Tag Archives: crochet

Currently Obsessed With: September 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

Crochet:

Not a lot of crocheting has been going on, except for my blanket.  It’s still hot but it’s cool enough that I feel like I can sit under a blanket.  Once I finished the blue, I knew I had some decisions to make about how much bigger I wanted it to be.  I had 4 skeins I wanted to use, and with each color getting smaller and smaller, I decided it was time to finish the blanket.  The neon green/yellow/pink/orange was the last main color, and then I started the border, which was the really pretty pink and blue and the green and blue.  I like the color changes, and everything goes well together, but I kind of wish I had alternated between variegated and solid colors, just because I think the contrast would have been a lot nicer.

I had a fun time picking out a border, and this book of crochet borders is actually really helpful.  I had to pick a border once I made the decisions to finish the blanket so I would know how many more rows I needed to do, and I really liked the one I picked.  I’ve found with granny square blankets that a single crochet base row doesn’t work too well, just because the corners don’t lay completely flat, even with other rows.  Half double crochet works pretty well, so that’s what I ended up going with for the 1st row of the border.  The 2nd row was a puff stitch, and it wasn’t until I finished that row that I realized I did 2 puff stitches in the corner instead of 3, but it looks fine and I’m the only one who’s going to know. Considering it’s for me, it doesn’t really matter, and it’s too big to completely undo that entire round.

Since I used Red Heart Super Saver for the whole blanket, it’s super scratchy and itchy, and it definitely needs to be softened, so I still need to do that, especially if I’m not going to be using on my bed.

As for my next project, I’m not sure.  I am dressing up as Sadness for Halloween, so I’m going to make a hat and a scarf or cowl as part of my costume.  That will definitely be my main project for the month, but I don’t think it will take too long.  I also started ANOTHER blanket.  I have a lot of yarn I’m not sure what to do with, and I’ve done enough blankets this year that I’m kind of hooked on them now.

Books:

This was not a big book buying month.  I got the two new Nightvale books, which are just the scripts from the 1st two years, but there are forwards from different people and artwork throughout the book.  I haven’t read them, but I have flipped through them and they really cool.  I might read them while listening to the podcast, and might be a fun way to revisit the old episodes, which I haven’t listened to in a while.

I also got Veil Of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald from Audible.  I still have a couple of audio books from the library I need to get through, but once I do, I really need to start listening to the books I have from Audible.

T.V./Movies:

I haven’t made it to the movies, but I’ve watched Season 3 of Blacklist now that it’s up on Netflix.  And fall T.V. is back, so I’m watching my usual stuff, plus a few new shows!  I really like Designated Survivor so far, and there are a few other shows that look good/interesting but I haven’t had a chance to watch them yet.  I’ll probably talk more about it if/when I do.

Around The Internet:

Romance novels as feminist texts.  I really like to see positive stuff about romance.

I’ve seen a lot about the Bullet Journal but I never thought about using it for blogging/reading.  I’ve never considered using it, but now I might have to check it out.

Diversity and mythology– I haven’t looked at any of the links, but it seems like a pretty good list.  I feel like I’ve been saying this for a while, but I like when non-European mythology is in a book.  There are so many different myths and stories, and yet Greek seems to be really common in stories.

These photos taken by a pilot are amazing.

As are these photos of the Northern Lights in Norway.

I really like these tips from a butcher…even though I don’t go to one, and just get what I need at the grocery store.

September Stuff:

  • The Welcome To Night Vale book tour.  They stopped at Mysterious Galaxy for a Q&A and signing, so of course I went.  It was fun, and I loved hearing them talk about Night Vale.  Like, I had no idea that they take turns writing and editing each episode- I assumed they wrote the episodes together.  And they don’t give Cecil a lot of direction.  Instead, they just let him do his thing.  Sometimes, he does a different voice than what they expected or imagined, but it seems like they just go with it.  There’s a lot I could talk about, but those really stuck out. (I do like this blog post, which is written by the person who moderated the event).
  • My grandma went into the hospital last month, and she was there for a few days, but she is having trouble swallowing, so most of her food has to be blended/pureed and everything she drinks has to be thickened.  And she has pneumonia right now, but she’s okay otherwise.  I just haven’t had a lot of mental energy, so even though I read like crazy at the beginning of the month, it soon evolved in re-reading because I just couldn’t handle new books.  For the most part, anyway, but I think I’ll be back to my usual reading life soon.

Stuff To Look Forward To In October:

  • Getting ready for NaNoWriMo!  I have around 6 or 7 ideas, and I’m not sure which one I want to.  There’s the one I’ve been working on the last couple of Novembers, but have done no other work on, an original idea that has a 30 day outline, plus another original idea that has two chapters outline.  Plus 4 ideas for Harry Potter fanfics- one is outlined enough to get me through November, should I decide to write it.  One has about 10 chapters outline, one has a couple of chapters outlined, and one just sort of came to me recently, so I still need to outline it.  I’ll definitely be talking about it more sometime this month, and knowing me, I’ll probably pick closer to November.
  • Getting back into blogging.  I took an unplanned break, and most of what I’ve posted was already scheduled (which I’m glad I did, looking back).  But I have a bunch of reviews I still want/need to write, and I really miss blogging regularly!

Music: 

I’ll leave you with a couple of songs that I’ve been listening to a lot.

