Cari's Bracelet

This is Cari's wedding bracelet. It took three different tries to finally setttle on this design. I added the chain as a size extention. I ran out of crystals and one more pattern repeat would've been too long anyway. I used swarovski crystals and silver plated TOHO beads. I'll make matching hair combs next.

Baby Kimono

The pattern Seamless Baby Kimono is by Jacki Kelly. I found it fun and easy to knit. It's also pretty fast for those last minute surprises. This was supposed to be Baby Author’s sweater but he’s growing too fast. Too bad this is more like a dress :( I think Derrick will forgive me. I knitted the hat randomly. I used Hand Jive Knits Nature's Palette Fingering Spring Grass colorway. The dye rubbed off on my needles and my fingers, otherwise it's good stuff. I added little metal snaps on the inside closure.

I have no idea why this loaded sideways. I'll fix it later.

Vintage Lampwork and Peridot Bracelet

I made this bracelet for a coworker who decided not to buy it. It was based off an earlier design. It's made with brown vintage lampwork beads, faceted Peridot roundels, and Bali Silver. I put it up for sell at Letoyagoff.Etsy.com.

I really love faceted roundels. I found these on Ebay. The lampwork beads are from a thrift store necklace.

Collared Sleeveless Sweater Vest

collared_sleeveless_top
Originally uploaded by blacklovelythang

I should really try and make this again. It would look good with my new Gap skinny jeans. I could even accessorize it with a handmade silver stick pin or with long necklaces, that fit under the collar. I just have to remember which magazine had this pattern.

Flirt Charm Necklace

flirt_charm_necklace_02
Originally uploaded by blacklovelythang

I had an open ring blank in my metal stash and wanted to make a charm necklace. I wanted to include a stamped word charm. The word, "FLIRT" is always a good choice of words to stamp. I also wanted to be tough so I stamped the next charm with the word, "MAFIA." I've been playing around with recycled gold for a while and I wanted to add some of it here. It was easy to incorporate. I gave it a little texture and used a little blackener for contrast. The chain isn't long at sixteen inches. I'm not sure I like the gauge. I may swap it out for a thinner link. I used Paua Shell Fetish carved birds and Tourmaline rough cut.

The Relations Ring

I made the ring as a request from a new coworker. He and his girl are new to Etihad and Abu Dhabi. He needed a birthday gift for her and he was already late in coming up with anything. I told him he should be ashamed of himself. The fact that I was admonishing a future customer didn't bother me one bit. Charlotte just looked up at him with fond admiration like it was cute. I gave up picking on him and got down to business. I had an idea of what she would like and so he trusted me with the design details. I brought my ring sizer to work and asked Charlotte to find her size. She was excited to do it but was a little confused with the tool. So (as a joke) I told her to place her hand on a piece of paper and draw around her fingers, notating each ring size. She did it with enthusiasm and even drew the left hand on the back of the paper. It was so funny that I kept the paper. I think I'll give it to her boyfriend as a gift and future reference. The rings are called Relations as in, "I didn't have relations with that woman." Just kidding! Really, these five rings are seriously hammered. I used masking tape to keep them together as I turned the mandrel. The tape gave it a pitted texture that I liked immediately. Relationships can sometimes be smooth and rough. **SHRUGS**

Please forgive unimaginative pictures. I was in a hurry.

Knitters, Photography and Flowers

This entry is for my knitting sisters and brothers who love plants and flowers. You know who you are and if you can help me identify some of this stuff I'd be grateful. I also have one question that may or may not have been asked before. Why do knitters love flowers and photography? It seems to go beyond the useful blog pic or simply liking pretty things. I don't think I really appreciated flowers until I became a knitter. I've always been interested in photography but I found it to be an intimidating and expensive hobby. Now I can't stop taking photos and I'm even more conscious of what people think. Help me out.

Some of you have already viewed Flickr but here's a few new pics. I wish I could've taken more but I was constanlty being told to come on and hurry up. It was also winter in Capetown. The next time I visit Capetown, I'll go with knitters during Spring.

Capetown Fiber

I was delighted to buy fiber in South Africa. It was much less expensive than I expected. We were on our way back from Boulders Park and The Cape of Good Hope when we passed The Wool Boutique . They stocked some pretty good stuff, even though I didn't recognize most of the manufacturers. There wasn't any superwash but the shop stocked lots of handmade wool crafted by local artist.

Handspun

Elle Brand

Rowan

I also found fiber the Waterfront Craft Market and Wellness Center and bought a few squares of handmade felt and wool roving. I believe they were crafted by an artist named Karen?

Baby Surprise Jacket

The BSJ by Elizabeth Zimmerman is finished. The baby doesn't have it yet but it's ok because he may not be big enough. The mother thought I was making booties. Um well maybe I can crank out a cute pair real quick. Although I used the BSJ DVD, the help pages on other blogs were invaluable. I can't wait to start another one.

Blocking:

After adding the buttons:

The buttons were a little too small, but I didn't have much to chose from at the time. I have to sew the holes smaller so the buttons won't slip out.

bird

It's all about orange and buttons

I published most of my Paris photos on Flickr. But I forgot this one. Some how I was smart enough to visit La_Droguerie before going to the Louvre. I was searching for a knitting shop, but it's actually an embellishment boutique. Knitting is a very small part of La Droguerie, but they have all the trim, feathers and buttons you'll ever need. The yarn, patterns, and needles only exist so you can embellish the end product. The patterns are simple and suitable for beginners. Unfortunately I won't be going back unless I need something specific because they're really expensive. My total was about 127 Euro for everything pictured. Yep, I needed buttons really bad.



