New Item: Made-to-Order 12th Doctor Plush

I am happy to announce a fun new item has been added to the shop!! Made-To-Order plush of the 12th Doctor! Complete with removable jacket and vest. Originally, I made this plush as a custom order and wrote out the pattern to allow myself to recreate this cuteness. So now, you can order your very own 12th Doctor plush! Check out the listing in Last in Line Shop on Etsy for all the wonderful details.

Feeling crafty and want to try your hand at making your very own Time Lord? The pattern is currently in the testing phase and should be available for instant download through my Etsy shop in a few weeks.

Hexipuffs: A Dangerous Addiction

Another thrift score: my $2 blue vase for hexipuffs

My dear friend +Kait Murphy introduced me to Hexipuffs right before we moved out here. I did not have any time to start a new project. After settling in for a couple days and completing another, larger project, I decided it would be fair to give these little puffs a try. Kait and I had agreed to do a puff-for-square trade to help both of us make progress on our respective blankets.

Little did I know when embarking on this adventure, how quickly I'd become obsessed with it.

 The puffs are super cute, super easy, and super instantly gratifying. I know quite a few people are on the hexipuff bandwagon. There are whole Ravelry groups dedicated to these lil pillows. Kait is working towards eventually making a Beekeeper's Quilt with all her puffs. I admire her courage, though I could never rival it. I have far too many unfinished blankets in my UFO pile to start a slightly insane one such as this.

But they are fun to play with. :)

Our New Adventure & Apartment Thrift Scores

My dropping off the face of the internet was a bit abrupt, but I cannot bring myself to apologize for it considering all the awesome adventures in real life I've been having with Sailor as we explore our new home. I can, however, try and make it up to you who read this blog with some scenic photos and a peek at our apartment. 

As you may have gathered, we moved Out West. It is quite astounding to my silly Midwestern, flatlander brain to wake up every morning an see MOUNTAINS OUT MY WINDOW. Those of you who live in the mountains may scoff at my amazement, but I cannot help it. If you have lived in Illinois or Wisconsin for any amount of time, you understand the meaning of flat. You can see for miles in each direction. Here the only way I can achieve that is to drive up a mountain. Like, an actual mountain. With snow and stuff at the top. Like....MOUNTAIN.

 Sorry, I'm not sorry for being a tourist. Haha.

My yarn looks so cute all rainbow-ed out on the shelf. I sometimes leave the closet door opened so I can admire it when I walk by. Hahahaaaa.

Since you listened so well to my brief rant about mountains and elevation and my general amusement with geography, here's a little look at our cozy abode.

We moved out here via airplane with four 20"x20" boxes,  one large suitcase, and two carry-ons. Most of my family thought we were absolutely nuts doing this, but can I tell you, it was such a relaxing move. No insane unpacking once we got here! No moving truck to unload!! Just opening the boxes and setting stuff on shelves.

So. Liberating.

I mean, yes, we didn't have a fully equipped kitchen on Day 1. And yeah, we are still missing major pieces of furniture. But being able to just take the essentials on this move really made me realize how much excess stuff we have in our storage unit back in the Midwest. How little it takes to get by and still be comfortable. Quite enjoyable, I think.

So, since we didn't bring any furniture with us (besides the boxes themselves, which have proven to be highly versatile as dining tables, end tables, night stands, and tv stands thus far) we've been hunting around for good deals every chance we get.

Our first priority was a bed, which we bought new the first day. Next, we scored two kitchen chairs for $6/each at the thrift shop. A week later, we got a somewhat matching table for $30 and a very heavy, very boxy TV for $15. Sailor brought his Xbox along, so we've been able to watch some movies on our "ancient" television.

Side note: that table barely fit in our car, even with the legs off. We are convinced that things look smaller in the store. There must be a perception filter or something weird like that. 

As you may notice, we don't have a couch yet. Since we got a nice TV stand thingy (for $15!! YES!!) and have moved the TV from its bedroom perch on a box to it's new position in the living room, I've been getting a bit creative with sitting options. Above is a demonstration of my use of a pool floaty and a crib pad (from the adorable bedding set my mother-in-law sent us for the baby) to make a base on which I pile all the pillows and blankets to make a sort of poof nest. My sister and I used to "make nests" when we were kids, and it seems that the skills are still proving to be useful. 

Our TV and our TV stand. Note the tractors displayed on the top shelf.

 As much as Sailor tries to make me wait a bit until we get the couch before going completely nuts with decorating and "floofing" the apartment, I could not resist these little candle holders. They are just too cute, right? And for $2/each, I didn't break the bank. You cannot deny the nesting instinct!! It's strong!!

There is so much to do and so much to explore out here, it's easy to neglect furnishing the apartment for a while. Maybe in a week or so I'll have more progress pictures to show as far as the apartment goes, but for now, I am just so content with relaxing, meeting new friends, and rambling around this uncharted territory.

We hopped on an airplane...

....and moved across the country.

Looking Forward: 5LCBWDAY7

Since I did not participate in the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week last year, I have no project aspirations to look back upon. But I have plenty of things the look forward to!