  • SOS by Joseph.  I love Joseph, but this is the only song I have from their new album..for now, but that should change soon.



  • Closer by The Chainsmokers and Halsey.  I don’t know why I can’t stop listening to this song but I’m just going to go with it.



Have a good October!

Currently Obsessed With: July 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

July has been a fun month!  It’s also been really hot, and the lack of working AC didn’t help, so for the most part, all I had the energy to do was sit on the couch and watch t.v.

Crochet:

I finally felted the purse I talked about last month.  I tried doing it by hand, but I got really impatient, so I ended up throwing it in the washing machine.  I had to do it a couple times to get it to how you see it in the picture, but I think it also depends on how felted you want it.

July 2016- Felted Purse

I wasn’t completely happy with how the handles turned out, but that was my fault- I didn’t count as well as I thought I did for that part of it.  It’s also really small, so I’m not sure what I’m going to use it for, but I am using a different purse (that’s also bigger than what I’m used to), so maybe I’ll use it for smaller things like my keys and wallet.  But I’m not sure.  Below, you can see what it looks like, before and after felting.

July 2016 Purse Before And After

As you can see, you can still see the stitches a little bit, but I think felting is one of those things where you do it until you get the look you want.

I did a capelet and witches hat too, and both took longer than I wanted to.  But only because I got a bit lazy, so then I had to crochet furiously for about a week, just to get them done in time for the midnight release of HP And The Cursed Child.  But I got it done!  Somehow, I did, even though I’m not completely sure how!

July 2016- Fleur Collage

I really like the capelet, though I don’t know that I’ll wear it much beyond the Harry Potter events going on.  But honestly?  It was a lot cheaper/easier making it than it would be to buy it.  And it’s the same with the hat!  I will say, though, that the hat threw me a little.  I really like it, and it turned out well, but there was something slightly weird about it.

There were some rounds, mostly towards the end, where my stitch count was off for no apparent reason- and it was always the rounds where I didn’t increase.  I had the correct number of stitches in the previous round, I didn’t miss any stitches- even at the beginning and end of the round, and I even counted a good three or four times.  And yet, I was still off by one stitch, even though I should have had the correct number of stitches.  I don’t think it’s the pattern, because it was fine until the brim, so I’m chalking it up to crocheter-error.  You can find the pattern for the hat here, and the pattern for the capelet here, if you’re interested!

Books:

I went to the Gail Carriger book signing for Imprudence, and I had a great time.  If you ever have the chance to go to one of her books signings, they’re really fun.  She takes questions the entire time, and she’s funny, and people always ask really interesting questions, and she has some really funny answers.  One thing I might start doing is taking notes, just because I can never remember what they talk about, and I wish I could talk more about what people asked and what their answers are.

Also: Harry Potter midnight release party!!!!!!!!  That was fun, and I talked more about it here, but I will say that it was nice to go to another midnight release party for Harry Potter.  I can’t think of any other book that would get the midnight release party treatment.

As for the books I bought: I bought Imprudence by Gail Carriger, and Servants Of The Storm by Delilah Dawsonn. Of course, I also bought Harry Potter And The Cursed Child- both print and e-book.  I also got When Reason Breaks by Cindy Rodriguez from Audible.

T.V./Movies:

I saw The BFG, which I talked about here, and I also went to see Ghostbusters.  Ghostbusters was a lot of fun to watch, and in no way did it ruin the fact that I grew up on the original- which I now want to re-watch, because it’s been way too long since I’ve seen it.  I loved Holtzman, and Patty was awesome, and I loved that they were very much about the science, and what they had to go through in order to be taken seriously.  Also: Chris Hemsworth as the dumb receptionist was absolutely hysterical.  It definitely has its own story, and I think the all-female cast was a good choice because it meant it was really different from the original.  But there are also quite a few nods to the original Ghostbusters movie, and that was really cool.  And definitely stay for the credits, because it’s one of the most entertaining credits I’ve seen in a long time.

As for t.v., I’ve been watching Law & Order: SVU on Netflix, so I’ve basically been watching the post-Stabler seasons (which I’m sure are on hulu).  I will never understand how I can binge-watch this show.  I finished season 1 of iZombie, which I really liked, and now I’m watching Royal Pains.  I’ve only seen bits and pieces of Royal Pains, and the original stuff on USA is pretty cool, from what I’ve seen of Royal Pains and White Collar.

Around The Internet:

Reading rules we don’t follow as adults that we expect students to follow was pretty interesting reading and makes a lot of good points.

This blog post about genres and how important it is to place books into the right genre was also interesting reading.

On a semi-related note: How To Define YA and Do YA Characters Need To Be Role Models?

I liked this post about disability terminology, this one about navigating criticism and discussions about disability representation, and this one about chronic illness in YA.

I also liked this interview with 4 YA authors about sci-fi, sex and writing for young women.

If it weren’t so hot, I’d totally make these baked chicken strips.  However, that just means I may need to have these snacks on hand.

This honey lemon chicken looks really good!

This post hits the nail on the head about required reading in English class.

Speaking of school…I loved seeing these historical photos.  They really bring history to life.

I am a fan of page flags, particularly when I read non-fiction, and these make me want to buy some!

You can find all of this, and more, over on pinterest!

Things I’m Looking Forward To In August:

There’s not much, but there are a few things I’m looking forward to.

