Miss Andy's Place

NEW BLOG

2007-02-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

I am packing up and moving over to Wordpress.

Spinning!

2007-01-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

My spindle came the other day and I ADORE it. Of course, I suck at spinning, but my third attempt produced a halfway decent yarn with only a handful of thread thin or slubby spots. I've called it Rainbow Vomit, and I bought some ugly white eyelash yarn to create the Rainbow Vomit Scarf! Crocheting will start when it dries and I pick a stitch for it.

Swaps and Stuff

2007-01-21T18:32:00.001-05:00

I think I am just going to put links because blogger is being an ass and shoots them all over the blog. Wordpress users, do you like it?

1. Fat Quarters. I bought a bunch of these for something or other and never used them. Because I cant sew.

2. Pretty buttons and lace trim, 9ish yards of lace trim to be exact.

3. A bajillion uglyer buttons that I won't ever touch.

At a church sale, we got this old sewing box that the lady had had for years and years and years, and it was crammed FULL.

4. Older vintage-y buttons, some on sheets and some that were off sheets.

5. Lots of rick-rack.

6. Handfuls of zippers.

So if anyone actually wants anything, I have numbers of how many I have of each thing and stuff. o_o I just want it to be actually USED instead of thrown away.

Now in a crafty world, I finally got a picture of the shiny potholder that I made from that wool that I kool-aid dyed. The picture doesn't show colors well at all, the border has a lot more white in it than it looks. And its partially felted!

This is the mess I am trying to untangle, 600ish yards of fingering weight cotton yarn! Yay! I might kill myself over this.

I leave you with this picture of the dog I dog-sit for.

Well, it let me put one picture in. Thats something at least.

Swaps and Stuff

2007-01-21T18:32:00.000-05:00

Clean

2007-01-21T12:53:00.000-05:00

ITS CLEAN! Uhm...cleanER. I went crazy yesterday. 15 bags of stuff left this apartment. Its only two rooms. That is a disgusting amount of stuff.

Unfortunetly, that came at the expense of my schoolwork, so now I have 2 weeks of religions homework to post online by nine tonight. I guess I should make me some ramen to eat and get cracking on that! Bigger update later.

So much Stash...

2007-01-19T18:34:00.000-05:00

Its times like these that I really wish my camera wasn't broken.

We are going to be moving again in a few months (7th time in 8 years!), and I have to condense three rooms worth of crap into one rooms worth of crap, so I am going to go through my tiny stash and see if there is anything I can bear to part with. If there is *cringe*, I'll put it up here to see if anyone wants to swap or something.

Time to go stash pick! ^_^

Spinning

2007-01-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

Spinning! I've been looking into this for a few weeks now, and I finally took the plunge and picked up a drop spindle and some roving from etsy. I can't wait for it to get here, so I can butcher the fluffy goodness and possibly learn a few new curse words in the process. That should be enough to convince me to steal my aunts giant antique spinning wheel...

I have, however, been playing with my lambs pride bulky wool and koolaid. I made a nifty pot holder, and I am now madly in love with dyeing yarn.

More crochet is happening. More of the 12" Granny Square CAL, a new scarf, and a baby blanket. Too bad my camera is still broken.

Back

2007-01-14T16:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, I realize that its January and the last time I posted was November. Nobody reads this anyway.

I was going to start off this entry with some lovely kitty photos, but alas, my camera is broken. The lens is jammed and I have no idea why, nor no idea how to fix it. Ill figure something out. I can either use my neighbors camera, or break out the old film camera, but because I no longer have a scanner I don't think that would work.

Right now, my entire social life consists of school and the internet. I'm taking four (soon to be three, screw you math >_<) classes, which I love. I haven't actually made friends with anyone yet, but I'm sure that it will eventually happen. It has to, right? I mean, the odds of me taking another set of classes without making any out of class friends HAS to be slim. I'll keep telling myself that.

In crafty news, I've been crocheting along as usual. I have some old pictures of a few things.

More yummy glove pictures! I have dubbed these the 'Cupcake Gloves', and I might sit down and write up a pattern. They are incredibly comfortable. That pair went to my darling friend Aleks up in cold, cold Ohio, but I have another variation on the hooks, one with a ribbed band. I would take a picture for you, but, you know, broken camera.

Also, I've been doing the 12" squares CAL over at craftster (button in side bar). It started back in October, but I decided the other day to sit down and redo all my squares. I got pictures of the first two before the camera decided to be a jerk and break on me. Done in good old Red Heart Giant no dye lot pounds of yarn in scratchy, durable acrylic. Cheap, colorful, and can survive the abuse of living with me.

I also finished a baby jacket (no pictures, and its leaving on Tuesday so maybe NEVER pictures! O_O) I used this pattern, but left off the hood because hell, its florida and the baby is going to be born in July. I also have to get some stuff done for a baby due a month after that. I love baby stuff.

Last but not least, a brown/red wool newsboy cap made from peace fleece, and going to Virginia to live with a new owner. Pattern found here. Mine came out a little small, but thats going to have to just be okay because there is no way I am touching it again.

Ah hell. Heres an old cat picture just because I love you.

