on makeup and yarn

Lacquer and War Paint.

2011-06-09T20:04:00.000-04:00

i'll be moving all my makeup and nailpolish posts over to my new blog and keeping this one strictly for the yarny side of my life. come join me at Lacquer and WarPaint!

Sally Hansen HD in DVD

2011-05-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

i am in love with this polish. it is very sheer, i layered it over one coat of Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl and i still had to do three coats to get opacity.

never the less. this is a really perty blurple!

on my ring finger the glitter is Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Strobe Light. and the hearts on the ring and pinky were fished out of Nicole by OPI's Love Your Life.

i have been thinking a lot about starting a whole new blog for the makeup and nails and just keeping this one for the yarn and maybe some personal stuff now and then. i'm pretty sure i'm going to do it. the decision is made, what's holding me back is coming up with a name for the polish/makeup blog. i have even thought about doing a give-away of some Joe Fresh Twilight to the person who can help me name the new blog. it is a very real possibility... pending a trip to the store tomorrow to grab a bottle or two of Twilight. *crossing fingers* they have some :)

Two, for the price of one!

2011-05-28T12:53:00.002-04:00

i've fallen a little behind on keeping up the blog with my nails! here are the last two manis i've done.

Color Club Alias with OPI Black Shatter (pardon the not so neat application of the Shatter, i didn't want to over brush it and wreck it):

today i'm wearing Joe Fresh's Twilight. finally got around to trying out my only flakie!

aaaaannnndd... my cell phone got a makeover. she's currently wearing China Glaze Ruby Pumps with Nicole by OPI's Let's Get Star-ted:

i got a little crazy on the inside. when i have time or the motivation i will be fixing this paint job!

Rockstah!!

2011-05-25T13:01:00.000-04:00

well. kinda!

this is the manicure i sported for a few days this week. my very first scotch tape experiment. base colour (purple) is Color Club Alias. the red colour on the tips is OPI's The One That Got Away. and the stars are from Nicole for OPI's Let's Get Star-ted.

up close... on this nail the polish seeped under the tape a little. really noticable in the picture, but it wasn't as apparent in real life:

with flash cuz it brought out some of the glitter. glitter is gooooood:

i'm thinking about starting a blog specifically dedicated to nailpolish and makeup. yay or nay?

Color Club

2011-05-19T05:38:00.000-04:00

this is my first Color Club purchase. i found this set at Winner's for $12.99. worth a try? sure, why not!

this is the Alter Ego, Keep it Under Cover set. from left to right: 909 Alter Ego, 910 Secret Agent, 911 Total Mystery, 912 Alias, 913 Ulterior Motive, 914 Masquerading and last but not least Vivid Topcoat.

after getting it home and opening it up i must admit i'm a little disappointed that the bottles themselves aren't labeled with their colour names. i'm going to have to buy some stickers to write the names on and stick to the bottles before i throw out the packaging. i know it will drive me nuts if i do a manicure to share here and have to google the colour name!

Senorita Rose-Alita

2011-05-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

okay. it won. i had to remove the day old Joe Fresh polish and replace it with Senorita Rose-Alita. the glitter hearts are from Nicole by OPI Justin Bieber Step 2 the Beat of my Heart.

(i really should have moisturized the cuticles before taking the pics huh :\ )

2011-05-16T19:17:00.000-04:00

Rexall (a Canadian drug store) has nailpolish on sale this week… 40% off. so i bought a few.

in order of appearance:
-Nicole by OPI Justin Bieber line (ugh, i know) Step 2 the Beat of my Heart.
-Nicole by OPI in Love Your Life
-Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in a mystery purple (i can’t find a name tag on it anywhere)
-Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Snappy Sprinkles (it’s like a birthday party in a bottle!)
-Sinful Colors (which i’ve never seen in my town, and Rexall only had 3 bottles of it) in Daddy’s Girl
-Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Midnight Blue. in the bottle it is such an amazingly deep blue shade.

the heart glitter with flash cuz it really shows off the colours of the Justin Bieber formula:

i showed my fiance the Justin Bieber bottle. he got a good laugh out of it and then asked me to go back and get more. huh?? his best friend's daughter is 12. apparently she is the world's biggest Bieber fan (aren't they all?). so i went back and picked out two bottle for her. i do remember her mentioning she liked purple, so i decided two purple glittery polishes should do i hope she likes them. even if she already has them (being the world's biggest Bieber fan already). and i stopped in at the beauty supply store next door and grabbed some OPI.

from left to right: Justin Bieber's Step 2 the Beat of my Heart and One Less Lonely Glitter. OPI: Meet Me on the Star Ferry, Senorita Rose-alita and from Katy Perry's collection The One That Got Away:

i am most seriously tempted to remove the polish i applied yesterday to put on some Senorita Rose-alita... it has this awesome golden sheen that i just can't capture with the camer in the lighting i have available at this time of day.

here's what i'm wearing right now:

Joe Fresh in Orchid and Persian Blue. Seche Clear base coat and Seche Vite top coat.

after looking at the photos i see that the Orchid could have used a third coat. it really doesn't show up in real life, but through the lens of the camera its pretty obvious. but on the bright side, i am getting better at application... it's not as messy as it used to be! :)

i'm so broken!

2011-05-09T22:21:00.000-04:00

about a week ago my left thumbnail broke. spectacularly. yay. i had to cut it right down to the nailbed. okay. it's just one nail. and it's a thumbnail, the rest of my nails aren't terribly long, so i could hide it.

and then today the middle finger on my right hand developed a large split in it. a split that started a the edge and then grew into my nail bed. so cutting that nail short wouldn't solve the problem, it would just leave me with another stubby nail.

i have never done serious nail repair before. usually i cut them all down to nothing and start over. but i've been having far too much fun with nailpolish to let that happen this time. so i went off to wal-mart and bought a brush-on gel nail kit. it comes with a bunch of tips (i went for short, i can't figure out how to function with long nails) so that if another nail breaks i have the kit ready to go and repairs done in a snap.

all laid out, ready for nail surgery:

the stuff took about an hour to stop feeling tacky. i did cut down the tips after applying them to match the length to my natural nails. here is the middle nail all done and drying:

not the neatest job. but i give myself some props, it was my first go at applying a tip at home.

and, now, the look i'm currently sporting:

China Glaze Ruby Pumps (2 coats... and i just couldn't get a good picture of the depth of the sparkles). Nicole by OPI in Let's Get Star-ted on my ring fingers. i had to fish the stars out of the bottle... a bit of a disappointment, but i saw a bright side. it gave me the opportunity to place the stars exactly where i wanted them. one by one. lol.

more... and more.... and more!

2011-05-09T14:48:00.000-04:00

so… i found a store in a city near mine that sells discounted nailpolish and makeup. they seem to carry a lot of discontinued colours. and they had a 20% off sale yesterday. and we were going right past the mall they’re located in to visit my family for mother’s day… so how could i resist??? also… i seemed to be on a bit of sparkly kick.
here’s the low-down:

China Glaze in Ruby Pumps and Snow Globe
Funky Fingers in Fancy Brigade (gold), Sakura Glow (light pink with small glitter), Out of Orbit (darker pink with big glitter). i’ve never used this brand of polish. i hope it’s okay. i couldn’t resist the glitter!
KleanColor minis in Techno High kit. Metallic Pink, Metallic Yellow, Metallic Purple, Metallic Jungle, Metallic Navy, Metallic Brown (boy they were creative with the names huh). another new brand to me. couldn’t resist the price and colours. i have no self control!
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Celeb City.
Gosh Purple Heart. i’m a little disappointed. it’s an awesome purple green duochrome in the bottle, but not so much on the fingers.
Claire’s Mood colour changing polishes in pink and purple. these should be fun to try out :)

and with the flash. it sort of makes the glitter sparkle more :)

Cotton and Chroma blanket part two

2011-05-06T13:26:00.000-04:00

i'm really loving the colours of the Chroma :)

so much that they kinda inspired a manicure!

all polishes are Joe Fresh. grey is Fog, blue is Persian Blue, purple is Orchid. Seche Vite topcoat.

