Finished!

So, I've been a bit quiet. Mea Culpa. Things have been rather hectic around here, but I'm hoping to get all updated.

I have a bunch of projects on my needles, have snagged some more fabulous fibers and stitch markers, and I doubt I'll ever get the opportunity to share them all with you. LOL.

However, I did just finish a hat and I want to introduce you to the Bubba hat:

The Bubba Hat ... in action

It was crafted from this fabulous yarn I snagged over at Gherkin's Bucket on Etsy. It's creamy, soft, luscious and just sparkly enough to keep me happy without sending me into a glitter-coma. The pattern is Handmaiden's In An Evening Toque hat, found on Ravelry.

Here are the yarn skeins I got:

Bubba - Superwash Merino/Silk/Nylon Sparkle/Faux Cashmere blend; bulky, 90yds

Quinn - 80/20 Superwash Merino/Silk blend; worsted, 202yds

The colorways are from the Vamp Camp Collection and are based on characters from the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Yes, I am a fan. I couldn't resist and the price was SO reasonable it made it a certainty that they'd be mine:)

I also picked up some stitch markers from the lovely soccerchic21 over on Etsy as well. Again, with the True Blood series (and trust me, there are more I'm waiting on because I went on a mini shopping spree as it had been ages since I'd gotten yarns to fondle!)

Eric Northman markers

Pam markers

Sam Merlotte markers

I have a few more projects on the needles right now and hopefully, when finished, I'll share them!

XOXO,
Bella

Happy Post-Zombie Jesus Day!

This is what I get to see everyday that I take Dragon to work. See? Mountains:D

So not much going on in our household this weekend (or for the past few weeks rather) thus the lack of updates. HOWEVER!!! I have completed some projects, started some new ones, taken a SLEW of pictures and I am here to inflict all of this information upon you.

Behold ye, and tremble in fear.

Purple Jade and Sterling Silver...so pretty!

This is a purple jade pendant with a silver dragon on it, courtesy of Uwajimaya Market in downtown Seattle. I also got some Puchi miniature meals...and they are made of awesome and cute!

Puchi Mini Meals...dangerously addictive.

It was amazing and we will definitely be going again sometime soon. It's so refreshing to finally have a place to go to get the awesome Japanese food that I remember from Japan:)

Now, on to the completed works! First up the infamous crochet orange scarf and knitted hat out of the Orange Slices Merino yarn from Andrea :

Finally completed. Very warm and very bright, they help to keep the dreary Seattle chill away. My favorite part (aside from the yarn) is the edging. It's a crochet braid stitch that looks to be much more complicated than it really is.

Then I splurged a little bit (a whole $6) and bought the Applejack hat pattern from Croshay Designs and proceeded to make two of them. The first is out of the amazing BFL in the ColdSteel colorway from the faboo Andrea .

And what's more, I had so much left over that I decided it needed a scarf to go with it, so I'm currently using the Magic Scarf pattern by Crazy Aunt Purl and still working on it:

Then I used a combo of the Dexter colorway in Merino/Silk blend from Cosmic Fibers Yarn on Etsy and some of the Obsidian Merino/Tencel from Andrea :
I didn't have enough of the Dexter to do more than the hat, so I'm thinking that if I knit a scarf for this one I'll do it strictly out of the Obsidian. And I'm thinking cables:D

Then we have the latest Calorimetry that I'm making for my BFF Dawn down in Alabama out of the most AMAZING chunky baby alpaca yarn! I picked it up from Yarnzilla for a steal and I will definitely be getting more of it because oh...it's so lush! I believe the colorway is called Ember Melange and the photos just do NOT do it justice!

That's my little purple skull cupcake stitch marker from Scary Merry over on Etsy. I adore them:)

And last, but certainly not least, I'm working on yet another scarf, this time using the incredibly gorgeous Her Eyes tencel from Andrea . Again....photos cannot capture how truly beautiful this yarn is, folks.

Those are the new bamboo needles I picked up on Amazon for a steal! I now have no excuse because I now have every size from 0 - 13 in 9" straights and DPNs.

I'm using the Old Shale Pattern, found on Ravelry, and so far, it may not look like much, but I swear, when it's blocked? It's going to be utterly fabulous!

So that's it for now:) I swear it's taken me entirely too long to get this update on here. But I'm sure that after viewing such beautiful yarns, you'll need a rest.

The battle for the water box is on. First Blade...

Then Kratos;)

Until next time;)

XOXO
~Bella

Flexitarianism? Whaa?

I received two of the books I'd ordered today. One, which relates to the crafty part of this blog:
I've been enamored with Amigurumi for a while now, but I tend to err on the side of creepy-cute rather than just cute;) So when I saw this book (and I recognized the author from her etsy.com Needle Noodles site) I had to pick it up and see what it was all about.

Omg. Seriously some of the most adorable little ami-dolls I think I've ever laid eyes upon. Very worth it, they make faboo gifts and I think I'm going to sit down in the next week or so and make one of each from the book!

