I’m editing the appearance of nyac again. Aside from the fact that I enjoy doing this (can you tell?), I really do have a good reason — I changed the theme so that this blog will be more readable on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. I know that some of you went through the CAL using such devices and I’m only sorry I didn’t do this earlier. It’ll be done within the next few days!
yep, it worked; chunky circle scarf #2
October 6, 2013 by 6 Comments
In my last post I talked of how I was stressed, and how I was going to pull out a new crochet project. Well I did, and it’s done. It de-stressed me so much I couldn’t put it down. Let me introduce to you the Chunky Circle Scarf 2:
It is a lovely, plush cowl (worked flat and seamed) from a free pattern (click here), and it took me about 2 1/4 skeins of KnitPicks Brava Bulky in the shade Tranquil. I’ve actually already made one, but it was in January of 2012 so it was time for another!
The Tranquil shade appears very vibrant in these photos but you can see that the stitch pattern is very, very close to the Catharine wheel pattern from our recent crochet along:
So basically if you liked that stitch you can make this easily within a few short hours, and it’s definitely worth the multitudes of yarn it requires — it’s SO plush and kooshy — and the KnitPicks Brava Bulky is incredibly soft for an acrylic yarn. I’d highly recommend it as it is also very decently priced! By the way, the cowl is folded in half in the picture above so you see only 1/4 of it’s total size.
Most unfortunately I was planning to sell this cowl, but in the pattern the designer states that she’d prefer that the pattern is used for personal use only. Well, it’ll make someone a great Christmas present!
I guess that’s all for today! I’d better get to bed because tomorrow my parents are coming to help me give my new rented house a thorough cleaning before we start bringing in furniture, and I’ll need my energy! Thanks for stopping by!
back to the yarn!
October 4, 2013 by 11 Comments
It’s been weird post CAL not having to work to a deadline. Also weird because I haven’t been crafting much. The only think I’m working on actively is the bajada shawl/scarf for my friend — she bought the yarn so I want to get it to her ASAP so she can enjoy it. It’s slow going though; after 3 weeks here’s what I’ve got:
It will certainly need some blocking before I give it to her, but that’s OK.
As far as crochet goes, I’ve been meaning to get going on a new ripple afghan — baby sized — out of my leftover CAL yarn:
Yep, I only used half of what I ordered in the CAL. That’s the great thing about Stylecraft Special DK — I’m always pleasantly surprised that I have so much of it leftover! Well, as great as it is, I still haven’t started the blanket. Hopefully soon. I need the stress relief of crochet.
The stress partially comes from the upcoming move — all the large furniture is being transferred on the 13th, so before that I want to have taken a good number of things already (the wonderful, amazing, fantastic landlord gave us the key waaaaay early). Before that, though, the new house has to be thoroughly cleaned. The landlord “cleaned,” but as one of my favorite books says, “no man can clean anything.” My parents are going to help me clean this Sunday while Chris hacks through the patio jungle here at the apartment with his old chef knife. On her first trip to the new house, Zero finally discovered that she can smell things outside through the air vents in my car:
She doesn’t like sticking her head out the window — she’s a scaredy cat — so she stood like this, nose glued to the vent, for a very long time.
Looking at lovely yarns I’d like to try using calms me down a bit (so does looking on Pinterest for beautiful and clever decorating ideas). Check these out. The first one I’d like to try is called Vinni’s Colours (Nikkim) and was introduced to me via crochetime, and the second one is from Camellia Fiber Company and was introduced to me via one sheepish girl (she’s currently hosting a giveaway for a skein of the stuff, so sign up soon). I added these beautiful yarns to my ever growing list of things I need to try! Have you tried them? What do you think?
Well that’s all for one night — I may try and read some to de-stress, or perhaps I’ll start on that crochet ripple blanket. Or perhaps I’ll spend my time sitting around wondering what to do until it’s way past time to go to bed, so that I’m nice and exhausted tomorrow for work. Can you tell I’m a worrier? I get it from my mom, who got it from her mom. At least I’ve got a very understanding ear — calling my mom always makes me feel better. Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you back soon!
life events
September 30, 2013 by 38 Comments
Life event #1: I’m 25 years old now.
Life event #2: I’m officially moving to another city! It’s where my boyfriend works, and since I don’t have a real job at this point I figured I can just follow him and look for one there. It’s going to be my first rented house (I’m in an apartment now)! I’m excited, so I wanted to share some pictures with you!
