Unafraid of Color

Mini-Clap Cowl

2010-01-08T14:07:00.006-05:00

Toby says, "Yarn?!?"

(Actually, Toby says "Ball?!?" but this isn't about my fetching kitty)

I'm finding myself in a bit of a knitting slump these days. I have plenty to knit (do not get me wrong. I have a-plenty to knit), I just don't know what. Nothing has really been really catching my attention. I have a pair of Garden Gate socks that needs finishing, but the colorwork is keeping me from casting on the second sock and I believe when I counted the other day, I had enough sock yarn (i.e. whole, complete skeins -- forget about all the scraps a moment) to knit seven or eight pairs of socks!

So the question is, "What to knit?" or "What to knit until my motivation for colorwork comes back?"

A mini-Clapotis!
(And yes, a mini Clapotis is the length of a regular sized ironing board)

If anyone has followed and/or read this blog for long enough, you will note that the Clapotis was my first "big" project back when I re-started knitting. It took me a lot of time and a crap-ton of yarn. But I was so proud of it and I've worn it every bitterly cold day since I knit it back in 2006.

My mini-version, however, was just something for me to knit in order to use up a couple of (absolutely beautiful) skeins of Manos Silk blend. I bought the yarn a couple years ago at City Knitting during a sale of some sort. Since I only had 2 skeins, it really wasn't enough for anything super substantial and the variegated colorway made it difficult for me to decide on a decent pattern.
(As a side-note, I hate using variegated yarns with weird color patterns and a tendency to pool unless it's plain, patternless socks)
In the end, there was only one thing I wanted to use this yarn for, and that was the Clapotis. Except, problem, the Clapotis inhales yarn. One second you have a skein of yarn, the next you look down and there's just a little tail left (and no, it's not from Toby running off with the rest of it).

Searching Ravelry, I came upon the Rule of Fifths. Essentially, you weigh your yarn and you put aside 2/5 for each end (1/5 per end) and 3/5 for the middle. Foolproof!
Afraid of running out of yarn, I didn't make the middle section quite as long as I could have. In the end, I was left with more leftover yarn than I thought I would have but no big deal. I'm happy with it and unlike my first Clapotis, this one only took me about three days.

Of course, once again I'm stuck without anything to knit...

Half A Rainbow (Finished!)

2010-01-05T17:14:00.004-05:00

Is there anything more satisfying than finishing an entire sweater? No. I don't think so.
A job well done, I say!

It was a frustrating journey, but I think I have to say that this turned out pretty much exactly how I imagined it. Isn't it great when that happens?

After all of my problems and issues with simply casting on for the v-neck, I decided that I wasn't going to fiddle with trying to make an absolutely perfect v-neck. Instead, I simply picked up stitches around the entire collar and did it in the round (K2P2 ribbing). I guess you'd call this more of a "scoop neck". No matter!

And have I mentioned how much I hate sleeves?!? So many of my sweaters have half-sleeves because I absolutely hate making sleeves that go all the way down to my wrists -- or hands, as I like my sweaters to cover about half of my hand. Unfortunately, the sleeves on this sweater are just a teeny bit too short and a little too wide around. Humbug. Can't have everything be perfect, can we?

If anyone is interested in sweater specs, let me know. I'm still unsure as to whether or not I want to write up a pattern for it to sell or if I'll just give people what I can from my notes.

***

Now that the sweater is done, I'm already onto the next project -- a mini Clapotis! Maybe I'll cast on for a second pair of knee socks while I'm at it.

Although I can already feel the pull of another -- who knows which -- sweater trying to call me in...any sweater suggestions?

Post-Christmas Round Up

2009-12-29T15:24:00.006-05:00

Wellity, wellity, wellity. Seems that the holidays are drawing to a close and now it's time for me to really put my nose to the grindstone and figure out what the new year has in store for me. Hopefully I'll find something to do that provides me with some income. Hopefully my time at the gym will pay off. Hopefully I'll find an engagement ring that I like.

Wait...what?

Oh, right. I'm engaged! Never thought I'd see the day. Since it was so impromptu (Jordon wanted to buy a ring before asking me. Psssshhh), I'm wearing my favorite pearl ring as a "stand in" until I find something that I really like. That will hopefully cost less than $500.

But this blog isn't about me.

Wait. Yes it is.

But knitting is more important!

Maybe not really...

I did more Christmas knitting this year than I can ever remember doing in the past. Oh, the joys of giving to people who actually enjoy and appreciate the handknits!

For Jordon's mom, a pair of socks in her favorite color (pink):
(Fun note, those socks -- knit with KnitPicks Essential Multi -- are sitting on top of a homemade "Superman" plate/platter that Jordon made on our first date!)

For Jordon's dad, a Turn A Square hat (sadly, no image was taken, but it was basically a brown hat with dark blue stripes). He was very excited to have received said hat. I was kind of surprised, actually.

And for Jordon, another Turn A Square hat which he also seemed to be very pleased with:
(All yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes)

And finally, I continue to work my way through my top-down v-neck striped raglan. I'm very pleased with my progress/accomplishments with it.
Still wish I hadn't started the round right smack dab in the middle but whatever. I think it looks really nice! Especially considering how much pain it gave me in the beginning. All I have to do now is knit a couple of sleeves and figure out how to make the v-neck look presentable. I can't wait to finish it and wear it! I think it looks super snazzy.

And aside from Christmas engagement excitement, I received a hefty box of fibery goodness from my mom. Sadly, our local LYS in Grand Rapids closed its doors, but much to my/our benefit, we reaped some fantastic deals! I now have close to 1.5 lbs. of spinning fiber to make sock yarn (hopefully) in the weeks and months to come.

Half A Rainbow (Part 2)

2009-12-18T17:42:00.003-05:00

Finally got it!

(Pardon the crappy iMac photo)

Raglan = SUCCESS! V-neck = SUCCESS! Color stripes = more or less SUCCESS!

I only wish now that I'd started the round in the back or under the arms. Anywhere except for right smack in the middle of the sweater. Hopefully once I weave the color ends in, it won't look so...ladder-like.

Plus, a magic trick for anyone wanting to do stripes without jogging! Here!

Half A Rainbow (Part 1)

2009-12-17T14:23:00.003-05:00

Knitters find inspiration in the strangest places. A while back, there was a cell phone commercial (and if I could find it, I would provide a link to it) where a family was sitting around and the youngest girl was wearing this white, v-neck, rainbow striped sweater. Kinda like this...but an actual sweater. Color me in love!

Ever since -- and who knows how long it's been, I've been wanting to knit the sweater forever -- I've been determined to make up a similar pattern and make a sweater for myself. Armed with KnitPicks superwash bare (in DK weight) and 4 colors (red, green, blue and a weird yellowy color) of KnitPicks superwash DK I've finally set out to knit this sweater!

Unfortunately, not everything can be so easy.

I like to think of myself as a fairly accomplished knitter. Unfortunately, I'm very bad at constructing patterns for myself. Great at following them; even modifying them if the modifications aren't too difficult. Not so good at bringing it to life. Failed math skills or something to that effect, I'm sure.

What to do? I love(d) this pattern and figured I'd follow that. Easy enough, except that pattern calls for worsted weight and doesn't give me the v-neck I want so badly. Oh well. I know my gauge and I've knit a raglan cardigan from the top down. How hard can it be?

4-5 cast-ons later, ask me that again.

I turn to the Ravelry techniques board after I realize my v-neck construction isn't working and a couple of lovely Ravelrers give me a couple more links to try out as well as construction techniques for a v-neck.

2 more cast-ons later...

This isn't working. I finally turn to the top-down raglan sweater generator and I get a good cast-on number and with the techniques given to me from friendly Ravelry users, I'm on my way!

We'll see how it goes from here. I still haven't connected the neckline yet and I'm ready to do so! I'm tired of knitting AND purling. The whole point of knitting a pullover (in my opinion) is to avoid the purling.

At least I think I'm on the right track now. Hopefully.

Scrappy Scarves

2009-12-13T15:22:00.004-05:00

For quite a while, I've wanted a long, thin, multi-colored scarf. Easy enough to achieve with variegated yarn, but not quite what I wanted. I wanted it lengthwise! Columns of color! A couple months ago, I found it.

And I made it!

And it's everything that I could have hoped for.

I cast on 400 stitches on a 40" US 9 knitting needle and went at it.
Alternating columns of Fleece Artist Woolie Silk variegated yarn and various other "leftover" yarns (2 colors of Malabrigo, some handspun and some Lorna's Laces that I kind of wish I'd left out on account of an itchy halo), I think I made myself the perfect, colorful scarf.

Now Jordon wants one (probably in manlier colors). I don't know if I'm willing to sacrifice my poor little wrists to another. At least not yet. Maybe next time I'll knit it on larger needles.

Greetings from 2009!

2009-12-09T15:08:00.004-05:00

Well, at the suggestion of Richard quite a while ago, I've finally decided to try and revive this little ol' blog of mine. We'll see how well this works out.

As of my last update, about a year and a half ago, I've done a lot of things. A lot of things.

***

In June of 2008, I left Michigan and moved to Chicago. Where I knit. A lot.

In July of 2008, I met a delightful young man and started working my first(!!) "real" full-time job in Chicago. I worked on Michigan Avenue and for those of you who may think, "Wow, that sounds so glamorous and posh!" it really wasn't.

I lived and worked in Chicago until September of 2009 and just those couple of months ago, I moved to Milwaukee, WI to live with aforementioned young man. ;)

***

Now that we're all caught up on my personal life, let's move on to knitted items, shall we? According to this post in February of 2008, I had some knitting goals set up for myself. I can say right now that all I actually made and finished on that list are: Hourglass Sweater and Endpaper Mitts. A couple of the items, I just haven't gotten around to knitting yet. Others...well, I guess I'd say they're not really worth my time.

So, in no particular order, here are the things that I have knitted since February 2008. Ready?

Jacques Cousteau -- 3. One of them was nibbled on by dear little Toby.
Bridie (note: Amazon link. Pattern is in book) -- once I finished, it didn't fit. None of the ends are woven in and it's been sitting in a bin ever since.
Jaywalkers -- 2. I love this pattern. Seriously.
Baby bolero (note: Amazon link. Pattern is in book) -- 2. Almost 3.
Mittens (no/personal pattern) -- 1 regular, 1 flip-top
Herringbone mittens -- 1
Socks (no/personal pattern) -- 5, though it honestly seems like more.
Sheldon -- 1 1/2
Superman tube scarf -- 1
Reversible Cabled Brioche stitch scarf -- 1
Vagina Shawl -- 1
Mrs. Saucy Apple -- 1
Cat Fish (personal pattern) -- 3? Toby kept trying to eat them and/or dismember them.
Buttony -- 1. And I love this sweater so, so, so much, but Toby chewed a hole in the sleeve and the only repair option I had was to rip out the sleeve, so I haven't gotten around to it yet. Such a pretty sweater.
Revontuli-huivi -- 1. My favorite scarf/shawl.
Brewers Blanket (personal pattern) -- 1.
Rogue -- 1.
Monkey socks -- 1.
Pinwheel baby blanket -- 1.
Nutkins -- 1.
Totally Autumn -- 1.
Henley Perfected -- 1. The lace still needs to be blocked and I haven't actually worn it "out" yet.
Koolhaas -- 1. And I doubt I'll ever make this hat again it's incredibly tedious.
Sesame -- 1. Re-knit from this sweater.

