First Ravelry Pattern! Woo!

I made my first pattern to write down and I've decided to post on Ravelry to share with the world my creative genius.... All 15 rows of it... Haha... -_- Anyway! Here it is!

Super Easy Sweatbands!

I created this one day at work, while I was bored and doing nothing. I was beginning to dread my self-imposed workout routine that I was starting that night after I finished my work. I dreaded going to the gym and breaking a sweat and huffing and puffing and just the general unpleasantness of being sweaty. I LOATHE sweat dripping into my eyes. So I decided I would make myself a sweatband. (Yes, I keep spare yarn and notions at work for times like this, and yes, I'm a nerd like that. You love it.) So I just starting casting on and measuring as I went and this was my result! It's completely simple and beginner-friendly! It also only took me about 20 minutes to make. So great last-second gift for the exercise fiend in your life! I used 100% cotton for absorbance, but if you don't have cotton and only want it for the "glam" factor, feel free to use whatever yarn and needles you want! The gauge isn't essential as you basically measure your wrist, cast on some stitches and see if it matches your measurements. I do recommend you use the ribbing for the stretch factor, however! I knit it flat due to the lack of DPNs available at my desk, but it can be worked in the round! Play around with it and find what you like best! Oh, and knitting with two strands together would be great for more absorbance!

Skills Needed:

 p- purling

k- knitting

co- casting on

bo- binding off

weaving in ends

stockinette stitch- knitting and purling in alternate rows

1x1ribbing- knitting and purling in alternate stitches

Materials:

US 6 (4mm) straight needles or DPNs (whichever you prefer!)

Peaches & Cream 100% cotton, worsted weight in Happy Go Lucky

Yarn needle to weave in ends.

Gauge: 18 sts = 4” in 1x1 ribbing

Instructions: Cast on 28 stitches

Rows 1-4: k1, p1, rep to end of row.

Rows 5-10: Stockinette Stitch

Rows 11-14: k1, p1, rep to end of row

Row 15: Bind off in ribbing.

If you knitting it on straight needles, use the tail yarn (I’d use at least 8” to make sure you get a proper graft and tight weave) to graft the piece together. If you knitted in the round, feel free to simply weave in the ends! Voila! Finished sweatband! Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Feeling a little overwhelmed

Ok, my posts have been few and far between here recently. I have been working on my job performance and I finally (actually, since I've only worked at my place of employ now 8 months, it was very fast!) got a promotion and am working full time! 40 hours a week! Score! So, needless to say, I've been very busy. I had to get a babysitter for my daughter and I've had to buy a new car since mine died (see previous post with bird in air filter for more info!). So I'm now rocking a 2005 Mazda 6i that is burnt orange, fully loaded with black leather interior and all the trimmings. I've never had a leather-interior vehicle, so I'm excited! Plus, I've never had a loan in my name other than my student loans. This, to me, says my credit is improving! Weeee! Debt! XD I really am excited that I can be extended a line of credit, even if it is just a car loan for a used car. That makes me feel better about doing without to pay all my bills on time and getting any and all debt paid down and off.

Anyway! I've been knitting up a storm, recently! I've started on my nephew's baby blanket. He's due in December, toward the end, the exact date escapes me. But his nursery will be done in elephants and safari, so I'm making an *drumroll, please!* elephant blanket! Here it is. I had it about halfway done when the dogs ate it. And now I'm starting over again. I've also made a hat for my husband, and this headband for my daughter and also one for my friend, Stasi, while she was ill as a "get well soon" present. Not to mention some fingerless gloves for one of my friends at work who complained of cold hands while typing, and a custom designed cowl for a friend for her Halloween costume (again, eaten by the dogs, more on that later), and trying to finish my chilly podsters and the cupcake hat for my good friend, Devin. Phew! I'm tired just linking all those and thinking about it! I've went through quite a few tubes of arthritis cream for my hands in the past two months! I've also managed to teach two women at work to crochet in less than 10 minutes. Ok, well, not the WHOLE of crochet, but the basic, chaining, single stitch, turning chain, swatching, etc. When work is slow, it's nice to have something to do with your hands to keep the time passing by quickly.

