Highlights Of A Disorganized Internet

I was on Facebook today, and a random grade school individual who I never chatted with had friended me. I was feeling generous and I friended her back. It was odd because on reading some of her wall, I realized I'd probably like her now. I'd probably be friends with her. We have a ton in common, including reading habits and the same sense of humor. Yet, we'll probably never be anything other than Facebook friends. The internet is weird. I think I would have been happier not knowing this.

It's been a while since I posted random links to my blog to see what sticks, so let's get to it.

I'm on Ravelry, Twitter, and Facebook. Let's be social networking pals, okay? If you don't think I follow your blog, let me know, so I can!

I follow a lot of sewing blogs, and I've seen a series of people doing jeans this summer. None of them have impressed me as much as the ones Quixotic Pixel has done. If I thought I could make these jeans, I would start sewing now.

So, I have a terrible confession to make. I don't like the sweaters people make from EZ books. I just don't. I don't like her baby clothes either. It is horrible because this probably makes me a bad knitter. I mostly try to get over it, skipping EZ related podcasts/blog updates/stuff, however, I had to read this blog post about a children sized February Lady Sweater. It's so adorable on this little girl that I'm thinking about adding the FLS to my queue!

Knitted fabric scares the pants off of me. I have yet to work with it, and I'm terrified to. When scanning through Vogue's patterns one day, I noticed a very cute drawn picture of a dress made from knitted fabric and it was one of their Very Easy, Very Vogue patterns (Vogue 8571), so I added it to my wishlist of patterns. I started to believe that it was too cute in the drawing and made up it'd look horrible. Turns out? I was totally wrong. It's super cute in this blog post and I want to make it in deep red or brown or grey. What say you, internet?

Anyway, it's time for me to head out now. I need to go put on my cute new cupcake pjs and knit a row of my scarf and go to bed. Oh, what cute new cupcake pjs, you ask? Well, that's another blog post!

BTW, if any of you use a social site for keeping track of books, let me know which you prefer, okay? Thanks!

Pride Goeth Before the Fall

During our last murder mystery, Helen kindly lent me a dress to fit in with the 1930s vibe of the night. She told me it had probably belonged to her grandmother and that it didn't really fit anyone in her house because it was for short people. (She might not have said it like that, but I know what I heard. She might as well have called me shrimp.) It was a nice dress, and a tiny bit tight, but nothing worrisome. If anything, it wasn't tight so much as well-fitted. However, during the course of the night, I felt a few stitches rip and I was horribly embarrassed about my fat tummy.

Later on, while removing it, I saw that the frayed thread looked pretty old and I realized that while my habit of chugging frappucinos had not helped the dress to stay in order, it hadn't hurt as much as I thought. The dress broke away from the zipper mainly because that thread was so old that it had become fragile. I told Helen what had happened and promised her I would fix the dress. I mean, I have a sewing machine, no? I could just whip that sucker up.

Things happened, however, and I forgot about the dress until this evening when I examined the zipper and its lost threads in more detail. Folks, this wasn't some machine made dress. It was hand-sewn. That easy fix is going to require some invisible stitching to attach the outer dress to the zipper. The inner lining will be a much easier straight stitch, but I'm not going to bring down the awesomeness of this dress by machine sewing it.

I pinned the whole thing together for my ease of sewing, and I've got plans for tomorrow night. I had been going to make myself a cute pair of pajama pants, but I foresee some hand-sewing now. I would do it tonight, but it is late, and I will need to practice whipstitching invisibly prior to working on this dress.

I can't believe I thought I was just going to machine stitch this vintage dress. I'm an idiot.

Here's a picture of the dress in murdering action:



Totally cute, no? I mean, not as great as Helen's or Paula's outfits, but it is something!

New Ninja On the Block

You might have noticed, but a new blogger posted on 'my' craft blog here. It's no longer really my craft blog, however. It's our craft blog. I finally guilted Helen into blogging with me. I feel no shame about doing it, either.

