Hmmmm...

Just in case the first little surprise doesn't work out, I'm working on another. I'm using a smaller hook though. It'll make the stitches smaller, so nothing will fall out.

*looks back over her post*

Hello vague!

Making headway...

...on my lil surprise for Val. Just working on it while i'm waiting for dinner to show up. I broke down and ordered Chinese for dinner... after I spent all that money at the grocery store.

Pffft...

My lil thingy is just about done... I just have to figure out a way to reinforce the bottom, find a piece of ribbon or hearty string, and add just a few more rows. I don't want it to be too big, because the yarn won't be able to take the weight of too much, but too small and it's pointles.

Need to get it juuuuust right ;-D

I like working without a pattern. ^_^

Just a little something...

I'm crocheting a little something. It's very little lol... something I should easily have done before Saturday.

If all goes well, I'll have a little surprise for Ms. Val. If not, then it's a little practice something... *grins*

Still alive!

School has started up and we're almost halfway through the semester all ready.

I've learned how to knit... I know how to cast on, knit, purl, slip, and bind off. I just need to learn how to put it together. ^_^

I recently picked the waterfall blanket back up. Really recently... like yesterday. I managed to get another four to six inches done.

I doubt I'll have a lot of time to work on knittng or crocheting until after the semester is over. When I get a few more skeins on the blanket I'll update the picture.

I've got a few more minutes before bed, so I'm going to work on the blanket just a few more minutes.

Updated pictures...

The progress bars are semi-updated. I removed the scarf and added Moontear's scarf under Finished Creations. But photobucket is being annoying and won't load :P

I'll add the pictures later. ^_^

Hm...

I think.... I'm going to switch from crocheting to knitting.

I know, I know... make up my mind. But I was at my mom's yesterday looking at a blanket my sister had knitted. And I really really really like the say it came out. While crocheting is relatively easy for me, I think I like the appearance of knitting better.

So.

Sometime in the next week, I'm going to stop at one of the craft stores in the area and pick up a beginners knitting book. I'll practice by making washcloths. And I'll get some more yarn too. (YAY for YARN!).

I've done a thorough reorg of my house, so I have plenty of space for yarn. ^_^

I will still complete my mom's blanket though. I haven't worked too much on it because it's so hot.

~sigh~

Maybe I can master both crocheting & knitting? Maybe? Hell, I just want to master one! And maybe take up cross-stitching again. I was actually *really* good at it when I was a teen. The most I really did crocheting wise when I was a teen was bookmarks.

I'll post again soon with my final decision.

I DID IT!

I finished a project!!!!! It's not the one I started first, but I FINISHED MOONTEAR'S SCARF!

I never even had a chance to update the link to the right.

Moontear is going to send me a link so I can put up a finished picture!!!!

Now, to finish that blanket. ;-)

Finally!

Well, I frogged Moontear's scarf one last time and restarted it. I'm liking it much better this time. Soft, uberlong, and the stripes are going in the direction she wants....

I'll put a new link up soon -- I have no internet at home at the moment. TimeWarner will be over to install the new line. ^_^

Until then!

One more thing!

Ms. Val brought me the Stitch 'n Bitch Happy Hookers book! She checked it out of the library for me so I could take a look at it.... It's seriously awesome! I cannot WAIT to try some of the patterns!!

I'm going to have to buy the book for myself. At least it's "search inside" ^_^

I'm also going to be investing in some wooden knitting needles. It's been suggested to me that the wooden needles will be the easiest to learn on.

And then -- more yarn! I have better storage now, so I can invest to my heart's content. =D

I'm still alive!

I'm seriously swamped though.

The last crocheting I did was on the trip with Val and Grim -- we went to Origins in Columbus, OH. It was a lot of fun, but packed with stuff to do! So I didn't exactly get a lot accomplished.

I started Moontear's new scarf and frogged it several times before I made up my mind. Now I've got a few rows done and I think I actually like how it's coming out. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I can't do that slip-stitch pattern with the yarn I got.... The texture of the yarn completely counterbalances the pattern, so you can't see it at all. I may frog the scarf one more time and starts again with a smaller hook. I haven't decided yet.

The blanket hasn't really moved at all... it's been too hot to work on anyways.

I've spent the last two weeks working a shitload of OT, attempting to clean, hanging out with P&V and generally being in a wicked bad mood. Things are going better now, and I hope now that thinks are going better, I'll have more time for crocheting!

I'll post pics and update the progress bars when I have a bit more time.

Until then darlin's!

This has nothing to do with Crocheting....

...but I don't care.

I GOT INTO ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Neat!

