Wind and Rain

Image from The House at Pooh Corner

I don't know what it is about wind and rain that makes me feel so peaceful. When the world is positively torrential outdoors, I love being cuddling up in a blanket with a good book and a cup of hot tea. I also get the strange urge to watch the Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. I think the idea of getting carried away by the storm captivated me as a child, and continues to, to this day.

I never posted the pictures I took in San Francisco when I visited with my Big Sister from Theta... so here they are!

These hats were so cute, and I was inspired by the range and consistent adorable-ness (if that is a word) of this seller. One of my dreams is definitely to have an etsy shop of my own someday, but I am afraid that school is pretty much a full time job right now. I do manage to squeeze in a few projects here and there though. Here is my latest finished object(s), a pair of amigurumi cats for my friends' birthday. They are twins, so I wanted to give them something cute and sort of matching, but not identical, of course. That would just be tacky. 

Here they are!

High fives...

Taking the spotlight..

EXTREME CLOSEUP!!!

All fancied up with bows.

Hurrah! I was really happy with how they turned out. The pattern is available here, and is called roly poly cats on Ravelry. I didn't name them, because then I might want to keep them (sort of like real kitties), but I think the recipient of the black kitty decided to call her Batsu (the Japanese for x or false, since her eyes are little x's), and perhaps that means that the companion white kitty would be called Maru? (Japanese for an o or true.) I even whipped up a little last minute wrapping too out of some magazine pages and a shoe box!

Thank you, Marie Claire and tape.

And then we had delicious sushi for dinner. I am actually not a huge fan of raw fish in general, but for these avocado-unagi rolls I happily made an exception.

As for more up to date news, I do have something on the hook right now, but it is a Christmas surprise for a family member and I don't want to ruin it! I know it isn't even thanksgiving yet, but I love Christmas with all my heart and getting people gifts makes me really happy and excited. I have already started shopping and planning... muahahaha! I can't wait for thanksgiving next week either, and a chance for some down time with my family.

I hope you all are feeling the holiday spirit as well, and have a great thanksgiving!

Until next time!

Moments in Time

San Francisco near the Ferry Building

It feels like moments these days don't last as long as they used to. Winter is here, at least in Berkeley, as heralded by weekly showers and a brisk wind on some days. My midterms have been flying fast and furious, and I have not one, but two very important essays to write this week. Yikes! But amid all the chaos and mad panic of deadline after deadline, there are some really beautiful moments that I have been meaning to share from the month of October. So here they are.

A surprisingly thoughtful gift from my boyfriend a while back... apparently he just had it "laying around" 

New yarn from Michael's, courtesy of boyfriend's mom's car

Lunchtime! Brioche Pain Perdu (leftovers from breakfast at fancy french restaurant), ham,  fresh 

raspberries, and super delicious instant coffee

Sunflowers from my boy.

In case you were wondering... my bathroom has the best light. 

I promise that there is an even wordier, newsier post on its way regarding my doings and FO's of the month of October... but for now this will suffice. My Japanese grammar homework calls to me with its eeeeevil urgency, and so I bid you goodnight.

Rectangular Case Pattern

 While for most experienced crocheters this pattern is so basic that it is probably common knowledge, I have recently been completely hooked on these rectangular cases of every shape and size! I made one for my ipod, my itouch, my iclicker (perhaps one of the most evil quiz taking devices ever), and even a pencil case for a friend of mine. The pattern below is the pattern for the ipod case, but the general pattern can be repeated with any number of stitches to make the rectangle longer and such.

Body

Chain 20

R1: SC through back loops

R2: Instead of turning, sc though the remaining front loops to create the base of the case. Join with sl st. Rows from now on can be worked in sc, hdc or dc depending on the texture you want and how quickly you want to finish the project. I used hdc for all of my projects because I liked the texture.

R3-16: Ch 2, hdc around, join with sl st. Repeat for next 13 rows or until the case covers the ipod. Then finish off. Note: If you are going to sew on any cute felt accents etc. and you want it near the bottom I recommend sewing it on before the entire sleeve is done otherwise it will be extremely difficult.

Strap

R1: Insert hook one stitch to the left of center on the side of the mouth of the case you want to be the back. YO, pull through. 1 loop on hook. YO again and pull through loop on hook. Sc in next 2 sts, ch 1 and turn.

R2-R4: Sc in each st, chain 1, turn.

R5: Sc in st and finish off.

Sew a button on 2 rows down from the top of the front side of the case or wherever suits your fancy. 

This one my friend actually commissioned from me. Paid for crafting, who would've thought?

Here is the iclicker case! I started with chain 8 and did 25 rows.

The itouch case was chain 9, then crochet about 16 rows.