And that pretty much brings me up to my current projects and I have a lot on the needles on account of the quickly-approaching holiday season.

Normally, I would post pictures of all of my work but (obviously) there is so much that has been listed above there's really no point in it.

***

As for current works in progress:

Secret holiday gifts (teehee)
Garden Gate socks -- I have one done and I'll start the second when I'm good and ready to. Probably after Christmas when I start knitting another sweater.
Regular socks -- Again, I have one done. Second to be cast on is on hold until I'm finished with scarf (below) and holiday gifts (above).
Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf -- Really cool pattern and I'm totally in love with the way it's turning out so far. I'm hoping to be done with it by next week.

Favorite Socks, Indeed!

2008-04-01T19:15:00.005-04:00

I've had Favorite Socks for a while now. I really do love most of the patterns in it -- it's just I don't make socks all that often and so many of the patterns in the book look much better in the solid sock yarns and...well...this blog's name is "Unafraid of Color" -- if you catch my drift. ;)
(If you don't -- it's nearly impossible for me to work with a solid colored sock yarn.)

A while back though -- I believe it was New Years to be exact -- I bought this gorgeous Araucania yarn. To quote Tracy Jordan from "30 Rock", I loved this yarn so much I wanted to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. I had no idea what it would look like knitted up, all that I knew was that if I didn't buy it, I would sorely regret it later on.

Within the month, I had cast on for the Embossed Leaves socks -- a pattern that I felt could hold up to the many color changes in the sock yarn...and it seemed like it would be simple enough. I wanted to knit up a "complicated" sock since all the socks I've knit in the past are pretty much you're straightforward stockinette from top to bottom with a 2x2 rib at the top.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me just say that I have never knit a sock (nay, a pair of socks!) as fast as I knit these babies up. I was done with the first sock in under a week, I was done with the pair no more than a week or so after that. The actual hours put into creating these beauties? Well...I don't keep track of hours but it wasn't long!

I have never been more proud of a pair of socks than I am of these (they even won a spot in my Facebook's photo album of "Things I've Made That I'm Ridiculously Proud Of"). Simply put: the are fabulous. Utterly, utterly fabulous. Whenever I wear them, I get compliments -- and believe me, I am a compliment whore.
Since finishing these, I have bought several more skeins of sock yarn and have spent hours perusing sock patterns in the books that I own and on Ravelry. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll be able to create another pair that I love as much as these. They've won a very special place in my heart. When I inevitably wear holes in them? I will buy them sock blockers and I will hang them on my wall (or...maybe not...).

I can tell you all. When Interweave said "Favorite"? Yeah, they weren't lying.

What Am I Up To?

2008-02-11T00:30:00.001-05:00

Things I Will Be Making in the Upcoming Weeks and Months
(No particular order)

Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
This was probably actually the first sweater that I really wanted to knit. I don't know why I didn't do this one first. It's knit in the round and from everything that I can tell so far, it seems like it would be really simple. I just bought the yarn for it this evening. Cheap KnitPicks yarn = awesome. A handknit sweater under $50? Sweeeeet.

Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang
I wanted to knit these last year, but the colorwork and my dwindling interest in knitting around the time of spring kept me from actually following through. And I needed something to bring my KnitPicks order up over $50 so I could qualify for free shipping. 2 skeins of Palette and I'm set.

Two-Toned Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits
I'm not actually sure if I'm going to knit this quite yet. I have a feeling that the ribbed collar might irritate my neck. Maybe if I can find some cheap yarn at City Knitting, I'll go for it. Maybe I'll keep looking for a better pattern...something like Knitty's Blackberry (without the bobbles, of course). I want something to cover up my arms so I've been wearing a lot of hoodies and cardigans at work. Unfortunately, I really just want the arm coverage -- not the whole body.

Super-Easy Legwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Because who doesn't want some super-easy legwarmers?!? And I could probably wear them to work...probably. I have some Lorna's that I've been meaning to use up for forever. This could be the right project for it.

Millicent Sock by Cookie A
I need to figure out what color yarn I want for this. Then I need to buy it. Still, those are some really awesome knee socks. I must have them for myself. *covets*

Moderne Log Cabin Blanket from Mason Dixon Knits
I've wanted to knit another blanket since I finished up my mitered square blanket. I'm thinking I'll probably use Cotton Ease for such a blanket. I need to figure out an appealing colorway though, then make it happen. I'm having a hard time finding that inspiration. Soon. Hopefully.

And things that I'm already in the process of knitting (because one can never have too many of those):
Felted Cloche -- though I'm tempted to just give up already. I hate knitting it.
Frida Lights -- not really a satisfying knit. I've done 4 or 5 of them so far and they haven't been felted. I was going to make a set for my living room and bedroom, but I think I'm just going to stick with the living room for now.

Le Sesame...C'est Fini!

2008-02-10T17:11:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen...it is a happy, happy day. I, Auna, have finished my very first sweater. YAY ME!
I ambitiously started working on it back in October and it really was a fast knit, which was fabulous, really. I finished the back piece in no time at all and I was certain that I would be done with the entire thing by Christmas. If I weren't so easily distracted by other things I probably would have been, too.
Being the lazy person that I am (with a very limited attention span, no less), I would knit a piece and put it aside for a week, two or month. As it began to slowly come together, I realized that this sweater was maybe a little larger than I had bargained for. I had decided to knit the XL size to accommodate the size of my chest. Looking back, I probably should have knit the L size instead. The body of the sweater actually fits pretty well, albeit, it's not really quite shaping in the way that the pattern indicated but that's mostly due to the sleeves.
OH the sleeves...
I have quite a bone to pick with the sleeves of this sweater. For one, they are LONG. Long, long, LONG! I realize that the pattern has you fold over the cuffs, but I'm not a big fan of that idea and I said "nay" to that notion. Now I'm starting to re-think it.
The other problem with the sleeves was the damn shoulder. *shudder* I initially seamed one of the arm holes and then almost all of the other. There was a slight problem with the pattern (for me at least) where the top of the shoulder just did not match up. At all. I ended up taking the almost finished thing to City Knitting to ask them what to do and they ended up telling me to just rip out the brown at the top of the sleeve and CO with the pink. Done and done. Worked much better without trying to match up the colors. When I did, I ended up with a bit of a pointy shoulder. As it is, the shoulders are a little large. I didn't want to look like a complete linebacker, haha. Still, I really have to pull up the shoulders to make it look like I'm not a pink and brown shapeless monster. :)

Now that I've done all of this complaining, I'm sure that you're wondering what is actually good about this sweater! Or...something like that. I made my own little adjustments here and there (where I felt safe making them, at least). Instead of 24 rows at the bottom of the body piece, I did 36. I have a long torso, and I didn't want this sweater ending at my waist or higher (as was the case with my poor Isabella which was indefinitely put on hold never to be attempted again). And because I was afraid of running out of yarn (which was not the case at all), I decided that I would make the collar shorter. I probably should have made that longer too, but oh well, what am I going to do now? (No, I am NOT going to frog that part!) I don't think that the buttonhole band is quite as long as the pattern called for. I didn't really measure it, but I didn't want it to be too wide, because I was already concerned about the body being too loose. Good thing I stuck to my gut on that one.

Yes, overall, I am quite happy with the sweater. It fits and it doesn't look too bad! Right there, I avoided complete catastrophe! And c'mon, how many people can claim that they've made a sweater for themselves? (Okay, okay, a lot of people can, but I don't personally know anyone else who has made one!!) Next time though, I'll be a little more daring. I'll be a little nicer to myself and my mantra will be "yes, the smaller size will fit you!" (though I will inevitably have to add length to it...unless it's a tunic or something). I won't be afraid of the math involved to make something fit a little bit better and I will pore over the adjustments others have made and articles about how to make something you knit fit you in the best way possible.

All in all? Good first attempt. :)

SWEATER DETAILS:
Pattern: Sesame Sweater from MagKnits
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash 7 skeins total
Colorways: 819 and 838 (4 skeins Brown and 3 skeins Pink)
Needles: Oh goodness. US Size 6 (3 different pairs! The first broke, the second were borrowed, the third were finally mine and didn't break)

Mice Fit for a Kitty

2008-02-04T19:45:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, in a month called July, I got a kitten who I call Toby. The night before I set off on my adventure to pick up the little guy, I knit him a toy mouse.
Anyway, my young kitten loved his mouse more than all of his other toys. He would play with the mouse throughout the night (sometimes it had to be taken away from him because he made too much noise while people -- i.e. me -- were trying to sleep), and he even would run and fetch the mouse whenever I threw it to him.
As you can see by the picture though, it became incredibly worn incredibly fast. The tail started to unravel a bit and the stitches didn't quite look as pronounced anymore. But the mouse still served it's purpose very well and Toby continued to love (or hate? He did do awfully mean things to it...) the little mouse -- the first toy that he ever received from me.

Then I moved back into my parent's house and Toby met his new arch nemesis/best friend Cacao. Cacao loved the mouse too. Maybe not quite as much as Toby, but still. Toby claimed the mouse as his own, growling and hissing whenever Cacao got too close. Eventually though, Toby relinquished his possessive grip over the toy mouse and he decided it was best to share. However, sharing came with some consequences for poor little mousey.
The tail began to unravel at an alarming rate until one day the kitties appeared with the mouse and lo and behold! There was no tail left to be seen! Nevertheless, the cats did not treat the mouse any differently and they continued to play with the mouse just as they always had.
Until...
The mouse was torn apart. Yarn everywhere! Quickly unraveling! NO! NOOO!!! It was at this point, I decided that I needed to make a new one. After all, it wasn't a hard mouse to make -- quite simple in fact. Turned out in under an hour.
The new mouse was given whiskers, a slightly fatter body and a smaller tail. When given a choice between the old, torn apart mouse and the new, prettier mouse -- with whiskers! The choice was clear. The new mouse won. I set both of the mice in front of Toby (of course, after I had taken pictures) and let him choose. Straightaway, he went for the new one.
Who would blame him? :)

And now that I've told you this story, I am certain that you all are just dying to hear how to make one of these adorable little critters for your own kitty cats! Well! I will tell you!

Supplies:
1 skein of KnitPicks Andean Treasure (Fog)
Set of US 3 DPNs
Cotton batting, wool roving, anything you want to stuff it with
Needle
Waste yarn for optional eyes and whiskers

Cast on 8 stitches and divide them onto 4 dpns. Knit 1 round. Increase 1 stitch on each needle next round. Repeat these two steps until there are 10 stitches on each dpn – 40 stitches total.
Knit in the round until the mouse is your desired length.
Decrease 1 stitch on each needle. Knit 1 round. Repeat these two steps until there are only 4 stitches left. Place these 4 stitches on one needle and start knitting i-cord for the tail until the tail is the desired length.

After you’re done knitting, stuff it with whatever you’d like. My mouse is stuffed with some leftover scraps of yarn and bits and pieces of odd roving. Sew the cast-on end closed with a darning needle and some spare yarn. When you’re completely finished, you can embroider some eyes onto the mouse or leave it as is.