I have been complaining for years now that I want a co-blogger for Ninja Kitten Knits, and as I began branching out into other crafts, I started to reconsider my blog concept, as well.

Tonight, at dinner, while discussing blogging with our friends, Helen started to lay down the guilt on Paul for not posting to her food blog. We got into our discussion and I pointed out that no one posted to my crafting blog, and she told me she'd join, so I promptly invited her, and she already has one post. I then joined her food blog, even though I'm the worst person to have on a food blog ever, and posted. (Seriously, if anyone else would like to invite me to blogs that are inappropriate for my hobbies, skills, or abilities, I am also horrible at sports, applying make-up, singing, and being laid back. Just invite me! I can discuss my failures in each of these topics at length.)

After some IM discussion with Helen, I decided to change my site name since "Ninja Kitten Knits" was inaccurate in all ways. We are now "Ninjas, Kittens, Crafts". Our topics still include knitting (primarily), but we will also branch out into other topics such as beading, sewing, card-making, kittens, and our ninja adventures.

To go back to knitting, however, Helen is thinking of working on her first sweater, and, if she does, I think I might also and force a first sweater knitalong with her. I've already talked about how I'm a much better competitive knitter than not. Ingenue by Wendy Bernard in Custom Knits has been calling my name for a while too! However, Helen has wanted to knit a cardigan. Anyone know how easy the Featherweight Cardigan is to knit?

In the meantime, a big hello to our newest Ninja Kitten, Helen!

My First Earrings (and Post)!

Crafting is something better done in pairs, groups or gaggles, and so, too, is craft blogging! Paula brought Jenn and I a bead bonanza from Washington state, so we sat down one night to break into beading and watch He's Just Not That Into You. (Note: this was too ambitious. We only made it halfway through the movie.)

Beading is overwhelming. Despite copious resources, Jenn and I each made a pair of earrings, then had to stop.


Earrings in repose


An earring in action

Looks simple. Do not be deceived. I am working up my strength and ingenuity to bead again.

P.S. Does this make me an honorary ninja kitten?

Actual Knitting Pictures Included Below

My, my. How are you all doing? Just last night I chatted with you. Will this daily posting become a habit? My guess is no.

I was taking photos of a very simple dessert I made today when I decided to throw in a few yarn photos. The only one I cared for was this shot of my sock knitting in the lovely yarn bag that Vahnee gave me.



Isn't that yarn absolutely gorgeous? It's Schaeffer Anne in some unknown color way. Admit it, it's gorgeous! I'm so pleased that this variegated yarn does not yet look disgusting.

A Library Break

As many of you know, I love books and I love to read. Since I'm trying to save a bit of money, my book spending has gone down in recent years vastly. Prior to marriage, I probably dropped hundreds of dollars on books each month. My library was full to packed, and I had multiple bookshelves which were double stacked with books. I had books piled on books in front of other books.

When I moved in with Paul, he kindly got my to realize this was stupidity. There was no need for this great amount of books, most of which went unloved. I had a library card and I could buy books that I really wanted. We only have one bookshelf and most of it is packed with my books, again stacked on each other in front of other books stacked on each other. I have some books in the attic as well, and many other books are still at my mom's house, but now, every time I decide to keep a new book, I must decide to get rid of another. I've virtually rid myself of manga, silly romances, and less than awesome fantasy novels.

When I started to use the library, I found they had a new option that I had never known of -- reserving and holding books at the library using the internet. It's like Amazon, but for free, and you have pick up and return the books. I used it liberally those first years, but then, I got delayed on sending some books back, and then I got pregnant, and then I had Nathan, and then I owed roughly one hundred and fifty dollars to the library.

Taking action, I decided to call them. They told me if I returned all the books I had out for years, I would be down to owing fifty dollars. I "promptly" returned all my overdue books. I then let that fifty dollar fine sit and sit, and it hurt. I wanted to get books out of the library, but I couldn't, and I was visiting the damnable library all the time for Nathan's story times.

