Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Turkey Day!!

However you celebrate it, even if you don't; omnivore, vegan, carnivores alike...have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here. Have a lolcat:)

funny pictures
more animals

XOXO
Bella

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A little bit of sunshine to an otherwise dreary afternoon.

It's raining right now. The day started out chilly and bright, but I do believe this is the "afternoon showers" that the weatherman warned us about last night. No matter. They're supposed to be gone by later this evening and it isn't supposed to rain again until Thanksgiving.

I've paused in my knitting because I don't have enough hands to knit AND read at the same time. I'm currently devouring Sex with the Queen by Eleanor Herman. I read her previous book about the infidelity of Kings (I believe it was titled Sex and the King) and loved the way she tells all about these affairs, both good and bad, the consequences of them and just generally portrays the monarchs of the last 900 years or so in mostly-true light. It's fascinating reading. Honestly:)

In other news, we've finalized our Thanksgiving menu. We're going to have cornish hens, in place of the traditional turkey. There will be stuffing, squash casserole, baked beans (that's all Dragon's right there), chedder and bacon mashed potatoes, and I will ATTEMPT to make creamed spinach. My dad is being a rotten man, withholding his recipe;) No matter. I will triumph. It can't be that hard, right?

I'm also making (by Dragon's request) a pumpkin pie cheesecake. He's already been warned that he will be the one eating the majority (as usually happens around here with my baking) and he's pleased as punch about the prospect.

Once I'm done with this book, I'll resume knitting. BUT!! I do have yarn porn for you, look on the following lovelies from Andrea and despair!

Remember my mention of the Lemon Drop roving that was being spun? Well, Voila!
Is it not lush? I do believe it will make an amazing pair of socks!

My Dragon actually wanted this one:
Antique Bronze. He wants me to make a pair of gauntlets for him, so we'll see how it goes.

This one is called After the Fire:
And I think it's going to make a gorgeous shawl.

And just for snits and giggles, here's one I'm eyeballing but don't think I'm quite brave enough to get:

It's called Dreamsicle and my goodness, look at how bright it is! I'm starting to renew my love of brighter colors, one skein at a time it seems.

Anyhow, that's all I've got today. Scarf is mostly done. Just a few more pattern repeats and then binding off and blocking. I'll be sure to add some pics when it's all finished:) I need to make another Calorimetry head warmer for myself in a darker color than just the blue variegated that I have. But that is a very quick knit, so it won't take me any time at all to do!

I'm still lusting after a ball winder, but I think that'll be a Christmas present to myself. Beware the girl with coupons;)

Until later,
XOXO
Bella

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Chilly, but not rainy!

Stepping outside this morning into the chilled air of our part of town, I took a deep breath and paused.

It wasn't drizzling. *laughs* In fact, it was that dry, cool air that makes your cheeks ruddy and your breath crystallize in front of your lips.

Looks like it's going to be a nice day out there.

**I know, I know. I got the memo. I'm not supposed to tell non-Seattle-ites that the weather isn't nearly as bad as they've been led to believe.**

I'm trying to be creative with breakfast, so I'm doing a toasted english muffin with a touch of butter and another touch of bumbleberry jam, along with a small serving of cottage cheese. Exciting, yes?

Not sure what I'm going to do today (aside from work). I've already gotten the dishes mostly finished (they're percolating away in the dish washer) and the kitchen has been wiped down with clorox wipes.

I'm over halfway through The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone! It's an excellent story that I've just been plowing through. I adore NG's work, I really do.

I think I may sit down and plan out the Thanksgiving menu today. It'll be just the two of us this year, vastly different from anything I've been used to, so there won't be much need for an overkill of food. I'm thinking cornish hens with a few sides and a pie. Maybe a small ham. Time will tell what I'm in the mood for as I'll be doing all the cooking;)

Well, I'll leave this be for now. To keep it relevant, I'm nearly done with my scarf! Only a few more pattern repeats and I'll be done. Then I can move on to the glovelets with the bamboo and toy with a few ideas for socks I might want to try. I'll keep you updated;)

XOXO
Bella

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

It's a small, small world.

I was browsing around on my other journal today and someone had posted this link:

How to peel and eat a pomegranate.

3 things of note (aside from the sheer awesomeness of the post itself):

1. The author and I share the same name (even the same spelling, which is so awesome I can't even describe it)
2. We share the same city
3. We share the same adoration for the color Purple (not the book, the hue).

