Finding My Inspiration for Crochet Again

Well, well...  It is now late into the evening!  I hope everyone is having a Great Weekend.  I know we all are.  Today has been about eating and organizing more than anything.

This morning, we ate at a great breakfast/brunch spot called Wild Eggs.  It was so delicious.  It's somewhat expensive for breakfast, and I never order anything healthy, so we don't go often.  For lunch, we just worked through it and opted for an early dinner instead.  Dinner was sushi and hibachi grill at Fuji Japanese Steakhouse.  Sooooooo Gooooood!  I love sushi and it is a family owned business.  We know everyone there and they have known my Little Darling since she was a toddler.  I love ethnic food, but more than that, I love family owned restaurants.  Owners take so much more pride in the work they do and you can *feel* the sense of family when you go there.  We have a family owned spot for all of our favorite sorts of foods:  Family owned Persian place, Chinese place, Indian place, Mexican place, and now we have recently added a Vietnamese place to the list as well.  If I could just get a family owned Italian place, I might be completely to the moon in Food Bliss Heaven!

I have also been paying more attention to my balcony container garden.  It has been very hot here, with so little rain.  I have been out every evening to water the plants.  Soon, I saw this:

All of the tomato plants have grown ABOVE the little gate that we made.  In the last garden we planted, birds and a lot of squirrels broke the branches on all the tomatoes.  They didn't eat the fruits, they wanted the tomato branches and the leaves.  I was so upset!  We tried everything we could, but, in the end, the squirrels won. All of our tomatoes were thrown to the ground and all the branches were eaten.  This year, we came up with a great plan!  This cage...  This year, the tomatoes grew so large!  I have never gotten them to grow so big and SO many tomatoes!!!

These are the best tomatoes I have EVER tasted.  And I grew them myself!  Now, if I could just get them all to turn red at the same time :-)  This is from two days.  Right now, we have about 20 more green cherry tomatoes, waiting to ripen. I can't wait!  I can taste a summer salad already!

I have also be getting so busy with crochet!  I can't even keep up!! I have so many projects in my mind right now.  I am trying to sketch them out, make voice recordings, and maybe even create a few motifs so that I have an example of what I am trying to do.  Well, let me tell you, even with doing ALL of that, I am still unable to record all of my ideas.  Oh Man!!  I am so grateful to be inspired right now. I have taken quite a break from crochet because I couldn't think of anything to do.  I was bored with it. 

Now, I have a new purpose.  The main inspiration I have right now is GIFT GIVING!

So the other day, I look at my calendar and I come to the realization that my friend's baby shower is in just a few weeks!  I have not even thought about what to do for a gift!  I had some ideas, but then I changed my mind...and I had more ideas, but then she mentioned colors that would not fit.  And then I lost my inspiration and motivation.  Well, thank God I am ready to rock and roll with my Hook again because I finally came up with this design here.  My dear friend *A* is having a baby boy.

I am almost certain that *A* does not read my blog, so I feel comfortable showing this project here.  Sometimes, knowing that people aren't reading your blog makes it easier to really just document what you have going on creatively, rather than worrying about keeping secrets.  I love it.  And I love this little project here.  It's part of a set that I am doing for her Little Mister.

Making Grannies is easy and fast and fun.  But I don't want this to be "just another granny blanket", so I have something special planned for it to make it just a little more interesting!!!  But THAT will have to wait for some other day.  I don't want to give everything away all at one time...

I just love seeing the process of a Granny Square grow from one round to the next :-)

Since I will have to get this in the mail within the next 10 days, this project and everything else that is in the package to my friend *A* are my Priority!  There are some other things in the making as well.  I will be showing those other projects throughout the week! That way, if I completely lose my mind with all these ideas, then I can at least have my blog to remind me of the projects I have planned.  Hahaha!

Also!!!  If you have not entered my Giveaway and you are considering it, Please feel free to enter the Giveaway here.  Just leave a comment on the post, and I will be drawing a winner on Monday!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Just a Taste!

I don't even think I can consider this to be a "Sneak Peak" at all.  I just wanted to SHOW something!  Anything! 

