Falling to Pieces

Lots of work happening on the Catherine Bear. Having to do so much seaming I guess can be easier when making a pattern, but this is why next time I make this bear I want to try to adapt the pattern to fewer pieces . . . maybe even seamless.







Crazy, huh? I'm on the last arm piece and haven't even started the legs yet! This is going to be a lot of seaming! Hopefully I can get this done by the end of this coming week. I had thought about giving this to Justice, but I think I might have someone else in mind.

I purchased the pattern for the knitted Venus from yesterday's Featured Blog post. I can't wait to start this and think it is going to be so cool. I am a fan of the Venus of Willendorf figure and have made some clay figures based off of it. *so excited*

Friday's Featured Blog

Today's Featured Blog is Smoking Hot Needles

As I was going through google reader, I saw this post on her blog and couldn't help but review her today. That is just wonderful!

Things I enjoy about this blog:
~She knits a wide variety of things, so it is a good place to go to get ideas flowing.

~Absolutely gorgeous pictures of her puppies!

~As I have said with other crafters, I like that she is honest about her mistakes, and her abilities(which are amazing) . . . it makes them more "human". :)

~She takes wonderful pictures.


Arts and Crafts I found at this blog:
(I know there is a lot here, but this doesn't even compare to the projects through out her archives. It's so hard to choose, they are all so beautiful!)
~Felted Bag
~Knitted tank top
~Yarn Dyeing
~Knitted Log Cabin Blanket
~Felted Hedgehog
~Knitted Mitered Blanket
~Knitted Socks
~Knitted Pillow
~Spindle Spinning
~Painted Shawl
~Mosaic Blanket
~Spinning
~Color-work Socks - - I love these!
~Photography
~Crochet Scarf
~Tapestry Crochet - - I keep wanting to do some of this, just never seem to get around to it.
~Knitted Teddy Bear
~Gardening
~Shawl - - Just beautiful!
~Crocheted Blanket
~Owl Sweater - - - OWL SWEATER!!! Love that sweater!


Interesting Links at this blog:
~Tapestry Crochet
~Her FREE Patterns

Progress

Yes, I know you can't actually see it very well, maybe I will try to get an outside picture tomorrow. I enjoy working on it once I get on a roll and am not quite so scared that I will snap the skinny yarn. :) I think it is going to look nifty and should work well for my mom since it doesn't get quite so cold there. Everything will look better once it is blocked.

I have been working some on the Catherine Bear also, not too much, but it is more of quick knit. Really it is more that I don't have to worry about breaking the yarn, which means I can knit quicker and easier. I haven't worked too much on Vera's blanket, but I will.

School is somewhat annoying now, but it is really one specific class. The teacher is so unorganized and it makes the class difficult. If she was more organized the class really wouldn't be so hard. She does things out of order, like handing us out the rubric to an assignment AFTER we have already turned in the assignment. Bad turn around time on getting assignments back so we understand better how to do the next one.

I should have a blog review tomorrow also.

Stuff and too much of it

So, sorry I was gone for a few days and said nothing. There have been some things in life that I needed to figure out and am still figuring out. You know, a bit of mid-life crisis stuff, but at 28. Some icky things are going on with my grandpa's will and it has turned into a very unpleasant fiasco. My baby clock is ticking. School is a little overwhelming. Stress makes my shaking worse and so not much crafting has been done, which unfortunately makes the stress worse. So, just a lot of hooey all at once and it all got to be a little too much for me.

So, I am back. I am forcing myself to be back because otherwise it's just a drowning whirlpool of depressiony type stuff that I just can't do. I made some sketches today for my inspiration design and some stitch sketches . . . and most importantly ordered some yarn today to make it all up. I am going to need to make some swatches to see if it is all going to pan out. Hopefully the yarn arrives sooner than later(7-21 working days)!

I have worked a little on my mother's cowl and will try to take some pics of that tomorrow to let you all see the progress. I think it is turning out quite nice and am proud that I have made it this far into a lace project. :)

I am also going to start exercising again tomorrow. I will not be including that information on this blog anymore though. A lot of this stuff has made me realize that I need to focus more on my religious side, so I have created a separate blog just for that. That blog will include my exercise stuff, because I consider exercise to be more of a spiritual type thing than an art or craft. My religious beliefs are not mainstream, so if you take offense to that, please do not visit my blog or leave negative comments on there. I do not want to have to start moderating comments on both blogs. If you are interested for any reason, you can find the blog on my information page.

