December limit reached!

Sorry Everyone!
My Download Limit for December has been reached!
Dragon Scarf Pattern will be available for download again in January. I am very sorry for this inconvenience.
Alternatively, you can email me and we can set up a private paypal transaction if you need it immediately :)redqueen715 at yahoo

CHINESE LUCK DRAGON SCARF PATTERN!!!

It's here! I've had this thing done for months, but couldn't get it converted correctly into a pdf! Thanks to kind people on Ravelry who offered to help me, it's now ready to go! Click on the link to download a copy for $6.00 US that will be delivered to you via email.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chinese-luck-dragon-scarf

About the Chinese Luck Dragon Scarf:
This scarf won first place at the 2005 Washington D.C. “Scarf Style Scarf Contest” sponsored by Interweave Knits, to benefit orphans and AIDS victims.
Read my original post about this scarf!

Materials:
Lamb’s Pride Worsted, Cascade 220 Wool or
100 grams worsted weight wool 1 full hank each of red (MC) and yellow (CC1), or any 2 contrasting colored worsted weight yarns.
One ball of Crystal Palace Yarns Squiggle (50gr, 100yds) in “Firecracker” (red/yellow/orange print) (CC2)
Needles: US#9, plus two double pointed needles or one circular needle size 7 or 8 for i-cord
crochet hook
tapestry needle
Gauge: 4 st/in (gauge is relatively unimportant for this scarf, as long as you use a worsted weight yarn)


Errata:
In the “Scale Pattern” section the non-repeats are not written out for the ends of the rows. It should be:
Row 1: K2, P1, K5, P1 end K2

Row 2: P1, K3, P3 end P1

Row 3: P5, K1 end P5

Row 4 As for row 3

Row 5 As for row 2

Row 6 As for Row 1

Ravelry Link, if you're interested.

Email any questions about the pattern or problems you encounter to me at wishchick99@yahoo.com

My Downstream package!

So, I was silly and didn't take pictures of the K1T2 package I sent out, and I wish I did, BUT Cindy did!
I'll outline the contents for you anyway:
2 kinds of locally distributed loose teas from small businesses
-whole leaf white tea with melon and pear
-black tea with vanilla
One bar of local handmade Green Tea soap
One skein of Trecking wool/bamboo sock yarn in neutral grey/green/orange/browns, that coordinates beautifully with the Carnelian stitch markers that I made :)
6 cherry blossom shaped teacup coasters in maroon
A tea ball for the loose tea
A honey-lemon tea stirrer
And a tin full of tiny Earl Grey Tea shortbread cookies, made by me!

Knit1Tea2 Package!

I had soo much fun with this swap! I got to shop for yarn and tea and make pretty things and talk to very nice other knitters.. all in all a great experience :) Not to mention the wonderful package I received yesterday! Thank you so much, Jennifer!
So, the goods, I got:

FOUR kinds of organic Green Tea! Lemon Mint, Sencha, "Fog Lifter" green tea, and a Genmai Matcha. I haven't seen Matcha since I left Japan, so that should be interesting! Also because that one is a genmai matcha, it has toasted brown rice in it. Looks very different from the matcha I'm used to. I'm sure it will be excellent :)
AND I got a TEA STICK to steep them in! I'm sooo excited about this, I've wanted one for a long time now and had never seen it in person. VERY cool invention. Check it out! http://gamilacompany.com/tea/

I got a pack of yummy-looking Chocolate scone mix, a skein of Malabrigo worstead in varigated greens (SO SOFT), a Caribou Coffee car coaster, some cafe mints, and a handknit tea towel and washcloth set! And look! The tea towel has a teapot knit into it and it says TEA at the bottom! How clever! I couldn't get a good picture of the washcloth, but it has a teacup and says tea as well :)


And it all came with a nice little note all tight in a tin. Thank you so much Knit and Tea pal! The yarn is so soft it will have to be a hat or neckwarmer..something next to the skin :)

Craft Night!

Saturday night was Girls Craft Night! A few friends and I got together to knit, make jewelry, chat, spin, eat fudge and drink wine!
One of my friends recently took a job at a fabulous Bead Shop. They had a sale last week and I bought some yellow turquoise, carnellian chips, designer silver and copper headpins and assorted pretty glass beads :)
I made some stitch markers, and these! I needed something to wear with brown, and I don't wear much gold, so copper it is!

Camping in PA!

