Alia Looks Adorable & The World is Frustrating Me.

This is my sister's friend in the scarf/wrap that I made. I knew she'd find some super adorable way to wear it. It looks ridiculously cute on her!

Yesterday was the last day to get studs off your car here in Oregon and I knew the Les Schwab guy was going to tell me my regular tiles were bald. So I went in, he told me, and I bit the bullet and bought new tires. To me, buying tires is really depressing. It's like spending $500 on the most boring thing ever. I know some people are really into their car and wheels and tires but I'm not one of them. In order to cheer myself up I watched a bunch of episodes of Eureka and ate a little cake shaped like an Easter egg.

I did buy a new water bath canning pot yesterday so that made me happy. Mine had mineral deposits in it and was about to have a hole through it so we left it in Idaho when we moved. I was going to can today but the asparagus I wanted wasn't on sale anymore so now it's back to waiting for it to go on sale again. I was so mad at myself for not buying it the first day I saw it on sale. I'll have more to share about canning later in the week!

Catherine Wheel Blanket

Hey guys, I have a confession to make, I hate crocheting granny squares. I think granny squares can be cute but they are so boring to make. I've never been able to finish a granny square blanket, even if it's just one giant square, can't do it, too boring. I love granny stripes and granny ripple and all other granny themed items but I just can't get into the granny square. I know the granny square is pretty much universally loved so I hope you all will still be my friends after that little confession.

Lately I've been working on a little lap blanket using the Catherine Wheel Stitch. I love how it looks and if you want to try it too, there is a ridiculously long but seriously awesome tutorial on youtube. I mean, it's almost an hour long but anytime I had trouble following the pattern, I could fast forward right to the spot I needed, get a little help, and move on. Amazing! That is one thing I absolutely love about the crochet community, everyone is so helpful and just wants to share their love for crochet.

For anyone visiting from Ginny's Yarn Along, I forgot to say that I'm just about to start reading Game of Thrones and I'm excited to start!

What have you been crafting lately?

Custom Orders Are FUN!

One of my sister's friends saw something online that she really wanted but she doesn't know how to crochet so my sister got ahold of me and I did the crochet part so that she could have her lovely wrap. I'm sure she'll come up with some really cool and pretty ways to wear this. I only played with it for a quick second before shipping it off. It's really soft and I was starting to really like it so perhaps I'll have to make one for myself.

The only buttons I could find were hideous plastic things so Jake found these in the woodworking section of Michaels. I stained and sealed them and then Jake drilled holes in them for me. Voila, buttons!

I wrapped it up and off it went! Good-bye little wrap, I'm sure you'll love your new home.

Pattern for wrap can be found here.

Pretty Projects: Crochet Update.

We did a lot of visiting and doctor's appointments and general sitting around while we got ready to move so I started a new blanket, even though I'm currently working on two others. Sometimes it's nice to start a new project so that I can feel refreshed and ready to revisit the ones that are already in progress.

The other two blankets are gifts for others but this baby is just for me. I've never made myself a blanket. In fact, most everything I crochet is given away or sold. This chevron pattern is ridiculously easy but time consuming as it's done in a single crochet, all of it, little tiny stitches. It's nice though because it's mindless, I don't have to pay attention to what I'm doing. Plus, the colors are fun, they have a bit of a 70s vibe.

Are you guys working on any fun projects?

Babies Love Cowls.

My sister informed me that Lana needed a cowl, so I bought some soft chunky yarn, found a giant crochet hook to make it even softer, and whipped this thing up. It was hard to gauge how large it should be without having a small child near me but I still think it's cute and she can wear it for years and years.

Chalkboard Tile Coasters.

I had some inexpensive tiles leftover from a craft project that didn't go so well so I decided to do something with them and I came up with these chalkboard coasters. They are really easy to make and I love that I can draw pretty pictures on them.

You'll need:

tiles (you can find them at Home Depot for less than 15 cents each)
chalkboard paint
an old towel or paintbrush
chalk
felt
fabritac

This project is pretty simple.
Paint your tiles with chalkboard paint using an old towel or paintbrush.
Once dry, add another coat of paint.
Cut out some felt and fabritac it to the bottom of the tiles, to prevent them from slipping/scratching your table.
Roll chalk all over the surface and wipe off.
Your coaster is now ready for you to draw on and enjoy!

They make a really easy and cute gift, especially for housewarmings. 

Mark which drink is yours by writing your name on it or drawing your own personalized design.

I've linked up here. 

In Progress Christmas Gifts.

This year I didn't quite get all my Christmas gifts finished in time. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on working 44 hours every week at my 20 hr/wk job. All my crocheting time magically disappeared. This is the blanket I've been working on for my mom. I took it with me and worked on it a bit while I was at her house, so she could see it and know that I got her something. Not that it would matter, she was just happy that we were all there. Plus, my little brother got her an ipad2 so I think he wins best gift of the year award. She literally jumped up and down when she opened it. It was hilarious.

