Category Archives: Me

Whoa! Happy New Year 2013!

Time sure has flown, hasn’t it. Last I blogged it was the end of November. I’d petered out that last week or so of NaBloPoMo. I was holding my own for a bit there, but yeah. I’d probably have better luck with a sweater. ;)

But the holiday time has come and gone and there was crafting and the emergence of a new, obsession, to use a better word. Nails!

Christmas nails--Project52 week 52

I’d gone to a holiday swap dinner and learned about a monthly nail subscription from Julep. I really like the polishes I got from it; nice and thick, smooth texture and nearly opaque on the first coat! Not sure I’ll purchase every month but I’ll definitely be participating again. I like nail polish because it’s a way to pretty myself up without makeup. I don’t work outside the home, so I have very little need to keep up foundation and lipstick and all that jazz, so nails are the next best thing!

Between polish changes I’ve been crafting.

Cowl-Hat--Project52 week 51

Oh So Cozy Cowl

Handspun Falkland from ShadyFibers

Size 5.0mm  Tunisian crochet hook(H)

Remember when I picked up tunisian crochet back in 2012? Well, it resurfaces every so often and this time it was in the form of a cowl. Strangely enough, it was too narrow to be comfortable so I cinched off the top and now it’s a hat! Perfect! It has a nice, easily memorized stitch pattern, and I’ll probably try it again and get it right the next time!

And here’s my first two FO’s of the new year:

Quick Cable Slouch Hat

Quick Cable Slouch Hat

ArtYarns “Reality”, which I received in the holiday swap

Size 4.5mm and 6.5mm needles

Seed Stitch Mittens (for me)

Seed Stitch Mittens for Men

Misti Alpaca “Qolla”, also received in the holiday swap

Size 4.0mm needles

I’m currently working on a tunisian crochet shawl called Venus. I’m almost done, but here’s a sneak peek:

venus_beginnings_medium

It’s turning out fairly large unblocked because I’m using a sport weight yarn instead of lace, but it won’t grow that much more because it’s a microfiber yarn.

That’s it for this post, TTFN!

And There It Goes…(NaBloPoMo Days 24-30)

I knew I couldn’t do it. I start out all gung-ho and lose steam. Never fails. I can live with it. I’m just not that deep. If I don’t have anything to say, I don’t say anything. And so it goes with blogging. Oh sure, I probably could pop something out regularly if I were being compensated for it, and yes, I know, blogging shouldn’t always be about money. But hell, not a whole lot happened in those 7 days, so I moved on quietly.

 

OK that’s not entirely true. In those 7 days, I finished the Loop Batt, and the Lavendar No-name fiber. At least 200 yds on each of those, weight to be determined. Now I’ve got the Little Bart Coopworth on the bobbin.  I started it out on the spindle and it just didn’t draft well. Once I switched to the wheel it was easy breezy. But I then realized I can’t long-draw for shit and gave up on ever doing that. I’m an inch worm/short-draw spinner, and I’m OK with that.

I cast on and finished a brown hat to match my Harlequin. And queded a crap-ton of projects I shouldn’t have when I have a bunch of untouched WIPs and stacks of other things already in the queue. No wonder I can’t finish anything; I can’t finish anything! ;)

 

I also realized I’m going to have to get it together concerning DIY projects I’ve been wanting to do. Like making my own PVC niddy-noddy and skein winder. I’d like to take another shot at making my own door-table but this time, I’ll use a solid door and sturdier legs. I still would like a folding option, which will complicate things, as I hadn’t been able to locate a sturdy pair of folding legs anywhere the last time I tried a door-table. I’ll have to look harder next year.

 

So much to do, so little time. Bit off more than I could chew, but, unlike with food, I can spit some out, set it aside and take it slow. Yeah, who am I kidding. Full speed ahead! I must craft All. The. Things!

 

TTFN!

 

 

My OTHER Favorite Thing (NaBloPoMo day 13)

I love to read. Though lately, I’ve been doing lots of other things, I always come back to it at some point. As a curious(or nosy, depending on who you asked) child, I found reading to be more than just about learning. It took me places I couldn’t go. To times, past or future.  It let me be people I could never be, if only for a few hundred pages.  Reading took me out of the mundane and into something so fantastic, so awe-inspiring, so rich. I could explore the 5 senses without ever leaving the room.  Some stories gripped me to the point where I can recall their plots as if I’d just finished reading them, especially if I’d done so more than once.

Some of my favorite stories? “Lillith’s Brood”, by Octavia E. Butler, which I’ve read two or three times already and I will certainly read it again. Another of my favorites is “The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, by Greg Matthews. I’ve read it three times just from borrowing it from the library and finally scored a softcover edition to keep. I can still remember laughing hysterically at some parts, on the subway on my way to and from high school the first time I read it. Didn’t care if people stared. Still don’t.

