My Little Piece of The Net

  
Goals for the 26th year
  • Quit Smoking.

  • Write to Someone I Admire (Can be anyone from friend to celebrity).

  • Send 27 Post Cards (I miss connecting with people outside of the internet).

  • Leave the State for vacation.

  • Pay off my credit cards.

  • Give handmade gifts for special occasions. (Due to my schedule, I will give as many as I can)

  • Publish writing.

  • Sky dive or bungee jump.

  • Start a work out routine.

  • Debate with someone and try to see their side.

  • Walk for a cause.

  • Take a dance class.

  • Read a book a month (at least).

  • Give a gift to a stranger.

  • Hang out with my brother more often.

  • Seek Grammar/Writing Education Opportunities.

  • Volunteer my time outside of school.

  • Stop to reflect on the good things. (May decide to blog it, may decide to write it down in a journal).

  • Maintain a sick time balance at work.

  • Save up for a cushion/emergency fund.

  • Slumber Party/Diva Evening. (I miss sleep-overs!)

  • Learn to walk in heels!

  • Bring lunch to work (at least 3x a week).

  • Take a financial workshop.

  • Learn to cook/cook more often.

  • Go Camping!

  • Stop spending all my money on coffee!
Happy Blog-Versary!!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
It's been one year since I started this blog. It simultaneously feels like I started it yesterday and forever ago. My first project I posted here was a Basketweave scarf I was working on for Grim's brother. Since then I have tried to advance my abilities as much as possible. So on this Blog-versary I am proud to unveil the Montego Bay Scarf!!!



It turned out perfect. In my opinion it's the best thing that I have made yet! I was a little iffy on the blocking but it really looks better this way. It was curling so badly before it was blocked that it just didn't look right. What do you think guys?

In other knitting news, I frogged the Accidental Drop Stitch Vest. I finished the front part and I was seriously not liking the finished product. After thinking on it for a while I thought it would be best to just frog it and use the yarn for something else. After that I decided to Cast On a baby blanket. I seem to like knitting under pressure. -=giggle=- I chose a maze pattern. It's fairly easy and it's knitting up pretty quick. Let's hope that I can get it finished before Sunday. If not then it will be a little belated. I also looked deeper into the Thin Mint Scarf, I didn't realize it was knit on two circs. I'm not sure if I am ready for that. Is it as hard as it sounds?

I still need to frog the Tree Jacket back down to the lifeline. I'm not entirely pleased with that but I'll live. Speaking about patterns, I went a little pattern crazy on Ravelry today. -=giggle=- I loaded up my que and if I actually complete a couple of them I'll be surprised. -=giggle=- I am a little impulsive.

Alright about the Blog-versary, right now I am just not financially capable to have a contest. Sorry you guys but next year I'll do something special. In parting, here's an adorable picture of Kiya. She apparently loved my poncho as much as I do.

Labels: , , , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 9:03 PM   5 comments
Problem Solved
Sunday, January 13, 2008
It turned out not to be anything at all. The cats knocked out the cord. -=giggle=- Grim felt silly telling me about it, and I felt silly for freaking out. At least everything turned out well, I was preparing myself to be told we needed to buy a new motherboard or something. Then again, I am one of those people that Hopes for the Best but expects the Worst. Pessimist in me I guess. -=giggle=-

So I have been knitting exclusively on the Montego Bay Scarf. The Feather Shawl wasn't working with the yarn I wanted to use for it and I didn't have enough of the "Head Vampire" yarn to use it for a shawl, so I figures I scarf would be perfect. I finally found a dress to go to wear to see "Phantom of the Opera". I tried it all on and the scarf will match the earrings and the earrings match my outfit. It's sort of hard to not be able to match things to black though. Progress pictures will be posted tomorrow.

The Tree Jacket, I am angry with. I am going to rip back to the lifeline. I don't want to half-ass this project and I want it to look nice. So ripping back it is. I'll take pictures of it when I get past the progress pictures I posted before.

The Accidental Drop Stitch Vest has been put on the back burner until I finish the scarf. Plus there are a couple of techniques I am going to have to jump right into that I am really no experienced with yet. In short, I am scared to screw it up.

