Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Never-ending Hats!

I finished my Verity hat that I rescued from it's hibernation! The only modification that I made was the band. I hated the instructions for the band in the patterns and I hated (even more!) how it was turning out. So I frog it and just knit a K2P2 ribbing and it worked out well. I washed and blocked this piece over a dinner plate and it is turned out truly lovely.
I've been promising my Dad a hat for years....yes, years. I made him mittens a few years ago and he has worn them all winter, every winter. He even had me darn a little hole that he got from shoveling snow!

So I got some semi-matching yarn and knit him a hat to go with his mittens. I've been lazy about knitting it all week but last night I was determined to finish it. And I did. I didn't go to bed until the last end was woven in!
I have about half the skein left over and my friends just had a baby boy...so I will be casting on for the Fresh Pick Baby hat for Baby Sam. I plan to cast on today.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Hats, hats and more hats!

I finished my Cable Chapeau and Eli's Hat a few weeks ago.  I haven't worn my hat yet but Eli looks adorable in his hat.

I just picked up my Verity hat that has been lying dormant for a year. I will finish this hat this year-- I promise!
I guess when I think hats for me, I just think purple!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

La Cumparsita Completed!

I finally finished the knitting portion of La Cumparsita! Hallelujah! Of course it still needs the ends to be woven in, to be dyed and to be blocked but I'm soooo much closer now! Honestly, I'm not really sure what I will be doing with this shawl. I may give it to my mother, haven't decided. But I will document the dying process since it will be a first for me.
Last night I cast on for the Cable Chapeau from Debbie Stoller's new book Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics. I completely forgot that I pre-ordered this book and it just showed up in the mail yesterday! Nice surprise on a Monday, especially since I didn't think that it was being released until November!
I'm using up some old Cascade 220 that I've had in my stash for quite some time. It's a lovely heathered plum color. Hope it's not too itchy for me to wear. I really need a quick, instant-gratification project after the last 2 shawls that I slugged through!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Secrets, secrets...

Written on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010:

So I've been working on a couple of secret projects. I realize that I haven't posted in over a month but the big reveal has come!

My brother and his fiance are getting married Nov. 12, 2010. I've been busy working on a wedding shawl and a garter set for my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Her bridal shower is being held on Sunday and I will finally be able to give them to her.

I knit Annis in Ivory Handmaiden Sea Silk. I think that it turned out lovely. Her dress is ivory so I thought that this colorway would really compliment the warmer tones in her dress.

I also made her a garter set. They are planning on doing the traditional garter toss at the reception so I made 2 garters.
The garter with the blue ribbon is for Sam to wear on her wedding day-- it can be her "something blue" and the garter with the eggplant ribbon (our bridesmaid dresses are eggplant so I was just following the theme) is for the garter toss. They both have clear Swarvoski crystals sewn onto the bows. I made Sam's garter to Sam's specific measurements and the eggplant garter slightly larger-- who knows whose leg it will end up on!

The gifts are all packed up and ready for my trip to NY tomorrow. I hope she loves them!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Third Batch of Soap

As a child I loved creamsicles in the summer. As an adult I love them all year long! I've been know to make orange sherbet and vanilla desserts. When I was thinking about possible soap recipes the notion of a creamsicle scented soap seemed very appealing (apPEELing!). The end product smells so yummy that I'm tempted to take a bite!

Here's the recipe:
Creamsicle
16oz Clear Soap  Base colored Orange w/ yellow & red Labcolor liquid colorant
16oz White Soap Base
0.25oz Orange Valencia EO
1/2 tsp Vanilla Fragrance Oil

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Make-up Product Review: L'Oreal Infallible Stars Collection Lipcolour

I love me some red lipstick! With that said, I just had to try this product when I read Kandee Johnson's review: L'Oreal Infallible Lipcolour. OMG, she was right! Not only is the color Beyonce's Red a fabulous red but this product is not going anywhere...literally!

It reminds me of a product that I used to use years ago by Max Factor called Lipfinity except that the formula feels much lighter and actually doesn't wear away at all, not even in the center of the mouth after eating & drinking. After Lipfinity was release several other cosmetic manufacturers (Covergirl Outlast Lipcolor, Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor, Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor, to name a few) came out with very similar products but, in my opinion, nothing compared to Lipfinity until now.

I will be trying out other shades from this line. Stay tuned...

note: The seperate conditioning balm is pretty much the same as that of the other similar products out there.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Second Batch of Soap

 Boy Soap  Recipe:
1lb Hemp base
1lb Aloe base
1 tsp Tea Tree EO
1 tsp Eucalyptus EO
1 tsp Fresh Bamboo EO
2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Blue Sapphire Lab Color
1/2 White Mica
 Smells like boys...

Monday, August 2, 2010

First Batch of Soap

I made my first batch of soap yesterday. I created a recipe of my own based on the proportion of other recipes that I have read online. My goal was to make something that I can use on my face, so I didn't add any fragrance or essential oils (for scent-- thought it might be irritating).

