Stop & Smell the Roses Vlog: Week 11, Vol. 5

Wednesday is pretty much my favorite blog day...because I get to link up with Mandy (and all the other linkers) over at House of Rose for "Stop & Smell the Roses" :)

For all of you other knitters out there...

Book:

via

Pattern: Design 18 - Snood

Yarn: Mirasol Sulka Shade 200 (Snow White)

So obviously, I won't be wearing this anytime soon...probably going to have to wait until next year's winter months. But here are a few shots of the different ways to wear it:

Haha, don't laugh at my modeling attempt! :P

And here is my full post related to my coffee mug from Suzels Says Coffee Mug Swap.

Hopefully everyone has lots of good things that they're smiling about this week - can't wait to check them out. Thanks for hosting Mandy!

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Don't forget to keep checking back and reading about the Compassion Bloggers' experiences in Tanzania! Their posts have been amazing so far - I'm absolutely loving their words and stories that they've continued to share on their blogs!

 

Another Surprise Package!

I can't say it enough...I love getting mail, especially packages! Anyone else with me??

They just always have such a nice, personal touch & it makes a person feel good to know that someone out there is thinking about them and wanting to brighten their day, just a little bit.

I met Jenn when I was living in Monterey, CA. I was having a hard time meeting people (as is sometimes the case when you move somewhere not knowing anyone) and decided to join this knitting group on Meetup. The group contained about 5-10 ladies (all different ages) who got together every week to eat, knit & chat...it was a blast! Anyway, Jenn was one of the leaders of the group and we very quickly became good friends...going to get coffee or dinner, taking short road trips, attending the midnight release of Twilight's New Moon at the local Borders, and even taking a sewing class together. Our love for knitting, DIY, Twilight books/movies, etc. bonded us for life, I'm pretty sure! :)

Have I mentioned that she is one of the craftiest people I know?! She knits, crochets, paints, cooks, makes handmade cards, sews...you name it, she does it...or she'll figure out how to do it! She has such great ideas - I just love them all. She has a blog too - Piles of Patterns, and she's promised me that she'll be updating soon!!

So I received this uber-thoughtful package from her and had to share it:

It was partly a belated birthday gift - even the gift bag was personalized!

Cutest handmade card AND envelope - it says "Sparkle & Shine"

Some AMAZING sea salt caramels from Lula's Chocolates in Monterey (I also featured them here on Friday - so you can see what the caramels actually looked like). Needless to say, they're gone by now, not a trace of them left! :)

A darling bookmark that displays the quote: "Where there is love there is life" ~Mahatma Gandhi. I am currently putting it to good use, as I'm starting the 3rd book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series!

Some fun 'create-your-own' magnets...you just stick a picture or piece of scrapbook paper or whatever you want behind the glass, stick the magnet on and you have personalized magnets for your fridge! Very cool idea - will have to share my finished product when I'm done.

And finally, a beautiful, handmade cowl - made from jersey knit material. It is soft, light-weight AND reversible (you can see both sides in the pic)!! I love it and have a feeling that I'm going to get A LOT of use out of it.

So as if I hadn't listed out a lot of ideas & suggestions for care packages here, there are many more options above, if you enjoy DIY/crafts/sewing/etc. Jenn knows me SO well, and this package screams it - I love her thoughtfulness and can't wait to send her one right back!! Thanks Jenn :)

Do you all have any other items you enjoy receiving in the mail or in packages? Please share!!

Day 7: My knitting and crochet time

Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks at hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter.

Well, I will start off by saying that I don't typically get to knit everyday...although I'd like to. A big reason why I knit is because for me, it is often a stress reliever. Knowing that, it makes sense that after a long day, I would want to knit when I get home or before bedtime. But sometimes if, for example, I'm working on a pattern that takes a bit of brain power, I am just too tired to work on it and opt for some TV time instead. :) With that being said, here are some answers to today's posting topics...

