Monday, December 8, 2008

Oozing Crazy Creativity on a Manic Monday

I feel like I've actually been cranking out the creativity since I started college; I just forget to photograph it! Since moving at the end of August, I have knit my first hat, almost finished my pair of Modified Fetchings (before one of my DPNs broke!), and several new dishcloth patterns, most of which will end up being gifts if they haven't already been given away. A good dent has been made in my Christmas knitting list: hats for my sisters, a scarf for my mom, dishcloths for some friends, and possibly even more. My R.A. (resident assistant) even started what will hopefully become a weekly Stitch & Bitch over the course of the next semester.

In addition to the knitting, I've been gettin' my craft on in some other ways. Melanie and I started a friendship journal to send back and forth, the crazier the better, in addition to the letters we've been writing. I have been having so much fun with this Journal of Random Thoughts! Seriously, go make one with a friend right now. Our goal is to cover every page with drawings, musings, stickers, and whatever strikes our fancy, almost like a scrapbook. The only question is who will keep it in the end...

Speaking of scrapbooking, I miss it! I can't wait to go cropping crazy over my month-long winter break from school, which starts Friday! I'm also hoping to get my feet wet with some other crafts like some more jewelry making or beading, soap making, more stationary/letter writing related crafts, and so much more. My mom has loads of beads and plenty of beading supplies; maybe I'll make some shiny stitch markers? I also really miss my sewing machine, but I'm not sure how much access I will have to Brother (my sewing machine) because my real brother is staying at the house, in the exact room where all my craft stuff lives.

I'm counting down the days until the end of the semester, when I will be completely done worrying about academics until January. Today was my history final, the first of the week, and I think I did all right despite it being held at 8 a.m. on a Monday morning! Two more finals this week and then back to Pueblo on Friday. I think I left my camera at home over Thanksgiving break, so no pictures of all the exciting projects I've been working on just yet.

coffee & cashmere and more coffee,
Lulu

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Crafty Cha-Ching!

Finally, I have evidence of a finished object to share.

Pattern: Cha~Ching by Rachel van Schie

Size: One Size. Mine measures just less than one foot wide and about 10 inches tall.

Yarn: About half a large skein of Sugar & Cream in Hot Green

Needles: Knit on size 7 US Knit Picks Harmony options

Mods: None.

Started: Sometime in late-ish October 2008

Finished: November 7, 2008

I liked the pattern a lot and look forward to knitting more of her patterns. It was clearly written and easy to follow. I enjoyed how the seed stitch border made it a bit different. Plus this dishcloth feels a bit larger than other ones I've made. This will be a Christmas present to one of my best friends Cassy, who is known for being incredibly frugal!

Also, I'd like to wish everybody: Happy Veteran's Day! I'm so grateful to the thousands of men and women who give so much as members of our military, both past and present. To all of those selfless people, a heart felt thanks.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Blogging is Hard Work!

Someday I would love to be a famous blogger, or at the very least, more well-known than I am now. I'm very thankful to all my readers, but sooner or later, I want more! I've been playing around with the idea of getting my own domain name and website, slowly expanding my empire. Maybe I'll even dabble in podcasting, designing, or selling hand-dyed or handspun yarn. As Ms Violet from Lime n Violet calls herself a "knitting rockstar", and that is what I want to be someday.

I recently wrote a letter to one of my best friends from high school who is hoping to start up her own Etsy shop soon selling her own jewelry and other trinkets. I told her that we should join forces and start our own website based on all our crafting, linking to our own Etsy shop as well as the shops of others. We could each blog about our creations, give tips and tutorials for others, or maybe even put out our own online crafting zine. I personally want to take off with this idea and run with it, but maybe I should focus on my own blog first, especially since I don't even have a name for my company-to-be.

