New icon

I made a new button for my blog. Its on the left and contains this cute little fellow that I just created.

Thought he'd make a good mascot. Now if I can just figure out how to get it in the banner. hmmm... still working on that.

Vogue's Felted Rose Bag part I

I ripped out what I had knit of the felted rose bag because I couldn't figure out where I was in realtion to the pattern and since I hadn't gotten very far decided to just go for it.

I finished the front panel. It looks awesome. I can't wait to finish the rest of the bag which shouldn't take very long. I am trying to figure out if I am doing the bottom right. It says to cast on 10 stitches and then increase every other row til I have 14 stitches then knit in Stockinet til I get to 6 inches. The thing is that the bottom of my front panel is alot longer than 6 inches. Am I supose to just sew it in a manor that it will work or am I doing something wrong. I am curious.

I joined this knit-along for the felted rose bag. I am excited about that. Here is a button that will link any interested parties to that blog. It will also be posted on the side bar which to my annoyance seems to move up and down the page at a whim. I am going to have to figure out a way to make that stop.


I still haven't heard anything about the pattern corrections for the Little Mermaid Tubetop which is sad and some what annoying I am about ready to fudge it. I really want to know what other patterns have issues though since I have the book and I do like some of the other patterns in it. Hopefully something will come through with that.

I finished an embrodered pillow case for Nathan. I hope he likes it its part of our Alphabet-along. It covers the letter A. I need to find the camera so I can share all this stuff.

My knitting was going along famously... until I finished the eyelet rows. I followed the pattern to the letter and it ended up to long (it called for it to be 17 3/4 inches before you start the rib to finish the panel and I got 19 inches on the row of the last eyelets) Very frustrating. I went on a search to try and find any pattern corrections but haven't been able to find anything except another knitter having a problem with one of her patterns who couldn't find any corrections either. So I did the next logical thing. I found her swimsuit business email and I emailed her about my problem. I am praying that her spammer doesn't reduce my email to trash and I make it though as well as get a responce. This is really annoying I was in the last little bit of finishing. I really wanted to wear this while the weather was still hot. Sigh. We'll see what happens. I will post pictures of what I have for now for you Denise since you had requested it as well as scan in a picture of what the pattern is supose to turn out like since I am sure you are all curious.

I also got in touch with a fellow knitting blogger,The knitting virgin who also had a problem with one of Ashely Paige's patterns. She replied with this email.

"I'll find the corrections I used and forward them along to you by email. I'll also send you another blogger's info to contact. She got some corrections from the publisher, but I couldn't open her attachments. Maybe she could send it to you. I actually got fed up and am giving away my book. It wasn't worth the effort to me as I'm still a moderate knitter and not ready to improvise and think that hard. I'll try to get my stuff together by tomorrow. :)"

I am very grateful to her for her quick responce and help and would also like to extend a note of thanks to whom ever it was who helped her. I will be sending another email to ashley Paige requesting she make a webpage listing her book corrections.

So finsihed school at TCC. I should be walking in December for two AAA's one in Fine Arts and one in Crafts. Hurray for being finished.

I start school at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in a week. I'll be working on getting a BA in Fiber Arts aka Textile design. I am really stoked on that.

I moved to Tennessee about a week ago. Its beautiful here. Tons of forests and lakes and wildlife. My parents live about an hour from Nashville. There is still tons to do though. For example there is a 3 screen drive in theater down the road along with a yarn store sporting a stitch and bitch every tuesday. I'll be going tomorrow and let you know how that goes. There alot of museums and attractions around as well. The Jack Daniels distillery for example is just 12 miles downt he road.

My knitting has been coming along since I finished school. I am almost done with the front panel of the Little Mermaid Tube Top from the Ashliegh Paige book. I am really excited about finishing it since it means I'll finally have something to wear a really cute orange beaded neckalce and bracelet that my aunt sent me that I didn't have anything that matched it. So thats exciteing.

Once thats done I am going to go back and fix the problem I was having with the Flame skirt. I should have just gone with the intarsia but I decided to weave and it was my undoing. I think I can get away with cutting the back thread and weavign it in. If it doesn't work... then I will buy new yarn and start a new. For now the plan is to try this idea out. I think it should work.

My knitting class went well. I was excited to teach it and all the girls were lovely. 3 of the four were able to finish their pencil bags and the last one was going to take the class agian this month with Nancy.

So that whats new with me. Sorry to have not posted for so long.

Been busy around here. My parents have moved to Tennessee I'll be joining them in about two weeks to live with them for two weeks before I go to school.

