Bliss blanket

I just wanted to give a quick update on how my blanket is going! This is one square with the yarn I am using. You can see the pattern MUCH better...the fibers are more compact since its cottony, and they stick together than the pink yarn I used for the sample, so it looks really nice! plus it feels good! I can't wait until this thing is done. I have quite a ways to go! I have 5 squares now, and I am getting much faster at it. You should be able to double click on the pics to get closer views of them. The last pic is one of three of the squares in sequence so you can get an idea of what they will look like together. I have not stitched them together yet. I also have to "block" the finished ones, so that they retain some sort of square shape and not be loopy around the edges. Every time I finish a square though, I get a big smile on my face! =D

slow start

Well, I am finally posting pictures of the finished motif. It is supposed to be a perfect square, but it isn't really. I think my tension switched as I would learn new portions of it, etc, and I think the yarn is a bit too floppy for this pattern. It does not really "stick" well. You can still see that it is still going to be really pretty though!
I started the real deal last night. I have a different yarn...it is an acrylic blend, so it is not as heavy as pure cotton, but it has a cottony feel. It is a baby yarn...great for blankets and such and its really soft. I can already tell a difference with it. I did not have alot of time to work on it last night, so I only got the flower done. But I am going to have to get things in gear....I have to make 165 of those squares! good grief!!!

a snapshot

in the life of a grad student.... (you can click on the pic to enlarge it).

*sigh* my life...

Never Changing Always Faithful

"Defender of this heart
You loved me from the start
You never change

Through the highs and lows
As seasons come and go
You never fail

Day after day
Your love will remain
Faithful and true
You are good

[Chorus:]
You are God with us
You're victorious
You are strong and mighty to save
For Your word stands true
There is none like You
And when all else fades
You remain

When troubles come my way
You guide and You sustain
Lead me, I pray

Forever You will be
The great eternal King
Now and always"

New lyrics from Starfield's I Will Go. This is by far my favorite song on that album, though it is tough because it is all so good. Back to the words...they move me everytime I listen to it. I've just been listening to their music all day! Not because its been particularly rough and I need reminders of His love for me, and how small my problems/issues really are and who really is the boss in my life, but rather just because I felt like worshipping at work. I love those days.

This song is an awesome recognition of how powerful and unmoving He is in His love for me, and no matter what I do or what comes my way I know that there is one place I can go to for sustenance, relief and constancy. Which is so reassuring when you are in a place where things are always changing and you don't know who you can really trust and rely on. It sucks feeling so alone! And why is it so easy to overlook the one person who will ALWAYS be there for me. Today was a good day. It was just a great shift of focus and perception of my life away from myself being by myself. I was nearly moved to tears several times.

Anyhow, I LOVE this album. I think it might be my favorite one of theirs yet. I am going to go home now and finish that crochet motif and get to bed early. Class was cancelled tomorrow, so I am hoping to get a run in instead.

Progress

I was stuck on the pattern for one of the projects I am attempting...but I got it figured out! I guess at the end of each round, the pattern tells you what you should have at the completion of that round. So...when it said 8 ch sp (8 chain spaces), it meant that I should have eight spaces under chain crochet, which is where I eventually formed the petals in those spaces. Well, I was miss reading it as making 8 chain crochets that act as "spaces" and then I ended up having a weird loop in the middle of my flower. Obviously not right! An internet search yesterday helped me figure that out...my book didnt say what a "ch sp" was. BUT, I am glad its all worked out...and look at the results! I was so proud of myself last night. Its so pretty. I can't wait until I get the whole motif finished. The motif will end up being a square (kind of like a quilting square) with that flower in the middle. I am definitely going to work on it more tonight and maybe get it done. I don't know, its still quite a bit to finish the motif and I am still learning the pattern, but I will try. Its looking good so far though and I think its going to turn out quite amazing. YAY!!!




On a different topic...Starfield came out with a new album, called "I Will Go". I bought it yesterday, its like $7 on iTunes, and I have only listented to a couple of the songs (due to downloading issues I wasn't able to get the whole album I purchased, but we are working to resolve that), but anways, so far its really good! I know all my fam will really like it. Oh...I should see if those guys are coming to play in Austin anytime soon. Ryan really likes them too so it would be fun to go. and in honor of ash... because whenever I hear these songs, I think of you....I also added "Forever" and "Angel" to my music collection. Now I can remember our road trip when I listen to them. yay! I miss Cali.

Ok...its Wednesday, the week is halfway over thank God, and I have alot to do. I'm off!

Teasing the Tesia Squeeze

Gosh, I love this cat. I am currently teaching myself to crochet somewhat complex stitches since I am preparing to embark on a huge project. Shhhh...it is a surprise though! Anyways...I have these granny squares and motifs laying around, so I wove some yarn through one so that I could tie it on something. what better than to have that "something" be my cat! HAHA! the results are below...


Doesn't she just look like she LOVES it? But she was so good...despite that look on her face, she was just sitting there and letting me do it. Gosh, she is hilarious. I love her. Notice the litter box in the corner? Yes....her toilet training is currently on hiatus. She was doing so well and then totally lost it. She is pretty rebellious though...and selfish...and spoiled, among many other things. She probably just got tired of sharing her bathroom with me (thats how Tesie thinks, everything is hers and I am sharing with her). The litter box is not my favorite, but I was getting tired of sharing MY bathroom with her too! She is not the cleanest roommate ya know! But, I still have the training tray, so I may resume later, or wait much later until a time when there are two bathrooms and the girl can have her own to make a mess in!
That one is a little better! You can see I am rocking the bangs again. I got my hair cut this last weekend. Its pretty much the same length (a little trim on the ends to keep it healthy) a couple inches past my bra strap, but she added a TON of layers. They go as short as about 3 inches above my shoulder. But I love it, because now I can do different things like pinning up the long pieces to sport a fake bob. There are lots of other cool tricks that the girls might like. i've been trying some out and the tips are great!

Ryan told me this last weekend he wanted to surprise me by getting a sewing machine! yay! This means I don't have to wait until my birthday to get myself one. =) he got his tax return back and felt like spoiling me a little bit. What a great guy! So...I need to kick up my researching and go out and look at some models. I'm excited.

Ryan's birthday was last week, so I took him to this brazilian restaurant in town. It was really good! They had these little cheese bread ( i LOVE bread) puffs, that were crunchy on the outside, but chewy on the inside. They are definitely addicting, so its good that they gave one more as a garnish to the entree and not as a bread basket. That would be too dangerous! Its called Pao de Queijo. i tried making them this weekend, but it didn't turn out quite as good as what we had at the restaurant, but its definitely worth trying again! The difference between these and normal cheese bread, is that you use tapioca flour, so its a bit more chewy. Try it!

Hmmm...does anyone know what these trees are? I saw them (this pic was taken earlier in the spring) but I would like to know what they are because I would like to have them in my yard one day! I LOVE these trees. So pretty!