At least you get some music out of it

Hello!

Yes it's been a while.

I have been insanely busy.

Before I started high school I was told that it would be a lot of work, a lot of free time that I wouldn't have, and frankly, I didn't really believe it. Last year, aside from a few theatre meetings during the week and horse-back riding I didn't have that much to fill my time, which is why this blog was much more active at the time.

And then this year happened.

And I understood.

I have theatre, which has been a huge time commitment as I was appointed a leader position. I have a job at the library now. I have (and this is going to come off as sounding really strange) a lot more of a social life than I've ever had. Which means that my crafting-sewing-knitting time has been severely reduced. All the things that keep me busy are good things (the unmentioned million hours spent surfing the web do not count among the good things) but they are a significant time consumer. I also have my Etsy shop that has been needing stocking up. Usually when I make stuff for the shop, I don't post it here because it's a little repetitive. I will be adding more things hopefully this month, as I should have a little more time.

In addition to the amount of regular things, we've been hit by a major icy-snowy-cold winter. I've had more days off this year than in the last two years combined. And it's only February. You would think that would be a good thing for sewing-crafting-knitting. And it can be. I finished the back and most of the left front of my cardigan.
However, I was planning on sewing some things on the sewing machine, which didn't work out as planned. Two problems occurred: I ran out of supplies, and the store was closed. Secondly, the power went out which is inconvenient when one needs the aid of an electric sewing machine.

So there you go. To make up for this lousy post, I will be giving you a list of music that I have been obsessively listening to. Somehow this is always my go-to excuse.

Requiem for Blue Jeans by Bastille
Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey
A Little Party Never Killed Nobody by Fergie (featuring a bunch of people)
Who We Are by Imagine Dragons
Icarus by Bastille
Monster by Imagine Dragons
Pompeii by Bastille
Ready, Aim, Fire by Imagine Dragons

As per usual, I have a very eclectic music taste. Lots of Imagine Dragons. And Bastille, which is slowly climbing up the ranks to becoming my favorite band.

At least you get some music out of it.

Up next in the series...

Hello!

Second post in two days, aren't you lucky? Yeah, that's because I won't have time to post anything for the next week. Sorry. Not really, you get a post today don't you? Live for the moment...

Up next in the never ending series of exchanged gifts this holiday season, we have the gift that I made for my mom!

This is the same pattern as the gift I gave to Addie. It's not meant to be a pencil case this time though, more of a little pouch for knitting stuff, like markers and notebooks. 

Little touch of liberty there...

Oh, something else...

These little macaroons are from a wonderful Etsy shop that you can (and should) see by clicking here. 

So there you go, the Christmas present to my mom using one of her patterns!

And to add to the Etsy news from last post, I will be making more of these pouches and posting them in my shop quite soon, so get excited!

See you in a bit!

First update, first excuses

Hello!

As you may have noticed, I haven't posted anything since last year (I like bad jokes, haven't we established that already?). That is because, and I'm sure many of you can relate, I have been insanely busy for the last week. I have been on a constant school, theatre, homework and work on Mondays and Thursdays schedule.

In addition and because of how busy I have been, when I get home, the sun is nearly set and I usually don't have the time or the light to take pictures of things. As much as I enjoyed my light box, I like the look of "normal" pictures with natural lighting.

I think I should mention that my cats - as was inevitable and predictable - have destroyed my light box and it is no longer usable. If I make a new one, it will be out of wood and fabric, not cardboard and paper. It was good while it lasted though.

To make up for the lack of pictures/posts in the last two weeks, here are some pictures of a really cute lemur that I custom made for a family member back in November. Considering I completely improvised the pattern, I think I did okay.

Since this post is basically turning into a mess of nonsense and random facts, here is another.

If you have been on my Etsy recently, you will see that my stocks are severely depleted. By which I mean, I have all of one thing there at the moment. There is a valid reason for this. Actually, two valid reasons.

a) I didn't actually expect anyone to buy anything. I mean, I was hoping people would, but it seemed like a far-fetched idea. But apparently people did buy stuff and now I have nothing there. So thank you very much if you're one of the people who bought something. I hope it fulfilled all your stuffed animal dreams!

b) I have run out of some supplies. Plain as that. I will be restocking... eventually. Hopefully.

Yes.

So anyway, if you're here from my Etsy, and especially if you're one of the many people who has favorited my Otterbatch (thanks for that by the way) I will be making more, have no fear. They will be back up for purchase soon!

That's it, I believe, for the 2014 updates.

See you next time!

(I'm sure other bloggers have actual structures and ideas for when they write posts. I admire those other bloggers.)

A little quote, just a little quote

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." - Neil Gaiman

Happy New Year to everyone and anyone!

Renewed Wardrobe Step 0.1

Hello!

For a while now, I've been having the idea that I want to make more of my own clothes. This means that I am looking for patterns that I would realistically wear, while at the same time trying to imagine a new style for myself. The point of making my own clothes would be to be able to wear exactly what I want to, because clothes stores don't always have what I like.

So far, I have made a skirt that I have worn several times. Keeping in mind that kind of style, I've started knitting what I affectionately call a Boyfriend Cardigan.

It's actually called a Division Cardigan. I originally found the pattern here, on a blog that I really like. 

I got the yarn for Christmas, it's Berroco Vintage DK yarn. I love it so much! It's so nice to knit, very soft and it gives very neat stitches. Also, it's machine washable, which is always a plus, and not ridiculously expensive. I highly recommend it.

I've been knitting a lot for the past few days, which is so nice, because frankly, winter break is not winter break without a good knitting project. Last night especially, I had my knitting, my cat, my fireplace and my tea; I was a very happy Blue Cat. 

I think I should mention that since I took these pictures on Christmas day, the sweater has grown a good 7 more inches. 

That was your next episode in what I got for Christmas! 

I've been posting nearly every day, wow... enjoy it while it lasts!

Mrs. Claus

Hello!

For Christmas, Mom Mrs. Claus made me a present.

 Meet my new computer case. Isn't it gorgeous?

After Mom made her beautiful iPad case I asked her to make me a computer case. Now, here it is!

I was the one who picked the fabric, but the rest is all Mom! It's lined and padded too, so that I won't accidentally destroy my laptop, which considering how desperately clumsy I am, is all too possible. I tried to take a picture of the lining, but it didn't turn out great. It's a coral red, like the flowers are.

So there you have it, one of the first crafty projects that I was given this holiday season! I love it, I can't wait to show it off.

Among other things (and being the first of several)

Hello!

Christmas has once again come and gone, as it tends to do, but the season isn't quite over until the 1st of the New Year, so in that spirit, I will be doing several posts showing what crafty things I received this year as well as the ones I gave.

The first in this series will be the bunny hat and fingerless gloves that I made for my friend Bella. I knit them in light gray acrylic yarn on size 4.5 and 5 circular needles.

So that's basically what the hat looks like when it's being worn (she wears it better than I do, to be honest). I made a basic hat with circular needles, with about 1.5 inches of ribbing at the bottom. Then, I knit the ears on straight needles, just your basic knit stitch. I made up a random pattern for the increases and decreases and voilà! A beautiful bunny hat!

As for the gloves, I completely made up a pattern, as you can probably tell because the cables aren't really symmetrical. In any case, they fit and she liked them, so that's really all I could ask for. 

So there you go, episode one of however many that will be explaining what I've been doing and hiding from you for these past weeks!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!