Once upon a knit...

Bad Blogger, Bad!

2008-10-28T10:52:00.002-05:00

So sorry for the blog absenteeism. I know that you know that I just started college. Who knew college would actually entail work? Crazy, I know. My knitting time has taken a serious hit from this studying business. Anyway, in other craftiness, I made my Halloween costume and I will try to take some pictures to post tonight.

Disaster mode

2008-08-20T11:51:00.004-05:00

I have a log cabin disaster on my hands. I tried posting it on Ravelry forums, but it seems that everyone who answers thinks I am just a thickheaded idiot. I do know how to knit and I did it successfully the first three times doing the exact same procedure. Aaaaahhhhhhh, I don't know what to do. Maybe I can make it to a yarn shop today to beg for help. Anyway, here are pictures. Maybe you can help.

The right side. See how pretty?

The wrong side. I really have joined them correctly.

Disclaimer notice: I did not mean to offend any Ravelrers with my above comment. My feelings were hurt when I was writing this because every response I had gotten on my forum threads was implying that I had done it the wrong way. I just wanted you to know that I do kind of know what I'm doing and it is hard to hear someone say that you are just doing it wrong. I really did not say it with the intent of offending anyone, I was just looking for some help that would be given in a non-hurtful setting. I am so sorry. If you knew my personality you would all know that I go out of my way to make sure everyone is happy and I just think everyone thinks that way, as you can see I was upset. I am so so sorry.

August Afternoons

2008-08-18T14:58:00.006-05:00

So, I know I haven't spoken much of my personal life on here, so here goes... my family just moved about an hour away from where I spent the better part of my childhood(yes, here in Kansas we measure distance in minutes not miles). Now we live in a quaint little country town and I got to enjoy possibly the most wonderful afternoon of my life. In our little corner of town(which consists only of ranch houses built in the 1970's and I am the youngest resident) it is nice and quiet with just the occasional train. Today while my parents were off slaving away to bring home the bacon, I sat on the porch with just my knitting and my dogs. The only sounds to be heard were the quiet clank of my needles and the occasional bark of my little dogs. As knitters, you understand how peaceful that is. I came inside to find that my mind felt incredibly clear. I may have to do that everyday this week to prepare my mind for the start of the long educational process that I start next Wednesday. Does anyone else want to join me for thirteen years of school plus residency before I will have anything faintly resembling a life? I didn't think so.

Okay, so now I have to indulge you in a story of my aforementioned pooches. Their names are Daphne and Olive and they are the cutest little things I have ever seen. Well, Daphne has been sick for the past week or two and I thought she had gotten over it. Shortly after we came in today I heard her nappy(the word I like to use in place of the other words I could use to describe regurgitation) in another room. I was in the middle of a row of my log cabin blanket so I took time to finish my row before embarking(catch the pun?) on a clean up mission. When I went to see where her nappy was I found her on my bed looking up at me with the saddest big brown eyes I have ever seen. I assured her that it was fine and I quickly stripped my bed only to remember that my mattress pad and been misplaced somewhere in the move so I have been sleeping without one. No mattress pad + Daphne nappy = Mattress mess for me to clean up. Ever since then, she has been so ashamed that she has not been able to sit with me yet and is hanging her head by the door. I tried to get her to look at the computer but she was too ashamed to even do that. Oh how sweet is she?

So, Olive is another story, this is her favorite perch in the new house, so that she can stand guard of the house to scare off predators with all eight pounds.
Just for cuteness sakes, I had to include these pictures of the two of them watching the happenings of the community. Don't you just want to nibble them up?

Sorry this post was so picture heavy, but these pictures are just too cute to waste!

Next time on Once upon a knit: AAAAAHHHHHHHH Stash Attack!

Ravelrympics

2008-08-09T19:57:00.001-05:00

So, about that... I had surgery yesterday and I completely planned on starting the Ravelrympics on time, but due to the fact that I can hardly sit up comfortably, that is not going to happen. I will try to do something small, but it all depends on how I feel. Sorry to let you down.

Proverbial Sunrise

2008-07-23T14:18:00.004-05:00

I watched the proverbial sunrise coming up over the Pacific and you might think I'm losing my mind but I will shy away from the specifics. 'Cause I don't want you to know where I am, 'cause then you'll see my heart in the saddest state it's ever been. This is no way to try and live my life. Stop right there, that's exactly where I lost it. See that line, well I never should have crossed it. Stop right there, well I never should have said that, it's the very moment I wish that I could take back. I'm sorry for the person I became. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change. I'm ready to try never to go that way again. 'Cause who I am hates who I've been, who I am hates who I've been....

I really wish I could claim that poetry but it's a popular song by a wonderful group known as Relient K. That has nothing to do with my knitting, but it's what the video make me think of because it is based on a proverb that I can't remember and I am in rush so I will post it later if it comes to mind. I think the song describes all of us at one point or another and I knew my knitters would appreciate this bit of wisdom. Anywho... the next paragraph is all about my inspiration for sharing that bit of song with you.

