Almost Complete Plans

I was in the process of making Valentine's Day, remember Internets?
Well, we are one step closer to completion! All I really need now is the Martinelli's - but I can't get that yet or else we will drink it all before the proper day! Then again, I don't think we would be sad over here if that happened!

Anyway, dear Internets, let me show you how I have been successful.
I did a Ravelry search a few days ago on how to crochet a heart. Yes, I know, shame on me for not knowing how to already. It's just something I've yet to try, really, little decorative hearts. At one point I had a dream of doing a whole bunch in a ton of colours and filling up a jar or bin of sorts with them (small-ish size, you know), but never could think of a good reason to have them/make them. Other than I wanted them!
On Ravelry, I found this afghan square.

Via Here - Ravelry

This of course led me to a Red Heart pattern. Which I downloaded. Red Heart makes decent yarn. I like it, it's decently priced. Their patterns are so/so. But they are free. And you can learn a lot of new things from them, I promise. Oh, yes, it's a whole afghan of 12 heart squares, each different, and can be found here if you are interested. I don't think I'll be making the afghan, but I have so many patterns for things I'll probably never make anyway, why not keep it?

I didn't want a square, though, I wanted an actual heart. Like place-mat sized. But of a heart. And I like granny squares. They are good, and simple, and much faster than single or double crochet. Granted, with the other two you end up with a complete fabric (no holes), but I don't really mind the holes.

I gathered some yarn. Loops & Threads. Which I do believe is a Michael's stores generic yarn. I cannot say that I am correct in that, but I'm pretty sure it's the case. I picked the "Snuggly Wuggly" which is a baby sport yarn that I had in the drawers of doom I showed you a while back. Got out a hook, and got to working. It took two evenings, with half of my attention, but I ended up with something almost heart-shaped.

Yes, I pinned it to the door to take a picture!! It's a pink colour, very hard to describe, kind of fruity in a way. It's called "Soft Red", though, so I really have no clue.

For size comparison, but also so you can get a better idea of what my plan is. Mwa-ha-ha, oh so close now!

It's a rather simple make, though.  If anyone is interested, I would be more than happy to give instructions, but considering I just kind of guessed as a I went and hoped for the best, there are no notes. No worries, though, I didn't forget what I did, which is more often than not the case!

xoxo, Jess (who is rather fond of how this turned out. she was all ready for disappointment, really)

Bad Starting Points

Oh dear, Internets, oh dear indeed.
Mentioning the forgotten thread last night made me think about how much yarn I *actually* had. I promptly got up, camera in hand, and took pictures of where it all is.

The term "stash" is used a lot in regards to yarn (and craft supplies of all sorts), but it really is the correct term for me. I have it "stashed" about the house in so many places. It's rather, erm, messy, and scattered. There is some of it I don't even remember what the intended project was!
I try to buy yarn only when I have a project in mind, and tend to stick to that, but hardly ever are these projects finished...let me show you.

The only drawer *not* full of yarn is the red one!!

This is not including the pink and two cream ones in the living room!

Yes, that is some crocheted bits still attached to skein (happens often) and yes it is hiding in with the sheets!

This applies to the picture below.

Ten gallons of yarn, in  theory. And yes, it's in bags, to keep started projects together. Do I know what they are? Probably not!

Top drawer of the dresser I talked about over vacation. Left over bits of the blanket for my soon-to-be-mother-in-law, and a few other ideas that I started on and abandoned.

Yes, this is a duffel bag. And yes it contains two separate blanket projects. One is almost done, even, and yet I haven't touched it in months!

This is in the living room. Top left is the red and black blanket, top right is for the star blanket I don't think I've told you about, and the bottom is for a moose, that I started on Christmas and haven't, also, touched since. I tend to do that!

Bits of the star blanket, and a ripple I started (and sort of fell out of love with) over the summer. This is a reusable shopping tote, and it is packed full, I assure you!

Yes, I think that is all. Of it, I mean, the yarn.
Internets, I have a problem. I am a starter, and not a finisher.
The plan is, some point in the very near future, at least get some sort of system going, other than what made sense at the time (which it still does, just not well).

