So the long ago is because it has been two years since I last posted. Cringe! The far away is because I just left on vacation this morning and flew from the east coast to the Arizona desert. The family will be spending time in Sedona before traveling over to Catalina Island and San Francisco.
Project updates: since the last post I finished my dad's blanket. I liked the pattern very much, but I wasn't that impressed with the yarn I was using. It was Berocco Comfort, and I didn't like that it was cabled, and when the blanket was done, the yarn stretched out a lot and didn't really maintain it's structure.
I did some baby knits, too. My sister's husband's brother and his wife were expecting a baby girl, so I knit the Luca blanket in pink and green and it turned out lovely! Arianna loves it, too, and wants to take it everywhere. I made two baby surprise jackets and a baby hat in neutral colors for the future. I also made her an adorable stuffed toy i designed that I named "Bumble Bea". And good news, I have two friends who both informed us of bundles on the way. I have a couple of blankets and quilt patterns I would like to design for them, but I had better work on my quilting skills ASAP. There's also a baby book from Cascade 220 that I want to make a lot of stuff from.
The big project of the moment is a blanket for my mom. I designed it myself, and it is turning put swimmingly. If all goes well all the way to the end, it is something I might try to get published. This is also the project I brought on vacation with me. (Don't worry! It's made up of squares I sew together, so I didn't bring the whole thing with me.)
That will about wrap this up for today. I'll add pictures when I get home from vacay, unless I can figure out how to do it from my phone before then.
Adios!
July 30, 2011
September 6, 2009
Nice Long Weekend . . .
Dear readers,
Oh, I love those nice long weekends. We had our students for orientation on Wed and Thurs, but we don't go back to school full time until Tuesday. How nice it is to have some extra time to get things accomplished. With that in mind . . .
I have started to knit Clapotis, hoping to have it ready for Rhinebeck in October. I want to wear SOMETHING I made, but I am not sure what I have made so far will work. This is made out of shades of beautiful blues, and hopefully I'll have a picture up during the next post.
I have put some more things on Etsy. Today you would find a new batt:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30487312
. . . and new handspun boucle yarn:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30492401
On Saturday I went to the New York Renaissance Faire for the first time. I have never been to other RenFairs, or ComicCons or anything of the sort, so it was weird to see so many people dressed up in costume. If I was smart enough, I would have thrown my bellydance hip belt into my bag and worn that! One thing I did question, though, is why are there so many people dressed up as fairies? What did they have to do with the medieval and renaissance periods? Here are some pictures from the event:
The rest of this weekend will find me working on Clapotis, continuing an afghan for my father, spinning some watermelon yarn I have been dying to start and maybe some more drum carding if I have time. Time just seems to whisk by these days, though!
Till next time,
Samantha
Oh, I love those nice long weekends. We had our students for orientation on Wed and Thurs, but we don't go back to school full time until Tuesday. How nice it is to have some extra time to get things accomplished. With that in mind . . .
I have started to knit Clapotis, hoping to have it ready for Rhinebeck in October. I want to wear SOMETHING I made, but I am not sure what I have made so far will work. This is made out of shades of beautiful blues, and hopefully I'll have a picture up during the next post.
I have put some more things on Etsy. Today you would find a new batt:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30487312
. . . and new handspun boucle yarn:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30492401
On Saturday I went to the New York Renaissance Faire for the first time. I have never been to other RenFairs, or ComicCons or anything of the sort, so it was weird to see so many people dressed up in costume. If I was smart enough, I would have thrown my bellydance hip belt into my bag and worn that! One thing I did question, though, is why are there so many people dressed up as fairies? What did they have to do with the medieval and renaissance periods? Here are some pictures from the event:
The rest of this weekend will find me working on Clapotis, continuing an afghan for my father, spinning some watermelon yarn I have been dying to start and maybe some more drum carding if I have time. Time just seems to whisk by these days, though!
Till next time,
Samantha
August 23, 2009
New Stuff on Etsy!!
OOOOH!