Joe and I went camping last weekend..er...weekend before this past one, with and in Pennsylvania. We went to Raystown Lake and stayed at this nice little campground that has campsites right on the lake! We had beautiful weather, and got to spend our evenings outside by the fire playing games, or lying by the lake staring up at the stars. Only things we didn't like about the lake were the many loud motorboats and the lakeweed.
Joe was the only one whose vacation wasn't as nice as it could be, since he got stung by what we think was a ground wasp, and got food poisoning on our last night :(
Here's some pictures!







and our beautiful new friend! The Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar!

(those aren't his real eyes)

I finished it!

I'm in love with my new scarf :) I haven't knit a scarf in a while since I get bored knitting rectangles, but this yarn was too beautiful to pass up! I saw a sample knit up in one of my LYSs and snagged the last skein of the yarn, Schaeffer Yarns "Helene", a merino silk single. This is the "My So-Called Scarf" pattern. Used size 13 needles instead of 11s. It's sooo cuddly!

Lovely Weekend

This Friday Joe came home after being gone for a month. It's one of the longest trips he's been on since we've been together. I am very glad to have him home, and he is very glad to be here :)
We got let out of work early on Friday, and I skipped my workout so I could come straight home. We lazed about and ordered pizza and watched Perfume, and went to bed early.
Saturday we had planned to take a drive, but after going to Randallstown to the pet store to get supplies for the new snakes, Joe wanted to spend the day setting up the new tanks. So he set up the tanks, and I repotted some of my plants, and we made broccoli cheese soup for dinner with biscuits, YUM! using a lower-fat recipe from Eating Well magazine. It uses white beans to add thickness, protein and fiber instead of a roux.

Sunday we took our drive, by backroads, west to New Market. It was a beautiful day, with white puffy clouds, and a light breeze, and not too hot. We drove through Mt. Airy as well, and up and over to Lake Linganore, then walked through New Market and admired the little shops and the cute buildings before heading back.
There was a rib place in New Market that looked really good, but we weren't hungry yet, so we went to Famous Dave's when we got back. I'd never tried their chopped pork sandwhich, so I got that instead of my usual ribs, and it was very good, especially with coleslaw on it. I do looove BBQ pork.

Today, Labor Day, I enjoyed sleeping in, and spending most of the day in my pjs, making white bean hummus, drinking arabian ice tea and spinning on the porch.
ahhhh this is the life!


Here's my 1st finished wheel yarn, a bulky hand dyed wool from North Carolina that my mother gave me.


and my first "art yarn", a mishmash of nearly everything I got in a sample pack from someone in the SpinningFiber Community on LJ.


I'm currently spinning up a lovely natural Cormo-Alpaca blend I got at sheep and wool, hopefully to become and 3-ply for mittens.

Feeling better...

With the help of my fabulous Shaeffer Helene, merino silk, that I got at Lovely Yarns in Hampden, Baltimore, when I went on that little adventure a week or so ago.
Also, I have to say THANK YOU for all the nice comments people have made, both here and on my LJ! I wasn't aware I had any readers left! I haven't been very active as a poster or a reader lately, I'm trying to remedy that.

I'd been meaning to make a My-So-Called-Scarf for a while now, and hadn't found the perfect yarn for it yet. They had a shop model made up with the Helene, and it was just about the most gorgeous thing ever, even in a colorway I didn't like! and they had ONE..SKEIN...LEFT. So I had to have it. And I'm very happy with that particular impulse buy ;)
Here's what she's becoming!


Also, I'm very excited about my silly little cherry tomato plant. It doesn't get quite enough sun, so it's very long and spindly, and is attempting to climb up to the next floor, but it IS making little tomatoes! Aren't they cute?!


For more Life Details, like about my visit to the amazing Baltimore restuarant Red Maple, and other current adventures and randomness, please go visit my personal LiveJournal here

BLARGH!