Yarn Shopping

2006-11-25T17:25:00.000-05:00

Can you say yum? Dad and I went Yarn shopping today, and I picked up a few gems. He refused to leave the store without two skeins of Lamb's Pride Bulky in Creme because he liked the color. No idea what do to with that. Then theres a skein of peace fleece, which is a worsted weight wool thats a little coarser and thats in a pretty reddish brown that might end up being a fat bottomed bag from the SnB book. On the way out I grabbed a skein of Cascade Pastaza, which is a 50% llama 50% wool blend that feels like silk. I got it in a color that looks almost exactly like an oil slick when you look at it up close.

And then there might be three little skeins of something special for Sophie...maybe.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Unfortunetly, I didn't get to eat. You heard me right. Not one bite of turkey, not one delicious spoonful of buttery mashed potatoes. You see, dinner was at my aunts house and its just too crowded and loud and kind of vulger for me, so I stayed home and ate eggs.

Today though, mom brought home a comforter bag full of crochet stuff. They were ALL baby blankets, most done! I get to pack up a box for charity tonight after I finish the unfinished ones. And get up to date on my crochet-alongs. And start a paper. I like being busy.

Brief Crocheting Update

2006-11-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

Adorable little fingerless gloves I made out of this creamy wool blend I got at Jo-Anns. Its like a worsted weight single ply or some such thing.

Sideways face cloths! With little butterfly fridgies! These are going in the x-mas box, made of cotton. I think ill throw some little soaps in there too.
My finished scarf! I have another one started in pastel green and lavender. So pretty, so warm, and soooooo soft!

Insane Busyness

2006-09-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

Ahhh! Busybusybusy.

My humanites teacher does NOT know how to write a proper test. Honestly, I could have passed it without taking the class! Awful.

I havent been doing near enough crocheting. I have made a scarf (red heart symphony, yummy), and a bunch of cotton cloths that are going to be x-mas gifts to people, but thats it. A grannysquare baby blanket is on the hook, and I bet you its going to be late. Just like the last one...sigh.

Everyone on the blogs have been doing these yummy felting projects, so I have six balls of icelandic wool (ebay!) in cream and aqua waiting to be a purse. Someday. x_X

Pictures sometime...hopefully tomorrow!

2006-09-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Gah. Can you say lazyslacker?

Sorry I havent been around! School, you know? I have a massive humanities test, but ill try to type an update after!

I return!

2006-08-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

I know I know I know I havent posted in like two weeks, but I have a good excuse!!! I was on VACATION. I was in Virginia from the 31st to the 4th, and I had a wonderful time. Most of the time I hung out with my most awesome lady, the lovely blogless Bek, and on the 2nd I got to meet a darling guy I met on the internet, from here on out known as Boy. We went to Medieval Times, which I love and would watch over and over again, even though its horribly cheesy. And hey, they serve half a chicken for dinner. To bad Boy lives all the way up in Maryland. :-( Oh well. What can you do?

Projects!

I show you the first three squares for a blanket, sort of a spare time thing. Its one of the Lion Brand weekly motifs. I actually have four done.

And then I got some Peaches and Creme yummy cotten yarn to make washclothes, and this little book of dishclothes in case I get bored.

I have a baby blanket started. Its a pretty shell pattern. I have actually had to frog the whole thing back once because I managed to switch the pattern around and the sides started coming in at a 45 degree angle...

I am also teaching myself to knit. Shhhhh >_> <_<

I would show you pictures tonite, but blogger is being upitty and I am not going to wait half an hour per picture! Ill try to upload some tomorrow.

<3<3

2006-07-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

I need to practice my skills and learn new techniques. What better way to do it than to crochet a granny square a week?

Thats assuming I find the time between my six trillian other projects.

Hope for one tomorrow or sunday!

2006-07-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I found this little (long) quiz on two or three of the other blogs I watch, so I figured I would do it!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (Nope, I can't drink yet)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (a very tiny mountain, though...)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (Owned one. Held it once. Almost got bit.)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it (once)
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (would one day love too)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea(thinking this would be pretty cool)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa(thinking this would be fun)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity (I always give waaaay too much.)
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (Try when my father is screaming at me. It scary, yes, but...he looks funny mad.)
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger (I cant even ask out a friend, are you kidding?)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip (If I could get someone to go with me, I would tomorrow.)
48. Gone rock climbing (if a fake wall counts...)
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (One. It failed. But I am only 18)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour (My favorite bands were dead before I was born...)
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (I plan to do it again here soon)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone (Lots of them)
114. Gone on an African photo safari (Does the one at Disney count?!)
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (I dont have the guts to get my lip done, let alone anything else.)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet (Three)
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (Ew. Pet them? I have enough trouble chasing the buggers down to kill em)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (And then ate it.)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

2006-07-08T19:37:00.000-05:00

Ok! Lets start off with some book reviews, shall we?

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Am I the only one who waited this long to read this book? I think so. I loved the story, I really did, although it was a smidge choppy and I hate it when authors use "cute" metophores for sex. It really ruins the dramatic moment. I also wasn't that fond of the ending, it seemed too forced to me. I will pick up his other book, though.

Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Ok, I am a massive Stephen King fan and I will read anything he writes. Black House was a spectacular peice of work, the charectors were very well written and developed. That being said, I think the end could have come sharply. I honestly expected him to say "to be continued" because it only took about 50 pages to tie up all the endings and defeat the bad guy. Still...yum.

I am fiddling around with hat patterns. I want to eventually write my own, but I need a wee bit of practice. I did come up with this so far. Its in some baby soft yarn...I am not sure where the label is. I had a massive cleaning spree the other day and it might have gotten trashed. I am aiming more to doll clothes and baby clothes, so I am going to a doll store on monday to find a proper, baby sized doll to size all the stuff on. Should be fun!

I want to get rid of the hole in the top, maybe that disapearing ring that she talks about in SnB? I also need to tame down the ruffle, maybe add some eyelets for a ribbon, maybe stick on some pom pom's, who knows. I dont. It is deliciously soft, though.

Then I picked this up on e-bay, two balls of it. I manged to get one horribly tangled when I tried to roll it, but the other did ok...its hand dyed cotton. It works up nice and stiff, so I am using some to learn how to properly make socks because its easier to see the stitches and work in the back loop. See how pretty the sock ribbing worked up? Nice and striped.

This is a (small) blanket I am making for a friend, just red heart acrylic yarn. Its my first time doing this pattern, and I must say that I LOVE it. It works up easy and looks cool. Black, White, and Green.

Lastly, I picked up these two movies today, two of my favorites that I don't own on DVD yet. Chicago, and Moulin Rouge. Now I just need a portable DVD player to haul them around in.

Love you all!

2006-07-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

Am I allowed to say that that cheap acrylic yarn is like spun silk to work with compared to that horrid velvet spun? I finally have most of the fluffy bits from that project out of the apartment, but I keep finding tiny balls of scrap. It refuses to let me go!

Don't worry, ill have pictures of my latest stuff as soon as the camera battery charges and I get the time to stick em up here.

2006-06-24T17:25:00.000-05:00

I have finished that horrible baby blanket! It took 17 skeins of velvet spun yarn in green and yellow...I think its lion brand, not sure. The entire thing is done in double crochet with a 10.5mm hook, and it is stricktly hand wash/air dry only.

2006-06-22T18:03:00.000-05:00

Hopefully I'll have this baby blanket done by tonite, or tomorrow night. Still not sure what to do with those shedding, raggedy edges. Any ideas?

The earrings I ordered from the shop came in! They look better than I expected, actually. Little dream catchers, 10 pairs. They come in these colors.

I think I am going to keep that black pair, I really like them.

I am trying to work out the details on making a proper crochet button neckless. Just a chain stitch looks nice, but its not really thick enough to suit me. If I can work up the energy to string more buttons, ill try something else. Maybe a half-double crochet.

My copy of Stitch and Bitch: The Happy Hooker also got here. Its an awesome book, but even those patterns may be beyond me. Oh well, its fun to try, isnt it? The directions are very clear, and it goes into detail on all the stitches, yarn types, equipment, everything. I highly reccomend this book.

2006-06-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

GRAH! How I HATE Velvet Spun yarn. WHY did I choose to do this ENTIRE blanket in it?

2006-06-16T18:08:00.000-05:00

Its friday! That means yard sale day! I only hit a few. First we went to this weird estate sale. Estate sales are so odd down here! They have companies that come in, and they price everything and set up a cash register and take sales tax. You sign up before the sale and they let like five people in at a time, taking the names off the list. I don't like it one bit. I did manage to pick up some stuff, though.

I got all these older patterns for a dollar. Unfortunetly, they arent my size, but if I ever get good enough at sewing I should be able to size them down.

I also got this awesome neckless, and those not so awesome earings that came with it. I should be able to sell the earings in my little booth for a dollar or two, though, so its a good deal. I love the neckless, though.

On my way out, I picked up this adorable little cut glass dish. I am a cut glass addict, but I own zero peices. Until I get a nice, safe place to display them, they go into the booth. Its a shame, too, because this peice is beautiful.

Then we went to this apartment moving sale. The place was very nice, very clean, but they had cats. Yours truely is allergic to cats. Very allergic. However, I did manage to pick up this nice tin and brand new journal for the booth.

Lastly, we hit this sale that opened at ten. Odd time for a sale to start! And, suprisingly, it was our neighbors mothers apartment. It was nice to talk to him again. It was all high quality stuff, but I couldn't afford any of it so I didnt get anything there.

Speaking of this booth, I guess I should explain it. Its a business venture of sorts. I am renting a shelf space at a local antiqueish shop, and I get that July 1st. They handle all the selling, I just have to price and stock. Its a good deal. I want to try stationary, so I put in an order at Lang Company. I highly reccoment their stuff if you see any in any stores. Its adorable, affordable, and very high quality. This is just a sampling of the goodies I am going to try to sell.

I was going to show you all the bracelet I am crocheting, but my computer is taking about 20 minutes to upload each photo, so your going to have to wait until tomorrow for that. ^_^