Featured Finds: Spirithoods!

Oh! MY! GOODNESS!  Is all I have to say about this product.  And I have to give credit to my brother for turning me on to these amazing pieces of fashion.  I have to admit that when I first saw them I was like, "WTF? Who in their right mind would even buy one of these...let alone wear one!"  But after a few minutes of looking at all of the variations I am now HOOKED!  So much so that I might use some of my tax refund to purchase one...I just don't know which one is more...ME (since they don't have a giraffe *sad face*).  Which one do you guys and girls think?

(from left to right) There is the Grizzly, the Husky, and the Night Owl.  I LOVE all three of these and I can't make up my mind....comment your suggestions below.  I have to admit that I'm kind of diggin' on the Grizzly and Night Owl :) (in that order).

Also if you would like to check out the complete line, checkout their website: www.spirithoods.com.  They have girl versions EVEN KID versions!!  So now the whole family can be SUPER AWESOME all at the same time!

That is all...take care everyone and remember....It's time to get FABULOUS!

Slip Stitch: Adele's New Album

Hello lovely readers, and welcome to another segment of Slip Stitch.  For this post I thought I would focus on the music world.  And while I know her new album has been out for over a month now, I just had to write something about it.

I cannot tell you how excited I was on February 22nd when her album was released.  And yes, I did buy it that day and I have been listening to it pretty much non-stop.  With her heartfelt lyrics and simplistic, but driving rhythms this album, I have to say, is EVEN BETTER than her first.  And in the music industry that is a rare thing indeed.

While I have my favorite songs on the record, EVERY SINGLE SONG is amazing in its own right.  But here are my favorites:
Someone like you, Turning Tables, and Set Fire to the Rain.

If you haven't already bought her new endeavor DO IT NOW!!  I even put a link in the post to make it as painless a possible :D.  So what are you waiting for?  Stop reading and START listening!!!

Take care, and as always...It's time to get ballsy!

Chain Four: My FIRST pattern and FOURTH amigurumi creation!

Wow...it has been a while since I last posted, but I just couldn't find the time to actually sit down and write something.  Luckily for me the weather has been relatively gloomy these past few days and I've run out of things to do...THUS, time to update the blog!

As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted my next crochet project to be my own pattern...since I've done well with basic shapes, etc.  And that first pattern would be none other than Maximillion Pegasus from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.  Well, without further delay here he is!

Isn't he awesome!?!  I had BIG plans to hand embroider the eyes; however, I got lazy...so I made them from felt.  There is also pipe cleaners in all of his limbs so he is fully poseable!  The only thing left for me to add to him is the trim for his suit, which I also plan on cutting from felt.  But other than that, he is complete!

And what would a true villain be without a throne upon which to devise his cunning and ruthless plans?  Thus, the next project will be to make a chair for him to sit in!  I've already found a pattern...look:

It looks great!  However, I have to blow it up to make it size-appropriate for my little Maximillion.  Also, the pattern is hard for a novice like me to understand so I believe there will be quite a lot of winging it, and profanities hurled into the cosmos!  I should also note that I WILL NOT be making it pink!  I'm thinking black with either red or white trim...yeah, that screams EVIL VILLAIN to me!!

Wish me luck, and as always...It's time to get ballsy!

(BELATED POST) It's beginning to look a lot like Craftmas!

Hello all you lovely people.  Apologies for my absence these past few weeks...things have been crazy on this end trying to finish either making or buying presents for friends and family.  I do, however, hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season, and that you are able to share it with those you love and cherish.

Now that all of the sappy sentiment is aside, we can now enter the world of crafting.  Borrowing a term from my good friend The Crafty Octopus, this year turned out to be somewhat of a Craftmas for me.

