Happy "October 31st" Memories :]

So I'm not an anti-Halloween radical. My parents always were and so we'd go to "fall family festivals" or "costume carnivals" at my church (haha). Instead of handing out candy, Halloween was always a night we would hole ourselves in the basement, turn the lights off so no one would think we were home, and watch old movies as a family. I never really minded this, since candy always was included, but looking back it was kind of perplexing to me. Because of the church/private friend parties we would go to, I never really desired to go trick or treating though (friends beat random strangers any day).

Ah how I love a nice private Halloween party (none this year though due to our international, away-from-good-friends status though *sniffle*), and the cute little kids dressed up as fairies or super heroes.

I have more of a problem with the disturbing aspect of Halloween. I saw a little kid (couldn't have been older then 7) dressed in a homemade, disturbingly real, disemboweled zombie costume once. I find that rather disturbing that someone would let their 7 yr old even KNOW about such things much less dress up as one. Much less MAKE the costume. Seriously.

.... but that's just me. Random memories. Random thoughts. :]

So onto the knitting. Unfortunately there will be no PICTURE of said knitting due to the fact that my camera is dead and local battery source was out of the kind I need *tear*. ALTHOUGH there is much to take pictures OF! Yay!

The mittens for my mom are all but done. I just need to figure out what to embroider on them. I'm also thinking about maybe buying her some super soft gloves to go under the mittens. *ducks all the rotten tomatoes and booing* I know I know!!! I feel absolutely terrible about not knitting them myself, ok?! But seriously. I have over a dozen knitting projects on my plate right now and that, with my stash being in storage back in the States, buying yarn for all these projects is getting priiiicey O_o. Also, Asia is really really talented at having alot of quality things for super cheap, ie. cashmere goodness, silken lovely. That's my story and I'm stickin with it! *feels as if she's justified self* ;)

... moving on now.

The flower shawl for my sister is blocked and just needs the button and flower sewn on, the briar bunny hat is done cept for the ears, AND I finally decided what I'm going to do for myself as soon as I wrestle the rest of these projects into submission.

I am also in the middle of ordering more yarn. First of all, you all should know exactly how I go about buying yarn online....

It all starts with tabs. Many many tabs. So many, in fact, that sometimes it makes my Firefox freeze up (I've been known to have over 25 tabs open in 1 window lol). I start off by opening Yarndex haha :]. Then I open the websites to all my favorite online yarn sources (ie. JimmyBeans, Knit Picks, Webs, etc...). Then I take my ravelry tab (which is always already open) and I find the links to all the patterns I have in mind and then I open all THOSE links. Then I leave them that way, pretty much lol. Usually for over a week, while the projects roll around in my brain absentmindedly. Then I slowly start adding things to my cart. All together it usually takes about 2 weeks of these goings on before I'm actually ready to order. This sounds ridiculous, I'm sure, but its really the only way I can ensure I won't forget anything (hate having to pay for shipping all over again. ugh.) *shrugs* :)

The point of all that was so you'd understand the full meaning of "I'm in the middle of ordering yarn".... haha :].

But anyways! Here are the projects I'm thinking about making for my winter gear this year:

Hat:
For this I am going to do the Not-So-Bulky Golden Compass Hood. What can I say? I love it. The little pixie point and the braided ropes give me warm warm fuzzies. Andrea's version is my favorite so far, I think ^_^ (picture used with permission)

My main issue is what yarn to use. I'm definite that I want a gradient striping yarn like the one used in the picture, but the main issue is finding a good one that's machine washable. I'm sorely temped to use Noro Silk Garden Bulky, but even after 13 years of doing yarn crafts, I'm still terrified of hand washing. The last time I tried it my project felted. It was.... terrible *curls up in fetal position and sucks thumb*

Also the fact that its a hat makes machine washing to be almost a must for me. I dunno... to me the fact that it goes on my head + the fact that it would be used all the time = machine washable yarn needed. *shrugs* :]

But anywho. Moving on....

