some FO's!

yeah yeah.. it's been quite a while since i've updated. and here's some yummy projects to show!

this blanket i finished a few weeks ago. it's my best friends christmas gift and she saw it 2/3's of the was complete.. now i have to mail it to her. the final size is 36"x56". the one i make for myself will be longer and wider. hers were for her little boys. the pattern. (it's on the Lion Brand website and you might have to log in)


and this calorimetry i started last night and finished tonight... it's so cute and actually fits on my big fat head! i used a heart shaped button closure.. it's so adorable and a perfect fit in the hole created in the pattern.

and the rest of my stuff, if you have Ravelry, is on my projects page

*squeeee*

this will really only mean something if you are a knitter and have a Ravelry account. my 1st ever felted bag is featured on a pattern page! Cartwheel Felted Bag

another purse done!

Tonight I finished the bag I was making for the FFBE. My downstream should receive it sometime this week as I'm mailing it out tomorrow. She is getting a knitting fiction book, Knitting to go cards since her job makes her travel a lot, some candy and hot tea's, a jingle bell buddy with her name on it... and the bag of course!

And the beautiful bag...... is stuffed with paper to fill it out. It took quite a long time to make it and i learned how to felt on this one!

I really hope she likes it! I also updated it on my Ravelry Projects page. The next big project is the Jiffy Glowing Colors Afghan - one for myself and one for Jen... and maybe one for my parents too. =)

FL Birthday Trip

it rained much of saturday. but we were able to get out on a boat tour in the afternoon (we saw a submarine from the naval base going out to sea!!) and a horse & buggy tour at night. and we walked all over downtown Fernandina Beach and shopped and had lunch (Brett's waterfront cafe place). we had dinner at a fabulous little restaurant (La Bodega) Saturday night.

today, we slept in, then drove down to the other end of the island and had lunch (The Surf) at this adorable little cafe with a really amazing waiter. he was a college kid but super attentive and talkative. he had no problems with us just hanging out basking in the sun. then we drove back up to Fernandina Beach to take pictures of all the houses from the horse tour last night since it was too dark. then Jen took Chanele and I to the airport to get the rental car, and she headed off to work. Chanele and i drove over to St. Augustine with a stop along the way to finally see the beach! we just stood on the walkway since the surf was pounding up and over the bottom few steps and took a bunch of pictures. i swear you'd never know we both grew up steps from the surf. i love the smell of salty ocean air! she and i walked up and down St. George St for a while until slowly all the shops were closed. Xine and her daughter drove over from Gainesville to pick up Chanele for the next leg of her trip. the 4 of us had dinner at Sonny's then they headed back there and i came to Jen's. since Chanele was leaving tonight and Jen has to take the kids to school in the morning, i would have been out there by myself. so i packed up too and am sleeping at Jen's tonight.

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Ye Ole Pirate Shipe in the Fernandina Beach marina


Chanele and I on the Fernandina Beach pier


Fort Clinch - one of, if not the only forts to have never seen a single battle ever - northern tip of the island


the wild horses on Cumberland Island, north of Amelia island and the southernmost bit of Georgia land


this is a much better and clearer pic of the submarine we saw on the boat tour. it's not this close to us, i'm just on extreme optical and digital zoom to get this shot


Jen and I on the boat tour


me and one of the horse tour stars - Sarge! he was so gorgeous and kept nuzzling me


this one was at lunch this afternoon.... hey, i know i never tire of seeing pic's of myself.... ;o)


and one of me in St. Augustine/ Ponte Vedra beach


and another one of me in St. Augustine/ Ponte Vedra beach... you know, a different angle LOL


yup.. and me in St. Augustine walking along A1A/ beach front avenue!

*sigh* yes, i know i'm a cam whore...

FFBE Question #3

I was just thinking over the weekend how far I've come as a knitter as I was sitting in the hotel room with my 2 best friends and watching Florida football and mindlessly knitting. I had been wanting to try for a long time, but could never get past the cast-on stage. Last December I was taught to knit in a bar by a friend that'd had a few drinks. I've tried my hand at scarves, bags, blankets, and now felting.

The bag for the Fall Felted Bag Exchange is turning out so gorgeous that I might just have to make one for myself!


How often do you change the purse or bag you're carrying? Do you change based on seasons? Outfits? Something else? What's your favorite bag in the world (and it doesn't have to be a knit/felted one!)?

I just recently bought a new, completely gorgeous bag. Some call it the Ugly Betty bag, but I simply call her Patches: the Bottomless Bag of Nothingness. I've had her for a few weeks and she goes everywhere with me. Big enough to hold everything... and then some! Plus, she matches just about everything I own...

Prior to Patches: BBN, I used Vera Bradley bags and changed them whenever the mood struck. Since they are extremely colorful and can match most things, they weren't outfit-specific or seasonal.

This just reminded me that I really need to take pictures and post them on eBay...

