Hello Again!

Wow it's been a long time! First off, I would just like to say that I am no longer stressed out. Thank goodness! That phase ended not too long after my last post. I stopped working in the kitchen around that time. I'm still employed there, but they're only busy during summer and they close in the winter, so I won't be back there again for another few months.

School is still a bother. I have major senioritis, like the rest of my class does. I graduate in a few months, so I just don't feel like doing anything. I still procrastinate. I'm beginning to think that it's a trait of mine, and not just a bad habit. And it's so nice outside now, it feels like summer, which does not help the school situation. But I think I can pull through until graduation.

Speaking of this beautiful weather...it's been putting me in a great mood! I love it! It feels like summer and it's not even officially spring yet! I feel so much more optimistic and happy, my whole outlook on life has brightened. I really hope the weather stays like this.

As far as crocheting goes, I've gotten a lot done since my last update. My Toothless that I started forever ago? Yeah, he's done! Here's a list of some of my favorite projects I've made during my hiatus:


Toothless

Panda Hat

Bat

Red Velvet Cake

 

Valentine's Day Teddy Bear

• Toothless's wings were made from a pattern found on the projects page for the dragon. I missed one row halfway through the first wing and had to frog and redo it once I realized my mistake. He turned out really good, though.
• I love my panda hat and I wear it whenever it's cold outside! It fits perfectly, thank goodness! I used a lighter yarn than the pattern called for, so I ended up having to crochet a lot more rounds to make it big enough.
• I started my bat the day before Halloween, and then realized that I didn't have 12 mm eyes. I tried 9 and 15 mm eyes instead but neither of them looked good. So I had to wait until I could go to Hobby Lobby since they didn't have the right size at Ben Franklin (which is way closer to where I live). I bought 4 packages of 12 mm eyes, so I'm good for a while. It was hard to figure out how to crochet the decreases because the pattern is a little unclear about that. But it turned out looking cute and I love the wings and embellishments that I added. This was a UFO for a long time, I finally finished it last month because the group Amigurumi Army on Ravelry was having a "Save the UFO!" CAL.
• My Valentine Teddy was late for the holiday, too, but that's okay (procrastination FTW!) I had fun brushing out her body to make her fuzzy, and I loved adding the paw and face details with the felt and embroidery.

Oh! I got two crochet books for Christmas! I asked for Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies, and even without asking I got Ana Paula Rimoli's Amigurumi Toy Box! The Red Velvet Cake is from Amigurumi Toy Box, and I've started making the Candy Button Scarf from Twinkie Chan's book. I'll hopefully remember to post an update when that's done.

I discovered something amazing today! Here's the backstory: About a year ago, I was looking online for some cute ami patterns when I found a blog by a girl named Jess that reviews crochet patterns. She had this adorable one of a giraffe that I absolutely had to make! So I clicked the link and it brought me to this site called Ravelry. I was sad to see that the pattern was unavailable. But on the upside, it brought me to discover the wonderful world of Ravelry! Well just today, I found out that the giraffe pattern, by Anda Molina, is available again! She's begun releasing her patterns that I've been trying to get a hold of. I can't wait to get the pattern for her Sleepy Fox!

I might try to make the giraffe this month to celebrate my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CROCHETING! I can't believe that almost a year ago, I picked up a hook for the first time and, with the help of my grandma, made an amigurumi manta ray. My start date on Ravelry says I began the manta ray on March 22, 2011. I don't remember, but I think it might be off by a day because I couldn't remember exactly when I started. But I'm not sure, so that very well could be the real date. Either way, my one year anniversary is coming up real soon and I want to make something special to celebrate. I'm also thinking about buying a squidlet from Serene Onion's Etsy shop, since that's the amigurumi that opened my eyes to the world of crocheting. I think it's only fitting to finally own that cute little squidlet!

I haven't made too much lately, I have been quite busy with being lazy and trying to get stuff ready for college. I'll try to crochet and post more, too. I'll hopefuly be back soon with an update on my one year anniversary of crocheting! :)