Inspiration

Isn't this absolutely beautiful? This is from Knitters Anonymous. I would love to make something inspired by this. It looks like a knitted, flowing peasant top. I quite love it, but am not sure I could do that lacy.

I have had the own designing itch again. Maybe I should have gone into fashion instead of Art Ed. *rolling my eyes* Anyways, I bought Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard today with my 40% of Borders coupon. I think I just might use this book, some other books, and my mind to try a hand at creating something uniquely my own. :)

Friday's Featured Blog

Friday's Featured Blog is Crimson Purl


Things I like about this blog:
~She always seems very honest and open to me, the kind of person that would be a good friend.

~I love that she gives lots of info on the projects.

~Uhm, hello, she does belly dancing . . .how can you not love that, so much fun to belly dance!

~Love that she has lots of pictures to go along with the posts.



Arts and Crafts I found at this blog:
~Lizard Ridge Knitting
~Knitted Baby Hats
~Knitted Gloves
~Knitted Slippers
~Knitted Bucket Hat
~Shawl Knitting
~Caplet Knitting
~Dyeing
~Hemlock Blanket
~Socks
~Knitted Skirt
~Knitted Top - - - I might have to make one of these

Overall, I love this blog . . . if I gave ratings it would be like 5 out of 5 whatevers. :) Which even though, I like a lot of blogs, if I had to ration down to only a few, this one would definitely be a keeper. I hope you all have a look, if you don't already read Stacey's blog.

Believability

Readability Results from Readability Test. I saw this on KnitNut.Net.

The following table contains the readability results for http://eternal-arts-n-crafts.blogspot.com

Reading Level Results Summary Value
Total sentences---5163
Total words ---23074
Average words per Sentence ---4.47
Words with 1 Syllable ---12525
Words with 2 Syllables ---4964
Words with 3 Syllables ---2026
Words with 4 or more Syllables--- 3559
Percentage of word with three or more syllables ---24.20%
Average Syllables per Word ---1.85
Gunning Fog Index ---11.47
Flesch Reading Ease ---45.50
Flesch-Kincaid Grade --- 8.02


Personally, I have a difficult time believing that it would take approximately 11.47 years of schooling to understand the way I "speak" on my blog, but oh well. How well does your blog do?


***
I am still crafting, just slowly. Might have made enough progress to show pictures tomorrow. I am highly considering knitting myself one of the Owl Sweaters. We shall see. Any how, talk to you all tomorrow.

Float Cowl

I am still working on the Float Cowl, I haven't had to frog and recast on *knock on wood*. It's going well, I just haven't had much time to work on it. I was able to work on it for a little bit today between classes and this is what I have so far.







I am really liking the way it is looking. I have a difficult time with the lace due to my problem with my hands shaking, but it's a test of patience for me and it is so far proving worth it. I have high hopes for this and really hope I have it finished by the time I get to visit my mom.

*P.S. I forgot to take a picture of my paper shawl that I made for my 3D class, I am suppose to get it back on Monday, so I'll try to post a picture then.

Old Memories

Today, while in the grocery store, I saw Cabbage Patch Dolls. They have 25Th Anniversary Edition dolls. I wanted one . . . the boy said he would buy me one, so I also bought me one. :) Now I have two Cabbage Patch Dolls, I loved these when I was younger!












Aren't they adorable? Yes, I know I am 28 years old, but I have never really grown up inside. I love cartoons and dolls. And if I could find a good glow worm, I'd buy one of those too!

Homework

Sorry, guys, no pictures today. Working on my homework which is to construct a piece of clothing out of only paper, not adhesives and it has to be made out of multiple little pieces of paper. So, it's very tedious. Hopefully will either finish or get really close tonight and will have some pictures tomorrow.

