to how soft and lush it is, so soft you almost can't feel it. I took more time and care to drafting and created a long piece that i could put on my arm. The yarn is more even this time as well somewhere between a sock yarn and a worsted weight (maybe thats the same thing but i dunno). I have pictures of all of this to post but my poor camera died and is currently charging. I'll have to add them in later along with more info about the etsy seller (i was quit impressed).

I am notorious for having way more projects going at once than i can actually finish. This my secret project, i am sort of free handing. This one should take me a good while because of the size of the finished product (intended size anyway). Once i am farther along i will share more, to be honest it's still in birthing phase.

I feel like i post way less often than maybe i should. It seems to me that the feed numbers jump around like crazy. I've been thinking about making a craft blog of mostly just tutorials and walk through's of really cool projects. What sort of really cool projects you ask? Well... cool ones, lol and of course eco-friendly. Tell me what you all think.

Speaking of i actually have an idea for something i want to try today, i'll update later.

I almost forgot to add the bit about the Baby Clapotis. When i first started my clapotis i was way excited and got as far as starting the body and after the first drop i was disappointed. I didn't like the look of two strands in the drop (i had been knitting it with 2 strands help together). But i didn't want to waste all that work and frog the whole thing. So i went ahead and bound it off (yes adding the drops). I thought i could add icording to the two long ends and let my baby wear it. Set it on the back and criss cross the front over the tummy, allow the cording to continue around and tie in the back (which is a plus cause it will also be hidden). However the increase rows in the pattern aren't going to be enough for a child over say 15 to 18 months. i suggest continuing the increase rows an addition 6 times. Also you could measure your child, with their arms out wrist to wrist and continue until it's approximately that long.

I am so excited i just thought i'd throw in this little blurb, i talked sammy into buying me some roving off etsy (after a little coercion and bargaining)it's a lovely mix of pastels called Party Mints which it does look exactly like. I pray that it will be beautiful to work with - at least more so than the first. Here is a picture of my humble little spindle.

I had dad drill the whole in the center of the wood which actually worked pretty well. I've had to glue the whorl 3 times though because my dad would see it on the table and fiddle with it. He'd ask if it was working out or what it was for while he'd just pop the whorl loose like it wasn't even glued and slide it up to the hook or down the other end. Then he'd try to spin the whorl on the dowel and make a comment about it not spinning very well, then i'd tell him the whole thing spins at once not just the whorl. Then he'd say "oh, well it slides around an awful lot for that" *smacks forehead* The other two times i wasn't present when he moved the whorl but i know he did because aside from it being loose it was in a different spot than i put it in.

Alright i am off to work on my Ridged Lace Cowel (a pattern from Elinor Brown found here) - which is actually the real reason i came up here to the computer because the pattern was just not coming out like the picture and i had to find out what was going on. I found the exact issue on her ravelry page "Pattern was corrected 6/3/08 to remove a stray YO. New stitch pattern repeat should read ”yo, k1, yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2”" I was ending up with all these extra stitches and not enough pattern repeat and then it just looked really wonky. Now it should be better.

P.S. If you have any comments on my drop spindle, maybe i should make the whorl smaller or something... let me know please and thank you :D

A few posts ago i mentioned some smelly roving... well the last 4 days have really been adventures in spinning. I found out through my craftster post how to wash the roving and so i did, it went well. Though i only did two strips at a time rather than the whole mass because i was to afraid of it felting because it's really kinky grabby wool. After having it out of the bag for a while i realized maybe it wasn't as smelly as i thought. It did smell a little but it could have been magnified by the fact that it had been in a plastic under the bed box for at least 6 months. Also the water didn't appear to be dirty at all so i opted not to wash the rest and go ahead and spin all of it and worry about washing it later.

I split the strips into quarters and drafted each one (however at the time i couldn't remember that word for the life of me). I had seen several videos where people were just spinning and it looked easy. What i didn't see was the "pinching it off" then let it run up. Though it wasn't to bad, i didn't expect my first spin to be perfect. I spun it all and then the error REALLY started.
I was completely unaware of how or the need to set the spin of the yarn. Though i thought something should happen i just had no idea what. I ended up wrapping the yarn in a center pull ball and fought with it the whole time. I knew i must be missing a step so i took to scouring youtube again for something more in depth. I finally found these videos by Megan (i am not going to butcher the spelling of her last name). She's adorable not to mention clear and thorough in her explanations. She made three videos that take you through drafting the yarn, spinning then finishing it. Exactly what i was looking for, not to mention it included all the details i was missing. She also has the videos on her site www.theartofmegan.com (adorable as well) so check her out.

I proceeded to wrap the yarn around the chair back and being the so very smart person i am, i didn't notice the issue until i was done wrapping it. Can you see my new dilemma? *sigh* So i carefully wrapped it back onto the needlework frame i had it on the day before from the chair. I successfully tied it, put it in hot water and wrung it out in the correct direction. Currently it's hanging in the laundry room with about 8 hangers hanging on the bottom. haha. Hopefully i left it in the hot water long enough. There are a few more pictures on flicker if you want to flip through. I'll let you know how it finishes up.