Another one is “Watchers”, by Dean Koontz. I picked that one up at the library as a teen, simply out of boredom. I read the back cover and  immediately knew I’d love it because it involved my favorite dog, a Golden Retriever. That was the beginning of a long love affair with all things Dean Koontz and all his previous pen names.  Some other memorable books are “Wild Seed”, also by Octavia E. Butler, “The Ceremonies”, by T.E.D. Klein, and a bunch of cat-oriented mysteries by Charlotte McLeod, starting with “The Family Vault”.  In fact, I’m currently looking into getting a hold of  her books and enjoying them again.

For now, though, I’ve stocked my Kindle Fire with a slew of goodies I can’t make up my mind about.  I did get a bit into that Lightroom book and it’s already got me planning on reorganizing my photos and getting a spare external drive.  Better get on that before it goes boom.

TTFN!

Overloaded (NaBloPoMo day 10)

Whoops. Missed day 9. Sorry about that. Let’s move on, shall we?

Overloaded. That’s basically where I am in terms of things I like to do. My interests include spinning, knitting/crochet, photography, trying my hand at bastardized versions of ethnic foods, photography, and reading. Not necessarily in that order, though some do take precedence over the others. I especially like to read about all those other hobbies, and have recently acquired a stack of books, some of which fall into those categories.

I recently receive not one, but two crochet stitch dictionaries, and they both have a few patterns to boot. I got the Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia, and Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet, and I can’t make up my mind which I want to use first. I’ve already browsed the beginning of the second book and it has a neat history or crochet, including photos of vintage crochet items and old hooks.

Then, last week I won the Lightroom 4 book from the Worldwide Photowalk contest.

But in the last few days, I’ve manage to gather more ebooks for my neat little Kindle:

Image

A couple of mystery and drama stories, two recipe books and even something for little Beanlet to read when we’re out and about and she gets bored. Which to start first? Decisions, decisions. So many hobbies, so little time.

TTFN!

I won! (NaBloPoMo Day 8)

Wow! I spent the first half of the day contemplating my topic for today’s post when I went email-checking and found a Congratulations!  I won the local photowalk contest!

Back on October 13th, was the Scott Kelby Annual World Wide Photowalk and I participated with a group of local photogs under the leadership of Mark Garbowski. All participants were allowed to post a photo to their local photowalk page to enter the photowalk contest. Well, I entered mine in, thinking, “eh, what are the odds?”

Little did I know that I’d win the local contest. I’d sort of forgotten there was one, really. And, to be fair I was apparently the only person to enter a photo(why??). But,

I. WON!  a free copy of the e-book version of Scott’s “The Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers”. I had been wanting to get this one but chickened out. Good thing I waited huh? :)

Here’s the shot that won:

Image

I can’t wait to dig into that book!

TTFN :D

NY Sheep and Wool Festival… or, Rhinebeck 2012!

After a 4-year absence I got the chance to hit the NY Sheep and Wool Festival, aka Rhinebeck, again. The first time I went, I only spent the Saturday there, but after spending the weekend in 2008, I knew I’d have to continue making a serious vacation of this experience.  And, so it was a weekend this time too.

The highlights are as follows:

People:

LetteKnits, HeiressKnits, CiciCarry

(L-R)LetteKnits, HeiressKnits, and CiciCarry!!

G+ KnitChat finally meets.

My G+ KnitChat crew, clockwise(VivianneKnits, me, Monetb56, PDXLaceknitter and TamiKnits– we all rode up together except for Viv who freaking LIVES up there! I am Gel- Us!
Food:

Maple Cotton Candy!

Maple Cotton Candy, ohhh so good. I was holding out for these delectable soaps I found in ’08 from a vendor with no online presence, but alas, he was nowhere to be found.

and Fiber goods:

Untitled

Lots of decorated wheels. I keep saying I’ll do up mine, but I get lazy and scared of messing up so..

And don’t forget the sheep!

Untitled

Cheviot girlie!

And just think, I did this times two! We stayed all day on Saturday til we just about got kicked out, but left early on Sunday to avoid the crazy that is trying to get out of the parking lot all. at. once. Live and learn.

So much to see and do and tried to take photos of it all. Wallet in one hand, camera in the other and a ton of fun was had.

I will have to make a separate post of the actual haul, as I’m still trying to recover(and make room!)

 

If you’re heading out to SAFF this coming weekend, I hope your experience is just as, if not more fun!

 

TTFN!