Cotton and Chroma baby blanket

2011-05-02T12:16:00.001-04:00

i'm making this one up as i go along. the white is a cotton from a huge cone my mum gave to me. the coloured yarn is KnitPicks Chroma in Roller Skate. i only have one ball of the Roller Skate, i'm thinking i may order a second to make the blanket bigger.

yes... it'll probably end up a baby blanket. yes... more kids of my own may be in the very near future. so with some luck it might end up being a baby blanket for my own new offspring! otherwise it will end up on Etsy for sale :)

and: more nails!

thumb and index: OPI The Show Must Go On. middle finger: OPI Let Me Entertain You. ring and pinky: OPI Ali’s Big Break. black dots: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Black Out. Seche base and top coats.

i've been wearing it a few days now. i haven't touched it up at all and it's only started to chip a little at the tips today. i'm going to let it because i have to remove all polish tomorrow night anyway... i have a medical procedure Wednesday afternoon. fun. fun. :\

shattered...

2011-04-28T18:34:00.000-04:00

a little more nailpolish stash enhancement. from right to left: OPI Expert Touch Lacquer remover, Burlesque minis gift set (colours are The Show Must Go On, Ali's Big Break, Let Me Entertain You and Tease-y Does It), Orly in Fifty Four, OPI Katy Perry Teenage Dream and Black Shatter. and an OPI Correct and Clean up stick because, as you've all seen, my homemade manicures need help.

another day, another nail polish

2011-04-27T19:55:00.000-04:00

told ya i was on a binge...

this is Joe Fresh in Peacock. the dots are Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Plum Power. Seche base and top coats.

i really need some pointers on doing neater manicures. why do i always end up with gloopies at my cuticles? how do you all avoid that? what's the trick i'm missing? anyone? :)

more polish!

2011-04-26T18:47:00.000-04:00

while i was waitng at my local Zehr's for a prescription to be filled i wandered into the makeup aisle. such as it is. and took a good look at the Joe Fresh polishes. i figured, meh, they're 3 for $10, i can afford to grab a few. i grabbed Persian Blue, Twilight and Peacock (which has a pretty greenish tint to it that i just cannot capture with my camera).

but whoah?... hold up. check out Twilight again. it's a flakey! i had no idea Joe Fresh had released a flakey polish!! i could not resist... a flakey polish that i can afford?? yoink!

i did my best to try to capture the way the flakes change colour depending what angle you see them from:

now i am totally tempted to take off the easter-ish polish i put on last night to try these out!

a day late...

2011-04-25T21:22:00.001-04:00

for Easter-y coloured nails.

i used all China Glaze polishes: Bahamian Escape (blue), Light As Air (purple), Something Sweet (pink). and a Seche top coat. i’m still pretty new to doing my own nails, pardon the untidiness :) and pay no mind to the hangnail. :\

...and now i'm going back to bed. i've had a migraine all day. and i'm a dumbass and then filled up the room with the smell of nailpolish. now my nails are pertier, but gah, my head is pounding!

Nail Me!

2011-04-21T19:36:00.000-04:00

i've been on a bit of a nailpolish kick lately. i don't usually paint my fingernails because, well, frankly, it never lasts longer than a day. but i've been poking around some nail blogs and picked up some tips for longer manicures and thought i'd try them out. and then i found the most awesome nailpolish at a local discount store and the rest is history. i've become addicted!

the polish that started my obsession (OPI Designer Series DS 007):

and then i came across some fun China Glaze polishes (full size bottles, from left to right: Dynasty, Luna, C-C-Courage, Drastic, Good Witch?. and the mini bottles - i really don't know what collection they're from -, top row left to right: Something Sweet, Light As Air, Re-Fresh Mint. bottom row: Peachy Keen, Lemon Fizz, Bahamian Escape):

base coat, top coats. i only just bought the Seche products this afternoon, i haven't had a chance to try them out yet. the Essie No Chips Ahead top coat was applied yesterday. i haven't been too hard on my nails since then so i don't have a quality comment on how it's holding up. yet. anyway... on to the picture:

and my current home-made amature manicure. i'm wearing China Glaze in Drastic and Essie No Chips Ahead top coat:

Stash Enhancement!

2011-04-05T13:06:00.001-04:00

my love took me to Riverside Yarns in Owen Sound on Friday. i don't think words are needed for the rest of this post... just yarn pr0n.

In order of appearance;
- Trekking XXL in colour 415.
- Wendy Happy in colour 2520/Virgo.
- Malabrigo Sock in Archangel (i loved the colour so much the first time i bought another hank. i wound it into a ball the moment i got home).
- Fleece Artist Trail Socks in Rose Garden.
- Malabrigo Sock in Indiecita (another repeat... i knit the first hank into a In the Land of Oz shawlette).
- Koigu KPM and Koigu KPPPM. intended for striped socks for meeeeee :)
- Malabrigo Sock in Abril, being knit into another Holden Shawlette. (i wasn't kidding when i said that Malabrigo Sock was my new favourite yarn of all time. i could knit with it forever and be happy :)

it's... beige.

2011-04-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

so not me, i know! i don't do beige. beige is so... beige. usually i pick out furniture based on it's colour and looks. this time i just went with price and comfort. so beige it is.

i've lived in this apartment for exactly a year and haven't bothered to paint any of the rooms. i keep wanting to, but keep getting this weird feeling that it would be a waste. i think it's the universe telling me that something more permanent (and without the three flights of stairs up) is coming along soon :)

so... here's my new sofa. all arranged. i won't go into details about how that went. all you need to know is all it took for it to get done without frustration was for John and i to leave and for his teenage children to take over and finish the job doing what parents preach for their kids to do but somehow forget the lessons when it comes to themselves: co-operation and compromise. they are awesome kids :)

please pardon the clutter. i will get around to arranging the books on the bookshelf again. eventually. i'm just happy they're back on the shelf at all after the re-arrangement of the living room to make room for the new sofa that seems so much bigger in my apartment than it did on the showroom floor. ;)

i am so excited

2011-03-30T15:54:00.000-04:00

i have to announce that i have bought myself a wonderful set of rings. i have been eyeing the rose rings available from Wexford Jewelers for longer than i care to admit. i have finally purchased. it is a wedding set. i suppose if John and i ever get married (we have talked about it) i can use it as it is intended to be used... as a wedding set. i can give him the engagement ring and he can propose to me if that's in the cards. but i bought it, i paid for it, if we don't last it is mine. if he uses it to propose to me i will not let him "pay me back" for it. if we marry it will represent my love for him. if we don't marry or we break up it will represent my independence because *i* bought it. and i will wear it proudly on my right hand.

okay... so maybe i have some issues left over from my last experience with marriage ;)

anyway... looooook! isn't it stunning??

i have nothing but good things to say about the people at Wexford. buying from them was pure and utter joy. they are real, kind, easy to work with people. i cannot possibly recommend them highly enough.

my ring is being sized and will ship to me when my paypal payment clears (stupid paypal, the only option i had was to pay by echeck and we all know how long that takes). i will post more when it arrives :D

oooo shiney

2011-03-27T18:39:00.000-04:00

my life is full of shiney new things at the moment. yes, totally and entirely material, but hey, a girl's gotta take what she can get ;)

my super awesome boyfriend surprised me with aquamarine earrings for my birthday:

i treated myself to a new tanzanite ring:

and a better cell phone for texting, cuz that's all i really do on my cell. the yellow/green edging is my own doing... i didn't like it all pink, it was just too.pink. so i took some nail polish to it to personalize it. i think it will need one more coat, when the first three are completely dry:

oh, and i've been knitting a wee little bit. that brightly coloured background is a shawlette in Fleece Artist Trail sock, i believe the colourway is called Sangria. i'm not sure i'm going to have enough to make it a shawlette sized shawlette though. i guess i'll keep knitting until i'm out of yarn and then decide if it will block out big enough. bummer if it doesn't, but not the end of the world. not really sure what else i could use this colourway for other than socks though... it just doesn't "go" with the lacey shawlettes i see on Ravelry, know what i mean? :)

Wonderful Wizard

2011-03-22T10:59:00.000-04:00

i finished another shawl(ette?) in magnificent Malabrigo sock yarn. this time i used the colourway Indiecita :) i have decided that i could knit with Malabrigo sock forever and be happy. if it had a pulse i'd fall head over heels in love with it, i'd cook for it, i'd cuddle it, i'd take it out to fancy restaurants, i'd surprise it with love notes... ;)

the pattern i used is In the Land of Oz (<---Ravelry link). i had more than enough yarn for this shawl. in fact, i knit the entire pattern but i had a bunch of yarn left over when i reached the "cast off" bit, and really didn't want another stray left over ball of sock yarn, so i improvised the feather and fan pattern and knit until i ran out of yarn :)

Holden Shawlette

2011-03-08T15:28:00.001-05:00

she's done! and she's beautiful, if i may say so myself. the combination of the yarn and the pattern... perfection!

i altered the cast off and i finished her with yarn left over.

well... i'll be damned...

