TGIF Brings A Lovely Surprise!

Ah, Friday's. Aren't they the best?! Maybe not terribly exciting for some of us, but lovely just the same.

Mine was to be fairly uneventful but not unpleasant by any means filled with things like; washing a few dishes, quality reading of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", repetitive conjugation of Italian verbs with regular 'ere' endings, and contemplation about important issues like when to finish up eating all of the little chocolates in that cheap advent calendar that we only ever opened up to day 16...

It's Pretty Right?! I'm gonna be sad when Picnik closes in April. :-P

But, this Friday had a surprise in store for me......

Once Upon A Time, in a land far far away, there was a very nice woman who had bought tickets to see Attila at the Seattle Opera on Saturday January 21st. The week before the show, an evil storm blew in and covered the kingdom with snow and ice ruining her traveling plans. So, this very nice woman asked her very sweet friend if he knew anyone who lived near the kingdom of Seattle who would enjoy a free Opera ticket. This very sweet friend knew at once who to call! And that my friends is how this fair maiden ended up with a free ticket to the Opera without a Fairy Godmother's magic wand or...well, a magical carriage to carry her through the melting snow and ice. 

Dream Come True! :-D .....But What Will I Wear?!

(Warning: What follows is a discussion about clothing...be advised that if you do not care about this kind of thing, you will be incredibly bored.) I am not one of those people. :-D

Seriously though, what does one wear to the Opera these days? The images that come to my mind automatically are...

OK, so maybe not very realistic for Seattle Opera 2012 on the tail end of a snow and ice storm....Hmmmm OK so what does the Seattle Opera Website say?

"Once patronized mainly by royalty, opera today is enjoyed by people from all walks of life. In modern day Seattle, you'll see opera-goers wearing everything from ball gowns to Birkenstocks. Feel free to dress up for a special night out, dress down for comfort, or find your own happy medium. When it comes to the opera, almost anything but the most casual wear is considered appropriate."


http://www.seattleopera.org/

Well, that was just vauge enough to be unhelpful to me at least...I mean I know that was probably meant to put me at ease and eliminate any ideas I might have had about somehow not fitting into the scene, but being the overzealous worry wort that I am, I do not feel at ease or comforted about not feeling out of place. Besides the fact that I am pretty young for the Opera crowd (They now have a club for 21-30somethings to encourage a younger audience), so I may feel that way anyway.

OK so then I started foraging through my closet...you know in that section of pretty clothes I hardly ever wear. (Most of which probably stopped fitting when I was 16 or 17 and still going to formals.) And after the vaguely depressing part of trying on Everything again in an effort to find something in my current size, I had narrowed it down to a few options I felt iffy about...

.

So, we have the purple sparkly fancy dress or the red curve hugging sexy red dress....hmmmmm

Well, it will probably rain.....and It looks like I will have to take the bus in, and I would be walking around in my outfit mid afternoon because of the commute and the ticket pickup.....OK, this is NOT WORKING! I think, I will just wear my favorite little black dress and call it good. Times like these is what a little black dress is for. :-) Now, if I could just decide what to do about my hair...oh and shoes....and legs OMG I might have to shave..... ;-P

Anyways, to wrap this whole bit up, I AM SOOOOO EXCITED! I've always wanted to attend an opera but haven't as of yet and although I am sorry that the original purchaser of the ticket will not be able to use it, I have to admit I feel like the luckiest girl alive, getting to see the Opera free....What a Lovely Surprise!

Well My Friends,

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!  

Oldies But Goodies

So Many Projects I Am Sooooo Proud Of That Won't Ever Make It Into This Blog.....UNLESS I just go ahead and put em all up at once! I can't help it! haha I just need to share! :-D

So, Here Goes! Newest Projects to Oldest Projects....sort of :)

Cowel Scarf

Cowl Scarf: Can also be pulled over head to keep ears warm.

Coffee Cup To Go Cozy: SOCK MONKEY! :-D

Started out as a slouchy beanie hat, but ended up a little closer to a kingston. :-P

Hats I made this year as Christmas Gifts!

Granny Square Scarf and first scarf  I ever made. :-)

Little Pocket purse for cards or other odds and ends. 

Soap Bag

Jelly Roll :-)

Jelly Roll Open

Rose Pattern

And Then Projects That Are Not Crochet........

Cross Stitched This In The Months Leading Up To Our Wedding in 2009. Have Yet To Frame It....Lol!

My Mother In Law Taught Me How To Make These Christmas Ornaments. They are genius and sooo easy!

First Shot At The Christmas Ornament Project

Now, that is out of my system and I feel much better! :-D

Have A Beautiful Day!

Snow Day #3

Oh the things I could do if I had a day off! .....Many many things, in theory, could be done around our apt. if I just had an extra day off during the week......

Cue three consecutive snow days....Yeah OK so I didn't get much done, there have been adequate clean dishes for Billy to cook on at night, and you can again get to the closet door to search for clean towels...and there might even be some in there. :) And that about sums up my productiveness in the last few days... 