I believe it’s about 100 years old. The back yard is completely fenced in, and I believe the man renting the house to us will allow me to do some gardening in the front so that the beds don’t look so sad. Now about the inside pictures: the girl who has just vacated this property left a lot of trash and junk, but the landlord is going to clean it all up before we move in.
This is the living room; the door on the right is the front door. The place where I stood to take this is the dining room:
The door to the left leads to some stairs to some attic storage, which is nice. Then through the right of the dining room is the kitchen:
It’s very small but at least the paint is nice and light! There’s no dishwasher, but I don’t mind washing dishes by hand. The refrigerator is oddly not in the kitchen — it is around a corner:
The washer and dryer will be wonderful since my washer and dryer both broke in the span of a week, and I’ve been going to the laundromat ever since. Then to the right of these appliances is the back door:
The yard comes with a storage shed. It obviously needs to be mowed and stuff but that’ll be taken care of and it’ll be a lovely space for the dog, who has been cooped up in an apartment for 2 years.
This is the spare room, which is off the kitchen (but there’s a little hall area that leads to this room from the living room, as well, so it makes a circle). In the little hall is the bathroom:
It’s absolutely tiny, and it’s the only one in the house. I’ve got major Pinterest plans for it, though, so I think it’s going to be just fine. I’ve got some good storage solutions already. Then off the little hall is also the master bedroom:
I don’t know why the girl left a recliner or all of her curtains… Well, they’ll have to go. By the way, all of these rooms are bigger than they look — it was impossible to get far back enough to get a full picture with the camera on my phone. There’s actually plenty of room in here as well as in the living room. Lastly, one of my favorite parts is these:
Most of the doors in the house have these lovely doorknobs, and I think they’re perfect!
I really do like the house. I know it is kind of small but it is my first house and I feel like it’s a very lucky thing to have found (especially since rent is lower than expected and the owner has no problem with letting a pit bull live there — I’m telling you, it’s a nightmare because nobody will give my baby girl a chance). I think once all the trash and junk is gone and it’s cleaned up a bit it will be a very sweet house with nice character, and I can’t wait to move in and start decorating! The landlord said stuff can be brought in in about a week, but our lease doesn’t officially start until mid-October so I won’t be living there for another couple of weeks.
My parents came up for my birthday and brought me not only a Boston creme pie and some good Arkansas barbecue but also a lovely old fashioned wooden bread box, which will be a lovely display and handy storage. They took me shopping as well and got me some much needed shoes and pants, as well as a few things for the house. I’m very lucky!
Life event #3: Last night I went with my boyfriend and some of our friends to a birthday celebration dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant, and we had a snuggly outdoor movie afterwards. All in all, a very very satisfactory and happy birthday weekend!
Oh and I almost forgot to mention this really cool blog that has tips for finding your decorating style — I followed the instructions and did indeed end up learning about how I truly want my home to be! Click here for that. Also if you want to see my moving/decorating Pinterest board, which is full of ideas for small bathrooms and small kitchens, click here. Can you tell I’ve spent a ton of time on this already? Hehe. Well, it was once my plan to be an interior designer!
Thanks for stopping by today! I’ll be back to yarny pursuits soon, I’m sure, but bear with me if it’s not as frequent as usual. The move is going to take a lot of time! See you soon!
CAL pattern page is up
September 25, 2013 by 13 Comments
Thanks again to everyone who has watched and participated throughout not your average crochet’s first crochet along! I have compiled all the posts into one page for your convenience. To access this page, you can go to the menu bar: tutorials >> crochet tutorials >> patterns >> as-we-go stripey blanket. You can also click on the button in the sidebar to the right that says “as-we-go stripey blanket free pattern.” You can also
click here
I hope you have all enjoyed it, and don’t forget to email me pictures when you are done so that I can start that gallery! Please include your preferred name if you want it to be included with your picture. Send the largest version you have to davish14 AT winthrop DOT edu Please do not hesitate to use that e-mail address or to comment here if you see any problems or mistakes in the pattern page, or if you have any questions!
Hopefully you will all stick around now that the CAL is over — I do plan on having a giveaway soon in addition to my regular knitting and crocheting posts! I’m about to move to another city so it will probably be after that, but I promise it’s coming (and if you remember my last giveaway you’ll know it won’t be a small cheap gift)!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you back soon!