Destiny's Path

Originally, I started my mother's pay it forward gift making the cowl Wisp from Knitty. I casted on like three times for this and one time lost a stitch and another time I somehow had an extra stitch and the last time it just stayed in time out. Until I did the review of the IK Spring 09 yesterday, I have decided that this cowl was meant to be a version of the Float Stole, so I have already cast on and the above picture is what I had this morning. I think this was definitely meant to be.

I have completely given up on the New Year's Resolution of not doing any crafting for gifts, in all honestly, this is a big reason I craft . . . I like to make things for other people. So, it's out the door, because it's simply not who I am at heart.

I will be going back to Washington State in mid to late march to hopefully see my new niece, if she has made her entrance into the world by then, and have decided to bring gifts. So the only things I will be working on for the next four weeks are:
1) My mother's Float Cowl for the Pay It Forward
2) Rhoni's hat to match her scarf
3) The rest of Rhoni's headbands that I did not get finished for her birthday
4) The Catherine bear I was working on before will be for Justice
5)Vera's blanket

I will show daily updates of whatever I have worked on for that day and hopefully will get finished if not REALLY close to finished with everything before I head out in about a month.

Interweave Knits Spring 2009

In an attempt to get this blog back to some normalcy and therefore, hopefully, myself, here is the newest Interweave Knits, Spring 2009.

Patterns:
Delphine - - - This is pattern from a book excerpt, French Girl Knits, and honestly, I think it is cute. In fact, I may have to take a look at this book next time I am in a book store. The sizes available are few and have a drastic difference of 8 inches difference between sizes, but modifications could probably be done, if one knew how and was so inclined.

Silk Cocoon Cardigan - - - A good variety of sizes available to knit. Looks like a fairly easy knit and fits the model well. A nice easy wrap and I like the fact that the lace is really an accent and not over done. Designer is Connie Chang Chinchio, this is her blog.

Millefiori Cardigan - - - A nice selection of sizes to knit from. I very cute cardigan, I think. I think the design is well thought out and the different stitches fit very well together. My only criticism is that the button band seems to pull a little awkwardly, at first it seems like a design feature and could possibly work as such, but if I knit it, I might knit a bit of a more secure button band. Designer is Andrea Pomerantz, this is her blog, but she's not very active on it.

Blooming Cotton Scarf - - - Honestly, I am not a scarf knitter, so I wouldn't make it, but I do like the design. It's nice and colorful, but not tacky. It's all slipped stitches, so no stranded color-work. Looks like ti wouldn't be a bad knit, except that you knit across the length, not the width, so that is a lot of stitches at one time. Designer is Eunny Jang!

Posy Slip - - - I think this is a nice knit, especially for a dress. I don't think hand-painted yarn like that would look good on anyone that wasn't quite tiny, but I do think it could look good in solid colors too. The stitch used on the dress is lovely and I think the Irish Crocheted Roses are what really make this design shine. Unfortunately, but of course, they are small sizes and only three of them. Designer is Joanne Krantz and it doesn't seem like she has a blog.

Petal Halter - - - Another nice knit, it most definitely helps that it fits the model. Not something I would wear, as I think it is a tad too girly for me, but I think this would be a worthy knit for maybe someone else. Designer is Olga Buraya-Kefelian and this is her blog, but she doesn't post very much.

Fountain Pen Shawl - - - Looks like a lovely shawl. Not a shawl knitter myself, but it looks like a nice pattern. Designer is Susan Pierce Lawrence and this is her blog.

Sweet Tee - - - Nice variety in sizing options. Tee does have some waist shaping and in all honesty, I am quite smitten with it. I know it is rather simple in some aspects, but I really like it. I love the little detail around the neck and the garter stitch hem. My only real concern would be the fact that it is knit from the bottom up, which means no real trying it on to see if it fits as you knit. Designer is Mary Jane Mucklesone and here is her blog, which seems pretty interesting at first glance.

St. John's Wort Cardigan - - - Eh, mixed feelings, mostly though, I don't wear things that are cropped this short, so I am bias. I think the stitches chosen look wonderful, but I don't care for the decreases which lead to the puffiness at the bottom. I just think it looks unflattering to the woman wearing it. If there were actual waist shaping or something, I think that would look better. Designer is Cathy Carron, her website.