I never really bothered click all the links on Ms. Val's blog. But I did today... actually I did about ten minutes ago as I was procrastinating on going to bed. And eating... (that's a different storey though :( )

Admist her links to the blogs she reads I found the Get Stitchy Forum. I poked around and all I can say is damn. I found some interesting bits of info... Like the "pencil hold" on the crochet hook is actually not as common as the "knife hold". I do the knife hold myself... well kinda... a modified knife hold. Maybe I should adjust... it might make things easier. I tried the pencil hold a few days ago, and it was really uncomfortable.

Soooo.... I registered. *blush* Val's mentioned Get Stitchy before... I don't know why I never bothered to check it out before.

^_^

YAY for help!

S.E.X. Hijinks

Friday Ms. Val, Moontear and I took a jaunter out to try and increase our stash supplies. Dulcinbradbury suggested Alfred's in Latham, since it was having an enormouse sale (going out of business?). So directly after work I ran up and grabbed Moontear... She helped me take everything out of my backseat and shove it in the trunk, then we ran down and picked up Ms. Val.

We bounced over to Latham, only to discover Alfred's had closed at 5pm. *cries* Val and Moontear dug through their memory bins to remember good places for yarn. The one Val likes a lot was definitely closed, and the one Moontear suggested was also closed. Val called from her cell instead of wasting the gas to drive out there.

Needless to say, I was border line heartbroken. I wanted to dramatically increase my stash, not buy "just enough".... but without the sales to take advantage of, I had to cope with the "just enough". We headed over to A.C. Moore so I could at least get the yarn for Moontear's scarf... I made her help me pick out the yarn and colors. In the end we decided on Homespun in purple and black. Extremely soft and nicely textured. Let's see if I'm able to pull off the pattern with the yarn. ^_^

I also grabbed another skein to "practice" with. I figured some of the reason I've gotten the urge to get more yarn, is from the fact my practice yarn is just a little too reasonable to make a project with. Soft, black yarn and a unique purple... Definitely too tempting, even if it is difficult to work with.

So I grabbed an enormous skein of Redheart in the most lurid flourescent pink I could find.

I wouldn't make anything for *anyone* -- including my worst enemy -- with this yarn. It's terrifying. (Although Vin did have a good point... a yitty bitty teddy bear, might actually be cute ^_^).

Sweet!

I called Moontear, and I've emailed with Val.

S.E.X. tomorrow!(And for you all pervs out there S.E.X. = Stash Enrichment X-pedition, so get your minds out of the gutter).

This works out perfectly, since I get paid tomorrow. I just have to be careful, since tomorrow's check is VACATION MONEY! W000000!!!

I fully believe that several skeins of nice yarn for Ms. Moontear's scarf is considered a necessity for a long car trip. ^_^

We leave in a week -- I'm stoked.... and nervous. ^_^

*combusts*

So I didn't go on a yarn binge. I resisted my temptation.... instead I gave in to eating mass quantities of Taco Hell. I'll regret that tomorrow. ^_^

I did make an interesting discovery though. Well, not really interesting, but definitely good to know.

Closed up windows + Cranked AC = Still not cool enough to work on this blanket.

Who knew crocheting could be a sweat inducing experience?

I'm finishing up my fifth or sixth pair of skeins. I have four sets left. I'll post more pics when I'm halfway through my next skein. Adding five rows doesn't make a huge different in a project this size. Especially since there isn't a discernable pattern.

I really need to go to bed. I didn't realize it was heading towards midnight.

Sweet dreams folks!

Edit -- Updated my tracking for the waterfall blanket. ^_^ My low original estimation + what I've worked on today = some place between 55% and 60%. Go me!

Jonesing man... jonesing...

I need/want/crave more yarn.

I showed Moontear the scarf again, but I'm looking at it and realizing, I canNOT continue with the yarn I'm using. The black is extremely soft (and low cost) but the splitting is making it impossible to work with. The Redheart is easier to work with, only splits a little, but is ridiculously itchy!

SO... I'm probably going to scrap the scarf. :(

I WILL remake it though. I'd love to try working with chenille, but I'm pretty sure I'm not at that level yet.

I'm definitely going to get some yarn in the next couple of days. Tonight maybe? Tomorrow? While I do need to get yarn for the scarf, I'm seriously just jonesing to have a stockpile! Not that I have room for it, per se... But I will MAKE room.

*twitch*

Not that I haven't exactly mastered crocheting yet, but now spinning is piquing my interest. Before I try my hand at that, I'm definitely going to finish my first crochet project.

