Not Getting Any Younger

As bizarre as this may seem in the modern world, at the advanced age of 25 I have never been on a diet. I just never felt compelled. I have never had any particular issue with my weight (there were always plenty of other things I didn't like about myself to focus on). Not to say I'm thin, or even fit. I'm not. All of my adult life I have been on the plumper side, and even before then i have viewed myself as over weight. Mostly because I have a large chest and to me in high school that somehow translated into "fat".

In the back on my mind I have always told myself "Eventually I will take control of  what I eat, but for now ice cream."  Well eventually is now. To be more precise, three days ago. I have a little app on my phone that i log all my meals, and counts my steps, and all that fun stuff.

The incident that precipitated all this was the arrival of a blender! Paul was sent one by his parents for his birthday and I have been on a smoothie making bonanza ever since. I have even gotten V8 (low sodium of course) to add some much needed vegetables to my diet. The unpleasant taste of v8 is almost completely disguised by some nice tangy greek yogurt and frozen strawberries. Next on the list to try is adding some odwalla superfood. Fun fun!

So far so good. I've had more energy and most amazingly I have had a mush easier time getting up in the morning. While still not peppy it isn't as painful as it has been in the past. Remarkable.
In the end I just want to make sure I am taking care of myself. Luckily, taking care of myself involves coffee strawberry and blackberry smoothies.

Out with the old in with the older (and apparently higher quality)

Hurray! I have purchased a new (refurbished) sewing machine. My old machine started giving me trouble a ways back and never really got working again. Once i finally rustled up the motivation to take it in to someone to be fixed i was told it wasn't a very nice machine and could be fixed. A little rude, but given that it stopped working every time i tried to use it probably true. So I traded my machine in for 1960s Singer sewing machine that can double as a workout aid. Seriously this thing is heavy. But with the adorable light teal coloring i don't know how any body could resist.

I even have my own work space! I took over the front table by the window in a fierce battle with the coffee pot. Now i can sit and sew and watch the grey clouds blow by the roof of the wooden boat school. Very pacific northwest.

And sew i have! I am happy to report that the sewing machine works and i haven't broken it yet. I finally put that cloth liner in my Crochet Laptop Bag!

 Outside

Inside-out

I have the Universe in my bag!

I am completely in love with this fabric and you will be seeing it again and again. I have had it for quite a while. I originally purchased it for the inside curtain of my college bunk bed. Hahaha.
Anyway, having a liner in this bag makes it much more stable and it's nice to have a little added padding for my laptops protection. It also no longer looks all weird and stretched out when i carry anything in it.

Sorry about the pictures, my house is very poorly lit.

Also made a super fun little pleated lined bag to keep my thread in!

Great tutorial over on Charm Stitch. Hers obviously a lot neater than mine and i think if i actually took a bit more time with it it could be a super cute going out clutch.

More sewing to come! And I should be putting the final edging on my shawl this weekend!

New Favorite Hat!

Wafflecone Hat

I tried a pattern from over at Gleeful Things! I had been wanting to try out her extra bulky yarn waffle cone hat but my local yarn store doesn't have any yarn that weight. So i was very excited when she posted this new worsted weight yarn pattern for a similar hat. Why? Because i have a Hat problem. I just can't stop making hats. It's just so much fun working in the round....

I ended up making a few alterations to the hat as i was making it.

I used: 

5mm crochet hook

worsted weight yarn (Patons Canadiana in Winter White)

     - i love this yarn. perfect for hats. very soft and snuggly

Pattern by Julie at Gleeful Things (with my slight alterations as noted):

Round 1: ch 4 (counts as 1 dc + 1 ch now and throughout). 1 dc in 4th ch from hook. ch 1. In same ch sp as before:  [1 dc, ch 1] 8 times. sl st to join. (10 dc)

Round 2: ch 4. 1 dc in same sp. ch 1. [1 dc, ch 1 twice in next dc] rep around.  sl st to join. (20 dc)

Round 3: ch 4. 1 dc, ch 1 twice in next dc. [1 dc, ch 1 in next dc. 1 dc, ch 1 twice in next dc.] rep around. sl st to join. (30 dc)

Round 4: ch 4. 1 dc, ch 1 in ea of the next 2 dc. [1 dc, ch 1 in ea of the next 2 dc.1 dc, ch 1 twice in next dc.] rep around. sl st to join. (40 dc)

Rounds 5-19 (15 rnds): ch 4. [1 dc, ch 1 in next dc] rep around. sl st to join. (40 dc)

    - here is changed this a little bit because i wanted a looser more rounded fit around my head. 

