Lanicraft

Inspiration

2011-06-29T23:37:00.002-04:00

A lovely crochet blanket, from un jardin de hilo.

Things I want to do this summer

2011-04-25T16:30:00.003-04:00

Things I want to do this summer:
(now that I've finished school for the semester and hopefully won't be as busy as last summer!)

alter my new costumes so that they are actually wearable
start working out. I've been sporadic with it this semester (something is better than nothing, right?). I need to design a program for myself, since I now know how to do it! But do I focus on aerobic fitness or strength? concurrent training? and can I run outside without damaging my knees??
more bellydancing!!! take some classes, practice at home, listen to more music.
I am going to knit the hell out of this summer! (crochet too!)
do a full spring cleaning. The house is disgusting. This starts tomorrow
read some books - some related to school (procrastination, do I want to be a doctor?) but also some fiction just for fun
uiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii8 (cat walking across keyboard)
fix up some things around the house. Paint the upstairs bathroom, paint the railing, small stuff like that.
healthy eating!
be more creative in my life. Take walks, take photos, make things. Perhaps work through the Artist's Way again (last time I got stuck about 1/3 of the way through. Issues, I haz em.)

I'm sure there is more, but this is all I can think of right now - and although I have 4 months, I probably won't have time to do everything I've listed! I do have to work, and sleep.

tabata - day 1

2010-07-12T09:47:00.004-04:00

I tried a Tabata workout today: 4 different exercises, 8 sets of each (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest), 1 minute of rest between exercises.

Tabata timer found here.
Exercises found here. There are lots of Tabata exercises on the internet.

To score, I took the set with the fewest amount of reps that I was able to complete in the 20 seconds.

Jackknife crunch (alternating legs) - 6
Push up with knee tuck - 4 This was the hardest exercise for me, by far!
Squats with hands at ears - 12 Easiest exercise for me! I was doing more reps during the last set than the first set.
Back row with weights - 9

Total score: 31

This workout was great because I didn't have to change into gym clothes (did it in my pj's), I didn't have to wear shoes because there wasn't any jumping. I didn't even put on a bra! LOL! It was quick and intense.

I should mention that I did a little warm up first, based on Jillian Michaels' warm up in Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism: big arm circles, twists, jogging on the spot, jumping jacks, alternating toe touches.

Phew!

le sigh

2010-06-24T08:08:00.003-04:00

I have two jobs, plus volunteering in the lab. No weekends. A day off here and there when there is a test in the lab and I don't have to be there. So tired. (not all the time, but most of the time)

Looking at my list in the last post makes me sad! I have started to work out again, sporadically, but I have not done the other things on the list. Even shopping for socks and underwear! lol! I am knitting and crocheting a little bit, but not a lot. I was dancing more at the beginning of the summer, taking classes on Saturdays, but then my work schedule changed and I wasn't able to make the classes anymore. I have Wednesday evenings free and could possibly take a class, but I am exhausted on Wednesdays. Yesterday I napped on and off for most of the afternoon and felt like a zombie in the evening.

Enough whining! This is how things have to be right now and I have to suck it up. I just wish I had more energy!!!

brighter days ahead

2010-04-22T00:06:00.004-04:00

When I have finished school for this semester, I am going to:

have a lazy day and stay in my pj's all day long
make some jewellery
go shopping for new socks and underwear
vacuum
clean up the place
DANCE!
start running again (couch to 5K)
workout
read for fun
see my friends
go out and dance all night long
knit
write W. a letter, maybe send a package
take more photos, maybe do a "photo a day" thing on Flickr
be creative
perhaps I will be a nice person again!

Only one more week!

In a Fosse kinda mood...

2010-01-03T20:49:00.003-05:00

finishing up the afghan swap

2009-11-02T17:59:00.006-05:00

I never posted the pics of the afghan squares that I received from the extended swap group. Here they are! (in no particular order)

"Diamond among the jewels" from Teejayhansen:

Stripes and buttons by Mullub:

Hearts by Bohoknitterchic:

Pink variegated from Naeby:

From Doe (the colours are wrong in the pic - it's actually blue ruffles on a purple garter background):

Mitered square by Fibernymph:
Vines by Sukye:

I love them all!!!! And am now going to start sewing them together. They've only been sitting in a bag for 4 months... actually that's not all that long... maybe they need to marinate a bit longer! LOL!

i haz a sick.

2009-11-02T13:07:00.004-05:00

Hello blog, how are you? It's been a while but I'll just pretend it hasn't, and not attempt to fill in details for the past three (?!) months.

I am sick and stayed home from school today. It started as a fever and bad headache on Saturday, and my chest felt heavy but I wasn't coughing. The fever left on Sunday but I gained a cough and a sort throat. And today I have normal cold symptoms: runny nose, mild cough. At least it's not the flu or the dreaded H1N1, but I was half hoping that I would get it, fight it off, and then continue through flu season with the confidence that I had the antibodies. Alas. My immune system has been sucky poo this year and I've had several colds. :(((( I don't like it one bit. Damn you, germs!

Benylin is my friend. Actually, oil of oregano is my magic potion, but I ran out, and the health food store is sooooooo faaaaaaar awaaaaaaaay.

afghan swap - extended group

2009-07-01T16:33:00.010-04:00

A bunch of us from the afghan swap on Ravelry decided to keep on knitting squares and make bigger afghans. We each knit 8 more squares, 7 to swap and one to keep for ourselves. Here are the squares that I knit for the others:

Square 1 for Naeby:

Square 2 for Bohoknitterchic:

Square 3 for Fibernymph (I'm so proud of this one!):

Square 4 for Doe:

Square 5 for Teejayhansen (another one that I'm very proud of):

Square 6 for Sukye:

Square 7 for Mullub (Space Invaders!!!!):

And the last one, for me, you've seen before:
That was a lot of really fun knitting!!! It was great to knit so many different patterns and styles and colours. I want to knit some other afghans for gifts, but I'm hesitating because there will be a colour theme (same colours? yawn) and some sort of cohesive pattern.

Next up, the squares that I received! :)

make up inspiration

2009-06-29T17:33:00.002-04:00

moonrox

2009-06-28T23:47:00.002-04:00

I have just discovered Monique's blog at Moonrox - go check it out!

Her jewellery is fabulous, and I like reading about her adventures around TO. (I used to live near the UFO and passed by it all the time, but had never been inside! Who knew it was a diner??)

back on the wagon

2009-06-28T23:33:00.003-04:00

I had a great bellydance practice day! This month has been filled with performances, which is awesome, but I've been itching to work on other areas of the dance and not just rehearsing choreography. Well... to be honest, I didn't even rehearse all that much... and it probably showed! LOL!

This morning I did the NYC Ballet Workout 1 on You Tube. I think I like the first workout better than the second one. Posture is my current big concern, and I hope that doing the ballet workout regularly will improve it. In the evening I had a 2-hour practice session: I worked on zylls, drills, choreography, and some free dance improv to non-bellydance music just for fun. And I stretched. I definitely need to keep up with stretching - when I was working out regularly, I was stretching regularly too and had a lot more flexibility.

I'm so proud of myself!

hello? hello?

2009-05-30T13:34:00.004-04:00

Well I guess I'm still on my blog hiatus! LOL.

It's been very busy in the Lanicraft world. I just finished up my applications to go back to university (eek! keep your fingers crossed for me), I've been working, I joined a tribal bellydance troupe, T-man and I started a community garden plot, and I've been trying to get some rest! I need more energy!

Tonight I have my very first paying bellydance engagement!!! There are four of us dancing at a pre-wedding party, and my teacher is singing with the band and doing a wedding procession type of thing. I'm very excited and nervous, as it will be my first time dancing for a Middle Eastern audience, and we're dancing to Om Kalthoum... to a live band. It's outdoors, under a tent, and I am very glad that it's a beautiful day today. There is a chance of thunderstorms this evening, but let's hope that they hold off until after we dance.