FFBE Question #2

My bag is coming along beautifully! I just finished the body itself and now on to the straps and other parts..

And now for the contest...
The colors of fall tend to be oranges, yellows, crimsons, and other 'leafy' colors - what is your favorite "Color of Autumn" and where do you see it?

I love all autumn colors! It is my favorite season of the year. Growing up in South Florida, we didn't see leaves changing colors ever! I went to school in North Florida and finally was able to experience such natural wonders. Now that I live in North Carolina, I am constantly amazed by simple things such as driving out through the country roads and seeing the gorgeous reds, yellows and oranges on the trees. I just hope this heat wave breaks soon so it can properly feel like autumn!

about dang time!

I'm finally on Ravelry... come find me! and friend me!

almost there...

ahhh Ravelry, I'm almost there....!

Found you!

• You signed up on July 18, 2007
• You are #18387 on the list.
• 668 people are ahead of you in line.
• 17641 people are behind you in line.
• 49% of the list has been invited so far

erev-birthday celebration (yesterday)

yesterday was fun. i went to the Centerfest Arts Festival in Downtown Durham with Irene, Akuma and baby Liam. we wandered around and ate (yummy festival food!) i bought a "picture" that was created as we waited. it's my name, in calligraphy and it looks like asian lettering. it is perfect for my bedroom! i got a custom-cut deep gold mat from them and got a plain black frame... it's gorgeous and looks fantastic with my new gold comforter.

i hit wally-mart afterwards and picked up a few crafty things for a swap i'm in - i made 3 sets of 5 stitch markers and then 1 additional for each lady. i group is a long black rippled bead with 1 teal bead and 1 silver butterfly. another group is tiny pink beads and 3 goldstones (brown with gold flecks). and the 3rd are all different - each had a big center stone of differing colors and smaller accent beads and silver butterflies. now to try to get pictures that come out since none have so far...!

c'est moi!

in case you were curious... this is what i look like!

FFBE Contest Survey

1. What is your favorite yarn for felting, and why? This is my 1st time doing some felting, so I'm not sure yet
2. Name one person in the swap who is not from the U.S. and tell us where they are from, and link to their blog. Chrissie P. is from Singapore - Ghostknitter
3. Find one person in the swap who has a dog, and let us know the name of their dog(s) and link to their blog. Kris W. has 2 dogs (Annie and Toby) - Knotty Knitty Kris Knits
4. Find one person in the swap who has a child or grandchild and link to their blog. Judy B. has not 1, but 19 grandchildren! - Judy's Crafts
5. And finally, tell us if you like October or November more, and why! (Yea, I know part of September and November are technically fall, but for this question, only October and November matter!) I love October because it has Halloween! and H'ween is one of my favorite holidays

bag me, baby!

My bag was delivered last Monday but I didn't make it to the office to pick it up until Friday afternoon! Jane sent me a gorgeous bag.. black with purple and blue jeweltones!

I haven't used it yet as I haven't left my house, but it's all packed for work on Monday!!

Thank you Angel Jane!!

xoxo,
Becca

Fall Felted Bag Exchange Questionnaire

1. How long have you been knitting or crocheting? How did you learn? or from whom? i learned how to knit last October from a friend of mine. we were at a knitting meeting and she taught me to finally cast off! and she was drunk, which made it that much funnier and easier to learn - save the few times she elbowed me in the head...
2. What was your first felted object, and why did you decide to try felting? i have not tried felting yet, but after participating in ITEIV and seeing all the gorgeous felts, i really want to give it a go
3. What are your favorite colors? Any you hate? love: pink, blue, green, yellow, orange. love combos: pink/green, orange/blue, pink brown.
4. What are your favorite styles\types of bags? (Long straps? Short handles? Handbags? Totes? Embellished? Plain? Include links to patterns or photos if you’d like – give your pal an idea of what you enjoy!) www.verabradley.com - i love bright colors! i prefer longer handles to short so i can put them on my shoulder and not constantly be pushing them back up. i like a lot of pockets - inside and out, and pretty embellishments are a bonus!
5. What handbag or bag are you carrying today? Do you use a separate bag to carry your knitting? I am currently switching between a few of my Vera Bradley bags. they're all very colorful and depending on my size needs depends what i use. i normally throw my knitting into the same bag i am using.
6. What other things do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? i've made a bunch of scarves for myself, friends and different exchanges. plus there's a few blankets on my needles that never seem to end!
7. What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? i love my bamboo straight needles! i bought some size 2 metal circ's for socks, but have not used them yet.
8. What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make? a sweater or some other tailored article of clothing
9. What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with? something expensive? lol i don't really have yarn envy
10. What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? beading, mosaics, reading... and being an MBA student
11. Besides yarn, do you collect anything? i collect funky beads that will eventually be made into jewelry. also frog stuff, and Vera Bradley bags (hehe)
12. What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to? the only thing i am completely allergic to are mangoes. i don't eat sweets anymore, so that would kinda be a waste. the only snack-y food i eat now are dry roasted peanuts and almonds.
13. Do you have any kiddos? (Furry kind count!) i have kitties!
14. What kind of project best personifies you and why? i'm not completely sure.. i'm very creative overall but nothing tied to specific projects. i'm still learning new stitches so i guess something that allows me to do that.
15. What is your favorite part of Autumn? You can also share a special Autumn memory if you'd prefer! watching the leaves fall! and the weather becoming cooler and knowing that it could snow in just a few months.
16. Tell us 3 things you would do if you won 10 million dollars in the lottery. buy a house in the Outer Banks, NC; month-long caribbean cruise; not work and sit at home knitting and beading all day (which includes buying supplies!