Really, you could make one of these with any waste yarn that you have. Toby tends to be a yarn snob and he goes absolutely crazy over any sort of yarn that is of a "high quality" (I can guarantee you, if it were made of acrylic, he wouldn't give it a second glance). That's why I stuffed it with scraps of wool roving/spinning scraps and it's made from baby alpaca. Yours can be out of anything you'd like. :)

Sesame Sweater (Post 2)

2008-01-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

It's nearing the end!

This past week (week and a half), my tendonitis has come back with a vengeance. To give you an example of it's severity, it hasn't been this bad since last April when I was spending almost all of my time on the computer researching and typing up 20-30 page papers. I don't even know what's caused it this time around. Knitting? Piano? Light typing? Something at work? All the above?Friday though, I finally cracked. I was going to start knitting this sweater again, even if it did make my hands utterly useless. And it paid off! I'm almost done with the second sleeve now and I was able to seam both sides of the sweater to the back!
Now all that's left to do is finish up that second sleeve, block it, seam it. Then work on the buttonhole band and the collar. Then it will be finished! FINISHED!
I'm still a little paranoid about the sleeves being enormous and I do still think that I probably should have gone with the pattern for the large size instead of x-large, but hey. At least the body fits comfortably and the stripes (more or less) match up. It's all coming together. And thankfully it's coming together better than I originally thought it would.

After I'm finally done with this I think I'm moving onto socks. I have some gorgeous sock yarn that I'm going to use. And I haven't made socks in a really long time.

I'm Not A Hat Person

2008-01-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

I have an abnormally large head. No, really, I do. And generally speaking, I really don't wear that many hats -- never have. For some reason though, I have been in a hat mood this winter. Maybe it's the impending move to Chicago and the knowledge that I will have day upon day of being stuck in frigid cold wind tunnels. Maybe it's just because I'm suddenly realizing that hats can be pretty darn stylish. In any case, I have been searching Ravelry for the cutest hat patterns that I can dig up.

This was when I found Le Slouch.
I wasn't really "taken" by the pattern until I saw some of the FOs that were featured on Ravelry. That's when I fell in love with it. I loved the seed stitch, I loved the way that it slouched down in that adorable way. I said to myself, "Self, this is the hat for you!" And so I went to City Knitting, picked up a couple skeins of Nashua Julia (in Geranium) and put myself to work!

First, I read the pattern wrong and I could not, for the life of me, figure out why it was decreasing in such a bizarre way. That was, until I realized that I had skipped over an entire paragraph of critical decreases. I was baffled as to why it wasn't "slouching" right. Well, of course it's not going to slouch right if you're forgetting to knit at least an inch of hat!
I actually did this twice -- the whole, missing that crucial paragraph. Which meant that I had to frog twice. *ribbit* Amazingly, I did not drop any stitches while doing this and once I finally realized what I was doing wrong, the thing actually looked similar to all of those other FOs that I had seen and admired so much on Ravelry! Hooray for Auna!

Ultimately, the hat took me about 4 days to knit. It would have only taken 2 had I not been stupid. I was thrilled that the hat actually fit my enormous cranium (without any alterations to the pattern!), and if anything, it was too big. Wait. It kind of was too big.
I wanted an "extra slouchy" hat, so I added a little bit of length onto it beyond the 6 (7+?)" that the pattern suggested. I kind of wish that I had stuck to what the pattern said in that regard because I can honestly stuff all of my hair into the thing and still have room for my cat (okay, maybe not, but there's still room for more cramming in there).
It's kind of heavy (it is two skeins worth of yarn), and as enormous as my head may be, the 2x2 rib really has a lot of give to it, and with one blow of those Chicago winds, Mr. Slouchers (yes, that's the hat's name) is going to go sailing off of my head.

Initially, I claimed that I would wear Mr. Slouchers all the time. It would never leave me. I would love it and care for it forever and ever. So far? It hasn't really gotten a whole lot of wear. My Clapotis teases it mercilessly (okay, not really).
Nevertheless, I really do like it. It looks pretty darn cute on me and it is nice and warm. That said, I'm already planning my next hat -- which hopefully, will get some better wear. I just bought some yarn (Lamb's Pride) for a felted cloche that I will be making in the not-too-distant-future (i.e. after my sweater sleeve is finished). Hopefully that one will fit. And hopefully, I won't have to worry about that flying off my head at the first big gust of wind that blows by.

Sesame Sweater (Post 1)

2008-01-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

A while ago, I promised myself that I would finally knit a sweater. I started knitting a tank top last spring. Unfortunately, that kind of failed miserably. I finished the back piece and it was at least 3" too short (and that was after adding a couple extra inches anyway). After waiting it out a couple of months, I decided that I would start knitting a sweater. After all, there are a lot more sweater patterns out there to knit than there are things for summer wear, right?

After much browsing, I became very interested in MagKnits' Sesame Sweater. After getting a nice gift certificate to City Knitting for my birthday, I bought all the yarn that I would need to knit up the largest size of the sweater.

It's been a long work in progress. The pieces themselves are actually not too difficult to knit up. It didn't take me long at all to knit the back. It didn't take me long to knit up the sides. It's taken me about a day to knit up one of the sleeves. For whatever reason, it's just a bit difficult to actually work up the motivation to knit up each individual piece.
I just finished knitting one of the sleeves. I am very much afraid that this thing is going to be huge. Damn my large chest circumference. :P

Further updates to come. Hopefully I will be finishing all of it up in the next week or two.

Crazy Squares!

2007-12-24T16:10:00.000-05:00

Finally! A knitting update!

I'm trying to catch up on blog posts for FOs that I've posted to Ravelry. I guess I'm kind of working backwards with this one. Instead of posting about something I made, oh, 6 months ago, I'm posting about my most recent completion.
CRAZY SQUARES!
(Plus Toby)
I started this what feels like eons ago now. Back at the beginning of July. After feeling a little less despairing, I decided to knit a mitered square blanket. At least that way, if I felt really lazy and didn't want to knit again for a long while, at least it would be something that I could easily pick up again down the line.
It started out as a 3x3 square (of 4x4 little squares) blanket. It was going to be a little kitten blanket for Toby. Which, in retrospect, it's probably good that it didn't turn out to be that because Toby just sort of lays wherever he pleases and doesn't care what is specifically for "him". However, by the time that I set down my needles, took a step back and counted my squares, I had more than the 36(?) squares that I needed to make this little blanket.
Then I started to feel artistic with it all. I decided that it would become a 3x4 square blanket (which was quickly updated to 4x4). I knit a "center" square that would be composed of two solid variegated yarns and two of the standard striped squares and decided that I would knit one solid square for each of the 4 corners. Alas, with this plan in motion, I would have to make the blanket 5x5. I did the calculations and I had a whopping 64 more squares left to knit! (Shoot me now, right?!?)

So I knit, and I knit, and I knit some more. I decided at a couple of different times to lay down the knitting needles and pick up a couple of different projects (like my sweater to be posted at some point here...). I was also at a loss of anything except for towels to block the pieces on so the individual squares remained unblocked and unseamed for a long time as well.
I finally bought some "blocking boards" (toy foam puzzle pieces from Toys 'R Us!) and got to work with blocking all the pieces. Then I got into seaming and was having a great time seaming them all up. Once I had seamed up all the squares I had knit, I stopped again. The basket of squares went back in the closet and they remained untouched until probably November when I finally decided that I was going to finish the blanket once and for all!

Counted all of the squares, laid all of the squares out on the floor. I can't even count how many times I did just that. And the worst part about laying this thing out on the floor was that Toby went nuts for it and would roll around in the squares and drag them off in all sorts of different directions. Crazy feline.

Once I counted it out for the last time, I had something like 24 or 25 squares left to knit and I think that I breezed through those pretty fast, really. Then I blocked some more, then I seamed some more. Then I laid the squares out on the floor again and tried to figure out how I was going to pattern it. Really, I could have planned the patterning a lot better but...whatever. At that point, I just wanted it to be finished with and I really didn't care anymore. As long as there were no two same colors matching up together, I was happy.
(Unfortunately, there are maybe 2 or so spots that do match up with the same color...kind of a bummer, but oh well)

Seaming together the 4x4 squares went so fast, I was really surprised. It also kept me really warm as it stretched across my lap while I was sitting in my freezing cold bedroom! It probably only took me a couple of nights to get all 25 pieces together and believe me, when I was finished with all of those seams I just about threw myself a party.

...Nevermind that I still needed to weave in the ends and trim away some of the excess yarn that spilled out of the center of each mitered square.

So finally, this past weekend for the holidays, I took the blanket up to my grandparents' house with me so I could weave in all of those ends. I ended up tying a lot of knots (because good lord that was a lot of little loose ends!), but it looks good now. Though the front looks much better than the back. ;)

I'm still contemplating whether or not to add a back onto the blanket. I'd really like to add flannel or something back there. I realize that it would make it super warm (and even heavier than it already is!) but at least it would hide those icky knots and little bits of loose yarn.
I'll keep it as it is for now though. It's a great afghan. I absolutely adore it and I'm already in the process of planning what I'm going to make next...another blanket. Though the next one will be made from a machine washable cotton. Or maybe a superwash wool if I can find some for a relatively inexpensive price.
Now the boring stuff (or interesting if you're a knitter!)
Pattern: Mitered Square Blanket from the book Mason Dixon Knitting
(I found a free copy of the pattern at this website. I used the pattern for the smaller squares.)
Yarn: So many I lost count (not that I was keeping count to begin with). Most of it is Cascade 220 and Cascade Heathers. There is a teeny bit of Patons and Knit Picks dye your own. There's also a ball or so of a hand dyed wool yarn that my mom gave to me for Christmas one year that she colored herself. That is what the two center squares are knit of.
Needles: My trusty ol' Crystal Palace US Size 8s

waves

2007-12-23T00:47:00.000-05:00

Hello Blogger land!

I haven't updated in forever. I realize that.

Since my last update, I have gotten promoted at the library -- I no longer shelve books, I work the desk at a little place away from Main.

I moved away from downtown, and brought my kitty in tow (he's so big now!). I'm currently hoping/planning on moving to Chicago in the next month or two. Good luck to me! I think the main obstacle will be finding a one bedroom apartment for under $800 a month in the neighborhoods that I like/want to live in.

And I've been knitting a lot! Most of my things are posted to Ravelry now that I have an account there, but I'm going to try and keep this updated more often once again with the things that I've created over the past few months!

So until then...I'll probably post my blanket since that's pretty successfully finished at this point.

Where Have I Been?!?

2007-08-14T00:33:00.000-04:00

No list of loves update, just an update to introduce my kitten to my little blogging world.

This is Toby
He is my handsome, bluepoint Siamese kitten. :)
He's almost 4 months old and he is a randy little fellow.
I already have enough pictures of him to fill a photo album. I certainly won't post all of my pictures here in this post (actually the one above is the only one I'm going to post).
If anyone is interested in seeing more, there are plenty more to be found in my Flickr Album.

In non-kitty news: I finally found a job!
Meet Auna, Library Page! Woohoo!

