Blog World, I Don't Think We Are In Florida Anymore

Have you met my scarf?  When I made it back in November for my trip to Tennessee, I had no idea that in January it would become my new best friend.  (The scarf, btw, was loosely inspired by this one that Rose Tyler wears in season 1 of Doctor Who.) 

People, it is COLD here in Florida this weekend!  Just a couple hours north of me it SNOWED today.  I was out shopping this afternoon, and I swear the temperature gauge on my car never got over 39 degrees.  I'm loving it!  I'm knitting myself up a pair of fingerless gloves, and I've pretty much kept the finished one on all evening.  I can't wait to get the second one done.  I may have to sleep with them on tonight.  I'm not used to this kind of weather anymore.  :D

Speaking of the fingerless gloves, I have now learned how to knit cables! Guess what.  It wasn't even that hard!  I also have been practicing working with double pointed knitting needles, and I've found that those aren't really all that complicated either.  It seems like, for me, the most complicated thing is sizing.  I think I need to start making gauge swatches.  For some reason, this is something I've never really done.  I have a tendency to rush headlong into a project and just hope that it will come out the right size.  I won't be able to do that if I am making things to wear.  At any rate, I'm excited about the things I have learned, and I'm discovering that I really enjoy knitting. 

Happy New Year!

It's 2010 now.  Gonna take me awhile to get the hang of writing/typing that. I've messed up typing it several times already.

I don't always make a new year's resolution.  Sometimes I just can't think of one.  Sometimes I can think of things but figure, why bother...no one sticks to them anyway. But you know, one year I did stick to it.  One year I decided it was time to lose some weight, and I did it.  I lost about 80 lbs over the next year and a half after that.  If I could stick to that, why can't I stick to something else?  I CAN!  So here they are.  Maybe if I use my blog to keep myself accountable, it will be a little easier to not let them slide.

1. Learn to make my own clothing
Now, this is something I know a little about already.  I have made a few things over the years, but I'm not good at it and I can't do it without a lot of help.  My goal is to keep working on this skill over the next year and get myself to the point where I can make myself an outfit without stressing out my mother with all my pleas for help and temper tantrums.  

2. Knit myself at least one garment
This cannot be something like a scarf or hat.  I has to be something that requires me to learn new techniques.  It will be something along the lines of a sweater I think.  We'll see.

3.  Try at least 1 new food each month and blog about it.
I'm not talking about putting foods I already like together in a new way.  I'm talking about either a totally new food that I've never tried or a food that I've tried in the past but  didn't like and never tried again.  At first I was going to make it 1 a week, but I know myself well enough to know that this will be very hard for me.  I want something I can stick to.  If I try a minimum of 1 a month, that will be at least 12 foods I've tried by the end of the year.  This may not seem like a big deal to the average person, but for me it is.  If, by the end of a month, I haven't blogged about something new I've tried, get on my case about it! Please!

4. Get off my butt and get moving!
Exercise is such a cliche resolution, but I really do spend way too much time sitting around...computer, reading, sitting the floor with kids, knitting, crocheting.  I need to get up and move.  I'm hoping that some of the new Wii games I just ordered will help with this, but I also am going to be looking for some other activities to get me out and moving.  There is only so much I can take of working out in my room. 

So there they are.  Anyone else making any resolutions this year?

One Small Dream Come True

For several years now I have been envisioning the perfect apron. It would be long, have big ruffles on the shoulder straps, and have a bib wide enough to cover my front (so many aprons have such skinny bibs!). The trouble with all of this was that I could never find one. I have looked everywhere I go that sells aprons, but have never been able to find anything like what I really wanted. Oh, I found other aprons that I loved, and a few weeks ago I even found some awesome retro apron patterns that I plan to make for myself, but I could never find THE apron. Well, Monday night my mom and I went to one of the few Wal-marts in our area that still sells fabric. We were flipping through pattern books when suddenly, there it was. MY apron! And to make it better, it was a McCall's Easy Stitch and Save pattern, so it was even relatively cheap! With pattern in hand, I went on a hunt for the right fabric, and, wonder of wonders, found it in the $1 section! I bought it, took it home, and started cutting out my pattern. Now, understand, while I have made a few articles of clothing in my life, it has been many years, and none of them were done without a great deal of help with my mother. I was determined that this time I would figure it out for myself. Naturally, that didn't work out as planned. Mom had to be called in for consultation many times, but I did do the work all on my own. None of this letting her grab it up to do it for me stuff. No my friends, I did the work on this one all by myself and with very little screaming and yelling. Only once did I throw up my hands and threaten to quit and burn the wretched thing (and trust me, that's a big improvement over my usual modus operandi! Jenn, Kate, and Collin, you have NO idea how many times your quilts were threatened with being sacrificed to the fire gods). Anyway, the apron is done now (though I need to put in new button holes as the straps are a bit too long for me). My dad got some pictures of me this morning. He thinks he is a world class photographer, but frankly, well, he isn't. I fiddled a great deal with the pictures to get them anywhere near decent. But, without further ado, I give you Lauren's Dream Apron!