So by way of Glampyre Knits I found a wonderful new blog. And by way of that new blog I found an adorable video that if I had kids they would probably be forced to watch this video every day. For some odd reason I can't get the video to show up like that cool way other people can get it to.

A wonderful cause

2008-07-09T20:22:00.002-05:00

So, I don't usually plug contests and raffles and other related drawings. However, I do make exceptions for a good cause. This woman has a wonderfully inspiring story and all the donations go to a great cause. It is sad that this raffle had to spur from a near-tragedy, but it is best that it was a near-tragedy and not a fatal-tragedy. Anyhoo, go check out her blog, read about her amazing story, and put yourself in her position and see how generous it is for her to share her story with us and give us such a wonderful chance to help her.

A FO, A Timed Project, and A Sore Knitting Appendage

2008-07-08T00:45:00.005-05:00

First things first, the FO. I made my first Baby Genius Burp Cloth. Not until I posted this did I realize I was holding it upside down in the picture. Whatever, you get the idea. I loved doing it and it went amazingly fast. It was a very fun knit and I already have colors picked out for my next one (which I will be starting tomorrow).

Next, a timed project. I have never actually timed myself knitting before and I thought it would help keep my brain active with the math. So, I cast on for a Baby Bib o' Love. I know, Mason Dixon has been popular around here lately. This is to match the burp cloth and I love it so far. In one hour I knit a measly 23 rows. Sadly, that's about 15 and 1/3 stitches per minute. Knitting at such a slow rate meant each row took roughly 2.61 minutes. I felt like I was going fast until I actually crunched the numbers.
Last but not least, my sore appendage. Below you will witness a gruesome photo but I thought all knitters would sympathize with me. So the story... On Independence Day, I was bound and determined to get this huge pile of snakes lit. So, me being the oldest of the "children" at the party, I grabbed the old-fashioned butane lighter and set out on my quest. After about 7 minutes of sitting in the middle of the road burning my finger to a crisp, I ended up with a huge blister. So, I did what any sane person would do, I popped the blister with my teeth only to see when we got in the light that I did more damage. So, for the last few days it has been festering and growing and after my knitting marathon it looks like this:
Sorry that my post was so wordy, I usually don't like wordy posts so thank you for sticking with me.

ETA: Sorry about the poor photo quality, that's as good as PhotoBooth gets.

Testing the Waters

2008-06-12T16:27:00.001-05:00

So, not that knitting is boring to me, but I have decided that it is time for me to test my hand at designing. My first design that I am going to publish is a super cute very girly ruffled baby blanket. It's an easy knit and goes quickly so I am just about finished with the prototype. Once I get done with this, I will start knitting on the second blanket. I am also starting to work on personalized pieces and I will start giving teaser pictures. They will hopefully start soon!

Recent workings

2008-05-29T22:29:00.005-05:00

So, this isn't exactly new, but I love this photo of yarn which is now becoming a baby blanket.

The new stuff is the exciting part of this post if anyone in blog land is reading it. First, I love this picture of a cart brim full with yarn.

This yarn I got to be a unisex baby blanket for my sister's pregnant friend. Isn't it wonderful? It is 100% cotton in one of my favorite color groupings.

This yarn is, shall I even say, 50% AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH the dreaded word, acrylic. I love the colors though and it is very easy to work with so I figured I could use it to my whim at a later time.

Do not take this picture as the actual color, I just wanted you all to see that the 4-ply yarn is made up of 4 different colors. There is one ply each of pink, orange, yellow, and white. I love that concept and I haven't really seen it much before.

More to come of my fun trip tomorrow. If anyone is out there in cyberspace reading this, it would be great to hear from you.

Once again, I have been horrible

2008-05-27T04:07:00.003-05:00

So, I am sorry again for being gone for so long. I had a laptop through my school and I had to give it up on our last day. It was a very sad day and have been in withdraw since that day. No computer equals no blogging, no blog checking, no Facebook stalking, and no email. It really has been a tough week. But, on the bright side, after we got back from my grammy's house for Memorial Day, my mom and dad went to the school and brought both laptops home. So if anyone is reading this, you are probably now asking yourself if we didn't get home until four a.m. or what? No, the answer is I was extremely busy yesterday writing thank you notes for graduation gifts, but I did get them all done. Also, due to my illness, I am now having an extreme case of insomnia. So, I am sorry that I have once again been absent and I am trying to get a following because I love reading everyone else's blogs and I hope one day someone thinks of me the way I admire all those bloggers in cyberspace. But at least I got around to it. Thanks for reading.

The Best Laid Plans...

2008-05-13T18:14:00.006-05:00

So, I had taken these pictures about a week and a half ago, prior to all the tornadoes in our area, and I'm glad I got them in while we still had sun. In fact, as I speak, it is raining again. But that is beside the point. This is a blanket I started for for a gift for my sister, who is not pregnant, but her friend who is. You see, she was completely stressed about having to knit a blanket that I figured I would just make one for her.

