Cozy Posy Ear Warmer

Winter has actually came this year! It actually might feel that way because we have been going up the mountains a lot this year. Either way I've needed to bundle up quite a bit this season. Since I decided not to cut off all my hair, and I wear it in a bun 99% of the time, I've needed something other than hats to keep warm.

Being on a budget means coming up with my own design, yet again, and no Etsy splurging for an adorable ear warmer head band. Luckily I've mastered simple pattern techniques in my knitting skills.

Cozy Posy Ear Warmer Heandband

Lion Brand Alpine Wool (any roving wool or bulky weight yarn will work great)
Size 10 US needles (6mm)
Gauge not important
Roughly uses about 23 yards

Cast on 12 stitches using double cast-on.
Begin seed stitch.
Row one: k1, p1
Row two: p1, k1

Repeat rows one and two until you have 105 rows or can stretch around your head snug. Bind off in pattern. Leave a tail long enough to sew the seam. Seam both sides together. It doesn't have to be perfect because you will be wrapping yarn for the bow-like knot over the seam. Fold seam to create a bow-like effect then wrap roughly a yard of yarn around the folded seam to create the knot. Tie and seam in ends in the back.

This pattern produces plenty of stretch so you want it to be a bit snug. It stretches out just a bit after wearing. I've made a dozen so far. The pattern it quick, easy and these things are oh so warm!

88 Miles Per Hour

When I think about our wedding, it was very much a nerd country hybrid. I wanted the everything to feel handmade, homey, family, and very much a representation of me. You know when you go into your grandma's house and there are layers of things, patterns, objects, pictures, textures, that blend into a beautiful tapestry of life and the lives that have touched throughout the years? Yeah that's me only I'm 23 years old, far from grandmothering. So what you got was lace, mason jars, Cheerwine, candy, and a Tardis wedding cake.

Me and Kasey planned that wedding in two and a half months. We had next to nothing to pay for it all. Which was no problem because I have been thrifting things for the wedding for quite a long time. I hand crocheted all the flowers. Collected all the mason jars from family members. Collected coffee cups for the last year for the favors. Handmade of the wedding invites. Family friend made hand-spun cotton candy. I DIYed pretty much every detail. I was out in grandma Maxine's garage digging out old metal wash tubs to hold the glass bottle Cheerwines. I used my own home decor to fill in the look with owls, Pyrex, glass bottles, clothes pins...and it was beautiful. It was beyond my dream wedding. So there is a tease for the upcoming fully detailed wedding post!

The point is when deciding on the cake, we knew we wanted a Tardis on the top, but I also wanted the DeLorean on it. I knew hotwheels had come out with one earlier in the year, but were proving impossible to find. In the end we had our amazing three layered, vanilla bean iced, lemon, Doctor Who cake. But I still wanted to find that DeLorean! Back to the Future is my favorite film, and trilogy, of all time. Of all time! They have been my favorite films since I can remember. But I don't own any kind of memorabilia. I tend to find things in trendy little vintage shops that are always so expensive that I wish at times to be a rich nerd.

Like this beauty. Found it in NoDa last week at a place called The Rat's Nest. It was a neat little place, but of course full of thrift finds turned over for nice profits. In others words: I can look, not buy. This was stuck up in the rafters and I began jumping up and down like a little girl. Of course it was $200. I kindly asked the man if I could take pictures and be on my way.

Fast forward to me and Kasey grocery shopping this weekend and at checkout was a small display of Hotwheels. I walk over to glance when lo and behold there it was, THE DELOREAN! For a cool $0.99!

Currently the DeLorean is residing in my purse. A constant reminder that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible! Great Scott! It's time to cook breakfast!