And here's a fun photo from my solo debut in April, so that you have something to look at besides text:

blog hiatus

2009-05-07T12:21:00.002-04:00

I took a little break from blogging in April... I didn't mean for the hiatus to be quite this long, but I've been trying to spend less time online and more time doing things in real life. (so far those "things" have mostly involved napping on the couch with a cat curled up with me!) I hope to get back into it and posting regularly! Stay tuned!!

giveaway!!!

2009-03-31T13:08:00.002-04:00

A friend from Ravelry, Bohemian Knitter Chic, is having a giveaway on her blog! All you have to do is check out her etsy shop and you could win a fabulous supercoil fibre necklace.

Bohoknitterchic, aka Brittany, is a fibre goddess - she knits, dyes, spins and designs her own patterns! I am amazed at her creativity and obsession (in a good way!). She definitely inspires me to progress in my fibre journey. Check out her wonderful art yarns!

Blog Giveaway

belly dance rehab - day 88

2009-03-29T23:57:00.003-04:00

Wednesday: bellydance class and troupe rehearsal (2.25 hrs.)
Thursday: Funkabelly (1 hour)
Saturday: choreography practice and drills (1.25 hr.)

Total on Day 88: 83.5 hours

I've been sick for the past few days, so I didn't get any practicing in, but I don't think it really mattered because I miss a few days every week it seems! I doubt that I'll make up those last few hours in the next two days. :( It's sad to end the rehab under 90 hours, but I'm pretty close and that's A LOT of practice hours!!

belly dance rehab - day 81

2009-03-22T20:15:00.002-04:00

bellydance practice session at home: warm-up, drills, shimmy, choreography practice (1 hour)

Total on Day 81: 79 hours

belly dance rehab - day 80

2009-03-22T10:20:00.002-04:00

day 77: bellydance class and troupe rehearsal (2.5 hours)
day 78: private lesson with Roula to work on solo choreography (1 hour)
day 80: class at Arabesque (1 hour)

Total on Day 80: 78 hours

I started a new job on Wednesday. It's part-time, and I am filling in for someone who is away. I tried to get as many hours as I could this week, because there might not be many hours available for me in the future. It's not a hard job, but it IS hard to adjust to working again! :) I worked a full day on Friday and was exhausted. I don't have as much free time to work on costumes or practice, but it's just a matter of scheduling my time better. Less TV. No napping.

Roula and I finished choreographing my solo dance. (mostly Roula - I didn't have a lot to add) Now it's time to practice practice practice and get it in shape for the hafla!

belly dance rehab - day 75

2009-03-16T23:16:00.003-04:00

day 73 - bellydance class at Arabesque (1 hour)
day 75 - home practice: yoga, warm-up, Michelle Joyce Drills! dvd (including zylls), run through choreographies old and new, shimmy drill, cool down (2.5 hours)

Total on Day 75: 73.5 hours

In my last post I said that my goal was to practice zylls a little bit every day, and I did not touch them until today. Whoops. Way to set a goal and stick to it! Gah.

OK, I have 15 days left in my rehab - I'd better end on a high note! I've been slacking off lately, but it would be really great to pull it together for the last stretch. And I have to practice if I plan to perform a solo on April 5, which I am on the fence about. I'm not sure it will be ready in time.

belly dance rehab - day 71

2009-03-12T23:03:00.003-04:00

day 70: bellydance class and troupe rehearsal (2.25 hrs)
day 71: bellydance practice - warm up, solo choreography, class choreography, zylls, cool down (1.25 hrs)

Total on Day 71: 70 hours

Wow, I'm amazed that I'm only one hour behind. My math must be wrong somewhere!

My goal for this week is to practice zylls for a little bit every day, even just 5 minutes. Unfortunately I have new neighbours, and I thought they were gone for the day (it's a business), so I was zylling away and then I heard movement next door. Oh no! I feel terrible for subjecting them to my zylling as well as listening to the same song over and over as I practice my choreography.

belly dance rehab - day 68

2009-03-09T23:41:00.003-04:00

day 64: private lesson with Roula (1 hour)
day 65: not a full practice, but I worked on my costume and then danced in it a bit to check for "malfunctions" (1 hour)
day 68: Tae Bo Boot Camp dvd and stretching (1 hour, worth half)
also day 68: Aziza's Ultimate Bellydance Practice Companion dvd, followed by hand and arm drills and taksim practice (2 hours)

Total on Day 68: 66.5 hours

crafty slacker, or slacky crafter?

2009-03-05T13:15:00.005-05:00

Toronto Craft Alert is having an awesome contest for people like me, who start too many projects and have lots of unfinished business lying around. It's called The Crafty Slacker's Get 'Er Done Giveaway and the prize pack is over the top in looty goodness! Go, check it out, I'll wait here.

OK, hopefully you came back. Or maybe you'll finish reading this post and then go check out the prize pack. :)

I have several entries... remember the work socks? I finished knitting them a year ago, but they have been languishing in the unfinished pile because there are a million ends to weave in. There is self-striping sock yarn for a reason.

My next entry is yet another pair of socks. (why do I keep knitting socks? I don't finish them, and when I do, I hardly wear them and the moths eat them) Anyway, these babies ended up a little too short, so I ripped back the toe of one sock and re-knit it so that it fit. The mate? Still too short. Still waiting for corrective action so that it will match the length of the sock that fits. Sigh.

Item number three is the Condo Sweater. I didn't blog about this one very much. I used one of my grandmother's patterns from the 80's. I crocheted it, sewed it up, washed it, and decided the fit wasn't great. The neckline is too loose and slides off my shoulder - which would be OK if I wanted an off-the-shoulder sweater, but... that's not what I want. All I need to do is tighten up the neckline by one inch on each side. Can I do it by March 16???

My last Get 'Er Done project is also the oldest. It's a bellydance costume that I bought in 2007. There are missing sequins that need to be replaced and hooks to be added (so that I can actually wear it). This baby is a long shot for the giveaway. I have the supplies, but where is the motivation?

Wish me luck! And go enter the contest!!

belly dance rehab - day 63

2009-03-05T13:09:00.003-05:00

I am catching up! Yesterday was a busy one.

bellydance practice at home, drills & solo choreography (1.25 hr.)
bellydance class and troupe rehearsal (choreo and zylls) (2.5 hr.)

Total on Day 63: 62 hours

belly dance rehab - day 62

2009-03-03T23:02:00.006-05:00

I missed posting for over a week! Yikes! How did that happen?!

I kinda lost my dancing mojo after our last gig. I applied to go back to university last week, and that took up a lot of my energy. And I skipped class and troupe rehearsal last week to attend an information session at one of the schools. I'm behind, but hopefully not by too much... let's see...

day 58: bellydance practice, choreography (1 hour)
day 61: yoga class (counts for 0.75 hr) and hooping workshop with Sadie (2 hours)
day 62: two classes (Intermediate and Foundation) at Arabesque Academy with Bozenka from Florida - she is subbing for the dancers that are getting ready for the big show (2 hours)

Total on Day 62: 58.25 hours

OK, I have quite a few hours to make up! I really need to work on my upcoming solo - the studio hafla is in one month and I've committed to performing at another hafla in early June. I worked on my costume a little bit too. A few sequins had fallen off, and I reattached those as well as sewing the lining that I had opened up, and taking off some gold cord that the previous owner had added to the straps. It looked OK but was very uncomfortable. Now I just need to pad and add wire for shape.

The classes with Bozenka were great! She is in Toronto for some workshops on the weekend, and unfortunately I can't justify the cost. When I heard she was teaching some regular classes I HAD to go! We covered technique in the Intermediate class, and some challenging layers. I picked up a move that I want to add to my choreo. :)) The Foundation class was the basics, but still worthwhile. It's always good to review the basics, and I like learning from different teachers because they explain things differently and each have a unique perspective.

on creativity

2009-02-22T22:37:00.002-05:00

An interesting talk on creativity, from the author of Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert.