2011-03-02T13:20:00.000-05:00

i ran out of yarn while casting off on my Holden Shawlette. i was so close! i'm slowly unravelling it. slowly because every stitch i unravel is dropping and i have to pick it up with a handy dandy crochet hook. i'm hoping that i can do the picot cast off again (because it really looks so cute!), but next time around i'm going to knit more stitches between each picot. hopefully that will save me some yarn and i'll have enough to get all the way across.

witness the sadness:

but, in better news, i did get this in the mail:

my new fuzzy wallet. it is so adorable! lots of room for my stuff too. i'm happy :) i got it from this seller on Etsy: BearMojo.

Holden Shawlette

2011-02-27T13:51:00.001-05:00

i am so in love with the Malabrigo sock yarn. it is so soft, so springy, the colours are beyond amazing! try as i might i could not capture the colours (i'm knitting with the colourway Archangel) exactly as they are with my camera. in real life it is darker, with more burgundy. it's like knitting the colours of a sunset. beautiful!

Riverside Yarns

2011-02-26T20:25:00.000-05:00

so, the man was kind enough to leave a little early to pick up his kids this weekend... which meant i had time to (finally!) stop in to check out Riverside Yarns in Owen Sound, Ontario.

okay... i admit it... they almost kicked me out for drooling on their yarns. you have to understand that i've been doing all my yarn shopping online for the past two years. so being in an actual yarn store, with yarn i could fondle... oh.my.gawd.

i must also say that Colleen was incredible. what a sweetheart. she was very pleasant, and not in that fake-nice way, you know what i mean? she seems very genuine.

i walked out of there with Knitting Lace Triangles by Evelyn A. Clark, two skeins of Malabrigo sock (one in Indiecita, pictured, the other is in Archangel, not pictured... yet) and a skein of Fleece Artist Trail Socks in the most fabulous reds, purples and oranges.

this is my first experience with Malabrigo sock. and i am in love. i proposed to it, but it (oh so softly) turned me down and suggested we commit to each other in a different way... she would be willing to live with me for a long time in the form of a Holden Shawlette. i agreed.

now... on to the quick and flash-ridden yarn pr0n. hey... pr0n is pr0n, right? ;)

i plead temporary insanity

2011-02-23T18:09:00.001-05:00

my apologies for the not so great photo. it's dark already, i had to use the flash to take these photos. here's a better look at what temporary insanity does to me:

8 NYX round lipglosses. 8 NYX round lipsticks. 4 Amuse lip pencils. 4 No7 lip liners. 1 No7 blush. 1 No7 Sheer lipstick. and 1 QUO sparkly lipgloss. i got the NYX and Amuse via Cherry Culture. they came very well packaged and arrived quickly :) and the No7 and Quo items were on super clearance at my local Shopper's Drug Mart. $10 lipliners for $2.50? i couldn't resist grabbing some!

i'll take some time, when it's light out and i can take better photos, to do some swatches up and post them here :)

this is my new friend...

2011-02-22T14:11:00.000-05:00

...Elizabeth. she's rather tall and skinny (two things i am not), but i like her all the same ;)

i got her on eBay. i've been wanting to get a mannequin for a while... it's so hard to take pictures of things like scarfs without one for selling things on Etsy. she arrived early last week but i was too sick to even look at her in the box. John took her out of the box this past weekend and assembled her for me. he's the one who christened her Elizabeth. not only does he put things together, he names them. this is a sign of a keeper for me... i name everything. for example, my laptop's name is Jezebel.

i haven't really managed much in the way of knitting this past week. yes, i was that sick. if i'm not knitting or if i turn down a glass of milk you know there is something seriously wrong with me. i finished one Chroma sock and started the second (i totally admit to manipulating the yarn so that the second sock would start at purple and be "opposite" the first sock):

and i started another Chroma (in worsted weight) striped scarf. the black is Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes:

so sick

2011-02-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

holy moley. a week of hell has passed in my world. i have been so sick with a stomach bug. i'm finally at the point where i'm (kind of) eating again, but definitely not up and about or doing anything more than watching movies on my laptop. this blows. thank god for John, he has been my saviour this week. he's done my errands, fed me, got my mail, made sure i'm well medicated and rested and has worked two jobs between taking care of me! the man is wonderful!

so i've missed a bunch of days of the Month of Blog. i'll try to catch up now :)

Day 7 - a picture that shows your true self:

Day 8 - a picture that makes you laugh (there are so many, so i'll go with the most recent... from a post on Ravelry this afternoon that cracked me up):

day 9 - a picture of the person who has gotten you through the most (i'm using a photo of my immediate family from my brother's wedding, because they have all been there for me through many things):

Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future:

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate:

i hate Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T13:43:00.001-05:00

because it usually sucks butt for me.

however, the man i am currently dating is thoughtful. yesterday he gave me a little bit of bling for valentine's day. :) i'm impressed that he bought it in white gold... he has noticed that i'm not a yellow gold kind of gal! i do really love white gold/silver. i can't believe he even took notice of that.

i might have to change my mind about the evil day if he keeps this up :)

Month of Blog. day six.

2011-02-13T03:54:00.001-05:00

day 6 - a picture of somewhere you've been.

Amsterdam:

i have been to Holland twice. both times i stayed in Amsterdam with family. i went once when i was 13 and spent the summer between grade 8 and grade 9 in Amsterdam. and then i went back when my children were very small. Jake was 6 months old, Juliet was 2.

i would LOVE to go back again. i would love to go back, spend a few days dedicated to visitng family and then do a lot of the usual tourist-y type things there are to do, and i'd also love to spend a few days wandering the city with no real destination. i find the canals and the buildings along them incredibly fascinating. i love the history. there are buildings in Amsterdam that are older than my country and they're still being lived in as it they were built yesterday :) it's mind boggling :D

Month of Blog. day five.

2011-02-12T23:06:00.000-05:00

Day 5 - a picture of your favourite memory.

there are really too many to chose from. the births of my children rank up there at the tippy top, but i don't have any digital-form pics of either.

so i'll add some pictures of more recent wonderful memories.

making soap with my kids back when we did the homeschooling thing:

playing around at the skateboard park when it wasn't quite finished:

Jake with our cat Burban (i really love this picture). he was so sweet to that cat (she is no longer with us):

crashing my daughter in as my guest an "adults only" family wedding (that was 6 or 7 years ago):

mmmm. pear.

2011-02-12T15:11:00.002-05:00

so, a couple of weeks ago i got stranded in Shopper's Drug Mart. no, really. stranded. see... i was on my way, on foot, to pick up paper work from my doctor's office. unbeknownst to me, because i check the weather by looking out the window and cold cannot be seen, it was minus three bazillion degrees out. i managed to get a whole two blocks from my house when i had to take refuge in the nearest indoor anything. which happened to be Shopper's Drug Mart.

