Ravelry Swap Box!

So today I got my box! It was a great way to end an otherwise crummy week, everything in the box made me smile and my day has totally turned around my entire mood!My box was filled with absolutely wonderful things, and one thing wasn't exactly in the box, but came around the same time.

I received two gorgeous balls of Plymouth's Baby Alpaca in a wonderful red color, two sachets that smell divine (and are already being put to use!), a Valentine's Cookie Mix (which I will make for my special Valentine), a wonderful bar of delicious looking chocolate, a mixed CD with music to motivate me to save money for California, a personal recipe from my swap partner for her favorite sugar cookies (oh how I love cooking and baking and new recipes to try out!), an A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E canvas bag that I have already used for groceries, and a handwritten card from my spoiler!

I know you are all jealous and probably want to come raid my place right now to steal all my amazing things, but be warned, my very vicious attack Panda will get you! (ok so he's not vicious, but he still may jump on you and try to maul you with kisses).

Oh, and by the way, I have new items coming soon to my shop, a wonderful extra long, extra wide multi colored scarf, a rasta beanie (rasta colors, slouchy enough to hold your dreds) and a Lemon-Meringue-esque beanie that I almost don't want to sell, so stay tuned!

Etsy Artist Feature: 99Lollipop

Today's feature is of one of my Etsyknitters Team members, a fantastic knitter who is always trying to learn as much as she can about improving her shop and her trade, read on to find out more about this fantastic woman! Here is my interview with 99Lollipop:

How did you first learn to knit?

I was first shown how to knit when I was about 7, but couldn't get the gist of it. I kept losing stitches and quickly lost interest. I think part of the problem was that the yarn was horrible, the needles were super large and my teacher was less than patient! However, I have been crocheting for about 20 years and for many of them wished I had persevered with the knitting. There's something so soothing and meditative about the click of two needles that has always called me. It's just a different mood and also compliments crocheting quite nicely. Well, a couple of years ago, while trying to relieve the stress of studying for my psychology state board exams, I took up knitting. Funny thing is I took one class out of a 4 class series at a community college and then just taught myself with tons of questions to a friend of mine who walked me through the really confusing parts. All the sudden, knitting became like breathing to me. I found it when the time was right, I guess.

What is your favorite yarn to knit with?

I love to work with natural fiber and my absolute favorite is Alpaca. It's just so soft and knits up like a dream. Ive also gotten quite fond of bamboo as well. It feels and handles like strong silk. And I really love the fact that it comes from such a rambunctious plant!

What are some of your favorite projects or techniques to knit?

My favorite thing is to do custom work because it feels like such an honor to help bring to life someone's idea, longing and desire. I love to feel the yarn and needles in my hands and just put my passion into it. I also love to knit things for new babies because that stuff becomes extra precious (just think of your first blankie). I love thinking about how my loving work is going to help welcome a new being into this life.
In terms of knitting for myself, which I don't often get around to doing, I've recently really gotten obcessed with knitting capes in all types of styles and yarn varieties.
In terms of techniques, I don't have a favorite. If Im not using a pattern, I love to hold the yarn and let it guide me into its creation. I have made some of my best items that way.

Extreme (-ly small) Knitting!

So I want to see this new Caroline movie coming out, who doesn't right? But here is this video that another member of my Etsyknitters Team sent to us and I want to share it with you, just click on the picture below:



Isn't that awesome?!

Warm Ewe Up Winter Swap - Biweekly Blog Question #3

So the third biweekly blog question for my Ravelry Swap Group is this:

What is your favorite way to keep warm when it’s snowing outside? (And if you live in a warm weather climate, what would you do to stay warm and cozy while it’s snowing?)

I rather enjoy plopping myself on the couch with my beau and the dog on our feet (literally, he has to sit directly underneath us to be comfortable, what a weird-o) each of us with a warm beverage, tea, hot chocolate made healthfully from scratch, coffee, and putting in an entertaining movie. I should also like to have knitting on hand for when I finish said beverage and need to keep my hands busy.

Granted, I do enjoy the snow, and snowboarding all day in it and coming home to the above would be most ideal :)

Soft Lacey Orange Scarf

Recently finished and just listed, this super soft orange scarf brings with it the bright colors and interesting patterns that you all know I love.

Knit in a very cool diamond lace pattern, this extra long scarf has just a bit of a sheen to it. It is long enough to wrap around your neck numerous times or just let the ends hang free, either way, this scarf is just about perfect! The details in the scarf aren't too overpowering as to take over an outfit, but they add a little something extra.

Vanna's Choice Contest Entry

The moment I heard about the Vanna's Choice Contest I just knew I had to enter.

