Woot!

        The world of possibilities has been opened! I am now scripting works on a new found device, one marveled by kings and queens and the masses!! I, Aria, have received an incredible object, one capable of incredible computations and a medium for endless wonder!
I have come into possession of a Mac Book Pro!
Yippee!!

I got too much Soul in my Stash then....

        Souls are like skeins of yarn; complex beauty wrought out of a tangle. At first glance they seem to be an untameable mess of strings that could never amount to anything beautiful. They are a nuisance, impossible to extract any meaning, so they are overlooked in favor of the gleaming, soft, organized group of alpaca hanks in the corner, all organized and all alike. But the beauty is in there somewhere.

        Once someone decides to face the impossible, to take on the mess of feelings and behaviors, to take a chance on the seemingly unlikely potential of a bundle of knotted strings, the miracle happens.
Beauty finds a way.
Chaos is brought forth into order.
     
         Complicated twists and turns make a beautiful fabric of individual humanity, with it's own shape, texture, and color. Not one Soul is exactly the same.
     
        Pushing through a pattern, a destiny, with a possibly glorious end. It is near inevitable that it should endure without a mistake here and there, or a flaw so disrupting it must be completely unraveled. But there is always the possibility of a new beginning, the hope and dream of a refreshing start, endless outcomes await a seemingly simple strand, all tangled up in a corner, awaiting it's uncertain future, to serve a purpose yet unknown.

        Let us all see eachother in a new perspective, rather like a knitter in a yarn shop, that we not so quickly disregard a seemingly bland or overly different skein of yarn, but we strive to find the spark of beauty that only leads to a fantastical universe of mystery and boundless wonder.
Cheers!

Aria

Mater Natura!

        Recently, I've really been enjoying being outside. I played with my brother in my rather large backyard this morning, and I noticed that we had whole bushes of flowers in bloom that I didn't know we had! Huge white and purple Hibiscuses swayed in the morning breeze. The temperature was perfect too.
        Last night I almost cried when I saw the mountains at dusk. They kind of looked like huge, glowing salmon. Pink reflected off the rocks, with the oversized sagebrush and bushes poking out.
        I don't know why I've been so emotionally involved with nature recently. Maybe because I don't have very many stresses lately, so I can relax and notice the lovely landscape.
        Maybe it's the salad I've been okay with eating for the first time in my life.

A Friend Indeed

Me, the socially awkward giraffe

        So my friend has lots of health problems, including very severe panic and anxiety attacks. She had to transfer out of public school, and take an online school. I’m quite sure she felt really lonely because our group of friends were all at the public school, and we couldn’t always visit her. 

        She did discover that her online school was going to have a real-life prom. She was so excited that she could participate in a prom. She had a date and a dress, but she needed another friend to double date with. She had a terrible time about it, as no one was able to commit months in advance.

No one, except me. 

        Me, probably the most socially awkward person in our friend group, and I accepted the invitation of asking a Boy to my friends’ prom. I was glad to help her have a lovely time, but I was mortified to ask someone. She asked me a few months before the event, so I had lots of time to prepare, but of course I waited till the week before prom to ask my date. (huge HUGE facepalm in retrospect of my awkwardness)

        With a few kinks and awkward talks, the date was settled. All I had to do was try to forget how awkward I was and how bad my hair looked, and go to that darn prom and help my friend and I have a wonderful time.

        We finally arrived and found a nice, huge, and nearly empty dining room of the establishment. We couldn’t go on the real dance floor because it was dark and had flashing lights, two things guaranteed to set off her panic attacks. We danced to the radio music in a corner all by ourselves, and had a blast. 

        Then, all of a sudden, my friend stopped dancing, her eyes dialated, and then she keeled over, shaking uncontrollably. I knew what to do, so I half-carried half-dragged her to the women’s restroom (not an easy feat when she was in a really, really, poofy dress) and sat her down on the floor. 