This week, I broke down and decided to pay them some of my fine with cash I had been carrying for three weeks and not using. After paying, I asked the librarian helping me if I could get books out or if the fine was too much. They said, "Go ahead and get some books!"

That's all you needed to tell me. I came home and promptly reserved five books, a few related to crafting and a few fiction. Let me tell you, modern crafting books are apparently a hot commodity in the library world. I am five out of five people waiting to borrow Sew What! Skirts.

I got my first reserved book today, and I am thrilled with it. It's reminiscent of Battle Royale, but without the slight strangeness that Battle Royale brings by being a product of Japan. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a young adult story of a girl battling for her life in an arena where there can be only one victor in a fight to the death between twenty four teenagers. I ripped through the book in less than two hours, so it's a very quick read, but it is one I can suggest for people who like young adult stories or who like fantasy stories about people being forced to battle for their lives in a game. For those of you who care, I mostly liked the main character, a girl who volunteers for the game to prevent her younger sister from being taken to play in it. She's deadly and focused and while romance between herself and another of the players is a theme of the story, she has the sense to realize that romance is stupid until it can benefit her, and even then the romance is another of her tools in the game.

Anyway, check out the book. If you're curious, this whole post is a byproduct of not having any significant crafting to share with you. I am now nearly halfway done with my scarf. I flipped out this week and started to knit like the wind on it. I followed through with my knit at least three rounds a day promise to myself and it has made a difference. I can't show you any sewing because for the last week or so, my sewing area has had no light. Our switch broke and poor injured Paul has just repaired it today.

Pictures of my crafting soon. I promise. Until then, go browse some food sites or something and make some delicious asparagus dishes.

Competitive Knitting

Mrs. Knitpicky (or Wit on Ravelry) wrote a nice comment to tell me that I was doing well and that knitting isn't a competitive sport. This is true, but it is also false.

I forget that nowadays I actually have several readers/subscribers I know solely through online means or whom I might not even know at all. People, I'm competitive. I'm ridiculously competitive. When I meet people I don't know well, I have a story to point out how competitive I am.

When I was young, and still freshly dating Paul, we sat down for a game of chess. Paul had taught me how to play just a month or so before, and I was interested in the game, though he beat me in four moves the first game. (If I might make a note to those of you who ever decide to teach another person how to play chess -- do not do this. Point it out if you think they are opening in a way that leads to this capture of the king. If you actually beat them in four moves it will demoralize them greatly.) Well, we played several games and I lost them all, as you can imagine. Paul is just as intelligent as I am, after all, and he has a much much better strategic mind. Let's just say that if we were in a war, and you had a choice of who could be your general and tactician, me or him? I'd advise you to choose Paul. So, one night, we sat down for a game, and Paul beat me pretty badly. I tried not to, but... I cried. I cried hard. I sobbed like a girl. See, I equate chess to intelligence, and to consistently fail at chess meant I was stupid, as far as I was concerned.

People, we didn't play chess for roughly eight more years. We just played a game in the last year. He still beat me, but not so badly. I kind of wonder if he let me do somewhat better just to keep from depressing me.

So, as you can see, telling me that chess is not a competitive sport is good advice, but I've already ignored it. I'm already competitive. Do you want to know how I could be a faster knitter of Harry Potter scarves? Someone I know in real life such as Helen or Marlon could tell me they've taken up knitting Harry Potter scarves and they were into section six or whatnot. I will tell you right now that my little fingers would fly to keep ahead of them. This is not an attractive personality trait, but it's one that I'm sharing nonetheless. This is my blog, you should know how I am.

Other horrible traits I have include being horribly shy, judgmental, and slightly mean. Other people have called me self-centered, selfish, capricious, flighty, and evil.

I promise I have good qualities too. Keep reading my blog -- you might learn about them at some time.

I'll give you one right now, I persevere! I restarted my Schaffer Anne socks today. I am also kind to kittens.

