Presents in Progress

Here are some of the presents that I have in progress at the moment.

These are sort of old pictures because I have made some progress on both scarves. ::)

Waves Scarf

I saw this sock yarn and the colors screamed my friend's name so I bought it. The yarn is Patons, Stretch Socks yarn, Pumpkin Spice Jacquard color, perfect for this time of year. :) Then I started searching the web to look for a pattern. Then I came across this Sock Yarn Waves Scarf pattern. It was also a rainbow of colors so I thought it would work. I was unsure so I sent this pic to my friend, Rachel, in Alabama and my friend's, the person I am going to give it to, sister, Chendal. Rachel agree with me that it was kinda awkward but Chendal gave it a big thumbs up. It is not my color but it is my friend's color style so I am going to finish the scarf. I am half way done now. It is an awkward pattern so I have been very loose with my crochet stitches to make it easier on myself. The original pattern had a tighter weave. I used the crochet needle size from the pattern but not the one that the yarn manufacturers suggested. I will post another picture of the finished scarf. I hope she likes it.

Faggot Stitch Scarf

This Easy Beginner Knitted Scarf is made with a very old traditional lace stitch called Faggot stitch. That is what the name of the stitch. I did not make it up so don't blame me for the name. It is a very easy stitch and goes pretty fast. This one also needs a looser tension because you will have to knit two together. But it is pretty. I am 2/3 done with it. When I am finished, I will post new pictures. It is for a very special woman in my life who has been there for me every single day. :) 

I really like the purl cast on method I used for this scarf because it is tight and neat.

Vanna's Glamour  Lion Brand Yarn

This yarn has tinsel woven throughout and so it sparkles! But the sparkles are very hard to take pictures of. It is not a soft yarn especially with the stitch I used but I think it will be beautiful to dress up a jacket or a little black dress. :)

Wire Ribbon Flower

 Here is the video tutorial on how to make this flower. I got the ribbon on sale out of the Christmas ribbons. I tell you this because the ribbon has not lonely wire at the edges but red foil This changes things because the foil might "foil" your flower. The key is to stitch through the foil so that it folds right. On my next flower I might try to just cut off the foil and see how it changes things. 

For the center I made 3 pearl beaded balls but it did not cover the center mess entirely so I hot glued more pearls to the center around the 3 beaded balls. I don't know what to do with my pretty flower. I might make it into a hair clip and clip it onto my Xmas packages in lieu of a bow. I also like to tie ornaments under my bows. This flower would look cute as an ornament too. :)

Wreath Earring 

I saw these Autumn Heather Earrings on a facebook post from the website and thought it would be cute as Christmas wreath earrings. Since there was no tutorial for this one, I just looked at the picture and tried to figure it out. Since I do not have the exact same size beads they used, my wreath is a little tight. I think it is cute. I need to make the match and add the ear wires. I might make another pair but with pearls.

I hope your holiday crafting is going well. :)

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day!!!
I am so very thankful for those who put themselves in harms way for our safety and lifestyle. Thank you to Sargent Smith (Army), Specialist Chao (Army), Captain Ly (Air Force), and Chief Caldido (Navy)!

Army Panda

American Flag 3D Heart

This flag heart was posted in a previous post but it is probably the only thing that I have beaded with the flag motif. When I have time, I would like to make a beaded flag bracelet like one of the ones below. :)

I found these beaded American Flag jewelry online:

American Flag Wave beaded Bracelet

You can buy the pattern here.

Simple American Flag Beaded Safety Pin Brooch

Here is another pattern for the American Flag Beaded Safety Pin Brooch. You can find the instructions here. They also have a pattern for Bald Eagle Beaded Safety pin design. And the American Flag Heart pattern.

Peyote Stitch American Flag Bracelet

You can buy the pattern or the kit, here.

FYI:

American Flag Army Patch

I was curious as to why the flag patch on Army uniforms looked backwards so, I asked my friend who was in the army. He says that the flag is facing the way it would look like if a solider was charging into battle holding a flag. I thought it was interesting, so I thought I would share. :)

Thank you again to all our Veterans! I wish we could take care of you as well as you have taken care of us. May your day be filled with fun, laughter, love, and good fortune! 11-11-11

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

So my friend who is in Advanced Individual Training in the Army requested Chewy Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies in his next care package. I decided to combine to two. I therefore went to the smartest person I know, the Internet. I searched and saw that many of the cookie recipes were similar. 

My Recipe

I took notes and compared 5 different recipes. Then I took what I thought would be best from each or what was similar in most of the recipes and make my own. I probably should have watched Alton Brown or read his cook books on the subject in order to really get a perfect recipe but I winged it. (The same friend bought me all 3 of Alton's cookbooks! Eeep!!! Was so surprised and happy when I got it in the mail. :))

Here are how the cookies turned out. They are more crunchy than chewy but I think it's because they are too small. I made the recipe and then split it in half for Chocolate and Peanut butter chip cookies and Chocolate and Walnut cookies. 