Mittens:
Fiddlehead! What else! seriously.... how can anyone bypass this colossally amazing pattern? This one is going to be even trickier finding yarn for because it HAS to be machine wash. I can not STAND hand wash mittens. So I've been absentmindedly looking for a nice, hazy, machine wash sport-weight yarn. Any ideas? I feel like such a quirk case lol :]

Scarf:
Double Knit Honka Scarf. Since I don't know what "honka" is, I'm going to rename it "Whimsy" for my personal happiness. I already have the yarn for this project for once! lol I'm using my faaaavorite merino woll yarn ever. Crystal Palace Merino 5. I love love love this stuff. Its sooo soft and smells reeeally good (Am I the only one who smells their yarn?). What colors you ask? Black and teal, baby. I would actually prefer if the teal was multi-colored, but I already have solid teal so I'm gonna roll with it lol

Legwarmers:
I don't actually know if I'm going to get this far, but if I have time, I am totally going with the Mosey pattern from knitty. In my opinion this pattern is what legwarmers have needed to get them back in style for years now. I've always liked the idea and hated how they looked. I love this pattern though. Also nice and easy to find yarn for ^_^


Hmm... I think that's about it. I am anxiously awaiting pictures of my brother's kids in their costumes! Get this.... my 18th month old niece was a pumpkin fairy. How cute is THAT?! She is absolutely adorable naturally, but in a pumpkin fairy costume I'm pretty sure I may explode from the cuteness lol :]


Ps. I didn't actually get the chance to do anything for Halloween, so I decided to mess around and do another makeup tutorial for YouTube *shrugs*. That's what my profile picture is all about, for those wondering lol

*Crossing Jordan Theme Song Plays*

... and by that I mean the one from the FIRST season. The awesome Riverdance-esque one. I was oh SO disappointed when the changed it :(

But I digress....

I have GOT to buckle down and get to picking things for Christmas presents lol. I'm knitting gifts for all females over the age of 16 and everyone under the age of 2. OTHER then the fact that my little sisters would rather have I'm only doing females in my family over the age of 16, otherwise I would be insane. Seriously.


Mom: Mittens. I'm following the "Chartres Mittens" pattern from Ravelry, minus the color work. My mom doesn't like it when her nails snag on the inside of fair isle, so I'm thinking of duplicate stitching something on the front. Maybe a snowflake? I dunno... hm. Also, since she's my mommy, I was thinking of maybe making her something else too. Maybe yet another cowl?

MIL: The Grassy Cowl. That one's pretty much in the bag! Yay! Just have to wait for my size 6's to get here ^_^

Sister #1: Mrs. Beeton from Knitty! I've been wanting to knit this pattern for a while now. Yay! ^_^

Sister #2: Flower Scarfette/Cowl. Basically done and done. Just have to sew on button and weave in ends :]

SIL #1: I swear this isn't dejavu, but I'm thinking of knitting her a cowl lol

SIL #2: Also the Mrs. Beeton pattern from Knitty. Probably gonna make an extra pair for myself too xD

Niece #5 (DD of SIL #1): Briar Bunny Hat. This hat is kind of a boring knit... but the result is oh so cute. Quite possibly the cutest baby hat I've ever seen. No joke....

New Baby Nephew (DS of Sister #1): Baby Moc-A-Soc pattern from Ravelry. So cute and warm x]


Well that's the plan so far. Lots to keep me busy. I'm working on my speed knitting but I'm still not very fast. Alas, I didn't think about working on my speed until now :[

I was considering making things for my little posse of 7-12 yr old sisters, but I'm pretty sure they would rather have some new fangled something-or-other. They keep requesting iPods. Apparently my new married status also means that I also have unlimited funding for random frivilous technology to bestow upon little monkeys *rolls eyes* ;)

With all this said.... I really miss SNOW!!! Good ol Wisconsin snow. 9 - 18 inches of snow. Even better, a blizzard. I love knitting during snowstorms =D

On that note, I shall leave thee. Sorry for this post being really unwitty, scatterbrained, and boring. Just felt the need to write out my thoughts and plans. Its one of those days..... *shrugs* :]



Ps. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention. I have no idea what to knit for my best friend. Any ideas? She is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult people to get something for on my Christmas present list. For ANY gift giving occation, really lol

