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

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

Is this not the cutest face?

Mumbles impersonates Mom after a long night working the phones.

I've been remiss in updating, but I have a good reason! I've been working my happy little ass off in an effort to both pay my bills (current and upcoming) AND to start feeding my yarn addiction again.

Miss Andrea is tempting me like whoa and that squeaky sound you're hearing is me over here wringing my hands in wanton lust at some of the most beautiful fibers I've seen yet. Here...let me show you. First up? The ones I'm dying to beg her to add to my stash...seriously:

Pressed Roses (Hemp)
Is this not one of the most lovely dusty rose colors you've ever seen?

Depression Glass (Tencel)
Something about this color just calls to me. I don't know if it's the darkness, or if it's the way the darkness is made light with the shiny nature of the tencel...either way, it's gorgeous and I covet it.

Wallpaper in Old Rooms (Shetland)
I..uh...have this thing about purple yarns. And, I know I already have too many skeins of purple yarn but frankly? I don't care. I love this one.

Black Cherries (BFL)
See above. But this one? This one is special. This one, provided no one else snags it? This one I am definitely going to beg Andrea for because omg. I seriously adore this like whoa.

And then, we have the ones that ARE in my stash right now:

Blood Ties (BFL)

This color is so decadent. I already know what I'm going to use it on. And I can't wait!!

Learning to Climb (Hemp)
I don't think words can adequately express how much I adore hemp yarn. No really. This lovely skein is already slated to become a fabulous hat that I am almost guaranteed to wear everywhere.

Dark Opal (tencel)
Along with my adoration of hemp comes my utter love for tencel, courtesy of the delicious Andrea herself. I also have an obsession with black opals...and this just combines the best of both worlds for me.

Sam's Eyes (Tencel)
This is the commissioned yarn I asked for. The color is absolutely perfect for what I asked for and it will be turned into a fabulous shawl that I swear to All will be worn at every available opportunity.

Dragon's Tail (Tussah Silk)
This one is for my Dragon. I saw it and immediately thought of him. Plus, it'll be my first foray into knitting with silk. I can't wait!

On Cat's Paws (Merino/Tencel)
One of my favorite poems from childhood, and again with the grey/blue prettiness that is quickly starting to rival purple as my favorite colorway.

Amethyst (Hemp)
Again. With the purple. And the hemp. How predictable am I?

So there you have it. The pretty pretties that I'm totally looking forward to in the coming month. I've been suffering yarn withdrawal due to fundage issues, but with the new job literally swinging along? That won't be a problem anymore. I'm sure my Dragon will be SO pleased. {/sarcasm} But...if I can keep him indulging his comics/collectables addictions, then he can wholeheartedly support my yarn/oils addictions and we'll just be happy as two peas in a pod!

On the work front, things are really great. I've had a rough go of it only with getting my body back into the "work all night, sleep/work all day" routine, but I think I've finally finagled a solution. I cannot even express how thankful I am to have gotten this second job because it is, head and shoulders, a step above any other phone work I've done. It's a well oiled machine (pardon the pun) and every single thing they've achieved is fabulous. I feel like I'm a part of a community who actively WANTS me to succeed. Of course, this means less time to blog here because now I have to keep up a blog for them AND chat with callers AND keep up with SC work...it's exhausting, but I'm still trying to make sure I carve out time every night to do a little knit/crochet.

I may bitch, but lordy, I am blessed. This month has been especially rough on both of us, but I'm overjoyed that there's a light at the end of the tunnel...and it ISN'T another oncoming train.

Add to that these two little morsels of happiness: My brother IS actually engaged to be married, so there's a trip to Florida sometime next year for that. And the second morsel? My mom told me that she and dad are coming to visit this July! *dances* Now, the only down side (which, theoretically SHOULDN'T be) is that somehow *coughDADcough* my grandmother got wind of their plan...and it has now become a family affair. I guess it's going to be my folks, my grandmother, AND my aunt n' uncle along for the ride. So let's just say that July is going to be quite...interesting.

*yawns* Okay, my bebes! I need to get some sleep. My dragon should be puttering around now getting ready for work. I'm super proud of him for keeping a 93% on his numbers at work! Today he's bringing home GS cookies in celebration. *dances* I may not need them for my hips, but my tummy really digs this time of year.

Until later, dumplings!

XOXO
Bella

And...moar...sno!