I have been stalking spinning videos, posts and websites for a while now with the intention of making a drop spindle. I have the parts i just need to sand them and put them together. I bought some beautifully colored roving about a year ago and still have it. However it actually smells really strongly, like they just sheared the sheep and threw it in the bag. But that seems odd because it is dyed, it would have had to be in some liquid at some point which would at least rinse it enough to reduce or eliminate the smell, right? Or is this totally normal? I don't just mean it smells strongly i mean i can smell it through the plastic bag it's in without even bringing it close to my face. If this isn't normal how can i get rid of the smell? Should i wash it and if i am going to wash it should i do it before or after i spin it? Ugh i started a thread on craftster asking the same question. Really any suggestions let me know.

Last night i got all googly eyed over a homemade oreo's recipe from smittenkitchen.com and just had to make them. They came out so well... but let me tell you they are very sweet when you haven't eaten many rich foods in a good while. But it's ok they will just last longer since i can't handle more than one at a time. And i thought it would only be appropriate to store them in one of my moms old tins (she has lots) that looks like an oreo. If you enjoy cooking and know someone who likes oreos try these. Everyone's reaction has been "are these supposed to taste like real oreos?" and i nod or say kinda.. maybe.. ya and they soon follow it with "cause these are way better, these are so good." I am using my co-workers as guinea pigs and making them leave me a comment card if they have one. I might adjust the recipie just a tad to make the cookies a little chewier and the filling a little less intensly sweet. We'll see, i'll make my mom help me.

I am so excited about a design I've been working on today... well a couple. I have done a fair amount of brainstorming throughout and trying to draw out whats in my head as well as work out the logistics of putting it together. I've nearly finished my first prototype and i've actually learned a lot about how i want to work the next one differently. But i like it's finished look it just needs tweaking. I also need to perfect the order it is put together and write it out or i may forget something. For the sake of surprise i can't show you a full pic but i will show you this teaser.

The other small yet sort of big news is that i decided to go ahead change the yarn of the clapotis i was working on which was a little disappointing since i had already finished the increase rows and moved into the body. It may not sound like to much to some of you, but to be honest i've never knit anything larger than a hat or scarf. So it was a bit of an accomplishment for me that i had gotten that far. But i am not going to give up i really want to finish this one. I changed over to a dusty blue worsted weight. Hopefully it will go a little faster this time haha.

I've tried to write this post at least 3 times now...

So lately I've done a lot of knitting, though I've known how to crochet since i was young. Here is my dilemma: I love.. no, adore the look of knitted work i think that it is beautiful. The problem being i am still pretty new to it and don't get it done that fast so i loose interest, start a new project, then end up frogging the previous one to use the yarn elsewhere. On the flip side i can crochet... i can crochet well and fast. Now it's not wholly bad, i've made several crochet items, but to be honest i don't really care for the look of it or the knotty lumpy way it feels. Thats not to say that i don't see crochet things that i think are great and beautiful too.

Which brings me to amigurumi. Amigu-what? Amigurumi is Japanese for small stuffed toy. Most of the time you will only see crochet amigurumi, though you will see knit ones sometimes too. If you get really hardcore and translate a pattern directly from japanese text to english don't be confused, they will refer to it as "knit" (which will be the literal translation) though the example pictures will be crochet.
This is a branch of crochet i do happen to enjoy, i dabbled in it a bit before but for some reason it's really sparked my interest lately. So here is my recent project, it's a mushroom with a stuffed base and hollow cap with a lift flap. The pattern is here. I wasn't sure if i'd like it because of the way the base looks, and now i know i don't really care for the way they did it. So i am going to try a free hand version of my own.
This picture was taken yesterday, i actually added the finishing buttons to the cap this morning (i'll post a pic soon).

If you are interested in amigurumi here are a few sites that will help you out a bit including one with a great directory cute patterns.

Amigurumi Crash Course
Amigurumi Double (magic adjustable) Ring **
A Crochet Toy Chest

**I prefer the double ring to the single, i find it holds the work tighter and leaves less need to weave in the end if any, though this tutorial tells you to pull a bit differently than i would. (i'll do a short tut sometime)

I have to share an amazing site with all my fellow crafters (i.e. knitters and crocheters). I was reminded of it at work last week when a gal with a little bag from a specialty yarn store on her arm came through my line. I sparked the conversation with "are you a knitter?". The conversation came around to her telling me about a site called Ravelry. At first it sounded distantly familiar and i took note to look it up later. Once i did it was haunting but still wasn't sure until i clicked the waiting list checker then i knew (because of the llama). I was sure that i had signed up a long time ago so i tried a few emails and nothing so i put myself back on the waiting list with with some odd 2,000 people ahead of me.