  • A Harry Potter party!  I went last year, and it was super-fun, and I’m definitely looking forward to it this year.
  • I’m going to a book signing for The Beauty Of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson.  I’m sad the series is coming to an end, but I also need/want to know what happens next!
  • Suicide Squad!  I usually go see all of the Marvel movies, but I almost never make it to the DC ones.  But this one looks cool.

Music:

Here’s a playlist of what I’ve been listening to over the last couple of months.  Enjoy!



Currently Obsessed With: June 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

Is it weird to anyone else that we’re now officially halfway through the year?  Because it’s a little weird to me.  June wasn’t an eventful month for me, but I think July will be more interesting!

Crochet:

It hasn’t been a big crocheting month for me.  I finished this purse…mostly.  I need to felt it, and then it’s done, but so far, it’s smaller than I would have liked, and I even added a few rows.  I’d definitely like something bigger, and I found a couple of things on ravelry that are felted and cute, but I may end up modifying it a bit to see how a bigger version would turn out.  Below you can see the “before” picture, and I’ll share the “after” once I actually felt the purse.

June 2016 Purse Pre-Felted

I also started this washcloth, but one side looks a little crooked.  It would be easily fixed once it’s done and I do the border, but I actually have to get to that point.  I may end up frogging it, and starting over, and have stitch markers at the end of each row if I have…which I might do, because even with counting stitches, it looks off to me.  Unless I’m not crocheting in the same spot at the end of each row, which is what I think I’m doing wrong, so maybe I need to do that, because I know it’s going to bug me.  Maybe I’ll make some face scrubbies to go with it…

I’ve basically put my blanket on hold for the summer, as I do not, under any circumstances, want to sit under a blanket in weather that’s probably going to be in the 80’s or 90’s for the next few months, so it’s in time-out for the time being.  Which makes me question whether doing a temperature blanket is a good idea for a year-long crochet project next year.  And I’m pretty sure I don’t have the right colors (or enough of the right colors for the one’s I do have), and since I’m trying to de-stash right now, I may do a blanket out of the random assortment of yarn I have.

I do have my eye on this capelet and this hat, as possibilities for a Fleur Delacour outfit for both a Harry Potter party I’m going to, and the midnight release party for the HP & The Cursed Child script.  That, or the sorting hat.  I may get stuff for both, and dress up as one for one thing, and go as the other one for the other thing.  I can’t seem to find a good pattern for adults, but there’s one pattern that comes up a lot for kids…I’d have to modify it, and I don’t feel confident in my abilities to actually do that, especially in a month, and with two other projects…and it seems like a few people were having trouble with the pattern, if the comments are any indication, so if I do go for a Sorting Hat costume, I might end up buying a hat off of Etsy.

Books:

It’s been quite the book buying month!  On my Nook, I bought Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund, Positive by Paige Rawl, Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine, Lord Of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, and Hello, Goodbye And Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith.

I also got a few books from Audible!  I bought Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.  I also got Outrun The Moon by Stacey Lee with my Audible credit.

June 2016 Book Haul

I also went to a book signing for And I Darken by Kiersten White, which I reviewed here.  Marie Lu was there as well, and it was awesome to hear them talk about Kiersten’s book.  Especially having been able to read an ARC of it, and it makes me want to go back and re-read it, because I loved hearing her talk about the history and research that went into it.  And this blog post has a pretty good recap of what she and Marie Lu talked about.  I got a signed copy (and I absolutely love the cover, it’s gorgeous), plus I got a signed copy of The Young Elites. And I randomly bought Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick earlier this month.

T.V./Movies:

For movies, I saw Finding Dory, which was absolutely adorable, and I’m so glad it finally came out!  I was surprised by the number of adults in the theater, which is totally cool, but it did surprise me!

And for t.v. (by which I really mean Netflix), I watched a couple episodes of iZombie, which I like so far, but I haven’t done much watching of anything lately.  Maybe this month, I’ll start up with something.

Around The Internet:

I love this list about why libraries are awesome!

I never really thought about books being translated from British English to American English before.  But I say keep the original British English in books, because changing it takes away from the book in it’s original form.

I totally agree that we shouldn’t shame people for choosing not to have sex, just the way we shouldn’t slut-shame people.  Let’s just let people make the decision that’s best for them.

This post about what the word diverse means is absolutely worth reading.

I love seeing these pictures of libraries from all over the U.S.

It might be good to make a couple batches of these cheeseburger sliders– one to eat right away, and one to freeze.

I also want to make this hash brown casserole.  It could be interesting to throw in some chicken or something.

And when it’s not super-hot, I’m totally making this Garlic Lover’s Spaghetti.

Speaking of not crocheting blankets during the summer, these are some good tips for doing exactly that.

I love this post about your go-to not being your go-to anymore.  I’ve noticed it a little bit with my own reading over the last year-and-a-half or so, as I’ve tried to read a little more diversely.

You could probably talk for hours about spoilers, and this Book Riot post does it quite well.

As usual, you can find all that and more over on this Pinterest board.

Music:

I’ve been listening to some good stuff, I’ve just been too lazy to actually put a playlist together.  I’ll do an extra-long one next month, I promise!

Have an awesome day, and for all of my readers in the U.S., have a happy and safe 4th of July.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Reasons I Love To Crochet

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers share their own bookish top ten lists based on the topic of the week.  You can check out Ten Tuesdays here.

