Day 027: Avocado Tree

Last night, I decided it would be fun to grow an avocado tree so we could have our own fresh avocados. So, I went to the internet and found out how to go about doing just that. I quickly found out it could take anywhere from 2 to 25 years for the tree to bear fruit. That initially put me off, I was NOT happy about waiting that long for a couple of avocados. But then I remembered this quote I read, "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." Okay, so maybe growing an avocado tree wasn't necessarily one of my biggest dreams, but the quote still applies.

Fres off the needles: Twins Hat

Finally! I have completed a knitting project. I put my sweater aside for a bit, things were getting too repetitive and boring with nothing but stockinette round after round after round. So, I went to Raverly in search of a fun hat I could make myself, and I discovered the newly published Innsbruck hat. I'm such a sucker for cables and the cables in this pattern turned out so pretty.

The pattern itself was enjoyable enough, there wasn't a lot of thinking involved and it took me just over a day to finish. I made the body of the hat in a pretty navy blue (Lion Brand Wool-Ease) and the pom-pom in red, white and blue (leftovers from other projects.) It'll be perfect for all those early season Twins' games at Target Field I never go to. Speaking of that beautiful pom-pom, it gave me more trouble than it should have. I couldn't get it to attach securely, every time I tried it was about half an inch away from the hat. It just hung there, flopping from side to side. Not a good look. After about the 500th attempt I was getting very frustrated... I think at one point I threw it and the hat across the room. After I took a deep breath, I dug the whole thing out of the corner and attached it with ease. And I honestly, have no idea what I did differently. But it's on there, and it's secure so I'm happy.

Like I've said in the past, one of the first things I do before I start knitting any project, is read the pattern through and see if there's anything I need to learn before I start.

Skills needed for Innsbruck hat:

How to cable knit: 1|2|

How to make a pom-pom using a pom-pom maker: 1|2|

I did make a few modifications to the pattern. To see them in detail, check out my Ravelry project page.

Day 025: Smoothie

Who knew eating healthy could be so tasty? Not this gal. Today, I tried a Raspberry Banana smoothie and it was so good. Now, I'm on the prowl for a protein coffee smoothie for those mornings I'm too lazy to make a real breakfast.

Day 025: Full Moon

Negro Leagues

The Minnesota Twins have been honoring the St. Paul Colored Gophers (an all black baseball team) for a few years now by wearing their uniforms, for specially designated games. A while back I did some quick research to see what I could dig up about the team. It's not much. But it's really interesting all the same.

Day 024: Bikini

I've come to really enjoy practicing depth of field with figure suits and bikinis. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I got used to using my sister's camera taking photos of these.

This Gal's Weekly Workout Routine

I'm leaving this here as a little bit of extra motivation for myself to meet my goals each week. I have a very specific six month fitness/life goal that I want to meet and could use all the motivation I can get. Maybe this will also motivate a few others to change their lives as well.

All the workout can be found on Back On Pointe's tumblr page. I've done a few of these work outs and they're really fun, and a good way to keep your workouts different. I've had the problem in the past with getting sick of my workouts, and I think these just may be the solution.

Week of February 24 to March 2

 

Day 023: Duckies

Day 022: Yarn Poopies

I learned how to make yarn pom-poms this week, and haven't been able to stop myself since. Yes, I've dubbed the little bits of left over yarn 'yarn poopies.' What? Poop jokes have become annoyingly funny to me lately.

50 Word Friday: New Beginnings

Prompt from: 50 First Words
Title: New Beginnings

The goodbye was naturally going to be sad, with a lot of tears. But neither of them had been outside Minnesota. So, they knew they were starting a new chapter of their lives, it was a necessity. Besides, maybe in four years they’d meet again and fall in love again.

Day 021: Best in the World

Either you already know, or you'll soon find out that I'm a huge wrestling fan. I've been dying to make a wrestling related knitted piece since I learned how to knit. So, I've set out to make a hat that sort of resembles CM Punk's ring attire. Details to come shortly.

Day 020: More Flowers

Day 019: Lifeline

Days 015-018: Playing Catch-up

After a few days of slacking off, I'm back with my project 365. Since we got to go out to Como Zoo's conservatory and got a few pretty shots... Plus cookies!