I checked it again the other day and it popped up with a message that my invitation was recent in case it was missed or banished to spam, that the original was sent in October of 2007. Woot!
So let me tell you a little about it. It was spawned from a frustrated knitter who had trouble finding concise and put together information on patterns, yarns, gauges etc. Her significant other happens to be a programmer, so together they are building this site. Basically it's an online craft organizer you can upload pictures, future projects, catalog all your yarns, needles, even knitting books. It does however have a waiting list but actually moves pretty fast. I'm sure the main reason for that is to control the amount they are taking in for now since they are still building and only have one coder (to my knowledge). It's totally free and from what i understand they plan to keep it that way. It really is an amazing tool that will help you keep track of your stuff. I am currently in progress of listing all my yarns and needles and things so i can add them in. (Along with a little late spring cleaning.) So check out Ravelry, here is my page.

At work (a large well known bookstore which i can not disclose for legal reasons) i was standing around trying not to continuously bug the 2 whole customers in my department. And on our lovely Gaiam gondola there is a wealth of yoga mats in every color and shape, some are shorter, or thicker, or wider there is even a 'light weight travel mat'. And looking at them i was wondering do you really need a mat to do yoga? I mean unless you are on a tile floor, or maybe a sidewalk... isn't the floor/ground soft enough? Really, i was honestly contemplating getting one then i stopped myself and wondered why, do i really need this. Maybe its just a "grown-up" version of the kindergarten carpet squares "Spread out so when you stretch out your arms you don't phack your neighbor. If you can touch the person next to you, your to close."

Or maybe there is an actual reason - that i am just completely unaware of and totally ignorant on the subject. If so, someone correct me. Despite this for whatever reason i still want to get a yoga mat, but since i don't really have the money to blow right now and i don't know what it's actually for i've decided on this... I've been wanting to make the Namaste Knitty pattern for some time though you can see why i didn't have occasion to knit it before. My plan is that if i knit myself a Namaste -to completion- (who knows how long that maybe, if ever) then i will reward myself with a yoga mat to put in it.

So REALLY... does anyone know why we have to have a mat for yoga??

This is the second post for today, i just didn't think it would be good to add this onto the end of the last post (if you read it you know why). As you may know I've been working on my first clapotis and i realized that the last row i did i was distracted by the baby and my dad. When i went to do the next row today i noticed that there was a large part of the row in the middle with purls instead of knits (i was on a wrong side row in which you work purl all the way through). This is something that happens to me sometimes when i feel to comfortable in purl and let myself get distracted.

Pulling it off the needles and frogging down a row would be out of the question because i would totally loose track of where my stitch markers go. After a bit of "hmm-ing" and "hah-ing" over it I decided the best thing to do would be to slip over to the stitches (i am already working on cables so i didn't need to bring in reinforcements), drop them individually and use a crochet hook to fix them... one by one. There were roughly 47 stitches to fix. Took me a little while but it was a success. Right now i'm on the last set of increase stitches, which i am greatful for. I really want to get started on the body of it and see some of the drops so it feels like i am actually making progress.

Since the clapotis took the knitting world by storm a few years back i've been infected with a curiosity as to what all the rage about. I mean there are entire blogs and knitting groups devoted to this single work. So i decided to make one...

I was nearly impressed with myself for being so diligent and sticking with it so far and was impressed by the size it was, then i remembered looking at the schematic chart and realized i had actually only completed about a fifth of it. So in order to not feel overwhelmed or discouraged i desided that i wouldn't read beyond the section of the pattern i was working on. Though i did happen to see the next section (which is the middle and bulk of the work) is repeated 12 times. *sigh* i won't give up haha.

Every now and then i get to buy something for myself and be totally excited about it. Since i've been knitting more i've become more aware of different tools and aids that i wasn't previously sure of. Being a fan of Clover brand knitting products i snapped this right up. (Click the picture for more info) You all may see the return of the Etsy shop at this rate. So i'll keep you updated on the progress of both.

This past weekend (yes i realize it's already almost the weekend again) I decided to do a weekend project. Originally i was planning to start it on Friday but it ended up being my Sunday afternoon project.

I bought Amy Butler's book In Stitches back around Christmas as a gift to myself, it has a little bit of everything, lots of worthy projects so you will be seeing more of these projects from me. I picked probably the the easiest or almost easiest one to start with. I made one of the floor cushions, the "small" one. I am uber happy with the way it turned out (close ups of the buttons on flickr). I intend to make another out of the remaining hounds tooth fabric i have, though i probably won't be getting to it for a few weeks. Then i will try out the "large" one. The large one is 25W x 48L (yeesh), mine is only 25W x 25L but is very comfy.

On a random note, when i opened google today in the little you tube box something about four eyed monsters caught my eye. I clicked it and watched it and was totally hooked, as i am sure is everyone else who watches it. Apparently this guy and girl met online and pulled each other out of solitude and decided to live together and started this project. I have yet to watch the first episodes, the episode i had clicked was episode 9 and there are 13. So go check them out and give me some feedback on what you think of it.