Blog Graphic- Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Reasons I Love To Crochet

Crochet is one my favorite things to do (besides reading, of course), and there are a lot of reasons why I love it so much, especially now.  The internet has opened up a lot of options/resources, and has made crocheting a lot easier!

  1. Ravelry.  I mentioned it last month, in another TTT post about favorite non-bookish websites.  I love it because there’s so many patterns and a lot of filters I can use to find what I’m looking for.  That (and Pinterest and blogs) have made finding patterns really easy!
  2. It’s pretty calming and relaxing, and it’s a good way to relieve stress!  Except for when a pattern/project stresses me out, and the project goes into time-out, but other than that, it’s a really good way to relieve stress.
  3. It keeps my hands busy.  Instead of just watching t.v., I can do something with my hands while the t.v. is on in the background.  It’s something to focus on and it also manages to keep my mind busy too!
  4. It can also be really meditative, depending on the pattern you’re using.  Like this blanket.  I’ve made several of them, and since I’m doing the same stitch for the entire blanket, it’s easy to get into a groove.
  5. Speaking of stitches, I love that I can YouTube stitches and techniques I don’t know how to do.  And that I can watch as many different videos as I need to in order to find one that actually clicks and explains it in a way that makes sense.
  6. Petting yarn!  It’s a thing, and sometimes, I just need to hug and pet the baby alpaca yarn I have because it’s insanely soft and it makes me feel better.
  7. I get to make awesome stuff!  It would probably be easier to buy a version of Luna Lovegood’s scarf, or a scarf in Hufflepuff colors, but when I wear it, I remember the work I put into it, and it’s much cooler wearing something I put a lot of time into.  Plus, giving people something that’s handmade is pretty cool too.
  8. Design Seeds is helpful if I need a color palette for anything, but especially with blankets.  I’ve seen some pretty good color combinations, and if I ever need one, I know where to go.
  9. Being able to buy crochet books online…mostly because it’s hard to find books that are about crochet in your average bookstore.  A local yarn store might be the better option, but since I get so distracted by yarn…online is the place to go for crochet books, should I need/want one.
  10. And the same goes for buying yarn online.  It’s not something I do often, but if there’s a color I need and I can’t find it anywhere else, I’m glad I can buy it online!  And with places like Etsy, I can get something spun/dyed by a real person!

Currently Obsessed With: May 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about about my favorite things from the last month!

Currently Obsessed With

May was a really good fun month!  I went to my cousin’s wedding up in Oregon, which I talked about here (and I shared a bunch of pictures too).  And, of course, I had my birthday, and it was pretty nice, even though I didn’t really do anything.  I don’t really get why people freak out about turning 30, because it really wasn’t a big deal to me.  If anyone has thoughts on that, I’d love to hear it, because it seems like people seem to freak out about turning 30 more than any other birthday, and it just confuses me as to why…

Crochet:

It’s been a good month for crochet!  Partially because when I went up to Oregon, I needed something to do in the car, and it was a good chance to work on stuff.  Like a cowl!  I love that it’s bright pink, and it’s pretty warm, but it was hard to do as a capelet.  As it turned out, it was a quite a few inches off in terms of circumference, so while it was good as a cowl, the capelet didn’t quite work.  But I’ll still wear it, and if I make one from this pattern again, I’ll either need a slightly bigger hook, or I need to do more chains to make it work as a capelet/cowl.  I do like it, though, because it’s really simple, and you just keep going until you’re done!

May 2016- Collage

I also started this shawl, and I really like the pattern.  It started off going pretty fast, but now it’s big enough that each row does take a little bit longer.  It’s taking longer than I thought, partially because it’s getting a little bigger, but I also think it’s because I’m using a small hook and a fairly thin yarn.  I’ve never worked with fingering weight before, and I’m still getting used to working with it.  It’s pretty yarn (and squishy, which makes it fun to work with) and I love that’s self-striping.  I’d definitely buy more of the yarn, but next time, I might do something that involves using 2 strands of it.  That could give it an interesting look.

And I’m still working on the blanket.  The yellow is done, and blue is next!  I’m not sure if I’ll keep adding colors after the blue is done, or if I’ll start on the border.  Maybe measuring the blanket is in order…it is big enough to keep me warm and sit under, and it’s going to get really hot soon.  Once that happens (and if it’s not done), it will definitely have to be put aside until it’s cool enough to work on.

Books:

I’ve been busy reading a lot, but I did buy a few books this month too!  I got The Cage by Megan Sheperd, The Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson, plus the rest of the books in the Throne Of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. I already had Throne Of Glass, and after reading Crown Of Midnight and Heir Of Fire, I knew I liked them enough to actually buy the e-books.

I also got The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor from audible.  I also bought Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto from audible.

I’ve read Daughter Of Smoke And Bone, and I’ve tried reading the 2nd book in that series a few times, but always put it on hold because I can’t get into it, so I’m hoping I’ll like the audio book more!  It helps that I really like the narrator they have for the series.

I’ve also been getting audio books from AudioBook Sync, which I did last summer too.  I still haven’t listened to those (I really should get them on my iPod to listen to when I’m driving to work), but I love that they have such a wide range of books.  And I love that they’ve paired classics with newer books.  Some I already have, and there’s a couple I either have on audio already, or it’s one I’ve read, and didn’t like.  But there’s a bunch I haven’t heard of, and I’m looking forward to actually listening to some of them.