The site, TED.com has videos of lots of interesting lectures - browse around and be inspired!

belly dance rehab - day 53

2009-02-22T15:15:00.004-05:00

day 50: 1 hour practice with the girls for the show
day 53: 2 hour Bollywood/Bhangra class with Lopa of Bollywood Grooves Canada

Total on Day 53: 52.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 49

2009-02-19T00:29:00.001-05:00

30 minute workout with weights (worth half)
bellydance class and troupe rehearsal - 2.5 hours

Total on Day 49: 49.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 48

2009-02-17T23:36:00.000-05:00

20 min. warm up to Tae Bo Boot camp DVD
1.5 hours of the Michelle Joyce Drills! Drills! Drills! DVD
cool down and stretching

The Drills! DVD is tough. Especially the zylls! It's hard for me to add zylls to foot movements, so I kept the zyll pattern simple, and even then I had trouble maintaining it. And I think my glutes are gonna be sore tomorrow! LOL. Michelle does a lot of hip bumps/ups whereas I'm used to hip drops/down hips. As I get more familiar with the video, I'll probably switch them up in the drills.

I'm falling behind in my hours for the rehab, but hopefully I catch up tomorrow!

Total on Day 48: 46.75 hours

belly dance rehab - day 45

2009-02-14T13:39:00.003-05:00

Day 45 woot woot! I'm halfway through the belly dance rehab! I can hardly believe that I kept it up this long. Although I haven't been dancing one hour each day - I skip a few days, then dance a couple of hours on one day. Overall, it's worked out to be an hour per day. Yay me!

day 43 - choreography practice with E. for a troupe gig next week. (1 hour)
day 44 - private lesson with Roula (1 hour). I also spent some time brainstorming my solo choreography and writing notes.
day 45 - I might do some drills or a dvd today. I'll update this post if/when I do!

Total on Day 45: 44.75 hours

belly dance rehab - day 42

2009-02-11T23:59:00.004-05:00

day 35: bellydance class and troupe rehearsal (3 hours)
day 41: 1.5 hour yoga class (0.75 hours)
day 42: bellydance practice at home, followed by bellydance class (2.5 hours)

I am going to perform a solo at the studio's hafla in April, so I was working on my choreography today. It's an opening piece with a veil and lots of turns... it makes me dizzy. I have to be sure to break up the turning combos so that I have a chance to steady myself.

Total on Day 42: 42.75 hours

afghan swap - phase one complete

2009-02-10T21:42:00.004-05:00

I have now received all of my squares for the Knit Girl/Sexy Lady Afghan Swap on Ravelry. It was so much fun that a few of us are extended the swap to make bigger afghans! So the original swap, phase one, is complete and now I'm starting phase two.

But first, the final squares...

Square #10-received, a turquoise beauty knit by Hellcat. It matches perfectly with the swallows.

Square #11-received from metalJune13, a badass skully on purple background:

Square #12, knit by me for me, using up oddballs from the other squares I've made:

Er, not a great photo with the knitting needles holding it flat. It was before I had woven in the ends and blocked it. The pattern is Slip Stitch Dishcloth by Dilys Sutherland.

Square #11 for Ms. Pixie Riot is my own creation. The main square is plain stockingette, and then I knit flowers (pattern for the flowers from the Charlotte Purse in Knitting Little Luxuries), and sewed them on with buttons for embellishment.

Another crapola photo. Sorry for the funny perspective.

And that wraps up phase one! I mailed out two squares today for phase two (#1 and #6), and am halfway through #2.

Now, must get back to knitting...

a little hiatus.... and yarn!

2009-02-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

Oops, a week went by without any updates! I haven't been dancing much - just class and troupe rehearsal on Wednesday, and nothing since then. I've wanted to, but then started doing some other stuff around the house or on the computer, and then it was late and time for bed. I might still get a practice in tonight.

But to distract you from my pitiful non-bellydance-ness, here's some yarn:

It's my first order from Elann.com and I am sooo happy! I heard a knock on the door, and wondered if I should get it (often I don't open the door if I'm not expecting anyone), but as soon as I saw the Canada Post truck outside I got a little giddy. Yay yarn!

belly dance rehab - day 34

2009-02-03T23:35:00.000-05:00

Rachel Brice DVD (30 min.)
zylls (15 min.)
choreography (45 min.)

Total on Day 34: 36.5 hours

belly dance rehab - catch up

2009-02-02T12:41:00.003-05:00

I haven't been posting, but I have been dancing!

Day 29 - no structured practiced, but danced for a few hours at Funkabelly
Day 31 - 1 hour yoga class (counts as half)
Day 32 - 2 hour bellydance class with Meaghan

Meaghan's class was great. She taught us a combo to Solace's Beledi 4/4 (basic beledi rhythm that is consistent throughout the song), which is great for drilling. And she gave me some advice to relax my arms/shoulders that really made a difference!

Today I want to do some basic drills and isolations, and practice zylls and veil.

Total on Day 32: 35 hours

new technique - taspestry crochet

2009-01-29T16:46:00.003-05:00

OK, so it's only new to me, but it's exciting to learn a new technique. I had seen photos of tapestry crochet on Ravelry, and it can be really beautiful. There are some gorgeous mandalas and colourwork pieces. Check out the Tapestry Crochet group if you're a Raveler, or the Tapestry Crochet site.

My first attempt was the Kitty Bag, and the first row of kitties was waaaaay slanted! I figured out what I was doing wrong and the second row was correct. But I didn't learn, because the pattern slanted in my next project too! Luckily, I had more yarn, so I immediately started again and did the colourwork correctly.

Here's the final version:

I am excited to try some more interesting colour combinations! This was a stash-busting/technique-learning endeavour.

rowan sweater

2009-01-29T16:24:00.002-05:00

I started this sweater for the Knit Girls January-February KAL. It's chunky yarn worked on 10 mm needles so it's knitting up fast!

Sorry about the crappy picture - I took one with the flash and one without, and both versions looked like poo! The yarn is a lovely light green. I tried to colour-correct, but.... um... FAIL.

Details:
Pattern: Jess from Rowan Bigger Picture (designed by Kim Hargreaves)
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool Fusion in Gooseberry
Needles: 10 mm (pattern calls for 12 mm)
Started: January 13, 2009

belly dance rehab - day 28

2009-01-29T00:15:00.003-05:00

bellydance class (1.25 hr)
troupe rehearsal (1.75 hr)

Class was great. We're working on choreography for an Om Kalthoum song. I'm a little lost since I missed class the past 2 weeks, but I'll catch up! :) In rehearsal, we worked on zylls and ran through all our choreographies, which was fun, then we polished up the class choreography a bit.

Total on Day 28: 31.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 27

2009-01-27T23:54:00.002-05:00

warm-up, basic drills, shimmy, zylls, layering, stretching (1 hour)

Total on Day 27: 28.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 26

2009-01-26T23:49:00.000-05:00

NYC Ballet Workout DVD - one last time before I returned it to the library

I wanted to do some drills or improv or something more bellydance-related, but 24 was about to start and TV trumped dance practice. Sigh.

Total on Day 26: 27.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 25

2009-01-26T01:21:00.003-05:00

OK, so I missed a few days due to a migraine, but not all was lost.

Friday: 1 hour yoga practice (counts as half)
Friday night: I went to a house party and danced till 4 am. (house music in a club, not a party at someone's house) It was so much fun! It doesn't really count as "dance practice" but it was great to just let loose and dance without thinking about technique or posture or stage presence. I'll count it as 1 hour. :)
Saturday: New York City Ballet Workout 2 DVD (1 hour)

Total on Day 25: 26.5 hours

sidelined!

2009-01-26T01:16:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday afternoon, I was attacked by a migraine and was fully out of commission for a day and a half. I missed belly dance class and troupe rehearsal for the second week in a row. Gah! I haven't felt that terrible since I got my first migraine/tension headache in university, and that was ahem a number of years ago.