     Round 6 - ch 4. 1 dc, ch 1 in ea of the next 4 dc. [1 dc, ch 1 in ea of the next 4 dc.1 dc, ch 1 twice in next dc.] rep around. sl st to join. 

   - Continue on as original pattern indicates until Round 18. Here i ran out of yarn because i was not using a full ball of yarn. So i finished off with an invisible join and (to compensate for the lack of finishing single crochet sticthes) I folded the bottom of the hat up. 

*rnd 20: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc). 1 sc in next ch sp. [1 sc in next dc. 1 sc in next ch sp.] rep around. sl st to join. (80 sc)

rnds 21-22 (2 rnds): ch 1 (counts as 1 sc). Work in back loops only: 1 sc in ea sc. (80 sc)

Invisible join and FO*    Between * was not used by me but i wanted to show her original pattern here in its entirety

If you use this free pattern, please consider supporting Julie by purchasing a pattern from her shop.  Your support will help ensure that I’m able to continue making new patterns to share (both free & paid).

All in all I am extremely pleased with the way this pattern turned out. I had some difficulty in figuring out where exactly to place the double crochets to created the desired waffle cone effect but once mastered it was easy to repeat. For some reason wit the brim folded up the way it is the hat feels very nautical to me. But maybe I've just been indulging my penchant for striped blue and white shirts a bit too much lately.

Next project on my list....

The Laptop Bag

The BAG!

ch - chain
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
ch sp - chain space  (the space between double crochet groups)

PATTERN:

I used Marble Chunky Yarn - in Log Cabin. It is absolutely beautiful yarn that is for some reason fairly difficult to capture properly on film. Can't say enough how much i love this yarn. Here is a review! 

-Chain the length of whatever electronic device you are trying to carry minus about half an inch.

-Turn and single crochet around your chain adding an extra single crochet as you turn around the opposite end (where you started your chain) Join.

- Ch 2, Sc around a second time, Join.

Row 1 - Ch 3, 2 dc in same space, skip 2 sc, 3 dc in next sc, (skip 2 sc, 3 dc in next sc)* repeat. Join. (depending on the length of your original chain this pattern may not be fully completed. Adjust last segment as needed. It will have evened out by this for the next row)

Row 2 - Ch 3, 2 dc in same space, 3 dc in space between dc group, (3 dc in next ch sp)* repeat. Join. 

Row 3-15 (or however many times you like!) - Repeat Row 2

Row 16 - Ch 2, sc in each stitch around. Join.

Row 17-21 - Repeat Row 16

Row 22 - Ch 1, 16 sc (depending on how big you made your bag this may change, single crochet 1/3 of the way across your bag),  chain 14 (or the length of 1/3 of the bag), skip 14 (or same number you chained), sc 32 (or until 1/3 across the next side),  chain 14 (or the length of 1/3 of the bag), skip 14 (or same number you chained), sc until end, Join.

Row 23 -  Ch 2, sc in each stitch around. Join.

Row 24-27 - Repeat Row 23

Finish off or slip stitch around final row for an extra finishing touch! Weave in end. 

Once I get my sewing machine back from the repair shop on Monday I am going to put in a lining!

If anyone tries this out I would love feedback. This is the first pattern that I have written and I am sure it could use some work.

The beauty of finely sanded wood

Ships. They are beautiful.
Wooden boats, in my opinion even more so.

My boat builder, All enthusiasm and talent.

I am living with my boyfriend (featured above) while he is going to wooden boat building school. I think this is a factor in my current feeling of under achievement. I will do something and then feel like i've totally wasted my time. Partially i think because i am living with a blindingly talented, obscenely motivated young man. The reading about boats, the boat projects, the voracious appetite for all things boat knowledge related is mind boggeling. It puts into very sharp perspective my lack of forward momentum..

Living with that can occasionally make ones crocheting achievements feel rather feeble. Despite this, I soldier on!

I have recently completed a carrying case for my tiny new laptop. My new laptop is not an ancient hulking behemoth as my old one was and therefor is unsafe in my old computer bag. Yet another excuse to make something with yarn! Huzzah!

Pattern:

Chain the length of whatever electronic device you are trying to carry minus about half an inch.

Turn and single crochet around your chain adding an extra single crochet as you turn around the opposite end (where you started your chain)

( to b continued)

The internet here is the worst.

So my internet has not been exactly functioning. But it is also, technically, working well enough that they probably aren't going to fix it. Bummer.
As a result, I have not been updating here. This is because, unless i know exactly what i'm doing, i truly hate to use internet cafes. It just makes me feel antsy and then i forget half the things i meant to do or say.
So I am using my phone hotspot in my house right now to write this. If it ends up not being too expensive this will be a great solution; if not I will have to give in and start spending a lot for time using the wifi at the bagel shop.

