Endless Knitting

Branching Out Scarf, Beret, Chunky Scarf and Isabella Top Knitting Projects

2011-10-19T07:39:00.006-04:00

I recently had a friend contact me about a commissioned knit scarf. She sent me the picture from above and asked if I could possibly knit it up for her. I absolutely fell in love with the picture. Really, who doesn't love a chunky knit scarf. The one she wanted is in garter stitch and requested a deep mustard color. In just about a week or maybe two I went to the Lion Brand store and chatted up the workers there about my project and they h

elped me find the perfect yarn for the project. I really must say though, Lion Brand has really earned some respect from me. I always walk into a yarn shop and almost expect a bad attitude because of previous encounters. The guys at Lion Brand walk around with a cute little apron that comes equipped with a measuring tape, notepad, pen and who knows what other notions are in there. They measure, gauge, tell you how much yardage you need and run to the back and get the stuff for you. Even though I showed up 15 minutes before they were due to close, they did not act as if it bothered them at all. If you get the chance, I would really recommend visiting the shop. I'm now over half way through the scarf by plying two strands of Jiffy yarn.

The following beret is one that I knit for a close friend. When my father passed away last October, I was really able to get to know her better and she was very supportive and helpful during that time of need. When I found out it was her birthday a month later in November I really wanted to show her my appreciation with a knitted item. I knitted up the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret in a deep orange (her favorite color).

The next is another finished project. It's the Branching Out Scarf from Knitty. It was a project that I started back when I lived in West Virginia and finished it after my move back to New York City. I absolutely love it. It's a great lacework project that gets complimented all the time.

The Isabella top has been knitting up quite quickly despite working on it for a few months. Every now and then I just sit down and work through a few inches of it. Last week during vacation in Connecticut I had gotten 13 inches of the front until I realized something horrible. I had unfortunately been following the pattern on the page for the back again. It was so upsetting, I kept wondering why I wasn't reaching the eyelets for the higher waist area and that's when I noticed. I was so disappointed and had to frog the project back to where I went wrong. I've gotten over it by now and am just taking a few days off from this project. I just need some space from it and taking a break. At first I didn't understand how I made such a mistake but honestly, I was always working on it during my knitting group where I was just chatting so I guess it was quite easy to do.

A little bit of everything

2011-06-23T12:32:00.009-04:00

Today I have a few things to take care of. I'm usually running around on my day off trying to catch up with friends or visiting family. For once I'm going to start the day off right with breakfast. My favorite breakfast place for vegetarians is in Vermont, Burlington to be more specific. It's a restaurant called Sneakers that my boyfriend, Jim introduced me too. The first time was amazing. They served me a tofu scrambled omelet with veggie sausage pattie. I can't remember what exactly was in it but I just remember all these different flavors in each bite. They had actually forgotten to call us for a table so we got free coffee cake with some sort of sauce that had been warmed up served on top of it. I know this is very vague but trust me, it was incredible. Now Jim is moving down to Connecticut so I won't be able to visit him up in Burlington and score these delicious breakfast meals. It makes me a bit sad inside but that just means that I need to figure out how to make it myself. This tofu scramble was delicious with green peppers and onions. It wasn't the same flavor as the tofu that the restaurant cooks up but it was good nonetheless.

It's been a while since I posted anything knitted related so here is what I've got done so far on my Isabella top. I casted on for the front yesterday and am past the picot edge on the bottom. I can't wait to finish this so I could wear it closer to those cool summer nights toward the end of summer. It is wool so it should be cozy. I know the pattern calls for cotton but when i went to La Casita yarn shop they unfortunately did not have any in stock but staff was so incredibly friendly which I find hard to come across. It really compelled me to give them some business. Usually yarn shop staff that I have come across are a bit snobby and don't really like to converse with you since they have their circle of friends that seem to hang around the shop. I can't wait to go back and if the friendliness continues, I'll be a loyal customer to them.

The Etsy shop, ZentasticThings is coming along. I haven't set aside much time for designing and carving stamps as I would like but I've just been busy with my regular full time shop. I have got one sale and two potential customers e-mailing me for more custom jobs and I know I have another sale coming up. Usually when it comes to carving up the stamps I think about my own interests and the passions of others I know. My brother is actually quite passionate about cycling. Not only does he enjoy it in his leisure time but he also teaches kids and adults how to ride bikes. He does presentations on how to ride safely to and from work and school. I've met several of this cyclist friends and since moving back to New York City I've noticed the community of cyclists and how active they are in our communities. For this reason I came up with three bicycle stamps and are now on sale. I'm going to be working on some more stamps today and editing the site so it becomes easier for others to find me out there in the Etsy World. Also, one of my projects that I'm going to be working on is hand printed stationary. Be sure to keep and eye out for that. I usually post on the Zentastic Things Facebook page first once I have posted something on Etsy. I post on the blog later on when I have time to write up a post.

Lastly, I leave you with a picture of my two goddaughters. This was while I had brought over a project to their house. I picked up some dollar socks and began to make sock monkeys. They had so much fun learning how to sew but just to warn anyone who want to take this project on with kids in their life, they do get bored eventually with all the hand sewing. My cousin (their mother) and I ended up having to finishing the arms for them. It was fun to work on with them so I suggest this project to anyone that wants to teach kids how to sew.

ZentasticThings is now open for business on Etsy

2011-06-04T01:36:00.002-04:00

Yes! I'm so excited. I've carved up my six stamps and posted them in my Etsy store. Feel free to stop by, check it out and perhaps even buy some awesome stamps. Right now. I'm working through my aquatic theme but I have so many ideas rolling around in my head that there will be a lot more to come. It's been a day so far but I'm so excited that I've actually gotten it out there. My boyfriend Jim has really helped me out along the way, he even drew up the Angler fish design. He is as enthusiastic about it as me. He's constantly tossing ideas out there on what I could carve or how I can go about it. He's sent me links to materials and has proposed that he wants to set up a splash page that can be found on Google a lot easier and will link customers to my Etsy store. I HUGE thank you goes out to him (even though he doesn't read my blog). Who knows how many grammatical errors he would find in just one paragraph being an English major and all. Hehehe. Either way, I already know that my blog is not perfect but it's really out there for me to express myself and for others that are interested in what I do to keep up with it. I'm not sure how many of you are out there but I appreciate you guys keeping up with me. I see those page views rising every week.

Thank you.

Check out my new cacti!

2011-05-24T20:35:00.005-04:00

No room is complete without one, at least not one of mine.

Etsy Store Coming Soon

2011-05-18T10:12:00.005-04:00

For a while now I have wanted to have my own Etsy store. There's just been a few things that have slowed me down. For one, I didn't know what I wanted to invest my time and money into. Knitting seems to be very time consuming even though it is one of my passions. I probably will eventually sell knitted items but not just yet. Recently I've been experimenting and realized that I would love to sell hand carved stamps.

A few years ago I started toying with carving stamps out of old erasers and X-acto knives. After that I began letter boxing (google it if you don't know what it is, it's so much fun). I've now upgraded my supplies and and beginning a collection per say. I have a theme of aquatic life. The goal is to start off with ten, give or take and set up shop.

Here is a sneak peek at what I'm working on.

Book Signing

2011-05-03T11:05:00.005-04:00

Upon moving back to New York I got informed about a book signing going on in Barnes and Noble. What a great opportunity to meet the woman that got me into knitting, Vickie Howell. It was so much fun meeting all these talented women that took their hobby and turned it into a career. What an inspiration, truly.

Nicky Epstein

Iris Schreier

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Vickie Howell and Adrienne Armstrong

Vermont Winter Wonderland

2011-03-22T22:57:00.003-04:00

There's been a lot going on in the past year so I'll be doing a bit of back tracking.

Last December I got to head out to Vermont and visit my boyfriend where I finally got to build my own gingerbread house from scratch. My boyfriend helped me with the gingerbread itself since I never have made it. It was so much fun. Bowls of candy and chocolate in front of your for designing your own house and munch on of course. It was a huge sugar high. I ate so many m&ms which might be partially why you don't see on the house itself but trust me, it did not need m&ms. There really wasn't any room for any or perhaps those are the words of an amateur. Also, he did all the snow drifts. Just felt I needed to give the credit where it is much deserved. Needless to say, we were extremely proud of our creation.