*fanfare plays in the streets*

So I finally started/started to finish more projects lol

First I had to restart the mittens I showed before, but THIS time I decided to use the Magic Loop technique. I found a really nice video tutorial on how to do it and it was surprisingly easy to pick up on. I really enjoy it. Its sweet sweet nice not having to juggle dpns. Brent prefers it also. He always looks at me with mock fear when I try on a half done mitten with the dnps still sticking out all over the place. Says it looks like something a ninja would wear haha ;)


^ I'm thinking of duplicate stitching a graphic to the front of the mitten to dress it up a bit. Anyone have any ideas? I was thinking maybe a snowflake... hmm.



Next project I've started is the "Grassy" cowl. This is the first lace project I've ever done and I must say I am SUPER happy with it ^_^. The "complicated" row is nice and easy to remember so this is a great pattern to knit while watching TV. UNFORTUNATELY this project is going to have to be out on hold for a while because while we were in Seoul, I had Brent hold my interchangeable needle case for a little bit and he managed to drop one of my size 6 tips and the screw caps and the cable lock. All in less then 3 minutes...... heh (he is so lucky I love him... lol). Soooo now I have to order another pair, which will probably take a couple weeks since knitpicks seems to be having slower shipping lately. Bahumbug.

^ Its kind of hard to tell, but there's hints of pink in the gray. It's actually quite pretty, be it very neutral :)



Next and oldest unfinished project I took on was this flower scarfette :). Not quite done yet though. Still have to block and sew the flower and button on. I really like how it turned out, even though the flower is kind of wonky. I think next time I'll subtrack 45 or so from the overall ending stitch count though. It turned out bit more... floofy then i wanted it too haha :]

*******

In other news..... EYE CANDY!!! :) brent and I went up to Seoul the other day to see a show but we got there a little bit early so we went next door to this wonderful little caffe/bakery called "Caffe Themselves". It was absolutely lovely. They had the most beautiful desserts I have ever seen! The pictures don't even do them justice, but I did try lol :)

The Puffin...

So Brent had told me a little bit about the restaurant where we were going for our date. What he failed to mention was that it was going to be one of the most enjoyable eating experiences I've ever had. It was purely bliss.

First of all the set up of the place was fabulous. Each and every table was in it's own little "alcove" and each upstairs section had its own set of stairs. So adorable. Needless to say, we ate upstairs. It was SUPER cozy and wonderful! I'm short (5'0) so I didn't have any problem, but Brent could have touched his head to the ceiling if he stood up straight (he's 6'3) lol

Without further ado, here's a few pictures of the delectable food. If you want to know what everything was in detail then just click on the pictures and you should be directed to my flickr :)




Tasty!!! x]

Ps. Now off to restart those mittens! :]

Ho Hum Diddle Dum....

Brent's off work today so we're pretty much just hanging around at home for now. Later we might go out to eat though. We've been wanting to try out a local restaurant called "Puffin". It's supposed to be pretty amazing lol. I'm not sure what they serve though.... hmmm lol

You'd thing there would be more ethnic Korean places around, but because of the military base everyone seems to cater towards Americans. There's a Teriyaki joint, Chinese, Thai, Italian, and pretty much whatever else you might fancy, plus the added bonus of everyone knowing at least enough English to understand your order. That last factoid is VERY important since, although I'm Korean-born, I was adopted and therefore do not know a word of Korean (except for "kam sa ham ni da", and going around thanking everyone all day, while polite, really gets me nowhere....)

As far as crafting goes, I'm kind of in a knitting stand-still right now after completely frogging mitten I was making for my mom (pity I hadn't found this article an hour sooner *exasperated sigh*). I was within 10 minutes of it being totally finished too! See? :(

^ As you can see, I wasnt paying attention (I think I need to cut back on the crime shows) and I placed the thumb opening 10 rows too high. Brilliant, Holly. Just brilliant....