I am however enjoying a gigantic mug of coffee (to assuage what is likely a caffeine headache) with a snowman on it in the spirit of the whole snow and ice storm thing going on outside. :-)

It's got snowflakes on the back too. :-D

I also: finished this crochet necklace (which ended up taking waaaay longer than I thought lol).

I know, the lighting is terrible but you get the idea . :-)

A little closer up on the strands.





Got this fun little pattern from the blog Mandipidy. Click Here!

And..... I Spent an irresponsible amount of time on Pinterest.....and read other people's blogs about what you feel like when your pregnant and all of the things no one tells you about after you give birth.....VERY SCARED FACE....

http://www.pregnantchicken.com/  (Greatest Blog Ever...do not be alarmed if you check this out and the first post you come across is called "Porn for Pregnant Ladies". It's full of fantastic photos like the one below.)

Pregnant Chicken

And.....yeah that's pretty much it for today....haha....

But you know what, it's been nice to just play hookie although I really should get more Italian homework done I figure I should enjoy these days while they last....you know before I decide to have kids which will apparently make me feel like this.......

;-)

And On That Note.... :)

Have A Beautiful Day!

SNOW DAY!

Aaaaahhh it was sooo nice to relax today, I didn't go outside at all, not even to take this picture of the snow still outside this afternoon. ;-)

Instead, I put on my favorite fluffy bathrobe, worked on my Italian, read a little, clipped coupons I will probably never use and have no safe place to store, and of course, I had plenty of warm yummy liquids like coffee, cider and hot chocolate. I even took a nap....although I kept waking up thinking I was supposed to be doing something haha.

Mmmmm and you really have to love that hot chocolate, it's not the dark chocolate mix I prefer, but hey chocolate is chocolate and I believe in real marshmallows, so it always works out well. :-D (Which incidentally, marshmallows are spelled weird. I mean who says marshmAllows it's marshmEllows right?! Or maybe that's just me?.... Lol)

The inside lip of this mug says: "Is Huge" ;-)

I also broke in my first attempt at crochet slippers that I made over the weekend. They aren't really what I was hoping for. They are kind of more like little socks and they aren't that warm, so my hunt for the right crochet slippers is still on. Still, for a first attempt at this kind of thing, they weren't bad, I was able to change the pattern a little bit to make it fit my foot, and Billy thought they were kind of cool which is truthfully the main reason I bothered to make the second slipper. lolol :-)

Obviously I am still working through the same color yarn I have been using recently. :-)

All in all it was a great day and I'm hoping for more snow tonight like the forecast says. Maybe UW Seattle will actually cancel classes tomorrow. Here's hoping.

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

What's The Point Of All This

What is this blog really about anyway?

Write a book everyone says. I have so many stories and thoughts there must be some way to compile them. But what specifically should I write about? Truthfully, I've never thought that what I have to say is more important or maybe even terribly interesting in comparison to everyone else and their lives. But on the other hand I feel like when I share, the response is always amazing and there is something to that. So, I want to blog, not because I have this overwhelming feeling that everyone cares about every little thing that I personally do, but because I feel like we are all connected in a way that we sometimes loose track of in our crazy busy lives....if that makes sense?.....hmmmm......how to put this in the right words.....

Connections
In early Sociology and Psychology courses, they tell you that particularly in large metropolitan areas, depression rates are high and are due overwhelmingly to feelings of isolation, and for women especially, anxiety. It has always struck me how common it is to feel terribly alone in the world even as you move through it with thousands of other human beings right next you. And the worry, all of the little things that nit pick us and drive us crazy and deprive us of that soul quenching peace we so desire and strive for.

I guess for me, one of the most important solutions to this problem, and one we can all work on and make a difference with in our own little lives, is our connections with the people around us. It's the little things as well as the large profound experiences that tie us all together as human beings. No matter how embarrassing or weird or aggravating or heartbreaking or unbelievable wonderful our stories are, there is always someone out there who knows exactly what you mean. In my experience, when you are willing to put yourself out there, it's amazing not only what you get back, but how many other people really GET IT, and really GET you. Maybe it's trite and idealistic, but I think we could all use a little bit of that.

And so, finally, the point.
So this whole blogging thing comes down to my eagerness to share the big stuff and all the little inconsequential things with anyone who cares to listen and maybe, just maybe receive something back in return. Because let's be honest, we all love that feedback, that encouragement, and that feeling of being appreciated. I know I do, and you know what, that's OK. So instead of trying to narrow down what this blog will be about and causing myself extra anxiety over what to say or what not to say, and I'm just gonna write about my own personal Awful Beautiful Mess ie. life. Whatever I feel like really, and I will hope that it touches someone else out there the way I am often touched by others.

If you are reading this, thank you! I hope you enjoy what I have to offer and I would love to hear from you as well. <3

Have A Beautiful Day!