Dears, what is the best way to organize yarn?!?!

xoxo, Jess (who just can't have enough, apparently!)

Plottings and Such

Dear Internets. You and I, we have a funny relationship. You give me hours of entertainment when I don't want it, and when I can't think of anything to do and what to find awesome things, there's not much.
Such is how it goes, I suppose.

Today is the last day of our vacation. And for that, I am very depressed. Yes, not just sad, but depressed. I don't like my job, very much so dislike it, and there's always so many things else-wise I would like to be doing! How much I would enjoy to be able to do creative things and still have a place to live! But right now, that is out of the question. We are tying, D and I, to save up money to buy a house, and that requires a regular income, which terrible-job gives me (sort of). So, tomorrow, I will be back, and it will be sad, and I'll be plotting all the things I would rather be doing the whole day long.

However, there is some hope. If I take all of my plottings, and finally finally finally get down to doing them...well, let's just start there and see where we end up.

First things first, though. The blanket I started for one of my coworkers, that needs to be done. It's slow going. Not because it's a slow pattern, but because I haven't done much with it since I started.

It's 28 inches square at the moment. I plan on making it standard throw size, 40x60, so I'm almost done with the square part. After it gets to be 40 inches square, I'm going to continue up for the next 20 inches, and then do a border to go around, to hide all the pesky ends (that you can see hanging off the left side in the second picture).

This ought to be first priority, it will be a quick job. Just need to get to it. And that's that.

xoxo, Jess (penguin & polar bear sheets and all)

Short Things

Dear Internets, today is D's birthday. He claims that he is old, but we know this is not true. Either way, he is a year older now. That's how these things work.

Because of  this, not much time was spent wallowing around at home - as has been the case the rest of the week. The next few days will also be busy - his gun will be in tomorrow, and we will be going up to his parents' house Friday and coming back Saturday. At least this is the information I have been given. Hopefully these things will give me some cool things to show you!

Until then, I have sneak peaks. I am a terrible person, and have started another crochet project. Let's not keep track of how many I have started.
It's something I started, oh two years ago? Something like that? Well, maybe not quite that long...almost, though, that's for sure. And then I got more than  half way, and finished, because I was no longer a fan of the colour.

This time, though, can't go wrong with black.

More information to come shortly.

....and  no, that's not a bad picture (well it is, but let me explain), that's glitter you see.

Again, more information shortly.




xoxo, Jess (who always does this, doesn't she)

Laundries

Not my image - via here

Today, we went ammunition hunting. And we were amazingly successful! Ended up way on the other side of town - no clue where, let's be honest, I'm no good geographically. But we came back with 6 boxes of 9mm. Which is amazing right now, for serious.
But that's D's story to tell, not mine. That's just how we spent the day.

Then we came home, and had no idea what to do.
I went through my magazine hoard. Yes, I hoard. Lots of different things. And that is one of them.
Anyway, I tore out all the pretty pictures I wanted to save and put them in a binder. Like a real-life Pinterest! I did that when I was a kid, used lots and lots of scotch tape that way. But when you grow up with bad fake wood paneling, you gotta do something, right? Oh I wish I had pictures to show you...I will have to dig for some, so you can see the horribly 70's house I grew up in.

After that, the afternoon was meh.
We are exciting people!

And we are in the search of things to do. We need projects. We dunno what projects to do. D's birthday is in two days. No clue what we're doing for that, either.
We've been racking our brains, and don't have anything.
Therefore, I have nothing exciting to post.

However, I am in  luck, because I've been wanting to share something for a while now.

Homemade Laundry Detergent. 
Found here.
I did a lot of canning and such at the end of August, and wanted to make more things that I would not have to buy.
And stumbled onto this. I'd heard of making your own laundry detergent before. And never tried it - there was the chance that I'd buy all the stuff, and not like it.

A lot of the recipes call for Borax.

Not my image - via here.

So I googled what that actually was. I'm familiar with it, we stock it at the store I work at. The powder that comes out of the box is...not of a lovely texture. Turns out you can kill fleas and roaches and whatnot with it.
And you want  to put that on your clothes? No thank you.
So, at the end of the summer I did a search for laundry detergent without Borax.