Here is a quick glance of the view outside the window of my boyfriend's place. I love lounging around on a cold snowy day.

Anyone else excited for the premiere of Madmen?

2010-07-25T22:02:00.001-04:00

I know I am! In fact, I'm so excited I've decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies for the event. Yay!!!

Almost finished

2009-10-21T06:02:00.004-04:00

Alright, so I've been working on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan for what seems like months. I believe I started back in August (?) BUT I've frogged the whole thing twice because of my carelessness. Not to worry, I've got this now. On the first round, I continued my ribbing on the body too far up where I was supposed to work in stockinette stitch so instead of trying to rip to a certain point, I decided to just frog it. Let's face it, I might stab anyone that tried to get near me while trying to count the stitches in garter rib and run a safety line. I figured I'd save myself further headaches of losing my temper. The second time around, I did it right! Yeah, it's a darn shame the sweater was enormous on me. Ugh!! Why did I even thing I was that size? Who knows?! I had Paul measure me so that I would have a more accurate idea of my size but I just ended up just measuring my favorite cardigan. I think we're good now. The body seems just a couple of inches short but I think it'll come out in the blocking. God, I hope so! Hehehe. So, you want a picture of this famous (and first sweater for me) cardigan, eh? Sorry. I have not taken any pictures of it yet. I know. I know. Bad blogger, Zen! It's coming though. I'm really almost finished. I have the body and sleeves completed and they are now joined. Just another inch and I begin on the cables on the yoke. I can't wait because it's getting cold in West Virginia and I'd like to wear it to New York City for my birthday in December.

For now, I leave you with a picture of my earthworm. I made it this summer but never posted pictures. It reminds me of how I would like to get back to knitting these little critters. They're so fun and quick.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-09-15T05:28:00.002-04:00

10 Things You Think are Cool

Furry little animals
Knitting
Clint Eastwood
Horror Movies
Shoes
Handmade items
Passion
Historic places
Nature and all it's wonders
The Beatles

Mittens and Kittens

2009-09-11T06:23:00.004-04:00

While looking at Facebook recently I noticed the beautiful hand embroidery that my boss' wife does. When I commented on her picture to compliment her and tell her how beautiful it would look on a pair of mittens, scarf or hat she proposed the idea of starting an Etsy shop. I would be in charge of knitting and her the embroidering. Here are the first mittens and now they're in her hands to begin the embroidery.

Lastly, here is the latest addition to the family. I introduce to you, Smokie. I saw her in the pet shop while picking up some bugs for my sugar gliders and just couldn't resist. She ended up coming home with us and is the sweetest kitten.

Wowserz!

2009-09-08T09:17:00.006-04:00

I CAN NOT believe that my last post was in mid July. I had absolutely no clue. I have been so consumed with work, knitting and reading. In the beginning of August I took a trip out to New York City to spend some good quality time with family and friends. I stayed out for a magnificent week. I was amazed with how big all my little nieces and goddaughters had gotten. They truly grow like weeds. We took a huge family trip to the Hall of Science. Later on that evening my brother took me out to see Toto La Momposina, who is a famously known Colombian singer who does afro-colombian music. Her voice is phenomenal and the band really got you moving in your seat. At the end of the show she even came out to sign autographs. She was truely inspiring. She had told a woman up ahead of me in line who was having a traditional straw hat autographed to be sure and only buy authentic colombian hats that help preserve our culture and not overpriced cheaply made hats which she basically had. When I got my chance to speak with her I asked her not to forget about her fans out in nyc and to come back around to which she assured me she wouldn't and gave me her autograph saying "Con Sabor!" meaning "With flavor!". Another evening I got to meet up with my friend and see the Big Surprise Tour which consisted of Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine, the Clive Brothers and Justin Townes Earle. They are all kind of country, folk, bluegrass and old time mixed into one. At the end of week, the family gathered up and we all headed out to Bear Mountain. As kids we all spent some of our summer days out through there. Between playing by the lake and running into the pool to cool off. The place is just as fun as it was back when I was a kid. After playing hard we found a picnic table and ate sandwiches and watched the kids play baseball and attempt to skip stones on the lake. The trip back into West Virginia wasn't the best but I didn't let it ruin my vacation. Just to give you an idea, I was supposed to leave at 6:50pm and didn't leave until 9:30pm. When we finally reached Charleston, we were told that it was much too foggy to try and land the plane in the mountains. Guess where we were taken? ... Columbus, OH. Yes! From there, they were going to charter a bus to bring us back to Charleston, WV. At the end I got the bus driver to drop me off in a gas station closer to home and didn't arrive at my apartment until 4am. That's right, 4 in the morning. I was supposed to be home by 9pm.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-07-14T05:51:00.002-04:00

10 Favorite Songs of the 80's

Take On Me by Aha
PYT by Michael Jackson
Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
Message In A Bottle by The Police
Uptown Girl by Billie Joel
Walk Like An Eygptian by The Bangles
Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
Talk Dirty To Me by Poison
Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie
Another One Bites The Dust by Queen

A Monkey, A Bar and A BOOM!

2009-07-10T05:50:00.003-04:00

Now that I've finally let enough time go by, I have a few things to write about. I wish I could write every week like other bloggers out there but really, I don't want to bore you with mundane writings.

Let's begin with my monkey socks. I've heard of the Cookie A. pattern to monkey socks and was always a bit skeptical but now that I've begun knitting it and am half way through the second sock, I've been won over. I swoon for these socks. They pattern is amazingly effortless to follow. Even I who has the memory of a goldfish have managed to memorize the pattern and am whizzing through it. I have seen the Cookie ways.
About a month ago, Paul and I went to a Hank III show. He actually decided to get a hotel room for the night down in Huntington to avoid the drive home at the end of the show and I agreed. It was a nice treat from him since he got the executive suite and got a room with a nice view. The nice surprise that was included with the hotel is the fact that the band was staying in it as well. The van was outside and we even ran in Lucky Tubb in the elevator. Lucky is actually the nephew of Ernest Tubb, the famous country singer. He was very friendly and introduced himself, shaking every one's hand. I didn't happen upon Hank himself but we did see Gary in the computer room. The show itself was great (as usual) but incredibly and uncomfortably hot. The AC wasn't enough to sustain the crowd. We stood in line for nearly an hour in the hot... HOT sun so we were soaked before we got in and it just got worse from there. It was so hot even the beer didn't feel cold to us. By the way, the upright bassist for Hank III looked just like the actor from the notebook. It was very strange.

I want to take the time to wish everyone a Happy 4Th of July. We had a fairly relaxing one watching movies and watching the fireworks with dad. (By the way, I recommend Gran Turino. Spectacular movie.) The fireworks were beautiful and a great way to end the night. It was also pretty neat to have a view of them right outside my door. Although, it is not the fireworks that made the 4Th great, it's taking the time to remember what a great country we live in. I feel I sometimes take it for granted but I'm happy to have the freedoms that we have. Even this blog represents our freedom of speech which some people in the other side of the word cannot take part in. I revel in the beautiful landscapes this country offers, from the Alaska wilderness to the desert to the swamps to the Rockies and Appalachian mountains to the pacific and Atlantic beaches to the prairies and the cities (I can go on forever). We really are fortunate to have this all at our grasp. In my moment of patriotism, I want to share my favorite patriotic song with you. It's "My Beautiful America" by Charlie Daniels which paints a beautiful picture of this country.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-07-07T06:14:00.002-04:00

How funny for this topic to come up after last nights events with our neighbor.

