Meet Gimpy, the crocheted jellyfish.

I'm back!  Thank you for letting me take a Memorial Day weekend break, and I hope yours was just as relaxing!  Or, if you're international, I hope your Monday morning wasn't too painful...

Anyways, this first post is really just shameless advertising for a fellow crocheter.  Sarah/Esshaych designed has a pattern (I helped test it!) that is adorable.  And I really don't use that word very often.   (I've linked her blog, but she has an Etsy too)  She's given me permission to post my pictures here.  This was a really fun, quick project and I really recommend giving it a go! (Although Esshaych isn't sure whether she'll sell it or post it for free yet.)

Meet Gimpy the Geryoniidae!  (Geryoniidae info) I ran out of yarn for his tentacles, but he's very self conscious about that and he wouldn't let me show that...



He first met the wellhouse squirrels, and I think he made a rather satisfactory replacement for their missing member...



Then, Gimpy played hide-and-seek with the baby bears.  (Check out the junk in my fantastic yard...)



Next, Gimpy and a squirrel decided to go on a little expedition...  Onward ho!



Poor little Gimpy was tired by then, so he relaxed and took at nap on the birdhouse.  I think he liked the view of the water too.



I hope you enjoyed my little departure from the mundane.  See you soon!

-Cristy

Random Photo Friday 2

I'm so proud I didn't forget!  This week brings a mashup of some long finished projects, pretty nature pictures, and a preview of my sorry attempt at cooking.

These are (pretty much) all the ingredients I had...  And the results will be posted soon!



Senior year of high school, I crocheted two blankets.  The first was  for my now-ex-boyfriend, which I never thought to take pictures of and this one, for me!  It's just a simple granny square style blanket (trite, I know) but I may give it a separate post some day...  It was an interesting proect, and one of my very first.



I love this guy!  He's depressed and possibly suicidal-looking, but really cute.  Because he's filled with rice, his head has limited posability and he has a nice weight.



Tomato flowers!  I don't really like tomatos, but I've always liked their flowers.



And finally, basil!  I love everything about these plants.



Time for me to pack...  switching between parents can be such a pain.  Have a great weekend!

-Cristy

Currently Watching: "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" – Lt. Jane Doe

Necessity is the Mother of Invention ...and Drink Coasters

I really like eating ice. Sure, it's a strange habit, bad for my teeth, and is just plain weird during the winter, but it tastes better some how. Unfortunately, glasses full of ice sweat, especially during North Carolina summers, and nothing ruins a nice drawing more than getting it wet.  So... I made coasters!  Although I suppose they could function as scrubbies just as well.  I also (finally) finished off the last of my Sugar'n Cream with this. I liked that yarn, but after 400 grams, the color gots tiresome. But these are cute!

This one isn't long enough to bother with a PDF, so you can find it after the jump! Oh right, I hereby proclaim this pattern to be named... the Cornflower Coaster. Clever, I know.  (I'm sorry!  I'm being sarcastic today.)

-Cristy

Currently Watching:  "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" - Siren Call

New bag for spring! The Skink Clutch

I'm forever losing my pens and pencils in the deep, dark recesses of my backpack, so I made this bag to keep them all in one place.  You can easily change the dimensions and use buttons, a zipper, or even a hair tie (pictured after the jump) to keep it closed.  It's an incredibly simple bag, but still looks stylish.



Pattern after the jump...

-Cristy

Currently Listening To: "Livin' On A Prayer" - Bon Jovi (courtesy of Pandora Radio)

Random Photo Friday 1

Welcome to Random Photo Friday!  It's new! I know, I'm a special kind of crazy.  But I hope you'll enjoy our weekly reprieve from yarn and crafting!  (And you can click them for a closeup.)

This is just a where-I-am this week.  I've been trying to get more into drawing, despite having *no* natural ability!  It all went to my brother.  And yes, I play World of Warcraft...  You know, the game that was mentioned in the media a few years ago as a "dangerously addicting" video game?  Well, I don't think it's addicting, and the box is quite appealing if you're into that sort of thing.  (And the doodle in the corner is possibly a preview of our developing mascot.)