^ I entitled the flickr picture "Right Before the Carnage...." =P *sighs*

So yeah. I really really hate frogging stuff (even just a mitten) so it was kind of hard for me to motivate myself to pick up the needles again to redo it lol. How did I manage you ask? Well my package from knitpicks making it's way to my door helped ALOT =D



^ My new and shiny set of interchangeable circulars!!! Yay!!! Now to tackle learning this "Magic Loop" nonsense everyone raves about ;)


^ And lots of random accessories (get to know me and one of the first things you learn is my intense LOVE for zee accessories haha =D)

I also bought the $20 binder thingy to go with the needles, but I must say that, while very attractive, I am SORELY disappointing! Its really.... STIFF! It's really difficult to unzip and the ziplock pockets inside are that way too! In fact, 5 of the 6 zip thingys broke off when i simply tried using them! Ugh... I have emailed knitpicks about this, but I don't really know what to expect. I've been having issues with my Harmony Woods too :(. The lacquer is starting to wear off after only 1 or 2 uses, and its getting difficult to knit smoothly (Does anyone know how to fix this? Like a polish of some sort or something?).

I always feel terrible emailing these companies about an issue. Its like basically saying "Hey your product leave something to be desired and you need to fix it right now" lol. I totally love knitpicks too! Ah well... even if they can't/won't so anything though, at least I've brought it to their attention... :/

I shall depart now, since this entry is a lot longer then I expected lol. After we go out to eat, I'll post a mini review! :)

Stay tuned for some eye candy!

Possibly My Favorite Meme...

I'm not gonna lie. I really like filling out online personality tests/quizzes/etc...

I think they're a whole load of fun, so for this entry I'm going to redo one of the best ones (IMHO) I've found. It may be beneficial to some of you that like to read them and also to me since it should be interesting seeing how many of the answers changed since last time I took it (roughly 3 years ago).

Here's goes nothing x]


Rules: Open three windows. One with the list of questions, another open to Flickr and ready to do an image search, and a third to Big Huge Labs’ Mosaic Maker (create a mosaic 3x6). Answer the first question, put the main words of your answer in the search field on Flickr and choose one of the images from the first page to represent your answer. Click on the photo then copy and paste the url into the #1 spot on the Mosaic Maker. Do that for all the questions, then click create and post the results to your blog.

.*: MY RESULTS :*.

1. First name? Holly
2. Favorite food? eggrolls
3. Favorite drink? Milkis (korean drink)
4. Favorite color? purple is love <3
5. Favorite music genre? woohoo! techno/dance! ^_^
6. Favorite shoes? flip flops!!! xD
7. Favorite singer? Sarah Brightman! :]
8. Favorite hobby? Probably either knitting or baking but for the sake of this knitting-centered blog I'll say knitting haha
9. Dream vacation? New Zealand
10. Relationship status? Married <3
11. A nickname someone you love calls you? Panda
12. A song that makes you cry? nothing currently. "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge used to though lol
13. Your best friend's first name? Michelle
14. Dream car? Dodge Viper x]
15. Your current mood? excited! I really want to try out my new needles but I promised myself I'd finish these blog posts first AH!!! lol :3
16. What's the weather like? kinda chilly ^_^
17. One of your wish list items? Prismacolor 48pc Pencil Set xD
18. Last thing you watched on TV? Hmm... not sure lol. Most likely a crime show though haha :)


Well now wasn't that fuuuun?! lol :-D

Blogspot, My Old Friend! (Somewhat of an Intro)

First of all, I probably shouldn't admit how LONG I agonized about a good name for this blog.....

But it had to be something that I will timelessly enjoy as well as something people won't inwardly groan and roll their eyes at when they read it lol. So there you have it. I mean, seriously.... who doesn't love bright sparkles.... x]

Its actually not even that fantastical haha. Just enough to keep me happy though, I think ;). But anyways... enough of me obsessing over my username haha....

This Blog is dedicated to my knitting. and sewing. and crocheting. and origami.... and whatever else I wanna put on here basically lol :]

You'll be able to experience all the RAW EMOTION of me tackling my projects! Lucky you! xD

With that note... I end here. I'll probably write a few more separate posts about randomness just to fill up the page and make everything feel a bit more lived in though haha :)

nothing worse then a sparse knitters blog *tear*

Now off to come up with an acceptable layout.... <3