Jeff's Pub Sweater - - - Four different sizes, but each are only about two inches apart, so some modifications to different sizes may be needed. I like the look of the sweater though. Looks nice and I like the subtle difference in the stitches. Would consider this, if I knew any guys who wore cardigans anymore. Designer is Hana Jason, who doesn't seem to have a blog.

Diminishing Rib Cardigan - - - I think it looks like a great knit, flattering and not over done. Pattern has a nice variety of sizes to knit from. I would definitely consider knitting this, I might add a button to the very top to kind of hold it together. Again our designer is Andrea Pomerantz and this is her blog, but she's not very active on it.

Soap Bubble Wrap - - - This seems like a nice knit, maybe a little too big on the model as it seems to be sliding off her shoulders, but over all nice. This is also a free download until May 14Th, 2009 if you are a Knitting Daily member. Designer is Connie Chang Chinchio, this is her blog.

Saoirse Shawl - - - I think this is definitely something that would be in style at the time. I can't see myself wearing it, unless I ever get up the nerve to put a bathing suit on again, but in all honesty, I think it is adorable. I was one of those teenagers who always wore my sweater tied around my waist and probably would have worn something like this when I was younger. Adorable, but only comes in one size, so some pattern changes might be needed for most people. Designer is Norah Gaughan.

Sweet Lily Shawl - - - Looks like a nice and simple shawl. Designer is the author of the article
Shaping Lace with Short-Rows and uses that technique in this shawl. Designer is Kristin Omdahl, and here is her website.

Net Duffel Bag - - - I think this bag has some benefits over other mesh-reusable-bags that I have seen. The fact that the holes are towards the top is nice, as nothing is as likely to slip out. Seems like a nice pattern. Designer is Vivian Hoxbro and here is her website.

Baa Rug - - - This design seems king of nifty, not something I would probably make, but unique looking. Seems like a simple enough pattern and that it would probably actually stand up to wear fairly well. There is an option for felting the rug and it would probably be a good idea, since some felting is going to naturally occur as people wipe their feet. Designer is Becca Smith and her website.

Whisper Cardigan - - - I am assuming from the pictures that this cardigan is in no way intended to be worn closed. If so, it looks nice, but maybe a tad small.*(edited)fit is much better on the designer in a picture on her blog* I understand that this is probably how the pattern was intended and I think this pattern has good potential, but I would probably modify it. Not a good variety of sizes to be knit. Designer is Hannah Fettig and this is her blog.

Sculptured Lace Scarf - - - Nice stitches used. Scarf looks warm, but not a scarf knitter. Designer is Kenny Chua and here is his blog. (already read it, it's a good blog)

Watered Quartz Tee - - - This is cute in a flash back to at least the 80's kind of way. Would I knit it, no, do I like the stitches that she used and the color change, yes and think it might look good in a more structured top. Designer is Teva Durham and here is her website.

Float Stole - - - Honestly love this. Still not a shawl knitter, but I love the simplicity, the line, and subtle color differences based on the stitches used. Very nice. Designer is Melinda C. Hunt and here is her blog

Bettie's Lace Stockings - - - Well, how could you not love these? Sadly, only one size and it is most definitely not my giant foot size, but I love these too much so in the future there may be some pattern modifications to make it fit my foot. I know I always say I am not girly, but sometimes I am. Love these. Designer, again, is Hana Jason, who doesn't seem to have a blog.

Parker Cardigan - - - Nice shape, but I think the stitches are overwhelming a bit. I think a nice stockinette on top or if the top stitch was used throughout would look much better. Is also knitted in pieces, not in the round, but could probably be modified. Designer is Deborah Newton.

Zickzack Tunic - - - Honestly, I would so wear this if I was smaller. In all honesty, I'd probably wear it at my size now if it wouldn't take so much freakin' yarn and take so long to knit! A very little bit of body shaping, is based on a bit of a snug fit. Designer is Melissa Wehrle, here is her blog. (already read it, good blog)


Articles:
Michelle Vitale Loughlin:Finding an Artistic Voice Through Fiber - - - Wonderful little article about an artist, Michelle Loughlin, who uses fiber to make art, not in your traditional sense of fiber arts, but more of an abstract take on things.