I bought enough skeins of various colors in the yarn required for the contest and got to work dreaming up what I wanted to make even though the deadline was drawing near. I decided that I wanted to make a beret-type hat which turned out.....ok. Not the greatest, but I'm sure it will pique somebody's interest. The project that I have submitted to the contest was this super cute baby sweater.

The body is all a gorgeous yellow color. Flowers and leaves were knit in various colors and attatched to the fronts of the cardigan and the stems were embroidered on. The three little red buttons are quite possibly my favorite part of the cardigan, even beyond the adorable picot edging around the sleeves and bottom edge of the sweater. They just a pop of closure!

The sweater is being modeled by a friend's very photogenic 3 month old, she was very cooperative ;)

Lavender and Black Pouch, Quirky Heart

I added two new items to my shop yesterday, a custom order from a repeat customer (also a family member hehe, the best kind of buyer!) and a new pouch.

The pouch is knit from a combination of wool and superwash wool yarns, meaning that if you throw it in the washing machine in hot water it will only partially felt. I love the colors and the checkered pattern that they make together. This would be a perfect pouch for just about any small electronic device or for tissues or other randomness.

This is a poncho that my cousin requested; blue and green stripes with a dark blue heart in the middle. I think it turned out super cute :)

Snowboarding Trip

Last week Dominic and I and some of our friends went up to Pagosa Springs, CO and Durango, CO to enjoy the slopes of Wolf Creek and Purgatory respectively. Needless to say, we had a blast! The snow was good, although having some fresher snow would've been even better, the mountains weren't overly crowded (I suppose going in the middle of the week doesn't hurt), and the company was exceptional!

While we were piddling about the small town of Pagosa Springs we wandered into an antique shop we'd been in on a previous trip. We had found some cool vinyls and wanted to know if there were any new ones that we absolutely have to have even though, at the moment, we have no way to listen to them....Anyways, we found a really cool old tin with a picture of peacocks on it and the label of "California Dreams".

At the end of May Dominic graduates and our dream is to find jobs and move to Cali, so far so good, he is getting some offers from out that way. I decided to return to the shop the next day while he and everyone else was snowboarding Wolf Creek and buy the tin as a surprise. We will fill the tin with any extra bills we have in hopes of being able to use it to put a down payment on a house when we get out there, so it really is our tin of California Dreams.

Did you go on any cool trips for the holidays?

Featured!

I am featured on Marin's Blog today! Please don't forget to go check it out :)

Oh, and I am learning how to use this Wists thingy. Perhaps it will come in handy for my Swap Spoiler? Or for my family when shopping for my far off birthday? I'm not entirely sure, but here it is :)

Short but sweet post today...

The Nearby Town of Magdalena

Dominic and I took a drive some weeks ago out to a nearby town. Neither of us had ever been there and wanted to go see what this tiny little town was all about (and we wanted to get out of the apartment and enjoy ourselves without spending much money). The town was very very small, so small even that it did not have many (if ANY) chain stores, no McDonalds, no Conoco Gas Station, nothing of the sort. We enjoyed looking around and seeing all the character in the store fronts, and in the aging houses. We also found these super cool sculptures out there:

Does your town, or a town near yours have anything neato like this?

Tea Spoon

I love my tea. Love it. I drink tea every day. All kinds of different varieties of tea fill up my tea cabinet (it has its own cabinet its so worthy) although Chai is usually my tea of choice, I do enjoy a good Earl Grey and of course Green amongst my other varieties. One thing I noticed recently was that I always tend to use the same spoon when stirring my tea. I hadn't noticed it before but one day I couldn't find the spoon and using a different one just felt wrong! Can you guess which is the tea spoon?

Do you have any quirky habits that you didn't notice right away?

Etsy Artist Marin

Today I am featuring fellow Etsy seller and knitter: Marin. She is a recent college graduate who has a passion for math and numbers and who uses her crafting to keep her sane (don't we all? hehe). I'm sure her new cutie-pie puppy doesn't hurt matters either :)

A self-taught knitter, Marin also enjoys a plethora of other crafts including crochet, card-making, scrapbooking, beading, decoupage, soap making and many more! In her first shop you can find scarves, hats, sweaters, bags, accessories for the home, even chocolate :)
She recently opened up a second shop on Etsy called Tangled String, it will sell knitting and crocheting supplies, needles hooks, yarns, etc. Also, don't forget to check out her blog!

Movie Review - Gran Torino

So I went out and saw Gran Torino last Saturday with my little brother. If you have not seen this movie, I whole heartedly recommend you do! Clint Eastwood not only stars in this film, he directed it. As with all of his films, this one does not disappoint. It is the type of movie that makes you laugh, makes you anxious, makes you mad, makes you sad and holds your complete attention the entire time. I don't want to give away too much of the film, but it follows a man who was in Korea and has lived since with an inate racist tone. As his neighborhood starts to change around him, he has to deal with the fact that perhaps those he has hated all these decades might not be quite as "un-American" as he thought.

