Trusting

Sometimes you just gotta trust people.

Today I am trusting that these bangs are going to look okay tomorrow too. Yes. Bangs. The hair dresser asked if she could cut my hair by 2+ inches. She didn't ask if she could cut me bangs.

They look okay right now... totally straightened. I'm just not sure they will look good tomorrow.
Needless to say I'm a little worried.

On Monday there will be pictures...

FYI

FYI - Today I learned two things.
1) I'm horrible at ironing. (I never iron my clothes... Sorry Mom.) Folding is MUCH easier!
2) Fondant? It really isn't as easy to work with as I was led to believe. I did a trial and everything! But today the fondant wasn't so friendly.

Oh well, such is life.
That's all I got time for. No rest for the wicked... Err... nor for the helpful.

Orchids

Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself: "This person is sooo cool! We have sooo much in common! I hope we become great friends!" ? Don't you just love it when that happens?

On the other hand, I bet there are people out there who you've met and thought: "There is absolutely no way in the world we have anything in common."
I'm sort of embarrassed to admit it, but when I first met C my thoughts were more along the lines of option 2 than option 1 of those two scenarios. When we met I was a lowly and very shy co-op and she was (it seemed to me) a loud and very confident full timer. Being so shy, I didn't talk to her much. We were employed in the same office, but didn't work together on any projects and thus our paths rarely crossed.
When I came back to work full time at my current job that changed.We didn't work on a project together, but we did start hanging out at lunch, having tea time at 10am, and just in general started talking. Much to my surprise and delight I found her to be friendly, thoughtful, funny, intelligent, kind, genuine, and generous.
Now, five years later (has it really be so long?!) she is one of my dearest friends. And although she lives ~4,300km away (~2,700 miles - thank you google maps!), I couldn't imagine us not being friends. Just goes to show you. You shouldn't judge.
So when C called with the exciting news that she was getting married, I gave a cry of delight and immediately started scheming about her wedding gift. To me weddings mean cross-stitch and like the ones in the past, I try to customize the gift to the recipient(s). I hope I've done an okay job.


This has been my big craft of the spring/summer. I started it in March, and finished mid-August. (It would have gone quicker... only I got side tracked with all my other knitting things you've seen around here.)

C&A have seen it now, which is why I'm posting this now.

I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. I'm happier than I thought I'd be while I was doing it. I had doubts in the middle, but it's nice. I can't wait to see it framed.

I hope C&A like it.

And C - I hope we are friends for a very long, long time. You rock!

design fail - hat

It's been awhile. Sorry. I've been busy. And this craft is sort of lame, so sorry again. But stick around next week will be awesome. I will finally be able to unveil my big summer craft (that I love) and have a few other things to show off too (hopefully...)

Meanwhile, I can show you this hat.

I made this sometime in August. I wanted to make a hat for a friend's birthday and thought that maybe I should try my hand at designing a hat. How hard could it be, right? Foolish, foolish words!
I thought I'd put cables on it and to make it simple, I decided to divide the hat into quarters.
This hat was always meant to be a test. I did four different cable patterns, a different one on each side. I designed my own cables, which I think is the problem. For the real hat I was going to use the one I liked the best.
Unfortunately... I don't like any of them. (And yes. They are all different. The differences are subtle, but they are there.) Here is what I came up with.


Oh well. It was worth a try. (The hat size also came out really small, hence why you can see my ears in these photos. So failure all around.)
So, I guess I'll just have to use a tried and tested pattern for the birthday gift. Good thing I have until late October for this one.

Side projects

I'm a very good procrastinator. Very good. Too good probably.

But I procrastinate in a weird way. I procrastinate by making myself busy. I don't avoid work. I just avoid a certain thing by doing other things. Related things. So, sometimes while I'm avoiding doing one craft I'll do other small ones. I feel they are justified because they won't take very long. That's how all of these little things came about.

I wanted to use another one of my fabulous buttons, and so I did with this mug cozy! I like my old one, but I love this new one. And such a good use of the flower button.

Here's another dishcloth from this fun, from this easy pattern. It was knit up in just a few hours and it used up the last of that yarn. (I'm glad about that!)

A cuff. The cuff is based off of the same pattern as the cozy above, but it's to warm my wrist rather than a mug. I just liked the basket weave feel to it.

There are a few more small projects I've done that I haven't posted about, but I'll get to those... eventually. But I'm more excited about the post of my big craft of Summer'09. That'll be coming in just about a week.

Little slippers for Little Women

What is it with pink? I say I hate it, but then three of my last few projects have been in pink. Like these!

Aren't they super cute? I saw the pattern on Ravelry and immediately started them. I wonder what it is about a project that makes me think, "I have to start these right now!" I have patterns in my queue that have been there for 8 months+, and I still like the patterns, and I still plan on making them. One day. But these I saw one night, and by the next morning they were on a set of needles.

And they were a super fast knit too. It only took a few hours to do each! And did I mention they are cute?

I had both the yarn and the ribbon in my crafting stash, but I think they pair nicely. Okay. They are bright, but whatev. I actually chose the pink cause I wasn't sure I was going to like the finished product so I figured if they suck, not much will be lost on these. Only some pink yarn I don't care much for. Well, I like them so much I just might have to make another pair in an even better colour scheme!

Like I said, it was a quick knit. The pattern (named after Amy March from Little Women - a book I love to death!) was written out a little oddly. It was more like someone talking you through it rather than a how to instruction guide. If that makes sense. I did get to learn how to do toe up knitting and I think the next pair of socks I make will be toe up! Hmm... maybe I should go look at sock patterns. Yeah.
Well, I know now what I'm going to be doing for the next... hour.

Afghan? Done.

It's done.
I just couldn't stand to look at it anymore.
So, it's done.
And I guess it's okay...? It doesn't look bad.
Since the last post I added in two rows of the lighter sea foam green yarn just to give it a tiny bit more width and sort of and edge. And I'm just going to say it's done. This pattern is definitely one I won't be repeating. That's for sure.
Sigh. I just hope my friends (the almost new parents) like it.

This project was so blah, I can't even bring myself to write anything else.