The blanket is halfway (or more) done. Unfortunately, that'll be impossible to bring with me on the trip. Way too bulky to manage in the car. Which is why it is VITALLY important to get yarn for this frickin scarf. *twitch*

Ok... I sound like an addict in need of a fix. *giggles*

Is this normal?!

On this day in history

Ms. Val tagged me, so now it's my turn. ^_^

Here are the rules: You go to Wikipedia's historical page and select your birthday (only the month and day). Then you write down 3 events, 2 births, 1 holiday, and then you tag 5 friends.

Events

1861 - American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted.

1941 - World War II: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan

1993 - Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn-in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.

Births

1950 - Bobby McFerrin, American singer

1952 - Douglas Adams, English writer (d. 2001)

Holiday

Lesotho - Moshoeshoe Day.

And I tag -- No one! Well... only because I don't have 5 friends that read this blog. :P Moontear, feel free to do it! =D

Practice makes perfect... and what's up with my cat?

My cat keeps squeezing next to the refridgerator. I can't figure out if she thinks it's cooler back there, there's something living back there, or if she's just totally nuts. It's probably the last. :P

Anyways... I am still crocheting. My last post shared how I had started my first project. I was making steady progress, but now that it's warmer out I'm having a hard time working on it at all. The unfinished blanket draped over my lap while I'm working makes me all roasty toasty. In the mean time I've been practicing reading patterns and attempting to actually make different stitches look good together (switching from hdc to dc to sc and tc all in the same row without adding or dropping stitches). I'd say it's been slow going, but as I've really put my mind to it, I've steadily increased in my success. A week ago I couldn't get ANYTHING to come out right. But over the last three days I've gone from being semi-successful to actually mastering one particular pattern. Yeah, it's a simple pattern, but it's really fun and cute.

ONWARD TO PICTURES!

This is the current state of the blanket:

From the other angle:

I don't know why the color came out so dark on those photos, so here's a close up of the stitching and colors:

It's still not as big as it looks in the picture, although Val did say it would be a perfect lap blanket as of right now. I am going to keep at it though, so it's at LEAST a perfect square before I call it quits. I made it too narrow to make it a perfect twin blanket, but I still want to add some length so the excess blanket can be bunched up around the feet.

I'm going to give this to my mom as a much belated mother's day present. I showed it to her Mother's day weekend and she LOVED the colors, even though blue is more of my thing.

That particular pattern is nothing more than a repeated sc. Kinda boring, but the colors make up for it. The "special" thing about that pattern is the fact you hold two pieces of yarn together while you work. My mom made a blanket exactly the same way, but instead of using two different shades of the same color (or even two different colors) she used straight black. While monochrome (heh) the blanket is very very warm. :)

Now the pattern I mastered yesterday/today is called Slip Stitch Texture. It's from a leisure arts book (cheap at Walmart's LMAO). It's nothing more than 5 slip st alternated with 5 hdc. The "trick" to this particular pattern is to only work with the back loops instead of both.

This is the effect (sorry for the blurriness... lots of coffee today ^_^).

I liked how that was coming out so much I decided to make a project of it. Ms. Moontear loves her purple and black, so I am making her a scarf using that pattern.

This is it so far (and it's lighter and easier to work on than the blanket in these warmer days):

The colors came out all weird in the picture again, so to clarify... The purple is a very RICH, but BRIGHT, purple and the black is well... black.

I should be at a public Stitch and Bitch tomorrow, so I'll probably bring the scarf with me. As much as I want to continue working on the blanket, the thing is really too large to be toting around.

Now that I've procrastinated for almost two hours, I really need to go to bed. Sweet dreams!

YAY!

My newest addition to my blogging habits!

My "crafting" blog. ^_^

Or maybe I just missed blogger? :)

There is one backdated entry... =P

My newest obsession

If you have a myspace profile you can find me as Mistress Pounce (http://www.myspace.com/mistress_pounce). It's private, so you'll definitely have to friend me, and I've gotten a little pickier. As in, if I don't know you -- sorry.

But the things I *am* willing to share, I suppose I can x-post here. :)

So!

I took up crocheting again... It'd been a loooong time. Like a good 15 years LMAO. After much practicing of stitches, I started a project. Something simple, but function. AKA -- a waterfall blanket.

Interested?

These were the last two pictures I posted of my work-in-progress:

And this is where it is now....

It looks huge in the pics... Trust me, it's not as big as it looks. I'm thinking I'm actually going to need at least 10 skeins of each color. :( I *just* started skein number 5 of each color. Then comes the border, which I have yet to figure out what color or how I'm going to do it. This should be interesting. :)