My knitting class for this month showed. I had 4 students. they all did really well. I thought them to Cast on, Knit, Purl, and Bind off. They were making pencil cases off a pattern of my design. I'll post that in the next post. 3 of the girls finished their bags before the end of the class. The 4th girl really has the knits down but has a small tendency to drop stitches. But she is doing a really good job.

I finished the back pannel of my tube top from the Ashley paige book. Can't wait to finish it so I can wear it well I am going to jet. Hopefully I'll get to post agian soon. Right now I don't have a computer with interweb access.

My student for the knitting class never showed. Thats ok I am teaching a class next month to so its not like it won't happen agian.

I finished the flames on my skirt. Now I just need to finish the top. YAY! I started to and I was running two threads togethe which was silly because its caused the last five rows that I've done to pucker. DOH! so I am going to un ravel and just knit it with one strand even though that will make it thicker at the flames I don't think it will be a major issue because it will be even and I cn say that I made it that way to add weight to the skirt at the bottom. So yes frogging is the name of the game for the next part of the skirt.

Still haven't gotten any farther on the Rose bag which is shame but I'm going to get to work on it as soon as the unraveling is completed.

I found this link and thought some of you might enjoy it. crochet me.

Today I teach a beginners knitting class to 8-13 year olds. Should be fun. I have never taught a class before so it will probubly send me down in flames. I'm really nervous about it. Hopefully I can teach them how to knit. The plan is a small scarf, bag, or hat... in their two days of knitting class. So wish me luck!

Vacation all I ever wanted

The mid terms have arrived and I am slowly strarting to wish for the end of the semester. I am just ready to have some time to myself. Time to make stuff, time to get use to the fact that I have finished a whole chapter of my life and time to figure out what the hell I am doing.

I am leaving in August to go study Fiber Arts. I'm not sure what I can do when I'm done and that kind of scares me. But I am really excited about getting to study something I already love indepth.

I worked on an illustration for a childrens book a friend is writting. I'm not allowed to show it to you because its agianst the contract but I am still excited to give it ot her and see what she thinks. This is just a test illustration to see if she likes my ideas and if she thinks it will work for her book. So we'll see.

I am working on a plastic canvas bag that I hope will be a sucess. I am pretty sure it will since my lil' brother walked in and looked at the first peice and said he thought it looked really cool. So that is a good indicator.

I found all my missing bags from the last move(we thought they lost a box) in a suitcase no one had used in forever that was in the garage. YAY! I was so sad when I thought that those bags had been lost but now they are found and I can finally fit my school books all in one bag agian(that box was for my large tote bags in particular).

I have to say I have been pretty happy with the way things are going latly although my knitting is lacking. I still have yet to finish the flame motif on the skirt. All other areas of life and craft are doing good. I started an on line journal to sell my excess items of craft and what-not.

those are a pair of earrings I made to sell as an example.

I have been asked to sell some of my wares down at a store on the ocean front as well so I am going to do that. Excited about it really,

School is going well. I am actually doing well in Math and I can't say I have any issues with any of my classes, teachers or classmates. I am suprised that its already mid-term. Hard to believe.

The house is beginning to look like one giant box of boxes. Kind of sad really never liked how houses look when your moving out. Its fun when your moving in because its like opening presents. Well I'm going to get back to what I need to be doing but I wanted to let you know what I've been up too.

what did the daddy tomato say to the baby tomato when he fell behind?

Katchup! that the pulp fiction quote of the weekend and the name of the game.

13 rows and counting left of the motif.

the rose bag hasn't budged same with the Angelina Jacket.

My weekend will be filled with the partial disassemblement of my room. So far I have gathered most everything to take up to storage. I still need to take apart my bed (the fram is going to storage). Man I am so ready to just vegg.

Plan today in the craft way is to make earrings lots and lots of them. like... 20 of them. yup. Maybe I'll see about making candles tomorrow. I need to use the wax that Nathan's mom gave me and soon. I'm not moving that stuff.

I also need to go in and put handles on my pitcher before it dries (I was thinking about making it look like a granade too since it kind of has that shape already and I thought it'd be kind of cool to have a granade pitcher. If i do that I'm going to have to make some mini granade cups to match. fun stuff. I am really enjoying pttery this semester. I loathed it the last time I took it but this semster I feel like I'm doing alot better at controlling the forms. Its still a 6 to 1 ratio. I mess up 6 forms before I get one that I can keep(these are by no means perfect either).

I also have to study Math with Sara she has a test tuesday and I have a test thursday and we're both not to excited about either. I am so glad I didn't take her class. I could never remember 5 chapters of math for one test. My class has a test for every 2 chapters. Thank heavens.