...anyway. so, a couple of weeks ago, i got stranded in Shopper's Drug Mart. while i was there enjoying their wonderful heating system i took a gander around at what they had to offer. i saw this:

mmm, pear

...and decided it had to come home with me. i have no idea what "mangosteen" is, but i do know i love the scent of faux pears in body lotions and soaps and it's a rather hard scent to come by. it's made by Upper Canada Soap and i am in love. so much that i think i'm going back to get a second bottle before they are all gone (oh i hope they are not all gone already!) it is the perfect sweet faux pear scent i like. and a wee bit of this lotion goes a long way. i only use a pea sized squirt and it moisturizes my entire arm. love!

while i was there i, ofcourse, had to look at the makeup. i ended up buying four Annabelle eyeshadows and the funky palette that's made to put them in. i can't comment on them too much, i've only used "Fantasy" (the teal-ish green in the upper right) and "Divine Diva" (the purple-y colour that is all washed out in my photo because i used the flash :\ ... it has a gold shimmer which is kind of cool in the pan but doesn't show up so much on the lid). i do like those colours. the pigmentation in them is really good :) the other two colours i got are "Lagoon" (the deep blue) and "Rainforest" (the green).

when i have some time i'll do up some swatches :)

i also recently ordered 16 NYX lipsticks and lipglosses from Cherry Culture. this is my first time ordering from them, i hope it was a good choice! and yeah... 16. i know. maybe a little excessive?? but... but... they were on sale! and even with shipping they were cheaper than if i went to buy them at the only drugstore in town that carries (a very small selection of) NYX! ...that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

Month of Blog... day four

2011-02-11T23:29:00.000-05:00

Day 4 - a picture of your night.

will a mental picture do?? tonight i went to Ikea with my love. we bought some lighting for the living room, so i can see better when i knit in the dark. i have no pictures. and i'm too tired to take pictures right now. how about some pictures of the lights when they are installed? will that suffice to make up for my lack of picture blogging tonight? :)

we laughed and laughed all night long together. he is just so much fun to hang out with. he's such a good sport. he's not embarrassed when i plunk down on the display furniture, i laugh when he makes comments about how "ikea" it all looks, he goes along with me when i start talking in funny accents to see the reactions of shoppers around us (and he always always always one ups me in that department... the man is talented when it comes to accents), he lays next to me on the beds, says he doesn't care what the bed looks like as long as i am in it next to him, and we mess up the pillows, he's okay with me dragging in poor unsuspecting shoppers in colour choices for the new Lack side tables for the kids' rooms... he's just so great to spend time with :) i think i love this man. a lot.

Chroma sock

2011-02-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

i really do love this yarn. so much that i went back to Knit Picks and ordered some more. ssssshh.

i've been working on a sock in the fingering weight. toe-up, like i usually knit my socks, with a short row heel. i decided to use a different yarn for the heel so that the colour changes in the Chroma wouldn't be interrupted.

heel:

a picture taken using the flash because it really makes the colours pop!

Month of Blog, day three

2011-02-10T11:42:00.000-05:00

"Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show."

hrmmm. this is a problem.

i don't really watch tv. i don't subscribe to cable, or satellite, or any other means of receiving a television signal through my tv. i don't have a favourite tv show. i do watch a lot of documentaries. there is an entire website filled with them, all yours to watch for free! i spend a lot of time on that site and watch on my laptop while i knit.

i also watch freebie ghost/haunting type shows here from time to time. and sometimes i pop over to History Television's video page and watch a little there (hey... they have some new "Museum Secrets" up. guess what i'll be watching while i knit this afternoon).

Month of Blog day two

2011-02-09T03:18:00.001-05:00

it's 3 a.m. and i just can't sleep. so here i am posting day two of the Month of Blog challenge. today's challenge is "a picture of you and the person you're closest to"

this is John and I at my brother's wedding reception. pardon my messy hair... i was dancing a little too hard for my own good ;) to be clear, this is my new John, not my ex husband John.

Month of Blog. Day One

2011-02-08T13:29:00.000-05:00

a picture of yourself with ten facts.

1. apparently i am slightly vain, because i chose to use two pictures of me.
2. i don't like brown chocolate. blech. i like white chocolate :)
3. i hate talking on the phone.
4. i have a mental illness... i enjoy depression, anxiety and panic attacks on a frighteningly regular basis.
5. i have a few tattoos and a few piercings.
6. i like black. and purple.
7. i like my eye makeup dark.
8. i buy a lot of lipstick but rarely wear it.
9. i don't have a car.
10. i drink a lot of milk. white. skim. banana flavour when i want to change it up.

Month of Blog

2011-02-08T02:58:00.003-05:00

i was reading a friend's blog and she's participating in something called "month of blog". basically, every day has a theme you post about, and it lasts for a month. i'm going to give it a try. the experiment is currently on round 3 (i wish i knew who started it). round 3's theme is photos!

here's a breakdown of what you can expect to see from me in the next month, if i follow through with ease and finesse ;)...

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts.

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you are closest with.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Day 04 - A picture of your night.

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.

Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been.

Day 07 - A picture that shows your true self.

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.

Day 12 - A picture of something you love.

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.

Day 16 - A picture of you and your friends.

Day 17 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.

Day 19 - A picture of a habit you wish you didn't have.

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

Day 22 - A picture that confuses you.

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.

Day 24 - A picture of something you crave a lot.

Day 25 - A picture of you last year and how you've changed since then.

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Chroma Scarf

2011-02-06T13:55:00.000-05:00

i am in love with this scarf. the yarn is soooo soft.

the finished scarf ended up being 64" long and 6.5" wide. i used exactly two balls of Chroma.

i love this scarf so much i want to make another one. :)

shoes!

2011-02-05T16:05:00.000-05:00

yeah. i like shoes. but i've been way too broke to buy good shoes. today i thought "fuck it" and went out to buy some docs, because, you know, those things last forEVER! you know it. i know it. even when you want them to die so you can replace them with a newer model, they don't. and i need shoes that will last me for a while. really... spend $150 on docs or spend $30 every few months on cheap-ass walmart shoes? docs seem the better choice.

so that's what i did. i will be eating kraft dinner for weeks, but my shoes will not fall apart!

and because i am a sucker, i had to pick up the chucks too. they were on sale for $30!! who can pass that up?? apparently, not i.

(pardon the "omg, i got new shoes. new PURPLE shoes! must.take.picture.now." crappy photo. lol)

Sleek I-Divine eyeshadow palettes

2011-02-04T16:14:00.008-05:00

here are some swatches of the new Sleek I-Divine palettes i ordered from the UK and received in the mail the other day :)

for reference i swatched on bare skin, on my inner arm. i’m NW 20 in MAC’s foundations. although in winter i could probably go to NW15. i’m pale. :\ i swatched using the foam brush that was included in the palettes.

i find their shadows very soft. the pigmentation in them is good! i have MAC shadows that cry out for this much pigmentation. it seems uniform through each shadow… unlike MAC where it seems some shadows are more pigmented than others. picking them up with the foam applicator that comes with the palettes gives more colour payoff, but they are soft and crumble easily using the foam. with an eyeshadow brush there is less crumble/fallout but you have to layer for super pigmentation (but again, i still get more colour payoff using the brush with these than i do with some of my MAC shadows).

the shimmery colours are VERY shimmery. so if you’re not in to shimmer, pass up on these. they’re almost sparkly.

here’s what the palettes look like closed:

this is the Original I-Divine Palette:

and here it is swatched under natural light:

and here is the Sunset I-Divine palette:

swatched under natural light:

and finally the Bad Girl I-Divine palette:

again, swatched under natural light:

so... i've been knitting...

2011-02-03T12:28:00.014-05:00

a little thing like divorce and complete life upheaval cannot keep me from my yarn and needles! here's a post with a few of the knits i've completed since my life changed :)

"Sweeney Todd" men's socks:

"Acid Alice" socks:

and life would not be complete without some rainbowish jaywalkers:

i have a free toe-up sock pattern available for download on Ravelry :)

and shawls! lacey things have taken my fancy:

i was also completely surprised when Vogue Knitting contacted me and asked if they could feature my Edwardian Ruffle Collar pattern in one of their issues:

....aaaaand... one of my current works in progress. a simple stripey scarf done in Knit Picks' Chroma Worsted. i'm using the colours Lollipop and RollerSkate.

i'm back.

2011-02-03T06:17:00.004-05:00

my life has changed so much since my last post here. i am now divorced and no longer homeschool my kidlets. they are getting so big... one of them is in grade 9 (holy crow... when did i become the mother of a high schooler??! time, stop flying!) and the other is in grade 7.

i have started dating a new man, who, ironically, is named John. i just can't escape the Johns!! we met last year in June online and then in person in July. the rest, as they say, is history. ;)

after a very long hiatus and so many changes i have decided to come back to my blog. so i can fill your ears and eyes with sounds and sights of my yarn and makeup addictions and let poor John have a break.

my life has been turned upside down with the divorce, starting over, etc. but i'm still knitting! and i'm still equally obsessed with makeup. i never blogged about my love of makeup here before, but now i figure "what the hell, why can't a girl have one blog about two obsessions?" :)

oooo, i love Noro...