10 Things That Turn You Off About People

Discourteous
Talkative (I mean REALLY talkative)
Snobby
Intrusive
Contradicting
Brown nosers
Body odor
Dishonest
Downers - the people that always have a hard luck story that brings you down and they never do anything to fix their situation
Know it all

Ten On Tuesday

2009-06-30T23:07:00.000-04:00

10 Guilty Pleasures On TV

1. NYC Prep
2. Jon & Kate Plus 8
3. Marta Stewart Show
4. Oprah
5. Big Brother
6. American Idol
7. Lousy VH1 reality shows
8. America's Got Talent
9. The Hills
10. Kendra/ The Girls Next Door
Sent from my iPhone

MST3K Hat

2009-06-19T10:30:00.003-04:00

Well, I finished Paul's hat. I'm so glad because it had several headaches. I swear I casted on at least six times for reasons that I won't go into. I knit it up during our road trip which meant that I needed to hide the chart from him in the passenger seat but he knew what I was knitting the whole time. How nice of him to pretend that he didn't know. He sure does know how to make me happy. Once I finished and it was time for him to try it on... the darn thing didn't fit. Can you imagine the terror? Ugh. I refuse to unravel this thing though, at least not after six cast ons. Not to worry, I fixed it. I cut the carries and weaved them in. Only five of them needed doctored so now I'm really done. Woo hoo!

Monkey socks are next. I'm not sure how I feel about this variegated yarn but I guess there's only one way to find out.

Road Trip Vacation

2009-06-17T09:21:00.008-04:00

Paul, his dad and I got to hit the road the first weekend of our trip. We headed east for North Carolina to see the Outer Banks. I was so happy to get out of the everyday monotony. On the North side of the island the beach was lined with beautiful houses for rent. They obstructed the view to the beach but I still found them charming. We didn't stay in one of them since they were probably extremely expensive and we'd rather save our money. It's nice to stay at if you have a large family or several families to house during the vacation. We choose to stay at the local Comfort Inn which was right on the beach, it allowed dad and I to go for a walk on the beach at night to pick up some seashells and in the morning we all gathered up to see the sunrise and get in the water. It was very clean and clear with minimal sharp objects to step on. We even got to see dolphins swimming on the deeper end of the water, fish jumping out of the water and seagulls fishing for their breakfast. It was breath taking at times. We also got to visit three of the four lighthouses on the islands. One got closed when we got to it for half an hour because of thunder, another was unsafe to climb and the last was closed by the time we got to visit it. Dad and I were wanting to climb them but we just didn't have any luck. Perhaps some other time. On the way back home, we stopped by Tamarack which is a store which sells hand made items by West Virginians, where I purchased a hand made bowl. It's so beautiful, I think I'm going to put my nice yarns in it. Click on the lighthouse to see the pictures from our road trip.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-06-17T08:31:00.003-04:00

10 Things You'd Bring on a Deserted Island

My ipod.
A knitting project.
Good book.
Survival kit.
Knife.
Sneakers.
Satellite Phone (is this cheating?).
Pictures.
A pet.
Tent.

Mmmmm... sugary goodness!!

2009-06-09T22:36:00.004-04:00

I know I haven't shown much of my baking for a while now but there's a reason for this. I've been on a diet. Nothing super fancy. No pizza, ice cream or baked goods so far. I've been trying to keep my calorie count around 1000 every day. You know, everything in moderation while trying to use my best judgement. I've lost 13 pounds so far so I'll keep trying to stay strong even though I miss baking so much.

Mom's Red Velvet Cake Before and After the blowing of the candles.

Almost Vegan Cupcakes

and Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookie Madness

Ten On Tuesday

2009-06-09T21:57:00.003-04:00

10 Favorite Things to do During "Me"time

Watch Sex and the City.
Groom.
Knit and other fiber hobbies.
Watch my chick flick movies.
Play dress up.
Watch bad reality tv.
Play my Wii.
Blog
Play my music on the stereo.
Bake.

1st Sale

2009-06-08T06:28:00.004-04:00

That's right, my first sale. Shortly, after my boss found me on facebook, he actually saw the felted owls that I had made a while back and his wife loved them. They ended up ordering a pair from me. I've always wanted to sell my hand made items so I guess I've accomplished one my goals. I'll have to look into felting different critters and perhaps it might result in more sales. I should really start up an etsy business.

I'm practically done with my felted Snug boots. I've actually finished knitting and sewing up both boots. I've sewn in the embossed stars. I'm not sure just yet if I need to weave in the loose ends on the stars so I'm waiting until I find out for sure and then they will get tossed in the washer. I can't wait to post pics of the final product.

Squee!

2009-05-25T14:24:00.005-04:00

My yarn has arrived. Squee! This is my tax return yarn which I order back on February 28th. Yes, that's right, the 28th... of February. I ordered the Watery color of Rowan Tweed from Webs. I knew it was on back order but I had absolutely no idea it was going to be this late. I wish they hadn't charged me for shipping because of the delay but oh well. I must say they answered my e-mails very promptly which is more than I can say about other businesses I had placed orders from in the past. When they did e-mail me back, they were super courteous with me and gave me options to try and please me, so I couldn't ask for more from them. In addition to the great customer service, I got a pretty good deal because of their discount of lowering they price when you purchase a good amount of yarn from them. I can't wait to start my Tangled Yoke Cardigan.

Yatesville Lake

2009-05-25T12:19:00.008-04:00

We took another of our road trips. A while back, Paul and I were watching one of those shows on the Lochness Monster and he had mentioned this lake where he had seen something similar to the picture of the Lochness Monster. He told me that you can actually get a strange ripple effect there because several lakes meet at one spot and the currents make humps in the water. It was the Yatesville Lake in Kentucky. It was such a beautiful day. I was right after a week's run of just rain. We got to stand over the lake and just observe all the boats moving across the lake. This is definitely a spot that I would want to go back and visit again. The boats were out and we actually saw a three story boat with a swirly slide on it. It seemed like such a fun slide to ride except for the water up the butt part. lol.

Weekend Cooking

2009-05-19T21:28:00.005-04:00

I found such a great recipe for Crock Pot Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna. My mouth is watering as I sit here and think about it (seriously!). I know, I know, I love my crock pot. It's such a great appliance to have. On my days off I can just toss the ingredients in it and come back a few hours later and dinner is done. Tada! The recipe actually came from BetterRecipes.com. The only change I made to it was substituting the egg with Ener-G Replacer. I'll have to make it again another weekend when I'm eating cheese again.

My poor attempt at a Michael Scott pancake. How did he make them perfectly rectangular?

Milk-Chocolate Cookies from Martha Stewart's cookie book. Mmmm mmmm. I love this book. I can't wait for the cupcake book to come out in June. There goes that mouth watering sensation feeling again. I know many don't like her but she is the queen of what she does and you can't hate on her for that.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-05-05T04:34:00.002-04:00

10 Awesome Bands

1. Weezer
2. Ramones
3. My Morning Jacket
4. Sublime
5. The Cure
6. Reverend Horton Heat
7. Hank III and the Damn Band
8. Stray Cats
9. Bob Marley and the Wailers
10. Old Crow Medicine Show

Check out Ten On Tuesday to play along.

Honest Scrap Award

2009-05-04T22:44:00.005-04:00

I want to thank Daisy Soap Girl for mentioning me in her blog and passing along the Honest Scrap Award. She describes it as "...you're honest, enjoy your craft and work hard at having others enjoy it as well.". I am very thankful to be noticed by such a great blogger and crafter. It's great to see the support of a fellow blogger and crafter. If you haven't checked out her blog I definitely recommend swinging by and taking a look.

These are the rules as follows:

1. I must thank the person who gave me the award, list their blog and link.
2. I must list ten (10) honest things about myself & a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog.
3. I must select at least seven (7) other worthy bloggers & list their links
4. I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

10 Honest Things About Me

1. I can't wait until I'm older.
2. I am striving to become vegan again and begin baking vegan.
3. I'm a bit OCD which is why I tend to do all the cleaning myself and have come to accept it.
4. My favorite color is green.
5. My first concert was a Backstreet Boys concert. How shameful!
6. I'm a loner.
7. My favorite movie is Rocky Horror.
8. I don't trust cats.
9. I love to make people laugh.
10. It's quite easy to make me laugh.

Worthy Bloggers

1. Sweet Treats Baking Blog
2. Frog Hair
3. Fig and Plum
4. Cookie Madness
5. Yarn Zombie
6. Brooklyn Tweed
7. Knit and Tonic

Happy Belated April Fool's Day!

2009-05-04T05:06:00.001-04:00

I was a bit silly on April Fool's Day. I only played one prank but I made sure it was a good one. I'm actually the first one to be at my job with my boss and while he was in the office I shrinked wrapped all the registers and copy machines. To say the least, his facial expression was PRICELESS.

