You Bought How Much Kool-Aid???

A lot. Like, if I was to make one pack's worth of Kool-aid a week, and consume it within that week, more than enough to last a year. But no, that's not why I have so much. In addition to the large amount of knitting I do, I have started dying my own yarn--wait for it-- with Kool-aid!! I've gotten some awesome colors and plan on making many more Kool-aid skeins.

I have some professional dyes as well, for colors I won't be able to obtain with Kool-aid, but I will still use Kool-aid because of some of the color combinations I've gotten--I don't know how I would get them with "regular" dyes.

Now you may be wondering what I will be doing with all this hand-dyed yarn? Well that's for me to know and you to . . . nah, just kidding. I will, in the near future be opening an Etsy shop where I will sell my hand-dyed yarns in addition to some sewn project bags, and beaded (courtesy of my sister) and tatted stitch markers. So stay tuned!



Top row (left to right): Cherry Dr. Pepper (lace), Shen-Lung (sock), and Pink Tourmaline (sock)
Bottom row (left to right): Koi (sock), Cherry Dr. Pepper (sock), Dragonfire (sock), and Ruby (lace).

Info for Swaps

This is a list of my various likes and dislikes, wants, and wish lists etc. for swaps (for Ravelry in particular)

Likes

TV shows

• Dr. Who
• Battlestar Galactica
• Big Bang Theory
• Firefly
• The Vampire Diaries (Damon Salvatore!!)
• Star Trek (currently watching Next Generation, will watch the original series next)
• Corner Gas
• Warehouse 13
• Castle
• Say Yes to the Dress
• MLP: FiM (yes, I truly enjoy it)
• New Girl
• Veronica Mars

Movies

• X-men (all of them)
• How to Train Your Dragon (1 and 2)
• Princess Bride
• Star Wars
• Most Disney movies (absolute favorites includes: Lilo & Stitch, Lion King, Mulan)
• Most other action/sci-fi/fantasy/superhero movies (e.g. LOTR, the Hobbit, Avengers, Star Trek, etc.)
• Twilight (all of them)

Music

• Most 80s (favorites include Journey, Queen, Billy Idol, various others)
• Certain modern Pop songs (but I'm really picky about those)
• Soundtrack music

Book Types

• vampire/werewolf stories (I do have the first 4 Vampire Diaries books)
• dragon-related (I have many of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books)
• other sci-fi and fantasy
• thriller (mild thrillers. haven't read too many)

Noms

• Gummies
• White and milk chocolate
• gum (but please no cinnamon)
• Mountain Dew
• Bacon (real bacon, not the fake stuff)

Other Favorites

• Sock Yarn (but please no "clown barf" yarns. :)
• Lace Yarn
• Computer Games (especially Minecraft, Portal, Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Medal of Honor, Sims 2, I'm getting interested in Sims 3, Age of Empires II)
• Various themed merchandise: Dr. Who (David Tennant is my favorite Doctor), X-men (Wolverine, Nightcrawer, Gambit), Vampire Diaries (Team Damon), Twilight (Team Cullen), etc.
• Corsets/corset-type things
• Cartoons: Garfield, The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes
• Fun candy tins (e.g. some I have are pac-man ghost shaped, wii-mote shaped, hello kitty head shaped)
• Color: orange, blue, green, purple, red

Dislikes

• Food: Coconut, most nuts (but I do like peanuts, pistachios, and cashews), most fruits
• Yarn: acrylic, Noro yarn, cotton (unless it is a small percentage of content, then it's ok)
• Books: Romance (romance in moderation is alright, but if something is predominantly romantic, then I don't really care for it)

Specific wants

• Patterns: see Ravelry wishlist
• Project bags (you can never have too many)
• Gift cards: iTunes, online yarn stores (e.g. Jimmy Beans Wool, Knit Picks, etc.)
• Amazon wishlist: click here
• Knit Picks wishlist: click here
• Etsy favorites: click here

Wii Mote Tote

I designed this for a Ravelry swap partner this past March. It is designed to hold 4 wii motes, however, due to the nature of knitted fabric, this tote can hold more than 4.

Materials
~ 1 cone Peaches & Creme cotton yarn (100% cotton, 14oz/396g, approx 690 yds) in color 213 Sour Green Apple
~ size US 7 set of 5 DPNs (or set of 4 and a short circular needle to act as a 5th DPN)
~ size G crochet hook
~ scrap yarn in a contrasting color, yarn needle

BASE
CO 28
Row 1: (K1, sl1 pwise wyif) across, turn. Note: If you are a knitter who usually slips the first st in each row DO NOT DO SO HERE! The first K st is necessary to the formation of the base

Rep row 1 for about 4"

Next row: Work from here on out proceeds in rounds. Needle 1 ssk across, DO NOT TURN, Needle 2 PU 22 sts (or an even # of sts, one from each V) along side of base, Needle 3 PU 14 sts from beg CO, Needle 4 PU 22 sts (or same # of sts picked up on needle 2) along last side of base. Turn so that the ridge on the WS of pick up round is now on the RS.