But I am back to my regular, semi-lively self. And back to posting about my thrilling belly dance rehab haha. And I have some fibre related posts too!

belly dance rehab - day 20

2009-01-21T12:51:00.004-05:00

I am posting a day late - I meant to update the blog last night after I practiced, but got distracted by knitting and TV.

30 minutes of Masala Bhangra video
1.5 hours of bellydance practice: Virginia choreo (without the DVD - I know it well enough now), basic drills, layering/isolation drills, shimmy

Now that I'm getting to know the steps for the Virginia choreography, I want to start refining it. My plan is to video myself and then critique it - scary! I feel sloppy dancing it, so I imagine it looks pretty bad.

I've also been thinking about how I can make dancing more fun... what do I want out of it, and how can I get it?

Total on Day 20: 24 hours

belly dance rehab - days 17 and 18

2009-01-19T00:07:00.004-05:00

3 hour Kathak workshop with Joanna De Souza
1 hour practice: Virginia DVD choreography and going over Tigi Nigsim Il Amar choreo

Kathak is a dance form from northern India, and Joanna has been studying it for 30 years. She is so knowledgeable and I felt like a sponge trying to soak up what she was teaching us. There is so much to learn! It was an amazing workshop and although I didn't come away with any specific moves to incorporate into belly dance, I have a new appreciation for another art form. (but not a new obsession - only one at a time please!)

Here is Joanna performing:

Total on Day 18: 22 hours

belly dance rehab - day 16

2009-01-17T00:12:00.004-05:00

I've totally been slacking off this week. :( I didn't go to class or troupe practice on Wednesday, and although I was planning to work through a DVD or do something on my own, I didn't. Very bad.

Today was better - I wouldn't say that I'm back on track, but I did something and that's better than nothing. Actually, it's a very decent something!

private lesson with Roula - we talked about the different elements of a set and listened to music, then picked out an opening song to choreograph (1.5 hrs).
I spent about an hour choreographing. And it's only the first few bars! I was trying to figure out footwork, which directions to turn, and practiced with the veil.

Lately I feel like I'm all in my head, thinking and planning, and I don't feel like moving and getting into my body. At Roula's I was quite happy to sit and take notes. Uh, this is supposed to be a belly dance lesson!

I'm going to a Kathak workshop tomorrow, so I'd better get out of my head and get moving...

Total on Day 16: 18 hours

belly dance rehab - day 13

2009-01-13T18:10:00.003-05:00

1 hour Masala Bhangra "Bollywood Style" workout DVD
1 hour of Michelle Joyce's Drills! Drills! Drills! belly dance DVD

The Bollywood workout DVD was tough! It was pretty fast moving and definitely raised my heart rate. There was a lot of bouncing and jumping, and my knees didn't feel great at the end of it. :(

After I cooled down a bit, I went right into the Drills DVD, and I was too tired to do the whole thing (2 hours). But I got through isolation drills and zylls. (Boy, my zylling is awful!!!)

Total on Day 13: 15.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 11

2009-01-12T11:30:00.002-05:00

1 hour of rehearsal with E. for a tentative show this week

I was (still am) sick, and we didn't practise very intensely, but we went over some choreography yesterday afternoon. I hope to do Michelle's Joyce's Drills! Drills! Drills! dvd today, which I finally received in the mail. :)

Total on Day 11: 13.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 9

2009-01-10T14:19:00.003-05:00

Technically today is day 10, but I'll post again after I do something today... :)
I took a rest day on day 8 since I was feeling overworked.

1.5 hours of dance classes at Mayada's studio open house: salsa, bellydance boot camp, Celtic, folklore and circuit training

Total on Day 9: 12.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 7

2009-01-07T22:28:00.005-05:00

1.5 hour bellydance class
1 hour troupe practice

Troupe practice seems to be getting shorter, and yet I feel more tired. Actually, my body feels beaten up - I might be overdoing it with the belly dance rehab. :\ Maybe I'll take a rest day tomorrow, or just take it easy.

Total on Day 7: 11 hours

belly dance rehab - day 6

2009-01-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

New York City Ballet Workout 2, 1 hour

Another Youtube find: Part one. This version is better produced than the first NYC Ballet Workout, which I borrowed from the library on VHS. The narration is more clear and he cues right/left so that you can mirror the dancers on screen. (in Volume 1, the narrator switched between cuing your left and the dancer's left and it was confusing.) It's a nice workout, and I'm really considering buying the DVD.

Total on Day 6: 8.5 hours

the secret afghan project

2009-01-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

Back in July, Bohoknitterchic started organizing a project to knit/crochet an afghan for Madam Knit Girl, the lovely lady who started the Bad Knit Girls group. I was honoured to be given a chance to participate! I ended up knitting three squares:

Anchor, inspired by a design in Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments:

Skull, chart from Hello Yarn:

Vintage swimsuit, from Knits by Rachel:

You can see the finished afghan on MKG's Flickr. Hooray to everyone involved! We did a great job!!

belly dance rehab - day 5

2009-01-05T22:55:00.003-05:00

1 hour belly dance class at Arabesque

I was really tired today after yesterday's yoga class and extended dance session, but mustered the energy to go to Saba's class and I'm glad I did. It was fun! And they had free VHS tapes available, so I nabbed a drum solo video by Yasmina. :) Afterward E. and I went for falafel, which is always a great way to end the evening!

Total on day 5: 7.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 4

2009-01-04T18:08:00.005-05:00

I totally skipped day 3 - no belly dance or other workouts! I organized my dance and choreography notes, if that counts... um no, it doesn't count. BUT I made up for it today! I actually got up in time to go to yoga classs and I practiced with E. for 2.5 hours!!

vinyasa yoga 1.25 hours (worth half)
learning Virginia choreography 2.5 hours

Total on day 4: 6.5 hours

belly dance rehab - day 2

2009-01-02T19:48:00.005-05:00

I'm still motivated on day 2.... I just need to keep it up for 19 more days and it will become a habit! (that's the rule, right? 21 days to make something a habit)

I did cardio Tae Bo for an hour (worth half) and 1.25 hours of belly dance practice:

warm up and arms from Aziza's Ultimate Bellydance Practice Companion dvd
daily practice drills
zylls for 15 min.
re-learn choreography to Ramsa (hope to add zylls eventually)
Basic Class Combinations I from Mahsati Janan's site (she has a lot of great articles!)
Cool down, stretching

I'm very happy that I found the Tae Bo video on Youtube (part one is here). I most likely wouldn't buy it but I'm quite happy to do it occasionally. Thanks XxSweetLady!

Total after day 2: 3.25 hours

belly dance rehab - day 1 (again)

2009-01-02T10:58:00.002-05:00

Allrighty, I re-started my belly dance rehab with the new year! Yay for me!

warm up
lots of drills
shimmy drill
went over notes from my private lesson with Zahira
veil
stretching

Total after day 1: 1.5 hours

And I bought Michelle Joyce's Drills! Drills! Drills! dvd from a Bhuzzer, which should arrive next week!

how to clean makeup brushes

2009-01-01T16:24:00.002-05:00

Here's a recipe for make-up brush cleaner that I found on Youtube:

happy new year!

2009-01-01T16:11:00.003-05:00

Happy 2009 to you!

I have 12 new year's resolutions, and so far I've worked on two of them: I did some yoga today and I finished reading a book! I don't know if I'll count the book, since I read most of it in 2008. Hmm who am I kidding, of course I'll count it! It was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and I borrowed it from T-man's mom while we were visiting for Christmas.

Another resolution is to reduce the time that I waste on the internet, and on that note, I am off to do something useful!

belly dance rehab - day ??