Word of the Day

2009-05-04T05:04:00.001-04:00

I have an e-mail subscription to a couple word of the days and found this one to be a bit interesting. I received it a while back but am just now getting around to sharing it with you.

dyed-in-the-wool \dyde-in-thuh-WOOL\
adjective
Meaning
: thoroughgoing, uncompromising

So there you go my wooly fans, see how you can incorporate it into your regular vocabulary :)

Ten On Tuesday

2009-04-21T04:55:00.002-04:00

10 Underrated Movies

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Shock Treatment
Lady Killers
Walk The Line
Superbad
The Cable Guy
Clerks II
Wedding Singer
A Christmas Story
30 Days of Night

Bonus: Across The Universe

If you want to play along, feel free to check out Ten On Tuesday

Ten On Tuesday

2009-04-14T05:14:00.002-04:00

10 Signs that You're Getting Older (from a 24 year old's perspective)

You ache when you wake up in the morning.
You realize you need a retirement plan.
You have to pay your own bills for the rest of your life.
Your friends are all starting to have a kid... or two.
Even worse, people younger than you have kids.
You remind yourself how you need to start taking vitamins again.
You find young kids nowadays are obnoxious.
You really notice that your parents are getting older and you need to appreciate them more (note to self: call mom and dad).
You start wondering if you should have kids because you are getting older even though you're against having kids.
The weekends are for resting and when you do go out to enjoy the nightlife it's strenuous work.

If you wish to play along, please do feel free to check out the Ten On Tuesday blog.

What I did on my vacation

2009-04-13T05:20:00.006-04:00

I actually began my vacation with a road trip but I have yet to get all my pictures and thoughts organized so I'm going to make that a separate post. As to the rest of my vacation after the road trip with Paul and his dad which was filled with breath taking scenery, I got the bird feeder filled up along with the suet cakes out. The birds were flocking to them to get food all week long and the Cherry tree was blooming right outside my apartment spreading it's fragrant smell all around. The whole week was so relaxing. We just sat back and enjoyed each other's company. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I finally finished my pencil holder! I'm so happy with it. I found the instructions for it on this blog. I accidentally made it an inch taller than specified so some sections I stuffed with paper in order for the pencils and pens to sit up higher on. Paul asked me if I was going to paint it which reminded me that I had some paint sitting around somewhere around here and in the process I found my gold glitter from glittering pumpkins around Halloween. The light bulb turned on. I glittered the whole thing and gave it a coat of glossy Mod Podge to stop the glitter from leaving a little trail everywhere the holder is set. I think it turned out pretty neat looking.

In one of my recent trips to Michael's, I found a bunch of Craft magazine which I snatched up quickly. One of them was focused on weaving and had a small paper loom. I wish I had one of those huge looms to make beautiful blankets with, but I figured I had to start somewhere and what better to start with than a free paper loom. So here is my poor attempt. It's a bit more difficult to hold and weave as the article describes but I'll continue to give it a honest try.

Knit Picks Big Snugs in the sea foam color. This is my next knitting project.

Here's some of what I cooked and baked during my vacation:

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I also made Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies but I only had a 9" pan when it called for a 8" so they didn't come out looking too good even though they tasted just fine. I didn't take pictures since they weren't up to par.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-04-07T12:23:00.003-04:00

10 Least Liked Foods

Meat
Eggs *
Those little potato - onion looking veggies in Chinese food.
Milk that came from an animal *
Peas
Fish
Pickles (Especially the smell)
Horseradish (Especially the smell)
Figs (Did you know that these have crushed bugs in them?)
Sauerkraut

*The thing with these foods is that I will purchase foods already made that include them but I myself don't purchase eggs and I only bake with milk if it's a critical part of the recipe and cannot be substituted.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-03-31T04:56:00.002-04:00

10 Things on Your "To-Do" List

Felt my sushi wallet.
Organize my "cables and wire" cabinet.
Get rid of all the clothes we don't wear.
Water the plants.
Clean the sugar glider's wheel.
Organize the closet.
Shampoo the carpet.
Give the ferrets a bath.
Trim their claws.
Let the sugar gliders roam "free" in their balls.

If you wish to play along, please feel free to check out Ten on Tuesday

Zen, the confederate?

2009-03-30T05:00:00.005-04:00

I just want to take a moment to say what a wonderful boyfriend I have. I mean really, how many men out there pay so much attention to a their woman's interests and put thought and effort into surprising their girl with a gift that pertains to her hobbies. Since the week before last he has been having me playing the guessing game about a gift that he had ordered me but of course he was lying about all the hints to throw me off. It was not until Wednesday when I went to go check the mail when I found out what I had gotten. A Kitchen Aid mixer! Yep, I was so stunned when the post office lady handed it over to me she kept telling me I didn't need to sign but I just stood there grinning at the box. I love it, I love it, I love it! This weekend I used it to make some parmesan mashed potatoes with it and some cookies. I made the chocolate crackle cookies from the Martha Stewart cookies book with a few variations. I used egg replacer for the eggs, Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder (What's the difference anyway?), and unsweetened chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate which a lady at the supermarket said I could use instead. I don't know what they were supposed to taste like but I thought mine were pretty darn good. Paul said he wanted to pick the next cookie for me to bake. I can't wait to see what he picks. I hope it's a good recipe.

This past Friday I got home early at about 1:30 with my Sobe and I was ready to go. I finally got out my spinning kit, good out my how to book and turned on my favorite youtube instructional video on how to spin. I think I'm doing pretty good. I know it's rough but I have tons of roving left and a good bit of patience. I know this thick-thin yarn is what some people like but I can't wait until I get my drafting straight and start putting out that nice even thin yarn. This past week I also made a pencil cup made from a recycled phone book. You can see it in the picture of the Kitchen Aid mixer on the coffee table above as well as my sushi wallet pre-felting. I really need to toss it in the washer. I just need to do it quickly like pulling off a band aid. Soon.

i

This past weekend was Civil War weekend at the park by my home. They have it every year and I've wanted to go but never got off my butt to check it out. This year I finally got myself together and walked out there in the cold, windy rain. It was well worth it though. It was quite entertaining though. Not the most accurate with the confederate soldiers outnumbering the union soldiers and the majority of both walking away unharmed but the uniforms and artillery was impressive. The booths were quite interesting with all the demonstrations of candle making, black smiths and knives. I got Paul a confederate hat which was unfortunately made in china but I still wanted to support the cause as well. What I did find quite creepy was one of the collections of dolls at one of the booths which I took a close up of. I know a lot of people like collecting these things but I just find them creepy.

I "felt" great!

2009-03-24T15:22:00.005-04:00

I finally got to my wool pets kit of the owls. Felting is so much fun. I can't wait to get more kits or roving to perhaps make my own animals. I've already got so many ideas running through my mind. I can't wait to pick up the spindle and learn how to spin. Squee!!

I'm actually done knitting the sushi wallet (I'll post pictures later on.) I just need to felt it next. Which is very scary! Not being in control kind of worries me. Maybe this weekend I'll grow some cojones and toss it in the washer. Wish me luck!

I went to the mall yesterday to pick up some new new black slacks for work. For me this means checking out Borders and getting some Starbucks. Yay!! I wish I worked at a book store. It's probably a good thing I don't. If I did, you probably wouldn't be able to step foot into the apartment. Anyway! I picked up my first moleskine sketchbook. I can't wait to begin pencil sketching again. I'm not very good but drawing is a skill that I've always wanted to improve. I love the craftmanship of this notebook which is handmade. I want to pick up the graph paper notebook and the watercolor notebook.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-03-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

10 Things You Like Doing on Vacation

Knit Knit Knit.
Catch up with reading.
Let the ferrets and sugar gliders run amok.
Finally get to play video games. Can you say "Rock band"?
Go to the movies.
Go out shopping.
Road trip!
Sleep until I can't take it anymore.
Try new food.
Catch a concert.

If you wish to play along, feel free to check out Ten On Tuesday.

Movies

2009-03-24T14:59:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we watched a few mediocre movies and a few good ones. It's been a few weeks since I've updated what movies we have watched. I'm not sure how to go about this. I don't want to review every single one because there are so many movies where it would be very long and drawn out and would probably bore you to death. I try to keep it short and simple.