I wonder if laziness is related to depression. I mean, I'm happy with where I am in my life and I love my friends and my boyfriend and all that, but
I find it so hard to get motivated to do anything lately. When I'm here alone in my house I turn into a slob, and I don't enjoy it. I also think un-motivation is cyclical, because I sit here on the couch, thinking about doing creative stuff, and then I feel guilty because what I SHOULD be doing is the dishes, or the laundry, or the bathroom... and then I don't feel like it so I sit here and watch crap on tv or look at crap on the internet. And this is how my life seems to go since I graduated college. Sure i've had some periods where I was a little more proactively creative, like when I was working at the knitting store more, or when joe's home and we cook (we don't do it as much anymore), but for the most part, even when Joe is home we sit on the couch and watch movies until bedtime. NOthing gets cleaned, nothing gets created, I don't even knit so much anymore.
The only thing that seems to work even a little bit is company. We love to entertain and we like the house to look nice, so we get off our asses and clean up, but within a day or two it's back to being a pit.
Being messy really isn't what's bothering me so much though, I've always been this way. It's my total lack of motivation to paint or draw or do anything with my art materials. That's really it...I used to be messy BECAUSE I was too busy being creative to bother with cleaning up. Now i'm still messy because I feel like I should make stuff, but the passion isn't there, and then I feel bad about that, then I feel bad about living in such a mess.
Originally I told myself that this creative lull was just because I didn't have any space. Now I have the space, a whole extra room in which to work, and I just use it as a dumping ground for all our extra crap, and no matter how many hours I put into tidying it up, the clutter in there grows like mushrooms.
I can't even motivate myself to finish writing this damn knitting pattern for my scarf, I't 95% done, it's just not perfect, and not in the form I want it to be in (kits). I think i'm going to have to give up the kit dream though and just sell it from my webpage. I have about 3 or so other patterns i'm supposed to be writing up too... and about 10 started projects including some things I was hoping could be presents. I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm really not proud of this lazy slug who spends her evening eating baked beans out of a can for dinner and watching TLC, surrounded by dirty tea cups and over due DVDs.

On Long-Distance Love,...and Yarn, of course

This morning I got to talk to Joe for a few hours through Yahoo Messenger. It's great because you can use it like a phone and talk for free. We spent our time talking mostly about snakes, snake tanks, having a snake and alpaca farm and living off our hobbies (snakes and yarn, respectively), and then while we were thinking about farms we spent a good long while window shopping for houses. One thing that I do enjoy doing when Joe is gone is being online together. It seems silly, but we really have the best time wandering the net together; sharing houses, websites, youtube videos, girls we think are hot, etc. That's how we got through our three months apart before I moved to MD. We've decided to start saving/shopping for a house in Maryland, probably in Frederick county where it's still a little cheaper, and you can hav trees, or maybe a condo in Ellicott City (we saw some nice ones). Everything in Howard County is so expensive though :(

For once I had no plans today. Earlier in the week I tried to go to this yarn shop up in Hampen, but it happened to be closed that day, so I wandered around a bit and bought some lovely paper bits at this adorable little paper store instead. I didn't go back later in the week because they're only open till 5:30 on the weekdays I found out anyway. Thursday I went to see Bedazzled, the bead store Erin works at (totally wonderful and overwhelming), and Stardust and eat yummy mexican food. Stardust was wonderful, and it was hilarious going to a movie with Erin because she gets so excited she bounces up and down in her seat hehehe.

So after I got off the phone/computer with Joe I drove out to Hampden to see this yarn shop. Now, I don't generally think of myself as a nervous person. Conversely, I tend to be very relaxed and laid-back, but there are some things that totally stress me out. One of them is going (especially driving) to new places alone. This seems totally weird to me, as I lived in a country where I didn't know anyone or speak the language well, and took the train everywhere and I was fine.. well, most of the time. I definitely much prefer going places with people or meeting them there. But as anyone who remembers when I first got my car will tell you, driving places freaks me out. So, I went to this yarn shop, a place where I should feel completely at ease, and I pick up a skein and nearly drop it because I am trembling and feeling lightheaded. Weird. But I get over that by being overly friendly and talkative with everyone, and touching everything. I'd promised myself I was only going to spend $20, but of course I end up with one of the most expensive (if not THE most expensive) skein of yarn in the whole place (a 50/50 wool silk hand-dyed blend, my weakness), for $45 and a t-shirt. She threw in the pattern and pin I wanted for free ;) Then I got an iced coffee, some ginger cookies, a piece of watermellon and sat and knit my socks and chatted with the owner and an adorable little tattooed pixie for the rest of the afternoon. I do love yarn shops :) I'm a bit envious because the building it is in s exactly the sort of place I want MY knitting cafe to be in, in the same kindof neighborhood. ALso, she's only been there a year, and I've been here for 2 years, so I guess I missed the boat on that one ;) not that I have an extra 10k lying around that I could sink into a new yarn shop anyway, but i'm still jealous. It's a cute little shop too. They don't have nearly as much as CK, but they have a nice variety and some different stuff. It's always amazing how different every yarn shop is.

I was going to call around and see what people are up to tonight, but I really can't afford to spend any more money this weekend. So I will sit on my couch, watch either Gone with the Wind, A Very Long Engagement, or 300, and play with my new silk yarn, as I already know exactly what i'm going to make with it.
Sounds like a lovely evening to me :) Pictures of new stuff to come. Maybe. If I feel like it.

Also, you can't imagine how much I am loving this cooler weather. In fact, I am sitting on my deck typing this on my laptop right now!
As much as I adore summer, I think I am ready for fall.