Shaping Lace with Short-Rows - - This looks to be a beneficial article. It has good diagrams to go along with the explanations and explains how to do the math to figure things out.



*** Over all opinion: Yes, I know you may think what happened to me and that I sound like an IK lemming, but in all honesty, I think this was a great issue. Much better than the last few they have put out and definitely worth buying. I really hope this type of attention to detail continues to show. Only two garments didn't seem to fit the model, but it wasn't by much, and all of the rest were wonderful fits on the models. I hope Interweave realizes what a great thing it is to have garments that simply FIT the models. I also appreciate that they are including the designers' blog addresses in the pattern info and they also said how much ease the model was wearing the garment with. This is a great way for Interweave to really start out 2009 and hopefully they continue with another great issue for the summer.

Great News

Today the doctor called my mother and informed her that all of the growths were benign. This is very good news, no cancer. Very, very good news.

Equal Rights

This is a good video, if you believe Prop. 8 should be invalid, please go sign your name to the letter.



"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Very Long Day

I want to thank everyone who said such kind words. It does help. I will try to get back to each of you.

Not much of a real post today. It was a long day waiting to see how my mom would be. They opened her throat up and took out a bunch of growths and her thyroid. On the positive side, she is doing well, nothing went wrong during the surgery, and the didn't nick her vocal cords so she can still talk. Overall, very successful. We do have to wait to find out if the growths were cancerous or not. On the down side, she is in a lot of pain and she's having to learn to swallow and cough all over again.

So today was a success. My mom is doing good and I am very glad she is around to annoy me for many more years to come. :)

Barely in on time . . .

Well, I have started one of the Pay It Forward gifts, my mothers. A few pictures, but no real information, she will have to wait until it is done and she gets it in the mail.










My mother goes into surgery tomorrow and I am sure everything will go well. Since she has to experience this, I felt like I would give her a little show of what is to come.




This is a kit from Annie's Attic, that is part of the Hook & Needle club. I joined because I figured this would get me making things that I might not have experienced otherwise, but in all honesty, this is the first kit and I am quite disappointed. It's very easy and not all that interesting to me personally because I don't do purses/bags. Since, my mother is doing this club also, I gave the yarn to her when I went out there so she can make a larger bag. I will give this club one more try, but if the next kit isn't very appealing, I will probably not continue with it.




These are some lovely yarns that my sister, Rhoni, got for me and surprised me with when I went out to Washington State. She's not a crafter, so she doesn't really know what she is picking out, but I think she picked out some lovely yarns. Top left: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Stretch in a medium gray, 100g. Top right: Fortissima Socka in a brown with red and white tweed, 50g. Lastly, the bottom: Online Trend Collection Linie 163 Bingo, in a soft olive green color, 50g. The Lana Grossa might become some socks, not sure. I really love the colors of the Fortissima Socka. The Online is a very soft cotton made in Croatia. All of it is very nice!

Peace

Well, I am back and I will have a normal post once I have gotten some sleep and all.

Over all, the trip was very beneficial. It reminded me that my grandpa was where he wanted to be most, with my grandma and my biological father. I am sure where ever he is right now, he's enjoying himself. . . probably a little too much. :)

Be back later.

Change

Well, my 365 blogging may have to take a small break. My grandfather passed away and I am flying back to Washington State early Friday morning. I will be back in New York on Sunday night, but probably won't post again until Monday or Tuesday.

Change has come, for my grandfather, this is good. He was never been the same after my grandma passed away. For everyone who loved him, it is just sad.

Remember, if anyone else wants to take place in the Pay It Forward, leave a comment on the post before this. First three comments will receive something hand made and you don't have to Pay It Forward yourself, unless you wish to do so.

Pay It Forward

Jennifer from Somewhere, knitting has posted a Pay It Forward in an attempt to redeem herself Karma-wise. The first person that commented on her post would get something hand-made, as long as they promised to Pay It Forward also. I think this is a nifty idea, so I responded. I saw last year when people were doing this, but I didn't have a blog then and didn't participate, so here I am now. If you would like to receive a hand-made gift from me with in the next 365, be one of the first three people to comment.(You must have a blog.) I will make a gift for you that I choose and think fits you from what I know of you from your blog.