And it struck me as I read the post that....wow...this is an awfully small world sometimes. *laughs*

In other news: The weather outside isn't nearly as frightful. A bit drizzly and grey, but it's lightened up since this morning. A crisp 50-something out there which makes it entirely pleasant to keep the window open:)

Shadow-cat is mooing at something in the backyard while the other beasties are passed out in their typical spots.

I made a Whipped Cream Butter Pound-cake the other night because I had a hankering for something simple yet decadent (that, and my Dragon has been pestering me for a cake the past few weeks). I realized earlier today when discussing the merits of this particular pound cake as the base for Strawberry Shortcake, that I'm in blackberry country now, so I think I'm going to try to get my hands on some blackberries, macerate them, and try for a blackberry shortcake. Mmm.

Still plugging away at the scarf. It's coming along very nicely.

I find myself at a loss for words today. I think I'll go back to knitting and dreaming of blackberry shortcake.

... Or perhaps I'll make a nice spinach salad as a healthy alternative. LOL!

XOXO
Bella

Monday, November 17, 2008

Chill and Fog

When I woke up this morning to take my Dragon to work, I noticed that it was foggy. Really, really foggy. Surreal the way things come into focus only when you're near to running into them foggy.

I played around a bit with the opera glove pattern I mentioned the other day. Cast on, knit a few rows, looked at it, frogged it, cast on again with more stitches....looked at it...and then the cat nipped the yarn enough to separate what I'd knit from the ball.

So now I'm trying to figure out if I'm still going to do that pattern (it seems a titch vague to me in places) or if I'm going to try a different corseted glove pattern that I found. Dilemma!

Spent yesterday watching Season 1 of The L Word (and I adore that show!), cleaning house, and knitting on my scarf. I'm wondering if I need to frog the thing and start over for a skinnier, longer scarf. Perhaps take one pattern repeat out? Leave it just two? We'll see how it looks when I finish, but I'm thinking I may just have to start anew and leave it at 2 pattern repeats instead of the 3 it's at now.

I'm such an indecisive crafter, I swear.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Bamboo...it's not just for Pandas anymore.

I just finished knitting up my gauge swatch for my newest project.

A pair of lace up opera gloves by ysolda that I intend on making out of the glorious Silver Lining bamboo yarn that I received yesterday from Andrea.

I never knew how soft, how lush, how utterly fabulous bamboo yarn could be. I normally don't do gauge swatches, but I couldn't resist casting on and playing with this yarn as soon as I touched it.

I'm glad I did because not only is it PERFECT for the gauge of the project, the shimmer of the yarn really shines through in the way it pools and shifts through the colorway.

I love it! And I can't wait to cast on:)

Friday, November 14, 2008

OMG!

I got a package in the mail today.

It was the first 3 skeins from Andrea!

Silver Lining, Nearly Grackle, and Amethyst. Oh how they shimmer! Oh how absolutely gorgeous they are!

Oh the projects I'll make!

*strokes them* Pictures forthcoming but I don't think the camera will do justice to these beauties!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

What'd I say?


I said I'd post them as soon as I had them uploaded;)




So there you have it;) The leaf lace scarf that I'm working on in the faboo Coppertop Tencel!

Confessions of a Yarn Slut.

I have to admit, a year ago, I was in acrylic yarn hell. It was all I really used for any of my projects. Natural yarns seemed too difficult to find and too pricey to boot.

Some months ago I finally gathered up the courage to go into an actual yarn store and was blown away by the variety and beauty of the yarns for sale. I bought a couple of balls of hemp yarn and a sock blend in an amazing purple variegated colorway, and for months they just languished in my stash. I thought they were too pretty to play with and was still a novice knitter, so I worried about making the wrong thing or messing up the yarn somehow.

When we moved to Seattle a few months ago, I was determined to scope out my local yarn store to try to increase my stash (who doesn't?) and ended up spending a pretty penny on some very pretty yarns.

Then I discovered Etsy. And Woolgirl.com. And Natural Obsessions. Well, I was hooked.

It's not a cheap habit, by any stretch of the imagination. But oh! The colors! The softness! The love that goes into making these fibers!

My current obsession is Natural Obessions. Like I explained to my Dragon, I have no problems spending money on individual proprietors who hand-dye and spin these gorgeous skeins. Andrea is an amazing colorway artist and her yarn is so vibrant and beautiful! I've already ordered way too much, in fact....let me show you some of the colors I've gotten from her!

You're already familiar with the Lemon Drop and Coppertop that I've received from her. But here are a few more:


This lovely skein is 100% tencel, colorway: Amethyst.


