the adventures of yarngirl

i finally got an esty account!!!!!!!!!!!! i was fooling around with a couple usernames, trying to decide which one i liked the best, and accidentally pressed “enter”!! and since you can’t change usernames, i am now “alwayscute”. is that a good name, do you think?? i hope so! well, now i guess i can start “stocking” my store and getting the word out. i bet business cards would work well… i was planning on selling mostly crocheted amigurumi, patterns, and the odd hat or pillow. more later. wish me luck!!

wow, i haven’t posted since MAY.

and since it’s now the end of july, that means

I COMEPLETELY MISSED JUNE!!

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, so i’ve got to get you peoples up to date:

1. i have a new wip, the widget bucket hat from the book “get hooked again” (page 60).  i’m making it using this super- pretty orange yarn that i got on clearance for like $2.  i’ll probably make the hatbands out of a darker brown, just in time for fall!! all i need now is dark brown yarn… i think the hat will go with my hair just perfectly, which, not to brag or anything, is what i would describe as a rich golden brown with sort of auburn accents.
2. i’ve gotten much farther along with my shrug. all i have left to do is finish the ribbed border along the body opening, and i’m good to go!!
3. knitting is actually much harder than it looks and i really need to work on my tension.
4. i know this blog is called “the adventures of yarngirl,” but i think it’s ok to have a few detours every once in a while, don’t you?? so… do you remember how much i hate sewing?? or rather, how terrible i am at it?? well, i figured that if i learned how to use a sewing machine, it would be faster, better, and easier. well, i’m too poor/ too cheap to buy my own, but i found my mom’s old one (emphasis on “old”) that she said i could use. now i’m trying to learn how to use it. i should probably take a class or something… wish me luck!!

p.s. pictures soon!!

sorry, i haven’t been able to post for a while…

…but here is the post that will make up for all the previously picture-less posts!!

this bunny actually turned out pretty well, except for the face.

NOTE FROM YARNGIRL: oops, i thought this posted a while ago. i was looking at some of my drafts, and saw that it wasn’t yet posted. sorry, you guys!!

ok, just yesterday i opened my mailbox, unaware that my order from trulyoutragous at etsy had finally come. i opened the small package, and there it was, in all its crafty glory!! there they are, my precious 6mm safety eyes:

very professional, if i do say myself. (i luv the business card!!)

^and this is the other side of the card^

one final close up…

and here’s a pic of the completed sushi pillow:

you’ll probably notice that there’s actually 3 sushis, one being smaller than the rest. (if you don’t, i suggest a pair of reading glasses.) i call the smallest a prototype, even though i made it after the “real” ones. when i began the white “rice” part, i couldn’t decide which of my white yarns to use, the off-white/ cream or the florescent white. i went with the cream. now, after i’ve made the prototype (which was made with the bright white), i’m thinking i should’ve gone with that one. oops. anyway,all i have to do now is sew it up and stuff it. yay!

one really popular crochet pattern i’ve noticed is the Gabu from Roxycraft: Patterns That Don’t Suck. they’re popping up everywhere!!! ahhh!!! :0 therefore, i deemed it necessary to try one. they’re actually really easy, and cute to boot! on ravelry, i found this really cool idea: make Gabus in red, yellow, and green, then make a traffic light “nest”!! how amazingly cute is that?? my red one is still in progress:

(p.s. sorry about the blurry pictures.)

oh, and something i’ve really wanted to crochet: a sock monkey. yes, one of those creepy yet cute monkey thingies. (for a friend, of course. :P) except there aren’t any crocheted sock monkey patterns out there. (or so i thought.) i found an etsy seller who has a pretty good, one, and a bunch of other really awesome patterns, SherriCrochets. i’ll have to look farther into that… oh, yeah, and any good shop/ username ideas??

now, for the grand finale: i am making my first real wearable!! *squeal!!* it’s a shrug (like i said in my last post) from “Get Hooked: Again,” in a pretty grey color. it’s really fast to make, as i only started yesterday, and look how far i am already!! (i’m actually farther than the picture suggests.)

ok, i think that’s it for now… bye!!

ok, i’ve officially decided: i’m going to get an etsy shop.

it’s very exciting for me, but i can’t think of a good name… it would end up being both my username and my shop name, and at the same time, i want it to be unique (a.k.a. not generic). i would probably sell my crocheted stuff, maybe with a couple piece of jewelry and other assorsted crafts. any ideas?? i recently ordered a set of 6mm doll eyes from trulyoutragous (using someone else’s account), and am very excited!! (remember me complaining about not having any good eyes?)