I apologize in advance for the terrible picture!  I had to take it on my phone, since my camera and cord to upload pictures are both missing in action.  I can't help but imagining this weird idea of the two running off somewhere to a warm beach for a picnic.  They are on strike and refusing to be used and over-worked!  The really funny thing is I can't stand it when people make a post full of terrible pictures from their phones!  I even have seen this on "professional" blogs.  The whole time I am thinking, "Wha-huh?  Is that a shoe?  And eyeball?  What the hell is the point of all this crazy picture-mess?"  But, in my case, I didn't have much of a choice.  This, I hope will be one of the last times, but who knows what will happen in the future....... my cord and camera may choose to remain in hiding forever, leaving me with nothing but my camera phone.

OOOKKK!!!!  So enough of the blah-blah and on with business!

I made this poncho for my Little Darling.  I thought that I was finished with it, but then I realized 2 things:  (1) I think I need to line it with something so that it's warm enough to wear under a sweater on a cool day.  I have some super cute fabric to put on the other side of it!  But I have to do that after I take care of #2...

(2)  The Hello Kitty thing I tried to crochet soooooo did not work for me!  I kept messing it up.  Then I found an embroidery pattern in this book

I bought this book several months ago.  Obviously, I don't speak Japanese......and apparently I am TERRIBLE at reading patterns. Hahahahaha!  I can't have the diagram OR the words.  I only understand patterns where there is a diagram, a picture, AND word instructions.  I tried to crochet a Hello Kitty face, but it didn't work out.  Then I was like, "OK, Mr. 'I'm gonna make this too hard for you', I am going to figure out an alternate solution to this, so take that!"  That's when I grabbed the embroidery pattern that you see for the blanket above/next to the hat. I found out that it's too big for the little square.  So now, I am on the hunt for a smaller Hello Kitty face to put on the front.

Either way.... This is what I have at the moment.... and it is "evolving" as time goes by!

Again, sorry about the low-quality picture!  I have never made a poncho before. My Little Darling has been begging for one since the summer..... I love this one and I can't wait until it's 100% done and I can show everything in vivid detail ANDDDD show what it looks like on my Little Darling!  So stay tuned for my "finishing touches"....and definitely stay tuned for the other cute little wintry items that I have made for her!

Have a great weekend!

PS------ If you are interested in making something from this book (which totally was $60 PLUS shipping- *CRAZY*) just leave a comment with your email address and I will scan the pattern and email it to you.  I am not sure whether posting the patterns here is a bad thing or not.  This is an out-of-print book, maybe written by a dead person.  So I don't know what copyright laws apply to old books by dead people (no disrespect!!).  But I do know that sharing patterns, books, ideas, and so on is the exact same thing as if I said, "Yea, girl, go ahead and borrow my book.  Just give it back whenever you are done".  I mention all the time how important it is for me to SHARE in the world of creativity, so hit me up if you want a pattern from the book.  I won't post it here, but I will email it to you so we can share :)

Sneak Peak of the Week

I think I am on a roll today!  Actually, I am not.  I just learned the hard way this week that I shouldn't procrastinate the way I do.  When I was in college and growing up in general, I would always put things off and wait until the last minute.  It didn't matter much then.  Now I am fully grown with a family, living in the Real World.  All that time that I used to have to spend up all night trying to sort things out that I should have done earlier just doesn't exist.  These days, it's Now or Never.  And unfortunately for me, it's usually Never.

I have been screwing around with all these Ta-dahs that were supposed to be posted in some sort of a timely fashion...and my idea of giving a sneak peak of the week has been thwarted by faulty internet connections and pure laziness on my part.  I should call it "Random Sneak Peak", so that no one gets the false impression that I am on top of things and remotely capable of keeping with some sort of schedule.  I am not.  I have never really been much of a "scheduled" kinda gal.

All of that changes in about 36 hours.  I am starting to unofficially homeschool my Little Darling.  She is too young and small for Kindergarten this year, despite the fact that she is so very ready for school.  So I figured I should homeschool her.

Perks: I can go at her accelerated learning pace.  I can control what she is learning and how.  I can see how this goes and decide better if she should attend "regular" school next year.

Downfalls:  I have to be consistent, stick to a schedule, and be unwaveringly dedicated to her education on my own.  Sounds better than it is.  It really goes against my natural state of being.

With all of that said, I figured I should start making my posts a part of my regular weekly routine.  I am going to get better at this blogging thing if it kills me!  Hahahaha!