In other non-kitty news: Season 4 of The Office starts in a little over a month! I am going crazy in anticipation!!!

#19: Siamese Cats

2007-07-10T15:39:00.000-04:00

So we've come to #19!
Except I'm not doing these in any particular order, so #19 means nothing!
In any case, #19 on Auna's List of Loves is Siamese cats.
Why am I doing Siamese cats today?
...You'll see.
This is a picture of my Willow kitty. Willow is no longer with us. She passed away a couple of months ago, just a week short of her 18th birthday. :(
I've had Willow since I was 4 years old. She was a Christmas present to my brother and I from my parents. I think at that age I wanted a tabby, I'm not positive. But Willow didn't look like all of the kitties that you see on TV. Little did I know, my Dad sucked me into the trap of never, ever wanting another breed of cat for as long as I live.

Siamese cats are a curious breed. I like to say that they are smarter than the average feline. They're extremely intelligent. They're independent like a cat, but loyal like a dog. They talk to you when you talk to them. All around, they are an awesome cat.

Willow was the greatest pet, ever. She slept with me at night when I was living at home (she'd usually hog the bed which is pretty impressive for a ~10 pound cat) and when you were sad or upset, she was there to cheer you up or cuddle with you when you were sick. And that's what I like about Siamese cats.

When Willow recently died, I was grief-stricken. I handled it a lot better than I ever thought that I would, but even now, if I think about her a lot, I cry. I really, really miss her.
But in any case, her death meant the opportunity for me to get a new cat. I was never able to actually bring myself to get a new cat while Willow was still alive because it felt a little like betrayal.
So what did I wish for my birthday?
A Siamese kitten.
What did I get for my birthday?
A Siamese kitten.
XD
And I just found him today. :D

I went out to Holland today to go see a Siamese breeder (who apparently has been breeding for 35 years) and has some of the most beautiful Siamese cats I've ever seen: Van Scholten Siamese
She had one blue point Siamese left that is ready for adoption, and I put down my deposit, and I will be picking him up this weekend.
So with any hope, I will have another Siamese companion until I'm 40. (Hey, Willow lived 'til I was 22! I have high hopes for my little boy!)

And I will be sure to post pictures of the little guy when he comes home. :)

UP NEXT! On Auna's List of Loves:
#4: Knitting

#16: Creme Brulee

2007-07-05T21:36:00.000-04:00

I don't know how to make accent marks on the internet. So sad.
#16 on Auna's List of Loves is Creme Brulee
Now if that picture doesn't make your mouth water, I don't know what will.
I never even thought about adding a dessert to my list of loves, but when I had birthday creme brulee the other night, I couldn't resist adding it. After putting that first spoonful of sugary, creamy, crispy custard into my mouth...oh man.
I believe it was Amelie (or the narrator of the movie, at least) who first introduced me to the wonder that is creme brulee. One of Amelie's favorite things was cracking the hard sugar shell on top of the custard. I can say without hesitation that it is one of my favorite too. There's something so...satisfying about breaking through the hard outer shell and having your spoon sink through the custard underneath.
And the taste...OH the taste!
I should put up a warning right here: I have only had creme brulee TWICE in my life.
Creme brulee experience #1 = a famous bistro in Paris, France
Creme brulee experience #2 = a local Italian eatery in Grand Rapids, Michigan
I can say without hesitation that they rivaled each other quite a bit. I don't know which was better.

In any case, there's nothing that I love more than a good creme brulee. I'll have to go back to this restaurant that I ate at the other night and eat it more often. :D

And in very, very happy news...
I GET A KITTY!!!!!!!!
My landlords have agreed to allow John and I a kitty cat. I am ecstatic.
Now begins the long, arduous process of trying to find a Siamese kitty that suits my liking.
Which is also why the next post on Auna's List of Loves will be...
#19: Siamese Cats

#12: Ask.com's Commercial "Chick's With Swords"

2007-07-03T00:24:00.001-04:00

#12 on Auna's List of Loves is the new Ask.com commercial "Chicks with Swords"

There aren't many commercials that are able to capture my heart.
This one? This one takes the cake. :)
I saw it at the beginning of June, I think. I first thought it was an eBay commercial (you know, the singing eBay commercials, where people sing about all of the crazy shit they've found for sale on eBay). As soon as I realized it was not an eBay commercial (or GAP, I like GAP commercials too), I scoffed it off. That was until...
...the "chicks with swords" search bar popped up.

Greatest commercial ever made? Quite possibly, yes.

Since, they've made at least one other commercial, but I don't think it's anywhere near as funny as this one. This is definitely my favorite. Almost makes me want to use Ask.com!
Almost.

Next up on Auna's List of Loves!
#16: Creme Brulee

Presents!

2007-07-02T12:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

That's right, it's my birthday. Hooray! :)
I hope I can get a kitten like...
this
(SO CUTE!!!!)
or this
(EEEEEE!!!!! CUTENESS!!!)

List of Loves will be updated soon!

(My font is messed up on this post, and I don't know why. I apologize for that.)

#9: Astronomy

2007-06-24T14:56:00.000-04:00

I was going to do astronomy next, right?

YES!
#9 on Auna's List of Loves is Astronomy! (Note: NOT to be confused with astrology. I don't like astrology)
There isn't really any reason that immediately comes to mind why I like astronomy so much. I always have. Part of my blames my astrology (oh goodness, astrology coming into play here...). I am a cancer, which means that my astrological sign is the moon and evidently, if the internet is not lying, I was actually born under a full moon. Go figure!

Now if I'm going to be truthful here. My first love was the moon. The rest of the stars didn't come into play until later. Me and this moon thing, we have a weird connection. When I was little, I used to howl at the moon (like a little wolf!) and I don't know if this is something that my family taught me and then convinced me to do often because it was cute or if it was something that I picked up on my own.
Yes. I do howl at the moon.
No. I am not crazy.

Next came the stars in the sky.
If you read the last post that I wrote, my 10th love was sailing. It is no secret that people who sail at night sail by the stars. Well, I couldn't read constellations until I was in middle school at the very earliest so that doesn't really apply to me. However, stars are pretty.
I became obsessed with seeing shooting stars though. I don't think I actually saw one until I was a teenager. My parents would always point them out to me, but shooting stars are fast little buggers and when you're looking in the wrong part of the sky, it's very likely that you're going to miss them.
However, the thing that I love and the thing that mystifies me the most? The Aurora Borealis (i.e. Northern lights).
I didn't actually see one of these until I was in high school. The first time that I saw them was during the Perseid Meteor Showers at it was probably four in the morning. Let me tell you: amazing. This was also one of the most spectacular meteor showers that I've ever seen too. The sky was literally flickering orange and yellow and there were falling stars everywhere. It was awesome.
The most amazing Aurora Borealis that I've ever seen was in my own backyard (which is amazing considering that I live in the city). There was some crazy solar flares going on that day or something because the entire sky was pink and red. It was...beyond amazing. AND! It happened at 10 at night! I mean, seriously! That does NOT happen!
My favorite thing about summer is traveling off into the wilderness to hopefully get a glimpse of the brilliant night sky and northern lights. Unfortunately, I am absolutely a city girl and it's hard to see the night sky when you're downtown.
Around the end of high school, I started to contemplate studying astronomy. Hell, I still contemplate studying astronomy. The only unfortunate part in all of this is that I am not mathematical. Or scientific. Actually, the only kind of science I know anything about is rocks and very basic elementary astronomy stuff.
Doesn't matter. I still love it.

I love it so much, that two years ago, I got a tattoo of it.
(Apparently I don't have a better image of it, and I'm too lazy to take another right now)
I knew from the age of probably...15 that if I ever got a tattoo it was going to be of the moon. It's one of the only things in my life that I have actually loved for as long as I can possibly remember. The other few things are: my teddy bear Baba (which frankly, would be a really creepy looking tattoo) and my kitty Willow. And of course my family and all that unconditional love stuff.
I waited until I was 20 and finally decided that I was going to get this tattoo whether or not anyone else liked it.
And I love it. :D

So now I can carry around my love for astronomy for the rest of my life and when I die and archaeologists unearth me in a few hundred years and see the ink pigments left on my remains they can know a little bit about me and the things that I loved. :)
Or they'll think that I was a pagan and worshiped a blue moon.

And that finally brings me to the next topic for my next post:
#2: Archaeology!

'Til then!

Auna's UPDATED List of Loves

2007-06-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

I figured that since I'm adding some more things to my list as I go along that I would update it!

Auna's UPDATED List of Loves

The Office (US) - DONE
Archaeology - DONE
France and all of Europe - DONE
Knitting
Food
Arrested Development - DONE
Spinning
Underwear
Astronomy - DONE
Sailing - DONE
Vanilla Vodka
Ask.com's commercial: Chick's with Swords - DONE
Sleeping
Anthony Bourdain
Closer (the movie)
Creme brulee - DONE
Cherry pie
The number 8
Siamese Cats - DONE
Writing

#10: Sailing

2007-06-17T20:37:00.000-04:00

Number 10 on Auna's List of Loves is sailing, and appropriately so. I have been sailing (quite literally) my entire life.
Don't believe me? Here's a picture of my family's boat.
(Hey mom! Look at that! You now have a picture in my blog!)
I should note though that they no longer own this boat. It blew over in a windstorm about a year or two ago and they now have a different boat -- that I have only been on once.

Now I know what you're all thinking. "Auna, go back to what you said before about quite literally sailing your entire life!" And yes, it is true. Provided that my parents have not been filling my head with lies all my life, my first time on a sailboat was when I was 2 days old. Two days. Yeah, I'd like to see someone else stake that claim.
This isn't to say that my life and the sea were all sunshine and puppies though. I quite hated sailing through my teenage years -- and quite honestly, who wouldn't? Sharing a space on a 36' sailboat with your mother, father, brother and kitty cat. But people always told me, "Auna, you'll love it when you're older..." "Auna, you'll miss it when you're older..." and you know what? Damn it all, they were right.
Would I go on another 6 week vacation with my family on a 36' sailboat? No, actually, I probably wouldn't. But that's just because that's a mighty small space to share with three (four including the kitty) members of your family.

And certainly, I do love sailing more than any other recreational activity of the sort. And I love all kinds of sailing: sailing big boats, sailing little boats, windsurfing, parasailing, pirating...okay, so those last two I'm lying about and I have never done, but the rest are honest!!

And there is no place that I'd rather venture by boat than the north shore of Lake Superior (which my parents are re-visiting this summer which. Me = jealous).

Maybe someday when I have a job and I get my summers off, I'll buy a nice livable sailboat. Because really, I do love sailing. :)

On a completely unrelated note, I am going to be in a comic strip! My good friend from school, Carl, writes and illustrates an online comic and after a lot of persuasion from me, he agreed to make me one of the characters! So check me (and the rest of his comics) out!
http://crazycstudios.com

Next up on Auna's List of Loves:
#9 - Astronomy

#3: France and all of Europe

2007-06-13T19:34:00.000-04:00

That is right ladies and gentlemen. I am in a writing kind of mood this summery evening so I am going to write about #3 on Auna's List of Loves: France and all of Europe!