From what I've seen, pretty much all of my readers are bloggers themselves, so I know you will all understand when I say that blogging is hard work. I love having yet another creative outlet and a way to show off my craft-related things; however, it sometimes I feel bad if I don't post at least once a week or more or if my posts are short or my pictures are bad or nonexistent. As rewarding as having my blog is, once in a while, I feel more stress than pleasure; I'm sure that is all because of college and work. I know that this will pass with time though.

So dear readers, from one blogger to another, what are your blogging goals? How do you deal with that little voice in the back of your head telling you to update more? How did you come up with your clever blog names or even chose a host? Please share all your silly stories with me for I am always eager to know more about other people's blogging experiences.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Happy Birthday Sisters!!

Okay, I haven't really fallen off the face of the earth just yet. College is just kicking my butt, but there has been knitting! However, today I am busy with wishing my two baby sisters a happy fourteenth birthday!! (Well, that and midterms of course, but we're not going to talk about that.)

HAPPY FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY
RACHEL AND GINA!!

I am so proud of my sisters and very sorry that I can't be home with them to celebrate their first birthday of high school! I love and miss you girls!!

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

When I Really Should Be Studying

I'm trying to write a blog entry about the amazing insanity called college life, but words can describe the roller coaster ride I've been experiencing since the end of August.

My dad came to visit me this past Sunday, which was the first time he has been to the university since he attended in the mid-sixties! The only thing on West Campus then(my side of campus) was the residence hall I live in now, and even Central Campus has changed so much since then. It was such an amazing experience to share with my father, alumnus of the same institute of higher education that I chose. I just can't wait to go to a football game with him in a few weeks!

Sadly, not a lot of knitting has been going on. I couple dishcloths from Knitty's Back to School pattern before I came to college, and I had fully planned on finishing them for myself but that hasn't happened. There are a couple girls in my history of sex and sexuality class who knit or crochet, so at least I don't feel completely bizarre when I pull out my needles in class.

There are only 104 days until Christmas so I really need to get started on my holiday knitting! I see lots of hats and dishcloths in my future, possibly with some fingerless gloves thrown in for good measure. If nothing else, "I.O.U. one knitted gift" coupons should suffice?

Off to psych class. Maybe I'll get on the ball and take more pictures of my cubby hole called a dorm room.

coffee and cashmere (ha, on my budget? No way!),
Lulu

Saturday, August 23, 2008

I Made It!

That's right readers, I'm officially away at college! I'm in single room this year and I like the privacy I'll have, despite having like no space for myself. I will have to learn how to cope with having no towel rack and no ceiling fan. The silver lining is that I have a whole fridge and coffee pot to myself.

The last couple days have just been an amazing and very unique experience. I bought my first college text book yesterday, which almost completely wiped out the contents of my checking account. I've already made some friends that I hope to keep with me for many years. Plus I've learned that it's important to actually read those pesky manuals that come with every new appliance.

My last day in Pueblo was pretty fun. Because it was a Wednesday, a group of "the girls" met at a local coffee shop downtown for some knitting and spinning. I'm actually starting to become quite the drop spindler I think! There is even photographic evidence to prove it. The drop spindle I'm using in said photographic evidence is the one I purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market in June for just under $30, and it's handmade with hearts carved out on the top. Really quite gorgeous in my opinion!

As far as knitting is going...well, it really isn't, sadly! I brought plenty of "dischcloth" cotton with me as well as some other yarns to start knitting Christmas presents. I'm incredibly broke right now, so I am officially on a yarn diet!

Once my dorm room is tidier and I finally throw out the leftover boxes from my microwave and lamp, I'll take some pictures to show off my new space!

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Case of the Stolen Laptop

After babysitting and hanging out with a friend Friday night, I came home, hoping to check my e-mail and Ravelry, but when I went downstairs to get my computer, my laptop was gone! In her place was a ransom note.

THIS IS LUCI'S LAPTOP SPEAKING:
Dear Luci,
I have been taken for ransom. I want to be back with you but first you have to clean up the playroom so the family can watch the Olympics. Please do it soon so that I can be back with you.
Love, your laptop.

