Forgotten blog!

:( I just remembered that I never post things here anymore.  I saw on the news that  Google accidentally erased someone's blog that they had kept for 14 years and it made me think about mine.

 I don't know why I don't update here ever it's not like it takes very long to type things out especially now that we can use phones & tablets to update.

Birthday resolutions for my 32nd birthday!

1. Drink more water! This always tops my list & I never stick with it. I think I need to switch back to glacier water because I will drink that & actually enjoy it.

2. Stretch at least 5 days of the week & at least 3 of those over stretching to gain even more flexibility in my legs.

3. Exercise 5 or more days a week. Pole, hoop, walk, garden hard, any combination of that's will do!

4. Learn to grow food that we can eat! (I'm working on that now). 

5. Craft daily again. I was a daily knitter or crocheter for many years and since I have started working a haven't made time for that & I miss it. I need a simple project that I can pump out while watching tv :)

6. Wear sunscreen everyday... On my face... Which I HATE! I need to find one that agrees with my skin & feels light so I can protect my face. 

I really don't have anything else I'd like to see change in myself. I hope I stick to the water one this time so it can not be included on 33 ;) 

12/5/14

Random update :D IDK when I posted here last.

I finished the death star & sent it off this week. I am knitting another sweater for myself it's burnt orange & dark teal stripes.

I still haven't spun my cotton, I need a wheel or a book Charkha, not spinning it all on a spindle.

I'm still reading "Shadow or Night", I haven't had much time to read lately so it's taking a while to get through.

I got a job a few weeks ago & I LOVE it! I get to work from home 100% of the time & actually get paid :D

Thanksgiving was nice, I made too much food (like always) & I still feel full & fat a week later, lol.


I think thats all :D

November 14th 2014

all my cotton is dry & ready to spin but all I have to spin on is a tahkli spindle :( it is taking
F O R E V E R !!! the pima I grew is so awesome, very long fibers & so soft. I haven't spun any of the other stuff so I can't say anything about it yet.
I finished knitting my fair isle sweater a few weeks ago & I love how it fits so I want to make a 2nd one in a solid color. I'll probably cast on today :D

I am reading "Shadow of Night" now, I think I started that last weekend. this is the 2nd book in the "all souls trilogy". it's good series so far.

we are having a polar vortex thing going on right now so it feels like it's 15*F outside.

Knitting survey :D 11-14-14

1. How long have you been knitting?

Since 2006 & crocheting since 2007. 

2. What inspires you to knit? (Please choose all that apply.)

Patterns I see online & things I see in stores :)  3. What are your favorite things to knit? (Please choose all that apply.)

Shirts, Shawls, Socks, Sweater (for me or bella), & sometimes blankets :D

4. In the past 12 months, how many knitting projects did you start?

11 & about to start a 12th :D

5. In the past 12 months, how many knitting projects did you complete?

10!

6. How much time do you spend knitting each week?

a lot! I really don't know for sure…. 25~ish?

7. Which do you prefer? Quick projects or complex & challenging >

I love to knit lace & leaves, so I'd say complex :)

8. Where do you learn about knitting or discuss your knitting? 

Books, Online tutorials on youtube & forums on Ravelry :D

9. How often do you meet in person with other knitters?

Never

10. What yarn is on your needles now? (If you have more than one project going or a project that uses more than one yarn, choose your favorite one.)

Synthetic, it's actually a crochet project.

11. What is the last ball/skein of yarn you purchased for a project?

Yesterday I bought something from lion brand that was on sale at MCS & some sock yarn by loops & thread :) never used either one of them before so i'm interested in seeing how they work up.

12. In the last 12 months, how much did you spend on knitting supplies? 

I have no clue! probably more than I should have O_O

13. What are your favorite yarn & knitting related websites? 

Ravelry.com, knitpicks.com, knitculture.com

14. In the last 12 months, how many knitting books did you buy?

Zero! 

15. Where do you go for knitting books? 

Amazon or B&N

16. How does the internet knitting community affect your buying choices? I like to read reviews so that affects my pattern choices & yarn choices.   17. What project do you want to start next?   I want to knit the same pattern/sweater that I just finished again! It fits me perfectly! I am going to make it in a solid with a contrasting color for a trim :D I also want to knit socks.