Ever since I was a wee little girl, I wanted to go to Europe. I think it is probably one of those common goals that most everyone has in life.
"Oh someday, before I die, I am going to go visit Europe and see all of the sights!"
I got to do just this (almost exactly) two years ago.

Let me tell you all the story of my life. :)
I have studied French since high school. Unfortunately, the foreign language programs at my high school were probably the worst that you could ever imagine a foreign language program to be. In the two full years that I studied the language, I learned about as much as a person would learn in one semester at college.
So when I went to college, what did I do? I studied French damn it!
Initially, I signed up to take 101 and 102 French my freshman year of college. My dad told me that I should take a placement test to see where I place, but I decided not to even bother. I knew my French was crap. I had a couple of friends that went to other high schools in the area and were in French classes and were EONS ahead of me as far as the learning process went.
101 was pretty easy for me, it was basically review and when 102 rolled around, I started learning some of the good stuff. Because I liked it so much, I decided, "What the hell!" and I kept going and signed up to take 201 and 202 the next year.
It was sometime in my second year of French at college that I realized learning the language was almost a waste of my time. Really, I was just taking it for fun. I had no need for it (going for my B.S. at the time). By the time I reached 202, I had efficiently passed my B.A. requirement (keep in mind, I was still aiming for a B.S.) and I had no intention of not taking French classes.
It wasn't until one day in the anthropology lab while sitting around talking about those damn French classes of mine (I secretly loved them) that one of my friends pointed out how utterly useless it was that I was taking a language. So what did I do? I upped the anty and decided that I would study abroad.
Oh wait, but it was still utterly pointless for me to study abroad, with the exception that it would look good in the future. So what did I do next? I went ahead and added a French minor. I vindicated my existence in the French program, wahoo!!!

I made a lot of people jealous with my trip to France, and I bragged about it a lot because let's face it; I was really freaking excited.
Late June of 2005, I boarded a plane to Paris -- my first plane trip ever (my mom will disagree saying that I flew as a baby, but what do I remember of that? Nothing), and I made my way across the great blue ocean.
I hated Paris. The city that I had wanted to visit my entire life and I hated it. Note to all of you people out there thinking about planning vacations and trips to distant cities and countries: Do not go with a group of 20+ people.
Now don't get me wrong, we saw some really cool things, and the time that we had that we could spend on our own was really great. Without that time, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see places like Pere Lachaise (and yes, I realize there are no accents in there) Cemetery which is quite possibly one of the coolest places I have ever been to. And I certainly would have gotten completely lost on a number of occasions without my professor getting us place to place. Still. It was a very unpleasant experience with so many people.
We were in Paris for a week, and I celebrated my 20th birthday in the city. It was a very crappy birthday, believe it or not. It rained that morning if I remember correctly, I went back to the hotel, took a nap and when I woke up there was no one that wanted to go out to do anything with me. Very disappointing.

The study abroad was not in Paris though, it was in Nice.

I hate Nice.
The only thing that I like about Nice was Fennochio's ice cream and my host mother. My host mother was an amazing woman (with an amazing home) and was one of the most gracious and kindest women I met in France. I still miss her a lot, two years later.
The problem with Nice (and the program in general) is that it's during the summer -- during tourist season. Now really, maybe there's no good way to do a summer study abroad since that's when people travel. But for the love of all that is holy, a study abroad program should not take place in one of the biggest tourist cities in France.
Bastille Day was pretty awesome though.
I won't lie either. The little towns around Nice are really awesome.
For exampe:
Antibes (I love Antibes)
Ville Franche

Although I hated Nice and wish to never return, I was very sad to say goodbye to my host mother.

However! In departing Nice, I traveled to Italy!!! :)
My friend Kate and I traveled together. We were both kind of the "outsiders" of the group. We weren't big fans of going to the clubs or the bars, so we had kind of separated ourselves from everyone else. We both were spending two more weeks in Europe and we had no one to travel with.
So where did we go?

Rome!
Rome is an awesome, awesome city. Especially for the archaeologist inside of me. ;) We spent most of our time around the Forum and Palatino because it was such a cool place (and close to our hostel). We also spent a morning and afternoon at the Vatican museum, but the highlight was definitely the archaeological aspect.

From Rome, we traveled to Venice
Venice is the most beautiful city in the world. And it rained the ENTIRE TIME we were there. Now that's saying something.

From Venice, we traveled to Florence
Don't really have a lot to say about Florence to be honest. We were only there for an afternoon.

And from Florence, we traveled to the second most beautiful place in Europe: Cinque Terre
I'd go back here in a heartbeat.

Sooo...remember how a little while ago I said that I hated Paris?
Yeah, that changed completely.
Kate and I had to go back to Paris to catch our flight back to the United States at the end of our trip. We arrived in Paris two days before we left, just so we could have a little bit more of a chance to sight see, check out some of the things that we didn't get to when we were there the first week and go and re-visit some of the things that we liked.
I fell head over heels in love with the city. It was amazing. Leading me to believe that studying abroad with a group of more than 10 people really sucks ass.
Kate and I spent an entire day walking around the area of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre (note: we did not actually go inside the Louvre) and Notre Dame. We got some great photos in the process too.

The picture of me and the crazy mysterious clown man is my absolute most favoritest picture in the entire world.
We also went to the Musee d'Eroticisme! That's right ladies and gentlemen, The Museum of Eroticism. Hands down, greatest museum in the world -- greatest museum you will ever visit in your lifetime. I guarantee it. We also walked around Montmartre and just had a fun ol' time doing whatever the heck we wanted.

So all in all, the last two days of my month and a half abroad made up for all of the really bad experiences.
Now, don't get me wrong, I had a great time abroad and I have some really great memories from it, unfortunately, most of those memories are from when I was off on my own. This leads me to believe that it is much better that I go back on my own accord and do what I want instead of letting people dictate what I do.
I really want to go back to Europe, I really want to go back to Paris. There are a lot of other places that I want to see and there are a lot more things that I want to do.
I loved this area of the world.

Next up on Auna's List of Loves!
#10. Sailing

#1: The Office (US)

2007-06-13T00:04:00.000-04:00

#1 on Auna's List of Loves is The Office (US)

I don't even know where to start with this one to be honest. Just flat-out, this is the absolute best show on television. If Arrested Development were still on the air, I might have a major conflict of interest. Thankfully, I can say without hesitation that The Office, is the absolute best show currently on television. Which of the two is the best of all time? Now there you have a sticky situation.
Anyway, down to business...
Let me just start by saying that my mother is a genius. Without her, I would not be exposed to the plethora of amazing network programming that has been produced over the past five years. Like Arrested Development, my mother is the one that coerced me into watching The Office. During my college years, I was hooked on cable television -- mostly crap. I didn't have cable at home, and suddenly having the opportunity to watch Comedy Central just seemed so much more appealing than NBC.
After moving back home at the end of last April, my parents watched My Name is Earl and The Office every Thursday night. I had no idea what the big deal about the shows were, really. My boyfriend and I would watch old DVDs of Northern Exposure (another great television show from the early 1990's) and really couldn't care that much about what was on television Thursday nights.
I'm not sure if it was "Drug Testing" or "Conflict Resolution", but I watched one episode one evening with my family and I was hooked. And if this gives you any indication of how quickly I was sucked into the show -- I nearly shat myself when I watched "Casino Night".

So this leads me to the #1 reason why I love The Office.
That's right. Jim and Pam.
Never, ever in the history of television -- since The X-Files (Mulder and Scully) at least -- has there been an on-screen male and female combination that are SO FREAKING COMPATIBLE! I mean, to be fair, the entire cast is just beyond amazing and they all compliment each other better than almost any other show on television. But these two: John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer...holy crap. If I could be in a polygamous relationship with anyone in the world, it would be these two.
That sounded a little creepier than I intended it to be.
But in any case! These two characters totally sucked me into a truly amazing show.

So throughout last summer, I spent every Thursday watching re-runs of The Office. By September 2006, I was about ready to jump off a cliff in anticipation for what was going to happen. Mostly between Jim and Pam. Meep.
Of course, to any of you that watch The Office, I was dragged along on a string until around...April or so. But! The point is! I became so unbelievably hooked on this show that I officially crossed over into the "religious viewer" stage this past year. Remember "religious viewer" from last post? Yes, that point in which that I would not do ANYTHING within the time frame that the show airs.
I love the show so much that for the first time EVER in the history of television (for me), I actually bought the first and second seasons of the show on DVD. Yes, I did this for Arrested Development, but the show was off the air by that point. Once I had caught up with the first couple of seasons (and watching shows that I had never actually seen before!), I was even more in love.

My love affair with The Office was only further solidified at the end of Season 3 with the episode "Beach Games" where Pam made her big speech that I had only been waiting for the whole damn season. Now not only do I have a secret lust for Jim and Pam, but I have a secret lust for just Pam.
Pam Beesly is my hero.

So uh...that about does it, I guess.
Now I have to spend a very, very long three months waiting for Season 4 to start.
My last words about this show: The cast, the writers, the producers, the directors, the entire damn team are the most absolutely brilliant people in the entertainment business in this day and age.
Here's hoping they never jump the shark.

Next up for Auna's List of Loves:
#3. France and all of Europe

and
#12 on Auna's List of Loves: The Ask.com commercial "Chicks with Swords"

#6: Arrested Development

2007-06-09T14:26:00.001-04:00

I know what you're thinking: Auna! What are you doing? Starting at #6 on your list!! But listen, just listen here. It's my list of loves, and I'll start wherever I damn well please to start.
So...#6: Arrested Development
This is the best damn TV show that has ever been written and aired. Unfortunately, I had to be aired on Fox, which basically meant that it never had a chance to survive in the first place. (And believe me, if I had a list of hates, Fox would be on that list for the sole reason that it canceled this brilliant program).
I didn't start watching Arrested Development until well into the first season. My family started watching it on Sunday nights while I was in college. I normally just watched The Simpsons and then would turn the station over to some VH1 countdown that I had already seen a million times. My mother persisted though, she'd e-mail me every Monday morning and say, "Auna, you should really be watching this television show, it's absolutely hilarious. It's brilliant! You will love it if you just watch it!"
Normally, I listen to my mother because I'm a good daughter like that. I didn't for a long time though. It wasn't until I was visiting them on a Sunday evening for dinner that we all watched it together like the good American family that we are and I immediately fell in love. Like, head over heels, engagement rings and marriage kind of love. This show was the absolute best television show I had ever seen.

When the second season rolled around, I watched it religiously. Now, there are VERY few shows that I watch religiously. When I say religiously, I mean, I will literally ignore anyone that tries to contact me during the time period the show is on. I will actively make plans revolving around the show. It's kind of sad, really, but hey, when I'm hooked, I'm hooked (there were a lot of commas in that sentence).

Then the cancellation rumors started to fly around. I signed every single online petition that I could possibly find. I joined Arrested Development support groups (okay, not really). I could not believe that Fox was actually thinking about canceling the show.
I was elated when it was revealed that the show would indeed come back for a third season. Yes! It's not over yet! But I became so pissed at Fox because they would constantly move the show around in their schedule! The station didn't even give the show a chance!!