• I do enjoy knitting alone (like I said, to relieve some stress)...but I also enjoy social knitting as well. When I lived in Monterey, I belonged to a knitting/crocheting circle and we met at various restaurants around town. It was something I always looked forward to, because we would get together and talk about all kinds of things...what was going on in our lives, or swoon over the Sunshine Yarns update that week. :) I loved it! And now that I'm in Charlotte, I have also started going to a knitting group everyday Sunday, put on by a LYS closeby. For me right now, it's a great chance to get out of my apt. and meet new people, while getting to practice my hobby and learn new things!
• I...
• DO take my yarn on travel trips (whether in the car, as a passenger of course, or flying)
• DO knit while in line for a *special* midnight movie premier (Jenn...you know I'm talking about Eclipse here!)
• DON'T knit while in line for the grocery store...I have read about how people do this, but honestly, I'm never in line for that long. I feel as though I would no more get my knitting out and ready, and it'd be my turn to check-out.
• Other things I will do while knitting:
• Talk on the phone
• Watch TV
• Watch a movie I've seen a million times, because then I really don't have to pay attention :P
•  Things I will consider having around me when I knit:
• Wine :)
• Big cup of tea

*Well, hope you enjoyed my Knitting & Crochet Blog Week! :) Tune in next year!!

Day 6: Something to aspire to

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have.

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Day 5: And now for something completely different!

This is an experimental blogging day to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create. There are no rules of a topic to blog about but this post should look at a different way to present content on your blog.

Knitting Projects Over the Years...





Day 4: Where are they now?

Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.


There are a lot of different aspects to look at when looking back at a knitting project and it can make for interesting blogging, as much of the time we blog about items recently completed, new and freshly completed. It is not so often that we look back at what has happened to these items after they have been around for a while.


How has one of your past knits lived up to wear. Maybe an item has become lost. Maybe you spent weeks knitting your giant-footed dad a pair of socks in bright pink and green stripes which he then ‘lost’. If you have knit items to donate to a good cause, you could reflect on the way in which you hope that item is still doing good for it’s owner or the cause it was made to support.

I've decided to talk about 2 projects or knitted objects and where they are now. One is a scarf that I knitted for myself and have gotten quite a bit of wear out of. The other scarf is one that I knit for a good cause...

(1) Dipped Infinity Scarf (pattern by Laura Chau)

I stumbled upon this pattern because Dani over at Sunshine Yarns (you do realize my obsession by now, right?!) started dyeing yarn for these kits. She has created various color schemes and sold the yarn, along with the pattern, as a kit. I ended up buying the Secret Garden color scheme and I just love the way the colors blend together. The pattern was very easy to master and a quick knit!

I have worn this scarf many a time (although for some reason, I don't have any pics of me wearing it)...it really goes great with a lot of different outfits and it keeps my neck SO warm! Here are some pics of the scarf, which definitely showcase the amazing colors:

What do you think? Aren't the colors gorgeous?! I imagine I will continue to get lots of use out of this one!

(2) Red Heart HeartScarves (designed by Treva McCain)

"HeartScarves provides handmade red scarves to members of our WomenHeart Support Networks and to women undergoing cardiac procedures. The red scarves offer comfort; support and encouragement for any woman with heart disease and become a part of her healing journey. For every kit purchased Red Heart will donate $3 to WomenHeart." ~ Red Heart website

I bought this kit last Spring, knit it up and sent it off with a hand-written note. I really hope it found its way to a woman undergoing cardiac issues and provided some comfort and support to her through the difficult time.  

Day 3: Tidy mind, tidy stitches

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organized? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organized at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organized, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organized stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry.

Unfotunately this post is going to be an epic fail!! :( So, you can see the topic for Day 3 above (and I even checked out the "wildcard" topic to see if I could go with that one instead...but no)...and unfortunately I'm not going to be able to show you how I keep my yarn/knitting organized. Since I just recently moved, I only got to take SOME of my yarn (yes, you can all gasp now), therefore it is literally all in one storage bin. And it's really not even worth showing. The rest of my stash IS coming to me soon though, via the hubby!