        She closed her eyes tight, became very tense, and still shaking violently, started sobbing. She said that she felt so terrible that this was happening when things were going so great. She was worried about ruining my night, and how embarrased I must be to have a friend that can’t hold herself together for a few hours.

FWIENDS

        I told her I felt nothing of the sort, and was worried only about how she was feeling. Even in her darkest moments, she was still sweet and unselfish. I was very touched. To make her feel better, I said a prayer, and then we started singing hymns. She has a heavenly voice, while mine is so-so. Our voices reverberated throughout the bathroom, sounding like a mini chorus of angels. 

        After about 15 minutes, she felt much better. We went back outside to greet our dates’ alarmed faces, as until then I had completely forgotten about them. 

        The rest of the night was perfect. My friend was a little bit frazzled, but in good spirits.We went home, singing all along our merry way. 

        I feel so blessed to have such a loyal and unselfish friend. She has so many terribly hard trials, but handles them with so much grace and refinement. 

        I cannot fathom why she would be my friend,  with all my faults and shortcomings, but I am so glad she is, as I wouldn’t be the same without her tender spirit

"The Little Prince" Scarf

This scarf reminded me of the Prince's scarf in the literary classic, Le Petit Prince. 
It is a very easy Seed stitch pattern.

Materials

• Size 19 straight needles (US)
• 1 skein Lion Brand Hometown OR Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
• Scissors
• Tapestry Needle

Stitch Key

k= knit

p= purl

sts= stitches

Pattern

Cast on 13 sts.

Row 1: *k1, p1*

Repeat Row 1 until desired length or end of skein.

Bind off and weave in ends.

The Crocheting Flux

Hey guys!

Recently, I've been thinking over my life as a crafts-girl. I used to be a very stoic and hardcore knitter with no intention whatsoever to change my focus in the nature of yarn-handling. I was content in my little world of knithood.
And yet the change happened.

I suddenly had the completely irrational desire to crochet again.

I had crocheted in the past, but found it too 'wild' if you know what I mean. Knitting held security for me, because it had a set number of stitches, and nothing could change that but me. If there was a problem, I could fix it. I thought crocheting violated all the boundaries of that safety and security. Creating stitches out of thin air and the sheer flexibility of it all was too much for my head. But all that changed when I saw one of my knitting friends wearing a crochet scarf she made. It's funny, but whenever I see this person (who is a great deal older than me and I don't get to see very often, ) I get an inkling of inspiration that turns my crafting world upside-down.

After our first encounter at my Mums friends' home, in which she introduced me to the all-important website Ravelry, I suddenly went on a rampage of learning all I could about knitting. I taught myself Fair Isle, Lace, Intarsia, Increasing, Decreasing, Entrelac, Cables, knitting in the round, and bobbles. I used video tutorials, books, and my own brain until I had accumulated a vast knowledge of everything there is to know about knitting.

It was mid-December when the 'crochet-anomaly', as I like to call it, happened. It had been over six months since me and my Friend had last met. I saw the scarf, and was instantly curious as to how it was done. I did something I hadn't done before, and began to browse the crocheting side of Ravelry. I had never done this before, because I was too stuck up to admit I wasn't fluent in crochet. I favorited a few patterns here and there, thinking that I'd be able to read the instructions well enough. It was a few days before Christmas before I actually tried anything.

It was going to be a long day of rehearsing Christmas stuff, and I had frequent (and long) periods of nothing to do. I had thought of this beforehand, and as I was gathering up my usual stash of travelling projects, I came upon a small shawl that I had made for my friend as a Christmas present. I thought back to a cute crochet border I had come across a few weeks before on Ravelry. I printed it out, and thought I had the ingenuity to figure out all the abbreviations on the spot. Boy, I was dead wrong! If there's anything I've learned about yarn-crafting, its don't think you know what everything means, and when in doubt, double check.