T.V./Movies:

I saw Captain America, and I thought it was completely awesome!  I don’t always get to the theaters for the other Marvel movie they do, but the main ones are getting better and better in my opinion…I think this one is my favorite so far!

I also saw X-Men: Apocalypse, and for me, it was entertaining but just okay.  But maybe that’s because the last X-Men movie I saw was the first one- I haven’t seen any of the others until this one, so it stands on it’s own pretty well…but I was probably missing things from the previous movies.

As for t.v., I’ve been catching up on stuff (mostly Nashville and Agents Of Shield since I’ve been way behind on both of them), but it seems like t.v. is winding down until the fall.  At least for me, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll actually start something new this summer.

Around The Internet:

These fish tacos are really good!

I love these diagrams of family trees in Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology.  It makes them seem more clear somehow.

The kitchn has a really good guide to storing tea.  I drink tea, but not the way I drink coffee…but I think it has some pretty good tips.

And on another tea-related note, is loose-leaf tea really better than tea bags?  Which reminds me, I do need to get some more loose-leaf tea.  I have a place here in San Diego, but I’m always looking for more places.

I thought this article about wellness and healthy eating was interesting.

This Jane Austen Bingo makes me wonder how it would work as a drinking game.

I need a reading nook.  These make me want one so bad.

This post about whitewashing in The Hunger Games movies made me think a lot, as did this post about things to keep in mind when talking about books with LGBT characters.  And from The Huffington Post: 4 myths about reverse racism that need to stop.

This post about movie adaptations: a million times yes!

Should we stop worrying about spoilers?  Maybe, but it probably depends on the person.  Either way, this article was a pretty interesting read.

You can find all that and more over on pinterest!

Music:

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve done an actual, official playlist, but I’ve been listening to quite a few songs lately, so I figured it was warranted!

Have a great day!

Currently Obsessed With: April 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about about my favorite things from the last month!

Currently Obsessed With

It’s May!  I can’t believe it’s May already!  I found a dress for my cousin’s wedding this month- I’m glad I found one, because I kept putting it off, and if I hadn’t found one…I think I would have been scrambling!  And I’ve been feeling a little sick for the last week or so, but I think I’m mostly over it, so that’s good.  Other then dress-shopping and and feeling a little sick, April was pretty boring, but at least this month will be really fun!  Plus, my birthday’s this month too, so that makes it even better!

Crochet:

I’ve been crocheting a lot this month!  I’ve made slippers (that ended up being a little too big, but whatever), a soap saver, and I’ve finished a couple of blankets.  I’m still working on one for me (using this pattern, it seems to be my go-to pattern for blankets), and I’ll be adding yellow next, then blue, and after that, I’m not sure.

Crochet- April 2016 Collage

I really like the idea of granny square blankets.  For one thing, it’s really easy, and after about 3 or so rows, I don’t have to think about it, because it’s so repetitive- in a good way, though.  Two, it’s easy to make it as big or as small as you need it to be.  I’ve used the same pattern for 3 finished blankets, and one currently in progress, and it’s easy to customize the size to what you want/need it to be.  And three, you don’t need to worry about the sides getting all crooked, or stitch count or anything.  Which is partly why it’s such an easy pattern.

I really wish I thought to get a picture of the soap saver before I starting using it.  This pattern is pretty awesome, but I don’t know that it’s best if you’re using the last little bits of the soap bar. They keep coming out, so if I make another one, I might try going down a hook size or two to see how that works.

I have a few projects in mind, so I might start on one of those.  Especially since it’s going to start getting a lot warmer, and working on a blanket won’t be very practical.  It’s big enough to cover me up when I’m working on it, and it’s pretty warm, so I might have to set aside once it gets too warm to work on it.

Books:

Not a lot of book buying happened last month.  I got Naughts & Crosses from Audible, and I have a bunch of e-books on hold for the library- I’m hoping I get at least some of them in time for my trip up to Oregon, but even if I don’t, I still have plenty of reading material!

T.V./Movies:

I finished re-watching Grey’s Anatomy, and I’ve since picked up my re-watch of NCIS!  That’s really it, other than my random assortment of shows I watch.  Plus the stuff on my Netflix queue that I’ve been putting off in favor of re-watching Grey’s and NCIS.

As for movies, I’m excited about seeing Captain America!  Really, really excited!  I never did make it to see Allegiant, but I know there’s another one coming out next year, so I’ll just have to catch up before then.

Around The Internet:

This post about criticizing characters with mental illness very accurately describes my struggle with reviewing diverse characters in general.  It’s very interesting to think about!

I love, love, love this post at The Perpetual Page Turner about reading Harry Potter at the age of 30.  All experiences with Harry Potter are magical!

And reading as a blogger vs reading as a reader…this post is worth checking out!  How I read now is very, very different, but I think it’s still possible to read as a reader/for pleasure instead of reading critically.

I’ve been on an enchilada kick lately, and these chicken and spinach enchiladas look really, really good!  Having I don’t know how many things of chicken in the freezer because of 50% off sales on chicken at the grocery store almost every single time I go means I need a lot of chicken recipes. Good thing I have some shredded chicken in the freezer!

I don’t usually make pancakes, and when I do, I definitely reach for the box of Bisquick, but these Funfetti pancakes look really good.