They both turned out to be very yummy but it was a workout! I only have a hand mixer so creaming the butter and mixing this batter was really hard. My right arm got a workout mixing in the oats and chips as well. Now I need to work out my left arm a little to even them out. :p 

After they cooled enough to touch, I couldn't help myself and ate 2 cookies. I surprised myself at how fast they went into my tummy. :) There was a strong smell of pumpkin because I used pumpkin pie spice but I think I will leave it out next time. If you don't smell it, the cookies taste just fine but the smell was kind of overwhelming. I packaged them up in bags and jars.

I am going to send a tin full to my friend, Bunny. And a jar full to my Army friend. I might have to take out some stuff from his care package to send more cookies. That way, I don't get fat eating them all. :)

Here is the recipe I used:

- Unsalted Butter 1 cup

- White Granulated Sugar 1 cup

- Dark Brown sugar (packed) 1 cup

- Eggs - 2

- Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoonful

- All-purpose flour 1 1/2 cup

- Baking soda 1 teaspoon

- salt (take out if using salted butter) 1/2 teaspoonful

- Cinnamon (optional) 1 teaspoonful

- Nutmeg (optional) 1/4- 1/2 teaspoonful
- Pumpkin spice (optional) 1/2 teaspoonful 

- Quick oats 3 cups

- chocolate chips - 1-1.5 cups

- peanut butter chips 1/2 cup

- chopped walnuts 1/2-1 cup

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together

3. add eggs and vanilla
4. In a separate bowl combine/shift together: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
5. combine butter and flour mixtures
6. stir in oats and chocolate chips
7. separate batter into 2
8. add walnuts to 1/2 and peanut butter chips to the other 1/2
9. Let batter cool in fridge for at least 20min.
10. Drop rounded tablespoonful of the batter onto an un-greased non-stick cookie sheet 2 inches apart from each other
11. Bake for 9-12 min, rotating halfway through. Pull the cookies when the edges are browned and the center is still a little gooey. The cookies will finish on the warm sheet and it will make the cookies more chewy.
12. let cool on the sheet for 1-2 min
13. let cool completely on cooling rack
(Let the cookie sheet cool completely before the next batch.)

I read on the comment section of the recipes that some people had their cookies fall flat. Some tips to avoid that: do not grease your cookie sheet, chill the batter before you bake it, don't over cook it, and heap on the batter. :)

Hope you have a good baking experience! :)

Curlicue Scarfs Finished

These scarfs are so easy and fast that I was able to finish one in about 3-4 hours. I also was able to finish two, yes I said 2!, scarfs. My friends and family are well aware that I have multiple unfinished projects but this year, I have been trying to change that. :)

Cream and Pink Curlicue Scarf

This is the first scarf made with the pattern (link can be found in previous post). I like the pink edging. I tried to put eyelash yarn as an edging but it did not look as nice. I am debating on whether or not to add a row of single crochet to the middle. It is a very soft scarf. And I love that it was made from bamboo yarn but it is pretty heavy when you are holding it. When you are wearing it, you don't feel the weight.

I found this yarn while at Michael's getting the last ball needed to finish the above scarf. It has 6 different types of fiber, color Jade. I thought it was very cool and neat. I saw that it did have some sparkly fibers in it too. Cons: $10 per skein, they joined the fibers in a way that shows up because it is too stiff, and the sparkly fiber is way too short. Sadly I had to use two skeins which makes the scarf a little more pricey than I wanted, but it allowed me to add the extra row of single crochet to the middle.

Finished Green Curlicue scarf

You can see the 3 sections where the sparkly fiber is. I don't know if it like it or not. It just seems too random. The other fibers are of the same color so it blends in well. And even though this scarf is longer than the first, it is surprisingly lighter. 

Close up of the scarf center and sparkly fiber. I like the added row of single crochet to the chain row/center. I think it softens the line but it does prevent the scarf to be really curly.

Close up of one of the ends

To start the single crochet row in the middle, I just continued the single crochet from the edging around. To make the edge rounded, I single crochet 2-3 times in each stitch so that it would curve.

When you wear these scarfs around your neck, it looks like you have those Elizabethan ruffle collars. hehe Of course not so extreme but it is cute.

I have realized that I like crochet because there is no binding off but I like knitting because it seems faster and the stitches are more seamless. I want to find more One Skein Scarfs because purse strings are tight.  You guys might see some more in future posts so stay tuned. :)

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And I have found another curlicue scarf pattern that is cute.

Ruffle Scarf

Because of the extra rows and the use of the triple stitch, it would be thicker and the ruffles would be bigger.

Curlicue Scarf

I wanted a fast and easy scarf but my knitting supplies were...somewhere...therefore I had to use what I had on hand. That left me to find some crochet patterns. I came across this cute ruffle scarf but it was still a bit too much work because like knitting, I have not crochet in a while. But I was very happy to find another pattern that was similar and easier.

This  3-2-1 Curlicue Scarf is really easy and only 3 rows. Happily, I started working on it with my Bernat Bamboo Natural Blends Linen color yarn. It is made from 89% bamboo and 11% acrylic. It is a very soft yarn but comes in these small balls. After 2 balls and 2 hours later, all that I had, my scarf was left unfinished.