When the time came, I pulled out the neatly folded pattern, hook, and yarn, ready to start making a flawless border. I couldn't make heads or tails of anything. I had no idea what a 'chain space-' was, or dc, or hdc. I had completely forgotten how to do anything besides chain st, sl st, and single crochet. I unraveled my hopeless attempts over and over, when finally, I decided to stop puttering about and learn how to make the darn thing!

So, I ended up going on a completely different rampage than the knitting one. Long story short, (my eyes are tired of the computer screen, :) I learned a lot about crocheting, and a transformation happened in a very short period of time! I had actually changed the pattern search engine on Ravelry from "knitting" to "crochet", and it hasn't changed for months.
I realized that I've always been lax on following patterns, (as described in my first post,) and crochet fit that part of me perfectly.
And I had never dreamed how much faster the projects go with crocheting!
What took me a few weeks and less-than-satisfactory results with knitting, took me one day with fantastic results with crochet.

I don't know whats going to happen from now on, because I still really love knitting with all of my heart, but the instant satisfaction and portability of crocheting has momentarily won me over. I'll never give up on knitting, but I've had almost no desire to do it for quite a long time. I hope the 'just crochet' part of me will fade away soon, so I'll have equal disposition to do both.

Love y'all!


Bianca

Humdrum Beret

Hey Fellow Crafters!

I've made several hats with this pattern, mostly with a
6.00 MM hook for Bulky (12 ply) weight yarns, ( I used Lion Brand Homespun,) or a
5.50 MM hook for Aran (10 ply) weight yarns, (I used Caron Simply Soft).

Note:  Sometimes the "ch 2" is too loose and creates holes in the work. If this happens, substitute "ch 1" instead.

Humdrum Beret

Materials (Two Choices)

• 6.50 Hook for Bulky weight yarn
• 1 skein Lion Brand Homespun
• Scissors
• Tapestry Needle

OR

• 5.50 Hook for Aran weight yarn
• 1 skein Caron Simply Soft
• Scissors
• Tapestry Needle

Stitch Key

beg = begin, beginning 

cont = continue 

dec = use the hdc decrease

inc = increase

rnd = round

sp = space 

ch = chain 

sc = single crochet 

hdc = half double crochet 

st(s) = stitch(es)

st = stitch

Pattern

Increase Rows

Foundation Ring: Ch 8, join in first st with sl st.

Round 1: ch 2 * 2hdc in each stitch* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st. (16 st(s))

Round 2: ch 2 * hdc in next 3 st, 2hdc in fourth st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 3: ch 2 * hdc in every st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 4: ch 2 * 2hdc in each st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 5: ch 2* hdc in next 4 st, 2hdc in fifth st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 6: ch 2 * hdc in every st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 7: ch 2 * hdc in next 5 st, 2hdc in sixth st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 8: ch 2 * hdc in every st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 9: ch 2 * hdc in next 6 st, 2hdc in seventh st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 10: ch 2 * hdc in next 7 st, 2hdc in eighth st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 11: ch 2 * hdc in next 8 st, 2hdc in ninth st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 12: ch 2 * hdc in next 9 st, 2hdc in tenth st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Round 13: ch 2 * hdc in next 10 st, 2 hdc in eleventh st* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.





Note:
Only continue with the Increasing part of the pattern until it is about the size of your hand.

 The next few rows are meant to provide depth
to the hat. Do as many as you want. Make sure you don't do too many,or you'll end up with a tent instead of a hat.









Decrease Rows (border)

Round...whatever: ch 2*hdc in next 4st, dec 1* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Repeat till the hat fits comfortably. ch 2*hdc in next 3 st, dec 1* till end, join in second ch of ch2 with sl st.

Once the hat fits, continue for 3-5 (or whatever fits your fancy,) non-shaping (straight) rows to create a border. This will help to keep the hat on your head and make it look nicer.

Cut yarn with 5 inches remaining, and pull yarn through last sl st in the second ch of ch 2.
Weave in extra yarn.

You're Done!