Kiki made this for me as a gift. It's perfect for my new Moo.com cards. Can you guess what yarn she used?



It's all about orange. Below is Ikea's 2007 Orange Fabric by Sissi Edholm and Lisa Ullenius. I fell in love with the birds first then the orange background. It's heavy upholstery weight. I have no idea what to do with it. I'm happy to hold on to it for awhile.
My recent Gap purchases include orange suede shoes and an orange and cream woven scarf. These two purchases brightened my wardrobe. I like to wear them with my green colored stuff. Now I can't help but add more orange by visiting How About Orange I subscribe and enjoy it.




Orange Accessories GAP

Purchased Handmade Items

I've been dreaming of a pair of black crochet earrings ever since seeing Anthropologie's really expensive pair last winter. Or was it two winters ago? Anyway I stumbled upon a pair while using Google image search. These are made By Ann Libertini at WithoutAPulse.com. She crochet's wonderful pairs of earrings in four different colors. They're stiffened then shipped carefully and expedisiously.

I wanted to receive something in the mail and I needed a pincushion. Thank goodness for Etsy. I purchased this cute Tomato Pincushion from SarahKladzyk.Etsy.com. It's soft and plushie.

Swap-bot Swap Partner

I just got my Swap-bot swap partner and yes she's an Aussie! It's an awesome match. Just like me she loves stationary, notepads and postcards. I'll add a few postcards to the box. I already have notepads in there. There's an Ikea south of her but it's a long drive. I can't imagine making the trip too often, so I'll leave the Ikea stuff in the box. I'm mailing it tomorrow so I can hurry and get a response.

Swap-bot

I entered a swap on Swap-bot. It's the "10 Surprise Items" swap. You send 10 things with a collect worth of $5. I have a lot of stuff that I collect so I only had to buy one thing. I hope the person I get doesn't have an Ikea. That was probably an evil thing to say. I'm sorry. I'm sending Ikea stuff. Maybe it'll be a surprise anyway. I'll have to send it right away so it'll arrive ontime. Maybe it'll be another international swapper. I'm so excited! There're already 287 swappers. A lot of them are Aussies. This is too much fun. I'm signing up for the "Gain Eposure to Your Blog" swap. The deadline is January 31st. I've done this one before. It was fun.

Ravelry

Does anyone know how to set Ravelry to send you emails if you receive messages? I Also found it hard to find my friends. So here's me. http://www.ravelry.com/people/Letoya

Christmas Wreath

I finally got the chance to create my version of the yarn ball Christmas Wreath. The inspiration for this creation was featured in the previous post. I was sad at first, because I wasn't optimistic about finding the materials to decorate it. Lucky me, I found cheap poor quality ornaments at Carrefour. I covered them with yarn. I bought the gift boxes and stuffed hearts at Ikea. The lights came from a really cool housewares store called The One. They're battery powered, so no wires to plug in . It took an hour and a half to construct. I used craft wire to attach everything. This wreath cost about $15 US Dollars to make. I made the wreath hanger from a dry cleaners wire hanger. It works perfectly. I'm really proud of it.

I'm also proud of the Christmas tree. My roommate Henry bought me the Hello Kitty ornament. Brenden sprayed the windows with fake snow. HEHE! The hanging lights are battery powered from Ikea.

I know the spire topper is crooked, but it'll have to stay as it is. It's handblown glass. It'll just break if I mess with it.

Anywho!

Starbucks Yarn Ball Christmas Wreath

I'm in love with this Yarn ball wreath from Starbucks. They don't sell it in the shops here in Abu Dhabi. I can't even find enough supplies to hack one of these, but I won't stop looking. Has anyone else seen it? I think I even recognized some of the yarns. They look like Lion Brand.

Plastic Rainbow Heart Earrings

I bought these charms in the Target dollar section. I hacked them into cute earrings.

Knitting Fashion's of the 1940's

Knitting Fashion's of the 1940's by Jane Waller. I'm mezmerized by this book. You can see why. I'm planning to make the water bottle cover first. Because the other patterns are a bit complicated but I'll get to them in time.

The Reluctant Anti-Heroes

I've just finished the first four episodes of Showtimes comedy Californication. I know I'm late but you can't that stuff here in Abu Dhabi. I watched all of them straight through without a break. I had no Idea what to expect. Is it a coincidence that lately, I've been reading books with the same sort of character. May be it's somekind of Noir writing trend. I would compare Hank Moody to Death's Head, Sven Tveskoeg and Altered Carbon's, Takeshi Kovacs, but without guns. David Duchovny's Hank Moody has a lot in common with these guys, like the restless demons that try to pull you into the black or the complete disregard for scum who prey on the lesser. He's a real badass and the women love it. Forget about the fact that he hates himself and then self-medicates with boose, sex, and drugs. Somehow he manages to uphold some type of chivialric honor and express a bit of sensitivity. There're still lines he won't allow himself to cross. There must be some hope left for this self-loathing, violent, vomit stained mess of a carbon based unit. Now introducing your reluctant and unasuming anti-hero. It's entertaining like a car wreck. David Duchovny is believable even when he's muttering through his thin upper lip. Enjoy.

You're Welcome Mom

While back in Kansas City, my mom spied my GUESS by Marciano Gelato Large Hobo with envy. She asked me for it. I said no. Later, after arriving back into Phoenix, I realized that I'd left the bag in KC. I asked Mom to look for it along with my Prada sunglasses. I went to Ross's in Phoenix to find another pair of sunglasses. I found the same Guess bag for half the price of what I paid retail. That was a big "Abu Dhabi sucks" moment. They don't have Ross Stores here or anything close. Anyway, mom ended up with the bag after all. She put my sunglasses away for safe keeping.