Interestingly enough...

I can't even begin to tell you what this year ..or better yet last 6 months have been like for me. From a horrible break up.. that has led me back to the house of my family, to the beautiful new beginnings of another relationship... My mind is delighted, and my heart is hopeful.

I can tell you however, that through the break up, my only salvation were my crochet hooks, and knitting needles.

They were there when I needed them, listening to me as I cried over moments that rushed back to me out of nowhere, leaving me in bundles of emotional mess on the floor. Gasping for air. My needles found their way to me. Comforting me, crocheting me beautiful hats to adorn my head. Knitting me wonderful scarves to keep my heart and soul warm from the coldness that was my reality.

And when I felt that I was strong enough to move on.. they waited patiently knowing that even in moments I did not ask for their comfort or pine for their melodic clicking, that I would need them. Having no resentful feelings of my noticeable deferment towards them. Still rushing to my side when my feelings of being over a situation proved misleading and I was once again thrown back into the blue kicking and screaming. There they were holding me as tears fell.

I have been not to hell and back, but to a place that felt nearly as low and lonely as the hell that some feel exist. So yes, I may not get to write in my blog every day, or even every week.. I may not get to hold my dear friends every second that I wish.. but knowing that they're there.. knowing I can write about their love for me and mine for them is interestingly enough, all that I need to get through the roughest of times...

For there must certainly still be some ahead...

I Gotta Find Peace of Mind

So... in going through a horrible break-up, and in hopes of beginning a more promising one, I'm picking up my needles again, not only has it given me a chance to think (mostly) uninterrupted. It also gives me a chance to become creative again.

Notice I said "Become Creative", yes I'd lost my creativity a while ago, which is why there haven't been any posts in gosh, nearly a year. I cannot vow that that will never happen again, I can only pinky swear, that I'll try not t let it every happen again.

I've got a lot of projects I'm starting on, such as my first attempt at Wrist Warmers, which I think went swimmingly well, though they are a bit on the large side, my fault for accidentally going one row over the pattern, and not realizing it until I had already finished up sowing the sides :P. It's all fine, we make mistakes. They're very cute however and actually match the nail polish I have on, something my mother pointed out when I showed her the photo. (Which I will be uploading later as it's pushing 1am here and I can barely keep my eyes open and drool from grazing the keyboard, yes I know an adorable visual).

So what I'm trying to say is...for the time being... I'm back :)! Ravelry and all, so expect more news and more projects, ESPECIALLY since I've decided EVERYONE'S getting hand made gifts this year, I've become unemployed (Part of the aforementioned break-up), and simply cannot afford to buy much of anything, so gifts from the heart is what everyone is receiving.
I really should get going before I turn this into some horrible version of a yarn loving memoir :p.

Ciao Bella Yarnettes!

OH MY GAAAWD...

She's alive...

And in Long Island mind you... or better yet "Laaaawwwwng I Luuund" :P.

It's been months, there's been a cross country move, two job changes, having to try and make new friends in a place where apparently NO ONE leaves.... it's been very interesting!
Unfortunately because of all that, I had to put down the knitting and crochet needles to try and get things under wrap.

BUT Now that things have seem to calm just a tad (gosh I hope I don't jinx mahself...) I've picked my old friends back up.. Thanks to an adorable co-worker as well who is into crocheting how fun is that!?

Sooo I was trying to over come my fears and try out a sock..or two.. I bought the Premier Yarns: Deborah Norville Collection Serenity Sock Weight in Lavender Topaz, oh oh and these ADORABLE Takumi Bamboo Knitting Needles. I think that is THE knitting needle for me, I love how it handles, my hands are on the larger side (Thanks Pops! :P) so these needles are very comfortable to work with.
Now the downside :(... I CAN'T DO IT!! *sobs uncontrollably* It's like... it's like my brain just spasms when it comes to trying to understand this. I know it shouldn't BE this hard and it isn't, cause thoooousands of knitters are doing it as I speak!

Hush, listen! hear those dpn's a-clickin'?

It's like I can't get past how to join the needles so that they'll form a tube when I finally start the stitches. I even tried to Youtube it just so I can see how a live person does it (Which, because I hate just giving up on stuff I know I'm capable of, I'll be youtubing again in a bit) but unfortunately she was going to fast even as I paused it every two seconds.

I mean COME ON! I have a nice little stash of sock yarn (This is what get for falling in love with colors :) that I want to make socks with, darnnabit!!!

I have also been working on a blanket, and a scarf for winter, so hopefully those'll be done soon. *le sigh* If anyone out there, reading this, knows of a place I can go in order to figure out this sock problem, please, please, please.. HEEELP!

Just like a star...

So the time has come (my little friends) to talk of packing and things....

Yes yes, you heard right, we're in the heart of the "Big Move" as we speak...well thats sort of a lie :P! We haven't even begun to pack yet. But we have two weeks to get crackin' and packin'. Plus the new season has started at work, so I get to deal with that too.. Damn after all of this, I'm going to NEED a vacay. But I know I can do it :D!

I've also finished two hats. One for vtine day that you can see over at Ravelry: EclecticBfly, and ..actually you can see them both there :P the other one is the Divine hat by Rheathylia. I just love her designs.