I posted tons of cool new stuff on Etsy today. Here are some of the things you can find:
Handspun Yarns:
Tequila Sunrise - Corespun Yarn
Grapevine - Boucle Yarn
Tropical Vanilla Lip Balm
Purple Monster - Handknit Scarf
Fall Trees - Notecards
Have fun looking - I had fun making!
I posted tons of cool new stuff on Etsy today. Here are some of the things you can find:
Handspun Yarns:
Tequila Sunrise - Corespun Yarn
Grapevine - Boucle Yarn
Tropical Vanilla Lip Balm
Purple Monster - Handknit Scarf
Fall Trees - Notecards
Have fun looking - I had fun making!
What a week!
Oooh! I had so much fun this weekend. I got a bunch of packages in the mail. These two sets of fibery goodness came from a Ravelry swap I am in.
I also received packages in the mail from several Etsy sellers. I received matchbook notebooks and post-it note holders from CardsandNotes . These were so cute and some are destined for stocking stuffers. I got many different kinds of fiber from windrose . I used some of these items already to make a cool peacock fiber batt. (Picture coming.) And I also received fibery locks from sk8ndrake85 .
I addition to receiving packages, I also got a lot of spinning, plying, twist setting and batt making done. As soon as I've placed them on Etsy I'll post pictures.
I also received packages in the mail from several Etsy sellers. I received matchbook notebooks and post-it note holders from CardsandNotes . These were so cute and some are destined for stocking stuffers. I got many different kinds of fiber from windrose . I used some of these items already to make a cool peacock fiber batt. (Picture coming.) And I also received fibery locks from sk8ndrake85 .
I addition to receiving packages, I also got a lot of spinning, plying, twist setting and batt making done. As soon as I've placed them on Etsy I'll post pictures.
August 17, 2009
Weekend Laziness
I have a nice long weekend go by, and why don't I feel like I accomplished anything! I did start knitting a new pair of socks. It's the same pattern I wrote last summer and used for these socks:
just in a different colorway (using silk garden sock), and I'm making the legs a little longer since I know I'll have enough yarn this time. Last time I was on a train for three days, and didn't really have a way to see how much I had used for the cuff and leg, so I thought I would take the safe road. I also did some spinning. I bought this
from jazzturtle on Etsy and am loving it! I want this to be a pretty and soft boucle yarn! If it turns out the way I want, I'll have it on Etsy soon.
just in a different colorway (using silk garden sock), and I'm making the legs a little longer since I know I'll have enough yarn this time. Last time I was on a train for three days, and didn't really have a way to see how much I had used for the cuff and leg, so I thought I would take the safe road. I also did some spinning. I bought this
from jazzturtle on Etsy and am loving it! I want this to be a pretty and soft boucle yarn! If it turns out the way I want, I'll have it on Etsy soon.
August 13, 2009
I LOVE Tutorials
I love tutorials.
There is nothing better than sharing the joy someone else has in sharing something they made. And . . . boy, do I adore the work and talent that went into creating the step by step instructions, too.
With that, I found a site this morning (when checking my twitter) called Bitter Betty Blogs. She has a great tutorial posted on making lace jellyfish.
In addition, I found another site a couple of days ago, Totally Tutorials, that has quite a few fun crafty-good lessons on it.
Someday I hope to have something worthy of making a tutorial. Until that day, have fun searching around these site, and let me know of any other good ones you've come across.
There is nothing better than sharing the joy someone else has in sharing something they made. And . . . boy, do I adore the work and talent that went into creating the step by step instructions, too.
With that, I found a site this morning (when checking my twitter) called Bitter Betty Blogs. She has a great tutorial posted on making lace jellyfish.
In addition, I found another site a couple of days ago, Totally Tutorials, that has quite a few fun crafty-good lessons on it.
Someday I hope to have something worthy of making a tutorial. Until that day, have fun searching around these site, and let me know of any other good ones you've come across.
August 11, 2009
Anybody, Anybody? Bueller, Bueller?
And I disappeared again! Oops. It wasn't as long this time, though. I am sure I was not missed that much since I haven't been coming here very often. Time for this to change.
Lots of things have been happening since I last posted. I have made/started tons of knitting projects and put them on Ravelry and Flickr. Check me out on Ravelry as SamanthaNJ.
