Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Hungover


I am suffering a hangover. No not from alcohol, although a little wine would have helped. It is from technology. I am suffering a technology hangover, and from the effects of the above statement. Yesterday and even the night before I got sucked into the technology vortex. A place where one web page of information leads to another and before you know it, you are going around in circles and don't know which way is up or down. I was so excited with trying to make everything perfect on this blog and start networking, that I dove right into trying to find everything I needed to know all in one day! My poor brain just frazzled. Sure I can figure out what a line like this (K2, p2, c6b, p2, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, ssk, yo, k3, sk2p, yo, k5, yo,ssk, yo, k3, ssk, p2, c6b, p2, k2) means, but put some HTML code before me for a simple addition like a Facebook Like Button and I am reduced to a ball in the corner crying! 

Finally around 1:30 this morning, I had enough! I started this blog for fun. I wanted to reach out to a creative community, to be inspired and to inspire.  While its wonderful to reach out thru all the social medias we have at our finger tips, I don't want to seem like I am out for only the numbers of the masses. Don't get me wrong getting followers, and Likes on Facebook is a lovely recognition and one I won't deny I want to have. But I am a beginner to all this. I can't expect myself to get it all right on the first go. After all this blog for me is another creative journey. Perfecting it will take time, like mastering any other craft.  So please bear with me as I try new things on here trying to figure it all out. I welcome any suggestions and help you other fellow bloggers have to offer! What great tips have you picked up along the way? What have you found to be effective for you?

Now I am going to go nurse this hangover with something I know I will understand. Hope everyone's week is going well.

Till later,

Amanda

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tuesday's Tidbits

Wow this has taken so much longer to get this out today than I thought it would. I started out at like 11 am and here I am still trying to get this out to you. I am new to all of this so I guess some delays are to be expected as I learn all that there is to do. Anyway today I wanted to share with you some tidbits I have found great and useful to me on my journey as a knitter and crafter.

Lets start out with one site that has been particularly resourceful to me, and that is Ravelry.  Have you been to their site yet? If you haven't I highly recommend it!  Whether you are a novice or a seasoned knitter this site is for you. It's a free site that unite Knitters and Crocheter's alike. There are groups, forums and hundreds upon hundreds of patterns to choose from. Check it out by clicking on the word Ravelry above or find me on Ravelry here.

Another cool site is Craftys! You can take classes online for the craft of your preference from some pretty neat and well known crafters, do workshops and display projects you have completed. I am new there myself so I am still figuring it out. Are any of you out there on Craftsy?  If so look me up, I would love to see what you are working on and get more great tips.

There are a few more blogs that I have come across that have sparked my interest and thought they might spark yours too. Here is a list of them, you can also find them under my blog roll entitled I am Inspired by.
  • www.cozychicksblog.com;  This blog is for all those book lovers out there. Its a collaboration of mystery writers who post on this blog and from what I have read thus far they are a fun lot. There is one series in particular that caught my interest, the Knitting Mysteries by Maggie Sefton(more on her later.)
  • http://crazyknittinglady.wordpress.com/: The title of Glenna's blog, Knitting to Stay Sane, is enough to captivate anyone if you ask me.
  • http://nevernotknitting.blogspot.com/: I just started reading Alana's blog but so far it is captivating. The knitting she displays are just beautiful. She has a new book out called Coastal Knits. I recommend checking that book out, the patterns in there are just to die for. Here is the link to Coastal knits to see what titillating patterns she has. 
  • http://www.dangercrafts.com/: Meet Rebecca Danger! She likes monsters! Really really cute monsters! If you don't believe me just click on the link. The monsters speak for themselves.
There is one more great site that needs a shout out and that is Pinterest! A wonderful web invention that has just exploded! A place where you can collect online "pins" and pin them to your board. An online pinboard who knew? Obviously the great minds at Pinterest. The creative ideas on there are just endless and more are added everyday. I deeply encourage you to check it out and let your imagination run wild.

One final thing to share with you, before I close for the night. I was reading on Susan's blog (if you are not already a follower of hers you should be. I am in no way paid or compensated to tell you that. I am just a HUGE fan of her work)earlier today and she had posted this little clip that I want to share with you. This pretty much sums up what everyone of us knitters says or does(and you the one sitting there saying "No I don't" YES! You do!) I laughed so hard when I watched it. Enjoy!
Have a great night everyone. Till next time!

Monday, February 27, 2012

A ho hum day

Yesterday was just one of those slow lazy days. It was a beautiful day, quite warm. So Dear Husband and I thought a walk to the park with our wonderful Lab Kelly was just the ticket. For those of you who don't know our baby here she is. She likes to model from time to time.
So off to the park we went to enjoy the sunshine and get a good dose of exercise.
Kelly enjoys the slide like any kid. Haha
After that a nice evening of knitting was what was in store. Curling up with a book would have been good too but I didn't get that far. Here is what I have on the needles currently:
Stockholm Scarf from Ravelry
The Stockholm Scarf is a quick knit. Only has four rows you repeat until you get the desired length. Its easy to do while watching your favorite show or movie. You can find the pattern for Stockholm here.  I hope to have this guy finished and blocked by the end of the week. I will keep you posted. I just recently finished the Garter Stitch Loop-Through Scarf from the 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book. Its also a fun and fast knit up. A great scarf for beginners who are ready to tackle something a little more than just the Knit and Purl stitches.
I just love how it looks. I have made this for a friend, so now that its finished I need to ship it off to her. I must try this pattern in a self striping or multicolor yarn some time. Has anyone else done projects from the 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book? I would love to hear about it. Well I am off to go knit some more of the Stockholm Scarf.  Have a wonderful evening.