My mom knew this was hers as soon as I took it out of my yarn bag because it's in "her colors". When I was a kid my mom worked at a bank and she was such a snappy dresser. She always looked so nice and often times wore red or black, they're her favorites. So I knew when I made her a blanket, it could be no other color. The pattern is really simple and goes fairly quickly. I can't wait to have some time to finish and send it to her.

Do you have any ongoing projects you're working on?

Ugly Sweater Making Party!

Today we're having an ugly Christmas sweater dress up party at work. So we had to have a sweater decorating party last night in order to get ready. The thrift store didn't have any Christmas gems so we decided to create our own.

I decided to have a simple Christmas tree. After this photo was taken I added some bells so I'll jingle as I walk around.

My co-worker bought a reindeer template and was able to make this adorable sweater with it. I love the googly eyes.

This pretty is for the guy who didn't want to come over to decorate and said we could make his for him. His loss. We went all out with his sweater, I think he wins any ugly sweater contest we might have, ever.

Upcycled Christmas Ornaments.

I bought these ornaments from two ladies at the craft fair but they'd be so simple and fun to make at home. I like seeing how people upcycle and reinvent things they have laying around their house.

This cute little penguin is made from an old lightbulb painted black. The materials are really basic, lightbulb, paint, felt, hot glue, a little bit of yarn and some googly eyes. I have most of that in my house already.

John Wayne over here is made of a shotgun shell. They had several other shotgun shell men but they had santa hats on and I just couldn't pass up this little cowboy with his lasso.

I think next year I might have to make a few ornaments out of random household objects for myself.

Audrey Two.

Thank you guys for all of your sweet comments on my last post. Jake is feeling a little better but is still pretty sick. Usually he spends his days at his computer playing WoW but lately he's been lounging on the couch instead so I surprised him with an early Christmas present and got him Skyrim. Now he'll have something to do as he recuperates.

I also had him draw me a little picture of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors so I could embroider it. I have no drawing ability but Jake is a great artist. I remember watching the movie with my mom as a child and when I'm hungry and being a dork I still say, "Feed me, Seymour. Feed me."

Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving Weekend?

Crocheted Roses.

Another thing I've been working on for the craft fair, other than cowls, are crocheted roses. They're good for using up scraps and ends of skeins. They are really easy to make and don't take long. They're also small enough that I can carry them in my purse to work on during unexpected down time. 

I think they'd be cute as pins or on headbands, but also just to have around to make you happy, or as a gift for your sweetheart. I'm wondering how difficult it would be to attach them to some stiff wire and put them in a vase.

Oversized Pom Hat, with Earflaps!

I made my very first hat last night. I've crocheted a lot of things but I never made any type of hat, probably because I'm not a hat person. This particular piece was super easy to make and I learned a few things from it. Next time I'll go at least one row longer, possibly two, and I'll add another two stitches in between the earflaps, they were too close to my face for my liking. I love my giant pom on top though, it makes me happy.

It was pitch black out when I finished so I couldn't take a photo outside. Maybe I'll get Jake to help me take one later today because obviously I cannot operate the camera. Don't look at this photo for too long, the blurriness will give you a headache, but I wanted to give an idea of what it looks like on.

Harry Potter Embroidery.

As I'm sure some of you know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 came out on dvd Friday. So of course I spent Saturday watching it repeatedly and working on some Harry Potter themed embroidery. When I first saw the movie in the theater I was pretty disappointed. The final book is my favorite and I had hoped for a more intense theatrical finale. It's growing on me though. One of my favorite scenes is the one where this phrase is uttered. I won't say what happens though, just in case some of you haven't read the books. I already spoiled one part for my brother-in-law. oops.

I also worked on some Star Wars embroidery but ran out of floss so I'll have to finish it next time I can run into town. For some reason ideas kept coming to me this weekend so I jotted them all down, hopefully I'll have time to get to a few of them before my craft fair. That way I can add a little variety to my table, but not too much.

Also, for those interested, our sewer is still broken and I had to shower at my neighbor's house. It was really nice of him and I'm so appreciative but I can't wait to be able to use our own bathrooms again.

Autumn Porch Decorations.

I spent a few minutes this weekend making this little garland for my porch. I just cut strips of some fabric I had and strung them on a piece of yarn. Later I'm going to turn the strips and the rest of the fabric stash into a nice big crocheted rug for the living room floor. I like that my decorations can serve another purpose later. 

I also got a bale of straw and some pumpkins to complete my decoration. I figure I can use the pumpkins for soups and pie and the straw will be useful in my garden next year. It'd also be useful if I could ever talk Jake into getting chickens. I'm still working on that one. The best part is that I can be lazy about when I take the decorations down and still not be the crazy lady who leaves her Halloween stuff up too long. 

Chunky Crocheted Cowl.

In December I have a small craft fair in Boise to attend so I figured I had better get to work making something to sell or else I'll have a pretty lame and empty table. I've been trying a few different ideas for cowls and thought I'd share with you the easiest, most basic one to make.