I have started an Etsy shop: http://yarnspirations.etsy.com/
This name came to me a couple of years ago when I decided that I wanted to spend a lot of time on fiber crafts including knitting, spinning, dyeing, sewing, felting . . . you get the picture. And since my projects are usually inspired by something I see around me, something I hear, etc, I wanted that to translate in the shop name. I started filling it up about two weeks ago. Right now there is mostly soaps and lip balms there from my soap company, Luvable Lights, but you will see fiber begin to take over as I get more items finished.
I also bought a drum carder! I have been eyeing one of these for the LONGEST time. Part of it was my birthday present, and I paid for the rest. I have been able to play with a few color combinations, but I need to get more fiber. Here are three batts I made and put in my etsy shop:
Berrylicious: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28869634
Old Glory: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28815360
Strawberries and Cream: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28870659
Tell me what you think!
Lots of things have been happening since I last posted. I have made/started tons of knitting projects and put them on Ravelry and Flickr. Check me out on Ravelry as SamanthaNJ.
I have started an Etsy shop: http://yarnspirations.etsy.com/
This name came to me a couple of years ago when I decided that I wanted to spend a lot of time on fiber crafts including knitting, spinning, dyeing, sewing, felting . . . you get the picture. And since my projects are usually inspired by something I see around me, something I hear, etc, I wanted that to translate in the shop name. I started filling it up about two weeks ago. Right now there is mostly soaps and lip balms there from my soap company, Luvable Lights, but you will see fiber begin to take over as I get more items finished.
I also bought a drum carder! I have been eyeing one of these for the LONGEST time. Part of it was my birthday present, and I paid for the rest. I have been able to play with a few color combinations, but I need to get more fiber. Here are three batts I made and put in my etsy shop:
Berrylicious: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28869634
Old Glory: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28815360
Strawberries and Cream: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28870659
Tell me what you think!
January 4, 2009
I'm a Loser . . .
My family and I just came back from spending the weekend in Connecticut, gambling at the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. It was fun even though I lost a little. We spent the first day at Mohegan Sun. It was incredibly crowded there, and hard to find empty seats at slots my sister and I wanted to play. It was very nice to walk around there, very scenic, but I only won a little bit of money at the beginning of the day and nothing the rest of the time. We went to Margaritaville for dinner. I thought I would be safe and eat Chicken Quesadillas, but even those were a little spicy for me.
On Saturday, we went shopping in Mystic for a little bit, and then played at MGM and Foxwoods. My sister and I played a lot of "Super Jackpot Party"! Whoo! I did win some money there and both my sisters won on those machines, too. In the end, everyone liked doing their own thing. Mom likes to play the penny slots
v e r y slowly. Dad likes Blackjack. My sister Michelle and her fiance, Mike, like the poker tables, and my sister Kimberly and I play the slots.
I got a lot less knitting done than I had hoped. The only project I worked on was the flat feet sock, and I am still about 40 rows from the end. I'm about to go back to that now! See ya later.
On Saturday, we went shopping in Mystic for a little bit, and then played at MGM and Foxwoods. My sister and I played a lot of "Super Jackpot Party"! Whoo! I did win some money there and both my sisters won on those machines, too. In the end, everyone liked doing their own thing. Mom likes to play the penny slots
v e r y slowly. Dad likes Blackjack. My sister Michelle and her fiance, Mike, like the poker tables, and my sister Kimberly and I play the slots.
I got a lot less knitting done than I had hoped. The only project I worked on was the flat feet sock, and I am still about 40 rows from the end. I'm about to go back to that now! See ya later.
January 1, 2009
So We Meet Again!!
Well, now that almost two years have gone by . . .
I'm going to go see Marley & Me, now!
Seriously, it doesn't even seem like half as long, but it's still my fault for not having come by lately. I figured since it was the first day of a new year, this would be one of my resolutions.