Useful = Good

CELL PHONE SLEEVE

Lately I have been trying to find little crochet projects to use up all that extra yarn that inevitable begins to pile up, this way, I can feel thrifty and simultaneously make space for the next time I go on a yarn binge. ;-)

I also really love making something useful, it feels good! This last weeks little project that fit into my tight little schedule was a little phone cover. My mother-in-law made me this beautiful one a while back.

I love the great color and the faith button!

Unfortunately, my phone is kind of big and doesn't fit quite right. I ended up using this sleeve for my new camera and it's pretty perfect with the little strap and everything. That did leave my phone kind of naked though and it could use a little protection from the other wandering and extensive contents of my purse and/or schoolbag. So, I decided I would whip up a little something myself. :-)

I decided to go pretty simple. I used the pattern from this great blog below, it's really easy and uses only single crochet and slip stitch and it looks nice and clean.

Eggheaded Momma: How to Crochet a Cell Phone Sleeve Or Any Little Bag

This is how mine turned out!

As you can see, I decided the plain sleeve wasn't quite doing it for me so I decided on this simple but super cute little candy applique. I found it at the link below. The same page also has patterns for other sweet treat appliques!

Champy Girl's Yummy Sweet Appliques!

Oooh also, below is a link to my Pinterest page. I find a lot of my crochet patterns through Pinterest as well as a million other fun things. Especially if you haven't discover Pinterest yet check it out, it's oodles of fun!

http://pinterest.com/allycehn/


And that's all for now. For those of us with a three day weekend ahead, Enjoy! I know I will....haha Italian Paper...prepare to be conquered. ;-)

Have A Beautiful Day!

EarWarmer/Headband Success!

HIYA!

It's still too COLD outside for me and while I have been crocheting like crazy this fall and winter to bundle up, I have the worst time finding and accurately completing hat patterns that are flattering on me, so I thought I would give the EarWarmer/Headband pattern a shot. The designs I use are often a hodgepodge of several different patterns so I will try to compile those here. Enjoy!

Materials:

I used: A size H crochet hook for both headbands. (5mm)
            Caron Simply Soft Yarn in Bone and Persimmon, Medium Weight (4)

 This is the tutorial I used for the body of the headband. Crochet Geek on Youtube is a great source, there are sooo many patters and she is super easy to follow!

I chose this tutorial because it was so easy to follow and I love the ribbing effect you get from the pattern!

The linked tutorial also uses a size H hook but does not specify what kind of yarn is being using. I used Caron Simply Soft because it's my favorite and I always have some on hand. :)

  If you are a tight crocheter like myself and you use the same material I did, you will probably have to make more rows that the Crochet Geek tutorial recommends. I did many more periodically checking to see how it fit around my head (allowing for the little bit of stretch this project will have when completed).

First Completed Project:

The Lighting In Our Apt is terrible but you can see the full project here.

Gives you an idea of what it looks like on.

And here's a shot of the flower! :D

The flower pattern used for this first project is once I chose from a hat pattern I would like to complete for this Spring maybe. It's actually 3 different little flowers sewn together at the end, admittedly, mine looks different from the picture provided, but that's OK, it ended up being just right anyway. :)

Below is the Blog with said hat pattern and the flower pattern I used for my headband below.
This is a fantastic blog with so many adorable crochet patterns! Check it out!

Here is the pattern as well, just in case. Remember, you make all three flowers and then sew them together.

Flower Pattern
Make a magic circle,

Largest Flower
Round 1: Chain 3 (count as a dc), ch 1, dc in the loop, ch 9, join with slip stitch to the first chain, ch 1. *dc, ch 1, dc, ch 9, join with slip stitch to the first chain, ch 1. Repeat from * 4 times. Join with slip stitch to the first ch-3 (12 dc and ch-1 space; 6 ch-9 loops in total).

Round 2: Ch 1, sc in the same stitch, * work 14 dc in the ch-9 loop, sc in the next dc. Repeat from * 5 times, join with slip stitch to the first sc. Fasten off.

Medium Flower
Magic circle. Ch 1, * sc in the loop, ch 6, 1 hdc in the third chain from hook, 1 dc in each of the next 3 stitches. Repeat from * 5 times, join with slip stitch to the first sc (6 petals in total). Fasten off.


Smallest Flower
Magic circle, * ch 8, slip stitch in the loop. Repeat from * 4 times (5 petals in total). Fasten off



Assembly
Put these flowers in order they should be done with the smallest one on top. Sew in place in the center. Sew completed flower unto project of choice!

Second Completed Project:

Again sorry about lighting. :-

 This was my first time making a bow like this. So easy! Below is the Blog I found this bow pattern.
http://bwalker8706.blogspot.com/2010/12/big-bow-headband-pattern.html

Here Is The Pattern as well just in case:















  Bow

row 1: ch 40

row 2: hdc in 3rd ch from hook across                                                                  

row 3-7: ch 2, hdc across

fold the strip together to form a cuff, and sew together

It's that simple! I made the second headband a little smaller than the first once I realized how much stretch my yarn gave me, but I still used many more rows than the Crochet Geek. :D

Have A Beautiful Day!