It is far from perfect of course. I messed up here and there, and as I said, the straps are too long and need to be adjusted, but I am thrilled with how it turned out. I wanted to wear it to work. I wanted to wear it forever! Right now, as I sit at work while my class naps, I am longing for the time when I can go home and put it back on. Crazy? Perhaps. I'm OK with crazy. :)

Oh, and for good measure, here are some close ups of my hair today. If you are interested in watching any of the tutorials that I've been basing the looks off of, go check out Casey, Aya, or Lisa on youtube.


Note that the ribbon matches my apron. ;) Oh, I am having way too much fun with all of this!!!

Picture Update

I just wanted to update today with some pictures.

My niece is waaaaay cuter in my knitted hat than I am. ;)





And here is today's 1940's hairstyle. I curled it with a curling iron and then attempted some victory rolls.



I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out...not sure if they will stay in though. I guess we will see. I figure if they can survive a classroom full of toddlers, they will be able to survive anything!

Could Someone Spare Some Focus?

It's been too long since I've posted anything. I feel rather like I'm being pulled in 57 different creative directions right now. Of course, I'm the one doing the pulling! And what happens when I want to do so many things? Well, I end up focus-less and doing nothing, and that is not cool!

I've been working a lot lately on my vidding. I have completed several Lois and Clark videos (see the youtube link in the sidebar if you care to watch) in the past few weeks, and I'm working on a new one for Doctor Who that I am pretty excited about. I've learned some new techniques and effects that I'm having a lot of fun playing around with. I have about a million video ideas in my head right now, and I can't wait to get going on all of them.

I recently decided to get over my fear of knitting and give that a whirl. I started by watching some youtube videos and reading some online tutorials. Once I got the hang of the basics I hit the library for some knitting books. I ended up making myself a hat that I will probably never get to wear in this Florida heat, but I'm still pretty proud of it. I want to start working on something else, but I think I'm still hanging on to some fears that I really can't do it. Sure, that hat was simple, but can I really tackle a more complicated project. The truth is, I probably can, but I just hate to fail! I especially hate to go out and spend money on yarn and then fail. I guess I need to do some more small projects with the scrap yarns I already have. That way I can improve my technique before going on to more difficult projects.

For awhile I was crocheting like crazy, but the fact of the matter is, there are only so many little dolls that one girl needs! ;) I'd really like to find some patterns for things that are more useful, but I haven't found many that I think are worth making yet. I did see a pattern for a clutch that I may make this weekend. It's a fairly simple pattern that could be fun to do on the long car trip I have ahead of me...but more on that later.

I really, really, really (is that enough reallys?) want to start working on improving my nearly non-existent sewing skills. I mean, sure I can use the sewing machine. I can piece a quilt, and I've made a few fairly simple things in the past (with a ton of help from my mom!), but I would love to be able to make some of my own clothing. I'm totally in love so many vintage clothing styles, but I don't love digging through piles of nasty clothes at a thrift store in hopes of finding that one great treasure. My preference would be to simply make my own clothes based on those styles. I suppose I just need to get some cheap fabric and some simple patterns and dig in and start practicing, but as I said with the knitting, I HATE to fail. That fear of failure thing is a huge issue for me, but that's subject matter for an entirely different post.

To go along with the subject of vintage clothing, I am now also going to be trying out some vintage hair styles. Last night, quite by chance, I discovered youtube video tutorials on 1940s hairstyles. I watched several of them, and said to myself, "Self, we can do this!" (Ok, I don't actually talk to myself like that, but you get the idea.) So, this morning I decided to try out a 40s style. It would have turned out better if I'd had the time to curl my hair, but I still like how it turned out. I'm pretty sure this will not be the last time this sort of hairstyle graces my head!

Anyway, so many projects, so little time...wait! What am I saying?! I work 25 hours a week, and about half of those hours are spent sitting in a room with sleeping children! I have loads of time. I just need to get going!

Speaking of going, I'll be heading up to one of my favorite places this weekend! Time for a little Disney trip! I'm going up with some friends from church for Night of Joy. We will be leaving sometime around the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and coming home Sunday afternoon. Yay for Disney!!

ETA: I am so jealous of all these blogs with beautiful, professional looking photography! I apologize for my crappy web cam pics, but really, it's the best I can do for you right now. ;) Perhaps I should hire my photographer sister to start taking my pictures for my blog.