Easy Peasy Granny Square

A few weeks ago I realized how easily I get cold. For this reason I am always lost underneath many many layers. For the last few autumn/winters I have been wearing the same red fringed scarf, that I got at Salvation Army for $1, with pretty much every outfit. I really have loved the chunky cowls I have been seeing. I knew I could make one myself, but I always have a hard time picking out a design that I want to make. One thing was for sure, I wanted a granny square texture. The only one's I could find online were granny squares pieced together or too complicated. The ones I found online were completely overpriced. I am a sucker for Anthropologie and Etsy store handmades, but while I appreciate the designs, I cannot spend $45 to over $100 on an accessory (or much of anything clothing related actually). Solution? Make a design myself. It seemed pretty simple. Make one that was wide enough to have that chunky warmth and long enough to wrap around once. Also, cheap...very cheap. Off to Walmart I went and out I came with a skein of Red Heart Super Saver in mustard yellow for $2.40. It's my favorite go-to yarn. Sure it is cheap 100% acrylic, but it's actually pretty soft, easy to work with in any pattern, super warm, and did I mention cheap?

I needed to make a base chain and knew the first row would have to be the building block to making the rest of the piece have the same granny square design as if I was working in the round making squares. After about 20 minutes of deep thought I had it!

Easy Peasy Granny Square Cowl

Materials:

One Skein of Red Heart Super Saver 7 oz/364 yrd in any color

Hook US size H

Pattern:

ch 203

First row: dc in third ch from top, dc in next ch, ch one, skip one ch, (dc next three, ch one, skip next ch), repeat to last two ch. Ch one, skip one ch, dc in last ch, ch three, turn.

Row 2: Count ch three as dc, three dc in ch-one space, ch one, (dc in ch-one space, ch one). Repeat to last three dc group. Ch one, dc in top of turning ch. Ch three, turn.

Repeat Row 2 for twenty rows. Bind off. Place ends together and do a simple binding seem to make a circle. Bind off and weave in end.

Voila! It's the first pattern I have ever written out and shared. Usually these just sit in my red Moleskin journal. I will have to admit that I have been making these nonstop. There are just too easy! Plus the repetitive pattern it pretty relaxing to crochet. Did I mention they were cheap to make too? Oh and super cute. I think it only takes about one movie on Netflix to finish one or two episodes of Doctor Who or four episodes of Arrested Development. Since I have been working on them between housework, work work, and at night before I hit the pillow I am not exactly sure.

Wow, don't I look wonderful in this picture?!? I promise to style it better later. It really is adorable with everything.

My sweet husband who looked over at the pattern and exclaim, "I don't know what that means, but you make it into something awesome!" Goodness I love this man.

Behold! The DeLorean!

2012

Well I have ignored you for far too long, little blog of mine. I will not be doing some post about 'New Years Resolutions' and all that jazz, but of things I want to accomplish, see, do, and such in this brand new shiny year I have!

2011 was a year of change for me. I know that it is such a human way to track your life within the boundaries of a year. I would judge the first six months of 2011 as some of the hardest I have been through. When you get older, grow up, discover that you have become an individual, life takes on new challenges and flows differently. Suddenly life was less about a collective whole, but a stirring pot of my own with friendships, people, relationship, and responsibilities that had come about from my own making. I felt lost within myself. After planning a wedding for over and year and a half, suddenly we had to postpone it. My heart ached and felt as though whatever it is was we were doing in life, I didn't want to do it anymore. Kasey and I had grown apart. It was horrible. I was just so tired. Emotionally, physically, mentally...twenty-three years old and ready to quit everything. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I wanted happiness. I didn't know what that meant, what I would need to do, or how to get there.

It only took one conversation , one statement to change every: "I don't know what I want, but I know I don't want this."

Two days later we came back together and knew what we wanted. We wanted a life together. A life of happiness, adventure, joy, travels, discoveries, failures, love, wonder, and anything else we could experience. But we knew we wanted to do it together. I knew I wanted to do it with him. From that moment on we have just soared. I literally feel like I have experienced so much life since July. As clique as it is, you only have one life to live. One grand adventure. You only get to do this once. You have to make the most of it. God gives you each breath without promise of another. What do you want to do with that? I want to live it!