When you've finally decided to quit smoking, you need something, anything to do with your hands. At least in the meantime, right? Quick stats:

1 day, 8 hours, 27 minutes and 48 seconds smoke free. 27 cigarettes not smoked.

Since I'm on a health kick lately too, I snagged this book:
Because, let's face it. Here we are in the Pacific Northwest. We can get fresh fish, but more importantly, some AMAZING veggies and fruits for dirt cheap. Yes, money has been tight, but with the introduction of this new job, there's no excuse anymore. It's time to get serious about our health (Dragon will have to get used to it) and this is a good plan that suits us both. See, I'm a carnivore by nature, Dragon - even more so. I love veggies, but I cannot exist on veggies alone. I know that if I'm going to go in a more....vegan trend with my eating there has to be some way to still incorporate the occasional meat product (I adore fish/chicken, where Dragon is a pork/beef kinda guy).

No guilt. Just healthier eating!

Of course, I'm sure all of this stems from the Doctor's appointment I have tomorrow. Finally, I should get some answers about what's going on with me and get started on being human again.

In the meantime, I will keep you all updated...have no fear! I think I'm going to plunge into this book and start absorbing as much of it as I can so I can circumvent any complaints Dragon might have;)

XOXO
~Bella

Foggy days, crisp nights.

The last few days have been full o' fog around here and I've been enjoying every minute of it. To my macabre mind, I suppose it's just spooky enough to make it feel more surreal than it might to the average Pacific Northwesterner.

But then, I'm still newly transplanted.

It's a new year, therefore new goals, hassles, irritations and triumphs. We've been getting out and seeing the city more, slowly but surely, and I'm currently dying to get tickets for Cinematic Titanic's first show here in March. In case you don't already know, and I'm sure most of you don't, I'm a huge fan of MST3K. So when CT announced tour dates, you know I'll be in attendance:) See, this is one of the big reasons we moved here in the first place. The opportunities are crazy! Combine that with another Abney Park show next month and you've got a me that's just squirming in her pants to get out and get on with it!

I've been working on a new scarf. I'm using the lovely orange merino I got earlier this month and after searching high and low, I settled on a scarf that's similar to the Circle Crochet Scarf pattern and I fully intended on using that particular pattern. But then, while perusing through my Encyclopedia of Crochet the other day and found the perfect stitch pattern for it.

See, I envisioned this scarf, because of the yarn, looking like little slices of mandarin oranges, so I went with Catherine's Wheel. And yes, it's crochet:

See that gorgeous color? Believe me when I say that the camera does NOT do justice to how lusciously beautiful it is.

And my favorite dyer/spinner extraordinaire is at it again. Look at this: (picture totally taken by Andrea, by the way)

Now, I will admit my ignorance, because I don't know what Black BFL is (the fiber she used for this yarn) but is that not one of the most gorgeous red colorways you've ever seen? Can you imagine a deep violet color? OMG! So pretty!

So naturally, I want some. *laughs* We'll see what happens;) What with working two jobs now, I might be able to keep up my yarn-whore habit! (As it is, I'm totally tempted to have her add the Purple Haze merino she has in her shop. I keep lusting after it. Darn her!!)

Oh! And I haven't forgotten the backlog of stitch patterns of the day. I'm still doing them, I've just gotten caught up in other things. Hopefully over the next week, I'll get them all photo'd and uploaded and let you all know what I'm doing!

Game's on, have to run:)

XOXO
Bella

Oh me, oh my.

I got my most recent yarn steal from Andrea yesterday.

It's 750yds of Merino, aptly titled "Orange Slices". I've been on a brightish color kick lately. It normally doesn't last too long, but orange is usually quite hit or miss with me, specifically. I just have to say that this is some super yummy stuff that has my name written all over it. *grins*

We went to Wallingford this past Saturday to celebrate me not being in dispatch anymore, in search of the best cupcakes in Seattle. I do believe we found them. Trophy Cupcakes, in the Wallingford Center, has some of the most scrumptious little cakes I've ever laid my tastebuds upon! Especially tasty were their Red Velvet/Cream cheese cupcake, the Lemon cupcake, and the Cafe Au Lait cupcakes. The coffee was good, but I made the dire mistake of getting a pomegranate mocha. Let's just say that the flavor was reminiscent of having spent too much time at the bar and is the taste in your mouth right before you offer a prayer to the porcelain god. Mmhmm.

We set out to wander the center a bit and happened upon a yarn store! Bad Woman Yarn is one of two yarn stores I've had the pleasure of perusing in this city, and it was...amazing! The people working there were so incredibly friendly that I was taken aback. I was able to pick up some yarn for my mom's Christmas gift for later this year, and I snagged two Addi Turbo Lace circular needles for my sock adventures, as well as a few small tiny skeins of Panda Silk and Panda Wool in some nifty colorways, oh, and some sparkly lumina from Berocco! Behold:


And I wouldn't have bought these, but they were discounted 20% off. Ladies? Gentlemen? Is that not a steal? Even if they're totally frou-frou yarns?
The guy who (I'm assuming) owns the shop was really nice and I now have a discount card all set up there, where if I spend more, eventually the card punch will get me $20 off my next purchase. Again, I say, how on earth could you NOT love a yarn store that does that?