I do tend to eat oatmeal for breakfast during the week, and this DIY oatmeal packet seems like a far easier and cheaper option than buying the pre-made packets!

Music:

I haven’t been listening to much music, but there are a few songs I’ve been listening to a lot!  I’m feeling lazy, so no spotify this time, but maybe next month, I’ll have more new music!

  • Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson.  For some reason, this song makes me cry.  A lot.  But I love it anyway!
  • Also: 7 Years by Lukas Graham.  A couple lines make no sense (and one sort of bothers me), but overall, I really like this song!
  • And New Romantics by Taylor Swift.  I’ve been listening to it a lot lately.

Have an awesome week!

Currently Obsessed With: March 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month!

Currently Obsessed With

It’s hard to believe that it’s April already!  Seriously, it feels like this year is going by so fast!

Crochet:

It’s blanket-mania!  I have three different blankets going on right now that are in various stages of completion- one is for me, and it’s getting pretty big.  Big as in keeping me warm when I’m working on it big, and I’m on the fourth color I had planned for it.  I have some yellow and blue (a darker shade of blue than the other shade of blue I used earlier in the blanket) that I’m going to add, once I’m done with the green.  I think it’s getting to the point where I might need at least 2 skeins for any new colors, because as it gets bigger, each color change is fewer rows, but it could look interesting.  I’m probably going to need at least 2 or 3 skeins for the border, because I definitely want a border!  I have so many options to pick from, especially with the crochet border book I just got.

I’ve been looking at crochet patterns recently, because I’m going up to Oregon for a cousin’s wedding next month, and I’m going to need something to do in the car ride up and back, so I have a bunch of patterns bookmarked.  At some point I’m going to print them, and try to figure out what matches up with the yarn I have…or maybe I should try to find patterns according to what I have in my stash.  At any rate, I will be looking at my yarn stash and patterns, and pick 2 or 3 to work on, because that is going to be one long car ride.

Books:

I got a few books this month!  From audible, I just got Skylark by Meagan Spooner, which I’ve wanted to read for a while, so I might listen once I’m done listening to Night Study.

I also bought The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury, which I read last year and liked, and when I was randomly browsing the 2.99 and under section in the Nook store, I knew I had to get it!  That’s how I ended up buying Among The Janeites by Deborah Yaffe, which looks like a pretty interesting book about the Jane Austen fandom.

And in print, I bought Catherine Of Aragon: The Spanish Queen Of Henry VIII by Giles Tremelett.  I have some stuff about Anne Boleyn, but not Catherine Of Aragon, so I figured this would fit in nicely with my Tudor England non-fiction stuff.

And I also got Around The Corner: Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman, which is definitely a crochet book I need right now, what with the blanket frenzy I seem to be in.  There are a ton of borders, and there’s a pretty decent variety of them (with 150, it’s to be expected), so I’ll definitely have a lot to pick from!

I definitely have a ton of books on my Nook I can read (but knowing me, I’ll probably bring one or two print books too), because there is no way I’m spending that much time crocheting..my hands will start to hurt, so reading breaks are definitely in order!

T.V./Movies:

I’ve been re-watching Grey’s Anatomy, and I’m pretty much at the part where they’ve taken their boards, which means I’m at the plane crash part of the series.  I’m also behind on some stuff, so I’ve slowly been catching up on stuff this weekend.

I haven’t seen Allegiant yet but maybe next weekend I’ll see it.  I also anxiously awaiting Captain America: Civil War, and how it’ll tie into Agents Of Shield.  I don’t even know what else is playing right now.  We shall see though.

Around The Internet:

Some Diversity Stuff: We Need Diverse Books has an interesting list of stereotypes & tropes navigation, CBC Diversity has an interesting post on not identifying with characters, and Publishing Perspectives has an interesting article on diversity in YA.

I’m really intrigued by this tea and book subscription box.  I’m a fan of tea, and I like it, but I’m an even bigger fan of coffee, and I’m curious if there’s a coffee and book subscription box out there.

I made chicken broth in the crock-pot this weekend, and it was super easy!  I froze it to use it later, but considering how much I use it (and the fact that the grocery store has had some really good sales on chicken lately, resulting in having a bunch of chicken in the freezer), it’s probably a good idea to save the bones and make my own.

I pinned this chili cheese tater tot casserole to my Food I Love board a few weeks ago, but it looks really good!

And I like the idea of pre-made oatmeal packets.  It’s probably a lot cheaper than buying the boxes!

Periods In YA:  Why did I not think about it until I read this blog post?  I’m sure there are reasons for it (like why we don’t see characters go to the bathroom or take a shower), but still.  How is it not even mentioned in passing?

I just really, really like this blog post about New Adult.  I don’t read a lot of it, but I really want to!  From what I have read, though, I do agree with a lot of her points!

And I don’t have anything specific pinned for this (unfortunately) but I know I’ve seen a couple of blog posts about changing ratings of books after they’ve been rated months earlier that were really interesting.

Music:

I honestly have nothing.  Not even a podcast recommendation!  So I will leave it at that, and I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Currently Obsessed With: January 2016

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

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I can’t believe it’s February already!  I’m doing this a lot later than I usually do but I just haven’t wanted to sit down and write this post until now, so here it is!