Okay, I admit that the playroom (our downstairs "rec room" if you will) was pretty messy, and most of it was my fault. But taking my dear laptop ransom? That seemed like a pretty extreme measure. These are my last few weeks at home and I've been hanging out downstairs because that's where the air conditioning is. The room was a mess because I'm trying to pack for college while still knitting and doing all my other crafts. But was it really necessary to kidnap my sweet Elphie? Okay, I'll let you figure this one out for yourselves.



All right, maybe it was kind of bad, but still! I do have to give my mother credit for finally getting a sense of humor when it came to something that I'm sure is very frustrating for her. Such drastic measures did get me to start cleaning that room though, and I think I've made some decent progress! It's not as good as it could look of course, especially with all the packing I'm doing for college, but I'm proud of the work I've done thus far. When the room looks even better, maybe I'll take more pictures.

Now there's even more room for spinning, which I've become quite addicted to lately.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Coming Soon to a Craftylulu Near You

I would be blogging tons right now if it weren't for...

A) I haven't taken enough pictures to write a decent post with.

B) My right shoulder, and therefore my right arm, is killing me, making knitting very difficult.

C) My mother has taken my laptop hostage, ransom note and all.

Monday, August 4, 2008

My Wallet Doth Protest Much

At least I think that's another way to say I'm totally broke!

One of my best friends Melanie and I went to the Denver area this weekend to do some much needed shopping, bonding, and relaxing. After hitting three malls, one shopping center, five restaurants, one Baskin Robin's, and several other various stores later, I am to be very prepared for college life in addition to being well dressed!

What did all my money fund?



Okay, my cousin Meredith actually bought most of this stuff for my dorm room because she's just plain sneaky and too nice.


I also purchased three tops and one tank from Old Navy, a super cute hoodie from Torrid, and some great clearance stuff from Lane Bryant including two adorable dresses for only $10 each! Our first stop on the trip was Ulta where Melanie finally bought herself that great Daisy perfume from Marc Jacobs and I was able to find a great black lace train case to take to school.

Not everything I purchased was just for me. I found birthday presents for both my sisters and my friend James.

Something I noticed while we were shopping is how lacy sweaters are becoming popular for fall. Seeing knitting-related anything in fashion always makes me excited. Eventually I'd love to be able to actually knit something quickly enough to wear it in the season it was designed for.

Speaking of knitting, I think I found the perfect pattern for all the gray Cotton Fleece that I decided is NOT going to be knit into Tahoe. The latest Knitty Surprise, Hey, Teach! looks just too cute and like a fun knit. I must cast on as soon as possible! Gibsongirl on Ravelry knit a beautiful one from teal Cotton Fleece, and after talking with her a bit, I'm convinced that this is the short-sleeved cardigan for me.

Well dear readers, I am off to one of my local coffee shops to spin and knit with some of "the girls". Maybe you'll get lucky and get a second post tonight with pictures of some spinning progress.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Cordless!

My lovely digital camera has a dead battery and I can't find my cord to charge it. Sadly I won't be able to get any pictures of the gorgeous yarn I bought in Nashville until I charge the camera and actually take pictures.

However, I will leave you with this teaser...



Yes dear readers, I visited a yarn store called the Haus of Yarn. And it was simply marvelous.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Thursday, July 17, 2008

I've Left on a Jet Plane...

Hurray! I'm in Nashvhille! My dad and I left our house yesterday just before seven in the morning to drive to the next city to catch our first plane. It wasn't actually even a jet plane; it was a small turbo power propeller plane!



We then had a three hour layover in Denver, ironically only a two hourish drive from our house. We found a good place to eat one of the other concourses so that killed a lot of time, especially since the Rock Bottom Brewery was slow that day!