30/30

Day 30--Self-portrait
This is my last photo in the 30-day Photo Challenge for June 2011. I hear tell there will be one for July but I won’t be entering that one. I’m still debating if I have the stamina to even do any sort of photo-a-day projects. I’m torn between feeling like I need to always be out-of-doors and trying to open up my home life more. And I’m not sure I’d like to do the latter. Plus with the Beanlets around the place isn’t always spiffy and photo-ready. ;)

I’ve been knitting off and on through this time. I’ve been busy on Pinterest, seeing lots of things I’d love to make; sewing and yarn-craft alike. The latest item to pique my interest is Mao, a cute little one-piece knitted toy cat. Mao is designed by blogging-multi-crafter OiYi. I have to admit that most of my unwillingness to knit toys was because they usually involved knitting a bunch of separate parts you would then have to seam together. This is done in one big section(just add the tail–no biggie), and you stitch on facial features with embroidery thread or thin yarn. Easy peasy. Mr BeanKnit has a few new 3rd(4th?) cousins coming soon and so I’ll definitely have little ones to give them too. Several weeks ago I bought a bunch of cotton yarn at Michaels for some potholders but those will have to go on hold while I make some Maos.

I haven’t done much sewing other than fixing a ripped seam or three but I am gonna have to dig in my heels and get to sewing because my wardrobe is woefully skimpy these days. I usually dress in layers during the colder months but since it’s warmer(read: hot!) now, all I need is one layer per section and I’m good to go! I’m not ready to tackle pants. I can’t bring myself to do it and I’d prefer more skirts. I’ve been loving the jeans skirt to death because of the built-in pockets but I will have to bite the bullet and add some pockets to the skirts I plan to make.

Well, just touching bases to let you know I’m still kicking! TTFN!

Day 2–What I wore today

Day 2-- What I wore today
These pretty earrings were on the accessory rack at the cheap-y shoe store. Yeah, I’m cheap. But they were pretty and I’d been feeling like I needed some new earrings. I have a nickel allergy and many pairs of earrings/other jewelry always start to irritate me once any coating has worn off. These advertized being nickel-free so I bought them. It’s been several weeks and so far, so good. The teardrops have a pink tint to them. There was another pair that had a blue tint to the drops. I had to stop myself from buying both pairs. But I still find myself wishing I did.

30-day Photography Challenge–First Day: Self-portrait

Yes, the blog is sort of turning into a photo blog. Trust me, I’m still knitting. See?

Day 1-- Self-portrait

Still working on the Multnomah Shawl I started I-don’t-remember-how-long ago. I figure it’ll be done by Thanksgiving 2012 at this rate. :)

Now, back to the challenge. I’ve taken on a 30-day Photography Challenge based on this page I found through Pinterest.

I’ve been sputtering along trying to understand and learn photography and so far it’s been fun. But something was missing. I don’t have the time-freedom to take classes and all my photography-loving friends are on a different schedule than I am so it’s very hard to hang out with them when they’re in the mood for photowalks. So I’ve been winging it on my own, Bean-style. (Every craft I do now was learned by books or photos/video online. I’m a visual learner, more than anything else.)

Enter the photo challenges. Back when I first got my dSLR I made up my own version of a “Project 365″ which didn’t last a month. Oops. Maybe I needed a daily topic/theme to get me on track and keep me there. So here we are.

Older/The Journey Continues

Another year has gone by. I’m older. Unsure if I feel it or not. Another year of crafting. Has it really been 5 years since I fully got into knitting? I was digging in a bucket of handknit socks to pair them up before washing(I misplace socks like you wouldn’t believe!), and came across the very first pair I knit. They look almost brand new. You would never know they’re 5 years old! If someone had told me back in 2003 I would be a knitter/spinner in 2009 I’d have laughed. Time changes people.

Seriously I didn’t do much thinking on my birthday. I got some serious alone time(well, the kids being in school helped), and got to work on this:

Heather hoodie vest back

This is the back of the Heather Hoodie Vest from the Fall ’09 Knitscene. I’d wanted to knit this sweater vest ever since I picked up the magazine last month, but the yarn I was using didn’t suit it at all. When I’d spun this yarn I was hoping to use it for one of the sweaters in the Fall ’09 Knitty but the gauge just didn’t work out. Better luck next time.

I had originally thought the yarn needed over-dyeing but laziness got the best of me and I decided to go ahead and knit with it. So far I like it, but I might still have to do something because one or two of the balls is somewhat lighter in color. Seeing as this is a cabled item the last thing I want to do is alternate from two different balls. I haven’t ruled out over-dyeing the finished garment, though.

As it stands I’m well past halfway up the back and just now into my second ball of handspun. Wow this stuff lasts and lasts! I think I’m gonna make it! I can’t remember being this excited about a knitting project. In fact, I’m off to put a few more rows on this baby!

TTFN!