Crochet:

I’ve been working on another blanket for myself!  It’s going to be a very large granny square when it’s done, and I’ve been randomly working on.  I’m also doing a granny square project where I’m doing one granny square every week, and that’s been fun but interesting!  I may or may not talk more about it at some random point.

Books:

I got a few books last month!  I got When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney, Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris, The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, The Big Book Of Granny Squares (all from Barnes & Noble or Amazon) and The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie from Audible. I feel like I’m forgetting a book or two, but I’ll mention them next time if I remember what they are!

T.V./Movies:

I finally saw Star Wars last month, and I really liked it!  I really need to see The 5th Wave, which reminds me, I really need to read the book too.  As for t.v., I was watching Dr. Who until it went off of Netflix (which I’m not happy about, because now I need to find another way to watch it), and I watched the first episode of Making A Murder, which I think any fan of Serial would like.  And I’ve re-watched a couple of episodes of Gilmore Girls! I’m starting from the pilot, because I feel like I should, even though I could probably start from where I left off…if I could remember where in season 3 I left off.  Or be less lazy and look it up, but that seems like too much effort.

Around The Internet:

Considering the fact that I tend to wear the same few things over and over, a capsule wardrobe might be a good idea for me!

This is super-late and all, but I was so sad to hear about the passing of Alan Rickman.

This is a totally awesome book acknowledgement.

This 11-year-old girl is completely amazing, and she is doing an even more amazing thing.

Someone is doing some really cool self-portraits recreating famous paintings.

You can find these links, and a lot more over on pinterest!

Music:

I’ve been in a music mood the last month!  Here are 5 of my favorites from the last month.

1- That’s My Kind Of Night by Luke Bryan

2- Smoke Break by Carrie Underwood

3- Heartbeat by Carrie Underwood

4- Walking On A Dream by Empire Of The Sun

5- Roses by The Chainsmokers

Hope you had a great day!

Currently Obsessed With: November 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.

Currently Obsessed With

(A Quick Note: This post is a re-post from a few days ago)

November was a busy month!  I did NaNoWriMo, which went well.  I also went to the Night Vale live show last month, and it was completely awesome!  It’s great listening to it, of course, but seeing it performed is even more awesome because you get to facial expressions and gestures and body language, and I can’t wait until the recording comes out so I can listen to it again.  Thanksgiving was fun, and it was nice to spend some time with my family.

November was a little weird, though.  I was sick the first week (and I was glad it was just a week, that was bad enough), and the time change really got to me this year.  I’d be completely exhausted by 7:30, and there were quite a few nights where I’d be in bed by 8:30/9 and mornings were just as bad.  I’d wake up at 4:30 and not be able to go back to sleep.  Sleep has been getting back to normal (sort of), so hopefully soon, I’ll be able to stay awake past 8:30.

Crochet:

I haven’t really been crocheting much.  I started some wrist warmers, and got almost done with one, but decided part of it looked weird, so I ripped it and did one row of a different pattern.  Honestly, my attention has been elsewhere, so crochet hasn’t been a focus.  Now that November’s over (and I’m done with NaNo) I should be crocheting at least a little more.

Books:

I bought Crochet Stitch Dictionary by Sarah Hazell, which I think will be really helpful!  It’s not the most comprehensive book, but it’s pretty detailed, with 200 stitches included.  I think it’ll be a good resource to have on my shelf.

Crochet Stitch Dictionary Cover

I’m still looking for a book that has granny square patterns, since I’ve decided to do 52 granny squares next year, but if I don’t, I feel like I’ve found more than enough on pinterest and ravelry.

T.V./Movies:

I saw Mockingjay Part 2!  I really liked it, and even though I get why people are disappointed, I thought it was pretty true to the book, and even the things that were changed, I didn’t really mind.  Then again, it’s not something that usually bothers me.  Splitting Mockingjay into 2 movies is weird, and it would have been fine as one movie. I know that’s the thing now, while it’s fine for some movies, it wasn’t the best idea with this one.

I’ve been watching season 5 of Pretty Little Liars, and re-watching this season of Once Upon A Time, and trying to keep up with my usual shows.  It’s been a little hard, though, when you’re trying to watch something and falling asleep during it, so I’ve been watching/re-watching stuff after it’s up on Hulu.  Hopefully I’ll be back to my normal sleep schedule once everything comes back next year.

Around The Internet:

Book Riot has some awesome posts: Breaking The Rules Of Reading, Defending Fan Fiction, Coming Back From An Off Year Of Reading and A List Of Bookish Podcast Recommendations.

I made brown butter carrots for Thanksgiving and they were amazing!

This is a great list of women authors of color.  I definitely need to check out a lot of these books.

I also need to make these Maple Walnut Blondies.

Seeing these bookplates make me want to buy some!

You can also check out everything cool I find over on my Around The Internet Pinterest board!  FYI: November was a really slow month, for some reason.  I saw some interesting things, but not a lot caught my attention.

Music:

I haven’t been listening to a lot of music, which is weird, because usually I listen to a lot of music during November.  I did want to share a couple of songs.

Hello by Adele.  I know it’s hard to escape this song, but I love it!

Break Up With Him by Old Dominion is another new favorite.

I can’t believe it’s December already!  This year has gone by really fast.  Happy December!

Currently Obsessed With: September 2015

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Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things and some of the cool stuff that’s been going on.