Till next time,

Amanda

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Friday's craft day

Wow has time flown, I meant to get this post out to you on Friday. Saturday at the latest. Oh well here it is now.
I got a call from my friend, the Queen Beads, earlier this week inviting me over for a little beading party on Friday. I was excited of course till I realized that I don't bead. I knit. I am a knitter. Making necklaces is not my thing. Course my friend reassured me I did not have to bead while I was there I could just knit and hang out.
This invite is what led me to stumble across a new knitting idea(not my own of course). I wondered if I could make jewlery by knitting with jewelry wire. As always I googled this idea. And go figure you can knit with jewelry wire. I know this should not come as a surprise to me. I gleaned what information I could find on the subject and off to the store I went to purchase my supplies, .3mm Silver Beading wire, 6/0 beads, and size 2 dpns(other than the double pointed needles or dpns I got all my supplies at Walmart for $10). I was all set for friday.
We had a nice little group. It was so relaxing spending a few hours with good friends, chatting and beading.
Here is my first attempt at knitting with beads and jewelry wire. Its not a pretty site. Well in my opinion anyway. My friends were great as they always are and told me it looked good, but I lean towards being a perfectionist when it comes to my knitting. But it was fun none the less and exciting to learn something new! I am going to have keep practicing and see if I can find any books on the subject the next time I go to Barnes and Noble. I hope everyone's weekend was good.



Thursday, February 23, 2012

Can't Find the Coffee Pot!


This is a scene from one of my favorite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis films(My Friend Irma, 1949). For all those out there who enjoy a good old movie, this was the movie that introduced Dean and Jerry, however I digress. This little clip expressed my sentiments exactly yesterday morning. Only my problem wasn't that I couldn't find the coffee pot(I keep two in the house along with a French Press to keep such a disaster from happening!). No the problem was that I could not find any coffee beans! My good coffee was out. Empty. Nada. Zilch!

Well now, where is the harm you may ask? What with a coffee shop just up the road from my house, I could easily go there and get my morning fix on my way to the store to get more coffee. But not so fast. You see in my opinion no one, save for Starbucks themselves and my friend Jojo, can make coffee as well as I do. Not even Dear Husband is allowed to touch the coffee maker!  I don't say this to brag that I make the best coffee, just that my taste buds prefer it that way. I have this lovely little ritual. I get up in the morning, my slippers scuffing across the floor as I drag my body into the kitchen. I scoop the glistening beans into the coffee grinder and grind them down, then add  the water to the coffee maker and press the magical button that will make this machine GIVE me coffee. Then I wait, all the while in my pajamas(I can not wait for decent coffee in my pajamas at the coffee shop. Well I suppose I could but I would feel silly.). I wait for the aroma of my strong brew to waif over me, to flood my senses and bring me to life. It is a very special relationship coffee and I have. A bond that has been in the making for many years now. We had a short break up a few years back, but that is a different story. What matters now is the strong bond we have today, and how because I was out of beans, my day was beginning to look very bleak indeed!

So I had to do what any person who has discovered they were out of coffee has to do. I had to go to the store. As it turns out discovering you are out of coffee does not mean its a sign that its the end of the world! It does not mean I get to crawl back into bed and throw the covers over my head. However I do feel much better knowing that I have this guy in my possession!

Now on another note. I got my latest issue of Interweave Knits yesterday and couldn't wait to look  thru it and see what kind of treasures I could find inside.

 I have been thinking for quite some time now that I need to knit a sweater. I have been making hats, scarves, even bags for a while now. I need to challenge myself! I have been searching for a sweater pattern and found many I would love to make. But I wanted to start of with a simple sweater design. You can imagine my delight then, when I started flipping thru my spring issue and stumbled upon this!
It has a simple shape designed to work with anything in your wardrobe. And its versatile, kind of like the reversible skirt they made back in the 90's. One side is floral where the other side is polka dots. You got two outfits in one. I am for just about anything that is versatile. A simple sweater with a nice drape that can give you multiple looks is right up my alley. Very soon I am going to have this on my needles. Stay tuned for sweater follow ups!

Now since the cleaning fairies skipped my house last night I better go clean. Happy crafting and knitting!

Signing off,
Crazy Amanda

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Crazy? Crafty? Definately Caffienated

Well here I am, taking my first little baby steps into the world of blogging. I have been an avid reader of blogs for several years now, but frankly have been too frightened to actually try it myself.  I mean what if I fail? What if I am no good at writing a blog, or writing period? So what, you may ask, has finally caused me to make the leap? To overlook this fear and plunge head first into the unknown?

Well here's the thing I have found myself pretty much writing posts in my head as I would go along in my daily activities. Knitting a scarf? Mentally writing. Making bookmarks using paperclips, buttons and ribbons? Mentally writing. About to start a home improvement project? My camera was at my side taking before and after pictures, for that post I might write, I would say to myself.  My friends and family were subject to some kind of update on my latest craze just about everyday. Anyone who stopped by the house for a visit, I pounced on!  Apparently to the point that, my dear husband looked at me and said, "Not everyone is as obsessed as you are about knitting dear!" What? What do you mean "Not everyone is as OBSESSED as I am"? Wait you think I am obsessed??

With that statement from Dear Husband, and the question it led me to, I knew I had to start a blog. Clearly if I am crazy and obsessed about yarn and knitting, along with other crafts I need to seek out my own people! So lets hear a cheer out for the Crazy and Crafty people out there! I look forward to where this new endeavor of mine will take me and the extraordinary people I will meet along the way. Hooray! And welcome to Crazy, Crafty and Caffeinated! Hope you have as much fun reading this I have writing it!

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