So, now on to the dogs! We had a pitbull/bullmastiff mix and a lab/chow mix that were outside dogs. Then they started to disturb our neighbors' dogs and try and play frogger with trucks, so we started a "fence fund". Yes, we had dogs and no fence. No, we don't live in the city. And no, it's not a small plot of land. It's 7 acres deadsmack in the middle of nowhere. So we didn't feel a fence was necessary. The dogs had been trained to stay on the property and, up to that point, had done a very good job of it. But then they started to wander. So we started keeping them inside. Enter total destruction of home and happiness. So we got rid of the dogs. I tried desperately to give them away to a good home, but no bites. So they ended up at the shelter where I called once a week to check on them. One call told me they had been adopted out. My fears were allayed for that time. Now it's up to the new owners to see if they can "dogproof" their homes. We sure couldn't. They ate the drywall, plaster, paint, wallpaper, trim, flooring, yarn, couch, cuddler, ottoman, and diapers. So you can imagine why we couldn't afford the fence fund anymore. We needed to redo and furnish our home. But we're starting another fence fund and will take our time to build it up and make a very nice, high, safe fence for dogs that we WILL have in the future. Like over a year from now. Ok, on to a different topic, my heart is heavy with the memory of my dogs. :(

So my Christmas is filled with lots of handmade loving gifts and time with my family and I'm so happy. Well, there are ups and downs, but I prefer to look at the ups. Makes the down easier to bear, you know? I'll post more when I have more time. Work work work! :D

Dreadlocks

<p>&lt;p&gt;I hate when people say you have to be a certain race to have dreadlocks. It doesn't matter what your race or reason for dreadlocks is. The whole point is the journey. Almost every ancient people had dreadlocks. Asians, Africans, Celts, etc.</p>
<p>If I want dreads and you have a problem, keep it to yourself. Didn't your momma ever teach you that if you didn't have anything nice to say then don't say anything? Dreads are clean, natural (unless permed in), and low maintenance. Seriously, do some research and get over your preconceived notions, please.

And if you already know all this, good for you! Knowledge is power!

Work, Work, Knit, Work, Work, Knit

This past weekend has been a trial on my sanity. As a parent, as a wife, as a sister, and as a working class woman. My daughter decided to find all the food coloring and markers and draw and "paint" all my floors, my walls, and my cat. That was fun to clean up. Thank God for Clorox wipes! They get up everything! And what they can't, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers can.

Now, my husband has been working on our vehicles recently. Both have had problems with the cooling systems. It's been a real hassle. We've had to borrow one vehicle from his parents and one from mine in order to get back and forth to work on time and get our daughter hauled around. Anyway, he's been working on them almost nonstop for three days and he's been a bit... peevish since then. He hasn't been totally on board with helping me with the baby. He's got a diaper aversion, recently. Which I can't really blame him for, because they STINK! But still, it's annoying.

Then there's my siblings. My sister volunteers me to play driving Ms. Daisy for my nephew when I'm supposed to be working. And then my brother gets confused. And his wife is on bedrest with a very difficult pregnancy is asking me when I'm going to get there to get her son. It was fabulous. All for a birthday party which I didn't even get to attend. Because I was working. And they know my schedule. It never changes. *sighs*

And now, at work, every single customer I deal with has been a pain in my booty. Always yelling and complaining at me because they can't keep a legal contract agreement that they READ THROUGH AND SIGNED! Oh well, it's not my problem. But really, if someone is calling you, be kind. They are a person with a life, feelings, and a family. Unless they are rude with you, you should endeavor to be nice. It's common courtesy.

And in between all these glorious things, I've found time to knit! It's amazing! I've been working on and have just finished the left mitten of this pattern. And here's the finished picture. Of the left mitten. Hehe... -_-

Tell me what you think! And all the credit goes to the crazyknittinglady! Thanks, guys!