I almost missed the very last episodes of the series because they played them on a Friday evening and didn't publicize them at all. But you know what? I watched those last two (or was it three?) episodes. And you better damn well believe that I cried when it was over.

Now I get my Arrested Development fix via G4 when I'm too lazy to put in a DVD. G4, although a pretty crappy channel (in my opinion), is really awesome for picking up the re-runs of this show. You would think that Comedy Central would have or something...
I also have all three seasons on DVD -- which were NOT illegally obtained because I want to show all the support I possibly can to the show. Every once in a while, I hold onto the fleeting hope that they might bring it back like they did Family Guy.

In the meantime, I like to amuse myself by playing, "The Final Countdown" and thinking of GOB. Because honestly? It makes me happy inside ... and I'm a little in love with Will Arnett.

So that's all that I will write for now on my love for Arrested Development. Next up: #1: The Office (US)

And to add to my list of loves:
11. vanilla vodka

'Til then!

Knitting MIA

2007-06-08T11:14:00.000-04:00

So I've decided.
Since I have been knitting MIA for the past month or so. I'm going to change this blog around a little bit. I'm going to (until I get back into the swing of knitting again) start a series of posts about "The Things I Love" -- mostly material things. Why do this? Because I feel like it.
What I will do is make an ongoing list, and each post I will focus on ONE of those things from the list. This could really go on and on forever.

So...starting with the list!

Things that Auna Loves

The Office (US version)
Archaeology
France and all of Europe
Knitting
Food
Arrested Development
Spinning
Underwear
Astronomy
Sailing

And I'll just start with those 10 first. I might do an in-depth post on #1 later on in the day. Depends on how bored I become. :)

MIA Apparently

2007-05-26T16:37:00.000-04:00

So my blog posting skills are quite lacking I see.
I'm very...slow on the knitting these days. Now that I've finally graduated from college, it's like...what else is there to do? There's really not a whole heck of a lot. There's nothing to stress me out (well, the search for a job, but that's just really depressing) so...not a whole lot to inspire me to knit.

I am in the search for a spinning wheel right now though. I'm hoping to find one/decide on one by the end of the summer. :) I have all the money, I just need to make the decision.

In much, much, much sadder news, my kitty died this past week. :'( She would have been 18 years old next week. She's been my kitty since I was 4 years old. So I've been dealing with that over the past few days (leaving me to REALLY not want to do anything). She's somewhere in/around the house, my parents haven't been able to find her at all, which makes the situation even sadder.
But hey, maybe I'll get a new siamese kitten for my birthday next month, that would be a slightly happier affair.

Hope that life you well (to everyone who is reading this)!

No Yarn, Too Much Thinking

2007-03-31T19:40:00.000-04:00

So I haven't heard anything from the yarn website where I bought my spur of the moment Lorna's. I thought that they would have shipped by now...I'm concerned.

In the meantime, I'm trying to keep my wits about me. I'm graduating in less than a month, I have a 30 page paper due in 2 (3?) weeks, I have a presentation (15 minutes long) in 2 weeks, a paper to coincide with that presentation in 3-4 weeks, and another paper for another class due next week.
And after that, I'll be 100% unemployed and struggling to get by.

Kids, don't study anthropology. Unless you have a real solid plan. :)

No, I'm kidding. I love my major more than it's worth!

Yarn Obsession

2007-03-25T15:09:00.000-04:00

I spent about $30 today on 3 skeins of Lorna's Laces (on SALE!!!!!!) from KnitHappens.com
I really shouldn't have. I couldn't resist. I have a problem.

Teehee!

What am I going to do with just under 600 yards of pink and purple yarn??!?? Worsted no less! It's not enough to make a sweater (by any means), it's too warm to make something summery. Too thick to make socks. Maybe a bag. Maybe matching hat and mittens for next winter. I DON'T KNOW!!!

Why do I do these things? :)

The Cursed Socks Are Finished!

2007-03-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

Oh yes! They're done! They're done!!!!!!

I will regale you all with my tale of the cursed socks:

My mother gave me the KnitPicks sock yarn for the socks. I really love pink, and since I don't look so great in pink, I can get away with making lots and lots and lots of pink socks. :) I decided that I might make toeless socks (like Knitty's pedicure socks), it was summer, I love handknit socks, I don't usually wear socks in summer because I tend to get by wearing only sandals, so that was the plan. I started the socks -- using U.S. size 1 needles and the sock yarn. I cast on too few stitches, when I finally got to the heel, they were too small to even go over my entire foot. So I ripped it out and started again. Second try -- still too small. Ripped them out, started again. Third try -- too loose, way too loose. Ripped them out, started again. So I knit them with the amount of stitches I figured would work. At this point in time, I was living at my parent's house, waiting to find an apartment downtown that I would like. Well, when the woman that cleans my parent's house came, the sock and needles disappeared -- completely. I looked everywhere, under furniture, in all the closets, in all the cupboards. They were gone.

I gave up looking, but told my mom that if she ever moved the basement around, or did a thorough cleaning to keep an eye out for them. She never found them ... UNTIL February! She found them, I rejoiced. I got them back! So I received the cursed sock back and to my great dismay...the sock doesn't fit! NOOO!!! So I rip it out again, start over. I cast on doing a long-tail cast on and start knitting with the tail of the cast on! WHAT MORE CAN I DO WRONG???? So I start over one last time. And that was the last time that I restarted them.

Now they're done! And they're beautiful! And they're soft! And they don't really quite match, but who cares?!??? :) I'm happy with them.

Beeeeeeautiful Yarn!

2007-03-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

I need to figure out some better layout for these pictures...
Here's the finished product of my lovely Yarn Hollow roving! XD I loooooove it!
I bought some merino/silk roving at Loopy Yarns in Chicago earlier this week while I was there. I'll probably post some pictures of that later. :) For the time being though, I'm working on socks. The cursed socks of doom! Dooooom!!!

Oh God! So Yummy!

2007-02-24T17:32:00.000-05:00

*Explodes in a fire of roving love*

So I went to City Knitting today to knit and what-not. My mom came and joined me later on in the afternoon, and I decided that I needed to buy something. I haven't bought any yarn this month -- that I know of. Maybe? I loose track.
Anyway, instead of yarn, I decided to splurge on some roving since I've often admired the Lorna's roving that they have in their back room. Instead, I bought Yarn Hollow...delicous, delcious Yarn Hollow roving. I couldn't help but take some pictures of it and start spinning it as soon as I got home:

Isn't it all gorgeous?? :) I love it to pieces.

One More Thing!!!

2007-02-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

I've totally blanked out on the total Handspun Secret Pal exchange thing held by Interweave. I feel pretty awful about it, but I'm getting my deal together! And I just got around to taking a couple pictures of the lovely skein my secret pal sent to me a couple weeks ago! :)

The second, really close up pic (I LOOOOOOOVE my new digital camera and it's glorious macro settings!!!!!) is closer to what the color is, but it has some really awesome sparklies in it, which for some reason I've never thought to put in my handspun yarn, but it really is a rather ingenious idea if I do say so myself.
I have no idea what I'm going to do with the yarn. For now, it will sit in my yarn basket and look pretty like all of my handspun yarns. I always find interesting things to make. :)

...Did I just hear thunder???? O.o

It's Been Too Long

2007-02-19T21:48:00.000-05:00

So it's been so long since I updated that they've re-vamped Blogger on me! Oh noes! I'm so confused!!!

No, not really.

Anyway, I figured that it's best that I post some update pictures of what I've been doing over the past few months. No sweater as I had hoped to start after Christmas. Blah. I'm so lazy and cheap to actually buy the yarn for a sweater. Of course, in the process of making other things I've probably bought enough yarn to make a sweater out of it all.

My mind is in so many places at once!

So anyway, piccies! From earliest finished to...latest.

These are my Mardi Gras knee socks! Well, Mardi Gras knee sock. Unfortunately, it will not be finished for Mardi Gras...tomorrow. :( Boo. I thought I had another week.

These are my cabled mittens that I made to match my Clapotis! :) The mitten on the right is FAR superior to the one on the left. I kinda effed up the left one.

The cuff is basically the cuff of Knitty's Fetching, the rest of the pattern comes from my very own noggin'. The yarn is Cascade 220.

These lovelies are my Fetching (pattern from Knitty) made in Patons SWS. They're kinda itchy, but the colorway is to die for. I adore them, despite their itchyness.

These last two pictures here are of a baby sweater that I made for one of my French professors who is due...next month I believe. :) So I guess I lied about the sweater, I made a baby one!
This sweater is the pattern for the Baby Bolero from One Skein by Leigh Radford. I really love it, it was made with Cascade's cotton/wool blend. I can never remember the name of it. Really lovely though. Both of these pictures are from before I wove the ends in. I wish that I had taken pictures afterwards because it really ended up looking adorable.
Oh, and my professor (and her husband) loved the sweater, which made me a very happy knitter.

Long Awaited Return

2006-12-17T22:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a while! I've been knitting and crafting up a storm lately! Would you like to see some of my glorious FOs? Of course! =)

Some mittens for my boss. =) He seemed to love them! They're one of my favorite pair of mittens that I've ever knit (and I've knit a LOT of mittens!). I wanted to keep them for myself, people that I showed them to wanted them. They're really lovely though. Knit up in one of the Cascade 220 Heathers on US Size 5 dpns.

A very pretty scarf for my boyfriend. =) He will love it, I'm certain. Hopefully he doesn't realize that it's for him though as he saw me knitting it up.

A couple felted bowls for members of my family. I actually knit one for each of my aunts and uncles out of spare yarn that I had spun and had no use for. These two are just my favorite. The white and blue one is going to my aunt and uncle, and the pinkish and black one is for my grandparents.

Finally, a winecozy that I knit up for my grandparents. I also just finished knitting one up today for my boyfriend's mother, which I have yet to finish up and embellish a bit. =)

I'm so glad school is over for the semester! Now I have time to knit and spin and do all sorts of fun stuff! =D

Clapotis!!

2006-10-14T17:47:00.000-04:00

Took me about 2 weeks I think. I've gotten a ton of compliments on it while working on it in the anthropology lab and language lab. Heehee. It's finally done. I can't wait to wear it around!

So here are a few pictures of me modelling it. Just for your viewing pleasure!
And a couple of technical pictures just for the fun of it =)

On the floor

Stretched out on my arm shawl-like

I'm a Clapotis bandit. =D

Work in Progres...

2006-10-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

So I haven't posted to this in a while. I spun a couple of new autumnal yarns a while back: Halloween and Pumpkin-y like:

and

I love the Pumpkin Patch one. =)

Anyway, I'm not spinning for a while now because I'm knitting my Clapotis! Yay Clapotis! I've caught the Clap! (Oh....wait.......) It's turning out really pretty so far though. Knitting it with Cascade yarn. I'm happy. I'll definately post pictures once I'm finished.

Cotton Candy Bubblegum!

2006-09-17T22:14:00.000-04:00

I pimp out yarns like a pimp pimps out his ladies.
Bad analogy?

Anyway, I just finished my latest yarn. Started on it Friday, maybe yesterday, I can't even remember now...and finished it today.
Started with dyeing some new blue roving on Friday night with some blue Kool-Aid (hey, I'm not going to drink it, might as well dye with it, right?) and ended up with a pretty pastel -- cotton candy blue color. Decided that I needed to mix it with my psychedellic pink roving that I had leftover from my strawberries and cream.

