Crochet Foray

New things have been on the crochet horizon lately. On my quest to venture into making different sorts of wearables hence unexplored, I heard of a magical land called Ravelry and requested an invitation. (You have to have a code to get in) It's this cool community of knitters and crocheters, full of patterns and projects and tips and tricks. Yay! So, I found this neat free pattern for a cropped cardigan type thingy. The pattern calls it a capelet. Actually, the pattern is the crocheted version of a knit pattern inspired by a capelet somebody saw in Anthropologie. That was a tongueful. Or it would have been if I had said it.

Anyways, like I said, I found this pattern and decided to give it a whirl. I had the yarn lying about just waiting for this type of project, and everyone said that it worked up really fast. Fast projects are the only kind in my world.

True enough, a couple of hours and a skein and a half later, I had this lovely little blue ... thing. I don't think capelet is an appropriate term, and "cropped cardigan" sounds snobby. Bolero? Shrug? Whatever.After such success, I decided to try again with some Caitlinesque modifications. Some lovely green yarn I found on sale was also waiting for just such a project. Such was also the case with a pair of black vintage buttons - they're reserved until I find just the right project that deserves them. And this was going to be the one. With something more vest-like in mind, I set to work.

Exactly two skeins, a couple hours, and an episode of Good Eats later, I had this:

After taking this picture, I realized you could probably see it better against a not-so-similar shade. You might not can see them, but I safety-pinned the Favorite Buttons on. I'm very pleased with my result, but a little sad because it seems to be too small. Of course, it's supposed to be small-ish, but... yeah. I think I'm going to have to sell it or give it to somebody. And the buttons go PERFECTLY with it. Just like I'd envisioned. Problem: I want those buttons. Nobody else can have them. So if I can't keep this vest, the vest can't keep the buttons.And there you have it.
Should I make more for my etsy?

P.S. I put a poll on my sidebar. Take it! Take it!

Of Life and Leisure

There has certainly been enough leisure time this summer. Strangely enough, it passes by so quickly that it seems I was hardly able to make good use of it. Whether or not that makes sense...

But I'm ready to get back to life full-force. It's all coming up at once, and I'm bracing myself. Not to say that in a negative way. Like when you brace yourself at the top of the first hill on your favorite roller coaster. :P

Laura started school this week. (I believe I'm going to get to do a little chauffeuring now)
This Saturday we have choir practice for our great big homecoming service at church. (I joined the choir. Hoorah! I didn't want to at first, but our new director is great. Singing is fun.)
Awana kick-off is on the 20th. I'm going to be a Sparks teacher! (5 and 6 year olds, I think. Cute!)
Preschool starts back in the beginning of September.

Yes, dear people! The decision has been made, and I am, indeed, going back to work. I suppose my last post on the topic was rather seemed like I was against going back to work. This is not the case. Really, I was just sort of thinking aloud (perhaps a little dramatically?). Anyways, I'm really excited! I'm certainly not going to become rich teaching preschool a couple days a week, but I'm doing it because I love it. We were in a parking lot somewhere yesterday when I saw some little kids at daycare playing outside. It made me so ready to be back!

This has the potential to grow to be a very long post. Hang on.

Yesterday we went thrift store shopping. Fun stuff. For me, anyways. All the little people may as well have been hanging by their toes, they were in such agony. I got two pairs of really nice, brand new jeans. And a little green fondue pot. Which, I admit, is a little pointless. Especially as it's missing it's base. But it's SO cute!! All vintagey, with the different colors on the ends of all the little sticks... lol
Check out the other kitchenware I'm longing for:

Wouldn't these little bowls just be perfect for some beef stew or something?
And then for dessert, you could put a great big brownie (mixed in one of these bowls) in the bottom of these, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and some caramel sauce that you warmed in this little yellow pot.

And, then there's just the coolest set of Pyrex I've ever seen.
( Oh, the amazing quantities and vast color palettes of Pyrex and Melmac! Oh, how I could just go on and on with the hyperlinks!)

But, you know, perhaps once I'm old and sensible, I would regret owning such fabulous dishes. I would think to myself, "oh, you odd self. Whatever for did you want green and yellow and orange kitchenware?!"

But perhaps not.

I certainly thing my ramble about kitchen stuffs is quite long enough, so let us diversify.

Yesterday, during our travels, I busied myself with reading. My dear Katey left a book at our house, and I carried it with me in case we should stop by. I decided to do a little skimming, and before I knew it I was chapters deep. So now, I highly recommend Not a Tame Lion - The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis. I'm not a huge-mongous Lewis fanatic, but I do enjoy his work, and I think he was definitely someone to be admired. This books was a great introduction to the man himself, and his... well, spiritual legacy. Certainly more interesting a read than I usually expect to find under the category of "biography." Something in my mind has caused that word to become near synonomous with "boring." Boring it was not. It was full of quotes that made me eager to read the next on my library-list : Mere Christianity. One of such quotes was this,

" Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another,
"What! You too? I thought no one but myself..." "

I've experienced that number of times! Such wonderful friends have I.
Speaking of friends, I wish a happy 15th year to my dear friend, Alicia.

I like baloney sandwiches and ice skating.