I still haven't found a stupid laptop bag. I am hoping the school carries them in the Bookstore and I can get one covered under financial aid. I mean it is necessary, right? -=wink, nudge=- I'm debating on making a cozy for the thing and then just sewing straps into a regular book bag. I mean seriously, I have found every other size laptop bag but a 17". Blegh.

In other knitting news, I really need to set to work on my gloves for this months ALK gift knitting. Although, at present Grim has 2 sets of gloves and Catie is buying her own. Maybe I'll just make her a pair for next year. We'll see. So Gloves are definitely on the agenda, I need to make a scarf for my friend Louis for his Birthday (Thin Mint Scarf from Dominitrix), and I want to make a Montego Bay Scarf in Death Eaters for my Friend Laramie (Christmas Knitting)

While I was looking around for a picture of the Thin Mint Scarf, I found this scarf and I want it! -=giggle=- I need another scarf like I need notepads and notecards, True, but it's still cute!

I utterly failed to finish any baby stuff before the shower. I figured it would be that way, my heart just wasn't in it. I'll probably make a belated gift. We'll see though.

That's it for knitting news, lovelies. In other news..

  • I am getting my septum pierced on the 2nd of February. My mom is getting it for me as a early Birthday gift.
  • School starts back up on Tuesday.
  • I love my new laptop. Grim is playing Bioshock and I am doing all my blogging and emailing while he plays video games. No fighting, not that there was any fighting to begin with really.
  • We are definitely going to Origins this year. My grandma confirmed that we can stay at her place again. Yeah!!!

I think that's about it lovelies. I hope you are all well and good! May your knitting be flawless and quick.

Look for pictures tomorrow.

P.S. Keep your eye on my blog, I am thinking about holding a Blog-Versary drawing on the 20th. I'll come up with the details before the 20th and keep you posted. It may be something easy like, posting comments enters you into a drawing, it may be a little scavenger hunt. Who knows, we'll see.

Talk to you soon!!

Labels: , , , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 4:50 AM   6 comments
Tree Jacket Dilema
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Alright, so here's the deal.

I am on row 23 of the 24 rows that I am supposed to work before I separate the sleeves. Here's the problem.. At the beginning of row 23 I have 248 stitches. After I do my increases and then purl all the way around I will have 255 at row 24.

After I do my increases and then purl around I'll have 262 (at end of row 24).

Problem: I should have 272. Do I rip all the way back to the color for 10 stitches? I don't know how to adapt patterns very well so I can't alter the pattern and expect it to fit. Neither, sound pleasant. So I was wondering if there is a way to add 10 extra stitches without having a huge hole or making it noticeable?

Please help me! I really don't want to rip back!

Labels: , ,

posted by Valerie @ 5:58 AM   3 comments
Tree Jacket Progress
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Here are some pictures of the Tree Jacket so far.





More pictures to come soon!

Labels:

posted by Valerie @ 4:10 PM   6 comments
A Post!!!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
An actual honest to god post. -=giggle=- Unfortunately, no pictures right now, I have a bunch that need to be resized before I can post them. Knitting updates are at the bottom if you want to skip all the holiday/personal info.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! My holidays were wonderful. It was definitely a year of being spoiled rotten. Amongst the gift list I got a new laptop (my mom), Freddy's Nightmare Box Set (Pounce/Grim), Beautiful Egyptian Earrings (Moontear), Fatal Frame 3 (World's best game! Grim) lovely clothes, a book on the Philosophy of Horror (Pounce), a gift certificate to a book store and my Favorite Yarn Store, and the surprise of all suprises... Tickets to see Phantom of the Opera, Orchestra Level on Broadway!!!! That came from Grim, who knows how much I adore that play. It was on my top ten things to experience before life's end list. I have literally been singing the songs everyday since getting them!