This was one of the first that I ordered. Antique Brass.


This roving, called Hawk's Eye, will be spun for me by her very capable hands:)


My most recent purchase (as of last night): Her Eyes.


Another beautiful color: Nearly Grackle.


Obsidian, a 50/50 Merino/Tencel blend, I believe.

And last, but certainly not least:

Silver Lining. Oh how it shimmers!

She has many more exquisite yarns over at her Etsy store and I highly recommend her! She's an amazing woman with amazing vision and just amazing yarn. I swear, if I had limitless fundage, I'd buy everything she's got in a heartbeat (*starts making plans to win the lottery*).

I posed a challenge to her last night about a specific colorway I was hoping to find and she's taking it on!! *squee* I'm really excited to see what she comes up with because I know it's going to be gorgeous:)

Okay. Enough squeeing. I really should get some work done. BUT! I am not finished with pictures yet. *grin* I have a few of the scarf I'm working on that I took this morning. It's slow going, but that's because I procrastinate. But as soon as I get them uploaded, I will once again assault your eyes:)

Until then!

XOXO
Bella

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Cold and dreary outside...

The weather outside is frightful. It's cold, dreary, and rainy. It's the perfect weather for diving headlong into two of my favorite crafts: Knitting and baking.

Today, I plan on whipping up some pumpkin nut loaves to nibble on in the coming week and, later, I'm going to work more on the faboo scarf that I mentioned in my last post.

My Dragon is home today, so we're going to watch some shows, catch up on those we've fallen behind on and indulge in just lazing around the house a bit.

I have some yarn on the way in the mail that I should be getting on Monday or Tuesday and I need to sit down and do some Christmas planning. Cookies are definitely on the agenda (and I picked up a couple of Christmas cookies magazines to browse through) as are gifts for the family.

And because it's such a dreary day, I thought a spot of color might be appreciated. Here's the Lemon Drop roving I spoke about last time that is being spun for me to make some socks for my mom:



XOXO
Bella

Friday, November 7, 2008

On my needles today...

I've just recently taken up knitting in the last few months and, as a crochet aficionado, it's been a bit of a struggle. I'm just not used to working two needles at the same time. However, I think I'm finally starting to make some progress.

I made the requisite scarves, hats, kerchiefs, and glovelets, and am eagerly looking forward to delving into the sock making side of knitting.

We moved to Seattle about 4 months ago from Texas, and the change in weather has inspired me to get more knitty, so to speak, about making warm garments.

I was also introduced to the wonders of natural fibers and oh...I don't know if I can go back to acrylics after knitting with these splendid bits of yarn! I currently am working some amazing tencel yarn into a scarf with a leafy pattern I found on Ravelry. You can find it here.

And the yarn! I must gush about this yarn because it is the most WONDERFUL stuff! 100% dyed tencel in this fabulous colorway called Coppertop.

Is that not the most gorgeously lush color? It's so vivid!! I had to have it the moment I saw it (much to my Dragon's chagrin) and have been happily knitting away with it ever since. The lovely Andrea over at Natural Obsessions on Etsy is to blame for my most recent fascination. I have ordered several skeins from her since and every one of them have been a joy to play with:)

So I will eventually finish this scarf. I have some lovely Lemon Drop tencel/merino being spun for me that will get made into socks for my mom. I am determined, I tell you, to actually knit socks. But in the meantime, I have too much yarn in my stash and not enough time to knit it all!

Hopefully, that will all change this winter!

XOXO
Bella

Oh!

And in case you're looking for me on Ravelry.com, you can find me as "bellacrafts" over there. Feel free to add me, mock me, or what-have-you. I'm a big girl. I can take it;)

I haven't been taking as full advantage of that site as I should...but being away from family and essentially on my own with hubby and cats in tow, I'm doing more crafts than before in a way to fill the time.

I'll do a proper introduction post before too long, I'm sure.

XOXO
Bella

Post Zero

I realized today while looking through Ravelry that I didn't have a crafting blog set up. Not that I truly expect anyone to follow along with it, but at least it's out there for my own edification.

(Someone's been using the dictionary again, it seems.)

So here it is. Blog post, ground zero.

I crochet. I knit. I sew. I cross-stitch. I try my hand at other crafts, sometimes successfully, other times, not so much. Hopefully having this journal will help...I don't know...spur me on to greater depths of creative depravity (much to the chagrin of my husband, I'm sure.)

So hold on to your hats...Bella's crafts is on the loose!

XOXO
Bella