Currently Obsessed With

I have to admit that September was really boring!  Honestly, though, it’s been so hot that all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing except browse Etsy and Pinterest with NCIS on in the background.  Now that it’s October…holy crap, it’s October!  That means NaNoWriMo is just weeks away…and the outline I said I was going to do almost a year hasn’t really happened.  I’ve read through it, and I have little chapter summary things for about half the chapters.  I’ll do what I can, and just go from there.  I’ll probably talk a little more about what I’m writing later on in the month. Once I have a better idea of what’s going on and once I’ve actually put some effort into it.

Crochet:

Once again, I haven’t been crocheting a lot.  Which means I’m still working on that dishcloth.  I did start a washcloth, since I have a somewhat decent amount of cotton yarn I’m trying to use up, but I’ve had to frog it 2 or 3 times. Row 5 is give me some major issues.  Maybe I need to do it at home?

I do want to make this crochet headphone hat for part of my Halloween costume, since it’s the cheaper option of trying to find some of the old-school headphones.  I think this Unicorn hat might be my official NaNoWriMo hat this year.  I’ll have to learn the magic circle, but it’s about time I learned it anyway, since I tend to stay away from projects that only have the magic circle as an option.  It could be fun to crochet a fun hat every year for NaNo- last year I wore the Princess Anna hat, and while I could wear again, I really like that Unicorn hat.  I definitely need to look through my stash to see what yarn I have and what yarn I might need to get.  I’m positive that I have most of the yarn I’ll need, so I won’t need to buy that much if I do need to buy any.

I’m also thinking of doing some sort of yearly crochet project.  I did the post-a-day project a few years ago, and this is a weekly nail polish project, and the idea of doing something crochet-related would be really cool.  I’m not sure if I wanted to go with doing something daily, which is a lot of pressure, and will be more challenging during certain times of the year, so I’m sort of hesitant about that.  I do like the idea of weekly, or maybe something everything month.  At any rate, I do have a few possibilities, and I have plenty of time to figure out the details.

Books:

I didn’t do a lot of book buying this month- just Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone and my audible pick. This month, though, there are some books I need to have.  Notably, the Night Vale book, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, and The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa.  And next month is Winter!

Since I mentioned Audible, I chose The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh as my book.  I’ve wanted to read it for a while, and I specifically went with the audio because of the narrator.  I loved Delawari’s narration in The Secret Sky, to the point where I added a book or two to my TBR because she narrates it.

I’m currently getting one book a month, but I’m strongly considering upgrading to two-book-a-month plan since I’ve been listening to quite a few audio books lately.

T.V./Movies: 

I am so glad that fall t.v. is coming back!  Granted, almost half of what I watch is on Thursdays…which makes me very glad I have Hulu.  Or maybe I need to drop some shows, but I don’t see that happening.

I’m still watching NCIS, and I watched a few episodes of The Walking Dead, but I haven’t gone back to it.  I might but I haven’t really thought about it.

Around The Internet:

You can see all of the Around The Internet things over on pinterest!

The next time I need a color scheme for something, I’m going right to Design Seeds.  I’ve been a fan for a while.

I am in love with this lamp.

The Harry Potter Alliance does some great work.  Donating is worth every cent if it means they can keep up the awesome work.  Three words: Granger-Lovegood shirts.

Ask Polly: Why Is Everyone Succeeding Except Me really hit home.

I have been eternally grateful for this cookbook, since the crock-pot means I don’t have to turn on the oven or stand over the stove in 90 degree weather.  I really need more crock-pot cookbooks.

Book Riot has a couple of especially awesome posts: the hysterical book contacts post and the awesome heart-warming post about getting Some Girls Are to teens.

Libraries are doing awesome things.

Read The World is one of my new favorite blogs.  I really need to spend some more time looking through their recommendations.  Food52 and The Kitchn are two new food blog favorites.

Music/Podcasts:

I feel like I’ve sort of ignored this part of my monthly recap posts this year, and right now, I’m not sure if I want to keep it going.  I don’t know if it’s just been non-music year, and I know over the last month, I haven’t been in a big podcast mood.  Hopefully, that will change (and soon!) but until then, this may be a sporadic thing.

Today, I am going to share some of my favorite audio book narrators, since I’ve been listening to a few audio books.

  • Khristine Hvam and Kevin Collins, who have narrated the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures series. I’ve added some books narrated by Hvam to my wishlist, even though there are quite a few that I already have copies of because she narrates.  I haven’t looked at anything else Collins has narrated, but I really need to do that.
  • Kyla Garcia, who narrated Joyride by Anna Banks.  I haven’t looked at other books she’s narrated yet, but I like her a lot, and I will listen to anything that she narrates.
  • Ariana Delawari, who narrated part of The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi.  I’ve added books to my TBR because she narrates it.
  • Jessica Lawshe, who narrated A World Away by Nancy Grossman.  It’s too bad I can only find one other book narrated by her, because she is probably my favorite narrator to this point.

I was looking through my audio book shelf on goodreads recently, and realized I don’t even remember the narration or narrator for most of them.  There were a few I vaguely remembered liking, especially after looking at some of the books, but it’s amazing how few really stand out.  I think it’s safe to say that some of the ones that do stand out have been books I’ve listened to recently, so maybe they are on my mind at the moment.

That’s all for today, Happy Thursday!