It was an amazing two days, filled with good food, adorable shops, antique malls, fireball spices cider, and a hot tub. I love getting away from the big city and day to day life, so this was the perfect weekend trip to do with close friends (especially during the time of year where camping is less pleasant).

I got a tube of knitting needles with at least 10 sets in it that will really help fill out my collection (although they are in UK sizes so that kind of threw me off).

We also stopped by a boutique yarn store that helped get some of my friend interested in knitting. I managed to get Chris (seen above with the cider) to learn to knit a little while ago, but he finished his first project, a head band ear warmer, this weekend!

I would recommend Port Townsend to anybody in Seattle as a weekend trip, or to travelers interested in the quirkier/beautiful corners of the world.

I used the little ball end of a pin to make the dots, next time I might try something different, or I might try to perfect this method. Happy election!

I wanted to share this for two reasons that pertain to this blog:

The first was his speaking to the idea that everybody in science and technology also benefits from being an artist. He believes that in some was these professions are innately creative and it helps a person to do things outside of their specialties.  He spoke to the idea that we need to keep our perspectives general and broad while still being specialized. It helps technicians, doctors, and research scientists keep in mind why they devote so much time to helping people. I appreciate hearing this sentiment because it’s not always encouraged.

The second idea that he spoke of was letting your career take its own path. He had no idea that one day he would eradicate smallpox, but that ended up being one of his biggest accomplishments. He spoke about having an idea of the impact you want to have, but being willing to take an unexpected route there. I love this because I love not having a specific life plan, but simply trying to make an impact at any given point in time. “Not all those who wander are lost”, a favorite Tolkien quote.

I got a little over excited with  Halloween this year, and ended up only getting to go out once in this costume. My bioengineering professor decided that as 21 year old college students we really needed to have a midterm the day after Halloween (makes a lot of sense). So I didn’t get to enjoy the holiday fully.

But, I did make this costume that I’m very proud of! It wasn’t as much of a hit as the Black Swan and Dexter Victim costumes were last year, but I had a lot of fun wearing. I dressed up as Firefox (yes, the web browser). I tried to create a ombre color scheme down my body from orange to yellow, just as the fox does in the logo. I bought yellow tights and an orange fishnet top/sleeves and an orange bandeau. I sewed the skirt to the fishnet using various shades of orange/yellow. I bought a basic set of fox ears and tail that brought the fox look together! To make it clear I was being Firefox the browser not just and overly orange hued fox I bought a beach ball. I used the extra fabric from the skirt to make a flame like band that I epoxyed (then gorilla taped when the epoxy failed) to the globe, then I wore it around like a purse. I wish I could have found an darker globe to match the logo, but I think it got the point across.

This costume was really fun and a hit with all of the computer nerds out there (which there seems to be more and more of these days, but maybe that’s just my life).

I am coming to you, yet again, with a new headband pattern!

This one did not turn out as good as I would have liked, I probably should’ve tested the pattern as a swatch first, but I made it up as I went. So here is my first attempt:

I have a good amount of the yarn left so I will be perfecting this into a usable pattern. My biggest problem is that with the limited space the headband gives you it’s hard to get a whole lace pattern in it. I tried to do lace stitches on the front and back in this, and it really did not turn out well.

Hopefully this is some inspiration though!

Reblogged from Streetcolor:

• 

Luke Haynes - textile artist and quiltmaker  - yarnbombed this house / storefront on Capitol Hill in Seattle , Washington on Sat .  Sept 25 with a group of 17 yarnbombers . The yarnbombing was to prepare for the opening of bookstore .

3 Great Things About This

1 . This building is going to be the space for a new bookstore - " Ada's Technical Books " . 

Read more… 363 more words

That being said I am determined to learn how to do it… someday. As of now I will appreciate from afar the amazing pieces of lace the European ladies are making. Many places you travel in Europe you will find a stall filled with beautiful crochet lace with an elderly lady sitting beside it, working on a new piece. Every time I found one I attempted to talk to they about their craft, but most of the time there was too much of a language barrier or they were too busy trying to sell me things to just talk to me. Oh well, I can understand that. Here’s a picture of a stall in Sorrento, near the Marina Grande:

Here’s my friend Giovanna and I with Marina Grande in the background:

These are the pieces that I was deciding between getting:

I ended up getting this one:

I really wish I could have visited the island famous for lace making in the Venetian lagoon, but I didn’t have time (or money) to attempt that. There was however a surprising amount of crochet skill to be found in Croatia, almost as much as in Italy. In Zadar, Croatia specifically there was one whole street filled with these ladies working on their crafts. Sometime I think about just packing up and doing some crafts and street performing in Europe for a living… how peaceful.

Anyways, these women have really inspired me to try out crochet. I’m thinking I’ll start next spring as really the only thing I desire to crochet is really lacy pieces for summer.

Here’s the pattern:

Needles: Size 10.5 circular needles

Yarn: Any sport weight yarn will do, this is an acrylic, but I’d recommend wool for those chilly times!

I cast on 70 stitches, but this is just slightly too big. I like the way it sits most of the time, but it’s just on the edge of slipping off sometimes. So, I’d say 60 or 65 stitches, maybe do a gauge yourself and determine how loose you like your headbands. Some people hate them too tight because the “pop off” their head, but to loose is bad too, so this one is up to you!

To get the twist in the head band make sure you twist your cast on stitches once, then begin the first row. I should probably look up a technical term for this right now, but I’m feeling lazy. Feel free to put it in the comments!

The pattern then goes as follows:

1) Knit 4 rows

2) Purl 2 rows

3) Knit 3 rows

4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 three more times

Cast off (knitting the stitches of the cast off row)

And there you have it! A beautiful twisty headband that really cuddles your ears! If you’ve read my previous posts about headbands you know I really value the ear warmth they provide, more than the fashion most of the time. This one will be great for keeping your ears warm as the fabric created has a slight tendency to curl in as the edges are stockinette stitch, which is perfect for an earwarmer! I want to make another one of these in a chuncky white yarn; I used the dark green mostly because it’s one of the only yarns I have with me in Italy that’s a larger gauge. I could also see this looking good in red or other wintery colors, it will look so cozy! Okay, here’s the photo shoot! Enjoy and feel free to comment any questions, I know my patterns are pretty rough!