So! Where was I going with this post? ... Sorry, derailed train of thought. ... Um...
Well, I know I was supposed to write about the Prayer Advance. But I thinkI'll pass for now. Perhaps I'll get around to it, perhaps I shan't. Laura wrote an excellent post including thoughts from all of the sessions. Great stuff, you should check it out.

I seem to have completely lost my thought flow here, and this epistle is of sufficient length now anyhow.

I bid you all a happy week!
<3 Caitlin

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

I've been browsing Etsy this morning, as I do most mornings, and I thought it would be fun to put together a little treasury of my own, featuring items from my favorites.



I added these to my favorites the other day.
They're not the only set of yellow vintage mugs in my favorites.
I love yellow. I love coffee mugs. I love vintage. How can I help it?


Now are these earrings cool or what? Permanent origami butterflies.
They're beautiful, unique, and colorful. So cool.

Do you know what I would make with this amazing wool?
Neither do I.
Probably a beret. They're my new "thing." I've made 6 the past 3 weeks.
But get this- it's dyed with Kool-Aid.



GreyBrocket is easily my favorite seller on Etsy. Which is really sad, because as of yet, I haven't bought anything from her. But I haunt her shop continually. She recently added a whole collection of neat screenprinted stuff to her assortment of amazing vintage goodies.
I think this bag is my absolute favorite out of everything I've ever seen in her shop.
It's yellow, and it has a bird.
Happiness in the shape of a bag.




I don't think I even need to say anything about this pair of earrings.
A (good) picture is worth a thousand words.


Orange vintage hoodie!! YAY!


Okay, so this is actually one thing in my favorites that I will never buy.
I just couldn't justify buying a cute pillow.
But I can't help loving it.

These mugs were feeling left out, so I decided to include them, too.
They're also from GreyBrocket.



I'm in love with this ring. Really.



Okay, I stumbled across these one day and had to add them.
I just realized they would be perfect for embellishing my kool-aid yarn berets!

And so, there you have a ton of my favorites in no particular order. I'm pretty sure my favorite colors and animals are reflected quite clearly in this lovely little list.
Please do not buy any of these things unless you're buying them for me.

Just kidding.

Happenings of Late

Not a lot has been going on ... Teaching, crocheting, laundry... the usual. I had a great babysitting job recently, and I've already been called on for a second time, so that's quite pleasant.

The lack of "reading" in the first sentence has brought to my mind the fact that I really ought to be reading some or other good book. I've been meaning to get started on at least a few the past couple weeks, and I just haven't.

Another random thought: I have been using the word "ought" a lot lately. I don't recall using it so frequently before. And while we're speaking of words, if you really wanted to know the definition(s) of SO, here is the link for you. Quite interesting, and much too long to paste into my rambling blog post. Thanks to those of you who were brave enough to reply. There are so many definitions, I'm sure you at least hit one of the nails on the head. :D

And now for some crafty revelations.
I designed a new hat pattern! WOO HOO! And it turned out right! I thought to myself one morning, "Self, I should like to crochet something new." "So?" said my other self, "what do you have in mind?" "Well, I was thinking of a hat." "A hat? Haven't you already made a bunch of hats?" "Yes. But this time I'm going to make a sort of a cabby hat. I'll invent it as I go." "Oh. Good luck."

Ha ha! I showed me. I was SO thrilled that it turned out the way I wanted! I think I said "Yay! it's the right shape!" like 5 times.


Halfway through the hat, I lost the hook I was using, and switched to a bigger one. And, what do you know! As luck would have it, that size change turned out to be very important for the right sort of shape.



I didn't think it would be noticeable, but it made a difference. I know this, because I tried to make more like it, but used one hook throughout, and they weren't right.

Anyways, I'm proud of my little brain-child hat, and I shall recreate him as soon as I find my other hook.





Another idea of mine, sparked by my cloak:

Gnome baby. hee hee... I have another fairyesque addition to my crocheted stuffs, but I shan't show you just yet. Savin' it for later.

And now I have come to the point where I am sitting, scratching my head, and wondering what else it was that I was going to say. Surely there was something, something more interesting or important than my crafty prowess (lol), that I had planned to tell you. Alas. If there was, I cannot recall it.

Since I've been sitting for quite some time now, trying to think of something else to write, and have come up with nothing, I leave you with this thought:

Anything is possible when you're a child. Take, as proof, this dead-serious statement from Silas. "When I grow up, I'm'onna be Ooby Doo."

Hoping your legs weren't pulled harder than they ought to have been on this unusually warm day of April First, I wish you a happy week.

Love, Me.

Secret Project

One day, I saw some red wool on sale. It was a lovely color, and very inexpensive, so I decided to buy some.

I do that a lot -buy things I don't need because they're on sale. I have a big ol' blob of white cotton yarn I have no idea what to do with because it was on sale.

But upon consideration of this red wool, I thought to myself "I must needs decide what to make with it before I buy it. Methinks I shall attempt a hooded cloak."

With no pattern, and only a basic idea of how to get the right shape, I began. Many hours, thousands of stitches, and a calloused finger later, my secret project is finished.

The original plan was to felt it, but I like the definition of the stitches so much, I have decided to leave it as it is.

If I were to sell it, I would need to charge around $85.00. I think perhaps I may make another and give it a go.

So, what do you think?