First of all,  I tried with all my might to finish the devil of a purse I have been promising my mom for almost two years now; however, I was unable to complete it.  I do have all of the pieces completed, it is just the unfamiliar task of using the triple bind off method of joining the pieces together that is preventing me from progressing any further.  However, I have plans to attend a local knitting night at my yarn shop and ask them for some assistance on the matter.  Hopefully, with some luck those nice ladies will take pity on me and help me finish the monstrosity.  *cross fingers*

Secondly, my brother asked me for a scarf for Christmas awhile back.  He loved my finished scarf, which was the first time I had ever done a cable knit; however, he wanted his to be in a darker shade of green.  I was happy to oblige since I absolutely love the pattern and it knits up rather quickly...even for a "slow" knitter like myself.  Just look at the finished result:

Photo would be here; however, I forgot to take one, and my brother has YET to send me one...turd!


Thirdly, about a week or so before Christmas, I decided that I wanted to make my brother's girlfriend a scarf of her very own.  She is obsessed with the color purple, so the color choice was obvious; however, the only problem is that the pattern I have for a cable knit scarf is for a man...meaning it is too thick and chunky for a female frame.  What was a knitter to do?  So I had to do another first...alter an existing pattern to suit my needs.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.  After a little trial and error I was able to come up with a pattern for a smaller version of the cable knit scarf.  That way they could have his and hers scarfs...awww, I know!  Here is her finished scarf:

And finally, I got my first taste of embroidery.  I hand stitched my name on labels for each of the scarfs...just look:

aren't they AMAZING!!  I'm quite pleased with the way things turned out the Craftmas...well, except for fact that every project was completed except for the one for my mom; however, to make up for it we got her All-Clad cookware for Christmas.  SHE WAS SUPER EXCITED!

Well, that is all I have for you...again, I hope your holidays are joyful ones filled with love and laughter! :D

Chain Two and Chain Three: My Second and Third Crochet Projects

After the success of my first crochet project, I just couldn't stop!  I have become a man possessed...and I have to say that I don't mind it!  After I made an Oddish, I decided to try something a little more complex.

Once I skimmed through the patterns on WolfDreamer's blog, I decided on Drifloon.  While it still had the basic ball shape it had some new technical elements that I was eager to try.  And this project actually took a much shorter time than the Oddish!  I was shocked...I think it was because I am finally getting the hang of crocheting...though I am still not very fast.  So here is the finished Drifloon!

Isn't he just the cutest!  He is now suspended from the ceiling at my desk...ready to take any misbehaving children away!  *evil laugh*  But seriously...this is the Pokedex entry for Drifloon, and I quote:

"It is whispered that any child who mistakes Drifloon for a balloon and 

holds on to it could wind up missing."

I have to say that Pokemon can be a little bit demented at times, but that has always been the Pokemon way...cute, but creepy :).


As for my third crochet project, I decided to be even more ambitious that Drifloon.  I wanted to try something with a lot more elements, and shapes than my previous two endeavors, which lead me to select Ampharos as my next project.


Now he took awhile for me to complete.  He had several pieces to make and I had to learn how to do color change work in crochet.  I know how to change colors in knitting, so I thought I could just wing it in crochet...MISTAKE!  Apparently, they have slightly different mechanics and I ended up kind of ruining his neck; however, from the front you can't tell...and that is how he is displayed on my desk...right next to the Oddish.  But here he is in all of his glory (minus his eyes...still working on that):

I think I did a great job on him, if I do say so myself :).  I really just need to get better at assembly.  I just can't seem to get the hang of not letting the stitches show.  Perhaps I need to hit up the CraftyOctopus for another one on one session.


And now that I know some of the basic mechanics of crochet, I think that for my next project I am going to create my own amigurumi pattern.  I've already decided on who it is going to be!


I am going to depart the land of Pokemon for this next project and enter the mysterious and campy world of Yu-Gi-Oh! and make one of my favorite characters from the anime/manga...drum roll please....


MAXIMILLION PEGASUS!!

One of the best villains ever!  Next to Sephiroth, of course...but I can't really think of anyone who can beat him.


Well, wish me luck!  And as always, it's time to get ballsy!

