Star Trek Phone Cozy

Tonight I whipped up a quick crochet phone cozy for my husband's phone.

Size G crochet hook
Red Heart Super Saver yarn in red and black
Black felt

Chain 24 (or however many are needed to fit around your phone)

Join in the round and sc in each chain
Continue in a spiral, 1sc in each sc until cozy is long enough to cover your phone

I changed color a little over halfway down the length of the phone to represent the red shirt and black pants of a Star Trek officer

Fasten off and weave in ends

Cut a piece of black felt in the shape of the Star Trek emblem
I attached mine with hot glue, but I think I will end up sewing it on tomorrow :)

When I gave it to my husband, he burst into laughter and hugged me.  Such joy!

Pop Tab Crochet

I teach an English class twice a week. One of my regular students has a crocheted purse made with pop tabs, and I love it! I want to recreate this purse! I already have a good collection of pop tabs, but I think I may have to collect a whole bunch more if I want to really tackle this project. Tonight I snapped some pictures. Even the strap is pop tabs :)

The crocheted pop tab fabric is amazing. I love the repetitive pattern that the pop tabs create. And I think it looks really classy.
Hmmm. Guess I'll have to start drinking more canned beer. I think I can make that sacrifice :)

Pinterest

So I recently received my invitation to Pinterest. If you have not yet joined this website, proceed with caution. Pinterest is basically a website that allows you to create virtual pinboards. I was immediately intrigued at the possibilities. I saw some great potential for using this website to organize all the craft projects I had bookmarked on my computer, and I quickly discovered that this is a great use for Pinterest. I now have all my crafty inspiration and ideas and plans in one place. Organization is a new thing for me, so I was understandably excited.

I decided to get even more organized. I really like to read and keep lists of books that are recommended to me or that sound interesting. Recently I wanted to read a particular book that I recalled writing on one of my many lists, but I couldn't remember the title. I searched everywhere I could to find that list, but alas, it was nowhere to be found. Aha! Why not use Pinterest to organize all these ideas too. A whole virtual pinboard to help me remember all the books I want to read. Another wonderful use for Pinterest.
Then, I found myself looking at other people's pins to find new inspiration, and all of a sudden, I am excited about things like nail art. I just have to wait for two of my nails to grow a little bit more and then I can start trying all of these creative designs. Who knew that I even cared about nail art? Not me, but now I am excited about buying some nail polish and going for it :)
So if you are a Pinterest addict like me, check out my boards and follow my progress as I organize my current projects and search for new inspiration.

If you haven't tried Pinterest yet, proceed with caution. It is addicting, very, very addicting. Make sure you have lots of free time to dedicate to your new obsession: pinning!

Marian Cowl Complete :)

Pattern: Marian Cowl

Knit for: My sister

Needles: Size 19, 29 inch circular

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Grey Marble (1 skein)

Modifications: I used a longer circular needle than the pattern called for and added 6 extra stitches. I also knit a little longer than the pattern called for, since I still had yarn :)

I love this cowl. I might have to knit one for myself :)

Marian Cowl

I am currently knitting the Marian Cowl for my sister. It knits so quickly with the super bulky yarn and large needles. It is my first time knitting with this size yarn and needle, and I l♥ve it.

The seed stitch looks really nice in this yarn. This cowl has a neat twist in it. I can't wait to finish it and post final pics before I mail it off to her.
Back to my knitting :)

Swirl without the Sleeves

The swirl is now almost complete. All that is missing are some sleeves. The only problem.... I don't have enough of any one of the four colors to make two sleeves. I can make two different colored sleeves, and I think that is what I am leaning towards. I also need something to use as a closure, maybe a red button. Anyway, here is a picture of the front. My hubby agreed to help with the photo shoot, but only if our friend Woody was in the pictures too :)

And here is a picture of the back, and the swirl :)

I am really loving this cardigan, and it fits really well. Yay!!

Books I Read in 2011

January

1. Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn Mckenna
2. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

February

1. The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen
2. Bogeyman by Gayle Wilson
3. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

March

1. It was the Best of Sentences, it was the Worst of Sentences by June Casagrande
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larson

May

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
2. Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
3. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Annotated by Martin Gardner)
4. Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

June

1. The Priest by Gerard O’Donovan
2. Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

July

1. The Weird Sisiters by Eleanor Brown
2. Sphere by Michael Crichton
3. Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson

September

1. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
2. Always Time to Die

October

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (I want a sequel)
3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I spent the last two months of the year plodding my way through The Long Night of the White Chickens, and I still have not finished it. It really hurt my count :) The good news is that I totally enjoyed every book I read this year.