I've got hat and scarf requests up the wazoo, so I'll be working on those for the road trip. I just have to make sure and get all the needed yarn before then.. It may be alittle bit before I post again...however I will keep you afloat on my travels :D I'll have to as we go from 76 degree weather, to 20 degree (feels like 10). So TRUST you will be hearin' about that. Thats prolly why I've been makin' hats scarves, (and attempting mittens)...we'll see..

Oooh eeee Ooooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang...

Sooo I'm so sorry I haven't written in a while. Things at work have become just that hectic. I won't go into it...way to much to go over.
Plus the move to ny is currently underway-ish.

I've started mittens, which are over at ravelry, I'll update with photos as soon as I'm on my regular computer (I'm on my work one right now...woot!).

I've also had a birthday :D! Yay me! I'm now 22 as of 5:03pm 1/13.
For my birthday the misses got me 3 needlework books and a crap load of yarn. Isn't that sweet! I got Stitch 'n Bitch: Happy Hooker, Plus Size Crochet, and Stitch n' Bitch Nation. I'm currently working on the PDQ hat pattern from SnT: Happy Hooker. It's turning out beautifully, and was extremely easy and quick to make. Instead of their colors, which are quite cute and I will probably do one in that color as well, I decided to use Chocolate Brown, Orange, and a multi (brown, tan, blue). I will definitely add photos when it's done. I've worked it up so fast I didn't even have a chance to put it up on Ravelry yet. Blaaah.

So other than that things are going very smoothly. I finished the Lacey Shell Scarf that I had started, as well as another Flapper hat for the misses. So yes I have been busy with my skill as well, definitely not neglecting it :P. Although...I have sort of neglected the mittens.. you know me and knitting...it's taking alot of time, which isn't a bad thing, I just feel like ... "Is it turning out ok" sort of thing. I'll get over that, it's why I tried the mittens in the first place: TA DOW HOW YA LIKE ME NOW!? :P

Sittin' on te dock of the bay...

Ssoooooo after my high of making my first hat. I jumped into making a second! Yeah, in a simple 4 hours! And I think it only took that long because I took a break in between!!

That is just soooo crazy to me.

Here is my beloved for my beloved:

Isn't it just the cutest!!!!

I finished up my first one at work, and showed it around. Not to toot my own horn ...but.. BEEEEEP BEEEEEP... co-workers were asking me to make one for them aswell. I thought they were just being nice. But then folks were coming up with color ideas and different other styles too, it was bananas.

So yes I love making these hats, and will probably make tons more...but I still haven't forgotten my desire to knit. I'm techinically an intermediate beginner as I know how to Knit stitch, Purl stitch, Garter, and Stockingnette stitch. But explain to me why, I'm still scared!?!?!?

I'm over on ravelry, in this forum, and it's about "what patterns are you scared to try" and I'm like "Uuuuh, all of them!?". Of course smart asses replied to the forum with "It's just yarn, you can always take it out and start over". WELL DUH! But still that doesn't mean something can't intimedate you, geez.

I'm sick of making scarves, I want to try and make mittens, or socks, or EVEN attempt at a sweater. But I just don't feel as though I have enough foundation, though I know that I do. So it got me to thinking last night.. the reason I feel alittle more confident with Crocheting is because my mother taught me. I had visual instruction before ever reading or learning to read a pattern. With knitting...I haven't. Well not personal visual instruction. So I'm thinking maybe I should attend at least one class. Because maybe I feel like I need a professional's validation that what I'm doing is the correct way....I dunno... we'll see.. I think I'll try to mess around with it more in the mean time...

Now we're ridin' on the Bfly Bfly...

(Side note: was in Payless and Jessie McCartney's song was on..so naturally it got stuck in mah head :P)

Anywho,

So as I was saying in my last post I've gone ahead and frogged the tote. LOL! Sorry but that just sounds and looks so funny as I type that. Froggin' the tote..lol.

After doing so, I sort of felt like I needed to try and start something else, (like I NEED more WIPs to be concerned about sheesh..) and my little fingers just couldn't keep still. Plus I know that I and the misses need hats to go with our scarves, sooo I've decided to try my hand (again) at making a hat. Plus I found this book that I bought last year, called Crochet Style, that I hadn't even thought of looking at until last night.

As I was flipping through it, I saw a couple of things that I wanted to do. The "Pastel" Flapper Hat being one of them. Now it called for Karabella Gossamer, I don't have any sort of gossamer or thinner yarn around (besides stretch sock yarn), and I don't want to use that sort of yarn if I might possibly mess up the stitch. :P. HOWEVER I do have Lily's Sugar 'n Cream that I have been DYING to work with again, becuase I love the feel of it, and I know that it's such a clean yarn that should anything go south it'll maintain.

So I start in, not expecting much... But so far it's moved along very fast, and I can honestly say, had I started this around 4-5pm I more than likely would have finished it. It's an incredibly easy pattern, increeeeedibly easy.

The girl is sitting right next to me, and has declared that she as well would like one to go with the scarf I gave her for christmas.

:) I'm more than happy to ablidge!