Have you seen this film yet? What did you think?

Ravelry Swap Question 2

Here is the second biweekly question for my Ravelry Swap Group

Question #2

If you could only knit or crochet with one brand of yarn for the rest of the year, what would it be and why?

Only one brand? Oh gosh…..there are so many! Maybe just maybe Lamb’s Pride because there are SO MANY colors, its wool, I can felt it up, or just knit it into something, its kind of fuzzy but not overly so, its initially rough but gets softer with use, seems just about perfect for having to knit with only one brand forever. Granted, if you asked me that question tomorrow, my answer might be completely different. But as for today, this is my answer J

Shop Facelift

So for 2009 I want to rev up my shop (like just about everyone does). So I want to start my renaming my sections, I want to take better pictures of some if not most or all of my products, I want to go through all my descriptions and make sure that they all have care instructions and the tidbit about selling internationally, of course I want to create new items, and up my marketing. Not entirely sure how I'm going to do the marketing part.....twitter? Facebook? Myspace? Maybe I'll change my avi again, and I'd love to make my blog into 3 columns (anyone know how to do that?). There are so many new ideas I can't wait to try this year!

On a separate note, my mother and I went to Santa Fe yesterday to have some "girl" time. It was a blast! My splurge of the day was this absolutely gorgeous purple wool roving that I cannot WAIT to spin up!

One of My Favorite Colors

So, I guess I really like the color yellow. But its one of those weird kind of favorites in that, I wasn't aware it was a favorite until recently. I know I like bright colors. I know I like sunshine and green grass. But if you were to ask me what my favorite color was, yellow would not have been my first answer. Until recently, when I put all my favorite things together on a list in my mind and realized that many of them (if not all) were yellow!

Here is my everyday bag. I knit and felted it myself years ago and love it!

This super awesome treasury is not only full of gorgeous yellows, it features one of my items!

These shoes are so cute that I couldn't resist but buy myself a pair, I will take pictures and post them here once I get them :)

My most favorite-est pencil case (which I made myself) is this one, and guess what color it is! That's right! Yellow!
What is your favorite color? How did you realize it was your favorite color?

I've been featured in a Treasury!

Hey all, its been a long while since one of my items was featured in a treasury, and you know that scarf I just blogged about and posted only today? Well, its been featured!

Here is the link, please don't forget to click on all the pictures and leave a comment at the bottom as this will bring our treasury full of EtsyKnitters Team members to the front pages in the treasury search!

Crazy Purples, Helmets and Babies

So I finally have added a new item to my shop! It's been over a month since anything new has made its way to my shop, I've been super busy with custom orders, hats, knucks, scarves, slippers, etc. Its nice to finally have new things on Etsy too!

So here it is, the coolest, most neato torpedo purple scarf you've ever seen!

Also, coming soon to my shop (hopefully tomorrow or later this evening) I will be adding the finished set of these booties I talked about way back in this post and the matching beanie!

And here is one of the custom orders I recently finished, a helmet-style hat. The wearer is a bicyclist and wanted something that would keep his ears warm but not cover his eyes (he has a rather large dome-piece). So here is the finished creation, being modeled by my very super handsome boyfriend :)

Awesome Possum Gloves

So remember this hat and this hat that I made for my friend Miriam? Well we have collaborated again and come up with these neato torpedo elbow length gloves! Luckily her arms and my arms are the same size and our fingers are the same length, this made making the gloves fit a bit easier.
They are completely wool, mostly merino, and they have these super cute vintage buttons on each cuff! I almost didn't want to give them to her...again....hehe.

also, here is how my cousin is using her new DS case!

New Years, Adventures and Play Time!

So for the last few days I have been MIA, I know, I know. But here I am!

I had quite a busy time since I last posted what with my travels and the holidays. For New Year's Eve, my beau and I joined some of his friends at a cabin in the Jemez mountains and spent the holiday playing games, listening to terrible music (well, I thought it was terrible at least) and enjoying the snow (although I might've been the only one doing that too...).

*And yes, I did make that hat I am wearing hehe, I made Dom one too but since we've been in the process of moving it has been packed away so you can't see it yet*

Friday, Dominic and I headed up to Angel Fire to go snowboarding with different friends, that was a long, but fun day! We had to be up by 430 in the morning!
But we did get to see this beautiful sunrise:
New Mexico skies are absolutely beautiful even though the grounds may not be. For people like us, who, needless to say, aren't exactly "morning people" waking up so early was quite a stretch, but we did it and drove all the way up to the mountain and snowboarded down the slopes with beautiful views and perfect weather.