Je ne suis pas mort...je pense...

I have been crafting, I swear. I just can't post any pictures up right now. And who wants to hear me talk about things I'm making? People want pictures!

Unfortunately, the "good" computer crashed, and now the only computer that works in the house is a ten-year-old iMac (which, I might add, is ten years old and STILL WORKS. I can't say the same for the BRAND NEW PC, which has crashed twice in as many years.) Sadly, the PC was the computer that I used the most because the iMac is just too old and small (it has a whopping 10G hard drive...my ipod is bigger than that...) and can't handle all my pictures/music. (Which are gone now, thank you very much Windows.) 

For those of you who are wondering (and by that I mean that one lonely, lovely follower I have (thank you Lauria, for making my day :) )) I have made a crocheted hat, and I'm working on two scarves, one crocheted, and one knit, with crocheted edging. I'd show you how good they look, but since I can't upload pictures, you'll just have to take my word for it. 

I'll try to get pictures up, but as it is, my relationship with technology is a little unstable at the moment. I'm afraid if I plug my camera into the iMac, it just might explode or something.

...

Upon reading over this post, I just became aware of how much I love adding things in using parentheses.

Weekend Knitting

Heavens to Betsy, I had no idea that school starting would put my knitting back so far. I mean, WOW. Senior year has been really busy, and it's only 8 days into school!

My schedule looks like this:

Free period
French 4
AP Environmental Science
World Cultures
AP Statistics
Geographic Information Systems
British Literature

And since we're on a rotation system, I have six of those periods each day, skipping a different class each day until the seventh day. Then the rotation starts all over. It's just a way for us to cram more classes into less time. Good idea, I guess. I'm going to start my application for UNC Asheville this Tuesday after school with my college counselor. Thank GOD I have her, otherwise I'd be SUNK. This whole high school/graduation/college thing is making me more nervous than a whore in church.

On another note, Close Knit just opened up in Gastonia, just off Franklin Blvd. YAY! Finally an LYS for me to call my own. :D I 'm about as happy as a mouse in a cheese factory. I went down there last week to check it out, and it's AWESOME! The owner is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and, as it turns out, her husband actually designed the performing arts center at my school. Small world, eh? Also, there's a girl MY AGE who works there after school sometimes and she knits! It's awesome, because I've never actually met another knitting teenager! She told me she hadn't either. They have a knit night down there every Tuesday evening (known as the "Chicks with Sticks" How cute. :) ) and I'm looking forward to going this Tuesday. :) YAY!

Knitting by Starlight

I think I'm finally getting serious about knitting. I'm currently working on two projects: a simple hat (knit flat and sewn up the back--I'm too scared to try knitting in the round yet) and a scarf knit in entrelac. I think I might be in love with it. Our relationship started off a bit rocky--I wasn't too good at picking up stitches because I got a little confused when it said "pick up and purl," but with a little counseling, we got everything worked out. :) We're expecting our first child soon. ;D

By the way, anyone who missed the Pleseids meteor shower last night should be ashamed (Mom, that means you!) It was BEAUTIFUL. I even saw one meteor streak across the sky and then break apart, leaving multiple, sparkling trails behind. It made my knees go weak, no lie. It's just awe-inspiring. I laid out in the grass in my front lawn from about 12:30 to 3 AM to watch the show, and even though I almost fell asleep during slow periods, and I got bug-bitten a little bit, it was SOOOO worth it.

I'll post pics soon, but for now, my camera battery is dead. (I'm seriously starting to doubt the abilities of Polaroid as a company. So far, I've had TWO Polaroid digital camera's and they're sub-par at best. C'mon Polaroid--You're a trusted name. Live up to it!)

I'm ending the not-quite-started hiatus when I get home from school...

In the meantime (what a weird word...) here's a 200 ft knitted bunny that's so big it can be seen from outer space. Old story, I know, but it's still a miraculous feat of artistry and such. :) (and I promise you won't get rickrolled...)

J'ai fini mon...hiatus

So I decided to take a break from knitting/crocheting after all the stress of prom...just a little time to gather my wits and calm down a bit. Unfortunately, not crocheting is causing more stress than I thought, so I'm cutting my hiatus off, barely before it gets started.

On another note; no word of my camera, but I did get my laptop fixed, and I got a copy of the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Facotry (one of the BEST MOVIES EVER!) so I'm a little happier. I just wish I had my wangdoodling camera back. And yes, I'm going to whine until I get it. Because I want to be able to take pictures of all the stuff I'm going to make now that prom is over and I can concentrate on such things.