The actual flight from Denver to Nashville wasn't too bad except for all the crying kids. My ears also popped a lot, and I was really tired. Sadly, it wasn't one of the better flights I've taken. I could totally tell how humid it was here from the moment we disembarked from the plane. Where I live in Colorado has a fairly dry climate so I think I am rather sensitive to humidity. Everything here is so green and there are so many trees! It's really quite beautiful.

For dinner, Dad and I went to the one and only Waffle House, a tradition on trips that take us south. I have a feeling that we'll end up eating there quite a bit more. Best grits to be found anywhere!



I haven't hit any yarn stores yet, but I did my research and hopefully I'll be able to visit at least one or two. The Compassionate Friends conference starts tonight, which is the whole reason why we came. I'm actually excited about that; the people you meet there are just amazing.

More updates about the country music capital of the world when I have more to talk about!!

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Working in Mysterious Ways

Warning: There really isn't much knitting related stuff in this post.

Pretty much everybody who has ever been around a church has heard how God works in mysterious ways, and as much of a cliche as it is, it is so true. The past week, I have been busy every night and some days with my church's summer day/night camp thing called Totus Tuus. The four teachers, college students from all over the place, were just phenomenal and inspiring. My Catholic faith has always meant so much to me, but programs like this really make it come alive. My week wasn't all just church stuff though; we also had a blast playing and I have pictures to prove it.

Me, my sister Rachel, one of the teachers and our "big bro" Blake, and my sister Gina

On the last day, all the little kids got to pick two of the four teachers and CUPCAKE THEM! It was so much fun and I took a million pictures. The kids chose Blake, our "adopted" big brother, and Carrie. After we cupcaked the teachers, the kids had a huge water fight! I stayed in the dry zone because I wore jeans and did not want to get them wet. These kids really get into everything they do from the games they play to their faith. One can tell this by the amount of cupcakes on our teachers' heads. Great picture, no?



We took one last picture, even if it is a little blurry. The redhead in the middle is Rachel, the other girl teacher and one of my new best friends. We had several heart-to-heart talks over the week and I got so much off my chest. The really tall guy on the left is Josh, the final Totus Tuus teacher, what a sweetheart, a gentle giant. Other people in the picture include Sarah and her sister, my sister Rachel, and two of the other teen volunteers.

Okay, now on to the knitting... Dishcloths are my new obsession as of late. I've cranked out two since we left for Arizona and I'm two thirds done with my third one. I figure that nobody can steal my washcloths at college if they're all very unique! I'm still working on wool scarf for my mom and the sample scarf for the shop. Thursday, I cast on a new pair of Fetchings in a gorgeous yellow for my cousin, but I messed up on the second one so I'll have to rip it all out and start over again! Patience is a virtue..

Also, my grandfather is doing a bit better now. He's been moved out of I.C.U. and into a new rehab hospital. My mom and I had lots of good talks. We stopped at Village Wools in New Mexico, one of my favorite yarn stores, and I bought some sock yarn to make myself a shawl! My mom even bought some yarn for herself so I'm anxious to see if she'll actually ever use it since she's not that big into fiber crafts anymore.

This post is long enough. I'll try to post more the rest of the summer. I miss blogging.

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Monday, June 23, 2008

What a Trip

Saturday morning, my family got news that my grandfather (mom's father) was in the Intensive Care Unit with pneumonia at a hospital in Arizona. So Sunday morning, my mom and I loaded up my car and left our house in Colorado at just past six in the morning and made it to Tucson thirteen hours later. It's been a crazy 24 hours too. I don't know exactly what's been going on with my grandfather, other than they're doing what he can to make him comfortable, even though he is asleep.

I'm going to try to update my blog still while we're in Arizona since I have my laptop and our hotel has wireless internet.

Thank God for caring friends and family who actually want to hear about all this. My mom and I have been on the phone so much. I think I'm praying more for my family than for my actual grandfather, but that's kind of complicated.