Work even in St st (K every round) rounds for 9"

Next round (eyelet round): (yo, k2tog) around.

Work even in St st for another 1", BO.

Using size G crochet hook, crochet a chain 100 chs long (thereabouts, doesn't have to be exact), Fasten off leaving a tail about the same length as the beginning tail. Weave chain in and out of eyelet round, tie end tails together. Trim tails to approx 2 1/4" if they aren't that length already.

Using contrasting yarn and yarn needle, embroider "Wii Motes" on bag (but without quotation marks)

Weave in all ends except chain tails.

Cunning Socks

This is more of a tutorial than an actual pattern, since I am not going to be providing specific instructions for heels, toes, COs, BOs, etc. But you can easily find instructions for a myriad of ways to do all these in books and on the internet. And I have not knitted these myself (hence the lack of a picture of the actual sock, but I have the yarn so a picture of the actual sock will be coming) but here ya go anyways:

Cunning Socks

Cascade Heritage (100g, 437 yds, 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon)

5646 Pumpkin 1 skein (CA)
5645 Tangerine 1 skein (CB)
5644 Lemon 1 skein (CC)

Size 2 needles, or whatever size you normally use for a 64 st sock (whatever type you prefer, personally, I would recommend a 40" circ, so you can do 2 at a time, so you don't get second sock syndrome)

Using either a short-row toe, (with a provisional CO of 32 sts) or a more standard toe up beginning (using a magic 8 CO or any other similar CO), make toes with CA, ending with 64 sts, ready to work foot.

Work in St st with CA until 4 1/2" from end of toe. Change to CB and work until about 2" less than desired length.

Work short-row heel in whatever fashion you desire, or make provision for an afterthought heel. Your choice. However you do it, make sure you end up with 64 sts again, when you're done.

Work even in St st until CB section measures 4 1/2" Change to CC and work in 2x2 ribbing for 4 1/2". BO in patt.

If you set up for an afterthought heel, work it in CB.

Fold ribbing over to outside. Make 8x 1 1/2" pompoms (4 for each sock) out of all three colors and attach evenly spaced around BO edge of cuff. And since Jayne Cobb's hat had some fringe too, in between each pompom, knot 2-4 strands measuring 4 1/2" of CA for fringe, trim fringes to 2"

Weave in ends.

Jayne Cobb Baby Hat

Yes I made a baby version of Jayne Cobb's hat. I made an adult version for my sister and had extra yarn. Why not design a baby version of this hat of pure awesomeness?? Note about the sizing though, I haven't actually tried this on a baby (only my sister's blue gorilla stuffed animal), so I don't know exactly what age this will fit, but I am pretty sure anyone older than 1 year will need a bigger hat. So here ya go! Jayne Cobb's hat for all the little "Firefly" fans in your life.

Baby Jayne Cobb Hat

Size: About 15” circumference. To fit around a 6 month old?

Materials:
1 skein Cascade 128 Superwash each in color 820 Lemon (CA), 821 Daffodil (CB), and 822 Pumpkin (CC)
size 9 DPNs, set 5 (but only 4 of the 5 will be used until the crown)
st marker
pom pom maker (2” or 2 ½”)

Gauge: Measured on earflap: 8 ½ sts x 12 rows= 2” St st

Earflaps (make 2)
Cut a piece of Pumpkin (CC) about 4 ½” long. CO 2 leaving a 2” tail and placing the 4 ½” piece centered in between the two stitches. Wrap working yarn around tassels once, starting wrap around backside of tassels, turn.
Row 1: P across tightly
Row 2: Kfb twice
Row 3: P across, slipping 1st st P-wise
Row 4: Kfb, K to last st, Kfb

Rep rows 3-4 until 12 sts. Cont even in St st, slipping first st of ea K row K-wise ea P row P-wise, for 11 rows, starting and ending with a P row.

Cut yarn, leaving sts on DPN

Hat
Using a free needle and Daffodil (CB), CO 17 sts, K across 12 sts of one earflap having the RS facing, Using a second needle, CO 17 sts, Using a third needle, K across 12 sts of other earflap having the RS facing. Pm to mark beg of rnd. Redistribute sts on needles as follows: 20 sts on 1st needle, 18 sts on 2nd needle, and 20 sts on 3rd needle—58 sts.

Work 3 rnds 1x1 ribbing, then 11 rnds even St st.