i've got stuff...!

I got my goodie box today from my ITEIV "angel" Cass! she sent me some awesome goodies... sock yarn, a knitting journal, herbal stuff (lotion, salt scrub, hand stuff), lip gloss, notes cards and mini dry erase boards! fun stuff!

Thank you Cass!! You were a great downstream partner (twice!) as well as a fantastic angel... Thanks!

I can't wait to see my bag now... =)

xoxo,
Becca

and in completely non-knitting news....

First Term Attended: Fall 2005
Last Term Attended: Spring 2007
Status: Active
Matric Term: Fall 2005
Residence: In-State Resident
Student Type: Continuing
Class: Graduate

I AM A RESIDENT(according to ecu)!!!!!!!!!

my tuition just went from $4,344 per semester for 2 classes to $1,308 per semester for 2 classes.

my heart is racing so fast cuz i just started dancing around my apartment!!!

twitterpated

yes, i just happen to like that word... it's also how i'm feeling right now. gah. the ITEIV swap isn't exactly going as planned since it's been over for a little over a week and i still don't have my bag. the one i made for Cass can't really compare to some of the others from the swap, but it was my first and turned out quite well, IMO. but meanwhile, i don't have one of my own yet :-(

i've been slacking on postings from Create-A-Connection too. i keep starring them in my reader, but never end up going back to them at home to post. yeppers... i suck!

things have been a little off recently in my personal life.
+ financial aid for this year took forever and a year to get resolved - yay for perseverance!
+ my textbooks arrived yesterday - miraculous since i ordered them on friday and expected to not even have them by start of term on the 22nd.
+ my health is deteriorating and i fear i may be pre-diabetic or at least hypoglycemic - not pretty things have been happening since tuesday at the gym.
+ work, however, is going good. my manager is quite complimentary the last week or so which is so nice (and unexpected from her reputation)!

woohoo!

My bag found it's new owner today! Cass posted a bunch of pics on her blog. Yay! I'm so glad she likes it!!

i'm done!

My ITEIV partner's bag is all packed into a boxful of goodies! Monday morning it's off to its new mama! I really hope she loves it and everything I'm sending to her...

This bag was so much fun to make and put together. I still haven't tried my hand at felting (that might be next!) or at sewing a lining into a bag (that scares me a little!), but one day I'll try both.

......................

front............................................................back

more swap goodness!

I received my swap from the International Knitter/Crocheter Yarns-n-Stuff Exchange last Friday. Barb was my upstream and she sent me a box full of goodies! I got 4 balls of Sugar n Cream yarn in various colors along with a knitting book on making dishcloths. Plus some gummy worms, chocolate covered raisins and peanuts. I had some major hunger last night and ate the food stuffs already ;) so no pictures of those!



Next we have my bag from ITEIV, which is finally off my needles and sewn up! Right now I am working on the strap and sewing on the hardware. I am so happy with how pretty this bag is and I know my downstream partner is going to just love it!!

I am using silver loops for the strap and an antique copper buckle/ hook to close the purse. There isn't much of an overlap on the purse flap, but that's what the pattern called for. I guess we'll just see how it turns out when I'm done.

Swaps and such... progress

As I just wrote on the ITEIV blog...

I've gotten so much work done being on vacation! I'm in Miami for a week visiting my family and have done so much on my bag. I am definitely going to have to buy more yarn to make myself a similar purse. I really hope my downstream loves this as much as I do!

And thanks to all for offering suggestions for lining. Once I finish, I'm going to try to find a similarly sized bag to use.

Lastly, here is an intentionally blurred progress picture...

And I mailed the scarf to Milly for the AMH Scarf Exchange earlier this week. I am so dang proud of how it turned out!

I really want to make myself one now.. LOL I learned a new stitch and it was super easy. I'm so pleased with myself! ;)

I also joined a new yarn swap and my downstream partner is Cass and now I get to try to find her some of the yarn she loves.. I've already started buying some stuff for her... now to just find that pesky yarn. ;)

I can't wait until 1 July so I can sign up for the stitch marker exchange! not that i really use them, but they're so darn adorable!