2008-09-28T04:44:00.004-04:00

Yarn: Noro Kureyon sock in colour s182 and Regia 4ply in black. my regular toe up pattern. a black heel and toe, knit four rows of Noro, four rows of black and you get some fabulous socks!

i put these up on Etsy but i may regret selling them. even if i did another pair with the leftover yarn there is no way i'd ever get them this perfectly rainbow again.

on a personal note, i can't sleep. i went to bed at 6:30ish because i was getting a pretty nasty migraine. i couldn't sleep then either. so i took half of a sleeping pill and finally passed out around 8:00. slept very well. i woke up around 4:ooam to pee and now i just can't fall back to sleep. i don't want to take the other half of the sleeping pill, so i figured i'd get up and do a few quiet things. thank goodness we have nothing on the agenda for tomorrow, i'll nap if i need to :)

socks for sale!

2008-09-19T10:10:00.002-04:00

you all know i can't stop knitting socks. and now i'm running out of feet to wear them on ;) so i've put a few pairs up on Etsy to help support my sock yarn habit.

Sock Sale

... go take a peek :D

not enough time to type...

2008-09-17T11:26:00.002-04:00

so here are a few pictures of socks i've been working on:

on a finishing SPREE!

2008-08-29T11:28:00.003-04:00

i started these socks way back in February 2007. they got put aside for a long time after i brought them to loads of dentist appts with John. i would sit there as moral support and knit... and then every time i picked up the socks anywhere but the dentist office i would hear drills in my mind. i would smell that icky dentist office smell. so they got put to the side for a while.

now they're done. i love them!!

the yarn is Fleece Artist merino sock. the pattern is my own.

and what good would finishing be without a little starting too? new socks in On Your Toes yarn. sweet colours huh!

more finished socks

2008-08-28T10:05:00.003-04:00

another pair of Noro Kureyon socks. they took my a while to finish because i just wasn't that into the colour of these ones.

Bellatrix complete

2008-08-25T21:14:00.003-04:00

i cast off with a ruffly sort of edging to add a little extra fun to these socks.

they turned out too loose. my fault, i cast on my usual amount of stitches, more than the pattern called for. the dropped stitches loosen everything up. oh well. they'll be my slouchy Bellatrix socks.

oooh la la

2008-08-20T21:22:00.003-04:00

what is that in my yarn yummy alpaca sock yarn??

and there it is again in my black Regia...

yeah... lame... i know. LOL. John bought me a beautiful dainty little ruby ring today. i need to have it sized down, so i'm wearing it with a funny clear rubbery "ring snuggie" for the time being.

Bellatrix socks.

2008-08-19T12:00:00.002-04:00

did you all hear that the new Harry Potter movie has been pushed back to July 2009?? wtf!? we were really looking forward to seeing it in November. :(

speaking of Harry Potter, i'm working on a pair of Bellatrix socks (thank you Ravelry!). love the pattern! i'm past the heel now on the first sock, but don't have a new photo yet. i'll take one when it's wearable :)

the Tina Shawl progress...

2008-08-11T11:30:00.003-04:00

i just finished chart 2. so far so good... the lace is pretty easy! :)

i am absolutely amazed i am still one the first ball of yarn (Fiddlesticks Zephyr Laceweight Wool-Silk). it's *almost* done now, but i thought i'd be well into the second by now.

stitch markers i bought on Etsy. the simple loops are from Sueann Stitches... i LOVE them! no snags and they don't get in the way of the knitting. and the beautiful purple one is from Jen... Just for Ewe. i'm using them to mark the corners of the square.

have you guys/gals seen this?

2008-08-09T11:04:00.002-04:00

The Mario Scarf. she's knitting a scarf of the entire first level of Super Mario Brothers. LOVE it!

and lookie... the Alpine Knit Scarf is blocked :) Juliet took a couple of photos for me before i submitted it to Woolly's (my LYS) exhibition.

cuz i don't already have enough projects on the go...

2008-08-04T11:40:00.003-04:00

Gossamer Stars Scarf (again) in the discontinued Gedifra Crystal. and socks for my 9 year old son... who's feet are already the same size as mine. yikes!

someone needs a good blocking!

2008-07-31T12:58:00.003-04:00

the Alpine Knit Scarf is done! yaaaay! i just have to get her blocked. today. so i can bring her in to the LYS for their exhibition :)

and here's the progress on the Gossamer Stars Scarf. i put it aside for a while to finish up the Alpine Knit Scarf. but i am more than halfway through the second half of it now. i should have it finished really soon :)

more makeup stuff

2008-07-26T21:14:00.005-04:00

i got a new pink GOSH Cosmetics eyeshadow yesterday... i had to try it out. if you guys haven't tried out the GOSH eyeshadows you really should. marvelous! i apply them over a MAC paint pot and a sponge applicator to lay down more colour. the brush i have right now is kind of sucky and doesn't allow me to pack on much colour with most of my eyeshadows. i did get a new QUO crease blending brush recently and have to tell you all that i'm loving it :)

(knitting to come soon. i have nothing exciting to show you at the moment.)

drama queen!!

2008-07-24T15:53:00.006-04:00

a little dramatic for running some errands and Stitch and Bitch... but what the hell.

... i cropped the photos this way on purpose. i'm not wearing much in the way of foundation (just a very light dusting of powder) and i thought i'd spare you all the worst of the vitiligo patches.

for the curious, here's what i used (all MAC unless stated): paint pot in Painterly, Mi'Lady (red side only), Odd Couple (purple side only), Hot Contrast (black side only), Stars n Rockets, Forgery, GOSH Cosmetics eyeliner in Hypnotic Grey, Covergirl Lash Blast mascara in black, and some old Rimmel matte black eyeshadow on my brows.

flying along...

2008-07-22T10:50:00.002-04:00

it's amazing how much knitting i can do during a bout of insomnia huh.

a little progress and a new project...

2008-07-21T12:43:00.003-04:00

the Alpine Knit Scarf is now 24" long, unstretched. i really have to get it finished because i'm hoping to submit it to a fun exhibition at my LYS. the projects need to be in by July 31st.

and because i don't already have enough on the go, i started a new project. the Gossamer Stars Scarf from Interweave Knits Summer 2008 issue. the yarn i'm using is Rowan's Linen Drape in colour 858, Blue Moon:

close up of my first invisible provisional cast on. i hope i'll be able to pick up those stitches without much trouble when the time comes!

a day at Tobermory

2008-07-14T13:11:00.005-04:00

we spent the day in Tobermory yesterday. for those of you who don't live near here, Tobermory is on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and is the end of the Niagara Escarpment. the Niagara Escarpment is a series of cliffs that extend from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. you can read more about it here :)

the Bruce Peninsula is a cool bit of land that's surrounded by water on three sides... Georgian Bay on the east and Lake Huron on the west. it is pretty amazing for people who like the outdoors. John was in his element. me? i enjoyed the views, but not the bugs. and i kind of missed real flushing toilets ("flushing" with woodchips is just too much on the roughing it side of things for me!).

here are some photos of our day:

the kids and i near the Big Tub lighthouse:

playing in the super waves in Lake Huron. the kids got knocked down by the force of them. thank god John's a strong guy!

on the Bruce Trail (see the white marker on the rock?):

doing a little rock climbing. the water below is Georgian Bay:

can you see John in this photo? to give you some idea of the height of the cliffs, he is 6'8".

i have a gazillion other photos and wish i could share them all! there are more on Facebook (send me a friend invite if you're a regular and i'll add you).

i'll leave you with one more photo. Juliet enjoying one last look from a tall (200ft-ish to the water) cliff of Flowerpot Island before we had to start the 2+ hours drive home:

a little makeup pr0n...