My hope is that in a year from now, I will be a much more accomplished knitter. I hope I will continue taking risks and trying new techniques. I also hope that in a few months, I will be able to say that I have completed (since I have even yet to start) the Christmas stocking for my first child. I want to knit one for each of our kiddos.

For crocheting, and I do hope this gets done sooner than one year from now, I'd like to finish my Hexagon blanket. Because really, it's been over two years since I started it, and that's just sad. It's so pretty, and it's be nice to have it done, so that I never have to do it again. Hahah. I wish I were joking. So many ends to weave in!!!!

Additionally, since this blog is partially about my etsy shop, I'd like to have more consistent new-creations for the shop. I love the challenge of making new things and writing new patterns, and I really want to keep the items in the shop fresh. New stuff is fun stuff.

Some other projects I'd like to have under my belt:

-More knitted socks! I want to feel comfortable making them. Like, "oh I'll just make some socks no big deal" comfortable. Not "oh I'll make some socks and freak out half way through the first sock and have a nervous breakdown about the type of heel I'm going to put on it." That's where I'm at right now.

-A knitted sweater for me. I don't know what kind. I don't know when. I just feel like it is something that ought to happen.

-And I am certain that my babu will inspire me in ways I cannot predict, so hopefully in a year from now, I'll be telling you all about the things I made that my 8-month-old gets the most use out of.

As far as blogging goes, I have absolutely no goals for my blog. I have no idea where my life will take me in this next year: whether blogging will still be a welcome output for creative ramblings, or it will have become more of a chore than a joy. I don't want to plan and push and set limits and goals for this derpy blog, I'd rather see what it becomes as time goes on.

Views of Others, Views of Self: 5KCBWDAY6

"Write about another knitter or crocheter that you admire."

For some reason, this topic has become very tricky for me to write about. Perhaps I'm overthinking it. I mean, there are a ton of knitters and crocheters I admire. There is my Grandma, who taught me how to crochet. Her mountain stitch afghans are the works of art that first sparked my interest in yarny creations. And what about my mother? My mom who more than just humored me when I was an enthusiastic little child learning to crochet. My mom who took me shopping for yarn, and praised me when I challenged my self with new patterns. And then there's my sister, who showed me that crochet can be intricate, as well as playful, when she took up doily making. Or what about my aunt? Her meticulous color choices and dedicated project planning abilities are constantly inspiring me to focus, and make the details count. All of their enthusiasm for the craft continuously inspiring and re-inspiring me. Challenging me. Pushing me. How on earth could I choose just one member of my fiber-loving flock of a family to admire?

And what about the crafters outside of my family? What about +Lise Engdal who taught me to knit the right way Norwegian way via webcam one weekend? What all the school friends who gave in to my begging and let me teach them to crochet? What about the bloggers and pattern writers and photographers who keep publishing such delightful material? They all certainly deserve my admiration.

I have always felt that thing that makes knitting and crocheting so wonderful is the bond it creates between so many people. I'm not just talking about weekly knitting clubs or sisters who crochet together, I'm talking about a historical bond between our modern times and a bygone era. A time when making things by hand was not a luxury, it was a daily fact of life. And though so little time was available after all the other chores of the day were done, our ancestors still found time to make little extra touches on the most humble of garments. A rose bud on a shirt cuff, the name and date on the edge of a scarf. Little flourishes that prove even though it was perhaps a chore, knitting and crocheting were still means of self-expression. A way of physically creating a representation of your care for another person.

In my experience as a crafter, there is one particular experience that really stands out in my mind as the perfect representation of how making something by hand creates a meaningful connection between the maker and the wearer. I became good friends with the teaching assistant for my Russian class in college. She was from Russia, teaching in the US as part of her language study program to get her Masters degree. When the semester was over, I wanted to send her home with something handmade. I decided on a scarf.

When I gave it to her, she was so happy. I really can't put it into words. I've given people things I'd made before, but she told me that nobody had ever made her something before. No handcrafted gift. Ever. She wrote me once she got back home, and thanked me again fro the scarf. She said it reminded her of America, and all the wonderful experiences she had here. It was a physical representation of good memories, and good people. And it was the best thank-you for anything I've ever made.

Something a Bit Different: 5KCBWDAY5

Here's something quite different from my normal posting style for you: a video!! I thought it would be just loads of fun to take a video of myself knitting all afternoon and make you poor darlings watch it. But don't worry, I sped the footage up just a wee (1600%) bit. And I added some music. And sound effects. Because they are fun!! And I figured you didn't want to hear the Dr. Who episodes I was watching on Netflix in the background.

Just something different. I must say, getting my camera to cooperate and take the videos was certainly difficult. It's be going all fine, then my camera would be all, "Boop! Imma go to sleep mkay? Bye." No low battery, no lack of memory space...just bored of watching me knit, I guess. Oh well.

These are the"Easiest & Fastest Baby Booties Ever" by A La Sascha on ravelry. It's a free pattern! And as you can see, it is indeed easy and fast. I made a pair in under a minute! ;)