However, this failure of internet has inspired me to do something i haven't done before. I actually paid for a book of crochet patterns. Woah, hold on there, you say, that's pretty extreme. And i must agree. But i found the cutest book at Port Hadlock Yarns called Geek Chick Crochet by Nicki Trench. I am extremely excited about trying out non-Ravelry patterns and being free from the useless internet that invades my home.
And it is with this book that I am going to attempt my next adventure: Fitted Clothing!! (ie anthing not a scarf or a hat) It should be a challenge.

wHale

That's whale with an emphasis on the H, a la Stewie Griffin.
I've been working on wHale for at least a month now and have finally finished him and sent him on his way. The carving is made out of basswood. Cut, chiseled,whittled, sanded, shellacked and finally waxed.

Not too shabby for my first carving.

I started carving wood because my grandfather left me his craving tools. We always had carvings from my grandpa around the house but the ones i remember most came out at christmas time. Chunky roughly cut santas, stocky reindeer, and a small wooden mouse with leather ears. I could always picture my grandpa carving these things back home in Nebraska, even though i'm not sure i ever actually saw him. Now, looking through the old worn carving book he left me, I can see where he gathered his patterns and inspiration. I know that my own style is very different but I still feel a quiet companionship in the shared pastime.

Next up... something less nautical i think.

Curly Scarf

Today i'm going to make a crochet scarf for the first time. I definitely could have made a scarf earlier, they aren't super complicated...but i just don't wear scarves. I love them like i love hats. I have a closet full of them and only ever wear one. However, I think this is a particularly cute one and I have some yarn that I have been trying to find a project for.
As I sit down to start this project i really look at the pattern for the first time and see the words "Chain 102". I die a little inside. This is why i love working in the round (hence all the hats). The chaining itself is fine but i hate working into the chain on the way back. Bah what a pain. Oh well. Here it goes.

I used a pattern from This Crafting Life. She is amazing go visit her site!

Curly Scarf:

Hook: "I" or "J" (I used "I")
I used Patons Canadiana yarn in Dark Amethyst

Pattern:

Chain 102, turn (I chained 122 because i wanted to make it a bit longer)
R1: dc in 3rd chain from hook, and 2 dc in each chain until end.
R2: ch2, dc in same, dc in next *2dc, 1dc* until the end.
R3: ch 2, dc in each st until end.  (EDIT: Repeat R3 two more times) Finish Off.


So Simple! Love it!
Now that I've finished til the end of this pattern though i think I'm going to add at least another row. Seems a bit too skinny to me. Not tonight though my hand is cramping up. haha.

UPDATE (2/14/13):
Finished the Scarf! I ended up adding an extra 2 rows of double crochet to get the scarf to a thickness that didn't seem silly. It is still a bit of a silly scarf in general. Certainly itsn't going to keep you warm but it is also not quite fashionable enough to be purely decorative. If i were to do it again i think i would either use a lighter weight yarn or a larger hook in order to give it a lighter lacier feel.

Social Media and Cupcakes

Today was damp and dreary. Not unusual for the pacific northwest but still enough to make me want to hang out on my couch and be cozy.

My main object today was to learn more about social media. How and why it works, why i should care, and maybe even figuring out how it would be fun for me. I already had a twitter so i am going to use that more to post instagram pics, facebook for stalking and such, pinterest for pure ideas, and this to think about all of it.
But exploring the wide world of the internet isn't new exactly but I've never really tried to connect with people/ share myself with people in this way. So I've started! And i think it's going to be fun.

But that's kind of boring for my first day of new things so I also made Cheesecake Cupcakes!!

I used a recipe from http://recipesquickandeasy.blogspot.com/ and they are pretty good. I have never made cupcakes before and this was pretty fun.

Things would have been a lot easier if i had had more than one mixing bowl, or an oven that could even pretend to keep a consistent temperature.
But in the end cupcakes were eaten and they had gooey, cheesy, chocolate chip filled centers.
The chocolate batter wasn't my favorite, but it is also possible that i have been brain washed to love only betty crocker cake mix from a box.











 mmmmm.

Tomorrow i'm going to add picture to this but my phone is still trying to send pictures to google+ blah blah. stupid technology.

*Success with the adding of pictures!

A rather late new years resolution...

This year I am going to try and do one new thing every day.

Small tings, big things, crafty things, healthy things, really any things!
Looking at myself, I am unsatisfied with endless ability to look at all the cool things on Pinterest that I want to do and look and look and look and then its the end of the day and I am still a lump on my couch. But with my head full of too many fun ideas to sleep and my heart saddened by my Newtonian lack of inertia.

So! This blog exists as the force to push this object at rest into becoming an object in motion.