Until next time,
Lulu

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Holy Sheepskin

Wow, it has been way, way too long since I last posted. The entire month of may was totally crazy for me, but the best part was I finally graduated high school on May 29th! High school was a wild ride, and man am I glad it's over.


My mom, me, and my dad after the ceremony.


I've been trying to get some knitting in, but with my crazy schedule it's been hard. Erin and I went to Estes Park last week for the Estes Park Wool Market. So many adorable animals! I bought my first drop spindle and some gorgeous roving, in addition to a couple books. It was great. We also got to tour the Stanley Hotel, Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining.

Of course, pictures of these adventures to come!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

=(

Ravelry is down... I don't know what I'm going to do... So bored.

If I have nothing to do online, then that means I need to do more cleaning.

OH NO!!!!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Socks and Scarves from a Sunny Sunday

One of the things I love about Colorado is how much sunshine the state gets, about 300 or so days a year, and today is no exception. It's been a gorgeous all weekend inside and out, the temperature just perfect and the sky clear. I see some gardening in my future with the weather being as lovely as it is.

Moving on to the crafts...

Despite the lack of recent photographic evidence, there has been some serious knitting going on in my house (and at the local yarn store and the nearby Applebee's and coffeeshops, so on and so forth). The two projects I'm really devoting a lot of time to are my first pair of socks and a scarf for my mom.


While in Boulder a couple weekends ago, my cousin purchased a gorgeous skein of Cascade 220 Heathers for me in a medium shade of purple so I could make something for my mom. After much inquiry, I've cast on twenty stitches for a seed stitch scarf, similiar to the one I made for myself last year from the Cascade 220 Quatro. So far the scarf is coming along nicely and I've knit about three or four inches. I'm hoping to have it done for her by her fifty-first birthday in July.


My first pair of socks, also done from Cascade 220 are coming along nicely. Another inch of boring stockinette in the round and I'll be able to start on the heel. If you want to see a picture of the sock, look at what Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is holding in my picture with her!


Mom and I went to a friend's house Sunday to do some cardmaking. I've enver been much of a cardmaker in the past, but I can see the appeal. I managed to make some pretty nifty cards before my cramps and achy back dictated that we go home. I'm looking forward to making more cards in the future. Hopefully this will give me a chance to use up all my scraps of colored and patterned paper.


Other than some crafting and plenty of lounging over the weekend, on Sunday night I conquered my filing cabinet and started organizing all my past schoolwork and every other piece of paper I've found in my room. There is a huge bin in the middle of my floor just filled with paper to be recycled. After I get my room in shape, I really need to work on the perfect organization system for all my craft stuff. Soon I'll have to figure out what little of my craft stuff I'll be able to take with me to college in August.

Speaking of college!! I have my UNC Orientation on June 11 and 12, and the Estes Park Wool Market starts on the 12th and goes through the 15th. There's a youth hostel in Estes Park I can stay at for $30 a night!! I'm looking forward to taking this trip all by myself and do some fun sightseeing and maybe even throw in some self-discovery? So far my summer is really shaping up to be something exciting.

Happy belated Earth Day!

Coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Blogging Websites

I've been thinking...

I'm seriously debating if I want to move my blog to typepad or wordpress. I like Blogger quite a bit and it's been nice for now, but I'm getting kind of antsy about wanting to personalize my blog more. Plus I've been reading on Ravelry about how commenting on Blogger can be a huge pain... I like getting comments and I'd really like for my readers to be able to easily comment.

Any feedback? Comments are greatly appreciated...

Monday, April 14, 2008

And a Picture to Prove It!


YarnHarlot, originally uploaded by craftylulu.

Told you I met her! And sweet Stephanie is even holding MY sock!

I wish I looked better in this picture, but alas... The shirt I'm wearing says "WILL KNIT FOR COFFEE" and I painted it sometime last year. I aslo sewed the "coffee" tote bag I'm carrying.

So cool right?

Did I mention how nice she is in person? and funny!