Get two balls of yarn, I've done some with two different colors and some with the same color, they both look awesome. You're going to be using two strands on yarn on your hook at the same time. Using a large hook (N-P) crochet a very long chain and then connect the ends, taking care to make sure the chain doesn't twist. If you want to wrap it around your neck twice, it'll need to hang to about your waist, knees if you want to wrap 3 times. Then just double crochet however many rows it takes until you get the desired width. Using two strands of yarn makes for a nice thick, warm, and chunky cowl.

Pom Garland Tutorial.

It always seems like I finish crafts at night, and then my photos have no natural light. boo!

My sister emailed me last week asking if I could make a pom garland for Lana's 1st birthday party. She wanted it to be the color of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Her party has the cutest theme but I'll leave that for her to share later. I thought I'd share with you how to make your own garland. It's really simple and fun. You could make one of pretty fall colors to celebrate the coming of Autumn in your home.

Materials:

2 pieces of cardboard
A pen
Yarn
Sharp scissors
Darning needle

Draw a circle on your cardboard, with a smaller circle on the inside. The larger your outer circle, the larger your pom will be. Cut these out, as seen above. You will need two of them.

Put the two pieces of cardboard together, tightly wrap yarn around both pieces.

You'll want to wrap yarn several layers thick, to make sure your pom is nice and fluffy.

Snip off the end of the yarn. Then begin to cut through the yarn, between the two pieces of cardboard, as seen above.

Once you've cut all the way around, you'll have lots of little pieces of yarn in the center of your cardboard circles. Cut a piece of yarn, this will be what ties your ball together.

Slide your piece of yarn between the two pieces of cardboard. Make a knot and pull it tight. Repeat (double knot it). If you'd like, pull the string back and tie another knot on the other side of your pom.

Remove the cardboard, it's starting to look like a pom!

Take your scissors and trim all of the ends. Voila! You now have your very own pom.

To make your poms into a garland:

Cut a long piece of yarn in whichever color you'd like to use. I made my garland around 10-12 ft. long.
Thread the end of the yarn through a darning needle.
Find which direction you tied the knot in your pom, push your needle so it is under the area you tied the knot (through the center of the pom).
Once you've threaded all of your poms onto your garland string, space them out evenly.
Tie a knot in each end of your garland so your poms won't eventually fall off, pesky gravity.
And there you have it!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a bunch of jars of canning goodness I made.

I've linked up here and here.

Our Family Cookbook.

My paupau is on the left with her two sisters on the right.

In my family, cooking Chinese food is something really special. My great aunt carries around a book of all of her handwritten family recipes from the restaurant our family used to have and recipes handed down through the family. She recently let us photo copy them and we put them in binders. My mom added some recipes from other family members that she had and now we have a giant book full of family recipes, both Chinese and not. It seems like half of the book is desserts, I guess we love our sweets.

Aren't those hairdos amazing? I'm in love.

In the top left is my great-grandma and below her with the birthday cake is my grandma.

In addition to the recipes we added a couple pages of old family photos. This is a book I'll cherish and if for some reason I ever decide to have children, this will be passed down to them, after adding my own recipes of course. I can't wait to try out some of the traditional Chinese recipes.

Along with the cha siu bao, soy steamed chicken, and sui mai, there are some killer more recent creations, like a casserole my sister made up in Girl Scout camp and the snickerdoodles we made in kindergarten.

One of my favorite recipes in the book is the famous recipe for Elephant Stew:

1 African Elephant
10 lbs. salt
38 bushels of potatoes
Wine to cover
2 rabbits (optional)

Cut elephant into bite-sized pieces (allow 2 months).
Marinate in wine one month.
Add salt, any pepper, and potatoes.
Simmer over kerosene fire 4 weeks.
Serves 3,000.
If more are expected - add rabbits, but do this only if necessary as most do not like to find hare in their stew.

Apparently when we were kids this was my cousin Emma's favorite and it was almost enough to feed my little brother, Cory. I laughed when I read that but my mom assured me that one night at dinner Cory ate almost the entire dish himself. 8 chicken breasts, really kid?

This particular page is really special to me because of the little note written at the bottom. Mr. Bowman passed away a few years ago so I'm really happy to have this. There is also a recipe written by my Pau Pau (grandma) who passed away before I was born. I've marked these special recipes with the little scalloped circles I made. 

This is my Auntie Alice. She always wears the most fantastic clothing. The reason we all got together last week was to celebrate her 95th birthday.

I wish I had that dress. Amazing!

This is my other Auntie, Daisy or (Dae-dae as we call her). Dae-dae is a busy bee and hilarious. Auntie and Dae-dae are my grandma's sisters. Every year growing up my brother and I would go live with them for a month or so in California and drive them completely insane. They are the closest thing I've ever had to a grandparent and although I couldn't say, because I've never actually had a grandparent, I feel like in many ways, they are better than grandparents. I am so thankful to have these two amazing women in my life.

I've linked up here and here.