Knit1 Tea 2 SWAP!

My two favorite things! Tea and Yarn! yay!
here's my questionnaire

Knit 1 Tea 2 Color Swap Questionnaire
Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try?
both, but i like loose a lot. I'l like one of those tea flowers, but i know they're expensive and I don't have a glass teapot

What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)? I like Oolong, Earl Grey, and green or white teas mostly. I like interesting herb flavored green, black or white as well, but i'm not a huge fan or straight-up herbal tea. or Rooibos, yuck. I also enjoy Chai.

Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up).
green, red (oolong)

Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind?
TEAPOTS ALL THE WAY

What tea accessories would you like but have never purchases for yourself?
I want a tea pot that holds more than one cup. And a Tea Stick (straight tea strainer thing, look it up)

How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc). mmm fooood...
I also like smelly lotion/soap/bubblestuff

If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why?
I would be hand-spun, hand-dyed merino-silk! Smooth and sophisticated, but totally funky and unique!

If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why?
Fair Isle Sweater: I like a challenge, and I like details and colors.

What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?)
Why can't we have tea at our garden/book/yoga party?
Probably a garden party though, I love gardens! Also love yoga though..hmm.. tough choice!

What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?)
COOKIES (I am a cookie-making fiend), and possibly scones. I <3 scones too.

When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute?
I usually sub unless the yarn called for is JUST perfect

What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go? An Alice in Wonderland hobo bag

Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting?
anything Miyazaki (Howl's moving Castle, Totoro, Spirited Away..etc)

Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match?
I have a HUGE collection of crazy mugs. They have to be comfortable to hold though.

Favorite childhood birthday party?
I had an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, party, once, that was great :) Also, going horseback riding for a party was great too

Favorite type of scone and jam? scones: poppyseed or cranberry, jam: marmalade, blackberry

If you use candles, what is your favorite scent? yes..food, spices, flowers

If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead).
Oscar Wilde, Neil Gaiman, the Dalai Llama


You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)?
a crazy church-lady hat, lace gloves, and a fabulous dress and heels

Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to?
like I said, no rooibos. I'm not a fan of berry teas.

Anything we missed that you want your pal to know?
uummm... I like green, reds, browns, oranges... naturally dyed stuff too, natural fibers especially silk and alpaca.. and I SPIN. And I love goldfish. very much.

My Big Surprise

I BOUGHT A SPINNING WHEEL!!!!! eeeeeeee!
It's a Lendrum Double Treadle. I got it from a girl in PA who has a small handspun and handyded yarn and roving business. She's moving cross country and she had an extra NEW wheel! I got a great deal on it, and it came with the fast flyer, the jumbo flyer, a lazy kate with 3 bobbins, and two big batts of wool! with free shipping! whoohoo!

I had to call Joe to pick it up from the leasing office where UPS left it. I said he could put it together if he wanted. I came home from work and he was sitting in front of it trying intently to get a huge handfull of wool to catch onto the lead string. I said "there's an orrofice hook if you.." "I KNOW!" he says haha he lost interest in it pretty quickly though. Shame really, him being a spinner could make him more interested in going to Sheep and Wool with me :P

I'm spinning up some pink and purple roving my mom gave me a while ago. It goes so fast! I love it! Doing it thik and thin so I can experiment a little and it'll still look OK. I think i'll ply it.
here's the wheel! sorry for the bad lighting.


The batts


I'm looking forward to August being a little more calm so i'll have time to spin!

SPLJ4!

YAY! I found my July LJ Secret Pal package stuffed deep in my mailbox yesterday, full of wonderful stuff!
I had just come home from work and a gruelling workout, and ripped into this box of Pocky like I'd never seen food before haha I had to be careful not to get chocolate on my new yarn!
I got a lovely ball of Nashua Handknits "creative focus" in my favorite color of green, and a big beautiful skein of Southwest Trading Company's Soysilk! I've never knit with soysilk before so this should be fun!
Also included was a very nice little letter, and a chinese change purse that open when you press the ends together. Inside the little purse was a tiny bottle with the tiniest origami bird I've ever seen! My Secret Pal's sister made it for me! I'm totally amazed.
OH! and I almost forgot! She also made me a wonderful crocheted mini totoro! eeeeee! Cutest thing ever, and I love amigurumi!
Next time I think I'll do the $50! $30 doesn't go very far when you're trying to spoil someone ;)

The package

That mini change purse with the minibird!

And last but not least...