2008-12-30T21:41:00.002-05:00

I have missed a whole bunch of days!!!! More like weeks!!! It was hard to get motivated around Christmas. Although I did about half an hour while at the cottage visiting family - I snuck upstairs and listened to my iPod. :)

Unfortunately, I did not get the DVDs that I requested from Santa, which I figured would help me out (new stuff? yay!) but that's OK - I'll order them myself. I think I'll restart the rehab on January 1... a new start for the new year!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

Have a wonderful day with friends and family!

more squares for the afghan swap

2008-12-22T14:59:00.004-05:00

Here's the latest square that I received from the afghan square swap:

It is the missing square #7! I don't know who knit it, as it was originally sent to one of the swappers who later dropped out, and her squares were re-assigned to people for whom she was supposed to knit squares. Confused?? I am! I'm not sure that sentence made any sense. Anyway, this "Star of David" square (just in time for Chanukah) goes really well with the pink square I received from Mimosa - it may even be the same yarn. I totally dig the stitch pattern!

The square that I sent to Clashfan77:

She loves it and I'm so happy! The pattern gave me some trouble. Clashfan77 hinted that she wanted a rock-n-roll themed afghan, so I picked out the pattern way in advance. I had tried modifying it for a 7x7 inch square for a different afghan project, got about 2/3 of the way through and then gave up. Even knitting it full size, without mods, was uninspiring... there aren't even that many colour changes! I'm not happy with my colour joins and the yarn carried behind is too tight in some areas. I definitely should have added the musical notes afterward, using duplicate stitch. But, I'll say it again: She loves it and I'm so happy!

belly dance rehab - day 13

2008-12-18T23:04:00.002-05:00

1 hour bellydance boot camp class

Ooooooh, I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

Total on Day 13: 9 hours

belly dance rehab - day 12

2008-12-17T22:09:00.000-05:00

1 hour dance practice:

warm up
drills while zylling
old choreographies - tried to remember them!
cane choreography
cool down and stretching

1.25 hour yoga class (worth half)

Total on Day 12: 8 hours

more FOs

2008-12-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Next round....

Remember this one? It was sitting on the sidelines for a almost year, then I knit the straps in the spring, and in August I picked it up and realized I only had TWO ROWS to go! It was finished August 29, 2008. However, by the time I wove in the ends and blocked it (another month), it was too cold to wear it. :/

Pattern: Ribs and Lace Tank by Jodi Green (Interweave Knits Spring 2007)
Yarn: Filati FF Carezza in 08 - mint green
Needles: 5 mm and 2.5 mm
Started May 2007, finished August 2008.

I call this my Paris shawl. T-man bought me this yarn in the summer on our Michigan road trip, and I knit the shawl to wear in Paris. (It's more like a "shawlette" - I'll have to get a photo of me wearing it)

Pattern: Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl by Sarah Bradberry
Yarn: Trendsetter Yarns Venus from Nautical Yarn in Ludington, MI
Needles: 4 mm
Finished September 25, 2008

And a WIP to finish things off:

This is one of my grandmother's patterns - the Condo Sweater. After knitting so many afghan squares, I had a strong urge to crochet a sweater. It's going really quickly! I'm about 2/3 through the second half, and I plan to do 3/4 length sleeves with wide cuffs. If I have enough yarn...

The colour is not accurate in this photo, it's a moss green but more vibrant than it appears here.

Hmm I have a lot of green projects... there are two more that I wanted to post but I don't have photos of the finished objects yet. They are also green! Weird!!

a post about knitting, really?

2008-12-16T23:28:00.004-05:00

Yes, really! Well, crochet as well as knitting.

First, some new acquisitions:

I bought these from fellow GTA Ravelry member Craftlover, who is moving out of the country soon and is trying to reduce her stash. I am so happy with my purchases! I wasn't sure about the books, since I have a lot of patterns already, but I'm glad I got them. It's great to meet other Ravellers in person!

Next, some finished knitting projects:

I knit this for J & A's son Eli Henry, who came into this world a littler sooner than expected!

Pattern: Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: stash yarn - green kitchen cotton and Lamb's Pride Cotton Fleece in Putty for the collar
Needles: 4 mm and 3.5 mm circs

The cotton was hard on my hands to knit, and I ran out of the green with 2 rows to go. I've started another sweater for my nephew, and am using washable wool instead. This is a quick and easy pattern, and is currently my go-to knit baby gift.

These arm warmers were a gift for E. and were finished at the beginning of November.

Pattern: Voodoo Wrist Warmers by Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Red Heart Ltd. Cotton Twist (50% cotton, 50% acrylic)
Needles: 3.5 mm circulars, I think. I did these 2-at-a-time magic loop style.

OK, that's enough for now.... I have more but I'd better space out my posts! lol.

belly dance rehab - day 11

2008-12-16T23:14:00.006-05:00

1 hour bellydance hip hop class at Arabesque (we were actually learning Ethopian dance, not hip hop, but it was fun nonetheless. A lot of small, sharp chest movements.)

Total on Day 11: 6 hours and 20 min.

I'm not going to worry too much about the days I missed - hopefully I'll make them up by the end of the challenge, but I won't be discouraged. It's intimidating to think "I have to dance 2 hours a day for the next 4 days and then I'll be caught up." I'll make up the hours sometime in the next 79 days! :)

waaaaaaay behind

2008-12-15T12:11:00.002-05:00

I am falling behind on the belly dance rehab! Yikes! I missed Thursday, Friday, Saturday (although I did a show) and Sunday.... I have a lot of hours to make up. E and I have plans to check out some new classes this week as our regular classes are now on holiday break.

I have to get my butt in gear!!

Total on Day 10: 5 hours and 20 min. (down by 4 hours and 40 min.)

belly dance rehab - day 5

2008-12-10T14:09:00.004-05:00

45 min. pilates DVD (counts as half)
belly dance class (1 hour)
troupe rehearsal (1 hour)

Total on Day 5: 5 hours and 20 minutes

belly dance rehab - day 4

2008-12-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

1 hour of choreography practice with E. for the show on Saturday

I meant to sneak in some other practice time, but didn't. :/

Total on day 4: 3 hours (down by 1 hour)

belly dance rehab - off the wagon already

2008-12-09T09:41:00.002-05:00

Well, I fell off the wagon already. I didn't do anything on day 3, and yesterday (day 4), I only practiced for 10 minutes. :(( But I'm not discouraged!! I WILL make it up this week: tonight I have practice with the girls and tomorrow I have belly dance class and troupe rehearsal, so I'll easily make up a few hours. I just have to keep up with the daily stuff.

belly dance rehab - day 2

2008-12-06T22:05:00.007-05:00

My practice today:

Rachel Brice's Yoga, Isolations and Drills DVD (30 min.)
shimmy drill and cool down from Aziza's Ultimate Belly Dance Practice Companion DVD (25 min.)

belly dance rehab

2008-12-05T23:26:00.007-05:00

Michelle Joyce started a thread on Bhuz with a challenge to take 90 dance classes in 90 days - any type of dance class counts, and other fitness/yoga/pilates classes count as half. (When an alcoholic starts AA they are told to do 90 meetings in 90 days, that's where the rehab/90 days thing comes from.)

A ton of Bhuzzers signed up to join Michelle! And the details were modified by each person to fit their situation - doing a video, dance practice, 90 hours in 90 days instead of practice, etc. It's amazing to see so many belly dancers inspired to improve themselves and further the dance form!

Now, I can hardly commit to this... I have been trying to practice every day since I'm unemployed, and it hasn't happened. I am dying to take more classes but can't afford it right now. I'm going to ask for some belly dance DVDs for Christmas, so that should help. :)

That being said, I have been inspired to step up my practice schedule! And I started today!! I'm going to post my practice log here as a record and to keep me motivated. Plus the blog could use some more content. :)

Belly Dance Rehab - Day 1

warm up
waves - standing series
shimmy to Shik Shak Shok: Egyptian, single leg, ballet, twist **hip shimmy needs work
veil: went through my list of veil moves, did some simple veil combos, walked through veil intro that I learned in my private lesson with Zahira
zylls: longa to 5 min. song, long variations, saidi, moving around while zylling
Hadia choreography and staging

justification for knitting with acrylic

2008-11-25T20:26:00.003-05:00

There's a lot of chatter online (blogs, Ravelry... OK, I only ever read Ravelry these days) about using acrylic when there are so many other nice fibres available. And it's true, acrylic is kinda crappy and nice wool and alpaca and silk feel soooo lovely.