Aaawww, so pretty! =)
So I spent a lot of Saturday spinning (I felt really sick in the chest -- lots of coughing. Not fun) and I spent a LOT of today doing so as well.
After Family Guy this evening I wrapped it into it's respected skein and went to soak it for a while, beat it against the walls and bathtub -- I give it no mercy. And I now have this lovely skein of yarn!

I named it Cotton Candy Bubblegum because it looks exactly like that Bubblicious cotton candy bubblegum. And it kind of smells like it too. I'm rather proud of it too because I think it's the thinnest yarn that I've spun yet. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I might add it onto whatever I end up making for my boyfriend's niece. =)

Strawberries & Cream

2006-09-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

So with just a couple of days gone since I finished my Kool-Aid dyed yarn (which I may or may not do again...leaning towards not...) I've finished the yarn that I inteded to make with said roving!

The first picture is truest to the color. The second is kind of crappy, but gives you an idea of the weight the yarn is (i.e. the coin is a 10 cent Euro piece -- closest coin that I could see out in the open -- it's about the size of a penny). I'm really, really pleased with how it turned out. I was a bit worried due to the shocking color of the roving and while I was spinning the individual strands it was REALLY tight, I wasn't sure if there was going to be enough of each...THEN while plying the yarn started kinking up on itself. ::shakes head:: Tricky, tricky yarn. But after beating it, soaking it, squeezing it, etc...I think that it's just about perfect. =) Now is the curious question about what I'm going to do with it. Maybe it will just sit out as decoration.

Cotton Candy!

2006-09-02T14:50:00.000-04:00

So this is my latest bit of dyed roving. I decided this time that I would try my hand at Kool-Aid dyeing. Really, really simple. A packet of Kool-Aid and some water. (I read somewhere 1 part Kool-Aid, 2 parts water) I used Black Cherry and Cherry, hoping for some variation in colors, but I pretty much ended up with bright pink...pink...and hot pink. I'm a bit gun-shy about trying Kool-Aid dyeing again since I was really hoping for a deep red and I obviously didn't get that at all. =(
...It is simple though...

My First QUILT! (And A Skein of Yarn)

2006-08-24T13:55:00.000-04:00

I am SOOOO excited! I just finished piecing together my FIRST QUILT EVER!!!!! =D =D =D I've been kind of working on it on and off again since May or June, but my sewing machine was broken, and I'm pretty awful and hand sewing. I cut a bunch of the small pieces when I first got my fabric and was able to sew together maybe one and a half strips and then my sewing machine completely crapped out on me. That was all I did until the end of July, broke down and decided that I needed to get it fixed -- no matter the cost.
The sewing machine fixings cost me about $25 I think, and I haven't had any problems since. Well...then I had another problem!! The green sashing in the middle and edges that I had originally bought was too little (misprint maybe???) and so last night, I went and bought some green fabric that was similar to the original that I bought back in May and I worked on it all last evening and this morning and I'm done piecing it together!!!

Here it is, laid out on my floor in all of it's glory. =D I would venture a guess that it's about 3'x3', maybe a little more. I haven't measured it yet. I have yet to actually quilt it and I need to put the backing fabric on and stuff, but other than that...gah! I love it! =D

And just so I keep in the spirit of knitting (haha, not that it's always necessary or anything...). I have to whore out my favorite yarn ever (that I've made, that is).

It's name is "Yin Yang Panda" and it's ~87 yards (as the card on it says). It's so nicely spun and even. It makes me so happy because it's the first wheel-quality yarn that I've spun on my hand spindle. I have no idea what I'm going to make of it. I might just keep it for decoration. Who knows!

YARN PR0N!!!!

2006-08-21T14:33:00.000-04:00

Hello. My name is Auna, and I am a yarnaholic.
Now, my yarn stash isn't nearly as bad as some peoples that I've seen. Except that whereas a lot of people have so much yarn they don't know what to do with it, I have so much useless yarn that I don't know what to do with it! =O
Now, I'm one of these people who, when they make something, they want to make something useful. Not little toys that will just sit in the closet collecting dust, or gifts that will be underappreciated, etc.
What do I do with my yarn? Take pictures of it and post it to my blog. What else?

Here it is. All laid out in all of it's porny goodness.

Now, from left to right in more detail (oh I'm so dirty...)

These are the cottons. There are 5 (yes 5) skeins of Sugar 'n Cream. Some KnitPicks sport weight cotton (really lovely stuff!), and some Esprit sock yarn that I used for my Lolita Toes.

The two skeins in the middle here are my "fancy" yarns. One skein of beautiful and soft Noro (wool, angora and whatever else is in it...) that I bought from a LYS over half off for some reason. The second skein is leftovers of a lace weight alpaca. I need to find the pathetic excuse of a scarf that I made with it and frog it and make it into something much more lovely.

Here, next to the Noro and alpaca I have my novelty yarns. A really cool black w/ rainbow bits, some terry-cloth-esque yarn, some eyelash yarn. Nothing really spectacular. Something that I'll use for embellishments if anything.

My favorites! Some of my handspun yarn. =) Nothing really over the top spectacular, mind you. I think everything pictured there is under 100 yards and I have no idea what to do with any of it. =( Boooo

And finally, my wools and wool-like yarns that I'm not really sure if they're wool or not. There's a bit of KnitPicks in there, some dye-your-own stuff and some stuff from Hobby Lobby and Michael's. =)

And that's all...do not think though that this is all that I have! Because it's not! I have a couple more skeins of my own handspun stuff, and a couple other purchased skeins that I know what I'm going to use them for. Oh yarny yarn yarn.

Long Time No Post!!!!

2006-08-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

So I'm finally all moved into my apartment and I finally have some nice time to actually post what I've been doing the past couple of weeks!

These are pictures of my favorite part of my apartment. The bedroom! =D The windows are the windows that look out on my street, right next to my desk...heehee. And the tapestry above the bed is my boyfriend's. I think he either bought it in Tibet or China. One of the two.

Now onto the crafty things!!!

Here are 4 nice dishcloths that I knit before I moved in. This is my sink! =D

These are my cloth pads that I sewed (sidenote: HOORAY! MY SEWING MACHINE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!). Yes, they are pads. Like maxi pads. My boyfriend couldn't believe it when I made them. Haha. They're kind of crappy, but they are my first attempt at them, so I'm proud. =)

Here is a pretty necklace that I made just the other day. The large beads are Asian-ish, I wanted a cool pendant for the middle, but couldn't find one that I liked at the bead store, so I decided against it. I still really like it. =)

Gloves...pretty self-explanatory. =) The colors in each are a little different and weird, but I suppose that's what I get for using hand-spun yarn.

And here is a picture of the first skein of yarn spun in my new apartment! Hooray! Believe it or not, I spun all ~178 yards of it in one day! Crazy!!!!

Give Me A Couple of Days

2006-08-03T14:38:00.000-04:00

I haven't updated anything in about a week. I've been working on a couple of things here and there. Give me a couple of days though, I'm currently in the process of moving into a new apartment. =)

FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-26T17:05:00.000-04:00

This is my FSM that I created a couple of days ago whilst bored. =) I love him. He is my god. I will worship him...maybe. He doesn't like that though, so maybe I won't.
He's a bit effeminate because the only yarn that I had to spare was a pastel pink-blue color. Heehee.

And my latest roving!!!!! =D Isn't it perdy? I'm currently in the process of spinning it up. It will be interesting to see how it knits up. =)

So YOU Want To Dye Roving? Part 2

2006-07-25T13:00:00.000-04:00

Oh goodness, a bit of a delay. I've been lazy about uploading the pictures from my camera. The last part of the dyeing process is fairly simple anyway.

SO! The last few steps are as follows:

Step 1:
Unwrap your baby roving from it's towels and newspaper.

Step 2:
Fil your sink up with soapy water once again like you did when you went to soak your roving initially, same soap and same temperature is all fine.

Step 3:
Unwrap your roving. If you dye like me, it could be a tad messy. The roving should easily fall from the Saran Wrap. Dunk your roving into the sink and toss away the Saran Wrap.

Step 4:
Let soak for just a couple of minutes

Step 5:
Rinse out each individual strand of roving and hang it up to dry on a coathanger (or something similar is fine too) in the shower, or just someplace where it can drip dry and be left undisturbed.

Step 6:
After it's all dry, you're ready to spin! Congrats! =)

Note: For some reason Blogger isn't letting me upload images, so I'll upload the images of my finished roving once Blogger decides it likes me again.

So YOU Want To Dye Roving? Part 1

2006-07-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

So! I dye a lot of roving, why not write a tutorial about how to do it? =) This is really just for my own amusement. Take it however you want.

Step One:
You need some roving. Roving, for those of you who do not know fiber terminology, is a strip of wool that has been processed in order to use for spinning. (This is about as simple as it gets) You can really use roving of any color you want, white, brown, striped, etc. Depending on the natural fiber you use, you'll get colors of varying tones! I use white. =) Next batch I might try black and white striped.

Step Two:
Knot strips of roving into ball-type thingies. Basically, wrap the strip of roving around your hand until you have a tail of about 6 inches or so and then tie that around what you wrapped around your hand.

I have 13 balls here. Plenty!!!

Step Three:
Now you're going to wash the roving, let it soak, give it a nice little bath. I like to let it soak in Ivory soap, it's gentle and mild. Perfect.

You'll let the balls soak for anywhere from half an hour to an hour in soapy water. You'll want the water to be hot, but not TOO hot. You also want to avoid using a lot of force on the little woolen balls because otherwise they'll felt and that's no good!! (At least not in this case)

Step Four:
This is the point where you'll get your utensils and supplies ready.
Utensils and Supplies:
1. Glass baking dish -- avoid using metal or something that could change color with dyes (i.e. white). Unless of course, you don't care about a dish getting dyed crazy colors
2. Saran Wrap or some other plastic wrap
3. Plastic cups
4. A plastic knife and spoon if you'd like
5. Paintbrushes if you'd like (I've found the sponge kind work best, plus they don't get dyed the color of the dyes)
6. Large bowl or measuring cup that can hold ~4 cups
7. White vinegar
8. Food coloring of your choice
9. Paper towels
10. Something to protect your hands
11. Microwave
12. Ziplock bag
13. Newspaper and a towel

Okay, it's a long list, but it's all stuff that you should just have lying around the house.

Now what you'll do is mix about 1/4 cup of the vinegar with between 3 and 4 cups of water. Mix those two things together and then pour the water/vinegar solution into a plastic cup for each color that you want. Take your plastic knife or spoon and then mix the colors together. Note: You will need a lot of dye for dark colors. I learned this the hard way. My first yarns were all pastel colored. It bummed me out a lot.
So you have your colors and you're ready to dye your roving!!!

Step Five:
Lay Saran Wrap in your baking dish

Step Six:
Now you're allowed to drain the water from the bath that your roving balls are soaking in. Take one, two or three balls of roving at a time, rinse them out (gently!!!!), squeeze them out (GENTLY!!!!) and then take them to your Saran Wrapped baking dish.