I know this has already gone around, so I won't require you to also Pay It Forward, but you can if you want to.

Good luck!

The Return of Craftiness

So, I have made some progress with my doll. She's hairless, faceless, and naked, but still, it's progress. :) I am not sure if I want to sew her some clothes or maybe knit or crochet some. She is still very much a blank canvas right now.






I have been working a little on my gloves. I have decided to start the second glove, in case I run out of the hand spun yarn, that way, everything matches up nicely. So I made my first center pull ball so I didn't have to cut the yarn at all and I will work on then together. I know and am okay with the fact that the fingers and thumb will probably also be black. They are still going to be fingerless, so each finger will only go about half way up each finger. I am still loving how they look and can't wait to be able to wear them.







I have also been working on baby Vera's blanket. I am shooting for approximately 36 squares. Here is the few I have so far. Every square will have the tan to keep them more unified. Each square will use the same colors, just in different orders. I really love how different each square looks just because of the order. I think I will be very pleased with this blanket when it is done. It is going to be a whole heck of a lot of ends to weave in though!
















We are working on pop-up stuff in my 3-D class and I might show some of that tomorrow. See you then!

Swamped

Well, I have a lot of stuff to show you guys that I am making progress on, but I am rather swamped with homework tonight. They are giving plenty of homework already. So, I will try to take pictures tomorrow after I get out of work and post a much better post than this tomorrow.

On the positive side, feeling much better, I think the sickness is pretty much gone.

My sister is going to help me do my taxes tomorrow, hopefully, that way I get all the little school credits that I should.

I really didn't want to end up making only little post like this, but I really forgot all about the blog until now, I was busy with school and grocery shopping. The best laid plans, right? Oh well, will be back tomorrow with a more crafty post.

Dyeing Debacle

So, I really was going to post all this last night, but then sickness, again . . .yes, I know you are tired of hearing about it.

So anyways, the dyeing, I am sure you won't believe me on some of these, as I didn't believe them myself. I am convinced there is something up with the yarn, like a chemical or something on it, because I have never had issues like this when dyeing before. Here goes. . .

First off, Purple attempt:

As you can plainly see, there isn't any purple even in this, it looks like a calico cat. The color is somewhere between the color of these two pics, but closer to the top one. The second picture shows how many knots where in this skein and how close some of them were, I only cut the skein where there was a knot.








Next up, the Blue:

This on also, the dye split and didn't dye even. Okay, two pics with this one too, because the top one shows more accurately the rich color of the yarn and how many knots were in the skein. The second one shows better shade differences within the skein. So, the colors are more like the second picture, only richer, like the first. :)








Next up, Green:
This dyed up a lovely emerald green color and color is mostly consistent, with only slight variations in green. At least here there was only one knot.








Next is Black:
As you can see, not black. The dye split again and it is shades of dark purple, dark maroon, and gray/green. Also, only one knot in this one.





Lastly, Orange:
Like the green, this one dyed up fairly evenly and had only one knot in it.





Overall, I like the colors, just not what I was looking for when I started dyeing the colors and then dyed a couple of them other colors than what was planned since the first few skeins hadn't worked out like I wanted. Still nice colors and will use them for something else.

Truly annoying part of the yarn. There was a lot of VM(vegetable matter) in the skeins that I couldn't really see before dyeing. After dyeing, it was quite obvious and I had to pick out WAY too much VM from these skeins. Also, each skein had a least on knot, with one skein having FOUR and the knots were close together, check out how small three of those bundles are in the Calico Cat/Purple color. That is simply ridiculous. These skeins will probably be going into time-out for a while because of these two reasons, my annoyance level with them is very high right now.

So, two things learned from this adventure:
1. I will not, in the future, ever buy yarn from Barlett Yarns/Halcyon Yarn. Nope.
2. I will probably not buy from some one's de-stashing again either. My theory is, the person I purchased these from, had to know about some of the VM problem since she wound one of the skeins into a center pull ball. Therefore, she was not as honest as she should have been.