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Sunday, April 6, 2008

A Yarn about the Harlot

No pictures on this post because I'm not at home yet--still up in the Denver area at my cousin's house on the laptop.

OMG I MET THE YARN HARLOT! SHE WAS AMAZING!

Okay, I need to stop yelling before I give myself an asthma attack, but seriously, I had such a blast Friday night at the Tattered Cover.

She remembered commenting my blog; how cool is that? I thought I was going to die when I started talking to her. Stephanie is truly an amazing woman with a gift, and I can't wait to see her again. I read her new book cover to cover at 1 a.m. Friday night and loved it.

I also made some new friends while waiting for the book signing. A group of lovely ladies from Colorado Springs took me in as their own and made the night that much better. I also bought my first skein of Koigu yarn at the LYS by the Tattered Cover.

I should be heading home to Pueblo tonight or tomorrow morning so expect pictures in the next few days. I'm still flying high about all that has happened this weekend.

Also, may Dylan Reid rest in peace. Dude, you died too young. All the students and staff at DHPH an CCA will miss you dearly.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

There's Fiber in Them Thar Bloodlines

One of the highlights of my trip to Chicago was getting to visit the Swedish Museum in the neighboorhood called Andersonville. The museum gave a wonderful display of history explaining how and why different Swedes chose to leave the mother country and immigrate to the United States and how Swedish-Americans lived their lives once arriving here. Being of Swedish descent, it was very interesting for me to walk through the museum with my mother, whose own grandfather came to the States from Gothenburg, Sweden in 1911.



About halfway through the second-floor exhibit, we looked upon a display of the average living room from the early 1900s. In the corner sat a spinning wheel, the second one we had seen in the museum that day. "I knew it!" I told my mom excitedly. "Fiber is in my blood. I must learn how to spin now!" Of course, being the shutterbug that she is, my mom insisted I pose for a picture.


The third floor of the museum was just as amazing. It was totally devoted for children ages two-twelve to understand the lives of Swedish-Americans from many, many years ago. I had so much fun running around pretending to be five years old again. I dressed up like a little Swedish girl and pretended to say goodbye to my homeland before departing for the land of oppurtunity called America.


I had just way too much fun with it all, and I'm looking forward to taking my children to the same museum someday. If anybody ever visits the Chicago area, I highly recommend a trip to the Swedish Museum.

In other news, I'm going to see the one and only Yarn Harlot on Friday at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch. I am so terribly excited about this. What should I wear? Something knit of course... Hmmm... Don't expect a post about my Yarn Harlot booksigning until at least Sunday night though because I am also planning on staying in the Denver area for the rest of the weekend to visit some more family. My little cousin Riley is turning 10 on Saturday, plus her grandmother, my cousin Meredith, and I are planning on visiting some yarn stores in possibly Boulder or Ft. Collins that same day. Tons of pictures of those things to come.

I'm hoping I can keep up this reguarly blogging thing. I really do enjoy it, and I hope to expand my reader base someday in the future. I think today will be a good day. =)

Coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

7 Reasons Why Knitting is Better than Magic: The Gathering

While most of my guy friends are totally into a card game called Magic: The Gathering and the like, I am a knitter. They sit in the cafeteria at the college for hours at a time dueling against one another, playing one-on-one and two-on-two and so on and so forth until they can play no more. I sit and watch for a little while, eventually pulling out some knitting or crocheting or a book about fiber arts because I firmly believe that knitting is better than Magic.

1. To play Magic, one must collect lots of cards and this costs lots of money over the long run. You can find yarn for cheap if you look in the right places, and there is a skein for every budget from Red Heart from Wal-Mart to the gorgeous Lobster Pot cashmere purchased online.