First, I'm going to finish my Athenian scarf, then I'm going to design and make that scarf that I wanted to design (still got the notes for that in my room, so it's good), then I'm going to finish my second attempt at the Stone Path Hat, then I'm going to finish knitting the My So Called Scarf.

..Or more likely I'll start working on all of these at the same time like I usually do. :)

PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE to get pics up when I can. This whole camera hostage business is driving me nuts. JUST MAKE YOUR DEMANDS ALREADY POLAROID! I'LL PAY ANY PRICE, JUST TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO GET MY CAMERA BACK!!!

Mission Accomplished

Prom was a success. Holy crap was it stressful though. I was up until 4.30 AM finishing my dress (along with the help of my super-special-awesome sister-in-law, without whom I would not have been able to do this) and then I had to get up at 6.30 that morning to do stuff with my mom. So basically I got 2 hours of sleep the night before (or rather, morning of) prom. Whew. That's ok, though, because my dress was awesome, I looked awesome, the people there were awesome, the limo was awesome, the food was awesome (funny tangent story--the dinner before prom, I ordered a "wedge salad" without knowing what a wedge salad was. Never do that. I was a little surprised when they brought out a literal wedge of lettuce with bacon and dressing over it. heh.)

Unfortunately, since my camera is on BACK ORDER (stupid polaroid people...mumble mumble whine groan, etc.) the only pics I have are those that other people took, and right now the only accessible one is the proof from the people who took it. Soooo, here that is:

I'm on the right. :) Obviously my plans changed throughout the actual making process. Instead of crocheting the entire thing, I realized that that would be too heavy, so instead, Darlene and I decided to crochet the bodice, then do a fabric skirt. There was tulle underneath for a crenoline, and a silver sash across the waist, mostly Darlene's idea. Basically (as I've stated before) I couldn't have done it without her. :)

The Physics of Idleness...

Wow, I can't even believe that it's been over a month since I've updated. Naughty, much? Ugh. So the day is almost here. It's the day before prom and I'm FREAKING OUT. Know why? ...Because it's the day before prom and my dress is...UNFINISHED! I know, I know, I've had plenty of time to work on it, but the problem is...you know what, I'm not even going to make lame excuses about working too much at school because frankly, I feel like all I do is make excuses for why I'm not working on my crafts. Seriously, I've done little to no work on the dress since I finished the back of the bodice, and for the past few days I've been just crocheting as much as possible to make up for lost time. And the consequences of waiting until the last minute? I've had to cut back. No capelet. BERK. I was looking forward to that, but I just don't have the time to make it. I've also decided not to make my own purse, but that was only partly because of the time issue. I was planning to make this big clutch bag from this pattern that I got from a vintage crochet magazine, but as we all know, the purse must match the shoes...and my shoes are metallic silver. I don't know about you guys, but I tried looking for metallic silver yarn that would match my shoes, and it just didn't happen. So I bought one. Which reminds me, another thing that I should have done weeks ago but neglected until yesterday--prom accessory shopping. I had $160 courtesy of my dear daddy (acquired by my very, very uncharacteristic whining of, "Daddy, everyone at prom is going to be pretty, and I want to be pretty too!" I'm not saying I'm proud of it, but shopping sprees make me feel GOOD, gosh darnit!) And so, now I'm about to head into my junior prom with a new tiara (something I've never worn), pretty silver, sparkly jewelry, a new haircut, lip plumper/gloss, and other miscellaneous things that I purchased yesterday that actually had NOTHING to do with prom (three new shirts, a pair of sparkly rhinestoned earrings, new sunglasses with rhinestones that match said earrings, a pretty rainbow bra, five new pairs of funky underwear, chocolate covered coffee beans, Midnight Pomegranate body spray, and another pair of earrings that I got for my friend Anna for going shopping with me and for putting up with me being a me-monster all day. She's such an awesome person ^_^ ) But the crucial thing missing from this picture? THE FREAKING DRESS!

*Breathes* I'm about to go to my dear, lovely, amazing sister in law's house so she can help me finish it. Because right now, I need all the help I can get!

*NOTE* Unfortunately my camera is still being held hostage by the Polaroid company. I'm going to call and complain about this today. I want my freaking camera!

SUCKAGE

I really need to stop being so lazy. I've got, like, maybe a month before prom, and all I've got done is back of the bodice. I still have to do the front, the sleeves, the skirt, the capalet, and the applique. Ummm, behind much? Yeah, so I'm gonna go do that now... I swear...right now...I'm picking up the yarn, and I'm going to freaking MAKE THIS DRESS. Watch me, now.