For the past few days, I've really wanted to start crocheting a sweater. I have a strong urge to crochet! I looked through my stash and didn't want to use any of it. (not surprising ha ha) BUT, my first instinct was to buy some cheap acrylic yarn from the discount store. I fought the urge, and as I was walking to the LYS, I examined my reasons for turning to the dreaded A-yarn....

There is less pressure to produce a "good" product if I make it with acrylic.

And by "good" I mean: wearable, in a colour that I will like for a long time, something that fits well, looks nice, doesn't go out of style, etc.

If I spend money on good yarn, and take the time to knit/crochet a sweater, I had better love it and wear it a lot! But, if I buy cheap yarn, it's OK if the project doesn't work out, and the yarn will survive frogging and re-knitting. Or I can donate it. It doesn't matter because it didn't cost very much.

It was a real eye-opener to me to realize this. I feel OK about using crappy yarn to make a crappy sweater?? That's not the kind of knitter/crocheter I want to be. There is nice yarn that is not expensive that will result in a nice garment. And I can rip it out and make hats, scarves and arm warmers if I don't like the garment. It's OK. :)

And so, I went to the LYS and bought some reasonably priced Moda Dea superwash wool, in a lovely moss green, and started my crochet sweater....

the afghan square swap keeps swapping

2008-11-25T20:05:00.005-05:00

More knit afghan squares from the Sexy Ladies Afghan Square Swap on Ravelry!

Square #8, knit by Duckette:

I love that it looks like two interlocking e's. Or yin and yang. It's just plain awesome.

Square #9 is another one from the sweet, sweet Mimosa:

Gorgeous pink lace. Something about it is so soothing! The yarn is very soft too.

If you're keeping track, you may have noticed that square #7 is missing... we had a few knitters drop out of the swap and their squares have yet to be re-distributed. OR someone is being an "angel" and knitting an extra square and it's late. I'm not really sure! I'll find out soon enough! :)

More afghan squares!

2008-11-12T11:22:00.009-05:00

This is square #6-received, knit by Mimosa:

Those are swallows swooping down (think of a chest tattoo) and if you didn't see them at first, don't worry, I didn't either! First I thought they were paw prints or cat faces, but then I read Mimosa's note and I could see the birds. The square was knit in one of my favourite yarns, Moda Dea Washable Wool. (although it has some competition - Mission Falls 1824 Superwash Merino is catching up!)

I am waiting for squares 7-9. One is in the mail, and the other two were assigned to people who have now dropped out of the swap. I'm pretty sure they were re-assigned to other swap peeps, but they may be behind schedule. I'm not worried! I can always knit more for myself.

And now for the squares that I have sent out....

Square #7 for Jesshenshaw:

Pattern: Bobbles the Sheep cloth, and I added the bobble border to frame the sheep
Yarn: Moda Dea Washable Wool in Aran
Needles: 4 mm

Square #8 for Teejayhansen:

Pattern: Garterlac Dishcloth
Yarn: Laines Du Nord Giunco in S70 (washable merino)
Needles: 3 mm

This square gave me a bit of trouble. At first, I didn't like the yarn in this pattern because the colour segments are short. It didn't look the way I expected. Before ripping it out (because I had already started a few times to get the right gauge/size), I used the second ball to try some other stitch patterns, but didn't like those either! Hurumph. So I kept on with the garterlac square and overall I'm happy with it. It seemed to take a long time to knit, so I was glad to get back on to 4 mm needles for the next one...

Square #9 for Bohoknitterchic:

Pattern: Be My Dishcloth
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Superwash Merino in Zinnia
Needles: 4 mm

This square was super quick to knit after the Garterlac. I think it was one of the first swap patterns I picked out! Bohoknitterchic has a cheesy love theme for her afghan. Lots of love went into this square, even from Oxo...

He enjoyed sleeping on the WIP and on top of the pattern. (don't worry, I gave the square a good wash before mailing it!)

I am currently working on square #10 which is about 75% done, and thinking about square #11 - the last one! I have pretty much decided on the yarn, but not the pattern. The recipient is open to embellishments so there are lots of options! I could knit a plain square and then add buttons, sequins, etc. Or knit a picture and decorate. So many ideas!

baguettes!

2008-10-20T16:30:00.004-04:00

There is delicious bread in Paris. You can find baguettes everywhere! Restaurants will serve a little basket of bread with every meal. We bought bread, cheese and wine to keep at the apartment, to snack on post-museum and pre-dinner. Yum!!

Since we got back, I've tried several times to make french bread. The first two attempts resulted in yummy bread, but they were definitely not baguette-like. The third time was a charm.

I used this recipe from King Arthur Flour, instant yeast and Five Roses Unbleached Flour. The ingredients are simple - it truly is the method that makes the difference.

I will definitely make these again! And soon - there is only one left. And they are much better fresh!

knit girl afghan swap - square #5 received

2008-10-14T10:56:00.004-04:00

This beautiful square was knit by jesshenshaw:

It is a garter and gull stitch pattern, and I am amazed because it is so tightly knit! And the stitches are so even and perfect!!

This is going to be an awesome afghan. The knitters in the group are really talented!

cobblestone socks

2008-10-13T10:44:00.001-04:00

I started these socks way back in June as part of the For the Love of Socks KAL. It's my first time doing 2 socks at once using Magic Loop (one loooooong circular needle).

I love the yarn and the pattern is interesting, but it's just been slow going. I wasn't too motivated to knit wool socks in the summer! But when I took my mom to her doctor's appointments in July and August, I brought the socks with me and made some progress.

Only the foot to go! And then they'll BOTH be finished. No second-sock-syndrome.

Pattern: Menehune Cobblestone Socks by Adrienne Fong
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Sock 2/6 in Pinata
Needles: 2 mm metal circulars

Oh yes, I noticed that one sock is more pink than the other... oh well.

update: knit girl afghan swap

2008-10-12T18:23:00.006-04:00

I've been lax about posting my squares, partly because I didn't want to upload a photo before the recipient received it in the mail. But now that I've left it for a while, everyone has opened their packages and I can make it public!

These are the squares that I have knit:

Square #3 - sent to Bettievonzee, who later dropped out of the swap. It has been re-allocated to Mimosa.
Pattern: Elvish Leaves Dishcloth
Yarn: Naturally Hand Knit Merino et Soie 10 Ply in 117, about 1.5 skeins
Needles: 4 mm

Square #4 - sent to Duckette (thanks for the photo!)
Pattern: The tweed stitch pattern is from the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Calendar by Ed Martingale.
Yarn: Moda Dea Washable Wool
Needles: 4 mm

Square #5 - knit for Knittygreekmom
Pattern: The diamond pattern is from the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Calendar by Ed Martingale.
Yarn: Moda Dea Washable Wool (my new favourite yarn)
Needles: 4 mm

Square #6 - made for Mimosa
Pattern: Lizard Ridge from knitty.com
Yarn: Moda Dea Washable Wool (pink and purple) and Mission Falls 1824 (black)
Needles: 4 mm

hello stranger

2008-10-12T17:37:00.002-04:00

Yes, still alive! And knitting up a storm. I'm going to commit to posting more regularly... although I've decided that before and still didn't post regularly so it might not be successful. It's depressing to look at my own blog and see a month-old post staring at me!!!

startitis

2008-08-27T10:33:00.002-04:00

New project alert! As if I don't have enough on the go, with all the afghan squares and socks-in-progress and unfinished tanks and tunics... I started the Betty Wrap from Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding.

My plan is to have it completed in time for my trip to Paris, at the end of September. I think it's doable, it's coming along nicely.