Better than I thought...

Ok, so remember when I said my truck was messing up? Well, turns out it wasn't as bad as we thought it was. One of the belts on it was coming loose and knocking the alternator, which was preventing my water pump from pumping fluid through my radiator to keep it cool. So my husband and father-in-law changed the belt, changed the oil, and changed the air filter. And wouldnt' you know it! I had a passenger aboard and never even knew it! Check this out... Sad, but I swear I didn't see him. I cried when my husband sent this to me...

See that white figure in the middle? That's a bird... That went through my grill and straight into my air filter. Lovely!

Anyway! I just found that rather amusing after the initial shock of finding a dead thing in my truck... Sometimes life gives you lemons. And instead of making lemonade, you find some vodka stashed in the lemon tree and make a vodka sour. Just sayin'.

Also, to add to my hand dyed yarn expedition! I am going to make a matching hat, scarf, and glove pattern for myself! I've never had a matching set and I figured, "Hey, I'm 22, why not make myself one?" So I'm going to. And I will post what I have in mind once I figure that out, myself. Right now I'm waiting on that darn yarn to dry. I've put it under a fan, blow-dryed it on a cool setting, spread it out, everything I can think of, but nothing is making it dry faster. Darn you, wool, and your water-resistance! *shakes fist angrily*

And I'm still searching for my own Halloween costume... I'm thinking something simple because this Halloween it's all about my daughter and her trick-or-treating. But I want her to be Yoda! I found the cutest Yoda costume at Walmart. It's only $16.95! Something like that online goes for almost $40! So here's to great finds in unexpected places!

Alright, dearies! I'm going to call this post quits for the moment. I'll find something exciting to post about again. Maybe...

Hand dyed yarn!

I experimented with dying yarn myself. I bought some fisherman's wool by lion brand, which is nudged 100% wool with the lanolin still in tact. Anyway! I used koolaid and food coloring, mixed it into mason jars (quart size) until I got the desired saturation. Be sure to Satan wrap your work space. I used some old, worn out cotton t-shirts to keep my mess dry and to test the color out before I put the dye in it. After that, I soaked my yarn in water (presoaking) and then dried it out as best I could. Then I put a plate into my microwave, dipped the yarn (one piece at a time) into the jars to absorb color. Put the yarn/jar mess on the plate and nuke them. How long depends on your microwave, mine was 6 minutes on high. Then, take out the yarn and rinse the dyed portion until the water is clear. Repeat with all colors and sections as desired. After all is dyed, wash the yarn with some mild soap and lukewarm water, then lay flat to dry. Ta-da!

Spina Bifida Walk N' Roll! Woo!

This is the current fruit of my labor to make posters for the annual Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky's Walk N' Roll fundraiser! It's like the relay for life or race for the cure, but only for kids born with spina bifida. I made a few rounds at work and managed to scrap together $50ish. Money was so tight, anything that I would love to donate is put into gas, posters, and time to get my baby across the state to Louisville, Kentucky and do the walk. At 9 am EST... When we live in CST... *face palm*

Anyway! I am very excited about this! I'm hoping to raise even more money next year and actually have extra funds to donate a good portion of it, myself. I have had a few friends to help me work on these, though! At this point, I'm a little disappointed in myself for not being more involved. But I have had a few volunteers from my friends at work that have helped me create these beautiful little posters! I will even post one of myself... And the poster I masterminded... Don't laugh! Hurt my little feeling... Yes, I only have one. And right now it's shame. (Just kidding!)

There will be a guest speaker at the fundraiser tomorrow. He is like Tony Hawk, only in a wheelchair! It's AMAZING what people can do when they are passionate! His name is Aaron Fotheringham. You should definitely look him up! Wish us luck tomorrow!

The poster and I.

Whitney and her work of art. Thanks, Whitney!

Bridget and her masterpiece. Thanks, Bridget!