(un)dead

Wow. I really haven't posted in a LONG time. Why, you ask? Craziness. School has been crazy, home has been crazy, and I'm applying to summer programs in the area so I can have something good to write on my college applications next year.

I did, however, get crafty, like I said I would in my last post. I'm designing a scarf (and I'm excited about it). I'm about halfway finished with it (sorry, no pics yet), but I think I might have to put it on hold because I need to work on my dress. I NEED TO. Because Prom is like less than two months away, and I need to finish this darn dress.

In other news, Books-a-Million finally got my copy of Crochet Me in. They never called me, so when I thought it had been long enough, I just went down there myself and sneaked a look at the shelves to see if they had it behind the counter, and sure enough, there it was, with my name stickered to it. I didn't ask if they had it, of course, because I didn't have the money with me at the time to buy it, so I just sort of peeked over the counter while the cashier was with someone else, saw it, and walked out...inconspicuously...like a ninja...of the night...

Triggers Nostalgia

It just started to rain, and I'm feeling inspired. I'm gonna go make something, and watch Dodgeball.

Rainbow Spiral Scarf + Pattern

I made this scarf a while ago because I was jonesin' for something rainbow-y. I also luuurrve spirals, so I decided to put the two together, and this is what I got! It's a self-tasseling, spiral, rainbow scarf! Woohoo!

Hoorah for sideways pictures!

My Attempt at a First Time Pattern:

You will need:
Any sort of worsted weight yarn in these seven colors (I used Caron Simply Soft):
Red (A)
Orange (B)
Yellow (C)
Green (D)
Blue (E)
Purple (F)
a size G crochet hook, and a size I hook.

Using the G hook and color A, ch 240. Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail.
Row 1: attach another strand of A, leaving a six-inch tail, using the I hook HDC in 2nd ch from hook and each ch to end. Cut yarn, leaving six-inch tail.
Row 2: attach B, leaving a 6" tail, HDC in each HDC to end. Cut yarn, leaving a 6" tail.
Row 3-6: Repeat row 2, using C,D,E, and F each row.
Finishing: after you cut the last yarn tail, that's it. The tails make the tassels, and the tightness in the chain, combined with the looseness of the rest of the rows makes the spiral. :)

...and by a tad, I mean A LOT.

Hehe, I know I should be working on my dress, but I got distracted again (this time by a pretty vintage hat pattern). It only took me...less than an hour to make, so it was more like a little overdue instant gratification. I needed that. (Sorry, no pics. I haven't taken any yet, and I can't get to it now since I'm at school.)

Also, my sister-in-law's mother let me borrow a BUNCH of old 60's-80's era crochet magazines that she had, and I made some copies. It only took 6 dollars and an entire afternoon to do.Totally worth it. I'll be busy with those for a while. :) I also got 4, yes FOUR, new crafty books. Son of Stitch 'n Bitch, Not Your Mama's Knitting and Crochet, and Crochetme. Crochetme hasn't come in yet (I had the store order it for me) but I'm eagerly waiting, and I have the other three to keep me busy til it gets here. I'm excited about learning to knit, I think it'll be good for me to have more skills in my possession. I'm superduper excited about the double-knit argyle scarf in SOSNB. It's awesome. And the Pseudo-Kimono in Not Your Mama's Crochet is pretty cool too. I just have to remember to finish my dress before doing any of that.

Down, girl.

And for the most superspecialawesome news of the day/month: I GOT MY RAVELRY INVITATION! W007! So after school I'm going to get started on that. YAY! I don't have time to do it now, since I'm at school now (blogging during lunch.)

Just a Tad of Crafty ADD...

...could be to blame for this:

Starting this little ditty puts my WIP count at four. Nonetheless, I've decided that the endless rows of HDC's on the bodice of my dress has become something akin to purgatory...so I'm giving knitting another go. I haven't knitted since 9th grade. After I horrible failed at it the first time, I tried it again (three years later) and discovered that I was doing it wrong the whole time. No wonder I couldn't get it right back then. I also found out that I like continental knitting better than the American way, and the Norwegian Purl method is better than regular purling. It's more fun.

I'm thinking this is gonna be an iPod cozy...


...because my iPod has alrady decided that the soft pink yarn is just what he needs (he's very sure of his sexuality).


