A Meal worth Mentioning

This week, I've taken it upon myself to make a new recipe nearly every night. Mostly because I've been crazy obsessed with Pinterest. Kill me, I've wasted so much time on that site. Anyways, through countless hours or browsing, I found this recipe.

Cheesy Zucchini Bake.

 Oh my god, yum city. Really, seriously, deeply, in love with this dish. And being that it was Tuesday and I got off early, the boy came over to eat. He loved this dish too and I was thrilled. Afterwards, we sat down and dug in to some season six of How I Met Your Mother. I introduced the boy to my most favorite of shows a few weeks ago and we've already made it to season six. That's dedication folks. Loves it.

Here's some pictures documenting my cooking process (I got a little snap happy).

I used Garlic powder, Parsley flakes, and Dried Basil.
Staples in a college kid's pantry. 

MUST add cheese. Mine's low fat pizza blend.
yummy yummy

So much cheesy veg. So much yum yum. I've got one more zucchini and yellow squash in my fridge so this recipe will totally be making a comeback. I promise this blog will return to knitting based posts. Maybe I should just change this blog to a catch all home-made kind of deal. It's hard to get posts out on a regular basis when you keep working on the same project and don't really have much progress.

What do some of you think? Would you be excited to see some things I make al la food and or other things?

I've got a secret

do you wanna see it? That's too bad, it's a surprise! Okay, I'll give you a blurry little sneak peek.

You can't see it all that well, but the thrifted piggy
in the back is too cute for words.

I had too many a few hanks of yarn left over from my sweater, so I obviously had to figure out a way to use it.  I've been working my heart out on this cowl pattern and will hopefully have it up and ready to view in a few day, provided school and general life things don't get in the way.

In other, more personal news, I've decided this year is all about getting healthy. So each month, I'm going to try a new, healthy goal to incorporate into my eating and let you know how it goes. I was going to go sugar free this month, but seeing how valentine's day is approaching and I have urge for everything chocolate like no one's business, I'm trying this month as more protein month. As a vegetarian, I'm severely lacking in this department. I love beans and all, but I'm not that great at incorporating them into daily meals. I plan to pick up some protein powder at this week's trip to the grocery so I can step forward in my plan of looking (and feeling) generally better.
Here's to the healthy year!

Of sweaters and weather

I'm pretty proud of this lovely thing.
The pattern is of course, Kate Davis's paper dolls. Naturally, I'm super excited to wear it everywhere and wore it for the first time on a date night with my boy. The one thing that really sucks about Florida and knitting, is that it's already time to put away things like sweaters and handknits. The season is officially over and I don't think I'll get another chance to wear it until next fall. Oh well, at least I got a few good shots.

A New Start

Hey guys. It's pretty much been almost a year since I updated this blog. I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that my last semester was really just way to hard on me. I lost interest in the things I loved and became too engulfed in my work. Now that things are back on track I'm really starting to gain motivation to share the things I make with people. So let's go over some of what I've done and some of my goals for 2012

Finished

• my first sweater! *squee!*
• multiple hats
• A cool scarf (picture below)

Goals

• A blanket. Preferably, the famed beekeeper's quilt
• Another sweater
• A charted pattern of my own
• More Cowls! 

Seriously, I'm obsessed with cowls. They're such a quick knit and they always turn out so beautiful. More on that later. For now, I leave you with my awesome scarf.

Some Finished Objects

So I've done two things.
One of them, is splurge hardcore money on a yarn sale at my LYS. Color me irresponsible. But, it was worth it.
I've already used most of it, for shame, before taking any pictures.
But here's some of the stuff I've done with it.
(Bare with the color correction, I was testing a new feature)

So I made a rug. It kinda looks like Captain America's shield, but off. The middle is handspun wool I bought ages ago, the next ring is chilian wool I bought saturday not so long ago and the outside and a nice mixture of scrap yarn I had left over from other projects. I'm not sure the colors work for most people, but I find them jarringly unique.

unblocked.

I'm really proud of this hat. No seriously. It's the first time I've done anything that could constitute as lace and it worked! And I blocked it! I've crossed two things off my list of knitting goals. (plus I love to wear it, naturally)

It's extremely hard to tell the colors of my wonderful hat, based on these terrible photos I took, but it leans towards a soft green. It was knitted with classic elite fingerling weight yarn. Two skeins. The pattern is found here. (The yardage is a little more than they tell you, buy more than 150)

Little Cutie

So my guessing game project turned out to not be so...shall we say great?
It looked nothing like an owl, which is what I was going for. I was going to cut the stitches and try to restitch the ears to look more 'owlie', but I was intimidated by the fact that I couldn't find the wip stitches I had sewn the little guy together with. Bums. Oh well, maybe I'll turn it into something else and put it up here some other time. Anyways, I restarted with a smaller, more compact owllette. Very cute. Alls well.

While the daughter's away...

Mom will play!

this is a pattern I found and produced. It was my first time following a crochet pattern. I didn't put a liner in it and left it at home. On friday my mom sent a text along the lines of "My coworker loves your purse oh and I put a liner in it." With this picture attached:

What a swell lady. Although I'm pretty sure she only did it as incentive for me to get to work on her birthday present. I'm on to you mom.