This one was chain 30, then 11 rows high. I was really excited because this was the first thing I have ever made with a zipper. And, perhaps more importantly, the zipper worked and everything. This one was also for the angry cat ipod case guy. 

Happy Crafting!

Back in the Swing

Well hello there everyone! I know that it has been a ridiculously long time since my last post, but getting back to school is always so hustly bustly busy that I hope you will understand. So much has happened since my last post too! As it has been a while the rush process is now over and my sorority is now... 

Kappa Alpha Theta! 

(This tin is now my portable sewing kit for finishing projects with buttons and the like)

I really like all of the girls so far. Here are a couple of the super cute crafts that I have been lucky enough to recieve this week from my secret big sister...

A lovely vase with yellow tulips personalized with my name and one of our mascots- the kite!

This one absolutely shocked me: a box decorated with characters from Hayao Miyazaki's famous children's movie, My Neighbor Totoro. It is one of my favorite movies, and everything was SO CUTE!!! I even got to keep the awesome jar and the Reeses!

Even though I have been quite busy, I have still definitely found time for crocheting. It is perfect for a mental break between classes when I lack the time and quite frankly the brain capacity to get any meaningful work done. I have foun that keeping the yarn inside of a plastic bag, whethe zip-loc or otherwise, keeps the yarn from becomig super tangled and terrible inside of my backpack. Here are some of my recent projects.

Bear ears! Since U.C. Berkeley's mascot is the California grizzly, I thought some bears ears would be a really fun and cute project. I keep giving away all the pairs I make but hopefully I will be able to finish another one before the next football game because they work up pretty quick!

The rest of my recent projects have all been in a similar genre: rectangular cases! Not terribly thrilling, I know, but ever so practical. Here is a preview...

And while as a creative endeavour they are perhaps not the most original or inspired, it makes me really proud when people as where I bought them and I can say "nowhere".  I intend to share this rectangular-y  joy super soon with a patterny how to thingamabob just as soon as I write it up!

It is late, and I must to bed.

Sweet Dreams!

Not Quite Summer

I have been having one of the best days I have had in a while. It is the first day of school here at my dear college, and something quite marvelous has happened. I really really really absolutely and truly LOVE all of my classes! It has been a bit hectic this week, moving back to college home rather than hometown home after only a week of vacay, but there are so many good happy feelings floating around that I wonder my heart is able to take it. I missed so many of my friends so much, and it was fantastic to be reunited with them!

I am taking Statistics, Economics, Japanese Pre-Modern Literature and Culture, and Advanced Japanese... and I only signed up for Japanese Lit last night at 11:30. But it all worked out! I think perhaps I have hit the right balance of math, quasi math, language and writing that is a lot of work but not repetitive or boring. If anything, I would be worried about the statistics, but the teacher is a really funny Indian woman who peppers her lectures with hilarious anecdotes and asides that make it hard to doze off. HURRAH! The only catch is that my 3 finals (not Japanese language) are all on the same day of finals week with only a half an hour break in between, but I can live with that, I think.

The weeks ahead promise lots of productive busyness, including rush this weekend. Yes, the sorority kind. A lot of people who know me personally are sort of surprised when I say it, but I just want to check it out, meet people and have fun! Everyone is smart here, so hopefully I will find people who are like me! Speaking of kindred spirits... I couldn't believe my eyes when I was walking home from an already lovely day, but this is what I saw.

Real live Knit Graffiti in my town! I was so excited, of course I rushed over like a crazy woman to take a bunch of pictures. And I MEAN a bunch of pictures...

It was such a burst of gorgeous color in my day!

If you can't read the address there, I believe it is streetcolor.wordpress.com.

Another activity I enjoyed quite a bit which I would like to do more often is: yesterday I finally went to church. While I understand that church is not for everyone, it was such a grounding and encouraging thing for me. The mini youth sermon was all about getting out of our comfort zone, trying new things, being courageous and trusting that even when you don't have it all together things will be alright. It was about experiencing God in new ways, appreciating the fantastic opportunity of going to a really good four year college and getting the most out of our time here, and seeing how beautiful the world is every day. Somehow, it hit all of those points without being cheesy or making me feel guilty, and it was so invigorating and uplifting. It is a reminder now, and throughout the semester that I am a very lucky person to be living where I am, and how I am, crafting and studying and loving life so so much.

On that note, even more things that made my day so so happy::

Gorgeous new school supplies for taking lots and lots of thoughtful notes

New lovely mixing bowls from Target (minus the yellow one becos it was in the sink)

Working on my endless hexagon blanket, which promises to be absolutely preposterously bright

Delicious cereal with a friend

And finally, a bit of ta-dah! Yes, the slouchy hat is complete, and the curse of the hat is broken (for now). I really love it, and would be wearing it lots and lots if it wasn't crazy hot here. The wind and rain and fog will be back soon enough, and I am ready for it. (High fashion bathroom photography provided kindly by my ever patient roomie A.)