So, this is just a close-up of the stitch markers I made. My sister took the normal stitch markers home with her and so I just grabbed some beads and had about ten stitch markers in ten minutes.

This is our outdoor cat, Maurice. Maurice decided while I was taking pictures of my knitting that she was more important. Even though she was interrupting my photo shoot, you have to admit she is adorable.

Here are what the first few shots with Maurice in them looked like. I would push her out of the way, then while I was focusing the camera, she would sneak up beside me and manage to wiggle in as soon as I actually took the picture. Sneaky little thing.

I know no one reads this blog regularly, so I don't quite feel as guilty about not posting for over two weeks. Even though no one reads it I plan on starting to post more regularly. I will start posting a word of the week on Fridays and I will try to keep that going throughout the summer. Thanks if any of you are out there reading this.

ETA: The reason for the title is that I have had the pictures taken for a long time and planned to put them on here and just now got around to it.

Gar

2008-04-28T09:51:00.002-05:00

No knitting content sorry. I have been an absent-minded blogger. Although I haven't been blogging, I have been exercising my knitting skills. I have a new project and some other crafty things to show you, but due to lack of camera, they will have to wait until tomorrow. I am so sorry that I have been gone for so long and I will try to stay up to date from now on.

Sorry for the truency

2008-04-03T09:48:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. I promised to post everyday. I have failed. I have lost my camera and that makes it especially hard to find something to post. I know this is brief, but due to my school schedule, I don't have much time to post.

Wahoo for firsts!

2008-03-25T21:07:00.003-05:00

Excitement in our house today. Our first time using our new swift! Yay! This is extremely exciting for me as today was not only a new experience for both of us with the swift, but we were winding my first skeins of hand-dyed yarn! I know, I know, I am slow to jump on the wagon, but jumping on late is better than missing the wagon altogether.

Action Shot:

Very poor pictures of the yarn to follow, as I was trying to use the couch as a background and the lighting in our living room is less than poor. Also sorry for the poor picture quality as I was using my mom's camera.

Anticipation

2008-03-23T19:02:00.003-05:00

My knitting life is quite boring, I am sad to say. I have been waiting for new yarn to come in the mail and I often find myself sneaking peeks out the window to see if the mail man has come yet. Sadly, my yarn has yet to appear. So, the pictures from eBay will have to suffice.

Also, I finally got a swift and ball winder! Yay for Easter!

Not much to say

2008-03-18T16:38:00.002-05:00

I don't have much going on. More knitting on the scarves which I have dubbed as my "sick scarves". My knitting ADD is being sufficed because I am switching back and forth between the scarves at about one hour intervals. Although I love the two scarves I am knitting, I am dying to cast on the Multidirectional Scarf from Ravelry. I have some lovely variegated yarn that I think would look lovely in that pattern. Hope everyone had a safe and fun St. Patrick's Day! Until next time, I will leave you with a picture of the coveted Multidirectional Scarf.

As Promised...

2008-03-16T20:55:00.006-05:00

As promised, here are pictures of my sickly knitting. This work has been done in the past few days while being couch-ridden with illnesses. I have been having a scarf obsession for a little while and these are both original patterns for me.

Absence

2008-03-15T23:02:00.001-05:00

Sorry for lack of posts. Sickness has not run short in our house this season. New picture posts to come soon. I have been knitting like a fiend on my scarves, which have become my new obsession. I hope to have pictures of each of them up by the first few days of spring break.

Not Another Teenager

2008-03-11T19:09:00.004-05:00

A little background... I read blogs everyday. I am a blog addict. I love about 15 blogs and check them every morning and night. I am hoping that our blog becomes one of those blogs that people love and can't wait to check on every morning. With that being said, I, the younger of the sisters, would like you all to become obsessed with our blog. A conscious effort will be made everyday to post something, even if it is just a thought. I know photo blogs are more fun, so here is a favorite photo of me with my knitting.

That's all for now.

Blossoming Bud for Bouncing Baby

2008-03-10T19:52:00.013-05:00

So, I felt the urge to knit a hat and I love making baby hats because they go so quickly. I got Itty-Bitty Hats as a gift and I was dying to get started making all the adorable little creations. The Upside Down Daisy was my first hat and it was so charming, I was tempted to slap out fifteen of them for all the baby girls of the future. I knit really quickly and I loved working with the Rowan Cotton. The GGH Samoa was also quite delightful to play with. All in all, I just plain liked making this hat.

Completely finished:

I know the petals are a little sketchy looking, but that's what I get for knitting under the table during Scholars' Bowl practice.

Welcome!

2008-03-06T10:19:00.006-06:00

I am so excited to be starting a knitting blog. My sister and I started knitting about 4 years ago and try to knit as often as possible. This blog is going to be a collaboration of our brains and knitting. We have been reading knitting blogs forever and finally decided to jump on the bandwagon. So, jump on, hang on tight, and prepare for the ride.