Here are the movies I genuinely enjoyed:

Here are the ones I don't think are worth a penny:

I'm not even going to bother putting up the "eh" ones.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-03-16T22:28:00.003-04:00

10 Songs You Hate

For as much as I try to enjoy all different types of music, there are still some that just make me grind my teeth when I hear them. I don't know if I'm going to be able to come up with 10 but I'll give it a go.

Kissed by a Rose by Seal
Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
Anything Nickelback *cringes*
Crush by David Archuletta
Little Susie by Micheal Jackson. I know it's one of the songs on his HIStory album that's creepy.
Cowboy by Kid Rock
Most Hank Jr. songs
Anything by Shooter Jennings
Anything by Rod Stewart

Done! Done! Done!

2009-03-12T06:02:00.005-04:00

Alright... *catches her breath*... I'm so happy. I finally got the shawl done. I started it in October just to tear it out a month later and I completed it just a few days before my mother's birthday. I quickly got a purple Hallmark box that closes with a ribbon and lined the shawl with silver tissue paper when folding it and stuffed the box with some more silver tissue paper. Made my own tag for the garment and shipped it off. I should have taken a picture of the packaging but maybe next time. I am so proud of this lace knit. It was my first serious lace project with lace weight yarn. It came out beautiful.

Another knitting update is that I got my tax return. I'm trying to be very smart with the money so I balanced the ol' check book, bought a few items and am saving the rest. I was VERY tempted to buy an iphone but I didn't do it. I dunno... I think that Paul would give me a guilt trip if I had a fancy phone and he didn't. I know he would buy me a phone if he bought himself one. Maybe some other time with some other money. I'll stick to my razr for now. I got Paul Red Hulk the graphic novel, Cool Hand Luke blu-ray, an ICP album (Independent's Day) and a Jamie Maddrox album (Phatso) which I know I am going to be tortured with *sigh*. lol. As to myself, I got myself the Louet drop spindle beginner's kit. I am so charged to learn how to spin. I also got a Wool Pets needle felting kit for two small owls. My last item to spoil myself with is 10 skeins of Rowan Yarns Felted Tweed #152. Enough for a sweater. I'll update when I've put these items to use.

Before I forget, I also knit the Odessa hat. It started as a hat for my brother but it was a girls pattern with beads so I omitted the beads thinking that maybe it would look more masculine but it was still girly looking so I sent it off to my best friend Heidi. I'm not much of a hat person and she had been nagging me for one.

Ten On Tuesday

2009-03-03T05:36:00.002-05:00

10 Ways You Can Make Your Life Better

Exercising more.
Paying careful attention to food labels.
Buying a treadmill.
Quitting my current job.
Starting my own business.
Being kinder to people around me.
A new couch.
Eating more organic.
A kitchen aid mixer.
Making more meals from scratch.

Good music and PBR

2009-03-02T09:19:00.006-05:00

Last night, I caught an awesome show. Wayne Hancock, Bob Wayne, 357 String Band and Joe Buck came into town. I had known about this for quite some time and made sure to let Paul know that this was a "must attend" show. It is so hard to get Paul to go out with me and up until the last minute he was complaining about having to go. I told him that I wish he would just try to enjoy himself for me. Once he got there, he really had a good time. He said the V Club was his new favorite bar and he was happy that they had some Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. We tried to count how many we had at the end of the night, we figured about 30 between the two of us. I was pretty gone to say the least. I was beyond the point of seeing double, I was seeing triple. I definitely became a fan of The 357 String Band. Their fast tempo bluegrass really had me bouncing. Joe Buck was amazing as usual. I got to talk to him and probably made a fool out of myself because I remember him looking at me like I was a drunk idiot but it's all good. Bob Wayne waved at us and spoke to Paul in the bathroom. Wayne Hancock was awesome. I FINALLY got to see him live which I had been wanting to do for a very long time. Just simply amazing. I even got them to play "North To Alaska" for Paul which is what he was wanting to hear. It was a great show. The lead guitarist kept smiling at me so I grabbed the chance to snag a cool picture of him posing with his guitar. (Thanks Izzy!)

Quite Accurate

2009-02-27T06:02:00.002-05:00

I'd say this summed me up pretty well. I wish I was a bit more balanced though.

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (26%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain.
Left Brain (64%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

http://similarminds.com/brain.html">Are You Right or Left Brained?
http://similarminds.com">personality tests by similarminds.com

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

Overall you appear to be Left Brain Dominant

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According to Darwinian theory, optimal evolution takes place with random variation and selective retention. The evolution savvy individual will try many different approaches when faced with a problem and select the best of those approaches. Many historical intellectuals have confessed their advantage was simply considering/exploring/trying more approaches than others. The left brain dominant type suffers from limited approaches, narrow-mindedness. The right brain dominant type suffers from too many approaches, scatterbrained. To maintain balanced hemispheres, you need to exercise both variability and selection. Just as a company will have more chance of finding a great candidate by increasing their applicant pool, an individual who considers a wider set of options is more likely to make quality decisions.

Snowy weekend

2009-02-23T05:51:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited about my Martha Stewart Cookies book. I want to bake every single cookie in that book even if the cookies don't seem to be something I like. I wasn't too prepared this past weekend with a variety of ingredients so I just ended up making the cakey chocolate chip cookies. Even though they were just chocolate chip cookies they had a wonderful texture to them which kept it interesting. What she does is bring down the amount of brown sugar and butter in order to make the batter fluffier. I had a few white chocolate chips, not even a cup full so I just tossed them in there with the semi-sweet chocolate chips. They came out quite delicious. Except for the one pan I burnt because I was working on someone's taxes. hehe. We'll just set those aside and forget about them.

I'm so glad I finally got to give the ferrets a bath this weekend. It's always one of those things in the back of my mind which I continuously push aside. I would've taken pictures of them in kitchen sink but I was trying not to be clawed to death. Although, they were quite tame in the kitchen sink in comparison to the bathroom tub. I think it's just that they're cornered in the tub and what probably seems like a huge waterfall at the end of it to them. So yeah, the weasels got to run amuck which led to Johnny climbing up (yes, through, not up and on) the couch and attacking Paul while we were playing Fifa 08 soccer. She bit the blood out of him so we quickly cleaned him up, gave them their pedi and put them away for a nap.

This weekend we also got some more movie watching done. We got through Zombies Zombies Zombies Strippers vs. Zombies which was great with all the horrible acting and bad plot. We finished up season one of Little Britain USA. It was pretty funny but not as much as the British version. Zach and Miri Make A Porno was hilarious but I still found Seth Rogan's other movies to be funnier. I'll probably watch it again soon though. When Paul purchased Zach and Miri, Amazon also recommended Starballz which he bought unknowingly. Well it turned out to be hentai. I sat and watched this with my jaw dropped and cracking up. It was a animated porno spoof of Star Wars. Trailer Park of Terror was good. I think it was better than the comic book that I read a few years ago. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was alright. I'm a Michael Cera fan and it turned out to be pretty funny in spots as well instead of just being a romance. Nights In Rodanthe wasn't good at all in my opinion. I was wanting a good romance to watch on my own that would move me and all I got was just a romance. I didn't even find myself crying when I think I was supposed to be feeling the main characters emotions. American Gangster was mediocre. It was a build up for two hours to just put Frank Lucas away at the end. I was expecting a movie that glorifies a gangster as opposed to showing their flaws that bring them down.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-02-17T05:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this but this is actually from someone else's blog found here. Several people just post their own in order to share with each other. Feel free to play along.