Day 014: Blue

Day 013: Boots to Heels

Today I decided I wanted to see what it was like to be a Figure/Bikini competitor in training. They have to wear 5-inch high heeled shoes for their competition. So naturally, I decided to put a pair on and walk around in them all day. I might even make it a week long challenge.

Day 012: Bridge Over Not-So-Troubled Water

Day 011: Completed First Draft

I finished a very, very rough first draft of a story/novel/whatever. Now onto fleshing the whole thing out. It should only take me the next year or two.

Day 010: I'll wash my hair with snow

I'm not the biggest fan of snow. But I can't deny that it tends to make for some pretty beautiful photographs. Naturally, I did what a loathe more than anything and went venturing out in the snow storm to get a few shots.

Day 009: Lake Minnetonka

I'm still not even sure what was happening on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata today. But it was fun.

Day 008: Oh, Radio. Tell Me Everything You Know

I finally got off my keister and went outside to take some photos. We were so excited to finally have some blue skies, that we just got in the car and started driving. We ended up in Franconia where we found the Franconia Sculpture Park. I was immediately drawn to Bayete Ross Smith's Minnesota Mixtape. It's literally 14 plus feet of old stereos. It also has a pretty cool back story, too.

50 Word Friday: Vespa

Prompt from: 50 First Words
Title: Vespa

He wasn’t to blame. He was leaving for Nebraska and she to Wisconsin. They’d be so far apart. He wanted to go together.  To watch her cruise campus on her Vespa, dazzling everyone with her wit, kindness and beauty. But they couldn’t.  They had different dreams they needed to realize.

 

Day 007 - Hipster Photo

I just had to be like all the cool kids on the internet and take a picture like this. You know the ones with the super inspirational quote written out in a super fancy way? If you wanted to get technical, you could say that my photo is nothing like that at all. But lets not get technical.

Day 006: The Book

I got this sudden urge to read the Time Warp Trio Books last night and decided to read the first one I found. These were some of the first books I read, and I loved them. I mean, kids my age traveling through time what's not to love? I wonder if I'll actually enjoy them as much now as I did then. Only time will tell.

Beginner knitting tips from a beginner

I started knitting over a year ago, I'd classify myself as an advanced beginner. There are a lot of things I've learned along the way that I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out. It would have saved me a lot of time and a lot of headaches. Below is a list of things that you can do now to avoid any hassles in the future. 

This isn't a how to tutorial, if you want to learn how to knit I would suggest visiting Knitting Help and then coming back here once you've gotten the hang things.

Ask questions. 

Don't let pride stand in your way of learning. It's okay to ask questions, it's the only way you'll ever learn. There are plenty of forums online dedicated to helping people figure out their knitting problems. Ravelry and Knitting Help are my favorites. They're both full of expert knitters who have no problem helping out. Remember no question is a dumb question we've all been there. Just remember to use the search function first to see if your question has already been answered.

Practice the knit and purl stitch equally. 

When I first started out knitting I focused all of my energy on perfecting the knit stitch. Boy, has it come around and bitten me in the keister. When I'm knitting flat stockinette stitch it takes me twice as long to do the purl row than it does for me to do the knit row. This won't be the case forever, but it could have been avoided if I had taken more time right off the bat and practiced the purl stitch.

Avoid a plain garter stitch scarves as a first project. 

My poor abandoned Ravenclaw Scarf

 

When I first started knitting I set out to make a garter stitch scarf in Ravenclaw colors. It was fun at first, but after a few weeks of row after row of the knit stitch, I got bored. Now, it's sitting in the corner of my room taunting me. My advice would be to do something small for your first couple of projects. Look for something that mixes the knit and purl stitch that will keep things exciting.

Beginner Project Ideas 

If you opt for one of these projects don't forget to do a few using the knit stitch and a few using the purl stitch.

Simple Garter Stitch Coasters

Plain and Simple Wash cloth and burp cloth

Super Soaker Coaster

Learn how to fix a mistake before you make it. 

Making a mistake is inevitable. Everyone does it, from the beginner to the most advanced knitter. The best thing you can do is be prepared. Believe me, it's far less stressful when you know how to fix something when you come to it in the middle of your project.