2008-07-12T19:25:00.005-04:00

what's this?

oh, the bag is beautiful, but the stuff inside the little black bag is even better:

Electro Flash Mineralize Eye Shadows! and a Paint Pot in Painterly (i use it as a base... awesome!). i was planning on getting the green eyeshadow duo (Fresh Green Mix), but when i tested it i found the colours on both sides very similar. however, if i do have an extra $21 in the near future i'm considering picking it up anyway because the green is vibrantly awesome!

look at the shimmer in these suckers:

Hot Contrast:

Odd Couple:

Sea & Sky:
i can't wait to start playing with these. especially the blue. it's freakin' marvelous! if i apply it just right i might be able to emulate an 80's hooker... it's that vibrant. love it!!

...yes, the way to my heart is through the MAC store. i will knit for makeup! ;)

i'm on a lace roll

2008-07-06T11:06:00.003-04:00

it just might be a worse addiction than sock knitting. i can't stop myself!!

i started another shawl. The Tina Shawl from Fiddlesticks. the yarn is Fiddlesticks Zephyr Wool-Silk. actually, all the yarn in this post is Fiddlesticks Zephyr Wool-Silk.

and as if starting another shawl was bad enough, i also got some new patterns:

and Lianne, the Wonder Woman at Woolly's, gave me a ball of Fiddlesticks Zephyr in the most stunning admiral blue i've ever seen! she knows how to fuel an addiction ;) she's my pushah!

k... i'm outtie. i have some knitting to do. lol.

the not so secret Super Secret Project

2008-07-03T11:08:00.003-04:00

i didn't keep it a secret. some poo happened and keeping it a secret lost it's fun. a lot of things lost their fun. but that's not to say i lost my enjoyment of knitting this:

it's the Alpine Knit Scarf from Victorian Lace Today.

a close up of the perty stitch markers from Jen:

i'm still here...

2008-07-01T12:23:00.002-04:00

i've been working on a Super Secret Project. can't blog about it.

the Peacock Feathers Shawl was rescued and repaired by a wonderful gal at my LYS. without Lianne i would have frogged the whole thing. she's AMAZING! i'll post pictures soon :)

anyway... just wanted to pop in to say i'm still around. i haven't disappeared again :)

when bad things happen to good knitting...

2008-06-21T10:13:00.004-04:00

if you have a sensitive stomach i beseech you to look away now.

look at how far i had gotten on my Peacock Feathers Shawl. row 203 (out of 249) to be exact.

but... wait... what is that up in the right hand corner??

a closer look at the disaster. look at those two ends hanging free there. look at the unraveling. my eyes are filling with tears!

in another knitting scenerio, one which doesn't involve yarn overs and decreases i would splice those two ends back together and slowly patch up the hole. but when there are yarn overs and decreases involved i am at a loss. i can KNIT lace, i can't FIX lace. even if i could rip back past the hole and put the stitches back on the needle i would. but again... yarn overs, etc. i'm lost!

and rather bummed.

i know who the culprit is. she also attacked the toilet paper roll and my shoes last night. soon there will be nothing in this house without her little teeth marks in it.

Canada's Wonderland

2008-06-20T11:00:00.003-04:00

i have to say this first. Behemoth = best. roller. coaster. EVER.

the first hill is 230ft high. top speed is 125km/77miles per hour.

we waited an extra 15-20 minutes to get the front car. the kids sat right up front, Mariella (my brother's girlfriend) and i sat behind them. well, i say behind, but the seating in the second row of the cars flares out so nothing is obstructing your view.

what a crazy ride. i can't wait to do it again!

some of the other rides we did were The Vortex, The Fly, The Great Canadian Minebuster, The Wild Beast (twice... there was no line up!), The Italian Job, the Bumper Cars, and the Sledge Hammer. here's a video showing some pictures of them (we didn't get many good photos ourselves).

... needless to say, i didn't knit a stitch yesterday.

nude no more...

2008-06-18T12:27:00.003-04:00

yaaay! our threadless order arrived today :) so we're all sporting smart tees now.

for me:

for Jake:

and for Juliet:
and one that i ordered a couple of weeks ago for John (from Jinx.com):

... and now i'm off to knitting with the girlies. but, sssshh, we really don't get that much knitting done.

i'm high... help me choose purse handles :)

2008-06-15T15:47:00.001-04:00

one lazy day + ugly cell phone + new bright nail polish (and a cheap high) =

the Kimono Ribbon bag is done :) well... for the most part. i need to sew in a lining to hide the mesh purse form. and the mistake (see the bobble on the edge of the inside of the bag?? i got carried away and knit that side too long):

now for the big question... which handles!

#1:

#2:

#3:

#4: knit handles in matching yarn.

cast your votes.... now! :)

Kimono Ribbon yarn bag update

2008-06-13T17:50:00.004-04:00

just about halfway there, despite ripping back and starting over 3 or 4 times. i guess that's the joy of knitting by the seat of your pants ;) this is the first side of the bag, done. i think i might have to add a few more bobbles to the top.

a feathery little update

2008-06-11T17:23:00.003-04:00

she's coming along pretty nicely, no?

and Woolly's is having a sale. i love Woolly's. and i love sales. i got 6 balls of Louisa Harding Kimono Ribbon yarn (2 in each of the colour below). the plan is to make a bag with it. and when i got home i remembered i have a bag form from SWTC. i might not need all 6 balls of the yarn :)

here's a shot with the flash to show off the lovely sheen the yarn has:

i'm into makeup too.

2008-06-10T20:41:00.006-04:00

and since i don't have any new photos of the Peacock Feathers shawl to show off, i'm going to post some of my recent decent makeup looks.

it's kind of fitting to start off with a peacock-coloured look:

and then my "oooops, i slipped with the liner..." look. forget starting over, i just worked with the slip.

and a rainbow look. it was fun to do. i thickened up the liner after taking the photos... it looked much better with darker liner. but i was too lazy to take more photos.

i use a mixture of MAC, Gosh Cosmetics, Too Faced and Taylor Made Minerals shadows for the looks above. the eyeliners are L'Oreal H.I.P's cream liner and Too Faced Liquif-Eye. and i can't forget to mention Urban Decay Potion Primer... can't live without that!

the socks...

2008-06-09T10:43:00.006-04:00

for Holly. here are the yarns i used for each pair :)

for the blue and pastel socks below i used Estelle Arequipa (blue) and Trekking XXL (i don't have the ball band anymore... i bought the yarn a long time ago. it's one of Trekking's slowly changing colourways in soft pastel colours):

for the next pair i used the same Trekking XXL as the pair above and the blue is Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch in colour 704:

the beige in the next pair is Elann's Sock It to Me and the green/blue is Colinette Jitterbug in Lagoon:

and then i have a poor lonely sock who's waiting for it's partner. the blue is Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch again. the red is a Regia sock yarn. again, i've lost the ball band so i can't tell you the colourway. and i can't seem to find it anywhere online either.

so... i used to blog

2008-06-08T01:09:00.008-04:00

blogging may not have been my forte these last months, but at least i've still been knitting... right?

and i've been knitting socks. surprised?

i started a shawl or two:

finished a shawl:

since it is 1:21 in the morning, i'll just leave it at that... and maybe warn that I'm Back!

more spinning

2007-10-10T15:08:00.001-04:00

Superwash Merino with Angelina (which i got at the Kitchener show from The Black Lamb), plied with 55% cashmere, 45% silk (from Colourmart):

(a shot with an unplied ball... i will get around to it asap):

100% Merino from an Etsy shop:

another Black Lamb batt (100% wool with red yellow and blue thread bits)... drop spindle made by my father (isn't he freakin' awesome!?):

and a gratuitous new kitty shot... say hi to Summer, aka Freakazoid:

a few photos...

2007-10-01T12:36:00.000-04:00

not of knitting though... well... not mine anyway ;)

this is from Corinna's wedding on September 29th :) we didn't get many good photos... i'll have to snag some from the peeps on Facebook.

we clean up nicely don't we. these photos were taken at my parents' house before the big event (my mum took quite a few... we don't dress up often):

the beautiful bride, my friend Corinna:

me, trying to figure out how to bustle Corinna's gown. see that shawl? Sharon knit that. it's freakin' beautiful!!! and i was totally honest when people asked if i had knit it. it's a sign of true friendship when you trust someone with such a beautiful creation!

may i borrow....?