I learned to put in lifelines in the lace sections. The shiny yarn was so slippery and I lost stitches and had to rip back to the first garter section. Grr. But now I know!

The yarn is Trendsetter Venus, and it looked much better in the skein when you could see all the variegation. I'm not sure this pattern is the best use for it... I originally wanted to make the Infinity Wrap from Interweave Crochet, but decided to try this one instead. We'll see how it turns out!

This book is gorgeous, by the way. Beautiful art direction!

knit girl afghan swap - square #4

2008-08-24T11:35:00.004-04:00

The super awesome square that I received from teejayhansen:

In her note, she wrote that she selected the colours to represent different jewels - ruby, periwinkle, sapphire, black onyx, etc. - to go with my jewel-tone theme. LOVE! She also sent a full-size Ghiradelli chocolate bar.... double LOVE!

knit girl afghan swap - square #2 part 2

2008-08-24T10:42:00.004-04:00

Here is the square that I made and sent to metaljune13:

It was the first time I have done colourwork like that, and I'm very proud of how it turned out! The bird's legs are a bit wonky because I carried the yarn too tightly behind the work, but the rest of the bird is OK.

Pattern: #38 Bird Blanket by Jenn Jarvis, from the Summer 2007 issue of Knit.1 (Rav link)
Yarn: black is Mission Falls 1824 Wool, blue is Moda Dea Washable Wool, red is Naturally Hand Knit Merino et Soie 10 ply.
Needles: 4 mm

My plan is to make this blanket for my own house, and after working on the squares for the KG afghan swap it doesn't seem so scary anymore! I always think that afghans take forever to knit, but doing each square is manageable and then you just have to sew them together. (which will probably take me forever - I hate seaming!)

Oh, and the Moda Dea yarn is sooooo soft! and affordable!! (surprising, since I bought it at Romni)

knit girl afghan swap - square #3

2008-08-16T17:57:00.003-04:00

Here is square #3, knit by bohoknitterchic:

It is a vine pattern in a lovely deep shade of green. She used Knitpicks Shine Worsted, and it is really soft and drapey.

Bohoknitterchic organized the Knit Girl Afghan Swap on Ravelry and did an awesome job!!! OK, this is my first swap so I have nothing to compare it to, but it's been great experience so far.

crochet baby blanket

2008-08-15T11:43:00.002-04:00

I forgot to post about this one! It was finished a while ago and gifted on July 29 (baby shower). I was going through my photos and spotted it....

The pattern is from Family Circle Easy Knitting, Holiday 2002.
Yarn: Patons Grace in Snow, Blush, Purple, Blue and Ginger
3.5 mm hook
Started March 21 and finished June 28, 2008.
Ravelry link

Check out the nice edging! I'm very proud of myself. :))

The recipients, Greg and Kim, had a baby boy on July 22. Welcome Beck!!

knit girl afghan swap - square #2

2008-08-12T22:47:00.003-04:00

This is the square I received from Clashfan77:

It came in the mail today, along with square #5 from jesshenshaw. I haven't opened that one yet - my plan is to open the squares in order, but it's so tempting! It's like Christmas!!

knit girl afghan swap - square #1

2008-08-09T10:46:00.005-04:00

Here is the first square that I received in the swap, from ms. pixie riot:

She also included Pez (aka crack) and some cute little buttons from her online shop, Yarn Oddities.

Here's the square that I sent to hellcat:

Pattern: Elvish Leaves Dishcloth
Yarn: Naturally Hand Knit Merino et Soie 10 Ply in 110, about 1.5 skeins
Needles: 4 mm

It was fun to knit, but I couldn't memorize the pattern because each row was different. It kept things interesting but having to always look at the pattern in kinda annoying. Oh yeah, thanks to hellcat for the photo - I forgot to take pics before I sent it!

an update, at long last

2008-07-30T10:59:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the MIA-ness! A lot has been going on this month - I finished at the mothership at the end of June, then T-man and I took a little vacation road trip (including LYS stop!), my mom had surgery so I have been going back and forth to her house to help her out, I've been going to as many bellydance classes as possible because I bought an unlimited pass at the studio and want to get my money's worth, the troupe had a big performance last Sunday, I joined an afghan square swap on Ravelry (my first swap) and have been cranking out 12x12 inch squares, but not much other knitting.

I have not even had time to think about a new job or new career or even miss working! The house is a mess and we've been eating a lot of quick and easy foods (not crap, but not so great either). The cats miss me but my parents' dogs now love me since I take them for walks.

There are a few posts lined up.... stay tuned!

winding yarn at the office

2008-06-24T09:54:00.001-04:00

I used an office chair as a swift and wound up my Fleece Artist Merino sock (colourway: Pinata) into balls. Excuse the sour expression - I was at work, after all.

oh baby!

2008-06-23T18:06:00.004-04:00

A round of baby items has been gifted!

Hats and booties for my co-worker Gabi, who is due at the end of the month. All the best, Mama Bisia!

Details:

Patterns: Sprout hat by Leigh Spencer, published in Magknits (now offline) and Perfect Baby Booties by Ruth B. (pdf)
Yarns: Bernat Satin in yellow and pastel mix, and L & M Trading Co. blue, from the stash
Needles: For the hat, 4.0 mm. For the booties, 3.0 mm for the smaller size and 3.5 mm for the larger.
Started: mid-May
Finished: mid-June (both were quick knits, it just takes me a while to sew things up!)

finally, a finished object - socks!

2008-06-13T11:20:00.004-04:00

Here are the 2 socks on 2 circs in their completed state! (sorry for the lousy photos - the flash on my camera is terrible, and I didn't adjust them at all before uploading to Flickr.)

After I took the photos, I decided that they were a bit too short, so I undid a few rows and re-knit the toe to give me some extra length. Technically these are not a "finished object" since I still have to fix the other sock! Once they are truly finished and ready to wear, I will take some nicer pictures.

Details....

Pattern: Ladies Simple Sock on 2 Circular Needles by Caryn Lantz (on Ravelry)
Yarn: Lang Yarns Super Soxx in 6365
Started: February 2008
Finished: June 2008
My project page on Rav

crazy busy.

2008-06-10T12:10:00.004-04:00

This week is turning out to be really busy and is stressing me out. Everything is happening this weekend!

Funkabelly is on Saturday and I'm performing with my class (a different class than last time) - there are only 3 of us dancing so there's more pressure to do a good job! I keep messing up the choreography while practicing, I don't know why since I know the choreo. Grr. I actually trust myself to get it right while in front of an audience - there's more pressure to perform! But still, I will be rehearsing a lot this week!

Also, E and I have volunteered to bring snacks for FaB. (E's idea.) Hummus and pita and raw veggies. Maybe cookies. Nothing too complicated, but I don't know when we will have time to go shopping and make hummus. (I think we should just buy the hummus. It's more expensive than making it, I assume, but time-saving. That's what I need right now.)

Now, these two things would not so bad on their own, but Todd, Wendy and Zoe are in Toronto this weekend, and that's a HUGE deal!!! Yay! They are staying with T & P and hopefully the mamas will have a night out at Funkabelly. That means that Saturday afternoon/early evening will be spent with my friends, but sometime in there I have to prep food and get dressed and made up for the show. PLUS S&M are flying through TO on their way home from the U.K., and there is a plan to hang out with them at the airport until Todd's flight gets in.

So. many. things. to. do.

Tonight I have bellydance class and troupe rehearsal, tomorrow night I am meeting up with some fellow Ravellers for a pot luck knit night, and on Thursday I'm having dinner with my co-worker that is going on maternity leave next week. Phew!

Sorry for my ranting. It's good to be busy but I don't handle it well. I will have knitting content for you very soon! Socks and baby knitting coming up.

Suheir Zaki and her glorious down hips

2008-05-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

A vintage video for your viewing pleasure...

black tulips

2008-05-28T22:06:00.006-04:00

Oops, sorry for the lack of posts lately. How did that happen?? Time is passing by too quickly, but also too slowly... one more month at the Mothership and each day is draaaaaaaaaagging on.