Change to Lemon (CA) and work 6 rnds St st

Shape Crown
Rnd 1: K2tog, (K8, K2tog) 5 times, K rem 6 sts—52 sts
Rnd 2: Note: start using all 5 needles here *Using free needle, K 11, k2tog * 4 times, using all 5 needles as necessary—48 sts, 12 on ea of 4 needles
Rnd 3, 5: K even
Rnd 4, 6: (K to 2 sts before end of needle, k2tog) 4 times—40 sts at end of rnd 6
Rep rnd 4 only until 16 sts rem.
Next rnd: K2tog around—8 sts
Cut yarn, draw through rem 8 sts, pull tight and secure on inside of hat.

Using all three colors, make a small pom pom using pom pom maker, or other method as desired (I just wrapped the yarn around 4 fingers). Trim to desired size—no smaller than 2” and sew to top of hat.

Weave in all ends except for the tassels at ends of earflaps.

New Goals

Well now, things have changed somewhat since my last post. For one thing, I have a new job. Instead of working at Astor House, I now work at an orthodontic company via a temp agency. Interesting adventures there. It has its up days and it's down days, but it's a job and I'm earning more than twice as much as I was at Astor House, so that's a plus.

With reference to career plans, well, I don't think I'm gonna be doing beauty school. It sounded like fun, but it's not really my passion so I'm planning on going in a different direction . . . opening my own yarn shop!! Knitting and crocheting is one of my really strong passions and this would be an excellent way to put my passion to good use and earn money in the process. Last Saturday, Mom and I went on a yarn shop excursion. We hit 3 different shops: one in Tigard, and 2 in Portland. Our main mission was to buy yarn and have fun, a secondary mission was to take notes and observe things about the different shops so I can start getting an idea of how I want to run/set mine up. Got some good ideas of things I could do and some ideas of things not to do.

Next fall I am planning on attending a college in Indiana to get a business degree, that way when I open my yarn shop (which won't be for a few years yet) I will know how to and how to run it. :) The college I am planning on attending works through an accelerated program through a couple different surrounding colleges. What that means for me is that I will be able to get a 4 year degree in only 2 years for the price of one year (about 20K for the whole program).

Church involvement: Well, I've started attending our church's college/young adult group. I am 99.99% sure that I am the only one not currently attending college and I am also that positive that everyone else is a GFU student. :P Which makes me the odd one out. Oh well, it's chill.

And I'm becoming a regular part of our church's worship team for "Big Church" as the main Sunday morning services are called. That has been a lot of fun.

So yeah! My life since May. To be continued . . .

Life Update

Hey there! Sorry I haven't posted in several weeks. I'll eventually get around to posting about the rest of the classes from second semester at MWSB. But for now, this will be about what has been going on in my life for the year so far, what God has taught me through it all, and what God is doing.

So where do I start? Hmm . . . Well, I will start with explaining the big thing that God taught me this past school year. He has taught me a lot about trust. I never realized how little I trust Him. I grew up not really needing to trust a whole lot in God; everything I needed was provided for me. I never had to worry about anything, not even my future. Even getting accepted into MWSB I didn't really worry about. I figured that I would get in. But over the course of the year, especially the second semester, I realized how little I trusted. Over the course of year, I figured that I would get Venture pretty easy. But when the time rolled around for the staff to announce who the Ventures were, I was not one of them. But I had a backup plan and that was becoming a cook there for next year. Well, as it turns out, God apparently doesn't want me at MDub in any way, shape or form. Yup, you guessed it, no cook. Oh well.

Now I am beginning to trust God more with regards to my future. I have formulated a new plan, since my previous ones didn't work out, but now I'm leaving the details up to God. For some things, I am waiting for His timing (and with the matter I currently have in mind, it's gonna be a while for that to happen. :P), and I've learned that if things don't work out just right, or at all, then I shouldn't be too worried about it. God has everything under control, and He is guiding me and placing me right where He wants me. No matter what the world says . . .

Another aspect of trust that I learned about myself is the fact that I don't trust others very much. I have never been hurt by anyone, but I still have difficulty opening up my heart to other people. A comment one of my classmates made during Spring Break really brought this to my attention. Since that time, I have made an effort to be more open with people (trustworthy people of course), but, in that process, I am also learning how much to share, and what to share.

So what am I doing right now? Well, I'm going to be going back to work soon (they were so nice as to hold my job for me), and hopefully, sometime in the fall (if I can stop procrastinating), starting beauty school. But we'll see exactly where God takes me. I have no idea what He has in mind, but I know this for certain . . . It's gonna be, in the words of John Erickson (the director at MWSB) "more fun than anyone deserves to have."