Christmas was not without it's chaotic moments though. Let me tell you about the Pork Roast vs. my tooth... Don't worry it has a happy ending. So, I take a bite of roast and I am chewing along. All of a sudden I feel a sense of... something being wrong. I tell Grim, rather forcefully, to move and run to the bathroom. Sure enough, I have completely shattered one of my back teeth. Upset, I explain to the family what happened. His mother loads me up with gauze and orajel for the evening and we head home. I end up taking an IBprofin and a pain killer. Well, I had an allergic reaction to the pain killer and ended up itching myself skinless all night. -=giggle=- I call work and tell them I am going to be late. So I get maybe 4 hours of sleep. Then I call the dentist and they tell me they are closed until the 27th. Shit. So I go to work, uncomfortable but surviving. The next day comes and I get an appointment at 3:30. Well let me tell you folks, a broken tooth in your mouth can make you feel really sick. So I push on through the day feeling like total hell. I leave a little early due to the bad weather and get to the Dentist office, anticipating another pulled tooth. Turns out, it was only a filling that shattered. The bonding grew weak, split and shattered. So all he had to do was take the part I saved and glue it back on with bonding! To top it off, he didn't even charge me! I am dubbing that my Christmas Miracle. -=giggle=-

Oh, another miracle. I passed both classes this semester with B's!! I totally bombed the math test. Trig will never be a strong point for me. I was entirely surprised that I did so well in Bio though. I think making up those labs and doing well on the final helped a lot.

So over the 4 day weekend I did actually get alot of knitting done. I finished My So Called Scarf. Then on X-mas eve I ripped the Tree Jacket back to start. I managed to get the entire neck done by Christmas Day afternoon, I am currently on Row 9 of the 29 I have to do for the upper body. I set it down after transferring it to bigger needles after I nearly lost all of it while showing Grim my progress. I didn't want to risk my sleep addled mind making a mess of it all. Tomorrow we're going to the yarn store so I can buy yarn for the Cobweb Stole. I am going to be making that to wear to see the Phantom of the Opera.. Hopefully it will be done in time. Wish me luck on that endeavor.

For now my dears, I think that is all. I wish you all a wonderful and safe New Years! Don't get too crazy out there!!

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 2:21 AM   2 comments
Merry Christmas Eve!
Monday, December 24, 2007
I'm back in the nick of time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! I have been catching up on blogs, Myspace and Raverly messages.. Now it's time to start posting again!

On the knitting needles: The Tree Jacket will never be off the knitting needles, I will be 90 years old and still on the repeats in the beginning. -=giggle=- Honestly, I have maybe done 5 rows in a month. My So Called Scarf is coming along beautifully though. I am pretty much just going to knit it until the yarn runs out. Then it's being shipped off to a lucky recipient that I need to apologize to for getting her package off late. Everything else is pretty much on hold right now. I am really trying to tie up a couple of projects before I dive into another one.

So I was saying in my last blog that I need to find some books on tape to listen to while during knitting. I found a couple, "Blood and Chocolate" - Klause and "Black Creek Crossing"- John Saul. Then I got a beautiful new laptop and put it in the bedroom. Now I can watch movies without messing up Grim's video gaming mojo. -=giggle=- I think that is why I have gotten so much knitting done on that scarf, uninterrupted movie watching. -=giggle=- I have plans to drive my butt up to the yarn store soon and buy more yarn. I really want to make this! It looks too cool! But I think I am going to buckle down and settle in on the Tree Jacket after I get done with the scarf.

So I have been taking out knitting books from the library left and right lately. I positively can not understand the hype about the Knitting Kimono book. I mean the concept is cool but I am looking at the patterns and wondering how you would wear that in everyday life. Some of the patterns would be cool as around the house gifts but I just don't know about some of the designs.

I have a couple other books I want to talk about but I can't think of them off the top of my head right now. So alas, I will bring this to a close for this evening.

May you have a wonderful and Merry Christmas!

I'll post tomorrow before we leave for Grim's family's house. I want to show you guys some pictures of the recent knitting and goodies!

Labels: , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 3:57 AM   5 comments
And Here It Is!!!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
The blog is back up and running! Yeaahhh!! Doesn't it look nice? I'm so happy that I found one that didn't pan all the way to the right or left. This one is simple, non-emo and easy to fiddle with. If you notice anything that is off, please let me know. I'm still playing around with it.

Anyways, on with the show!

In the world of knitting, I have had to completely frog back the tree jacket. Apparently I am not trained enough in the ways of the ninja knitter style to know how to watch TV and knit at the same time. Or at least that night I didn't. I totally messed up the pattern. When I went to rip back it just went downhill from there. No biggy really. It did hurt to frog to the start again but I didn't want a sh*tty looking sweater. I did finish a pair of fingerless gloves. They're nice, not what I expected but nice. I swatched and the size was perfect.. so the only answer can be that I have smaller hands than the average adult.. That I didn't count on. So they are a little.. um.. what's the word... roomy. I adjusted them a little around the wrist by entwining yarn into the stitches and pulling it a little tighter. Here's a picture!