He even tried to crawl under it and go to sleep, and I had to remind him that it wasn't quite done yet. :)

BTW, the yarn I'm using here is a brand called I Love This Yarn! found exclusively at Hobby Lobby. It's 100% Acrylic, but it's about twice as soft as Red Heart Super Saver (and cheaper too, plus the skeins are slightly bigger than RHSS, I think). Unfortunately, as of now it's only available in a limited array of colors, but hopefully that will change sometime in the future. :)

My SUPER-SPECIAL-AWESOME Project!

I decided that I'm going to...dundunduuun...crochet my PROM DRESS this year. Mainly because I think it will be a good way for me to dive head first into crocheting (so far I've just been treading shallow water with my hats and scarves and mary-janes and iPod cozies and such). I thought that maybe I should make a sweater or a wrap or something before I did something drastic, but my wild side decided for me that I should do something...wild. So I'm crocheting an evening gown.

I didn't design the thing myself, rather I'm taking a shirt and skirt pattern (the Cupcake from SnB Happy Hooker book for the top and the Spiderweb Skirt for the bottom) and I'm essentially just making both (leaving the decorative bottom off the top) and sewing them together to make a dress. I've drawn up some concepts, and I think it'll look OK. And so far I haven't mucked anything up (even though I'm still on the top part, what's going to be the bodice of the dress.)

So here's a pic or two of what I have so far:

That part goes about halfway up my back, so I only have a few more rows until I shape the armholes and then that part's done. I don't think it's a half bad load for just two days of piddling with it after school.

and here's a detail shot of the "form fitting" part.

AANND, this is what I work on when I get bored at school. It's just a little hat that I piddle with on the side (did I seriously just use that word twice in one post?)



Closeup of the ribs that will soon become cables. The original hat is called Stonepath and it's from Interweave Crochet Magazine. It's a pretty hat that I've already attempted once, but it came out slightly too big for my head, so I'm trying a smaller yarn and hook size, and I'm making it a size smaller. I like the yarn here too because it's a vintage-y rainbow color that's kind of muted, but still funky. It's from an old poncho that someone gave me that I frogged for the yarn (I don't wear ponchos :P ).

Luna Lovegood Skinny Scarf

I made this grey skinny scarf, based off of Luna Lovegood's in the Harry Potter 5 movie about a month-ish ago. Got the pattern off Craftster:


Just a random FO I'd thought I'd post. I have more, but I'm too lazy to post them. :)

I Should Have Done This Long Ago...

W007- I finally made a blog to post all of the cool things I make! :) I'll get around to posting my FO's later, for now here's some things about me!

INFORMATION
Name: Ashley Michelle
Birthdate: June 3, 1991 (That makes me 16)
Birthplace: Lincolnton, NC
Current: Cherryville NC
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown (dyed auburn)
Righty or Lefty: righty, lefty if I wanna be (Oh yeah, there's a word for that...ambidextrous?)
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Innie or Outtie: Innie

DESCRIBE

Your heritage: German/Irish on my mom's side Norwegian on my dad's
The shoes you wore today: didn't wear any :)
Your eyes: plain
Your weakness: kryptonite
Your fears: never falling in love
One thing you'd like to achieve: my dreams

WHAT IS
Your most overused phrase on aim: i don't use aim that often, but i'd have to say BRB
Your thoughts first waking up: NNNOOOOO
The first feature you notice in the opposite sex: hair
Your best physical feature: my feet (no lie, it's my favorite part of my body)
Your bedtime: when I get too tired
Your greatest accomplishment: getting into Gaston Day
Your most missed memory: elementary school/kindergarten

YOU PREFER
Pepsi or coke: Mountain Dew
McDonald's or Burger King: Neither >:P yuck
Single or group dates: single
Adidas or Nike: Converses
Chocolate or vanilla: chanilla
Cappuccino or coffee: Cappuchino
Bras or Panties: umm both?

DO YOU
Smoke: nope
Cuss: more than I should, but less than a lot of my friends
Take a shower everyday: yes
Have a crush(es): no
Do you think you've been in love: not yet
Want to go to college: yes
Like high school: I like MY high school, but as a general rule, no
Want to get married: someday
Type w/ your fingers on the right keys: most of the time
Believe in yourself: when I think I have a chance
Get motion sickness: No
Think you're attractive: Not most of the time, but I have my moments...
Think you're a health freak: HELL no (but I do try...)
Get along with your parents: most of the time
Like thunderstorms: yes :)
Play an instrument: eek. Flute, guitar, piano, violin (none of them good enough to be professional, but I do play them habitually)

IN THE PAST MONTH HAVE YOU
Drank alcohol: no
Smoked: no
Done a drug: no
Had Sex: no.
Made Out: no
Gone to the mall: yea
Eaten sushi: no
Been on stage: yes
Gone skating: no
Made homemade cookies: yes :)
Been in love: no
Dyed your hair: no
Stolen anything: no