Practice making a mistake

I'd recommend first watching this video. Than make a swatch by casting on around 20-30 stitches. Knit in stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row) for a few inches then drop a stitch by slipping a stitch off your needle. Knit two more rows. Then follow the instructions in the video above.

I'd also recommend checking out Very Pink's correcting a mistake page and doing a bunch of swatches where you make mistakes and learn how to fix them. You never know what you may come up against.

Read through the pattern before you start knitting. Make a swatch. 

Some of my earliest swatches

 

What I like to do before I even decide if I want to knit a pattern is read through it. As I read it I make notes on things I have to learn or need a refresher's course on. Then I make a swatch, like I suggested above, and practice until each new technique becomes second nature. Sometimes, I decide that the pattern is all together too difficult for me and move on to a simpler pattern. I've gotten part way through too many projects before I'd realized I was in over my head and had to frog a lot of work. Reading the pattern thoroughly has become a huge time saver.

Relax and have fun with it

Now that you've read these tips just go sit down and have fun with your knitting. Don't stress if your first projects don't look perfect. Mine didn't. Remember it's a learning process and it takes time to get truly good at it. So, if your work looks a bit wonky, relax and know that with each stitch you're getting better.

Day 005: Hello, operator

I've loved vintage phones since I was in middle school. There's just something about them that intrigue me. A few years back (lets not count how many) I got an old, off white and cream colored phone. I wish I knew what year it's from, but I don't. Today, I decided I wanted to see if the thing actually worked, and it does. I was able to receive calls from it and everything. I tried making a call from it but I kept losing my place in the phone number and ended up dialing the wrong number... more than a few times. Maybe I'll try again another day.

Day 4: Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your hair to me

Who knew there was a water tower called, 'The Witch's Hat' in Minneapolis? A lot of people probably... But never the less I learned something new today. Upon first sight of the tower I, for some odd reason, automatically thought of Rapunzel. It might have had something to do with my mom saying, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel. Let down your hair to me." But I can't be too sure. Whatever the reason, it gave me the sudden urge to read the fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm, which is in the public domain so it's totally free and legal to read online. It's a lot different from the Disney version and totally worth a read.

This Gal Knows Sports: Are You Ready for Some Baseball?

First and foremost, I'd like to congratulate the Baltimore Ravens on their big win last night in the Superbowl. Secondly, I'd like to say, finally the hoopla over that game can be put to rest and we can all focus on the best sport man has ever created... Baseball. With Spring Training right around the corner the season is surely going to start out with a bang. I can hear it now, the over dramatic cries of reporters and fans alike over the newest "performance enhancing" drug (PED) fiasco. Personally, I’ve never cared about the PED scandal, but that’s a different topic for a different day. Today, is about the upcoming season and how freaking pumped I am that it’s just a week away.

What I'm most looking forward to is watching and learning about the Minnesota Twins' new starting lineup. Over the off season they've undergone the baseball equivalent of a facelift. The Twins traded Denard Span and Ben Revere. They've also lost Carl Pavano and Alexi Casilla (my favorite) to free agency. Of course there's still the staples; Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham, and Jamie Carrol. But it's going to be different this coming year. I guess I finally get what they're talking about during their post game interviews when they say their making adjustments.

The one thing I'm not looking forward to this coming season is seeing Torii Hunter on a regular basis now that he'll beplaying for the Detroit Tigers. It's not that I don't like Hunter, it's the exact opposite. It's just, I still haven't come to grips with the fact that he's not a Twin. It wasn't so bad when he was playing in the West division. I only had to see him twice a year for a total of at most 7 games playing against the Twins. But now, I'll be forced to watch him a total of 6 times for 19 games against the Twins.And the schedulers decided to throw a big pile of salt on that wound by making the Twins open the season against the Tigers.

As you may be able to gather, I am a person of habit who doesn’t like to venture out of my comfort zone too often. So, it’s hard when teams are constantly trading and losing players who over the years I've grown to love. But as Jimmy Dugan said, "There's no crying in baseball." So, I have to suck it up and enjoy the game no matter who's playing for who.