2. With the exception of card houses, you can make plenty of different things from yarn.

3. Yarn doesn't give you papercuts like a Magic card would.

4. Alpaca yarn is way softer than any Magic card.

5. You can knit all by yourself but you need at least one other person to play Magic.

6. Knitting can be as easy or as complex as you want it to be. Magic is pretty much always complicated.

7. You don't have to know how to read to knit (without a pattern) but reading is a required skill for playing Magic.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Chicago Yarny Goodness

And now, some promised pictures... Okay, not all of them because between me and my mom, we took over 350+ pictures; but I do have some highlights from one of the yarn stores we visited!

Loopy Yarns, located on South State Street, was the better of the two yarn stores we visited in the Windy City. I instantly felt welcomed despite by newbie-ness. A former store manager who is now an independent knitwear designer offered to take a couple pictures of me and my mom. Notice the handknit scarf my mother is wearing--that lovely Cascade 220 creation is mine! Even my mother was impressed by the amazing collection of different varieties of yarn. I almost had trouble deciding what would go home with me back to Colorado when I saw the back wall...

Look at all the beautiful Manos del Uraguay! Dear Loopy Yarns even had the silk blend of this gorgeous kettle-dyed yarn. I bought two skiens of the silk blend, which is the stuff to the left in the picture. The purply-magenta skein was for my friend Erin and the deep teal skein was all for me. I aslo got another wool/silk blend yarn from the sale bin at the store at 60% off in addition to some absolutely gorgeous worsted-weight wool that is dyed right there in Chicago (picture of that to come). I ended up giving up over $40 to the yarn store but I was able to go home with some great treats.

And that is that for now. I must take my poor car into the dealer to see why in the world my check engine light came on. As always, more pictures later. Maybe I'll even update twice in one day!!

And as a teaser for my next entry... I bought my first full sized skien of CASHMERE at the other yarn store we visited. Also, fiber arts are in my blood and I have photographs to prove it. More on that later.

Coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Too Much Oxygen

I'm back from Chicago as of Friday evening. I've been sleeping and unpacking and cleaning and working all weekend, and I've been crazy tired. The funniest part of being in Chicago is all the oxygen!! It's at a lower altitude than mountanious Colorado so there is so much more oxgyen in the air, and it made me very light-headed and feathery feeling. The trip was truly amazing though. I bought some great yarn (pictures to come) and some scrapbooking stuff, in addition to a massive amount of other stuff including two pairs of pants, a Northwestern University hoodie, two sweaters, a pair of Spanx, and a Tinkerbell t-shirt from the Disney store, in addition to stuff for friends and family.

Thankfully I didn't have a single problem getting my knitting through security! I worked a few rounds of my sock on the plane and I'm slowly making progress.

When I get my personal computer being nice to me again, I'll post some pictures!

I'm going to a booksigning of the Yarn Harlot's new book on Friday. SO EXCITED!

Until next time fellow yarn addicts.

Coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Off Tomorrow to Travel!

Hello blogging world! Currently I am sitting in my cousin Meredith's kitchen on her daughter's gorgeous black MacBook laptop, wired from coffee and chocolate cream pie. My mom and I are leaving bright and early tomorrow for the Windy City. That's right cyber friends, I am heading to Chicago! Hurray for Spring Break!!

On the itinerary for the city of big shoulders includes the Sears Tower, the Art Institute, the Swedish museum, a Sephora fix, and of course lots of yarn and scrapbook stores! (Man could I use any more explanation points in this post? YES!!!!) I've been saving money all month for the trip and plan to do plenty of shopping, for yarn and otherwise. Everybody at work has put in various requests for things they'd like me to bring back.

In other news, school is going well. Graduation is closer and closer, as is prom. (Still need to get a dress, and possibly a date. Ugh.)

I brought several potential projects for the trip, but in the rush to take my sisters to the airport this morning, I left my sock at home!!!!! Oh well, a break might do us good. It's coming along nicely and I even learned a new cast-on method for it. Looking forward to finishing my first wool sock, and ironically it will probably happen in July when I will not need a single wool sock.

That is about all for now. I will try to post from Chicago but I have no idea what type of internet access I will have, if any at all.