10 Favorite Places To Shop

1. American Eagle
2. Victoria Secret
3. Zappos
4. Urban Outfitters
5. Knit Picks
6. Target
7. Amazon
8. Knit N Hook Huntington, WV
9. Comic World Huntington, WV
10. Midtown Comics New York, NY

10 Songs That Describe You or Your Life

1. "Meet Virginia" by Train
2. "Turn Your Lights Down Low" by Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill
3. "Un Verano En Nueva York" by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
4. "Handlebars" by the Flobots
5. "3 Shades of Black" by Hank Williams III
6. "Breakdown" by Jack Johnson
7. "No Necesito" by Los Aterciopelados
8. "My Best Friend" by Weezer
9. "In The Garage" by Weezer
10. "American Girls" by Weezer

Chocolate covered strawberries

2009-02-16T22:32:00.002-05:00

This past Friday, my co-worker gave me a case of strawberries for free. So far, I've only been giving them to the sugar gliders. Tonight I've decided to make chocolate covered strawberries. I had it all thought out and I was going to make tuxedo designs and drizzle the white chocolate over the milk chocolate. Yeah... it didn't work out that way. I started by trying to melt the white chocolate in the microwave because I am immensely impatient. I ended up burning it. Finally, I gave in and did the double boiler method. It worked out perfectly. While I was dipping them I figured this is going to be a lot of strawberries if I do the milk chocolate ones and the designs on them. For now, I'll just do milk chocolate and leave the rest for another day. I might go for the strawberry shortcake tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T15:16:00.005-05:00

... or Happy S.A.D (single awareness day) to those out there who might not be in relationships. I know it might not be some people's favorite holidays but regardless whether you are or aren't in a relationship they both have their pros and cons.

This Valentine's day was pretty good (kinda.. hehe). I say this because Paul and I celebrated ours on Friday the 13th. We went to see the movie Friday the 13th right after work. I thought it was pretty good. It had some good gore in it which I like in my horror movies. Paul said it wasn't that great. He thinks that Jason wasn't bad ass enough and should have been more merciless. What I was shocked at was the fact that there was a little kid in the theater but whatever. It wasn't my kid. I thought the movie could have been a bit much for a child not just because of the killing but the amount of gore could have frightened him and there was A LOT of boobs and sex. You know... everything a horror movie offers.

Once we got home, there was a ProFlowers box sitting on my doorstep. When I opened it, it was a beautiful arrangement or red tulips and blue irises that came with a clear glass vase. This is my favorite part of this holiday because I love flowers and it is the one time of the year that I receive them. We've been together for almost 6 years now and this is the second time he has given me flowers. For some reason, he was under the impression that I didn't like flowers for the majority of our time together. I don't know where he got this from because he knows I used to work in two flower shops and when I started to go to school at UConn, I majored in horticulture. I just don't get it. Once we came in he gave me a card, some conversation hearts and a bucket of chocolate. Literally, a bucket, it weighed 5 pounds. I ended up letting him eat my candy and I ate his milk chocolate fish that his co-worker gave him. The box made the fish look framed and it said "It's a keeper" on it. He also got me Zach and Mira make a porno, Nick and Norah's infinite playlist and the stewardesses which have not arrived yet. I got him Hulk: Red Hulk, A Year At The Movies by Kevin Murphy, and the movie Poultrygeist which he received early.

On Saturday, we just rested by staying at home and watching movies. We watched Death Race which was kind of silly at first where it explains the story a bit. Once you let go that it's just a fictitious futuristic movie, it gets to be good. Redneck Zombies was absolutely horrible. It was a movie put out by Troma that was filmed with tape in the 80's. If you LOOOVE really bad horror B-Movies then this is one to see. The acting is horrible but it has funny hillbillies, moonshine and gut eating zombies out in the middle of nowhere. It pays tribute to Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a few scenes. It's actually pretty funny now that I think about it. We also watched Dance of the Dead. It was alright. I don't have much to say about it. Zombie movie with kids going to the prom filmed in what seems to be Canada. We watched S.W.A.T. which was better than expected. Pretty good if you're looking to watch an action movie.

As to knitting, I finally am up to the edging on the shawl I've been working on. I hope to be done with it very soon. I order the Lost Boys color way from Knit Picks which I received just a few days ago. I ordered it because it was going to be discontinued so I couldn't resist. It's beautiful, I can't wait to knit some socks up with it.

Kick Ass Clock

2009-02-05T06:18:00.003-05:00

I never seize to be amazed at what you can knit up. I wonder if there's a house out there where everything is knit up from the couch to the salt and pepper shaker. I'm sure it's out there. Actually, I think I did see it, on the Martha Stewart Show. I remember seeing a knit fire extinguisher on there.

Check out this kick ass clock here.

Ten On Tuesday Twice on Wednesday.

2009-02-04T21:10:00.003-05:00

10 Favorite Articles of Clothing You Own

1. My brother's hand me down sweat pants that are nearly 10 years old.
2. My hooded peacoat that flairs at the hips that I got for Christmas.
3. My old high school gym t-shirt.
4. My wide leg American Eagle hip huggers that have been previously worn down.
5. My Ramones t-shirt.
6. My thermals for which I'm thankful for during the winter months.
7. My "Kermit" colored cashmere sweater that I got for Christmas.
8. My crochet Ugg boots (I know they're not clothing but they cover my feet up and keep me warm.).
9. My hand knit Endpaper Mitts.
10. My hand knit socks.

10 Favorite Children's Movies

1. A Christmas Story (never gets old).
2. Breakfast Club.
3. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
4. National Lampoon's European Vacation.
5. Outsiders
6. Back to the Future.
7. Beetlejuice.
8. Ghostbusters.
9. The Wizard of Oz
10. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Bonus for the heck of it... Little Shop of Horrors

Catching Up

2009-02-02T06:20:00.007-05:00

Well, since I've not blogged in a while I do have a few things I've been working on. For starters, I made some cookies weekend before last. I actually got the recipe from the back of the bag of Nestle's peanut butter and milk chocolate morsels. Afterward, I got to use my cute new cookie jar that I bought on clearance at Walmart after the holidays :) It was for peanut butter and milk chocolate morsel cookies and here is it:

Original Nestle Toll House Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsel Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes ; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

I have gotten a lot of knitting done as well. I am on my last repeat of Chart C. After that, all I have left is pretty much the edging. I swear, once I'm done with this shawl I don't want to look at this yarn anymore. I will be steering clear of lace projects for a while too. I won't be posting pictures of the shawl until I am done though. I think it's good motivation to have to wait. Also, It just looks like a blue blob right now on the needles.

Can I just stop for a minute and say how happy I am? Let me explain that I am originally from new york city where the winters are snowy and beautiful (and a bit slushy). Ever since I moved to West Virginia, I have been patiently waiting for a good snow storm. All I have gotten is snow that melts at the mere idea or sunlight, until now. I wished for snow this year and I finally got some. Sure it wasn't the blizzard I really was hoping for but I think I can make do for now. I still hope we get more, More, MORE! The first picture is the view of the hillside from my job and the rest are at my apartments.

Arepas!

2009-01-21T06:24:00.005-05:00

I completely forgot I had these pictures so I never bothered to post about it. Last week I made arepas. For those who might not know, arepas are a corn based bread that is grilled. It's a very popular Colombian snack. For some reason, mine don't taste as good as my mother used to make them or as good as the ones from my favorite bakery, Cositas Ricas in Jackson Heights, NY. Oh well, they were still mighty tasty with some melted mozzarella cheese on top.

Reading Queue

2009-01-19T06:25:00.004-05:00

I know a lot of knitters out there have various projects going simultaneously but I just can't bring myself to casting on another project while I'm in the middle of another. I definitely am a monogamous knitter. One thing I can't bring myself to do is to be a monogamous reader. I am constantly starting new books even though I love the one's that I am currently reading. I have good intentions to begin with but I can't resist. Instead of reading another chapter of the book that is on my night stand or purse, I end up logging into my amazon to see what else is out there. In this case, I blog about what I'm reading as opposed to actually using this time to read. So I bring you my reading list. These are books that are on the floor beside my bed, on the nightstand, on my coffee table, in my purse, in the bookcase, books I want to read again or never got the chance to read but wanted to and on my wish list... in no particular order.