oh, and on another note, i got the book “get hooked, again!”, which is the sequel to “get hooked,” from which the sushi pillow was from. so far, i really like it, and am starting to make the shrug pattern in a bee-yoo-tiful heathered grey yarn. (one of my faves.) about the sushi pillow: i finally finished the crochet part!! yay!! (took my long enough, right?) now i just have to stuff it and sew it up.

oh, i’ve been a bad blogger… a very bad blogger… (look back and see when the last post was posted.)

well, i didn’t have much to write about, either, seeing as i’m off on one of my “away” phases. (every once in a while, i start crochting non-stop, 24/7. then i kind of deflate, stop completely, and avoid yarn. hence the “away.”)

but i’m back on the bandwagon!!

*yarngirl on the subject of knitting: why?? why does everything have to so hard?? *sob* the thing is, i can knit ok, but once i mess up and need to frog something, whatever i’m working on is positively ruined and unfixable because i can not put the stupid stiches back on the needle. then something  comes unraveled, and i don’t know how to fix it. so i usually just frog the whole thing and start over. isn’t that sad??… the good news, though (there’s always good news, isn’t there?), is that NOW I KNOW HOW TO PURL!!!!! =) isn’t that great?? now i can do all this fancy shamcy stuff!! a new world has opened up to me!! (now if only i can get a hold of that frogging business…)

and still, sorry with the pictures. or rather, lack thereof. i know it’s really broing without them, (and sometimes with them), so (hopefully) soon i’ll have a huge post full of pictures.

on sunday i walked to my lys (local yarn store), uniquities. (it was my first time) it has a lot of unique types of yarn. i saw more lighter-weight yarns, though, than bulky or even worsted weight. in the back, there was a whole room full of knitting needles. you could also find crochet hooks, patterns, and other sewing notions there. i bought an “e” crochet hook and 5.00 mm needles, both in grey aluminum.

wow, i haven’t blogged for over a week…

…and none of my posts have had pics, either. (my picture software isn’t working at the moment.) oh well. better bad news than no news, right?? or is it, “better no news than bad news”??

anyway, moving right along:

i have decided now to make a sort of “wip waiting list” for patterns i have just started, or want to start in the near future, because i have quite a lot more of these than actual wips.

~leg warmers: i’ve started this one, and it’s a really easy pattern and everything, but by the time i finish (if i ever do), than it’ll be like the middle of the summer heat wave… and by now (a.k.a. the 2nd row) i already hate hdc. btw, hdc=half double crochet.

~these cute little flowers: looks fast and simple, no pics yet…

~this water bottle carrier: wouldn’t this look cool in hemp?! very useful, too.

 or what about using recycled plastic bags?? then it would be water-proof.

~weiner dog amigurumi: a gourmet amigurumi pattern. i need e and d hooks, though, first.

~nanook the amigurumi husky: another dog, yes, but this one’s special too: the site i got it from no longer exsists. good thing i got it while i still could!!

~webkinz clothes: i know a lot of kids who have webkinz. these are kind of cute, right??

right now i’m also working on designing my own panda bear amigurumi. very excited about that. when i finish writing the pattern, i’ll post it here.

look!! more yarn-related smileys!!:

<this one’s definitely crocheting. it’s so detailed; i love everything about it!!<this one, though, is showing off what must be a sweater she knitted herself (due to the little ball of yarn and needles). ok, ok, so she’s not really a smiley. 

yay!! i am now officially a ravelry member!! my username is “yarngrrl,” in case you’re wondering.

it’s very cool (although i wish i had been there for april fool’s day. ), and right now i’m working on updating my yarn stah and WIPs. 

i found this cool little virtual yarn jigsaw puzzle. you can play it here. i like nice and easy puzzles, so it only has 12 pieces, but you can change it up to, like, 247 or something…

*ravelry update alert*
Found you!
You signed up on March 25, 2008
You are #132604 on the list.
36 people are ahead of you in line.
6242 people are behind you in line.
95% of the list has been invited so far
yay!! only 36 people!! that means that i’ll probably get invited later today/ tomorrow!! whoopee!! (i’ll post when i get in.)

…ok, sorry, this was supposed to have been posted yesterday, but i guess it didn’t work…