Step Seven:
Now you can officially start the dyeing process!

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE WEARING GLOVES! You don't want your hands to become purple or whatever color you're using (or maybe you do!).

Take a cup of dye. You can do this a number of different ways now, depending on what you like. Some people use squeeze bottles like the ones that ketchup come in, others like to use paintbrushes, others like to sprinkle on dye with spoons. Me? I like to just pour the dyes right on there. I take a cup, put my hand over it, and let the dye run between my fingers onto the roving.

This is what the roving will look like after you've gotten it all dyed up. =)

Step Eight:
Once you have your roving substantially saturated with dye (and believe me, do NOT be afraid to really soak it up to the point where dye is oozing from the wool) you will roll it up into a nice little cinnamon bun (but don't eat it, please).
Fold in the long sides first, and then roll up. It should look like these...

Step Nine:
Repeat above steps as often as necessary until you are all out of roving. It's time to cook it up!

Put all of your rolled up roving into a Ziplock bag. Get out as much air as you possibly can from the plastic bag and seal it well.

Pop it into the microwave for about 5 minutes, a little longer if you don't have a really powerful microwave (I have a very powerful microwave). Let it "cook" for about 2 1/2 minutes, stop it briefly and WITH OVEN MITTS (very, very important) flip the bag over and let it continue to cook.
If the bag pops, don't worry.
Have some newspaper ready for when the "cooking" is done. Take the bag of roving from the microwave WITH OVEN MITTS and wrap it in the newspaper.

After wrapping it in the newspaper, wrap it up in a towel, then put it in a nice, undisturbed place to rest for about a day until it cools down.

What to do after the roving is cooled will be continued tomorrow of the day after next once my roving is all nice and cooled! =)

And finally...

This is what happens when you don't wear gloves. And this just happened while mixing dyes. Silly, silly me. =P

And very, very finally!!

This is my crazy psychedellic yarn that came from the wool that I took a picture of on the spindle last week or so. There's about 75 yards of it.

Non- Yarn/Knitting Post!

2006-07-22T16:47:00.000-04:00

Well! Saturday has proved to be a crafty day. =)

John and I got up this morning at around 8 to go and sign the lease to our new apartment. It didn't take very long...15-30 minutes tops. So we came back home, I was really tired and went to sleep again, slept until noon (oh noes!). Anyway, when I woke up, I went out into the living room and saw John sitting on the couch working on the model ship that he purchased yesterday at Hobby Lobby (he had also gone out during my nap and bought all the paintbrushes and paints that he needed!).

This is the ship to be technical about it.

And here are some pictures of John working on it!

So I sat down with him and decided, well, might as well do some stuff myself!

I started out modgepodging (did I spell that right?) a small table with Jones Soda labels.
Story time!!!
I started collecting Jones Soda labels back when I was a senior in high school, or maybe the summer between graduating high school and my freshman year of college. In any case, it's been about 4 years. I have a TON. I used to only drink Jones (now I don't really like it a whole lot. Haha, go figure). The past few years I've decorated my walls with them, but I started to think that maybe I wanted to do something different with them (plus it was a major pain to continuously put up and take down the labels). So I decided that I would decoupage something with some of them. How about a table?!?

Voila! I'm still considering doing something with the legs...I'm not sure if I have enough labels to do all three legs, if anyone has any ideas, I'm willing to accept them!
I'm not completely done modgepodging the top either, I'm putting a lot of coats of it on top to try and smooth it out a bit. Overall though, I love it. It will make a pretty awesome table for...something!

And in addition to that, I painted some more watercolors!

I painted this a couple of weeks ago actually

Daisies? Something? I'm not quite sure what they are

Bright flowers

Something tree-like?

And this, is basically nothing. I realized while painting it at one point that it looked like Northern Lights, so I tried to go in that direction...but failed. Oh well. There are still some pretty colors in it.

And finally, an art-like photo that I took earlier today in between layers of modgepodge:

It's my cat's food bowl. =) Haha. We recently started feeding her wet food in order to try and fatten her up. She's old (17 to be exact), her teeth aren't so great, so it's hard for her to eat a lot of her dry food (though she still does). Anyway, she LOVES the chicken kind, and when you feed her the chicken kind, she goes NUTS. It's like catnip or something for her. Anyway, if you can picture Cookie Monster eating cookies, this is how my cat eats her food. Today she got it ALL over the place and I couldn't help but take a picture of it. Anyway, lo and behold, the picture is actually kind of artistic! Haha, I couldn't resist posting it. =)

And here's a picture of the culprit of the previous picture...probably dreaming about her dinner. =)

Anyway, I'll probably end up dyeing some more roving tonight, so there will probably be more pictures of wool in the near future!!!!

Mittens In July

2006-07-21T23:28:00.000-04:00

So I completed these in about a day...maybe two. I knit mittens really fast. Too fast maybe.

And just for kicks:

The mittens! Trying to kill John...or something. I'm not really sure what's going on, but he looks frightened.

And me, modelling my mittens! (And covering my face! Heehee)

And so that you all are aware, the yarn that made these mittens came from

Yes! That is right! My favorite skein that I have dyed and spun up myself thus far. =)

The mittens themselves are a little...off. Both pairs tend to be really bulky at the bottom, and a bit thin at the top and the thumb just due to the unevenness from spinning. But I'm really happy with them. They'll be super warm by winter for sure. At first, I made them a bit bigger than they actually are, and was considering lining them with fleece, but...that would have made them REALLY warm. Like, venturing into the Canadian tundra warm. Haha.

Anyone want some mittens? If you say yes, I might make you some for Christmas.

In news completely unrelated to crafty and arty stuff, I have an apartment. Huzzah!

New Creations!

2006-07-16T23:19:00.000-04:00

So it's been a couple of days since my last post, and in those couple of days, I've done a LOT! I've done some knitting, some spinning, some plying...all sorts of stuff!

First, I would like to share my hat with you all. It is my "Chemo Hat"
Unfortunately, it doesn't really fit me. I have a big head, what can I say? I didn't follow the pattern exactly either, but I really like the way it turned out (with the exception of some minor/ugly mistakes), especially the top.
So without further ado, some pictures of it!

A bit washed out from the flash

A bit darker than the yarn actually is...but eh, who cares?

And my lovely Vanna, er...I mean, John, modelling the hat. =)

Now in the meantime, I've done quite a bit of spinning as well, and the wool spun includes my psychedellic green wool! =D Here is some of it spun up:

I actually finished it and I plied it so that it's nice and thick. There's about 72 or so yards of it. Again, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. It's really thick in some places. I'm thinking a scarf probably, there's not a whole lot that you can do with 72 yards of yarn.

I'm currently working on another double ply yarn right now. It's black, nothing fun or colorful. I'll probably dye some more wool this week and get a crackin' on that. Either that, or I might start working on my Japanese room divider, or my bottle cap flower pot, or maybe something completely different...like soap! I'm looking forward to making my soap. =D

Some Roving and Yarn

2006-07-13T15:52:00.000-04:00

So these are the two newest creations from me! Auna!

The first here is the skein of the last couple of pictures in the previous post. It's my 3rd yarn, and by far my favorite:

Isn't it so pretty? It's going to make me some awesome mittens, I can tell you that much! I'm so pleased with how it turned out. It varies in thickness, but for the most part, it's pretty even. =)
I'm still convinced the picture doesn't do it justice either. Eh, pictures never do.

The second picture that I have to whore out today is:

My latest dyed roving! =D It's like, psychedelllic green. Again, picture doesn't entirely do it justice (especially with the flash on and all)
It will be interesting to see what it looks like once I spin and skein it. I have no idea just at this point what I'm going to do with it! I don't know if there will be enough for socks, and well...it's kind of crazy colors. If anyone has ideas throw 'em out there!

And that's all for today. I'm currently working on a hat, who knows, I'll probably be done with it in a day or two! =)

Beginning Works of Art

2006-07-11T21:19:00.000-04:00

What do I do with most of my free time? I knit, I spin wool, I dye wools and yarns...and that's about it for now.

I started knitting back in high school, or maybe it was middle school when I first learned. In any case, I started with scarves, and I stuck with scarves -- for a long time. I was too afraid to branch out, thinking that all other knit objects were too complicated for me to do.

One of the first scarves I ever made was a fluffy pink scarf. It was long, probably 7-8 feet in length. After my freshman year of high school I had a friend who expressed a desire to own a Harry Potter scarf. I felt that I owed him a favor, so what did I do? Spent my free time knitting a fun Harry Potter (Gryffindor) scarf.

Pretty, isn't it?

I continued with scarves...for a long time. When I went with my parents to Florida one year, we stayed overnight with one of my mom's cousins. His wife knits socks, and when we were there, my mom watched her knit a pair. My mother fell in love and as soon as we returned from Florida, she picked up a pair of dpns (double pointed needles for those non-knitters out there), some sock yarn, a couple patterns and got started.
I continued with scarves.
Finally, Christmas 2005, my mom gave me a "Beginners Sock Knitting" kit that she threw together -- some dpns, some sock yarn, a pair of straight needles, some regular worsted weight wool (hand dyed by her) and a tub for it all to go in. I didn't want to make socks though, I wanted to make mittens. So what did I do? Asked my mom for a mitten pattern and got to work.

I had always been intimidated by my mother's dpns. How does one possibly knit with 5 needles?!? Two is daunting enough! She gave me a quick crash-course in how to use the dpns and I was off! I was knitting mittens! It took me a couple of tries to get the hang of knitting the thumb at the end, but by my second pair, my mittens were just as good as any that one would find in the store!

My love for the double pointeds started to grow and my desire to branch out and try newer and more exciting things began to grow. I started dyeing my own yarn, I started buying a lot of yarn (a lot). The yarn that I was dyeing was weak, the colors were bland and pastel (I wasn't using enough dye, go figure). My mother helped me out, and the two of us spent a Saturday dyeing yarn. I finally got a nice orange and pink color (made a scarf out of it):

And then my next obsession began: spinning.

No, not a bike, spinning wool, spinning wheel (think "The Ox Cart Man"!).
I was reluctant to try at first, I didn't want to invest in a wheel, and I wasn't sure how well a drop spindle would work. I bit the bullet and purchased a drop spindle with a bit of wool roving from Annie May on eBay.
It was a bit slow to start out with, but I was determined to make it work.
This is a picture of my first yarn I ever made:

Pretty!
And then I went out and bought a pound of white wool roving from Brown Sheep Mill End and got some brown freebie along with it.
Here's the brown spun into yarn and all skeined up!

Lovely, no?
And finally, I decided what I really wanted to do was dye my own roving and then spin it up into yarn.
Here it is in it's beginning stages and spinning stage!

and

I don't have pictures of the final product, but I love it and am planning on making some lovely mittens in the near future. =)

There will be more pictures and more stories to come in the future and you will all see just why I am unafraid of color.

Here Be the Goods!

2006-07-11T12:48:00.000-04:00

This blog is dedicated to my artistic endeavors including (but not limited to!) knitting, spinning, dyeing, painting and whatever other craftiness might strike my interest!

Leave a comment if any of the material posted strikes your fancy. =)