Festivities!

Halloween was a total blast! Even without help from my husband, who's been out of town for work, I managed to get enough help from my wonderful friends to pull off a great party. For the week preceeding, I did nothing with my extra time but decorate and plan food & party festivities. Here are just a few shots of what the night was like:

(left) A bottle of "V Blood". Any True Blood fans out there will appreciate this!

(below) This is my "fairy dust" display. I had a ton of old jars that I put labels on with all sorts of yucky and spooky & miraculous contents! It was a lot of fun to make the labels and decide how to make what was supposed to be inside.

Here's the witches brew. It was acutally a drink my friend made with vodka, rum, sprite and juice - it was so good! We put dry ice in it to create the bubbling fog. Since dry ice is simply really cold carbon dioxide, it evaporates as a gas instead of melting down to a liquid the way that regular ice does.

Dont worry, it's totally safe if you do it right!

We had a ton of fun but I'm glad to have time now to get back to what this blog is supposed to be about: crafts! I have some new jewelry to post to Etsy and I am pushing along on the Rena cardigan.

Stay tuned!

The Revelry is About to Ensue...

I just wanted to drop a quick line to say that I will have so much to share after Halloween this weekend! Halloween is probably my favorite time of year, and I have been crafting and decorating like a crazed goblin! Check back next week for some updates.

:)


“Presently, I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief - oh, no! It was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me.”
-from Edgar Allan Poe’s
The Tell-Tale Heart
First published in 1843

A Little Bit of Everything

Though I haven't been as faithful to this blog in the past month as I would have liked to be, I have been very busy in my crafty little world! From knitting, to beading, to the start of a sewing project, I feel like I've been around the world.

I am pleased to say that Rena is well on the way to the final stages. Here's a peek:

I apologize for the really crappy photos, but something is better than nothing!

I'm currently knitting downward on the body. Another few inches and I'll cast off and begin the shawl collar. I was worried that the collar would take forever, but it has to be better than the monotony of the body. Hopefully it will pay off!

If I'd had more time in my rush to photograph my progress, I'd have put Rena on this:

I am finally the proud owner of a legitimate dressform! My husband surprised me with this on my birthday. My favorite knitted sweater of all time, Quirky Queen, has been proudly displayed on it ever since. She's also modeled a couple of pieces of my jewelry from time to time!

Speaking of jewelry, I suppose it's time for some explanation as to why Rena has taken a ridiculously long time on the needles. I've been working almost every night on my Etsy shop. Jewelry has been on my mind a lot!

Next time, I'll have some more of Rena, and my sewing project. It should be interesting, because I've never used a sewing pattern to make anything....

Slow Going

These past couple of weeks have left me feeling like I'm stuck in a strange sort of time warp. The daily grind keeps me so incredibly busy that by the time I sit down and breathe, I realize it's almost eleven at night. If I didn't swear about how much I need to have my creative outlets, I might actually realize that on some days, there isn't enough time fore me to make any real commitments to them. Nevertheless, I must create! Who knows, maybe I'm crazy that I manage to steal a few minutes each day to work on something that is only for me...

My new sweater finally has a name! I've decided to call it Rena. Unfortunately, this project has been pretty slow on the needles this past week. I was so hoping to be over the half-way mark by this point. The drive is definitely there but the time simply isn't. I am taking notes (good ones, so far) on my work. If nothing else, it keeps me on track with what I've done since I've had to take so many breaks on this one. Usually when I get really involved with a project, I put other duties on the backburner. I've been reluctant to do that lately because I hate the thought of housework piling up, especially laundry.

Anyway, here's a peek at where I'm at right now. I've casted off stitches for the neck shaping. At this point, I'm knitting the back yoke.

I'll more than likely do each sleeve separately and there will be a seam in the middle of the back where the two top pieces join. That's how the inspirational sweater is constructed, and It will be easier for me than continuing it in one piece.

By my next post, I will have a lot more of Rena to share!

My Needles Are On Fire!

Guess what??! I started a new project - another of my hairbrained on-the-fly designs. I knew I'd get bitten by the bug again, and since it's August - it's about damn time! I've been scanning my favorite sites for inspiration, patiently waiting for the fall sweaters to appear. Last week in Fossil's website I stumbled upon this:

It's Fossil's Tobie . I figured a lacy sweater in a cotton blend would be a nice easy start to my knitting season. After searching high and low for a durable cotton-blend that wasnt skimpy in the yardage department and didn't contain any wool, alpaca, or silk, I settled on the Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I decided on "stone", a light silvery gray hue. To be honest, using this yarn was my first choice and then I drove myself crazy browsing for better quality (sometimes just means more expensive) yarn. I spent about an entire week debating my yarn order, and then I simply drove to Michael's and bought something off the shelf. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I used Cotton Ease on the Spring Beret that I was knitting (finished now - need to photograph). Anyway, I'm happy with the choice and I'll be the first to raise my hand for the affordability - not to mention convenience - of craft store findings.

What drew me to this sweater was the casual look of the eyelets and rolled collar. I don't plan on making my version quite as long as its inspiration since I'm lacking in the height department. Remember my September Sweater? This will be a lacy, buttonless version. The unique construction is so much fun for me to knit!

So far I am just about finished with a sleeve and because of the sideways design of this sweater, I'll be casing on for the yoke. Maybe I'll have the top half completed over the weekend. Here's a peek of the lace pattern and color:

Anyway, that's it for now. More progress to follow soon :)