Guessing Game

Guess what I'm making

Give up? I don't blame you. The only people who know are the people I've told. I promise to not leave you in suspense and I'll post pictures when it's stuffed and done with. As for now, I need to go to JoAnne. (I ran out of stuffing) 

Happy Birthday Katelyn! This is your present

Wednesday's Hump Day

Lookie what blog week prompted me to do!

I'm working on the sleeve (finally) of my long and forgotten sweater. I'm this much closer to finishing the whooolllee thing. Working on this sleeve has made me recognize something. I really must hate working things in pairs. I swear it's the most annoying feeling. You get so close, and feel like you finish something and then your left with the feeling of oh yeah...I still have another one of the same thing to make. Socks, sleeves, sweater fronts and backs. More reason for me to never finish anything.


Anyways.
This is one of my favorite bands

The Avett Brothers. Recentally, they became quite popular.

I work merch for the music festival they came to two weekends ago.

I love them so much, but they brought the worst merch. One CD and one shirt? Get real.

I must of not have been the only one who felt this way, I got a lot of noise thrown at me from people frustrated that these things were their only options. I really want to tell these people that there's nothing I can do about things like that, but they tend not to believe me and blame it on us anyways. My favorite story of the night was a woman who got mad at me because I would escort her backstage to let the band member sign her pants. She also told me (when I told her they weren't coming out to sign CDs), that they've gotten too big for their britches.
I thought of this from the point of the musician, seeing as I would dream of being famous someday. Really, I don't think you should have to come out and sign CDs if you don't want to. You don't owe your audience, even if they did buy your merch and contributed to your success. They did this because they like your music, not you as a person. I talked to one of my friends who was also playing at the same festival and she was telling me about how none of the musicians would be caught dead playing with the avett brothers. You don't have to like the person, just the music they produce. Musicians do not deserve to be harrassed by people. Most of the musicians I've met, would rather just decompress alone after a show than come out and sign CDs. I know I would.
That's all I really have to say about that.

♥

Caturday! Day 6

It's CATurday

Day six: Saturday, 2nd April. Something to aspire to
Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have.




I want to master socks, because some of the patterns out there are just too cool. There's something about the turn of the heal that keeps getting me. Haunts my dreams. Not really, but it is really frustrating that I can't seem to just spit socks out like some people can.




I also want need to learn how to block. I've not started a lace project and most of the things I do, don't require it so therefore, never learned it. My mom sent me an email with a link on how to block properly. I've looked at it and it seems easy enough, I've just got to get around to making something that requires it. (Plus I need the equipment)




Blocking reminds me of what's next on my list of projects, lace. It's kind of intimidating. I think it's gorgeous and I really want to give it a go, hoping that nothing bad happens along the way. I have the attention span of a gnat am really busy most of the time and not really into having big projects that I can't finish right away. But I think lace would be worth giving a year or two to finish. It may seem like a long time, but lets not forget, I still haven't finished this.




What's everyone else's aspirations?

Day 4

Day Four: 31st March. Where are they now?

Whatever happened to your __________?

Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.

There are a lot of different aspects to look at when looking back at a knitting project and it can make for interesting blogging, as much of the time we blog about items recently completed, new and freshly completed. It is not so often that we look back at what has happened to these items after they have been around for a while.

How has one of your past knits lived up to wear. Maybe an item has become lost. Maybe you spent weeks knitting your giant-footed dad a pair of socks in bright pink and green stripes which the then ‘lost’. If you have knit items to donate to a good cause, you could reflect on the was in which you hope that item is still doing good for it’s owner or the cause it was made to support.

I love this question. It gives me a chance to prove that not everything I start ends up on the island of forgotten projects. Seriously, I promise I make stuff. 

Anyways, back in the day when I taught a craft class to youngsters, we decided to do a class of embroidery. That's where I learned I totally loved sewing as well as knitting. It was my junior year of high school when I got back into knitting, I decided to combine the two...sorta. Okay maybe not at all, but I thought the things I made with felt and knitting were pretty awesome. I ended up making a bunch of little bags and pouches that could fit in mine and other's purses. I also learned some new knitting patterns and stitches through making these. I don't have pictures of some of them, but my mom owns her own blanket gallery on facebook, so I swiped some pictures that she took of my stuff from her facebook. So here they are, and what happened to them.

This is the first purse I ever made, for my mom. She puts her change in it and stuff. It's really small, which I wasn't expecting being that it was the first purse/bag thing I'd ever made. I'm not sure if she still uses it, but it sits on her dresser.

I sold this. I wish I hadn't because I think it's awesome. I think this one was the most time consuming. It had a lot of details. The pattern is a basket weave stitch. It sold.

I also really like this one. My boyfriend drew the giraffe for me because I seemed to be incapable of pulling it together. Stitched some brown spots, used twine for the tail and we were good to go. The stitch is moss stitch. This one sold as well.