Clark as The Doctor

Clark, my Build-a-Bear, has been wanting a 10th doctor outfit for awhile now. As Build-a-Bear Workshop does not seem to think they should make this wonderful outfit, I had to figure out how to do it myself. I thought about sewing it, but honestly, I'm not so great at that and I had no idea where to even begin. I'm a little handier with yarn and a crochet hook, so I decided that would be the best way to go. I've never done anything like this before, so I kind of just made it up as I went along. The "pinstripes" are a bit more exaggerated than they should be, but hey my bear doesn't mind. I used two different methods to get the stripes. If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably use the second method (like the pants and sleeves) I came up with for the whole thing. It went a lot faster and the stripes were a little less obvious that way. However, my mom liked it better the first way (how it is on the jacket). I like both, and I don't plan to do it again, so whatever. I also made him a little sonic screwdriver to go with his new outfit. Now I just need to figure out how to get a shirt and tie to go under the jacket and get him some shoes. Also, I may someday decide to to make the overcoat. We'll see.

Another Doctor

(click images to view larger)
Yesterday I had an unexpected day off work. Toward late afternoon I started to feel that I needed a project that didn't involve sitting in front of my computer, so I pulled out my bag of yarn and went to work. I ended up coming up with my own pattern for this little 10th Doctor doll. **Spoilers for season 4. Highlight to read. (This is to keep Jenn from getting spoiled...sorry Jenn, you need to watch!)** This is the Meta-Crisis doctor from the end of season 4. In the show, his shirt is actually closer to a maroon color, but I worked with what I had. I am very glad that this particular version of the doctor doesn't wear a tie as I didn't enjoy making the tie on the last doctorr. He's smaller than the original one I made, and I think he turned out a little better. I put him next to the Puffs tissue box, to show his actual size. I'm quite fond of him. :) I plan to make a little Rose to go with him as well. In fact, as I just found out that I'm not working today either, I think I'll be making her this afternoon.

Man of Steel...err...Yarn

I've made another little friend for my collection. I adapted him from another pattern from Snuffykin, this one for the 9th doctor. I didn't really keep track of the changes I made, so I don't have a pattern for it. I kind of just figured it out as I went along. Perhaps if I ever make another one I'll keep track of what I'm doing and write out a pattern.
Yes, his eyes are brown. I am aware that traditionally Superman has blue eyes, but my personal favorite Superman (as played by Dean Cain) had brown eyes. Therefore my little Superman has brown eyes. The S Shield is kind of a mess. Embroidery is not my strong point! However, I'm happy with my little Superman.

Whovian Crafting

I have now managed to get my mother into Doctor Who. I started watching them with her on Sunday, and she is now halfway through the second season. Yesterday she sat at home and watched it for about eight hours. I'm so proud of her. ;) The only reason she even stopped was because I told her I'd like her to wait so I could watch some of it with her. Obsessions are always more fun when they can be shared with others.

And speaking of my Doctor Who obsession...

Meet my new friends. :)

While looking for a Doctor Who overcoat pattern for Clark, my Build-a-Bear, (I have not yet found a pattern, so Clark sadly cannot dress up as The Doctor) I came across patterns on Snuffykin's Live Journal for crochet dolls of The Doctor and Rose Tyler (snuffykin, I don't know you, but thank you so much for these awesome patterns!) I've been crocheting for years, but I had never attempted anything like this. My crocheting experiences have mostly been limited to doilies and a few afghans. I decided that I would give it a try. I am so glad I did! I had a lot of fun making them, and I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out.
Now, if only I could figure out how to make a TARDIS and a tiny sonic screwdriver!

Warm Again

I have returned from my fabulous trip to Washington. It was freezing (It actually snowed while we were there. I was not properly attired for such weather!), but SO fun. It was great getting together with friends and seeing new places. I saw Pike Place, shopped in Downtown Seattle, ate at the Cheesecake Factory, made my first trip to Whole foods, saw the Olympic Peninsula, went up in the Space Needle, and even got to enjoy an apple chai at the very first Starbucks.Of course, the best part was just being with friends. I miss them already!

Part of the purpose for this trip was a baby shower for Jenn and the little one she is currently growing. I'm excited to finally post what I've been working on for so long for her gift. It was our mutual love of that flying man in the red boots that brought us together in the first place, so it seemed appropriate that the gift should reflect that

I am now back home in the land of sun and warmth. As sad as I was to leave my friends, it is nice to be wearing shorts and flip flops again!

A Project Completed

Now that both recipients are in possession of their Christmas presents, I can share some pics of my very first, made totally by Lauren, quilts. I completed one other quilt a couple years ago, but my mom had to help extensively on that one. While she did offer some advice and verbal assistance on this one (and an ear to listen to my drama queen ranting about how much I hate ironing large piece of fabric) both of these quilts were cut out, pieced, quilted, ironed, and finished completely by me. I have to admit that I'm very proud of them. I tend to be the type who will start something and not finish, so the fact that I completed these in less than two months is something of a miracle. I found that I really enjoyed the process on these. While there were some parts I wasn't crazy about coughironingcough, in general I had fun with them. It may be hard to see in the pics, but each quilt is personalized with a name or nickname, and each one has Superman Shields in the corners. The quilt at the top is Jenn's. The lower one is Kate's.