See what I mean, they just look a little bigger than me. So I'll just make sure to knit myself kid gloves from now on. -=giggle=- Also, I wanted to share a cute little action shot.


Not the best picture of me but Kiya was really interested in my glove knitting. -=giggle=- Other than that, I have been slowly working through my assorted projects. I haven't really felt up to knitting much. Somewhere along the line I really hurt my back. So I have been taking it easy and watching a lot of movies instead.

In other news, we head out on Tuesday!! I can't wait, it's going to be wonderful! So I'll probably be out of the loop for another week (sorry about the long leave of absence by the way). I'll be back with pictures from the trip and hopefully progress shots. I plan to get a lot of knitting done on my plane. Which reminds me, I need to cast on the Tree Jacket again or they're not gonna let me on with it. So outside of relaxing, we've been shopping and preparing for that, needless to say, it's been a reeeally busy weekend. Tomorrow I work and then I am off for 7 days. -=dances a happy jig=-

Well dears, I think that's all for now. I'm hoping to get another post in tomorrow but if I don't I will talk to you all soon. Sorry for being a bad blogger. Forgive me?

Labels: , , , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 8:55 PM   1 comments
It's been a long day.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
First of All...



A long and emotionally draining day but it has a happy ending. I'll write a little about it then go on to post my Halloween and Knitting Pictures.

Drama: So it's around 11:30 this morning and I am at work making my appointments to get some things done before I go see my Dad on the 20th. I realize the departure time from the airport isn't in my planner so I hop online to check my itinerary. I review it, and then it hits me. That's not right. We're not supposed to be leaving on the 20th of November and coming back on the 26th of DECEMBER! I realize this and quickly tell my boss, that we need to go smoke. -=giggle=- She's cool like that. So we went out, I tell her what's going on and afterwards I call them up with high hopes. I mean it's a computer error, that or I screwed up somewhere and hit the wrong button. I speak to a woman and find out it will be an additional 600 dollars to change the tickets around. I don't have that sort of money to drop. So I get off the phone with her... and.. cry... a lot. Why did I break into an emotional sobbing mess? I haven't seen my southern family in over a year and a half. Family has come to mean a great deal to me over the course of my lifetime. To go that long without seeing them, really bothers me on nearly an unexplainable level.

Anyways, I call Grim. Probably hysterical sounding. He gets on the phone with Expedia and sees what he can do. In the mean time I have taken my lunch break. I'm a mess. I do my errands and come back. I get a call from Grim, nothing Expedia can do to help us. So he's calling the airline. More tears. My boss ends up letting me go home. She wasn't upset and she understood why I was so hysterical about the whole situation. My coworker came up and gave me a hug and I collected my bags and came home. Long story short (too late), 4 hours and a lot more tears of disappointment later, Grim and I have our flights still. We still had to pay $200.00 to get them changed though. (So I won't be ordering yarn this paycheck after all Christine) That hurt a little but I wasn't going to ask either parent for it. We're staying one extra day and I get to see them after all! I was so upset and so panicked that I actually gave myself a migraine earlier from the worrying. I know, neurotic and weird but my defense is, I really miss my family.

Knitting: I cast on the Tree Jacket pattern and I am currently working on the collar.


The Baby Wrap is coming along nicely!


I also started to process of making the Button Sweater.


Onto Halloween!! During the day I was a flapper girl at work and by night Zombie!! What a wonderful Halloween and Anniversary it was! Grim and I have been together 4 years now! I think we're both a little shocked. -=giggle=- This is the longest relationship either of us have had. So we made plans to go out with our friend Kris and her friends Josh and Danielle. The first place we went was to an old farm that had 3 or 4 different corn mazes, some rat like circles you raced, peddle-carts and a bunch of other neat little things. Then from there we went to see Nightmare Before X-mas in 3D. The day was just splendid. There are a couple of pictures below but a lot more on my flicker site. Go take a look! Also, I have to post the video Grim made in the maze! To funny!







I Hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween! Night Night For Now Guys!!!

Labels: , , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 12:12 AM   16 comments
Yeah! A Post! (Picture Heavy)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
I seriously have to start keeping better care the blog The problem is that I am getting to wrapped up in reading that I am not knitting and I know you guys like seeing knitting more than personal posts. -=giggle=-

So to start off, YARN!!

This stuff is too lickable and Pounce gave it to me! She had originally bought it to try knitting me a hat and scarf but for some reason she decided against it and gave me the yarn. I would love and adore her for the hat and scarf set but I love her and adore her even more because the 2 black skeins of this are making me a sweater! Not to mention she made me a nifty Dice Bag! Also, Mucho Mucho Thanks to Moontear for the wonderful early X-mas gift. You are too sweet! I also got this yarn for the Tree Jacket Pattern (SKC KAL).


This yarn for the baby blanket.

Cthulhu loves the sheepies and the yarn. He's not evil, I promise. Then the baby also gets a baby wrap in this. Isn't it.. um.. bright? -=giggle=-



My mom bought me this..

The book, not an elder god. -=giggle=- She also got me the Beautiful Knitting Patterns Book. Have I mentioned how much I love books like this? It's awesome how they give you the idea of how to do it and you can go from there. =)

I've already swatched for my Tree Jacket and I plan to Cast on that or the baby blanket tomorrow. Probably the blanket because that's what I should be knitting. Or I'll mix over the weekend. A little of this and a little of that. -=giggle=-

I also wanted to post a picture for a contest on Melissa's blog. The Fake Rhinebeck Picture Contest.

I got some Malabrigo in Mint Green.
Some great sock yarn that I can't remember the name of right now!
Some Sweet Sheep - Head Vampyre
And some Misty Meadows by Knitpicks
The little sheepy and Cthulhu also hopped into my basket. =P



Have I mentioned how I had intended to go to Rhinebeck? Did I mention that I had to use the money saved to buy new brakes and rotors? Did I mention how bitter I am about that? I didn't think so. Oh well.. Next year. Next year.

Alright guys, that's it for the yarn. I'll post a couple of interesting points of my week tomorrow. Grim's B-day is this weekend so it's unlikely I will be on much. So to keep you in suspense, the next blog will include:

A. What the doctor said about my tummy.
B. What the Vet said about Kiya's tummy.
C. What happened at the Country Wool Yarn Store.
D. What happened at the Double Date last Friday

Okay, night night all!

Labels: , , , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 9:47 PM   6 comments
Riiiiiipppp
Monday, October 1, 2007
That's the sound of the baby blanket being ripped back to one. The pattern was definitely incorrect and I think I sure have used circs instead of straights. The blanket turned out the right size but the pattern was all wrong. The basket weaves were off and just weird looking. So back to the beginning. I am not going to stick to the deadline. First of all, we don't know when we're going to go down there now. or is it up there.. Well, either direction it is.. School is throwing a wrench in plans. I really can't miss a shitload of school or else I am going to be to far behind. As it is I am going to miss a class for Rock 'n' Shock. Then the next weekend, would be going to see her. Two missed classes in a row and I'll be so far behind I'll go cross eyed. So it's been moved back. I figured, I'll get done with it around her due date which is mid-November.

In other news, I am going to cast on the Ravenclaw bag tonight. I ordered the last little things to go in it and now all that's left is the bag. It shouldn't take me too long when I start working on it. Then SKC is doing a knit along with Pattern one! So, number 1 is my choice. If I have any problems I can get people to help me along the way!

Today has also been a sad day. I watched the final episode of Deadwood. No more shall I be blessed by the obscenities and blood shed that only Al Swearengen could provide. Le Sigh.

TTFN All!

Pictures to be posted soon!

Labels: , , , , ,

posted by Valerie @ 8:16 PM   6 comments
About Me

Name: Valerie
Home: Troy, New York, United States
About Me: I am 26 years old. I work, go to school, participate in roller derby and knit every chance I get. Oh, I also love hanging out with my boyfriend (Grim) and two cats (Kiya and Sigh).
See my complete profile
Daily Reads
Previous Post
Archives
Powered by

BLOGGER
© 2005 My Little Piece of The Net Blogger Templates by Isnaini Dot Com and Car Pictures