Chain One: My first crochet project!

Hello lovely readers, I hope the holidays treated you well, and that your respective families didn't drive you to the brink of insanity...and that you didn't drink so much you can't remember what year it is :).  But even if that was the case (and no one will judge you...except maybe that one sober person at the party...but screw 'em!  Your spastic dancing will live in infamy thanks to them), it is a new year and time to experience and do new things...and that is just what I've decided to do.

After countless attempts to teach me crochet, I finally sat down with The Crafty Octopus and had her guide me through the foreign and mystical land of one-needledom.  I have to say that coming from a knitting background it was rather hard for me to grasp.  I think it all boils down to the fact that your working stitches are not innately visible.  And I probably drove The Crafty Octopus crazy with my constant questions of, "is this a stitch?" or "is this the next stitch?" or "how many stitches do I have now?".  But I applaud her patience and willingness to answer every single one of my questions...and for that I say a BIG THANK YOU!!

But for my first crochet project I didn't go the traditional first-project-route of making a scarf...I decided to be a little bit ambitious, so I decided to do an amigurumi plushie.  But not just any old plushie, but a Pokemon plushie...Oddish to be precise.  For those of you who have no idea what an Oddish or Pokemon is here is a cute picture to show you:

Isn't he adorable?!  And the reason I chose him and not another Pokemon, is because he seemed to be relatively easy from the pattern I found on Ravelry.com.  Which leads me to my next shout out.  I have to give MAD PROPS to WolfDreamer who has designed numerous Pokemon amigurumi, and supplies the patterns for free!!  If you love Pokemon or just cute things in general you should definitely check out her blog...she also has a store you should check out too...it has non-Pokemon patterns that she sells, which are all equally as cute and adorable.

But on to my first crochet project.  After learning the basics of crochet and then struggling with the technique of the magic circle...which should be renamed the circle of hell, because I felt as if I was in hell trying to perfect it...those are some hours of my life I would love back!  Anyways, I've finally finished my Oddish and here he is, from start to finish:

Again, isn't he adorable?!?  I think I did a pretty good job for my first ever crochet pattern.  I already have plans for my next crochet project...Drifloon:

Wish me luck!! :D

Knit-Knacks: Yarn Ball Winder

Being a knitter I often find myself surrounded by a mountain of unsorted and un-stored yarn!  And I've recently taken it upon myself to remedy this AVALANCHE-OF-EPIC-PROPORTIONS problem before I'm buried alive and someone has to use a trained dog to ferret me out.  *random side note* Just look at my puppy!

Sorry I couldn't resist! :D

Anyways, I've found that I absolutely hate yarn the way it comes...whether that be in hanks, shanks, skeins, or queens (obviously going for a rhyme...and failing).  And then it donned on me...I should get one of the local yarn marts to wind my yarn for me.  Unfortunately for me, even though I offered to pay them, they would not wind yarn that was not purchased from their stores.  And I respect their decision to have such a policy, but it totally screws me!  

After a few days of sulking in my tangled yarn existence, I decided to get out of my wool prison and just buy a yarn ball winder of my very own.  That way, I could ball the yarn I buy online myself, and also the yarn I buy from my local suppliers (since I normally have to make a quick run during my lunch...I often don't have time to wait for them to ball it for me).  

So after perusing eBay for an hour or so, I finally purchased my very own yarn ball winder!

And it's RED too! My favorite color!

Needless to say, after I received this bad boy in the mail, I've been getting ballsy!  After balling all of my yarn at home, I even took it to work and balled almost our entire yarn stash for our Craft Cafe program.  I think I might have a problem...especially since now I just really want to buy yarn to ball it...not because I need it :D.  

I'm glad I bought it; however, I think that it is just going to exacerbate my yarn addiction to epic proportions.  So now instead of being buried alive by a messy, tangled mountain of yarn...I will be buried by a neat, color-coded mountain of precariously stacked yarn balls.  Ah! Progress!