Photo by Fofurasfelinas

Why I Am The Worst Knitter Ever

So, as you all know, I've been knitting this stupid mindless Slytherin scarf since last October. I'm on the seventh out of fifteen large blocks of color and I have just been trying to crank through this. I try to get a round a night, at least, since the beginning of June, and some nights much more. However, I just read a thread of Ravelry which had the following type of conversation:

Original Poster: How long will this take me to knit?
Reply 1: I knit it in two weeks!
Reply 2: I knit it in a month and a half, but back then I was a new knitter!
Reply 3: It took me a month, but I was always busy back then.
Reply 4: Two weeks!

WTF, people? What am I doing wrong? Seriously? It's a 90 stitch round, and you have to do 27 rounds of it per color block, and then you're switching yarns like crazy for the next few sections, and weaving them all in, and then you're back to another huge color block. How are you doing this in two weeks? My gosh, do I really need to learn the Continental method of knitting?

I feel like such a failure at knitting. I mean, not only am I the slowest knitter on Earth, but my Schaeffer Anne socks? I had to rip them completely out and re-start due to the fact that I knit a size too small socks on size zero needles. I knit out one inch of fabric.

On the other hand, I beaded and made myself a cute little pair of earrings! Pics to come in my next post, hopefully. Helen made better earrings, and I hope she'll post them to her blog, so I can link to her post.

Old Cross Stitch

Remember when I told you I'd saved up a whole bunch of my cross-stitches to post when I had nothing else to post! Here's one of those times. I mean, I'm doing stuff. I'm actually on the sixth stripe sequence of my scarf, and I've gotten a ton done on my most recent cross-stitch, and I've started a pair of socks, but I'm not doing anything interesting, is the problem.

Well, anyway, here's a photo of work I've done in the past.



This is the "Summer" girl for a collection of Precious Moments and my second or third favorite from the collection. I would say it was definitely my second favorite, but for one thing. I've cross-stitched this sucker twice. That's right, this probably took me about two or more years to complete, because I completed it once, and then twice. The first one, I put into my purse to go look into framing options. Well, I took that purse to the movie theatre where I left it in the bathroom and someone stole that purse. I wasn't even bitter about losing my cards and some spare cash. I was hatefully bitter at the person who took my cross-stitch. Seriously. If you ever come across this blog post, thief, which I know you won't, but if you do, I hate you.

I managed to work out most of my negative energy while I cross-stitched it the second time, but why couldn't that person return my purse sans cards and cash to the movie theatre? Sigh. Oh well.

How have you all been? I'm still busy but things are getting better!

Silence On The Craft Front

I haven't been doing much recently. What with trying to get our washer/dryer fixed, a vacation booked, cards/presents for Paul's bday and Father's Day, and dealing with Nathan's first birthday, I've been mostly just vegging. I mean, I watched the beginning of True Blood and I didn't even break out any knitting during that time. Normally I love to knit while watching television, but, instead, Paul and I just cuddled. That was nice.

However, after a good restful weekend, which included delicious naps and the best quiche I've ever eaten, I decided it was time to get back on the crafting horse. Since we were driving to Paul's parents for dinner today, I took along my Schaefer Anne sock yarn and started a vanilla sock on size 0 needles. If I like the look of the variegation a lot when I come to the straight stockinette part, I might rip the whole thing out and cast on another pair of socks, only using a pattern. Or, since they give so much damned yardage and I have 'small' feet, I might just get a vanilla anklet pair and a patterned pair.

Since I don't have much to report right now, I thought I'd tell you all that a new free online knitting magazine just started! It's specifically targeted to patterns for children which makes me so happy since I have one now. Petite Purls is starting with a summer issue and it actually includes a pattern for boys. Better yet the pattern calls for two skeins of a yarn I've been dying to use. There is an adorable little stuffed lobster pattern too, but I've got my heart set on sewing my first homemade stuffed animal, and then knitting Sheldon. Of course, I'll never do any of this because I'll still be knitting the stupid Slytherin scarf when I'm 90.

Miss you all! I plan to write more soon, but let me just get past Father's Day, okay?