This one made be want to sell things on etsy. It's just a simple knit stitch so I figured anyone could make it. I think the little ice cream is too cute. It sold. I miss it 

I  dont' remember what the pattern I used for this one is, but it was kind of intense. I wish I could find a photo of the lining that I put inside this one, because it's one of my favorites! It's so colorful..and I'm a sucker for crazy rainbows. This 'clutch' was one of my best stitching endeavors. I do love it. 

Those aren't the only ones that have been made, just the only ones that are documented and I currently have access to. Man I can't wait till I have a regular apartment room and I can get all my project here, where I live. Till then, I'll look at my flimsy collecting and pine for the yarns of home.

toodles  ♥

Day 2 (or day 1 for me)

Considering I've been stressed, dealing with the woe-is-me car trouble I've had this weekend, I forgot about Day one. So here's my Day 2!

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

Okay so here it goes. I've known how to knit since like forever I think. I was never really good at it and the urge to do it would come in waves and then subside. I've even taught a knitting class to 10 year-olds, who, probably didn't care for it. Oh well. I got a book for knitting toys about two christmas' ago and that forever prompted me to wanna make stuff. This last year, I've attempted things that I never thought I would try just because they simply seemed to hard. Most of them I haven't finished (true to form), but I'm really glad to have started these project, motivating me to learn new skills. I started knitting a sweater (just the sleeves left) and a pair of sock (which I despise, but won't give up on). I've grown away from just making straight, boring knitted hats and opened up to the wonderful world of fingerling and lace weight yarn. I'm really excited to start a lace project and plan to get it going as soon as I can find the perfect yarn price color. I've learned to be fluent in DPNs and I've even created a few patterns and made things from what I'd like to call, thin air. I feel accomplished in my knitting development over the last year.

Crocheting is a different story. My mom always crocheted when I would knit and just looking at it used to make me on edge. I just didn't get it. One needle hook made absolutely no sense to me. My aunt was having the opposite problem and we promised to never try to teach each other, for the sake of our relationship. Last year, around this time, I was auditioning for colleges. My dad went with me to NC, but my mom bit the bullet and flew with me to Alabama. In the airport, she was crocheting, I was knitting and I don't know what happened (I think I was bored with what I was working on). I asked her to teach me how to do what she was doing. It didn't click for days. Crocheting just seemed to be the thing that was going to allude me my entire life. Until it didn't. It's a very strange thing when you just get something, without any kind of warning. Just something sparks in your brain and suddenly, what your doing makes sense, where perviously, it did not. That what happened. No learning, no tutorials, nothing. I could suddenly crochet. And I like it now. It's still not my vice of choice, knitting will always be much more relaxing to me, but there you go. Twas only about last year when I learned to crochet.

Stay tuned for day 3!

Spring Fling!

I love giving people things that I make. I think it's the best feeling in the world, possibly better than how the person feels about the gift in general. This has by far been the best gift I've ever given.
She's so appreciative! Such a warm fuzzy feeling to make someone's day.

La Tardis IPOD Case:

A FO for Friday

Meet Griswold. Gris for short. This is his life story.
First he was born, on the needles of course. DPNs.

He grew up, but still had some loose ends

But eventually, he matured into a bundle of wonderful awesomeness.

But the life he was living, wasn't enough for poor Griswold. He wanted more from the life he was living.  So he decided to stop messing around and get down to business. So he went to college and got himself enrolled in the wonderful world of criminal justice. But just when he was about to graduate and get his degree in criminal forensics, a new calling entered his life. He knew what he wanted to do and how he needed to achieve his goals. Griswold P. Pod wanted to be a private detective. This job could only be done with one thing. A mustache, naturally. So he grew one and achieved his dreams. The end.

Some week in review

Spring break is over and it's back to school. I spent most of my time just sitting on the couch doing nothing, but in between that time, I got some crafting into the way. Life of course, got in the ways of my endeavors in crafting and I only really tried two of the ideas from the book. Lets start with the plates.
Because I'm adventurous, I decided to do a bowl while my sister and mom both did plates.

The idea is to spray paint a lace pattern onto the glass plate or substitute then spray a contrasting color to make the pattern stand out.

First step is to spray adhesive the lace to the glass.

You're suppose to you the krylon brand adhesive, but we had a different brand...that apparently wasn't suppose to be used on glass. Oops.

It kinda took some of the paint with it when we tried to take off the lace.

mine

my sister

moms

you live you learn when it comes to mixing different brands of spray paints. Of course, mom's did turn out the best with little botching in one area.

sister's

Mine

mom's

overall, a great idea, but didn't really work. It wasn't just the glue's fault, the paint ran and bled together so the patter was really botched on mine. Also, we worked with the right clear top coat spray and still, the plates were sticky and smelled like heavy duty chemicals on the bottom. Fail.

I also got to work on my decoupaging of one of my dad's handcut table tops. I decided harry potter themed. So we got some old paperback books and went to town.

Idea

Finished with a layer of varnish.

I really lied this idea and loved how it turned out. Again, instead of using the book recomended polyurethane, we used a lacquer based varnish, giving it an amber glaze over top of the words and pictures. I really liked the effect.

Of course, I knitted. Finished the legwarmers! and I didn't like how they looked on me : /

So I gave them to my sister

footloose and fancy free!

Till next time!