This week.........  I just have one question for you:

What do all three of these balls of yarn have in common.  Clue:  No, they are not going to be used on the same project, or any project at all......  Stay tuned to see what the answer is, and leave a comment if you have a guess.  It may be worth your while :)

Sneak Peak of the Week

Hey Hey!  I am sorry about being MIA for a while.  I guess it hasn't been that long, but my absence was longer than planned. 

I just haven't been motivated.  I have been groggy, bored, uninspired.  I have been depressed about not knowing how to sew.  I have been longing for things that I know I just can't have right now.  I basically sort of chose to start dreaming and then get mad at myself for not being able to make each little dream come true.  Let me tell you, I am one Crazy Dreamer! 

In one dream, I imagined that I went to NYC back when I was 18 after being offered a modelling career.  I left the modelling gig to start my own fashion line and lived the life the fast, rich, and well-dressed.  I was actually offered a career, but when they asked me to lose 20 pounds even though I'd only gained about 7, I knew I couldn't spend my life being poked and prodded and having my self worth summed up by some fat meanie whose career description is: Make skinny, young women feel terrible about themselves in the name of fashion.

My real obsession lies in fashion photography!  I love-love all the photos...and hey, the clothes aren't too bad either!!!

Like this ad from Jean Paul Gaultier

All of that would be awesome, but I wouldn't have The Hubs or my Little Darling.  And I think it goes without saying that a life without my family isn't worth living!

The other dream that I keep dreaming has to do with sewing. I keep dreaming that I make  myself these wonderful clothes inspired by Alexander McQueen and Burberry Prorsum and by artists like Lady Gaga, Boy George, and B.E.P.  Only something more "wearable" than their stage get-ups!

Alexander McQueen Spring 2011

You can't tell me that if someone gave you a pair of these for your birthday that you wouldn't just DIE!  I know I would!!!

Burberry Prorsum Resort 2011

The other dream that I keep dreaming is that I become a well-known published author and I get offers to turn my books into films.  But I am a demanding and stingy woman, so I demand to be on-set for all productions, as I refuse to have my books distorted into ridiculous Hollywood hubbalub full of great-looking actors who are a) quite obviously starving and b) have no real talent!

Anyway, being stuck in my dream world has had me forgetting about the Real World.  My World consists of planning a home school fall semester for my four year old.  My World consists of planning healthy, predominantly vegetarian menus for my family.  My World consists of more cleaning and tossing on some yoga pants and flip flops for play time than actually getting dressed and "going out".  My World consists of working with youth that, if they had it their way on most days, would skin me alive and stuff me with an apple before roasting me on an open fire.  My World consists of working on crochet projects using familiar stitches and familiar patterns because I haven't grown the balls or patience to try something out of the box.  My World is really, really small.

But then, yesterday, something awesome happened.  I was reminded of something important:

The Hubs and our Little Darling in a creek looking for frogs and crawdads at Bernheim forest

My World is actually pretty awesome and full of meaning.  I just needed that special family time out hiking at a local forest to remember it.  It's the small things that really matter to me.  And the dreams of living it big and rich and famous...well, I think I enjoy them so much because they are just dreams.  I am happy to wake up to My World every day, with The Hubs wrapped around me and my Little Darling jumping in the bed to say, "Good Morning, Mommy and Daddy.  I wub you boff".

And with that said/realized, I made an effort last night to put 3 of the last 5 rows on my Mega Granny Blanket -- you just have to see it!!!!  .... Tomorrow!  Hahahahaha!  I'm mean, I know.  And I was also motivated to post this sneak peak that I planned to post about 6 days ago:

I usually don't bother with doing anything that has rows because I get discouraged and bored.  Something tells me I need to grow the hell up!  Afterall, I finished a MEGA GRANNY SQUARE, didn't I?  So I am putting my Big Girl Panties on and I am going to work out this baby blanket.  I am sooooooo far from being done, but I rather enjoy the process.  I am using 100% cotton yarn that I have LOADS of, but never use.  I am also using 3 different stitches-- single, half-double, double and popcorn stitches. 