2007-09-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

i'm going to that wedding i was dress shopping for this Saturday. i have a dress (not one of the ones i posted about here, but similar). problem? i procrastinated and then got into spinning... the shawl i was planning on knitting to wear with the dress is not done. it's barely started. i think i'm about 8 rows into it. i'll never finish it on time.

i need a shawl or something to wear with this dress.

help? do any of you have one in burgundy, deep purple, black or beige/white i can borrow? please? :)

second spinning attempt

2007-09-14T13:18:00.001-04:00

it's turning out much more consistent than the yarn i showed you all the other day. i split the roving in two (almost) equal parts and am spinning two balls from it. the first ball turned out quite blue and the second has a lot of purple in it. i think it will look nice when it's plied.

and i'm on a freakin' roll... i just can't stop buying more fiber!! exhibit one. exhibit two. exhibit three. and i am coveting this one in such a bad way. i need more $ in my paypal. i hate how that account seems to empty so fast. ;)

we gave Burban a lovely funeral. she's buried just under our kitchen window so she's still nice and close to us.

crappy day.

2007-09-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

rest in peace Burban :(

hallelujah! i have found the camera...

2007-09-10T12:31:00.000-04:00

and it was hidden in one of the cubbies on the coffee table. finding working batteries wasn't quite as easy, but i was up to the task.

so here's what i've been up to (other than unpacking and settling in... i will show pics of the new place as soon as it's decent enough to share on the internet):

the "stash busting" blankets:

and lookie! i made yarn!! this is my first successful attempt. i'm sure to spinners who have more experience it looks so "beginner", but damn, i am proud! it's made from the Fleece Artist merino sliver i bought at the Kitchener Waterloo Knitter's Fair on Saturday. it turned out chunky, with thick and thin spots, but that's okay. i knit up a swatch on size US 15 needles:

a shot with the flash, because it makes the colours pop:

(and aren't the new living room floors so much nicer than the generic parquet we had at the last place?)

spin spin spin!

2007-09-09T20:46:00.000-04:00

i went to the Kitchener/Waterloo Knitter's Fair yesterday with a friend, Sharon, and had a blast! well worth the drive. and next year i'm going to bring more money!! we met with two other gals from the Orangeville knitting group and i was really glad to see them again. Tracy is looking absolutely FABULOUS! and she wore a beautiful knit tank. and Cindy cracked me up as usual. love her!

i bought a drop spindle and a bunch of batts/roving (whatever the terms are... i haven't learned the lingo yet). so i've been practicing. the first round... yikes. suckage city!! luckily i got a little freebie bag of batting and that was what got wrecked. today i broke out the Fleece Artist roving, even though i'm not at all good yet... i just couldn't resist it. so far the spinning of that isn't going as terrible as the first tries yesterday evening. i have one little ball. i'm going to spin another and try plying it. and now i just want more more more batts/roving!! i took a quick look on Etsy and am very tempted, especially by some of the funky batts with freaky fibers in them like Angelina and Firestar (seriously... i'm like a magpie, attracted to the sparkly things!).

i really want to show you some pictures. but it's dark here now. and i have no idea where the camera is. so... tomorrow.

yes... tomorrow. i will be back. i will get back to blogging because i miss it!! now that we're more settled i'll have more time for the things i've been missing.

i have been knitting. i'm working on two afghans (why do i dislike that word so much?) to use up old/novelty yarns. well, that was the idea, but i found some really funky yarns on sale at Woolly's for $2 a ball... $2 a ball!! i couldn't resist!! so instead of strictly using up stash, i added to it.

we're moved.

2007-08-03T12:32:00.001-04:00

but not done unpacking.

and the story of the move... gah! when i have more time i'll tell you all the insanity of the van breaking down with the whole family in it (cat and hamsters included), boxes stacked to the ceiling, on our laps, in between seats... and mattresses strapped to the roof. we felt like the Beverly Hillbillies being illegally towed by a friend and his massive pick-up truck.

... and then things got a little crazy because we had some trouble getting back into Orangeville to finish things up there...

i am SO GLAD this move is done. lemme tell you, if i can help it, i won't live in co-op housing ever again. yes... there are some lovely people in co-op housing. but unfortunately they are out-numbered by gossipy in-your-business people. i'm so glad to be away from those people!!

i still have lots of unpacking to do. it's pretty slow-going because of the heat. but so far living here hasn't been bad. i know one woman who works at the post office and she's been lovely about helping me get our mail even though we don't have a key to the post office box (we're getting a copy asap). the main level of the house stays cool enough (the ceilings are really high and the house is brick), so even though it's insanely hot outside, it's not too bad inside. the kitchen may have been built in the 60's, but there is room to walk around in it, unlike the tiny kitchen we had in Orangeville. the kids have already met the neighbour to the right of us... the boy who lives there is 10, and they're welcome to play anytime with him on the huge trampoline they have in the backyard. when we were moving the washer, dryer and dishwasher in the neighbour across the back lane came rushing over to help carry them into the house. so friendly!

and i'm really enjoying the big old clawfoot tub... at the end of the day when i'm all sticky and sweaty and generally gross feeling because of the heat it's so lovely to run a cool bath and soak in it for a while!

when i have things around here a little more organized i'll post some pictures :)

shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding...

2007-07-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

isn't all it's cracked up to be.

other weddings i've been invited to i've just sort of thrown together what i've had. at my cousin's wedding i even wore my doc boots (it was snowing after all).

but this upcoming wedding? it's special. this girl used to be my best friend (we just sort of grew apart, but still love each other to death. we just don't talk nearly as often as we used to). she's been waiting to find the right guy and get married forEVER. she's in her 30's, this is her first marriage and i know she is over the moon.

so i want to find something nice to wear.

i found this dress on Amazon and am very tempted:

it's so flirty and fun! but it'll go out of style pretty quickly and i probably won't get to wear it again.

then i found this dress:

i think i could wear it more than once because it's a little more classic... and i could make it more me with my choice of accessories.

and then there is this one:

but there's the trendy-going-to-go-out-of-style issues again.

so...

which one do you like?? please?

(you can see more about them here)

just to prove i have a head ;)

2007-07-03T13:39:00.001-04:00

she's done! but not blocked.

2007-07-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

front:

back:

side so you can see where i did some short rows to make the bust area higher in the front (the puckering is because i knit an elastic through with the picot edge to make it feel a little more secure):

and me modeling it... please pardon the photos. no, i'm not a tiny girl. yes, i know the new cami is slightly crooked, and yep, i'm headless (that's what i get for dressing quickly and getting kids to take the photos) (and wow... i need a self esteem boost, don't i!):

moving along nicely!

2007-06-29T10:22:00.000-04:00

i can't believe how exciting it is to see that my knitting is getting somewhere! i just started into the third ball of cotton. i'm not sure how much taller i'll go before i start the bust area. i guess making it a little longer than usual because i have a little more belly than usual that needs covering. (how long can i continue calling it the "post baby belly"?)

taking a small break from the Harmony shawl...

2007-06-28T10:36:00.001-04:00

i started something new last night. i had some left over cotton yarn and really needed a break from the Harmony shawl. so i cast on for... i'm not sure yet.

the pattern i'm "using" is the Krista tee from White Lies Designs. but i don't think i'll move on to the second lace pattern. i like the first lace pattern too much.

when the piece gets long enough i'll probably switch to stockinette, perhaps even the second lace pattern, to cover the bust area. and i doubt she'll turn into a tee. probably a cami or tube top.

i'm working her in the round, in one piece. i left a strip of 4 (or is it 5?) stockinette stitches at what will be the back of the piece... i'm planning on adding sweet buttons to that to make it appear it needs to be done up. you can spy that in the last photo, to the right.

this is a nice change from the shawl. i actually feel like i'm getting somewhere! i can see the progress! with the shawl a row takes so long it feels like i'm knitting into oblivion with little results.

i have a problem...

2007-06-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

i'm having a hard time NOT wearing make-up today.

there's no point. it's hot, it'll just melt off my face. and i'm not planning on going anywhere... and nobody is supposed to come by here.

and yet i just keep thinking that i'm "naked". i'm so used to wearing make-up. maybe i'll just put on a little mascara to appease my make-up psychosis because i'm starting to feel anxious about the fact that i'm not wearing any.

dudes... imagine what i'm like when i'm UNmedicated!!