For your amusement, here are some photos from my commute. I was going to post only one photo of the tulips, but I love them so much that I'm putting them all up.

Another duck in a fountain - this time at the Rogers Centre (Skydome)

Black tulips beside Steam Whistle Brewing

mothproofing

2008-05-19T11:01:00.000-04:00

My name is Lanicraft and I have a moth problem.

The house has a moth problem. I think they were in the carpet when we moved in and we have never gotten rid of them. Sometimes they are invisible, except for the holes in our clothes, and sometimes they are flying all over, or crawling on our sweaters, or otherwise grossing us out. (finding a moth larva on a sweater you ARE CURRENTLY WEARING will give you the creepy crawlies for a long time.) They are only supposed to like wool, but I have found holes in cotton clothing and acrylic yarn. My moths aren't picky - they eat anything. Ugh.

Unfortunately, T-man and I are not disciplined enough to vacuum daily, under all the furniture, dry clean all our sweaters (or bake them in the oven), and don't have enough room to freeze/thaw them to stop the moth life cycle. I don't think that we will ever be totally rid of them, but we do try to discourage them with cedar and lavender (and we do vacuum! just not daily).

In an attempt to protect my recent stash additions, I decided to pack up the yarn with some moth deterrents. Step one: zip top bags and cheap soap.

Step two: make sachets with soap and lavender.

Old tights or pantyhose come in handy for this project.

Step three: pack yarn in bags with sachets.

I didn't have enough old pantyhose to make sachets for my entire stash, so I tucked the extra bars of soap in the other bags of yarn.

For the record, the soap and lavender (and cedar) will not kill or get rid of moths, but the scent deters them from laying eggs and feeding their family with your woolen items. When the weather gets warm enough, I'm going to pack all my sweaters into black garbage bags and let them cook in the sun for a while. That should actually kill the eggs and larva.

Thanks to the Ravelry forums for all the tips.

ducks in fountain

2008-05-18T18:13:00.003-04:00

There is a condo that I pass on my way to work (I walk by several condos on my commute - more than I care to count) that recently turned on its fountain or water feature or whatever-it's-called. And promptly attracted some feathered loiterers:

This duo has been swimming about and accepting snacks for a few days now. (You can just see the female in the background.)

They are right across the street from the lake, but I don't blame them for preferring the clean water in the fountain to the toxic soup that is Lake Ontario.

Forest nymph crochet bikini top pattern

2008-05-14T16:43:00.003-04:00

Here's my Forest nymph crochet bikini top pattern...

Materials: worsted weight yarn (wool or acrylic), 10 mm crochet hook, 5.5 mm crochet hook
Size: Small (Medium)

With 10 mm hook, chain 30(34), turn.
Dc in 4th ch from hook, *ch 1, skip 1 ch, dc in next ch* repeat across. Ch 4, turn.
Dc in first ch-1 space, *ch 1, dc in next ch-1 space* repeat across. Ch 4, turn.
You should have 12(14) ch-1 spaces.

To make the "cups":
Dc in first ch-1 space, [ch 1, dc in next ch-1 space] 5(6) times. Ch 4, turn.
You have worked halfway across the row.
Dc2tog, [ch 1, dc in next ch-1 space] 2(3) times, dc2tog. Ch4, turn.
Dc2tog, [ch 1, dc in next ch-1 space] 0(1) time, dc2tog. Ch4, turn.
Small size: Dc2tog once.
Medium size: Dc2tog, [ch 1, dc in next ch-1 space] once . Ch4, turn. Dc2tog once.
Switch to 5.5 mm hook. Chain 25(35) for neck tie. Cut yarn.

Attach yarn at edge of work for the second "cup". Ch 4, then work second cup as above.

Side ties and edging:
With 5.5 mm hook, ch 30(40). Switch to 10 mm hook and sl st in bottom right hand corner of the top. Ch2, *sl st in next ch-4 space, *ch 4*, repeat around, end ch 2, sl st in bottom left hand corner of the top. Switch to 5.5 mm hook and chain 30(40) for side tie. Cut yarn. Weave in ends.

Wear over a bikini top, halter, tank top or choli. Add leaves, vines, and flowers as desired.

If y'all make the pattern, please let me know how it goes! (i.e. did I omit something important?) I'd love to see your pics!

more bellydance crochet

2008-05-14T15:29:00.006-04:00

I made more crochet accoutrements! My level III class performed asaya (cane) to Ya Shok by Hakim at the May hafla. The theme for the hafla was "forest nymphs and nature spirits". I was thinking green and brown and leafy and mossy and woody. Not especially feminine and bellydancey. Hrm.

There was some green acrylic yarn in the stash, so I whipped up a freeform crochet bikini top type thing, to be worn over a tank top or halter. The freeform ruffle looked leafy. I brought it to class and people liked it, so I made crochet tops for the class and a few headbands. (It helped that our teacher gave me some more yarn.) There was no way I could do them all freeform - it sounds silly, but it's harder to make it up as you go along than to work from a pattern.

(leaves and vines are optional)

The pattern will be in its own post. For something so easy to make, it sure was hard to write up the pattern! Actually, they weren't THAT easy to make - I gave myself RSI from practicing the cane choreography, zylls and crocheting! Too much wrist! :( But I was all healed up for the performance, thanks to ice and arnica and rest.

2008-05-11T23:10:00.003-04:00

i'm alive!

Still alive and kicking.... I've just been really busy lately. Had two bellydance performances on Saturday: one in Burlington with the troupe and a class recital in Toronto at Funkabelly. Both went really well! Leleleleleleleleeeee! I had a lot of fun performing with the class at Funkabelly. More details to come...

2008-05-01T13:33:00.002-04:00

centre pull ball.

how to make a center pull ball from knits with balls.

I've been tempted to buy a ball winder, even though I don't really need one since I don't often buy skeins of yarn and I'm OK with hand wound balls that roll around on the floor. (it's fun for the cats!) However, this method produces a nice yarn cake and it's DIY!

Found via Ravelry.

2008-04-28T18:52:00.007-04:00

bellydance conference love.

The International Bellydance Conference of Canada was sooooo amazing! I had soooo much fun! It has renewed my love for the dance and I feel very inspired. Yesterday, at the closing party at Myth, I felt effervescent!

Here we are practicing before our performance on Thursday:

Amy Sigil of Unmata showing off her beautiful tattoo (she is super nice!):

The dance floor at Myth at the closing party:

Tito dancing on a dumbek:

And here is Tito, Yasmina Ramzy (artistic director of the conference), and Aida Nour:
The highlight of the weekend was watching Tito and Aida dance together!

I am only just starting to calm down from all the excitement. Everyone at the conference was friendly and the big name dancers were so gracious and gladly posed for photos. (most of my pics are on Facebook)

Now it's back to real life - laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping! Oh yes, and work tomorrow.

2008-04-23T11:00:00.004-04:00

bellydance costumes.

I have been busy getting ready for my troupe's performance at the International Bellydance Conference of Canada. We have been rehearsing like mad (4 times in 5 days! do I have any sort of life outside of dance?!) and it's coming together nicely, but I'm still super nervous. This is only our second performance as a troupe, and it's a tough audience! These people know their bellydance! Eeeeek!!! We will be great. We will have fun. And we'll be wearing my handiwork....

I made some fringe tops and belts by crocheting a base of black worsted weight yarn and tying on various novelty yarns. My favourite colour combo is above. Here's the whole set:

The belts are the same colour combos, but the fringe pieces are all different lengths. I still have to make the orange & blue belts - that's my project for tonight. And it was requested that I make some sort of arm bands too.

It's so amazing that the troupe is going to be wearing my work!!! Although it is a little stressful to have to make the stuff on short notice, that is far outweighed by the awesomeness that we will be wearing costumes that I made, on stage, at the bellydance conference! Holy crap.

I'm not freaking out. No sirree.

OK maybe a little bit.