And thank you for all the birthday comments!! <3

coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

*SQUEAL!*

My sisters and I got tickets to the May 8th Superchic[k] concert! EEE!! I'm so jazzed about this. I've loved this band for ages and I'm really looking forward to going to this concert in Colorado Springs. So far it's just going to be me and my sisters and one of their good friends, but I'm hoping to take a girlfriend with me too, maybe Melanie or Erin.

Oh, and I've been knitting too... Working on my first pair of socks!! YAY!

My birthday (March 10th) was pretty good. I can't believe I'm finally 18!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Adventures of Yarn Martian!

Erin, my friend from the yarn store, and I went out for coffee and knitting on Monday afternoon. I kept jumping from project to project while she worked on her scarf. After realizing I wasn't going to be able to cast on loosely enough for my first sock, I decided to take a break from the knitting. I stuck two of my DPNs in the cake of green Cascade 220 and Yarn Martian was born...



I'm so proud of my creation!

Until next time...

Coffee and cashmere,
Lulu

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I've Been Tagged!

And I never thought the day would come. I've never been well known on the internet for anything, but finally dear Kaya from Sisterly Knits tagged me for this lovely meme.

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

And now for my seven random facts...

1. Eating sugary or carb-filled stuff, especially peanut butter, right before bed gives me nightmares.

2. I went to Catholic school for almost nine years, and I wore uniforms for two.

3. My room is NEVER clean, and sometimes I hate to admit that this really does bug me once in a while.

4. When I was a baby, I was diagnosed with JA, or Juvenile Arthritis, which is technically an auto-immune disease. It's in remission now though, and hopefully it will never return.

5. I used to have Shirley Temple curls when I was little, but I cut my own hair at the age of four and my curls just never came back.

6. I hate to throw stuff out, so I have way too much random stuff, usually trash or other useless crap, around my room.

7. I've been webdesigning since I was in sixth grade, and as high school went on, I sadly started to move onto other things so I haven't done much with any HTML coding in ages.

I'm going to tag Abby, Sarah, Allie, Genuine, Patrick, Amber and Melanie

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Been Feeling Under the Weather

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

The boyfriend and I broke up, and things are really up in the air right now. I just haven't been in the mood to blog.

I've been knitting a little bit, working on a pair of Andean Silk Fetchings that I'm making longer than the pattern calls for. I'm dying to cast on a scarf...

I'll try to find the time to actually blog about my yarn crawl from earlier this year.

Just thought I'd update real quick.

Coffee & Cashmere,
Lulu

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Whoa, What A Trip!

I've been waiting to update my lovely blog until I had fun pictures to show everybody, but I'm just too damn lazy. I have pictures from the trip I took with my mom, but they're still on my camera, and hers. I think I may do a series of post, reviewing the yarn stores I visited and my purchases.

That money my dad gave me? All gone...

But don't worry, I have tons to show for it. Over ten skeins of yarn to show for it in fact! Lots of wool, some alpaca, a skein of corn yarn (yes, corn), and silk!

In addition to all the yarn purchased, I also picked up some great fabric and even more scrapbooking supplies. Pictures and more stories to come.

I have since become addicted to Knit.1 Magazine. I purchased the current issue and a couple back issues while at Purls in Tucson, AZ and then purchased several more back issues while at Village Wools in Alburquerque.

The Alpaca Fetchings are officially finished, and I've even worn them a few times while on my trip. I love them even though they shed and fit kind of funny. The pattern is totally addictive though, and very fast. I can't wait to make myself a second pair, but I plan on making these much longer on both the top and the bottom.

Anybody got any ideas about what I can do with four skeins of Knit Picks Andean Silk? I was going to make another pair of Fetchings with some of it, but I recently learned that silk doesn't hold a cable or ribbing very well... Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I promise to update more another day, with pictures too hopefully.

coffee & cashmere,
Lulu