It's snowing again today, but it's supposed to change to rain by this afternoon. I have to admit, as a sno-baby, I'm loving this gentle sno-fall we're getting at random intervals:)

And a pimp! Check to the right sidebar. I've added a small list of links that I love, ones that you'll most likely see featured in my posts right now. I haven't figured out just yet how to add pictures to those links, but the lovely Andrea has provided a very nice pic with which to link to her etsy shop. Behold:
So there you have it! Little post today, I have an appointment at 10:30 with a storage unit because we're finally tired of having all these boxes hanging out around here. Oy.

It's a slow phone day, so hopefully I'll be able to get some more knitting/crochet/housecleaning done around here today. We'll see:)

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

Podcasts I enjoy:)

I was sitting here listening to a new podcast and I thought I'd make a list of the ones I'm truly a fan of.

It goes without saying that Brenda Dayne's Cast On is the gold standard when it comes to podcasts about knitting. I was late to the podcast thing but I eagerly devoured her podcasts (even if I wasn't really a knitter at the time) and now I am constantly thrilled when she does an update!

Socks in the City is another fabulous podcast. The shows are short (averaging about 20-30m) and she rambles all over the place about knitting, yarn, and oh yes, socks! She knits a ton of socks. Pattern reviews and opinions abound. She's on Ravelry, has a group there too, and is a very chipper person! The best thing too, might I add, is that she also runs the Cosmic Fibers Yarn shop on Etsy...and frankly, I've bought a few skeins from her and they're awesome! She hand dyes and the colorways are faboo! Do check out both the podcast and her store:)

Yarn Thing: A Podcast about Knitting - She used to podcast weekly but it has since tapered off quite a bit. Marly's a very bubbly podcaster and she also has a yarn fetish:) She can take a little getting used to if you're not a fan of very gregarious bubbly folks, but she's got a lot of good information about knitting and yarn, especially about books! She also crochets, so it's nice to hear about those projects as well:)

Cogknitive - I have to admit. I adore this podcast. Not for the reasons you might think. I have a BA in Psychology and Dr. Gemma is a cognitive psychologist who knits and crochets. I adore her! She's relatively new to the podcasting arena and her casts are short (25m at the most) but what I love is that she not only talks about the projects and such that she's working on, but every show she offers a tip from cognitive psychology to help manage stress and the everyday, as well as a little blather (as she calls it) at the end about her job. I cannot highly recommend this podcast enough!! You can find her blog here: http://cogknitivepodcast.blogspot.com/

All of these podcasts are available on itunes and if you're not already listening to them? Track them down! They're perfect to listen to while you knit/crochet!

December 1st!

I can't believe that the year is almost over! 6 months ago, I was sitting in my living room in Texas wondering where my path would lead...and here we are in Washington!

I'm going to reserve my "thankful for" list until the end of the year, and am, instead focusing on getting my knitting done! There is a NIN concert next Sunday in Portland that we have tickets for, and I am determined to have my coppertop scarf done by then. I also need to make another calorimetry head scarf done before Sunday rolls around (it's supposed to be quite chilly that day!)

Later this month, we're going to celebrate our anniversary by going to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's 25th anniversary production of The Nutcracker, and later that night, we're going to a Saloon in town (in full Steampunk gear *grins*) for The Steampunk Cabaret show!

I've been playing with ideas for Christmas goodies that I plan on giving out, and I think I've settled on some chocolate dipped cake bites (courtesy of Bakerella at her blog) because they look delicious AND unique enough to give out:)

I have to make some traditional cookies as well this year because my Omi mentioned that she won't be making cookies this year. *sad face* So instead, I'm going to send some to her for a change:) It should be a nice little surprise for her!

I'm currently amused by My Dragon driving himself nuts trying to answer my question of "Who is your favorite James Bond villain?" Poor thing can't decide. *wicked grin*

In other news, we had a relatively successful Thanksgiving with the exception of the cornish hens. They didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but that is partially my fault because I decided to try a new recipe on a holiday. *laughs* So from here on out, no new recipes on a holiay WITHOUT pre-testing them a few days in advance.

Lesson learned.

And because this wouldn't be a proper post without some sort of picture, I present something from another Etsy girl that I am totally addicted to:

This picture doesn't do them justice, so I'm going to borrow the ones directly from her shop!
Voila:


These adorable little confections are by Jillian and can be found at her Etsy shop WeeOnes and she has the most amazing stitchmarkers! If you're looking for something whimsical and new, a little different and a lot amazing, check out her shop! I have to admit, I'm a bit bummed that the sushi stitch markers she had up aren't there anymore *pout* but I wonder if I can cajole her into creating more? I'd looove to have some sushi stitch markers!

In any event, I'm going to step away from the computer for a bit, since I've been tied to it all day! And then....dun dun DUN! It's Heroes Monday:D

XOXO
~Bella

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