Heres what I used:
16oz of Goat's Milk base
16oz Honey base
3 tbs Coco Butter
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 Olive Oil
1/2 oz of apricot seeds
1/2 oz of oatmeal

I poured the concoction into a loaf mold and let it harded for several hours. Then removed it, cut into 8 bars and wrapped each in plastic wrap.

Lesson learned: the hot soap must be stirred until it has cooled down considerably (I thought I did this but read an article with a better description of how the soap should look after I had already poured it) so that the exfoliants added stay suspended in the mixture instead of sinking to the bottom of the mold as mine did. Also, the soap has a mildly greasy feel...too much oil? Not sure.

Anyway, I didn't do too badly for my first attempt. I even washed my face with it last night and this morning! More to come!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Soap!

I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head. But soap making...I've always wanted to learn about soap making! I have this idea in my head that I will learn the process, create awesome soaps and them open an Etsy shop to sell my soaps. It might be a pipe dream for now but I'm on my way.
Above is my first amateur attempt at melt and pour soap making. I bought a cheapy kit at A.C. Moore when I was in NY last month and just got around to testing the waters of soap making. The materials included in the kit aren't very good quality but it was good enough for a mere amateur such as myself. I also just purchases some real soap making supplies from Bramble Berry to really get going once I have it down pat.

I have been intrigued by soaps that have chunks of colored soap pieces within a opaque base. So I learned a little about this method on youtube. I think that this method would work out a lot better if I made a huge batch and cut each bar individually but I used the starter kit materials and the individual bar mold for the ease of learning and not being wasteful of my limited materials.
For a first try, I think it turned out ok. The blue, pink and orange translucent chucks were all dyed and molded separately and them chopped up and dropped into a white opaque base with fragrance added. I used cucumber-melon fragrance, which I'm not crazy about, but wanted to try everything that came in the kit.

My better quality supplies arrived yesterday so I will be attempting more soap (better quality soap!) in the very near future!

Monday, July 26, 2010

At-home Animal Print Mani!

I love animal print-- leopard, cheetah, zebra-- you name it! My sister recently had an awesome manicure done with leopard print nail art on one nail on each hand. It was gorgeous....but really expensive. I figured that I could definitley do an at-home version for much, much less!


So here what I used:
Out the Door Topcoat
Orly Bonder Basecoat
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish, Choco-Latte
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen, Black and gold
 
I did my usual mani: starting with a coat of Orly Bonder, 2 coats of color, then used the nail art pens to create the leopard print, and then finished with a coat of Out the Door as usual. And ta-da-- a cute mani for the week!
 
 
 
 

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Leaf Yoke Top and it only took me 7 months (haha)!

Well, tonight I finally put the finishing touches (applied i-cord edging on the neck and arm holes) on my Leaf Yoke Top. It turned out beautifully.
This top was my first project using short-row bust shaping. The short-rows created an extra pouch of fabric for my busty top half. What a difference it makes. It is so much more comfortable when there isn't any pulling across the chest. Not only is it more comfy but it looks soooo much nicer when the pattern isn't distorted when I squeeze the DDs into a B-C space.

Naturally, I'm planning on wearing this top tomorrow-- no need to block LB Cottonease. I even have the perfect shoes to wear with it!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Yesterday I went to Chinatown (WinMil Fabrics) in search of some fun fabric to make fabric roses. My primary thought was to adorn cheap wife-beater tank top necklines with them. I love the irony of mixing casual/dress down with fancy/dress up elements. Then I figured that I might make some hair clips and/or brooches with them. They're so fun and easy to create. I'm really digging the raw edges (I tore the fabric into a strip rather than cutting it). It adds a nice dimension. We'll see.

After fabric shopping, I walked to Back Bay. I wanted to go to For Eyes to check out some new frames. The temple hinges on my current pair have had it. I had no intention of buying until I tried these on:
They don't look like much but they were very complimentary on. And I got a deal! Love it. Should have them but the end of the week. Yay for glasses that don't constantly slip down my nose. I also fell in love with these but I figured that I couldn't really justify new sunnies since mine are in perfect condition. Wah...maybe in a week or two I can reconsider a potential frivolous purchase.

I also checked out Anthropology while I was in the area. I love that place for inspiration. Unfortunately, all I was drawn to were big Jackie O-type sunglasses. I have such a one-track mind!

This morning I broke out the sewing machine to hem a pair of yoga pants that I've been meaning to hem since November and sewed a pillow that I cut the fabric for ~3-4 years ago! Done and done! I'm feeling pretty productive. I even washed my sheets...now if I could only motivate myself (clad in freshly hemmed yoga pants) to get my ass to the gym!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Yo-Yo Necklace

 
My creation from yesterday's crafternoon with Holly & Jenny. Isn't it neat!?