We also perused a comic store and had some faboo taco stand tacos and then came home to chill for the rest of the night.

Yesterday, it snowed. And then it melted. And now? It's just rainy. Welcome to Seattle;)

XOXO
~Bella

Happy Birthday to meeee!

My little sno-man asks: Who wants a hug?
The snow has been wreaking havoc on all plans this week, but my birthday is still a relatively good one:)

I haven't gotten the Christmas/Birthday box from mom yet (boo bad weather delaying packages!) BUT!!!

I did get two very awesome birthday deliveries (even though they weren't technically birthday related) from two of my favorite people on earth.

One, was the luscious box of yarn from Andrea at Natural Obsessions on Etsy. I sat for a long time just running my fingers over the fibers, squeeing with happiness. So beautiful! So timely! I didn't think I'd get anything for my birthday but they showed up about an hour ago:) AND she included some very nifty wineglass tags! Super helpful for those holiday parties where you forget which glass belongs to you:) My Dragon had to stop me from unraveling all the beautiful cakes and just rolling about in them.

Secondly, I got my custom ordered stitch markers from Jillian at WeeOnes!!! They are two sets of sushi, one is Maki Sushi rolls and the other are 4 pieces of plain sushi but OMG they are adorable! I am utterly in love with them! Mini sushi! How can you resist them when they are so cute? Behold:
Words cannot express how adorably tiny these things are! I just love them SO much! Seriously, if you want some incredibly awesome stitch markers, please PLEASE go visit her etsy store!

Other than that, I've had a piece of my birthday cake (Dark Peppermint ice cream/red velvet cake combo from Cold Stone Creamery) and have watched my poor husband bust his butt shoveling snow and ice from the driveway.

More snow is on the way and rain too. I've cast on for a new scarf. It's the Little Lace Cat's Paw scarf and I'm making it out of some fabulous fingering weight yarn from Sheepaints called "Kitty Spell". It's quite lovely and delicate!

EDIT: OMG! I just got birthday flowers! From my mom and dad! And they're SO pretty!!
Okay, so maybe my birthday is going to be good after all? *smiles*

XOXO
Bella

*Insert gratiuitous whining here*

How can one stand it when you have a picture like this teasing you?

Those are the beautiful bits of lovely waiting on me to play with! Andrea, in her awesomeness, has not only spun these sexy strings, but she's wound them into balls for me because she is made of complete awesome and win.

Let's see if I can remember what the colors are. Clockwise from the top: Her Eyes, Lemon Drop, Obsidian, After the Fire, and Hawk's Eye (I believe).

*whine whine whine* Ahem.

So come payday this Friday, I will ship off for these most craved for yarns and will soon hold them in my greedy paws!

In other knitting news, I will upload pics of my mom's present after she's had a chance to see it (because I know she looks at this blog *waves* Hi Mom!) so I don't want to spoil the suprise:)

We were out for coffee yesterday and I was wearing my latest Calorimetry head scarf. Side note: I am seriously addicted to making these. They take up very little yarn, so they're great stashbusters, plus, they're ridiculously quick to knit. They keep your head and ears warm and...well...I'll just let a picture speak for itself. This one was knit in Cosmic Fiber's Moonlight series Josef colorway, 100% Leicester wool!

Anyway, the one I was wearing is done in a lovely skein of black Noro Cash Iroha yarn which is a cashmere/silk/lambswool blend and OH so warm!


As she was handing me my coffee (because I adore Terravida, just sayin') she said she loved my hat.

This is where my Dragon pipes up with, "She knit it herself!" Bless him. She looked shocked and then when I asked if she wanted one, she asked how much I'd charge. I told her it's Christmas...so it'd be all for her. She said she liked the black, but, oh noes, I don't have anymore black, BUT! I do have a beautiful deep garnet and a vibrant purple, both in the same yarn...so I think I'm going to follow Jack's advice and make one of each, and let her pick:)

She's such a sweetie, so perky and upbeat (and adorable as hell), and she makes me smile. So it's nothing major for me to make her a little something to keep her adorable head warm:)

I'm also working on turning the Silver Lining bamboo into a pair of glovelets, but it reminds me, working with the DPNs, how much I detest the DPNs. I seriously need more circular needles because man...I feel like I'm wrestling a hedgehog. It's slow going, but that's mostly because I have very little experience with them.

And just in case you haven't had enough yarn porn...behold, the newest additions to my stash that the most lovely Andrea is going to spin and ball for me:

The Morning After, and:

Copper Penny;)

I'll explain why I got one so close to the coppertop colorway a little later on.

Anywho. So there you have it. Current WIPs. Yarn Porn. Awesomeness and Win.

And freakin'-A, it's snowing!!! I'm going to go dance in the snowflakes for a bit!

XOXO
~Bella