This year I am going to try and follow along with the 2009 theme going around Ravelry (I'm SamanthaNJ), attempting to stitch up 100 skeins of yarn during the year. I finished off three skeins as I watched the New Years shows last night. I know I started knitting those skeins last year; I hope it's not cheating. :-) I was working on Noni's Happy Stripes Trivets. It was the last three trivets in a set of 8 and a pair of mitts I made for my mom. She recently redid the kitchen and I wanted to make her something. Here's a pic of one:
I'm going to work on a pair of socks today, from some Flat Feet I LOVE!!! This is one of my favorite color sets:
I'm going to go see Marley & Me, now!
April 7, 2007
Welcome!!!!
Welcome to Yarnspirations! I just set up this blog before heading to bed, so hopefully I will have some pictures for you very shortly.
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Samantha, I am 26 years old, and I live in New Jersey. I am a high school math teacher and love crafts of all kinds. My grandma taught me to crochet 20 years ago. About a year and a half ago I wanted to expand my horizons and try knitting. I picked up a starter kit and went to work. I could wrangle out the little 2" swatches they had you practice the knit and purl stitch on, but when I went to anything wider my stitches kept falling off the needles. What the . . . .!!!!
Well, after trying this for several hours, I resigned myself to the fact that I could have crocheted two scarves in this same amount of time and all I had to show for myself was 2 itty-bitty swatches. Away those needles went!!!
Last February I decided to pick up those knitting needles and try again. I don't know what happened, but I had no problems this time!!!! I was able to cast on, knit and purl a two-strand (fun-fur, ack!) scarf with no problems. After I finished three scarves, I went straight to a shirt and then after that jumped right into socks. Since I picked up those needles a second time I have been fearless and unstoppable. In the past year I have now knit: 8 scarves, a shawl, all the parts to that shirt, knitted flowers, 2 pairs of thrummed mittens, 2 pocketbooks, 5 finished pairs of socks, 3 half pairs of socks, and I have almost finished the cap shawl from Victorian Lace Today.
By the end of the summer I plan to have another couple of pairs of socks finished, a shawl for my grandma, two scarves for my mom, a new pair of mittens for me, a felted water bottle holder, a couple of felted coin purses, and maybe a hip scarf (the first pattern in Victorian Lace Today).
I still want to teach myself how to do cables, Fair Isle, sweater knitting, steeking, Intarsia, and dyeing yarns. I would love your input on any of these topics!
I will be posting pictures of my current and past projects soon! Please bookmark my site and leave your information behind if you would like me to visit your site, too!
Knit away!
Samantha
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Samantha, I am 26 years old, and I live in New Jersey. I am a high school math teacher and love crafts of all kinds. My grandma taught me to crochet 20 years ago. About a year and a half ago I wanted to expand my horizons and try knitting. I picked up a starter kit and went to work. I could wrangle out the little 2" swatches they had you practice the knit and purl stitch on, but when I went to anything wider my stitches kept falling off the needles. What the . . . .!!!!
Well, after trying this for several hours, I resigned myself to the fact that I could have crocheted two scarves in this same amount of time and all I had to show for myself was 2 itty-bitty swatches. Away those needles went!!!
Last February I decided to pick up those knitting needles and try again. I don't know what happened, but I had no problems this time!!!! I was able to cast on, knit and purl a two-strand (fun-fur, ack!) scarf with no problems. After I finished three scarves, I went straight to a shirt and then after that jumped right into socks. Since I picked up those needles a second time I have been fearless and unstoppable. In the past year I have now knit: 8 scarves, a shawl, all the parts to that shirt, knitted flowers, 2 pairs of thrummed mittens, 2 pocketbooks, 5 finished pairs of socks, 3 half pairs of socks, and I have almost finished the cap shawl from Victorian Lace Today.
By the end of the summer I plan to have another couple of pairs of socks finished, a shawl for my grandma, two scarves for my mom, a new pair of mittens for me, a felted water bottle holder, a couple of felted coin purses, and maybe a hip scarf (the first pattern in Victorian Lace Today).
I still want to teach myself how to do cables, Fair Isle, sweater knitting, steeking, Intarsia, and dyeing yarns. I would love your input on any of these topics!
I will be posting pictures of my current and past projects soon! Please bookmark my site and leave your information behind if you would like me to visit your site, too!
Knit away!
Samantha
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