Feeling a bit down but I think its more because I'm not doing anything than anything else.

I wish my Zombie Kitten Skirt would get here. I want to wear it everywhere.

666 the number of the beast

So today yesterday is was the day that most metal bands have been looking forward to forever.

skirt count down t-minus 20 rows of motif.

I cancled the bonneville trip. I am not going to be able to pull in the extra cash so I am going to invest the money into equipment that I have been wanting for quite a while now... and clothes. I've been oggling some dresses and things on diffrent sites so we'll see.

So last night I was going through one of my many stacks of papers that I have around that I need to file and sort and what was in it? My Angelina Jacket pattern. Sweet! I am stoked that I can start working on that agian. I have been wanting to finish that for quite a while.

The skirt has t-mis 26 rows of motif left til the black. I am going to start doing a count down.

I haven't worked on the rose bag since the last post. Shameful.

In other news. Some friends and I are going to start crafting together. We're actually getting together as soon as I get off of here so I geuss I should hop to that. haha.

Hey

I've gotten through the first row of the Trellis pattern of the felted rose bag. I am a little suprised. I thought this pattern would be alot more difficult than it is and I can't wait to have it finished so I can felt it.

Today while I was checking out more podcast for knitting I heard about World Wide Knit in Public Day. Which is on June 10th. I think thats cool. I don't really see why its such a big deal to knit in public but I geuss thats probubly because I do it all the time. haha. I would invite everyone else to do it though. Its really quite fun to bring a simple project with you when your stuck in lines, traffic, waiting for someone. Its amazing how fast you can get through projects when you are just doing a line here and there.

Lately I have been getting really into listening to pod casts about knitting. My favorites so far are:

Cast-On
Knitcast

Those are the two I like the most so far because they have alot of good information about fibers and they seem to do alot of research for their show. Cast-On has music mixed in which very nice. Most of the pod casts are just the host talking which is usually fine. There are so many pod casts popping up its alot of fun. If anyone else has any that they love I'd love to know about them.

New projects to start a new semester

Summer schools started agian. I am taking Algebra, Intro to Psychology, Wheel thrown pottery and Drawing 4(which I do as an independant study).

So far the semester is going amazingly well. I even get time to knit while waiting for my math teacher to get to class he's always late.

I started a new project. The felted rose bag from the March 2005 Vogue Knitting Magazine. I am very excited to be finally making this bag. Ican't wait to see how it is going to turn out.

My skirt is coming along really well too. I have 32 rows of the 58 that make up the flame motif finished. It shouldn't be to much longer til I get through those last 26. Then its home free knitting all in black with out having to worry bout counting or unwinding bobbins. It will be amazing.

My dress that I am sewing from the New Look pattern # 6457 is almost finished. I am really happy with how its turning out. I am having a small issue with the piping moving once or twice when I was sewing it on so I am going to remove that and resew it on the band that goes acoss the chest of the dress. I will make sure to post pictures gallore when its all finished.

My friend Sara is getting married next summer and wants a traditional 30's dress to honor her grandmother so she asked me to make it. I would be honored to do it so I found a pattern at the fabric store I think that she will love and then we can get the fabric and I can get that going. Pretty awesome.

I ordered an item off my long wish list last week.A zombie kitten skirt. They are so cute. I am getting the one with the rocket on the front on black instead of navy. Which I'll admit I was a little sad at first til I was thinking about it. I wear alot more black than I do navy so its a whole lot better to get it on black.
Also new to my wish list is a cupcake tree. Ya. I think I need one.


The double dutch group has yet to get off the ground. I am sad about that.

ok so here I am at work and it just started pouring down rain so I thought its time to update my blog.

The skirt is coming along great I am almost through the flames which means that I'd move right into the fast stuff YES!

I was thinking about it and you know its seems really silly that I am willing to drop over a hundred dollars on rowan yarn that I can't even wash in the washer but I am not willing to get the sari silk or the lorna's laces that I love. I just don't get it. I think its because I have a plan already when I buy the rowan and I don't for the other yarns even though they'd be amazing for all sorts of millions of things. Sigh. I am going to have to give in an get them soon.

I am also giving into the fact that I can not find the Angelina Jacket pattern anywhere and I need to buy a replacement. I want to finish that jacket really badly. Its just sitting there mocking me. So I'll do that this week. I supose that should be my next project to finish.

I've been trying to get through the flame motif on the the skirt but its just not something that moves very quickly so I am only about half way through it. Its looking awesome though. I am very excited about it.