Subaru inspecting the Totoro

And a closeup to show the tail

Incase you're not familliar, THIS is a mini totoro! (circled in pink)

Fashionably Late

I originally didn't want to make one of these...not only because everyone else was doing it, but because I couldn't see myself wearing a wrap, and the original piece just didn't seem that exciting to me.
Then I saw one in person. And it was gorgeous. Then I found this yarn, which just screamed for something understated yet elegant. It's not even a color I would normally have chosen, but I couldn't take my eyes off it!
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted Merino, sportweight, 2 100gr skeins
Mods: did half the pattern: half the increases, half the repeats, etc
It's about 9in X 80in

My Mountain Stream Clapotis

SPLJ4 and FYS

I had the craziest weekend, so even though I got this package last Thursday, I had to wait till today to take pictures and write a post and Flash my Stash!
My secret pal knew that my allergies this year had been throwing my sinuses for a loop, so she sent me an awesome box of fabulous Ceylon Tea! I Love Ceylon! (I love a lot of teas ;) )
Also, the Alpaca she sent is sooo yummy :) I love the color! It wll probably be some cozy arm warmers someday.
Also she sent a CD of new music and a card that was PERFECT! I Shrieked when I saw it! Goldfish AND kitties :) and a lovely message inside.
THANK YOU SECRET PAL!


First, my lovely gift:


Followed by the Stash of Doom! Sorry I didn't photograph it in a huge pile!
The drawing table in my studio.. always piled high with this and that... with the yarn drawers beneath it


mostly alpaca, wool, silk blends, and handspun in these drawers.





random balls, my own handspun, and supplies to make hairfalls in these



Needles and my UFO chest

MDSW 2007

Saturday Amy and I went to the annual MD Sheep and Wool Festival! It's the larest Fiber festival in the country.
I had a gyro, fresh squeezed lemonade, and half a giant eclair!
I'm always so overwhelmed when I go to this...Just The Tess Yarns booth blows my mind!
Now I'm really getting excited to buy a spinning wheel. I think I might take a class first though. I did buy a good book about it at the fair though, and I'm going to try to go to the spinners meetings more often, now that I have evenings off.

I seem to have issues buying yarn that doesn't scream out what it wants to be, so I only bought one skein (everything I like seems to be expensive anyway). But fiber isn't a problem as it always just screams YARN! Can't argue with that :P

Alpacas! Aren't they cute!!??


And here's what I bought!

Turquoise silk from Maine


Mongolian Baby Yak down (reminds me of chocolate cake!) I also got some baby camel, not pictured.


Lovely green and orange Merino Silk roving



Cormo undyed roving, and EBONY knitting needles


and some Cormo/Alpaca blend


and last but not least, two balls of yellow/orange thick n thin novely yarn that ties together my two balls of merino/silk/angora handspun :)

Spring!

I'm working on a ton o different stuff at the moment, pics to come later:
-Finally made a swatch I like ("Little Fountain" lace) for a deep-v vest I'm going to make out of the Brooksfarm silk/mohair I got at sheep and wool last year.
-Working on the gauge swatch for a Penny Straker aran cardigan for my mother in Silky Wool
-And bored to tears with my mini clapotis. it's taking forever.

I'm very excited about the MD Sheep and Wool festival this weekend! I plan to try out some spinning wheels buy a bunch of fiber, hang out with some knitting friends I rarely get to see, and of course, buy some more yarn. Probably silk, knowing me, or perhaps some nice natural-colored aran yarn for a sweater for my dad.

UFOs and Cyberpunk Hairfalls

I can't wait to get a new job... I am so unmotivated to do anything creative in the little free time I get in the mornings and late at night. My most productive hours are spent working or cleaning the house.
I have a million little things started. Here's the big ones though:
*The Rogue Sweater. This thing has been DONE for months now, but I need to re-do the i-cord edging I put on it because it's too tight and is bunching just a tiny bit and pissing me off.
*The Lace Leaf Pullover, was coming along beautifully, but since i had to adjust the pattern to fit my gauge, the neck/shoulders is a little too small, but the body fits. I have to go back and add stitches to the neck. (It's not easy to pay attention when you're knitting on vacation.)
*The Clapotis. I'm one ball into it, it's pretty boring knitting, but it's gorgeous to look at.
*Circular Shrug. Just swatched for this last night. Should be a Quick and satisfying project.

I posted my first stuff in Knitswap on LiveJournal; it's really cool to get stuff you want for stuff you don't hehe!
I need to find swapping communities for other stuff like books ..or..stuff.. i dunno.

OH! I almost forgot! I made my first hairfalls last week. I LOVE them. They were a bit pricey, as I stuck some $30/ball crazy handspun yarn in there, but they're awesome :) I plan to make many more sets of these:


And wearing my kickass new boots!