1. Catwoman: The Life & Times of a Feline Fatale Special Edition
2. The Memory's Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4. 1984 by George Orwell
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
6. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel
7. Robert Frost's Poems
8. Pet Cementary by Stephen King
9. A Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
10. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter Almanac
11. Kurt Cobain Journals
12. Archaeology Treasures by Alberto Siliotti
13. War Letters by Andrew Carroll
14. A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
15. A Art of Alfred Hitchcock
16. Daredevil Elektra
17. Black Hole by Charles Burns
18. Tales of Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowlings
19. Free Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
20. Mind Over Matters by Mike Nelson
21. Death Rat by Mike Nelson
22. Movie Mega Cheese by Mike Nelson
23. Watchman
24. Wicked
25. Into the Wild
26. Great Expectations
27. Locke & Key Welcome to Love Craft
28. Fall of the House of Usher & other tales by Edgar Allan Poe
29. Things I Learned from Knitting... whether I wanted to or not by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
30. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
31. Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman
32. My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming
33. The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes
34. Speeches That Changed the World: The Stories and Transcripts of the Moments That Made History

If you can think of anything I should add to my queue, please leave me a comment. I'm always looking for good books to read :)

"Must see" places before I die.

2009-01-16T06:05:00.004-05:00

Since writing my last blog about my yearning to travel, it seems that all I do is daydream about the traveling I want to do someday, again. I guess I've always been ambitious about traveling. Even as a child, when asked to write about what you wanted to be once you grew up, I would write about wanting to be an archaeologist or a national geographic photographer while all the other children wrote about their aspirations to be doctors, lawyer or some famous public figure. Now as an average adult with an average job which can be mind numbing at times, I conjure up scenarios in my head. Lately, I've been thinking about places I want to see before I die. A sort of "to do" list, something to strive for, I guess. I think it's important to always keep in mind what makes one happy. For myself, growth is a very important part of life. Always learning something new, becoming a better person, learning from experiences in life and improving myself. Seeing new places and meeting new people definitely allows for this growth.

Places to see before I die...

1. MachuPicchu, Peru. Definitely a spiritual place. To think it was all done by hand without mortar by the Incas centuries ago. For what purpose? All we can do is guess, using the evidence that is left behind.
2. Rain forest in Costa Rica. So many different species of animals and plants. It just be breathtaking.
3. Wilderness in Alaska. I imagine this place to be very humbling. Just nature and yourself.
4. Paris, France. Home of so many great paintings and sculptures in the Louvre.
5. More Colombia. My parents were born and raised there, so now I want to see they place that made them who they are, contributing to who I am.
6. Ireland. I think it seems like a wonderful place to live.
7. Mexico. Beautiful, colorful culture full of history, Tequila, beaches and historical landmarks.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-01-13T05:40:00.001-05:00

Even though I'm good at these things, I just want to say that there is always room for improvement.

10 Things You're Really Good At
1. Speaking spanish (Thanks mom and dad!).
2. Organizing. (I am definitely a neat freak.)
3. Keeping my word.
4. Acting silly.
5. Knitting.
6. Baking.
7. Being relentless.
8. Draping.
9. Sewing.
10. Find the bright side of a bad situation :)

Hoping, Wishing, Saving, Planning

2009-01-12T22:41:00.001-05:00

I saw this video (Lucky- Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat) one morning while getting ready for work. Just made me realize how much I need a vacation. How great it would be to just get away from all responsibilities and obligations. Miles away eating brunch and taking in the scenery and the people I would be surrounded by. I guess that's why I continue to pay down and save up. So many places to visit... Alaska, Parque de Tayrona, Colombia and Paris, France.

Attack of the Stash!

2009-01-09T06:19:00.003-05:00

Someday, I would love to have my own "stash" room. A room all for myself that would serve the purpose of my own personal knitting shop. Shelves would be stacked where yarn would be organized by weight then color. A couch in the corner where I can sit and knit without distractions. Here is a beginner's attempt. It no longer fits in the one plastic container I purchased.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-01-07T05:55:00.003-05:00

This one is a bit difficult because it coincides with my new years resolutions.

10 Things You Want to do in 2009

1. Learn how to spin with a drop spindle.
2. Continue practicing yoga.
3. Learn how to dye yarn.
4. Get my driver's license.
5. Purchase a Prius or at least get closer to my goal of buying my own car on my own.
6. Doing some serious organizing in the apartment and hopefully throwing out junk in the process.
7. Grow herbs.
8. Read more.
9. Learn how to do cables.
10. Pay off a few debts.

I'm in love...

2009-01-05T06:22:00.005-05:00

with Elizabeth Zimmerman. Yes, I have been captivated and enlightened by her last night. For Christmas I had received her Knitting Workshop dvd and finally started watching it. This is definitely a must have for any knitter. Now, I don't consider myself an expert knitter or anything but I thought I knew my basics. No. She gives so many helpful hints about basics in her dvd that I felt like I was learning how to knit all over again. Not to mention her other lessons that contain knowledge that I hadn't taken the time to learn already. Keep in mind that I am self taught so having someone to watch and learn from is a godsend. She teaches knitting with a percentage system which simplifies everything. She doesn't tell you how much to cast on, instead she instructs you to measure yourself and cast on accordingly to your gauge. I love it when she is explaining the decreasing in the yoke of the sweater and says "Don't worry if it's 39% or 41%. It's knitting. It stretches.". It just seemed funny that all this time I freak out when I realize I am short a stitch in a row. I suddenly gasp for air forgetting that it WILL stretch. If I wanted a perfect mitt or shawl or whatever the case may be, I would just purchase it at a store. I love the mistakes I make in my projects. It's what makes them personal. It's what makes them a hand knit.

Lost Mail

2009-01-01T22:55:00.003-05:00

This past week, I went to check my P.O. Box and found a nice surprise. Yes, just a few days after Christmas I got a Christmas card. "From who?", you ask? Oh just the Miami Dolphin's quarterback, Chad Pennington. Yes we actually grew up together and shared many good times. Just kidding! I really have never met the guy. I guess it's just one of the things that come with owning a post office box, you end up getting other people's mail all the time. So Chad, if you're out there, you might want to check up on that beautiful holiday card you mailed out to wild and wonderful West Virginia. I hope that the family that was supposed to receive it isn't resentful for not getting their annual holiday card. I told Paul it was a shame we couldn't get a Brett Favre holiday card but getting a card from the guy that got replaced by Favre and kicked him out of the playoffs this year also makes a good story.

Happy Holidays from the Pennington family!

Ghost World

2008-12-30T22:39:00.003-05:00

After Paul went to bed last night I stayed up reading Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. It's a graphic novel about two girls named Enid and Rebecca in their teenage years getting ready to leave high school. I had seen the movie that came out in 2001 before and I had enjoyed it but I can't say it was one of my favorites. Once again, the book is better than the movie. Visually the movie does a great job replicating the graphic novel but the characters have so much more personality in the book. I found myself laughing aloud at some of the conversations that go on between Enid and Rebecca. Enid reminds me of myself with her dark sense of humor meant to shock people. She is a kooky, cynical a-hole. I love it! If you want a dark comedy about teenage life and friendship, I would recommend this book even if you've already seen the movie. The movie takes the story in a bit of a different direction and the actors have their own interpretation of the characters.

Ten On Tuesday

2008-12-30T05:47:00.002-05:00

10 New Years Resolutions

1. Cook more real meals.
2. Bake something new and interesting at least twice a month.
3. Go to a Mets Stitch and Bitch game.
4. Continue to be smart with money.
5. Further prove myself to my boss.
6. Be friendlier and kinder to strangers.
7. Cut WAY down on dairy.
8. Not to eat late at night as much.
9. Save up to go to Colombia.
10. Go to nyc in the summertime so I can go to the beach.
(11. Learn how to do cables and fair isle.)

Christmas

2008-12-28T22:04:00.009-05:00

Well I hope everyone out there had a great holiday. I must say this Christmas I wasn't really wanting anything in particular but my boyfriend, Paul has come through once again. I helped him out with some links to websites that I am usually window shopping at but he came up with some wonderful things. He got me these beautiful Uggs...

As well as the Pick Up Sticks sushi wallet kit in red and the felted snug boots kit in Sand and Seafoam. He did a wonderful job picking out beautiful clothing (which included awesome t-shirts and cashmere sweater). He also got me dvds, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, amazing diamond earrings, necklace and a watch. He also got me a bunch of books. Here's a picture of the stack (the top three are the ones I got my boyfriend who is a huge Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fan):

Last night I read "Y: the Last Man" Book One Deluxe Edition and it is such a great graphic novel. Writer Brian K. Vaughan and penciler Pia Guerra come together to create a amazing story where a mysterious plague wipes out all mammals on the planet with the Y chromosome except for Yorrick Brown and his pet Capuchin monkey Ampersand. I can't wait to get Book Two. I highly recommend this novel to anyone out there that enjoys graphic novels. It was also a nice surprise to see that Agent 355 who is Yorrick's bodyguard is knitting in the book. I was also reading Pia's blog and she is also working on a Doctor Who comic book. I can't wait to get my hands on that!