In 2011 I got to travel every time we had the opportunity. Tasted amazing food at restaurants I had dreamed of eating at or ones we stumbled upon by accident. Watched beautiful films. Met my favorite band in person. Went to concerts. Married my best friend. Bought our first car. Moved into our first home. Cooked all time. Baked recipes of my own imagination. Read every book I could get my hands on. Cried and laughed and felt emotions with every part of my heart. Did I mention I married my best friend? Sorry, that part is just really awesome! I can't help but talk about it...a lot.

For 2012 I have such excitement. If the last five months have been so beautiful with life, I cannot begin to fathom what this new year will bring. There are a few things I have in mind for this year, in no particular order:

Travel as much as possible within and outside the state.

Open up my own Etsy store to sell my handmade crochet items.

Have a booth at the Morganton festival this summer.

Blog (almost) everyday and document my fashion through the year.

Meet Jen and Abby in Chicago.

Get a pet.

Make my youtube videos every week.

Learn to accept the past.

Enjoy the moment as it is happening.

Thrift (a lot).

Cook every chance I get and explore new recipes.

Bake, all the time.

The most important thing I want to accomplish this year is to have some sort of start to my bakery. If it be my business license, funds started, recipes written, or actually having the space picked out, I want to end this year with something started on it.

And all of it starts today, right now, this moment! With that being said I will now go start on an amazing pot of cilantro lime chili for me and my precious best friend (who also happens to be my husband) for dinner.

A List

Some of My favorite things:

Dresses

Coffee

Books

Journals (this includes the perfect writing pen)

Films

Vintage Pyrex

Thrift stores

The smell of the library

Nail polish

Old leather shoes

Rings

The look on Kaseys' face when he is asleep

Doctor Who

Weddings

Sun warmed grass under my feet

Puzzles

Graphic novels

The moment when I take yarn in my hand, before it becomes anything

Things colored soft peachy pink

Frozen grape juice

Kisses

The smell of my momma's hair

My Bible

Moths that look like magical butterflies

The sound of a fan

Realizing you haven't looked at the night sky in a long time and letting it suddenly take your breath away

Watching people truly smile

(to be continued)

New blog!

So I am starting another blog to account the journey of my new DIY wedding!

I need help on this re-do guys!

http://heatherfeather-thehandmadebride.blogspot.com/

Wood Sorrel

Today was one of those days where as I sit here endlessly going through Tumblr posts, Doctor Who spoilers, Facebooking, and dream Etsy shopping, I just have this peaceful feeling about what today was.

I went to work, then put on my new dress and just decided today would be wonderful. And it was. We made ribs for dinner. Drove around in our new "baby." This baby being the closet thing we will get to an actual baby for a very long time. This baby is our new 2009 Toyota Yaris. It's Kasey and mine's first ever new car in our whole lives and it's ours. It was exciting, scary, exhilarating, and amazing all at the same time. We prayed and prayed over this car and we know that it is our blessing from God. No more pulling over and praying that the little green Honda will make it a couple of more miles before overheating and smoking. No more, "Do you hear that?" and knowing whatever horrible sound that it is will cost a hundreds of dollar that we do not have. We put the little Honda at the end of the road with $1500 on the window, and the pessimistic attidute of knowing we would have to sell it for scraps, only to have a gentlemen offer us $1400 in cash four hours later. Then there we were at Carmax putting down our hard earned saving on the little bluish silver bundle of joy.

It's amazing and perfect for us and no more, "Do you hear that sound?" We rode around today playing with all the buttons, hidden compartments, and enjoying the truth that it is ours. I want to name it Rory...or Arthur, but Kasey isn't so comfortable with the idea of it being a guy. But it's so darn cute!

Then we ate ribs, ran around the yard in the sun taking pictures, ate wood sorrel as suggested by my niece that it was safe and edible, and just enjoyed the day that was given to us. It was wonderful, I found myself enjoying life in a way I have felt detatched from for a long time now. I know it is the overworked, wedding postponed, emotional downpull of life that has been my daily life here lately.

But today...today was amazing.