Curlicue scarf in progress

I got though almost 2 rows. I am going to grab another ball of the linen color and for the last row/edge, I think I am going to use a pink color of the same yarn. :) It looks so fun because it is so ruffly and it was fast and easy. I don't think I want to use a novelty yarn like eye lash because it will be too itchy to me. I like the softness of this bamboo yarn with the ruffles.

 I think I found the scarf I am going to make for my Xmas gifts. Shhh....hehe

Good night or should I say, Good morning. Have a nice weekend!

Wet Rainy Weather = ...

...staying warm under fuzzy blankets

...eating hot soup

...drinking more tea and hot coco

...reading a good book in bed

...getting ready for the holiday season

and

...making scarfs

I do like the holiday season. Starting with my birthday in September. :) Then we hit Halloween. I actually packed away all of the decorations the day after. :) That is really good for my family who still has stuff from last year's Valentines day and Christmas out. Next is Thanksgiving. I don't know what I am going to do since my family is working. :( I love Thanksgiving because of all the yummy foods. :) We used to go to a friend's house. My favorites are potato salad and cream cheese won tons. I would like to make candied carrots and maybe make some fried sweet potato balls. :) Then there is big Christmas. I have a lot of my gifts already but I have no idea what to give to the other 1/2 of my list. And lastly, New Years.

Because of the 1/2 I have no idea what to give which consists of mainly all the guys, I have decided to see if I can make or buy scarfs. Here is the first scarf that I am starting. Sadly, I need to put it down because it is becoming more and more mine. hehe I don't think I can give it away. I was googling free quick and easy knitting scarf patterns and stubbled upon this pattern called, Seafoam Lace and Eyelets Scarf. Their scarf was made with this beautiful seafoam green colored yarn called, Panda Silk DK, and that's not all, the yarn is made with Bamboo! Yep that quenched it. hehe So, I started it. I have not knitted in years so I had to read some tutorials on knitting and for the first few rows I held the yarn in the wrong hand which made it much harder to knit. It also made the stitches more tight, which I like but I think I will stick with what I have started.

Beginning of the Scarf

 This picture shows the stitch better but the picture below shows the color of the yarn better.

I used Patons's Brilliant synthetic yard in Crystal Cream color. It has sparkily threads in it and is a light champagne color. I really like it. And it is very soft. :) I think I will keep it for myself when I am finished with it to compliment all my black dresses. :) Now I just need to find some cute, comfortable, heels to match. hehe

I am going to switch to my large needles and thicker but still soft yarn to make some scarfs faster. November is moving so fast! :P I still need to do more beading. :P

Good luck with all the gift shopping!

Halloween Recap

Halloween morning I went with a friend to the gym and did cardio for a total of 40 min and some back and ab exercises. Then I started making my cupcakes. I baked them, had to wait for them to cool, color the frosting, frost the cupcakes, add the web design with gel. I also had to print out, cut out, put together, and put the cupcake toppers onto the cupcakes. All the while doing 4 loads of laundry. And I really wanted to wash my car but couldn't. Then my family went to West Hollywood for the Halloween carnival so I had to leave the cupcakes, candy, and toys (for the wee ones) on my front porch with a note. 3 of the cupcakes were gone and no one had damaged our porch by throwing cupcakes regardless of what my friend was predicting. I was then dragged to the gym again for a more back-focused workout. But I brought the girl on staff a cupcake and made her night. :) All and all a nice day and night. :)

My Halloween Decorations:

The cross stitched pumpkin was from my friend Rachel last year. :) The dog actually dances and flaps his ears. It's so cute! Along with the cupcakes, I gave out these candies and some little toys for the wee ones.

My mo had bought the place mat and the snow globe but the ghost cup, beanie, and cross stitch is from my friend Rachel. :) The pillow is really cute! I loved it!

A little centerpiece to my dinning table. Thank you Rachel!

The chocolate cupcakes I made. I put it in pumpkin cupcake liners. I also tinted the frosting orange to match the pumpkins. I printed the toppers on label paper and just stuck two circles together with a toothpick in between.

Pictures from the West Hollywood Carnival:

Steve Jobs Lego Man

Girl version. There was a guy dressed in the same costume.

Tella Tubbies

We saw like 10 of them, both male and female.

The Queen of England with the Princess of China

Trojan Man. 

 There were a couple of guys dressed with a big white bubble on their heads waving around a white streamer. Guess what they were....sperm!

Angry Birds

 There were a lot of Angry Birds fans.

Gingie!

1 of 2 Peacocks

 There were two European men dressed up as peacocks. Their tail feathers can be raised and lowered as they want by pulling on two strings. Very ingenious.

Victoria Secrets Drag Angels

Old Pregnant Chinese "Lady"

LOL ...Actually, my favorite!

Care Bears?

Hope you guys had a great Halloween! Don't eat too much candy.

Happy Halloween!

Have a nice safe Halloween!