Well, that's it for now. Perhaps later on I'll give more review on the other books. I don't have any weekend baking this weekend because I have had enough sweets from my stocking, work and dinner at mom's. I'm still working on my mom's shawl but not enough progress to give it it's own post. Please feel free to leave me comments or suggestions about your knitting, reading, baking or christmas gifts.

Ten On Tuesday

2008-12-23T04:39:00.002-05:00

10 Best Moments of the Year

1. Rediscovering Point Pleasant.
2. Dad came to visit me.
3. Hanging out with my co-workers at a going away party.
4. Seeing the autumn foliage.
5. Going to Ritter Park to see the roses.
6. Carving my Halloween pumpkin.
7. The feeling of accomplishment when I would finish any knitting project.
8. Starting to bake again after several years.
9. Starting yoga again.
10. Walking barefoot on the sand pit in the park and looking up at the stars through the silhouette of the tree branches when walking home from yoga at night.

100 Things About Me

2008-12-22T20:53:00.005-05:00

1. I'm Colombian.
2. Not Mexican.
3.One of my pet peeves is when people spell it columbian.
4. My hair has shades of red in the sun.
5. I hate being told what to do.
6. I named my ferrets after The Ramones.
7. My first dog was named Troskey.
8. I now refer to him as "Thrusty".
9. I still occasionally bite my nails.
10. I just want to be left alone sometimes.
11. I have a birthmark on the palm of my right hand
12. I like to tell people it's poop to gross them out.
13. I think feet are gross.
14. I'm not scared of the number 13... I rather like it.
15. I wish I were vegan again.
16. I miss meat sometimes.
17. I don't regret anything I've done.
18. I got "best hair" in my high school yearbook.
19. I made my own prom dress.
20. I loved letterboxing the one time I did it.
21. I want to do it more.
22. I hate that I don't make more time for knitting.
23. I would love to live in a small log cabin out in the woods.
24. I try to finish people's sentences all the time.
25. I'm trying to stop.
26. Sometimes I like to cry myself out.
27. It makes me feel better.
28. I'm closer to my father than my mother.
29. I'm a pushover.
30. I'm a romantic.
31. I don't let too many people into my life.
32. When I do, I hate to let them go.
33. What I miss most from my childhood is seeing my mother and father happy together.
34. If I could change one thing about the world, it would be to make people treat each other the way they would want to be treated.
35. I'm a Packer fan. Go! Pack! Go!
36. My favorite holiday is Halloween.
37. I get tongue-tied.
38. A LOT.
39. I hum to myself when I think about my awkward moments from the past.
40. Only when I'm by myself though.
41. I've always had a funny laugh.
42. I'm a Mets fan.
43. I'm a list person.
44. I am terribly forgetful.
45. I'm afraid of birds.
46. I'm afraid of what might lurk in the dark.
47. I'm horrible with names of fictional characters.
48. I can definitely a bitch.
49. But I also think I'm one of the nicest people you'll meet if I like you.
50. I'm not a religious person.
51. Being a assistant sunday school teacher turned me away from churches when I was asked to get onto the kids about their parents paying for the class.
52. I don't believe in forever or happily ever after.
53. If I could be any animal, I would be a bird.
54. I'm a bit of a germaphobe.
55. I think I have some sort of OCD too.
56. I hate taking pills.
57. They make me gag.
58. I met the Foo Fighters years ago.
59. I've been to Colombia.
60. I wish I weren't as uptight as I am.
61. I was named after my grandmother.
62. I never met her.
63. I'm not very affectionate.
64. I want to change that.
65. I'm hard headed like my father.
66. I'm like him in many ways.
67. I've been to Canada.
68. I've been to Germany.
69. I think I'm due for another out of the country trip.
70. When I was a toddler I hit my head on a radiator and now it feels like there's a hole in my skull on my right eyebrow.
71. I can wiggle my eyes.
72. I can make flatulent sounds with the palms of my hands.
73. My guilty pleasure is Doctor Who.
74. I can NOT stand Nickelback.
75. Another of my guilty pleasures is cheesy romance novels.
76. I read them very sparsely and I don't let anyone see me. Don't judge me. lol
77. I don't have a favorite ice cream flavor.
78. I want to try them all!
79. I argue the most with my brother.
80. I only do it out of love.
81. I can't take naps.
82. I sleep right through them.
83. I have a lot to learn.
84. My favorite color is green.
85. Music snobs annoy me.
86. I like the numbing feeling of pins and needles.
87. I don't care for politics.
88. I think nerds/geeks are awesome.
89. I want to learn archery.
90. I love the rush of shooting a gun.
91. I just need to get my aim down.
92. I'm not a great cook.
93. I'm a great baker.
94. So I've been told.
95. I dont eat my baked goods much.
96. I like to give them away to people that appreciate them.
97. I'm afraid of being alone.
98. I hate to see people sad.
99. I love getting postcards.
100. I think I'm becoming addicted to blogging.

Butterscotch Heaven and Endless Knitting

2008-12-22T05:47:00.005-05:00

I fell in love this past weekend. Yes, I believe this is the best thing I have tasted in a very long time. While browsing baking blogs this past weekend, I came up on http://www.cookiemadness.net/. On here I found a recipe for Butterscotch Almond Bars. Unfortunately, when checking out at the grocery store, the cashier scanned my all purpose flour with the items of the previous customer. Of course I didn't realize this until I was home stirring up the ingredients so instead of all purpose flour I had to use whole wheat flour but they still turned out delicious. I wish I had made a double batch so I could take a good bit to work. I guess the guys are going to have to make due with just a few. Another great part about this batch was that I got to use my new baking gadgets. I got a flour sifter and a pastry blender which are great but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to clean the sifter without getting clumps stuck in the sifting mechanism. Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure it out.

*Sigh* So here I sit, three days before Christmas and this is my Christmas project. It's Emily's Firmaments Shawl. I'll place the link to show what it is supposed to look like when it's finished at the end. I've been working on this shawl since October and at one point there was a incident that caused me to have to frog the entire project. My co-worker thought it would be funny to cover my eyes while working on it. Unfortunately, I didn't have a safety line in place when this happened so you can imagine what happened next. If it weren't for the fact that he was my co-worker and there were witnesses around, I think I would have strangled him right then and there. My boss (a non-knitter) even offered to hold him down for me. Just goes to show how nice my boss is. Now I'm on row 25 of 81 of Chart C. I can see the light but in reality I'm just half way through. After that all I have left to do is the edging and blocking. I don't think my mother will get this until next year and then I have to work on my brother's belated Christmas gift. I sure do hope she appreciates it and doesn't ask me "What is this? A dish towel?". Seriously, I think I'll scream.

Here's the link to the end product of the lace shawl that a very talented knitter has posted:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluepeninsula/2078840799/

Weekend Baking

2008-12-15T21:53:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I began baking again. It has been at least five years since I baked. I believed the last time was when I was living in nyc and I stayed up late making croissants for breakfast. I have forgotten how much I missed baking. Perhaps the reason for not baking is the fact that I had such a small kitchen when I moved to West Virginia. Three years ago I became vegetarian which led to being vegan for a year but I am now back to being vegetarian since last year. Now that I'm back on the baking horse I decided to make chocolate-chip oatmeal walnut cookies. I found the recipe at http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6758.0. I ended up taking almost two dozen to work the next day and the guys gobbled them all up in a matter of a few hours which was the best compliment I could've received. My boyfriend got upset that I was giving "his" cookies to them and he always complains about my cooking. Hah! I'm so glad they turned out great.

Welcome

2008-12-15T21:00:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to welcome anyone who has stumbled upon my blog. I'm not sure where to begin. I have started this blog to have a place to share my knitting and cooking projects or whatever crosses my mind perhaps. Although my posting are going to be sporadic, I hope you are able to enjoy it.