Juliet was kind enough to pose with the Harmony shawl-in-progress for me a little while ago (click to make bigger).

we took the photo at the front door, because, sadly, it's the least messy place in the house at the moment...

... ugh. yeah. moving. blech. i'm already missing the books that were on that shelf... and they only left the house yesterday.

holy crap...

2007-06-26T17:21:00.000-04:00

i went to Elann early this afternoon to buy some of the Silk City Supramerino wool they got in stock today. i couldn't pass up approx. 7500 yards of lace weight merino wool for $20!! i figured i could get the lightest colour ("buttercup") and dye it.

when i got there my choice was... magenta. ONE cone of magenta was left. and it sold before my eyes. people. this yarn only came out TODAY.

as Jake has been saying far too often lately... you snooze, you lose!

what a bummer. knitters shop fast.

2007-06-26T15:41:00.000-04:00

thanks for the suggestions about the shawl edging :) i would like to continue knitting in the direction i am, that way i don't have to attach anything and it's done when it's done, kwim?

i was thinking a ruffly sort of edge myself, but was hesitant because it might be too much with the colours/pattern. i think a picot edging is what i'll go with :D thank you!

in other news... Pop Rocks is gone. she's off at her new home... near Marsville. Sharon came to pick her up today and bring her home. the kids were happy Pop Rocks was going to live with Sharon, they gave her some "tips", packed up the kitten's favourite toy and said goodbye. it was all good until Sharon opened the front door with Pop Rocks in the carrier... and Pop Rocks meowed...

and Juliet started crying.

Jake held it in until Sharon was out of sight. then he cried too.

but they know Sharon and her family will love Pop Rocks and she'll be happy there.

.phew. i'm going to miss the wee little bugger, but i'm glad it's done before we fell more in love with her.

shawl edging... ?

2007-06-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

i'm trying to decide what sort of edging (if any) i should use for my Harmony Feather and Fan shawl.

... it's going to be a bit larger than i was planning. i'll definitely have enough yarn for any type of edging.

see... i had four balls of the Harmony wool. i was going to use two for the shawl and leave the remaining two for some future project. well... i went to bed last night in a bit of a rush (a migraine struck AGAIN), and left a ball of it on the sofa.

... within the kitten's reach.

the temptation was too much for her because i found it this afternoon. mostly in the basement. part of it in a tangled mess going down the stairs... some of it wadded it up in a bunch near the kitty litter... much of it wrapped around the legs of the mini trampoline, the remainder in what resembled the last bits of the ball near the laundry.

it was really hard to be mad at her. and i just left it there for her to play with tonight, since it's so tangled it's not worth the trouble to try to salvage it.

so i figured i might as well continue into the third ball of Harmony with the Feather and Fan shawl... use it for some sort of edging.

but what shall i do? suggestions?

here's an old photo of it if that helps... you can really see the pattern in this one, unlike the recent photo above where it looks like a lump of pastels:

why is it so hard...

2007-06-22T13:43:00.000-04:00

to GIVE AWAY a kitten?!

pet stores have no trouble SELLING them. but try to give one away, free, no charge... gah!

is it some psychological thing... if it has no monetary value attached to it's not worth anything or there must be something wrong with it...?

yes, i am a little frustrated. the longer poor Pop Rocks stays with us, the more attached to her we become, the harder it is going to be to see her go to a new home. frankly, the whole situation sucks :(

maybe i should just put her up for sale... maybe the $ value attached to her will make her "worth" something?

:(

hrmm... where'd my yarn "budget" go?

2007-06-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

not on yarn, not on the kids... not on groceries, paint, moving essentials... none of that...

but it did go to something i didn't really *need*... but something i was pretty sick of living without...

importantly, it's not the piece of shit rusty, too-big, blue, ugly, heavy, shock-less, squeaky men's bike that i've been using...

so, no yarn for me this month because most of my CCTB went to treating myself to a new, comfy, better looking Cruiser/Mountain-type bike for this summer (it's got the comfort factor of a Cruiser and loads of lovely gears like a Mountain bike, does that make it a hybrid bike?) my only "regret" is the colour... i wish it were a sexy deep red with flames and maybe a leopard print seat... like this lovely. or black with funky pink flames... (wow... i really wish the Electra bikes didn't cost so much) sigh. i suppose i could have it painted...

the head has been okay since i last posted *crosses fingers*. i've been very careful not to let myself get too hungry/thirsty, etc. but i really think it's the weather... the humidity gets me every time. thank you for your comments :)

i just haven't felt up to blogging.

2007-06-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

i've been having a lot of migraines the last couple of weeks. they've almost settled into a routine. i wake up every morning feeling fine, great, let's do this day. by 3pm i start feeling "off". by 5pm i have a headache. by 7pm i'm in bed early with a full blown migraine.

it hasn't happened every day, but every second/third day is more than enough.

i've been taking stock of what i've been eating, drinking, doing to try to figure out what's causing the freakin' migraines.

i think it's either the weather changing so much, or the stress of moving. or both. either way, i wish it would stop, i've had enough now.

i did get the Addi Lace needles. they are DIVINE. love them so much i ordered another two pair. the Harmony Feather and Fan shawl is coming along a little faster now that i'm not messing around with dull needle points ;)

so i walked into Wal-Mart...

2007-06-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

totally expecting to find nothing. nada. zip. zilch. zero.

and i was totally...

wrong.

i found a strapless bra... for $20. sweeeeet. it's not the best, but it holds what it needs to in place and doesn't look completely ridiculous.

i feel like i can go out and buy all those tanks/camis i keep seeing that i love, but never buy because i had no bra to wear under them. it's probably a good thing i have no more $ until next week ;)

that just made my day :D it's even almost making me forget that the Addi Lace needles still haven't arrived.

ouch. bra shopping.

2007-06-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

i need a new bra. and not just any bra... a strapless bra (to wear under my tank tops this summer since all of my other bras have super strength wider-than-the-road-to-hell size straps).

so, since i'm waiting for my hair colour to set, i thought i'd do a quick google search.

you know, it's painful enough to buy normal everyday strappy bras when you're not a B or C cup... but when you're a DD looking for a strapless bra, you better have some mood-altering substance nearby. (side note: you wouldn't know i had a breast reduction years ago and was that most coveted bra size, a 36C... i could just pick bras off the rack - you know, the kind you find at LaSenza, the cheap shiney/lacey/interesting details/sexy/etc/etc/etc type bras- forget trying them on, buy them CHEAP, take them home and they'd fit like a charm. i *really* miss those days!)

just from my quick google search i can see this isn't going to be easy, or fun. and i can forget ordering online. but where in this town can i possibly go to try on decent full support strapless bras? Wal-Mart? Zellers?

i think i'm out of luck before i've even really started. unless John miraculously has a day off work and is willing to do a "bra crawl"... yeah... see, even you cringed at the thought of driving from store to store to do bra shopping, i don't see how i'm going to convince him.

i suppose before i ask i'll run around checking out the dreaded big box stores that are within walking distance.

oh boobs... i love thee. but i hate the designers/sellers/prices of the bras you need.

maybe tomorrow...

2007-06-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

maybe then my Addi Lace needles will arrive. yeeesh. wonder what's takin' 'em so long! i have a shawl that's getting out of hand on my current Addi Turbos that needs sharper points and a much longer cord already!

Colourmart.com silk

2007-06-12T16:37:00.001-04:00

not a colour i'd normally choose. i'm planning on using it for a lacey shawl for my mum. if i can get my act together when it comes to lace, that is. i think i'm going to go back to Colourmart and order a cone of the dark navy blue for myself. it shipped faster from the UK than the Addi Lace circulars i'm waiting for from Elann (which is in Canada)!

bummer...

2007-06-12T13:57:00.000-04:00

the camera batteries are dead and i just got the silk lace weight i ordered from ColourMart!

quick harmony shawl update...

2007-06-12T12:17:00.000-04:00

squished photos of the crumpled up shawl. but i'm posting them anyway to show that i am still working on it ;) i'm still waiting for my Addi Lace needles to arrive so i can transfer to shawl onto them for (hopefully) faster knitting and better photos :)

glad i'm not the middle finger ;)

2007-06-11T11:23:00.000-04:00

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything.

You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word.

Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world.

You get along well with: The Pinky

Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

(what's up with those nails? yikes!)