And found this recipe, that I've linked to above.
It's lovely, I assure you.
The clothes come out clean, the towels, the sheets, the kitchen towels, the washing the floor cloths...it all comes out lovely. Not smelling of anything, except for clean clothes and sometimes a hint of the castile soap used.

And this is all I had to buy: Castile Soap and Washing Soda.

Castile soap can be kinda spendy. I do believe this bottle was 12$. But the washing soda was about 3.50$. So, for under 16$ I have the best laundry detergent ever.
No, it is not a stain remover. It will get out most of the icky, but strongly discoloured things will not come back the correct colour. But it's only wash rags I have this problem with - and that is alright, but more on that another day.

And this stuff smells great. Citrus, yes please! And, you can use it to clean anything. I've used it on the carpet, and it works pretty good. Magic soap indeed!

This is the set up. The powder is a combination of the washing soda, salt, and baking soda. I'm still working on the first batch of the recipe I made. I'm almost out, but considering I've been using it since September or so, not a bad investment.

Let me reiterate that. Since September. And I've barely made a dent. For 16 dollars.  That bottle of soap is still almost full!

That's D's cheat-sheet. For when he does laundry. Which isn't very often. Hence it's his cheat-sheet. You understand, Internets, right? I'm sure you do.

xoxo, Jess (who really needs a new project!)

New Year's Resolutions

Internets, I have a feeling everyone is going to be doing one of these posts. And rightly so. If you tell you, dear internets, there might be someone to hold you accountable. If you just write it down in a diary, who's to say you are even doing anything, let alone that you made any resolutions aside from "come up with some resolutions for the new year".

However, there is nothing wrong with posting your resolutions on your faces, Internets, is there? I don't think so. I suppose it's a bit...self-important, to make everyone read your list of resolutions, it's a bit like saying "look at me, look how I plan on improving myself!" and who likes those people, right?

I don't want to do that. I want  to...just keep up with things.
I'm a great starter.
And then I tend to branch off into  five other things. And leave lots of things started.
There are piles about my house to prove it.
I can show them all to you, but we'd have a post of piles. Actually, that might be a good plan! Remember, Internets, how I told you about slowly easing your way in, start with the bad, then work your way up to the good. Let's do that.
Yes. The piles.
Please hold while I run around like a crazy woman taking pictures of them all while D will undoubtedly ask what I'm doing and I will hurriedly tell him "nothing, nothing, ain't doin anything". It is our way.

...I promise I literally did what just happened. This isn't even pretending I have a strange life. This is real. I was typing, and I got up and took the phone, and took pictures. And D did ask me what I was taking pictures of, and I told him "nothing, I dunno what you're talking about". Again, it's our way.

Yup. That's them.

First is by the couch. One finished blanket. Yarn for two started blankets. A Mollie Makes magazine (which I need to get more of!), multiple shopping bags what ought to be holding the things that are out here, and just overall mess.

Second, my desk. Remember how I started cleaning the desk? Yeah, and then I cleaned the closet. So this is as far as the desk got.

Third, the table under the printer. Which is right as you come in the door. The pink thing at the bottom is not my fault! It's the dog's toy. And the desk chair gets moved around as D's desk is right in front of the heater, so we move the chair so it won't melt. I have at least 3 bags of yarn under there. Two boxes of tea. Multiple shoes. A bag of Christmas stuff I need to put away. Well, it has like three things in it that I need to set aside for later projects. Yeah it's a mess.

Lastly, well, this is actually right next to the third pile. This fourth is just thrifting stuff, really. But it's all stuff that has yet to find a home. And it's all right in front of the DVD shelf and LEGO shelf. Oh! I will have to show you the LEGO shelf some time!

So, this is where we start. And we need to end up, well, with a functioning living room!
I'm a great starter. I start lots of things. I very seldom finish them. I assure you. It's true.

Internets, let this be the year of finishing things. Let 2013 be the start of something awesome, and let Jessica *finish* something! Well, hopefully more than one thing!

xoxo, Jess (who really wants to be successful at this. It's not asking too much, is it?)