October 31st 2014

yesterday we (Bella & I) picked off 46 unopened bolls from our red beauty cotton plants. I sliced them open & made a nice little setup with pots, pans & a space heater to get them to dry out & finish opening so the cotton would be useable. my method worked pretty good. Bella is so excited about the cotton! she helped me plant the seeds in the spring, she has seen them grow & she checks them out when we go outside. she was interested when they started blooming flowers & when the bolls started developing, but now she is totally obsessed with them! she has been begging to go in the room & look at the cotton. she even kept me up till 1:40am begging to go look at it, lol. she loves to go to bed & sleep but she was too excited last night. today we have to pick the bolls off of the Arkansas green & the pima. I was hoping to make something for myself out of the cotton I have grown BUT now I feel like I should make something for Bella since she loves it.

I am almost done with the sweater I am knitting (fair isle), when I finish that it will be time to spin the cotton :D

today is mine & Alizé's 13th anniversary :) 

oh & the reason I picking the cotton & forcing it to open is because it is going to freeze here tonight. 

happy halloween :D

October 27th 2014

Last week I planned my Thanksgiving dinner menu :) and I went ahead and narrowed my Christmas cookie tin ideas down too. ;) I feel all kinds of organized!

My cotton bolls still haven't opened :( not a single one! 

I'm still reading "A Discovery Of Witches", I love this book so much! I have about 100 pages left and I hope I can find time to read at least one chapter today :)

I worked on my "Sophia Loren Riverside Pullover" (the fair isle sweater) a lot this weekend, I attached the sleeves to the body, now I am on the last zig zag repeat. I sure hope it fits me right! 

We had AMAZING weather here last week and over the weekend so we spend a lot of time outside. Bella and I decided to take a butterfly chair out one of the days to snuggle up in while I read. We also took some pics:

we had a nice week :D

October 17th 2014

it has been really cool outside this week so i got to wear the cardigan i knitted for myself & broke out the pumpkin spice tea :) i love to drink tea in the afternoon in the cooler months while i read or knit. 

i am still reading "a discovery of witches", it's really good! i love to read about supernatural beings, vampires, witches & fairies are my favorites.

this week i finished the lower part of the "body" of my fair isle sweater and i am now working on the 1st arm. i like this pattern a lot, its fun to knit since it changes almost every row. 

i also have been crocheting a "death star" for a friend and i finished the ball part this week, now i just have to make the lines on it and the "super laser" then it will be finished! 

my cotton bolls still haven't opened so i am getting worried that they won't open :( i read that you can put them in the microwave to open them but i really want to see them open on the plant so i can pick them like my grandparents & great grandparents used to. my granny said "cotton picking vacation" started mid october from what she could remember and ran through mid november. so going by that info i think it should all start to open soon. i have mixed feelings about it opening soon because i want to finish knitting my sweater before i start to spin the cotton BUT i know i will be excited to spin and i will probably end up setting my sweater project aside. i could just pick it and bag it until i'm done with my project but i really doubt that will happen. oh and i still need a spinning wheel so i won't have to spin it all with a tahkli O_O

October 10th 2014

one year ago today Bella had her first seizure. it was the scariest day of my life as a "mom" to this day. with in a month of that first seizure she was diagnosed with epilepsy, she was put on medication and she has been seizure free since. she is my world and I am so glad she is mine to love forever :) I am so thankful for her life.

this week I cast on for my first fair isle sweater for the 2nd time :-/ I had started it last week but it was about 2 sizes too big for me so I started over. I love the colors I am using, lavender, cream and taupe. purple used to be my favorite color when I was 5 - 10 years old, everything I had was purple, even my bedroom. needless to say I got burnt out on it for about 15-20 years. lately I have found myself being drawn to purples, lavender in particular so I figured I would use it in my new sweater since I haven't had anything that color in quite a while.

on saturday I finished reading "breaking dawn" and started reading "a discovery of witches". I am about 120 pages in and I am really enjoying it.

October 3rd 2014

I finished my cardigan on sunday & I LOVE it so much! it fits great & I am really happy with the yarn I used for it. the weather is going to be cool enough to use it this weekend too :D yay!

I casted on for my first fair isle sweater on October 1st BUT I don't love the yarn I picked. the pattern called for worsted weight yarn so I was going to use impeccable because I had some & I only needed 1 extra color to make it work. but it is SO cheap & itchy :( I might just frog it. 

 I've never been able to afford "nice" yarn for anything & I doubt I ever will. not to be negative but at $23 - $36 for a 100 yard skein it would cost me about $250 - $380 to make a sweater with nice yarn :(  I can make a sweater with mass market cheapy craft store yarn that cost $4-$9 for 250 yards so a whole sweater with that yarn would cost $20 - $45 to make. the Omega Sinfonia that I made my cardigan with was nice for me! It did come for a mass market craft store BUT it is a good texture & I liked how it knit up.  

I want to learn to spin so badly so that I can make soft & nice yarns.