HAVE YOU EVER
Flown on a plane: no
Missed school because it was raining: does a hurricane count?
Told a guy/girl that you liked them: nope, don't like anyone
Cried during a Movie: yes (Oliver and Company and Beauty and the Beast and RENT and that PETA documentary and that documentary about rescuing animals after Katrina...I cry during a lot of movies...)
Ever thought an animated character was hot: eheheheheee...*blushes* yes...
Had an imaginary friend: of course I do, especially when there's no one else to talk to :)
Been on stage: yes...Band concert...The horror...I had to IMPROVISE A SOLO...eek.
Cut your hair: no, but I think I need to sometime soon.
Had crush on a teacher: no, I find that gross
Played a game that required removal of clothing: I wish
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: no, nor do I find that particularly appealing
Been caught "doing something": HA yeah, right...
Been called a tease: no
Gotten beaten up: only by myself :)
Been in a fight: no
Shoplifted: no

THE FUTURE
Age you hope to be married: whenever it comes to me
Numbers and Names of Children: HA! I. HATE. BABIES.
Descibe your Dream Wedding: exotic/classical/fun/with-much-Absinthe
How do you want to die: quietly and painlessly, preferably in my sleep
What do you want to be when you grow up: computer programmer/software engineer
What country would you most like to visit: hmm that's a tough one. I want to travel a lot, but there's not one specific country I want to visit

OPPOSITE SEX
Best eye/hair color: any
Short or long hair: either
Best height: taller than me.
Best weight: don't really care
Best first date location: something non-traditional. Like an active volcano or on a bigfoot hunt (you think I'm kidding, but I'm not.)
Best first kiss location: sitting on a cliff at night overlooking the lit-up city below us

NUMBER OF
Number of girl/boyfriends you've had: 5-6 ish
Number of kisses you've given: a lot
Number of drugs taken illegally: sore wa himitsu desu :)
Number of people I could trust with my life: not including family-1
Number of songs on my iPod: over 3500
Number of piercings: just my ears
Number of tattoos: 0
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: hmm, not too sure, but I know it's less than ten. I got in it a few times when I was a kid, and by being at some town events
Number of scars on my body: a lot (I'm accident prone) :)
Number of things in my past that I regret: a lot...

FAVORITES
Shampoo: something that smells good (Peaches and Cream shampoo smells TERRIBLE)
Fav Color: purple
Day/Night: night
Summer/Winter: fall
Lace or Satin: satin
Fave Cartoon Character: Timon :)
Fave Food: Hazlenut
Fave Movies: too many to list
Fave sport: Badminton (YES IT DOES TOO COUNT!)
Fave sports stars: none really

RIGHT NOW

Wearing: t-shirt, cardigan, jeans, socks, underwear
Drinking: orange soda
Thinking about: who on Earth is actually gonna read this...
Listening to: the sound of typing and the computer whirring

IN THE LAST 24 HRS

Cried: yes...curse that ASPCA commercial...gets me every time...
Worn jeans: yes
Met someone new online: yeah, but I didn't like him so I denied his friend request
Done laundry: no
Drove a car: no
Talked on the phone: yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN
Yourself: when it suits me
Your friends: mostly
Santa Claus: Course :)
Tooth Fairy: No (I woke up and caught my mom red handed, ruined it for me...)
Destiny/Fate: yes
Angels: i'm Buddhist, so we have the bodhisattva of compassion
Ghosts: YES!
UFO's: yes, I think the universe is just too darn BIG for us to be the ONLY LIVING THINGS in it
God: if by that you mean the Christian manifestation of God, then no. I follow the Buddha's saying that our thoughts are what make us real

FRIENDS AND LIFE
Do you ever wish you had another name: Yes
Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend: no
Do you like anyone: no
Which one of your friends acts the most like you: hmmm...IDK really. I hang out with my friends because we all pretty much act the same in some senses
Who have you known the longest of your friends: Sam (since 6th grade)
Are you close to any family member: my mom
Who do you hang around the most: whoever'll have me :)
When have you cried the most: can't remember, but probably when my dad left when I was three
What's the best feeling in the world: well I can't speak from experience, but judging by literature and popular belief, I'd say love
Worst Feeling: hate

Anyone who actually reads that, in it's entirety, get's a cyber-cookie. :) That was LONG.

Well, next post will feature projects from the past that I've already made, plans for my next project (and it's a doozy), and anything else I feel like telling. :)

Laters!