**As for the designing... I am just going to go back to my high school ways:  sketching out my personal ideas and making mood boards.  Get ready for some posts from my fashion sketch book!
**As for modelling... I am still almost 6 feet tall, but I am also now 28 and I weigh 184 pounds, and unless I can lose 8 years and 70 pounds by tomorrow morning, I think I will have to let that one go!  **As for my sewing... I am taking classes starting the end of this month (WOO-HOO!  No more fear and no more excuses!) 
**As for writing.... I hate to write.  I'll be honest.  But I have plans for a graphic novel, so stay tuned for sketches of my character line-up, since I am going back to my fine arts roots these days.  Did you know that about me?  I am actually more of a studio artist, rather than a crafter?  I paint and draw...which explains my frustrations with crafty things such as sewing and crochet.
**And finally... As for Crochet... I have a shit-wad of patterns and ideas and sketches and you-name-its that I am about to embark upon.  I am so tired of being unmotivated because I am too afraid to Get Motivated.  I'll never truly know what I am capable of if I keep making excuses and keep letting my fear of failure rule my decisions.

Life in Fear is No Life at All.

Sneak Peak of the Week

I am sure this is crazy to make a "Sneak Peak"....on a Thursday night, less than an hour away from being Friday.  It makes much more sense for me to do this Sundays/Mondays like I planned.  But nooooooo, my internet has this thing where it keeps cutting in and out whenever it wants, leaving me with a load of ideas to post, but no means of doing such!
So anyway, I have some things that I have started to work on.  After the depressing, whiny post I made the other day, I decided to pull my shit together and DO SOMETHING!  I often come to the realization that, when you are not motivated and don't know what to do, it is best to do something.... anything!  It's the sitting around waiting for something big to slap you in the face that eats away at you and your motivation.  So, I picked up this huge granny that I have been working on for the past two weeks, off and on.

Yea, buddy!  This sucker is getting huge!!!  I am excited about it.  I have never even thought to make a single granny this large before.  It's a little awkward, trying to hold all that blankie in my lap and I continue the rounds.  I always make smaller squares/motifs and then put them together.

I love the way this came along so fast and simple.  I needed an "easy win", considering my little creativity slump.  But, I am BACK and I am happy with what I have done :)  This Mega Granny is about 41 inches so far, bigger than my Little Darling!!!  I am almost done.  I have about 3-5 more rounds, plus something I dreamed up for a border.  And you know how it goes when I start dreaming about things......  I make them happen!

With all this success, I just had to add something else to the mix... a new project.  You ever have that happen to you???  You're working on something and then suddenly inspiration hits...and you start asking, "Well, if this worked out so well, what about....?"  And then your brain starts ticking and you start itching because you just gotta get it out of your system, this new project???  Know what I mean!? 

Well, that's what happened here.  This chemical/creative chain reaction of sorts.

Meet Big Boy Granny...and say Hello to his sister...

Big Girl Granny

 Ok, I get it. I need to put some effort into coming up with better names for these projects.  What can I say?  I'm a no bullshit kinda girl.  I call it like I see it.  This is a big granny for a girl...Big Girl Granny, right???  No?   Ok, fine.  I'll work on the name thing, LOL.  Maybe another chain reaction will come out of the "Name Game".

So there ya have it.  My next Mega Granny!!!!  The same thing in precious girly colors.  When the sun comes up and I get some more rounds on this cutie, I will make another post to update!

And just when you thought your mind couldn't process anymore-- I have another sneak peak coming up later this weekend..pending internet connection!  I need to work on it some more over the next few days.  Although I am excited about it, if I made a post with just a few rounds on it, I am sure everyone would be scratching their heads thinking, "This girl has either lost it .... or her ego is so big, she thinks she can show us 3 rounds of some random project and we are impressed with it!" 

Yeap....so.... until then!!!

Sneak Peak of the Week

I have always wanted to post things that I am working on and give a little "sneak peak".  So I think I will start to do that from now on :)
This is a little something I am working on for a baby girl who is set to debut in this world a few months from now.  I am really excited.  I love her Mama already, so I am sure this little girl is gonna be awesome as well!

The lighting in my apartment is terrible!  No wonder I am nearly blind and have headaches all the time.  LOL.  Since it was long after dark that I took this photos today, I couldn't run outside and do the sidewalk trick.

So I raised the flash.  I made some squares using a mix of a puff stitch hexagon pattern I learned some time last year.... and the granny square pattern I recently learned...

I can't wait to finish it and find some fantastically precious edging to put around it.  You will have to wait until next month to see everything put together.  I don't want to spoil things for Mama.  This is, after all, part of her baby shower gift set.

Nighty-Night!