I have great plans (someday down the road) of having a fiber room...yes, a whole room dedicated to my yarn, knitting and crafting supplies! I can't wait!!! And I'm hoping to at least get to the point here in my new apt. where I can dedicate an area of the bedroom to my stash (all in neat little bins...maybe, sorted by color)! :) Doesn't it sound lovely?? Like this...

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Haha...okay, so my stash isn't that big, but OMG, it's awesome, isn't it?!

Whenever I do get organized, I'll make sure to re-do this post and showcase it all!

Day 2: Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

Well, I wouldn't say that I have really increased my skill level(s) much since this time last year. Unfortunately, I've just been moving all over the place this past year, so there was a lot of time in which I haven't been knitting (I know, crazy huh?!). I will note a few things:

• This time last year, I had just begun to learn to crochet...and although I still prefer to knit, I did crochet a few projects and learned a handful of stitches, before I left Monterey. Why you ask before Monterey, well one of my good friends there is an avid crocheter, so I had a go-to person that I could ask a million questions to. :) Thanks Jenn! Pics of a few crochet projects:

Turtle that was given as a baby gift:

Another baby blanket:

• I typically have "single sock syndrome" which means that I have no problem finishing 1 sock, but that second sock always gets me. I get done with the first one and just can't seem to find the motivation to start (let alone, finish) that darn, 2nd sock! ;) So, I learned how to knit socks 2-at-a-time over the past year...but to no surprise, I haven't come anywhere close to finishing the pair! Hehe...

I will say though, that I enjoy this method and I believe that once I pick this project up again, that I will successfully complete 2 socks at the same time and jump for joy! :P (P.S. The socks above are knit with Sunshine Yarn, and for all of you Twilight fans, the colorway is called: Edward's Volvo!! It's so lovely)

Honestly...that's all I got! I know, I feel like a slacker...but I have high hopes for this next year, in terms of learning more skills and gaining knowledge on my craft(s)!! :P Here's a list of things I want to learn:

• Double-knitting
• Intarsia
• Socks - toe up!
• Mastering the...SWEATER!
• Fair isle

***Wish me Luck!***



Day 1: A Tale of Two Yarns

Topic: Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

Well, the first yarn that I am going to talk about has been mentioned MANY times before on this blog. Anyone that has read my knitting/yarn-themed posts, has read about my obsession with Sunshine Yarns!! This yarn is hand-dyed by the super talented Dani and she sure knows how to dye yarn! She uses luscious base yarn (not sure what kind it is) and combines colors that just scream amazing. She also creates themed colorways, such as for characters in the Twilight series (Alice's Porsche, Esme Island, Jasper), Harry Potter series (Lupin, Slytherin Green), Alice and Wonderland (Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter), etc. It's so fun to see her interpretations of these colorways and I always check back for new items that I can't resist! :)

This is just some of my Sunshine Yarns stash!

The second yarn I'm going to mention is a new yarn that I just started working with...Mirasol Sulka. It's 60% Merino Wool/20% Alpaca/20% Silk and it is so lovely to work with!! I am currently making a cowl out of the book Mirasol Mini Knits that I picked up from a LYS. It's so soft, easy to work with, and comes in an array of beautiful colors...I highly recommend picking up some of this for your next project!

Mirasol Sulka in Snow White

Upcoming: Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

Stay tuned...

 

Current Obsessions

Anniversary flowers from the hubby (my favorites: roses & lilies)

Amazing book...am loving it so far!

New Alpaca yarn from local yarn shop for a new cowl pattern

New bar stools for the apt. from Target

A new friend in my apt...my owl candle holder (I heart anything owls!)

Yummy Middle Sister Moscato wine (they have cute, cute labels)

Surprise Package

I was super excited when I opened up the mailbox yesterday and found a package from one of my good friends, Jenn, over at Piles of Patterns! She has always been so thoughtful and knew just what I needed:

A thoughtful note, yummy Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark & some of my favorite yarn (this one's called "Sunshine Yams")...isn't it gorgeous?! Very pumpkin-y and fallish :) I can't wait to knit something up with it. 

Thanks so much Jenn! You're the best :)