The rest of these came from me running around my backyard in my bare feet with the macro on...  My neighbors are convinced I'm crazy.

Blueberries!  Another month or so until they're ready to pick.  (Do you see the heart?  It was an accident!)



I liked all of the weeds in this picture, and I think the rounded elements pulled it together, while keeping it natural...  I didn't pose anything.  What do you think?



And finally:  I don't know what kind of flowers these are, since I've never noticed them in our yarn before, but the leaves make them very... Amazon.



I hope you enjoyed!  And I promise, I'll be back my Monday with a new pattern.

- Cristy

Currently Listening To: "Home" - Three Days Grace (courtesy of Pandora Radio)

Mother's Day and a new pattern!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Let's get the business out of the way first, right?  I've got a new pattern posted on Ravelry!  The idea was suggested to me by a fellow Ravelry user, who also told me about the Condom Amulet Project (I feel like I've linked the hell out of them today... last one, I swear).  The idea is to spread sexual awareness, particularly in the 30+ generations.  With divorce rates rising, mothers and grandmothers are getting back out into the dating pool.  Since STDs are more common now than before, they may not be protecting themselves as frequently.  (Men, same thing!)  So in honor of my mother, I present the Little Swimmer 2.0 in never-before-seen PDF form!  It's on Ravelry too.

~*~

I really think my life is falling together quite well right now.  I have several more ideas in the sketch book (I draw, did you know?), my boyfriend feels more like a relationship and like a best friend, my mother is happier with her life than she's been in years, and I might be meeting the guy she's seeing soon!  After years dealing with divorce, changing bosses, more family issues, etc, it's such a relief.

For Mother's Day, my brother and I made lunch and dinner (and cleaned).  The meals were ...unspectacular, but we all bonded!  We've never learned to cook because my mother's so amazing at it, but I think we made headway today.  At least until Ben tried to boil peanut butter in the microwave...  Then mother and daughter crafted and discussed our respective relationships.  I made my pattern and my mother made her origami paper-style pisanka.  She does these when she doesn't feel inspired enough to draw.  Martha Stewart wrote about a similar method, though Martha uses real or wooden eggs, as opposed to clay.

The artist at work:



And her eggs:



But now it's time for me to do the dishes, like I promised.  Happy Mother's Day to everyone else!

Icebreaker!

So who likes Ice Breakers?!



Photo: acehardwareoutlet.com

Umm, no, not quite...  I meant those awkward games they made you play at camp and on the first day of school that most people secretly enjoyed.  Since it's high time for an interactive-type post, we're taking a trip back to those good old days.  I know that the majority of blog readers will rarely ever comment on posts, but I'd appreciate the feedback on this one!

Here are the Questions:

1- What are you listening to?  (A song, a show on TV, the broken air conditioner?)

2- Which decade that you've lived through was most memorable?  I'm assuming everyone is at least 10 and yes, the 2000s are an option.

3- Pay yourself a compliment.

4- What movie made you smile (that you saw recently in a theater)?

5- If you could start any completely new craft without worrying about expense or time, what would you most want to try?

Those aren't too bad, are they?  I guess I'll go first...

1- I've been watching NCIS, except it's being interupted every few minutes with weather warnings.  We've gotten severe weather, thunderstorm, and tornado warnings so far...

2- I kind of missed the 90s, really.  And the technology of the 2000s?  Freaking amazing.

3- My hair is fantastic.  After years of having a frizzy, tangled mess, puberty gave me soft, bouncy waves and barely visible red highlights.  I love it.

4- Benjamin Button was charming!  It made me want to dance.

5- It's a tough decision between glass and metal...  I like the fluid properties of both materials, and even a very simple piece can be gorgeous.  Or very complicated...  See: Dale Chihuly

Now please leave your responses in the comments!

-Cristy