I don't know how soon I can promise another pattern, but I really will try. This fantastic yarnbombing project is inspiring me to consider yarn bombing around my apartment, and I have another finished project to show off that must remain secret for the time being. I hope that although it isn't quite summer, these few early weeks before school really gets hectic are a time of happiness for you all as well!


Merry fall-mas to all, and to all a good night!

Adorable Owl Amigurumi

Could it be!?

Yes. The long promised owl post is finally here.

Adorable Owl Amigurumi (Sachet)

Supplies:

1. 4.00 mm hook

2. Worsted weight yarn in two colors. (I used Impeccable Grey and Brown.)

3. A small piece of felt

4. Two small black safety eyes.

5. (Optional) Lavender, or whatever other sachet herbs or potpourri you wish to use, in a small bag or pouch that has been sewn shut.

TUMMY:

Chain 2, in alternate color (grey)

Row 1: Sc 6 into furthest ch from hook, join with a sl st (6)

Row 2: Sc 2 into each st around (12)

Row 3: *Sc 1 in first st, sc 2 in next stitch.* repeat from * to * around. (18)

Row 4: *Sc 1 in first 2 stitches, then sc 2 in the 3^rd stitch. * Repeat from * to  * around. (24). Bind off, and weave in ends.

WINGS:

Chain 2, in body color (brown)

Row 1: Sc 6 into furthest ch from hook. Join with a sl st. (6)

Row 2: Sc 2 into each st around. (12)

Row 3: *Sc 1 in first st, sc 2 in next stitch.* repeat from * to * around. (18)

Row 4: *Sc 1 in first 2 stitches, then sc 2 in the 3^rd stitch. * Repeat from * to  * around. (24)

Row 5: For a cute wing accent as pictured, switch to alternate color here. Then, sc half way around the circle. Bind off and weave in ends. (30)

Fold wings in half to form semi-circles. Sew around the semi circle to hold it in place. 

EYE CIRCLES:

 Chain 2, in alternate color (grey)

Row 1: Sc 6 into furthest ch from hook, join with a sl st (6). Bind off and weave in ends. Make 2.

BEAK: Cut a small triangle out of felt.

BODY

Chain 2, in body color (brown)

Row 1: Sc 6 into furthest ch from hook, join with a sl st (6)

Row 2: Sc 2 into each st around (12)

Row 3: *Sc 1 in first st, sc 2 in next stitch.* repeat from * to * around. (18)

Row 4: *Sc 1 in first 2 stitches, then sc 2 in the 3^rd stitch. * Repeat from * to  * around. (24)

Row 5: *Sc 1 in first 3 stitches, then sc 2 into the 4^th stitch. * Repeat from * to  * around. (30)

Row 6: *Sc 1 in first 4 stitches, then sc 2 into the 5^th stitch. * Repeat from * to  * around. (36)

Rows 7-8: Sc in each st around (36)

Row 8: *Sc 1 in first 5 stitches, then sc 2 into the 6^th stitch. * Repeat from * to  * around. (42)

Rows 9-19: Sc 1 in each st around. (42)

At this point, the owl’s body should be over half finished. If you haven’t made the other parts of the owl yet, now is the time to do them. I recommend sewing them onto the body with a needle and thread at this point in the body because it is so much easier than doing it later.

Row 20: *Sc 1 in first 5 stitches, then sc2tog in the 6^th stitch. * (36)

Row 21: Sc around. (36)

Row 22-End: Sc 1, Sc2tog around. Repeat until the hole at the top of the head is closed.

The ending above is a little bit sudden, but I am always so impatient to be done! If you want your owl to have more of a rounded head than the one pictured, you can instead crochet as follows:

Row 22: *Sc 1 in first 4 stitches, then sc2tog. * Repeat from * to  * around. (30)

Row 23: *Sc 1 in first 3 stitches, then sc2tog. * Repeat from * to  * around. (24)

Row 24: *Sc 1 in first 2 stitches, then sc2tog. * Repeat from * to  * around. (18)

Row 25: *Sc 1 in first stitch, sc2tog. * repeat from * to * around. (12)

Row 26: Sc2tog around (6)

Row 27: Sc2tog around. (1) Bind off and weave in ends. Done!

hey

 Hey Ravellers! I know you are probably here to just grab the pattern and scram, but I hope you might consider checking out some of my other posts to see what I am all about, and if you like those, consider following my blog. Thanks!