I bought some new knitting books and Magazines. Namely the new K1, the interveiw crochet issue, and the books



I am really excited about a few of the peices I really want to make a tub top that is in the sexy little knits. I think I am going to have to go get the yarn for that as soon as I fall in to some extra cash. I have been being really terrible about saving up my money the last $200 I got has gone down the drain and I am still trying to save up for Bonneville. I need to get all the money soon. I need to get the plane tickets. Maybe I'll go ahead and get those and then I'll worry about where my food money will come from later. Sigh. Ya. Shameful. I got enough for everything but the food and extra spending so that good.

I made a pearl necklace today with some of the beads and things I had laying around I am pretty stoked on it. Can't wait to wear it out.

So I am really excited because some girl friends and I are going to start a small double dutch group for the summer. I am so stoked on this I can not even begin to tell you all about it. If you've ever seen the group double dutchess then you to are probubly already amazed by the wonder that is double dutch after the age of 6. So I have been starting to practice jumping for that. I jumped for 15 minutes straight the other day and my calves were killing me for the next three days. Now that they aren't screaming at me I am going to go out and jump agian. Probubly tomorrow since I am exhausted from staying up all night last night (went to bed at 4) woke up at 9. I have issues where I can't sleep in. Never have been able to unless I force my self or I am exhausted and sick.

I have been trying to make a dress using a pattern I got from the store. I geuss the hard part is that I haven't used a pattern in years so I have already made a number of mistakes. Small things really but I am confused about something now that I have all the peice cut out and I am pinning them together for the front it seems like it'd need darts(i think thats the right terminalogy but I could be a million light years off) or something in order to make it bow out correctly and the pattern although it has it drawn on the small picture doesn't have a position marked on the actual peice for cutting those little dart spots out. So I am trying to figure that out. Sigh. It should look amazing once I get this all figured. And I use to think sewing was so easy in middle school.haha. We'll see eh.

You know I have been having this itch for making shrink-a-dinks for months and I have yet to do it. I think I'm gonna go get the stuff to do it and do that this week. I mean why not I love shrink-a-dinks its about time to scratch that itch.

I know I've been off in la la land. My finals are starting to wind down the spring semester will be finished on Tuesday! HURRAY! That means I can devote all my time to knitting and knitting and carshows and nathan. So till tuesday when I will have the grand finale I leave you with this. I have finished ten rows of inerstia on the hot tamale skirt. I only have like 48 more rows of inerstia to go. I am so excited. then it should finish up really fast because its just straight knitting no more weaving in ends.

So I have been doing alot of school work lately so I haven't had much time to post. I have been managing to squeeze in some knitting time here and there though. I finished a hat with cat ears and ear flaps for Kaligh since she made hers to big a didn't like it. I geuss she doesn't want it though since she made another one at Michelle's when we were all hanging out knitting and watching Audrey Hepburn movies.
Michelle and I dyed mohair that I had been given a while ago with easter egg dye. I am really excited to show it off. I had to leave before it was fully dry so I don' t have pictures to show yet but soon.
I am working on my hot tamale skirt. Its a slow knit since i have to weave the colors into each other as I go. I hate bobbining so I have to un wind he yarns from one another periodiclly. I only have a like 40 more rows to go. Its coming along well though.

Ok well i had better get back to working on my photography since I am in class right now. Shhh.

Man. Knittapalooza has me working hard.
Today I won an award for a charcoal drawing I did in Drawing one. I got the Dean's award and $250. So thats nice it'll all go toward Bonneville. I am determined to make it there. I am just $350 away... Well really only about $300. The plane tickets are going to be the most expensive part. Oh well I am totally determined to go.

I finished my cowboy hat on Monday this past week and took pictures.

It was alot of fun to make and went suprisingly quickly. This was my first real crochet project and I bought the yarn Saturday and finished it Monday. Pretty crazy.

I finished my Alicia jacket from the Rowan Big Wool book today. It fits great although the pattern calls for a zipper and I keep getting everyone telling me "no no don't put in a zipper it looks lovely with out it and it'd be easier to dress it up with out one" so now I am going to wait on a zipper. Need to debate it a bit longer. For anyone knitting the pattern I will say that I think that picture was being a bit crafty because when you follow the directions for installing the collar it leaves some nasty gaps (they are totally fixable) on the front panel sections. I just wove the holes together so it looked normal but I was a bit annoyed with the fact that it did that and that it appears that they had the same problem and just covered it up with the models hair. Still the jacket is lovely and very charming.

Made some vynil bracelts with multiple friends this week. they are jsut so easy and fun to make its hard not to whip the up. Here's one I gave to my friend joy.


I think that about covers it. Well I am off to craft some more.